27th may(wednesday),2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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May 27 ,2015 Vol 5,Issue V

Mechanization to help preserve rice terraces’

By Ferdie G. Domingo | May. 27, 2015 at 12:01am MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija—Mechanization can help conserve and preserve the famous Ifugao rice terraces in the Cordilleras, according to a Japanese agricultural engineer who said that farm machineries can be used to preserve the terraces.Professor Makoto Hoki, former research fellow at the International Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), stressed that mechanization can perform the work of agriculture workers who used to work on the terraces.Hoki

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter spoke in a seminar on how to restore the Ifugao rice terraces at the institute‘s central experiment station here last week.

In the same seminar, professor Hiroshi Tsujii of Kyoto University and senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Thailand observed that conserving the Ifugao rice terraces has been made difficult because these have been abandoned by farm workers due to external pressure that led them to seek non-agricultural jobs.Other factors include the advancing age of farmers and out-migration of young people. Both reduce the needed workforce to cultivate and maintain the rice terraces.

The rice terraces of the Cordilleras were inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in its cultural landscape category.This inscription has five sites: the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces (both in Banaue), Mayoyao Rice Terraces (in Mayoyao), Hungduan Rice Terraces (in Hungduan) and Nagacadan Rice Terraces (in Kiangan), all in Ifugao.

Why shifting to brown rice matters 'In a country vulnerable to climate change and its impact, brown rice will help us face the threat of food insecurity' Renee Juliene Karunungan Published 2:21 PM, May 27, 2015 Updated 2:23 PM, May 27, 2015 It's a fact that Filipinos love rice. We eat it 3 times a day and for many of us, one cup simply isn‘t enough.According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the average Filipino consumes 3 cups of rice per meal, which means 9 cups of rice a day;However, for an agricultural country, the Philippines has had to import rice to feed its people. In fact, in 2010, the Philippines was the biggest importer of rice in the world.

The production of rice simply cannot keep up with the demand.Data from PhilRice also show that in 2010, Filipino farmers had to produce 286.2 million cavans of rice to feed 92.34 million Filipinos. This rice shortage poses a problem for a country where 25.3% of its population is living below income of $2 a day and relying on rice to fill their empty stomachs. This rice shortage is all the more aggravated by climate change. According to Ricepedia, climate change remains to be one of the constraints to rice production in the country. ―Climate change and the vulnerability of crop production to drought and heavy rainfall, especially during the typhoon season, severely affect production.‖ Game changer However, organic brown rice might be a game changer and could contribute to solving the rice shortage in the country. While brown rice is known for its health benefits, given its high fiber content, brown rice also reduces rice wastage and therefore helps boost rice self-sufficiency and food security in the Philippines.According to Professor Ted Mendoza, a crop scientist from the

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter University of the Philippines Los Baños, milling white rice removes 38% of the husk compared to milling brown rice which only removes 28%. Brown rice has a 10% higher milling recovery.

Oxfam International said that this 10% higher milling rate translates to almost 1 million tons of milled rice, which is almost the same amount of rice imported by the Philippines.But not only is brown rice going to help the country become more rice self-sufficient, brown rice also helps small-scale farmers adapt to climate change. By saving on production and labor, farmers will have the chance to diversify their crops, helping them adapt to the changing climate.The government has, in fact, seen the importance of brown rice. 2013 was declared the National Year of the Rice. 2012 and 2013 also saw the launch of The Good Food Project led by Oxfam International and Dakila. Both campaigns promoted brown rice and encouraged more Filipinos to bring brown rice back to their tables.Today, the government continues the promotion of food security through the ―Be Riceponsible‖ campaign.

One success of the campaigns was a resolution by the government of Quezon City ―enjoining the observance of organic unpolished brown rice consumption" every Tuesday. The resolution encouraged the consumption of unpolished brown rice at the Quezon City Hall Complex, Novaliches District Center, and all city public schools and hospitals and barangays.The resolution also urged all concessionaires and food establishments and stalls in the places mentioned above to ―always make organic unpolished brown rice available in their menu and food offering daily.‖ Historically, pre-colonial Filipinos ate brown rice, locally called ―pinawa.‖ It was only when milling machines from the West were introduced in Asia that Filipinos shifted to white rice. But seeing the problems we are now facing in food security aggravated by the impact of climate change, this might be the right time to rethink the way we produce and consume rice and instead revert to brown rice.

Higher demand The difficulty, however, remains to be that organic brown rice, at around P50-P60 (around $1.25)* per kilo is a lot more expensive than white rice, the cheapest being NFA rice at around P32 ($.75) per kilo. The high cost of organic brown rice makes it difficult for the average Filipino to consume brown rice.However, the fact is, with lower labor and production cost, brown rice should cost less than white rice but because demand is also low, the price has become high. A bigger demand, then, is needed to lower the cost of brown rice and make it accessible to more people.This is where local government resolutions and ordinances such as that of Quezon City becomes important.

By giving Filipinos more access to brown rice in the market and by allowing it to become an option in restaurants, brown rice might just get the attention it needs. While it may be difficult for the average Filipino earning a minimum wage to eat brown rice 3 times a day, eating brown rice at least once a month can already make a big impact.According to the Department of Agriculture, if all Filipinos ate brown rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at least once a month, the country‘s importation of rice will shrink at an average of 500,000 metric tons/year.Shifting to

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter brown rice is also a challenge for a country with a sweet tooth. Brown rice tastes different and may be quite difficult to pair with our favorite sinigang, kare-kare, oradobo. But it only takes creativity in the kitchen and some getting used to. In a country vulnerable to climate change and its impact, brown rice will help us face the threat of food insecurity.People are starting to shift to the better rice, although gradually. Let us all be a part of this shift. Let's give brown rice a chance to be a part of our meals and help our country better adapt to the impact of climate change. – Rappler.com Renee Juliene M. Karunungan is the program manager for advocacy of Dakila, a collective of artists working together for social transformation. Dakila has been campaigning for climate justice with Oxfam since 2009 and currently has a climate revolution program.

Brown rice photo from Shutterstock. http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/hunger/94421-shifting-brown-rice-matters

Thai rice stockpiles could trump El Nino wild card 27 May 2015 at 14:44 WRITER: BLOOMBERG NEWS

A rice farm in Suphan Buri province. Thai rice stocks could come in handy in keeping the market in check and ensuring that importers not resort to panic buying during the El Nino, industry executives say. (Bangkok Post photo)

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter The severity of El Nino this year may decide whether rice prices recover from the lowest since 2008.Plentiful global inventories will probably cushion against any disruption to this year's crop, suppressing prices in the second half of the year, according to The Rice Trader. Further out, it may be a different story."I'm short-term bearish and, on the longer term, I'm quite bullish," Jeremy Zwinger, chief executive officer of The Rice Trader, a Durham, California-based researcher, said in Bangkok. "If it's a severe El Nino, obviously that's bullish.

"El Ninos bring drier-than-usual conditions including drought to parts of Asia, hurting crops in the top exporters and boosting demand among buyers. Australia this month joined forecasters in the US and Japan in declaring an event had begun, and weathermen are seeking to determine how long it will last and how strong it may be. The last El Nino was in 2009-2010 when global rough-rice output fell 1.8%."At this stage, we can only speak about potential impacts, given how influential factors such timing, strength and duration can be," said Shirley Mustafa, an analyst at the Rome-based Food & Agriculture Organization, which doesn't give specific price forecasts.

"A smaller crop would indeed tend to be supportive. However, this potential has to be put in the context of the still ample level of rice inventories."

More imports The price of Thai 5% broken white rice, a regional benchmark, dropped 9% to US$381 a tonne this year, the lowest level since January 2008, as the world's largest exporter sought to sell record reserves built up during a now-ended state-support program. Rough-rice futures sank 20% to $9.38 per 100 pounds in Chicago since January after declining to $9.25 on May 13, the lowest level since 2006.Thailand, India and the Philippines risk having smaller crops as El Ninos often suppress rainfall, according to the FAO. While global reserves may drop 4.6% to 168.2 million tonnes in 2015-2016, that's still 17% higher than the average over the past decade, data from the agency showed.The Philippines, Asia's second-largest buyer, approved 250,000 tonnes of additional imports from July and may double purchases should El Nino cut output significantly, the National Food Authority said May 22. Remote sensing indicated below-average rain in the main rice-growing areas since April, which may hurt sowing, the FAO said in a report on May 21.Downside risks to rice crops are high in the Philippines, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, BMI Research, a unit of Fitch Group, said on May 15. Palm oil and sugar production are also threatened, it said in a report.

