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More believe science, religion in harmony
Posted: Friday, February 21, 2014 10:58 pm
by Allan Turner Houston Chronicle
Heated disputes over evolution and the origin of the universe might suggest an unbridgeable gap between
scientists and people of faith, but a new Rice University study shows that — on some issues — the distance
between the two world views may be narrowing.Almost half of evangelical Protestants queried in the study,
presented Sunday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago, said
they believe science and religion can work together.‘‘That‘s in contrast to the fact that only 38 percent of
Americans feel that science and religion can work in collaboration,‖ said Rice sociology professor Elaine
Ecklund.Ecklund‘s study, based on interviews with 10,000 people, also found 36 percent of scientists had no
doubt about God‘s existence, 18 percent attended weekly religious services, and 19 percent prayed several times
a day.Overall, 55 percent of study participants expressed emphatic belief in a divine being. Participants included
Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and atheists.‘‘There‘s a lot of room for collaboration,‖ said
Ecklund, director of Rice‘s Religion and Public Life Program.
―The story in the media is not one of radical collaboration, but of radical conflict. But that 48 percent of
evangelicals said there could be collaboration between science and religion, that just floored me. Perhaps just
putting the evolution issue aside, there is room for thoughtful dialogue.‖On the question of evolution, 43
percent of evangelical Protestants said they believed in creationism, as did 32 percent of scientists who shared
their religious beliefs. Nine percent of other scientists expressed belief that God created the universe, the earth
and all life within the past 10,000 years.The ‗how‘ and ‘why‘ Gary Moore, senior associate pastor at Houston‘s
Second Baptist Church, said he found the study results unsurprising.―Science and religion are looking at the

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same thing from two different points of view,‖ he said. ―Science has to do with how things were done. Religion
has do with the why.‖The Rev. Evan McClanahan, pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, likened science
and religion to two ships passing in the night. ―Each makes assumptions about what the other thinks,‖ he said,
―There‘s no necessary reason for science and faith to be at odds.
‖The Rice study did reveal some sharp differences between scientific and religious beliefs.Half of evangelical
Protestants doubted that science would eventually explain all phenomena. Forty-two percent of evangelicals
favored teaching creationism in public schools; only 10 percent of non-evangelical scientists held that view.
Sixty percent of evangelicals said scientists should ―be open to considering miracles in their theories or
explanations.‖Sister Damien Marie Savino, an environmental engineer who teaches a course in faith and science
at St. Thomas University, a Roman Catholic institution, cited Pope John Paul II in noting that science can help
―purify religions from superstition and erroneous ways of looking at the world.‖Religion, she said, can help
science determine its own limits.
―There might be something more than the created world.‖Houston atheist Mike Aus, a former Lutheran
minister, said the Rice study ―seems to reconfirm what other studies have shown: People are becoming less
religious.‖ Only 19 percent of all participants in the study described themselves as ―very religious,‖ he
noted.University of Houston Physics Chairman Lawrence Pinsky said that, when younger, he was surprised
when colleagues expressed a belief in God. ―The longer I‘ve been around, well, one of my colleagues expressed
it eloquently: ‘I don‘t see a conflict between my study of the process by which the sun gives heat and light and
thanking God for the sun.‘ ―Still, he said, there remains a core difference between science and religion.―Most
religions have a theology that is more or less dogmatic,‖ he said. ―The fundamental tenet of modern science is
that our ideas about the universe are subject to observation and experiments. Science is rife with examples of
things long believed true being false. We always have to be ready to overrule our beliefs.‖

Indonesian govt has yet to issue rice import permit
Fri, February 21 2014 18:56 | 487 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Trade Ministry has not yet issued any permit for the importation of premium
rice for 2014 rice allocation."No permit has been issued so far," Trade Deputy Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi
stated during a discussion with journalists here on Friday.Bayu also pointed out that his ministry will, in the
near future, issue a Trade Ministers regulation on rice importation which will be aimed at tightening the
importation of rice, particularly premium rice."We will review and improve the old regulation. We hope that
with the new trade ministers regulation the system will work properly," the Deputy Trade Minister noted.
Bayu stressed that in the ministers regulation that will be issued, any permit to import rice will still need
recommendations from the Ministry of Agriculture.Recently, the government suspected that a violation with
regard to rice import permit had taken place, particularly with the importation of 32 containers of 800 tons of
rice from Vietnam.
"If administrative violation is proven, then we will revoke the importers permits and include them on the black
list. If it is proven that there was smuggling involved, then it will be dealt with the smuggling crime," the

