14th october ,2015 daily global regional local rice e newsletter by rice plus magazine

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Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter |

www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

s

Daily Global Rice e-Newsletter October 14,2015 Vol 5 ,Issue XV

www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

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News Headlines ...

Brazil seeks review of rice importation policy

Rice bull market getting sticky

S. Korea's rice output to edge up 0.4 pct this year

Indonesia to import rice to counter El Nino-induced drought

More rice imports eyedas strong El Niño lingers

APEDA Commodity News from India

USARiceOutlook Contest: Week One

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

Rice growers midway through drought-diminished harvest

Large-scale grant awarded for organic rice study

FG to ban rice importation next 2 years

Rice Domestication Traced Back to 6300 BCE

Punjab’s move to reimpose taxes on basmati procurement upsets traders

Uttam demands release of water from Nagarjuna Sagar

Vietnam's 5-pct broken rice hits $360/T on Manila demand

Philippines needs block farms, less farmers–experts

News Detail...

Brazil seeks review of rice importation policy

Posted By: OLUFEMI ADEOSUNon: October 14, 2015

Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Elvado Silva Junior, has made a strong case to Federal

Government on the need to remove the barriers on rice importation, adding that doing so would

boost Nigeria’s food security for its teeming population.Junior, who led a delegation of 20

companies to Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) in Abuja, said that Brazil was

keen on exporting its quality rice to Nigeria.The Envoy said: ―The main target of Brazilian

investors is on rice importation. We wish to bring our high quality rice to Nigeria and we will

appreciate if the Nigerian Government can relax its barriers on rice importation. Brazil is

desirous of offering its rice to Nigeria as a continental proportions and the cutting-edge

technology employed in industrial processes.

‖―Brazil has a highly qualified and innovative rice industry that boasts a high technological stan-

dard, with a focus on exclusive and efficient service to the most demanding requirements of in-

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ternational food supply. Brazilian companies offer expressive flexibility in meeting specific

needs sought by consumers from different countries, based on logistical and consumption char-

acteristics‖, he added.In her remarks, the NIPC’s Executive-Secretary, Mrs Uju Hassan-Baba

noted that Brazil had a lot to offer Nigeria in terms of technological transfer and innovation,

adding that Nigeria is a major market itself.―We want to borrow a leaf from Brazil to be a major

producer, consumer and be the net exporter in the areas where we have comparative advantage.

―The NIPC has remained in the vanguard for enhancing Nigeria’s business climate having

reestablished its role as the pivot and flagship of investment promotion and facilitation in Nige-

ria, the Commission now enjoys tremendous goodwill, recognition and respect from various

stakeholders‖, Baba added.The Vice President of Nigerian-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce

&Industry, Mr Ladan Jubril expressed optimism that the partnership would see Nigeria attains

self-sufficiency in agricultural production with the application of technology, to improve its

economy.Jubril said the Federal Government was making serious efforts aimed at liberalizing in-

vestors’ entry and at strengthening protections for foreign investment, promote openness and

generally made investment environments more favourable for inward Foreign Direct Invest-

ment.The trade volume between Nigeria and Brazil was $12million in 2014, with Nigeria’s

export value to Brazil totalling $8million compared to Brazil’s exports valued at $4 million to

Nigeria

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/brazil-seeks-review-of-rice-importation-policy/

Rice bull market getting sticky Andreas Clenow

Chief Investment Officer / ACIES Asset Management Switzerland

Rice has been one of the very best performers in the agricultural sector since early summer. While

the rest of the sector kept declining, this one market made a real trend turnaround and spent the past

four months moving up. In the face of a sectoral bear market, this strength has been remarkable.

Weekly rough rice futures continuation:

Create your own charts with SaxoTraderGO click here to learn more

Source: CSI Data

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Do you see those tiny red bars by the end? Those are the current, ongoing pullback. This appears to be a

completely normal correction after a strong rally. Such pullbacks are usually high-probability entry points,

given a sufficient trend strength to begin with.

Daily rough rice futures continuation:

Source: CSI Data

In the daily chart you can see how this is the second time in this bull phase that we've experienced a

pullback. The previous one triggered an identical buy signal and now we're attempting to pull the same

rabbit out of the hat.

Last time ended well, and we have good probabilities this time around as well.

Management and risk description

Buy on current levels in the November rice future, RRX5. At this point, the overwhelming part of the open

interest is in this month. Set a fixed stop and target in the market from the start, for a known risk and potential

reward.

Rough rice dashboard:

Source: FollowingTheTrend.com

As you can see in the dashboard, the rice market remains in contango but it's not steep enough to really matter.

The volatility is on normal levels and the long term trend is intact.

Parameters

Entry: buy on current weakness, around $12.40.

Stop: firm stop at $11.93.

Target: take profits at $13.34.

Time horizon: around two weeks.

November rough rice futures contract:

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Source: ThomsonReuters

— Edited by Michael McKenna

For more on commodities click here.

Non-independent investment research disclaimer applies. Read more

https://www.tradingfloor.com/posts/rice-bull-market-getting-sticky-6389076

S. Korea's rice output to edge up 0.4 pct this year 2015/10/14 13:46

(ATTN: ADDS more details in para 10)

SEJONG, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rice production is expected to rise slightly in 2015

from last year due to greater yield per cultivated land, the agriculture ministry said

Wednesday.The country's rice output is forecast to reach 4.258 million tons, up 0.4 percent from

4.241 million tons harvested in 2014, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural

Affairs."Overall output is expected to increase marginally as the average yield from each unit

area of 10 hectares is predicted to rise," the ministry said, citing related data from Statistics

Korea.For this year, each 10 hectares of cultivated paddy should yield 533 kilograms of rice, up

2.5 percent from 520 kilograms tallied for last year, it said.The forecast yield is significantly

higher than the 496 kilograms per 10 hectares which has been the average for the past few years.

