24th march,2017 daily global,regional ,local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Rice e-Newsletter Global Regional and Local Rice News

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News Headlines... on-basmati rice edges up on increased demand

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Rice-import delay threatens food security Spoonful of sugar (and rice) Which is Healthier: Quinoa or Brown Rice?

2017 rice weed control: Start clean, overlay residual herbicides Effort to pull Arkansas regulatory agencies under Agriculture Department ‘dead’ China’s surface ozone pollution damaging rice yields, threatens global food security NFA to fast track rice importation NFA Conducts Strategic Planning To Ensure Sufficient Rice Supply Asia Rice-Thai rice prices firm on stronger baht but dip in Vietnam and India Farmers urged to sell harvest to prevent rice shortage 15 companies in rice bidding High prices of rice lure farmers to go for Boro cultivation Satellite data secure rice farmers’ income in Southeast Asia Zanu PF revives rigging machinery Govt to sell 8m tonnes from rice stocks this year P17.87M damage reported in Samar rice pest, disease infestation Strong rupee, logistics hurdles seen hurting non-basmati rice exports Farmers advised against distress sale of paddy

News Detail...

on-basmati rice edges up on increased demand Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 7,800-7,900, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,350-7,800, Permal raw Rs 2,3002,350, Permal wand Rs 2,450-2,500, Sela Rs 3,100-3,200 and Rice IR-8 Rs 2,050-2,100, Bajra Rs 1,410-1,420, Jowar yellow Rs 1650-1700, white Rs 3,350-3,550, Maize Rs 1,540-1,550, Barley Rs 1,500-1,520 New Delhi, Mar 23 Non-basmati rice prices firmed up by upto Rs 50 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today due to increased demand from retailers.However, other grains remained steady in thin trade.Traders said increased demand from retailers against restricted supplies from producing regions mainly helped non-basmati rice prices to trade higher.

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In the national capital, non-basmati rice, permal raw, wand and IR-8 settled higher at Rs 2,3002,350, Rs 2,450-2,500 and Rs 2050-2100 from previous levels of Rs 2,275-2,300, Rs 2,4002,450 and Rs 2,025-2,050 per quintal, respectively.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,350-2,650, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,840-1,850, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,900-1,930, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 260, Roller flour mill Rs 1,000-1,010 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,100-1,110 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,250-1,260 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 7,800-7,900, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,350-7,800, Permal raw Rs 2,3002,350, Permal wand Rs 2,450-2,500, Sela Rs 3,100-3,200 and Rice IR-8 Rs 2,050-2,100, Bajra Rs 1,410-1,420, Jowar yellow Rs 1650-1700, white Rs 3,350-3,550, Maize Rs 1,540-1,550, Barley Rs 1,500-1,520. http://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/groundnut-oil-up-on-retailers-demand/1012955?scroll

Rice-import delay threatens food security

By Jasper Y. Arcalas MARCH 23, 2017

In Photo: In this file photo, workers of the National Food Authority pile up sacks of rice in one of the food agency’s warehouses.

The National Food Authority (NFA) said on Thursday the government must import rice soon to replenish the food agency’s thinning stockpiles, and ensure there will be enough food during the lean months.

NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said the NFA Council (NFAC) has not yet decided on the food agency’s request to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to beef up its buffer stock. ―Delaying further the approval for the government-to-government importation of the 250,000 MT balance could make it more difficult for the NFA to maintain the minimum levels of foodsecurity rice requirements during normal times, more so during the lean months,‖ Aquino said in a statement.

He said the NFA has sought the NFAC’s approval for the purchase of rice imports under a government-to-government deal as early as January. The NFA had planned to bring in the imports by April to preposition the stocks in calamity-prone areas. ―The NFA Council had not acted on the request up to this time,‖ he said.

In 2015 the NFAC approved the 500,000-MT standby authority for buffer stocking to fill the gap in local paddy-rice output caused by El Niño. The NFAC is the highest governing body of the NFA. Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco Jr., exofficio chairman of the NFAC, said the council thumbed down Aquino’s proposal to import 1 million metric tons of rice to prevent the agency from incurring more debts.

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The NFA is required to maintain a 15-day buffer stock, equivalent to around 400,000 MT, at any given time. During the lean months of July, August and September, when farmers do not usually harvest rice, the NFA is required to have a 30-day buffer stock, equivalent to 800,000 MT. These volumes are based on the current national daily rice-consumption requirement, pegged at 654,400 50-kilogram bags, or 32,720 MT. The NFA said it has started implementing measures to augment its stockpiles amid the delay in the NFAC’s decision to import 250,000 MT of rice.―As a stop-gap measure, NFA field officials have been instructed to prudently manage inventories and ensure sufficient supplies to satisfy the food-security requirement for each province,‖ Aquino said. ―Milling of the agency’s palay stocks would also be fast-tracked to augment the supply of rice,‖ he added.The NFA said it temporarily suspended rice sales to farmers’ organizations through the farmers’ cooperative development incentive fee and Farmers’ Incentive Rice Program.

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Aquino said he ordered the immediate transfer of rice stocks to regions and provinces with critical inventory levels and to undertake emergency procurement of logistics and services, if necessary, to build up buffer stock inventories in their respective regions.

He expressed concern that the NFA may not be able to reach its palay procurement target of 4.6 million bags, equivalent to 230,367 MT, this year as the farm-gate prices of palay are much higher than the government’s support price. ―In many areas harvesting the summer crop, palay prices have been monitored to range within P18 to P20/kilogram, higher than the NFA’s support price of P17/kg, even with incentives reaching P0.70 to P1/kg,‖ Aquino said.

