9th April , 2014

TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

Vietnam counts on Manila, Beijing Sri Lanka gov't slashes taxes on rice as drought forces imports Ghana to ban rice, tomatoes, textiles & furniture imports Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 9 PAKISTAN: NEW VISTAS IN AGRICULTURE ANALYSIS Thailand: Rice Exports increase by 66.2 percent in February Focus on Bangladesh's feat First regional rice bid 'a success' Tanzania: Z'bar to Reduce Rice Imports USA Rice Exhibits at Japan's FABEX Trade Show Krysta Harden at USA Rice's 2014 Government Affairs Conference WASDE Report Released: Domestic Rice Use Increased Business, rice farmers beg to differ on Japan FTA

News Detail Vietnam counts on Manila, Beijing

Published: 9/04/2014 at 03:34 P

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Vietnams rice exports in the second quarter of this year will hinge on whether it wins a government -togovernment bid to supply 800,000 tonnes of 15% broken rice to the Philippines on April 15 and China's demand.A woman sells rice at her stall in Hanoi on Jan 7, 2014. Vietnam's exports to the Philippines surged by 554% year-on-year in the first quarter, accounting for 31% of its rice export volume.The success of the bid will depend on pricing but too low a price could lead to losses, according to the Saigon Time Daily.Thailand also joined the bid to supply the Philippines.Vietnam exported 3 million tonnes of rice to China in 2013. While the volume dropped by 20% in the first quarter, Beijing remained the biggest importer with around 480,000 tonnes, or 40% of the total export volume, the newspaper said.As of the end of March, Vietnamese exporters shipped 1.2 million tonnes, down by 16% year-on-year. Export prices averaged out at US$442 per ton, falling by around US$7 from the first quarter of 2013.Vietnam i s the worlds third biggest rice exporter after India and Thailand.

Sri Lanka gov't slashes taxes on rice as drought forces imports

English.news.cn 2014-04-09 21:24:28

COLOMBO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's finance ministry slashed taxes on rice imports on Wednesday as the country readies to import rice after a severe drought reduced the prospective harvest by about 50 percent.The decision came after farmers were told to drastically reduce their rice crops due to a drought that has gripped rice producing areas since the start of 2014.The ministry has requested farmers to reduce rice cultivation by 50 percent as there was insufficient water. They have also been asked to shift to low water consuming crops.Drought has reduced cultivation in the key rice grown Polonnaruwa area where the customary 165,000 acres have been reduced to 35,000 acres. "We are not in a position to compensate farmers for crop loss if they do not follow our instructions," Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told reporters.The government has pledged to make up the shortfall in production by importing rice but it is not yet clear where this will come from. Usually rice is imported from India or Pakistan.According to the Department of Agriculture rice is the single most important crop occupying 34 percent of the total cultivated area in Sri Lanka.On average 560,000 hectares of land is cultivated during the main harvesting season and 310,000 hectares during secondary season later in the year.About 1.8 million farmers and their families are engaged in paddy cultivation island-wide. Agriculture remains the highest employer in the 69 billion U.S. dollar economy.Sri Lanka currently produces 2.7 million tons of rough rice annually and satisfies around 95 percent of the domestic requirement. In previous years the government had imposed high taxes to discourage importation of rice. Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka providing 45 percent total calorie and 40 percent of total protein requirement of an average Sri Lankan. The per capita consumption of rice fluctuates around 100 kg per year depending on the price of rice, bread and wheat flour.The rice sector also receives significant protection from the government with a fertilizer subsidy and tight price controls.However, economists have cautioned that selfsufficiency in rice is unsustainable due to high production costs and erratic weather patterns.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Ghana to ban rice, tomatoes, textiles & furniture imports

Government says it is considering banning the importation of rice, tomatoes, textiles and furniture into the country. This is part of measures to curb the countrys swelling trade deficit and ease pressure on the cedi.The cedi has weakened by about 18 percent against the dollar this year alone. Ghanas trade deficit from January to October 2013 was US$3.4billion.Early on President Mahama announced that as part of long term measures toward reducing pressure on the local currency, government will reduce imports of food by over a billion dollars and will also develop the local capacity to produce such items. Ghana currently spends about US$600m annually to import rice and an additional US$400m annually to import sugar, tomatoes, vegetable cooking oil, frozen fish, poultry and wheat.According to the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, government will protect the various local sectors if they develop capacity to substitute imports.We want to protect the local industry, local manufactures etc, and we also want to reduce our dependency on foreign goods and add value to local goods.So whatever we are producing and improving locally we must make sure that we critically reduce the importation of those substitutes and also be more competitive on the international market.So for now we are looking at rice, textiles timber and furniture later we will look at others.

