September 14,2015

All About Rice News

Daily

Vol 5,Issue XIV

Global Rice E-Newsletter

For Blog & News Letter Advertisment contact to write : Mujahid Ali mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
www.ricepluss.com & www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
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News Headline...
1. Pakistan exports get more boost
2. Poland keen to strengthen agri-trade ties with India
3. Punjab rice millers threaten to boycott milling this season
4. Rice of an empire
5. Relief now has a different meaning for farmers
6. Punjab rice millers threaten to boycott milling for paddy season
7. Paddy price dips by 60%, Karnal farmers worried
8. Plastic Tubs May Hold Secrets to Producing More Rice for the World
9. China Rice Market to Open Up to U.S. Imports With Trade Accord
10. APEDA COMMODITY NEWS
11. News by USA Rice Daily News
12. Is rice cereal the best food for baby?
13. News by Phil Rice News
14. Cabinet to be asked to completely ban second-crop farming for 2015-16 season
15. Severe Drought Expected In Thailand Early 2016
16. PH to import 750,000 tons of rice
17. Cambodia businesses fret Myanmar
18. Tough blow for Thai rice farmers already in debt
19. U.S. & China to Sign Rice Protocol Agreement
20. Nepal records imports 210,600t of rice worth Rs5.74b in 2014
21. Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-Sep 14
22. Record rice output doesnt bring smile for Bangla farmers
23. Rice output hits record, farmers not so happy
24. Flood damage estimated at 736,000 acres
25. Myanmar claims rice sufficiency despite flood
26. Second rice crop to be banned

News Detail...
Pakistan exports get more boost
Mm. Aftab
September 14, 2015 | Last updated on September 14, 2015 at 07.43 am
FDI inflows were $75 million, compared to $18 million in the two comparable months.Pakistan
has formed a new strategic policy to make a big push in exports particularly to the booming
regions like Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and China.The new target to boost exports to
an all time high of $35 billion a year means that within three years the amount has to go up by
nearly $10 billion, which will require considerable effort by the industry, businesses and
services.The three-year plan called "Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) - 2015-18 has
been okayed by the Cabinet Committee on Production and Exports. Low-cost finance, reduction
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in procedures, cheaper cargo and freight services, regular supply of electricity and gas and
greater cooperation between the government and trade organisations are some of the incentives,
which are required to achieve the results.
The STPF was planned by Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on the back of worrisome
performance of the export sector.Exports during the June 30-ended fiscal year 2015 totalled
$24.2 billion, against the official target of $27 billion.Fiscal year 2015 was the third consecutive
year of declining exports. Compared to fiscal year 2014, exports in fiscal year 2015 were down
3.5 per cent. The exports were $25.1 billion in fiscal year 2014. The actual exports in fiscal year
2015 were only $25.1 billion against the government's target of $29.9 billion."All steps will be
taken to enhance export to the $35 billion level by 2018 by expanding production of all currently
exported items and those with a future potential in the changing global market," said Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar who chaired the Cabinet Committee on Production and Exports.
"The government is cognisant of Pakistan's declining trend in exports. In view of this, we will
take all possible steps to reverse the trend," Dar said."While formulating the new strategy for
higher exports, we have taken into account the potential of the industry and the economy, as well
as the hurdles in growth, which restrained the output. These hurdles include the continued
shortage of electricity and gas, rising cost of doing business, appreciation of the rupee against the
dollar and other currencies, as well as the growing foreign competition, particularly to our
textiles," Khurrum Dastgir said.The STFP has outlined the potential markets, which will be
targeted to enhance exports. The focus for export of high-quality, "Basmati" rice will be the
Middle East, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran.
Pakistan will make a push for export of its fruits, including oranges, mangoes, vegetables,
potatoes, onions and halal meat products to the Middle East, the UAE and Iran.South East Asia
will be the target for export of horticulture products. India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Africa are
identified for export of cement. Pakistan will offer a freight subsidy for export of cement to
Africa. Items marked for export to China are rice, cotton yarn, fabrics and ready-to-wear
garments. Wheat, rice, meat and cement are identified for export to Afghanistan. In order to
expand trade, border marketing support, development, expansion of banking facilities,
improvement of the rail-link and infra-structure development will be undertaken.
Products destined for the Iran market will include provision of warehousing support, product
branding, "halal" certification.The STFP provides Rs20 billion for research and development to
expand and upgrade Pakistani exports and to achieve the targets set by this plan.The government
has also decided to undertake immediate steps for expanding farm products, further improving
the quality and range of products, especially fruits and vegetables, commodity pricing and to
examine the input cost, which will have to be restrained in order to ensure expansion of exports
and enable the country to counter foreign competition. The government will have a deeper look
at other hurdles being faced by exporters. These issues relate to R&D, technology problems,
moving out of the current concentration of traditional products, improvement of resources and
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financing of the potentially exportable products, upgradation of all products including those
needed to match with the new and developing demands of the consumers in foreign markets
where incomes, living standards and lifestyles are changing and rising, Commerce Minister
Dasgir said.
The government's Committee on Ease of Doing Business, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central
bank, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Textiles will work jointly to achieve these objectives.
Pakistani fashion industry is constantly increasing its exports and arranging fashion show in the UAE,
Qatar and other foreign markets. One has to look at the latest foreign trade statistics in order to understand
the importance of export volumes and values in the context of the entire external balances. Some
improvement is visible in this sector according to the latest SBP statistics.
SBP says the current account deficit has narrowed down by 80 per cent to $150 million in July - the first
month of fiscal year 2016.Both exports and imports drop down in July. Exports were down to $1.76
billion from $1.91 billion in the same month last year. Imports declined to $3.5 billion from $4 billion in
the two comparable months.FDI inflows were $75 million, compared to $18 million in the two
comparable months.For the whole of fiscal year 2015, the overall current account deficit was $2.3 billion
- 27 per cent lower than the deficit in FY-14.Fiscal year 2015 also saw the overall imports totalling
$41.13 billion as compared to $41.66 billion in fiscal year 2014.
The foreign exchange reserves on September 3 were $18.497 billion, of which SBP held $13.458 billion,
enough to cover imports for three months. The forex reserves held by commercial banks were $5.050
billion. Analysts and businesses are also questioning the current rupee-dollar parity. They claim that
devaluing the rupee to a "realistic level" can reduce the current export slowdown.The open market rate of
dollar was Rs104.45/104.65 and Rs103.80/104 in the inter-bank market over the weekend. Institute for
Policy Reforms, a research group said: "The rupee remains significantly overvalued which has impaired
the competitiveness of our exports." Several businessmen said the rupee is overvalued up to five percent
against the dollar, and lowering it will help exports to rise. But the government has taken no decision on
such claims.
IMF's continued disbursement out of the $6.2 billion EFF facility, Pakistan's planned issuance of
eurobonds, and ongoing lower prices of imported oil and commodities are expected to continue support
the external balances," says SBP.This picture of the external balances indicates that an all out efforts
should go on to raise exports. And, now the STFP provides that road map.Views expressed by the author
are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.

Khaleej Times

Poland keen to strengthen agri-trade ties with India

Last Updated: Mon, Sep 14, 2015 18:20 hrs
Poland is keen to strengthen agricultural trade ties with India and wants to import tea, basmati
rice, mangoes and spices, a minister from that country said today. "We have a new strategy to
promote our agricultural produce in the global market and India is one of them. We would like to
import agri produces like spices, basmati rice, mango, cashew, raisins and tea from India," the
European country's Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Urban Development, Zofia Szalczyk,
told PTI here. The minister is on a four-day visit to the country, leading a 12-member delegation
to promote Polish agricultural sector and food companies.
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Szalczyk will also visit Delhi and meet agriculture ministry officials and industry players. She
urged Indian companies to achieve European Union standards as there are vast opportunities in
Europe. She said Poland too has a lot to offer India, like dairy products, confectionery, sweets,
chocolates, fruits and vegetables. "Our environment and natural resources help in producing the
best quality produce. We export to other European Union countries with high quality standards
like France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Now we want to focus to strengthen our global export
market, including India," she added.
She said 11 years ago, Poland was a net importer of food products. However, the country
invested close to 40 million euros in new technologies for farmers, which yielded positive
results. This year, Poland has exported 22 billion euros worth of food produce to the global
market. Bi-lateral trade between India and Poland is about USD 1.69 billion. India mainly
exports cotton, textiles, chemical products, electro mechanical appliances, vehicles and vessels to
Poland and imports agro products, mineral and chemical products.
www.sify.com