Reserves 'handy' "The impact of El Nino could be even more significant because international agriculture prices have been weak for several years," BMI said. "Sentiment could quickly turn around should the weather actually prove unfavourable."While there's no consensus yet on how severe this El Nino will be, there are signs it may intensify. Moderate conditions are likely to persist through the June-to-September monsoon and then strengthen, the India Meteorological Department said on May 21. A significant El Nino is likely, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on May 12, and added in its fortnightly update on Tuesday that the event continues to strengthen.

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter "Thai rice stocks could come in very handy in keeping the market in check and ensuring that importers not resort to panic buying," Samarendu Mohanty, head of the social sciences division at the Los Banos, Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute, said in a May 21 commentary.Global reserves rose from 106.4 million tonnes in 2005-2006 as harvests expanded.

State reserves in Thailand stand at about 16 million tonnes from about 2 million tonnes before the support program started in October 2011, government data show.The "price is weak short term, in three to six months, because of Thai stocks and competition among major exporters," The Rice Trader's Mr Zwinger said in an interview on May 21. "The market today is more concerned on Thai stocks than El Nino." http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/574511/thai-rice-stockpiles-could-trump-el-nino-wild-card

APEDA India (News) Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 26-05-2015 Domestic Prices Product

Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Market Center

Variety

Min Price

Max Price

1

Amreli (Gujarat)

Other

1025

2505

2

Vellore (Tamil Nadu)

Other

1568

1568

3

Udaipur (Rajasthan)

Other

1235

1245

1

Dehgam (Gujarat)

Other

1100

1250

2

Bellary (Karnataka)

Local

1233

1281

3

Beawar(Rajasthan)

Other

1400

1600

1

Aroor (Kerala)

Other

3200

3400

2

Bonai(Orissa)

Other

1000

3000

3

Mechua(West Bengal)

Other

1000

1300

1

Aroor (Kerala)

Other

2000

2200

2

Bolangir (Orissa)

Other

2800

3000

3

Talalagir(Gujarat)

Other

1500

1520

Jowar(Sorgham)

Maize

Mango

Cucumbar

Source:agra-net

For more info

Egg

Rs per 100 No Price on 26-05-2015 Product

Market Center

Price

1

Pune

323

2

Chittoor

343

3

Hyderabad

287

Source: e2necc.com

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Other International Prices

Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 26-05-2015

Product

Market Center

Origin

Variety

Low

Onions Dry

High Package: 50 lb sacks

1

Atlanta

2

Baltimore

3

Dallas

Mexico

Yellow

23

23

California

Yellow

21

22

Texas

Yellow

15.75

Carrots

17 Package: 20 1-lb film bags

1

Atlanta

California

Baby Peeled

20

2 3

Dallas

Arizona

Baby Peeled

20

20

Detroit

California

Baby Peeled

17

17.50

Grapefruit

20.50

Package: 7/10 bushel cartons

1

Atlanta

California

Red

27

27

2

Baltimore

California

Red

22

22

3

Dallas

California

Red

24

24

Source:USDA

Basmati rice to get IPR protection as exporters support Centre’s view Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board is slated to hear the claims of all the parties for three consecutive days from July 8 for granting GI certification to Basmati rice By: Sandip Das | Chennai | May 26, 2015 11:08 pm

India‘s famous Basmati rice is set to get intellectual property rights (IPR) protection in the home country. With its exporters supporting the Centre‘s view that Madhya Pradesh can‘t be deemed part of the Indo-Gangetic plain, decks have been cleared for Basmati‘s entry into the coveted Geographical Indications (GI) Registry. GI protection in India would lead to similar recognitions in other countries, which means India‘s competitors would be barred from using the Basmati tag.

India‘s basmati rice exports, which had touched a record Rs 29,000 crore in 2013-14, fell to Rs 27,600 crore in 2014-15, due to a decline in shipments to Iran.Official sources told FE that Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) is slated to hear the claims of all the parties for three consecutive days during July 8-10 for granting GI certification to basmati rice.

The GI Registry, in a directive issued on December 31, 2013, had asked the Centre if Madhya Pradesh could be included in the definition of traditionally basmati-growing geography, inviting strong reactions from the commerce and agriculture ministries, which thinks the state‘s claim is

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter unjustified.Even as the issue was pending with the GI Registry, the Madhya Pradesh government had moved the IPAB. The Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (Apeda) has now told the IPAB that MP‘s claim is invalid. Under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, Apeda is designated to be the custodian of GI rights for farm produce.―Considering the Madhya Pradesh case for inclusion in basmati growing region would amount to playing with rights of those farmers who have been traditionally growing basmati in Indo-Gangetic plain,‖ a commerce ministry official said.

Leading agricultural scientists have also opposed Madhya Pradesh‘s attempt to be included in basmati-growing regions, by stating that it would adversely impact the ‗quality‘ of basmati rice and sully its global repute. ―Claiming rice grown in Madhya Pradesh as basmati is not correct as we have developed seed varieties keeping in mind agro-climatic zones of the Indo-Gangetic plain,‖ KV Prabhu, deputy director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), and a wellknown rice breeder, had recently said.

In 2009, Apeda under the commerce ministry had applied to the GI Registry asking for exclusive (commercial) use of the basmati tag for the grain varieties grown within the boundaries of the Indo-Gagentic plain in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and 26 districts of western Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Jammu and Kashmir.GI ascribes ‗exclusivity‘ to the community in a defined geography rather than to an individual as in the case of trademarks and patents.Madhya Kshetra Basmati Growers Association Samiti and a leading basmati rice exporter, LT Foods, along with Madhya Pradesh‘s department of farmer welfare and agriculture development, had approached the GI Registry jointly in 2013.

During 2008-10, India and Pakistan had initiated steps to register basmati under GI as ‗joint heritage‘ for protecting its premium market abroad. But that bid did not fructify due to opposition to it within Pakistan.In the absence of GI, many private companies have been unsuccessfully trying to register their products as ‗basmati‘, which commands a premium in the global market. The IARI has developed Pusa 1121 basmati rice variety, which is grown in more than 60% of basmati rice areas.

For Updates Check Commodity News; follow us on Facebook and Twitter First Published on May 27, 2015 12:09 am

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/markets/commodities/basmati-rice-to-get-ipr-protection-asexporters-support-centres-view/76579/

Livestock sector to show off in bid to lure investment

By Our Correspondent Published: May 27, 2015

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter

PHOTO: INP

KARACHI: The Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) is looking forward to the upcoming livestock, dairy, fishery agriculture (LDFA) 2015 exhibition, hoping that the trade fair could prove to be a stepping stone towards attracting new businesses and investments. ―We expect better business opportunities for the exhibitors and others in the fifth edition of LDFA,‖ SBI Director General Muhammad Riazuddin said while talking to media.Without specifying how much business the last four exhibitions have generated, Riazuddin said that the event is fulfilling its purpose as it is providing a platform to local and international companies to share their expertise and knowledge about new technologies.LDFA 2015 will be organised at the Expo Centre Karachi from May 30 to 31, 2015.

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According to the SBI‘s website, all four versions of LDFA witnessed collective business deals of more than Rs2.5 billion.SBI official present in the briefing informed that the Sindh government has started a scheme in which the farmers can get cheap financing from private banks. The provincial government will provide a loan of Rs32,000 per acre at a subsidised rate.

According to the SBI, a large proportion of Pakistan and Sindh‘s economy is directly and indirectly linked to the agriculture sector. ―It provides 45% of employment to our labour force and contributes 21% to the country‘s GDP.‖ ―I want to reiterate the Sindh government‘s resolve to promote and boost investment in agriculture and livestock sectors,‖ Riazuddin said.This year, 24 exhibitors will be promoting exotic birds in LDFA 2015. Other than this, there are other participants including 21 agriculture companies, 14 international companies and banks, 14 companies of dairy and livestock, and 9 companies from poultry and fisheries. Moreover, the diplomatic missions of Sri Lanka and Indonesia are also participating as exhibitors to create linkages with Pakistani companies.Sindh produces a variety of field and horticultural crops, including major ones such as wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton; approximately 68% of the total cropped area is used for their production.

Sindh produces 35% of the total rice produced in Pakistan, 28% of sugarcane, 12% of wheat, and 20% of cotton. Similarly of the major horticulture crops, Sindh produces 88% chillies, 73% bananas, and 34% mangoes.LDFA 2015 is aimed to position Sindh as an economically viable province by identifying areas for investment in various sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2015. http://tribune.com.pk/story/892812/livestock-sector-to-show-off-in-bid-to-lure-investment/

Prices of commercial rice continue downward trend – NFA By: Cielito M. Reganit, Philippine News Agency May 27, 2015 5:35 AM

InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter MANILA, Philippines -- Prices of commercial rice were monitored to be decreasing even in drought-hit areas contrary to reports that rice prices have gone up in the said areas, the National Food Authority (NFA) said Tuesday.NFA administrator Renan Dalisay said that during an actual inspection of public markets in General Santos City early Tuesday morning, he observed that rice prices in the area ranged between ₱32 per kilogram and ₱44 per kilogram depending on variety.