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 9

Wed Apr 9, 2014 2:26pm IST Nagpur, Apr 9 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) reported strong on renewed seasonal demand from local millers amid thin supply from producing regions. Fresh rise on NCDEX in gram, healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and weak overseas supply also helped to push up prices, according to sources. * * * * FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram Kabuli reported down in open market here in absence of buyers amid ample overseas supply. TUAR * Tuar varieties jacked up in open market on increased buying support from local trader amid weak supply from producing regions. * Masoor and udid varieties zoomed up in open market on fresh demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing belt.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

* Batri dal too shot up in open market on good demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing belt. * In Akola, Tuar - 3,900-4,100, Tuar dal - 6,100-6,300, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,500-8,700, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,800-10,500, Gram - 3,200-3,300, Gram Super best bold - 3,800-4,200 for 100 kg. * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,530-3,260 2,400-3,100 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 4,100-4,300 3,960-4,210 Moong Auction n.a. 6,100-6,300 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,700-3,800 3,700-3,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,600-3,700 3,600-3,700 Desi gram Raw 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900 Gram Filter new 3,100-3,500 3,100-3,500 Gram Kabuli 8,800-10,700 8,900-10,900 Gram Pink 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Fataka Best 6,600-6,700 6,500-6,700 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,200-6,300 6,100-6,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,000-6,150 6,000-6,100 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,900-6,050 5,900-6,000 Tuar Gavarani 4,500-4,600 4,450-4,600 Tuar Karnataka 4,600-4,700 4,550-4,700 Tuar Black 7,800-7,900 7,700-7,800 Masoor dal best 6,200-6,400 6,100-6,200 Masoor dal medium 5,900-6,150 5,600-5,900 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 10,500-11,000 10,500-11,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,100-10,400 10,100-10,400 Moong dal super best 9,500-9,700 9,500-9,700

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Moong dal Chilka 8,900-9,200 8,900-9,200 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 8,700-9,600 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-7,800 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-6,800 5,800-6,600 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-6,000 4,500-5,500 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,100 3,050-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,350-3,450 3,350-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,900-1,950 1,900-1,950 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,850 1,650-1,850 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 2,050-2,200 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900 2,400-2,900 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,800 2,650-2,800 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,700 4,400-4,700 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,800 5,400-5,800 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 12,000-13,500 12,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-9,000 6,500-9,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,700-6,100 5,700-6,100 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 40.0 degree Celsius (103.7 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 21.1 degree Celsius (69.8 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : 0.2 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thundershowers likely toward evening or night. Maximum and

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Minimum temperature likely to be around 39 and 23 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.) ATTN : Soyabean mandi, wholesale foodgrain market of Nagpur APMC and oil market in Vidarbha will be closed tomorrow (Thursday) on the occasion of Lok Sabha elections.

