7th January,2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

News Details…

Promotion of exports to Libya & Malta: Pakistani envoy

urges setting up of commercial body

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter www.ricepluss.com

January 07, 2015 Volume 5, Issue I

January 07, 2015

RECORDER REPORT

Lieutenant General Javed Zia (rted),

Ambassador of Pakistan in Libya and Malta,

has urged the establishment of a commercial

organisation for the promotion of Pakistani

exports to Libya and Malta and other

surrounding countries. Addressing the rice

exporters during a luncheon meeting held in

his honour by Rice Exporters Association of

Pakistan (REAP) at REAP House, Karachi

here on Tuesday, he said that Libya and

Malta could play a very supportive role for

the increase in Pakistan's exports, however,

there was a need to form a commercial/trade

organisation for the promotion of exports to

Libya and Malta.

"We believe a commercial organization can

play a vital role in the promotion of

Pakistani export as due to a unique location,

Malta may become the trade hub for

Pakistani exporters and they can get access

to surrounding European countries," he

added. Zia informed that there were many

opportunities for Pakistani exporters in

Libya and with some efforts Pakistani

traders could dominate in these developing

markets. He offered rice exporters to set up

a Display Centre in Pakistan Embassy in

Libya free of cost to promote Pakistani

products particularly rice. Whereas, in Malta

with a very minimum investment, exporters

could increase the exports of Pakistani

products, such as cotton, rice, textile,

construction and other food items. "Libya

has been declared in war status and

Pakistani exporters can take the advantage

of the current circumstances by exporting

cement and other construction-related items.

" He also appreciated the steps of the

government of Pakistan for the evacuation

of Pakistanis in Libya during the war and for

providing some Rs 400 million for this

purpose. Earlier, Rafique Suleman,

Chairman REAP, briefed the ambassador

that although there were multiple

opportunities in Libya and Malta, Pakistani

exporters of rice could not have fully availed

them. "Pakistan exported about 270 metric

tons amounting $312,517 rice during last

fiscal year (FY14). He further informed that

Kenya and China had been emerged as the

largest importers of Pakistani Rice, as

Kenya has imported 463,441 metric tons

amounting to $176.875 million and China

has imported 353,675 metric tons amounting

to $128.068 million," he said and added that

China and Kenya mainly imports Iri-6 from

Pakistan.

He hoped that with mutual efforts and

appropriate measures Pakistan could export

rice to Libya and Malta. On the occasion,

Rafique announced that REAP would send a

high profile trade delegation of REAP to

Libya and Malta to find the new export-

oriented opportunities in both countries.

Lieutenant General Javed Zia (R) assured of

his full support and co-operation in making

the delegation fruitful and successful for

Pakistani trade. Chela Ram Kewlani, former

chairman REAP, Jawed Ali Ghori, Usman

Shaikh, Khalid Paracha, Fuwad Garib,

Muhammad Amjad, Bashir and others were

also present on the occasion. Source with thanks:

http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-

economy/189/1140078/

Sugar millers, growers at

loggerhead Staff Report

January 08, 2015

KARACHI: A group of sugar millers and

growers are at loggerhead over the pricing of

sugarcane despite the fact the Supreme Court

and high courts of various provinces have

validated prices set by the provincial

governments.

The sugar price has been set at Rs 182 per

tonne in Sindh and Rs 182 in Punjab and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but a large number of

sugar millers are reluctant to purchase

sugarcane from farmers at these rates. Sindh

Chamber of Agriculture President Dr Syed

Nadeem Qamar said the sugarcane crop is

being wasted due to advertent delays by the

millers that will cost farmers billions of

rupees. Speaking on a TV show "The Market

Show" on Wednesday, he said the delay in

crushing of sugarcane could affect the crop at

large, whereas the season of wheat sowing has

began.

Replying to the queries of anchor Ali Nasir, he

said the provincial government raiused the

sugarcane prices as per annual increment of

Rs 10 per tonne after evaluation of farmers'

input cost, but millers insist on reducing its

price without any justification. He added that

sugarcane has been cultivated at times when

the diesel prices were on higher side, whereas

input cost were also high, but millers were

demanding sugarcane purchase price of Rs

155 per tonne, which is a bad deal for farmers.

Initially, sugar millers had taken a stay against

prices set by the government in different high

courts, but their appeals were rejected. Later,

they moved the Supreme Court which

endorsed the verdict of higher courts.

Sindh Enterprises Development Fund

Managing Director Mehboobul Haq said

farmers have no place to market and stock

their products. "The market needs buyers and

growers basically, hence simple mechanism is

being developed in which farmers and buyers

could meet and sign deals without any

middleman," he said, adding that private

sector is reluctant towards expansion, but keen

for high bottom-line within controlled

expenses, which is not possible in long-term,

as investment is needed for higher and

continuous returns.