He said the rice came from Surala, South Cotabato which is among the areas in the country where the El Niño phenomenon is prevalent. ―Contrary to reports, commercial rice prices have also gone down in other areas as well,‖ Dalisay said.Data obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that as of May 23, retail prices of regular commercial rice (RMR) averaged at ₱37.28 per kilogram, while the well-milled variety (WMR) was recorded at ₱41.29 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, NFA rice remains at ₱27 and ₱32 per kilogram for RMR and WMR, respectively.

In the meantime, Dalisay stressed that the NFA is ready for the onset of the lean months - which starts in July - with its active procurement operations.―As of May 21, the NFA was able to procure a total of 1.2 million metric tons of palay. We are also getting ready with the importation of an additional 250,000 MT in preparation for the lean months as well as to stabilize rice prices during the period,‖ Dalisay said.The 250,000 MT will be imported through government-togovernment procurement and will be opened to the governments of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. http://www.interaksyon.com/business/111223/prices-of-commercial-rice-continue-downward-trend--nfa

High Quality Malaysian Palm Oil Call for Best Prices trusted source DJ China Dalian Grain Futures Closing Prices, Volume Soybean No. 1 Turnover: 142,052 lots, or 6.26 billion yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest Jul-15 – - – 4,357 4,357 4,357 0 0 10

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Sep-15 4,406 4,424 4,371 4,388 4,424 4,395 -29 121,044 147,186 Nov-15 – - – 4,443 4,472 4,443 -29 0 120 Jan-16 4,488 4,510 4,462 4,480 4,510 4,485 -25 20,308 71,414 Mar-16 4,561 4,561 4,561 4,561 4,563 4,561 -2 12 106 May-16 4,611 4,625 4,580 4,583 4,621 4,594 -27 634 9,778 Jul-16 – - – 4,628 4,655 4,628 -27 0 14 Sep-16 4,634 4,652 4,630 4,632 4,655 4,640 -15 54 320 Nov-16 – - – 4,628 4,628 4,628 0 0 0 Soybean No. 2 Turnover: 136 lots, or 4.01 million yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest Jul-15 2,874 2,900 2,874 2,880 2,899 2,884 -15 6 30 Sep-15 2,974 2,974 2,926 2,950 2,954 2,949 -5 130 864 Nov-15 – - – 3,167 3,172 3,167 -5 0 8 Jan-16 – - – 3,182 3,182 3,182 0 0 34 Mar-16 – - – 3,172 3,177 3,172 -5 0 12 May-16 – - – 3,136 3,141 3,136 -5 0 0 Corn Turnover: 104,550 lots, or 2.51 billion yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest Jul-15 2,409 2,428 2,392 2,392 2,403 2,415 12 92 242 Sep-15 2,468 2,475 2,439 2,445 2,473 2,456 -17 78,990 236,730 Nov-15 2,325 2,333 2,310 2,310 2,316 2,320 4 50 242 Jan-16 2,229 2,229 2,194 2,201 2,228 2,212 -16 23,104 94,242 Mar-16 2,241 2,257 2,233 2,233 2,246 2,242 -4 10 50 May-16 2,290 2,290 2,255 2,269 2,294 2,272 -22 2,304 5,834 Soymeal Turnover: 2,250,580 lots, or 57.23 billion yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest Jul-15 2,420 2,538 2,420 2,446 2,452 2,452 0 450 1,946 Aug-15 2,518 2,537 2,511 2,518 2,530 2,518 -12 118 534 Sep-15 2,520 2,551 2,514 2,533 2,541 2,536 -5 1,979,394 4,464,104 Nov-15 2,570 2,610 2,570 2,573 2,584 2,580 -4 34 400 Dec-15 2,609 2,628 2,606 2,606 2,619 2,611 -8 34 320 Jan-16 2,585 2,610 2,576 2,586 2,602 2,592 -10 208,024 995,114 Mar-16 2,628 2,649 2,621 2,625 2,639 2,637 -2 628 2,456 May-16 2,585 2,598 2,571 2,574 2,596 2,583 -13 61,898 176,704 Palm Oil Turnover: 1,243,944 lots, or 63.48 billion yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Jun-15 – - – 5,032 5,032 5,032 0 0 10 Jul-15 – - – 4,904 4,904 4,904 0 0 6 Aug-15 – - – 4,894 4,894 4,894 0 0 12 Sep-15 5,054 5,120 5,040 5,084 5,022 5,086 64 972,186 735,998 Oct-15 5,102 5,136 5,086 5,100 5,018 5,102 84 38 54 Nov-15 – - – 5,122 5,038 5,122 84 0 6 Dec-15 5,250 5,250 5,198 5,198 5,136 5,226 90 32 32 Jan-16 5,118 5,202 5,118 5,162 5,112 5,164 52 269,732 285,872 Feb-16 – - – 5,244 5,192 5,244 52 0 18 Mar-16 – - – 5,276 5,224 5,276 52 0 6 Apr-16 – - – 5,176 5,124 5,176 52 0 6 May-16 5,266 5,326 5,250 5,294 5,276 5,290 14 1,956 5,176 Soybean oil Turnover: 923,910 lots, or 53.62 billion yuan Open High Low Close Prev. Settle Ch. Vol Open Settle Interest Jul-15 – - – 5,722 5,722 5,722 0 0 2 Aug-15 – - – 5,760 5,760 5,760 0 0 4 Sep-15 5,750 5,806 5,744 5,756 5,750 5,772 22 714,074 795,406 Nov-15 – - – 5,918 5,896 5,918 22 0 28 Dec-15 – - – 5,954 5,932 5,954 22 0 14 Jan-16 5,880 5,936 5,864 5,904 5,876 5,904 28 205,308 337,608 Mar-16 – - – 5,964 5,942 5,964 22 0 40 May-16 5,914 5,978 5,912 5,930 5,914 5,944 30 4,528 9,482 Notes: 1) Unit is Chinese yuan a metric ton; 2) Ch. is day‘s settlement minus previous settlement; 3) Volume and open interest are in lots; 4) One lot is equivalent to 10 metric tons.

Crop Progress Date 24-May 17-May 2014 Avg Cotton Planted 47 35 60 61 Corn Plamted 92 85 86 88 Corn Emerged 74 56 56 62 Soybeans Planted 61 45 55 55 Soybeans Emerged 32 13 23 25 Rice Planted 93 89 94 92 Rice Emerged 82 70 78 77 Sorghum Planted 41 38 45 46 Peanuts Planted 68 47 64 67 Sunflowers Planted 26 10 15 Oats Emerged 91 83 70 79 Oats Headed 26 30 30 Winter Wheat Headed 77 68 68 67

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Spring Wheat Planted 96 94 70 79 Spring Wheat Emerged 80 67 40 54 Barley Emerged 86 72 54 55 Crop Condition Very Poor Poor Fair Good Very Good Corn This Week 0 3 23 62 12 Corn Last Week Corn Last Year Winter Wht This Week 6 13 36 37 8 Winter Wht Last Week 6 13 36 37 8 Winter Wht Last Year 22 22 26 24 6 Spring Wheat This Week 1 3 27 61 8 Spring Wheat Last Week 1 3 31 58 7 Spring Wheat Last Year Rice This Week 1 5 28 49 17 Rice Last Week 1 5 28 50 16 Rice Last Year 0 5 28 54 13 Oats This Week 2 6 22 59 11 Oats Last Week 1 5 21 62 11 Oats Last Year 4 8 28 53 7 Barley This Week 0 2 24 61 13 Barley Last Week 0 3 33 53 11 Barley Last Year Pastures and Ranges This Week 2 8 30 48 12 Pastures and Ranges Last Week 3 9 31 47 10 Pastures and Ranges Last Year 7 14 33 39 7 DJ USDA Grain Inspections For Export in Metric Tons -May 26 Source: USDA For the week ending May 21, in thousand metric tons. Includes waterway shipments to Canada.