PAKISTAN: NEW VISTAS IN AGRICULTURE ANALYSIS

APRIL 8, 2014 SHABBIR H. KAZMI LEAVE A COMMENT

Pakistan is among the top producers of cotton, rice, sugarcane, wheat, mango, kinnow (tangerine) and some other crops. The country is also among the top ten largest producers of milk. However, nearly 10 percent of food grains and up to 40 percent of fruits produced goes stale before reaching the market. Only 5 percent of total milk produced in the country is packed in tetra packs. This on one hand deprives growers of their rightful return and on the other hand does not allow the country to earn foreign exchange, needed most desperately for the economic growth. In an attempt to help the farmers boost production and yield, the State Bank of Pakistan (central bank) embarked upon ambitious agri-lending program. Now the annual disbursement to farmers is inching close to Rs400 billion or US$4 billion. The endeavor is fully supported by insurance companies operating in the country. This initiative has helped Pakistan in joining club of wheat exporting countries. At the close of current sugarcane crushing season, refined sugar output is likely to touch 4.7 million tons with exportable surplus of 0.5 million tons. The country is also likely to get nearly 13.5 million bales of cotton. Pakistan is already exporting huge quantity of rice, especially Basmati, with unique aroma. However it continues to import edible oil worth US$2 billion annually. To further reinforce support to farmers the central bank offers loans for construction of modern warehouses on concessional interest rate. The need for warehousing facilities can be gauged from the fact that Pakistan produces nearly 40 million tons of different cereals, out of this wheat alone accounts for 25 million tons. As against this, the country has warehousing capacity of around 5 million tons. Storage of grains in technical not fit warehouses is the single biggest reason of nearly 10 per cent going stale and not being suitable for human consumption. In yet another initiative the central bank has formed a working group for developing Warehouse Receipt Financing. The working group will have representatives from leading commercial banks, Islamic banks, International Finance Corporation (IFC). The central bank aims at working closely with Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX), financial institutions, farmers and other stakeholders to structure and rollout system of warehouse receipt financing in the country on fast track basis.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Deputy Governor of the SBP, Saeed Ahmad recently chaired a meeting on formulation of the Group. Talking to the representatives of different stakeholders, he said Adoption of warehouse receipt financing system w ould facilitate development of efficient and accessible rural financial system. Development of physical trade and marketing system of commodities would improve performance of the agricultural sector. Financial institutions would find it profitable to lend money for the construction of new warehouses. This initiative offers tremendous opportunities to companies involved in this trade around the globe. These entities can form joint ventures with Pakistani entrepreneurs by involving IFC; mobilize funds globally or by listing the companies at the Karachi Stock Exchange. Central bank already has a plan for extending soft-term loans for the construction of warehouses. Those interested in construction of warehouses can also approach National Bank of Pakistan enjoying the largest share in lending to farmers for inputs and developmental work.

Thailand: Rice Exports increase by 66.2 percent in February

09.04.2014

Statistics reveal that rice exports for the month of February has increased by 66.2 percent, and will continuously increase in March.The Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) has revealed that rice exports have increased by 66.2 percent in this February this year compared to the same month of last year, and that the export volume has reached around 700,000 tons.Meanwhile, rice exports for the first two months of 2014 grew by 39.5 percent, with the export volume reaching at 1.4 million tons total. The majority of the rice exported included white rice and sticky rice, where they were primarily sold to African nations. However, the Thai jasmine rice has seen a drop in exports.The TREA also predicts that the rice export volume in March would reach around 700,000 tons, as rice prices have decreased to a certain level.

How far up will local rice prices go?

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 9, 2014 - 12:00am A Bloomberg story datelined Bangkok gives us the good news about being able to expect cheaper rice in the coming months. Thailand is disposing of record stockpiles. Because Thailand is a major producer, world market price of rice is likely to slump further from an almost six-year low as a price war looms among top rice exporters Thailand, Vietnam and India. But dont get excited. If NFA runs true to form, we are exempted from this opportunity to enjoy cheap rice. We are the worlds major importer of rice and we should benefit from a price war among the major rice exporters. But thats not going to happen.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Right now, we are suffering a major spiraling of rice prices from ordinary to fancy varieties. There was a time when a kilo of rice in a supermarket can be had for P35 or less. Last Saturday, the cheapest was at P44.The rise in the price of rice may be seasonal, but thats what NFA is for release stock to the market when needed to tame prices. One gets the feeling that something is very wrong with the rather fast pace in the spiraling or rice prices in recent weeks. One Facebook friend noticed the high price of rice and asked if P-Noy stopped the NFA subsidy. Of course that has not happened. NFA is still sucking billions upon billions of pesos in subsidy from the National Treasury, as always. So, anyari? A source who tracks the local rice trade told me what seems to be happening: the trade knows that the NFA rice cannot be released since it is spoiled. Supply and demand lang iyon. By NFAs count, they have more than enough to influence retail prices but their inventory count assumes all are good stock. This may not be the case. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 That probably explains why NFA is in a hurry to import some 800,000 metric tons of rice thats supposed to be just for buffer stock. The Philippines, Asias largest buyer after China and Indonesia, wi ll hold a tender for 800,000 tons on April 15 with the first shipment expected in May.If we buy now, we may be buying at the wrong time. My source told me his contact in Singapore and Thailand say rice prices are still high and to wait. As of now, there is no final decision on the disposal of Thai rice stocks. But it is certain the Thais want to dispose of as much rice as they can to raise money.If we buy our entire requirement of 800,000 tons now, we may end up paying a lot more than if we waited a while. Prices are now at peak level and it makes no sense to lock up on todays prices given that a price war is imminent. There is in fact, a world glut in rice already. According to Bloomberg, the Thai government plans to sell about one million tons a month, compared with average monthly exports of 558,000 tons last year. Thailand is willing to agree to sales at any price, Vietnams Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang said April 1 in a television broadcast.Darren Cooper, a senior economist at the London-based International Grains Council told Bloomberg, We will see heightened competition in the market because Thailand is quite eager to release the stockpiles. Thai prices have been falling steadily for the past year. We have seen some acceleration in the past few weeks, when it became clearer that Thailand needs to offload stocks to generate funds. Cheaper rice should be good news for us. It will contribute to lower food costs, helping to dampen inflation. One reason why our labor costs are uncompetitive compared to Thailand and Vietnam is because of our higher food costs. Food (taken inside and outside the home) takes up about 45 per cent of a workers take home salary. But will we benefit from this good development in the world rice market? Not, if NFA can help it. The usual shenanigans will make sure they get their tongpats and what-have-you at the expense of the long suffering consumers.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