Punjab rice millers threaten to boycott milling this season

Accusing state-owned procurement agencies of harassing them by demanding unjustified dues,
Punjab-based rice millers on Monday threatened to boycott milling for the upcoming paddy
procurement season.Agitating millers under the banner of Punjab Rice Millers Association
sought a meeting with state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to
resolve their issues on urgent basis.State-owned procurement agencies have started harassing us
unnecessarily by demanding unjustified payments from rice millers, Punjab Rice Millers
Association President Tarsem Saini said.
Pay charges
He added that millers are being asked to pay charges for deviating from the monthly schedule of
rice delivery.As per usual practice, we were never asked to pay any charges for any monthly
delay in rice delivery once the rice is delivered at the end of milling season. But now they are
asking to pay charges on the same, he said, adding that Value Added Tax was also being asked
to pay on the value cut of crop.Rice Millers further pointed out that the procurement agencies
have been asked to pay charges for jute bags used during 2014-15.We will not participate in
rice milling in the coming paddy procurement season if such harassment was not stopped, he
said.Millers said instead of demanding recoveries from them, the agencies should pay them the
sum owed.
Transportation charges
We are yet to be paid about Rs 200 crore of transportation charges for rice delivered to the FCI
in 2003-04 despite FCI paying the amount of state agencies to pay us, he claimed.They further
said that they were not paid the transportation charges for transporting paddy for the last two
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seasons.Accusing procurement agencies of preparing anti-millers policies, Mr Saini said that
millers would not tolerate the unwarranted stance of these agencies, asking the state
government to resolve their issues.Paddy procurement usually starts from October for central
pool in Punjab. PTI
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/punjab-rice-millers-threaten-to-boycott-milling-thisseason/article7653118.ece

Rice of an empire
Updated: Monday September 14, 2015 MYT 8:41:22 AM
by zieman

Apart from selling 21 different brands of rice, SFSB also offers more than 100 other food
products .
A housewife with plenty of energy and ideas in the 1960s, Faiza Bawumi sold bedsheets,
opened a spice shop, then moved into the rice wholesale business. Today her company,
SFSB, moves RM250mils worth of rice a year, writes ZIEMAN.
MOST people her age would prefer to kick back and take things easy, but not Faiza Bawumi
Sayed Ahmad. At 73, she is still working hard at consolidating her wholesale rice business.The
fact that the founder and managing director of Syarikat Faiza Sdn Bhd (SFSB) has seven
children and more than 30 grandchildren has not slowed her quest of building a veritable
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business empire. Not now and not in the last 47 years. Faiza created SFSB almost singlehandedly in 1968.
Today, SFSB is one of the most trusted brands in the region, selling 21 different brands of rice,
while its subsidiaries Faiza Marketing and Faiza Food sell more than 100 food products
including spices, noodles, ketchup, flour, rock salt and ketupat cubes. SFSB is also known for
establishing a niche market for specialty rice like Faiza Emas, Basmathi (Moghul), Moghul
Parboiled, Taj Mahal, Lagenda, Great Wall, Mongkut and Mahsuri. The Egypt-born Faizas
journey to success has been a long and challenging one.Ive learn something new every day
since I started my business. My mission was to build a brand and help the needy. Even today, I
still aspire to strengthen the position of my rice business. There are still many areas that need to
be beefed up, she says.
Faiza came to Malaysia in 1964 with her husband, a former
kadi (a judge who handles religious legal matters), and
mastered Bahasa Malaysia within three months. She now
considers herself a true Malaysian. A young mother of one at
the time in Batu Pahat, Johor, Faiza found she could not stay
idle for long, so she started a small business.She may be 73, but
rice merchant Faiza is still raring to go.She sewed tablecloths
and sold bed sheets, pillowcases and encyclopaedias. Then she
moved on to spices.Though an Egyptian, Faiza loved the taste
of curry and ventured into the spice business, grinding and
selling fresh spices. She mastered the art of making curries and
formulated her own spice mixes by watching spice traders at
work. Her spices were packed in small packages and marketed
under the brand Bunga Raya.I made all the spices at home,
from washing, drying and frying the spices. The spices came
from Arab Street in Singapore. Then, I did my marketing from
house to house. My sales grew and I had doubled my
production within six months.The only snag was I couldnt
register the Bunga Raya brand. It was already being used and I
had no choice but to use my own name for the brand, she remembers.
The spice business had grown enough by
1968 that she decided to buy grinding
machines and open a shop. Her interest
soon turned to rice. She was keen to
import rice, especially long-grained
basmati rice from Thailand, Pakistan and
India. Soon, she applied for a wholesaling
license to sell various types of rice,
including ponni, basmati and fragrant rice
from Thailand.I shopped for the right
type of rice in India and Pakistan, and after
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each trip, I would do a survey by going to a few houses. Getting the license to be a wholesaler
for rice was not easy.
But I finally got it and started selling many types of rice, says Faiza.In 2009, she bought her
first rice milling machine from Japan for RM3mil. By then, Faiza was already an expert in rice.
According to SFSBs head of special marketing projects, Rosli Ahmad, each of the companys
brands has its loyal customers. Each rice type has its own special characteristics in terms of
aroma, grain, stickiness. We try to cater to all the rice needs of Malaysians and will continue to
offer value-for-money rice products. Besides rice imported from Thailand and Cambodia, we are
also the pioneer in importing high-grade rice like basmati and ponni, says Rosli.Rice being
packaged at the companys facility.The companys sale for rice in 2014 was RM257mil, while
the sales revenue up to July this year was RM139mil.
One of the challenges we face in the rice business is that the company is subject to the policies
of Padiberas Nasional Bhd or Bernas, the sole permit holder for importing rice into Malaysia.
Bernas provides shorter credit terms than we provide to SFSBs customers. Recently, the
strength of the US dollar has also become an issue. Although we have a contract with Bernas,
which eliminates price fluctuation of imported rice, the recent upward trend of the US dollar
could have an impact on future contracts, explains Rosli. According to Faiza, their records
indicate that Malaysian consumers still prefer the SST (Super Special Tempatan/Local super
special) grades, which is limited in supply and very competitive. This type of rice sells between
RM23 to RM26 per 10kg (inclusive of 5% broken rice), whereas the basmati retails at RM40 and
above per 5kg.
There is a huge difference in the pricing of SST grade and basmati. The current market is highly
competitive, as competitors had also seen the potential of the niche market of high-grade rice,
Faiza says. We are still struggling to offer the best quality products and services. We still
continue to educate consumers and promote our speciality and high-grade rice brands, especially
the Taj Mahal for health-conscious consumers and the premium quality basmati brands like
Moghul, Kohinoor and Parboiled Moghul, adds Faiza. In 1998, Faiza Marketing was
incorporated with Faizas daughter Najwa Abu Bakar at the helm. The company manufactures
and markets a wide range of spices. With more than 20 types of products, its brands, such as
Faiza Raja Curry, Faiza Curry, Faiza Beriani and Faiza Bukhari, have become household names.
SFSB now has two facilities, one in Subang Jaya and another in Sri Gading, Batu Pahat, set up at
a cost of RM14mil.
The 40,000 sq ft production plant in Batu Pahat handles SFSBs rice processing and packaging.
It has a total production capacity of 200 tonnes a day and has machinery to handle de-stoning,
polishing, grading, colour sorting and packaging. Meanwhile the warehouse facility in Subang
Jaya can store 2,000 tonnes of goods and deliver 250 tonnes a day.Faiza, who now oversees a
company with 550 employees, has no intention of slowing down. She wants to give the best to
her customers and is still busy working on a strategy to strengthen SFSBs position in various
businesses.I want to be one of the biggest taxpayers in Malaysia to help more poor people. That
has always been my aspiration, says Faiza.
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Asian News Network

Relief now has a different meaning for farmers

By Saad Hasan / Photo: Ayesha Mir
Published: September 14, 2015

Sector keenly awaits PMs word amid falling commodity prices. PHOTO: AYESHA
MIR/EXPRESS
KARACHI:

While it is too early to paint a complete picture of what is happening in Pakistans

agricultural sector, one thing is for sure: the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
would have to come to the rescue of farmers who are feeling the heat of falling commodity
prices.
On its part, Islamabad has come up with a relief package, expected to be announced this week.
Details have been kept under a tight wrap and no one seems to be sure which crops will be the
main beneficiaries.Punjab Finance Minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha says that a significant
package has been worked out, but insisted it was primarily for small farmers who own land
measuring up to 12.5 acres. There is genuineness in the claim that farmers have had difficulty in
laying-off stocks. We are also seeing a deflationary trend.