Grain ——–Week Ending——– Current Previous 5/21/2015 5/14/2015 5/22/2014 Market Yr Market Yr to Date to Date BARLEY 0 0 1,592 162,538 200,223 CORN 1,006,720 1,108,998 1,168,964 30,920,512 32,696,890 FLAXSEED 24 0 342 8,086 8,470 MIXED 0 0 0 0 0 OATS 0 0 0 600 2,055 RYE 0 0 0 0 0 SORGHUM 111,405 139,802 59,402 7,203,329 3,304,481 SOYBEANS 291,192 341,097 90,543 46,870,988 41,960,880 SUNFLOWER 0 0 0 0 0 WHEAT 418,376 327,033 509,077 22,194,653 30,734,890 Total 1,827,717 1,916,930 1,829,920 107,360,706 108,907,889

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter ===================================================================== === CROP MARKETING YEARS BEGIN JUNE 1 FOR WHEAT, RYE, OATS, BARLEY AND FLAXSEED; SEPTEMBER 1 FOR CORN, SORGHUM, SOYBEANS AND SUNFLOWER SEEDS. INCLUDES WATERWAY SHIPMENTS TO CANADA

DJ Asia Commodity Prices Get Boost From El Nino Warning Signs

By Huileng Tan SINGAPORE–A growing chorus of major weather forecasters is confirming the return of the El Nino weather pattern, giving lackluster agricultural commodity prices a jolt.Australia‘s Bureau of Meteorology on Tuesday said ―oceanic and atmospheric indicators show a clear El Nino signal,‖ adding that sea-surface temperatures were likely to remain well above El Nino thresholds at least until springtime in the southern hemisphere, from September to November.

The Australian agency had, along with Japan‘s national weather agency, earlier this month warned of an abnormal warming of the Pacific Ocean, while the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared El Nino‘s arrival in March.

El Nino is typified by a warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and a cooling of its western region. That leads to a shift in weather patterns including a higher chance of drought in key agricultural-producing regions like Australia and Southeast Asia. El Nino was last observed from 2009 to 2010.Prices of various agricultural commodities have jumped this month with palm oil up as much as 6.2% thanks to the El Nino warnings, while cocoa and natural rubber have both hit multi-month highs.

Share prices of palm-oil producers like Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. (E5H.SG) and Wilmar International Ltd. (F34.SG) have also risen. Palm oil, used in a variety of products from fuel to lipsticks and biscuits, is the world‘s most widely-used edible oil.Aurelia Britsch, a commodities analyst at Business Monitor International, said the impact of El Nino might be significant as international agriculture prices have been weak for several years and can easily rally on weather concerns.During the last El Nino event, sugar prices soared to 30-year highs, while crude-palmoil prices rose close to 4,000 ringgit ($1,098.40) a metric ton–almost double what they are now.

The 2007 El Nino event hit food production, sparking riots in Egypt, Cameroon and Haiti.

Despite false alarms last year and the uncertainty over the severity of this year‘s El Nino event, some countries are already bracing themselves for an impact.

The Philippines said last week it will import as much as 500,000 tons of rice–half to be delivered

by July and the balance depending on the severity of the damage to farm output. The Philippine Statistics Authority said it expects its rice harvest this year to fall short of the 20.1 million tons target for self-sufficiency.India meanwhile is seen to be vulnerable to El Nino as it affects the country‘s monsoon season, which will start in June, raising the risk of sharply higher food prices

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter in the second half of the year, HSBC said in a recent note.The monsoon is crucial for India‘s summer crop, and weak monsoons exacerbate inflationary pressure given the country‘s relatively poor agricultural infrastructure and supply bottlenecks. This could derail plans for further interest-rate easing by India‘s central bank, HSBC said.

WHEAT General Comments: Futures were lower as the market anticipated good progress and better conditions in the USDA reports last night. USDA instead left crop condition ratings unchanged, and prices could turn a little higher today. This market remains a weather market, with fears of production and quality losses in the central and southern Great Plains and Midwest providing price support.

The reports of the rains in Texas and Oklahoma have been incredible, and the trade reaction has been mixed as others suggest that the rains have broken the drought and that yields can be better with the better soil moisture. Current forecasts call for a lot of rain to the south again by this weekend. It has been a very wet year now that the drought has been broken in the central and southern Great Plains and there are worries that too much protein will get lost. Quality could be a real problem in the wet areas as the protein slips. However, it is unlikely that much, if any, yield potential has been harvested except in northern areas. US Wheat remains relatively high priced in world markets, so weaker prices are possible once the conditions show more stability and the market turns back to demand and the harvest starts to come close. .

Overnight News: The southern Great Plains should see daily chances for scattered showers and storms. Temperatures should average near to below normal. Northern areas should get mostly dry conditions today, but showers over the weekend Temperatures should average near to below normal. The Canadian Prairies should see dry conditions. Temperatures will average near to above normal.

Chart Analysis: Trends in Chicago are down with objectives of 484, 461, and 457 July. Support is at 491, 486, and 471 July, with resistance at 503, 511, and 529 July. Trends in Kansas City are down with objectives of 514, 484, and 460 July. Support is at 519, 512, and 498 July, with resistance at 533, 540, and 545 July. Trends in Minneapolis are down with objectives of 548, 540, and 515 July. Support is at 546, 541, and 530 July, and resistance is at 558, 568, and 584 July.

RICE General Comments: Futures moved lower at the close after trading higher for the overnight market and the first part of the day session. The big rains seen around Houston and into Delta production areas could create some area and yield losses and helped Support the early market action. However, the US Dollar was very strong and took all of the price strength out of the market. This week is expected to be warmer and drier, and there are hopes that fields can start to dry out. More big rains could be seen by the end of the week. The end of the month is coming, too, and prevent plant dates for insurance are right around the corner. Reports indicate that at least some producers are now hoping that the fields do not dry out enough to allow for fieldwork before the end of the month so that they can claim against insurance policies.

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Overnight News: Some showers appear are expected through the weekend. Temperatures will average near normal.Chart Analysis: Trends are mixed to down with objectives of 922 July.

Support is at 925, 912, and 900 July, with resistance at 974, 986, and 991 July.

CORN AND OATS General Comments: Corn was lower in sympathy with Wheat and on ideas that growing conditions in the Midwest are very good. Corn is almost planted now, but the areas where it is not in the ground will continue to see rains off and o through the weekend. It is becoming increasingly likely that some Corn area will be planted to Soybeans, although the insurance dates have not been hit yet. These areas have seen too much rain and are trying to wait for drier weather. However, more rains are in the forecast by this weekend in the southern Midwest, Delta, and Southeast. Those areas that are planted are starting to emerge and so far the crop looks very good. Corn is trying to form a seasonal bottom for a short term rally attempt that often happens one the crop is planted. The current good crop conditions imply that any rally will likely be limited in scope. The USDA reports last night provided no real reason to buy as planting progress and condition were at the lower end of trade projections.

Overnight News: Chart Analysis: Trends in Corn are down with objectives of 350, 345, and 327 July. Support is at 352, 347, and 344 July, and resistance is at 359, 364, and 368 July. Trends in Oats are mixed.

Support is at 236, 231, and 225 July, and resistance is at 249, 256, and 258 July.

SOYBEANS AND PRODUCTS General Comments: Prices were mixed to lower as the US Dollar went sharply higher. Some early strength was noted in Soybeans and Soybean Meal as the strikes continue in Argentina, but ideas that solutions are being found there took some buying interest away later in the session.

Soybean rallied on the back of Palm Oil, where production could be lost due to the El Nino that is starting to affect production areas. A drive through Indiana and parts of Ohio over the holiday weekend showed that Corn was emerged, but not Soybeans. Little fieldwork was being seen over the weekend. It is likely that many produce4rs already have Soybeans planted. There is an increasing possibility of more area planted to Soybeans in southern areas as it is getting late to plant Corn. It should be drier this week, but more showers are possible again this weekend. Ideas are that the US Soybeans crop is about half planted. Futures will probably make a near term low very soon as the crop planting progress expands and gets completed, but up side potential for prices should be very limited given the strong world data unless the US in fact develops a weather related problem.

Overnight News: Chart Analysis: Trends in Soybeans are down with objectives of 913 July. Support is at 912, 900, and 876 July, and resistance is at 937, 950, and 961 July. Trends in Soybean Meal are mixed.

Support is at 301.00, 300.00, and 295.00 July, and resistance is at 308.00, 309.00, and 310.00 July. Trends in Soybean Oil are mixed to down with objectives of 3100, 3090, and 3085 July.

Support is at 3150, 3120, and 3100 July, with resistance at 3240, 3260, and 3275 July.

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter CANOLA AND PALM OIL General Comments: Canola was higher. Farmers are very active and conditions are good for planting efforts. The crops should be getting off to a good start now and should be emerging in a few places while producers work to get the crop planted in the next couple of weeks. Some parts of the Prairies have been dry and the dry weather potential should support prices. Palm Oil was a little lower on some profit taking. Traders are watching El Nino as it could create dry weather in both Indonesia and Malaysia, but so far the weather has been good. Even so, the forecasts for El Nino over the last few days have added weather Premium to prices in the last few sessions. Now traders will wait for the dry weather to develop. Export demand in Malaysia is strong so far this month, but strong production will keep ending stocks for the month high and that is negative to prices overall. Longer term trends remain down.

Overnight News: Chart Analysis: Trends in Canola are up with objectives of 475.00 and 487.00 July. Support is at 462.00, 457.00, and 455.00 July, with resistance at 469.00, 472.00, and 475.00 July. Trends in Palm Oil are mixed to up with objectives of 2190 and 2230 August. Support is at 2150, 2120, and 2100 August, with resistance at 2200, 2230, and 2310 August.

