21st april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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loomberg

China is building up the world’s largest stockpiles of

grain

China is building up the world’s largest stockpiles of grain in a bid to address food security, but

this comes at the expense of higher costs, a distorted market and exhausted land.BEIJING

(Caixin Online) — Although the country has reported grain-production increases for 11 straight

years, the government has never reduced the importance it attaches to food reserves. From Nov.

25 to March 31, the authorities purchased 76.1 million tons of corn from domestic farmers to put

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

April 21st , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I

http://english.caixin.com/



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into national granaries, up nearly 13 million tons from the same period last year. Reserves of rice

and wheat have also increased significantly.

Han Jun, deputy director of the general office of the Communist Party’s Leading Group on

Financial and Economic Affairs, recently said the country ―has built up the world’s largest

stock‖ of grain.

No official data about grain reserves have ever been released, but Ma Wenfeng, an analyst at the

consultancy Orient Agribusiness Consultant Ltd., predicted that by the end of 2015, the total

reserves of grain will reach 300 million tons.The Ministry of Agriculture said the country

consumed about 650 million tons of grain in 2014, meaning the ratio between inventory and

consumption is about 45%, compared to a 17% safety line set by the U.N. Food and Agriculture

Organization.In March, Ren Xiaozheng, director of the State Administration of Grain, called the

huge reserves ―a cheerful burden.‖―Grain-production increases are what we expect most, and

increasing (government) purchases also boosts farmers’ incomes,‖ he said. ―With full storage,

the country’s food security will be guaranteed.‖However, some experts say China is paying great

costs in capital and the environment to build up the stockpile.Wu Zhenjun, a researcher at the

State Council’s Development Research Center, said that in 2013 and 2014, the national store of

corn reached a record 106 million tons, about 59.7% of a year’s consumption. It is 75.8 million

tons more than the 17% safety reserve set by the U.N.

The country’s stockpiles of sugar and cotton are

also high. In 2014, the cotton reserve hit 11.3

million tons, about 60% of total global reserves.

China had 7.96 million tons of sugar in store, 3

million tons more than in 2011.Beijing set a price

range that is paid to domestic farmers for grain-

reserve purchases in order to protect farmers’

incomes and encourage production, but prices

have gradually exceeded international prices in

recent years.

Sources with knowledge of the matter said that the domestic price of corn is nearly 1,000 yuan

($161) higher per ton than the international price, which encourages imports. Since the country

bans some genetically modified crops from the United States, a lot of corn is smuggled into the

country.The agriculture ministry estimated that last year China imported 50 million tons of grain

that were not necessary and only added to its stockpiles.Meanwhile, amid the continuous

production increases, the agriculture industry is seeing profits decline and costs rise.Data from



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the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, show that wheat

planting saw an average 12.8 yuan net loss per mu (or 666.7 square meters). This compared to a

net profit of 165 yuan in 2008

MarketWatch

Japan, U.S. say made significant trade progress before

summit

Monday, April 20, 2015 - 00:50

Japan and U.S. end two days of negotiations, saying they made significant progress in trade talks ahead of

summit. Rough cut. (No reporter narration.)

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: Negotiators from Japan and the United States

worked into the wee hours of Tuesday (April 21) morning to narrow their differences on a free-trade pact.

They said they made significant progress in two days of talks on the Trans Pacific Partnership. An

agreement between Japan and the U.S. is considered crucial to the long-delayed 12-nation trade deal, as

their economies account for 80 percent of the group's. U.S. trade representative Michael Froman says

their work provides momentum to keep the talks going.

"Due to these efforts the gap between the two sides has been substantially narrowed, but continued work

is needed to ultimately resolve the outstanding issues. We've instructed our officials to continue their

work based on the guidance we've given them," he said. Some of the sticking points include access to the

Japanese rice market and the U.S. car market. Japan's economic minister Akira Amari says the progress

they've made will be welcome at an upcoming summit between President Obama and Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe set for April 28 in Washington.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/04/21/japan-us-say-made-significant-trade-

prog?videoId=363928800

Gov’t gives rice subsidies early boost Apr 21,2015

The government raised subsidies for rice farmers in the country by 100,000 won ($93) on average from a

year earlier, to account for Korea opening its rice market to imports.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced Monday it would raise the subsidies for

rice farmers to an average of 1 million won per hectare of their lands. Considering that the average size of

each rice farmer’s land in the country is 1.1 hectares, the average rice subsidy is expected to be 1.1

million won. According to the Agriculture Ministry, the subsidy amount will differ depending on land



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type. For the lands within the so-called areas for boosting agriculture, which are designated by the

government for farming and banned for other purposes, farmers will see an increase of 106,229 won in

their subsidy, to about 1.07 million won per hectare. For other lands outside the areas, the subsidy will

rise by 79,672 won to about 807,000 won per hectare, the Agriculture Ministry said. Statistically, 71.6

percent of Korea’s farming lands, or about 598,000 hectares, are designated as restricted areas.

