4th december,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine www.ricepluss.com

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter 4 December, 2014

Volume 4 Issue: XI

th

Vol 4, Issue XII

Today’s News Headlines…                 

UPDATE 1-Bangladesh signs deal to export 50,000 T rice to Sri Lanka at $450/T PAU don gets national recognition RGA scholarships open Weeds, Pests & Pathogens Beware: The Air's CO2 Content is Rising Little Rock Restaurant Promotion Japan Announces Results of 8th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014 Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures K-12 Directors Win Free SNA Registration in Rice Federation Contest Rice growers: Government to pay Rs 5,000 per acre subsidy Cambodia's rice export up 1.1 pct in 11 months FAO Food Price Index Broadly Stable Commerce Ministry’s strategic plan to be issued this month VIETNAM PRESS-Rice export contracts hit 6.9 mln T in 2014 - Vietnam Economic Times FAO Rice Market Monitor (RMM) CORRECTED-S.Korea buys 90 T of rice for January Extreme weather hurts production of Filipino rice farmers

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UPDATE 1-Bangladesh signs deal to export 50,000 T rice to Sri Lanka at $450/T Wed Dec 3, 2014 6:16am EST (Add pact signed, details)

By Ruma Paul Dec 3 (Reuters) - Bangladesh signed a pact on Wednesday to export 50,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka at $450 a tonne in a first government-to-government deal, a senior food ministry official said.

Strong output and good reserves have prompted the Bangladesh government to initiate the plan to export rice. Bangladesh exports a small quantity of aromatic rice, but this deal would be its first export of nonfragrant coarse rice.The price of rice has shot up in Sri Lanka after production dropped due to an 11-month drought, which experts consider to be the worst in its recent history.Mohammad Sarwar Khan, director general of the Bangladesh food department, and Nalin Fernando, chairman of the Lanka Sathosa Ltd, signed the deal.

The price included freight and insurance and the shipment of the parboiled rice would be within 60 days, the ministry official said.Bangladesh aims to produce more than 34 million tonnes of rice this year, up from

nearly 33.5 million in the previous year. Its reserves have risen to more than 1.2 million tonnes from nearly 1 million tonnes a year earlier.The world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh consumes almost all its production to feed its population of 160 million. It often needs to import rice to cope with shortages caused by natural calamities such as floods or droughts.

Although it did not import rice during the last two years, Bangladesh was ranked as the fourth-largest importer of the grain by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2011, with a volume of 1.48 million tonnes.In late 2012, the government considered lifting a four-year-old ban on rice exports to support farmers as record crops and bulging domestic reserves pushed prices below production costs.But prices soared in January 2013, and the government backed away from scrapping the export ban.Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry reduced taxes on rice imports in April and on pulses in July to help mitigate the effects of this year's drought on the market. ($1 = 77.75 Bangladesh Taka = 131.05 Sri Lankan rupee) (Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by David Clarke)

PAU don gets national recognition

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times Ludhiana, December 03, 2014 First Published: 18:09 IST(3/12/2014) | Last Updated: 18:12 IST(3/12/2014) Professor of Soil Conservation at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Surinder Singh Kukal has been selected as fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi, for his vital contribution towards developing irrigation water management strategies for rice-wheat system. This is the most prestigious award bestowed upon scientists.PAU vicechancellor BS Dhillon congratulated Dr Kukal for this achievement. He said, "This is indeed a great honour for the university."

He hoped that Dr Kukal would continue serving the farming community with dedication and devotion in future as well.Kukal has developed need-based irrigation water management in rice and wheat crops. He has been the principal investigator of inter-disciplinary international research projects on water management in rice, wheat and maize crops funded by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philipinnes; International Potash Institute, Israel; and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (Australia).Besides, he has handled research projects on gully erosion management in the Shiwalik region of Punjab funded by department of science and technology, Government of India.Kukal has been visiting scientist to CSIRO, Griffith, Australia where he worked on water management in rice and wheat grown on permanent raised beds.

