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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter
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May 21,2015
Vol 5,Issue V
Flower power for the win May 21, 2015, 7:51 AM IST Vikram Doctor |
Watching someone chop cauliflower might hardly sound interesting, but with a friend of my
father‘s it was. His family was orthodox Jain, which meant, he told us, that they had to be
particularly careful with cauliflower in case the fleshy heads hid tiny insects that could be killed
during cooking.So he would sit with a small knife dissecting the cauliflower with all the finesse
of a surgeon, reducing it to a pile of tiny florets and diced stalks within which no insect could
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lurk. The reward for this patience was that the fragments cooked instantly; just a brief toss in the
pan with hot oil, spices and salt, and they were done,
without losing an essential freshness.
Nothing could be further from Jain cooking than the currently trendy Paleo diet. It argues we
should eat like our cavemen ancestors since our bodies evolved for their hunter-gatherer
lifestyle; it is the foods of farming that followed which are unnatural and cause obesity and
sickness. So reduce or eliminate grains, legumes and dairy (all Jain staples), and eat lots of meat,
nuts and non-starchy vegetables.Debating this theory is not the point here. Like all diets it
probably works to some extent simply by making people conscious of what they eat — paying
large sums of money to dietitians is an even more effective way to do this — so they restrain
themselves, at least until they get bored and the diet is forgotten.
But the one useful thing diets do is make you aware of new ways to use ingredients. I think many
people who have tried and abandoned diets retain at least a few recipes that they find good
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enough to keep making. With Paleo one which is proving popular is cauliflower rice, a substitute
for grains made by grating raw cauliflower (or pulsing briefly in a mixie) into morsels about the
size of cooked basmati rice and then steaming or braising them briefly till just cooked.Because
cauliflower is firm they hold their shape, but still become soft and yielding, just like rice. It isn‘t
quite the same — they are chewier and lack the starchy satisfaction of rice, yet at quick glance a
pile of cauliflower rice can look and feel a lot like poha.
Tint it with turmeric and cook with onions, nuts and chopped greens and you can fool people
into thinking it‘s a healthy pulao, especially if you cheat and throw in some brown rice
or bulghur wheat.This is also useful (without wheat) for gluten-intolerant people, but what I
really like about cauliflower rice is that it doesn‘t feel like diet food at all. You can serve it at a
fancy meal as an accompaniment to other dishes or eat it every day and feel happily, and
healthily, replete. You could feel, in fact, much as I would after eating that essentially
similar Jain dish: happy at how the simplest techniques can yield such great results — and even
find common ground between Paleo and Jain cooking!
(Fascinating nuggets from epicurean history) DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
SunRice furthers Northern pledge 21 May, 2015 03:00 AM
The field day included a tour of Allan Milan‘s rice crop. Allan is pictured with SunRice‘s
Brandon Mill Manager Steven Rogers.
SUNRICE hosted
another successful Rice
Field Day in Brandon
for 60 local farmers,
suppliers and other
members of the
agribusiness community
on May 14.The event
was a follow up to two
previous field days and
this time participants
had the chance to meet
and hear from SunRice
CEO Rob Gordon
during a series of
presentations preceding
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the field day component.Mr Gordon‘s presentation explained to growers SunRice‘s commitment
to building a sustainable rice industry in north Queensland. He outlined the company‘s state-of-
the-art operations and infrastructure and also its unique and innovative marketing capabilities.
―SunRice sees exciting potential in north Queensland and the opportunity to increase production
significantly over the coming years. Mr Gordon said.
―There is strong international demand for clean and green Australian rice and we need
Queensland growers to help us meet this demand,‖ he said.―We are committed to growing the
north Queensland rice industry and events like this one are an important way for us to add value
and provide assistance and advice to growers looking to grow rice.‖Attendees at the presentation
component enjoyed a technical presentation from SunRice‘s Brandon Mill Manager Steven
Rogers about how to grow rice, and a presentation from Rice Research Australia‘s Manager
Russell Ford on the latest in rice research and development including suitable varieties for
Queensland conditions and variety development underway for Northern Australia.
Another highlight of the event was the afternoon tour of four local farms near Brandon who have
started growing rice. These growers – Lawrence Pavone, Alan Milan, Ross Pirrone and Ben
Nielson – were able to show first-hand how they had integrated rice into their farming
systems.Since the acquisition of Blue Ribbon Rice Group‘s assets was completed in late 2014,
SunRice has made significant capital improvements to the Brandon Mill including purchase of a
new huller and colour sorter. In addition, the response from local growers has been extremely
positive with a successful Queensland rice harvest in the C14 dry season and an even larger crop
expected from the C15 wet season crop
http://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/news/agriculture/cropping/general-news/sunrice-furthers-
northern-pledge/2732689.aspx
Balance of rice supply and demand key to food
security'
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION May 21, 2015 1:00 am
COOPERATION among rice-producing and -importing nations is crucial to ensuring global food
security as the world is challenged by a rapidly rising population, climate change, low-quality
soil and reduced water sources for growing cereal crops, the "Thailand Rice Convention" heard
yesterday.At the convention, held in Bangkok and chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha,
speakers said the world needed to cooperate in balancing supply and demand, so that neither
farmers nor consumers suffered from imbalances or fluctuating rice prices.Prayut said that as the
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world's leading rice producer, Thailand did not want to see skyrocketing prices, as they would
hurt both consumers and farmers in the long run.
The key to ensuring global food security and making rice-producing countries like Thailand and
others in Asean happy is to cooperate in balancing supply and demand, so that rice prices are
stable, he stressed.The world is being challenged by its rising population and higher rice
consumption, he said, adding that the rice market had expanded to all regions of the globe, no
longer limited largely to Asia as it was increasingly recognised as a high-nutrition
cereal."Already, more than 3 billion people consume rice as their staple food, causing many
countries to turn their attention to developing rice varieties and optimising the capacity of rice
cultivation and trade.
The next 20 years
"In the next 20 years, the world's population will increase by 20 per cent, and that implies more
rice consumption. Therefore, every nation should cooperate more in the form of research and
development in rice production and trading," said the prime minister.Within Asean, Thailand
will strive to forge closer cooperation to ensure stable rice prices in the world market, while
farmers will get stable and better incomes in the long run, he said.To promote rice-industry
growth, Prayut said the government would focus on promoting the production of quality rice, at a
higher volume, and with less intervention in the market.The government aims to increase the
yield for Thai rice by 25 per cent in the next five years, while lowering production costs by 20
per cent over the same period, he said.
Prayut said the focus on non-chemical rice production, and on premium rice grains and varieties,
would be promoted in the Kingdom.Jeremy Zwinger, president and chief executive officer of
The Rice Trader industry report in the US, said every nation needed to be more concerned about
food security because of rising population numbers, as well as reduced sources of water for the
cultivation of crops."Food is critical. The world should focus on adopting high technology to
produce more rice grains, and increase supply of rice to ensure price stability," he said.Zwinger
said global rice trading now took place in a highly competitive environment, especially in Asia,
where most of the major supply nations are located.
Along with lower oil prices, high stockpiles of rice in Thailand have caused a fall in prices in
recent times, although they could fluctuate and increase in the future as fuel prices rise, rice
stocks decline in many countries, and exchange rates fluctuate, he told the convention.Chookiat
Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the key for
sustainable development of the Thai industry was to introduce zoning for rice cultivation, while
no government should intervene in the trading mechanism.
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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Balance-of-rice-supply-and-demand-key-to-food-secu-
30260563.html
Philippines, Indonesia to buy more rice on El Nino fears MANILA, May 21, 2015:
Philippine president Benigno Aquino has
approved a proposal to import more rice
this year, government sources said, in a
move to avert a potential spike in food
price inflation due to forecast El Nino
affected dry weather conditions.Fresh
buying by the Philippines, one of the
world‘s biggest rice importers, could
help support rice export prices in Asia,
which have fallen in recent months
because of weak demand.The final terms
of the increased imports, which normally
specify the amount and variety, are still subject to approval by the National Food Authority
Council headed by food security chief Francis Pangilinan, the two sources said.
The Philippine government last week revised down its estimate of first-half domestic rice
production, with dry weather already affecting more than half of the country‘s 81 provinces.The
sources declined to disclose the volume of additional imports, although industry sources have
said the Philippines may buy up to 310,000 tonnes more this year, with shipments expected
before the lean harvest season starting July.The Southeast Asian nation recently bought 500,000
tonnes via government-to-government deals with key sellers Vietnam and Thailand, and regional
supplies remain abundant.Thailand, the world‘s second-biggest rice exporter after India, has said
its plans to sell two million tonnes of rice over the next two months from stockpiles built up
under the previous administration‘s failed buying programme.
In Vietnam, the world‘s third-largest exporter where prices have weakened this week on a lack of
buying demand, a new crop harvest will begin from around late June, traders said.A dramatic rise
in retail rice prices in the Philippines last year after damage to supply chains from Super
Typhoon Haiyan pushed food price inflation to the highest in more than five years.Economic
planning secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in March that the government must guard against
future food price spikes, which had driven up the country‘s poverty rate.The El Nino
phenomenon, a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, can lead to scorching
weather across Asia and east Africa and is almost certain to last through the northern hemisphere
summer, the US weather forecaster has said.A significant El Nino would put the Philippines‘
headline inflation well over the 2-4% target by 2016, which could put the central bank under
pressure to raise interest rates sooner than expected, HSBC economists said this month.
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Indonesia‘s president could also be forced to backtrack on promises to curb rice imports, with
analysts saying the country may ship in as much as 1.6 million tonnes of the staple grain this
year due to soaring prices at home and the threat of a strong El Nino.Since coming to power in
October, president Joko Widodo has been aggressively pursuing self-sufficiency in various foods
as part of an increasingly nationalistic approach to protecting farmers, reducing state imports of
rice in a country where private buying from overseas has been largely banned for decades.But
rather than risk a spike in food inflation that could prompt social unrest, some analysts predict
the country will import volumes of rice way higher than the 1.1 million tonnes estimated for last
year, maintaining its position as one of the world‘s top buyers of overseas grain.
http://www.therakyatpost.com/business/2015/05/21/philippines-indonesia-to-buy-more-rice-on-el-nino-
fears/
Philippines to import extra rice as El Nino bites - sources
Reuters
Posted at 05/21/2015 2:22 PM | Updated as of 05/22/2015 12:26 PM
MANILA - President Benigno Aquino has approved a proposal to import more rice this year,
government sources said, in a move to avert a potential spike in food price inflation due to
forecast El Nino affected dry weather conditions.Fresh buying by the Philippines, one of the
world's biggest rice importers, could help support rice export prices in Asia, which have fallen in
recent months because of weak demand.The final terms of the increased imports, which normally
specify the amount and variety, are still subject to approval by the National Food Authority
(NFA) Council headed by Food Security Chief Francis Pangilinan, the two sources said.The
Philippine government last week revised down its estimate of first-half domestic rice production,
with dry weather already affecting more than half of the country's 81 provinces.
The sources declined to disclose the volume of additional imports, although industry sources
have said the Philippines may buy up to 310,000 tonnes more this year, with shipments expected
before the lean harvest season starting July.The Southeast Asian nation recently bought 500,000
tonnes via government-to-government deals with key sellers Vietnam and Thailand, and regional
supplies remain abundant.Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter after India, has said
its plans to sell 2 million tonnes of rice over the next two months from stockpiles built up under
the previous administration's failed buying program.In Vietnam, the world's third-largest
exporter where prices have weakened this week on a lack of buying demand, a new crop harvest
will begin from around late June, traders said.