To prevent any farmer from receiving excessive subsidies through false reporting, the agriculture ministry

will raise the reward for anyone who informs on violators, up to a maximum of 2 million won per

informant. The subsidy increase came after the government’s announcement in July 2014 that it would

open up Korea’s rice market to imports subject to tariffs. Protesting the move, farmers demanded

something in return. At the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization in

1993, Korea was allowed to postpone the opening for 10 years, beginning 1995. In 2004, Korea again

extended the deadline to 2014, in return for increasing its minimum import of rice, known as minimum

market access (MMA), by 20,000 tons per year.

As the deadline with the WTO expires, Korea is required to keep its annual quota for rice imports,

408,700 ton at minimum with a 5 percent tariff imposed. To protect Korean farmers, the government

announced it would impose a 513 percent tariff on rice imports that exceed the mandatory amount. In the

midst of protests by farmers in September 2014, the ruling Saenuri Party and the government announced

it would raise the rice subsidy to 1 million won per hectare.The government was supposed to do so

starting 2017, but accelerated the raise to this year.ar.

BY KIM HEE-JIN, LEE TAE-KYUNG [[email protected]]

Vietnam rice set to arrive in Zamboanga

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

A TOP official of the National Food Authority (NFA) said that 310,000 sacks of rice (50 kilos each)

imported from Vietnam are scheduled to arrive in Zamboanga City.NFA provincial manager

Gaudencio Nuega Jr. said the shipment will arrive April 29 directly from Vietnam aboard two cargo

ships.The shipment will be the first imported rice to arrive this year.Nuega said 290,000 of the

310,000 sacks will be distributed in Zamboanga Peninsula, while the remaining 20,000 sacks will be

delivered to the three autonomous region provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.He said the

arrival of the rice from Vietnam will augment the rice stocks at the NFA warehouse in the city.

At present, Nuega said they still have a stock of 156,000 sacks of rice, which are good for 28 days

consumption. (Bong Garcia)



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State company to buy low quality rice from farmers

Selasa, 21 April 2015 14:53 WIB

Banyumas, C Java (ANTARA News) - The government will assign a subsidiary of state

company to buy low quality rice from farmers at commercial price, a minister said. "I am

preparing a subsidiary of a state fertilizer company to buy rice not up to standard in quality from

farmers," Minister for State Companies Rini Soemarno said here on Tuesday. Rini said the rice

would be bought with commercial fund not from state budget.

State Board of Logistics buys only rice with standard quality from farmers using fund from the

state budget. The price would be below the price set by the government for Bulog, the minister

said. Earlier, the company helped maintain stability in corn price by buying excess in supply

during harvest time, she said refusing to name the company beyond saying that it is a trading

company.(*)

The Rice Crisis: Tracking an asset-price bubble in the

check-out line

Michael Hotchkiss

Tracking an asset-price bubble in the check-out line

Princeton economist Harrison Hong has spent much of his career working to understand how and why

asset-price bubbles form. Hong, the John H. Scully '66 Professor in Finance, has studied the dot-com

bubble in stock prices from 1997 to 2000 and the run-up in global commodity prices from 2003 to

2008.His latest insights, though, come from the check-out line at your local grocery store.Hong and

colleagues from University College London and New York University dug into data on the shopping

habits of more than 100,000 U.S. households and pricing information from 20,000 grocery and retail

stores to learn more about the 2008 Rice Crisis—a brief but dramatic episode that saw rice prices soar

worldwide.Their findings offer a clearer picture of how individual households react when prices jump and

could help guide government efforts to stabilize markets when there are fears of food shortages, said

Hong, who is affiliated with the Bendheim Center for Finance at Princeton.

Hong and co-authors Àureo de Paula of University College London and Vishal Singh of New York

University discuss their research in a working paper titled "Hoard Behavior and Commodity Bubbles,"

which was released in March through the National Bureau of Economic Research.The crisis began when

India moved to prohibit rice exports in late 2007, setting off a domino effect among other major rice

exporters and sparking fears of shortages in nations that must import the basic foodstuff, including the

Philippines. There were no significant shortages in the United States, Hong said, but prices spiked for

several months.Such episodes often spark concerns that large speculators are driving up prices by



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hoarding scarce supplies, Hong said. But the researchers found that in the United States, individual

households were the ones hoarding rice—including households that purchased rice for the first and last

time at the height of the panic."Each person wasn't hoarding that much—perhaps an extra couple of

months' supply—but in aggregate it adds up to a lot," Hong said.As prices increased in the United States,

rising as much as 50 percent a week in April and May 2008, shoppers stepped up their purchases out of

fear the price increases would continue, Hong said."When consumers see big price run-ups in a short

amount of time—whether it's in the price of food, stocks or homes—that catches consumers' attention,"

Hong said. "You can call it survival instincts. You can call it speculative behavior. But people respond."