We can be sure that NFA and their conspirators among the rice traders have taken the market developments into consideration when NFA issued the tender offer for the 800,000 metric tons.Of course they know that waiting means the price will drop may be good for the consumers, but bad for their bank accounts. So bid it out now while the price is still high and peg it there, then renegotiate the future shipment. They can divide the difference between the high contract price now and the low actual price upon delivery. Everybody is happy except us, the consumers.If it is just for buffer, why rush it? There is something NFA is not telling us about their rotten stock that they cannot release to temper todays runaway price increases. They may actually need this fresh stock to protect P-Noy from a public backlash if this price spiral worsens. Otherwise, there is no need to rush. The later, the better. There are plenty of stocks in Vietnam, Thailand and India. Shipping time is just two weeks for India, and a week for Vietnam and Thailand. Merely buying option now is justified because the bumper crop in supplier countries suggests a nice drop in prices. Besides, our summer crop is coming in, my source pointed out, and the second crop is expected by the time we need it.Even with my IQ of 30, my feeling is to wait it out or buy option. At worse, I will just buy the immediate need. Hold the rest and play the suppliers, my source commented.Thailand accumulated rice reserves under a state-buying program that ended this year. Its stockpiles reached 12.8 million tons, or about a third of the global export market, last year, Bloomberg reports.Thailand is short of funds to pay farmers under the now-ended program, as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faces negligence charges linked to it. The program paid farmers above-market rates for their crops supposedly to lift rural incomes. The farmers have rioted demanding to be paid immediately. We could see a price war, with Vietnam cutting prices, selling lower than Thai rates, Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, told Bloomberg. Thai grain is currently quoted at about $365 to $370 a ton, lower than $385 in Vietnam and $420 in India, according to Chookiat.Vu Huy Hoang, Vietnams minister of Industry and Trade, also said this week Thailand was willing to sell the grain at any price. Vietnams shipments dropped about 20 percent to 1.2 million tons in the first quarter.Oh well they are likely to play their old nasty game at NFA but at least we are serving notice that the public is not totally clueless of what is going on. We also know what is going on in the international rice market.We just want to make sure PNoy knows as well and that he will hold NFA officials accountable if we end up getting screwed in that rice tender worth P17-B next week. Given the certainty of a price war among Vietnam, Thailand and India in the next few weeks, it makes sense to be a little prudent. We should really keep our options open for such a large order. In the past NFAs tenders and buying decisions were blamed by international experts to have destabilized both the world and local markets. The nature of NFAs international buying efforts, an expert pointed out, contributed to higher prices.Rather than using a mix of smaller tenders and direct negotiations to secure its imports, the food authority held what were essentially mega tenders of at least 500,000 tons, an international expert complained. Hopefully, now that there is a chance for a drastic drop in prices, NFA officials are duty bound to make consumers benefit. After all, the current upsurge in local retail prices is their fault due to their failure to bring enough of their so called buffer stock to market.If NFA fails big time again, the call for its abolition will