The food agency buys palay at P17/kg clean and dry with an additional P0.20/kg drying incentive and P0.20 to P0.50/kg delivery incentive. For farmers’ organizations, an additional P0.30/kg is given as cooperative-development incentive fee. The NFA’s buying price ranges from P17.70 to P18/kg.

The volume of rice imports is recommended by the National Food Security Committee (NFSC).

It is composed of the secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority as chairman and the deputy national statistician of the Philippine Statistics Authority as vice chairman.

Based on the NFSC’s assessment of the local harvest and supply situation, the government imports only the shortfall in local harvest for buffer stocking purposes.

Image Credits: Nonie Reyes http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/rice-import-delay-threatens-food-security/

Spoonful of sugar (and rice) Published March 23, 2017, 10:00 PM

by José Abeto Zaide

Is your soft drink sweetened with sugar or with corn syrup?

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol weighed in to lift the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) hold order on importation of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) into the country.To recall, the SRA had issued in February an order SO 3, specifying guidelines for the issuance of clearance for the release of imported HFCS and chemically pure fructose. This was introduced to limit the entry of imported HFCS into the country, because our farmers and millers complained of losing as much as P10 billion a year due to the unregulated entry of HFCS imports by local beverage and food producers.

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When the SRA board decided to regulate the entry of HFCS, Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano represented the Secretary of Agriculture as ex officio head of the SRA board. However, Secretary Piñol would subsequently be persuaded by major end-users Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola that their equipment were programmed to use HFCS, and converting to other types of sugar would entail the overhaul of the companies’ machinery and equipment. Moreover, regulating the entry of HFCS could be a trade issue between Beijing and Manila, since the bulk of HFCS imports come from China.

On his part, SRA Administrator Anna Rosario V. Paner said HFCS is a type of imported sweetener which impacts our sugar industry: ―It displaces locally produced sugar and, thereby negatively affects the balance of production, threatens the livelihood of industry workers and impedes the growth of the sugar industry.‖ From 2011 to 2016, beverage makers and food processors imported almost 800,000 metric tons of HFCS, displacing demand for 23 million 50-kilo bags of locally produced sugar and depriving the local sugar industry of potential income (about P35.2 billion). For crop year 2016 to 2017, HFCS importation drove sugar prices from a high of more than P1,800/bag down to less than P1,300/bag (a potential revenue loss of about P20 billion).

The agriculture secretary knows that his constituents are the sugar farmers, (and not the conglomerate soft drinks manufacturers) but Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola rely heavily on HFCS since five years ago when the prices of local sugar doubled. *** Meanwhile, in another part of our farmland, Oca Violago repeats like a broken record to whatever ear he could bend that the best years for the National Food Authority (NFA) were under its late Administrator Jesus Tanchanco, who left the agency with P200 million in its coffers instead of today’s P200-billion debt to the national treasury. (Tanchangco built more than 400 super warehouses to store rice throughout the country, provided rolling stores and kadiwa warehouses to offer affordable food prices for our low-income families, and stabilized price of rice all year round).

Violago says it is time for our agencies to get their act together.  The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) should ensure the irrigation of our farmlands throughout the year. It should build high dams to minimize floods and damage to crops and property during the rainy season and release the stored waters to our farmers during the dry season to double their harvest every year.  NFA should be the exclusive importer of rice, and not the private sector or ―farmers cooperative‖ whose purpose is meaningful profit and not public service. (Tanchanco never allowed ―farmers cooperatives‖ to import rice) Do’s and Don’t’s for the NFA according to OIV: 1. During the harvest season, NFA should not (repeat, NOT), release a single grain of rice to enable our farmers to get good market price for their produce. (If we can raise the standard of living of our farmers, we create an exponential multiplier effect in our economy.)

2. During the lean months, NFA should release whatever amount of rice needed to stabilize the price of rice in the market, thereby protecting our rice-consuming populace.

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Instead of subsidizing foreign farmers through yearly importation of rice, we should exercise the political will to construct dams to ensure year-round irrigation, subsidize our farmers, provide high-yielding seedlings, fertilizers, and education on planting palay. For five years during Tanchanco’s time, we were able to export rice.

This unsolicited advice is repeated to head off the situation from getting out of hand under the watch of President Rodrigo Duterte. Those who are longer in the tooth know from experience that only NFA has the dual mandate to support our farmers and to stabilize prices for consumers.

Private rice importers are there for themselves and to optimize profit, without regard or obligation to consider the general welfare.

The portents show the market price of rice now perilously bumping up this lean month of the year. (Because we are back in the same pig-headed direction of subsidizing foreign farmers, while neglecting our own Filipino farmers.) Concerned citizens would want to help Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. and our NFA and NIA administrators return us in the right direction, instead of digging in like an ostrich and burying our heads in the sand.

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http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/23/spoonful-of-sugar-and-rice/

Which is Healthier: Quinoa or Brown Rice?

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By: Becky Striepe March 22, 2017 What’s healthier to make next time you’re planning a stir fry: quinoa or brown rice? Let’s look at these foods, side-by-side, and find out!It’s another healthy food face-off! Last week, I looked at chia seeds vs. hemp seeds, and this week, I want to see how brown rice stacks up against quinoa. I turned once again to SELFNutritionData for each food’s Nutrition Facts, and there’s another shareable graphic of the nutritional information, so you can compare nutrients at a glance.

QUINOA NUTRITION For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to look only at white quinoa here. It’s the most common quinoa variety out there, and when it comes to taste, it’s the one that’s closest to brown rice. A cup of cooked quinoa contains 222 calories and gives you eight grams of protein.

That same cup delivers 21 percent of your daily fiber needs along with 15 percent of your daily iron.

You also get four grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fats in your cup of quinoa and no saturated fat at all.