There are various market mechanisms

developed in international markets to benefit

growers and farmers through cooperative

business model and the provincial government

is seriously working to replicate different

models with customised needs of the local

farmers and producers. He added that a

country's food security depends on agriculture

sector, and it has a strategic position in the

world.It is widely believed that future wars in

economic and political fronts will be fought

over water and agriculture. Pakistan has a

significant agriculture produce, special cash

crops, fruits and vegetables, with significant

location base near Middle East countries, but

value addition of agri-products is very limited.

He added that Sindh Enterprise Development

Fund is an initiative for providing institutional

framework towards promotion of value

addition, however, it is a gradual process not

an overnight phenomenon. "We have

upgraded rice mills through BMR and the

result and inevitable rice millers were

reluctant initially but they realized to upgrade

their units which could be seen now as

benefits and high pricing.

We need to select the cluster and target them

to develop through planning and policies. We

are focusing on those clusters that are being

deprived of investments, but will get

immediate response in terms of return such as

horticulture and forticulture."

Source with thanks:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/08-

Jan-2015/sugar-millers-growers-at-

loggerhead

Wheat per acre yield

declines, rice’s increases

Shahid Iqbal

KARACHI: Despite tall claims about better

agriculture productivity, the country’s main crop

wheat has shown a declining trend in per acre

yield during the last four years.The State Bank’s

latest Statistical Bulletin issued on Monday

showed the per acre yield achieved in 2010

could not be achieved again in the next three

years.The per acre yield of wheat in 2010-11

was 2,933kg while in 2013-14 it dropped to

2,797kg per acre.However, the area for

cultivation of wheat increased during the last

four years from 8.901 million acres in 2010-11

to 9.039m acres in 2013-14.Wheat is the biggest

crop and the staple food for many millions but

neither the government nor the private sector

seems to have made significant efforts to

improve the low yield.

A significant development is that private banks

have started disbursing credit in this sector.The

State Bank has set Rs500 billion target for the

agriculture loans for 2014-15. The banks

disbursed Rs98bn during first quarter (July-Sept)

of this fiscal year compared to Rs70.8bn doled

out in the corresponding period last year,

showing a growth of 38 per cent.While yield for

wheat dropped, other major crops showed

improvement during the same period.The rice

per acre yield was much higher than the three

years earlier.

It went up to 2,437kg in 2013-14 from 2,039kg

in 2010-11, a 20pc increase.The massive

production has created a rice glut in the local

market as the exporters could not benefit from

high yielding rice crop.The area under

cultivation of rice also increased during the

period from 2,365 acres to 2,789 acres in 2013-

14.Cotton production also increased from 725kg

per acre to 774kg per acre during the four years.

Yield per acre of maize increased to 4,053kg

from 3,806kg per acre during this period.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App:

Apple Store | Google Play

Source with thanks:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1155379

5 items identified for export

to Russia Mubarak Zeb Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Minis¬try of

Commerce has evolved a strategy for a share

in the agriculture and food market of the

Russian federation and in this regard five

products including citrus varieties, potato,

rice, dairy products and tobacco have been

identified for exports.Talking to Dawn an

official of the ministry said a business

delegation of leading food exporters will

visit Russia by end of January.The

delegation will interact with Russian buyers

to identify the routes and mode of payment

during the period of US trade sactions on

Russia.

Bilateral trade between the two countries

stood at $419.34 million in 2013-14 as

against $484.47m in the previous year,

reflecting a decline of $65.13m or 13.45 per

cent. The decline is mainly driven by falling

Pakistan’s exports to Russia, which fell by

10.36pc during the period under

review.Currently, Pakistan’s major export

items to Russia include woven cotton

fabrics, fruit and fruit preparations, synthetic

fabrics, rice all sorts, articles of apparel

other than textile material, vegetables,

medical and surgical instruments.

According to a ministry document, Russian

food and agriculture imports stood at $43

billion last year. The major imports include

beef products, dairy products, citrus,

tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, fish, apples,

pears etc.Pakistan’s average exports of citrus

to Russia stood at $41.779m in the year

2013-14, a 2.480pc share in the total imports

of Russia from the global imports of citrus

which stood at $1.60bn.

―Russians have taste for seedless varieties of

citrus,‖ the official said. He added the

demand for Pakistani citrus is on the rise but

it needs proper marketing and facilitation to

exporters.Major exporters of citrus to Russia

include Turkey ($431m) and Spain ($103m).

The rest of the exports are shared by

Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and

China.The second potential item is potato.

Its exports to Russia stood at $16.182m, a

share of 6.933pc in the Russian total imports

of potatoes. There is a great potential in

export of potatoes to Russia once Pakistan

improves its quarantine and quality

standards.

The leading exporters of potatoes to Russia

are Egypt ($233 million), the Netherlands

($27 million). Other exporters include China

and Azerbaijan.Rice is another product, of

which Pakistan is the 4th largest exporters to

the world. Russia has imposed ban on

imports of rice from Pakistan in the year

2011 but it was lifted in April 2012. This

decision has led to a loss in share of

Pakistan’s exports of rice to Russia and

diverted the trade to India.

The official said that exporters will be

facilitated to enhance rice exports to Russia.

