13th April, 2015 Daily Global Rice E - Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily
Global
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Rice E-Newsletter
April 13 , 2015
V o l u m e 5, Issue I
Research Partnership with the International Rice Research

Institute
From 2013, the Regional Climate Systems program worked with the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) on two projects. In one project Determining five climate change impacts
hotspots agricultural areas in Southeast Asia: Site Selection under the Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) research program of the CGIAR, RCS determined
climate change hotspots based on changes in climate extremes, rainfall decline, among others, to
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R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
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identify the top 10 critical areas in South East
Asia. In another project, Providing downscaled
GCM (Global Climate Model) outputs for four
selected rice growing regions (2x Philippines and
2x India), RCS provided climate change
projection data to IRRI so they can check with
their crop models to see how their crops will
respond to a globally warm world.
SA Rice Joins 24 Farm and Ag Organizations for 2015

Commodity Summit
Betsy Ward
WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward joined other agricultural CEOs
from across the country at a summit last week to discuss how groups can work together to
manage common regulatory threats, including developing common strategies. Participants
agreed an inventory of the various issues and the coalitions addressing them would be a
beneficial first step. Ward said an interesting takeaway was the discussion of the extensive focus
group testing that different agricultural groups have done and how consistent the results were
with USA Rice's 2014 focus group work. "A common theme throughout was the need for.
China super-rice grower blames weather, fungus for harvest

failure
BEIJING, APRIL 12
(Reuters) - China's super-rice grower, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co Ltd, blamed
abnormal weather and disease for large crop failures in the rice growing province of Anhui last
year.Rice blast fungus caused a reduction in yields or no harvests in many areas in the province,
said an executive with the company founded by Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist who is
sometimes referred to by Chinese media as "the father of hybrid rice".
"Last year, because of the abnormal weather, the areas which normally have a low outbreak of
rice blast were unexpectedly hit with frequent outbreaks, causing big losses for farmers," said
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Peng Guangjian, the company's president.Chinese media recently reported that the super-rice
strain, "Liangyou 0293", produced by the company, caused widespread crop failure in six areas
in Anhui province last year."The disadvantage of the strain is that it is not resistant to rice blast,
although it has many advantages, including high yield...", Peng told a local television station in a
report posted on Saturday to the company's web site (www.lpht.com.cn).
Super hybrid rice accounts for about 30 percent of the country's total rice area and average yield
was 590.8 kg per mu (0.07 hectare), the official People's Daily reported on Sunday, citing an
agriculture ministry official.China, the world's top rice grower and consumer, harvested 206.43
million tonnes of rice in 2014, 1.4 percent more than in the previous year. (Reporting by Niu
Shuping and Michael Martina; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Rice prices fall below last year's level

12:00 AM, April 12, 2015
An ample supply due to higher domestic production and soaring imports have driven the prices
of rice below last year's level and put many millers and farmers into losses.Fine rice yesterday
traded at Tk 39-56 per kilogram at the capital's markets, down 2.11 percent year-on-year,
according to data from the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.The prices of medium
quality rice also declined. Coarse rice traded at Tk 32-37 each kilogram, down 1.43 percent from
a year ago.
In line with the decline in rice prices, paddy prices have also fallen, raising fears of losses among
farmers during the boro harvest, which has already begun in the haor areas in the
northeast.Freshly-harvested boro paddy is trading at Tk 500 each maund (40kg) in the northeast,
Bappi Saha, a rice miller in Netrokona district, said yesterday.Abdul Jalil, a rice trader at
Ashuganj, said the prices of fresh boro paddy stood at Tk 520 a maund, which is lower than the
prices at the beginning of harvest last year.There is no supply shortfall due to rising imports and
stockpiling. If the current market prices of paddy continue, farmers will incur losses, he
added.His warning comes after the government estimated that the farmers' production costs to
produce one kilogram of paddy would be Tk 20 during the current boro season, meaning growers
would break even if they get Tk 800 on average for each maund of paddy.
However, the prospects of getting such a price look dim in the backdrop of increasing supply,
said traders.Private imports of rice have so far exceeded last year's total imports, as traders find
the foreign produce cheaper.Between July 1 last year and April 7 this year, rice imports stood at
12.76 lakh tonnes against 3.74 lakh tonnes in the same period last fiscal year, according to food
ministry data.Traders and millers blamed it on the zero-duty benefits for rice import and higher
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production of medium-quality rice in India.Apart from import, domestic production also rose this
fiscal year. Farmers bagged 1.319 crore tonnes of aman rice in the immediate harvest, up 1.28
percent year-on-year.
Aus output also edged up slightly after record boro production last year, according to Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics.As a result of increasing supply, paddy prices have fallen by up to Tk 200
each maund since the aman harvest, said Saha, adding that millers are reluctant to buy paddy
fearing further losses.The prices of paddy are likely to fall further because of increased supply,
Md Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Auto, Major and Husking Mills Association,
said.Many farmers including some of my relatives are yet to clear their aman paddy. There are
stocks also at millers' end, as increasing imports from India have made things worse.Md Abdur
Rashid, president of the association, said the millers have been calling for measures to
discourage imports for the last several months.We have submitted memoranda to nearly two
dozen deputy commissioners, appealed to food and commerce ministries for steps to impose duty
on imports to protect millers and farmers from losses.
But the government is yet to pay heed to our pleas.Ali said the farmers' costs of production
increased compared to last year. One should consider what the farmers will be left with if they
are to sell their produce below production cost.Economist Mahabub Hossain, who closely
follows agriculture and rural economy, said the price decline will hurt poor farmers more than
the relatively large ones.The government should buy higher quantity of rice from the domestic
market to support farmers, he said, adding that it should also consider imposition of duty on rice
imports to provide a cushion to farmers.Hossain, also a former director general of Bangladesh
Institute of Development Studies, said the imposition of import duty might lead to a spiral in the
prices of rice in the local market.Duty should be imposed in a way that farmers get fair prices for
their produce and consumers do not find rice beyond their purchasing capacity, he said.
Asked, Commerce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon said his ministry is assessing the whole
situation.The issue of rice is under discussion at the higher level -- we will take appropriate
measures after reviewing the pros and cons.
Rice lobby, EU discuss Italian trade complaint

Yahoo Monday 13th April, 2015
A woman uses a bucket to collect harvested rice at a paddy in Battambang

earlier this year. Yesterday the EU met with the Cambodia Rice Rederation to
voice its concerns over the price of exported rice from the Kingdom....
World Rice Trade to Drop to 41.3 Million Tonnes in 2015