In a few places, the extra purchases emptied shelves of big retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco, prompting

the stores to limit purchases. The sight of empty shelves and word of purchase limits—combined with the

media coverage that followed—likely fed into the fears of buyers, Hong said.Just as quickly as it began,

though, the panic eased and prices fell in June 2008 after an agreement allowed Japan to sell some of its

rice supply internationally. The same U.S. households that stepped up their purchases as prices jumped

stopped buying rice as prices fell, using up their stored stocks, Hong said.The information gleaned from

the reaction of U.S. shoppers could have broader implications, Hong said."In a place like the Philippines

where households have fewer resources and are more dependent on rice, you can imagine that hoarding

behavior would be even more significant," Hong said.

"Our findings suggest that one way to stabilize markets would be to basically promise households a

certain ration of rice, which would reduce the fear of households about being able to obtain the food they

need."While the Rice Crisis of 2008 wasn't much of a crisis in the United States, Hong said it presented

an unusual opportunity to study consumer behavior in the face of a price bubble."People have wanted to

study hoarding for a long time, but it's difficult to simultaneously have an event that was big enough to

study and also have available this very, very detailed data available that allow you to really trace every

aspect of household and consumer behavior," he said

Commerce Ministry notes six-month achievements

THE NATION April 20, 2015 6:19 pm

IN THE FIRST six months of the 2015 fiscal year, the Commerce Ministry helped sell about 3 million

tonnes of rice, through auctions and deals with other governments, worth Bt36 billion, Commerce

Ministry Chatchai Sarikalya told a news conference Monday.It also promoted export-oriented products

such as rice, rice products, food supplements and beverages at trade exhibitions here and overseas, he

said.Last year, Thailand's rice exports exceeded 10 million tonnes.

In the past six months, rice auctions were held six times and four government-to-government contracts for

new-season rice sales have been made for a total of 3 million tonnes. Of that total, 400,000 tonnes were

sold to China, 500,000 tonnes to the Philippines and 150,000 tonnes to Indonesia. Deals on sales of

around another 2.6 million tonnes are under negotiation, he said.In the six-month period, the value of Thai

exports reached US$92 billion (nearly Bt3 trillion), down 0.88 per cent year on year because of the slow

global economic recovery, sharp currency depreciations among Thailand's trade rivals compared with the

baht, and sharp drops in the prices of oil and crops



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Bulgaria postpones purchase of new fighters: PM

Xinhua News Agency on Apr 21, 2015 @ 2:40 PM

This article was produced by the Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People's Republic

of China. Xinhua describes itself as the "information organ of the central government." Given China’s

size and importance, GlobalPost publishes Xinhua’s press feed as a resource for its readers and makes no

claims as to journalistic accuracy.SOFIA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria is to postpone the purchase of

new NATO-compatible multi-role fighters due to the priority need for social spending and reforms, the

country's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said here on Tuesday."For now, the military aircraft will wait

because first we will pay the pensioners, fix the country, and regain fiscal discipline," Borissov told a

joint press conference after meeting Hoyt Yee, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of State

responsible for European and Eurasian Affairs.The U.S. and NATO understand Bulgaria's position on this

issue, Borissov said.

Of course, as a NATO country, Bulgaria would endeavor to fulfill its commitments in the future, said

Borissov.The acquisition of at least eight NATO-compatible multi-role fighters that would replace the

former Soviet-made MiG-21 fighter and Su-25 ground-support aircraft has been postponed several times

by the less developed EU state, a NATO member since 2004.

Chatchai stokes rice sales

21 Apr 2015 at 06:00

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

The Commerce Ministry is committed to revving up the sales of rice stocks, stimulating exports

as much as possible and accelerating free trade talks with potential partners in the next six

months.In his round-up of the ministry's six-month performance yesterday, Commerce Minister

Chatchai Sarikulya said the ministry remained adamant it would dispose of 10 million tonnes of

rice this year out of 18 million sitting in state stockpiles."In the ministry's six months in tenure, it

has sold 3 million tonnes of state rice for more than 36 billion baht," he said.Of the 3 million

tonnes, 2 million were sold through general auction and 1 million through government-to-

government (G-to-G) contracts.

Gen Chatchai said his ministry was obliged to deliver a combined 2.6 million tonnes of state rice

to China via G-to-G deals through next year.Of the 10 million tonnes it hopes to sell this year, 6

million would be high-quality grains, with degraded rice comprising 4 million.The ministry plans

to focus on exports the next six months, as the public is blaming it for weak performance, with

Gen Chatchai calling the ministry a "social defendant".Late last month, the ministry reported

exports fell for a second consecutive month in February, down by 6.14% year-on-year to

US$17.2 billion after January's figures fell by 3.46% to $17.2 billion. The dip was attributed

mainly to lower global oil and crop prices.

http://search.bangkokpost.com/search/result_advanced?category=news&xNewsSection=Business

http://search.bangkokpost.com/search/result_advanced?category=news&columnistName=Phusadee+Arunmas



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Shipments of farm products fell by 12.5% year-on-year in February to $2.49 billion, particularly

rubber, which declined 38.8%.Other major products including rice, sugar and canned and

processed seafood also saw big declines in exports in February. Exports of industrial products

including gold and oil fell by 3.7% to $13.8 billion. Gold exports plunged 66% as traders

delayed shipments and shifted focus to imports, while oil shipments dipped 6.1% from February

2014.However, imports edged up 1.47% to $16.8 billion, leading to a trade surplus of $390

million compared with a deficit of $457 million in January. For the first two

months, exports totalled $34.5 billion, down by 4.82% year-on-year, with imports down 6.69%

to $34.5 billion.Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula last week said first-

quarter exports were estimated to contract by 4% due mainly to the bearish performance of major

markets such as China, the EU and Japan.

