23rd April, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

23rd April , 2014
TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

TDAP assures support for REAP Separate Rice Ministry at federal level demanded Germany launches Ghana Rice initiative project CRRI develops protein-rich rice Climate science gets a stamp on Earth Day Establishing RTTRI: Muneer assures all help to Reap Russia postpones planting of GMOs by 3 years Rice Millers Yet to be Arrested Vietnam rice prices gain 2-3% as harvest ends, Manila tender eyed Thai Rice Prices Expected To Increase In May Prices of rice dropped by 0.30 baht 1 million tons of rice will be distributed through AFET by June Cabinet gives green light to rice deal with Philippines Price of rice dips but bounce likely Back adjusted rough rice futures continuation No rice-loan request - The Nation Thai Prime Minister Gets More Time to Prepare for Court Case Drought dampens Boro prospect Uncertainty over paddy procurement Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 24 BAAC walks hat in hand 3m tonne Manila rice sale proceeds
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Vigilance seizes rice worth Rs 48 crore in AP Shop USA Rice for Summer Gear CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures Cornell Receives $600,000 for Rice Production Research
News Detail
TDAP assures support for REAP
Salim Ahmed Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - LahoreTrade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will extend help to the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) for establishing a RiceTechnical Training and Research Institute near Lahore. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) S. M. Muneer held out assurance in this regard while speaking at a dinner reception arranged by the REAP in his honour at a local hotel.Muneer asked the rice exporters to submit a proposal about proposed Kala Shah Kaku Rice Research and Technical Training Institute and he would take it up with the Commerce Ministry and ensure release of required funds. He said that a meeting of the Export Development Fund (EDF) is being held in Islamabad on April 24 and he would also raise this issue in this meeting. He said that the Association should apply for this project and assured that the Authority would pave the way for passage of this application in this regard. Muneer said that the Authority would help the genuine exporters and businessmen to participate in the international exhibitions, activating the commercial counselors abroad and arranging meetings with foreign buyers during these visits to fetch more orders and enhance the rice and other exports from Pakistan. Regarding trade with India, he said that hopefully this issue would be settled after elections being held in India. He said that politics and business were two different things. However, he said that Pakistan wanted trade with India on equal footings.
S. M. Muneer announced that the TDAP would be arranging two big exhibitions namely Lifestyle Pakistan in Delhi from September 11 to 14, 2014 and second an annual feature Pakistan Expo from October 23 -26, 2014 in Karachi. He said that during last few years there were hardly any real visitor or buyer to Pakistani Expo but
this year it has been ensured that only real and genuine businessmen should attend it no matter if the attendance remains low.
Separate Rice Ministry at federal level demanded

Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) former Chairman Abdur Raheem Janoo has urged the government to set up separate rice ministry at federal level to resolve the issues being faced by the second largest export sector of the country. Speaking at a function arranged by the REAP in honour of newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) here the other night, Janoo said this sector is the second largest trade sector of Pakistan.It has crossed the US 2billion dollar mark some years back but not moving forward after that. He said that those who know this trade and could reach to solutions to the problems faced by this sector should spearhead it. He said that those who founded the REAP due to which this trade flourished in Pakistan should be given the task of first minister. He might be hinting towards Shahzad Ali Malik, Chairman of the group ruling REAP.
source: brecorder
Germany launches Ghana Rice initiative project

The German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and stakeholders have launched the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project in Ghana.The initiative targeted at male and female smallholder rice farmers is to significantly improve the livelihood of rice farmers in selected countries in the sub-region by increasing the competitiveness of domestic rice supply to meet increasing regional demand.Mr Emmanuel Toureille, Country Director, TechnoServe Ghana said the project is being implemented Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Tanzania with the aim of reaching 120,000 African rice producers.He said rice is the fastest growing food source in Africa in recent years and as such has far outstrip the sub-region's population growth, hence the initiative.Mr Toureille said the project would see to the increment of productivity and quality of paddy rice, increase the efficiency of local rice sourcing, processing and marketing and improve the enabling environment at the national and regional levels. He said the ambitious adventure TechnoServe is embarking on would go along with the Gates Foundation, the German Government, German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the Kufuor Foundation to develop a competitive rice industry in Ghana.Mr Thomas Wimmer, Deputy Head of Missions, German Embassy, said growth in the agricultural sector has been proven to be the most effective sector in reducing poverty.He said it is
mainly lack of favourable policies and regulatory environment coupled with inadequate investment in the agricultural sector that has motivated Germany to support agricultural activities in nations such as Ghana.Mr Wimmer said Germany strongly believes that Africa could feed itself and provide food for other regions of the world. He said that is why Germany is eager to assist African nations to tap their full agricultural potential.He said this is to help eradicate hunger, improve nutritional well-being and reduce poverty.It will also spur economic growth and improve the income of the rural population by supporting value chain approaches and strengthening smallscale commercial farming.He said the launch of the CARI comes at an auspicious time as African governments have come to the realisation that the safeguarding of the rice subsector is essential for food security on the continent to eradicate rural poverty. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Patron of Kufuor Foundation called on government to develop right policy framework for Ghanas rice industry.Mr Kufuor said if the policy is made possible it will see to the success of the rice industry in Ghana.He said from statistics, Ghana currently produces about 350,000 tons a year and it constitute about 30 to 40 percent of the rice consumption of about 800,000 tons annually.Mr Kufuor said the startling projection is that consumption would escalate to about 1.68 million metric tons within the next five years, considering that average per capita consumption of currently 38kg would leap to 63kg as early as 2015.He said the challenges that need to be dealt with is the weak political will for policy reform, poor articulation, coordination and implementation of the public-private-partnership concept in the rice sector development and lack of best marketing practices both domestically and internationally. Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said government established a food security buffer stock company, in order to protect farmers investment from severe depressed farm prices, and to act as buyer of last resort.He said this would guarantee an assured income by providing a minimum guaranteed price and ready market for farmers, to expand the demand for food grown locally.He said it is within this context that Ghana has shifted agricultural development paradigm to Inclusive Accelerated Modernisation and commercialisation of Ghanaian agriculture without leaving out the smallscale farmers to span the medium-term 2011/2015, under the food and agricultural sector development policy. The initiative collaborated by Bill and Gates Foundation, TechnoServe, GIZ, The John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation and Kilimo Trust.
CRRI develops protein-rich rice