13 Apr 2015
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Logo
cent
of Food and Agriculture Organization

Global milled rice trade this year is predicted to drop 2.5 per
from that of 2014 to 41.3 million tonnes, due mainly to good
stockpiles or higher production
in Asia, the United Nations food
agency has said. Global paddy
output in 2015 is forecast to
edge up 1.1 per cent from last
year to 749.8 million tonnes,
Reuters quoted the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
to have said in its rice market
monitor report for April.
Thailand is expected to be the world's largest rice exporter this year with shipments of 11.2
million tonnes, followed by 9.3 million tonnes from India and 6.5 million tonnes from
Vietnam.As such, the three Asian nations would account for a combined 65 per cent of the
world's rice trade, down slightly from 68 percent last year.FAO revised up India's rice exports
last year to 11.3 million tonnes from 8.2 million tonnes estimated earlier, making it the world's
largest exporter in 2014, followed by Thailand with 11 million tonnes and Vietnam with 6.5
million tonnes.
China, which was the world's biggest importer last year along with Nigeria, is forecast to raise its
import volumes by 5.2 percent to 3.2 million tonnes in 2015 due to higher demand in the
mainland, the report said. Nigeria's purchases abroad are forecast to dip 3.3 per cent to 2.9
million tonnes in 2015.Rice output in China, also the world's top producer, is forecast to edge up
0.2 percent to 208.5 million tonnes this year, FAO said. Last year China and Nigeria each bought
three million tonnes of rice from abroad.
Tags: Business, Nigeria, Featured, FAO
USA Rice Joins 24 Farm and Ag Organizations for 2015

Commodity Summit
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WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward
joined other agricultural CEOs from across the country at a
summit last week to discuss how groups can work together to
manage common regulatory threats, including developing
common strategies. Participants agreed an inventory of the
various issues and the coalitions addressing them would be a
beneficial first step.Ward said an interesting takeaway was the
discussion of the extensive focus group testing that different
agricultural groups have done and how consistent the results were
with USA Rice's 2014 focus group work. "A common theme
throughout was the need for agriculture to do a better job of
increasing our sphere of influence and get solid messaging out to consumers," said Ward.
Ward said an interesting takeaway was the discussion of the extensive focus group testing that
different agricultural groups have done and how consistent the results were with USA Rice's
2014 focus group work. Another key lesson was that continuous improvement, family farming,
and conservation messages do resonate with onsumers. However, Ward added, "to really make
a difference we need to make an emotional connection to people who eat our products and not
always rely on scientific arguments for things like pesticide use and food safety."
At the conclusion of the summit, the leaders issued the following statement:
"Leaders of 25 farming and agriculture organizations joined together to talk about the continuous
improvement of today's agriculture, ways that we can enhance transparency and communication
and what it means to be more efficient working on a host of issues. No single issue was
identified - instead the group discussed processes, collective challenges and opportunities."
Contact: Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444
What Dropping The Cuba Trade Embargo Could Mean For

U.S. Farmers
by Kristofor Husted, Harvest Public Media
Farmers like the ones that plant these flooded rice fields in southeast Missouri see Cuba as a new market
for their crop. (Photo by Kristofor Husted, Harvest Public Media)
Listen to this story:
April 13, 2015 - 6:45am
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When President Obama announced in late 2014 he would work toward ending the Cuba
trade embargo, it wasnt just tourists perking up their ears. Midwest farmers and ranchers
see the island as an untapped market for goods from the American Heartland.
Paul Combs, a rice farmer from southeast
Missouri, believes Cuba can be an
important market for farmers like him,
who already depend on exporting their
products.Were excited about normalized
relations with Cuba, Combs said. Until
1963, Cuba was the biggest market for
U.S. rice.Combs says some of his rice
ends up in milling operations stateside
where its milled into rice flour and rice
bran that you find on grocery store
shelves. Anheuser-Busch snaps up some of Combs rice, too, for beer. The rest of the bins are
loaded onto barges and shipped down the Mississippi River where they head out of the
country.The primary markets for that export market are Mexico and then all of the countries in
Central America, Combs said.
Rice farm owner Paul Combs says Cuba could be a large market not just for U.S. rice, but for other commodities as well. (Photo
by Kristofor Husted, Harvest Public Media)
Right now, Cuba imports tons of rice from Asia. Since Cuba sits
smack dab in the middle of a busy U.S. trade route, American
farmers think they can supply higher quality rice at a cheaper
price than what Cubans are currently buying from Vietnam. And
cheap is the name of the game for an island with a big import
market.Theyre a small country but theyre having to import 60
percent of their food requirements to feed the population,
said Bill Messina, an agriculture economist at the University of
Florida.In 2014, Cuba imported more than $2 billion worth of food products much of which is bought in
bulk from countries in Asia or South America, Messina says. But Cuba doesnt have a ton of space to
store extra crops, which could be an incentive to buy American.
Its secure and dry warehouse storage facilities make it

much more difficult for them to be importing large
volumes like that, Messina said, as opposed to the
smaller volumes that they could purchase from the
United States.The U.S. has been able to export a limited
amount of food to Cuba under a deal President George
W. Bush made, but many commodity groups are calling
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for a full end to the trade embargo and complete access to all of Cubas market. But that takes an
act of Congress.We always are looking for opportunities whether its in Asia or whether its
90 miles from our shore to sell more beans, or rice, or corn, or pork, or poultry, said Sen.
Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
McCaskill, a democrat, visited Cuba recently. Shes says the U.S. is the only country not openly
trading with Cuba and its time to drop the embargo, which would not only help American
producers, but Cuban citizens, too.The Castro government is using the American embargo as an
excuse to the people of Cuba to explain their lack of prosperity, she said. Its time we rip away
that excuse.Rice farm owner Paul Combs said ramping up rice exports for Cuba would be a
welcome change.
He says its impossible to know if it will be as big of a market as it was in 1963, but ultimately,
American rice could act as the gateway commodity for the rest of the agriculture industry.As
time goes on, if their economy improves because of increased tourism, then you start to sell them
the higher priced agricultural products like beef from Missouri or pork from Missouri, he
said.Indeed, the National Chicken Council, American Soybean Association and the US
Cattlemens Association are among dozens of commodity groups pushing for an end to the
embargo. They hope their products are next in line.
University of Wisconsin Students Say They Broke Record for

Biggest Cereal Treat
A group of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said Sunday that they cooked up a
Rice Krispies treat that shatters the Guinness World Record for the largest cereal treat by half a
ton.The group, called Project Freshman 15,000 a reference to the notorious "freshman 15"
set out on a goal to construct a 7-ton version of the classic gooey cereal treat while raising
money for charity along the way, according to a statement from the school.The student
volunteers, led by the visionary of the project, Joe Tarnowski, started melting the butter and
marshmallows Thursday morning and finished up Sunday with a Rice Krispies treat that was
11,327 pounds.
While the finished product was a tad short of their goal, the group is still confident they beat the
world record, which was set in 2010 with a brick of Rice Krispies weighing 10,314 pounds,
according toGuinness World Records."We did it! At 10:30 PR15k broke the world record," the
group proclaimed on Twitter. "Now, lets destroy it!!"The "destroy" phase of the operation is
when the money-raising happens. Project Freshman 15,000 is selling pieces of the historymaking dessert and will donate the profits to Wisconsin charities, including Camp Kasem, which
supports children with a parent who has been diagnosed with cancer, according to the school.The
one downside to this sweet deal is that no one thought to bring a giant glass of milk.
DENNIS PUNZEL / WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
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Harry Lees smooths out a giant Rice Krispies treat as it tops 6,000 pounds Saturday afternoon at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
SOCIAL
Elisha Fieldstadt
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 13
Month
Price
Net Change
May 2015
$10.105
- $0.155
July 2015
$10.355
- $0.160
September 2015
$10.605
- $0.150
November 2015
$10.825
- $0.165
January 2016
$11.055
- $0.165
March 2016
$11.105
- $0.165
May 2016
$11.105
- $0.165
CHINA super-rice grower blames weather, fungus for harvest