Quinoa is a great source of vitamins. A serving contains vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate. It’s highest in folate, a B vitamin that protects us from heart attack, stroke and certain cancers. A cup of quinoa has 19 percent of the RDA for folate. It’s also high in thiamin, giving you 13 percent of your needs for that vitamin. Thiamin is another B vitamin, which protects heart and brain health and helps us regulate blood sugar.

When it comes to mineral content, quinoa is an excellent source of magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. It’s also a good source. of potassium, zinc, copper and selenium. Quinoa contains 30 percent of your daily magnesium in a serving. Magnesium supports heart and bone health and helps regulate blood sugar. It also contains 28 percent of your daily phosphorus, which helps your body process waste and supports healthy bones and cell repair. You get 58 percent of Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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your manganese from a cup of quinoa. This unsung mineral is an antioxidant that supports a healthy metabolism, bone health and wound healing.

BROWN RICE NUTRITION Before we get to brown rice’s nutritional content, we need to talk about arsenic. A 2012 study that looked at a variety of rice found inorganic arsenic in all types researchers tested. According to Food Safety News, brown rice tends to have more arsenic than white rice, with one exception.

Brown basmati rice from California, India or Pakistan is the lowest-arsenic rice option available.

You can prepare rice to remove most of the arsenic by soaking, rinsing and then cooking in much more water than you’d normally use.

In moderation, though, brown rice—especially the brown basmati that I mention above—can be part of a healthy diet. A cup of medium-grain brown rice contains 218 calories and five grams of protein. It also delivers 14 percent of your daily fiber needs and six percent of your iron.

Brown rice is a good source of the vitamins thiamin, niacin and B6. It delivers 13 percent of your daily thiamin and niacin and 15 percent of your B6. I talked about thiamin above. Niacin helps control cholesterol levels and protects heart health. Vitamin B6 helps prevent cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. It also helps with cognitive function, especially as we age.

Brown rice’s top minerals are manganese, phosphorus and magnesium. A cup of brown rice has 107 percent (that’s not a typo!) of your daily manganese needs, 15 percent of your daily phosphorus, and 21 percent of your daily magnesium.

QUINOA VS. BROWN RICE From the chart below, you’ll see that quinoa is the clear winner when it comes to protein, fiber and vitamins. If you’re looking at mineral content, each of these grains brings some good stuff to the table. Because rice can contain arsenic, though, I’m calling this whole grain face-off in favor of quinoa.

Image Credits: Quinoa and brown rice images via Thinkstock. Infographic by Becky Striepe http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-is-healthier-quinoa-or-brown-rice.htmlDelta Farm Press

2017 rice weed control: Start clean, overlay residual herbicides Rice farmers are asking, ―How do I stay in the $50-to-$75 range on herbicide costs?‖

Ford Baldwin 1 | Mar 23, 2017 I am ready for another growing season. Several have asked where my articles have been lately. I just needed a little time off to recharge my batteries. (Also, when you do not see the article in the Delta Farm Press print edition, look for it online — www.deltafarmpress.com).I believe this growing season will be very interesting. Currently there is not a lot of optimism on profitability. I don’t work in that arena, but I have seen a lot of years start out gloomy and turn around before harvest. Let’s hope this is one of those. One thing about it, it would seem that if things move, the direction can only be up!

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Most calls I’m getting now involve getting the most bang for the buck on input costs. Without launching off into a tirade, I will simply say look closely at every single proprietary product you are recommended. If it isn’t recommended on the product label and in university recommendations, the chances of a return on investment are slim to none.

A lot of farmers are spending insane amounts of money on these products — which include micronutrient mixes, premium adjuvants, adjuvants for soil-applied herbicides, water conditioners, drift control agents, and such — when there is often no unbiased research whatsoever to support their claims. While some of these products may have a place in very specific situations, they certainly do not have across-the-board utility.

RICE HERBICIDE COSTS

The big question in rice is, ―How do I stay in the $50-to-$75 range on herbicide costs?‖ My response always involves starting clean and overlaying residual herbicides.

I do not care whether you are starting clean with herbicides, tillage or a combination of both — but start clean!

Overlaying residual herbicides involves applying a residual, usually Command or Clomazone at planting and then another residual delayed pre-emergence. There are a nearly infinite number of combinations of Facet (quinclorac), Prowl (pendimethalin), Bolero, more clomazone, and Newpath (in Clearfield) that can be used for the second application.

A new product this year, RiceOne, which is a pendimethalin and clomazone, has looked very good in research. You can run it in combination with some of the other products and get three modes of action.

A lot of folks comment that program sure is spending a lot upfront. Actually you are spending the bulk of the budget upfront to control weeds before you ever see them.

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However, with all of the resistance issues we have with barnyardgrass, sprangletop and rice flatsedge, postemergence programs can turn out less effective and much more costly. There will always be a need for postemergence herbicides in a program, but the key to the budget is controlling weeds before they emerge.

CORN WEED CONTROL

For corn weed control, the key again is starting clean. The key weed in a lot of fields is glyphosate-resistant ryegrass. Hopefully you have controlled it before now.

A lot of growers are adding Select or one of the generics to glyphosate to increase the ryegrass control. I am not a huge fan on big ryegrass this time of year. If you use it, be sure to follow the plant-back interval.

Effort to pull Arkansas regulatory agencies under Agriculture Department ‘dead’ An interview with Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward David Bennett | Mar 23, 2017

The 2017 Arkansas legislative session has certainly been memorable for several agriculturerelated bills. Nothing has been as controversial as HB 1725, legislation that would move key state regulatory agencies under greater control of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

As of Wednesday (March 22), HB 1725 has been pulled. ―It’s dead, it’s gone and won’t be run again. That effort is over,‖ says Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture.

