6 april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice E-Newsletter April 7 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I

Vietnamese rice exporters warned of Chinese “trap” Chinese businesses are now collecting Vietnam’s rice in large quantities, which has raised major concerns.

Professor Academic Tran Dinh Long, chair of the Vietnam Seed Association, has warned that Vietnamese businesses may fall into the Chinese ―trap‖ when trying to sell rice in bulk to China.

Many trade agreements have been signed with a selling price at VND7,500-7,600 per kilo for five percent broken rice, while the domestic price is lower, at VND7,400 per kilo.―The higher price offered by Chinese businesses makes Vietnamese businesses happy. However, they should

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine be skeptical when doing business with the Chinese,‖ Long said.Observers noted that Chinese businesses that import Vietnam’s rice across the border can make fat profits.

If they import rice through official channels, they would have to pay $70-80 per ton more in taxes and fees. Therefore, they would rather import rice across the border as they are exempted from taxes and fees. Though they have to buy at higher prices, they still make high profits.And even if they accept to pay an additional $20-30 per ton, they still can save $40-50 for every ton of rice they buy.―By raising the rice buying prices, Chinese importers harm Vietnamese businesses which specialize in exporting rice through official channels,‖ an observer noted.―Once Chinese businessmen pay high prices for rice, they will push the market average price up,‖ he explained. ―If so, Vietnamese enterprises exporting rice through official channels will have to raise their export prices, thus making Vietnam’s rice less competitive.‖―If Vietnamese enterprises cannot find buyers, they would have to sell rice to Chinese businesses to clear stocks,‖ he said.Long said there were latent risks in exporting rice through unofficial channels. The lack of transparency gives Chinese businesses the opportunities to lower prices by using various ploys.Long said that such ploys had been used many times by Chinese businesses to push the prices down, thus making Vietnamese exporters and farmers suffer.

The Vietnam Food Association said that Chinese businesses top the list of trade partners who try to lower prices by ―tricks‖ and cancel contracts.In 2013 alone, 64 percent of rice export contracts were canceled by Chinese traders. They delayed the delivery schedules for other contracts and www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine lowered prices.Vietnamese enterprises still accepted to sell rice to Chinese at a loss, because they had already collected rice from farmers. They needed to sell rice as soon as possible because they did not have depots for storage.Long warned that if Vietnam still relied on the Chinese market, it would have to suffer more heavily in the future because of sharp price falls.

Enough rice reserves for disasters such as Chedeng - NFA The NFA has a stockpile equivalent to 15 days of consumption Rappler.com Published 11:40 PM, Apr 05, 2015 Updated 11:40 PM, Apr 05, 2015

EMERGENCY RATIONS. The NFA assures the public that there is enough rice in case of disasters. File photo by Rappler

MANILA, Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA), assured the public it had a sufficient supply of rice in case of disasters such as typhoon Chedeng (Maysak).The state-run grains agency has a total rice inventory of 9,690,508 bags as of March 31, equivalent to 15 days consumption based on the national daily rice consumption requirement of 31,000 metric tons www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine (MT), said NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay on Sunday, April 4.Dalisay said NFA rice inventory in Region 1 stands at 668,462 50-kilogram bags; Region 2 at 509,796 bags; Region 3 at 1,263,627 bags; Region 4 at 1,424,600 bags; Region 5 at 350,265 bags and National Capital Region at 1,338,106 bags The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced last month that there is sufficient rice stock to last 69 days. This accounts for the total rice stock in the country, including rice stored in households and commercial warehouses.Rice reserves will get a boost by the scheduled arrival of reserve stocks purchased from Vietnam and Thailand.

Prepared for Typhoon Chedeng The NFA said it was prepared to use the rice reserves for typhoon Chedeng.NFA regional and provincial offices situated along the typhoon path were instructed to keep the warehouses open to serve the rice requirements of local governments units (LGUs) and disaster response agencies for their relief operations, dalisay said.He added that the agency had made arrangements with LGUs and various relief agencies for on credit sale of rice as needed.Depot areas were identified to supply the rice requirements in areas to be affected by the typhoon in case the stocks in these warehouses become depleted.

Typhoon Chedeng was initially feared to be a super typhoon, but weakened into a tropical depression as it hit land.The weather disturbance entered the country in the middle of the harvest season and as farmers were rushing to complete another dry season cropping before the lean season of July to September.Food Security Chief Francis Pangilinan, who oversees the NFA, said that based on the survey conducted by the NFA, only about 30% of the first dry season crop remain to be harvested in these areas. – Rappler.com

Medium grain can have a fit in Mid-South rice - if it has a home If things had turned out a little differently in 1929, Raney Nutt might have grown up on Crowley's Ridge, farming cotton. But they didn't, and Nutt grew up with rice, riding with his grandfather to the elevator when he was 2 and driving a combine at age 12.Life can take some unusual twists and turns. In 1929, Raney Nutt's grandfather traded farms with another grower,

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine and his family moved down off the ridge that runs through northeast Arkansas and into rice country between Jonesboro and Paragould in Greene County.That's how his grandfather, Gordon Nutt, and his father, Richard Nutt, became involved with growing rice, and how Raney wound up riding with his grandfather to deliver rice to Riceland Foods when he was 2 years old.

Later, when his father needed him on the farm, Raney was ready to step up and help finish the harvest."We had some strong winds that blew our Nato rice flat on the ground one year," says Raney Nutt. "It took every one on the farm to help harvest the crop that year, and my father put me on the combine."Raney continued to help out on the farm through high school and then attended Arkansas State University, graduating with a degree in agribusiness and agricultural economics. He became the third generation to farm rice on the family's operation in 1983. Now, his son, Tyler, is farming with him while completing his work on an MBA degree at Arkansas State.

The operation grows corn, rice, soybeans and wheat. Nutt plants long grain and medium grain rice. The acreage of the latter has become a subject of conjecture, given the water problems in California, which has been a traditional medium grain producer for export to the Far East.We have grown medium grain off and on for years, but consistently in the last five or six years," says Nutt. "Before, we didn't have as many options for medium grain. Now you can forward contract it, and, in some cases, lock in a premium to long grain."But, he cautions, "You need to have a contract for medium grain before you put a seed in the ground."Most analysts agree California's rice acreage will be down again in 2015 due to reduced allocations of irrigation water.

California's plantings, which are mostly medium grain, were down 25 percent in 2014.

Questions remain about how much lower California's acreage will go and whether medium grain in the Mid-South can substitute for medium grain in California. Another issue is whether rice prices are high enough to bring more rice into production in the Mid-South."Rice just isn't selling the way we had hoped," says Tim Walker, a former rice agronomist with Mississippi State University, who is now general manager of Horizon Ag, a company that supplies Clearfield rice varieties to seed distributors.U.S. rice exporters had just lost another tender of rice to Iraq, a traditional long grain market when Walker made those comments. The Iraqis purchased rice from Vietnam instead. U.S. rice farmers are having trouble understanding why Iraq has not been buying major quantities of U.S. rice.