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Deputy Trade Minister stressed.The trade ministry has also proposed that the HS code of rice import should be
changed following a suspicion on the abuse of rice import permits.Medium and premium rice have the same HS
import code, namely 1006.30.99.00, except the ThaiHomali type of rice, which has its own HS code of
1006.30.40.00.Medium rice can only be imported by state-owned logistics board Bulog, while Premium rice
can be imported by licensed importers, but only for certain markets such as restaurants. However, with the same
HS code, import permits for premium rice can be abused by importers to import medium rice that could flood
the domestic markets.
Late last month, Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa ordered the Trade Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry
to investigate an alleged illegal entry of Vietnamese rice into Indonesia.The minister was responding to a report
on illegal rice imports discovered at the Cipinang wholesale market, East Jakarta, noting that the price of the
illegal rice was less expensive than the price of farmers rice.It was also reported that the Vietnamese rice was
brought into the country using legal documents from the Directorate General of External Trade of the Ministry
of Trade.Hatta stressed that the government had never issued a permit for individuals to import rice. Therefore,
he was convinced that the rice that came from Vietnam had been imported illegally.The government has only
issued a license for rice imports to state-owned logistics board Bulog as a market price stabilizer.Bulog was
assigned by the government to import rice or to purchase it from farmers to guarantee proper rice stocks in
storage."The license to import rice will be issued for Bulog only, except for the importation of certain types of
rice for foreigners and others. It is Bulog that has the authority to import it," the minister reiterated.The
Indonesian customs authorities investigated the alleged abuse of permits to import Vietnamese rice, which had
sparked a debate at the Cipinang wholesale market in East Jakarta.
However, Director General of Customs and Excise Susiwijono Moegiarso stated that the import of 16.9
thousand tons of rice complied with standard procedures and rules, as well as having been given import
approvals, surveyors reports and automated reconciliation from the Indonesian National Single Window
portal.However, he did not rule out the possibility of the import permits being abused on the grounds that the
permits included written approvals intended to import special rice, instead of general rice, which can be
imported by state logistics board Bulog."This has happened as the HS codes of the two types of rice are the
same: 1006.30.99.00. The Directorate General of Customs and Excise is investigating the alleged abuse of the
import permits, including the audit of the surveyors reports," he explained.Last year, the Ministry of Trade
issued a permit to import 16.9 thousand tons of special rice, consisting of 1,845 tons of the Basmati variety and
14,997 tons of the Japonica variety.
(A014/INE)
EDITING BY INE.
Editor: Suryanto

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Food group exports up by 6.30%,imports down by 8.95%
APP
February 21, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Food group exports from the country during last seven months of current financial year
registered increase of 6.30 percent where as food imports in the country decreased by 8.5 percent as compared
to same period of last year.During the period from July-January, different food commodities worth $2.657
billion exported as compared to $2.449 billion of same period last year which were up by 6.30 percent.
According to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics rice exports from the country grew by 21.46 percent as
about 1,762,090 metric tons of rice worth $1.211 billion exported.The rice export from the country during the
same period of last year was recorded at 1,787,225 metric tons valuing $0.997 billion, it said.Meanwhile, the
exports of basmati rice increased by 5.18 percent, while rice other than basmati increased by 29.65 percent
respectively during the period under review.
During first seven months of current financial year, about 309,879 metric tons of basmati rice worth $341.42
million exported as compared to 345,863 metric tons valuing $ 334.11 million of same period last year.During
the period under review, fish and fish preparation exports from the country grew by 11.26 percent as about
82,470 metric tons of fish and fish products worth $200.41 million exported which was recorded at 80,495
metric tons valuing $180.137 million in same period of last year.In last seven months of current financial year,
meat and meat preparations also witnessed growth of 4.09 percent and reached at 44,612 metric tons worth of
$140.16 million as against the 39,105 metric tons $134.66 million during same period of last year.
On the other hand, food imports in the country during the period from July-January decreased by 8.95 percent
and recorded at 2.374 billion as compared to $2.608 billion in same period of last year.The major food
commodities which registered negative growth in their imports during the period under review including tea by
26.63 percent, soybean oil by 24.12 percent and palm oil by 10.31 percent respectively.axzaxFrom JulyJanuary, 73,834 metric tons of tea for domestic consumption costing $162.64 million imported which fell by
26.63 percent as compared to import of 74,027 metric tons valuing $221.86 million of same period of last year