Proponents of the plan said pulling things like the agencies’ HR and IT offices under the Agriculture Department’s umbrella would have saved the state $600,000 annually. Opponents Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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worried about overreach and a creeping loss of autonomy – especially for the Plant Board – wanted no part and contacted lawmakers voicing opposition.

Two votes were held on the bill in the House. The first gained 30 aye votes with the second coming in with 44. Fifty were needed for the legislation to pass.

On Wednesday, Ward spoke with Delta Farm Press about the bill, where things now stand and how it was misunderstood. Among his comments: What’s the lay of the land on HB 1725? ―I’m shocked – I don’t know if that’s even an adequate enough word to describe it – that people have gotten upset at that bill. There’s been a lot of misinformation and rumors and it’s unfortunate for the ag industry. There’s so much misinformation and false truths out there that have nothing to do with anything, in my opinion, with what people were concerned about http://www.deltafarmpress.com/technology/workshop-features-drones-agriculture

China’s surface ozone pollution damaging rice yields, threatens global food security Wednesday, March 22, 2017 - 02:01 Researchers find that high levels of surface ozone, a type of pollution, is damaging rice yields in China, and if left unchecked could threaten global food security. Ben Gruber has more. ▲ Hide Transcript STORY: A new study paints an alarming picture for the future of the rice industry. Researchers found that a high level of surface ozone pollution is wreaking havoc on a stage of the rice plant's development in China - the world's largest producer of the staple crop. SOUNDBITE (English) COLIN CARTER, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS, UC DAVIS, SAYING: "Peaks in ozone when you have 2 or 3 really bad days of high surface ozone which is like air pollution can have huge impact on yield, a negative yield." The scientists found that rice yields can be affected by as much as 2 percent, a serious statistic given that China produces 30 percent of the global rice crop.

Just 8 percent of global rice production is traded internationally, with the rest consumed in its country of origin. This means any production fall can prove devastating to those in poor countries. Surface ozone pollution is directly tied to the emission of nitrogen oxides produced by cars, power plants, and refineries, all part of a rapidly growing industrialized landscape in China. SOUNDBITE (English) COLIN CARTER, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS, UC DAVIS, SAYING: "Another important factor is the pollution is not improving in China, it's getting worse. So if you look at some of the projections for increased ozone pollution in China, these numbers will increase and yield losses will be higher.

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" And as the yield losses increase, the impact on global rice market rises. Left unchecked, rice prices could rise by 20 percent in the years to come, say researchers. SOUNDBITE (English) COLIN CARTER, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS, UC DAVIS, SAYING: "This will have an impact on the price of rice throughout the world. It will impact the price of rice in Africa, in India, in Pakistan. So it is not just the Chinese consumers that are affected but globally the rice industry will be affected." The study points to a future where the price could threaten global food security, leaving the world's poorest - who depend on rice as a staple food - at increased risk of malnutrition and starvation http://www.reuters.com/video/2017/03/22/chinas-surface-ozone-pollution-damaging?videoId=371346402

NFA to fast track rice importation March 24, 2017

The National Food Authority (NFA) said it urgently needs to replenish its rice inventory through a government-negotiated importation to ensure it can effectively respond to the needs of emergency or calamity victims in the coming lean months.

Jason Aquino, NFA administrator, said in a statement, the agency has to immediately import the balance of 250,000 metric tons (MT) out of the 500,000 MT rice imports approved for 2016.

Aquino said the whole volume should arrive within April to allow NFA to preposition the stocks, especially in calamity-prone areas, across the country. ―We live in a country of many islands, where transferring highly volatile commodities such as rice is dependent on the weather situation, availability of vessels, other logistics and manpower, Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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and even timing. We cannot afford to procrastinate when our people’s most basic food is at stake. Thus, we want to ensure that the NFA has enough stocks before the dreaded lean period comes,‖ Aquino said.

He said at this point, the only way NFA can fill the deficit in its rice buffer stock requirement is through importation and any delay ―in getting the 250,000 MT into our government warehouses may lead to disastrous consequences.‖ ―Our farmers are currently harvesting their summer crop but the NFA cannot compete with the private traders who are buying higher than the government support price of P17 per kilogram (kg.), even with additional incentives amounting to P0.70 to P1 per kg,‖ Aquino said.

Based on NFA’s monitoring, traders in most areas across the country are buying palay at P18 to P20 per kg.Aquino said the NFA also needs to beef up its stock inventory to prevent any nefarious business activities such as price manipulation, hoarding and price speculation. ―Although we have enough procurement funds to buy local harvest, our farmers would be better off selling to private traders at higher prices. Thus, we cannot possibly build up our mandated 30-day food security buffer stock before the lean months via local procurement alone,‖ Aquino said.

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council said the NFA, as food security watchdog of government, should maintain a rice buffer stock good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the lean months from July to September based on the daily consumption requirement of 32,150 MT or 643,000 bags http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/nfa-fast-track-rice-importation

NFA Conducts Strategic Planning To Ensure Sufficient Rice Supply

By Newsdesk (MS) March 23, 2017

Top central office executives and regional directors of the National Food Authority (NFA) recently met for an emergency strategic planning in view of a possible effect on local rice inventories by the delay in approval by the NFA Council for a government-to-government negotiation for the immediate importation of half of the 500,000 metric tons rice imports approved for 2016. ―Delaying further the approval for the G to G importation of the 250,000 MT balance could adversely affect the buffer stock position of the government and make it difficult for NFA to Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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maintain the minimum levels of food security rice requirements during normal times, more so during the lean months period,‖ NFA administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said.

Aquino had sought the approval for the G to G importation as early as January to ensure that the rice would arrive in the country by April and to give NFA enough lead time to preposition the stocks to calamity-prone areas across the country.