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

snowball. NFA is proving to be a big and useless entity both to the farmers who need the price support for their produce and to the consumers who need stable and lower price of rice. There are many things the ever patient Filipino people will forgive a government who bungles a dozen things or two that are malayo sa bituka. But bungle the price of rice and there will be political hell to pay. Boo Chancos e-mail address isbchanco@gmail.com. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Focus on Bangladesh's feat

Reaz Ahmad, back from Rwanda The world's first biologically fortified (biofortified) zinc-enriched rice Birri dhan62. Developed by Bangladeshi scientists, it will go to farmers in large scale from coming Aman season. Photo: Birri, Reaz Ahmad Bangladesh's back-to-back success in breeding zinc-enriched rice varieties came under the spotlight at a global agricultural conference held in the Rwandan capital last week.The Bangladeshi rice breeders have developed the world's first biologically fortified (biofortified) zinc-enriched rice -- BRRI dhan62 -- in August last year and are currently at the last stage of developing another rice breed with even higher zinc content.The BRRI dhan62, capable of fighting diarrhoea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunting, contains 20 parts per million (ppm) zinc content as against an average 14 to 16 ppm available in non-fortified rice varieties. Another biofortified rice variety developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is in the pipeline for release that would contain 24 ppm zinc.More than 300 high-level stakeholders from different governments, businesses and civil societies converged on the Rwandan capital of Kigali for the Second Global Conference on Biofortification and took into cognisance the Bangladeshi breeders' efforts in developing biofortified crops.The HarvestPlus, a Washington-based global programme to improve nutrition and public health, organised the Kigali conference from March 31 through April 2 with an aim to scale up production of biofortified crops to address the 'hidden hunger'. Biofortified beans, first released in Rwanda in 2010. Half of 1.2 million Rwandese farm families now grow this bean which is reach in iron content. Photo: Birri, Reaz Ahmad Nearly one in three people globally suffers from a lack of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, zinc and iron in the diet. This condition, known as hidden hunger, increases the risk of stunting, anaemia, blindness, infectious diseases, and even death. Women and children are especially vulnerable to this situation.The HarvestPlus has worked with partners to develop new varieties of nutritious food crops that provide more vitamin A, zinc, or iron. These crops, already being grown by around 1.5 million farmers, have

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

been conventionally bred. They include cassava, maize and orange sweet potato for vitamin A; beans and pearl millet for iron; and rice and wheat for zinc.The Kigali conference that brought together luminaries like MS Swaminathan, the renowned architect of India's Green Revolution, Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria's minister of agriculture and rural development and Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2013, Dr Mahbub Hossain, Brac adviser and a member of Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, and Chris Elias, the Global Development Program President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was particularly encouraged at the rapid and phenomenal successes of biofortified beans in conference's host nation Rwanda. Within four years of the first release of iron-enriched bean varieties in Rwanda in 2010, half of the central African country's 1.2 million farm families have already switched to iron bean farming. Bean is the staple for more than 11 million Rwandese. Iron beans are on track to reach virtually all bean-growing farm households in the country by 2016.In Rwanda, anaemia, which is used as an indicator of iron deficiency, afflicts almost one in five non-pregnant women and almost one in three children under five. Although iron can be found in several other food items such as red meat, fish, and green leafy vegetables, these are rarely eaten in the quantity needed. The development and dissemination of iron beans complement these efforts and builds on beans as mainstay of the Rwandan diet. On average, Rwandans consume 60kg of beans per capita annually.Rwanda and Bangladesh apart, biofortified crops have also been released in several other countries under the HarvestPlus initiatives in recent years. These include vitamin A-enriched cassava in Nigeria, vitamin A-enriched maize in Zambia, iron-rich millet and zincrich wheat in India and iron-rich beans in Uganda and Congo.Talking to The Daily Star on the sideline of the conference, HarvestPlus Director Howarth Bouis said, "Pakistan will be joining the bandwagon of biofortified crops by next year. Besides, China and Brazil are also growing biofortified crops.""We're just beginning to scratch the surface we want to increase access to these nutritious crops as quickly as possible. Now is the time to bring partners together to figure out how we do this together," said Howarth Bouis. Though buoyant at renewed fund commitments from Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development, Howarth reckons that it would not be possible for HarvestPlus to have its footmarks on all the countries of the world but to scale up the biofortified crop production "we're partnering with other stakeholders, who can help develop and grow nutrient-rich crops in as many countries as possible."Nigerian Agriculture Minister Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who is globally recognised for his efforts in improving African agriculture through innovative technologies, was one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2013, Dr Adesina pledged his determination to "make Nigeria the largest grower of biofortified crops".Dr Md Alamgir Hossain, a chief scientific officer at the plant breeding division of BRRI, who led the long and arduous process of zinc biofortification in rice since 2003, was also among the participants of Kigali conference. In coming Aman season, we'll be distributing BRRI dhan62 [the zinc-rich rice] seeds among 10,000 selected rice growers in the country. Besides, we're also expecting that another rice variety, which is bred to give more zinc content and meant for Boro season, would get regulators' nod soon," Alamgir, also a post-doctoral fellow of the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), told The Daily Star.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