Rice harvesting made easier
Source: Asco Motors
Saturday, February 22, 2014

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Combine harvesters are one of the most economically important labour saving inventions, enabling a small
fraction of the population to be engaged in agriculture.As its name suggests, a Combine harvester is a machine
that harvests grain crops. In Fiji, we can use the harvester on rice fields.Asco Motors offers the Massey
Ferguson Rice Combine Harvester Model 4LZ-2.0D, which is built to suit Fiji's farming meadows, rice farming
in particular.As Fiji tries to become more efficient in rice agriculture and be more self-reliant in rice supply, rice
harvesters like the MF 4LZ-2.0D can be a great investment complementing your existing farming machinery
and equipment.
Combine harvesters derives its name from its combining three separate operations comprising harvestingreaping, threshing, and winnowing into a single process.Among the crops harvested with a combine harvester
are rice, wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn (maize), soybeans and flax (linseed).During farming, if there is any waste
straw or grain left behind on the field, it can be either chopped and spread on the field for feed and bedding for
livestock.Rice harvesters are somewhat a new farming phenomenon in Fiji because we don't see much of it
around the place.But if you are looking to advance your farming methods and become increasing competitive in
rice farming, in Fiji and perhaps looking to export as well, mechanisation is the way forward.The Massey
Ferguson Rice Harvester has a hydraulic control of grain unloading onto either trailers or bags.It can be
matched with 90x48x400mm and 90x48x500mm rubber tracks, suitable for water and mud fields.
It also has the added advantage of having a higher clearance.And it adopts a hydrostatic transmission, so
conveniently, one lever can operate the machine and move it forward and backwards.Upland rice usually takes
between 18-30 weeks from sowing to harvest. Using a rice combine harvester with a special rice header will
give a quick, reasonably efficient harvest.Asco Motors also provide operator training, have back-up support and
range of spare parts for this Massey Ferguson Rice Harvester Model 4LZ-2.0D.Visit Asco Motors Suva
dealership to check out our Massey Ferguson Rice Harvester.

NFA sabotaging Phl food security
GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 24, 2014 - 12:00am
Davidson Bangayan, alias David Tan, is billed as ―the Goliath of rice smuggling.‖ But no such rap has been
filed in court. What he‘s facing are unrelated charges of electricity theft, importing trash, and perjury at the
Senate.Why so? For one, the government seems to have no case against Bangayan ―illegally bringing in rice.‖
At best it could be for under-declaring rice imports. As for rice importing per se, there is nothing wrong,
contrary to what the National Food Authority makes it look. In the opinion of the justice department, it is the
NFA that breaks the law by banning private rice imports.Justice Sec.
Leila de Lima tries to set things right via a memo to the NFA last Dec. She says the law that the NFA invokes to
curtail rice imports – R.A. 8178 – is passé. That 1996 enactment had empowered the NFA to impose special