Binita Jaiswal,TNN | Apr 23, 2014, 03.37 AM IST
CUTTACK: Farmers might be able to grow protein-rich rice in a few years.The scientists of Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) here have developed a variety of rice by crossing a protein-rich germplasm with high-yielding rice varieties like Naveen and Swarna. The newly-developed rice variety will be sent to Hyderabad-based Directorate of Rice Research for testing, where its quality will be verified under different climatic conditions for over three years. "The reason behind developing the protein-rich rice is to make the cereal more nutritious. This variety will help solve the problem of malnutrition to a great extent," said director of CRRI Trilochan Mohapatra. "After years of hard work, we managed to develop this variety, but we can release it only after getting the go-ahead from the directorate," he added.Popular varieties of rice usually contain about 7% protein, but the variety developed by CRRI contains 13 to 15%.Scientists said the major problem with protein-rich rice is low yield, adding that the one developed by CRRI produced a good yield. "As the yield of protein-rich rice is quite low, many farmers do not want to cultivate it. Keeping this in mind, we have crossed high-protein germplasm, collected from Assam, with high-yielding varieties like Naveen and Swarna," said a senior scientist of the institute. Naveen and Swarna produce over 5.5 tonne to 6 tonne per hectare in an irrigated ecosystem. "During our research, we found that the enhancement in the protein content had no impact on the yield of the rice variety," said principal scientist of the institute S K Pradhan. The director added that if the newly developed rice variety cleared the tests, the institute would focus on developing rice strains rich in zinc and iron too.
Climate science gets a stamp on Earth Day

Apr. 22, 2014 |
A new stamp released today shows sea-surface temperatures around North America. / NOAA/USPS or the first time, climate science got its own stamp today. The stamp shows a view of sea-surface temperatures around North America on a typical July day in the 1990s, with colors ranging from blue to red, representing cooler to warmer temperatures.The image came from NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., where scientists have modeled the behavior of the oceans and atmosphere since the 1960s. Sea-surface temperatures are important to
model because they influence weather around the globe, sometimes for months and even years. The square stamp was selected through the postal service's public process that begins with suggestions from citizens to the a stamp advisory committee.The $1.15 stamp is a "forever" international rate stamp, which can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country to which first-class international service is available.The stamp was unveiled at an Earth Day celebration at the U.S. Department of Energy Tuesday morning.
Establishing RTTRI: Muneer assures all help to Reap