More diversified Because of the up and down nature of the rice market, Nutt, over the years, has become more diversified in his cropping system, both from the standpoint of long grain and medium grain rice and with corn and soybeans. "We're longtime corn growers. We've been growing it since 1988 to try to spread our risk."We have identified our best rice ground and our best corn ground," he said. "We've been moving rice away from the better corn land. Corn and soybeans have been offering better returns until now so we've taken advantage of the higher prices and being able to conserve water with center pivots on the corn ground." www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Back on medium grain rice, Jupiter has been the main variety for Nutt's operation. He has planted the new Clearfield 271 medium grain and plans to try more in 2015."Last year was the first year we had Clearfield 27," said Nutt. "It's not as aggressive as Jupiter, but it gives you the Clearfield technology, which is something we've needed in medium grain rice. It is competitive with the hybrids, and that's what everyone judges varieties by now."I'm glad we have new options," he said, adding that he loves the agronomics of medium grain. "I know LSU and Arkansas are both working on new medium grain varieties. I believe they have a new AREX 1021 that had very high yields."Nutt says he sometimes feels like rice producers are in a fishbowl days, and those who grow medium grain varieties are no exception.

Everyone watching "We're always trying to make sure we meet the purchasers' criteria," he said, referring to the standards set by companies who contract for medium grain rice. "It feels like we have people watching everything we do."Buyers take on a bigger role in medium grain because of limited market for medium grain. "If Kellogg's or another buyer doesn't approve of a new variety, it's dead."Nutt bases his yield goals on reaching 180 to 190 bushels per acre. He has harvested two 200-bushel-per-acre crops and the 2014 crop came close to the 200-bushel mark.2015 is shaping up to be another wet spring in the Mid-South. Unusual back-to-back snow and ice events in February have been followed by rains that have kept many producers out of their fields when they would normally be preparing them for planting.

The situation is similar to 2013 and 2014."We know we can make a crop later if we don't get planted early," he said. "We didn't start harvest until the 15th of September in 2014, but everything turned out fine. The rice was a little harder to dry because it turned off cool. But we never try to dry our rice below 16 percent to 18 percent moisture."The water requirement for long and medium grain is roughly the same. Water has not been as much of a problem in Greene County as it has been further south in the Arkansas rice belt. The water table has been dropping in that area and pumping costs have been rising.

Weed gamut His farm "runs the gamut" on weeds, he notes."I feel like we have a handle on red rice because of our rotation with soybeans," he said. "We generally go with pre-emergence herbicides like Command and Facet early to try to help with resistant barnyardgrass and signalgrass."Weeds like northern jointvetch or curly indigo are also proving troublesome. "The curly indigo outsmarted us because it came up after we would normally spray for postemergence weeds."Herbicide drift is also becoming more of an issue. Nutt believes using surfactants can help. "We've gotten into a habit of using those - and not spraying when the wind is blowing toward the neighbor's crop."If we do have a problem, the neighbor usually comes to us, and we work it out. It also helps if you know what's planted in the field next to you.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine "The operation relies on the Clearfield technology for as much of its rice as it can. "Where we can't use Newpath and Beyond, it puts more pressure on the pre-emergence herbicide. So we try to get it down early and make plans accordingly."Nutt marks all of his problem weeds on a map during harvest so he can focus on those areas the following year. i' Match fungicides Nutt also matches his fungicide program to the varieties he's planting, realizing some varieties may be more susceptible to sheath blight, blast or false smut than others.Most of his medium grain rice is marketed through local buyers such as Windmill Rice to companies like Kellogg's.

His marketing strategy is simple: when someone offers you a profit, take it."If you can make money, price it and don't look back," says Nutt. "If you have extra (he usually contracts about 150 bushels per acre of his production), then try to get a higher price for that. I like to sell my rice early and then go make a crop."

For more on medium grain vs. long grain and tohttp://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/rice/background.aspx

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Calif. drought challenges state's businesses Elizabeth Weise and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY5:15 p.m. EDT April 4, 2015

California is entering its fourth year of drought, leading to unprecedented restrictions on water usage for the state’s 38 million residents. USA TODAY

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images) 1661CONNECT 175TWEET 1LINKEDIN 56COMMENTEMAILMORE SAN FRANCISCO — California's punishing drought — which led to the first mandatory statewide water restrictions in state history last week — will bring more pain to some businesses and prosperity to others if it doesn't let up soon.

Now in its fourth year, the drought has already left a swath of losers — from farmers and ski areas to golf courses and wildlife — but also a few winners, as businesses and innovators find ways to adapt to what might be the future climate of California."We're on a real collision course with a very dark reality," says Dave Puglia, senior vice president of the Western Growers Association in Irvine, Calif., a grower and packer trade group.

WHO GETS HURT ...The mix of crops that's traditionally grown is changing. Farmers are plowing up fields where they used to grow vegetables like broccoli, carrots and tomatoes to put in nut and fruit trees, which demand less water."Cotton has gone from 1.5 million acres to almost nothing. We're cutting way back on rice. The number of dairy cows is probably going to fall by 100,000 or so," said Dan Sumner, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis.

USA TODAY California orders first-ever mandatory water reductions The toll on the state's agriculture industry will get heavier and U.S. consumers outside California may feel it, too, when they notice some supermarket favorites seem less plentiful. About half of the fresh produce consumed in the U.S. and one-third of the nation's organic produce is grown in the state's fertile Central Valley.Retail price spikes are unlikely because of the drought, however.

Only a small portion of what shoppers pay is based on what farmers get for their crops — shipping, handling, packaging and marketing expenses are collectively bigger. Plus, food prices are often set on a global scale of supply and demand, so in a vast world marketplace, California's drought may not be a big factor, Sumner says.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Want to blame something for California's drought? According to research, one particular type of seed is partially to blame, accounting for up to one tenth of the state's total water consumption per year. Already, 17,000 jobs have been lost in the Central Valley, says Steve Lyle of theCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture. California employed 348,900 people in agriculture in 2013.

About 1 million acres are now idle due to the drought, according to the University of CaliforniaDavis."The major part of one of America's most productive farming regions could run out of all water and be unable to farm in the next number of years," says Puglia, the Western Growers Association executive. "That's what the future looks like, which is why people are so scared."Researchers are still calculating this year's potential impact. The economic hit to the state in 2015 could be $3 billion, compared with $2 billion last year, says Richard Howitt, an agriculture and resource economics expert at the University of California-Davis.He estimates that another 20,000 jobs could be lost, including in agriculture and food production.

Wildlife will be squeezed too — not too mention the lucrative tourist dollars it pulls from sportsmen, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Snowmelt runoff plays an important role for fish and other aquatic species since it's the primary source of summertime flow for many of the West's rivers and streams, according to Leon Szeptycki, executive director of Stanford University's Water in the West program.That will affect both endangered species such as the Delta smelt and also recreational fish such as salmon and steelhead."The lack of snowpack will mean acutely low flows for these streams, and many of them will run dry," he said. "The impacts on aquatic life and ecosystems is potentially staggering." ... AND WHO BENEFITS

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Businesses ready to help consumers and businesses change their behavior — and save them money in lower water bills — should do well in California's browner landscape.