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permits and quotas on rice importers – to protect Filipino farmers. But the World Trade Organization‘s
Agreements on Agriculture, signed by the President and ratified by the Senate, has superseded it. That
international pact forms part of the law of the land, de Lima reminds the NFA. It lifts all restrictions on
agricultural imports, starting 2007. Member-states may impose only regular tariffs; in the Philippines‘ case, it is
50 percent of the rice import value.Before the 2007 deadline, the Philippines had sought and was granted a fiveyear extension of its rice restrictions. The reprieve expired in June 2012. The NFA has filed for another fiveyear extension till 2017.
Under WTO rules, this can only be granted through negotiations with agricultural trading states. In such
negotiations, the Philippines must lower its duties on other agricultural imports. But since no negotiations have
been made, the NFA must abide by the WTO lifting of restrictions on rice imports, de Lima says. Since the
NFA persists in banning rice imports, the WTO may impose sanctions on the Philippines. Such punishment
could include counter-bans on Philippine farm exports, like sugar, banana, and pineapple.The Philippines is put
in a precarious agricultural situation. But the NFA, the agency tasked with food security, makes it worse. Last
year it imported 705,000 tons of rice from Vietnam at $460 per ton. It was obviously overpriced, rice watchers
say. The going rate then was only $430 a ton, and the government could have gotten it for much less had it so
asked. NFA chairman-Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala and administrator Orlan Calayag have been charged with
plunder. Allegedly the scam, pulled through secret negotiations by a private broker in the government-togovernment deal, was at least $100 per ton.Even with the NFA‘s rice imports, the supply ran short. Despite the
bumper harvest of April-May, retail prices surged to P33 a kilo from the previous P22. Alcala and Calayag
blamed it all on trade cartelists allegedly led by Bangayan. Yet they have not charged him with economic
sabotage either. In fact, Bangayan‘s firms got the biggest rice import special permits from the NFA in 2011 and
2012. Talk is that a Mafia inside the NFA wants to replace Bangayan‘s group with new favored cartelists. The
NFA spent more than P14 billion on rice imports last year. Had it let private firms do the importing, it would
have not only saved the amount but also earned 50-percent duty of P7 billion. The 21-billion total could have
gone a long way in direct subsidies to rice farmers. Hundreds of palay driers, warehouses, and farm-to-market
roads could have been built; thousands of farm tractors distributed.Due to mismanagement the NFA is P173
billion in debt. Half its annual budget goes to repayment of interest alone: P2 billion. And yet the NFA is
intending to import on its own another 800,000 tons this year. Expect another overprice.
The government has left food security in the hands of an unqualified NFA head – a virtual foreigner at that, thus
unconstitutional. Calayag, a former congressional aide of Alcala, had already acquired U.S. citizenship when
recalled to Manila in Dec. 2012. The commission that vets nominees to government positions ignored his lack
of training or experience in food production and distribution. On hindsight, he applied for dual Filipino
citizenship. He can easily renounce his Filipino-hood again once he‘s done sabotaging food security.
*

*

*

Speaking of which, is another American citizen running the housing agency?

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Manuel Sanchez has been appointed president of the Home Guaranty Corp., the government arm that insures
mass housing projects. He is the same Manuel Sanchez whom the House of Reps Electoral Tribunal ousted in
1994 as congressman of Rizal province, for being a foreigner. The Supreme Court has upheld that ejectment.
How come he now returns as head of a government corporation?
The HGC plays a vital role in low-cost housing by guaranteeing swift repayments to builders and mortgagors.
Sanchez‘s entry is crucial since the agency is in financial distress. The Commission on Audit has been
questioning the HGC‘s frazzled investments for several years now. Recently the COA reported that the HGC
lost P13.3 billion in 2002-2012, jeopardizing its ability to guarantee investments in mass housing.Corrective
measures have been recommended. But Sanchez reportedly is defying COA orders to collect more than P1
billion in receivables from buyers of its housing bonds. The House is to investigate why.
E-mail: jariusbondoc@gmail.com

Egypt food supply shake-up unnerves importers
Cairo, 20 hours, 41 minutes ago
A shake-up of Egypt's food import and storage authorities has seen an official from its main food buying agency
referred to prosecutors over suspected corruption on local rice deals, while the head of its silos and storage
holding company was fired.Egypt is the world's biggest wheat importer, normally buying some 10 million
tonnes a year and while the suspected corruption is focused on rice, the moves come just days after two senior
officials from the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) were transferred from their posts.Traders
fear any disarray within GASC could hurt its ability to launch international tenders. GASC has said the reshuffles would not impact its import activity.It has also unnerved companies involved in importing grain to
Egypt and potentially a small group of global traders that supply them."It's chaos, even the people inside GASC
don't know what's going on and are concerned," said an international grain trader.
On Saturday, Supplies Minister Mohamed Abu Shadi had referred the head of the central import administration
at GASC to administrative prosecutors for suspected corrupt dealings with traders."The case has no relation at
all with wheat, it is about dealings to purchase local rice from local traders in which the official had extended
traders' deadlines to 10 days instead of a week," ministry spokesman Mahmoud Diab told Reuters but declined
to name the man.While GASC were not immediately available for comment, rice industry insiders were
sceptical about the supply ministry's assessment.