April 23, 2014 ZAHID BAIGChief Executive Officer (CEO) Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) S M Muneer assured to extend help to the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) for establishing a Rice Technical Training and Research Institute (RTTRI) near Lahore and enabling the rice exporters to participate in global food exhibitions. Speaking at a dinner reception arranged by the Association in his honour last night, CEO TDAP asked the rice exporters to submit a proposal about proposed Kala Shah Kaku Rice Research and Technical Training Institute with the Authority. He said he would take it up with the Commerce Ministry and ensure release of required funds at the earliest. He said a meeting of the Export Development Fund (EDF) is being held in Islamabad on April 24 and he would also raise this issue in this meeting. He said the Association should apply for this project and assured that the Authority would pave the way for passage of this application in this regard. He also said the Authority would help the genuine exporters and businessmen to participate in the international exhibitions, activating the commercial counsellors abroad and arranging meetings with foreign buyers during these visits to fetch more orders and enhance the rice and other exports from Pakistan.Regarding trade with India, he said hopefully this issue would be settled after elections being held in India. He said politics and business are two different things. However, he said Pakistan want trade with India on equal footings. S. M. Muneer announced that the TDAP would be arranging two big exhibitions namely 'Lifestyle Pakistan' in Delhi from September 11 to 14, 2014, and second an annual feature 'Pakistan Expo' from October 23-26, 2014, in Karachi. He said that during last few years there were hardly any real visitor or buyer to Pakistani Expo but this year it has been ensured that only real and genuine businessmen should attend it no matter if the attendance remains low. He said the Authority has also planned to arrange a seminar on GSP plus. He paid glowing tributes to Governor Punjab for his efforts to earn GSP Plus status for Pakistan. He asked the exporters to take Authority in the confidence and it would activate government commercial representatives abroad. TDAP Chief said the government is also fully cognisant of the law-and-order situation in Karachi and is working on it. However, he said things would take some time to improve. He said the TDAP would also be
reorganised and revamped to make it an effective body helping the exporters to earn more money for the country. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Vice President S. M. Naseer urged the TDAP chairman to arrange a meeting of the businessmen with the Federal Finance Minister and Chairman FBR before the forthcoming budget so the issues could be settled before announcement of the budget. Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Chairman Chaudhry Masood Iqbal while speaking on this occasion said hectic efforts put in by REAP members ensured that rice export trade had crossed US 2 billion dollars mark. But, it was stagnant at this mark for the last many years and collaborative efforts needed to push it further or make it double in next few years.He also drew the attention of the TDAP Chief Executive towards loss being suffered by rice exporters after sudden appreciation of rupee and depreciation in dollar and claimed that they are facing losses on both stocks and export orders. He urged that this should be compensated at the earliest otherwise it would result in loss of markets and also loss to the growers. Chaudhry Masood also took up the issue of setting up rice technical training institute and research center at Kala Shah Kaku and support for participating in global food exhibitions and representation of REAP members in trade delegations by TDAP sent abroad. He said subsidised trade delegation for rice sectors should be approved. President of the Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Sheikh Noman Salahuddin in his address appreciated the appointment of S. M. Muneer as TDAP CEO and asked him to activate commercial counsellors abroad with specific targets of enhancing exports. REAP Vice Chairman Chela Ram in his address stress the need for an incentive package for rice exporters to offset the impact of loss they were facing due to depreciation of dollars. He said the government should in future announce dollar-rupee parity for three months so deals with foreign buyers could be negotiated. Former Chairmen Abdur Raheem Janoo, Shahzad Ali Malik, Sheikhupura Chamber of Commerce President Malik Manzoor and representatives of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry also spoke on this occasion. They asked for introducing new higher yield varieties. Copyright Business Recorder, 2014
Russia postpones planting of GMOs by 3 years

Published time: April 22, 2014 13:54
An agriculturist prepares to plant "Golden Rice" seedlings at a laboratory of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Laguna south of Manila, August 14, 2013. (Reuters / Erik De.oRussia will not start certifying GM seeds for at least three more years due to delays in creating the necessary infrastructure, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told MPs. Earlier
Russia had expected to allow planting such seeds from June.The delay comes amid the general GMO-skeptic mood that the Russian government adopted recently. The country may even ban the cultivation and import of genetically modified foodstuffs.Last year, the government allowed the planting of GM seeds starting July 2014 as part of Russias accession to the World Trade Organization. Now the deadline will have to change, Medvedev told Russian MPs. The government decree will be amended. Not because it was wrong, but because the deadline stipulated in it was too optimistic, he said, explaining that at the moment there are not enough gene laboratories to meet the demand for certification in Russia.But even if the certification starts in three years or after some time, it doesnt mean that we will allow the use of genetically modified material, Medvedev said.He added that the labs and the entire system of certification will still be needed, considering that even with strict regulation of the sale of GM seeds, some of them have found their way into Russia.The problem is that GM material is already everywhere, Medvedev said. We need to know where and how it is being used. The labs task would be to do that. Thats what we are planning to invest in. GMOs may be an absolute evil or pose no real problem, he added. We need to see what happens in the next few years. Russia can feed itself without any GM products.Medvedev was reiterating his position, voiced in April, when he said that Russia will not import GMO food from other countries. We dont have a goal of developing GM products here or to import them. We can feed ourselves with normal, common, not genetically modified products. If the Americans like to eat such products, let them eat them. We dont need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food, he said at the time.Genetically modified crops are made in the lab, usually to be resistant to certain pests and diseases or withstand pesticides. But their use remains a controversial issue, with many people concerned about the potential harm GM food may cause to human health.There are also scientifically confirmed problems with crops diversity and emergence of pests that evolved to beat the protection that GMOs were given against them. In the longer term, planting GM seeds may prove less financially beneficial for farmers than advertised by biotech companies and may have environmental side-effects.
Rice Millers Yet to be Arrested