USA TODAY Artificial lawns saving water in California With strict water use rules coming, anyone who wants a yard that doesn't look like a dust bowl needs to redesign and replant. Lawns are out, rocks and water-sipping ground covers like sage, yarrow and iceplant are in."People are coming out of the woodwork" to get water-efficient gardens now, says Eva Knoppel, who owns Garden of Eva Landscape Design in Los Angeles.She specializes in xeriscape garden design.

Xeros means "dry" in Greek and xeriscaped gardens are designed to require very little water, using drought-tolerant plants.Knoppel installs rainwater collection systems as well as crafting gray-water systems that reuse bath, shower and washing machine water to irrigate gardens.

"Three years ago, I got maybe one call a week from people who wanted to transform their gardens. Now I'm getting two or three calls day," says Knoppel.Nurseries are stocking more hardy dry-weather plants native to California and the Mediterranean region.Succulents like agave, aloe and hen & chickens are popular as are perennial grasses like sedge and blue oat. Manzanita and ceanothus, sometimes called California lilac, are both increasingly must-have plants for modern yards because, once established, they need little water.

Appliance sales haven't changed drastically so far because water-efficient clothes and dishwashers have been widely used for "years now," reports Bob Harrison with Aztec Appliance in San Diego.Even so, he says, he hears more people mention water efficiency in his showroom."In laundry equipment in particular, that's where we hear it," says Harrison, who's been selling appliances for 30 years. "San Diego literally is a desert that's parked next to the ocean. We've got to think about it."

EYES ON THE FUTURE This being California, the drought could spur innovation.Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles has effectively remade the roughs on its golf course into desert by converting them into dry patches, which use less water.

California has 1,140 golf courses, according to GolfLink.com.

PH seen as world‟s 3rd largest rice buyer

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Ronnel W. Domingo Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:30 AM | Monday, April 6th, 2015

THE PHILIPPINES is expected to be among the top four largest importer of milled rice in 2015 with orders totaling 1.7 million tons, data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) show.The volume is 100,000 tons less than projections by the United Nations, whose Food and Agriculture Organization said the country was expected to ship in 1.8 million tons— the same volume that was imported in 2014.According to the Rice Yearbook 2015 of the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), the Philippines will tie with Iran this year as the world’s third largest rice importer by volume.Based on data current as of March 10, the top two importers were China with 4.5 million tons and Nigeria.

The expected Philippine importation is almost 100,000 tons higher than the 15-year average of 1.6 million tons since 2000.During the past 15 years, Philippine-bound volume was lowest in 2000 at 900,000 tons and highest in 2008 at 2.5 million tons.In its latest monthly Rice Outlook report, the USDA ERS said the global volume of trade in milled rice jumped 10 percent to a record 43.2 million tons in 2014, partly due to increased importation by the Philippines.Based on the USDA’s monitoring, the latest figure on global trade was 300,000 tons more than the previous estimate.

The record trade level of 2014 was largely due to expanded shipments from India and Thailand more than offsetting reduced shipments from Pakistan, Vietnam, and the United States, the ERS said.―On the import side, big increases in purchases by Bangladesh, China, the European Union, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Turkey more than offset weaker purchases by Brazil, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, and Thailand,‖ the ERS added.According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country’s rice reserve shrank for the second month in a row to settle at 69 days’ worth of consumption as of Feb. 1.Inventory fell to 2.35 million tons from 2.66 million tons last Jan. 1 as farmers prepare for the fields for this year’s dry season crop.Data from the PSA show that the National Food Authority’s stock of milled rice climbed even further to 530,000 tons from 520,000 tons, although 97 percent of this was imported.As of Feb. 1, the NFA had a stock that was still at its minimum mandated volume, at 15 days’ consumption.Last February, the NFA called for tenders on the importation of 250,000 tons of well-milled rice, with the budget set at P9.5 billion. Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce as well as Vietnam Southern Food Corp. gave the best offers

http://business.inquirer.net/189735/ph-seen-as-worlds-3rd-largest-ricebuyer#ixzz3WcPB57Rt

Rice trade rebounds with help from China 06 Apr 2015 , The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian rice exports saw a rebound in March, increasing to 75,867 tonnes and doubling February’s export numbers, on account of increased Chinese imports, which benefitted from the

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine relaxing of import restrictions by the Chinese government, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation. …

Chan http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-trade-rebounds-help-china Categories: Agricultural policy and administration, Agriculture & Fishing Tag: Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), China

Muyhong

Rice subsidy program cost Thailand $27 billion Apr 3, 2015Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press

Thailand’s rice paddy pledging program is a textbook case of how not to run a farm subsidy program. What started as an effort to win farmer support during parliamentary elections in 201011 became an economic disaster that cost the government of Thailand $27.7 billion before it ended in 2014.Under the Rice Farmer Assistance Program, the Thai government paid farmers about $450 a metric ton for their rice. Because that was above the market price for rice, stocks built, leading the government to periodically dump rice into the export market for $380 to $390 a metric ton, according to Robert Cummings, chief operating officer of the USA Rice Federation. ―They had a very high price support program for paddy rice that led to huge stocks of around 15 million metric tons,‖ he said. ―Exports dried up, and it was a very expensive program for a country that is not all that rich. Clearly, we believe they exceeded their WTO commitment, and it left Thailand in a very bad economic situation.‖Because of the high support prices being paid in country, Thailand lost its position as the No. 1 rice exporter and was supplanted by India in that role in 2013. When it resumed exports at levels 20 percent to 30 percent below, it caused market distortions at the expense of U.S. exports. (It is projected to be No. 1 in 2014-15.)

Vietnam is another case of a country’s rice support subsidies exceeding its WTO commitments.

Vietnam provides support to its rice prices of $236 per ton through the Vietnam Food Association. Any rice purchased in the program must be exported.―So that becomes a problem for us,‖ says Cummings. ―We believe Vietnam’s WTO support limit is about $188 million.

Depending on how you value it, we think Vietnam’s actual support expenditures are either a little over $400 million or slightly more than $1 billion, still well above their WTO limit. ―And this has had a practical impact on the U.S. rice sector because we believe a major result of this program has been that Vietnam last year was able to enter the Mexico market with milled rice. The combination of Vietnam’s lower price and a decline in the U.S. long grain supply caused Mexico to purchase Vietnamese rice.‖At the same time China, India, Thailand and Vietnam have been pouring resources into supporting their rice producers, the last two farm bills have seen a steady decline in support for U.S. growers, Cummings noted.The Congressional Budget Office estimates that under the previous farm bills, the U.S. government provided an average of $1.53 billion in annual support for rice between 2000 and 2004. Under the Agricultural Act of 2014, CBO projects the annual outlay for rice from 2014 to 2018 will average around $231 million. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine For more information on Thailand’s rice subsidy program, visithttp://www.ibtimes.com/thailandrice-subsidy-scheme-what-it-how-it-toppled-thai-leader-yingluck-shinawatra-1792788.

Thai govt approves sticky rice growing program for farmers Govt approves sticky rice growing program for farmers BANGKOK, 3 April 2015 (NNT)-The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has endorsed a new scheme aimed at improving the quality of Thai sticky rice.According to the Deputy Minister to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Amnuay Patise, 40 sticky rice farmers will be selected from each of the districts in 15 provinces, most of which are in the Northeast.Under the scheme, they will be encouraged to dedicate 25% of their rice field to sticky rice growing. It is expected that more than 10,000 rais will be used in growing the crop.