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But that could be countered with timely intervention, she said.She didnt share details of the
package, but stated that it was a nationwide programme and only the premier would announce
it.But such words will not be of any comfort for Hamid Malhi, a farmer from Narowal, who says
even someone with a thousand acres has equally been affected.This is an unprecedented
situation for us. No one was expecting this to happen and persist for this long, he says, pointing
out that government intervention had become imperative not just for large crops but vegetables
too.
The history
Pakistans rural economy has seen a boom in the past few years. It started sometime in the mid2000s, with a rise in demand for commodities the world over, cash changed hands like never
before.Things were on our side. Oil price was up but so was the ethanol demand (which comes
from sugarcane), there were sanctions on Iran but it bought grains from us to build up its stocks,
said Malhi.Times and circumstances changed swiftly in the past two years. And the most
pronounced affects could be seen in matter of rice, which is the largest commodity the country
exports.
Malhi said rice traders and millers have been left holding stocks of a million tons, worth Rs100
billion. Farmers are even more anxious as to what would happen if they go bankrupt and no one
comes to help lift the crop from them.A delegation of farmers met Federal Minister for Planning
and Development Ahsan Iqbal a couple of days ago and presented its demand, which included a
proposal to subsidise rice export by at least $200 a ton.But it is unlikely that a government,
which has imposed unpopular taxes in recent months to shore up national reserves, would agree.
Or should it be left to the market forces?
Maybe so, says a leading member of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP).
Commodity price did not come down overnight. It was the greed of the trader who waited
month after month instead of booking the loss.Yet, beyond the debate of subsidies and relief,
the government must look at the cost-related issues with agriculture. Hasnt anyone noticed the
kind of money fertiliser makers have been making on subsidised natural gas?
While stocks of wheat has also been rising, the private sector has not yet felt the heat as most of
the excess goes to government go-downs. However, concerns are now being shared about next
seasons crop.Aamer Sarfraz, the founder of internationally active investment firm Indus Basin
Holdings, has another way of looking at the situation.He agrees that uncertainty remains with
regards to the outlook of commodity price, but at the same time he says there is a lot of
opportunity in Pakistan.
A new type of rice is being introduced, which is both drought and flood resistant, he says,
noting that his ventures deal with small rice farmers who are also told about which seeds to
use.While farmers still use diesel-run generators to water the crops, we have seen a general
improvement in electricity supply over the years.The problem, even bigger than the plunge in
price is the lack of guidance, he said.Most of the seeds sold to farmers in Pakistan are not
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classified as basmati. So a grower works hard and grows it and when it reaches the market, he
does not get the right price.
The writer is a staff correspondent
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2015
http://tribune.com.pk/story/956175/agriculture-sector-relief-now-has-a-different-meaning-for-farmers/

Punjab rice millers threaten to boycott milling for paddy

season
Press Trust of India | Chandigarh September 14, 2015 Last Updated at 17:02 IST
Punjab Youth Cong workers protest against "misrule" in Punjab Punjab National Bank Q1 net profit
nearly halves Punjab National Bank standalone net profit declines 48.71% in the June 2015 quarter
Punjab National Bank standalone net profit declines 61.98% in the March 2015 quarter Punjab National
Bank receives capital infusion of Rs 870 crore from GoI
Accusing state-owned procurement agencies of harassing them by demanding "unjustified dues", Punjabbased rice millers today threatened to boycott milling for the upcoming paddy procurement
season.Agitating millers under the banner of Punjab Rice Millers' Association sought a meeting with state
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to resolve their issues on urgent
basis."State-owned procurement agencies have started harassing us unnecessarily by demanding
unjustified payments from rice millers," Punjab Rice Millers Association President Tarsem Saini said
today.He added that millers are being asked to pay charges for deviating from the monthly schedule of
rice delivery.
"As per usual practice, we were never asked to pay any charges for any monthly delay in rice delivery
once the rice is delivered at the end of milling season. But now they are asking to pay charges on the
same," he said, adding that Value Added Tax was also being asked to pay on the value cut of crop.Rice
Millers further pointed out that the procurement agencies have also been asked to pay charges for jute
bags used during 2014-15."We will not participate in rice milling in the coming paddy procurement
season if such harassment was not stopped," he said.Millers said instead of demanding recoveries from
them, the agencies should pay them the sum owed.
"We are yet to be paid about Rs 200 crore of transportation charges for rice delivered to the FCI in 200304 despite FCI paying the amount of state agencies to pay us," he claimed.They further said that they
were also not paid the transportation charges for transporting paddy for the last two seasons.Accusing
procurement agencies of preparing anti-millers policies, Saini said that millers would not tolerate the
"unwarranted" stance of these agencies, asking the state government to resolve their issues.Paddy
procurement usually starts from October for central pool in Punjab.

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http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/pb-rice-millers-threaten-to-boycott-milling-forpaddy-season-115091400661_1.html

Paddy price dips by 60%, Karnal farmers worried

Karnal, September 14
Farmers who planted paddy variety-1509 across the state are a worried lot as the price has taken a sharp
hit due to a fall in prices of the crop this year by 50 to 60 per cent, compared to last year.
The variety is being sold at Rs1,200-1,300 per quintal, while it was sold for Rs 2,800-3,400 per quintal
last year. Similarly, farmers, who have cultivated other paddy varieties including hybrid-3325, 834, 222,
are also in deep trouble as they too are not getting a proper price of their produce.Farmers and
commission agents have demanded that the government fix a price of these varieties and to start
government auctioning at the earliest.
They alleged that with a game plan several rice millers have been purchasing these varieties at a less price
resulting in huge losses to farmers.Surinder, a farmer who came from Dadupur, with the produce of 1509
variety, said he received only Rs1,281 per quintal of his produce, while he got Rs3,400 per quintal last
year. This is just a monopoly of the rice millers and it should be stopped. The government should start the
auctioning with immediate effect and fix a price for it.Malak Singh from Jalmana said his produce of
1509 variety was sold for a mere Rs1,250 per quintal. He received Rs 2,700-3,000 per quintal last
year.Rajinder Kumar, a commission agent at the Karnal grain market, said it was a strategy of the rice
sellers and the government should keep a check on such buying.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/

Plastic Tubs May Hold Secrets to Producing More Rice for

the World
Released: 14-Sep-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Source Newsroom: Texas A&M AgriLife

Newswise BEAUMONT Dozens of plastic tubs stacked in a room may look ordinary, but
they store what could be the secrets to more rice to feed the world.The containers are the resting
place for whats known by scientists as a core collection, or fraction of all the known varieties
of rice on Earth. Yet, even from their plastic vaults housed at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research
and Extension Center in Beaumont, these grains are yielding data scientists say will help make
better varieties for years to come.Beaumont is the only location where the full collection has
been grown for the purpose of analyzing the chemical element composition, said Dr. Lee
Tarpley, an AgriLife Research plant physiologist, who is using the collection extensively in his
studies there.

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In all, thousands of rice varieties made their way into the collection by way of numerous
scientists, who over decades ventured across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia
and Asia in search of samples, Tarpley said.The seeds most recently were used for a massive
study to determine which varieties are most capable of using major nutrients, such as phosphorus
or potassium, from the soil.The lines that are most capable of using key elements, which are
valued for either plant or human nutrition, could be potentially used in breeding programs to
develop new rice varieties, Tarpley explained.Because of the importance of the worlds
diversity of rice for farmers and for human consumption, he teamed with Dr. Shannon Pinson of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Dr. David Salt at the University of
Aberdeen in Scotland and Dr. Mary Lou Guerinot at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New
Hampshire, on a National Science Foundation-funded research project to examine huge numbers
of genotypes of rice varieties to find out what elements they contain.
According to the International Rice Research Institute, the commodity is a staple for about 3.5
billion people and is grown on almost 400 million acres worldwide. U.S. farmers raise the crop
on about 3 million acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Economic Research
Service.Over a period of five years, the 1,700 varieties were grown in the fields around the
Beaumont center, carefully harvested and tagged, then sent to the University of Aberdeen where
Salt has a system for measuring 17 different elements simultaneously, Tarpley said.We
measured both leaf and grain so that when we saw differences in the grain, we could start to
understand their physiological basis, Tarpley said. We could question, Is that something that
shows up as a difference in the leaf and therefore might actually be a difference in uptake of the
roots changing the level throughout the plant? or Is it something that gets sequestered in the
leaves thats never going to make it to the grain?
The team found some surprising differences in leaf levels of these various minerals, he said,
indicating that some types were taking up higher levels of these elements compared to an
average rice variety.What we found for most of the elements is that there are a few extreme
lines that are very good at taking up or have very high levels of one or more of the elements, he
said. And, its easier to find the ones that take up higher amounts than it is low amounts.The
team already has started making crosses with the high accumulating lines and a normal
accumulating line. The next step is to screen and evaluate the progeny to determine the kind of
inheritance that resulted.We are working towards identifying possible regions of the
chromosomes that might have the genes involved in the results of the progeny, he said.
The main goal of the overall research project was gene identification to take advantage of
our knowledge of the rice genome to identify the functions of all the genes. But ultimately thats
for the purpose of more precise breeding of plants.Take phosphorus, for example, which can be
limited in various soil types in Texas, Tarpley noted. If we had a line that was better at
grabbing the phosphorus that is in the soil, that could potentially save some money in terms of
not having to apply phosphorus fertilizer. It could be that we would want a good soil uptake in
all the rice we grow, so that it would be more robust for different growing conditions.
The research provides the potential to allow decreased fertilizer use and increased sustainability
in Texas rice production, he said.Tarpley noted that the extensive data obtained may allow
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scientists now to do numerous studies without having to grow the 1,700 varieties in the field
again.We are finding some patterns in the grain and leaf material, for example, which seem to
indicate different elements are more common in rice varieties from the same part of the world,
he said. Elements such as molybdenum or cobalt have shown up more in some areas than
others. Its a lot of fun to try and understand why they mightve had that adaptation.
http://newswise.com/articles/plastic-tubs-may-hold-secrets-to-producing-more-rice-for-the-world