State company to buy low quality rice from farmers

Selasa, 21 April 2015 14:53 WIB |

Banyumas, C Java (ANTARA News) - The government will assign a subsidiary of state company to buy

low quality rice from farmers at commercial price, a minister said. "I am preparing a subsidiary of a state

fertilizer company to buy rice not up to standard in quality from farmers," Minister for State Companies

Rini Soemarno said here on Tuesday. Rini said the rice would be bought with commercial fund not from

state budget. State Board of Logistics buys only rice with standard quality from farmers using fund from

the state budget. The price would be below the price set by the government for Bulog, the minister said.

Earlier, the company helped maintain stability in corn price by buying excess in supply during harvest

time, she said refusing to name the company beyond saying that it is a trading company.(*)

Japan supports Ghana’s rice sector with $2.5m – Report

Category: Investment, Lead APRIL 20, 2015 123 0

RiceThe Japanese government is supporting Ghana’s rice sector with agricultural machinery worth $2.5

million, according to the website, oryza.com.The publication citing local sources said the financing is

under a Grant Assistance.The machinery to be donated are made up of 77 agricultural tractors with

matching implements, 49 power tillers, 20 rice threshers, 11 rice reapers and six rice mills.The report

indicates that the support is aimed at helping Ghana increase local rice production and reduce dependence

on imports.In 2013 Ghana’s annual rice import bill was $306 million and the government is planning to

increase rice production by about 20 per cent per annum over the next four years to make Ghana self-

sufficient in rice, it adds.

Ghana’s rice sector is embroiled in controversies. The Small Scale Rice Dealers Association of Ghana

recently called for forensic auditing of all rice imports, which were cleared under warehousing.The

association believes that this is important to ensure transparency and accountability in the rice industry,

which it says is embroiled in a lot of irregularities.Over the weekend, the Bureau for Internal Affairs, an

anti-graft organisation, called on the Ministry of Trade and Industry to ensure a balanced assessment of



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taxes paid by small scale and large-scale rice importers. It claimed that the Ministry has in a media report

accused the Small Scale Rice Dealers Association of Ghana of tax evasion and smuggling of rice despite

the ban on its activities since 2013.Meanwhile, Ghana is expected to import 600,000 metric tons of rice

between October 2014 and September 2015 to augment the country’s rice needs.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2015/04/20/japan-supports-ghanas-rice-sector-with-2-5m-report/

China to increase soy imports, remain small grain importer by

2024

Posted Apr. 21st, 2015 by Reuters News Service

BEIJING (Reuters) — China, the world’s top buyer of soy, is projected to import 82.66 million

tonnes of the oilseed in 2024, a rise of 15.8 percent from 2014, but it will remain a small net

importer of rice, wheat and corn in the coming decade, according to an official forecast.Corn

imports by China, the world’s second-largest consumer, are unlikely to exceed 7.2 million tonnes

in 2024 due to quota restrictions, as long as domestic supplies are sufficient, said the China

Agriculture Outlook 2015-2024.The predictions come after the U.S. Department of Agriculture

abandoned an earlier forecast of soaring Chinese corn imports, slashing its estimate to 7.2

million tonnes in 2024-25.

―China has made progress in raising wheat and corn yields, but not rice and soybean yields.

Soybean yields in particular are very low compared with the world average,‖ said Ma Wenfeng,

an analyst with Beijing Orient Agri-business Consultant Co. Ltd.China, the world’s top rice

consumer, will import 3.2 million tonnes of the grain in 2024, said the report, which is published

by the agriculture ministry and was posted on its website on Tuesday (www.farmer.com.cn).That

is a rise of 25 percent compared with 2014. The percentage changes derived from the data in the

report were calculated by Reuters.Imports of wheat in 2024 are forecast to be 2.8 million tonnes,

the data showed, falling 5.7 percent from 2014.Cotton imports in 2024 are estimated at 2.08

million tonnes, down 14.8 percent from 2014, because of lower Chinese textile exports and

greater use of cotton substitutes, the report said.

―The decrease is likely as more and more domestic textile mills are moving outside the country,‖

said Ma.China’s sugar imports were estimated at 5.83 million tonnes in 2024, a rise of 45 percent

from 2014 due to shrinking domestic production and rising demand, the report said.Dairy

imports would grow three percent a year over the coming decade to 16 million tonnes, lower

than the average of 15.5 percent growth over the past decade as China’s own production

http://www.producer.com/contributor/reuters-news-service


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increases by an average of two percent annually.Growth in meat consumption will also slow

compared with the past 10 years, restricting pork imports to less than one million tonnes a year

by 2024, while those of beef and lamb will be less than 500,000 tonnes each, it said.

http://www.producer.com/daily/china-to-increase-soy-imports-remain-small-grain-importer-by-2024/

Women take on floods and hunger in rural Pakistan

Amina Bibi lost her husband, a boatman, to kidney failure soon after massive floods in 2010 hit the

remote district of Rajanpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province. ―All I can afford is rice, so that’s what I feed

my eight children every day and they are just not getting enough nutrition,‖ said the weary-looking

widow, aged around 40.