Currently, Vietnam is the major exporter of

rice to Russia followed by Thailand and

Myanmar.Russian imports of dairy products

stood at $4.3bn, alone $3bn from the

Euro¬pean countries. Russia im¬¬p¬orted

$2.2bn cheese and curd.

―Pakistan is one of the leading milk

producers in the world and has a fair chance

of grabbing value added exports of dairy

products,‖ the official added.Pakistan’s

export of tobacco stood at $1.380m, which

is 0.119pc share of the Russian total

imports. The share in frozen vegetables

exports is 1.020pc ($1.06m) of the total

Russian global imports.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2015

Source with thanks:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1155375/5-

items-identified-for-export-to-russia

China extends permits on

GM rice and corn research

Stephen Chen | January 7, 2015 | South China

Morning Post

The government has renewed permits

allowing scientists to grow three varieties of

genetically modified rice and corn in China,

more than three months after they had

expired, suggesting the technology has the

continued backing of the authorities.Some

scientists had feared that the Ministry of

Agriculture may halt research work on the

foods.Anecdotal evidence suggests that

some people in China are wary about the

safety of GM crops, amid a succession of

food safety scandals on the mainland.

GM rice cannot be sold as food in China,

with the government saying it has to be sure

that new strains are safe, but the country

already imports huge amounts of genetically

modified soya beans, mainly from the

United States.The permits issued by the

Ministry of Agriculture allow two scientific

research groups to produce two types of

pest-resistant rice and a type of high-yield

corn for five years, according to a report by

the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s

Daily.

The fresh permits allow the scientists to

grow the crops in open fields and gather data

about potentially releasing the strains to

farmers in the future.

Source with thanks:

http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/01/0

7/china-extends-permits-on-gm-rice-and-corn-

research/

Agriculture remains our

greatest hope

Posted by Online on Jan 7th, 2015

When the International Rice Research

Institute (IRRI) was set up in Los Banos,

Laguna, in 1960, with the support of the

Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller

Foundation, and the Philippine government,

it proceeded to undertake research that led to

the development of new and improved rice

varieties and of rice crop management

techniques and practices.Many of our

neighbors in Southeast Asia have benefitted

from this research. Thailand and Vietnam

today produce rice surpluses which they

export to the world. It is a bit of irony that

the Philippines, where the IRRI did all its

research on a 250-hectare experimental farm

at Los Banos, is today the biggest importer

of Thai and Vietnamese rice.Filipino

scientists and researchers are known the

world over.

The latest to be recognized was Dr. William

Dollente Dar, who was honored last month

for his work at the International Crop

Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

(ICRISAT) in India where he served for 15

years. He was cited for redirecting the

institute’s emphasis from research for the

sake of researching, to research that would

actually benefit farmers. He saw to it that

the institute’s studies on drought-resistant

crops – peas, sorghum, millet, etc. – reached

small farmers.Dr. Dar introduced four pillars

of agriculture that he developed at ICRISAT

– namely, including farmers as part of the

process of development, science-based

agriculture, resilient agriculture that

responds to climate change, and a market

orientation focused on making farming a

profitable business.

Dar served as Secretary of Agriculture in

President Joseph Estrada’s short-lived

administration in 1998 before moving on to

ICRISAT in 1999.Agricultural research

continues today in the Philippines and

around the world. Among its latest

achievements is the development of flood-

resistant rice varieties. This could be the

answer to the repeated losses of our rice

farmers in Northern Luzon who periodically

lose their harvests when a typhoon brings

rains that flood their fields.Agriculture

remains the greatest hope of our country’s

economy and people. We may develop our

industries and our services sector; we may

provide jobs to our young people in tourism

and in business outsourcing.

But the Philippines is a primarily

agricultural country and the great majority

of our people live in the rural areas.We have

the land and the rivers and rains to make it

fertile. And we have the scientists and

researchers and capable administrators, such

as Dr. Dar. With these resources, we should

focus on agriculture as the center of our anti-

poverty, our job-creation, and our over-all

national economic development program.

Source with thanks:

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/01/agriculture-

remains-our-greatest-hope/

DA: WV likely to

surpass

2.1 million MT palay target

ILOILO CITY -– The Department of

Agriculture here is optimistic that Western

Visayas could surpass its palay production target

in 2014 pegged at 2.1 million metric tons amid

challenges caused by climate change.Larry

Nacionales, DA regional executive director

(RED) for Western Visayas, disclosed that data

on rice production is now being finalized but

initially it is already more than two million

metric tons.

He explained that rice planting was affected by

the dry season from June to July

2014.Supposedly, the harvest period will be in

September but due to the weather condition, the

planting was moved to the November to

December period and is due for harvest first

quarter of 2015.This is similar with the

production in 2013 when the region experienced

a good harvest from January to June but there

was low production during the wet season after

typhoons affected maturing and standing

crops.―Nonetheless, we would still exceed two

million metric tons,‖ he said.