FOOD INFLATION IN FOCUS
A dramatic rise in retail rice prices in the Philippines last year after damage to supply chains
from Super Typhoon Haiyan pushed food price inflation to the highest in more than five
years.Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in March that the government must
guard against future food price spikes, which had driven up the country's poverty rate.
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The El Nino phenomenon, a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, can lead to
scorching weather across Asia and east Africa and is almost certain to last through the Northern
Hemisphere summer, the U.S. weather forecaster has said.A significant El Nino would put the
Philippines' headline inflation well over the 2-4 percent target by 2016, which could put the
central bank under pressure to raise interest rates sooner than expected, HSBC economists said
this month."We now expect two rate hikes in 1Q and 2Q (next year), but food inflation risks
could bring this into late 2015," HSBC said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/05/21/15/philippines-import-extra-rice-el-nino-bites-sources
Extension workers train on climate change-resilient
strategies in agriculture
May 21, 2015
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 21, 2014 (PIA) - With its continuous effort to promote sustainable
agriculture amidst challenges brought about by climate change, the Department of Agriculture-Regional
Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) conducted a training for the Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs)
handling rice and corn on May 12-14, 2015.The activity which was attended by around 30 AEWs from
the municipalities of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City aimed to enhance the capabilities of the
AEWs and strengthen their information dissemination and extension activities at the grassroots
level.Experts coming from the Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice), Philippine Crops Insurance Corporation and the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and
Livestock Research Complex (DA-NMACLRC) have imparted relevant information which are essential
in the promotion of climate-smart agriculture in order to build climate-resilient farming communities in
their respective areas.Topics tackled include: the contribution, effects and impact of agricultural activities
on climate change; mitigating and adaptation measures for climate change; climate change resilient
strategy through enhanced farmers‘ field schools (FFS); Prevention, Avoidance, Monitoring and
Suppression (PAMS) as pest management strategy; weather index based on crop damage assessment; and
rice crop manager and other management strategies.Moreover, the AEWs have also learned about
technical report writing which is relevant in the enhancement of their report writing skills as most of them
are FFS facilitators. With the conduct of the training, the DA is expecting that the local agriculture offices
through the trained AEWs will be able to extend the information to the farmer-clienteles and encourage
them to adopt efficient and appropriate technologies. The training was also previously conducted for the
AEWs in Camiguin and Misamis Occidental, while the next leg will be conducted in June 2015 for the
AEWs of Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon. (Vanessa Mae S. Siano, DA-RAFIS 10/PIA 10)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1471432195978/extension-workers-train-on-climate-change-resilient-
strategies-in-agriculture#sthash.xZ06zjFy.dpuf
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APEDA India News
Price on: 21-05-2015
Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price
Garlic
1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2100
2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000
3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1800
Ginger
1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600
2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100
3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000
Guar Gum Powder
1 Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 5740
2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3160
3 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3160
Source:agra-net For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 21-05-2015
Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price
Rice
1 Cachar (Assam) Other 2000 2500
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2 Nilagiri (Orissa) Other 2100 2300
3 Gadarpur (Uttrakhand) Other 1334 2239
Wheat
1 Amirgadh (Gujarat) Other 1250 1940
2 Attari (Punjab) Other 1450 1450
3 Dhing(Assam) Other 1450 1700
Mousambi
1 Banga (Punjab) Other 2500 2500
2 Taura(Haryana) Other 2500 3000
3 Mechua(West Bengal) Other 3400 3900
Brinjal
1 Banki (Orissa) Other 2800 3000
2 Aroor (Kerala) Other 2600 2800
3 Surat(Gujarat) Other 750 2250
Source:agra-net For more info
Egg Rs per 100 No
Price on 21-05-2015
Product Market Center Price
1 Pune 312
2 Nagapur 288
3 Namakkal 320
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package
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Price on 21-05-2015
Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High
Potatoes Package: 50 lb cartons
1 Atlanta Colorado Russet 23.50 23.50
2 Baltimore Idaho Russet 17 19
3 Detroit Wisconsin Russet 21 21.50
Carrots Package: 20 1-lb film bags
1 Atlanta California Baby Peeled 18 20.50
2 Dallas Arizona Baby Peeled 20 20
3 Philadelphia California Baby Peeled 16 17
Grapes Package: 18 lb containers bagged
1 Atlanta Mexico Black Seedless 33 34
2 Chicago Chile Black Seedless 18 20
3 Detroit Mexico Black Seedless 32 34.50
Source:USDA
Pacific trade pact is a good deal for rice farmers, waterfowl
Long-billed dowitchers forage in a rice field in Meridian last September. Increased rice exports under a
proposed Pacific trade deal could also benefit migrating waterfowl, some say. | Randall Benton Sacramento
Bee file MARK BIDDLECOMB, TIM JOHNSON
AND BILL MUELLER
Special to The Bee
There has been a lot of press about the Trans-Pacific Partnership leading up to a possible vote
this week on ―fast-track‖ authority for the Obama administration to negotiate a final deal.Some
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proponents laud it as the future of Pacific Rim trade. Some decry it as a further erosion of
American jobs and the environment.
Mark Biddlecomb
What does it practically mean for the Sacramento region?
The agriculture and food sector is one of our top economic drivers, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs
and $3.5 billion a year in economic input. The value of crop production grew to $2.15 billion in
2013; it is the one sector showing strong growth throughout the recession and contributing
positively to the nation‘s trade balance.Agriculture was the second biggest export sector for our
region in 2014; combined with agriculture-related products and machinery, it provided $1.4
billion in total exports.
Because of our region‘s location, we are uniquely situated to capitalize on the demand for
exports to Asia, and to bolster our North and South American trade opportunities.In the case of
our valley‘s iconic crop – rice – the Pacific trade agreement will expand markets for the next
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generation of farmers. Today our best export market for rice is Japan. The TPP promises to
expand that trade and improve the bottom line for family farms battered by the
drought.Expanding the rice market could be good for wildlife, too. The 4 million to 6 million
waterfowl that call the Central Valley home in the winter rely heavily on flooded rice fields for
food. Upward of 60 percent of the diet of ducks and geese comes from rice fields that farmers
flood after harvest.
Family farms and waterfowl both benefit from increased production the following spring.
Farmers have taken care of their rice straw and waterfowl return to their northern breeding
grounds in great shape due to the plentiful food resources farmers have provided. It‘s a win for
both.A legitimate question often raised is the effect of exporting water as a byproduct of trade.
Would the TPP simply allow for more export of our region‘s water in the form of raw
agricultural products?
While it may seem to be the case, increased exports will actually keep more of the water in the
Valley. During drought, there is increased movement of water from the Sacramento region to
meet the demands of urban users and of farmers in other regions. In the long-term, however,
economics will play an ever-increasing role.Strong demand for rice, wheat, tomatoes and other
crops grown in the Sacramento Valley ensures that farmers will continue to grow those crops and
that our region and the plethora of wildlife that utilize them, continue to enjoy the water that
irrigates those fields.For our region, the TPP will improve our economic opportunities and
continue to build one of our key regional advantages – agriculture – while at the same time
supporting our environment.
Mark Biddlecomb is Western region director for Ducks Unlimited. Tim Johnson is president and
CEO of the California Rice Commission. Bill Mueller is CEO of Valley Vision
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article21515271.html#storylink=cpy
Turnaround Tuesday’ taking toll on technical trading: Part I
May 20, 2015Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press
Scott Stiles says timing is everything, and, if he could have his druthers, he would rather have
given the talk he gave the Agricultural Council of Arkansas‘ board of directors on May 19 a day
earlier.―This is officially turnaround Tuesday,‖ said Stiles, an agricultural economist for the
University of Arkansas Extension Service who is based in Jonesboro. ―This last time I looked at
the markets today September rice was down 11, December corn down seven, November beans
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down 12.―That‘s below a key support. If they‘re down
12 that means they‘re trading at 9.23 so you really,
really need to pay attention to where November beans
close today if you‘re not hedged or priced. Wheat has
backed off its highs, and it‘s down 15 cents on the July
contract.‖Stiles was apologetic, saying he wished he
could have given the presentation on May, May 18,
when cotton and grains futures had all moved higher
because of a rally that began the previous week
following USDA‘s release of the May 12 World
Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates or WASDE report.By Tuesday, May 19, the cotton
and grains futures markets in New York and Chicago had given back most of those gains,
costing farmers who haven‘t priced their crops millions of dollars in potential returns at harvest.
―This is how marketing will have to be done over the next few years, but especially for this
year,‖ said Stiles. ―It‘s going to be very labor intensive. You understand that this is how we‘re
going to market – we‘re going to sell rallies.‖
70-cent rally
He used wheat as an example. After May 5, when the wheat market bottomed, the July contract
put on a 70-cent rally. ―When the market hands you 70 cents on a 6-bushel yield, or $42 a
bushel, you have to take that off the table,‖ said Stiles. That‘s how marketing has to be done.
You have to sell the rally, sell the rally, sell the rally. That‘s your three-step marketing
plan.‖Market watchers sometimes forget the impact a bullish move in one crop can have on
others. The rally in new crop wheat had the effect of pulling rice, soybeans, corn and cotton
somewhat higher during what some might call the spring rally.―You had this confluence of
weather news that came together,‖ said Stiles.
―The knee-jerk reaction in the grain market was this was a fund liquidation, and that‘s partly
true. The funds have a record net short position in corn, wheat and soybeans. Last week you saw
that 15,000 short contracts were liquidated in wheat.‖Driving that move was unusually cold
weather in the Dakotas that could cause some replanting of the corn, soybeans and wheat crops
in the upper Midwest. At the same time, growers have received too much rain leading to quality
concerns in the hard red winter wheat areas of the Plains and even now in the soft red winter
wheat areas of the Mid-South and Midwest.
Climatologists seem to be agreed that an El Nino weather phenomenon will occur in full force in
September, which could lead to disastrous weather conditions in Australia, India and in other key
markets. Australia is the fourth largest wheat exporters, and India has been playing an
increasingly larger role in the cotton, rice and wheat markets.―So you have some weather events
that could converge, and then you have to look at the technicals,‖ says Stiles. ―The technicians
look at the red line (on a wheat futures chart he displayed). It‘s a 100-day moving average, and
they said that if the market can close above this 100-day moving average then we‘ll move on to
that April double-top around $5.42. It didn‘t happen, and today you‘re seeing the market pull
back and correct.‖
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No fundamental changes
Did the fundamentals change in any of those markets? ―Absolutely not,‖ said Stiles. ―There are
very few bullish cards in the deck this year when you look at the global fundamentals situation.
Wheat, for example, has record-high ending stocks of 201 million metric tons, the highest since
2009. You had record production in the world last year.‖U.S. exports, as a result, are expected to
decline from 32 million metric tons to 23.4 million metric tons because of a combination of the
wheat surplus around the world and the strength of the U.S. dollar compared to other currencies.