The NFA Council had not acted on the request up to this time.The NFA Management discussed strategies meant to address the possibility of low government inventories even as the agency had already increased its local palay procurement target by 40 percent for 2017.The LegislativeExecutive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) has prescribed that the NFA, as food security watchdog of government, should maintain a rice buffer stock good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the lean months from July to September, based on the daily consumption requirement of 32,150 MT or 643,000 bags.

As a stopgap measure, Aquino had instructed NFA field officials to prudently manage inventories and ensure sufficient supplies to satisfy the food security requirement for each province. He also ordered to fast track milling of the agency’s palay stocks to augment the supply of rice as well as to temporarily suspend the implementation of NFA rice sales to farmer organizations through the farmers’ cooperative development incentive fee (CDIF) and Farmers Incentive Rice Program (FAIR).

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Aquino also instructed the immediate transfer of rice stocks to regions and provinces with critical inventory levels and to undertake emergency procurement of logistics and services, if necessary, to build up buffer stock inventories in their respective regions.

NFA officials are worried the agency may not be able to reach its higher palay procurement target as field reports show that farm-gate palay prices are much higher that the government’s support price. In many areas harvesting the summer crop, palay prices have been monitored to range within PHP18-PHP20/kilogram, higher than NFA’s support price of PHP17/kg even with incentives reaching PHP0.70- PHP1/kg. In addition to PHP17/kg, NFA also provides incentives of PHP0.20/kg for drying, PHP0.20-P0.50/kg for transport and PHP0.30/kg as cooperative development incentive fee for farmer cooperatives. (PNA) PRNFA http://pageone.ph/nfa-conducts-strategic-planning-to-ensure-sufficient-rice-supply/ India down on sluggish demand

prices

Asia Rice-Thai rice prices firm on stronger baht but dip in Vietnam and India * Vietnam's prices pressured by rising supply

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Rajendra Jadhav and Mai Nguyen BANGKOK/MUMBAI/HANOI, March 23 (Reuters) - Rice prices firmed in Thailand on a stronger baht while prices dipped in Vietnam and India, traders said on Thursday.The price range for benchmark 5 percent broken rice widened to $350-$362 a tonne free on board (FOB) Bangkok, from $350-$355 last week, with traders citing the Thai baht's appreciation against the U.S. dollar to 34.66 baht from 35.33 baht last week.

"The baht has strengthened, but demand is still weak," one trader in Bangkok said.The Thai government held a state auction to offload spoiled rice for industrial use on Thursday, but results have yet to be announced.The world's second-biggest rice exporter sold 3.6 million tonnes of rice abroad between the start of the year and March 21, up 2.7 percent from the same period last year, the commerce ministry said.

In India, meanwhile, 5 percent broken parboiled rice fell by $1 to $371-$376 a tonne this week amid sluggish demand."At the current price level, we are not competitive. Due to the appreciating rupee, we couldn't reduce prices," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.The Indian rupee was trading close to its the highest level in nearly 17 months, reducing returns for exporters.

The country's 2016/17 rice production is likely to rise by 4.3 percent to a record 108.86 million tonnes, the government has said.

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India, the world's biggest rice exporter, mainly exports non-basmati rice to African countries and premier basmati rice to the Middle East.

"Paddy prices are more or less stable despite a drop in rice prices. This will cut exports in coming months," another Kakinada-based exporter said.

Vietnam's 5 percent broken rice fell to $350-$355 a tonne FOB Saigon, from $355-$360 last week, as supply increased during the main harvest season.

"Global demand is not so strong as Thailand is still selling their inventory," said a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam rice shipments fell 26.5 percent last year to 4.8 million tonnes, while exports of the grain in the first two months of 2017 decreased 23.5 percent year on year to 738,000 tonnes, customs data showed. (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK, Rajendra Jadhav in MUMBAI and Mai Nguyen in HANOI; Editing by David Goodman) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/asia-rice-thai-rice-prices-firm-onstronger-baht-but-dip-in-vietnam-and-india/articleshow/57792950.cms

Farmers urged to sell harvest to prevent rice shortage UNTV News

March 23, 2017

MANILA, Philippines — The National Food Authority (NFA) said the agency’s buffer stock is already short of the 30- day requirement.This is why the agency is taking additional steps to prevent the buffer stock from further shortage by calling on farmers to sell their rice this harvest season.

The produce that farmers will sell will be used as the country’s reserve in times of calamity, war or any huge crisis. ―We should share so we could be one in our mission to have sufficient rice in the country in times of need. That is during times of calamity,‖ said NFA regional information officer, Josephine Bacungan.

The agency buys the rice of farmers for the amount of P7.00 per kilo.This is lower than what the dealers buy which is P19.00 to P25.00 per kilogram.However, NFA said it would greatly help especially the poor.The NFA has previously said that the country’s buffer stock of rice might fall short because of the current problem in rice importation. — Rey Pelayo | UNTV News and Rescue https://sg.news.yahoo.com/farmers-urged-sell-harvest-stop-025221375.html

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15 companies in rice bidding March 23, 2017 18:38

By The Nation Fifteen private firms have joined the bidding for only 2.07 million tonnes of rice from total open bidding of 3.66 million tonnes, with a reduced offer price of Bt1.88 per kilogram. The Rice Committee will set a final offering price on March 28. The deputy director general of the Foreign Trade Department of the Commerce Ministry, Keerati Rushchano, said that the offering price ranges from Bt1.88 per kilogramme to Bt5.10 per kilogramme, an average of Bt4 per kilogramme. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30310092

Talks hel to boost rice exports Submitted by Eleven on Thu, 03/23/2017 - 14:05 Writer: Nilar