First regional rice bid 'a success'

published: 9 Apr 2014 at 18.49 Online news: The first regional rice auction held in Suphan Buri on Wednesday was a success, with eight groups submitting bids.The Commerce Ministry called a bid in the central province to sell 169,000 tonnes from the state stockpile for domestic sales or export.The grain was from the 2012/13 and 2013/14 crop years.The bidding envelopes were opened on the same day to screen those meeting the benchmark prices before submitting them to caretaker minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan for approval.Another 420,000 tonnes will be auctioned on April 10 with the envelopes opened the next day.As for sales through the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET), the 9th auction was held on Wednesday for 264,000 tons, attracting 15 bidders.The ministry has called eight bids to sell 500,000 tonnes for 6 billion baht.The next auction is scheduled on April 23 for 200,000 tonnes.

Tanzania: Z'bar to Reduce Rice Imports

BY FINNIGAN WA SIMBEYE, 8 APRIL 2014

WITH a population of over 1.5 million people, the semi autonomous islands of Zanzibar rely on imported rice which is its staple food.In fact over 70 per cent of rice consumed on the Spice islands comes from abroad. "Zanzibar imports much of its rice because farmers cannot meet the growing demand here," said Mr Haji Saleh who is Director of Research at Zanzibar Agriculture Research Institute at Kizimbani.Mr Saleh said researchers in the isles working with their peers on the mainland to add aroma to the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) variety developed in West Africa.Mr Saleh said the imported rice variety has not been received well by farmers on the Spice islands mainly because despite its high yielding characteristics, lack of a good aroma that triggers one to salvate is a big problem. "Farmers are excited with this new variety although it has less aroma which many here prefer. We are looking at how we can improve the smell," said Mr Saleh who hopes that Africa researchers will soon come up with a better rice variety accepted by farmers. Farmers who have grown NERICA in Northern District of Unguja have reported bumper harvests of between 70 to 80 bags of rice per hectare."If we can only get the market, this rice variety is the right way to go," pointed out Mr Hamis Faki, a rice and cassava farmer in the district. Africa Development Corps introduced NERICA hybrid varieties of rice a few years ago after years of research involving high-yielding Asian rice and the robust and diseaseresistant African rice.NERICA was developed at West African Rice Development Agency -- a rice research centre originally located in Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire, which is relocated to Cotonou, Benin. WARDA is supported by the UN and several other donor countries, and boasts an international staff of agricultural experts from all over West Africa. "We prefer our traditional varieties which are resistant to droughts but also scented," said Mr Mohamed Machano, a farmer from Bumbwini in Unguja. He said those who have grown NERICA have experienced

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

bumper yields but lack markets as local consumers don't prefer the variety for lack of a nice scent.With over 70 per cent of its consumed rice imported from Asia, Mainland Tanzania and elsewhere in the world, Zanzibar needs to find a solution to its staple food production. "Local researchers are working on a number of projects relating to improved rice varieties," said Mr Saleh.