He added that the region still is one of the

highest nationwide in terms of rice-sufficiency

as he cited that the sufficiency level may reach

up to 117 percent.Western Visayas shares

around 12 percent of the national total

production.―If the production is good this wet

season, we hope to achieve this year's target of

2.2 million metric tons,‖ he added.Meanwhile,

Nacionales said that other commodities of the

region are performing well such as corn and

mango.Nationwide, Western Visayas ranked

first in carabao production and third in

swine.Banana was affected by super typhoon

Yolanda but Nacionales hoped that it could

recover this year. *PNA

Source with thanks:

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2015/January/

07/businessnews2.htm

Vietnam sets rice export

prices for Philippine

demand

Reuters

Posted at 01/07/2015 5:59 PM | Updated as of

01/07/2015 6:13 PM

HANOI - Vietnam, the world's third-largest

rice exporter, has set export prices in

preparation to meet an import demand of

187,000 tonnes by Philippine private traders,

which may lead to lower price levels in early

2015, traders said on Wednesday.Last

month, the Philippines' state grains

procurement agency allowed private traders

to import 187,000 tonnes of rice and said

shipments must arrive on or before Feb.

28.Exporters must sell the 5-percent broken

rice to Philippine importers at $385 a tonne,

free-on-board Saigon Port, industry body the

Vietnam Food Association said in a Dec. 31

statement seen by Reuters on

Wednesday.The floors are $375 a tonne for

the 10-percent broken grade and $365 a

tonne for the 15-percent broken grade, the

statement said. All the prices are valid

between Jan. 1-31.Previously, the

association set the export price floor for the

25-percent broken variety at $380 a tonne as

of Nov. 25, 2014.

"The export prices for the Philippines now

are lower than the previous floor, so it could

be the new benchmark for other orders,"

said a Vietnamese trader in Ho Chi Minh

City.The 5-percent broken rice was quoted

this week at $380-$390 a tonne, FOB basis,

widening from $385-$390 per tonne quoted

before the New Year holidays, while buyers

were still absent and stocks remained low,

traders said.Vietnam could export 7 million

tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes of rice this year,

mainly to China and Southeast Asian

countries, after shipping around 7.5 million

tonnes in 2014, a state-run online news site

said, citing industry targets.

The Philippines, Vietnam's second-biggest

rice buyer in 2014 after China, is expected

to import between 1.5 million and 2 million

tonnes from Vietnam this year, the Customs

Department news site said, citing Vietnam

Food Association projections.

Source with thanks: http://www.abs-

cbnnews.com/business/01/07/15/vietnam-sets-

rice-export-prices-philippine-demand

50 DPCs opened for

procuring paddy

District Collector S. Palanisamy inaugurating

the direct purchase centre for paddy at

Pattamangalam village in Nagapattinam district

on Monday.— Photo: DIPR

Five lakh tonnes fixed as procurement target

for Nagapattinam district

The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation

has opened 50 direct purchase centres

(DPCs) for procuring paddy from farmers

during the samba and thaladi harvest

season.Disclosing this after inaugurating the

procurement for the Kharif season at a DPC

at Pattamangalam village in Keezhvelur

taluk, Collector S.Palanisamy said that

initially 15 DPCs have been opened in

Nagapattinam division and 35 in

Mayiladuthurai division.More DPCs would

be opened depending on the requirement. If

there were more than 300 bags at a single

place, a mobile DPC would visit the spot to

procure the paddy from the farmers, he said.

Paddy has been raised on 1.02 lakh hectares

during the samba season in the district. A

procurement target of five lakh tonnes has

been fixed for the district.Farmers would get

Rs.1,410 a quintal for common variety and

Rs.1,470 a quintal for fine variety at the

DPCs. TNCSC employees have been

instructed to ensure that farmers did not face

any problem in selling their produce at the

DPCs. Adequate cash and stock of gunny

bags have been kept ready.Mr.Palanisamy

instructed officials to ensure that farmers

were not made to wait for long to sell their

produce at the DPCs.Nagai Mali, MLA,

M.Radhakrishnan, Senior Regional

Manager, TNCSC, and other officials were

present.

Source with thanks:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-

nadu/50-dpcs-opened-for-procuring-

paddy/article6762135.ece?ref=tpnews

Iran ban, Iraq duty hike to

take a toll on rice exporters Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau Jan 6, 2015,

12.35PM IST

Tags:rice|Iraq|Iran|Gurdaspur

Overseas|basmati rice|All India Rice

Exporters' Association

KOLKATA: India's rice exporters may end

the current fiscal on a damp note as Iraq has

doubled the import duty to 40%,

while Iran has clamped an outright ban at a

time when price realisation has slipped 15-

20% in overseas markets.A senior official

of All India Rice Exporters'

Association(AIREA) told ET that traders are

currently shipping only rice consignments

with permits of last year to Iran. "We are

hoping that Iran will lift the ban. We are

planning to send a delegation to Iran in early

February to sort out the issue," said the

official, requesting not to be named.The

official added that the sudden increase in

import duty by Iraq has come as a major

blow and it is bound to impact exports to the

country.