He was invited thrice to present lead papers at the International Conference on Land

Degradation in Serbia, China and Thailand.Recently, he had been special invitee to the plenary meeting of Sustainable Rice Platform of United Nations Environment Programme, and was nominated as member of advisory committee of SRP for the period 201315.Kukal was also the recipient of the 12th International Soil Science Congress Commemoration Award (2012) of Indian Society of Soil Science; Dr G S Khush Distinguished Professor Award (2013) and PAU merit certificate for outstanding contributions to research, teaching and extension (2011-12). Besides, he has won best research paper award at the national level Source with thanks: http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/ludhiana/pau-dongets-national-recognition/article11292826.aspx#sthash.c4Gd7MvI.dpuf

RGA scholarships open 04 Dec, 2014 02:25 PM APPLICATIONS for the Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia’s (RGA) Tertiary Scholarships are now open.

RGA president Les Gordon said the RGA awards two scholarships to the children or grandchildren of RGA members to assist with their tertiary education costs as part of their commitment to the industry’s long term future.The scholarships are named after two

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine past leaders of the rice industry, Greg Graham and Peter Connor. Greg Graham was president of the RGA when he died suddenly on New Year’s Day in 1983. He was actively involved in the irrigation and rice industry, as well as his local community of Deniliquin.

Peter Connor was a leading rice grower in the Coleambally area, and was vice president of the RGA as well as a board member of the Ricegrowers’ Co-operative Limited.The Greg Graham Memorial Scholarship provides $4000 to assist a student with the costs of tertiary education.

This award is sponsored by Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd. The Peter Connor Book Award, awarded to the runner-up of the Greg Graham Memorial Scholarship winner, consists of $1300 to put towards the cost of books and course materials.

Last year’s winner of the Greg Graham Memorial Scholarship was Luke O’Connor, Deniliquin, who is studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management.Luke said the scholarship significantly helped fund his university studies and allowed him to comfortably afford the costs of living away from home and achieve good results in all his subjects.“We are grateful for the generous support of Rice Research Australia and very pleased to be able to offer the scholarship in 2015. I would encourage university students who are studying agriculture related courses to apply for the scholarship,” Mr Gordon said.Applications close Friday January 16, 2015. Download forms from the RGA website or call (02) 6953 0433.

RGASource: http://www.rga.org.au

Weeds, Pests & Pathogens Beware: The Air's CO2 Content is Rising

Paper Reviewed Goufo, P., Pereira, J., Moutinho-Pereira, J., Correia, C.M., Figueiredo, N., Carranca, C.,Rosa, E.A.S. and Trindade, H. 2014. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) phenolic compounds under elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. Environmental and Experimental Botany 99: 28-37.In introducing their study of the subject, Goufo et al. note that crop plants need phenolic compounds "for structural support, constitutive and induced protection and defense against weeds, pathogens and insects," citing Jones and Hartley (1999).

And they note, in this regard, that carbon dioxide is one of the four major raw materials that plants need in order to produce phenolic compounds, the other three being water, nutrients and light, additionally citing Bryantet al. (1983), Coley et al. (1985) and Herms and Mattson (1992).

With the objective to learn how the ongoing rise in the atmosphere's CO2 concentration might influence the production of phenolics in rice - one of the world's most important food crops - the eight Portuguese scientists conducted a two-year field study of a japonica rice variety (Oryza sativa L. cv.

Ariete) that employed open-top chambers maintained at either 375 or 550 ppm CO2 over two entire life cycles of the crop,

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine during which time numerous plant samples were collected at five different growth stages and assessed for occurrence and amounts of many plant-produced substances, including phenolics.

This work revealed, according to Goufo et al., that "during the early stages of plant development, photosynthates were mainly used to synthesize proteins and meet the growth demand of the plant," while the normal occurrence of growth reduction typically experienced at maturity "made more resources available for the synthesis of phenolic compounds." And they further report, in this regard, that all plant organs had higher levels of phenolic acids and flavonoids in response to "CO2 enrichment during the maturity stages."