USA Rice Exhibits at Japan's FABEX Trade Show

USA Rice's Bill Farmer (center) making the pitch for U.S.-grown rice. TOKYO, JAPAN -- The USA Rice Federation participated in the FABEX 2014 food show last week, a threeday event that attracted more than 70,000 attendees. Visitors to the USA Rice booth included major rice importers, wholesalers, foodservice suppliers, and foodservice companies. Six hundred taste-test samples of U.S. rice salad and turmeric rice were distributed each day. Rice salad is not a common dish in Japan and was selected to showcase U.S. rice's versatility and suitability for cold dishes. This was USA Rice's second year at FABEX Japan. Staff had productive discussions with many existing and prospective handlers of U.S. rice to explain our promotional activities for the coming year and how our promotions can benefit them."USA Rice has been working to establish a commercial market in Japan, said Bill Farmer, USA Rice's director of Asia Programs. "Foodservice has been our primary target audience and FABEX is an ideal venue for us to introduce our rice and its advantages to the Japanese foodservice industry." In 2013, U.S. rice exports totaled 336,815 metric tons, with a value of $266.7 million, making Japan the second largest export market for U.S. rice in terms of value. Contact: Michael Klein, (703) 236-1458 Deputy Secretary Harden Says USDA Farm Bill Implementation Needs to be "Right and Fair"

Krysta Harden at USA Rice's 2014 Government Affairs Conference

WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden spoke to members of the Agribusiness Club of Washington acknowledging her time in the private sector working with many of the agricultural groups attending the luncheon. Harden noted the good name agriculture still has in Washington, saying, "There aren't a lot of sectors in Washington that can lay aside their differences and work together but the agricultural community has and I want to thank you for your work."Deputy Secretary Harden also discussed USDA's farm bill implementation process saying it is moving along at a healthy pace, but asked for patience with USDA agencies and their staff. Harden said, "We want it right, we want it fair, and we want it to work for farmers and ranchers on the ground." The focus for USDA now is the educational tools to help farmers with enrollment decisions for the new bill. "If patience is a virtue then we've definitely been virtuous when it comes to the Agricultural Act of 2014," said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Reece Langley who served as president of the Agribusiness

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Club in 2010. "Now that farm bill implementation has begun, USA Rice agrees with USDA that the next step is education. We've already conducted informational briefings in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri, and we'll be doing two more sessions in Texas later this month." Contact: Lauren Echols, (703) 236-1440

WASDE Report Released: Domestic Rice Use Increased

WASHINGTON, DC -- No changes are made on the supply side of the U.S. all rice and rice-by-class 2013/14 balance sheets. Total 2013/14 all rice use is raised 1 million cwt to 221 million -- all on the combined mediumand short-grain rice side. All rice domestic and residual use is increased 4 million cwt to 124 million with longgrain and combined medium- and short-grain domestic and residual use each raised 2 million to 91 million and 33 million, respectively. Partially offsetting the increase in domestic and residual use is a 3 million cwt decline in projected total exports to 97 million -- the lowest since 2008/09. The 2013/14 long-grain export projection is lowered 2 million cwt to 65 million, and combined medium- and short-grain exports are lowered 1 million to 32 million. The rough rice export projection is lowered 2 million to 33 million, and milled exports are lowered 1 million (rough-equivalent basis) to 64 million. The export pace has dropped off to some markets in the Western Hemisphere including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Haiti, largely due to stronger competition from exporters in South America and Vietnam. Additionally, U.S. exports to African markets and Japan have been slower than expected. The increase in domestic and residual use is based primarily on total use implied from the March 1 rice stocks, as reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service on March 31. USDA's March 1 rice stocks were lower than expected and lower than most trade expectations. The all rice 2013/14 August 1 stocks are lowered 1 million cwt to 27.3 million, the lowest since 2003/04 -- all in combined medium- and short-grain stocks. The 2013/14 long-grain season-average price range is forecast at $15.30 to $15.90 per cwt, unchanged from last month, and with the midpoint forecast at $15.60 per cwt -- the highest on record (series starts in 1982/83). The medium- and short-grain season-average price range is forecast at $19.70 to $20.30 per cwt, up $1.00 per cwt on each end of the range from a month ago, and with the midpoint forecast at $20.00 per cwt -- the highest price since the 2008/09 record of $24.80 per cwt. The all rice season-average price range is forecast at $16.60 to $17.20 per cwt, up 30 cents on each end of the range, and with the midpoint at $16.90 per cwt -- the highest price on record. The reduced prospects for 2014/15 medium- and short-grain production in the Sacramento Valley of California due to drought and reduced irrigation supplies have significantly raised medium-grain prices in California. USDA's Prospective Plantings (March 31) reported intended plantings of medium-grain rice in California at 420,000 acres, down 18 percent from the previous year and the smallest since 1998. Additionally, old-crop supplies of medium-grain rice in California are drawing down, tightening the current supply situation. Finally, Australia's drought is also increasing medium-grain prices as Australia is a major exporter of medium-grain rice and a primary U.S. export competitor.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