A farmer harvests rice at a paddy in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, on Sept. 2, 2015.

(Yonhap file photo) The increase comes despite a drop in the number of paddies growing rice this year. Last year,

farmers raised rice on 815,506 hectares of land, while for this year the areas used fell 2 percent to

799,344 hectares."Favorable weather conditions from June onward and almost no crop damage

caused by parasites and typhoons are raising expectations of better yields this year," the ministry

said.While less arable land caused output to fall steadily until 2012, there were small and steady

gains in output in 2013 and last year.The ministry said the government plans to come up with

measures to stabilize market prices of the staple grain.

These will include getting private rice processing plants to buy up more grain, strengthen

monitoring of imported rice and regulate the country's rice stockpile.At present, the state's rice

reserve stands at 1.32 million tons with policymakers predicting demand for the staple grain to

reach around 3.97 million tons for the whole of 2016. This can lead to more rice being held in

silos and not being consumed, which translates into more costs for the government.The country

maintains a sizable rice reserve to deal with emergencies and sudden fluctuations in global grain

prices.Asia's fourth-largest economy is self-sufficient when it comes to growing enough rice to

feed its 50 million citizens, although it imports almost all other farm produce from abroad to

meet demand.

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[email protected]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2015/10/14/0501000000AEN20151014002751320.html

Indonesia to import rice to counter El Nino-induced

drought

Rabu, 14 Oktober 2015 21:26 WIB |

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is preparing to import rice due to the El Nino-

induced drought, stated Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution.

"We have reached agreements with Vietnam and Thailand. Based on the agreements, Indonesia

will decide on the time of the imports. When we put forth a request, they need a month to

dispatch," Minister Nasution affirmed here, Tuesday.He quoted the Meteorology, Climatology

and Geophysics Agencys forecast that the current El Nino might be stronger than that

experienced in the 1997-1998 period when Indonesia was forced to import tons of rice.Indonesia

is reeling under the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon as the rice stocks have dwindled, and the

rice supply to regions is limited, thereby leading to a hike in the price of the commodity. "The

price of rice has increased by 10 percent over the last two months. It indicates that the stocks are

decreasing," he noted.

The government has decided to import rice as the countrys stocks currently reach 1.7 million

tons. Due to the prevailing weather conditions, the government plans to distribute 13th and 14th

rice rations this year to the poor."We will wait until December, or November at the earliest, as

rice harvests will still be carried out in October," Nasution noted.In the meantime, in September

2015, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman had stated that the ongoing drought would not affect

the nations rice supply and made assurance that the government did not need to import rice."Rice

stocks are secure for the next six months. State-owned Logistics Board (Bulog) has 1.7 million

tons of rice in stock," the minister said after witnessing a rice harvest in Mekarsari Village,

Banyusari Sub-district, Karawang District, West Java, in September.According to Amran, if rice

production is boosted every year, Indonesia would become self-sufficient in the next three

years.In order to boost rice production, the minister said the government had also signed a

cooperation agreement with the Bogor-based Institute of Agriculture (IPB) to plant new varieties

of rice.(*)

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http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/100978/indonesia-to-import-rice-to-counter-el-nino-induced-

drought

More rice imports eyedas strong El Niño lingers

MANILA-- The Philippines is eyeing to increase the volume of rice imports to 1.5 million metric tons in

the first half of 2016 to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices stable, as the adverse effect of El Niño

continues to intensify, a government press release said.Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio

Balisacan said the inter-agency El Niño Task Force will propose an additional 1 million MT of rice

imports to President Benigno Aquino III probably within this week.―We have more or less indicative

figures… For 2016, we have an already approved provision of 500,000 MT for the first quarter but based

on our analysis of the current data, we may need to increase or import another 1 million MT to maintain a

45-day buffer stock,‖ Balisacan said.

He said the expected increase in rice imports assumed that the El Niño will be as intense as those in the

1997 to 1998 phenomenon that, along with the Asian financial crisis, reduced the country's agricultural

output by 25 percent.Balisacan said El Niño will peak starting December until February and its impact is

expected to last until June next year.―That's (rice imports) what we proposed. It's going to be deliberated

on by the NFA (National Food Authority) council and it is not yet decided… These are indicative

numbers, they can change, these will undergo a series of validation,‖ he added.Balisacan said the El Niño

Task Force hopes to bring in about 1 million MT of rice next year, which includes those under the

minimum access volume (MAV) private sector rice importation scheme.

The remaining volume of rice imports may be brought in by the NFA directly.―Learning from the (past)

El Niño (events), learning from the 2013-2014 (experience), we have to make sure that we have adequate

supply; and timely importation is crucial. Because what we want to avoid is that domestic prices are

shooting up while world prices is still relatively stable,‖ he said.For 2015, Balisacan said the country

expects to bring in 850,000 MT of rice by the fourth quarter, bringing total imports to over 1.9 million

MT this year.