They will be monitored over a period of 3 years. Results from the observations will be collected and stored in the database.The farmers will receive advice and tips on how to increase their productivity while lowering the costs of production. 95% of sticky rice produced annually in Thailand is for domestic consumption and the rest of 5% for export.The rice is commonly grown in the North and Northeast of the country. As much as 5-8 million tons of sticky rice is produced in these regions each year. Thailand is the world’s leading sticky rice exporter.

Huge rice import from India without need 4/3/2015

The New Nation (Bangladesh)

Dhaka, April 3 -- UNNECESSARY rice import from India has phenomenally increased raising question as to why the government is allowing such import when Bangladesh is producing more than domestic demand and exporting rice to clear existing stock. The Cabinet had discussed the matter last week but the Food Minister had no justifiable answer why we are allowing Indian dump of excess rice stock that we don't want. The report said private traders have so far imported 8.73 lakh tonnes of rice from India between last July and March this year while the government has around 10 lakh food grains in buffer stock to face any emergency.These traders have business interest in both countries and running the business unchecked.

There is a growing apprehension that they are operating under the cover of some influential political quarter to mint money at the cost of the nation. The report said this year's import is the highest since 2010-11 leaving the government policy makers and observers alike to wonder why such hugeimport has been allowed to flood the local market. Moreover it is taking place in the www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine back of recent export of 25,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka and another 25,000 tonnes are awaiting shipment. The report said, Bangladesh is sitting on huge food grains stock with storage facilities running over-packed.

The government stock is almost remaining idle in absence of any emergency in the first place and then the use of the stock has dropped for test relief and such other food for works because poor people can buy food now at relatively lower price from open market and political troubles are denying environment for public works. Reports said India is exporting rice to clear its storage facility ahead of next harvest season but this in turn is blocking the releasing of Bangladesh government held stock and unlocking the storage capacity to buy foodgrains during the upcoming Boro season.

It is also dumping local price of rice reducing farmers income The report said the Food Minister's explanation included all these factors, but lacked a satisfactory answer. He has rather pointed finger of blame at the Ministry of Commerce, which oversees trade and commerce. But the fact is that Bangladesh government is allowing duty-freeimport of rice from India that we don't need at the moment and this in turn is allowing India to sell excess stock at 'dumping price.'

This policy is however in direct contravention of the statement of a Minister of Indian central government who on Wednesday said his country must tighten border to restrict export of cattle herd to cause a rise in beef price in Bangladesh. It is true that the Indian government has its trade policy that would support its economy and other national interest. But the question is why the Bangladesh government is not having a cohesive trade policy based on domestic need.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from The New Nation. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor athtsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Basmati aroma fails to attract buyers, prices dip by 45% Apr 4 2015 1:54AM Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, April 3 Falling basmati prices have left many rice millers and traders to the brink of insolvency over the past four months. The development seems to be a precursor to a renewed agricultural crisis in the state.Rice millers and traders are unable to pay for the basmati purchased from commission agents around five months ago. The agents are now advising farmers not to grow basmati in the

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine coming season.Agriculture Department and Punjab Mandi Board officials are also discouraging farmers from growing basmati. The Mandi Board suffered a huge loss as a large number of farmers shifted from paddy to basmati last year.In 2013-14, the basmati prices peaked to Rs 4,500 per quintal, but this year the prices have not gone beyond Rs 2,400 per quintal.wing to high prices in 2013-14, the state government encouraged farmers to grow more basmati last season as it requires less water for irrigation in comparison to paddy. To boost basmati trading, the government announced a waiver of 4 per cent cess (2 per cent market fee and 2 per cent rural development fund) on the purchase of basmati.As over 8.5 lakh hectare area was under basmati cultivation last year, the state suffered a loss of over Rs 550 crore due to non-collection of cess on basmati, said Kulbir Singh Matta, District Mandi Officer, Faridkot.

Due to cess waiving, the market committees at Faridkot and Muktsar suffered a loss of Rs 20 crore and Rs 42 crore, respectively. "Despite that, we failed to promote basmati cultivation as its prices crashed in the international market," Matta said.Basmati trading and cultivation has left private traders, rice millers and market committees bankrupt across the state. Due to a huge loss of market fee on basmati purchase, the market committees are even facing a difficulty in paying salaries to its employees, sources said.

Commerce secretary Rajeev Kher to visit Iran on Sunday India is the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil after China, ships rice and consumer goods to the country and has significant interests in infrastructure projects there Asit Ranjan Mishra India is the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil after China, ships rice and consumer goods to the country and has significant interests in infrastructure projects there Asit Ranjan Mishra A file photo of commerce secretary Rajeev Kher. India’s exports to Iran grew 48.35% to $5 billion in 2013-14, while imports contracted 11.1% to $10.3 billion, leading to a trade deficit of $5.3 billion. Photo: Hindustan Times New Delhi: India is sending its top trade official to Iran on Sunday to boost bilateral commercial ties, quick on the heels of a framework agreement the Islamic republic signed with world powers to end a 12-year stand-off on its nuclear programme.

The visit of commerce secretary Rajeev Kher to Tehran is important because India is the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil after China, and had to halt imports for the first time in a decade in March, bending to US pressures to economically isolate the West Asian nation. India also ships rice and consumer goods to Iran and has significant interests in implementing infrastructure projects in that country. ―It has been some time since we visited Iran,‖ Kher said. ―We have also significant interest in project exports to that country.‖ Western nations on Thursday reached a

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine temporary framework agreement on curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, which is a step towards a comprehensive accord that could end 12 years of confrontation and could potentially lift economic sanctions on the Islamic republic, opening business opportunities for many countries.

India has welcomed the understanding on the nuclear issue, saying a significant step seems to have been taken with agreement on the parameters of a comprehensive settlement to be negotiated by 30 June. ―India has always maintained that the Iranian nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully by respecting Iran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy as also the international community’s strong interest in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,‖ the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. India owes $8.8 billion (around Rs.55,000 crore today) to Iran, as economic sanctions imposed over Tehran’s nuclear programme have cut its access to the global banking system. India has issued guidelines to allow exports of humanitarian goods such as food, medicines and medical equipment to Iran as a part of oil payments due to that country, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on 20 March. ―Ministry of finance has decided that payments to the extent of $100 million per month for such third country exports to Iran would be allowed from the 45% rupee vostro account held with the UCO Bank,‖ she said. ―Payment over and above $100 million per month would be met from 55% euro component.‖ A vostro account is one in which a domestic bank acts as a custodian or manages the account of a foreign entity. India’s exports to Iran grew 48.35% to $5 billion in 2013-14, while imports contracted 11.1% to $10.3 billion, leading to a trade deficit of $5.3 billion. The value of rice exports alone to Iran in 2013-14 stood at $2 billion. Ram Upendra Das, a professor at the New Delhi-based Research and Information System for Developing Countries, expects efforts to balance two-way trade to get more attention. ―With exports of tourism, IT, educational and health services to Iran, our external balance with Iran could further address the asymmetry in economic relations,‖ he said.