According to an estimate by exporters,

basmati shipments are likely to come down

to 35 lakh tonne from 37 lakh tonne in the

previous year.Iran has barred rice from other

countries as its local crop is reported to be

good this year and is set to arrive in the

market there.The country imported over

12.5 lakh tonne of rice during April-July

2014, compared with 14.5 lakh tonnes in the

year-ago period.In the past two years, Iran

has bought over 2.5 million tonne of basmati

rice from India.The average price realisation

has declined to $800-1,100 per tonne from

$1,0001,300 per tonne last year.

Exports of basmati rice in the first seven

months of the current fiscal declined over

8% to 19.36 lakh tonne from 21.13 lakh

tonnes in the year-ago period. However,

exports of non-basmati rice between April

and October 2014 stayed almost the same as

in the previous year, at about 4.2 lakh

tonne.The lacklustre export demand of

basmati rice has pushed down prices in the

domestic market as well, with farmers

getting Rs 3,200 per quintal for Pusa 1121

crop, compared with Rs 4,100 last

year.Retail prices of basmati rice may fall

further in the domestic market if exports

slump, said Bal Krishna Mittal, managing

director of Gurdaspur Overseas, which deals

in basmati rice.Output of basmati rice in the

kharif, or summer, season in 2014 was

robust at about 81 lakh tonnes, up from 66

lakh tonnes in the previous year.

Source with thanks :The Economic Times India

I mark for basmati delayed

as MP cos, farmers oppose

APEDA

Apeda representatives said GI registration

should be seen from a "national interest"

perspective, as Pakistan also is claiming rights

over Basmati

Gireesh Babu & T E Narasimhan | Chennai

January 7, 2015 Last Updated at 22:32 IST

While the Agriculture and

Processed Food Products Export

Development Agency (Apeda) is in a hurry

to register the geographical indication (GI)

for Basmati rice, the agency’s legal battles

with Madhya Pradesh-based companies and

farmers are delaying the process. Basmati

Growers Association of Pakistan has also

challenged Apeda’s

move.Apeda representatives said the GI

registration should be seen from a ―national

interest‖ perspective, as Pakistan is also

claiming rights over Basmati.

Apeda and the Madhya Pradesh government

and growers have been locked in a dispute

on whether the Basmati grown in these parts

has the characteristics of original Basmati

grown in Uttarakhand, claimed for inclusion

in GI registry.The agency has challenged the

GI Registry order, asking them to amend the

application for registration to include the

uncovered area, including certain areas in

Madhya Pradesh, before the Intellectual

Property Appellate Board (IPAB).The legal

battle is on at IPAB, in Chennai. On

Monday, when various appeals and petitions

related to the GI registration had come up, a

new petition was filed by MP-based New

Darpan Social Welfare Society to implead in

the case.

During the hearing, IPAB chairman K N

Basha and technical member (trade marks)

Sanjeev Kumar Chaswal posted the matter

for hearing to the last week of February .

The Board has heard six of the nine

applications, related to the matter and need

to hear the Basmati Growers Association

from Pakistan, along with another

application from Daawat Foods, a leading

company in the business.A K Gupta,

director of Apeda, said, ―We must have the

GI for Basmati before others start claiming

and it is important from the global

perceptive as the matter is of national

interest.‖ He added if everybody starts

claiming and growing, it would lead to

oversupply. This will have consequences on

farmers.

Apeda is defending the GI of Basmati grown

in two districts of Jammu and Kashmir,

undivided Punjab, Haryana, Himachal

Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh and

Delhi.―We are in a bit of hurry to register

the GI in India,‖ the counsel for Apeda told

IPAB on Monday.Experts said if Apeda

includes MP, other states will claim it, too.

This would make the GI weak. The

Pakistani claim says: ―Basmati is a name for

a slender, aromatic and long-grain variety

of rice grown in the specific geographical

area at the foothills of the Himalayas in

Pakistan.‖Three years ago, it was proposed

that both India and Pakistan apply for a GI

but for various political and legal reasons,

the plan was dropped.

Source with thanks: The Business Standard

Rice may become first crop

in cap-and-trade program

Posted: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 12:08

am

By Andrew

Creasey/ [email protected]

Rice could soon become the first crop in

California's cap-and-trade program, but it is

unclear if the program provides enough

incentives to motivate farmers to change

their growing practices.In a December

meeting, the California Air Resources Board

directed staff to begin the process for

including rice in the cap-and-trade program,

which is part of a statewide program to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990

levels by 2020.

The idea is to provide economic incentives

for major investment in cleaner technologies

and conservation practices. It's a key

element of California's greenhouse gas

emissions reduction strategy and a

component of the state's ba tle against

climate change, according to a staff

report.The program would allow rice

farmers to sell carbon emission allowances,

which they can accrue by changing their

growing practices to reduce the number of

days rice fields are flooded during the

growing season.

The proposed voluntary program offers two

ways for farmers to receive carbon

credit.The first is to switch from wet

seeding, when farmers plant seeds into

already-flooded fields, to dry seeding, where

farmers drill or scatter into a dry or moist

seedbed. The practice could result in an

additional seven to 10 non-flooded days

during the cultivation season, according to

the CARB staff report.The other method is

to drain the rice fields during harvest seven

to 10 days earlier than in a normal drainage

schedule.