By Express News Service - JHARSUGUDA Published: 23rd April 2014 10:39 AM Last Updated: 23rd April 2014 10:39 AM
Lack of any action against two millers accused of embezzling rice worth `1.5 crore has raised many eyebrows here.Though cases have been registered against them,police are yet to arrest the duo.According to reports, a contract was signed between Civil Supply Corporation and two mills - Laxmi Chuda & Rice Mill at Jharsuguda
and Kolabira-based Pintu Rice Mill - for procurement of paddy and supply of rice to the Corporation.In the 2010-11 fiscal, 8,700.75 quintals of paddy was handed over to Laxmi Mill and the latter was supposed to return 68 per cent (pc) of rice after milling the paddy. But Laxmi Chuda & Rice Mill neither gave 2,993.71 quintals of rice nor `59,49,759 which the market value of the rice to the Corporation.Despite repeated reminders, the mill owner Rajesh Ketan did not pay heed to the norms in the contract that he had signed with the Corporation.Similarly, Pintu Rice Mill was to return 8,521.12 quintals of rice against 12,531.06 quintals of paddy procured the same year.It, however, returned 4,750 quintals of rice. Owner of the mill Pabitra Mohan Sahu did not deposit the remaining 3,771.12 quintals of rice or its market value of 76.90 lakh with the Corporation. Though criminal cases were registered against them in Jharsuguda and Kolabira police stations in November last year, no arrest has been made yet.
Vietnam rice prices gain 2-3% as harvest ends, Manila tender eyed
23.04.2014
Prices for rice exports from Vietnam have risen 2-3% in the last few days as harvesting comes to an end and as two state-owned companies look set to win the Philippines biggest order for the grain in three years.Climbing prices in Vietnam, the worlds No. 2 exporter after India, could boost demand for shipments from rival exporter Thailand, which is typically seen as offering better quality rice.Harvesting of the winter-spring crop, mainly used for export, is 95% complete in the Mekong Delta food basket, an industry report said on Monday, suggesting supplies could be about to tighten. That comes just as state-owned exporters Vinafood 1 and Vinafood 2 are poised to win deals to supply 800,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to the Philippines after submitting the lowest bids in a tender last week. Prices are rising, especially [quoted] by those who dont have much in stock, said a trader at a foreign firm in Ho Chi Minh City.Five-percent broken rice in Vietnam has climbed nearly 2% to $390-395/MT, on a free-on-board basis, from $380-390 late last week, traders said on Tuesday.They added that the 15% broken grade, the variety sought by Manila, has risen nearly 3% to $380-385/MT
Thai Rice Prices Expected To Increase In May

BANGKOK, April 23 (Bernama) - The Ministry of Commerce says prices of Thai rice on the world market are expected to increase next month, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.Somchart Soithong, director-general of Department of Internal Trade at the ministry, said Tuesday the private sector's recent failure to win a contract to supply 800,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines had reduced prices of Thai rice.This includes white rice whose price has fallen from 11-12 baht (US$0.34 to 0.37) to 0.30 baht (US$0.01) per kilogramme.
The caretaker government will put 210,000 tonnes of rice up for auction on April 23, which will comprise 50,000 tonnes of Hom Mali or fragrant rice and 160,000 tonnes of 5 percent broken white rice.Somchart said he believes negative impacts on the prices of Thai rice are only temporary.The Department of Internal Trade predicted prices would pick up again as potential buyers from the Middle East, Africa, South Korea and China are due to visit Thailand next month to discuss rice orders. BERNAMA
Prices of rice dropped by 0.30 baht

Date : 23 2557 BANGKOK, 23 April 2014, (NNT) - The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has revealed that the price of the 5% moisture Thai rice has declined by 0.30 baht, down to 11-12 baht per kilogram, after Thailand has failed to seal a rice deal with the Philippines. According to Mr. Somchart Soithong, the DIT Director General, the failure to sell 800,000 tons of rice to the Philippines has shaken confidence of the bidders expected to participate in todays Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) rice auction. The department will negotiate with bidders to prevent rice prices from dropping any further.
However, according to the Department of Foreign Trades reports, several countries such as Middle East nations, South Korea, African countries, and China have expressed interests in purchasing rice from Thailand, which is indicative that grain prices would recover next month, said Somchart. The DIT plans to auction off over 200,000 tons of pledged rice in stock in todays 10th AFET rice auction.The rice on offer consists of 50,000 tons of Jasmine rice and 160,000 tons of 5% moisture white rice, Somchat said, adding that he is confident that the DIT will be able to sell more than half of that amount, while promising to forge ahead with the AFET auctions at least until the end of this year. The DIT has been able to sell 547,000 tons of rice, worth over 7 billion baht altogether, in nine previous auctions, the Director-General said.
1 million tons of rice will be distributed through AFET by June

Date : 23 2557 BANGKOK, 23 April 2014 (NNT) - The Ministry of Commerce has set a goal to distribute one million tons of rice via the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) by June this year. The Internal Trade Department under the Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with the Public Warehouse Association and AFET, on Wednesday organized an auction of rice from the governments rice pledging scheme. 14 rice traders participated in the auction.
Deputy Minister of Commerce Yanyong Puangrach said it was the 10th time that the government arranged an auction of the rice. 162,344 tons of over 212,900 tons of rice from 12 provinces nationwide were auctioned. Around 700,000 tons of rice had been sold via AFET with 300,000 tons more set to be auctioned before June, the deputy minister said. Mr Yanyong confirmed Thailands rice exports were not affected by the rice price drop and expressed his confidence that rice price would not further decrease.
Cabinet gives green light to rice deal with Philippines

Date : 22 2557 BANGKOK, 22 April 2014 (NNT) - The Cabinet on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a rice deal between Thailand and the Philippines. The two countries will trade rice of not over one million tons/year from 2014-2016 at the market prices. After the Cabinet meeting, Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisarn said the government would assign the Department of Foreign Trade to oversee the ThaiPhilippine rice trade with the Philippines National Food Authority.
The two parties will try to settle how much the rice will cost in 10 days from now. The MoU was an opportunity for Thailand to sell rice to the Philippines via the Government-to-Government method or participate in the latters rice auctions, the minister said. The Council of State already ruled that the MoU is not an international agreement according to Section 180 of the Constitution; therefore, it will not create obligations for the next government.
Price of rice dips but bounce likely