China Rice Market to Open Up to U.S. Imports With Trade

Accord
Megan Durisin
September 14, 2015 2:58 PM PDT Updated on September 14, 2015 9:01 PM PDT

China, the worlds largest rice market, is poised to open up to U.S. exports with both countries
governments due to sign an accord later this month ratifying American imports.The so-called
phytosanitary protocol for rice is expected to be signed during Chinese President Xi Jinpings
visit to Washington, the Houston-based U.S. Rice Producers Association said Monday in a
statement.Its a significant event that they would buy rice from the western hemisphere, Milo
Hamilton, president of Austin, Texas-based Firstgrain, a rice-trading advisory company, said in a
telephone interview.
The accord does not mean they will buy rice from the U.S. It means they can buy rice from the
U.S.China is the biggest producer and importer of rice. While its still largely self-sufficient, its
imports have gradually climbed in recent years. Inbound shipments of milled rice are expected to
be 4.7 million metric tons in the 2015-16 marketing year, up from 540,000 tons five years earlier,
according to U.S. government data.Most of the imports come from neighboring Vietnam because
of price, proximity, and quality, the producers association said. U.S. sellers havent been able
to ship to China because rice wasnt included in earlier trade negotiations that now allow the
annual sale of millions of tons of other American agricultural commodities including
soybeans.The rice producers group has been lobbying for Chinese market access for more than
15 years.
When we started on this process, China wasnt involved on the international marketplace,
Dwight Roberts, the groups president, said in a telephone interview. Weve learned that things
change. Were at the end of a long process.In the short term, China may import 200,000 to
250,000 tons of high-quality U.S. rice per year, providing a "significant boost" to the American
industry, the group said. In total, the U.S. is expected to export 3.08 million tons in the year that
began Aug. 1, down from 3.21 million in the prior year.The U.S. is forecast to produce 6.02
million tons, equivalent to about 4 percent of Chinese output.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-14/china-rice-market-to-open-up-to-u-s-imports-withtrade-accord

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APEDA COMMODITY NEWS

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 11-09-2015
Product Benchmark Indicators Name
Garlic
1
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
3
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

Price
2100
2000
1800

Ginger
1
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
3
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps technical grade, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
Source:agra-net

4600
5100
3000
4280
1700
3535
For more info

Market Watch

Product
Maize
1
2
3
Wheat
1
2
3
Mousambi
1
2
3
Cabbage
1
2
3

Daily Global

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 11-09-2015

Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Dahod (Gujarat)
Shikaripura (Karnataka)
Thirukovilur (Tamil Nadu)

Yellow
Local
Other

1475
1100
1063

1575
1380
1589

Gangavathi (Karnataka)
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Baran (Rajasthan)

Local
Other
Other

1500
1461
1490

1510
2125
1675

Manjeri (Kerala)
Roorkee (Uttrakhand)
Mechua (West Bengal)

Other
Other
Other

2200
600
2400

2400
1500
2900

Shillong (Meghalaya)
Sambalpur (Orissa)
Haldwani (Uttrakhand)

Other
Other
Other

1400
1100
700

1800
1200
2000

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Source:agmarknet.nic.in

For more info

Egg
Product
1
2
3
Source: e2necc.com

Rs per 100 No
Price on 12-09-2015
Price
316
295
292

Market Center
Pune
Hyderabad
Nagapur

Unit Price : US$ per

package
Price on 11-09-2015

Other International Prices

Product
Potatoes
1
2
3

Market Center
Atlanta
Baltimore
Detroit

Cauliflower
1
Atlanta
2
Dallas
3
Detroit
Grapes
1
Atlanta
2
Chicago
3
Philadelphia
Source:USDA

Origin

Variety

Colorado
Canada
Idaho

High
Package: 50 lb cartons
21.75
14
14.50

Russet
Russet
Russet

21.75
14
12

White
White
White

Package: cartons film wrapped

26
26
17
17
23.50
27.50

Red Globe
Red Globe
Red Globe

Package: 19 lb containers bagged

25
26
18
20
21
22

Mexico
California
California
California
California
California

Low

Update: U.S./China Phytosanitary Agreement

ARLINGTON, VA -- The phytosanitary protocol that promises to pave the way for export trade with
China appears to be tracking toward a successful resolution, maybe as soon as next week when China's
President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the United States. However, USDA's Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) said this afternoon they are awaiting agreement on the language of the
protocol from AQSIQ, their counterpart in China, before the deal can be finalized.

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USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said, "USA Rice has been at the forefront of this process for a
very long time. And while everyone is anxious to complete this deal, it's imperative that the operational
details are in place that are in the best interest of the U.S. rice industry. We will continue to work with
APHIS as they finalize this deal and with our members on implementation of this unique protocol."
Contact: Jim Guinn (703) 236-1474

National Rice Month Issue of Whole Grain Going to Press

ARLINGTON, VA -- The September issue of USA Rice's
award-winning publication, Whole Grain, is in production and
should be in subscribers' mailboxes soon.The special National
Rice Month (NRM) edition features a cover story about the
many facets of USA Rice's NRM activities that are designed
to raise awareness, and encourage use, of U.S.-grown rice.
Readers will also enjoy a preview of the 2015 USA Rice
Outlook Conference coming to New Orleans this December; a
behind-the-scenes look at why Tariff Rate Quotas - though
nobody's first choice when it comes to fair trade - do often
bring great benefits to industry when implemented
thoughtfully; as well as updates on Iraq, and a look at the
surprise number one milled rice market for the U.S.,
Colombia.All that and more, coming soon.If you do not
receive Whole Grain, would like to order a complimentary
subscription for someone you know, or are interested in
advertising in the newspaper, contact Colleen Klemczewski at
(703) 236-1446 or cklem@usarice.com

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Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

Promote National Rice Month and Earn Scholarship Money

ARLINGTON, VA -- During the month of September, students across the U.S. will be conducting rice
promotional programs for entry in the annual National Rice Month (NRM) scholarship contest, sponsored
by Dow AgroSciences. Be on the lookout for promotions going on in your state to support scholarship
applicants. Encourage high school seniors to review the contest application and plan a promotion. There
is
still
time
to
compete!

Three scholarship prizes totaling $8,500 will be awarded. The grand prize is a $4,000 scholarship and a
trip to the scholarship presentation in December at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans,
Louisiana. Second place is a $3,000 scholarship and the third-place winner will receive $1,500. Entries
will be judged on their creativity and impact in promoting U.S.-grown rice, NRM, and the importance of
rice in their state. For more details and the official contest entry form, visit the scholarship web page.
High school graduating students from rice-growing states -- Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri and Texas -- are eligible. Entry forms are due October 15.
Contact: Amy Doane (703) 236-1454

Crop Progress: 2015 Crop 44 Percent Harvested

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WASHINGTON, DC -- Forty-four percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is harvested, according to today's U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report.
Rice Headed, Selected States
Week Ending
Sept 13,
2014

State

Sept 6,
2015

Sept 13,
2015

2010-2014
average

Percent
Arkansas

28

30

41

42

California

10

Louisiana

85

90

94

89

Mississippi

29

34

45

49

Missouri

12

24

Texas

89

76

93

95

Six States

35

35

44

44

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for September 14

Daily Global

Month

Price

Net Change

September 2015

$12.785

+ $0.185

November 2015

$12.995

+ $0.165

January 2016

$13.275

+ $0.165

March 2016

$13.490

+ $0.175

May 2016

$13.645

+ $0.200

July 2016

$13.735

+ $0.140

September 2016

$12.885

+ $0.075

November 2016

$12.885

UNCH

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Is rice cereal the best food for baby?