The carbon offset credits would only be

offered during the growing season, so as not

to affect the amount of days rice fields are

flooded in the winter — fields that are

utilized by migratory birds for habitat and

food.Climate change will affect virtually

every sector of California's economy and

most of its ecosystems, according to a report

from the 2010 Climate Action Team.

California is particularly vulnerable to

climate change due to its coastal properties,

reliance on snowpack for water supply and

vulnerability to forest fires.The issue with

the rice cap-and-trade program is that, with

the current price of carbon, there is not a

strong economic incentive for growers to

change their practices, said Paul Buttner,

manager of environmental affairs for the

California Rice Commission.

Farmers can sell carbon offsets or

allowances to industries or other entities that

produce greenhouse gases. Such entities can

neutralize their own emissions by

purchasing the carbon credits at quarterly

auctions run by the Air Resources Control

Board."The revenue potential is quite

modest, easily less than 1 percent of the cost

to produce rice," Buttner said. "They're

going to have to be keenly interested to

make that a priority."Tom Butler has been

planting rice with the dry-seeding method at

his Robbins-area farm in Sutter County

since 2007. He has participated in a pilot

program for the cap-and-trade proposal

since 2011.Butler said dry-seeding practices

have increased his yield and weed control.

But he cautioned his property is ideal for

dry-seeding, which requires the land to drain

quickly. Farmers in areas where the soil is

thick with clay will not have such success

with dry seeding, Butler said.

"The pilot program found that there is some

benefit there, but it's not a gigantic windfall

(of revenue)," Butler said. "I would have a

hard time seeing any farmer doing it to get

an extra $4 of $5 per acre. In the short and

long term, I don't think that will be

viable."Buttner said the price of carbon

could increase in the future."If it doubles or

triples, that would make the economics more

attractive," Buttner said. "There's value in

building this program and developing it for

growers."The price of California carbon

allowance futures has dropped markedly

since reaching $23.75 in September 2012.

The price had fallen to $12.58 as of Dec. 24,

according to data from the Intercontinental

Exchange.

What it means Flooded rice fields create habitat for

microorganisms that eat and digest plant

matter and, as a byproduct, produce

methane, a greenhouse gas.Methane

emissions from rice fields account for 0.1

percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in

the United State, according to a California

Air Resource Board staff report.Rice would

be the first crop included in a carbon cap-

and-trade program and has a potential offset

supply of 0.5 to three million metric tons of

carbon, according to the report.The

proposed action would not eliminate

existing businesses and would not affect the

creation of new businesses or the expansion

of existing businesses.

It would not eliminate jobs or affect the

creation of jobs, according to the staff

report.There will be a comment period on

including rice in the cap-and-trade program

in late February. The final vote to approve

the program is not expected until mid-2015,

said Paul Buttner, manager of environmental

affairs for the California Rice

Commission."The vote last month was

unanimous to move the program forward,"

Buttner said. "It's likely that the measure

will pass the next vote."

— Andrew Creasey

Source with thanks: http://www.appeal-

democrat.com/news/rice-may-become-first-crop-in-cap-and-trade-

program/article_3bf4dd5c-9641-11e4-995d-

6fb7a57d419c.html?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+January+

7%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+20

13&utm_medium=email

Rice farmers want export

restrictions against Cuba

lifted

Posted: Jan 06, 2015 5:34 PM

PSTUpdated: Jan 06, 2015 5:34 PM PST

By Theresa Schmidt

A group of

rice farmers

and others

from our

region will

travel to

Washington

D.C. to lobby for trade restrictions to be

lifted to allow exports to Cuba.Since 1962

there's been an embargo in place that

prevented exports to Cuba-- except for a

brief period during the Clinton

administration.Rice farmers like Brian Wild

from Jeff Davis Parish say allowing rice

exports to Cuba would make a big

difference for growers in this region. "It

would make a tremendous difference to

me. Our prices are down about 20 to 25

percent from last year.

They're below our cost of production. I've

heard figures as high as this market could

mean as much as two billion dollars to

Louisiana and to the south as a

whole."Besides, Wild says the embargo

hasn't accomplished anything."It's not an

embargo against Cuba, it's an embargo

against the Louisiana rice farmers because

that market was taken from us and Castro is

still, he's getting his rice. They're importing

their rice from Vietnam now, so they're still

getting rice.

"Wild and other farmers attended a rice and

soybean clinic in Welsh. LSU AgCenter

economist Dr. Mike Salassi says it would be

a major market for farmers here:"To rice

farmers in Louisiana it will mean a very

close, major export market that's going to

increase the demand for their product, which

is going to increase the price that they

receive and so that's why there's such

interest.Salassi says a mechanism is needed

to transfer money between the two countries

."One of the major limitations or restrictions

with trade right now is having a banking

system or banking arrangement with Cuba

that can facilitate international trade and

that's one of the factors that the producers

and the rice industry of the United States

and Louisiana are working toward to try to

get financial arrangements established so

that trade can occur between the two

countries." Wild and others including

millers and processors, plan to travel to

Washington D.C. to lobby for relaxed

restrictions to allow rice exports to Cuba.