A rice broker house is seen in Bayintnaung wholesales center in Yangon. (Photo-Kyi Naing) A seven-member delegation led by private sector specialist Jose Ricardo Silva of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other rice traders met a Burmese team led by Ye Min Aung and Nay Lin Zin, the joint MRF general secretaries, at the MRF offices.Between last April and March 20, nearly 1.5 million tonnes of rice were exported.The MRF is cooperating with the World Bank and the IFC on marketing and promotion. They will coordinate over the holding of the first-ever TRT Rice Conference on April 28.Toe Aung Myint, a permanent secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, said: ―In the past, about 80 per cent of rice exports relied on border trade routes. Now about 40 per cent is exported by sea. ―Before 2003, the government monopolised rice exports. The country exported about 1 million tonnes of rice in 1995 which did not change until 2002,‖ he added.In 2011, the government allowed entrepreneurs to export rice through the borders. At the time, rice exports by sea amounted to about 80 per cent of the total while the border trade routes accounted for 16 per cent. In 2015-16, rice exports by sea routes were about 21 per cent with the rest going by land http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/8432

High prices of rice lure farmers to go for Boro cultivation Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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FE Report High prices of rice have encouraged farmers to go for extensive Boro cultivation this year, thus brightening the prospect of an increase in total production.Boro cultivation had suffered a setback in the last season due to low prices, said sector insiders.The country grows rice in three seasons of which Boro accounts for 57 per cent, followed by Aus 6.0 per cent and Aman 37 per cent, according to the ministry of agriculture (MoA).

Production of rice fell to 34.57 million tonnes in FY'16 from 34.71 million tonnes in FY'15 amid fall in Boro output, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).Production of Boro plunged to 18.9 million tonnes in FY'16 from 19.19 million tonnes in FY'15, BBS data showed.

The government has targeted to produce 19.1 million tonnes of Boro rice on 4.8 million hectares of land this year, according to the MoA.Farmers have, however, cultivated Boro on 4.85 million hectares until March 21 against the government target of 4.80 million hectares, Director General of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Md Manzurul Hannan said.He said the acreage declined to 4.74 million hectares in FY'16 from 4.84 million hectares in 2015 as many farmers shifted to other crops following a plunge in paddy prices during harvesting periods.

He said the situation started changing from the last Aman season as prices began to increase, thanks to imposition of 25 per cent duty by the government on rice import.

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The acreage will further rise as many farmers will go for late Boro plantation after harvesting potato, onion, garlic in Pabna, Kushtia, Mymensingh and Rangpur regions, he said.Assistant Director of the Department of Agricultural Marketing T M Rashed Khan told the FE that rice prices have increased by 13-21.5 per cent in rural areas in last six months.He said coarse rice Swarna was selling at Tk 34-36 in Rangpur and Dinajpur as against Tk 28-Tk 30 a kg six months ago.

He said finer quality Miniket rice was selling at Tk 48-Tk 52 which was Tk 42-Tk 46 a kg six months back.Meanwhile, prices of rice showed a 3.5 to 17 per cent rise in Dhaka and other big cities during the period, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

Mr Rashed Khan told the FE that farmers got 12-15 per cent profits from last Aman harvests which have encouraged farmers to go for Boro farming this season.He said farmers sell paddy at Tk 740 (coarse)-Tk 890 (aromatic) per maund (40 kg) in Aman season.However, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan told the FE that the spiralling prices of rice and other essentials are now a matter of great concern for poor consumers.

Farmers' rights activist Subal Sarker said the peasantry should get reasonable prices in the upcoming Boro harvesting season. He said the Haor farmers will begin harvest from next month.

"They got lowest prices on their crops due to lack of suitable transportation. The government should ensure profits for the farmers," he said.He said the higher import duty on rice import should continue to help farmers get better prices for their crop.

Farm economist Prof Gazi M Jalil said the government should take policies that would not harm farmers, consumers and traders at the same time. He said there is a huge price gap between farmer and retail levels.The government's monitoring should be increased to reduce this price gap, he said.The economist stressed the need for strict monitoring of importers and their allied millers to prevent any artificial shortage.

The country's annual demand for rice is 31.0 million tonnes against availability of 34.57 million tonnes, according to the Directorate General of Food (DGoF) and BBS. http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/03/23/65066/High-prices-of-rice-lure-farmers-togo-for-Boro-cultivation

Satellite data secure rice farmers’ income in Southeast Asia from Deutsche Gesellschaft fßr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Published on 22 Mar 2017 Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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22.03.2017 – Satellites supply data about the condition of approximately 15 million hectares of land under rice cultivation. Insured farmers can access compensation quickly in the event of crop losses.

Worldwide virtually no other food item is so widely cultivated as rice. Some 90 per cent of the world's rice is grown in Asia. Rice is thus not only the local population’s staple diet but also the main source of income for Asia's farmers. However, the entire region is plagued by extreme weather conditions such as floods or periods of drought that repeatedly wipe out entire harvests.

In 2013, the Allianz Re, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the software company Sarmap SA, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH founded an initiative that is now assisting rice farmers and governments in Southeast Asia to monitor rice production using satellite data.

So-called SAR satellites scan and monitor some 15 million hectares of land under rice cultivation in Cambodia, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. SAR technology documents the time of planting, the area under cultivation, rice plant growth patterns and the anticipated yield.

SAR also enables droughts to be detected early, and the scale of possible flooding to be determined. This helps the authorities to respond quickly, for example by making rice seeds available for re-cultivation after flooding.

