30 june ,2016 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter 2016
www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
For information : Mujahid Ali mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 0321 369 2874
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www.ricepluss.com
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
Vol 7,Issue VI
June 30 ,2016

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Editorial Board
Chief Editor
 Hamlik
Managing Editor
 Abdul Sattar Shah
 Rahmat Ullah
 Rozeen Shaukat
English Editor
 Maryam Editor
 Legal Advisor
 Advocate Zaheer Minhas
Editorial Associates
 Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid
 Javed Islam Agha
 Ch.Hamid Malhi
 Dr.Akhtar Hussain
 Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui
 Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)
 Islam Akhtar Khan
Editorial Advisory Board
 Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim
Assistant Professor, Gomal
University DIK
 Dr.Hasina Gul
Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK
 Dr.Hidayat Ullah
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
 Dr.Abdul Basir
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
 Zahid Mehmood
PSO,NIFA Peshawar
 Falak Naz Shah
Head Food Science & Technology
ART, Peshawar
Today Rice News Headlines...
 Trade with Iran yet to normalise
 Asia Rice-Vietnam prices drop on southern harvest; Thailand hold
stable
 Annual Rice Field Day, Aug. 31, Biggs
 NFA supply enough to cover lean months ahead
 New restrictions aim to curb rice imports
 Good price expected when 1.11million tonnes of rice goes to auction
 Top scientists urge Greenpeace to drop GM, Golden Rice campaign
 Rice-for-child swap on the rice (sorry, rise)
 Four get World Food Prize
 NFA: There is enough rice for the lean months
 Govt Approves Rice Loans
 Paddy farmers ‗watching‘ rain; sowing expected to pick up in coming
days
 06/29/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
News Detail...
Trade with Iran yet to normalise
Mubarak Zeb Khan ISLAMABAD: After lifting of sanctions on Iran in
February, Pakistan is yet to normalise business activities with the country.On
Tuesday, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan directed
representatives of banks to furnish viable proposals for facilitation of banking
transactions for trade with Iran within a month.The directive came from the
minister in a meeting with the officials of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and
private banks for exploring banking channels available for trade with post-
sanctions Iran. Several meetings were held earlier to chalk out ways for
restoring the banking channel, but with no fruitful results despite repeated
requests from the trading community.The commerce minister said Pakistan is
searching for ways and means to initiate trade with Iran in a big way despite
several impediments.In March 2016, Iranian President visited Islamabad to
boost bilateral trade to $5 billion in five years. During the visit, both sides
also inked a framework to initiate talks on a free trade agreement (FTA),
which will cover trade in goods, services and investment by June 2016.

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The agreement is part of the five-year strategic trade cooperation plan (2016-2021). An official
statement issued after the meeting said that the meeting was informed that despite removal of
sanctions, private banks are reluctant to establish direct banking channels with Iran. Usually, the
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) leads others. However, it has also not yet taken any concrete
step this time around. Representatives of Pakistani private banks visited Iran a few months ago
and report great enthusiasm in Iran regarding trade with Pakistan. SBP and Central Bank of Iran
signed a Letter of Intent on the occasion of visit of Iranian President to Pakistan for enhancing
mutual cooperation and establishing direct banking links. Yet the progress on restoration of
banking channel is very slow.
Pakistani traders sense great opportunities of export right next door with minimal transportation
costs, especially that of basmati rice which earlier used to fetch millions of dollars.Pakistan-Iran
trade which was over one billion dollars, now stands at $270 million because of the international
sanctions. Pakistan‘s exports to Iran are limited to few products as 63 per cent of the proceeds
come only from rice. Exports to Iran fell to $43 million in 2014 from $182m in 2010, while
imports plunged to $186m in 2014 from $884m in 2010. UN sanctions on Iran were the biggest
reason behind this drop.
Pakistan‘s commerce ministry is extensively engaged with the Iranian ministries of trade and
industry and agriculture to fully operationalise the preferential trade agreement (PTA) signed in
2006 and enhance trade facilitation at the border. Pakistan has also sought a response from Iran
on tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. In the last four years, Iran diverted its trade towards India
and Turkey and there had been a marked increase in its bilateral trade with these two countries.
There has also been little benefit because of high tariff on Pakistan‘s exportable products.
The commerce minister recently paid a visit to Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan and inspected the
facilities available for smooth movement of vehicles trading across the border and promised to
upgrade the infrastructure.As per the five-year economic engagement plan agreed between
Pakistan and Iran, the ministry of commerce has forwarded the draft FTA framework agreement
to Iran. However, the response from the Iranian side is still awaited
Asia Rice-Vietnam prices drop on southern harvest; Thailand hold stable
Wednesday, 29 June 2016 14:51
HANOI: Rice export prices held stable in Thailand before a state stock auction in July, while
rising supplies from a harvest in southern Vietnam have weakened prices slightly, traders said on
Wednesday.
Buyers in Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter after India, held back purchases,
creating thin demand, before the government auction expected next month, traders in Bangkok
said. The date of the auction is not yet known.
In the last auction of state stockpiles held on June 15, the Thai government sold 1.11 million
tonnes worth 11.54 billion baht ($327 million).