failure
BEIJING, APRIL 12
(Reuters) - China's super-rice grower, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co Ltd, blamed
abnormal weather and disease for large crop failures in the rice growing province of Anhui last
year.Rice blast fungus caused a reduction in yields or no harvests in many areas in the province,
said an executive with the company founded by Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist who is
sometimes referred to by Chinese media as "the father of hybrid rice".
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"Last year, because of the abnormal weather, the areas which normally have a low outbreak of
rice blast were unexpectedly hit with frequent outbreaks, causing big losses for farmers," said
Peng Guangjian, the company's president.Chinese media recently reported that the super-rice
strain, "Liangyou 0293", produced by the company, caused widespread crop failure in six areas
in Anhui province last year."The disadvantage of the strain is that it is not resistant to rice blast,
although it has many advantages, including high yield...", Peng told a local television station in a
report posted on Saturday to the company's web site (www.lpht.com.cn).
Pakistan, Sri Lanka looking to triple bilateral businesses

M. Aftab / 13 April 2015
$1b annual trade target set; six cooperation deals signed.
Sri lanka and pakistan have decided to triple their trade to $1 billion and signed six business and
cooperation agreements. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Pakistans Prime
Minitser Nawaz Sharif, this week, decided to expand business cooperation and strengthen bonds
in several fields. Sharif used the occasion of Sirisenas visit to Pakistan to build one more link in
the region as he went ahead with his plan to build a big new economic zone stretching from the
UAE to China and Central Asian Republics up north and EU in northwest.The cooperation
includes Pakistan signing an agreement to provide Sri Lanka with civil nuclear technology.
This is the first agreement, Pakistan has ever signed with a country in the civil nuclear
technology field. The other agreements include: tripling trade, expansion of shipping services,
disaster management, education, defence cooperation and sports. The two sides decided to boost
their mutual trade from the current level of $350 million a year to $1 billion on a fast track
basis.Sri Lanka was the first country with which Pakistan concluded a Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) in 2002. But the present volume of trade does not reflect the true potential of Sri Lanka
and Pakistan, Siriena said. In view of this, we have agreed to reinvigorate our efforts to raise
the goal of achieving $1 billion trade target within the shortest possible time, Sirisena said.
Sri Lanka, this week, also welcomed Pakistani investment in a number of businesses and
industries. The President also said: We invite Pakistan International Airlines to recommence its
flights to Sri Lanka. Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan offered Sri Lanka signing
of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to replace FTA. Pakistan offered
the same CEPA to Turkey just a few days ago.The move from FTA to CEPA targets enhancing
trade and economic relations on a fast track basis that will benefit the two countries, Dastgir
said.
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The FTA was signed 10 year ago in 2002, but Sri Lanka still imposes tariff quota on Pakistani
rice, which should have been dropped. The proposed CEPA will eliminate quotas bilaterally and
negotiations will take place on Customs cooperation, investment and widening of tariff quota.
CEPA has been under negotiation since October 2014, but talks will be held again in September
2015 in Islamabad to conclude it, the commerce minister said.After signing the agreements, and
one-to-one talks with Sirisena, Sharif said: We have reviewed the whole range of our
multifaceted bilateral and regional relations.
We have found a great deal of enthusiasm and political will to boost our relations for the benefit
of our talented and hard working nations. The talks were marked by full trust and complete
understanding. We have reached a broad and deep consensus on ways and means to further
strengthen our bilateral cooperation in a very comprehensive manner.Sirisena responded
warmly to Sharifs remarks and said: Our two countries are charting a dynamic course in our
relations. We will continue discussing further actions when Sharif visits Sri Lanka in the near
future.Sharif said the two sides also discussed cooperation in the field of defence, and pointed
out to the fact that Sri Lanka has been participating in Pakistans big, annual exhibition of
domestically manufactured defence equipment.
The two countries have stressed the need of expanding tourism and cooperating in sports,
particularly cricket which has created special bonds between the two countries, said the Sri
Lankan President. Sirisena said the two countries have an excellent partnership in the field of
education and stressed further collaboration to enhance people-to-people business ties.While
discussing the regional situation and the need for peace in the region to expand economic
cooperation, Sharif said: Pakistan is focused on economic growth and development to ensure
prosperity for our people.To this end, we want peaceful relations with all our neighbours, he
said.
Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, and Sri Lanka Foreign Minister
Mangala Samaraweera, signed the agreements for cooperation between Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission and Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka, the agreement on cooperation against
illicit trafficking in narcotics and academic cooperation between National Defence University
and Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies of Sri
Lanka.Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Michael and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister signed
the agreement of mutual cooperation in the shipping business between Pakistan National
Shipping Corporation and the Ceylon Shipping Corporation Ltd.
Minister for Climate Change Mushahidulah Khan and Sri Lankas Minister for Disaster
management Mohamed Fowzie Abdul Hameed signed the agreement for cooperation on disaster
management. Minister for Inter-provincial Cooperation Riaz Hussain Piracha and the Sri
Lankan Foreign Minister signed the agreement in the field of sports.Speaker of Pakistans
National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq in his meeting with Sirisena said: Pakistan and Sri Lanka are
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historically bonded in a relationship of trust, mutual respect and deep friendship, which is
manifested at all the phases of our history.
We wish to enhance our relations through parliamentary and economic cooperation.Sirisena
said: We want to further cement thee relations through cooperation in diverse fields.Abdul
Rahim Janoo, senior vice-president Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and
Industries (FPCC&I) is upbeat over the current Sri Lanka-Pakistan business decisions. These
will definitely widen trade and investment, he said. President Sirisena has invited Pakistani
businessmen to avail big investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.Sirisena said: Sri Lanka has a
huge market of sugar, rice and cement. Besides there are numerous opportunities available for
investment, including construction, electronics, IT software development, food processing, dairy
products, LNG storage tanks, mineral mining, handicrafts, gems and jewellery, and livestock
breeding. Janoo said: FPCC&I has accepted Sirisens offer to invest in Sri Lank and expand the
two-way trade.
Mahama Ayariga charge Scientists and Researchers