―The U.S. is a residual supplier,‖ he said. ―We export a lot of wheat when there‘s a failure
somewhere else in the world or the dollar is weak compared to other currencies.‖Stiles suggested
growers mark June 30, the date the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Acreage
Report will be released, on their calendars and plan to have a major portion of their expected
2015 production hedged.In the March 31 Prospective Planting Report released by USDA, the
average of trade estimates was 1.5 million acres above the USDA forecast of 84.6 million acres
for the 2015 soybean crop. If achieved, the 84.6 million acres would be a record for the
U.S.Informa Economics, the Memphis, Tenn.-based economic forecasting firm, has released a
new estimate that is 2.5 million acres above the USDA NASS March 31 Planting Intentions
Report figure of 84.6 million.
―Informa is well-respected. They survey growers, they survey lenders, they survey agribusiness,
and someone is telling them there‘s more bean acreage out there,‖ said Stiles. ―It would be a
nuclear bomb in the soybean markets. If it‘s 87 million acres, that would take the carryover
estimate from the current 500 million bushels to 600 million, and that gets us back to the 2009-
10 lows of $7.86 per bushel.‖For more on the March 31 Prospective Plantings Report,
visithttp://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1136
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/turnaround-tuesday-taking-toll-technical-trading-part-i
Rice keeps US, Japan from signing the TPP
The Trans-Pacific Partnership – a free trade deal between the United States,
Canada, and 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region that‘s been under negotiation
for nearly a decade – is stuck… over rice.Whether to allow more rice imports into
Japan is among the few issues that have kept Washington and Tokyo from
concluding trade talks, reports The Wall Street Journal.Rice is a top obstacle for
the Japanese, even though it‘s less than 1% of the $200bn in annual trade between
Japan and the United States.
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Each year, Japan imports 770,000 tonnes of rice tariff-free, or about 10% of its annual
consumption, under a 1995 World Trade Organization quota agreement, reports The Wall Street
Journal. Also, of the total amount of rice imported, Japan allows up to 100,000 tonnes to reach
consumers. The rest is not allowed to enter the market. It is actually purchased by the
government and sold as animal feed at a fraction of the original cost or re-exported as food
aid.―Only small amount of [American] rice reaches Japanese consumers identified as US rice,
despite industry research showing Japanese consumers would buy US high quality rice if it were
more readily available,‖ the Office of the US Trade Representative said in its 2015 report on
foreign trade barriers.
While Japan has agreed to ease restrictions on beef and pork, it has rejected to do the same with
rice. The government reportedly fears a backlash from the country‘s 3.3 million rice growers,
trade officials say.―Even a small import increase of 10,000 tonnes or 20,000 tonnes could have a
big impact on the rice market,‖ said Akira Banzai, head of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, a
powerful farm lobby, was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
PH to import extra 500,000 MT rice May 21, 2015 9:48 pm
by James Konstantin Galvez
The inter-agency National Food Authority (NFA) Council has approved importation of another
500,000 metric tons of rice this year on expectations that local palay (unhusked rice) production
will fall short of target, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday.In an interview,
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala disclosed that Manila plans to import 250,000 MT to serve
as buffer stock during the so-called lean season (June-September), while delivery of the
remaining 250,000 MT still has to be decided by the NFA.The state-run grains agency is
required by law to have at least 15-day buffer stock at any given time, and 30-day buffer stock
during lean months.
Once completed, the new round of imports will bring total rice shipments to the Philippines to
1.3 million metric tons for this year.In February this year, Manila imported a total of 500,000
MT of rice through a government-to-government deal with Thailand and Vietnam.The NFA also
allowed entry of about 300,000 MT of rice under the minimum access volume commitment
under the World Trade Organization.In 2014, the Philippines‘ rice importation reached over 1.7
million MT, the biggest under the Aquino administration, and closer to the 2009 level of 1.8
million MT.―Based on projections, we will unlikely hit our target of 20.08 million MT of rice by
end of the year.
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So the council has agreed to import to fill the possible gap in our rice requirement,‖ Alcala
said.Despite another expected record year for the palay sector, the DA chief admitted that the
rice self-sufficiency goals remained elusive because of shortfalls in irrigation and other
government interventions.―By end of this year, our sufficiency level will be around 96-97
percent with more than 19 million MT of rice to be produced this year. This is roughly the same
level last year,‖ he said.The Bureau of Agricutlural Statistics said palay production reached
4.367 million MT in January-March 2015, higher by 1.41 percent from 4.306 million MT a year
ago.The positive growth was largely attributed to expansion in harvest areas and improvement in
yields of irrigated palay.
Forecasts on standing crops of palay indicate lower production in the second quarter of 2015 that
may bring about reduction in outputs for the staple crop in the first half of 2015.The NFA
attributed the lower projected output to effects of a dry spell on some crops.The April-June 2015
forecasts on standing crops indicate palay production of 3.90 million MT, 4.21 percent below the
4.07 million MT output in 2014, while the total first half production may reach 8.27 million MT,
1.32 percent below the 8.38 million MT output in 2014 http://www.manilatimes.net/ph-to-import-extra-500000-mt-rice/185419/
Happiness Eludes Divided Thailand as Farmers Struggle byChris Blake
7:44 PM PDT
May 20, 2015
Sakhon Sutasaeng points at posters of former Thai prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck
Shinawatra at his house in Khon Kaen province. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg
There‘s not much sign of Thailand‘s
yearlong military rule in Sakhon
Sutasaeng‘s home in the rice-growing
northeast region of Isan.In the traditional
thatched sala outside his house, beside a
sign that says ―Defend Democracy,‖
hangs a portrait of Thaksin Shinawatra,
deposed by a 2006 coup. Inside, on a
bookshelf, are photos of Thaksin‘s sister
Yingluck, whose government was
toppled by the military last May.―We‘re
waiting for the election next year,‖ said
Sakhon, 66, a retired agriculture ministry
official. Like many people in the region,
he still supports the political movement known as the Red Shirts, who backed Thaksin and his
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sister. ―If nothing happens we are ready to fight to have an election. We have more Red Shirts
than the military has soldiers.‖The junta seized power with a promise to bridge a decade of
political schism in the country, root out corruption and bring happiness. Coup leader-turned-
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said he‘ll return the country to democracy next year if there
is no dissent and a new constitution is put in place.Interviews with rice farmers in Isan, a bastion
of support for the parties of the Shinawatras, and rubber planters in the south, a stronghold of
their opponents, show that divisions in the country are as wide as ever and trouble may be
brewing if the government fails to boost the economy and keep its promise to hold elections.
Rejigging Constitution
―Whatever rejigging the constitution drafters might do to reformulate the electorate, the stark fact
is that farmers make up at least half of voters,‖ said David Streckfuss, a Thailand scholar based
in Isan. ―The military government can‘t expect to win the day with just its charm. There‘s not
much in the present draft constitution that would be attractive to the average farmer in the
northeast.‖Since taking over, the junta has had its work cut out. As well as quelling protests, it
has faced a global commodities slump, increasing competition from neighboring countries and
slowing demand from China. Consumer confidence fell in April to its lowest level in almost a
year, and the baht is Asia‘s worst-performing major currency so far this quarter.Output at
Thailand‘s factories has declined every month but one since March 2013. Economic growth last
quarter was probably about half the pace of Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.At the heart
of Thailand‘s political troubles is rice, the country‘s staple food and among its biggest export
earners. Agriculture employs almost half of the nation‘s workers.
Buying Votes?
Yingluck‘s party won an election in 2011 in part by appealing to rice farmers with a plan to
boost rural incomes by buying their crops at above-market rates. Her government also bought
rubber directly from farmers. Her opponents said the programs encouraged corruption and were a
form of vote buying.The cost of the rice program has risen to 536 billion baht ($16 billion)
according to the junta. Rice subsidies by successive governments over the past 10 years have
cost 700 billion baht, according to estimates from the Ministry of Finance.After the coup,
Yingluck was retroactively impeached by the junta‘s legislature and banned from politics for five
years for failing to stem losses from the subsidy. On Tuesday she was in court again, pleading
not guilty to negligence charges in a criminal trial that could see her spend up to 10 years in
prison.
Rice Reforms
Thaksin, who pursued a similar rice-purchase program, fled Thailand after being convicted by a
military-appointed court of corruption and abuse of power.Prime Minister Prayuth said the
government is restructuring the rice industry by reducing planting for a second harvest,
encouraging the production of higher-quality rice and helping farmers to improve yields and
reduce costs. Some farmers have also been barred from irrigating crops this year because of
concern about water shortages.Farmers in Isan aren‘t happy with the loss of their second harvest,
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which they say is more profitable than the first. They say there is plenty of water if only the
government would release it from dams. Isan is Thailand‘s poorest and biggest region, an area
larger than Greece where more than half the agricultural land is devoted to rice.Sovit Phoma, 52,
head of Dok Kra Jiew village in the region, said the loss of a second crop has slashed the
village‘s combined annual earnings from rice by two-thirds, to about 4 million baht. He said the
stable prices under Thaksin had allowed poor farmers to plan their lives, to borrow money and
invest in their future.―He gave me control over my life,‖ said Sovit, who took out loans that
allowed him to send his two children to university. ―He made rice farming a business.‖
Debt Struggle
Critics say the subsidies drained government resources. State stockpiles of the grain have risen to
16 million metric tons, from about 2 million tons before the government began paying
guaranteed prices in October 2011.Laongsri Phoma, a 46-year-old rice farmer in Isan, said the
subsidies flowed back into the economy.―If we have money it means the economy will grow,‖
she said. ―If we don‘t have money, how can people sell things? Who‘s going to be their
customers, because we‘re the majority of customers in the country.‖Without their second crop,
many farmers in the area say they‘re struggling to pay off debts. Apinam Nawan, 47, a rice
farmer who also breeds crickets for eating, said most families have debts of 300,000 baht or
more and are surviving on money sent from family members working in factories in the cities.
―We are going deeper into debt. It‘s hopeless.‖
Losing Patience
It isn‘t just the rice farmers of Isan, who are struggling.Even in the rubber plantations of the
south, a cornerstone of support for Thaksin‘s opponents, some farmers are losing patience with
the junta. Prices of latex, the sap from the rubber tree, have fallen by as much as 65 percent from
their peak in early 2011 and by about 14 percent since the coup, as demand from China
waned.―The government doesn‘t support price distortion,‖ Prayuth said Wednesday in a speech
at a rice industry conference in Nonthaburi on Bangkok‘s outskirts. ―Setting product prices too
high, both for rice and rubber, shouldn‘t be done.‖Still, the junta began buying rubber at
subsidized prices earlier this year after 5,000 farmers in the south threatened to defy martial law
and hold protests. The state‘s rubber stockpile has increased by 70 percent to 340,000 tons since
the coup.
‗Broken Promise‘
Manoon Sooksrisang, 43, a rubber farmer in Songkhla province, said he gets 10,500 baht to
12,000 baht a month now versus 30,000 baht to 45,000 baht before. Manoon joined the protests
in Bangkok against Yingluck‘s government that eventually led to the military takeover after
protest leaders said getting rid of her would lead to higher rubber prices. Now, he says he and his
friends feel betrayed.―It‘s like a broken promise,‖ he said. ―They don‘t care about us at all.‖The
protests were led by former members of the Democrat party, who have their stronghold in
southern Thailand. The Democrats have become natural allies for the traditional power brokers --
civil servants, army officers and royalists in Bangkok -- who felt threatened by the rise of the
Shinawatra political machine.Most farmers interviewed in the south are upset about the drop in
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income but still support the military government, arguing that they have at least restored order
and should be given more time to fix the country‘s problems.