Background Rough rice lacks a clear trending pattern at the moment. In fact, it has lacked exploitable trends for a long time now. It's been range-bound, making large, choppy moves up and down. That's a horrible environment for trend following. For counter trend models, however, it's perfect.The past three trade signals for the counter trend model did very well. Both targets were hit within a couple of weeks. These three trades were on the short side, selling the spikes. This time, we have a slight positive trend bias and we're therefore buying the dip. The chart below shows the previous trade signals, which all shorted sharp rallies. The profit targets are shown in blue and green while the stop is shown in red. At the end you see the current buy signal, with the stop and targets marked out.
Back adjusted rough rice futures continuation
Source: CSI Data Details Enter a long position in the July rough rice (RRN4) on current levels. Set the stop as well as the two profit targets in the market from the start. This is a fire-and-forget solution. Rough rice market overview
Source: Clenow Futures Intelligence Report Entry: Buy at current levels, around 15.36. Stop: Stop out at 14.97. Profit target: Close half at 15.65 and the rest at 15.82. Time frame: Average holding period of two weeks. July 2014 rough rice futures contract
Source: ThomsonR euters
No rice-loan request - The Nation

Piyanart Srivalo, Nakarin Srilert The Nation April 23, 2014 1:00 am Commerce Minister Niwatthumrong Boonsongpaisan yesterday refused to request an additional Bt40 billion loan from the central budget to pay farmers for their rice pledged to the government, saying it is the Finance Ministry's responsibility to borrow Bt90 billion under the scheme.Niwatthumrong said his ministry would have to pay off the rest of the Bt20 billion loan from the central budget by the due date next month before considering seeking more loans.The ministry managed to return Bt10 billion to the Finance Ministry last month after selling rice from its stocks and expects to hand over about Bt5 billion more this month.To help farmers suffering from the overdue payments, the ministry is waiting for a loan organised by the Finance Ministry.The government has paid about Bt100 billion to farmers, but Bt90 billion still remains overdue. The Commerce Ministry has proposed to the Cabinet to extend the agreement with the Philippines for three years to trade rice on government-to-government contracts.Thailand is committed to supplying one million tonnes of rice a year to the Philippines from next year to 2017. For this year, Thailand is expected to ship about 1.4 million tonnes to the Philippines.Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry's Monetary Policy Committee reported to the Cabinet that the economy is expected to grow by 3 per cent this year, while exports will gradually recover in the remaining months.
Thai Prime Minister Gets More Time to Prepare for Court Case
By WARANGKANA CHOMCHUEN Updated April 23, 2014 12:10 p.m. ET Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra attended a meeting in Bangkok on Monday. Reuters BANGKOKA Thai court said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has until early May to defend her cabinet's 2011 decision to remove the country's top security adviser from his post.The Constitutional Court on Wednesday granted Ms. Yingluck 15 days to ready her defense in a case could end her tenure as prime minister. The court said she has until May 2 to submit documents. It will hear witnessesincluding Ms. Yingluckon May 6.The case
stems from a decision to remove Tawin Pleansri from his position as chief of the National Security Council and demote him to an advisory position.Last month, the country's Supreme Administrative Court ordered Mr. Tawin's reinstatement. A group of senators later filed a petition to the Constitutional Court, arguing that Mr. Tawin's demotion was intended to make way for the promotion of Ms. Yingluck's brother-in-law as the country's police chief. Ms. Yingluck has said the move was lawful.Ms. Yingluck also faces an investigation by the country's anticorruption panel into her government's controversial rice subsidy program. The independent panel accuses Ms. Yingluck of mishandling the subsidy program, which caused financial losses for the state. Ms. Yingluck denies wrongdoing and defends the rice program.But the Constitutional Court case involving Mr. Tawin is drawing more attention, because it could end her premiership if she is found guilty. Antigovernment protesters and Ms. Yingluck's supporters plan to hold street rallies when the court hands down its verdict, raising concerns of confrontation between the rival groups.Since November, at least two dozen people, including police officers and children, have been killed in clashes and violent attacks related to the street protests trying to remove Ms. Yingluck from office.Pro-government leaders say they will take to the streets if the court rules against Ms. Yingluck, adding that they would view the ruling as a "judicial coup." In the past, the Constitutional Court's rulings haven't been favorable to Ms. Yingluck or her allies. The conflict surrounding Ms. Yingluck and her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been going on since November, and it prompted her to dissolve the parliament's lower house in December.Antigovernment protest leaders, mostly former lawmakers of the opposition Democrat Party, charge that Mr. Thaksin is still running the country through his sister, even though he was ousted by the military in 2006. Ms. Yingluck and Mr. Thaksin deny the accusations.The political turmoil has hurt economic growth. Thailand's central bank cut its growth forecast this year to 2.7% and its key interest rate by a quarter point to 2% in March, in an effort to help the economy. On Wednesday, the central bank kept its it benchmark interest rate at 2%.The country faces new elections after disruptions surrounding Feb. 2 polling prompted the Constitutional Court to nullify the results. A new date hasn't been set.
Wilawan Watcharasakwet contributed to this article. Write to Warangkana Chomchuen at warangkana.chomchuen@wsj.com
Drought dampens Boro prospect