DAIRY AND MEATS General Comments: Milk and products were slightly lower. Demand in the US remains solid, but export demand ideas are getting hurt by the stronger US Dollar. Production for all three markets remains very strong. Demand for Milk has been fading in the East and Midwest for fluid Milk, but Milk demand from processors remains very strong. Cheese and Butter processors are still operating at high levels to keep up with the demand. The best demand is in Cheese right now, where some producers are having trouble filling all the orders. Butter demand has been good as well, but producers are able to keep up with the order flow and even build stocks in some cases.

Demand for Butter is steady right now. Prices for dried products seem generally weak.

Cattle closed mixed and feeder cattle was higher. The US Dollar hurt Live Cattle on ideas that export demand will drop. Both markets remain in a trading range, with Feeder Cattle now probing resistance areas in the range. Short term prices can stay strong as it is a time of stronger demand, but that might be the last big rally for this market for a while as the supplies should then start to increase. Wholesale beef markets were higher yesterday. US hogs prices were lower as the US Dollar went higher and hurt demand ideas. There is a lot of talk the market is overbought, but the cash market is still strong and lending support to futures. Overall, the market is still signaling stronger cash markets in the weeks ahead. Charts show some very strong resistance at about $88.00 to $90.00 and so far the market is having trouble getting there. Cash hogs markets were weaker and wholesale pork markets were higher.

Overnight News: Chart Analysis: Trends in Milk are mixed. Support is at 1650, 1625, and 1610 July, and resistance is at 1650, 1700, and 1710 July. Trends in Cheese are mixed to down with objectives of 167.50 July. Support is at 168.00, 166.50, and 165.00 July, with resistance at 170.00, 174.00, and 175.00 July. Trends in Butter are down with objectives of 191.00 and 186.00 July. Support is at 190.00, 188.00, and 186.00 July, and resistance is at 196.00, 197.00, and 200.00 July. Trends in Live Cattle are mixed to up with objectives of 153.00 and 161.00 June. Support is at 150.00, 148.00, and 147.00 June, with resistance at 153.00, 155.00, and 156.00 June. Trends in Feeder Cattle are mixed. Support is at 215.00, 212.00, and 210.00 August, with resistance at 220.00,

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter 221.00, and 225.00 August. Trends in Lean Hogs are mixed to down with objectives of 81.00 and 79.00 June. Support is at 80.00, 78.00, and 76.00 June, with resistance at 84.00, 85.50, and 87.00 June.

Daily Cash Nonfat Dry Milk Trading on Friday, May 22, 2015 (Carload Unit = 42,000-45,000 lbs) —————————————————————— NONFAT DRY MILK : CLOSE : CHANGE —————————————————————— GRADE A : $0.9000 : -.0150 —————————————————————— SALES: NONE LAST BID UNFILLED: 1 CAR GRADE A @ $0.8500 LAST OFFER UNCOVERED: 1 CAR GRADE A @ $0.9000 Close represents US $ per pound. Change is price change from previous close.

Information disseminated by USDA, Dairy Market News – Madison, WI 1147C (608) 557-7002 USDA/AMS/Dairy Market News, Madison, Wisconsin Dairy Market News website: www.ams.usda.gov/dairymarketnews Dairy Market News database portal: http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/dahome Daily Cash Cheese Trading on Friday, May 22, 2015 (Carload Unit = 40,000-44,000 lbs.)

—————————————————————— CHEESE : CLOSE : CHANGE —————————————————————— BARRELS : $1.6200 : .0025 40# BLOCKS : $1.6500 : .0050 —————————————————————— SALES: 6 CARS BARRELS: 1 @ $1.6300, 1 @ $1.6275, 1 @ $1.6350, 1 @ $1.6250, 1 @ $1.6225, 1 @ $1.6200 4 CARS 40# BLOCKS: 1 @ $1.6550, 1 @ $1.6600, 1 @ $1.6550, 1 @ $1.6500 LAST BID UNFILLED: NONE LAST OFFER UNCOVERED: 1 CAR BARRELS @ $1.6300 Close represents US $ per pound. Change is price change from previous close.

Information disseminated by USDA, Dairy Market News – Madison, WI 1147C (608) 557-7002 USDA/AMS/Dairy Market News, Madison, Wisconsin Dairy Market News website: www.ams.usda.gov/dairymarketnews Dairy Market News database portal: http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/dahome

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Daily Cash Butter Trading on Friday, May 22, 2015 (Carload Unit = 40,000-42,000 lbs) —————————————————————— BUTTER : CLOSE : CHANGE —————————————————————— GRADE AA : $1.8900 : -.0400 —————————————————————— SALES: 8 CARS GRADE AA: 1 @ $1.8900, 1 @ $1.9200, 1 @ $1.9175, 1 @ $1.9200, 1 @ $1.9175, 1 @ $1.9200, 1 @ $1.9150, 1 @ $1.8900 LAST BID UNFILLED: NONE LAST OFFER UNCOVERED: NONE Close represents US $ per pound. Change is price change from previous close.

Information disseminated by USDA, Dairy Market News – Madison, WI 1145C (608) 557-7002 USDA/AMS/Dairy Market News, Madison, Wisconsin Dairy Market News website: www.ams.usda.gov/dairymarketnews Dairy Market News database portal: http://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/dahome Midwest Weather Forecast: Mostly dry and cool this week, showers and warmer by this weekend.

FOB Gulf Basis Levels-Cents per Bushel Corn HRW SRW Soybeans Soybean Meal Soybean Oil May 59 July 110 July 50 July 80 July 38 July 200 July June 57 July 56 July 80 July July 56 July 56 July 73 July All basis levels are positive unless noted as negative Brazil Premiums Soybeans Soybean Meal Soybean Oil Corn June minus 7 July plus 29 Sep August July plus 65 July minus 2 July plus 27 Sep September August plus 89 Aug plus 5 Aug plus 23 Sep October DJ ICE Canada Cash Grain Close – May 26 Winnipeg–The following are the closing cash grain prices from ICE Futures Canada.

Values are based on the commodity being delivered at Thunder Bay, Ontario, unless otherwise noted. Source: ICE Futures Canada Price Change CANOLA *Par Region 453.80 up 0.60 Basis: Thunder Bay 1 Can 483.70 up 4.90 2 Can 470.70 up 4.90

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Basis: Vancouver 1 Can 498.70 up 4.90 2 Can 485.70 up 4.90 FEED WHEAT Lethbridge 200.00 unchanged Can Feed 224.00 unchanged WESTERN BARLEY Lethbridge 202.00 unchanged All prices in Canadian dollars per metric ton. *Quote for previous day Source: Commodity News Service Canada (cnscanada@shaw.ca, or 204-414-9084) DJ Malaysian PM Cash Market Prices for Palm Oil – May 27 The following are prices for Malaysian palm oil in the cash market at 1000 GMT Wednesday, supplied by commodity broker Matthes & Porton Bhd. Prices are quoted in U.S. dollars a metric ton, except for crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, which are in ringgit a ton. Palm kernel oil prices are in ringgit a pikul, a Malaysian measurement equivalent to 60 kilograms.

Refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil, FOB, Malaysian ports Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 625.00 -05.00 Unquoted – Jul/Aug/Sep 622.50 -05.00 Unquoted – Oct/Nov/Dec 622.50 -05.00 Unquoted – RBD palm olein, FOB, Malaysian ports Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 627.50 -05.00 Unquoted – Jul/Aug/Sep 625.00 -05.00 Unquoted – Oct/Nov/Dec 625.00 -05.00 Unquoted – RBD palm stearin, FOB, Malaysian ports Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 600.00 -05.00 Unquoted – Palm Fatty Acid Distillate, FOB Malaysian ports Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 580.00 -05.00 Unquoted – Crude palm oil, Delivered Basis, South Malaysia Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 2180 -10.00 Unquoted – Palm kernel oil, Delivered Basis, South Malaysia Offer Change Bid Change Traded June 193.00 -04.00 Unquoted – ($1=MYR3.6360) Questions? Ask Jack Scoville today at 312-264-4322 http://www.insidefutures.com/article/1443817/Morning%20Grains%205/27/15.html

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter

Overlay residual herbicides in rice to suppress weeds Some residuals breaking early May 27, 2015Ford Baldwin | Delta Farm Press RELATED MEDIA

We just received our every-other-day flood at Practical Weed Consultants. A lot of farmers and consultants have reached their frustration limit. Most of my calls right now are from people just wanting somebody to listen while they vent their frustration.That is fine. I understand. A lot of farmers I talk to are farming scared this year anyway due to the poor price outlook, and now we have to put up with this. This too shall pass, and all we can do is ride it out.