The farmers also benefit when insurance companies make use of satellite data, as an insurance agent no longer has to come and inspect the damage on site. This means that instead of having to wait several months, farmers can now get compensation more quickly, giving them greater income security.To find out more about rice field monitoring and how the various insurance models work, see the new reference 'Southeast Asia: Satellite data secure rice farmers' income. http://reliefweb.int/report/cambodia/satellite-data-secure-rice-farmers-income-southeast-asia

Zanu PF revives rigging machinery March 24, 2017 in News, Politics

ZANU PF has embarked on a massive campaign — involving coercion, intimidation and vote buying — to influence the results of the 2018 general elections under the guise of a nationwide membership verification exercise.

By Elias Mambo/Hazel Ndebele

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The carrot-and-stick approach has seen Zanu PF teams embarking on door-to-door campaigns in the party’s strongholds in rural and farming areas, recording the identification particulars and other biometric details of adults in the areas.

The teams are taking passport size pictures as well as the fingerprints of party supporters and those coerced into joining the party.―After registering, the members are given an electronic card as a membership card which can be scanned to reflect the complete bio-data of the owner. The teams are also working with village heads to form structures from cell level,‖ an official said.

Zanu PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere confirmed Zanu PF was on a recruitment drive, which also involves the capturing of biographical data. He, however, denied Zanu PF teams were intimidating people. ―We rolled out our membership drive in 2014 and we are doing digital data capturing. No one is intimidating people as you are saying. As Zanu PF we want our members to have identification cards and we have put in place mechanisms which help them get those IDs,‖ he said.

The teams are also flushing out those without identification particulars, issuing them ultimatums to get the ID particulars to enable them to register for voting.

In some instances, Zanu PF officials are assisting villagers to get the identification documents which will enable them to register. ―In farming areas, the teams are reminding people who were allocated land during the land reform programme that Zanu PF did them a favour. They are also telling land owners that they have a responsibility to ensure that everyone on their farms, be it relatives or workers, should vote for Zanu PF,‖ an official said. ―Those found on farms without identification particulars are being given ultimatums to get particulars or risk being kicked out of farming areas. This has happened in several areas such as Chegutu, Selous and Beatrice among other areas.‖

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A party official told the Zimbabwe Independent that through this exercise Zanu PF was hoping to register at least three million voters which ―will guarantee a landslide victory‖ in next year’s polls.

The official said the party was alive to the likelihood of facing a united opposition, hence the need for a massive recruitment and intimidation drive among other dirty tactics. ―If Zanu PF can pool three million members in its database then the election is already won. This is what will happen. It does not matter whether there is an opposition coalition or not,‖ an official said.

In the 2013 elections, Zimbabwe had 6,5 million registered voters, but only about 50% of them voted.

In that poll, only 3 480 047 registered voters cast their ballots. President Robert Mugabe polled 2 110 434 (61,09%) while the opposition MDC-T’s Morgan Tsvangirai had 1 172 349 votes (34,94%).

Zanu PF officials also revealed the party was planning to use its influence to reduce the number of parliamentary seats in urban areas and other opposition strongholds to limit the number of opposition legislators. ―The mapping process is being done and it is possible that some urban constituencies will be joined with rural ones to dilute the urban votes. ―A good example is the Mazowe South constituency, which may include peri-urban suburbs such as Mount Pleasant Heights, part of Marlborough and the Defence College area,‖ an official said.

As part of its campaign strategy, Zanu PF has also resorted to vote-buying by distributing maize and rice countrywide. The party is sourcing the rice from China as food aid. However, the food is only being given to Zanu PF party members and not the opposition.Public Service and Social Welfare minister Prisca Mupfumira is allocating rice to provincial affairs ministers who then parcel it out to Zanu PF legislators in their provinces to distribute, shutting out the opposition https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2017/03/24/zanu-pf-revives-rigging-machinery/ Fot e-Newsletter Advertisement: Mujahid Ali, 0321 3692874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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Govt to sell 8m tonnes from rice stocks this year March 22, 2017 21:40

By The Nation

The government plans to sell 8 million tonnes of white rice inventory within this year, Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, permanent secretary at the Commerce Ministry, said on Wednesday after a meeting of the National Rice Policy Committee.

The inventory is part of rice stocks of 18 million tonnes accumulated from the rice subsidy scheme implemented by previous governments.

The 8 million tonnes comprise three grades of rice: 3 million tonnes food grade; 3.66 million tonnes industrial-use grade; and a million ton of rotten rice, which can be used only for alcohol production.

Last month, the Commerce Ministry put up 1.3 million tonnes of food-grade rice for auction and another 1.5 million tonnes will be put up for auction in May. Nineteen traders are participating in the auction for industrial-use grade rice, she said http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30309992

P17.87M damage reported in Samar rice pest, disease infestation At Least so far 29% P17.87M damage reported in Samar rice pest, disease infestation Friday, March 24, 2017 AT LEAST P17.87 million worth of damages have been incurred from widespread pest and disease infestation in Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces, the Department of Agriculture (DA)said, citing preliminary reports. DA Regional Executive Director U-Nichols Manalo said there is an ongoing validation within the 4,000-hectare rice farms reportedly plagued by the destructive bacterial leaf blight (BLB) brown plant hoppers.

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―Out of the estimated P140 million damages as reported by local government units (LGUs), only P17 million have been validated by our team in both provinces.

We have been asking the LGUs to help us so that the national government will immediately mobilize resources to stop the infestation,‖ Manalo said on Thursday, March 23. As of this week, the quick response team has validated 648.36 hectares affecting 745 farmers. BLB has been causing havoc in nine Northern Samar towns, while plant hoppers have been attacking seven Eastern Samar towns. The affected towns are Palapag, Las Navas, Lao-ang, Victoria, Allen, Lavezares, Rosario, San Jose and Catarman in Northern Samar, and San Julian, Sulat, Taft, Dolores, Oras, Arteche and Jipapad in Eastern Samar. ―The DA is now seeking the help of the municipal agriculture officers, as well as the farmers themselves to adopt some mitigating measures or pest management practices,‖ Manalo said. The infestation, however, will not significantly bring down the projected production of 537,954 metric tons in the first semester of 2017, considering that the two provinces are not top staple food producers in the region, said Manalo. Northern Samar's rice output accounts for 11.63 percent of the 954,844 metric tons produced in Eastern Visayas last year. Eastern Samar’s yield, on the other hand, only contributed 6.48 percent to the 2016 regional volume.