By Julie Revelant,Published September 13, 2015

Perhaps one of the most exciting times as a mom is when your pediatrician gives you the green
light to start your baby on solid food, which usually happens around 6 months of age.For years,
rice cereal has been the standby first food, likely because its easily digestible. Marketing has a
lot to do with it/ too, since boxed rice cereal is cheap and convenientjust add some breast milk,
formula or water and youve got a meal.Yet what may surprise you is that babies at this age
dont need rice cereal or grains for that matter. They need complex carbohydrates like those
found in sweet potatoes, which are an excellent source of energy, said Sara Peternell, a master
nutrition therapist in Denver, Colo. and co-author of Little Foodie: Baby Food Recipes for
Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
The reason is that until around their first birthdays, babies dont have amylase, an enzyme
which breaks down grains and makes them easily digestible.Nevertheless, grains are a great
source vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins which provide energy, support the nervous
system and help with metabolism. Grains can also add fiber, protein and variety to your babys
diet.This combination of calories, carbohydrates and nutrients are what will help babies grow at
the rate they need to, said Angela Lemond, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Plano, Texas and
spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).
Rice cereal might not be the best option
True, rice cereal is fortified with iron, folate and B vitamins, which can help prevent your baby
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from having nutritional deficiencies. However, since its processed in a way that removes all of
the nutrients, and then is re-fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals, its not an ideal grain,
Peternell said.Another concern that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years is arsenic,
which is found in both organic and non-organic rice varieties and has been linked to many types
of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In fact, data released last year from Consumer
Reports showed that a serving of rice cereal can have much more arsenic than levels found in
2012.Arsenic is a particular concern for rice because most rice in the world is grown in flooded
fields.
When you flood the fields, that anaerobic environment seems to encourage the release of arsenic
from the ground and the rice plant readily absorbs it, said Herman Suhirman, marketing
manager for Mighty Rice.Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to set
a federal limit for the amount of arsenic in rice, last July, Codex, a joint commission of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization
(WHO), set new standards for governments to allow no more than 200 parts of arsenic per billion
in white rice and no more than 400 parts per billion in brown rice. Although its a good start,
experts agree its not necessarily a safe limit.Consumer Reports recommends that if you do feed
your baby rice cereal, limit it to one serving a day.
Also, look for rice from regions with upland rice, or rice grown on dry soil, or rice grown in
California, India and Pakistan, which have less arsenic.Although brown rice is more nutritious
than white, white rice of the same variety will always have less arsenic.That outer layer [in
brown rice] that contains all of the nutrients also holds all the chemicals, Suhirman said.You
can eliminate about 30 percent of arsenic from rice if you rinse it well before cooking, using a
ratio of 6 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. Use as much water to cook it as you would for
pasta, and drain the rice halfway through, boil fresh water and finish cooking.
Tasty alternatives for your baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents offer their babies a variety of foods
such as oats, wheat and barley to avoid arsenic.In fact, feeding your baby too many whole
grains which also equals too much fiber could be problematic. Since fiber slows down
gastric emptying and aids with weight loss, it could slow down your babys growth as well,
Lemond said.Another thing to consider is that since a babys digestive system is still developing,
gluten-free grains are a good idea. Peternell says many babies who have tummy troubles after
introducing wheat are told by the pediatrician that theyre allergic to wheat, when it might just be
that their immature GI tracts are not ready for it.Often times food sensitivities can arise when
we give babies first-year foods with too many of the larger protein molecules, she said.

All grains have similar nutrient profiles but some are standouts. Oats are naturally gluten-free but
be sure to check the label since theyre often grown in fields that are cross-contaminated with
wheat. Quinoa is another gluten-free grain but because its also a high source of protein, you may
want to introduce it slowly and in small amounts. Other grains to try include millet, amaranth,
buckwheat and kamut.Soaking and sprouting grains can also help to break down the enzymes
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that inhibit absorption, Peternell said. Simmering grains for an hour or cooking them in the slow
cooker will also ensure theyre the right consistency for your baby.Regardless of whether you
offer grains from the get-go or hold off for a while, when it comes to feeding your baby,
nutrition, variety and balance should always be the goal.You want to get that flavor in so when
they get older and can handle more fiber and whole grains, theyre going to choose that for
themselves, Lemond said.
Julie Revelant is a health journalist and a consultant who provides content marketing and
copywriting services for the healthcare industry. Shes also a mom of two. Learn more about
Julie at revelantwriting.com.

Phil Rice News

PhilRices scientific publications up by 74%
Researchers from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) produced over 40 research papers
published by major science journals in 2014, 74% higher than the total publications in 2010.In the past 4
years, the Institute has continued to increase the number of refereed scientific papers published in the
Thomson Reuters/ Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science-listed journals. Of 40
published, 24 came out in ISI journals. From 2010-2014, the Institute published over 140 publications.
With a pool of 57 PhD and 266 masters degree holders, PhilRice has managed to publish in some wellrespected journals here and abroad.
Some of them are the Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment, International Journal of Ecology
and Conservation, Philippine Journal of Crop Science, and the Philippine Agricultural Scientist.
The painstaking efforts of PhilRice R&D staff members in carrying out rice science and technologybased knowledge dissemination are indeed commendable. We are not only doing our mandated functions
but we are also enriching the body of scientific knowledge on rice through research, publication, training,
and other information dissemination activities, said Dr. Manuel Jose C. Regalado, PhilRice deputy
executive director for research.Regalado hopes the number of scientific publications will steadily increase
given the proper training of young and budding scientists and researchers of the Institute.This year alone,
PhilRice has already published 29 refereed papers.The Institutes publications were also recognized in
national and international scientific conferences.Eight studies were recipients of best paper awards and
four studies received best poster award.
Researchers of the Institute also received major awards in their respective fields of specialization. Among
them were Thelma F. Padolina (International Senadhira Rice Research Award), Gina D. Balleras
(Outstanding Filipino Research Leader), and Engr. Noel G. Ganotisi (Outstanding Agricultural Engineer
in the Field of Soil and Water Management).We hope that our researchers will generate more scientific
outputs that will not only usher them in the scientific career path, but will also provide our rice farmers
the information and technologies they need which have been rigorously developed and tested using
scientific R&D methods and passed through the crucible of scientific peer review and critique, Regalado
said.

Policy reforms needed for climate change resiliency expert

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The agriculture sector needs policy reforms in order to be resilient, a prominent climate change expert
said. During the opening of the 28th National Rice Research and Development Conference at PhilRice, 9
Sept, Dennis Dela Torre of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG)
and House of Representatives Special Committee on Climate Change, said that there are many challenges
that hinder the agriculture sector to become a key development investment area.
Policy reforms
Dele Torre called for policy reforms that would direct the focus of government institutions, the private
sector, and even foreign funders to agriculture.The Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997
and the Agri-Agra Act of 2009 which have provisions on finance mobilization also needs to be
reviewed.He said that under the Agri-Agra law, the bank sector should devote 25% of loanable amounts
to agriculture but studies reveal that banks are just willing to pay the fines.We should look at our farmers
as potential targets for investment in human capital, Dela Torre argued.Meanwhile, he encouraged the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that skills in agriculture must be one of the
conditions in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a conditional cash transfer scheme of the
government to address poverty.
Climate lens and planning
Data from PAGASA on the annual mean temperature in the Philippines projects that there would be a
widespread warming in most parts of the country by 2020 and 2050. Dela Torre then emphasized the
importance of careful planning based on historical and projected data.According to him, efforts against
climate change must look both at the past and what will happen in the future to plan properly.Recently,
there have been a growing concern on saline intrusion and the projected sea level rise that affects coastal
integrity. This serves as a threat to agricultural production areas near the coastlines.
Hence, research institutions such as PhilRice must continuously develop saline-tolerant crop varieties to
address this challenge.Among the saline-tolerant varieties developed by PhilRice are NSIC Rc184 (6.3
t/ha maximum yield), NSIC Rc186 (4.2 t/ha maximum yield), NSIC Rc188 (3.8 t/ha maximum yield),
NSIC Rc190 (5.1 t/ha maximum yield), and NSIC Rc290 (5.7 t/ha maximum yield).Dela Torre also cited
that if irrigation infrastructures failed to resist environmental threats, its quality would definitely be
compromised. As a result, implementing agencies would then reinstitute innovations which would lead to
a pain point in funding.The former Chief on Research and Policy Development of CCC said that
projection and planning are important keys to withstand all environmental threats.
Thats what climate change is forcing us to do to think better, to design, and plan better, he
reiterated.The 28th National Rice Research and Development Conference is annually hosted by PhilRice
that gathers around 500 researchers, academicians, students, farmers, and extension workers from all over
the country.