The Minister for Environment, Science and
Technology has charged the nation's Scientists
and Researchers to develop the can-do spirit by
shifting from the paradigm of conducting
findings for theoretical purposes to innovation
and industrialization.This, according to Hon.
Mahama Ayariga could reduce the huge wage
bill on importation of manufactured goods and
foodstuff into the country.He lamented, "Today
we import almost every technology including
cotton seeds, agricultural equipment and tools
and so we have a huge import bill when it
comes to even food especially rice importation.
"Hon. Mahama Ayariga was addressing the management and staff of the Savannah Agricultural
Research Institute (SARI) at Nyankpala as part of his two days official working visit to the
Northern Region.He emphasized the need to put into practice research findings to improve the
socio-economic development of Ghanaians.He also urged them to deepen their engagement with
the private sector as best means of effectively utilizing research findings foro industrial
purposes."Failure of our scientific community is leading to the nation's development difficulties
and I strongly believe effective collaboration with the private sector will help address the myriad
problems: Scientists step up your game.
"He nonetheless commended SARI for boosting the nation's food security with the cultivation of
a variety of rice."Domestic rice consumption is increasing and the figures of rice importation are
gradually reducing and I think we need to commend you and the farmers for the strides that you
are making in that direction.The Director of SARI, Dr. Stephen Nupsugah gave an overview of
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research initiatives successfully undertaken by SARI over the years.He said SARI which was
fully commissioned as a research institute is delivering on its mandate.Dr. Nupsugah called for
enough resources to revamp the cotton industry.He revealed that SARI could boast of over 600
staff including Scientists and Researchers.
The Minister by extension interacted with management and staff of the Environmental Protection
Agency where he impressed upon them to renew their commitment towards achieving the goal of
the Green Ghana Project.He asked the EPA to annually plant 30 million trees across the nation to
prevent desertification which had gained notoriety in the north of the country.He disclosed
government's intention to convert the excreta of educational institutions into biogas plants.This,
he explained would serve as supplementary energy supply to the kitchens and also provide power
to the institutions to reduce the burden on the national grid.
The Northern Regional EPA Director attributed the astronomical increase in desertification to
factors including annual bushfires, illegal logging, activities of Pastoralists, group mining, group
hunting and sand weaning.As part of efforts to ameliorate the aforementioned problems
militating against environmental management in the region, Abu Iddrisu disclosed that the EPPA
established two new zonal offices with one in Damongo and the other one in Wulensi.He assured
the Minister of his administration's steadfastness to fight against the phenomenon.He further
condemned the interference of some prominent personalities in the operations of the EPA.Abu
Iddrisu appealed to the Minister to assist the EPA with enough resources.He later conducted the
Minister and his team round some seedlings nursery within the EPA's premises.
Hon. Mahama Ayariga paid separate courtesy calls on some chiefs in the Dagbon Traditional
Area.They included the Regent of Dagbon, the Gulkpegu Naa, the Dakpema and the Sagnarigu
Naa.He encouraged the chiefs to develop active interest in the tree planting exercise to serve as
windbreaks in their communities.Super hybrid rice accounts for about 30 percent of the country's
total rice area and average yield was 590.8 kg per mu (0.07 hectare), the official People's Daily
reported on Sunday, citing an agriculture ministry official.China, the world's top rice grower and
consumer, harvested 206.43 million tonnes of rice in 2014, 1.4 percent more than in the previous
year. (Reporting by Niu Shuping and Michael Martina; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Partnership On Rice to Increase Production of the

Commodity, Meeting Hears
The importance of rice in enhancing food security across Africa was the focus of a meeting
between the African Development Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and
Africaseeds on Wednesday, April 8 in Abidjan.FAO presented to the Bank its rice initiative,
which is keen on addressing the widening gap between rice demand and supply on the continent.
Statistics from FAO puts Africa's rice demand at 30 million tons per year. The continent imports
14 million tons per year.Further, Africa's rice production was 29 million tons in 2013, compared
to Asia's 674 million, out of the global production of 745 million tons in the same year .
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The concern is that Africa has great potential for expanding its agricultural production, in
particularly rice, because "it is a strategic priority crop for food security," said Robert Guei, a
Senior Technical Officer at FAO's Agriculture and Consumer Protection department.
The widening demand-supply gap has prompted increased calls on the continent to step up
efforts to significantly increase local supply and curb rice importation. According to Guei, rice is
a key commodity in many national strategies for food security, and therefore the urgent need to
explore partnerships geared towards intensifying its production.FAO's rice initiative is critical in
that it will provide a framework for AfDB, its regional member countries and other development
partners to coordinate their support to rice value chain development, thereby promoting
resilience and food security, according to Dougou Keita, AfDB's Agriculture and Agro-Industry
Division Manager for West and Central Africa. "This meeting with FAO is to discuss and agree
on actions needed to advance operationally the rice initiative," he said.
Supporting farmers to adopt high yielding and market preferred grain quality rice emerged as key
factor in increasing productivity and production, as did promotion of rice farming as a business.
"We have to have a business model that integrates value chain with assisting farmers in using
best practices and modern farming technologies," observed Guei. Organising farmers into
groups, he said, would make them become a strong force with market linkages, giving them
collective voice over their produce.Similarly, Africaseeds Executive Director Kwame Miezan
emphasised that appropriate policies looking out for interests of resource poor local farmers,
would elevate the rice sector.
FAO is reaching out to the AfDB and other partners in order to mobilize resources and support
for a holistic and comprehensive programme for sustainable rice systems development in
Africa.A partnership meeting to discuss how to boost rice growth on the continent was held in
Nairobi, Kenya's capital, last November. It saw the launch of a comprehensive Programme for
Rice Development in Africa. Its implementation will involve participation of farmers,
international and local partners as well as private sector.
Another red flag over cross-border rice!