The country is also planning to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar to help promote its economic interests throughout the region, including Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. India’s exports to Iran have increased twofold in the last couple of years, facilitated by the rupee-rial payment mechanism and supported by complementarities between the two economies, the commerce ministry said in its foreign trade policy statement released on Wednesday. ―The potential for bilateral trade, however, has not even been scratched on the surface,‖ the policy paper said. ―Keeping in view the long-term potential of project exports to Iran, especially in the railways sector, an umbrella financing agreement for rupee credit has been signed between EXIM Bank of India and Iranian banks.

The financing will be on commercial terms and in rupees. For the designated project export contracts, rupee financing would be offered through the Export Development Fund being operated through EXIM Bank.‖ The trade policy also said the rupee-rial mechanism has stabilized and is now showing results. ―We will continue to strengthen this mechanism for longwww.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine term results. Bilateral trade in areas such as meat, agricultural products, gems & jewellery, engineering, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and auto components will be encouraged. Trade promotion activities will be further intensified. An institutional mechanism for regular interaction will be set up to review, evaluate and monitor bilateral trade. Other institutional opportunities will be explored,‖ it added http://www.livemint.com/Politics/N9ww2LO74a6xo9Un9BAUdK/Commerce-secretary-Rajeev-Kher-tovisit-Iran-on-Sunday.html?utm_source=copy

India Basmati rice exporters to sort out pending issues related to high import duties with India Reported by: `Customs Today Report April 4, 2015 NEW DELHI: India Basmati rice exporters, hit by Iran’s decision to restrict imports last year, are likely to get some encouraging news next week.Senior officials from both sides will meet in Tehran on Monday to sort out pending issues related to high import duties, quality norms and import licenses so that shipments can start moving soon.Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher is leading a delegation of officials and businesspersons to Iran next week with the primary agenda of removing all hurdles on rice imports and also to promote other potential business areas such as pharmaceuticals.

Social benefit or Frankenfood? UT scientist cites value of genetically modified crops POSTED AT 8:53 AM APRIL 6, 2015

BY CAROLYN KRAUSE Tessa Burch-Smith speaks with Michael Laman, dean of health sciences at Roane State Community College. He introduced her talk on genetically modified foods. (Submitted photo) In developing countries where white rice is the dominant food, a half million pregnant women and young children become blind and two million die every year because of a Vitamin A deficiency.On a mission to use genetic engineering to benefit humankind, scientists have genetically modified one type of rice so the grain, not just its leaves, makes Vitamin A. One

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine published study showed that the improved nutritional content of ―golden rice‖ could save sight and lives.Golden rice was ready to be marketed in 2002, but critics have been calling it a Frankenfood. Golden rice is still not commercially adopted, even though in 2013, Pope Francis personally blessed its use.

This is one of the examples that Tessa Burch-Smith gave in her recent talk as part of the new Roane State Community College–Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning Intergenerational Lecture Series. An assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, she teaches and conducts research in UT’s Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology.

A native of Saint Lucia, a Caribbean island country, she has a Ph.D. degree from Yale University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California at Berkeley. Her lecture topic was ―What’s up with genetically modified (GM) foods: scientific evidence vs. widespread beliefs.‖Burch-Smith drew another example of the controversy from National Public Radio’s ―All Things Considered.‖ In its story on January 23, NPR stated, ―GM potatoes have arrived, but will anyone buy them?‖ She explained that the new russet Burbank potatoes have been bred not to bruise and show black spots.

Many people fear or distrust large companies (―Big Ag‖) that produce genetically engineered foods, or they think GM food is unnatural. ―Well,‖ she said, ―cooked food is not natural!‖Plants www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine have been selectively bred for thousands of years.―It’s still a major source of crop improvement and development,‖ she said. It has been the traditional way of bringing together desirable genes from two or more plant sources. ―The first genetic modification was done by domestication,‖ she said, showing a slide of the nonedible Teosinte plant, which was bred over 10,000 years to produce intermediates that ended up as the corn we eat today.In genetic engineering in agriculture, an artificially created DNA molecule combines DNA sequences (genes) that are not usually found together in nature. Such recombinant DNA is produced and replicated by sophisticated techniques, also called genetic manipulation.

Do we need genetic engineering in agriculture? Burch-Smith said the planet will likely have nine billion people in 2050, two billion more than it has now.―Currently, one in four people in developing countries are living in extreme poverty, subsisting on less than one U.S. dollar a day,‖ Burch-Smith said. ―Growth in the agricultural sector has a crucial role to play in improving the incomes of poor people, by providing farm jobs and stimulating off-farm employment.‖The developing world will account for most population growth, she said. It is projected that 40 percent of the population increase by 2100 will be in Africa. From 2005 to 2050, global crop demand will more than double.

The strategies to meet this demand are limited to increasing the area under cultivation and boosting the yield of current areas under cultivation. She noted that only a few countries have untapped arable land: Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Sudan, Russia, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.―There is more uncultivated land suited to crop production in Sub-Saharan Africa than in any other area in the world,‖ she said.

Burch-Smith reminded the audience of the importance of the Green Revolution in the 1940s through the 1970s as a result of the work of Norman Borlaug, an American scientist and rice breeder. Selective breeding increased the yield and nutritional value of wheat and rice in Mexico, India, and the Middle East. The productivity was further boosted by additions of fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation water. The problem with fertilizer is that its runoff produces algal blooms.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine ―To meet rising food demand, we need another Green Revolution, especially for Africa, and we need it in half the time,‖ she said. ―With growth in crop yield flattening and demand on the rise, some experts see genetic engineering as our best hope to produce more food and have a smaller ecological impact.‖ She noted that ―targeted breeding‖ with traditionally bred plants and GM crops could reverse yield growth declines since they have greater drought tolerance, nitrogen efficiency, photosynthesis rates, and resistance to insect damage, which destroys 15 percent of the world’s crops.Commercially sold products of GM crops in the U.S. are corn, soybeans, cotton, squash, papaya, sugar beets, and rapeseed. Wheat, strawberries, apples, and potatoes are not commercially available as GM foods in the U.S.

Genetically modified golden rice, right, has nutrients that white rice lacks. Five to 10 million children die before the age of five every year. In many cases, poor nutrition makes them less able to survive diseases. Replacing white rice with golden rice could reduce the death toll in developing countries like Bangladesh. India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

(Submitted photo)

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Burch-Smith listed common objections to GM foods and gave her factually based responses.Claim: ―Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a radical new technology.‖ Her answer:―Humans have been making new combinations of genes for millennia by traditional breeding. Genetic engineering allows more control and more precision. The first GMO product was commercialized in 1994.‖Claim: ―We don’t know if GMOs are safe.‖ Her answer: ―More than 1,700 peer-reviewed scientific studies on GMO safety concluded that GM food is no different from conventional food. ‖Claim: ―GMOs are not regulated.‖ Her answer: ―GMOs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some of the testing is voluntary. I believe that testing should be compulsory.‖Claim: ―GM foods cause allergies and cancer and are toxic.‖ Answer: ―This statement has not been borne out by the 1,700 studies of GMO safety. The company that makes produces the GM food does not want to make people sick because they could go out of business and get sued.‖Claim: ―GMOs cause farmers to use more insecticides and pesticides.‖ Answer: ―Pesticides are costly so farmers use the minimum amounts needed.‖ Insect-resistant GM crops have saved lives of farm workers in India. Many have died from excessive exposure to the pesticides they applied.