By: By Rina Saeed Khan, Thomson Reuters Foundation

RAJANPUR, PAKISTAN — Amina Bibi lost her husband, a boatman, to kidney failure soon after

massive floods in 2010 hit the remote district of Rajanpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province.―All I can afford

is rice, so that’s what I feed my eight children every day and they are just not getting enough nutrition,‖

said the weary-looking widow, aged around 40.Rajanpur is one of the poorest districts in the otherwise

prosperous central province of Punjab, where the Panjnad River flows into the Indus River, Pakistan’s

lifeline.

The convergence of the rivers in southern Punjab meant most of Rajanpur was submerged in the 2010

floods, as water from unprecedented rainfall up north rushed down the Indus.Amina’s husband helped

rescue many people hit by the flooding, but after he died she sold his boat. "Now I work as a laborer on

other people’s land, growing crops like sugarcane and cotton. We lost our home and our livestock in the

flood," she said.Most of her neighbors in the riverine areas of Rajanpur district, which straddles the Indus,

do not own land either and are struggling to recover from the flooding.Many are in debt due to high

interest rates on loans to buy farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.Unlike in the past, the

district is now affected by floods almost every year, either from the river overflowing or torrents

cascading down the Suleiman mountains after heavy monsoon rains.

Power to the farmers

Help Foundation, a local NGO, has been working for over a decade with communities in the area,

encouraging villagers to form groups that help families like Amina’s feed themselves.There are more than

30 such groups, each with an association to support farmers, according to Saad Zafar, a social organizer

with Help Foundation, which is a member of the Indus Consortium, a platform that builds community

resilience.Last August, the consortium launched a campaign in five riverine villages in the area, funded

by Oxfam, aimed at putting more power in the hands of farmers, particularly women.In the nearby village

of Mohammed Akram, the impact of the training the women have received is clear.

"We have planted trees which will protect the embankments and help us during floods, and we started

planting kitchen gardens near our homes where we can grow our own vegetables," said Bakhto Bibi,

secretary of the community organization.While many aid groups work with farmers in Pakistan, few link

climate change with food security. But Bakhto says she knows what is behind the flooding in her



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district.―Global warming is raising temperatures, which is causing intense rainfall in the area - it is

because of all the smoke from factories and cars around the world,‖ she said.People are adapting to the

annual floods by building their mud homes on higher ground, artificially raised by bulldozers piling up

earth, so their livestock and belongings stay safe.They are also spreading the message through theater. A

play on climate change, performed recently by the community group at a school, was attended by all the

local women, Bakhto said.

Bid for land ownership

Women have also decided to form committees to start discussions with the government about obtaining

their own land.―We have been living here for 40 years and hardly own any land. Since most of the area

around here is owned by the state, it should be allotted to us so we can increase our agricultural

production,‖ Bakhto said.The women, along with men in their group, have already met with the Rajanpur

District Coordination Officer, Ghazi Aman Ullah, to talk about land rights and maintaining embankments

to stop flooding. He has promised to look into their demands.

―I think the biggest improvement has been that we are all united now,‖ said Ameer Bibi who lives in the

same village.―We want to put pressure on the government to change its policies - it should set up

institutions to help us farmers,‖ she said.Ameer said the Help Foundation’s training had boosted local

women’s knowledge and confidence.Examples of women’s empowerment are rare in Pakistan.

Conservative elements, led by a fierce clergy, usually oppose such efforts in rural areas, making even

liberal politicians wary of supporting them.

Help Foundation has enjoyed more success as it is an established NGO founded back in the 1970s that

has won people’s trust, especially during the 2010 floods when it provided relief and

rehabilitation.―Crops, floods and poverty are all interlinked. The government should ask us what is

happening on the ground,‖ said Ayesha Bibi, a feisty widow in her 60s who farms her own two-acre plot

and recently travelled to Bangladesh with Oxfam for a regional meeting on climate change.―It is actually

the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to help us, not the foreign-funded NGOs who have kept

us from starving.‖Tags: agribusiness, updates, life, hunger

http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/25679/#sthash.YajPFAwx.dpufhttp://www.agweek.com/event/ar

ticle/id/25679/

PhilRice taps suppliers as partners

April 21, 2015

SAN MATEO, Isabela, April 17 (PIA) - - The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) here will

conduct a series of Knowledge Sharing and Learning (KSL) activities this April as initial step towards

linking with private sectors.―We are banking on the potential of agricultural input suppliers in the region

as our partners in extension delivery system‖, said PhilRice-Isabela Acting Director Democrito B.