Interim Charter
The government is responding by boosting spending. Lawmakers proposed a fiscal 2016 budget
today that would see the highest proportion of investment in seven years, largely by upgrading
Thailand‘s aging rail network. Of the 543.6 billion baht proposed for investment, 297 billion
baht would be for outside Bangkok.Lawmakers will also soon consider changes to the interim
constitution to allow a referendum to be held on a permanent charter. If rejected, the charter-
drafting process would start again, further delaying the return of democracy.―Elections coming
back to the people is a good thing, but we have to look into whether it is the right time,‖ said
Suwichan Ruttiwul, 50, who sells rubber sheets in the town of Khlong Ngae. He blames Thaksin
for the division in the country.―If there‘s an election now there will be chaos,‖ agreed Nataworn
Jantarit, 46, another rubber farmer and latex seller. ―Election or not, the main issue is money. It‘s
simple. It‘s the farmer‘s stomach.‖
Returning Happiness?
Meantime, Prayuth appears on TV almost every Friday evening on all major networks in a
program called ―Returning Happiness to the People.‖ In monologues that can last an hour and a
half, he offers advice on everything from how to reduce household debt to tips on cultivating
orchids and strawberries.He penned a song, ―Return Happiness to Thailand,‖ which plays each
night after the national anthem and appears when people try to access websites banned by the
junta.In Isan, villagers said they are they are fed up with the weekly broadcasts.―The best
business would be selling TVs since so many people are breaking theirs when they see Prayuth‘s
face,‖ joked Suchart Busrakham, 49, a farmer who borrowed money to buy a truck. He had
planned to sell straw mats in surrounding villages, but with the drop in rice prices and consumer
spending he‘s fallen behind on repayments and now ferries schoolchildren to make ends
meet.―You can‘t command people to be united,‖ he said. ―We want our democracy back.‖
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/happiness-eludes-thailand-s-divided-regions-as-
farmers-struggle
GMO Scientists Could Save the World From Hunger, If We
Let Them BY TOM PARRETT / MAY 21, 2015 6:18 AM EDT
FILED UNDER: Tech & Science, GMO, food, health
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A Nebraska Cornhusker frets as he
surveys his drought-stunted crop.
A Nigerian yam farmer digs up
shrunken tubers. A Costa Rican
coffee baron lays off hundreds of
workers because a fungus has
spoiled his harvest. I planted
cherry trees in upstate New York
last spring. One summer morning,
they were denuded by Japanese
beetles.Such disasters are
increasingly common on a planet
buffeted by climate change and
worldwide commerce, where heat
burns crops, soil has been ruined
by over-farming and drought, and
bugs ride across oceans to feast on
defenseless plants. Agronomists
have been working on these
problems for years, but the rapid
population growth of humans
makes overcoming these
challenges increasingly urgent. If
we can‘t feed the world, it will
eventually feed on us.
Anti-Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) activists symbolically tear out sunflower plants in a
field in Feyzin, near Lyon, July 30, 2011.
ROBERT PRATTA/REUTERS
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The United Nations and experts say global food production will have to double by 2050, at
which point the world population is expected to have grown from 7 billion today to well beyond
9 billion. That‘s just 35 years away, and there will be no new arable land then. In fact, there
probably will be less. For example, 73 million acres of arable land in the U.S. were lost between
2002 and 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); more was certainly
made fallow during the last several years of severe drought. Looking ahead, growing conditions
will only get harsher.
The solution, though, appears to be on the way: In 2012, a new tool was invented that
revolutionizes how scientists can examine—and manipulate—plant genetic processes. It‘s called
CRISPR-Cas9, and unlike its predecessors in the world of genetic modification, it is highly
specific, allowing scientists to zero in on a single gene and turn it on or off, remove it or
exchange it for a different gene. Early signs suggest this tool will be an F-16 jet fighter compared
with the Stone Age spear of grafting, the traditional, painstaking means of breeding a new plant
hybrid. Biologists and geneticists are confident it can help them build a second Green
Revolution—if we‘ll let them.
Citrus affected by 'greening,' an insect-borne bacterial disease, is shown as Larry Hardie, a grove
manager for Barnes Citrus, Inc., holds a malformed star ruby grapefruit in a grove in Vero
Beach, Florida December 1, 2010. JOE SKIPPER/REUTERS
―We now have a very easy, very fast and very efficient technique
for rewriting the genome,‖ said one of its inventors, Jennifer
Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, when the
Innovative Genomics Initiative was launched in 2014. ―[It] allows
us to do experiments that have been impossible before.‖ The speed
and simplicity of CRISPR have momentous implications for
agriculture: The process could lead to plants that can withstand what
an increasingly overheated nature has in store. It could also result in
a more nutritious yield, from less plant. Researchers have glommed
on to it—they‘ve already published more than 150 related scientific
papers, and the publication rate is accelerating. ―It‘s tough to keep
up with all the papers that are coming out,‖ says Joyce Van Eck,
who runs a lab focused on the study of genetics-based crop
improvement at Cornell University‘s Boyce Thompson Institute.
―The field is exploding.‖CRISPR stands for—brace yourself—Clustered Regularly Interspaced
Short Palindromic Repeats. The name comes from a trick that bacteria use to protect themselves
from lethal viruses and phages, little cellular saboteurs. The ―palindromic repeats‖ (gene
sequences that read the same from either end) are immune response elements, genetic code the
bacteria copy and incorporate from invading viruses so that, if they return, they can be easily
identified. It‘s a bit like posting an FBI wanted poster or splashing enemy soldiers with glow-in-
the-dark paint.The technique requires two accomplices: molecules called guide RNA and a
protein from a class labeled Cas.
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The most effective one found so far is Cas9. RNA has long been known to be the vehicle DNA
needs to convey its message. In a cell, Cas9 prepares the chemical environment around a DNA
molecule for interaction, then spurs RNA to find the selected section of DNA. Once it does, the
RNA will guide the Cas9 into the DNA, where the Cas9 unzips DNA‘s double helix and does
one of three things, depending on the chemical instructions scientists provide: It blunts this
section‘s ability to work, stimulates it to go to work or excises selected genes. Then the cell‘s
repair crew zips the DNA back up.The process can easily modify plant DNA without changing
the plant‘s essence—except to make it tastier, more nutritious, quicker to market, easier to ship,
machine-pickable, less needy of water and/or able to flourish in a heat wave. And we can do it
for big companies and small, the world at large and isolated communities.
Farmers tend to a maize field where they plant GMO crops, in Bonkhorstspruit, South
Africa. JONAS BENDIKSEN/MAGNUM
In the old days, relying on hit-or-miss natural processes to breed plants took many
years. Norman Borlaug, father of the first Green Revolution—a hugely successful effort to
improve food-crop productivity in poor countries that began in the 1940s and eventually doubled
or even quadrupled what many plants could produce—needed almost two decades to create a
better wheat variety. With CRISPR-Cas9, we can compress that development cycle to a few days
or weeks.
This is partly because we can now process, store and compare vast quantities of genetic data
quickly and cheaply. The upshot for scientists has been the rapid growth in knowledge of cell
chemistry and genes, and most important, our ballooning database of many species‘
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genomes.Ideally, we would know everything about the genome of all our favorite produce
staples, down to the placement of every single gene. And this cataloging is happening with
astonishing speed. Researchers at the University of Kansas have sequenced the first and toughest
of wheat‘s 20 chromosomes—and that one chromosome is far more complex than the entire rice
genome. They say they‘ll be able to do the next 19 in three years. The result will be complete
knowledge of the genome of the world‘s third-most cultivated crop, the one with the most
protein and arguably the grain that is most versatile as a food and cooking source.
Genetic scientists are currently attempting to sequence all of wheat's 20 chromosomes. Once
they do, they'll be able to use CRISPR to make the crop hardier and more
nutritious. JONATHAN GREGSON/GETTY
Then, the amazing flexibility of CRISPR-Cas9 can be
brought to bear. The idea is to use the process to replace a
segment of a plant‘s genetic sequence entirely, a bit like
exchanging a chunk of Lego blocks, to improve specific
plant behavior. Imagine a wheat strain that thrives at the
edge of a salt marsh in tropical Ecuador. Compared with
Iowa‘s amber waves of grain, it‘s a runt that produces
small, bitter kernels. But by adding bits of the Ecuadorian
genome to the American variety, scientists make a strain
that is more salt-tolerant and still provides a big yield. Both
dry, salty Ecuador and dry, salty America would gain a
better plant.It‘s critical to note this has nothing to do with
creating a new species. CRISPR-Cas9 is a tool that helps us
adapt plants to new environments by fine-tuning their own
genetic traits, using their own genes from plants they‘d
naturally breed with, such as their wild versions. As the tool
targets a tiny segment of a plant‘s DNA, the plant stays the
same species—technically, even the same genotype. As scientists see it, the technology respects
a plant species for its evolutionary capacity to thrive over eons, while helping it evolve more
quickly to adjust to today‘s environment. We are only putting our foot to the accelerator of
natural plant processes.
Beautiful Tomatoes Caution and guidelines are certainly called for. The early results of CRISPR-Cas9 tests have not
been completely predictable. A published number is up to an 80 percent success rate, high for
experimental stuff but not high enough for commercial applications. What can happen is ―off-
target DNA interactions,‖ where ―you accidentally modify a very similar sequence elsewhere in
the genome,‖ says Cornell‘s Van Eck. This was also a big problem in earlier genetic engineering
technologies, which basically flooded a plant‘s genome with compounds, trusting that some
would stick. CRISPR-Cas9 is comparatively precise, but some scientists remain cautious. The
technology could and probably will get better; different versions of CRISPR-Cas9 could be
developed, or scientists could find a new enzyme that does what CRISPR-Cas9 does more
precisely.
In the Van Eck laboratory at Cornell University, scientists have already applied a number of
genetic engineering strategies to two major crops: tomatoes and potatoes. HENRIK
SORENSEN/GETTY
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On the other hand, Van Eck and
her colleagues have proved that
what they already have works
beautifully with the tomato, a
plant that‘s become ―a model
species, like the white rat in
animal studies,‖ she says. Soon
she and others in the field will be
working to improve the tomato‘s
hardiness and disease resistance,
with results that will come with
what she terms ―drummer-like
precision‖—the exactitude of,
say, Elvin Jones or Charlie
Watts—―because we can go in
and target exactly the areas we
want.‖ Other early advances include a new version of rice that is more adaptable and has the
ability to photosynthesize faster and more efficiently. That portends a future where, thanks to
CRISPR-Cas9, scientists are at the rice control console, able to consider the available inputs—
water, soil nutrients, temperature—and make adjustments to better control the outputs:
productivity, nutritional value, resilience. All that‘s needed is for consumers to buy in.
Suspicions Trump Science Biotech crops are already well-established around the world. The U.S. has approved about 100
genetically modified plants for use in agriculture. Virtually all cotton in India, a vital economic
staple for the country, is GM, as is 90 percent of cotton grown in China. Four out of every five
harvested soybeans on earth are genetically modified. Corn worldwide is 35 percent genetically
modified. Bangladesh is considering a GM eggplant that could double its harvest by protecting it
from worms. Food writer Mark Bittman recently pointed out that we‘ve been happily eating
harmless genetically modified, virus-resistant papayas for years, and that‘s Mr. Natural
talking.But some countries are balking.