The two provinces have combined planted areas of 61,725 hectares. BLB is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzicola bacterium, which turns rice plants into brown. Under severe conditions, this could lead to reduced grain weight due to loss of photosynthetic area, according to the International Rice Research Institute (Irri). Irri explained that high population of plant hoppers cause leaves to initially turn orange-yellow before becoming brown and drying.

This condition kills the plant. The hopper is capable of transmitting incurable Rice Ragged Stunt and Rice Grassy Stunt diseases. Pest infestations have been recorded in Northern Samar since early of January this year. Eastern Samar farmers noticed the abnormal hoppers population in the last week of February. Plant pest and disease experts from the Agriculture department were deployed last week to check the situation and launch an information drive on how to manage the infestation. The government also provides farmers any possible assistance, including the conduct of capability enhancement training of technicians on pest management as reports of crop diseases and pest infestations keep coming.

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The DA advised affected farmers to continue monitoring rice fields, immediate harvesting of the remaining unaffected matured crops, light trapping, metarhizium spray and judicious use of nitrogen fertilizers, among others. The DA believes that pests and diseases thrived in Samar provinces due to high humidity, excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizer, closer crop canopy, and indiscriminate use of pesticide that kills their natural enemies. (PNA) http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2017/03/24/p1787m-damage-reportedsamar-rice-pest-disease-infestation-532795

Strong rupee, logistics hurdles seen hurting nonbasmati rice exports VISHWANATH KULKARNI By special arrangementWorkers loading rice bags in open rakes near Raipur BENGALURU, MARCH 21: The strengthening rupee has added to the woes of Indian non-basmati rice exporters, who are battling logistics hurdles, mainly the non-availability of covered rakes in adequate numbers in the eastern region that has slowed down the shipments of the cereal. Nonbasmati rice shipments in the April-January period of the current financial year stood at 5.21 million tonnes, down 2.6 per cent over the corresponding period last year.The rupee has strengthened by about 4 per cent against the dollar since the beginning of the year till date.―Non availability of covered rakes has been a big problem this season. This has impacted the movement of rice from Chhatisgarh region to the ports in Andhra Pradesh over the past three-four months. Transporting rice in open wagons increases the risks for exporters as insurers do not extend cover to such cargo,‖ said BV Krishna Rao, President of the Rice Exporters Association.

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―The infrastructure hurdles like the non-availability of covered rakes are seen as a dampener on exports,‖ said S Venkatesh, CEO (Mumbai Operations) Agri Trade India Services Pvt Ltd. Though the shipments are a bit subdued now, the prospects look bright as they are expected to pick up ahead of Ramadan, he added.

India has steadily built a profile in the non-basmati rice market after exports were opened up in 2011. Africa has been a major destination for Indian non-basmati rice, where it competes with exporters from Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan. In the past few years, India has been the largest exporter of rice — including both basmati and non-basmati — with the total volumes exceeding 10 million tonnes.

Rao said the strengthening rupee has further hurt the realisations of the exporters and made Indian rice, especially the whites, expensive in the world market.

India exports three varieties of non-basmati rice — white rice, parboiled and 100 per cent brokens. Parboiled accounts for some 30-40 per cent of the nation’s non-basmati shipments, followed by whites at 20-30 per cent.

Uncompetitive prices ―We are expensive by at least 10 per cent for white rice when compared to other origins such as Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan. This is because of higher price due to rise in MSP and the strengthening rupee. As a result, we are uncompetitive in this category at the moment, which is hurting the demand,‖ Rao said. However, the demand is intact in parboiled and brokens categories.

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Notwithstanding the logistics hiccups, Indian exporters expect to maintain non-basmati shipments at last year’s levels of over 6 million tonnes in the current financial year. Despite drought affecting the southern parts of the country, India is expected to produce a record 108.86 million tonnes of rice in the 2016-17 season, according to the second advance estimates http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/strong-rupee-logistics-hurdles-seenhurting-nonbasmati-rice-exports/article9594820.ece

Farmers advised against distress sale of paddy THE HANS INDIA |

Mar 22,2017 , 12:22 AM IST Kothagudem: Joint Collector M Ramkishan has assured paddy farmers of establishing purchase centres within their reach and advised them against making a distress sale of paddy to the middlemen.

He was reviewing arrangements for lifting paddy with officials of Civil Supplies department, rice millers, market committee secretaries, lorry owners and farmers here on Tuesday.

He asked Civil Supplies officials to equip the paddy purchase centres with instruments that measure moisture content in paddy, scales and adequate number of tarpaulins. The responsibility of testing paddy quality rested with the agriculture department officials, he said categorically.

He asked the rice millers to mill the paddy and supply fine rice to the social welfare hostels and government schools. In fact, 45 paddy purchase centres were being established in the district, he said. In addition, maize purchase centres will be set up at Illandu, Mulkalapali and Dammapeta.

Civil Supplies officer Amruta Reddy, Central Bank Deputy General Manager Naveen, Rice Millers’ Association president Jugal Kishore, Lorry Owners’ Association leaders and others were part of the meeting. http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Khammam-Tab/2017-03-22/Farmers-advised-againstdistress-sale-of-paddy/288335

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