As for the significance of these findings, the eight researchers write that "phenolic compounds are emerging as important defense compounds in rice," particularly noting that the phenolic compound tricin "inhibits the growth ofEchinochloa colonum, Echinochloa crusgalli, Cyperus iris and Cyperus difformis," which they say "are the most noxious weeds in rice fields," citing Kong et al.

(2004).

And they add that several flavonoids "have also been found to exhibit antibiotic activities against the soilborne pathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum," which they say are "the causal agents of rice seedling rot disease," again citing Kong et al. (2004), as well as Olofsdotter et al.

(2002). And they thus suggest that the ongoing rise in the air's CO2 concentration

may well "increase plant resistance to specific weeds, pests and pathogens," which should be great news for rice growers.

References Bryant, J.P., Chapin III, F.S. and Klein, D.R. 1983. Carbon-nutrient balance of boreal plants in relation to vertebrate herbivory. Oikos 40: 357-368.

Coley, P.D., Bryant, J.P. and Chapin III, F.S. 1985. Resource availability and plant antiherbivore defense. Science 230: 895899.

Jones, C.G. and Hartley, S.E. 1999. A protein competition model of phenolic allocation. Oikos 86: 27-44.

Kong, C., Xu, X., Zhou, B., Hu, F., Zhang, C. and Zhang, M. 2004. Two compounds from allelopathic rice accession and their inhibitory activity on weeds and fungal pathogens. Phytochemistry 65: 1123-1128.

Olofsdatter,M., Jensen,L.B. and Courtois, B. 2002. Improving crop competitive ability using allelopathy - an example from rice. Plant Breeding 121: 1-9.

Posted 3 December 2014

Little Rock Restaurant Promotion ARLINGTON, VA -- Fifteen restaurants that serve U.S.-grown rice will participate in the USA Rice Federation restaurant promotion conducted in conjunction with the 2014 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock. Restaurants included on the list will welcome industry members by displaying the "Proudly Supporting America's Rice Farmers" emblem and featuring rice dishes on their menus.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

The participating Little Rock restaurants expressed enthusiasm for the program and are looking forward to hosting Outlook attendees. Many restaurants voiced their desire to leave the emblem up year-round as a show of support for U.S. rice farmers.

"Foodservice is an important trend-setting growth segment for the rice industry," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion. "It is so great to see restaurants serving local ingredients and using U.S.-grown rice to develop creative dishes on their menus. We hope that those in attendance at this year's conference will show their support for these restaurants that proudly serve American-grown rice."

This annual promotion helps increase awareness of U.S.-grown rice among chefs in the host cities for the USA Rice Outlook Conference.

Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 2361446

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 152,500 MT for 2014/2015 were reported for Iraq (120,000 MT), Japan (24,700 MT), Guatemala (5,400 MT, including 4,400 MT switched from unknown destinations, 1,100 MT switched from El Salvador, and decreases of 500 MT), Taiwan (4,000 MT), and Canada (1,300 MT), according to today's Export Sales Highlights report. Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (4,400 MT) and El Salvador (1,600 MT).

Exports of 64,400 MT were down 6 percent from the previous week 11 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Honduras (14,600 MT), Mexico (13,800 MT), Guatemala (10,500 MT), El Salvador (9,400 MT), and Costa Rica (3,100 MT).

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period November 21-27.

K-12 Directors Win Free SNA Registration in Rice Federation Contest Three grand prize winners also get a commercial size rice cooker for their school and a consumer size rice cooker for their home kitchen, plus 50 lbs. of whole grain rice.

Dec 3, 2014

Students at Viewmont Elementary in Hickory, N.C., enjoy the Chicken Burrito Bowl dish that won a runner-up award in the USA Rice Federation Healthy Brown Rice on the Menu Contest.

Three school nutrition professionals won paid registrations to the 2015 School Nutrition Association Annual Conference, as well as a commercial size rice cooker for their school and a consumer size rice cooker for their home kitchens, in the USA Rice Federation's Healthy Brown Rice on the Menu Contest, which focuses exclusively on whole grain brown rice.

The winners in there three categories are...