Mexico, where maize was first domesticated, must now import it to meet local demand because
activists there will not allow genetically modified organism hybrids. Mexico‘s maize growers get
yields 38 percent lower than the world average and three times below the U.S., where 90 percent
of the maize crop is an insect-resistant GMO hybrid. Mexico‘s fields are beset by such crop
ravishers as the corn earworm, black cutworm and fall armyworm, which cost the country up to
half its crops and incite farmers to spray their land with thousands of tons of chemical
insecticides.The European Union has approved just one genetically modified crop, a type of
maize used for animal feed.
The reasons are political and bureaucratic: A majority of member countries must approve a
biotech plant, and anti-GMO sentiment runs strong in places where phrases like naturel and
natürliche are more about what‘s been done for centuries than what it actually means for
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something to exist in or be caused by nature.This genetic work has not just found detractors but
also aroused fierce partisans.
Take Golden Rice, for example. It‘s basic rice, but modified to produce its own vitamin A,
potentially saving up to 2.8 million children a year from blindness and a million of them from
death. Yet it sits in labs, unused. The notion of GMOs has spooked environmental groups such as
Greenpeace, which has resisted GMOs with violent action, including destroying an experimental
Golden Rice field last year in the Philippines. This despite the fact that Golden Rice is being
offered to the world by a nonprofit, with no commercial stipulations, and is likely to save many
lives.The scientific consensus for the safety of GMOs is overwhelming. A recent Pew poll found
that 88 percent of U.S. scientists think GMO technology is harmless. By contrast, only 33
percent of civilians agreed.
A recent 7-1 U.S. Supreme Court decision concurred that genetically modified alfalfa is safe.
The USDA, after arduous review, has allowed genetically modified sugar beets. Several
independent studies so far have tested the effects of varieties of genetically modified crops on
animals. In 2012, a meta-analysis of 12 long-term studies and 12 multigenerational studies was
published in Food and Chemical Toxicology; it concluded ―that GM plants are nutritionally
equivalent to their non-GM counterparts and can be safely used in food and feed.‖ And
according to the independent organization Biofortified, more than a hundred such studies have
been performed, with no harmful results found.
GM potato seedlings are grown in test tubes at the National Center for Plant Genome Research in
New Delhi. Biologists and geneticists are confident that the gene-editing CRISPR technology
can help them build a second Green Revolution—if we‘ll let them.
FREDRIK RENANDER/REDUX
Anti-GMO activists tend to cite two scientific studies, which both involve rats, GM corn and the
pesticide Roundup. Both were undertaken by French scientist Gilles-Éric Séralini and found that
the rats fed the GM corn were more likely to die prematurely than a control group. But the
journal that originally accepted the studies, Food and Chemical Toxicology, withdrew them, and
every major scientific and food-safety organization in Europe has condemned them. Among the
problems with the studies was that the strain of rats used in the test are cancer-prone—80 percent
routinely develop tumors. ―All we are seeing in these results is due to random variation in a
poorly controlled experiment,‖ Ian Musgrave, of the University of Adelaide, in South
Australia, told Forbes when the studies were retracted.Chances are, you‘ve heard of Roundup
(active ingredient: glyphosate).
That‘s because it‘s the second in the supposed double punch that agrochemical company
Monsanto has allegedly been throwing for years to create a cycle of financial dependence among
farmers worldwide. Monsanto produces Roundup. Since 1996, it has also produced Roundup
Ready crops, including soy, corn and alfalfa, all genetically modified to be resistant to the
herbicide—which means it can be used on fields to get rid of encroaching plant life without
harming the crops. That‘s great for farmers. But these Roundup Ready seeds have a dark side:
farmers who buy them sign an agreement saying they will not buy save any seeds from the
resulting crop.
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28
In other words, they have to buy new seeds every year from Monsanto. This has all been
incredibly lucrative for the company; it currently has a third of the $40 billion global seed
business. The Monsanto/Roundup controversy continues to inflame passions: Among the many
concerns that have been raised is the possibility that genetically modified DNA from the
Roundup Ready plants might be contaminating non-GMO food supplies. Then there‘s the fact
that glyphosate might be a health hazard—the World Health Organization says it is a probable
carcinogen.Meanwhile, ―No GMO‖ is now being embraced by consumer brands; the ascendant
―fast-casual‖ chain Chipotle posts just such a sign in its restaurants. It makes sense: If over two-
thirds of Americans think GMOs are unhealthy, declaring yourself GMO-free is a lucrative
proposition. Local governments are also weighing in. Vermont now demands that all GMO foods
sold there be labeled as such. Two rural counties in Oregon have banned GMO crops within their
borders.
There have been a number of efforts in recent years to get state governments to require labeling
all GMO products. Proponents claim that even if GMOs are safe, consumers should know what
they're buying. CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS
Yet despite the conventional wisdom, startup money for GMO development in the U.S. and
elsewhere is flowing like it‘s coming out of a fire hose, first for biomedical applications, from
venture capitalists as well as traditional pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline,
Celgene and Novartis. U.S. startups include Caribou Biosciences, Editas, Intellia Therapeutics,
CRISPR Therapeutics and CRISPR-Plant.In China, where rural populations react to GMOs with
dread and anger, the only genetically modified crop currently grown is Bittman‘s papaya.
But China‘s mighty science establishment has thrown its weight behind genetic work, with 400
labs and 30,000 researchers. Labs there have already sequenced the genes of 3,000 varieties of
rice, in preparation for matching them against one another to find the best traits for nutrition,
yield and resistance to environmental stressors. One result someday soon will be what
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researchers have dubbed ―green super rice.‖ Even if the Chinese government can‘t sell
genetically modified crops to its own people, there‘s a good chance the poor populations of
Southeast Asia, Africa and India will welcome the nourishment. Gengyun Zhang, head of life
sciences for BGI, China‘s giant state-sponsored genetic engineering center, recently said, ―With
today‘s technology, I have no doubt that we can feed the world.‖Correction: This article
originally incorrectly stated that today's world population is 2 billion. It is 7 billion. It also
incorrectly suggested that "Bt" stands for "biotech." "Bt" actually stands for bacillus
thuringiensis, a bacterium whose genes are often used in the development of genetically modified
crops. It also incorrectly stated that Roundup Ready seeds are sterile.
Daily Nexus
El Niño 2015 Could Make Food More Expensive,
Especially Coffee, Chocolate And Rice, Experts Warn By Elizabeth Whitman @elizabethwhitty e.whitman@ibtimes.com on May 21 2015 9:16 AM EDT
The price of chocolate and other goods is expected to rise due to the phenomenon El Niño, experts have
warned. Above, farmers harvest cocoa fruits at a plantation in Gantarang Keke Village, South Sulawesi,
Indonesia May 8, 2015.Reuters/Yusuf Ahmad
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The prices of coffee, chocolate, sugar and other staples are likely to rise this year with the advent
of El Niño, a weather event with global consequences, scientists have warned. As the
phenomenon sets in this year, some have predicted that the prices of some foods could as much
as double.During an El Niño event, waters in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean become unusually
warm as trade winds die down, disrupting weather patterns around the world. Heavy rains and
flooding in the southern U.S. and parts of Latin America, along with droughts in Australia and
Asia, are among its repercussions. It's not to be confused with its counterpart La Niña, where the
same waters of the Pacific are abnormally cold.This year, the El Niño event could be anywhere
from moderate to strong, scientists predict.
As rice farmers in the southern Philippines and soybean growers in India pray for more rain in
what promises to be a relative dry monsoon season, the southern U.S. is already bracing for
heavy rains, withdownpours drenching the state of Texas. The price of coffee could increase by
107 percent, while soya beans could rise by nearly 37 percent, the Times reported, although
others said the average increase in such staples typically ranged from 5 to 10 percent during El
Niño, the BBC reported. Banana, sugarcane and cocoa crops could also be affected."Most El
Niños historically have had a global impact on food prices," Nick Klingaman, a climate
researcher at the University of Reading, told the BBC.
If the phenomenon is strong this year, it could "disrupt global food markets," he added.The
National Weather Service, which issued an El Niño advisory in March, has said the phenomenon
is 90 percent likely to last through the summer of 2015 and at least 80 percent likely to continue
through the end of the year.In 2009, El Niño led to a devastating drought in India and destroyed
crop production throughout Asia, leading to a spike in food prices, Reuters reported.
http://www.ibtimes.com/el-nino-2015-could-make-food-more-expensive-especially-coffee-chocolate-
rice-experts-1932800
USA Rice, Dow AgroSciences Team Up on Rice Month
Scholarships; $8,500 in Awards Available
2014 Grand Prize Winner
Nicholas Schafer
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Dow AgroSciences continues its commitment to the agriculture industry
by sponsoring the USA Rice Federation National Rice Month Scholarship Program, expanding
the opportunity from students in U.S.-rice producing counties to students in all U.S. rice-
producing states.High school graduates in the 2015-16 school year are encouraged to apply for
scholarships totaling $8,500. To apply, students must create a promotional program that
highlights U.S.-grown rice for National Rice Month in September. Applicants can submit a
synopsis of their promotion in a variety of ways, including in video format, which will be
accepted this year for the first time.
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The scholarship program is now open to students who live in any county in Arkansas, California,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Three scholarships will be awarded based on the
originality and effectiveness of the winning entries. "We are thrilled Dow AgroSciences is
supporting this scholarship program for the sixth year in a row and opening up the opportunity to
all youth in rice-producing states," says Darla Huff, rice product manager, Dow AgroSciences.
"Supporting our youth and educating the public about agriculture is integral to the success of the
rice industry.
" Because the scholarship emphasizes education, the students' efforts also help build awareness
of the valuable contributions the rice industry makes to this country's economy, Huff says.
Nicholas Schafer, a high school senior from Carlisle, Arkansas, was the grand-prize scholarship
winner in 2014 for his promotion titled "Do you Know Where Your Rice Comes From?" The
promotion educated children from his community about the origin of their food and the
intricacies of farming. "They need to understand all the hard work put into growing rice,"
Schafer says.
"It's not just something you get from a grocery store. There's a lot behind it, and they need to
understand the importance of where it comes from." Promotions must be executed in September,
and applications must be submitted by Oct. 15, 2015. Scholarship forms and additional
guidelines are available at the USA Rice Federation website. "The USA Rice Federation is proud
to once again partner with Dow AgroSciences, which funds these three scholarship awards, to
support the rice industry and education of our youth," says Betsy Ward, president and CEO of
the USA Rice Federation. "Students who participate do an excellent job promoting the
importance of U.S.-grown rice and its role in their home states.
" The grand-prize winner will receive a $4,000 scholarship and a trip with a chaperone this
December to the award ceremony at the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans.
The second-place winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship, and the third-place winner will
receive a $1,500 scholarship.