RICE IN ABUNDANCE
Egypt suspended rice exports in November to meet its domestic needs for a government subsidy programme.
The country had an exportable surplus estimated at 800,000 tonnes of rice last year.
Local consumption amounts to around 4 million tonnes of white rice a year, of which around 1.1 million tonnes

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are used for its subsidised rice programme."It seems odd as there is an abundance of rice available for the local
market since Egypt shut the door for exports," a senior rice industry source said, referring to Diab's
comments.Abu Shadi also sacked the head of the silos and storage holding company and other officials for
failing to reach targets set for 2012/13. Diab said it was within the minister's rights to inject new blood into the
company.Two senior GASC officials, dealing with wheat imports and procuring local rice, were moved from
their posts a few days ago. Diab said they were still working within GASC.The changes mark another flashpoint
in Egypt's food supply after deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi spent his year in power dramatically
reducing wheat imports in a failed attempt at self-sufficiency.Abu Shadi has said self-sufficiency needs swift
action towards increasing Egypt's wheat storage capacity from 1.5 million tonnes to 6 million tonnes.
The Egyptian company for silos is responsible for building 50 new ones. The UAE is funding 25 other silos. Reuters

Bernas must protect farmers' welfare after delisting
The government said it will step in if rice supply regulator and distributor Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) fails
to safeguard its social duty to thousands of farmers and rice millers once the agency is privatised.Agriculture
and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob told The Malaysian Reserve the corporate
restructuring of Bernas should not threaten the livelihood of some 300,000 rice farmers in the country.There are
about 400 commercial rice mills, of which 32 are owned and operated by Bernas. Bernas currently controls
about 24% of the paddy market and 45% of the local rice demand.
We are monitoring the situation and will intervene if there is any problem to our farmers. So far everything, at
administration and farmers levels, is functioning as usual.―Bernas assured the government the delisting will not
affect its social obligations towards farmers, even though structure of the company changes,‖ Ismail Sabri said
on the sidelines of Farmers‘ Organisation Authority 41st anniversary event in Kuala Lumpur recently.Tan Sri
Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, who controls Bernas, plans to take the agency private. But his two attempts failed
after minority shareholders balked at his offer.

At a Bernas EGM in January, 155 shareholders rejected the RM3.70 per share offered by the buyers.
Shareholders also shot down another offer at the same price in February.The joint offerors were Perspective
Lane (M) Sdn Bhd, Kelana Ventures Sdn Bhd, Seaport Terminal (Johore) Sdn Bhd and Acara Kreatif Sdn Bhd.
Combined they own 83.67% of Bernas.Bernas failed to obtain the 25% public shareholding spread required by
Bursa Malaysia to privatise the agency.The agency was corporatised in 1996 and entrusted to maintain the
nation‘s rice stockpile, act as buyer of last resort for paddy farmers, manage Bumiputera Rice Millers Scheme
and distribute paddy price subsidies to farmers on behalf of the government.Observers are concerned that
privatisation of Bernas could impact the rice industry, considered a national strategic asset. Price of rice could
rise and farmers‘ could also suffer if the newly privatised company fails to upkeep its social
obligations.―Poverty among our farmers and fishermen is a major issue. It is a reality and not a perception. We
need to tackle this,‖ Ismail Sabri said at the event

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Rice trade restrictions seen as WTO violation
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:16 am | Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

The National Food Authority (NFA) may no longer restrict rice importation because its power to implement
quantitative restrictions (QR), or volume limits, on rice imports had expired in June 2012, according to a
Department of Justice legal opinion sent to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima issued the opinion dated Dec. 16 last year upon the request of Alcala and after the NFA and the Bureau of
Customs were sued by importers for seizing rice shipments in Davao City and other ports outside Metro Manila
due to lack of import permits.Several importers, who challenged the Department of Agriculture and NFA‘s
position, managed to secure temporary injunction orders from courts in Davao, Batangas and Manila.In her 12page opinion, marked confidential, De Lima said the Philippines had yet to get an extension of the QR.De Lima
said any extension of the quota on agricultural products ―shall only be by agreement after the conduct of
negotiations.‖―To renege on this agreement, consent to which was manifested by the act of both the President
and the Senate in accordance with the Philippine Constitution, is beyond the power of a mere implementing
agency like the NFA, which must exercise its rule-making and regulatory powers in accordance with, and not
contrary to, applicable laws,‖ the opinion said.Under the terms of the agreement‘s Annex 5, the right to impose
QR on rice, being a primary agricultural product, was granted to the Philippines, by virtue of its being a
developing country, during the 10-year implementation period of full liberalization of world trade.
The NFA derived its power to maintain a quota on rice from Republic Act No. 8178 or the 1996 Agricultural
Tarrification Act.However, De Lima said that owing to the expiry of the special treatment granted by the World
Trade Organization (WTO), the NFA can no longer invoke RA 8178.―The WTO provisions on the lifting of
quantitative restrictions as well as their exceptions, and the provisions on negotiations for its extension are
already effective and should be complied with. It is not for nothing that the Philippine government gave its
consent to the WTO agreement,‖ De Lima said.The QR implemented by the Philippines imposes a 40-percent
duty on rice entering the country under the minimum access volume (MAV) of 350,000 metric tons. Imports
outside of the 350,000 metric tons MAV are levied a higher tariff of 50 percent.As the debate over importation
rages, ordinary Filipinos assailed the uninterrupted rise in rice prices that has now breached the P40-per-kilo
level.Rafael Mariano, chair of the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, called the spiraling hike in the
price of rice as the ―height of injustice‖ to Filipinos.Mariano said part of the reason that prices are increasing
was the control on supply being exercised by unscrupulous traders.―The big volume of rice in the country is not
with the NFA but in the hands of a cartel,‖ said Mariano in a telephone interview. With a report from Delfin T.
Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon

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ORYZA NEWS
Oryza Rice Currency Analysis for Today – Brazil Real Up 1%
Feb 21, 2014

U.S. dollar index was down -0.06% from the open today, when it traded at 80.237 at the close.
Euro was stronger +0.16% by the close, trading around 1.3740 by end of day, after trading between an intraday
high of 1.3759 and low of 1.3702.
Thai baht was stronger +0.06%, trading at 32.535 at the close of business.
Indian rupee was +0.16% stronger at 62.1300.
Brazilian real was +1.00% stronger than the open at today‘s close, when it ended at 2.3470 reais per dollar.
Pakistan rupee was -0.12% weaker at 104.9517.
Vietnamese dong was weaker -0.02% at 21105.
Mexican peso was +0.10% stronger today, when it traded at 13.2657 pesos per dollar by the close of business
today.
Chinese yuan was weaker -0.11%, trading at 6.0912.
Argentine peso was -0.38% weaker, trading at 7.8467 pesos per dollar.
Tags: foreign exchange rates

Oryza Afternoon Recap – Chicago Rough Rice Futures Slip as Bears Continue to
Roll Positions Forward and Outright Buying Remains Muted
Feb 21, 2014

Chicago rough rice futures for March delivery settled 4.5 cents per cwt (about $1 per ton) lower at $15.715 per
cwt (about $346 per ton). Rough rice futures suffered a late session sell-off again today; however the majority
of trade activity was focused on the March/May spread as we approach first notice day next Friday. Bear
spreading on the part of shorts forced the nearby spread to trade out to 38 cents per cwt (about $8 per ton) by
the ringing of the closing bell today. This activity we met with very little outright buying interest and thus prices

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sunk lower. Traders will take a close look at open interest Monday morning as a signal for additional support in
the March contract as bears are forced to pay up to roll positions forward. Technically today‘s action provides a
negative outlook for early trading next week as the market has charted out a lower high and lower low.
However, nearby support is noted at $15.700 per cwt (about $346 per ton). Despite the losses noted over the last
three sessions, a huge rally on Tuesday was more than enough to leave prices with a 13 cent per cwt (about $3
per ton) gain on the week. The other grains finished the day mixed; soybeans closed about 0.9% higher at
$13.7075 per bushel; wheat finished about 1.1% lower at $6.1075 per bushel; and corn finished the day about
0.6% lower at $4.5300 per bushel.U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with Wall Street on track for a third weekly gain,
as results from companies including Intuit lifted investor sentiment and another downbeat economic report was
disregarded as due to the weather. Sales of existing homes fell last month to their lowest in more than a year,
with the National Association of Realtors reporting sales in January fell 5.1% versus expectations for a 3.5%
drop. After falling nearly 17 points, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lately up 32.72 points, or 0.2%, at
16,165.95. The S&P 500 rose 4.39 points, or 0.1%, to 1,844.17, with utilities up the most and
telecommunications the hardest hit of its 10 major sectors. The Nasdaq climbed 11.18 points, or 0.3%, to
4,278.72. Gold is trading about 0.7% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 0.5% lower, and the U.S. dollar is
seen trading about 0.1% lower at about 1:00pm Chicago time.Thursday, there were 2,071 contracts traded, up
from 1,797 contracts traded on Wednesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Thursday
increased by 48 contracts to 7,877.
Tags: chicago rough rice futures, U.S. rice prices, U.S. rice market