I love rice the cereal fast becoming the most irresistible staple in Ghana, where it is served in
various forms, including the standard rice meals, rice porridge, omo tuo, rice kenkey, noodles,
rice biscuits and many more. So, I was not the least surprised when the National Rice
Development Strategy (NRDS) for Ghana revealed some time ago that the per capital rice
consumption in the country would shoot up to 63 kg this year translating into an aggregate
demand of 1.68 million metric tonnes. Boy, Ghanaians love rice!
I used to consider everyone engaged in the business of putting rice on my table as a friend
....until it was revealed last year, that the country loses as much as nearly GHc70 million every
year, to illegal rice importation mostly engineered by powerful and selfish smugglers through
our porous land borders.Until very recently, the basis of the argument put forward in support of
land border importation of rice, was that the differentials in duties and taxes between Ghana and
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Ivory Coast (about 24.5 percent) made it profitable to import rice lawfully in any quantities from
the Ivory Coast into Ghana.
The proponents of this argument even contended that the retail prices of such imports would be
even cheaper than rice imported through officially designated import channels like the
harbours.In Ghana, importers using official or designated import channels pay a total of 37
percent in duties and taxes while their Ivorian counterparts have to pay just 12.5 percent. By way
of defense for 'legitimate' cross-border importation of rice - if there was any - this was indeed a
highly tenable argument. Except that, over the years, this same element of tax differential has
been observed to be the key incentive for the lucrative business of rice smuggling, especially
across our western frontier. But what about cheaper rice? Can rice 'imported' across the land
borders be any cheaper than regular rice imports? Indeed, you would occasionally chance upon
some 'special' brands of rice selling on the markets at rock-bottom prices far less than the normal
retail prices across board.
Revelation I would have been taken in by these arguments if I had not chanced upon the findings
of an official pilot project undertaken by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which proves
beyond doubt that it will be totally injudicious, if not impossible, for any importer to purchase
rice from the Ivory Coast, legitimately pay all the requisite import export duties and taxes for
Ivory Coast and Ghana, haul the consignment into the Ghana market and sell at a profit. So
fallacious and deceptive too is the claim that rice imported in this way could sell 'cheaper' than
that imported through the ports.
Seeking to test the veracity of arguments in support of rice
importation through the Ivory Coast border, the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, in its wisdom, conducted a trial
overland importation exercise just last November,
principally aimed at exploring the feasibility of legitimate
commercial importation of rice across land borders - of
course with all duties and taxes paid. The Ministry set up its
own team of overland 'rice importers', comprising a careful
selection of respectable individuals from the Consumer
Protection Agency, the Media and the Ministry of Trade
and Industry and assigned it the mandate of simulating the
importation of rice overland from the Ivorian capital Abidjan to Accra by paying up to the
Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority all relevant duties and taxes at the Elubo
border post.
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Observations of the Ministry's 'rice importers' are reportedly revealing having fallen victim to
prevailing red tape and corrupt practices on either side of the border. After five days however,
the team successfully cleared the consignment it bought in Abidjan 1,200 bags of assorted rice
at the Elubo border. A final report on the exercise indicates unequivocally that an analysis of
the cost for the consignment and other related expenditure as legitimately incurred by the
Ministry's 'importers' shows that their rice definitely had to be sold at a comparatively higher
price than prevailing market prices if they were to make even the barest margin of profit on their
rice import.
The questions now being asked by concerned Ghanaians is that, if overland importation is so
high-priced, so cumbersome and as prohibitive as the Ministry's pilot has revealed, why is so
much rice still coming from across our borders, selling at supposedly at cheaper, rock-bottom
prices compared to rice imported through officially designated routes?
It will remain Ghana's biggest commercial mystery of all times, if non-smugglers, importing rice
from the Ivory Coast can pay that country's 12.5 percent import tariff requirement and pay up
Ghana's 37.5 percent duty and tax and still be able to sell at a profit in a highly competitive rice
market like ours.It is true that I love my bowl of rice; but I sorely hate to think of the possibility
that anytime I picked up my bag of rice from the shelves, I could be supporting an illicit
enterprise which lines individual pockets at the expense of all of us. After that excellent pilot
operation, I now wonder what the Ministry is bracing up for!
Nigeria rice import drops by 3.3% to 2.9m tones in 2015

Reported by: `Customs Today Report April 13, 2015
ABUJA: Nigerias rice import will drop by 3.3 per
cent to 2.9 million tonnes this year, a report released
on Friday by the Food and Agricultural Organisation
has said.China, which was the worlds biggest
importer of rice last year along with Nigeria, would
raise its import volume by 5.2 per cent to 3.2 million
tonnes in 2015 due to higher demand in the mainland,
the FAO said in its rice market monitor report for
April.Last year, China and Nigeria each bought three
million tonnes of rice from abroad.According to the
United Nations food agency, the global milled rice
trade this year is forecast to drop by 2.5 per cent from 2014 to 41.3 million tonnes, due mainly to
good stockpiles or higher production in Asia.
Global paddy output in 2015 is forecast to edge up 1.1 per cent from last year to 749.8 million
tonnes, the UN agency said.Thailand is expected to be the worlds largest rice exporter this year
with shipments of 11.2 million tonnes, followed by 9.3 million tonnes from India and 6.5 million
tonnes from Vietnam.As such, the three Asian nations would account for a combined 65 per cent
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of the worlds rice trade, down slightly from 68 per cent last year.The FAO revised up Indias
rice exports last year to 11.3 million tonnes from 8.2 million tonnes estimated earlier, making it
the worlds largest exporter in 2014, followed by Thailand with 11 million tonnes and Vietnam
with 6.5 million tonnes.Nigerias purchases abroad are forecast to drop by 3.3 per cent to 2.9
million tonnes in 2015. Rice output in China, also the worlds top producer, had been forecast to
edge up 0.2 per cent to 208.5 million tonnes this year, the FAO said.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in January this year said rice farmers across the country had a
new lease of life due to the transformation taking place in the sector.He said over six million rice
farmers had received improved rice seed varieties, boosting domestic rice production by an
additional seven million metric tonnes.He had said, The rice revolution is taking place across
the country, from Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger,
Kogi, Ogun, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Edo to Bayelsa State. High quality Nigerian
rice is now competing favourably with imported rice in the markets.Our rice millers have taken
advantage of these new opportunities, and the number of integrated rice mills has expanded from
one at the beginning of this administration, to 24 today.
Japan, U.S. to resume TPP talks