Contact: Amy Doane (703) 236-1454
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported
WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 10,900 MT for 2014/2015 were down 47 percent from
the previous week and 83 percent from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export
Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported for Honduras (7,400 MT), Canada (2,600 MT),
Jordan (1,300 MT), unknown destinations (600 MT), and Lebanon (200 MT). Decreases were
reported for Ghana (1,200 MT), Mexico (900 MT), and Colombia (200 MT). Exports of 86,400
MT were up 50 percent from the previous week and 27 percent from the prior four-week
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average. The primary destinations were Mexico (22,400 MT), South Korea (22,000 MT), Haiti
(20,600 MT), Japan (13,100 MT), and Canada (3,000 MT).This summary is based on reports
from exporters from the period May 8-14.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 21
Month Price Net Change
July 2015 $9.615 + $0.045
September 2015 $9.880 + $0.040
November 2015 $10.135 + $0.045
January 2016 $10.390 + $0.035
March 2016 $10.455 + $0.035
May 2016 $10.455 + $0.035
July 2016 $10.455 + $0.035
Update: AR Department of Agriculture Waiting for Audit
Results of $15M in Out-of-State Account
Marci Manley, Reporter
05/11/2015 05:59 PM
05/20/2015 07:17 PM
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Update (May 20):
LITTLE ROCK, AR - In an update to a KARK4
investigation, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture is watching and waiting for results from
state auditors on $15 million dollars in state funds that were transferred to a nonprofit account
out of state. Earlier this month we highlighted that the Rice Research and Promotion Board had
voted to move the funds to the Rice Foundation for investment and never reported the funds to
state financial officials.
Agriculture secretary Wes Ward, says he's heard from many farmers about the issue and
discussions have raised the question of if the department should be overseeing those funds
instead. "If there's nothing wrong in the programs, it may be okay to stay there. But there are a
number of questions that need to be answered, and we look forward to seeing the results of that
audit," Ward says.The funds are required to be used for rice research funding. Despite the
millions not being disclosed to state officials, it appears that for the most part that money has
been spent on research. About $10 million is still sitting in that out of state account.
Original Story (May 11):
LITTLE ROCK, AR - A state senator's inquiry into a fund available to a state board prompted a
2-month long investigation by KARK 4 News. What we found was about $15 million dollars that
had been held in an out of state bank account by a private nonprofit that many state officials were
unaware even existed. John Alter is no stranger to the frustrations of farming, with decades of
experience fighting Mother Nature and the commodity markets. "My job is to feed my family
and sell my product at the best price I can," Alter said. But the frustrations of bureaucracy, he
said he came to know during seven years on the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion
Board. "I made several attempts to bring about change on the board," he said. "But I couldn't get
anywhere.
" In the interest of full disclosure, Alter is a member of the Arkansas Rice Grower's Association,
which has often been at odds with the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board because the
association says members of the board often deny funding requests from them for legitimate
promotion opportunities, while opting to give millions of dollars tothe promotional arm of the
USA Rice Federation.
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What is the Rice Research and Promotion board?
The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board is made up of nine members appointed by the
governor butrecommended by rice industry interest organizations, including Arkansas Farm
Bureau Federation and Riceland, among others. Alter represented independent rice mills while
on the board, though he's also a farmer in DeWitt, Arkansas. By law, the board's resident agent
or administrator can fall under the Arkansas Farm Bureau. ACA 2-20-505 says, "the resident
agent of the board shall be the executive vice president, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, or his
or her designee." Brandy Carroll, an employee of Arkansas Farm Bureau, serves as the
administrator of the board.
"My efforts didn't seem to coincide with what was going on," Alter said. Alter served from 2006
until he says he asked to not be reappointed in 2013. "I believe I could make a motion that the
sun comes up in the east and it would die for lack of a second," he said. And board minutes show
that John Alter's motions veering beyond giving money to the University of Arkansas for
research projects often did fail to receive support from the other board members. Following the
last legislative session, State Senator Garry Stubblefield had some questions about the board,
when he proposed a grain dealer regulation bill in the Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Economic
Development Committee meeting.
"I ran a bill that was concerning Turner Grain it would have set up an indemnity fund to protect
Arkansas farmers using the check-off funds," Stubblefield said. Turner Grain, a brokering
business that went belly up in late 2014, ended up costing many Arkansas farmers tens of
thousands of dollars. A number of those farmers produced rice, and according to Stubblefield he
had hoped to use check-off money to develop a pool of funds to protect farmers left in the lurch
like those caught up in the Turner Grain scandal.
Check-off funds
Check-off funds are the annual funding available to the board. They began as a self-imposed
assessment approved by farmers in 1985. But those were written into law later, essentially
creating a tax. They are no longer refundable, and a referendum to reconsider the tax would have
to be referred to voters by the board that receives the money. Farmers pay 1.35 cents per bushel
of rice sold, and buyers pay 1.35 cents per bushel bought. That doesn't sound like a great deal of
money, until you consider that Arkansas often producers around 190 million bushels or more
each year.
The funds are allocated to fund research and promotion of the Arkansas rice industry. The
entities that receive the majority of funding, generally without exception, are the University of
Arkansas and the USA Rice Council. Minutes show that these two entities were the largest
recipients of check-off funds, although occasionally the Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture and
Arkansas Farm Bureau have also received funds from the board. The USA Rice Council is the
promotional arm of the USA Rice Federation. Its research arm is considered The Rice
Foundation, according to its website and the foundation's director.Stubblefield said in the course
of analyzing check-off funds as a source of funding for an indemnity pool for farmers, he learned
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of something called TRQ funds that were rumored to be well into the millions. Stubblefield, and
others at the committee meeting in March, claims when he asked about the TRQ funds, the
meeting was instantly shut down.
"A lot of the rice farmers would like to know just how that money is being spent and where it is
kept," Stubblefield said. " "One of the questions we asked during the meeting was about TRQ
funds, where those funds were and how much money was in the account."According to
Stubblefield, another state senator called for immediate consideration of Stubblefield's bill,
putting an end to the inquiry and discussion. The bill failed to pass, and Sen. Stubblefield said
getting information from the board's administrator became a challenge. "I thought information
about state money would be relatively easy to get," Stubblefield said. "But I made repeated
requests for information from the board's administrator at Farm Bureau. And only recently
received a response when I had Senate staff send a formal inquiry," Stubblefield said the last
week of April.
What are TRQ funds?
Following the committee meeting in late March, KARK began digging into what TRQ funds
were and if they were sitting in an out-of-state bank account as we had been told. After several
information requests from multiple sources, here is what we can confirm. In 2012, the Arkansas
Rice Research and Promotion Board came into a windfall that has resulted in about $15 million
dollars to spend. It appears that few people, including many lawmakers, knew of its existence.
"The TRQ funds from Colombia have been a really amazing opportunity for the rice industry in
Arkansas," said Rice Research and Promotion Chairman Marvin Hare.Based on a U.S. Trade
Agreement with Colombia, rice export tariffs would be reduced to zero percent by 2030. In the
meantime, certain amounts of rice could be exported at that rate, through a certificate of trade
auction process. Rice companies bid to fill the order, and the highest bidder wins. The money
generated from the auctions is then divided between the United States and Colombia. Of the 50
percent portion the United States receives, Arkansas typically receives roughly 50 percent of that
portion, based on rice production. A nonprofit was established to receive the U.S. funds, called
Col-Rice, and then it distributes it to the six rice-producing states that make up its membership.
Where did the TRQ funds go?
Arkansas received its first payment, designated to go to the Arkansas Rice Research and
Promotion Board, in December 2012. But prior to it ever receiving the funds, the board voted in
May 2012 to allow The Rice Foundation to hold the funds for investment purposes on behalf of
the board. The Rice Foundation is a private, nonprofit. It is not beholden to any state
officials. "This was already in place. They had a mechanism to invest the funds. We chose to
continue doing it that way," Hare said.
The Rice Foundation already had a mechanism for handling funds like this because United States
rice-producing states had also been the benefactors of a European Union TRQ dating back, Rice
Foundation account records show, to at least 1999. Only in that arrangement, the trade agreement
made The Rice Foundation the distributing body for those funds to the states, where the
Colombian TRQ was slated to go to the states directly after passing through Col-Rice."They put
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it into the Rice Foundation budget as a service to the Rice Research and Promotion Board of
Arkansas, they put those dollars in an investment until they need those and decide where they are
going to spend those dollars," said The Rice Foundation director Chuck Wilson. "It's just a
service we provide for them, we don't get one red penny for doing it. We don't gain anything. We
do it as a service for them.
"The money, Wilson said, is in an account in Virginia that the board always has access to
withdraw from. The money, according to board minutes, has been invested in CDs and money
market accounts. But further investment strategies didn't appear to be available based on
documents provided by the board's administrator. "It was the way for the board to hold those
funds and earn some interest on them," Hare said. "Although the returns are small because
they're in very low risk instruments.
We're very prudent in that area - we don't want to lose any of it." According to Hare, the funds
are never really out of the Rice Research and Promotion Board's control. Although, Wilson
confirmed that the board would vote to spend the money as it saw fit and alert The Rice
Foundation, which would then arrange for the funds to be distributed."The Rice Foundation
audits those funds, they provide us regular financial statements on those funds," Hare said.
State approval?
Chairman Hare also stated that the state had approved of the whole arrangement. "The state of
Arkansas has reviewed those. They say there's nothing wrong with them," Hare said. "They
understand why we were doing that. There's no wrongdoing and everything is open and above
board. All the minutes of the board identify the funds as being there."When we followed up with
the board administrator, asking who with the state had approved of the process the board had
used and if there was any approval in writing, the administrator wrote back," I believe Mr. Hare
was referring to the fact that the Division of Legislative Audit conducts annual audits of the
Board's finances which includes a review of all minutes and financial statements.
" The only problem is, the Division of Legislative Audit confirmed that it reviews what are
known as year-end CAFR closing books from the Department of Finance and Administration
(DFA). The closing book for the Rice Research and Promotion Board, which is submitted by
Brandy Carroll, haven't included any references to the outside bank account where those funds
were kept, according to administrator of accounting at DFA, Paul Louthian.These funds have
never been included in the board's annual state audits, despite the first payment being received in
December 2012, because there is no mention of the funds being part of its revenue stream.
"There is a section in the questionnaire that asks specifically about commercial bank accounts,
because there are state agencies that have those," Louthian said. According to Louthian, and
documents provided by DFA in response to an FOI request, for the most recent report of 2013
Carroll marked "no" in regard to outside bank accounts, ignoring the "Morgan Stanley" account
the board was reportedly keeping the TRQ funds in, according to documents submitted by
Carroll to Col-Rice for IRS filings. According to Louthian, even if the funds were in a Rice
Foundation account, the relationship that the board had of distributing the funds from that
account would have required it be reported as revenue.
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When we asked Louthian to clarify if the lack of reporting would have left financial officials in
the dark on the state level not only about how the funds were used but even their existence,
Louthian said, "I think that would be safe to assume." When we asked if individuals who
prepared these reports, like Carroll, had access to training for how to properly report revenues,
Louthian confirmed that multiple training opportunities are available through DFA and that DFA
had dedicated staff members within the office that are available to help answer questions
regarding financial reporting from the Rice Research and Promotion Board.
Since December 2012, financial records show that the board has spent about $4.5 million of the
$14.5 million it has received in TRQ funds. But the board may not have even had the authority to
spend that money. According to the division of legislative audit, any money a state agency
receives has to have an appropriation from the legislature or a special appropriation from DFA.
According to legislative documents and DFA records, the board has received neither in regard to
TRQ funds. "I think every person who grows rice in this state deserves to now those things, how
their money is being spent," Stubblefield said.
What comes next?
"When you get a dollar, it's no different than state tax dollars, people need to know where it's
spent. The percentages and that it's spent correctly," State Senator Bryan King, (R) District
5.Despite all this, it appears the TRQ funds have been spent as intended, funding research
projects with the University of Arkansas. But some still wonder how $15 million dollars in state
funds were missed. "I think it's high time the whole system be looked at," John Alter
said. According to Stubblefield, he and King have requested a full audit of the board, including
reviews of financial statements that include TRQ funds.