El Niño Threatens Global Rice Production in 2014
Feb 21, 2014

Weather
scientists around
the world have
recorded increase
in temperature in
the Pacific and
say that the El
Niño (―The boy‖
in
Spanish)
weather
phenomenon may
occur
in
the
second half of
this year, a time

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when the rice crop is planted in several major rice producing countries.Weather organizations say that there
might be changes in the intra-seasonal period during March, but initial studies show that there is a possibility of
El Niño in the coming months.
The UN‘s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says, ―Current model outlooks further suggest an
enhanced possibility of the development of a weak El Niño around the middle of 2014, with approximately
equal chances for neutral or weak El Niño.‖El Niño happens due to prolonged warming of the Pacific Ocean
and can cause droughts in major rice growing countries in Asia and Australia, and intense rains in other parts
such as South America. The last El Nino happened in 2009, and the weather phenomenon usually repeats every
2-7 years.According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM), there is a possibility of some warming of
the Pacific in the coming months. ―Most international climate models surveyed by the Bureau suggest the
tropical Pacific Ocean will warm through the austral autumn and winter (April – September),‖ ABM
says.However, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) says that it expects El
Niño-Modoki (rather than El Niño) will start evolving in late boreal spring/early summer and reach its height in
the latter half of 2014.
Unlike El Niño, the El Niño Modoki significantly influences regional climates in China, Japan and the U.S.,
JAMSTEC says. This can cause cyclones in tropical countries in the Pacific and in the Philippines, and drierthan-normal conditions in eastern U.S.According to the USDA, global rice production in 2014 is projected at
around 471.5 million tons, up about 500,000 tons from an estimated consumption of around 471 million tons.
Global beginning stocks in 2014 are estimated at around 106.8 million tons.
Tags: El Niño, global rice production

Thailand Rice Soon to Flood International Market, But Will it be Rotten Rice?
Feb 21, 2014

Instead of rejoicing over the end of the rice mortgage program, rice exporters in Thailand are worried that
concerns over quality of rice stored for years in government warehouses may dent the image of Thai rice.Thai
rice farmers demanded earlier this month inspection of warehouses to check the quality of rice stored for years
now. They wanted to know why the government cannot speed-up sales. This week, Iraq said that it will
continue to ban purchases of Thai rice until quality improves and has sought a meeting with officials in
Thailand to discuss the matter. In other words, Iraq may buy only fresh Thai rice of the 2013-14 harvest, after
prices drop due to higher supplies next month.With the rice mortgage program ending in February, 2014 traders
believe millions of tons of Thai rice (from stocks estimated at around 15 - 18 million tons or almost half of total
annual global rice trade) will flood into the international market. However, importers such as Iraq, China,
Malaysia and other countries are aware that there is a risk that rotten rice may be dumped into the international
market. Yesterday, a senior trade ministry official in Indonesia hinted that Thai exporters might be ―dumping‖
rice in Indonesia, without giving details.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

The Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) has urg
ed the government to release rice from the 2013-14 harvest for exports and use old rice for domestic purposes to
salvage Thailand‘s reputation in the international market. TREA says that while domestic consumers prefer old
rice, importers prefer fresh stocks. However, recent reports and pictures of stained rice bags lying in
government warehouses suggest that the government must release old rice stocks soon.
Recently, the government sold 600,000 tons of rice in a tender, which was above the 400,000 tons put up for
auction. Officials say that the government did so to help two exporters fulfill their orders, but sources say that
more of this is likely to be seen in the coming months as the government plans to offload at least one million
tons of rice per month in January – March 2014. International rice prices are expected to decline post-February
2014, or after a new government is formed in Thailand in the coming months. Some traders say Thai 5% rice
could drop to around $350 per ton, the lowest in around seven years. Consumers in importing countries such as
Malaysia are rejoicing, but traders are worried that with low prices they may have to deal with low quality rice
as well.
Tags: Thailand rice exports, Thailand rice stocks, Thailand Rice Exporters Association

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Contact: Advertising Department
Mujahid Ali
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
+92 321 369 2874

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

24th feb.,2014 daily global rice & exclusive oryza e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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