Rebong II.For her part, PhilRice-Isabela Research and Development Coordinator Helen R. Pasicolan said

the participants to the series of KSL activities include private sector-based such as seed centers, fertilizer

companies, agri chem companies, machine dealers, agri input retailers and microfinance institutions.



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―The engagement of the private sector as Rice Extension Intermediaries (REIs) is necessary to enhance

our reach, response time and impact on agricultural productivity,‖ Pasicolan said.The activity, she added

is part of the Improving Technology Promotion and Delivery through Capability Enhancement of the

Next-Generation of Rice Extension Professionals and Intermediaries (IPaD).Pasicolan added that IPaD is

a project under the DA-National Rice Program and funded by the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research.

(ALM/MGE/PIA-2 Isabela/with reports from Maritha C. Manubay, PhilRice-Isabela)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/481429237733/philrice-taps-suppliers-as-

partners#sthash.GsvqLoQw.dpuf

Farmers told to plant drought-tolerant rice

BY RENE GENOVE

The dry spell has not yet affected the cropping of major agricultural products in Negros Oriental, and

Provincial Agriculturist Office Research Division chief, Charito Catarata is urging farmers to plant early

maturing crops, or drought tolerant rice varieties.Catarata said most of the farmers have already harvested

the first and second crops, and the first and second cropping seasons were normal. To mitigate the

negative effects of El Niño in agriculture, she said, PAO has advised farmers to plant drought-tolerant

varieties of rice.She said the International Rice Research Institute and the Philippine Rice Research

Institute have been developing drought-tolerant varieties of rice suitable for planting. She asked farmers

to contact PAO or their Municipal Agriculture Office to inquire and avail of these kinds of varieties.She

said crops that do not take a long time to mature include legumes, like winged beans, mung beans and

pigeon peas.PAO is also urging farmers to do intermittent irrigation in rice fields as another adaptation

measure against El Niño

For livestock, the PAO continuously conducts vaccination on animals to make their resistance against

diseases stronger during prolonged dry season.Meanwhile, Neptune Catarata, chief meteorological officer

of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Services Administration Negros Oriental reported a decrease

in the amount of rainfall and rise of temperature over the past three months, which indicate that the El

Niño phenomenon has stepped in Dumaguete City and other parts of the province.

Catarata said Dumaguete City experienced less rainfall amount from January to March this year. He said,

the amount of rainfall recorded in January was 71.4mm, 41.5mm in February and 1.9mm in March.She

said these figures are lower than the average rainfall amount experienced in Dumaguete City in the first

quarter of the year.The normal average rainfall amount for January is estimated at 82.0mm, 61.4mm in

February and 46.3mm in March. The PAGASA said that for April, the city has experienced 11.9mm

amount of rainfall, so far, but this is still lower than the average rainfall amount of 53.7mm. the press

release said.PAGASA also noted an increase of temperature. In January, the temperature rose to 31.3°C,

30.2°C in February, and 31.3°C in March. This is slightly higher than the average normal temperature

during these months.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/481429237733/philrice-taps-suppliers-as-partners#sthash.GsvqLoQw.dpuf

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/481429237733/philrice-taps-suppliers-as-partners#sthash.GsvqLoQw.dpuf



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Based on PAGASA records, the normal average temperature in January is at 28.9°C, 30.0°C in February

and 30.5°C in March. But the hottest temperature, so far, was recorded in the first week of April at

32.9°C, Catarata said.Even a one centigrade anomaly can have a big impact on heat. She added that these

data cover only Dumaguete City, but other parts of the province can possibly experience hotter

temperature.She said the indications of abnormality of rainfall and temperature can trigger El Niño.*RG

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2015/April/21/negor3.htm

APEDA (India) NEWS

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 20-04-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Apricots

1 Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 5650

2 Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4125

3 Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t) 3425

Currants

1 Greek provincial, CIF UK (USD/t) 1441

2 Greek Vostizza, CIF UK (USD/t) 1551

Honey

1 Argentine 85mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4070

2 Australian extra light/light amber, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4730

3 Chinese light amber, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 1975

Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 20-04-2015

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty



14


Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Jowar(Sorgham)

1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1265 2740

2 Thiruppur (Tamil Nadu) Other 2300 2500

3 Solapur (Maharashtra) Other 1550 2005

Maize

1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1165 1510

2 Haveri (Karnataka ) Local 1200 1260

3 Koraput(Orissa) Other 1310 1330

Mousambi

1 Sirhind (Punjab) Other 2000 3000

2 Alappuzha(Kerala) Other 4000 4150

3 Mechua(West Bengal) Other 2200 2600

Cucumbar

1 Banki (Orissa) Other 1300 1500

2 Chala (Kerala) Other 3200 3250

3 Sonepat(Haryana) Other 500 600

Source:agra-net For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 20-04-2015

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 277

2 Chittoor 278

3 Hyderabad 240

Source: e2necc.com

http://e2necc.com/



15


Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 20-04-2015

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 40 lb cartons

1 Atlanta Mexico

Yellow 22 23

2 Baltimore Texas

Yellow 20 20

3 Detroit Georgia

Yellow 26 26

Cauliflower Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta California White

33 33.50

2 Detroit California

White 31.50 32

3 New York Mexico

White 32 34

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida

Red 16.50 16.50

2 Chicago Florida

Red 13 14

3 New York Florida

Red 18 18

Source:USDA

Supermarkets' misleading multi-buy promotions slammed

by Which?