The Division of Legislative Audit has confirmed a review is underway. Stubblefield has also
suggested moving the rice check-off funds and the responsibility of the board under the direction
of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. According to Louthian at DFA, the business process
will be used in regard to this board moving forward. He is not aware of anyone from the board
arranging to meet with him or his staff members to work out the details or clarify a plan moving
forward, aside from meeting with auditors.
http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/update-ar-department-of-agriculture-waiting-for-
au/11552/trt3Iq2uRkW4SsjTkylmuQ?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+May+21%2C+2015&utm_ca
mpaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email
Mahindra enters into strategic pact with Mitsubishi
Agriculture by Takshak Dawda May 21, 2015
Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd announces the partnership
with Mitsubishi Heavy industries Attending the event was Harish Chavan, COO of Mahindra
Farming.Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd with Harish Chavan,
COO of Mahindra Farming
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) of
Tokyo, and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
(M&M) have entered into a strategic
partnership today in the agricultural
machinery field.Under the definitive
agreement signed today, Mahindra will invest
US$ 25 million (approx Rs 160 crore) for
acquiring 33.33% voting stake in MHI
subsidiary, Mitsubishi Agricultural
Machinery Co. Ltd. (MAM) through fresh
issue of common shares and Class A (non-
voting) shares of MAM.The deal is expected
to close by October 1, 2015, with the new
funding to be used to increase MAM‘s capital
base.The announcement was made in
Mumbai by Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive
Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and
Harish Chavan, COO of Mahindra Farming.
The agreement was signed by Kazuaki
Kimura, President and CEO, MHI
Machinery, Equipment & Infrastructure,
Katsumi Tottori, President, MAM and Rajesh
Jejurikar, President & Chief Executive (Farm
Equipment & Two Wheeler), Mahindra &
Mahindra Ltd.Speaking on the alliance,
Pawan Goenka mentioned, ―We have had a decade long association with Mitsubishi in USA
where their products have played a significant role in Mahindra USA‘s success. We are now
excited about our participation through an
equity route in Mitsubishi Agri-Machinery,
Japan. With this alliance we will focus on
making aggressive investments in
marketing and product development and
becoming a significant player in the global
agri-machinery industry.‖Mitsubishi
Agricultural Machinery is a full range agri-
machinery company producing and selling
tractors, combine harvesters, rice
transplanters, high horsepower crawler
tractors and other agri-machinery. It had
revenues of approximately US$ 408 million
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39
in 2014-15. It is Japan‘s no.4 agricultural machinery manufacturer.Dr Goenka further gave
details about the agreement, ―The primary purpose of this acquisition is not the Indian market, it
is the global market, which would create more opportunities for us in China, USA and other
Asean countries. However, in India, we would be focusing on paddy farming, which would
include rice transplanters.
Mitsubishi has a good record in rice transplanters, tractors and other agricultural equipments as
well.―Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has quoted that ‗Act East rather than Look East‘.
Mahindra is now spread in China, we are strong in Korea and also in Japan. So we are just
following the directives of our PM by Acting East," Dr Goenka added.The new partnership will
help both companies to jointly develop products to address global opportunities in the tractor and
agri-machinery space. In addition, the partnership will enable MAM and Mahindra to improve
cost competitiveness though joint procurement and optimize the supply chain.
Commenting on the partnership, Kazuaki Kimura, President and CEO, MHI Machinery,
Equipment & Infrastructure said, ―It is an honor for us at Mitsubishi to welcome Mahindra, who
are the largest tractor manufacturer globally by volumes as a partner to Mitsubishi Agricultural
Machinery. Today‘s signing will only build upon the wonderful relationship which both
companies have shared for over a decade. I am sure that the commitment and expertise of both of
the companies will open a new horizon to the business globally.‖MAM has been supplying OEM
tractors to Mahindra USA (subsidiary of M&M in the US) as well as providing technical license
to Mahindra for walk-behind rice planters and new tractor in India. http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/mahindra-enters-strategic-partnership-mitsubishi-agricultural-machinery-8457#sthash.fmW5o0Is.dpuf
http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/mahindra-enters-strategic-partnership-mitsubishi-agricultural-
machinery-8457
Scientists Debate Harms and Benefits of GMOs
May 21st, 2015at5:01 am by Kendra Witt
Dr. Angelika Hilbeck. Hari Patel/Daily Nexus
Dr. Pamela C. Ronald. Hari Patel/Daily Nexus
UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Interdisciplinary Humanities
Center (IHC) co-hosted a debate titled ―The 2015 Arthur N. Rupe
Debate: The Use of Genetically Modified Organisms in Food‖ at
Campbell Hall Wednesday night to deliberate the harms and
benefits of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).GMOs are
living organisms whose genetic codes have been artificially
manipulated through the use of various genetic engineering techniques. UC Davis plant
pathology professor Pamela C. Ronald and Swiss Federal University senior scientific researcher
in the Institute of Integrative Biology Angelika Hilbeck debated on whether the use of GMOs in
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40
food is safe, and the role GMOs play in world hunger and poverty. The Chronicle of Higher
Education senior reporter Paul Voosen moderated the debate.IHC director and German and
Slavic studies professor Susan Derwin said the use of GMOs exemplifies the idea of
―Anthropocene,‖ or human influence on the planet.
―Humans now have the ability to manipulate nature in
radical ways and for their own ends,‖ Derwin said. ―In the
epic of the Anthropocene, as weather becomes more
extreme and as the global population grows, the
manipulation of nature promises to increase crop yields and
diversify the places where food can be grown.‖According to
Ronald, genetic engineering is neither new nor dangerous
and inventions such as ―golden rice,‖ a strain of rice supplemented with vitamin A created
through genetic engineering, can be used to combat world hunger.―After forty years of
commercial use in medicine, cheeses, wine and plants, there has not been a single instance of
harm to human health or the environment,‖ Ronald said. ―Instead of worrying about the genes
that are in our food … we must ask if farmers and rural communities can thrive and be sure that
everyone can afford the food.
‖Ronald said the public‘s fear of genetic engineering is due to misinformation, and is a major
obstacle in distributing golden rice to rural communities.―500,000 children go blind every year
because of lack of vitamin A,‖ Ronald said. ―Half of these children will die. We have a lot of
fear mongering and what really distresses me is that it is preventing this rice from reaching the
children. It‘s something we take for granted every day.‖According to Hilbeck, hunger and
vitamin A deficiency in developing countries are part of a much larger issue that genetic
engineering alone cannot fix.―The kids die because they are poor. We have to address causes of
hunger and poverty,‖ Hilbeck said. ―If you don‘t address the underlying causes for hunger and
poverty, singling out an individual issue will not help. We are helping those kids already by
giving them vitamin A pills right now.‖Hilbeck said the best solution to ending world hunger and
poverty is a system that can sustain itself for a long period of time.―We need the best solution,
the most sustainable solution — not focus on which technology that is — I personally don‘t care
what technology that is,‖ Hilbeck said.
―I want the problem to be solved, but in a system that in itself functions and works so we can
have it run for hundreds of years.‖Second-year chemical engineering major Christopher
Nyambura said shifting industrial agriculture to a more efficient system should be the main
focus.―We need to start changing the way we farm — changing the way we grow crops, meat, all
these things, — before we start introducing GMOs,‖ Nyambura said. ―People are dying, people
don‘t have food. That‘s what we need to tackle — people getting fed and how we can do it as
efficiently as possible, as best as possible.‖According to Hilbeck, debating over GMOs lead to
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41
discussions about greater topics such as industrialized agricultures and the dangers associated
with it.―It‘s about much more than GMOs,‖ Hilbeck said. ―They stand in for a system that
requires change and if that‘s what it takes — GMOs — then that‘s what it is. They trigger this
debate. As long as we keep arguing, and we keep talking respectfully to each other, listening to
each other and try to accommodate, we can move this place forward and progress.‖
http://dailynexus.com/2015-05-21/scientists-debate-harms-and-benefits-of-gmos/
Indonesia could backtrack on rice imports as prices rise, El
Nino looms JAKARTA | BY MICHAEL TAYLOR
Customers check the quality of rice before buying at a wholesale rice market in East Jakarta, Indonesia, May 20, 2015.
REUTERS/NYIMAS LAULA
Indonesia's president could be forced to backtrack on promises to curb rice imports, with analysts
saying the country may ship in as much as 1.6 million tonnes of the staple grain this year due to
soaring prices at home and the threat of a strong El Nino. Since coming to power in October,
President Joko Widodo has been aggressively pursuing self-sufficiency in various foods as part
of an increasingly nationalistic approach to protecting farmers, reducing state imports of rice in a
country where private buying from overseas has been largely banned for decades.
But rather than risk a spike in food inflation that could prompt social unrest, some analysts
predict the country will import volumes of rice way higher than the 1.1 million tonnes estimated
for last year, maintaining its position as one of the world's top buyers of overseas
grain."Sometimes Indonesia's policy isn't very rational. Right now international prices are so low
and at the same time Indonesian rice stocks are not elevated compared to levels we've seen over
the past 10 years," said Aurelia Britsch, senior commodities analyst at BMI Research in
Singapore.
While rowing back on election pledges would likely be embarrassing for Widodo, who is already
grappling with low approval ratings, the move would be good news for key rice exporters such
as Thailand and Vietnam, buoying Thai prices that have fallen around 7 percent in 2015.BMI's
Britsch sees imports of 1.3 million to 1.6 million tonnes this year, while Rabobank predicted 1.5
million, Barclays 1 million to 1.5 million and the International Grains Council (IGC) 1.3
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42
million.Chief Economics Minister Sofyan Djalil has said the nation would probably need to
import with a decision likely by early June, while State Enterprise Minister Rini Soemarno said
last week that Widodo has given the green light for quick foreign purchases if needed.
When Reuters contacted Widodo's office on Thursday, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto
responded saying: "Up until today, the decision is not to import."State rice stocks currently stand
at about 1.2 million tonnes, government officials said last week, compared with almost 2 million
tonnes around mid-2014.There is now talk among rice traders in Vietnam that an Indonesian
delegation will visit within weeks to discuss possible purchases. An official from Indonesia's
state procurement agency, Bulog, said he did not know of such a visit.
El NINO
Just three months ago Widodo refused to allow rice imports, but rising domestic prices as local
supply fails to meet demand, an expected pick up in appetite during the festival of Ramadan in
June and the shadow of El Nino could soon force his hand.A closely watched forecast by Japan
last week confirmed that an intensifying El Nino had set in, with Indonesia's rice farmers
threatened by the dry conditions the weather pattern typically brings to the region.Indonesia has
set and failed to meet several food self-sufficiency targets over the past six years, but Widodo
promised to renew efforts after taking power.
High prices for the staple grain are a burden for many Indonesians, with the U.N. food agency
saying the self-sufficiency policy has driven up local markets.Indonesian wholesale rice prices
were $0.77 per kg last month, the second-highest in the region behind $0.79 in the Philippines,
which also has self-sufficiency policies, and way more than No.3 China at $0.64, said David
Dawe, senior economist at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation in Bangkok.Indonesia's
retail rice prices have gained about 13 percent in the last year, and industry sources expect
further climbs of 5-7 percent around Ramadan.