10:00 pm, April 11, 2015
Jiji PressJapan and the United States will resume working-level bilateral talks in Tokyo
on Wednesday as part of Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral free trade
negotiations.During the talks, the two countries hope to reach draft agreements on the
contentious areas of auto trade and farm tariffs so that their ministers in charge of the
TPP can work out a political settlement before the April 28 summit in Washington
between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack
Obama.Regarding agricultural issues, Japan wants to limit the proposed import quota for
U.S.-grown rice to around 50,000 tons, while the United States is asking for more.The
two sides are also apart over rules of origin for automobile parts subject to tariff cuts and
elimination.
Speech
Myanmar farmers dream of resurrecting Asias rice bowl
AFP
April 13, 2015
YANGON: Dressed in Chelsea football shorts and a wide-brimmed hat, Than Tun toils away in
his paddy field on the outskirts of Yangon, sweat pouring down his sinewy arms.Gruelling work
that once helped Myanmar become the worlds largest rice exporter is today a Herculean and
often lonely job for farmers striving to return the impoverished nation to its former grain
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prowess.No one comes here and asks about the difficulties we face, the 40-year-old tells AFP
during his break, citing voracious insects, crumbling irrigation channels and greedy middlemen
as just some of the challenges preventing him making a profit.For much of the early 20th century
Myanmar was Asias rice bowl.
But after a nominally socialist junta seized power in 1962, decades of mismanagement shattered
the agriculture industry in a nation where 70 percent of inhabitants still live in the
countryside.The quasi-civilian reformist government, which took over from the military in 2011,
is determined to resurrect the countrys reputation as a rice producer.But rotting stocks, creaking
infrastructure, heavily indebted farmers and minimal foreign investment are among the hurdles it
faces.Yet many economists believe helping farmers like Than Tun offers Myanmar one of the
fastest ways to both alleviate poverty and turn around the countrys fortunes.Improvements in
agriculture are one of the genuine low hanging fruit of reforms that could do much, remarkably
quickly, said Sean Turnell, an expert on Myanmars economy at Australias Macquarie
University.
This is not just theory we can see Vietnam as a wonderful example of what is possible. A
country that could barely feed itself in the 1980s now dominates various food and commodity
categories, he added.Sergiy Zorya, a Bangkok-based expert on rice production at the World
Bank, agrees it is high time Myanmar and the international community did more to invest in rice
farmers.A significant increase in rice productivity and yields over the next decade would offer a
major opportunity to drive GDP growth, increase farming incomes, increase exports and reduce
poverty, he said.Rice is a good poverty alleviation tool, he explains, because money actually
filters down to poor farmers rather than resting in the hands of corporations or middlemen.
He points to Cambodia, which has heavily invested in improving rice production and exports.
Over the past 10 years each one percent increase in GDP has resulted in reducing the countrys
poverty rate by 5.2 percent.But in Laos, an economy dominated by hydro-power and mining, a
one percent growth in GDP results in just a 0.5 percent poverty reduction, he adds.Myanmar is
fortunate to have both huge natural resources and farming potential. But it is the former that has
piqued the interest of foreign investors scrambling to access the sector as the country opens up.
On the northwestern outskirts of Yangon lies Shwe Pyi Tar, a dusty suburb of wooden shacks
overshadowed by huge warehouses, where most of Myanmars rice harvest is milled.Kyaw Win,
who owns one of the areas larger processing plants, is desperate for the government to clear the
hurdles for foreigners to invest in the rice industry.Our farmers need more knowledge about
how to harvest more efficiently. At the moment we are creating a lot of waste, he says, as
workers haul heavy sacks of unmilled rice behind him.
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Lack of good storage facilities means most farmers are forced to sell their rice shortly after the
harvest when prices are at their lowest.Meanwhile, Myanmars mills are notoriously
inefficient some are still steam-powered and produce low-quality rice that is hard to export
and sold on the cheap.In one of Kyaw Wins warehouses a group of Japanese technicians install
a gleaming new $3-million mill controlled by a complicated bank of computers.The rice
wholesaler is one of the few businessmen with hard cash to buy new equipment in an industry
where most find restrictive financial rules prevent them investing in modern mills.
Kyaw Win says the largest loan he can access locally is around $1.5 million, which he would
need to pay off within a year. But the entrepreneur is among the luckier ones already expanding
his business.We have plans for a bigger plant, which weve already ordered. That will cost $5$6 million, he said, adding that foreign investment would help other companies like his bring
Myanmars rice production back on track.Than Tun is also dreaming of a better future, but he
has smaller goals, starting with decent irrigation.The system for his paddy fields, only 20
kilometres from fast-developing downtown Yangon, was built in his grandfathers time while his
village Htaw Bo still lacks electricity.
The government is not helping the farmers much. We have to take care of the irrigation system
ourselves, he says, admitting he has never voted and taken little interest so far in the landmark
election slated for later this year.From what I can tell theres nothing offered for us, he
concludes. We just have to be on our own.And with that he returns to his field.
Myanmar farmers dream of resurrecting Asia's rice bowl

In this picture taken Jan. 13, workers carry heavy sacks of rice for export at a warehouse on the
outskirts of Yangon. Despite many obstacles, Myanmar farmers are hoping to resurrect the
country's reputation as Asia's premier rice producer. | AFP-JIJI BUSINESS
Despite obstacles, Myanmar farmers dream of resurrecting Asias rice bowl
AFP-JIJI
APR 13, 2015

NAN TIN, MYANMAR Wearing a pair of Chelsea football shorts and a wide-brimmed hat,
Than Tun toils away in his paddy field on the outskirts of Yangon, sweat pouring down his
sinewy arms.Gruelling work that once helped Myanmar become the worlds largest rice exporter
is today a Herculean and often lonely job for farmers striving to return the impoverished nation
to its former grain prowess.
No one comes here and asks about the difficulties we face, the 40-year-old says during a break,
citing voracious insects, crumbling irrigation channels and greedy middlemen as just some of the
challenges preventing him making a profit.For much of the early 20th century Myanmar was
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Asias rice bowl. But after a nominally socialist
junta seized power in 1962, decades of
mismanagement shattered the agriculture industry
in a nation where 70 percent of inhabitants still
live in the countryside.The quasi-civilian reformist
government, which took over from the military in
2011, is determined to resurrect the countrys
reputation as a rice producer.But rotting stocks,
creaking infrastructure, heavily indebted farmers
and minimal foreign investment are among the
hurdles it faces.
Yet many economists believe helping farmers like Than Tun offers Myanmar one of the fastest
ways to both alleviate poverty and turn around the countrys fortunes.Improvements in
agriculture are one of the genuine low hanging fruit of reforms that could do much, remarkably
quickly, said Sean Turnell, an expert on Myanmars economy at Australias Macquarie
University.This is not just theory we can see Vietnam as a wonderful example of what is
possible. A country that could barely feed itself in the 1980s now dominates various food and
commodity categories, he added.
Sergiy Zorya, a Bangkok-based expert on rice production at the World Bank, agrees it is high
time Myanmar and the international community did more to invest in rice farmers.A significant
increase in rice productivity and yields over the next decade would offer a major opportunity to
drive GDP (gross domestic product) growth, increase farming incomes, increase exports and
reduce poverty, he said.Rice is a good poverty alleviation tool, he explains, because money
actually filters down to poor farmers rather than resting in the hands of corporations or
middlemen.He points to Cambodia, which has heavily invested in improving rice production and
exports. Over the past 10 years each 1 percent increase in GDP has resulted in reducing the
countrys poverty rate by 5.2 percent.
But in Laos, an economy dominated by hydro-power and mining, a 1 percent growth in GDP
results in just a 0.5 percent poverty reduction, he adds.Myanmar is fortunate to have both huge
natural resources and farming potential. But it is the former that has piqued the interest of foreign
investors scrambling to access the sector as the country opens up.On the northwestern outskirts
of Yangon lies Shwe Pyi Tar, a dusty suburb of wooden shacks overshadowed by huge
warehouses, where most of Myanmars rice harvest is milled.Kyaw Win, who owns one of the
areas larger processing plants, is desperate for the government to clear the hurdles for foreigners
to invest in the rice industry.
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Our farmers need more knowledge about how to harvest more efficiently. At the moment we
are creating a lot of waste, he said as workers hauled heavy sacks of unmilled rice behind
him.Lack of good storage facilities means most farmers are forced to sell their rice shortly after
the harvest when prices are at their lowest.Meanwhile, Myanmars mills are notoriously
inefficient some are still steam-powered and produce low-quality rice that is hard to export
and sold on the cheap.In one of Kyaw Wins warehouses a group of Japanese technicians is
installing a gleaming new $3-million mill controlled by a complicated bank of computers.The
rice wholesaler is one of the few businessmen with hard cash to buy new equipment in an
industry where most find restrictive financial rules prevent them investing in modern mills.
Kyaw Win says the largest loan he can access locally is around $1.5 million, which he would
need to pay off within a year. But the entrepreneur is among the luckier ones already expanding
his business.We have plans for a bigger plant, which weve already ordered. That will cost $5
million-$6 million, he said, adding that foreign investment would help other companies like his
bring Myanmars rice production back on track.Than Tun is also dreaming of a better future, but
he has smaller goals, starting with decent irrigation.The system for his paddy fields, only 20 km
(12 miles) from fast-developing downtown Yangon, was built in his grandfathers time while his
village, Htaw Bo, still lacks electricity.
The government is not helping the farmers much. We have to take care of the irrigation system
ourselves, he says, admitting he has never voted and taken little interest so far in the landmark
election slated for later this year.From what I can tell theres nothing offered for us, he
concludes. We just have to be on our own.And with that he returns to his field.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/13/business/despite-obstacles-myanmar-farmers-dream-resurrecting-asiasrice-bowl/#.VSzpltKUdg8President
Jokowi admits to poor quality of rice from Bulog