My hat is off to anybody willing to be a farmer!Those who have been able to overlay residuals in rice are generally in pretty good shape from a weed control standpoint. Some residuals are breaking early, and that is a reason it is important to overlay them. In a lot of areas there is a lot of ―sick rice.‖ Where weeds are emerging, it has been difficult to find treatments that would control the weeds and not further injure the sick rice and that could be sprayed due to emerged crops.I knew the calls would be coming along the lines of, ―I need to spray my rice and I have milo to the north, milo to the south, soybeans to the east and corn to the west. What can I use?‖ I think I am pretty good at pulling rabbits out of the hat but not that good.I have been recommending a lot of Bolero or RiceBeax in mixtures to shore up sprangletop control.

Sprangletop is a saturated-soil germinator. More and more calls are Ricestar HT questions due to emerged soybeans around a lot of fields along with a lot of emerged sprangletop.When I get calls about larger barnyardgrass, I switch the recommendations to Regiment or Regiment plus Facet where I can. I consider it the best postemergence barnyardgrass herbicide, but it can be frustrating to get applied due to the crop mix in some cases.There are a lot of choices for herbicides that might work on the weeds, but it often boils down to what can be applied. The main thing is to do something while the grass is still small and make sure there is a residual herbicide in the tank.It seems like I get more questions on crabgrass in rice each year.

The best postemergence crabgrass herbicide is Ricestar HT, but it will not be 100 percent on larger crabgrass. It will usually rot the growing points, and if you can cover it up with water it will go away.

Unfortunately crabgrass usually is a problem only on soils that won‘t hold water or where water is short.Where fall panicum is a problem, Clincher is the postemergence herbicide of choice.In soybeans it seems to be a mixed bag as to how well residual herbicides have held up with all the rain.

I have been in several fields where farmers have not been able to apply second residual, and there is a carpet of tiny pigweeds emerging. Those have to be sprayed soon in spite of the weather.Flexstar or Prefix might be the treatment of choice in Roundup Ready soybeand or Liberty the treatment of choice in LibertyLink soybeans. However, if the ground won‘t dry, UltraBlazer applied by air is a good choice. Blazer is labeled in rice and peanuts and both corn and grain sorghum have reasonable tolerance if you don‘t get carried away.

Hopefully we will not have a bunch of big pigweeds to deal with, but if it keeps raining we will.

Whether you are using Liberty in LibertyLink soybeans or the Flexstar-UltraBlazer treatments in

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Roundup Ready or conventional soybeans, a repeat treatment in about seven days after the first is the key on larger weeds. http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/overlay-residual-herbicides-rice-suppress-weeds

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- May 27 Nagpur, May 27 Gram and tuar prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid profittaking selling by stockists at higher level. High moisture content arrival and easy condition in Madhya Pradesh pulses also pushed down prices, according to sources. *

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FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram recovered in open market here on good demand from local traders amid tight supply from producing regions.

TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply position. * Batri dal suffered heavily in open market in absence of buyers amid increased arrival from producing regions. * In Akola, Tuar - 7,300-7,700, Tuar dal - 10,100-10,500, Udid at 9,100-9,600, Udid Mogar (clean) - 10,700-11,100, Moong - 9,000-9,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 10,700-11,100, Gram - 4,200-4,500, Gram Super best bold - 6,100-6,300 for 100 kg. * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in poor trading activity, according to sources.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Gram Auction Gram Pink Auction Tuar Auction Moong Auction Udid Auction

Available prices Previous close 3,500-4,330 3,580-4,410 n.a.

2,100-2,600 5,800-7,280 5,800-7,360 n.a.

6,000-6,300 n.a.

4,300-4,500

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Masoor Auction n.a.

2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500 Gram Super Best n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,900-6,200 5,900-6,200 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.

Gram Mill Quality 5,300-5,500 5,300-5,500 Desi gram Raw 4,600-4,650 4,550-4,600 Gram Filter new 6,100-6,200 6,100-6,200 Gram Kabuli 5,200-6,900 5,200-6,900 Gram Pink 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600 Tuar Fataka Best 10,500-10,800 10,500-10,800 Tuar Fataka Medium 9,900-10,300 9,900-10,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,600-9,800 9,600-9,800 Tuar Dal Medium phod 8,800-9,300 8,800-9,300 Tuar Gavarani New 7,800-7,900 7,800-7,900 Tuar Karnataka 7,900-8,000 7,900-8,000 Tuar Black 10,700-11,000 10,700-11,000 Masoor dal best 8,100-8,300 8,100-8,300 Masoor dal medium 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 11,000-11,500 11,000-11,500 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,200-10,600 10,200-10,600 Moong dal Chilka 9,000-9,750 9,000-9,750 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 9,600-9,900 9,600-9,900 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,200-11,600 11,200-11,600 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 9,900-10,600 9,900-10,600 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 8,500-8,900 8,500-8,900 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,400 4,300-4,500 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,200-3,350 3,200-3,350 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,450 3,200-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 2,450-2,625 2,450-2,625 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,700-4,900 3,700-4,900 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,700 1,500-1,700 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,950 1,800-1,950 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,700 3,100-3,700 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,200 Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,850 2,600-2,850

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,750 2,500-2,750 Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,650 3,200-3,650 Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,900-4,300 3,900-4,300 Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500 Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,200-10,200 8,200-10,200 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,200 6,000-7,200 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,650-5,000 4,650-5,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,100-2,200 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,550 2,300-2,450 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 46.2 degree Celsius (115.1 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

27.2 degree Celsius (83.8 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : 0.3 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 46 and 30 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.) http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/27/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N0YI39A20150527

Weed scientists offer new definition for ‘superweed’ A University of Minnesota graduate student, Jared Goplen, focuses his research on giant ragweed, a ―superweed‖ resistant to

common herbicides.

The Weed Science Society of America joined with six sister organizations to recommend a new definition for superweed – a catchall term used by many to describe weeds that are perceived to be more invasive and to grow more aggressively after developing resistance to herbicides.Use of superweed has snowballed in recent years, along with considerable misinformation that isn‘t supported by scientific facts. Most online dictionaries, for example, associate superweeds with herbicide resistance caused by the suspected transfer of resistance genes from crops to weeds.To date, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that crop to weed gene transfer is contributing to the herbicide resistance issues faced by farmers.―Since superweed is now clearly part of the

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter public vernacular, we decided to offer a definition that more clearly reflects the true source of herbicide resistance,‖ said Lee Van Wychen, Weed Science Society of America science policy director.The science-

based definition developed by Weed Science Society of America focuses on the ability of weeds to develop resistance to virtually any treatment method that is used repeatedly – and exclusively.Superweed: Slang used to describe a weed that has evolved characteristics that make it more difficult to manage due to repeated use of the same management tactic. Over-dependence on a single tactic as opposed to using diverse approaches can lead to such adaptations.

The most common use of the slang refers to a weed that has become resistant to one or more herbicide mechanisms of action due to their repeated use in the absence of more diverse control measures. Dependence on a single mechanical, biological or cultural management tactic has led to similar adaptations, such as hand-weeded barnyardgrass mimicking rice morphology, dandelion seed production in a regularly mowed lawn and knapweed resiliency to gall fly biocontrol.Two common misconceptions about a superweed are that they are the result of gene transfer from genetically altered crops and that they have superior competitive characteristics.

Both of these myths have been addressed by the Weed Science Society of America.

Visitwww.wssa.net/weed/resistance for more information.

Weed Science Society of America has also created a variety of free educational materials and recommendations concerning herbicide resistance and how to avoid it.Though the term

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter superweed is most often associated with weeds resistant to one or more herbicides, scientists point out that resistance can result from overdependence on mechanical, biological or cultural management tactics as well.Repeated hand-weeding of barnyardgrass growing in rice fields, for example, has led to weeds that escape control by mimicking the appearance of rice plants.

Similarly, spotted knapweed has become increasingly resilient to the gall flies used repeatedly as a biological control. Even dandelions growing in a regularly mowed lawn can evolve to avoid the mower, produce seeds and spread.Weed Science Society of America‘s new definition has been endorsed by the Aquatic Plant Management Society, Canadian Weed Science Society, North Central Weed Science Society, Northeastern Weed Science Society, Southern Weed Science Society and the Western Society of Weed Science. .