Source with thanks:

http://www.kplctv.com/story/27777300/rice-farmers-want-

export-restrictions-against-cuba-

lifted?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+January+7%2C

+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2

013&utm_medium=email

Louisiana Rice Farmers

Announce Plans for State

Meeting

JENNINGS, LA --

The Louisiana

Rice Council

(LARC) and the

Louisiana Rice

Growers

Association

(LARGA),

Louisiana's two largest grower organizations,

have scheduled their annual joint membership

meeting for Tuesday, February 10. The meeting

will be held at a new location, the Grande

Marais Center here, and will open with a trade

show and reception at 4 p.m. followed by the

program at 5:45 p.m. Dinner will be served.

Eric Unkel

"This meeting provides

an annual report to rice

farmers on programs

funded by the

Louisiana rice

promotion check-off as

well as timely

information on other

important issues," said Eric Unkel, a rice farmer

from Allen Parish and LARC president. "I

encourage all rice industry stakeholders to

attend."The featured speaker will be Kevin

Norton, state conservationist, U.S. Department

of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation

Service, who will discuss conservation

opportunities for rice farmers through Farm Bill

programs. USA Rice Federation staff will report

on the Federation's activities and promotional

achievements. Louisiana Department of

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike

Strain will address issues of concern to the

Louisiana rice industry.

Jeffery Sylvester

"This is the largest gathering of rice farmers in

the state each year," said Jeffery Sylvester, an

Evangeline Parish rice farmer and LARGA

president. "It's what makes this event the perfect

place to display rice-related equipment,

technology, products and services, and show

support for the Louisiana rice industry."

USA Rice also will participate in the Central

Louisiana Rice Growers Association Annual

Membership meeting on Wednesday, February

11, 11 a.m. at Dean Lee Experiment station in

Alexandria, LA, and the Northeast LA Rice

Growers Association Rice Forum on Thursday,

February 12, 9 a.m. at the Delhi Civic Center in

Delhi, LA. For information on the meetings,

including sponsorship and exhibit opportunities,

contact Randy Jemison.

Contact: Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009

Source with thanks:USA Rice Federation

Two more varieties of hybrid

rice introduced Abu Bakar Siddique

The new varieties, BADC Hybrid Dhan 2

and Buyer Hybrid Dhan 4, were released on

Monday, each variety having the capacity of

producing around six tonnes of paddy per

hectare

The government has introduced two more

varieties of hybrid rice for cultivation

aiming to boost the rice production in the

country.The new varieties, BADC Hybrid

Dhan 2 and Buyer Hybrid Dhan 4, were

released on Monday, each variety having the

capacity of producing around six tonnes of

paddy per hectare.Anwar Faruque, director

general of the Ministry of Agriculture’s

Seed Wing, said the government gives

priority to the cultivation of more hybrid

varieties to boost the food production in the

country, and introducing the two new hybrid

varieties is a part of that.

According to the Department of Agriculture

Extension (DAE), the annual paddy

production, in Bangladesh is around 3.38

million tonnes.The paddy production using

traditional and locally developed high-

yielding varieties are two tonnes and 3.8

tonnes per hectare, respectively. The paddy

production using hybrid seed is 4.7 tonnes

per hectare.

Of the new hybrid paddy varieties, the

BADC Hybrid Dhan 2, sourced from China

by Bangladesh Agricultural Development

Corporation (BADC), has the production

capacity of 6.5-7.2 tonnes per hectare, and

the Buyer Hybrid 4, sourced from India by

Bayer Crop Science, has the production

capacity of 6-6.5 tonnes per hectare, sources

at the ministry said.Around 10-12% of the

total paddy production in the country came

from hybrid seeds, which is very low in

volume, said Anwar, who is also an

additional secretary at the ministry.

―The government is trying to enhance the

use of hybrid seeds to get more production

in the gradually reducing agricultural land to

ensure food security of the country,‖ he

added.The state-owned Bangladesh Rice

Research Institute (BRRI) has developed 62

varieties of paddy so far. Of them, the

number of hybrid varieties is only six.A total

of 132 varieties of hybrid paddy have been

introduced in Bangladesh. Of them, the

BADC developed two varieties, the BRRI

developed six, and the rest were developed

by private companies.

Source with thanks:

www.dhakatribune.com/agriculture/2015/jan

/08/two-more-varieties-hybrid-rice-

introduced#sthash.JkkJtSaV.dpuf

Chinese High-Yield Rice

Tech to go to Bangladesh

Andrian Darylle Torralba |

Jan 07, 2015 11:50 AM EST

(Photo : Creative Commons: Flickr)

China is sharing its high-yield rice planting

technology with the people of

Bangladesh.According to BD News 24,

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan

Mahmood Ali announced a rice research

center will be set up in Bangladesh. This

after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi paid

his country a visit.The Bangladeshi foreign

minister said the meeting was a success, and

that he believes this has strengthened the

relationship between both countries. "It's a

big development (transferring technology of

high-yield rice)," Ali said.