Breakfast: Roxanne Szalejko, food service director for Northwood Academy Charter School in Philadelphia; Lunch: Kay Briles, head cook/manager at Greenfield Elementary School in Baldwin, Wisc.; Rice Bowl: Angie Gaszak, nutrition coordinator for Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools.

Szalejko's winning breakfast dish was a Coconut Cream Breakfast Brown Rice that included brown rice, coconut, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and raisins. “I am happy that Northwood has

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine taken an active role in serving healthier school meals," she says. "We take pride in engaging our students to help increase healthy eating habits, which includes more brown rice."

The lunch dish Briles won for was a Turkey Brown Rice Casserole featuring brown rice, ground turkey, red onion, red peppers, frozen peas, cream of chicken soup and slivered almonds. “They really enjoy the brown rice and ask for extra,” Briles says.

The winning rice bowl served by Gaszak was a Chicken Sofrito Rice Bowl combining brown rice, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, garlic jalapeño peppers, onion and chili powder, finished with red pepper strips and lime juice. “Brown rice is such a versatile whole grain menu item that we can use it in a wide variety of dishes while appealing to our diverse district palates, meeting our nutritional goals, and keeping the food costs in line," Gaszak says. "Our students love our brown rice and it has been one of the most widely accepted whole grain menu items.”

Two runners-up who will each receive one commercial size Aroma rice cooker for their schools were Eileen Matt, manager for Excelsior and Oak Ridge Middle Schools in Marion, Iowa, and Tina Pottorff, supervisor at Viewmont Elementary in Hickory, N.C. Matt won for her Fiesta Spanish Brown Rice, which uses brown rice, onion, garlic, chicken stock, tomatoes and oregano. “We serve brown rice in our Spanish rice recipe as it is low in fat and cholesterol and a good source of protein for our students," she says. "It has been well accepted and they ask when we will be serving it again!”

Pottorff was recognized for her Chicken Burrito Bowl, which combines brown rice, corn, black beans, diced chicken and taco seasoning mix. “Students love the burrito bowl, it reminds them of Chipotle, and it’s just as delicious!," she says. "The teachers love that it looks home cooked and is healthy for you.”

To participate in the contest, K-12 foodservice directors and menu planners must use U.S.-grown brown rice as the central ingredient in one or more recipes on their school menus. Each winner will receive a 50-lb. donation of whole grain rice thanks to USA Rice members InHarvest, Producers Rice Mill, Riceland Foods, Mahatma Rice, SunWest Foods, and Uncle Ben’s.

The Grand Prize winners of the 2014 “Healthy Brown Rice on the Menu Contest” each receive Grand Prize recipients are:

Rice growers: Government to pay Rs 5,000 per acre subsidy Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Thursday, December-04-2014 Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan has said that the government will pay Rs 5,000 per acre as subsidy to the rice growers to compensate them.Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, Bosan said that the country's food security was directly linked with the financial condition of farmers. He said that the prices of food commodities were decreasing apace in the international market and the federal government was committed to ensuring that this phenomenon did not hurt Pakistani

farmers.

The federal minister appreciated the role of small farmers in strengthening the country's food security. He said that his ministry was willing to join hands with the development sector nongovernmental organisations to deal with the issue of food security and challenges posed by climate change.

The minister said that the government was in the process of formulating a policy envisaging measures to reduce the cost of production of different crops. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had constituted a committee under his chairmanship to suggest ways and means to save the crops from diseases and to reduce the cost of per acre production, he added.He said that the policy would be prepared in consultation with the Chief Ministers of the provinces to facilitate the growers.

News Source News Collated by PAKISSAN.com

Cambodia's rice export up 1.1 pct in 11 months 04.12.2014 Cambodia exported 335,925 tons of milled rice in the first 11 months of 2014, a 1.1 percent rise from 332,099 tons over the same period last year, an official data showed Wednesday.Around 77 companies have brokered the rice from 57 countries and regions around the world, said the data compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.Five main buyers are France, Poland, Malaysia, China, and the Netherlands.