"The desire for self-sufficiency leads to higher prices if it is done through import restrictions,"
said Dawe."If it is done with open trade and increased productivity, then prices will be lower and
there will be no incentive to import."(Additional reporting by Gayatri Suroyo in Jakarta, Ho Binh
Minh in Hanoi and Erik dela Cruz in Manila; Editing by Gavin Maguire and Joseph Radford)
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Indonesia Rice Update: Joko Widodo Forced to Allow Rice
Imports?
21 May 2015 |Indonesia Investments
Subjects |Rice Self-Sufficiency, Rice Import, Rice Farming, Rice Consumption, Rice
Production, Rice Price, EL Nino, Rice Industry, Ramadan, Idul Fitri, Joko
Widodo, Rice, Inflation
In order to avert a spike in inflation and social unrest, Indonesian President Joko Widodo may
feel forced to allow around 1.5 million metric tons of rice imports in 2015 as domestic prices of
rice have been rising on sluggish local harvests. Moreover, an intensifying El Nino is expected to
cause dry weather in the months ahead hence further jeopardizing rice productivity. These
already tough conditions will be exacerbated by seasonal Islamic celebrations (Ramadan and Idul
Fitri) that always trigger increased consumption of food products.
During his presidential campaigns in mid-2014 and during his first seven months in office,
President Widodo (often called Jokowi) emphasized that reaching food self-sufficiency would be
one of his main targets. Rice self-sufficiency, in particular, is important as Indonesia has the
world‘s largest per capita rice consumption (about 140 kilograms of rice per person per year). As
such, rice prices have a relatively large impact on the country‘s inflation. When rice prices
rise poverty in Indonesia can quickly increase accordingly as the poorer segments of society
spend more than half of their total disposable income on food items, primarily rice.In order to
support rice self-sufficiency President Widodo had previously refused to allow rice imports.
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Two months ago he stated that he forbade rice imports despite rising pressures and had already
informed Indonesian rice farmers that the government would not import this commodity
anymore, hence relying on increased domestic rice production. However, due to narrowing rice
reserves (currently only at 1.2 million tons), price pressures, a looming strong El Nino and
expected growing rice consumption in the Ramadan and Idul Fitri period, Widodo will most
likely see no other choice than to allow rice imports to safeguard price stability. As such,
Indonesia would remain one of the globe‘s largest buyers of rice. In 2014 Indonesia imported
approximately 1.1 million metric tons of rice.
International rice prices are currently low supported by Indonesia‘s earlier decision not to import
rice. The international trade market for rice is remarkably shallow. According to research
conducted by the World Bank only five percent of global rice production is traded on the
international market thus implying that rice prices are susceptible to small changes in supply and
demand. Curbed demand from Indonesia (due to the government‘s initial reluctance to import
rice) contributed to easing global rice prices. In contrast, Indonesian rice prices have been
soaring due to the government‘s self-sufficiency program primarily caused by the import
restrictions.
http://www.indonesia-investments.com/news/todays-headlines/indonesia-rice-update-joko-widodo-
forced-to-allow-rice-imports/item5580
Rice mills seek exemption from GST
The rice mill owners and paddy-rice dealers in the State have appealed to the Union Government
to exempt rice from Goods and Service Tax.This was one of the resolutions passed at a state-
level meeting of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy-Rice Dealers
Associations held here on Tuesday.Since Tamil Nadu is deficit in paddy production and rice is a
major food in the State, the Government has not levied any tax on these so far.Rice millers and
farmers need additional power supply during the harvest season to dry the paddy and the low
tension power supply available to these units is inadequate.
The federation appealed to the State Government and to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory
Commission to pass the required orders for this.The mills would pay the charges fixed by the
commission for the additional supply.The paddy dealers and mill owners also appealed to the
State to remove the market cess levied on rice.The State has 277 agricultural markets.However,
rice and paddy were procured by the dealers and mills directly from the farmers and also from
States such as Karnataka, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, they pointed out.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/rice-mills-seek-exemption-from-gst/article7229426.ece
Balance of rice supply and demand key to food security'
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
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THE NATION May 21, 2015 1:00 am
COOPERATION among rice-producing and -importing nations is crucial to ensuring global food
security as the world is challenged by a rapidly rising population, climate change, low-quality
soil and reduced water sources for growing cereal crops, the "Thailand Rice Convention" heard
yesterday.At the convention, held in Bangkok and chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha,
speakers said the world needed to cooperate in balancing supply and demand, so that neither
farmers nor consumers suffered from imbalances or fluctuating rice prices.Prayut said that as the
world's leading rice producer, Thailand did not want to see skyrocketing prices, as they would
hurt both consumers and farmers in the long run.
The key to ensuring global food security and making rice-producing countries like Thailand and
others in Asean happy is to cooperate in balancing supply and demand, so that rice prices are
stable, he stressed.The world is being challenged by its rising population and higher rice
consumption, he said, adding that the rice market had expanded to all regions of the globe, no
longer limited largely to Asia as it was increasingly recognised as a high-nutrition
cereal."Already, more than 3 billion people consume rice as their staple food, causing many
countries to turn their attention to developing rice varieties and optimising the capacity of rice
cultivation and trade.
The next 20 years
"In the next 20 years, the world's population will increase by 20 per cent, and that implies more
rice consumption. Therefore, every nation should cooperate more in the form of research and
development in rice production and trading," said the prime minister.Within Asean, Thailand
will strive to forge closer cooperation to ensure stable rice prices in the world market, while
farmers will get stable and better incomes in the long run, he said.To promote rice-industry
growth, Prayut said the government would focus on promoting the production of quality rice, at a
higher volume, and with less intervention in the market.
The government aims to increase the yield for Thai rice by 25 per cent in the next five years,
while lowering production costs by 20 per cent over the same period, he said.Prayut said the
focus on non-chemical rice production, and on premium rice grains and varieties, would be
promoted in the Kingdom.Jeremy Zwinger, president and chief executive officer of The Rice
Trader industry report in the US, said every nation needed to be more concerned about food
security because of rising population numbers, as well as reduced sources of water for the
cultivation of crops."Food is critical.
The world should focus on adopting high technology to produce more rice grains, and increase
supply of rice to ensure price stability," he said.Zwinger said global rice trading now took place
in a highly competitive environment, especially in Asia, where most of the major supply nations
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are located.Along with lower oil prices, high stockpiles of rice in Thailand have caused a fall in
prices in recent times, although they could fluctuate and increase in the future as fuel prices rise,
rice stocks decline in many countries, and exchange rates fluctuate, he told the
convention.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association,
said the key for sustainable development of the Thai industry was to introduce zoning for rice
cultivation, while no government should intervene in the trading mechanism.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Balance-of-rice-supply-and-demand-key-to-food-secu-
30260563.html#sthash.YS5MqFGl.dpuf
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- May 21 Nagpur, May 21 Gram and tuar prices showed weak tendency in Nagpur Agriculture
Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor demand from local millers amid
release of
stock from stockists. Downward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses also affected prices in weak
trading activity, according to sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram mill quality and desi gram raw showed weak tendency in open market here in
absence of buyers amid ample stock in ready position.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply
position.
* Major wheat varieties moved down in open market here on poor buying support from
local traders amid poor quality arrival from producing regions like Punjab and
Haryana.
* In Akola, Tuar - 7,200-7,500, Tuar dal - 9,900-10,300, Udid at 9,100-9,600,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 10,700-11,100, Moong - 9,000-9,200, Moong Mogar
(clean) 10,700-11,100, Gram - 4,100-4,400, Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,200
for 100 kg.
* Rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in poor trading activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
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Gram Auction 3,500-4,440 3,600-4,530
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 5,700-7,490 5,780-7,570
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,300
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500
Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.
Gram Mill Quality 5,250-5,450 5,300-5,500
Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,650 4,550-4,700
Gram Filter new 6,050-6,150 6,050-6,150
Gram Kabuli 5,100-6,900 5,100-6,900
Gram Pink 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500
Tuar Fataka Best 10,500-10,800 10,500-10,800
Tuar Fataka Medium 10,000-10,300 10,000-10,300
Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,500-9,800 9,500-9,800
Tuar Dal Medium phod 9,000-9,350 9,000-9,350
Tuar Gavarani New 7,750-7,850 7,750-7,850
Tuar Karnataka 7,900-8,000 7,900-8,000
Tuar Black 10,700-11,000 10,700-11,000
Masoor dal best 8,100-8,300 8,100-8,300
Masoor dal medium 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 11,000-11,500 11,000-11,500
Moong Mogar Medium best 10,200-10,600 10,200-10,600
Moong dal Chilka 9,200-9,750 9,200-9,7050
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,600-9,900 9,600-9,900
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,200-11,600 11,200-11,600
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 9,900-10,600 9,900-10,600
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 8,500-8,900 8,500-8,900
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,150-3,300 3,150-3,300
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,450 3,200-3,450
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 2,450-2,625 2,450-2,625
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,700-4,800 3,600-4,800
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,500-1,800
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,600 1,800-1,900
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,500-1,700
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,250-2,550
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,950 2,000-2,150
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,700 3,200-3,750
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MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,100
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500
Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,200
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,400 2,100-2,400
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,700 3,300-3,700
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,400 4,000-4,400
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,200 4,600-5,200
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,500 6,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,200 4,600-5,200
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,000 5,600-6,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,100-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,550 2,300-2,450
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 47.0 degree Celsius (116.6 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
29.3 degree Celsius (84.7 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 48
and 30 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N0YC39320150521
Prayut spells out rice game plan
21 May 2015 at 00:30
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday visited Thaifex World of Food Asia, which
runs through Sunday at Impact Muang Thong Thani. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
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49
Thailand will focus on premium
varieties and reduce off-season farming
in the face of greater global competition
in rice.Addressing the Thailand Rice
Convention, Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-o-cha said the government would
accelerate the restructuring of rice
production management.Plans call for
designated rice-farming areas suited to
each variety, adequate production to
meet market demand and a reduction in
off-season rice production to keep
supply at an appropriate level.
Gen Prayut said farmland consolidation among rice
farmers would be encouraged to cut production costs.Gen
Prayut: Grow, market higher-value riceThe government
will provide support for R&D, assist in improved rice
production and quality and promote production of specific
rice for niche markets.The prime minister said the state
would place emphasis on developing rice varieties with
better quality, higher yields and lower cost, while
promoting the use of organic fertilisers and biofertilisers
to maintain quality standards and safety in plant
food.Additionally, the government will encourage
production of high-quality local rice with outstanding
properties such as organic rice, germinated brown rice,
rice burry and Khao Leum Pua.State agencies will provide
a stringent system to monitor the quality of rice at each stage of the process and encourage mill
operators to make improvements to meet good manufacturing standards, Gen Prayut said.A one-
stop standardised inspection and quality assurance operations centre is in the works to provide
better supervision of the rice trading system and ensure each grain of Thai rice meets the various
international standards of partner countries.
To attain pricing competitiveness, improvements in the domestic transport system will also help
to ease costs.The government is committed to promoting international cooperation, especially
between Thai exporters and major foreign trade partners, as a means of encouraging Thais to
enter new markets, especially in Asean members.Back at home, the government plans to set up a
special economic zone for adding value to rice and other agricultural products of Thailand and
neighbouring countries, with this country acting as a hub for value-added management and
distribution of products from Asean to the world.Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said
despite sluggish global demand, the government was maintaining its forecast for rice exports of
10 million tonnes this year.
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