Claim: ―GMOs create superweeds and insecticide resistance.‖ Answer: This is possible, but strategies like crop rotation can greatly reduce the risk.Claim: ―Foreign genes spread to wild plants and corrupt ecosystems.‖ Answer: ―Pollen from GM crops can pollinate nearby non-GM crops of the same kind but not of a different species.‖ Strategies exist to prevent undesired crosspollination.Claim: ―Monsanto is the devil.‖ Answer: ―Monsanto is out to make a profit.‖ Thus, it does not want to risk losing business by creating a product that is damaging to the public. ―Not all GMOs are produced by big companies. Genetic engineering is increasing in the developing world.‖Europe has resisted importing GM foods for years. But Europe is quietly dismantling its regulations, Burch-Smith said. Spain and Eastern European countries are growing GM crops. If Europe starts importing some GM foods, African countries will likely grow GM crops and sell some of the food to the European market.

Iran Deal Roils Waters for Indian Commodity Exporters Iran is India’s leading buyer of basmati rice and soymeal under oil-for-goods barter agreement ENLARGE

A worker carries sacks of rice on his head at a Vichi Agro Products Pvt warehouse at a market in Mumbai, India, Dec. 13, 2014. Iran is a top buyer of basmati rice from India. PHOTO: DHIRAJ SINGH/BLOOMBERG NEWS

By BIMAN MUKHERJI

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine April 6, 2015 9:09 a.m. ET

NEW DELHI—The prospect of a phased-in lifting of Western sanctions against Iran raised by last week’s preliminary

nuclear

agreement

with

Tehran has created uncertainty over the fate of an oil-for-goods barter agreement involving rice, soymeal and other products.Iran has been India’s leading buyer of high-grade basmati rice and soymeal, which has partly been helped because of the barter deal. That deal evolved as a means for India to keep importing Iranian oil and pay for it in a way that would circumvent trade and financial restrictions on Tehran. ―We will have to wait and see,‖ said Arun Kumar Sampath Kumar, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan. He said the situation could become clearer after June 30 once the details of the nuclear deal between Iran and six Western powers are worked out.If sanctions were lifted on Iran, it is likely to become easier for the nation to conduct trade for crude based on dollar payments.

However, any agreement with India will have to be negotiated separately, as New Delhi has been eager to conserve precious dollars.For the year ended March 31, India’s rice exports dropped about 5% to 10 million metric tons, according to Rajan Sundaresan, executive director of All India Rice Exporters Association.

He said lower purchases by Iran, which has raised quality objections, were a large contributor to the fall.Mr. Sundaresan said an Indian delegation was leaving for Iran on Monday in an effort to encourage more rice purchases. Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said an easing of sanctions would increase competition for Indian exports. But he said Indian exporters would have the advantage of contacts and experience gained from the barter program.Under the barter-trade arrangement, India pays for part of the crude oil it receives from Iran in rupees. The funds are deposited in an Indian state-run bank and used to pay Indian companies for exports.Meanwhile, exports of Indian soymeal, another commodity that in the past was snapped up by Iran, also face price headwinds.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine ―Exports of Indian soymeal have been sluggish compared to U.S. or Argentina,‖ saidRajesh Agrawal, managing committee member of the Soybean Processors Association of India. ―Now, Iran’s treaty will put further pressure on Indian soymeal.‖Prices for Indian soymeal used as animal feed are quoting in the range of $520 to $530 per metric ton, free on board, Mr. Agrawal said.He said Indian shipments of soymeal could drop further, after recently falling to about 20,000 tons a month from 60,000 tons a month a couple of years ago, when Iranian demand was at its peak.

Write to Biman Mukherji at biman.mukherji@wsj.com

DA to roll out „Green Super Rice‟ The agriculture department will roll out a program distributing the newly-approved rice breed, along with hybrid rice and certified inbred seeds, to help farmers hit record harvests Rappler.com Published 12:37 PM, Apr 07, 2015 Updated 12:37 PM, Apr 07, 2015 SUPER. The Green Super Rice is a variety jointly developed by Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). Image from International Rice Research Institute websiteMANILA, Philippines – To help farmers increase their harvest, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will roll out a production program for high-yielding rice varieties.Under the High Yielding Technology Adoption (HYTA) program, th DA will make available to farmers high-yielding varieties such as hybrid rice, certified inbred seeds, and the newly-approved Green Super Rice.The Green Super Rice is a variety jointly developed by Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). It was tested for adaptability in various DA growing stations nationwide in 2014.Green Super Rice combines the superior traits of 250 rice varieties adapted to difficult growing conditions such as drought and low inputs, including no pesticide and less fertilizer, IRRI said. It has a rapid establishment rate, enabling it to out-compete weeds, thus reducing the need for herbicides.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Conditional scheme The HYTA program will be managed by the National Rice Program and would be implemented

by DA regional offices in areas with good irrigation and farmers’ organizations that are prepared to adopt high-yielding rice technologies.To sustain the progress of the program and guarantee returns and yield increase, these production inputs would be provided under a conditional scheme.

The DA regional field offices will be in charge of distributing hybrid seeds or certified seeds to farmers' groups along with fertilizers and soil ameliorants.Each DA regional office may have its own reward system to guarantee repayment of inputs and increase in yield from the high-yielding seeds.Farmer groups that achieve good results may be rewarded with hand tractors with trailers, 4-wheel drive tractors, threshers, water pumps, warehouses, combine harvesters, and dryers.Agriculture Undersecretary Antonio Fleta said the program is expected to increase domestic rice production by 1 million metric ton (MT) this year and by 500,000 MT in 2016.For 2015, the Philippines is expected to produce more than 20 million MT of rice after producing 18.97 million MT in 2014. – Rappler.com

PhilRice mobile museum celebrates women in rice farming April 04, 2015 Lyndon Plantilla

by Lyndon Plantilla QUEZON CITY, Apr 4 (PIA)---The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) paid tribute to women's contribution in rice farming through its Rice Science Mobile Museum.The mobile museum exhibit at the Romblon State University in Odiongan, Romblon featured a photo exhibit titled "Woman of Rice" reflecting the various tasks that women do in farming communities. The exhibit, composed of photographs printed on hanging panels, was largely based on a 2008 study conducted by Maria Daryl L. Leyesa of the Centro Saka Inc. which shows women made critical decisions in farm production and household activities.

Based on the Leyesa study, more women in the rice sector exercise decision-making in most production concerns than men: matters concerning farm capital; growing and selling vegetables; raising and selling the livestock.The same study showed men in farming communities depend on women to decide on the choice of medication for a sick family member, what food to eat, what appliances to buy, whom to vote for and where to get the money during emergencies.