Already 840,000 MT of rice arrived in the country in the first semester, and an additional 232,000 MT in

the third quarter.―Some provinces will be affected much longer than the others. There are 66 provinces

that would suffer severe drought,‖ he noted.Citing the state weather bureau, Balisacan said there are

already seven provinces experiencing drought including the provinces of Quirino, Aurora, Quezon,

Bohol, Siquijor, Camiguin and Misamis Oriental.―This month or next, probably about 16 provinces will

be affected. And by the time we reach second quarter of next year, we will already have 66 provinces. It's

quite significant and that excludes Metro Manila,‖ he added.*PNA

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2015/October/14/businessnews1.htm

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APEDA Commodity News from India

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 13-10-2015

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) 2150

2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 1490

3 Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 2590

Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 13-10-2015

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Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Maize

1 Haliyala (Karnataka) Local 1300 1450

2 Koraput (Orissa) Other 1330 1340

3 Divai (Uttar Pradesh) Hybrid 1300 1350

Paddy(Dhan)

1 Amloh (Punjab) Other 1450 1450

2 Dehgam (Gujarat) Other 1245 1315

3 Siyana (Uttar Pradesh) Fine 1150 1500

Mousambi

1 Manjeri (Kerala) Other 2500 2700

2 Jagraon (Punjab) Other 2600 3000

3 Mechua (West Bengal) Other 2300 2700

Cucumbar

1 Palayam (Kerala) Other 1100 1400

2 Shillong (Meghalaya) Other 1500 1700

3 Pune (Maharashtra) Other 700 2000

Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 13-10-2015

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Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 324

2 Hyderabad 298

3 Mysore 308

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per

package

Price on 13-10-2015

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks

1 Baltimore California Yellow 15 15

2 Chicago Nevada Yellow 12.50 14

3 Detroit Michigan Yellow 9 12

Carrots Package: 30 1-lb film bags

1 Baltimore California Baby Peeled 24 25

2 Chicago California Baby Peeled 20 23.50

3 Miami California Baby Peeled 26 29

Apples Package: cartons tray pack

1 Baltimore Virginia Red

Delicious 20 20

2 Detroit Washington Red

Delicious 24 26.50

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3 Miami Washington Red

Delicious 23 24

Source:USDA

Think Rice with the Gerard family from Cape Girardeau, Missouri

ARLINGTON, VA -- Fields of gold extending into the horizon, combines rolling across vast

acres of farm land, and diverse wildlife drifting in and out of view among swaying stalks of rice

-- these characteristic signs of harvest are familiar to rice farmers, but are foreign to most

Americans who are far removed from the agricultural industry. Most people don't even realize

rice is grown here! During the recent harvest, pictures and videos from farmers in all six rice-

producing states flooded social media sites, and with consumers' increasing interest in

understanding where and how their food is grown, USA Rice saw an educational opportunity to

use these images to provide an exclusive glimpse into the world of rice farming in the United

States during National Rice Month.

USA Rice compiled images of harvest submitted by members and shared them on Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram to help consumers visualize the journey of rice from farm to table. This

effort was aided by a new initiative that put the spotlight on a different rice farmer each week.

The "Meet Your Rice Farmer" posts shared fun facts about the farmer, including a favorite

family rice recipe.

"Social media provides the public with a unique opportunity to gain an inside perspective on

what life is like on a rice farm just by scrolling through pictures using their smart phone," said

Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications and marketing. "A fleeting glance

at an image of a family on their farm has the ability to resonate with consumers, who will

hopefully make the connection that the people who grow their food are also their friends,

family, and neighbors."

During National Rice Month, USA Rice additionally shared graphics highlighting the

nutritional benefits of rice and the economic contribution rice farmers make to the agricultural

industry. All graphics were accompanied by text reinforcing the many positive attributes of the

rice industry and encouraged consumers to continue supporting U.S. rice farmers.If you have

any pictures from this year's rice season that you would like to share on USA Rice's social

media platforms, please email [email protected].

Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446

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USARiceOutlook Contest: Week One ARLINGTON, VA -- Mark Isbell, a rice farmer from Little

Rock, Arkansas is the first finalist selected in the

#USARiceOutlook social media contest. A weekly winner will

be announced every Wednesday until November 4, and will be in

the running for the grand prize of a free registration to USA

Rice's Outlook Conference in New OrleansDecember 9-11.

For contest eligibility, participants can retweet or share USA Rice's posts about the Outlook

Conference, or they can create their own original content using the hashtag

#USARiceOutlook. Members can share what they are looking forward to most at Outlook,

which speaker they are most excited about, their favorite part about New Orleans, etc. Creativity

is encouraged!

"I'm really excited to see USA Rice using Twitter to create a stronger community within the rice

industry while also reaching out to consumers around the world," said Isbell, a recent graduate of

the Rice Leadership Program. "Many may not realize what a strong agricultural community

there is on Twitter, and how this simple tool gives us a way to not only hear and see what is

going on around the world, but to speak back, even from the seat of a tractor. I encourage

everyone to participate in the conversation."

Follow @usaricenews on Twitter for more exciting updates about the 2015 USA Rice

Conference and remember to tweet us using #USARiceOutlook!

Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 23601446

Tweeting? Farming? Or both!

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporationtoday announced the

following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and

the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2015 crop,

which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous

announcement.

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World Price MLG/LDP

Rate

Milled Value

($/cwt)

Rough

($/cwt) Rough ($/cwt)

Long Grain 14.92 9.42 0.00

Medium/Short Grain 14.43 9.68 0.00

Brokens 9.00 ---- ----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and

the corresponding loan rates:

U.S. Milling Yields

Whole/Broken

(lbs/cwt)

Loan Rate

($/cwt)

Long Grain 55.01/13.46 6.50

Medium/Short Grain 61.81/8.43 6.50

The next program announcement is scheduled for October 21, 2015.

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for October 14

Month Price Net Change

November 2015 $12.145 - $0.450

January 2016 $12.425 - $0.455

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March 2016 $12.710 - $0.445

May 2016 $12.940 - $0.350

July 2016 $13.145 - $0.280

September 2016 $12.515 - $0.245

November 2016 $12.515 - $0.245

Rice growers midway through drought-diminished harvest

Published:October 13, 2015 3:20PM

IM HEARDEN/CAPITAL PRESS

Worker Virgilio Chavez harvests rice in a field just east of Willows, Calif., on Oct. 12.

California’s rice acreage is diminished this year because of the drought, but growers say they’re

seeing decent yields and quality from the rice that was planted.Rice growers are about halfway

through their harvest of a drought-diminished crop, as some acreage had to be left

unplanted because of water shortages. From the rice that was planted, growers are

reporting decent yields and quality.

WILLIAMS, Calif. — Rice growers in California are midway through a harvest that will be

shorter than usual for the many who fallowed portions of their acreage because of the

drought.Growers report decent yields and quality from the rice that’s in the ground — plantings

they say total roughly 370,000 acres statewide, a steep drop from the 431,000 acres of rice

harvested last year.Among those already winding down their harvests is Leo LaGrande, a

Williams area farmer who left one-quarter of his land bare.―It’s probably going to be a short

season for everyone,‖ LaGrande said. ―A lot of acreage was left out because of water

cutbacks.‖California rice growers are expected to produce 34.1 million hundredweight, down 8

percent from last year, the National Agricultural Statistics Service predicts. The yield forecast

was 6,300 pounds per acre, down 3 percent from 2014.Rice was one of several field crops in

California showing sharp acreage declines because of the drought, according to NASS.

Harvested acreage of corn in the Golden State is estimated at 65,000, down 32 percent from a

year ago, NASS reported.

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Early this spring, farmers told the agency they’d be seeding rice on 408,000 acres, but an

updated field crop report in July estimated that rice acreage in California would top out at

385,000.Water availability for growers has varied widely. Some irrigation districts will have

water available until Nov. 1, while others have had their diversions curtailed, leaving some water

users to rely more heavily on groundwater where it is available, the California Farm Bureau

Federation reported.Marysville area grower Charley Mathews had enough water this year to

plant all his fields, and he said his yields have been good.―I’m about halfway‖ through harvest,

said Mathews, a member of the USA Rice Federation’s executive committee. ―There’s a few

(growers) finishing, but there’s still quite a bit out there.‖

Willows, Calif., grower Larry Maben also managed to get all of his fields planted, he said..―Most

of the people around here had to leave some out,‖ Maben said. ―A lot of people have already

finished with harvest, and a lot are close to being finished. I’m a little over halfway. … We’re

progressing.

―Most of the people are saying they’ve got a really good crop,‖ he said. ―To me it looks like it’s

a little bit off. It’s just the variability.‖Water shortages will likely diminish migratory bird habitat

this winter, as ducks and other species typically rest on water that’s been put on fields for crop

decomposition, the state Farm Bureau notes. While California farmers typically create about

300,000 acres of managed wetlands, last year they created only about 100,000 acres and this year

it could be as low as 50,000, according to the CFBF.

Last year, favorable yields and more widespread sales of rice straw for animal feed and erosion

control helped offset losses of acres for growers, but many are hoping that prices for rice

improve in the coming months so they can continue to make ends meet.―It’s going to be an

interesting year to see how the market responds,‖ LaGrande said. ―If the market responds to less

acres, the price would hedge to the north, but there are driving factors keeping it down. There’s

competition from the South and world supplies are up. It’s going to be a challenge.―If the price

can’t move … what you’re going to see from the banks next year is a request of more skin in the

game from everyone,‖ he said. ―The margins to start with aren’t big. It’s going to get tougher,

there’s no doubt about it.‖

http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20151013/rice-growers-midway-through-drought-diminished-

harvest?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+October+14%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+

2013&utm_medium=email

Large-scale grant awarded for organic rice study The Organic Center to serve as the study's outreach partner to scientists, organic

sector

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Organic Center is pleased to

announce that a research team it is collaborating with has been awarded an important research

grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance organic rice production in the

United States. The grant is funded by USDA's Organic Agriculture Research and Extension

Initiative (OREI).The grant – worth $555,000 – will help increase organic rice production in the

southern regions of the U.S. through the development of economically viable organic practices.

The grant, which was officially announced on Tuesday by the USDA, will go to researchers at

Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center at Beaumont, Texas A&M

University's Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, USDA's ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice

Research Center, University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, University of

Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Agriculture, and The Organic Center.

The Center's role in the project will be to communicate the findings of the research to the

scientific community, organic growers and organic industry members."We are thrilled to be

involved with this important project," said Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs at

The Organic Center. "There is a critical need for information on organic rice systems to help

expand production and meet the demand of this high-value market."

Organic rice practices tailored for the Southern U.S.

This first phase of a three-year project will develop a multi-disciplinary approach to developing

Integrated Pest Management strategies for organic rice production in the Southern United States.

The popularity of organic rice has skyrocketed in the past 20 years. Organic rice acreage in the

U.S. has increased almost six-fold since 1995, with up to half of the acreage in the South.

Despite this rapid expansion, however, domestic rice production has not kept up with market

demand, and imports of foreign organic rice have risen.One of the reasons why organic rice

acreage is not expanding more rapidly is a lack of knowledge about tools that best support

organic rice production. Rice is grown in a unique flooded system, and research being done

specific to rice systems focuses solely on conventional production.This project will address these

issues by developing economically viable organic rice production practices for the Southern U.S.

that will allow producers to grow organic rice more sustainably and profitably in the South.

This regional integrated organic rice project involves nine researchers from two of the country's

major rice-growing states – Texasand Arkansas–and combines expertise in plant pathology (Dr.

Xin-Gen [Shane] Zhou of Texas A&M ), breeding/genetics (Dr. Anna McClung of USDA's

Agricultural Research Service), nutrient management (Dr. Fugen Dou of Texas A&M),

economics (Dr. Bradley Watkins of the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville), weed science

(Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan of Texas A&M), entomology (Dr. Mo Way of Texas A&M ),

agronomy/crop science (Dr. Bihu Huang of University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff), agronomy/soil

science (Dr. Sixte Ntamatungiro of University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff), and outreach

communications (Dr. Shade of The Organic Center).

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Overall, the research team will devote approximately 80% of their time on research and 20% on

extension."Results from this project will empower growers to make informed choices on inputs

that will result in sound pest management, higher and more consistent yields, improved milling

and grain quality, and enhanced soil quality," said Todd Linsky, chairman of the Board of

Trustees for The Organic Center. "This will help the market for domestically produced organic

rice to continue to expand, and will sustain rural communities in areas where conventional rice

acreage has been decreasing."

The Organic Center at work

In addition to the rice project, The Center now is collaborating in several other critical research

projects, including the comparison of soil health on organic and conventional farms and seeking

organic solutions to citrus greening. Earlier this year, it released an important report on the

benefit of organic farming practices to pollinator populations.The news of the grant award came

the week after members of The Organic Center's Board of Trustees gathered at the University of

California, Berkeley, for the group's annual retreat to receive scientific briefings on the

collaborative research The Center is a part of and to discuss future research priorities of The

Center.For more information on The Organic Center and the science behind organic food and

farming, visit www.organic-center.org.

The Organic Center's mission is to convene credible, evidence-based science on the health and

environmental benefits of organic food and farming and to communicate the findings to the

public. The Center is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) research and education organization

operating under the administrative auspices of the Organic Trade Association.

SOURCE The Organic Center

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/large-scale-grant-awarded-for-organic-rice-study-

300159466.html?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+October+14%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+Dece

mber+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

FG to ban rice importation next 2 years

October 14,

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA – Federal government Wednesday said it has plans to stop the importation of rice in the

next two years, however stating that the policy would not be enforced until it has developed local

industries to produce maximally for local consumption.The plan was communicated to State

House Correspondents by Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum,

Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari after a joint meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the

Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and permanent secretaries of

federal ministries at the presidential villa, Abuja.

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Yari stated that with the emerging political will power of the present government and the

availability of arable land, Nigeria can sustain itself with rice production.He regretted that so

much money had gone into rice importation which he said could be produced locally.

―The meeting was on the new policy on agriculture and food sustainability. We discussed how

we can boost rice production in Nigeria and start thinking about how we are going to put policy

in place on how rice importation will be banned in the country.―We have the potential. We have

the human resources. We have the arable land to grow rice. In the next two years, we will not

need to bring rice from outside Nigeria. We are going to ban it.―It is only in Nigeria, a country of

millions of people, that there is no food security. We discussed the policy with the relevant

permanent secretaries and CBN governor.

―The policy is going to be in place and we gave our commitment that we are ready to support the

government policy in ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production in the next

two years.―Nigeria is currently a major importer of rice. Now, the political will is in place to stop

it. We in about nine states are going to be seriously engaged in massive rice production.―We are

hoping that in the next two years, rice importation into Nigeria will be banned. We are

committed and the political will is in place‖, Governir Yari said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/fg-to-ban-rice-importation-next-2-years/

Punjab’s move to reimpose taxes on basmati procurement

upsets traders Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh

|

Updated: Oct 15, 2015 00:03 IST

The Punjab government’s decision to reimpose 7% taxes on basmati procurement has not gone down well with traders.

(HT Photo )

The Punjab government’s decision to reimpose 7% taxes on basmati procurement has not gone down

well with traders.The taxes being collected by the state mandi board with effect from October 1

include 2% market fee, 2% rural development fund and 3% Punjab infrastructure development fund

(PIDF). Traders say this move has made things worse for the rice industry in the state, which is

already passing through an unprecedented phase of decline.Ravinder Singh Cheema, vice-chairman

of the Punjab Mandi Board, said the government had no option but to reimpose the taxes as about

| 19



80% of the crop coming in the mandis of Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar during

the kharif marketing season was basmati, adding that the tax waiver meant no income for the

market committees. ―We want to support our local offices also,‖ Cheema added.

The mandi board supervises the procurement of foodgrains in more than 1,700 grain markets of

the state. The revenue generated from procurement is used on rural development and the upkeep

of mandis.According to top government functionaries, the tax waiver had led to a benefit of Rs

1,000 per quintal, but it was favouring importers, especially from Gulf countries, who purchased

basmati from Punjab traders.

However, the waiver of 5% purchase tax would continue. Also, the waiver of 2% market fee, 2%

rural development fund and 3% PIDF would continue for mega projects in which Rs 10 crore or

more have been invested in rice shelling and processing mills. There are 15 such set-ups in

Punjab which shell and trade about 25% of the basmati.Ashok Sethi, director, Punjab Rice

Millers and Exporters Association, said the 1509 variety of basmati had poor cooking quality and

higher percentage of breakage, leading to near-boycott of this variety. ―We tried to convince

farmers, but they failed to understand that the industry was not in favour of the 1509 variety after

its failure during the 2014-15 kharif season,‖ he added.

In the current season, a total of 7-8 lakh tonnes of the 1509 variety have arrived in mandis of the

state so far. The prices of this variety fell to Rs 1,200-1,300 per quintal, forcing the government

to offer minimum support price of Rs 1,450 per quintal on paddy.Sethi said the export policy

announced by the central government recently had not enthused the rice industry and its failure

to issue a notification to allow 3% interest benefit on export bank limits, after its lapse for more

than 15 months, had got the thumbs-down from exporters.

He demanded that the state government and the Centre protect the agro processing industry in

Punjab by offering concessions and incentives through the bailout package and reduced bank

lending.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/punjab-s-move-to-reimpose-taxes-on-basmati-procurement-

upsets-traders/story-7QhSSLUaYVMXxknkAJNO4K.html

Uttam demands release of water from Nagarjuna Sagar

Hyderabad, Oct 14 (INN): Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar

Reddy demanded that the State Government immediately release water from the Nagarjuna

Sagar Left Canal.Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, Uttam Kumar

Reddy said standing crops, spread across one lakh acres of land, would be lost if water is not

| 20



released on immediate basis. He said several farmers have ended their lives due to adverse

seasonal conditions and therefore, immediate steps need to be taken to protect others from losing

their crops. He threatened that the Congress party would launch mass agitation if water was not

released from Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal.Uttam Kumar Reddy also said that nearly 3,000 rice

mills were on the verge of closure which would snatch livelihood of about 10 lakh people. He

said that the rice mills were badly hit due to low cultivation and consequently drop in exports. He

demanded that the State and Central Governments immediately announce some bailout package

for rice millers.

http://www.telugupeople.com/news/article_00099965_Uttam_demands_release_of_water_from_Nagarju

na_Sagar.asp

Rice Domestication Traced Back to 6300 BCE

Posted By: Daryl WorthingtonPosted date: October 14, 2015

A study by scientists from Peking University and University College London has provided an

outline of the development of rice cultivation in central China between the seventh and first

millennium BCE.Zhenhua Deng, Ling Qin and Yu Gao, from the School of Archaeology and

Museology at Peking University, and Alison Ruth Weisskopf and Dorian Q. Fuller from the

Institute of Archaeology at UCL, focused on the Baligang site in Nanyang Basin, in what is now

Central China. A Neolithic site on the Northern tributary of the Yangtze River, Baligang

provides a long arhaeobotanical sequence from the seventh to the first millennium BCE, offering

insight into the development of rice and millet agriculture in the region.

Published in the open access journal Plos One, the study has the potential to clear up some long

held ambiguities about the origins of farming practices in the region which is now China.

Archaeologists generally agree that the prehistoric agricultural history of the region can be

divided into two traditions: a northern one based on the cultivation of millet, and one centred

around the Middle and Lower Yangtze basin based on rice.The relationship between these two

agricultural traditions is less transparent however, as the study explains, ―Some have argued for a

single origin, with either rice agriculture spreading north and encouraging millet domestication,

or early millet farming in the north spreading south and kick-starting millet cultivation. Others

have argued for more than (one) independent center of millet domestication across north China,

unconnected to Middle and Lower Yangtze basin rice domestication episodes.

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‖For their study, the scientists collected flotation samples from pits and cultural layers during

excavation seasons in 2004 and 2007. In total, 1700 litres of soil from 123 samples were floated

in a flotation tank at the site, before plant remains were collected through sieves with 0.3 mm

mesh. Following drying, samples from the 2004 study were sent for analysis at UCL’s facilities,

while the 2007 samples were analysed at Peking University.Selected seed and crop specimens

were then chosen for direct radio carbon dating using Accelerated Mass Spectrometry (AMS),

which was combined with other data to form a chronology for the history of rice cultivation in

the Baligang region. ―Over the course of excavations, the chronology was initially based on

material cultural affiliation. Fifteen dates were carried out on wood charcoal in support of this. In

addition 18 radiocarbon dates were direct AMS dates on identified seed remains recovered from

the archaeobotanical samples described in this paper.‖Thanks to the broad chronological scope

of the data extracted from Baligang, the authors of the study have been able to construct a

detailed picture of subsistence farming strategies in the region.

They have confirmed, based on morphological characteristics of the rice, that rice had been

domesticated in the region before 6300 BCE, although a lack of evolution in grain shape

suggests that the people there were still a long way off from forming an agricultural

economy.The researchers have put together a broad overview of rice cultivation in the region

around Baligang during the Neolithic period and beyond. ―Baligang provides a long sequence

that registers many of the key trends in the Neolithic agriculture of central China.

‖ The effects of cultural factors have been charted, showing how the development of agricultural

economies progressed in China. ―As a response to cultural changes, crop assemblages varied in

different periods along with the interaction between north and south China, with more millets

grown in periods under the cultural influence of the north.‖Nevertheless, as is so often the case

and as the authors of the study confirm, their results still leave a host of questions unanswered.

―The tantalizing new evidence for domestication of rice at Baligang site before 6300 BC require

data from other sites and periods to be put into an evolutionary trajectory from rice gathering to

domestication.‖

For more information: www.journals.plos.org

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user: Jialiang Gao

Vietnam's 5-pct broken rice hits $360/T on Manila

demand Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:37am GMT

| 22



HANOI Oct 14 (Reuters) - Vietnam's 5-percent broken rice jumped to $360 a tonne on

Wednesday, the highest since July 15, after the Philippines said it was studying a proposal to

purchase 1 million tonnes more rice, traders said.Rice prices in Vietnam, the world's third-largest

exporter of the grain, have recovered from their eight-year lows hit in late August, but the gain

this week may prevent foreign buyers from signing company-to-company deals, traders

said."Exporters are also reluctant to sell now, expecting further price gains," a trader at a foreign

firm in Ho Chi Minh City said. (Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Joseph Radford)

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N12E1P720151014

Philippines needs block farms, less farmers–experts

by Mary Grace Padin - October 14, 2015

INCREASING food production to feed more than 100 million Filipinos has become more

challenging due to changing weather patterns, as well as the continuous conversion of farm

lands. The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said it doesn’t help that farmers also

have to deal with the ―inherent disadvantages‖ of the Philippines.

In Photo: Manuel Chase M. Castaño III, science research analyst, Be RICEponsible Campaign;

Dr. Calixto M. Protacio, executive director, DA- PhilRice; Jaime Manalo, head, Development

Communications Division; and Dr. Santiago Obien, special technical assistant to the National

Rice Program, during the BM Coffee Club Forum.As rice is the staple food of Filipinos, farmers

are under pressure to expand rice output every year. Paddy-rice output needs to keep pace with

population growth, pegged at nearly 2 percent annually.According to the Philippine Statistics

Authority (PSA), the country’s population increased at the rate of 1.9 percent annually, on the

average, during the period 2000 to 2010.

This means that there were two persons added per year for every 100 persons in the

population.Meanwhile, annual per-capita consumption of rice was pegged by the PSA at 114.27

kilograms. This means that each Filipino consumes about 2.2 kg of rice per week.Because of the

importance of rice to the Filipinos’ diet, the Philippines has 2.6 million hectares of land devoted

| 23



to rice. The average farm size is at 1.04 hectares, while harvest area is at 4.7 million hectares.Dr.

Santiago R. Obien, senior technical adviser of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) National

Rice Program, said farmers’ adoption of technological innovations would help them become

more productive.One such technology is hybrid-rice seeds, which would allow farmers to grow

more rice and consequently earn more. The country’s hybrid-rice varieties, Obien said, are the

best outside of China, as yield could average 8 to 10 tons per hectare, and can reach up to 12

tons.―As a farmer’s yield increases, his cost of production decreases. This would allow farmers

to increase their profits,‖ Obien told reporters and editors during a forum, dubbed as the BM

Coffee Club, held recently in Makati City.

Economies of scale

PhilRice Executive Director Calixto M. Protacio and Obien both agree that there should be farm

areas consolidated and managed by fewer farmers to again make farming a ―financially

appealing and viable venture.‖

In economically advanced countries, Obien said only about 3 percent of the total population are

farmers. Korean farmers in 1960 used to make up 53 percent of their population. Now, there are

only 16 percent of these farmers, and they are rich.Obien also noted that the number of farmers

in Thailand is also declining, as many of them are being recruited by factories. Some of these

farmers ask their neighbors to take care of their farms.―If one farmer has 4 hectares of land and

two of his friends who also have 4 hectares each go into other industries and ask him to cultivate

their land, that farmer now has 12 hectares to harvest. With bigger land, that farmer can now buy

a tractor and a [vehicle]. It just shows that we need less farmers to be rich,‖ Obien said.

For his part, Protacio said there is a need to achieve economies of scale for farmers to make them

more productive and competitive. He said farmers with a small land cannot afford to adopt

innovations to make farming efficient and increase their output.

| 24



―Clustering, or land consolidation, is good. You have to establish economies of scale. In a way,

the idea is to go back to the concept of landlords. We are looking at this as a rural-transformation

idea. We found that to be able to become a millionaire, a farmer has to have at least 20 hectares

of land,‖ he said.

In their study, ―The Size Distribution of Farms and International Productivity Differences‖

published in 2011, Tasso Adamopoulos and Diego Restuccia focused on the differences in

average farm sizes among countries. They found that the average farm size for poor countries is

1.6 hectares, while rich countries have an average farm size of 54.1 hectares.

―Richer countries have fewer small farms and more large farms than poorer countries. In the

poorest countries, over 90 percent of farms are small and almost none of the farms are large;

whereas in the richest countries, small farms account for about 30 percent of farms and large

farms for nearly 40 percent,‖ the study read.

A recent study by Krishna H. Koirala and Ashok K. Mishra of the Louisiana State University and

Samarendy Mohanty of the International Rice Research Institute, titled ―Impact of Land

Ownership on Productivity and Efficiency of Rice Farmers: A Simulated Maximum Likelihood

Approach,‖ revealed that a 1-percent increase in farm size could result in an increase in the value

of rice production by about 0.4 percent.

CARP’s woes

The Philippine government, nonetheless, still has a commitment to grant landless farmers and

farm workers ownership of agricultural lands by the end of the Aquino administration. Farm

lands are becoming more fragmented into smaller areas as they are being turned over to small

farmers.

| 25



Republic Act (RA) 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, was enacted by President

Corazon Aquino in 1988, authorizing the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to undertake

the distribution of an estimated 7.8 million hectares of agricultural lands.

The law was aimed to promote social justice and to establish ―owner cultivatorship‖ of

economic-size farms as the basis of Philippine agriculture.

―To this end, a more equitable distribution and ownership of land, with due regard to the rights

of landowners to just compensation and to the ecological needs of the nation, shall be undertaken

to provide farmers and farm workers with the opportunity to enhance their dignity and improve

the quality of their lives through greater productivity of agricultural lands,‖ RA 6657 stated.

However, Obien said the government has failed to follow the distribution of land with the

provision of farm inputs and machineries. He said the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

(CARP) of the government has not served as a plan for productivity.

―It [CARP] was simply a social-justice system. That’s the problem. It should not have been that

way. It should have been a systematic program so that farmers can become more productive,‖

Obien said.

―The government, upon the release of the land, should have also provided the farmers with

machineries, facilities, inputs and electricity, among others, so that they can be progressive. The

Japanese call it land reformation, not land reform. However, nothing was given to our farmers,‖

he added.

Protacio said the initial idea for the CARP was for cooperatives to take over the farmlands and

consolidate them into large units. He said, however, that because of the individualistic nature of

Filipinos, it did not work.

| 26



In 1996 the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) also published a study, titled

―Issues in Revitalizing the Philippine Sugar Industry.‖ The study revealed that the sugar industry

had to contend with declining productivity.

―Implementing the land-transfer scheme of CARP had been slow due to the government’s

administrative and financial constraints. And then there is the strong opposition from the

landowners. Nonland-transfer schemes, which include land lease or rental, profit sharing and

corporate stock distribution, have proven to be unattractive to landowners,‖ the study read.

―Such delay and uncertainties discourage CARP farmer-owners to invest in farm improvements,

lower collateral value of agricultural land, and reduce credit flow to agriculture. In the end, low

productivity becomes inevitable,‖ it added.

A study published by the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences

(ISSAAS), titled ―Farm Size and Its Effect on the Productive Efficiency of Sugarcane Farms in

Central Negros,‖ showed that average optimum land size should be around 41 hectares, which is

lower than the optimum size (50 hectares) stated in the report of the Presidential Task Force on

the Sugar Industry.

―[Big farms] are also the more favored in terms of technology and access to information and

extension services. Modernization of farm practices can improve productive efficiency, however,

this is difficult to achieve at present due to the limited financial capability of the farmers,‖ the

report read.

To boost the productivity of sugarcane farms, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) rolled

out a program, which sought to consolidate small farms into larger areas while still preserving

individual ownership of the land, in 2012.

―Block farming is the consolidation of the management of small farms of less than 5 hectares,

into a bigger but contiguous unit of at least 30 hectares for purposes of improving farm

| 27



productivity, while individual ownership is preserved,‖ SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Martin

said in a statement.

Data from the SRA showed that about 85 percent of the sugarcane farms in the country have

areas of 5 hectares or below. The SRA said this is due to the natural course of land subdivision

by inheritance, sale and the CARP.

According to the SRA, sugarcane is a plantation crop and its cost efficiency is best achieved

through bigger farm sizes of at least 30 hectares. However, with the implementation of the

CARP, farm sizes were fragmented into small land holdings of less than 5 hectares, wherein

farm owners could no longer take advantage of economies of scale.

Present land owners also do not have the financial capability to provide farm inputs, which

results in low productivity, the SRA said.

Since its implementation in 2012, SRA said the 19 pilot block farms have registered an average

increase of 29 percent in farm productivity in crop year 2013 and 2014. Sugar production in the

pilot farms in that crop year reached 65.29 tons cane per hectare, as compared to 50.78 tons cane

per hectare recorded in 2012.

This increase in productivity translated to an estimated average increase of farmers’ income by

P39,815 per hectare, at 1.96 50-kilogram per tons cane (LKG/TC) and a composite price of

P1,400 per LKG-bag of raw sugar.

Aside from consolidating small farms into an aggregate of at least 30 hectares—through agrarian

reform beneficiaries organizations—the SRA also offers coached and guided farm management,

technical assistance and capacity building for the farmers in a block farm. The DA also provides

irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads and farm inputs necessary for the production of

sugarcane.

The program has now become one of the main programs under RA 10659, or the Sugar Industry

Act of 2015. The SRA said there are 130 block farms that have enrolled for accreditation to date,

with a total area of about 7,000 hectares.

Protacio said the SRA’s block farming scheme could also be adopted by other sectors.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, for his part, said the DA has also put up block farms for

the rice sector. He said, however, that it has not been as successful as the program rolled out for

sugarcane farmers.

―What’s important is we integrate our palay farmers. We have partnered with the DAR in

implementing block farming in some areas,‖ Alcala said.

―Agrarian-reform communities should have been created long ago. They should have started

block farming long ago. Block farms have the advantage because they have all these tools and

resources to use so that they can be progressive,‖ Obien said. Image Credits: Nonoy Lacza

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philippines-needs-block-farms-less-farmers-experts/

Documents

14th october ,2015 daily global regional local rice e newsletter by rice plus magazine