Tags Weed Control, Weed, Agriculture, Herbicide, Superweed http://www.agriview.com/briefs/crop/weed-scientists-offer-new-definition-forsuperweed/article_556b72dd-fca8-50b4-911d-cb186ba45e87.html

Now silica gel in rice pack scare Published on: Thursday, May 28, 2015

Kota Kinabalu: A new rice scare has surfaced barely eight days after reports of fake rice tainting the local market went viral online.This time, a consumer alleged a burst silica gel pack with its content found mixed with the rice was found inside a Beras Nasional rice pack on Tuesday.Coincidentally, both incidents involved the same rice wholesaler, Tan Khien Chong, or also known as TKC. TKC Chief Operating Officer Chien Hung who had already lodged a report over the fake rice incident earlier said, the company is aware of the incident and had recalled the products from the market, Wednesday."More than a hundred packets have been recalled and we have told our sellers in areas like Ranau and Kudat not to sell the rice until we can get them off their hands by Thursday," he said.

Sole rice importer, Padi and Beras Nasional (Bernas) had been alerted over the matter.Chien admitted it would be hard to separate foreign objects from the rice in the processing due to the bulk purchase, normally in gunny sacks, made by the company.Meanwhile, a Bernas source said investigation has begun to find out how the incident happened, saying that silica gel packs are always kept in rice container shipments to keep the raw food dry and off fungi attack.Silica gel is poisonous if consumed."There is a possibility the silica gel packs could have burst from the transporting side as our transportation is by a third party."The silica gel could have been stuck on one of the rice gunny sacks.""It could also be that the items may have gone into the rice packs when the wholesaler was repacking the rice. But I dare not confirm all these," he said.According to him Bernas has no control over the quality of products once the gunny sacks are sold to the wholesalers, as the company does not have authority to regulate them."Besides, Bernas does not import a small amount. It's massive. Against all odds any possibilities can happen," he said.This is not the first time silica gel was found in rice packs, a similar incident happened early 2013. http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=100187

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Indonesia’s Rice Consumption 4:04 AM EST MAY 27, 2015 By Anita Rachman

Reports that merchants in a traditional market outside Jakarta had sold synthetic rice caused a panic among Indonesian consumers this week in a country where rice is a staple. The government has since tested samples of the allegedly tampered grain and found that it contained no synthetic material, Indonesian Police Chief Badrodin Haiti said Tuesday in a televised press conference. But the fact that rumors of the so-called ―plastic rice‖ spread so fast and so widely, revel just how important the commodity is to Indonesians – who often say a meal without rice means one hasn‘t eaten.

114 kilograms The average amount of rice each Indonesian will consume this year, as projected by Indonesia‘s National Statistics Agency. The figure is smaller than last year‘s by 10 kilograms, partly because, like much of Asia, as Indonesians become more upwardly mobile, their dietary preferences are changing to include more bread and noodles. Still, Indonesia continues to consume more rice than neighboring countries such as Malaysia, where rice consumption per capita is less than 100 kilograms, said Lely Pelitasari Soebekty, director of public services at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

70.83 million tons The amount of rice Indonesia is believed to have produced last year, according to the statistics agency, which plans to release the final figure in the middle of the year. That figure would mark a 0.63% decline in production from 2013 due to a loss of farm land for building or factory development, according to the statistics agency. $246 million The value of rice Indonesia imported from countries such as Thailand and Vietnam in 2013, the latest year for which data is available. That‘s roughly equivalent to 472,600 tons. Indonesia has been a net importer of rice for years, despite efforts by the government to ensure self-sufficiency in major food staples, such as rice, corn and soybeans. To help achieve that objective, the government has also been leading campaigns telling people to eat less rice to ease demand on local production and imports. Ms. Soebekty said the campaigns have struggled to have much of an impact because rice is still considered the most affordable and filling carbohydrate available.

While imports were down in 2013 compared to the 2012 figure – Indonesia had seen increases in rice imports in the year‘s prior.

27% The percentage low-income families spend from their salaries each month to buy rice subsidized by the government. The government sells the rice – which is of a lower quality than that sold at market prices – at around 12 cents per kilogram, allowing each family to purchase up to 15 kilograms a month, said Ms. Soebekty. She said Bulog distributes about 230,000 tons of rice monthly to 15.5 million households across the archipelago.

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter MoC to crack down on 'unethical' rice exporters Thu, 28 May 2015 Chan Muyhong

The Ministry of Commerce is ramping up its efforts to stamp out ―unethical‖ rice exporters mixing their produce with rice from neighbouring countries, as the European Union becomes increasingly concerned about rice tampering. In an open letter issued on May 11 the ministry said it will stop issuing Certificates of Origin to exporters found to be using non-Cambodian rice, as this could lead to the European Union withdrawing its duty-free trade preferences that Cambodia enjoys under the Everything But Arms agreement.―Recently, the EU has increased monitoring of rice imports to investigate the origins of rice imported, with the aim to pause or ban the import of rice without clear origins,‖ the letter reads.

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) urged the president of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), rice exporters and millers to strictly comply with the code of conduct on rice exports to the EU agreed upon last year.―MOC will have a group of inspectors who will launch surprise inspections in rice exporting companies and rice millers to investigate the issue,‖ the letter added.The code of conduct was created to ensure that rice exported from Cambodia was actually grown in Cambodia and not mixed with Vietnamese rice, after Oryza, an industry publication, reported the EU raising concerns last year.The EU Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Francois Cautain said yesterday that the EU had become increasingly concerned recently and that ensuring the Kingdom‘s rice exports were 100 per cent homegrown was the responsibility of the Cambodianauthorities. ―Indeed, as for any other product exported to the EU under EBA, were the rule of origin not respected, it may lead to an investigation by the EU,‖ he said in an email.―We are welcoming the constructive approach of both the Royal Government of Cambodia and the rice exporters in putting in place proper mechanisms to ensure that the rule of origin is fully respected for rice

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter exports to the EU.‖Kan Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Company, said yesterday that the problem came down to ―only a few unethical exporters‖ that the MoC and CRF were currently investigating. ―It will cause a huge impact on rice industry if the EU no longer granted Cambodia with EBA, as 50 per cent of the country‘s total exports go to the EU.‖Kunthy said that the EBA was a crucial stepping stone to maintaining growth in the sector but that they need to prepare for withdrawal of the scheme once Cambodia moves to a middle-income status.―All we can do without EBA is to increase our competitiveness and compete with other exporters from the region,‖ he added.

Image:A man harvests his rice crop in Phnom Penh‘s Russey Keo district last month. Vireak Mai ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ANANTH BALIGA

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ministry-targets-mixed-rice-exports

WOTUS Revisited WASHINGTON, D.C.--Late yesterday, USA Rice staff were invited to a meeting with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and others to discuss the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule (now titled the Clean Water Rule). EPA disclosed that they intended to release a pre-Federal Register notice of the rule today. Implementation of the rule will begin 60 days after it is officially published in the Federal Register, which is expected within the next month. The agency staff stated that significant changes were made to the final version based on the more than one million public comments the agency received. EPA indicated that among the changes are the issues of upland ditches, the definition of tributaries, the extent of floodplains, and the confusion over how farms would be treated in "adjacent waters," among other things. Agency staff specifically cited USA Rice comments in helping to better define an exemption for rice fields that was in the proposal but had some problematic language.

USA Rice is encouraged by the agency's efforts to substantively change the document, but will be carefully reviewing and analyzing the final rule to provide guidance to the rice industry. The pre-Federal Register version of the final Clean Water Rule and various supporting documentation can be found here.

Contact: Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices www.ricepluss.com & http://www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact for Blog & Daily E-Newsletter Advertisement mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com 31

Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.

MLG/LDP Rate

World Price Milled Value ($/cwt)

Rough ($/cwt)

Rough ($/cwt)

Long-Grain

14.93

9.67

0.00

Medium-/Short-Grain

14.55

9.80

0.00

Brokens

9.01

----

----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates: U.S. Milling Yields Whole/Broken (lbs/cwt)

Loan Rate ($/cwt)

Long-Grain

57.21/12.55

6.64

Medium-/Short-Grain

61.89/8.83

6.51

The next program announcement is scheduled for June 3, 2015.

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 27 Month

Price

Net Change

July 2015

$9.430

+ $0.010

September 2015

$9.710

+ $0.015

November 2015

$9.970

+ $0.020

January 2016

$10.225

+ $0.015

March 2016

$10.390

+ $0.115

May 2016

$10.390

+ $0.115

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter July 2016

$10.390

+ $0.115

Satellite imagery to soon enable large-scale monitoring of Asia’s rice areas

This Sentinel-1A mosaic stretches from Pakistan to the Philippines. (SAR imagery from ESA: Sentinel-1A. Background from Google Earth © Google Inc.)

Information derived from satellite images can soon be made available to governments to help guide policy related to food security and sustainable development, particularly in rice-growing areas.The European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, Sentinel-1A, launched in 2014 can provide regular ‛snapshots‘ of Asia as often as every 12 days. The imagery is derived from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems that can monitor the earth‘s surface day and night, even through rain or cloud cover—hence, images even during the monsoon season—making the tool perfect for rice crop monitoring.As a demonstration of the potential of the Sentinel program, sarmap and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have generated mosaics, composed from several Sentinel-1A images that cover 7 million square kilometers of South and Southeast Asia. These

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter cloud-free mosaics show detailed SAR imagery for accurate monitoring of agricultural activity and of the state of natural resources across Asia.