Cabinet to be asked to completely ban second-crop farming

for 2015-16 season
By editor on 2015-09-12 Thailand

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Cabinet to be asked to completely ban second-crop farming for 2015-16 season

BANGKOK: The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will ask the cabinet at a
meeting next Tuesday to completely ban second rice crop cultivation covering 15 million
rai of farmland during the November 1, 2015-April 30, 2016 crop year due to anticipated
serious water shortage.
Agriculture Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya pointed out that by the end of the rainy season at
the end of October, it was anticipated that the countrys main dams would be able to store a total
of 3,600 million cubic metres of water which is hardly enough for agricultural purpose. The
minister admitted that the anticipated water crisis was beyond the ability of the Agriculture
Ministry to handle and, therefore, he would propose the cabinet to completely ban the second
crop cultivation which is due to start in November and, at the same time, set up a crisis
committee to mobilize all available sources to help the farmers when they cannot cultivate.
Due to water shortage this year, main croup cultivation covering 870,000 rai of farmland was not
possible as the Irrigation Department substantially cut down the amount of water released into
the Chao Phraya river basin, said the minister.But despite the water cutback, he said farmers
defied the warning and cultivated second crop in 6 million rai of farmland.Although water
shortage is expected to be serious at the end of this year and next year, General Chatchai noted
that the situation would not warrant the invocation of Section 44 of the interim charter.
Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-to-be-asked-to-completely-ban-second-cropfarming-for-2015-16-season

Severe Drought Expected In Thailand Early 2016

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BANGKOK, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Farmers are asked not to grow rice during off-season in 2016 after the
state-run Royal Irrigation Department (RID) made a forecast that Thailand would face severe drought,
Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.Meanwhile, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai
Sarikulya plans to propose to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha to assist the farmers, the news
agency said.Although several areas in the country are experiencing heavy rainfalls, the amount of rain
was still less compared to previous years, said Suthep Noipairoj, deputy director-general of the RID,
adding that water stored at major dams was not sufficient to grow off-season rice.
He said that a meeting was held recently with relevant government agencies, and that the Agriculture and
Cooperatives Minister has assigned several departments to find ways in assisting farmers who would be
affected by the expected severe drought.Suthep said that Gen Chatchai would propose to the prime
minister to direct ministries to help farmers in providing temporary jobs.This would enable them to get
income to feed their families as they could not grow rice during the off-season, he said.
BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1170698

PH to import 750,000 tons of rice

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales | Sep. 09, 2015 at 11:50pm

The Philippines will import an additional 250,000 metric tons of rice this year and another
500,000 MT next year under a government-to-government procurement arrangement to prepare
for a prolonged El Nio dry spell, state-run National Food Authority said Wednesday.NFA said
in a statement the inter-agency Food Security Committee on Rice allowed the NFA Council to
proceed with the importation of the volume to beef up the countrys rice stock.The FSC, which is
chaired by the National Economic and Development Authority, earlier approved the importation
of 250,000 MT.NFA said the importation of 500,000 MT of rice was approved by FSC to cover
the projected production deficit in 2016. The shipment would be delivered early next year.
More to come. A worker carries a sack of rice at a store in Manila on Wednesday Sept. 9. The Aquino
administration says it will import additional 750,000 tons of rice to boost stocks and keep local prices
stable because of El Nio. DANNY PATA

Weather forecasters said the drought was predicted to intensify beginning October this year and
would last until May 2016.NFA administrator Renan Dalisay said an invitation was sent to
Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia to participate in the supply of 250,000 MT well-milled rice
with 25 percent brokens intended for the year and 500,000 MT well-milled rice with 25 percent
brokens in 2016.Dalisay assured the food agency would have sufficient stock until the end of the
year and that prices would remain stable.

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He said the government-to-government bidding for the 250,000 MT would be held on

Sept.
17, with the first shipment of 125,000 MT expected to arrived by end-November and 125,000
MT by end-December.Dalisay said of the 2016 imports of 500,000 MT, the first shipment of
175,000 MT would arrived by end of January, 175,000 MT by end of February and 150,000 MT
by end of March next year.NFA said the total volume of rice that entered the country this year
already reached 937,000 MT.Weather forecasters said traditional rice granaries including the
provinces of Isabela, Mindoro, Quezon, Albay, Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, South Cotabato, Sultan
Kudarat and Zamboanga were among the provinces that would be hardly hit by El Nio.
Rice harvest is expected to drop this year, because of the impact of the El Nio dry spell that
delayed planting and reduced the farm area, the Philippine Statistics Authority said in an earlier
report.PSA said in its rice and corn outlook palay (unmilled rice) production in 2015 could
decline 0.6 percent to 18.86 million MT from 18.97 million MT in 2014.Rice production in the
first half fell 0.7 percent to 8.32 million MT
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/09/09/ph-to-import-750-000-tons-of-rice/

Cambodia businesses fret Myanmar

By The Phnom Penh Post | Monday, 14 September 2015

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While Cambodias economic development is often compared to that of neighbouring
Vietnam and Thailands, industry insiders say the Cambodia needs to keep a close eye on
the steady progress being made in Myanmar, which is predicted to eat into Cambodias
exports in the long term.
Cambodian farmers work on a rice field in Kandal province. The countrys rice production faces
competition from Myanmar. Photo: EPA
An improved business environment in Myanmar
propelled its gross domestic product growth to
7.7 percent in 2014, and it is expected to reach
8.3pc for 2015, according to the Asian
Development Bank.While Myanmar may not
pose an immediate threat to Cambodia, Jayant
Menon, lead economist at the Asian
Development Banks office of regional
economic integration, said Cambodia will need
to improve its productivity and increase its pool
of skilled labour.Trade costs in Myanmar are
still high, given the dearth of investment and
infrastructure development, but as economic reforms begin to kick in the country will
increasingly grow its presence on the ASEAN stage, Mr Menon added.
In the longer term, Cambodia may have to lift its productivity if it is to compete with the welleducated workforce available at relatively low cost in Myanmar.On the rice export front,
Cambodia is already facing steep competition from Myanmar. Rice shipments leaving the
Kingdom last year totalled a little more than 387,000 tonnes, compared to Myanmars 1.7
million tonnes a large amount of it going to China.Cambodia may currently have the edge in
exporting higher-quality fragrant rice, said Song Saran, CEO of leading rice exporter Amru Rice,
but Myanmar is fast catching up and moving beyond its export of lower quality broken rice and
parboiled rice.In the long term, Myanmar will be a big threat to Cambodia, because they have
started to improve their facilities, Mr Saran said.
And in the next four to five years there will be more stress for Cambodian rice in the European
market.Mr Saran said that when Cambodia graduates to a low-middle income economy and
loses its European Union-granted Everything But Arms (EBA) status giving least developed
countries duty free exports to the economic bloc Myanmar, which also enjoys the preferential
treatment, could extend its advantage given that its exports will be cheaper than the
Kingdoms.When EBA is off, we are going to have more hardship and the possibility of losing
market share to Myanmar, he said.But with jasmine rice, I am still optimistic that we can
maintain our market share even if EBA is off.On the economic front, both countries are using
similar sectors, including rice and garments to fuel growth.
However, Myanmar also has to deal with the overhang of the elections in November, as well
as ethnic and religious tensions, said Grant Knuckey, CEO of ANZ Royal Bank, who is also the
head of Myanmar operations for ANZ.Despite that, Myanmar is a genuine threat based on both
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potential and clear intent, Mr Knuckey said, referring to economic reforms that are focused on
increasing commodity exports.Infrastructure and logistical capacities are two key issues holding
back both nations, but, according to Mr Knuckey, investments made in deep sea ports and a
better special economic zone policy can help Myanmar leapfrog the progress made by Cambodia
in the past few years.Myanmar will soon have a real edge, with deep sea capacity at both
Thilawa and later Dawei, he said.
Myanmar has also moved very aggressively on the SEZ framework, where Thilawa is more of a
special administrative zone than an industrial park, which is the current Cambodia model.Srey
Chanthy, an independent economist, said that as Myanmar grapples with the same pitfalls that
Cambodia has had to address, such as low productivity, it will have to make good use of its
young and well-educated population to accelerate its ascent up the ASEAN pecking order.If the
Myanmar government can significantly improve the domestic business-enabling environment to
attract direct foreign investment, these things can be done in the short to medium terms, they
need not wait for the long term.
The Phnom Penh Post http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/16458-cambodiabusinesses-fret-myanmar.html

Tough blow for Thai rice farmers already in debt

By editor on 2015-09-14 Thailand

FARMING
Tough blow for rice farmers already in debt
VISARUT SANKHAM
THE NATION
If cabinet decides to block water for off-season crop it would hit us hard
BANGKOK: IF THE Cabinet resolves tomorrow to turn off irrigated water for people seeking
to grow off-season rice it would deal another serious blow to farmers already drowning in debt.
We havent planted any paddy three times already (for two off-season crops and one main
crop), and now the government tells us not to plant any rice again. Now we have nothing,
Ubolsak Bualuang-ngam, chairman of the central agricultural committee, said last week.Most
rice farmers in Lop Buri have Bt350,000 in debt and some farmers even hung themselves on a
tree to avoid debt, said Ubolsak, who also leads the Lop Buri Farmers Assembly.This central
province and the Pasak River basin have already suffered from a severe shortage of water for
farming.The idea to suspend the planting of off-season crop on 15 million rai of paddy fields will
be proposed to the Cabinet by Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikalya because of an estimate
that by the end of the wet season next month, stored water would amount to 3.6 billion cubic
metres which is not enough for farming.
This crisis is more severe than the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry can handle alone, so
we have to ask the Cabinet to set up a committee to solve it at the national level, Chatchai
said.We also have to gather projects under various agencies to hire farmers. This is to let the
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farmers earn some money to replace the missed income from past rice growing sessions this year
(which affected 87,000 rai) and the off-season rice growing at 15 million |rai of irrigation-zoned
rice
fields
from
November
1
to
April
30,
he
said.