During the first 11 months of this year, the country exported 61,970 tons to France, 53,150 tons to Poland, 39,220 tons to Malaysia, 30,646 tons to China, and 30,044 tons to the Netherlands.Kim Savuth, vice president of the Federation of Cambodian Rice Exporters, said, "a Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine slight increase in rice exports is due to tough competitions with other countries such as Vietnam and Thailand."He said his Khmer Food Company exported more than 50,000 tons of milled rice during the first 11 months of this year.

FAO Food Price Index Broadly Stable 04 December 2014 GLOBAL - Food and Agriculture Organisation's monthly food price index was stable in November, as vegetable oil and grain prices inched up and offset ongoing declines in dairy prices.The Food Price Index averaged 192.6 points, marking the third consecutive month of stability. The Index now stands 13 points, 6.4 per cent below its level in November 2013."The index appears to have bottomed out with higher probabilities for a rise in its value in coming months" said Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist at FAO.After some volatile movements in recent years, FAO's Food Price Index, a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five major food commodities on international markets, is now around its level of August 2010. The Index aggregates sub-indices for prices of cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, and sugar.

The FAO Dairy Price Index declined 3.4 per cent from October and 29 per cent from a year earlier to average 178.1 points in November, reflecting increased export availability of dairy products along with slower imports to large markets such as China and the Russian Federation.The Sugar Price Index dropped 3.2 per cent from October to average 230 points in November, about eight per cent below their level a year earlier. The recent decline came as rain in Brazil's main sugar producing region alleviated concerns about a prolonged drought in the world's largest sugar exporter.

Some Clouds Over the Northern Winter Wheat Crop Cereal prices rose significantly for the first time since March as growing conditions for the justsown wheat crop in the Northern hemisphere appear less than ideal. However, rice prices weakened as newly-harvested supplies arrived to market. The Cereal Price Index averaged 183 points in November, up 2.6 per cent from October, but down 5.8 per cent from a year earlier.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The Vegetable Oil Price Index also rose, increasing 0.7 per cent to 164.9 points - still almost 17 per cent below its level a year earlier - due to lower-than-anticipated global production of sunflower oil and some slowdown of palm oil production in Malaysia and Indonesia. However, soy oil prices were weak, dampening the sub-index's rise.

Meat prices were stable in November, although beef and most other types of meats are at historic highs. The Meat Price Index averaged 210.4 points, in line with its revised value for October while marking a 13.3 per cent increase from November 2013. Mutton and lamb prices moved moderately higher during the month.

TheCropSite News Desk Source with thanks: http://www.thecropsite.com/news/17103/fao-food-price-index-broadlystable#sthash.0hJW7I64.dpuf

Commerce Ministry’s strategic plan to be issued this month BANGKOK, 4 December 2014 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce’s strategic plan is expected to be completed within this month, while officials are working towards an effective rice price control measure and the release of currently stocked rice, said the Minister. The Minister of Commerce Gen Chatchai Sarikalya has revealed that the Ministry is now drafting the strategic plan for the year 2015 as a master plan for the Ministry of Commerce.

This new strategic plan will include measures to aid in keeping the cost of living down, increase export strategies, improve of the overall work of the Ministry, and measures to maintain the price of the agricultural produces such as rice, sugar cane, tapioca, and longan. The plan is expected to be issued within December. The Commerce Minister has also mentioned about the rice price maintaining measures that the Ministry has already set up a special committee to work specifically on this issue.

He has said that the committee will work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to design a price Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine control policy for low price rice entering the market by March 2015. his price control policy will depend on the market's situation. The committee must find a way to fix the rice price in advance for three months with weekly progress reports from the inspector, said the Commerce Minister.

Regarding the release of in-stock rice, the Commerce Minister has said that the authorities are working to release the rice as quickly as possible to reduce the damage costs from deterioration.

He has said that the new auction for the in-stock rice is expected to take place this month (December). However, the amount of the rice available for the auction will be further discussed to prevent the effect on the rice price domestically and in international markets.