SAR-based monitoring has never before been possible at such large scale, mainly due to the cost and challenge of processing so much imagery automatically. Fortunately, Sentinel-1A imagery is available for free and sarmap has developed automated processing chains, hosted on cloud computing facilities provided by Amazon Web Services to handle this vast amount of data. The rice crop can then be monitored on a regular basis through the season.This kind of monitoring can support a data revolution, leading to better and more timely information on crop production.Rice is one of the most important crops for global food security, and 90%—or about 140 million hectares—of the world‘s rice-growing area is in Asia. The crop is regularly exposed to the risk of damage from drought, flooding, and tropical storms. Timely and accurate information on rice, i.e., crop area, crop growth, and losses due to calamities) is thus very important to rice-growing and -consuming nations.

The lower Mekong River Delta, viewed with as a SAR imagery. (SAR imagery from ESA: Sentinel1A. Background from Google Earth © Google Inc.) IRRI and sarmap are working, with many other partners, on two major projects that use SAR imagery: One is the Remote Sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging economies (RIICE) project, which has already used SAR images to monitor rice-growing areas in 13 test sites in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The second phase of the RIICE project starts in May 2015 and aims to develop in-country capacity to

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter help partner governments fully benefit from the technology.The other is the Philippine Rice Information System (PRiSM) project, the development of which was funded by the Philippine Department of Agriculture. The PRiSM project has identified SAR-based rice monitoring as one of the technologies to be used for delivering better rice crop information."Our aim is to work with partners in Asia to ensure that this technology is incorporated into national systems," said Andrew Nelson, project lead at IRRI and head of IRRI‘s Geographic Information Systems laboratory. "Such information can better support decision-making, targeting of resources, crop insurance, and disaster mitigation and response systems in both public and private sectors.

"What do the images show? SAR imagery must be interpreted differently from imagery commonly available through Google Maps and other mapping services. In the SAR mosaics, we have processed images taken between 21 February and 10 March 2015 such that dark blue represents water or other flat surfaces such as airport runways, orange and white represent built up areas and human settlements, light blue represents bare soil, while brown and green show vegetation at different stages of growth. SAR imagery from Sentinel-1A enables tracking of changes in vegetation and water through the seasons, which changes the way crops are monitored from space in monsoon conditions.

The following image, for example, of the lower Mekong Delta—one of the most important ricegrowing regions in the world—clearly shows how SAR imagery can capture differences in vegetation and water. The irrigation network and the various stages of the rice crop across the delta are visible as well as other features such as cities (e.g., Ho Chi Minh at top right of the image) and aquaculture in coastal areas. The image is a snapshot of the earth‘s surface, but Sentinel-1A will continue to capture images as often as every 12 days over the region, and these images will become increasingly useful as they reveal the progress of the rice crop over time, season after season.This work has been conducted for the RIICE project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and for the PRiSM project funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA-BAR). It is also supported by the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRISP).

RIICE partners Global: sarmap, IRRI, Allianze Re, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and SDC. Cambodia: Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

India: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India (TNAU), and Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. (AICI).

Indonesia: Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development (ICALRD) Philippines: Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA), and Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

Thailand: Rice Department of Thailand (RD), Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE), and Ministry of Agriculture and

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter Cooperatives (MOAC).

Vietnam: Can Tho University (CTU), Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN), National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP), and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

PRISM partners Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), IRRI, sarmap, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Philippine Statistics Authority - Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (PSA-BAS) and Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA), Regional Field Offices (RFOs) in the following regions: Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN, Caraga, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. http://irri.org/news/media-releases/satellite-imagery-to-soon-enable-large-scale-monitoring-of-asia-s-riceareas

Myanmar poised to regain major role in global rice trade IRRI Director General Robert Ziegler (2nd from left) presents the Myanmar Rice Sector Development Strategy with former IRRI representative for Myanmar Madonna Casimero (left most), Myanmar President U Thein Sein (3rd from left), and MoAI Minister U Myint Hlaing.

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar - The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is poised to not only transform its rice sector but to also recapture its prominence in the international rice market.The Myanmar government made this commitment via the launch of the Myanmar Rice Sector Development Strategy (MRSDS) on 20 May 2015 at the Department of Agricultural Research in Nay Pyi Taw.The MRSDS was drafted by the Myanmar government, led by its Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI), with technical input from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and international partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank.

Myanmar President U Thein Sein said the MRSDS symbolizes the collaboration between his country and IRRI toward a food-secure future for Myanmar and the rest of the world. He cited

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter the work of IRRI scientists in the development of pest- and disease-resistant and stress-tolerant rice varieties; improved cropping systems; postharvest technologies; and better soil, pest, and water management practices that have raised productivity of rice systems in Myanmar, greatly benefiting smallholder farmers.IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler said that ―the wonderful scientific achievements of IRRI need to be combined with development strategies and coherent programs that governments are willing to implement over a long period of time‖ to ensure that farmers have access to and are able to use these.

Zeigler added that having a government demonstrably willing to transform and develop its rice sector, an environment conducive to rice production, and growing global demand for rice make Myanmar a good opportunity for investment.U Myint Hlaing, Myanmar‘s minister for agriculture and irrigation, said it is possible to break the cycle of poverty and hunger by ―strengthening rural resilience, achieving social protection, and sustaining agricultural development,‖ all of which can be achieved through a clear road map for sustainable rice sector development such as that detailed in the MRSDS. Also during the launch, Zeigler awarded a special rice memento to honor the Myanmar president for his visionary leadership of the rice sector and to commemorate the visit the president and his cabinet members made to the IRRI headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines, in December 2013.A donors‘ forum was held alongside the launch of the MRSDS, to provide international agencies the opportunity to discuss their respective efforts for the Myanmar rice sector. The forum, facilitated by Corinta Guerta, IRRI director for external relations, was attended by representatives from the FAO, Japan International Cooperation Agency, The World Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund, Welthungerhilfe, Mercy Corps, Food Security Working Group, Action Aid, International Fertilizer Development Center, Proximity, Korean International Cooperation Agency, and the Rural Development Administration.

IRRI has been working with the government of Myanmar since the early 1960s. http://irri-news.blogspot.com/2015/05/myanmar-poised-to-regain-major-role-in.html

Basmati rice acreage to go up despite lower realisation last year Farmers overlook deterrents due to higher returns from basmati crop Vijay C Roy | Chandigarh May 25, 2015 Last Updated at 22:20 IST

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter

Area under Basmati rice cultivation might see a five per cent increase this financial year. A bumper crop and decline in exports had led to lower realisation by farmers from the sale of Basmati rice in 2014-15, as compared to the previous year. This, however, would not lead to a fall in area under cultivation this kharif season. Basmati fetches higher returns than other rice varieties.In 2014-15, the total area under Basmati cultivation was 2.1 million hectares, compared to 1.6 million hectares in 2013-14 — an increase of 31 per cent. Further, exports from India registered a nominal drop in 2014-15 compared to last year. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (Apeda), in 2014-15, total exports were 3.70 million tonnes, while during the previous year they were 3.75 million tonnes.

In value terms, it has fallen from $4.40 billion in April-February, 2013-14, to $4.11 billion in the same period in 2014-15.The decline in export was mainly due to a fall in export to Iran, the largest importer of Indian Basmati. India had exported 1.44 million tonnes of Basmati to Iran in 2013-14, while in 2014-15, it was 9.35 lakh tonnes.R Sundaresan, executive director, All India Rice Exporters Association, said, ―The aromatic rice variety offers high returns to farmers. Even during last year, when there was significant increase in area and production, it gave higher returns to farmers. Moreover, it consumes less water than the non-Basmati varieties. With uncertainty over monsoon looming large, we think more farmers would sow Basmati. There could be at least a five per cent increase in acreage.‖Punjab and Haryana account for about 70 per cent of total Basmati grown in India.

In 2013-14, Basmati prices were at Rs 1,850-3,700 a quintal, while in 2014-15, due to bumper harvest in these two states, the price of the crop was at Rs 1,700-2,900 a quintal.Kohinoor Foods Joint Managing Director Gurnam Arora said, ―Last year, there was a shortfall in exports to Iran.

However, exports to the US, Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries were on the higher side. Despite bumper production, the average realisation for the farmers was better. So, we are anticipating there will be a five per cent increase in acreage.‖―Basmati fetches better returns than other rice varieties. We request the Centre to fix the minimum support price for the crop so the farmers should not depend at the mercy of exporters,‖ said Manjeet Singh, a farmer from Amritsar.In Punjab, the government is encouraging farmers to grow Basmati as it consumes less water.

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