The order, to be strictly followed and enforced, would not need to be announced under Section
44 of the provisional charter, he said.Pasak Jolasid Dam, which receives 1.23 million cubic
metres of water daily, now has 73 million cu m and was releasing five cu m per second or 1.3
million cu m a day, Irrigation Office 10 director Attaporn Panyachom said.Most dams in Lop
Buri were also at less than 50 per cent of capacity, he said. The Kut Ta Phet Reservoir in Lam
Sonthi district was down to 23 per cent, Sap Takhian Reservoir in the same district down to 7 per
cent and Huai Hin Reservoir in Chai Badan district to 24 per cent, he said.
The government claims that it has arranged income-generating projects to help farmers, but Ongart Suwanphong from the Farmers School in Ang Thongs Chaiyo district said that he didnt see
any such scheme being implemented. Farmers would actually prefer water supply to
compensation, but if the government must stop the water supply for rice, they should make sure
the compensation for farmers is sufficient, he said. Farmers are disheartened. Many of those
with five to 10 rai of paddy fields gave up.Last year they suffered from a rat outbreak and this
year saw their hope of regaining rice-growing income shattered by the lack of water supplies so
they turned to doing odd jobs, he said.
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/tough-blow-for-thai-rice-farmers-already-in-debt/114136/

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U.S. & China to Sign Rice Protocol Agreement

HOUSTON, Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials from the United States and
the Peoples' Republic of China will sign a phytosanitary protocol during the week of September
21st when Chinese President Xi Jinping leads a delegation on an official visit to Washington,
DC. Culminating an effort that reaches back more than 15 years, the US Rice Producers
Association (USRPA) has been pushing to open the Chinese market to U.S. rice. In those
intervening ten years, China has switched from being a rice exporter to (in recent years)
importing two million tons or more of long grain rice. Vietnam has been the origin of most of the
Chinese imports, due to a combination of price, proximity, and quality. The U.S. has not been
permitted to ship to China because rice was not included in the original negotiations that resulted
in the sale of millions of tons of soybeans and cotton and other grains.
That now changes with the new phytosanitary protocol.USRPA applied for funding from
USDA/FAS under their Emerging Markets Program to travel to China to determine if there
would be demand for U.S. long grain milled rice should it ever be permitted. Over the years,
consumer preferences were recorded and analyzed, and the conclusion was obvious rice
milled in the United States would be considered a preferred product deserving of a premium
price in the opinion of the growing consumer class in China. In recent years, medium grain rice
from both the South and California has been included in these consumer surveys, and the result
is the same: "When can we buy it?"
A number of importers and distributors in China have been identified, and it is likely that the
newly-permitted trade will get off to a fast start. It is not clear how large the trade could become
once the logistics and the commercial terms are perfected, but China could represent a significant
boost to the U.S. rice market, which recently has been slammed by the loss of markets and lowpriced subsidized foreign competition. "This has been a long and exhaustive process and
sometimes that's the nature of international market development, while I must compliment the
USRPA staff and its board members including past Chairmen, B.J. Campbell of Missouri and
Ray Stoesser of Texas, who along with officials of the Foreign Agricultural Service and Animal
Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA, have not hesitated in pursuing this effort that is so
important to our rice farming and milling industry," says Dwight Roberts, President & CEO of
the organization. "Our analysis of the China market goes back to 1998 when at the time no one
thought China would ever be a significant importer," added Roberts.
Recently elected Chairman, Tommy Turner from El Campo, Texas who has plans to travel next
month to China is excited about the outlook saying, "our focus has already turned towards
working with the identified Chinese buyers and importers while continuing to conduct additional
promotional surveys of Chinese consumers," while adding, "this is great news for our farmers
and is a shot in the arm for the market that is so sorely needed."The US Rice Producers
Association, representing rice producers in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri and Texas, is the only national rice producers' organization comprised by producers,
elected by producers and representing producers in all six rice-producing states.
SOURCE US Rice Producers Association
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Nepal records imports 210,600t of rice worth Rs5.74b in

2014
Reported by: `Customs Today Report September 14, 2015
KATHMANDU: Rice mills in the Bara-Parsa area are having a hard time staying afloat as they
cant compete with cheaper Indian products. In the past four years, 250 out of the 300 rice mills
there have closed down. Half of the remaining 50 are also in the red, said traders.Domestic rice
producers started facing hard times after India withdrew restrictions on rice exports in September
2011. The Indian government has cancelled the ban on the export of almost all types of rice
except Basmati. This led to Nepali markets being flooded with cheap Indian products.Last year,
Nepal imported 210,600 tonnes of rice worth Rs5.74 billion through Birgunj Customs alone, its
records show. In fiscal 2013-14, rice imports through this customs point amounted to Rs3.54
billion.
http://www.customstoday.com.pk/nepal-records-imports-210600t-of-rice-worth-rs5-74b-in-2014/

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-Sep 14

Nagpur, Sept 14 Gram prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good festival season demand from local millers amid
thin
supply from producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices, reported demand
from
South-based millers and notable hike on NCDEX also boosted prices, according to sources.
*

FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM
* Gram varieties reported strong in open market on increased seasonal buying support
from local traders amid weak supply from millers.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties recovered strongly in open market on renewed demand from local
traders. Reports about weak overseas arrival also pushed up prices.
* Batri dal zoomed up in open market on good buying support from local traders amid
tight supply from producing regions.
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* In Akola, Tuar - 9,7900-10,300, Tuar dal - 14,100-14,500, Udid at 9,600-10,000,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 12,100-12,600, Moong - 7,600-7,800, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,200-9,800, Gram - 4,900-5,050, Gram Super best bold - 6,400-6,600
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
3,850-4,900
3,850-4,760
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
n.a.
8,000-9,375
Moong Auction
n.a.
6,000-6,400
Udid Auction
n.a.
4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a.
2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold
6,600-6,900
6,500-6,800
Gram Super Best
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
6,000-6,200
5,900-6,100
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
5,900-6,000
5,800-5,900
Desi gram Raw
5,300-5,350
5,200-5,250
Gram Filter new
6,300-6,500
6,200-6,400
Gram Kabuli
6,600-7,600
6,400-7,500
Gram Pink
7,000-7,200
6,800-7,000
Tuar Fataka Best
14,600-14,900
14,500-14,800
Tuar Fataka Medium
13,400-14,000
13,300-13,900
Tuar Dal Best Phod
13,000-13,200
12,900-13,100
Tuar Dal Medium phod
12,400-12,900
12,300-12,800
Tuar Gavarani New
10,400-10,600
10,300-10,500
Tuar Karnataka
10,500-10,900
10,400-10,800
Tuar Black
12,200-12,400
12,100-12,300
Masoor dal best
8,500-8,700
8,500-8,700
Masoor dal medium
8,200-8,400
8,200-8,400
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
9,900-10,300
9,900-10,300
Moong Mogar Medium best
8,800-9,500
8,800-9,500
Moong dal Chilka
8,700-8,900
8,700-8,900
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
8,400-9,200
8,400-9,200
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 12,500-13,700
12,500-13,700
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 11,500-12,000
11,500-12,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
10,200-10,400
10,200-10,400
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
5,300-5,650
5,200-5,600
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Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
4,000-4,200
4,000-4,200
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,200-3,450
3,200-3,450
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,200
3,000-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600
3,300-3,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,400-1,500
1,400-1,500
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,750
1,650-1,750
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
1,350-1,550
1,350-1,550
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400
2,300-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200
2,000-2,200
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,700
3,400-3,700
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,750-2,800
2,750-2,800
Rice BPT best(100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,300
3,100-3,300
Rice BPT medium(100 INR/KG)
2,800-3,000
2,800-3,000
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,900
1,700-1,900
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,300
2,000-2,300
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,000
1,900-2,000
Rice HMT best(100 INR/KG)
3,500-3,900
3,500-3,900
Rice HMT medium(100 INR/KG)
3,200-3,300
3,200-3,300
Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,100
4,800-5,100
Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500
4,000-4,500
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000
8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500
7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400
4,900-5,100
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000
4,400-4,800
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,350
2,100-2,350
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
2,400-2,500
2,400-2,500
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 35.4 degree Celsius (95.7 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
24.0 degree Celsius (75.2 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : nil
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and
34 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

Record rice output doesnt bring smile for Bangla farmers

ANN/ The Daily Star/ Sohel Parvez
| 14 September, 2015

(Photo: Getty Images)