Survey by consumer group finds 'dodgy deals' from all leading retailers, and calls for consumer support to

'make special offers special'

When is a deal not a deal? Photograph: David Butterworth

Rebecca Smithers

Tuesday 19 November 2013 11.30 GMTLast modified on Thursday 22 May 201409.40 BST

http://www.theguardian.com/profile/rebeccasmithers



16


Cash-strapped shoppers who rely on regular

supermarket special offers to cut their food bills

could still end up paying more, according to

research which exposes the on-going problem of

so-called "dodgy deals".The consumer group

Which? analysed the pricing of 75 popular food

and drink products over six months and found

that leading retailers were misleading shoppers

into believing they were getting a better deal than

they were through multi-buy promotions and claims involving discounts such as "was £3, now

£2".In one case Which? found, shoppers at Asda buying two packs of Müller Light Greek style

yoghurt during a promotion paid £1 more than if they had bought them at the normal price.

One year after the government attempted to clarify the rules – and eight of the leading

supermarkets signed up to new guidance – dodgy discounts and misleading multibuys are still

being found in the supermarkets, Which? said.It is urging consumers to pledge their support for

its new campaign to help "make special offers special".Which? executive director, Richard

Lloyd, said: "We've found dodgy discounts across the aisles, and with rising food prices hitting

shoppers' budgets hard we think supermarkets are not playing fair."In November 2012, Tesco,

Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Aldi, the Co-operative and Lidl all agreed

to incorporate the new principles – drawn up by the Office of Fair Trading – into their policies,

to ensure promotions are "fair and meaningful".

But Which? said no progress had been made, highlighting numerous examples from its

research.The consumer group analysed six months' worth of pricing data from January to June

2013 from independent shopping website MySupermarket.co.uk.It looked at 70,000 prices for 75

products across five supermarkets, although not all were available in all supermarkets, selecting

examples that illustrate different pricing problems within this period.One example found by

Which? was a Sainsbury's special offer for Carex aloe vera and eucalyptus moisturising

antibacterial handwash, where the item was priced at £1.80 for seven days, then was on offer at

"was £1.80, now 90p" for 84 days.

Ocado sold a 12-pack of Beck's beer as "was £12.19, now £9" for almost a month but had only

sold the item at the higher price for three days.In another case, Asda increased the regular price

of Müller Light Greek style yoghurt from £1.50 to £2.18 before it went on a "two for £4" offer,

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/nov/30/supermarkets-fairer-special-offers



17


costing shoppers £1 more. It also increased the price of Uncle Ben's express basmati rice from £1

to £1.58 before offering for "two for £3" and then returning the rice to £1 when the offer ended.

Which? wants the government to make the rules for special offers simpler, clearer and stricter,

and said that if these changes were not made swiftly, it would consider using legal powers to

ensure the practice is tackled.Which? also published a separate report on food prices, called

Cutting Back and Trading Down, which revealed that two-thirds (66%) of consumers believe

they have been misled by an offer that wasn't as good as it initially appeared. (Populus surveyed

2,028 adults in Great Britain, of whom 1,969 were grocery shoppers, online between 28 and 30

June 2013. Data was weighted to be representative of the population of Great Britain).Retailers

insisted the promotions in question were genuine mistakes rather than a deliberate attempt to

mislead shoppers.

The British Retail Consortium, which represents the supermarket industry, said: "Across the tens

of thousands of promotions available every day, regrettably, occasional errors do slip through.

Retailers work very quickly to rectify these mistakes whenever they are found."Sainsbury's said:

"We are absolutely committed to fair and transparent promotions and carry out regular audits and

thorough training on this." Asda said in a statement: "We take pricing seriously, and we've

recently employed a new team within the business that looks at all aspects of our pricing process

and pricing practices in store and online.

Sometimes mistakes can happen, but we would never deliberately mislead our customers – our

aim is always to offer the lowest prices for the longest."According to the Office of Fair Trading,

grocery shopping accounts for some 44% of household spending. Guardian Money has been

highlighting deals that are not as good as they claim to be and asking readers to send in the most

amusing examples of silly pricing.

Riceland's Harris Testifies Before Senate on Cuban Trade

WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry held a hearing today

entitled, "Opportunities and Challenges for Agricultural Trade with Cuba,"

and given the Cuban taste for rice, U.S. rice was front and center. "The U.S. and Cuba certainly have a

long history filled with contention and instability...this is not an issue we are going to be able to fix

overnight...it will take hard work to normalize trade with Cuba and decisions must be made carefully,"

said Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) in opening the hearing. "Today we will hear from an impressive panel

of experts, from regulators responsible for writing our policies toward Cuba to the producers who want to

grow the market for their products."

http://www.brcglobalstandards.com/

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/may/30/daft-deals-share-your-pictures

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/may/30/daft-deals-share-your-pictures



18


Harris (second from left) testifying

One of those policymakers was USDA Undersecretary Michael T Scuse who used rice as an example of a

strong opportunity for U.S. agriculture."Our stakeholders have made it very clear that this is a country

they want to do business in, and I'll give you an example - not because Betsy Ward is sitting behind me -

but rice. Half the rice consumed in [Cuba] is imported and it's coming from Vietnam, it's not coming from

the United States - and it should be," Scuse said in response to a question from Roberts.Riceland Food's

Senior Vice President for Marketing and Risk Management, Terry Harris, put a price tag on the market

for the committee during his own testimony.