Senin, 13 April 2015 18:39 WIB | 635 Views
President Joko Widodo (right) in the middle of community. (ANTARA/Aswaddy Hamid)

Tangerang (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo
(Jokowi) admitted that the rice supplied by the State Logistics
Agency Bulog was of poor quality as it was from an old
stock.While visiting BSD Citys modern market in South
Tangerang on Monday, the President Jokowi received
complaints from traders in the market about the inferior
quality of rice from Bulog."The rice is actually of old stock
and the quality is like that.
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We do not have to cover it up," the president stated when questioned about the complaints put
forth by the rice traders.The head of state vowed to improve the quality of rice supplied by Bulog
by releasing new stocks."This month, Bulog will buy the rice from farmers and replace the old
stocks with new ones. The old stocks were of poor quality, and we understand it," Jokowi
remarked.(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR)
Nigeria rice import drops by 3.3% to 2.9m tones in 2015

Reported by: `Customs Today Report April 13, 2015
ABUJA: Nigerias rice import will drop by 3.3 per
cent to 2.9 million tonnes this year, a report released
on Friday by the Food and Agricultural Organisation
has said.China, which was the worlds biggest
importer of rice last year along with Nigeria, would
raise its import volume by 5.2 per cent to 3.2 million
tonnes in 2015 due to higher demand in the mainland,
the FAO said in its rice market monitor report for
April.Last year, China and Nigeria each bought three
million tonnes of rice from abroad.According to the
United Nations food agency, the global milled rice
trade this year is forecast to drop by 2.5 per cent from
2014 to 41.3 million tonnes, due mainly to good stockpiles or higher production in Asia.Global
paddy output in 2015 is forecast to edge up 1.1 per cent from last year to 749.8 million tonnes,
the UN agency said.Thailand is expected to be the worlds largest rice exporter this year with
shipments of 11.2 million tonnes, followed by 9.3 million tonnes from India and 6.5 million
tonnes from Vietnam.
As such, the three Asian nations would account for a combined 65 per cent of the worlds rice
trade, down slightly from 68 per cent last year.The FAO revised up Indias rice exports last year
to 11.3 million tonnes from 8.2 million tonnes estimated earlier, making it the worlds largest
exporter in 2014, followed by Thailand with 11 million tonnes and Vietnam with 6.5 million
tonnes.Nigerias purchases abroad are forecast to drop by 3.3 per cent to 2.9 million tonnes in
2015.Rice output in China, also the worlds top producer, had been forecast to edge up 0.2 per
cent to 208.5 million tonnes this year, the FAO said.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in January this year said rice farmers across the country had a
new lease of life due to the transformation taking place in the sector.He said over six million rice
farmers had received improved rice seed varieties, boosting domestic rice production by an
additional seven million metric tonnes.He had said, The rice revolution is taking place across
the country, from Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger,
Kogi, Ogun, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Edo to Bayelsa State. High quality Nigerian
rice is now competing favourably with imported rice in the markets.Our rice millers have taken
advantage of these new opportunities, and the number of integrated rice mills has expanded from
one at the beginning of this administration, to 24 today.
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Myanmar farmers dream of making Asia's rice bowl

By Jerome Taylor and Nan Tin Htwe, AFP
April 13, 2015, 12:11 am TWN
YANGON -- Dressed in Chelsea soccer shorts and a wide-brimmed hat, Than Tun toils away in
his paddy fiezld on the outskirts of Yangon, sweat pouring down his sinewy arms.Grueling work
that once helped Myanmar become the world's largest rice exporter is today a Herculean and
often lonely job for farmers striving to return the impoverished nation to its former grain
prowess.No one comes here and asks about the difficulties we face, the 40-year-old tells AFP
during his break, citing voracious insects, crumbling irrigation channels and greedy middlemen
as just some of the challenges preventing him making a profit.
For much of the early 20th century Myanmar was Asia's rice bowl. But after a nominally
socialist junta seized power in 1962, decades of mismanagement shattered the agriculture
industry in a nation where 70 percent of inhabitants still live in the countryside.The quasicivilian reformist government, which took over from the military in 2011, is determined to
resurrect the country's reputation as a rice producer.But rotting stocks, creaking infrastructure,
heavily indebted farmers and minimal foreign investment are among the hurdles it faces.Yet
many economists believe helping farmers like Than Tun offers Myanmar one of the fastest ways
to both alleviate poverty and turn around the country's fortunes.
'Low hanging fruit'
Improvements in agriculture are one of the genuine 'low hanging fruit' of reforms that could do
much, remarkably quickly, said Sean Turnell, an expert on Myanmar's economy at Australia's
Macquarie University.This is not just theory we can see Vietnam as a wonderful example of
what is possible. A country that could barely feed itself in the 1980s now dominates various food
and commodity categories, he added.Sergiy Zorya, a Bangkok-based expert on rice production
at the World Bank, agrees it is high time Myanmar and the international community did more to
invest in rice farmers.
A significant increase in rice productivity and yields over the next decade would offer a major
opportunity to drive GDP growth, increase farming incomes, increase exports and reduce
poverty, he said.Rice is a good poverty alleviation tool, he explains, because money actually
filters down to poor farmers rather than resting in the hands of corporations or middlemen.He
points to Cambodia, which has heavily invested in improving rice production and exports. Over
the past 10 years each one percent increase in GDP has resulted in reducing the country's poverty
rate by 5.2 percent.But in Laos, an economy dominated by hydro-power and mining, a one
percent growth in GDP results in just a 0.5 percent poverty reduction, he adds.
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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Apr 13

Nagpur, Apr 13 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on increased buying support from local millers amid
weak arrival from producing regions because of unseasonal rains. Healthy rise in gram on
NCDEX and notable hike in Madhya Pradesh pulses also pushed up prices here, according to
sources.
*
FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM
* Gram varieties zoomed up in open market on increased seasonal demand from local
traders amid weak supply from producing regions. Reports about fifteen per cent
fall in gram production in this season and continuous unseasonal rains which lashed
Vidarbha since past four days also activated stockists.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties reported strong in open market on good buying support from local
Reports weak overseas supply and enquiries from South-based traders also
boosted prices.
* Masoor and Udid varieties recovered strongly in open market on good demand
traders amid thin supply from producing regions because of unseasonal
rains.
traders.
from local
* In Akola, Tuar - 6,300-6,400, Tuar dal - 9,000-9,200, Udid at 7,700-7,900,