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Farmers in Bangladesh bagged a record
19.1 million tonnes of boro rice last
season, enabling the country to log in its
highest rice output and attain selfsufficiency in staple food.Overall, rice
output stood at a total of 34.7 million
tonnes in fiscal 2014-15, up 1 per cent
year-on-year, according to Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics.The increased
production though has not brought smiles
to the farmers' faces: many had to accept
prices lower than their production costs.It
felt good to have higher crops, but ultimately it did not benefit me, said Rafiqul Islam, a farmer in
Lalmonirhat, a bordering district in the north.His production costs were higher than the prices he was
compelled to accept.Islam grew the hybrid and high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice on one acre of land
in the last boro season, which started in April and ended in May.
Two months after harvest, he sold each maund of hybrid rice at 460 taka (US$5.9), which is 20 per cent
lower than his average production cost, he told The Daily Star by phone last week.Farmers in other
growing regions too are having similar experiences.The prices of rice have remained lower than last
year's level since April as a result of a supply glut in the market caused by higher output and soaring
imports mainly from India.Rice imports by private traders soared nearly four times last fiscal year to 1.49
million tonnes, according to data from the food ministry.
As a result, the total rice availability ended up being higher than Bangladesh's requirement.The country's
annual demand for the food grain is 30 million tonnes, according to the Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies.The research organisation estimated that the daily per capita food grain
consumption is 509 grams, including rice at 462 grams.There is an ample supply of imported rice, so the
demand for locally grown rice is low, said Nirod Boron Saha, a paddy and rice wholesaler in northern
Naogaon district, one of the main hubs for rice and paddy trade.Traders and millers earlier blamed the
soaring rice imports for the price fall.
Coarse rice, which was 32-37 taka each kilogram in Dhaka city in the second week of April, traded at 3034 taka per kilogram yesterday. On the same day last year, it traded at 35-38 taka.The superior quality
rice prices are also lower than last year's, according to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.Amid repeated
calls from farm stakeholders, the government imposed a 10 per cent duty on rice imports, which many
found too late a move.Saha said the prices of paddy rose after the government slapped duty on rice
imports. But the spike was temporary.
The prices declined later as Indian suppliers came up with lower rates, he said.However, paddy prices
have started rising recently, upon news of crop damage from recent floods, he said.Floods, resulting from
heavy rainfall, have damaged more than 260,000 hectares of aman crop land, according to the Department
of Agricultural Extension.Islam, the farmer from Lalmonirhat district, said he planted aman rice on four
acres of land but floods destroyed crops on 1.20 acres of it. Floods have just eaten up the land. I cannot
grow paddy here this aman season anymore. I will have to go for potato, he added.Mohammad Zahidul

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Haque, a farmer in Kurigram district, also suffered losses for low prices of boro. And the floods have also
damaged part of his aman crop.All my recently planted seedlings have gone under the water -- it is going
to deepen my losses.

http://www.thestatesman.com/news/business/record-rice-output-doesn-t-bring-smile-for-banglafarmers/89973.html

Rice output hits record, farmers not so happy

Photo: Star/File
Sohel Parvez

Farmers bagged a record 1.91 crore tonnes of boro rice last season, enabling the country to log in
its highest rice output and attain self-sufficiency in staple food.Overall, rice output stood at a
total of 3.47 crore tonnes in fiscal 2014-15, up 1 percent year-on-year, according to Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics.The increased production though has not brought smiles to the farmers'
faces: many had to accept prices lower than their production costs.It felt good to have higher
crops, but ultimately it did not benefit me, said Rafiqul Islam, a farmer in Lalmonirhat, a
bordering district in the north.His production costs were higher than the prices he was compelled
to accept.Islam grew the hybrid and high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice on one acre of land in
the last boro season, which started in April and ended in May.Two months after harvest, he sold
each maund of hybrid rice at Tk 460, which is 20 percent lower than his average production cost,
he told The Daily Star by phone last week.
Farmers in other growing regions too are having similar experiences.The prices of rice have
remained lower than last year's level since April as a result of a supply glut in the market caused
by higher output and soaring imports mainly from India.Rice imports by private traders soared
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nearly four times last fiscal year to 14.90 lakh tonnes, according to data from the food ministry.
As a result, the total rice availability ended up being higher than Bangladesh's requirement.The
country's annual demand for the food grain is three crore tonnes, according to the Bangladesh
Institute of Development Studies.The research organisation estimated that the daily per capita
food grain consumption is 509 grams, including rice at 462 grams.
There is an ample supply of imported rice, so the demand for locally grown rice is low, said
Nirod Boron Saha, a paddy and rice wholesaler in Naogaon, one of the main hubs for rice and
paddy trade.Traders and millers earlier blamed the soaring rice imports for the price fall.Coarse
rice, which was Tk 32-37 each kilogram in Dhaka city in the second week of April, traded at Tk
30-34 per kilogram yesterday. On the same day last year, it traded at Tk 35-38. The superior
quality rice prices are also lower than last year's, according to Trading Corporation of
Bangladesh.

Amid repeated calls from farm stakeholders, the government imposed a 10 percent duty on rice imports,
which many found too late a move.Saha said the prices of paddy rose after the government slapped duty
on rice imports. But the spike was temporary.The prices declined later as Indian suppliers came up with
lower rates, he said.However, paddy prices have started rising recently, upon news of crop damage from
recent floods, he said.Floods, resulting from heavy rainfall, have damaged more than 2.6 lakh hectares of
aman crop land, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.
Islam, the farmer from Lalmonirhat, said he planted aman rice on four acres of land but floods destroyed
crops on 1.20 acres of it. Floods have just eaten up the land. I cannot grow paddy here this aman season
anymore. I will have to go for potato, he added.Mohammad Zahidul Haque, a farmer in Kurigram, also
suffered losses for low prices of boro. And the floods have also damaged part of his aman crop.All my
recently planted seedlings have gone under the water -- it is going to deepen my losses.

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http://www.thedailystar.net/business/rice-output-hits-record-farmers-not-so-happy-142351

Flood damage estimated at 736,000 acres

Farmers re-grow in flood-damaged farms in Rakhine State. (Photo-Min Thein Naing/EMG)

The rain-triggered floods destroyed more than

736,000 acres (283,300 hectares) of monsoon
paddy across the country, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.Cyclone
Komen flooded more than 1.4 million acres of
farmland in July and August. Of them, 736,000
acres were damaged, the ministry said on
September 11.Around 414,000 acres of monsoon
paddy have reportedly been re-grown. The damage
is estimated at Ks174 billion (US$135 million).
Rakhine and Chin states are the worst affected areas, according to the National Natural Disaster
Management Committee.The committees report says 1,447,000 acres of farmland were flooded.
Of them, 842,000 acres were totally ruined. Myanmar usually grows around 15 million acres of
monsoon paddy and three million acres of summer paddy, producing around 1,350 million
baskets of rice a year, much of which is exported.The ministry urges farmers to re-grow using
short-term strains and direct seeding methods.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/flood-damage-estimated-736000-acres

Myanmar claims rice sufficiency despite flood

Myanmar claims rice sufficiency despite flood
YANGON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has claimed sufficiency of rice supply until the end of
this year despite recent flood which slowed down rice production, according to an official report
Sunday.Over 500,000 tons of rice are still in stock for the next three months, the Ministry of
Commerce was quoted as saying.Flood has affected more than 1.4 million acres (567,000
hectares) of paddy field and destroyed more than 800,000 acres, it said.However, Ayeyawaddy
region, the country's prime source of rice, was not affected by the flooding as severely as other
regions thanks to the quick recession of flood, it added.
Myanmar's harvest season for rice planted in rain-fed field will start in October.Deadly flood,
triggered by heavy rainfall since June, has affected 12 regions and states out of 14 in Myanmar,
destroying houses, farmland, railway lines, bridges and roads.The Myanmar government
declared on July 31 four disaster zones, namely Rakhine, Chin, Sagaing and Magway, among
which Rakhine state was the worst-hit.Nationwide death toll of the severe flooding rose to more
than 121 so far, while more than 1.6 million people across the country have been affected.
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http://www.globalpost.com/article/6648118/2015/09/12/myanmar-claims-rice-sufficiency-despite-flood

Second rice crop to be banned

12 Sep 2015 at 14:34 5,268
WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikulya will propose to the cabinet on Tuesday a ban on the
second crop of rice totalling 15 million rai as water shortages have become more serious than
previously estimated.Water reserves are expected to total 3.6 million cubic metres at the end of
the rainy season on Oct 31, an inadequate amount for farming, said Gen Chatchai.The
Agriculture Ministry will also propose that the cabinet set up a national committee to manage the
situation. Ministries in charge of government projects must also be instructed to hire farmers so
they have some income.

The ban means rice farmers will not be able to grow rice for most part of the 2015 crop year.
This involves 870,000 rai that have not been farmed and the 15 million rai on which planting will
be banned. Some farmers have ignored the order and continued to farm on 6 million rai
anyway."This time it's critical. All farming must be totally banned. All ministries must also try to
help farmers," said Gen Chatchai.However, he dismissed the need for the junta chief to use
Section 44 of the interim constitution to enforce the ban."The ministry must tell farmers now
what they are supposed to do if they can't farm and what relief measures they can expect from
the government. We may promote raising animals and find extra jobs for them," he added.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/690620/second-rice-crop-ban-sought

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