"Cuba is a significant market for rice, importing about $300 million worth of rice annually... with the

lifting of the embargo and the restoration of trade and travel with Cuba, we estimate that the U.S. could

regain 20 to 30 percent of the Cuban rice business within two years," he said. "We would anticipate the

U.S. share of the market would exceed 50 percent within five years and could reach 75 percent or more

within 10 years."

The tone of the hearing was positive, with the Senators in attendance focusing their remarks on

understanding what, in the view of the witnesses, Congress could and should do to improve opportunities

for U.S. agricultural trade with Cuba.



19


"We've said this isn't a quick fix - that there are a lot of moving parts," said USA Rice President & CEO

Betsy Ward who attended the hearing. "We're grateful Chairman Roberts convened the hearing to get the

ball rolling in Congress, and we appreciate the interest from the rest of the Committee. It was another

important step in reopening this important market for us."

Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 21

Month Price Net Change

May 2015 $9.980 + $0.205

July 2015 $10.225 + $0.195

September 2015 $10.485 + $0.195

November 2015 $10.715 + $0.195

January 2016 $10.945 + $0.195

March 2016 $10.995 + $0.195

May 2016 $10.995 + $0.195

Nigeria: Umeofia - 'With Proper Incentives, Indigenous

Manufacturers Can Fully Support Our Economy'

By Olawunmi Ojo

UmeofiaThe Nigerian tomato paste market, which has a few indigenous producers, is dominated

by imported products. Erisco Foods Limited is one of the indigenous producers. Following

recent concerns of sub-standard and adulterated products flooding the market, however, the

President of the food company, Eric Umeofia reassures consumers that its range of products

remains one of the few in the country certified good for consumption.Recently, the National

Agency for Food and Drug Administration, and Control (NAFDAC) began a series of

mailto:[email protected]

tel:%28703%29%20236-1458

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001imkZCWMw5mobQS2c2b4o5bi9Pc6btJY_MxXS7FyWwzCIS8HyFA1dVV4P_fCDQIu_1wlHJ-ExdEbAXOzvbJAXAnu0n-h4MZbtLJ-bGnDphhBlQtI7PrJHDH3rK5Z2iq0rzpG5l9is6Mul_dQdEd8m99zQsXl1c3nLQ9rXlZNr59TU6Nj5rQ_XpqwUhBV8jkWEiXzBy32T9D_HwoKEitGwD_oCGUfTxwgsIaLY2BR5o8mfel1Zqa_-STVJnF4YooAON8gEuf2encoZqsIoW8_AeU-Oayv264oxVDttphwM1q2U70GNBL76ci1tiOckyGjh8eJkaz80pSVBhjwx7sCPmn5cafls78at3C6srX83uN-7Ny9-sLxjsN6iCj9rc-4qRkoeJqW3xZof8jzylmbtI9VkgWRARUE1xNgep3utvQEFmHRG8KaQb-OjsMOOPhZp4HFUWpWAE9P3LZqfUQakeQcGzvqUP8WY&c=gt1nghtJ4syiNJRq0BsS6lwFyGQIvrA5Xpwk-AaV5sWdh_6O4Ca41Q==&ch=3aZncwnJU7EeLsaBibjg2xRw4Znr1genwNjp9cfBf6NhY3XTmNTD3g==



20


consultative meetings with importers and indigenous manufacturers of tomato paste in sachets

and tins.

News Release

1400 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20250

USDA

Farm Service Agency

__________________________________________________________________

____________

Program Announcement

Mark Simone (202) 720-5653

[email protected]

PREVAILING WORLD PRICES AND LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENT

RATES

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2015-The Department of Agriculture's Commodity

Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market prices

of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the

resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates

applicable to the 2014 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m.,

Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.

--------World Price------- MLG/LDP Rate

Milled Value Rough Rough

($/cwt) ($/cwt) ($/cwt) Long Grain 15.44 10.00 0.00

Medium/Short Grain 15.04 10.13 0.00

Brokens 9.31 ---- ----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the

following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:

U.S. Milling Yields Loan Rate

Whole/Broken

(lbs/cwt) ($/cwt)

Long Grain 57.21/12.55 6.64

Medium/Short Grain 61.89/8.83 6.51

The next program announcement is scheduled for April 29, 2015.

21st april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Food

tons of grain

grain reserves

total reserves of grain

tons of corn

tons of sugar

grainproduction increases

grainreserve purchases

reserves of rice