Reaz Ahmad
A rather long spell of dry weather casts a shadow over the prospect of a good Boro harvest this season.The agriculture ministry and the agriculture extension department (DAE) have sent letters to the power division, requesting it to ensure uninterrupted power supply so that farmers can irrigate their croplands for a good yield.The country is experiencing lesserthan-an-average rainfall in March-April, and the agrometeorology division of the Met office has suggested that farmers irrigate Boro crops at the last stage of grainformation. It also requested farmers to harvest mature crops without delay so that the standing rice, particularly in haor areas, is not lost to seasonal hailstorms or flash floods."The next 10 days are crucial for Boro. We're closely monitoring so that no rice is lost to hailstorms. As there is a lack of rain in many areas, farmers, particularly those who planted Boro late, are required to irrigate lands," Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star yesterday. With a production target of 18.7 million tonnes this year, Boro is the highest contributor among the three rice seasons -- Aus, Aman and Boro. The total rice yield in these three seasons is about 33 million tonnes. The shortage of rain and lean flow of waters in the Teesta have caused problems for many Boro farmers in some of the northern districts, where rice production is usually high, said sources in the ministry. "At places, farmers are required to spend more for irrigating Boro fields. It may increase the production cost. But we're still optimistic about a good Boro harvest," said Abdul Mannan, field service wing director of the DAE. He added both the ministry and the department concerned have sent letters to the power division, asking it to ensure nonstop power supply for irrigation from 11:00pm to 9:00am every day.As farmers in the haor regions do not want to take any risk of losing crops during hailstorms or flash floods, they have started reaping Boro early, he said."At least 25 percent of Boro rice in the haor areas have already been harvested," added Mannan.Talking to this correspondent, Matia said farmers needed to irrigate their rice fields well now so that the grains could form properly.She said there were some reports of paddy not forming grain from some parts of the country and that they sent out teams to inspect it. According to her, excessive rain in some haor regions during Boro planting had some impacts on the crop. In some areas, farmers used various inputs excessively, which has led to the sterility.A team from Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute (BRRI) visited some fields in Chandpur recently and found that excessive application of fungicides rendered Boro rice sterile. Published: 12:00 am Wednesday, April 23, 2014 Last modified: 10:46 pm Wednesday, April 23, 2014 Image:A farmer works in a Boro field at Mogolhat in the northern district of Lalmonirhat yesterday. The absence of rain and lean flow of Teesta water have created problems for Boro farmers in the region. Photo: Star
Uncertainty over paddy procurement
An air of uncertainty looms over the process of paddy procureme nt in the KrishnaGodavari delta areas in the current rabi, thanks to the Election Commissi on of India (ECI)s model code.The office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Hyderabad in a memo No. 3204/elecs/BA2/2014-1 dated 3-4-2014 to the Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation has directed that, the process of food grains be made from the existing centres at the existing rates (only), as had been announced before the model code of conduct came into existence.The CEO, in his directive, further quoted the letter circulated by the ECI (Lr. No. 437/AP-
HP/LA/2014) dated 2-4-2014 and stated, no new procurement centres shall be opened till the completion of the election process on 28-5-2014.As a result, the official machinery keeps itself away from the paddy procurement leaving the market open to the private agencies in the two delta regions spread over 23 lakh acres in the current season.Even as the administration is supposed to have initiated the procurement process by April 4 by opening paddy procurement centres, there are no traces of State intervention whatsoever till date anywhere in the two delta regions, according to Yerneni Nagendranath, president of the Andhra Pradesh Rytanga Samakhya. For instance in West Godavari district, Mr. Nagendranth said that there were 72 procurement centres and it was proposed to have another 30. But nothing came forth till date even as the current month is to close within a week reportedly in view of the official machinerys preoccupation with elections, he added.The euphoria among the farmers over the bumper yield proved to be short lived. The growers resorted to distress sale as the traders are reportedly taking the model code-induced situation to their advantage. The traders are said to be offering hardly Rs 1,200 for a quintal of fine variety as against minimum support price of Rs 1,345.When contacted, V.D. Krupadas, Assistant Director, Agriculture Department, said the average yield has been in the range of 4550 bags per acre over the previous record of 35 bags in the district. Peddireddy Chengal Reddy, secretary general, Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA), in a letter to V.S. Sampath, Chief Election Commissioner, took objection to bringing the paddy procurement, a routine administrative process, under the purview of the model code and sought removal of curbs.
Keywords: Paddy procurement, elections, Lok Sabha 2014, Election Code, procurement, Iamge: -Photo A.V.G. PrasadPaddy growers selling produce to private traders at Pulla in West Godavari district.No new centres will be opened till election is over, says ECI
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 24

Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:32pm IST Nagpur, Apr 24 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) showed weak tendency in absence of buyers amid increased supply from producing regions. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and poor quality arrival also pushed down prices in thin trading activity, according to sources * * * * FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram varieties quoted static in open market here on subdued demand from local traders and good supply from producing regions. TUAR * Tuar Karanataka recovered in open market here on renewed demand from local traders amid thin supply from producing belts. * Moong mogar bold and medium best varieties jacked up in open market on increased
marriage season demand from local traders. Reports about weak crop position in this season also activated stockists. * In Akola, Tuar - 4,100-4,300, Tuar dal - 6,300-6,500, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,500-8,700, Moong Mogar (clean) 10,000-10,800, Gram - 2,600-2,800, Gram Super best bold - 3,600-4,000 for 100 kg. * Wheat, rice 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 2,350-2,750 2,410-2,780 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,800-4,260 4,000-4,310 Moong Auction n.a. 6,300-6,800 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 3,900-4,200 3,900-4,200 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,700-3,800 3,700-3,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,500-3,650 3,500-3,650 Desi gram Raw 2,800-2,850 2,800-2,850 Gram Filter new 3,150-3,450 3,150-3,450 Gram Kabuli 8,900-10,800 8,900-10,800 Gram Pink 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Fataka Best 6,700-6,900 6,700-6,900 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,500-6,600 6,500-6,600 Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,600-5,900 5,600-5,900 Tuar Gavarani 4,450-4,550 4,450-4,550 Tuar Karnataka 4,650-4,750 4,600-4,700 Tuar Black 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900 Masoor dal best 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500 Masoor dal medium 6,000-6,150 6,000-6,150 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 10,900-11,100 10,800-11,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,200-10,600 10,100-10,500 Moong dal super best 9,500-9,800 9,500-9,800 Moong dal Chilka 9,000-9,250 9,000-9,250 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,500-9,500 8,500-9,500 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) 5,100-5,400 5,100-5,400 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-6,000 4,500-6,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,150 3,050-3,150 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,350-3,450 3,350-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,200 4,900-5,200 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,150-2,500 2,150-2,500 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-2,000 1,850-2,000 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,700 3,100-3,700 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) 2,700-2,900 2,700-2,900 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,900-4,200 3,900-4,200 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,700 4,400-4,800 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,800 4,800-5,800 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 10,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-9,500 7,000-9,500 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,000 5,600-6,000 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 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. 40.3 degree Celsius (104.5 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 24.0 degree Celsius (75.2 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 42 and 25 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
BAAC walks hat in hand

Hopes for B10bn from local organisations Published: 22 Apr 2014 at 00.47 Newspaper section: Business
The caretaker government is again desperately seeking fresh funds to pay its overdue debt to rice farmers, as 23 billion of the 20-billion-baht budget plus income from recent rice sales is expected to be paid out in the coming days.Rice farmers gather in front of BAAC headquarters recently to protest against the governments delayed ricepledging payments. Hundreds of thousands of rice farmers are still waiting to be paid. (Photo by Seksan Rojjanaametakul) In a last ditch effort, the state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) looks set to use 10 billion baht in proceeds it hopes to raise for its three funds that were established for overdue payments to rice farmers once the leftover amount is paid, said a source at the bank.The BAAC intends to raise the contribution to its three funds to 10 billion baht this month by approaching cash-rich local administrative organisations for deposits to the funds, the source said.Among the three funds one for donation to farmers and the other two offering 0.62% annual interest and no interest 4.79 billion baht was raised as of last Friday. The BAAC has already spent 1.5 billion baht from the funds for advance payments to farmers. Of the total, 3.93 billion baht was contributed to the interest fund, 835 million to the interest-free fund and 24.3 million to the donation fund.The Yingluck Shinawatra government is months behind in payments to farmers, who are owed 90 billion baht for rice pledges.The government's caretaker status prohibits it from borrowing, while Commerce Ministry rice sales have been insufficient in raising enough proceeds to immediately pay off the farmers.More than 1 million farmers pledged paddy worth 190 billion baht for the 2013-14 main crop ending on Feb 28, but only about 100 billion has been paid to them so far.
Borrowing would be the fastest method to help the government pay off farmers, but the Finance Ministry's efforts to borrow from financial institutions and even state enterprises have failed several times, as lenders were
concerned about the legitimacy of borrowing by a caretaker government.The scheme has been slammed for corruption and massive losses, as prices were set 40-50% above the market.The government bet that piling up a large supply in state warehouses would boost global rice prices, but the policy has backfired spectacularly, as rice has flooded the global market since the scheme was implemented in October 2011.
This has left Thailand with a record stockpile, while the country has relinquished its crown as top rice exporter to India.The source said rice sales could be the only source of proceeds to pay farmers without the contribution from these three funds if the Election Commission (EC) forbids the caretaker government from using the additional 40 billion baht from the central budget to advance payments to farmers.The BAAC earlier estimated the last rice farmer to receive a pledging payment would still receive it this year even if the government could not borrow money to pay off the overdue debt.The Finance Ministry will seek EC approval for new borrowing from the central budget, but a meeting date has not been set.
3m tonne Manila rice sale proceeds