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- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/521427798171/philrice-mobile-museum-celebrateswomen-in-rice-farming-#sthash.fKPnZKvt.dpuf

Rice smuggling rampant – sources April 6, 2015 11:18 pm

by WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL

MORE than a year after the Aquino administration launched a massive crackdown on rice smuggling, the illegal trade remains rampant at the Bureau of Customs (BoC), according to reliable sources.A total of 21,640 sacks worth at least P22 million was recently intercepted and seized at the Port of Zamboanga.The sources, however, said on Monday that the Customs bureau seized this shipment just for show, with the bigger ones allowed to slip through the port.―They seized one shipload but let go of two others. That’s how it works. Of course, with the connivance of corrupt Customs officials,‖ they added.The confiscated shipment consisted 7,763 sacks of white rice, 3,072 sacks of well- milled rice and 10,805 sacks of glutinous rice.The BoC said the shipment would be sold at a public auction next week through sealed bidding in Zamboanga.But Zamboanga District Collector Jerry Loreso also on Monday said proceeds from the auction would be held in trust by the BoC as the shipment in question is still subject of ongoing cases.

Earlier, Customs Commissioner John Sevilla suspended the accreditation of 70 importers and 45 Customs brokers who have repeatedly violated Customs policies and procedures in filing import documents.The suspension, he said, is part of the bureau’s continuing efforts to reform the allegedly graft-ridden agency.Sevilla added that all those ordered suspended will no longer be allowed to file import entries as they have already lost their privilege to import goods.He explained that non-disclosure of detailed product descriptions for imported goods is a form of technical smuggling.―This is all part of the crackdown [on] erring firms,‖ the Customs chief said.

This is the first time that a big number of accredited importers and brokers was sanctioned for non-compliance with BOC rules and procedures.Port observers said many of the suspended importers and brokers were used as dummies or fronts by well-known ―big time‖ players cum smugglers in cahoots with allegedly corrupt Customs officials and employees.Customs sources have identified some of the big players who used dummy companies in smuggling rice, sugar, resin and computers, among other goods and products.Rice and sugar are prohibited importations that are subject to approval from the National Food Authority and Sugar Regulatory Commission, respectively.

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Suspending rice subsidy will hurt farmers more The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) and Malay Rice Millers Association Malaysia (PPBMM) consider the proposal to temporarily suspend the (Super Tempatan) ST15 Rice Subsidy Programme as inappropriate and want the move to be reviewed.The programme, which began in 2008, is aimed at helping more than three million low-income households to obtain rice at a cheaper price. The government allocates RM528 million each year, through the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry, as payment to Bernas for the subsidy programme.The government has also provided supplies of 15 percent broken rice subsidy (ST15), totalling 40,000 tonnes per month, for Peninsular Malaysia, while Sabah and Sarawak are allocated 20,000 tonnes.

In our view, recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed to temporarily suspend the ST15 programme will not solve the problem, and may even negatively affect millions of consumers and more than 15,000 retailers because the real issue has yet to be addressed with much success...

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Chhattisgarh PDS scam accused does U-turn, denies diary naming beneficiaries was recovered

The prime accused filed a petition in a Raipur court on Saturday that "no diary was recovered from him". (Source: Express Archive)

By: Express News Service | Raipur | Updated: April 6, 2015 4:10 pm The Chhattisgarh PDS scam case took a fresh turn after the prime accused Shiv Shankar Bhatt has denied that no ―diary‖ was recovered from him by the police. Ever since the ACB raided the offices of Chhattisgarh Civil Supplies Corporation Limited in February, the police repeatedly claimed to have recovered several documents and diaries from Bhatt and other staff naming topmost government functionaries as beneficiaries of the scam.

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These diaries, allegedly naming ministers, senior officers and persons close to Chief Minister Raman Singh, were extensively reported in media.Corporation’s former manager Bhatt, now in judicial custody, created a political storm when he filed a petition in a Raipur court on Saturday that ―no diary was recovered from him‖. His petition came days after Chief Minister Raman Singh told a local newspaper that no such diary ever existed and these forged diaries were circulated through a ―conspiracy‖.Bhatt was also caught in a sting by a local newspaper naming top officers and ministers as the alleged beneficiaries. The Indian Express had earlier reported that similar papers were recovered by the ACB from Girish Sharma, PA of corporation’s former MD Anil Tuteja, having people with names similar to those close to the CM House as the alleged beneficiaries.

Alleging a conspiracy between the prime accused and the government, PCC Chief Bhupesh Baghel said: ―The police repeatedly talked about these diaries and admitted to the names of top people in the last two months. But first Raman Singh denied these documents, and now Bhatt is speaking his language.‖Congress Spokesperson SN Trivedi said: ―How can we trust this probe when Raman Singh obtains a character certificate from the prime accused. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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‖The PDS scam probe, which once hit the topmost establishment, has now halted at the junior most level. When the ACB had raided the corporation’s offices across the state in February, the police had claimed to have unearthed a PDS rice scam in which commission worth Rs 100 crore reached ―people from top to bottom‖. The corporation allowed rice millers to supply poor quality rice in lieu of the commission.Trivedi alleged that the state police are trying to save the persons close to Chief Minister Raman Singh and demanded a probe by a High Court judge.

Rice importation costs Nigeria N115bn in 2013

by FRANCIS EZEM on Apr 6, 2015 Posted under: Highlights, News

Strong indications emerged that the Federal Government’s policy on importation, which imposed 110 per cent tariff on imported brown and parboiled rice, is currently taking its toll on its revenue.This is because the importation of the commodity has declined by over 50 per cent in the last three years.The Federal Government had in the 2013 budget, announced the imposition of additional 10 per cent import duty in addition to the 100 per cent levy on both imported brown and polished rice, bringing to a total of 110 per cent tariff, which is in line with its policy of promoting Nigerian agriculture and industry.

This is also in line with its projection that the country will attain self-sufficiency in local rice production by the end of 2015.Available records released by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Apapa Area One Command, which accounts for over 95 per cent of all bulk cargo imports, including rice, showed that out of N235.2bn revenue generated by the command, which also covers other cargo including containerised ones, rice accounted for N131.4bn, representing 55 per cent of the total collections.Other commodities excluding rice accounted for N103.8bn, representing 45 per cent of the total revenue generated that fiscal year.

For the 2012 fiscal year, a total of N285.7bn was collected by the command, out of which rice imports accounted for N125.4bn, representing 43.9 per cent of total revenue generation for the fiscal year.A total of N160.3bn was generated from other imports, representing 56 per cent.Meanwhile at the end of December 2013, about one year after the policy was introduced, N250.2bn was generated by the command from all the imported goods handled at the port from January and December, 2013, out of which rice imports accounted for only N10.1bn, representing four per cent.This represented a decline of over 50 per cent over the three-year period.However, other imports handled at the command over the one year period accounted for N240.1bn, representing 96.1 per cent of total imports value. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Area Controller in charge of the Command, Mr. Charles Edike, who confirmed this development, however said that the command would plug all revenue leakages to ensure that monies due to government in the form of import duty, levies and charges are collected.According to him, with the dwindling fortunes in the petroleum industry, occasioned by the general glut in the supply of the product globally and the attendant decline in price, the service would do all it could to cushion the effect of the decline and augment with import revenue.Meanwhile revenue figures for the 2014 fiscal year show a marginal increase from rice importation, which stood at N36.2bn out of N272bn.This marginal increase has been attributed to a review of the rice policy in the second half of the 2014 fiscal year.