Source with thanks http://thainews.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/NewsEN/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO571204001 0004#sthash.P2ituiVz.dpuf

VIETNAM PRESS-Rice export contracts hit 6.9 mln T in 2014 Vietnam Economic Times

By REUTERS PUBLISHED: 01:02 GMT, 4 December 2014 | UPDATED: 01:02 GMT, 4 December 2014 Vietnamese companies have signed rice export deals totalling 6.9 million tonnes so far this year, up 1.54 percent from a year earlier, of which around 6 million tonnes have been loaded, based on industry reports, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper reported.The total export volume this year could be between 6.3 million and 6.5 million tonnes, excluding the grain sold across the land border to China, according to the Vietnam Food Association, the report said.--NOTE: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy. (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Anand Basu) Source with thanks: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2860057/VIETNAM-PRESS-Rice-export-contracts-hit-6-9-mln-T-2014--VietnamEconomic-Times.html#ixzz3L476IjSN

FAO Rice Market Monitor (RMM) The FAO Rice Market Monitor (RMM) provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global rice market, including a short-term outlook. Presently, the full document is available only in English but highlights are available in Spanish and French. Monthly updates of selected rice export prices are available on the FAO Rice Price Update.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine FAO Rice Market Monitor, October 2014, Volume XVII - Issue No. 3 ROUND-UP The 2014 paddy season is at an advanced stage of progress, as the major producers in the Northern Hemisphere are now engaged in the harvesting of their main 2014 crops, with some also preparing the land for their 2014 secondary crops. Since the release of the RMM in July, prospects for global paddy production have worsened substantially, mostly because of erratic weather conditions, including late arrival of rains or lingering droughts, which were often followed by heavy downpours and floods. These, together with a possible manifestation of an El NiĂąo weather anomaly in the coming months, even if a weak intensity, have led to a lower forecast for global rice production in 2014 of 744.4 million tonnes (496.4 million tonnes, milled basis), about 6.5 million tonnes less than predicted in July. Under current expectations, global paddy production would be marginally (0.4 percent) lower than the 2013 estimate, marking a third year of below trend growth.

The disappointing 2014 season results would mostly be linked to the poor performance of crops in Asia, where production is now forecast to fall by close to 5 million tonnes, or 0.7 percent. If confirmed, this would be the first contraction (albeit modest) registered by the region since 2009.

Much of it would be associated with a 2.4 percent decline in India, following an irregular pattern of the monsoon. Unfavourable weather conditions are also expected to result in falling output in Indonesia, Cambodia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

In the case of Thailand, the decline would also be associated with the February 2014 abolition of the rice pledging scheme, which had guaranteed high prices to farmers since 2011. Although adverse climatic conditions also affected crops in Bangladesh and China, prospects for output in those countries still indicate an increase from last year. On the other hand, favourable growing conditions are anticipated to underpin production in Viet Nam, despite a small, price and policydriven, reduction in plantings. In Africa, expectations for the season also deteriorated over the past three months, mainly on less optimistic prospects over crops in Madagascar, but also in Egypt and in western African countries. Paddy production in the region is now foreseen to reach 27.6 million tonnes, barely 1 percent more than in 2013, mostly sustained by the recovery in Madagascar.

The outlook remains positive for crops in Eastern African countries, but points to a stagnation of output in Western Africa, amid late and poorly distributed rains, and to an area-led contraction in Egypt. Prospects for crops in Latin America the Caribbean have, likewise, been scaled back since the last issue of the report, mainly on account of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. The region’s aggregate paddy production is nonetheless set to increase by a modest 0.6 percent to 28.3 million tonnes.

Gains in Brazil, Guyana and Paraguay would largely support the expansion, more than making up for declines in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela and in the central part of Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine the continent, where severe water deficits crippled crops. The 2014 season in Europe is expected to progress by 2.8 percent to 4.1 million tonnes, supported by a strong recovery in the Russian Federation and a small rise in the EU. In North America, the United States’ downward revision of plantings curbed the production forecast for the country 9.9 million tonnes, which would nonetheless represent a 15 percent recovery from 2013. In Oceania, the 2014 crop harvested by Australia in the first quarter of the year, although slightly upgraded, is estimated to have fallen 28 percent short of the 2013 excellent outcome, as insufficient water for irrigation constrained plantings.