Udid Mogar (clean) - 9,200-9,500, Moong - 8,800-8,900, Moong Mogar
(clean) 10,600-10,900, Gram - 3,900-4,000, Gram Super best bold - 4,700-4,900
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
activity, according to sources.
in weak trading
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction
3,000-3,850
3,000-3,800
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
5,200-6,380
5,200-6,280
Moong Auction
n.a.
6,000-6,300
Udid Auction
n.a.
4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a.
2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold
5,100-5,300
4,900-5,000
Gram Super Best
n.a.
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Gram Medium Best
4,800-4,500
4,600-4,800
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
4,200-3,400
3,900-4,200
Desi gram Raw
3,900-4,000
3,750-3,850
Gram Filter new
4,300-4,500
4,200-4,300
Gram Kabuli
6,100-7,100
6,100-7,100
Gram Pink
6,400-6,600
6,400-6,600
Tuar Fataka Best
9,300-9,500
9,250-9,350
Tuar Fataka Medium
9,000-9,200
8,800-9,000
Tuar Dal Best Phod
8,300-8,500
8,200-8,400
Tuar Dal Medium phod
7,800-8,200
7,700-8,000
Tuar Gavarani New
6,100-6,300
5,950-6,050
Tuar Karnataka
6,400-6,600
6,350-6,500
Tuar Black
9,200-9,600
9,000-9,300
Masoor dal best
7,200-7,400
7,000-7,200
Masoor dal medium
6,900-7,100
6,700-6,900
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
10,500-11,000
10,500-11,000
Moong Mogar Medium best
10,000-10,300
10,000-10,300
Moong dal Chilka
8,600-9,600
8,600-9,600
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
8,900-10,000
8,900-10,000
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 9,700-10,000
9,500-9,700
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 9,200-9,600
9,000-9,300
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
6,600-6,900
6,400-6,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
4,400-4,600
4,400-4,600
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
3,200-3,300
3,200-3,300
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
2,825-2,975
2,825-2,975
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,900
2,500-2,900
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,500-4,500
3,500-4,500
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,400-1,700
1,400-1,700
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,850
1,750-1,850
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
1,300-1,500
1,300-1,500
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,400
2,100-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,200
1,950-2,200
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200
2,800-3,200
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,450-2,700
2,450-2,700
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG)
1,300-1,400
1,300-1,400
Wheat Best (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,100
1,900-2,100
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG)
2,400-2,700
2,400-2,700
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)
2,800-3,200
2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
1,600-1,800
1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,300
2,100-2,300
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700
2,500-2,700
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,600
3,000-3,600
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Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)
3,800-4,200
3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,200
4,000-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,100
4,500-5,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-9,500
8,000-9,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000
6,000-7,000
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,400
4,100-4,400
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)
5,200-5,400
5,200-5,400
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,100
1,900-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,250
2,100-2,250
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 33.0 degree Celsius (91.4 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
17.4 degree Celsius (63.3 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a, lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 4.0 mm
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum
temperature would be around and 34 and 20 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
FCI move to sell excess grain gets tepid response

By: Sandip Das | Delhi | April 13, 2015 1:12 am
The Food Corporation of Indias (FCI) move to sell excess rice and wheat stock in the open
market through bulk purchases has received a lukewarm response from traders and private
purchasers.In the first weekly auction for rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) last
week, bids for only 150 tonne were received by FCI while the corporation aims to sell around 2
million tonne in the market during 2015-16.Sources told FE that FCIs attempt to sell rice at
around Rs 2,300 per quintal, apart from local taxes, is more than the prevailing market price.
We expect bids for more quantity from traders in the next few weeks, an official said, adding
there was absence of demand.Rice price has been set keeping in mind the minimum support
price (MSP) to rule out recycling of rice procured by the FCI and state agencies, an official
said. The grain is being to sold to private purchasers at around Rs 2,340 per quintal for grade A
quality.On April 1, FCI has rice stocks of 23.7 million tonne as per buffer stock norms, the
corporation should hold around 13.5 million tonne rice.
CACP suggests Rs 50/quintal hike in paddy MSP

By PTI | 12 Apr, 2015, 11.24AM IST
Paddy is the main crop grown in the kharif (summer) season. Sowing of kharif crops begins with
the onset of South-West monsoon from June.ET SPECIAL: NEW DELHI: A government
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advisory body on crop pricing has recommended a modest increase of Rs 50 per quintal in the
minimum support price for paddy farmers. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(CACP) a statutory body that advises the government on the pricing policy for major farm
produces has also suggested a hike of Rs 100 per quintal in the support price of ragi to Rs 1,650
and Rs 30 per quintal for groundnut MSP to Rs 4,030. In its MSP proposals made to Agriculture
Ministry for various kharif (summer-sown) crops for 2015-16, the paddy MSP has been
suggested to be increased to Rs 1,410 a quintal. MSP is the rate at which government buys the
grain from farmers. Paddy is the main crop grown in the kharif (summer) season. Sowing of
kharif crops begins with the onset of South-West monsoon from June.
Rice production is pegged at 103.04 million tonnes in the ongoing 2014-15 season (July-June),
as against the record 106.65 million tonnes in the previous year. An increased MSP may enthuse
farmer for greater sowing of paddy. "CACP has recommended a Rs 50 a quintal increase in the
MSP of paddy for the 2015-16 kharif season. The Agriculture Ministry is in the process of
seeking views from the state governments and other departments concerned," a senior ministry
official told PTI. After taking the feedback, a final proposal will be moved for the Cabinet's
approval, the official added. For the 2014-15 kharif season, the previous government had also
raised the support price of paddy by Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1,360 for common variety and to Rs
1,400 for 'A grade' variety paddy
Global and Chinese rice protein powder industry market research

report by geographies, companies, applications, types and
submarkets - forecast by 2019 just published
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WhaTech Channel: Industrial Market Research Reports
Published on Monday, 13 April 2015 19:52
Submitted by Pawan Kumar WhaTech Agency
News from: Prof Research Reports
The report further analyzes quantitatively 2009-2014 global and Chinas total market of Rice
protein powder by calculation of main economic parameters of each company.Global and
Chinese Rice protein powder Industry, 2009-2019 is a professional and in-depth market survey
on Global and Chinese Rice protein powder Industry. The report firstly reviews the basic
information of Rice protein powder including its classification, application and manufacturing
technology.
Browse complete report with TOC:
http://www.profresearchreports.com/global-and-chinese-rice-protein-powder-industry-20092019-market
The report then explores global and Chinas top manufacturers of Rice protein powder listing
their product specification, capacity, Production value, and market share etc.;
For Download Complete Report with TOC :
http://www.profresearchreports.com/request-sample/3279
In the end, the report makes some proposals for a new project of Rice protein powder Industry
and a new project of Rice protein powder Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the
report provides an in-depth insight of 2009-2014 global and China Rice protein powder Industry
covering all important parameters.
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