The Federal Government had, following the public outcry that trailed the rice import policy, which many claimed led to smuggling of the commodity, decided to reduce the duty on imported brown and polished rice from 110 per cent to 60 and 30 per cent respectively for different categories of importers.Under the new fiscal regime, importers of husked brown or paddy rice in its natural, unprocessed state will pay 30 per cent tariff, which comprise 20 per cent duty and another 10 per cent levy for only investors with capacity to mill rice locally with verifiable backward integration, while other categories of importers are to import on 60 per cent tariff.The new policy was subjected to gross abuse, as all manners of importers besieged the Federal Ministries of Trade and Industry and its Agriculture and Natural Resources counterparts to procure documents showing that they have capacity for backward integration, which made a mess of the policy.

Amira Nature Foods : Releases Products to Amazon 04/05/2015 | 12:53am US/Eastern Amira Nature Foods reported that Amira brand products will be available on Amazon.com.Amira said it will offer 20 SKU's of Amira brand products on Amazon, including the Amira Gold Line, Smoked Basmati and 10lb and 20lb Amira Premium Basmati Rice. The availability on Amazon will allow ease of purchase and accessibility for Amira's expanding US customer base."As we introduce our brand to US consumers, we continue to explore new channels of opportunity," said Karan A Chanana, Chairman of Amira Nature Foods. "We are excited to have our premium products available on Amazon.com to reach consumers in all 50 states."Amira is a provider of branded packaged Indian specialty rice and other products.

More information: www.amira.net ((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

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Pakistan, Sri Lanka to increase bilateral trade to 1 bln USD Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-4-6 22:21:00

Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Monday agreed to increase annual bilateral trade volume to over one billion US dollars from the present 460 million US dollars and to boost cooperation in various fields, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.Prime Minister Sharif and President Sirisena were speaking at a joint news conference after holding official talks in Islamabad and witnessing the signing of six agreements.The Sri Lankan President arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on his first state visit to Pakistan since he assumed office in January.Nawaz Sharif said the agreements are aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation in the fields of shipping, tourism, economic development, anti-narcotics, disaster management and sports.

"These agreements will pave way for further expanding bilateral ties," the prime minister said.Cement, sugar, cotton and basmati rice are the main Pakistani exports to Sri Lanka while Sri Lanka exports spices, particularly black pepper, betel leaf, coconut and coconut byproducts, lentils and rubber to Pakistan.The prime minister said both countries have similar view on almost all regional and international issues."We also discussed cooperation in the field of defense besides other sectors,"Sharif said while speaking along with the Sri Lankan President.He said Pakistan intends to maintain good relations with all neighboring countries and give special priority to promote ties with Sri Lanka.

In his remarks, Sri Lankan President said his country intends to further increase trade volume with Pakistan besides intensifying mutual cooperation for the benefit of people of both countries."We need to further enhance people to people contact and joint research activities in various fields with Pakistan," he said. He also invited Pakistan national carrier PIA to resume its flights for Colombo.The Sri Lankan President expressed profound gratitude to Pakistan for extending support to eliminate terrorism from his country.He invited Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Colombo for further cementing Pak-Sri Lanka relations.

ComMin officials to visit Iran; discuss ways to boost trade A high level official delegation from India will visit Iran to discuss enhancement of trade ties between the two countries. The visit assumes significance as India is one of the largest importers of crude oil and exporters of basmati rice to Iran. Iran has the world's fourth-largest oil reserves. 0 0Google +0 0 A high level official delegation from India will visit Iran to discuss enhancement of trade ties between the two countries. The visit assumes significance as India is one of the largest importers of crude oil and exporters of basmati rice to Iran. Iran has the world's fourth-largest oil reserves. Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher, who will be on a two-day visit starting from Monday to Tehran, will meet his Iranian counterpart and is also expected to meet the Iranian trade minister. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine "Both the sides would deliberate upon issues including exports of basmati rice, project exports and other areas where both countries can increase trade," an official said. The resolution of issues between Iran and the West over its nuclear programme is expected to help India in increasing trade ties particularly in oil sector with that country. The US and its allies had blocked all financial channels to Iran in order to choke it and asked countries to cut their oil purchase from the Persian Gulf nation. India had cut its imports from over 18 million tonnes five years back to 11 million tonnes in 2013-14. India's exports to Iran have increased two-fold in the last couple of years.

This has been facilitated by the Rupee- Riyal payment mechanism. The new Foreign Trade Policy has said that the potential for bilateral trade, however, has not even been scratched on the surface. "Given the significant complementaries between the two economies, project exports to Iran hold out a lot of promise and need to be adequately supported," it has said. Keeping in view the long-term potential of project exports to Iran especially in the railways sector, an umbrella financing agreement for rupee credit has been signed between EXIM Bank of India and Iranian banks.

The financing will be on commercial terms and in rupees. As per the new Foreign Trade Policy, the Rupee-Riyal mechanism has stabilised and is now showing results. Also Read: Trade policy focuses on labour-intensive sectors: Comm Min "We will continue to strengthen this mechanism for long term results," it added. Bilateral trade in areas such as meat, agricultural products, gems and jewellery, engineering, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and auto components will be encouraged, the policy has said. The bilateral trade between India and Iran stood at USD 15.27 billion in 2013-14 as against USD 14.94 billion in the previous fiscal. http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/commin-officials-to-visit-iran-discuss-ways-to-boosttrade_1349045.html?utm_source=ref_article

Louisiana Distillers Take a Shot with Rice-Based Liquor Rice works the spirits trifecta THIBODAUX, LA -- Born and raised in Louisiana, Tom Donner and Henry Peltier witnessed firsthand the prominence of sugar cane and rice in their community and were inspired to find an innovative way to support these industries. The lack of a locally-run distillery motivated Donner and Peltier to experiment with using sugar cane and rice to make liquor. Sugar cane is traditionally the main ingredient used to make rum; however, rice proved to be more of a challenge. Over the course of three months, Donner and Peltier utilized their backgrounds in chemistry to investigate the best way to incorporate rice into their products.According to Donner, "I don't know if it's a unique idea that we had to use rice in our spirits, but we took the time to figure out how to make it work. We put some study into it because no one else really makes anything from long grain rice." www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine After a series of trial-and-error, Donner and Peltier perfected the use of rice as an ingredient in their vodka, and then expanded to whiskey and gin. They opened Donner-Peltier Distillers in 2012 and their featured products include Oryza Vodka, Oryza Gin, LA1 Whiskey, Rougaroux Sugarshine Rum, Rougaroux Full Moon Dark Rum, and Rougaroux 13 Pennies Rum."Rice is a little more difficult to deal with than if we were making vodka out of wheat, which is the most popular thing that is used to make vodka," said Donner. "Being a local company is kind of a big thing for us so we wanted to do the right thing by the people in our state, and we have been really well-received for that reason."The full featured piece on Donner-Peltier Distillers will be included in USA Rice's next issue of The Whole Grain.

Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 6 Month

Price

Net Change

May 2015

$10.825

- $0.040

July 2015

$11.050

- $0.045

September 2015

$11.210

- $0.025

November 2015

$11.395

- $0.010

January 2016

$11.605

+ $0.030

March 2016

$11.655

+ $0.030

May 2016

$11.655

+ $0.030

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