The global 2013/14 rice supply and use balance sheet has changed little compared to a month ago, despite many country-level supply and use changes. World rice production is increased 800,000 tons to a record 475.6 million tons, primarily due to larger projections for Brazil, Pakistan, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Global consumption is raised 500,000 million tons, largely due to increases for Brazil, South Korea, SubSaharan Africa, Vietnam, and the United States. Global rice trade for 2013/14 is nearly unchanged from a month ago at 40.8 million tons; however, there were some significant country-level changes including increases in exports for Pakistan and Thailand; and decreases for Vietnam and the United States. On the importer side, projected rice imports for 2013/14 are raised for Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Global 2013/14 ending stocks at 111.2 million tons are down 500,000 from last month, but up 1 million from the prior year. Ending stocks projections are raised for China, Brazil, and the European Union, but reduced for Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States

Business, rice farmers beg to differ on Japan FTA

09/04/2014 - Tony Abbott announced this week (Monday, April 7) Australia had finally struck a historic trade deal with Japan, a move that will allow a number of local industries most significantly agriculture to add billions to Australia's economic growth.Ricegrowers upset: "The Australian government seems unable or unwilling to even acknowledge rice in any statements about the agreement.Ricegrowers upset: "The Australian government seems unable or unwilling to even acknowledge rice in any statements about the agreement." Find related suppliers Expansion & Acquisition Capital Financial Services Agricultural Education & Training Accounting, Book Keeping Materials Handling Associations Transport Services Food Safety Training Market Research Locally the deal will see trade barriers slashed for food exports, and also allow for potentially stronger trade in resources and services. In return, Australia will reduce the price consumers pay for Japanese car and automobile components, whitegoods, and electronics a majority of which will be free of tariffs within the time-span of the deal being sanctioned.The Business Council of Australia (BCA) have joined the coalition who have embraced the deal, with BCA President Catherine Livingstone labelling it "a major milestone for one of Australia's most important bilateral agreements", according to a statement released on Tuesday. "The JapanAustralia Free Trade Agreement will reinvigorate and strengthen an already critical bilateral relationship by providing a modern commercial framework for increased trade and investment," Livingstone

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

said."As Australia's largest trade partner for much of the last four decades, and the third largest foreign investor in Australia, Japan has long been a significant source of the capital and markets needed to develop key Australian export industries, including coal, iron ore and LNG."An effort now needs to be made to push ahead with implementation, which is a task for both government and business."The highly complementary nature of our economic relationship should provide significant gains for both sides."For Australia this means more access for agri-producers, services providers and investors to the large, affluent Japanese market, and Japan will benefit from greater food and energy security and greater access to investment opportunities in Australia." 'Extremely disappointing' for some Despite the general chorus of approval from most corners of industry, there was one group who felt short-changed by the outcome.Having been excluded from deal, the Ricegrowers' Association of Australia (RGA) said they were "extremely disappointed" with the announcement, according to a statement.This was despite, according to RGA President Les Gordon, the rice industry working closely with the government to develop a range of options for inclusion deal which would have delivered "commercial benefits" to industry. "The Australian government seems unable or unwilling to even acknowledge rice in any statements about the agreement," Gordon said. "Australian rice growers are recognised as the most efficient in the world. "This announcement punishes Australian growers by preventing expansion into this important market for our high quality specialty rices and our value added rice food products."We have strongly supported the Australian government's efforts to finalise these trade agreements but only if they are comprehensive, and do not exclude any agricultural products."Given that rice has been excluded in the Korea FTA and the Japan Trade Agreement our industry is calling on the Australian government to ensure that we have access to China. "The same cultural sensitivities do not apply in China and they already import more than 6 million tonnes of rice annually."Australian rice technically already has access to the Chinese market under World Trade Organisation rules but we have been waiting for protocols to be finalised for more than six years to actually gain access. This should now be completed as a matter of urgency."What impact do you think the Japan-Australia Free Trade Agreement will have on local industry?.Image: Ricegrowers upset: "The Australian government seems unable or unwilling to even acknowledge rice in any statements about the agreement.

For Advertisement Contact Mujahid Ali +92 321 369 2874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874