Strong import demand, combined with ample supplies held by major exporting countries, is expected to boostworld rice trade in 2014 by 7 percent to a 39.7 million tonne record. Imports are predicted to increase in all major geographical regions, especially Asia, where important buyers, such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, face the need to reconstitute reserves and to lower food inflation. Among exporters, Thailand is expected to meet much of the trade expansion, largely at the expense of India, which, nonetheless, may retain its position as the prime exporter. The return of competitively priced Thai supplies is also envisaged to negatively impact deliveries by Viet Nam. Australia, China (Mainland), Ecuador, the United States, the Russian Federation and Uruguay are also forecast to export less in 2014.

Despite the disappointing 2014 production outlooks, world rice trade in 2015 is currently forecast to be only 0.7 percent higher year-on-year, at about 40 million tonnes. Indeed, while the relatively poor results of the season would require several countries to step up imports in calendar 2015, part of the production shortfalls is likely to be filled by drawing supplies from national reserves. African countries, especially Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal, would contribute most to the increase in world imports.

Although purchases by Asian nations are anticipated to stay high, amid output setbacks and lingering pressure on domestic prices, they may retreat somewhat compared with 2014, on Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine reduced demand by Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. In Latin America and the Caribbean, weather induced losses are expected to keep demand firm, which would contrast with import cuts in North America, namely the United States, and largely stable requirements in Europe. Among exporters, Thailand is predicted to expand deliveries further in 2015, reestablishing its position as the world’s leading supplier of rice. Shipments from Australia, Cambodia, China (Mainland), Myanmar, Pakistan, the United States and Viet Nam are also anticipated to end above their 2014 levels. On the other hand, the poor 2014 production performance and larger domestic requirements may curb exports by India further over the course of 2015.

FAO has lowered its forecast of world rice utilization in 2014/15 by 2.0 million tonnes to 500.3 million tonnes (milled basis). Nonetheless, the revised figure continues to suggest a 1.7 percent expansion in global rice utilization, largely on account of a 5.2 million tonne increase in world food use, which would support a small gain on a per caput basis to 57.5 kg in 2014/15.

Quantities destined to seed, non-industrial uses and post-harvest losses are also set to rise.

FAO currently forecasts global rice carryovers in 2015 at 177.7 million tonnes (milled basis), which is some 2.0 million tonnes less than reported in the July issue of the RMM. The revision mainly mirrors expectations of sharper draw-downs in India, due to the deteriorated production outlook for the country, and in Thailand, based on more buoyant export prospects. At 177.7 million tonnes, world rice inventories in 2015 would stand 2 percent below the historical highs recorded in 2014, marking the first world carry-over contraction to occur in a decade. Taking into account projected utilization levels, this would position the global stocks-to-use ratio at 34.8 percent in 2014/15, down from an estimated 36.3 percent a year earlier, but higher than a fiveyear average of 33.3 percent. Reflecting expectations of sizeable draw downs in India and Thailand, the five major rice exporters are expected to trim their inventories by 8 percent to 44.6 million tonnes in 2015, resulting in the stock-to-disappearance ratio dipping from 27.7 percent in 2013/14 to 25.1 percent in 2014/15.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Following two months of steady gains, the FAO All Rice Price Index (2002-2004=100) rose by 1 percent in August to an average of 242 points, underpinned by seasonal tightness and strong import demand. This was particularly the case in the Indica and Aromatica segments, which accounted for all of the month’s strengthening, while the Japonica Index stabilized around a high value of 263 points. The price firmness was sustained until September, when newly harvested crops tended to weigh on Indica quotations.

Looking ahead, international rice prices could come under increasing downward pressure from the progress of main-crop harvests in northern hemisphere countries. Indeed, concerns that lower production in India, Pakistan and Thailand, will be supportive of international quotations are attenuated by prospects of still above-average harvests in these countries, as well as abundant inventories amassed through years of uninterrupted output gains. Against this backdrop, policies will continue playing a particularly influential role, especially those concerning the disposal of stocks in key global suppliers.

Wheat People vs. Rice People

CORRECTED-S.Korea buys 90 T of rice for January Thu Dec 4, 2014 6:44am GMT

(Corrects spelling of Korea Agro in paragraph 1)

By Meeyoung Cho Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korea bought 90 tonnes of non-glutinous rice of Thai origin for January arrival via a tender closed on Nov. 24, the state-run Korea Agro-fisheries & Food Trade said on its website (www.at.or.kr).

Details of the purchases are as follows: TONNES GRAIN TYPE SUPPLIER PRICE($/T) 90 Milled Long Hanwha Corp $1,045.00 Arrival for the products is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2015 to the port of Busan. * Note: The agency sought U.S. No. 1 products.

(Reporting By Brian Kim; Editing by Sunil Nair) Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine © Thomson Reuters 2014 All rights reserved

Extreme weather hurts production of Filipino rice farmers December 3, 2014 Countries heavily reliant on agriculture are already feeling the effects of extreme weather. According to a United Nations report the poor will be hit the hardest.

Filipino farmers are among the hardest hit. CCTV America’s Barnaby Lo reported this story.For more than four decades now, 57-year old Guillermo Joson has been toiling in the vast plains of the northern Philippine province of Nueva Ecija.

This region is often referred to as the country’s rice granary. But Joson says the past few years have been difficult.“In recent years, typhoons seem to come just when we are about to harvest.

When they do, they can destroy a huge portion of what we’ve planted,” he said.And if it isn’t the deluge of water, it’s the lack of it. El Niño- a weather pattern characterized by a dry spell may start taking its toll on Filipino farmers soon. It’s extreme weather that is being attributed, at least in part, to climate change.

Scientists say the earth’s temperature has increased by almost one degree Celsius since the Industrial Revolution. Two more degrees and it could have devastating effects, especially on agriculture. In the Philippines, this could mean an estimated 10-15 percent decrease in crop production for every increase of one degree Celsius.“That is based on a threshold of 34, 35 degrees. And every degree above this threshold will increase sterility of rice by 10-15 percent.

Sterility means the grains will be produced but they are empty,” Dr.Bjorn Ole Sander from the International Rice Research Institute said.

And as the law of supply and demand dictates, a drop in food production could drive up food prices, which in turn could mean less food on the table for those who cannot afford and for farmers, a loss in income. “Rice is our only source of income so if we are not able to harvest enough, we don’t earn enough, and our families suffer,” Joson said.To help farmers cope with the effects of climate change, the International Rice Research Institute has been developing climate-adaptive varieties of rice as well as new irrigation techniques.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for December 4

Month

Price

Net Change

January 2015

$12.120

- $0.020

March 2015

$12.375

- $0.020

May 2015

$12.625

- $0.020

July 2015

$12.825

- $0.020

September 2015

$12.100

UNCH

November 2015

$12.000

UNCH

January 2016

$12.000

UNCH

Japan Announces Results of 8th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Country of Origin

Variety

Number of Importer

Quantity (MT)

Participated Bidders

Amount of Bids (MT)

USA

Non-glutinous milled rice (medium grain)

2

25,000

17

211,000

Australia

Non-glutinous milled rice (medium grain)

1

12,000

Thailand

Non-glutinous milled rice

3

21,000

29

230,000

5

58,000

46

414,000

JPY 96,224/mt

(tax excluded)

JPY 103,922/mt

(tax included)

(long grain)

Grand Total

Avg Price for Successful Bids

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 152,500 MT for 2014/2015 were reported for Iraq (120,000 MT), Japan (24,700 MT), Guatemala (5,400 MT, including 4,400 MT switched from unknown destinations, 1,100 MT switched from El Salvador, and decreases of 500 MT), Taiwan (4,000 MT), and Canada (1,300 MT), according to today's Export Sales Highlights report. Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (4,400 MT) and El Salvador (1,600 MT).

Exports of 64,400 MT were down 6 percent from the previous week 11 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Honduras (14,600 MT), Mexico (13,800 MT), Guatemala (10,500 MT), El Salvador (9,400 MT), and Costa Rica (3,100 MT).

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period November 21-27.

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