Agreement seeks to sell 3 million tonnes Published: 23 Apr 2014 at 06.14 Newspaper section: Business In its best bid to step up shedding its rice stocks, the caretaker government is seeking a three-year plan to sell grain to the Philippines.The cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to move on a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to sell 3 million tonnes of white rice to the Philippines from 2014-16.The MoU will allow the government to be eligible to join the bid to sell rice to the Philippines, which also has similar arrangements with Vietnam and Cambodia under government-to-government (G2G) deals. The government joined the bid to sell rice to the Philippines three times in 2012 and 2013 but managed to sell only 120,000 tonnes in 2012 and 680,000 tonnes last year.Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said there is no wonder about the attempt, as the Philippines has never bought the amount committed in the MoU.The MoU is nothing important, as the Philippines has the right to buy or not buy Thai rice. In the past the Philippines bought Thai rice only when the price and quality was right for them, he said.Mr Charoen said the government should rather negotiate an increase in its rice-import quota to the Philippines to compensate for Manilas decision to maintain its high import tariff on rice. The Philippines is obliged to eliminate the tariff on rice under the Asean Free Trade Agreement, although Manila has placed the grain on the "highly sensitive list and asked for permission to keep its import tariff on rice at 40% since 2010, he said.In return, it promises to import at least 367,000 tonnes of Thai rice per year.The Foreign Trade Department reported the government sold 7-8 million tonnes of rice over the last two years through G2G deals.In a related development Tuesday, Somchart Sroythong, directorgeneral of the Internal
Trade Department, said the government had sold a combined 547,000 tonnes of white rice and Hom Mali rice from government stocks via the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET) since last October, fetching more than 7 billion baht.The Commerce Ministry will put on sale 212,000 tonnes more of white rice and Hom Mali rice through the futures market Wednesday.The rice will come from warehouses in Nakhon Sawan, Suphan Buri, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok and Ubon Ratchathani. The government plans to sell up to 1 million tonnes through the AFET and raise 18 billion baht.AFET and G2G deals are major channels for the caretaker government to try to dispose of its massive rice stocks and raise proceeds to pay farmers facing late payments under the rice-pledging scheme.
Vigilance seizes rice worth Rs 48 crore in AP

Press Trust of India | Hyderabad April 23, 2014 Last Updated at 17:04 IST The Vigilance and Enforcement Department has seized rice worth Rs 48 crore during a special drive across Andhra Pradesh following allegations of diversion of PDS rice and other commodities. As part of the special drive, 136 rice mills across the state were inspected yesterday and 94 cases were booked under relevant sections of Essential Commodities Act. During the drive, officials seized 2,99,422 quintals of paddy, 4,22,32 quintals of rice, 1,727 quintals of PDS rice and 12,395 quintals of broken rice all worth Rs 48.02 crore (as per market value), Director General (Vigilance and Enforcement) Department R P Thakur said today. The department has been receiving large number of complaints about rice millers/traders that they indulge in storing foodgrains like paddy, superfine/common rice, broken rice and PDS rice clandestinely without having foodgrain licences under Andhra Pradesh, the senior official said. There are some cases wherein it was found that the business was run without FGL/VAT registration. PDS rice gets diverted from Central and State Wharehousing Corporations, private godowns to rice mills meant for Mandal Level Stock (MLS) points besides from MLS points to rice mills meant for Fair Price Shops (FPS), and also FPS dealers to rice mill/their agents meant for card holders, the official explained.
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CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation todayannounced 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 2013 crop, which became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement. World Price Milled Value ($/cwt) Long-Grain Medium-/ShortGrain Brokens 17.72 17.35 12.14 MLG/LDP Rate Rough ($/cwt) 0.00 0.00 ----
Rough ($/cwt) 11.63 11.88 ----
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates: U.S. Milling Yields Whole/Broken (lbs/cwt) Long-Grain Medium-/Short-Grain 57.94/11.23 63.26/7.45 Loan Rate ($/cwt) 6.65 6.58
The next program announcement is scheduled for April 30.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 23
Month
Price
Net Change
May 2014 July 2014 September 2014 November 2014 January 2015 March 2015 May 2015
$15.240 $15.300 $14.385 $14.450 $14.640 $14.815 $14.815
+ $0.050 - $0.010 - $0.010 UNCH - $0.005 - $0.070 - $0.070
Cornell Receives $600,000 for Rice Production Research

APRIL 23, 2014 1:19 AM
By NOAH RANKIN The United States Department of Agriculture will award Cornell $600,000 for research on the effects of climate change on agriculture, the USDA announced Tuesday.This grant is part of $6 million awarded to 10 universities from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in an effort to adapt the nations agriculture and forests to climate change, according to a USDA press release. The other universities include University of Colorado, Florida International University, Iowa State University and West Virginia University.Cornells grant in particular will go toward evaluating rice production in the face of climate change. This project will develop models integrating historical rice yield data at the county and farm level, weather variables and genotypic parameters, according to the press release.

23rd April, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

Separate Rice Ministry at federal level demanded

Germany launches Ghana Rice initiative project

CRRI develops protein-rich rice

Climate science gets a stamp on Earth Day

Establishing RTTRI: Muneer assures all help to Reap

Russia postpones planting of GMOs by 3 years

Rice Millers Yet to be Arrested

Thai Rice Prices Expected To Increase In May

Prices of rice dropped by 0.30 baht

1 million tons of rice will be distributed through AFET by June

Cabinet gives green light to rice deal with Philippines

Price of rice dips but bounce likely

Back adjusted rough rice futures continuation

Source: ThomsonR euters

No rice-loan request - The Nation

Drought dampens Boro prospect

Uncertainty over paddy procurement

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 24

BAAC walks hat in hand

3m tonne Manila rice sale proceeds

Vigilance seizes rice worth Rs 48 crore in AP

Shop USA Rice for Summer Gear

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

Rough ($/cwt) 11.63 11.88 ----

The next program announcement is scheduled for April 30.

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

$15.240 $15.300 $14.385 $14.450 $14.640 $14.815 $14.815

+ $0.050 - $0.010 - $0.010 UNCH - $0.005 - $0.070 - $0.070

Cornell Receives $600,000 for Rice Production Research

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