He also pointed out that food production in

Bangladesh needs to be increased and that

rice-growing technology used by the

Chinese people will really help them in this

area. To make the relationship even

stronger, China has decided to invest

US$1.2 billion to finance the transfer

project.In addition to the technology transfer

and setting up the rice research center in

Bangladesh, there were five areas of

cooperation the countries agreed to

prioritize. Agriculture, trade, energy,

industry, and infrastructure made it to the

list.The relocation of several Chinese

factories to Bangladesh was also discussed

during the meeting.Power plants and oil and

gas exploration projects were also discussed

during the meeting between the two foreign

ministers. Setting up a specialized economic

trade zone in Bangladesh was also raised.

Source with

thanks:http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/3

1236/20150107/impressive-yielding-rice-

technology-china-moved-

bangladesh.htm#ixzz3OHW3kCLL

China helps Fiji reduce

reliance on imported rice

Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-1-7 14:12:28

_______________________________________

_

A team of rice experts from China helped Fiji to

implement a rice development program worth

some 5 million US dollars in Vanua Levu, Fiji's

major northern island, the Fijian government

announced Wednesday.Uraia Waibuta, acting

permanent secretary of Fiji's Ministry of

Agriculture said the Chinese expert team is in

the South Pacific island country to demonstrate

and train farmers and agriculture officers the

technologies to increase rice production, to

improve local varieties and introduce best

cultivation techniques to local rice farmers,

according to the Department of Information.

The team is expected to work at the Northern

Dreketi Irrigation Project on 200 hectares of rice

land extension and also at the Koronivia

Research Station for rice seeds experiment and

research.

A memorandum of understanding between

China and Fiji has been signed to boost rice

production in Fiji.The China Shandong

International Economic and Technical

Cooperation Group Limited in technical

partnership with world- known hybrid rice seeds

company, Yuan Longping High-Tech

Agriculture Company Limited are expected to

work together with Fiji's Ministry of Agriculture

in producing more rice locally.Fiji currently

imports some 20 million US dollar worth of rice

annually, the Department of Information said,

adding that " the assistance provided by the

Chinese rice experts is an opportunity for Fiji to

reduce its rice import bill".

Posted in: Diplomacy

Source with

thanks://www.globaltimes.cn/content/900434.sh

tml

Minister confident rice self

sufficiency in less than

three years

Rabu, 7 Januari 2015 20:46 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Agriculture Minister

Amran Sulaiman said he is confident self

sufficiency in rice would be reached in less than

three years.The minister said here on

Wednesday, President Joko Widodo sets the self

sufficiency target for rice, corn and soybean in

three years."Rice self sufficiency would be

reached in less than three years. We set the

target for ourselves that in 2016 we would be

self sufficient in rice supply," he said. He said

the government has set aside Rp20 trillion to

reach the food self sufficiency including Rp16

trillion from the state budget and Rp4 trillion in

Special Allocation Fund (DAK).In addition, the

ministry has allocated Rp4.1 trillion in fund set

aside for less productive sectors to productive

sectors to speed up the process to reach the

target, he said.

The productive sectors include irrigation system,

seed and fertilizer procurement as well as

procurement of farming tools and machines, he

said on the sidelines of the installation of new

Food Crop Director General Hasil Sembiring.

"So far damaged irrigation channels,

inefficiency in seeds, fertilizers and farming

tools and machines have been the main factors

failure in achieving food self sufficiency," he

said. Meanwhile Hasil Sembiring also said he

was confident the food self sufficiency target

could be achieved. Hasil Sembiring, who was

former head of the Sukamdani Rice Research

Center, replaced Udoro Kasih Anggoro as the

new food crop director general.He said he had

no special program, adding he needs only to

carry out the program is already set by the

minister.(*)

Source with

thanks:http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/972

31/minister-confident-rice-self-sufficiency-in-

less-than-three-years

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

WASHINGTON, DC -- 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 became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous

announcement.

World Price MLG/LDP

Rate

Milled Value

($/cwt)

Rough

($/cwt) Rough ($/cwt)

Long-Grain 16.76 10.63 0.00

Medium-/Short-Grain 16.19 10.90 0.00

Brokens 10.11 ---- ----

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

Whole/Broken

(lbs/cwt)

Loan Rate

($/cwt)

Long-Grain 55.83/12.59 6.50

Medium-/Short-Grain 62.39/7.92 6.50

The next program announcement is scheduled for January 14.

Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for January 7

Month Price Net Change

January 2015 $11.410 + $0.050

March 2015 $11.650 + $0.045

May 2015 $11.870 + $0.045

July 2015 $12.095 + $0.035

September 2015 $11.610 + $0.040

November 2015 $11.575 + $0.045

January 2016 $11.725 + $0.045

Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation