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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

Reap membership renewal fees: small rice exporters flay increase For French buyers: Envoy puts a face to Pakistani products Stakeholders unite to combat rice smuggling Rice millers fear uneven competition with importers Indonesia to establish itself as top 3 global wheat importer CLIMATE CHANGE PUSHES INDIAN FARMERS TO ADOPT WATER-RESISTANT RICE VARIETY ANALYSIS How one family maintains a diversified, sustainable farm Cambodia feared to be a threat to Vietnams rice Philippines under pressure over high rice prices Rice farmers fund garners 149 million baht Thai govt to start paying rice arrears, farmers still not happy Over 3,100 hectares to come under summer paddy Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Mar 05 Indonesian government says no plans to revise rice output target BAAC farmers' fund kicks off
NEWS DETAILS
Reap membership renewal fees: small rice exporters flay increase

March 05, 2014
RECORDER REPORT Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has announced to increase its membership renewal fees by 465 percent. Now all REAP members are required to pay an amount of Rs 14,000 as renewal fee instead of Rs 3000 being charged previously. The fee, though, has been increased after three years; small rice exporters have expressed serious concerns over exorbitant increase and written a latter to DG, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Usman Narejo to look into the matter.
The letter, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder, stated that "kindly recommend to the Ministry of Commerce to remove the mandatory membership of REAP and facilitate the rice exporters to export rice with the membership of the respective CC&I which should suffice." "The recent decision of some 465 percent increase in REAP membership renewal is unreasonable and should be revised", small exporters said.According to small exporters, they have also written a letter to REAP officials regarding this issue, but unfortunately association has not responded. While criticising the decisions of Reap's Managing Committee (MC) they said it has taken arbitrary decision and not followed the procedure. They said that majority of the MC members belong to the big sector, who are unaware of the difficulties of traders of small sector, the increase in fees can be affordable for big exporters but not for all. Replying a query they said, it is true that since many years Reap was incurring huge expenditure out of the pre-shipment inspection fees from the Quality Review Committee (QRC), and now since the fee goes to TDAP it is falling short of funds. We are exporting other items besides rice like maize, salt, and recipe items and we are members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) and their renewal fees is Rs 2,100 only, then why the membership of REAP is mandatory, they said.There is an order of the Sindh High Court (SHC) which says that REAP shall not compel any rice exporter to become its member, they claimed. The courts order is not relating to a particular suit because law is clear and loud enough for all. The concerned policy makers should comprehend that no one can compel an exporter to become member of a trade association when he/she is already a member of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry, they added. On the other hand Jawed Ghori former chairman REAP said, "The new fee structure has been formally approved by the REAP managing committee as well as by the Director of Trade Organisation (DTO) to generate income to meet association's expanses" He said that since 2010 REAP membership renewal fee was not increased, however, now the rising expenses have forced the managing committee to revise the renewal fee."Three months back REAP's managing committee approved some increase in renewal fee and the decision was accordingly forwarded to DTO for appropriate approval", he informed. No body can challenge this as it's a legal act with approval of competent authority, he added.
For French buyers: Envoy puts a face to Pakistani products

By Waqas Naeem Published: March 5, 2014 ISLAMABAD: For Ghalib Iqbal, the Pakistani Ambassador to France, it is a logical conclusion more visibility of Pakistani companies in the European market will lead to more business opportunities. The more you are seen, the more you are bought, Iqbal told The Express Tribune during a telephonic interview from Paris, where he has been posted since February 2013.From fisheries to fashion and furnishing new passports, the ambassador discussed the future prospects of Pak-French bilateral relations, the needs of Pakistanis living abroad and the avenues for trade enhancement during the conversation.Improving Pakistans
international trade is also the first of two instructions Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued to Pakistani missions abroad after coming to power in the May 2013 elections. More visibility The more visibility strategy would work because European buyers want to put a face to the exporter, Iqbal said.With France, Pakistan is already in a strong bilateral trade relation: rough estimates put the 2013 trade volume at $1.352 billion, up at least 14 per cent from 2012 figures, with the trade balance in Pakistans favour.PHOTO: FILE:Says fabric, furniture, fish, rice, mango products have a huge market in France.
1. This Pak-France trade volume is expected to increase in 2014, Iqbal said, with the European Unions Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status, which recently allowed Pakistani companies duty-free access to the European market.But in order to capitalise on this opportunity, Pakistani companies need to maintain quality control and improve their marketing techniques, according to Iqbal.Last year, during a Pakistani mango festival in France, the Pakistani embassy took a new approach and sent boxes of mangoes to the top ten chefs in France. One of the chefs ended up using the Pakistani mangoes for his recipes, Iqbal said. It was a modest success that has given the embassy confidence to apply the same tactic to rice exports. Rice et al Pakistani rice, arguably one of the finest rice varieties in the world, was mostly bought by first-generation Pakistani immigrants in France to use in South Asian restaurants.The embassy is trying to market it differently to increase exports, Iqbal said. He said the new target audiences are people outside the Pakistani community and high-end French restaurants.There is also the untapped potential in the export of Pakistani seafood, especially shrimp. At present, only two Pakistani companies have EU clearance to export seafood to member states.Iqbal indicated that Pakistan can use French technological help to improve its marine farming and packaging processes.We need to get some training, and France can provide it, the envoy said. If we can package seafood hygienically and improve processing, there is huge market in Europe. We need to religiously concentrate on this sector. Furniture and fashion Furniture and fashion are two other neglected areas in which Pakistani companies and artists are skilled and the embassy is trying to help them achieve marketing expertise to attract French buyers, Iqbal said. All we need to
do is to be more adaptable to international standards, he said.In foreign lands, adaptability is also a social issue. The ambassador said embassy officials urge the Pakistani expat community to get involved in the French mainstream. The community can be very valuable in building bridges between Pakistani and French cultures, he said. Hosting the community With over 100,000 Pakistanis living in France and some 1,138 Pakistani students studying there, Iqbal said the welfare of overseas Pakistanis is the second instruction premier Sharif issued.For people who visit the embassy, the first thing we do is to show them the utmost respect and offer professional services that are at least at par with French offices, he said.One problem the embassy is facing in timely service delivery is due to the centralised issuance of new machine-readable passports, which are printed in Islamabad and then sent to Paris. Consequently, even people who have paid the urgent delivery fee have to wait longer to get their passports.I feel this is not fair, Iqbal said. He suggested a mixed system where the approval is centrali sed but printing is decentralised so embassies can quickly print passports and deliver them to the Pakistani nationals. The countrys reputation is considerably positive among French businesses that have worked with Pakistani companies, Iqbal said, but it is still a matter of uncertainty for French companies that have not. Future target With a personal target of increasing bilateral trade by 35 to 40 per cent during his assignment tenure, Iqbal said the embassys commercial section is ready to put Pakistani companies in touch with French buyers.In February, 23 local companies and seven individuals represented Pakistan at the TexWorld Paris exhibition one of the largest textile trade fair in the world. If such participation is supported by better promotion, consistency and quality, Pakistans exports are bound to rise, Iqbal said.Pakistani exporters should get in touch with European buyers at least three to four months prior to an exhibition, so the buyers can also learn about them, Iqbal said. The Pakistani business community needs to come out in big numbers and be well-prepared. Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2014.
Stakeholders unite to combat rice smuggling

March 5, 2014 | Filed under: Agricultural Business | Author: Editor Rising from a stakeholders meeting in Lagos recently, rice dealers said that smuggling of rice into Nigeria has brought untold hardship to all and sundry and declared that it would no longer be business as usual.The stakeholders which included Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN), other rice distributors, importers and other relevant stakeholders, including security agencies therefore issued a communiqu. The communiqu formed their resolve to stop rice smuggling from neighbouring countries, particularly Republic of Benin into Nigeria. The meeting equally resolved to alert government agencies and functionaries such as the Nigeria Customs Service, special fraud unit of Nigeria Police, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others, on those dealing with smuggled rice so that the law would take its course.
The stakeholders also resolved to ensure that in the next few days, every issue about rice policy like high tariff, improved value chain, prosecuting the Federal Governments agricultural agenda, especially in the areas of boosting food sufficiency and so on, would begin to take shape properly.It would be recalled that rice dealers under the auspices of RIMIDAN had been crying hoarse over the non-implementation of the 2013 benchmark of $190 per metric ton duty on imported rice, which has resulted in the flooding of the Nigerian markets with smuggled rice from Republic of Benin.Tunji Owoeye, president of RIMIDAN, while explaining the reason behind the stakeholders meeting, said the Federal Government had assured that it would soon resolve every contentious issue in the rice business in order to boost the economy and make those in the sector to survive. We want zero-tolerance on rice smuggling. The leadership of the distributors are ready to work with us, importers can now import legally, while millers and rice farmers should fully be back to business, Owoeye said.It is learnt that resolutions at the stakeholders meeting would be sent to the various bodies and relevant government agencies for action. The rice dealers agreed to continuously collaborate and work together towards sanitising the sector, which they said, has been taken over by unscrupulous people due to the inaction of the government on the agreed duty. The rice dealers expressed joy that government had now started listening to them and had promised some incentives for millers as well as make the business competitive by encouraging local production of quality rice.The meeting was attended by RIMIDAN officials, rice market leaders from Daleko, Isolo, G.Cappa, Oshodi, Iddo, all in Lagos, importers as well as representatives of enforcement agencies as well as the Customs which team was led by D.C. Chaza, deputy comptroller general in charge of enforcement.Also speaking at the forum, the rice distributors Esther Olufunmilayo, A.Y. Atilomo, Ifeoma Nwosu, Akin Ogunre of Elephant Group, representative of OLAM Farms, Ifeoma Okorie, among others, were all unanimous in their decision that increased rice smuggling could rubbish the governments agricultural agenda and therefore should not be allowed to continue. The sensitisation campaign against patronising smuggled rice would be carried out in other parts of the country, especially areas where the product is being sold cheap to the detriment of legal dealers, the stakeholders equally agreed.Rice dealers provide employment for over 100,000 people including clearing agents, transporters and domestic staff. However, in the last one year, over 20 vessels have been trapped at high seas due to non-take off of the agreed tariff regime. The dealers lamented that while Benin Republic raked in over N200 billion duty on rice in 2013 alone, over 3 million tons of parboiled rice were smuggled into Nigeria through Benin Republic, amounting to over N300 billion revenue loss to Nigeria.There is therefore the urgent need to tackle smuggling, which according to Owoeye, is the governments mandate given to RIMIDAN and all those involved in the rice business.Therefore, effective collaboration of all stakeholders would ensure increased value chain and realise the objectives of the dealers, it was agreed.
Rice millers fear uneven competition with importers

Sohel Parvez
Local millers fear uneven competition in complying with mandatory packaging of rice by jute sacks as the government has kept imported rice out of the purview of the law."Currently rice is being imported in polyethylene bags which are much cheaper than jute sacks. Importers will be able to offer rice at lower prices if we alone have to pack rice in jute sacks," said KM Layek Ali, convenor of Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association.The price of a jute sack is Tk 70 though it is Tk 13 only for a polyethylene (plastic) bag, he said."We will have to invest more to buy jute sacks. As a result, importers will have an edge over us," said Ali, who represents the platform of about 17,000 mills.From January 1, the government has made it mandatory for local millers and retailers to sell rice in jute sacks. However, there were no such instructions for importers. "The law should be binding on both millers and importers," Ali said.Meanwhile, rice imports are surging as wholesale prices are higher in Bangladesh than in India. Imports soared around sixteen-fold to 295,100 tonnes in July-February of fiscal 2013-14 from only 18,100 tonnes in the same period a year ago, according to the food ministry.The private sector imported 80 percent of the rice, mainly from India. "Imported rice is coming in polyethylene bags. But maize and wheat are being imported in jute sacks," said Moinul Islam, an assistant commissioner at Benapole Customs, the main land port for trade with India."We have not received any instruction from the authorities whether rice should be imported in jute sacks," he said.Ali said local millers now purchase paddy in jute sacks but they are yet to start packing rice in bags made of the environment friendly fibre. Published: 12:00 am Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Indonesia to establish itself as top 3 global wheat importer

Wheat consumption is on the rise in Indonesia, driven by economic growth and convenience.
Wheat provides an economical and nutritious alternative to rice, and increased consumption could help Indonesia resolve its self-sufficiency target for paddy according to Rabobanks latest report The Wheat Opportunity: Growing Indonesian Consumption Driving Imports and Investment. Given the current consumption rate, Indonesia could import more than 10 million tonnes per year in the coming five years, placing it among the top three wheat importers in the world.Indonesia is traditionally a rice-consuming country, explained Rabobank analyst Pawan Kumar.
However, in the last two decades, the importance of wheat as an important staple has grown, driven by the rising middle class, the westernisation of diets, economic growth and the desire for convenience. At the same time, the country has struggled to maintain rice self-sufficiency due to constraints on acreage expansion, lack of quality land and lower yield, especially among subsistence farmers.According to Rabobank, Indonesian wheat consumption increased by 5 percent per annum between 2002/03 and 2012/13, making it one of the highest growth countries for consumption. Overall consumption grew 70 percent, rising from 3.8 million tonnes to 6.6 million tonnes over the same period. Indonesia is unable to produce wheat domestically, as the hot and humid climate is unfavourable for cultivation. It therefore relies heavily on imports from Australia, Canada and the US. Imports have shot up more than threefold in the last 20 years, reaching 7.1 million tonnes in 2012/13 and making it the third largest importer for the year.Wheat provides an economical and nutritious alternative to rice, and the growth in consumption of noodles and bakery products and the expansion of food service chains will underpin import growth. With a growth rate of 6 percent per annum over the last ten years, a favourable projected economic growth, and a young population, Rabobank expects Indonesia will import more than 10 million tonnes in the next five years. This would place it on par with the current leading global importer, Egypt.The proximity of Australia provides Indonesia with a large and sustainable supply of wheat. The Indonesian government has been supportive of wheat industry growth and the wheat milling industry. With such positive factors, Indonesia is likely to become a major wheat consumer and importer over the next decade, providing ample opportunities for foreign investments in the wheat supply chain.
ANALYSIS, ENVIRONMENT, INDIA
CLIMATE CHANGE PUSHES INDIAN FARMERS TO ADOPT WATERRESISTANT RICE VARIETY ANALYSIS
MARCH 4, 2014 EURASIA REVIEW LEAVE A COMMENT
By Chandan Kumar Duarah Joyram Das, a poor Indian farmer of Kamrup district of Assam, has collected a few kilograms of Swarna Sub-1 (SS-1) rice seeds very carefully. Farmers call it Kothia to be used as seed for next cultivation season that usually starts from April-May. He had a good harvest last year. Despite a devastating flood, this particular
variety yielded a production of 4 tonnes per hectare. SS-1 variety of rice can survive for more than 15 days under water. A flood-affected farmer, Joyram, now prefer SS-1 to any other variety and hopes for an even higher yield the next season.SS-1 was introduced among flood-hit farmers in Assam for the first time in 2013. While other seed varieties were totally damaged in the flood the Swarna Sub-1 withstood the vagaries of flood and excessive rainfall. Suvarna Sub-1 or Swarna Submergence-1 or Swarna Sub-1 variety of rice is an updated version of Indias polpular rice variety Swarna (gold)a flood-tolerant hybrid rice that improves yields in India by almost half has been found to benefit marginalised people living in flood-prone areas. It yields upto 3 to 3.5 tonnes per hectare when submerged, which can go upto 6 tonnes in normal conditions. Swarna Sub-1 was developed by International Rice Research Institution (IRRI, The Phillipines) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IIAR) under a collaborative programme and has become one of the most sought after seed varieties in the region over a period of three years. It was introduced in India for the first time in Andhra Pradesh in 2009.Since late 2009, the seed is being provided to randomly-selected farmers in Odishas coastal districts, which are mainly rainfed lowlands and prone to floods. It has become favourite of farmers of Odisha and other flood-hit states. Suvarna as a rice seed variety has been quite popular in India for many years mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu.It is not that this efficient diver variety was developed overnight. It was after almost 10 years of extensive research that Swarna Sub-1 variety was developed and has come as a boon to thousands of flood-hit cultivators who would otherwise throw in the towel and desperately await the meagre amount of government relief materials. Usually, a flood means a very little yield or no yield at all to the farmers. Joyram also took the last floods as being a sign of complete loss and devastation. His paddy fields were submerged. But this time when the flood waters subsided after 12 days, it brought a smile to his face to see the standing crops, he said.Like Joyram Das, many other flood-affected farmers of the area are now getting ready with SS-1 for the forthcoming Sali Kheti or cultivation season that starts with the advent of spring. Joyram cultivated the new variety under guidance of a field management committee.After successfully experimenting with this submergence-resistant paddy, the Assam agriculture department distributed the seeds of this variety among farmers of flood-prone areas in different districts. These farmers successfully harvested from this submergence-resistant paddy during last November and December. They harvested it after Swarna Sub-1 was put to use across the state, especially in the flood prone areas, in the last cultivation season (June-July). Despite a harsh climate the state managed to produce 52.33 lacs metric tonnes of rice in the last financial year and the production in the current financial year is estimated to increase to 61 metric tonnes.Assam is preparing a plan to bring in 40,000 hectares mostly in flood affected areas under SS-1 variety in forthcoming season.
The yield advantage of Swarna-Sub1 increases as flood severity worsens, with a maximum advantage of around 718 kg per ha, an approximate 66% increase, occurring at approximately 13 days of flooding.With successful experimentation and good harvesting with Swarna Sub-1, the Agriculture Department is carrying on different programmes to promote it on a wider scale during the next Sali season. The Assam Agricultural Department collected 17,000 kg seeds last year. People are quite impressed with the yield from this water-resistant variety. Flood is common in 44 million hectares where rice is grown in India; and Swarna Sub-1 would prove beneficial if grown in 12-14 million hectares, or almost a third of the rice cultivated area.Swarna Sub-1 s yield is substantial (3 tonnes) even when it is under water for over two weeks and in normal circumstances it is double (6 tonnes). It also has a good taste too. The success in Odishas coastal districts is being replicated in some other districts in the state, and also in Bihar and Assam . According to official source 266 lacs hectares of agricultural land in eastern India, almost 50.2 lakh hectares is submergence-prone and are regularly impacted by floods. There are 141 million hectares rice cultivated land in India and only 47% of it is rain fed. In more eastern part of country, where around 52% of the sown area are rain-fed. Indias Annual Rice Production (in million tonnes) Year Production 2012-13 104.4 2011-12 105.30 2010-11 95.98 2009-10 89.09 2008-09 99.18
Note: Rice is cultivated both during the kharif and rabi sowing season. But more than 80% of the crop is harvested in kharif season. Source: Department of Agriculture IRRI has released India-developed seed Suvarna Sub-1 seed abroad too. IRRI, ICAR and CRRI incorporated submergence resistant properties in the traditional varieties and made a new new seed which was accepted by farmers without hesitation or any doubt. The variety has also been released in Bangladesh and Nepal, and in some South-East Asian countries including Myanmar and Cambodia. The trials showed that yields of Swarna-
Sub1 could be 45 per cent higher, even when it was submerged under water for one to two weeks, compared to Swarna. Governments and some other non-governmental agencies are working to popularise submergence tolerance rice variety among flood an farmers in India and other flood prone South Asian region.
A source of ICAR reveals that farmers of drought-prone areas will also get new rice seeds to help them out like submerge resistant rice variety. The Indian Agricultural Research (ICAR) along with Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is planning to come out with its upgraded version which will have droughts damage standing paddy crops. Scientists are working with drought and water submergence resistant properties will be instilled in other popular rice varities in India like Sambha masuri, IR-64 etc. The new variety will be a higher version of existing Suvarna Sub-1 with more aided features. A team of scientists from Titabor Regional Agricultural Research Station (TRAS) busy with their research works of the four flood-fighter varities. They have already recommended one post-flood rice variety Disang and two preflood varieties Luit and Kolong so far. However, the pre-flood varities are still waiting central recognition.The results of SS-1 were reported in the journal Scientific Reports on 22 November 2013.The scientists used an advanced genetics technique called marker assisted selection in which they select the precise gene of interest (in this case flood tolerance), by zeroing in on a marker linked to it, which could be a chemical molecule or a piece of genetic material. The report says that low-lying flood-prone areas tend to be more heavily occupied by people belonging to socially disadvantaged groups. So, a policy-relevant implication of the findings is that flood-tolerant rice can deliver both efficiency gains, through reduced yield variability and higher expected yield, and equity gains in disproportionately benefiting the most marginal group of farmers..
How one family maintains a diversified, sustainable farm

Report from the 2014 Cotton and Rice Conference
Mar. 5, 2014David Bennett | Delta Farm Press
Ennie Dee, who farms some 4,000 acres of row crops on the Mississippi/Alabama border, is keen to improve her diversified, sustainable family operation. She spoke at the recent Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss. Before getting into the nuts and bolts of running her farm, Dee pointed to the 1990 farm bills definition of sustainable agriculture. In the bill it is identified as an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy the human food and fiber needs, enhance environmental quality, will make the most efficient use of non-renewable resources, or sustain the economic viability of farm operations. The last bit, said Dee, is most important. If you cant make a profit, youre not going to be there. If youre not there, youre not going to be worrying about sustaining your neighbors food and fiber. Youre going to go to town and get another job. So, you must make a profit and repeat it over the long haul.Following the worldwide yield bumps from increasing fertilizer use during the Green Revolution, Dee said the focus has shifted a bit. Now, what were trying to do in the Brown Revolution is build soil health so it produces more food. In 2013, there were over 7 billion people on the planted. By 2050, we expect there to be 9 billion.We farmers will have to produce a lot more food. How will we do that?.Some of that involves no-till and improvements in soil structure, said Dee. Weve got to feed that soil and make it produce more. No-till reduces compaction and increases earthworm populations. Use crop diversity and plant cover crops.Through minimum- and no-till, CO2 is reduced, organic matter increases and the chances for erosion decrease.Dee views her farms soil as her bank account. I had an agronomist tell me I dont need to put so much fertilizer on my field. He said, Take your money and put it in the bank. I said, you dont understand. That soil is my bank. If I go to the bank now, I might get one-half percent return maybe one percent. But with the fertilizer, I have the chance to double or triple my investment.So, I want everything in the soil that a crop can use.
I never want fertility to be the limiting factor on my farm. Dee also plays up the benefits of cover crops. Those include roots that dig down deep and break up the soil.In the past, Dee has grown radishes as a cover crop. She showed a photograph of one such field. On this field, weve done some precision leveling. Its a very heavy clay soil and the leveling lasted two years. The soil was compacted from the heavy equipment and big tractors. We planted some rye as a cover crop and then corn. We made a medium crop. Those who have moved soils know that it can take a while to build organic matter back up. But cover crops can give you a jump start.So, the radishes were planted. They went down into the hardpan maybe two feet deep. The big root will do down, but even if its hindered, other fibrous roots will shoot out. Those roots made a path for our next crop, soybeans, to go down.Dees soybean crop in the field was the best weve ever had there. The overall average was 77 bushels. We hit 100 bushels in parts of the field. Weve been farming that field since 1989.
FOCUSING ON A brown revolution is an agronomic shift welcomed by Annie Dee, who spoke at the recent Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss.
Cambodia feared to be a threat to Vietnams rice

VietNamNet Bridge Two years ago, Vietnamese rice exporters were warned that Cambodia would become their redoubtable rival in rice export. And they have been once again awakened to the danger. Vietnams export markets get narrowed? International press has reported that Cambodia is preparing to conquer the US and South Korean markets, while Vietnam mostly targets Chinese, South East Asian and some African markets.Commenting about the news, Tran Cong Thang from the Vietnam Institute for the Policies on Agriculture and Rural Development said it is not a surprise at all. South Korea still has demand for rice imports, while Vietnam has also been exporting rice to South Korea.However, Thang said he cannot imagine how Cambodia can penetrate the US market, a very choosy market which always sets high requirements.
It is still unclear what kind of Cambodian rice would be brought to the US, where Thai rice has been dominating the market.The General Department of Customs, in its report released on January 17, 2014 showed that Vietnams rice exports to China reached 2.15 million tons in 2013, accounting for 1/3 of the total rice exports in the whole year 2013.Meanwhile, the exports to Indonesia have decreased sharply by 81.42 percent in quantity and 78.12 percent in value by the end of November 2013. The figures were 67 percent and 65.71 percent for the Philippines, and 39.05 percent and 42.49 percent for Malaysia.The first month of 2014 saw the continued decreases in rice export both the export volume and value.Thang commented that since Vietnams loyal markets have got narrowed, it needs to diversify the market to boost exports. While the exports to the Philippines and Indonesia have been on the decrease, the exports to China have increased, which is the savior helping Vietnam maintain the average export volume.However, some analysts have warned that China should not be considered as a sustainable market. China may make Vietnamese farmers and exporters suffer once it suddenly stops the import. Hows big the Cambodian threat? Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, who is considered the expert with the deepest knowledge about Vietnams rice cultivation and export, commented that Vietnam should be aware of the Cambodian challenge.Cambodia has been programming their material growing area development, set up the workshops to make out high quality rice, while the Cambodian trade promotion agency has helped eight Cambodian rice export companies to participate in a trade fair in Thailand, where Vietnam did not make a presence. According to Xuan, Cambodian rice exporters, unlike Vietnamese exporters, only fulfill the small orders of tens of thousands of tons. However, they tend to focus on high quality branded products.Meanwhile, Xuan noted that Vietnamese rice exporters mostly collect rice through merchants, while they do not care much about branding.Meanwhile, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) does not have any policies to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to develop their own brands.Having no strong rice brands is a big challenge for Vietnams rice, Xuan commented. Dat Viet Tags:vietnamese rice,rice exporters,cambodian rice,rivala,
Philippines under pressure over high rice prices

RICE PRICES in the Philippines have risen for six straight weeks, piling pressure on the government to import more of the national staple to stabilize markets and curb inflation already at two-year highs. While bumper harvests in other countries have stoked a global rice glut, prices in the Philippines have climbed around 4% in the last three months after super typhoon Haiyan devastated key growing regions and as the government clamps down on smugglers looking to avoid hefty taxes.Increased purchases by the Philippines, one of the worlds largest rice buyers, would help ease global oversupply, with Vietnam and Thailand likely to
bid aggressively for any new deal from their Southeast Asian neighbor.National Food Authority (NFA) spokesman Rex C. Estoperez confirmed reports that Manila has since late January doubled the amount of rice being released into markets from stockpiles most days, looking to curb price gains."Private traders are running out of stocks, thats why we have released [more] rice into the market from our warehouses," he said. That has further drained NFA stocks that had dwindled to around 275,000 tons at the start of the year -equivalent to eight days worth of consumption, nearly half normal levels. Figures for January are due to be released next week.The US Department of Agriculture has already said it expects Philippine imports to hit 1.4 million tons in 2014, which would be the highest in four years. The country has yet to confirm any purchases beyond 500,000 tons it bought from Vietnam in a government-to-government deal in November. Vietnam, the worlds second-biggest rice exporter after India, is traditionally the Philippines biggest supplier as it usually offers cheaper rice.For Thailand, a deal to sell rice to the Philippines would help offload some of its huge reserves and raise much-needed money to pay farmers that participated in a controversial subsidy scheme. The average retail price of well-milled rice in the Philippines rose a further 1.2% in February from the previous month to P40.12 per kg, and was up 13.7% from a year ago, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed on Tuesday.Mr. Estoperez said the NFA had doubled the rice allocated each day to government accredited outlets to 2,500 kg per location. Details on the number of accredited outlets in the Philippines were not immediately available.He also noted that government moves to crack down on smugglers had pushed prices higher. Philippines customs have been on a drive to curb smuggling that has been rife as some importers look to avoid a whopping 40% duty on private shipments of rice and to get around a quota system.Critics have long argued the tariff should be reduced to encourage legal imports, but President Benigno S. C. Aquino IIIs government says it is necessary to support local farmers. -- Reuters
Rice farmers fund garners 149 million baht

Date : 5 2557 BANGKOK, 5 March 2014 (NNT) More than 149 million baht has so far been deposited into the rice farmers fund, which was set up recently by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) with a target to collect up to 20 billion baht. As of March 4, the BAAC reported that its newly-established rice farmers fund, aimed to help farmers who had not been paid for their pledged rice, had received over 149 million baht from charitable people.
The amount is divided into 11 million baht given as donations, 126 million baht as non-interest-bearing deposits, and 11 million baht as deposits with an annual interest rate of 0.63%. The BAAC expects the fund to reach the 1-billion-baht mark by March 10, and the amount will be the first lot allocated to rice farmers in the order of their pledge receipt numbers. The ultimate goal is to raise 20 billion baht, which would cover at least 200,000 recipients. A week-long campaign has also been launched by the bank, running from today until March 12, for the purpose of promoting the rice farmers fund and inviting the public to join forces in contributing their savings to relieve the farmers of their plight. BAAC President Luck Wajananawat has set an example for others by donating one million baht to the fund.
Thai govt to start paying rice arrears, farmers still not happy
BY APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT
BANGKOK Wed Mar 5, 2014 2:26pm IST
A group of anti-government protesters and some farmers sit on the main road outside the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police in central Bangkok March 4, 2014. (Reuters) - The Thai government is expected to start paying around 30 billion baht to farmers next week for rice sold in recent months to the state, but some farmers protesting in the capital complained that fell far short of what was owed."There should be 20 billion baht from the budget and another 10 billion baht from rice stock sales," said Luck Wajananawat, president of the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), which manages the scheme.The rice subsidy scheme run since 2011 by the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has gone disastrously wrong, with hundreds of thousands of farmers left unpaid and big losses for the state budget.After a disrupted election last month, Yingluck now heads a caretaker government with little authority to borrow money to fund the scheme, and it has struggled to sell rice from stocks to other governments as it hoped.On Tuesday, the Election Commission gave the government the authority to borrow 20 billion baht from the fiscal budget to pay farmers and the Commerce Ministry is also selling rice through auctions to fund the scheme.However, hundreds of angry farmers have been protesting at the Commerce Ministry for weeks - separate from antigovernment activists elsewhere in Bangkok - and one of their leaders said on Wednesday they saw no reason to stop yet
."That 30 billion baht is very small compared to the total 130 billion baht the government should have paid us since October," said Kittisak Waraha, one of the
farmers' leaders, referring to a sum cited by officials earlier this year.The BAAC has said that, as of February 27, it had paid farmers 67.5 billion baht for rice bought during the main 2013/14 crop from October, with 112 billion still outstanding.Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan said on Monday the government aimed to sell around 800,000 tonnes of rice each month to get money to pay the farmers. The government has sold 131,000 tonnes of rice from stocks via the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) and would open a tender to sell another 517,000 tonnes next week, Surasak Riangkrul, director general of the Department of Foreign Trade, said on Wednesday.The government has signed a deal to sell 400,000 tonnes of rice to China for prompt shipment, he said, confirming a deal signalled by Niwatthamrong last week."We are also in talks to sell another 600,000 tonnes to China and the deal is expected to be sealed soon," Surasak told Reuters.The rice-buying scheme expired on February 28 and the caretaker government has no power to renew it. (Editing by Alan Raybould and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Over 3,100 hectares to come under summer paddy

Uniform spacing, konoweeders facilitate easy clearing of weeds The State agriculture department has proposed to cover over 3,100 hectares under summer paddy cultivation for achieving the food production target in the district.The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique is being recommended for this cultivation, as it demands less water for irrigation. Against the usual 1,500 hectares, the department has planned to cover 3,100 hectares in all the blocks except Avudaiyarkovil and Manamelkudi.The nursery is raised for 14 days and the popular variety is 'BPT 5204'.Farmers have a liking for the variety, though other varieties could also be cultivated under the system, K.M.Shajahan, Joint Director of Agriculture, told The Hindu. The summer cultivation has various unique features, including raised bed nursery technique.It can be raised as a second crop in Cauvery Mettur Project (CMP) areas and requires only two kg of seeds for one acre of crop. The mechanical transplanting ensures uniform spacing of nine inches between rows and plants.Keywords: TN agriculture department, summer paddy cultivation, Cauvery Mettur Project, food production target, System of Rice Intensification, SRI technique, Pudukottai district
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Mar 05

Wed Mar 5, 2014 3:05pm IST
Nagpur, Mar 5 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) reported higher on increased demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. Healthy rise on NCDEX in gram, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses and renewed demand from South-based millers also boosted prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw recovered further in open market on good demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing belts. TUAR * Tuar gavarani showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers amid high moisture content arrival. * Major rice varieties zoomed up here in open market on good demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing regions like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Reports about weak production of rice because of unseasonal rains also activated stockists. * In Akola, Tuar - 3,800-4,000 , Tuar dal - 6,000-6,200, Udid at 6,000-6,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,000-6,200, Moong - 8,100-8,300, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,500-9,700, Gram - 2,900-3,000, Gram Super best bold - 3,600-3,800 for 100 kg. * Wheat and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,630-2,860 2,600-2,800 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,870-3,940 3,850-3,900 Moong Auction n.a. 6,100-6,300 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 3,900-4,100 3,900-4,100 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,450-3,500 3,450-3,500 Desi gram Raw 3,150-3,250 3,100-3,200 Gram Filter new 3,200-3,500 3,200-3,500 Gram Kabuli 7,900-10,300 7,900-10,300 Gram Pink 7,700-8,100 7,700-8,100 Tuar Fataka Best 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100
Tuar Dal Best Phod 5,800-5,900 5,800-5,900 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700 Tuar Gavarani 3,950-4,050 4,000-4,100 Tuar Karnataka 4,150-4,250 4,150-4,250 Tuar Black 7,200-7,400 7,200-7,400 Masoor dal best 5,400-5,500 5,400-5,500 Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 9,700-9,950 9,700-9,950 Moong Mogar Medium best 9,300-9,500 9,300-9,500 Moong dal super best 8,600-8,900 8,600-8,900 Moong dal Chilka 8,000-8,300 8,000-8,300 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 8,200-8,700 8,200-8,700 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-6,800 6,000-6,800 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,200 4,900-5,200 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,200-5,000 4,200-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,200-3,300 3,200-3,300 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,700 4,400-4,700 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,840-1,890 1,840-1,890 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,850 1,650-1,850 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,050-2,200 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900 2,400-2,900 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,950 2,500-2,900 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,500 2,800-3,300 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,800 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,750 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,700-4,100 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,800 4,300-4,600 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 12,000-14,500 11,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,600-8,000 6,300-7,600 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 25.8 degree Celsius (78.4 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 14.6 degree Celsius (58.3 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : 8.8 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely towards evening or night. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 29 and 16 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
Indonesian government says no plans to revise rice output target

Business & Markets 2014 Written by Bernama Wednesday, 05 March 2014 19:19 JAKARTA (March 05): The Indonesian government said that it has no plans to revise the 2014 rice output target, despite thousands of hectares of paddy fields being destroyed by natural disasters, in Java and Sumatra, early this year.Agriculture Minister, Suswono, on Tuesday said that the disasters had no huge adverse impact on rice production, although the first planting season was delayed, Indonesian news agency, ANTARA, reported. The Agriculture Ministry aims to achieve 76.57 million tonnes of unhusked rice production this year.Suswono said that the government would consider revising this year's rice production target, after the second planting season. Data from the Central Statistics Agency showed, unhusked rice production in 2013, rose by 3.24 percent to 71.29 million tonnes, from the previous year.The increase was recorded in January-April and September-December planting seasons.The eruption of Mt Kelud in February, destroyed 1,395 hectares of paddy fields in East Java's Malang district, while Mt. Sinabung's eruptions damaged 512 hectares of rice fields in Karo district, in North Sumatra.Widespread floods that hit the country early this year, destroyed 302,170 hectares of rice fields.
BAAC farmers' fund kicks off

Published: 5 Mar 2014 at 16.59 Online news: Local News
The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has launched a campaign to raise 20 billion baht in contributions for a fund to help rice farmers not paid for their pledged crops.People subscribe to the BAAC funds at the BAAC's head office in Bangkok's Bang Khen area on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard) The move, which kicked off in Chiang Mai on Wednesday where the bank hopes to raise one billion baht, is part of the BAAC's nationwide effort to mobilise funds directly from the public to help farmers.The bank has set up two funds with a combined target of 20 billion baht. The general public can lend money to the funds, at 1,000 baht minimum.One of the funds gives 0.63% interest a year and the other no interest. In both cases, they will get the principal back on Dec 31, 2014, when the funds end.People can also donate directly by depositing money into a designated BAAC account.The BAAC will use the funds and donations to advance payments to farmers until a new government is formed with a mandate to borrow or raise money. On Wednesday, Chiang Mai governor Vichien Putthivinyu led a group of civil servants, businessmen and other people to contribute to the funds.He said he hoped to raise 10 million baht in Chiang Mai on the first day.
Some 2,300 BAAC employees there have already contributed to the funds.Narong Kongprasert, a former chairman of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, said he was glad to help farmers, affirming this had nothing to do with politics.The governor also plans a rice auction. Around 800 million baht is owed to farmers in the northern province, where 49,000 tonnes of pledged paddy remain in warehouses.BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said the bank would repay rice farmers with pledging contracts entered into before Dec 9, 2013 once it receives the 20 billion baht the government plans to borrow from the Central Fund contingency budget. He expected the money would be available for disbursement in one week."The funds will be paid to some farmers who pledged rice before Dec 9, 2013, when the House was dissolved, from a total amount due of 115 billion baht. So far, the BAAC has repaid 71.5 billion baht."The BAAC is also discussing the issuing of bonds for the purpose, but the Finance Ministry may not be able to guarantee them," Mr Luck said.This may not comply with a cabinet resolution, which requires the ministry to find money for the BAAC.A solution could be reached in 2-3 weeks, but it would take about two months to issue the bonds.As it is in a caretaker role, the cabinet has limited means to repay what it owes to farmers who pledged rice under the outgoing government's rice scheme.The law prevents a caretaker government from using public funds for off-budget projects or creating additional financial obligations, because it could swing votes in its favour. Any extra-budget transaction needs to be first approved by the Election Commission. Under normal circumstances, a caretaker government does not last long. However, since the Feb 2 elections were disrupted by protesters, they cannot bring together the required number of MPs - 475 of the 500 seats - to convene the House of Representatives and subsequently vote to select the next prime minister.This severely limits the caretaker cabinet's ability to raise and distribute funds which could place an illegal burden on the next government.
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