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Thailand's 5 percent broken rice stood unchanged in the past week at $415-$438 a tonne, FOB
Bangkok.
Thai rice prices are expected to ease soon as the U.S. dollar has appreciated after the United
Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union last week, resulting in a slightly weaker Thai baht.
"This is likely to lower our dollar prices, making our rice prices more competitive with
Vietnam," a trader said.
Thailand has exported 4.7 million tonnes of rice in the first six months of 2016, up 11.42 percent
from a year ago, Thailand's commerce minister said June 23.
In Vietnam, export prices of lower-quality 25 percent broken rice eased on rising supplies
because of an accelerating harvest, while buying demand has yet to pick up, traders said.
The variety weakened to $335-$340 a tonne, FOB basis, using fresh summer-autumn grain, from
$340-$345 last Wednesday, while the 5-percent broken rice stood unchanged at $370-$380 a
tonne.
China, Vietnam's top rice importer, is not active, while Vietnamese jasmine rice has sold well to
Ghana, traders said.

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Ghana has passed the Philippines to emerge as Vietnam's third-biggest rice buyer after China and
Indonesia during the first five months of 2016, importing 203,000 tonnes during that time, up
49.2 percent from a year ago, Vietnam's farm ministry said.
Vietnam's first-half rice exports fell 6.8 percent from a year earlier to 2.78 million tonnes, based
on government statistics released on Tuesday.
A smaller winter-spring crop, Vietnam's biggest rice harvest period, has curbed the agricultural
sector's growth, slowing Vietnam's economic expansion.
The crop paddy output fell 6.4 percent from last year to 19.4 million tonnes due to drought and
salination, Nguyen Bich Lam, head of the statistics office, said in a report on Tuesday.
Supply from India, Thailand and Vietnam, the world's biggest exporters, accounts for a
combined 66 percent of global rice trade
Annual Rice Field Day, Aug. 31, Biggs
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 • Biggs, CA
If you‘re in the California rice industry, mark your calendar now to attend for the annual Rice
Field Day on Aug. 31, 2016 at the Rice Experiment Station (RES) in Biggs, Calif.
The purpose of the event is for rice growers and other industry members to learn about rice
research underway at the RES.
Agenda:
7:30 a.m. - Registration
8:30 - General Session (CCRRF annual membership meeting, rice research trust report, and the
California rice industry award)
9:30 – Rice research field tours (focusing on variety improvement, disease resistance, insects and
control, plus weeds and control)
Noon – Lunch
Posters and demonstrations will be available from registration through lunch.
The Rice Field Day is sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation and
the University of California.
The RES is located at 955 Butte City Highway (Hwy. 162), approximately 2.5 miles west of
Hwy. 99 north of Biggs.

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For more information, visit http://www.crrf.or
http://westernfarmpress.com/annual-rice-field-day-aug-31-biggs
NFA supply enough to cover lean months ahead
By: Angel Palpal-latoc
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:16 AM June 30th, 2016
The National Food Authority (NFA) said there was no need yet to import milled rice since the
country‘s supply was still enough to meet domestic needs.
NFA officer-in-charge Tomas R. Escarez in a statement assured the public the agency has more
than the required 30-day buffer stock before the lean months in grain production begin. He said
current inventories were enough to last for 32 days.
―We have more than enough stocks of the good quality, low-priced NFA rice for the lean
months,‖ Escarez said.
He said the national rice inventory currently stood at 3.54 metric tons (MT), good to last for 110
days based on the national daily requirement of 32,560 MT.
Of the inventory, 1.02 million MT is with the NFA, 1.04 million MT is in commercial
warehouses, and 1.47 million MT is kept in households.
―These stocks are now strategically prepositioned across the country, especially in calamity-
vulnerable areas,‖ Escarez said.
The NFA chief said he has ordered all the agency‘s field offices to closely monitor the rice
supply and price situation in all markets nationwide.
He also instructed the offices to accredit more rice outlets to assure low-income residents could
have access to the NFA supplies.
―Closer price monitoring and the opening of more rice outlets will ensure that our people will
always have access to NFA rice,‖ Escarez said.
Despite sufficient rice supply, the Philippine government has expressed interest in Thailand‘s
efforts to sell stockpiled rice, the World Trade Organization said earlier this month.

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In the fourth quarter of 2015, the NFA purchased 750,000 tons of rice from state-run suppliers in
Vietnam and Thailand.
http://business.inquirer.net/211489/nfa-supply-enough-to-cover-lean-months-ahead#ixzz4D3Q3QxnF
New restrictions aim to curb rice imports
Wed, 29 June 2016
Cheng Sokhorng
The
Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on Monday that the government will block all
illegal rice imports at its borders and limit legal rice shipments from Vietnam based on
production cost.
As part of the new regime, only milled rice with a production cost of $300 to $600 per tonne can
legally be imported from Vietnam. The goal, according to the ministry, is to eliminate cheap
Vietnamese rice that sells for $200 or less per tonne from the Cambodian market.
The ministry also requires identifying features, such as the name of the rice producer, rice variety
and any trademarks, to be visible on imported packages in order to assess its true cost.
Moul Sarith, secretary-general of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), the industry body
representing the Kingdom‘s rice millers and exporters, said the new policy would help
Cambodia‘s struggling rice sector survive amid an onslaught of cheap Vietnamese milled rice.

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―This mechanism will control the flood of rice imports from Vietnam as well as rice smuggling,‖
he said yesterday. ―It will also control the quality rice in the market.‖
According to Sarith, Vietnamese rice produced for $200 to $300 per tonne was cheaper than
locally milled rice, even with a 17 per cent import and VAT tax assessed.
He also said the government will exempt rice producers from paying a 15 per cent tax on day-
worker salaries, as well as give a $20 million to $30 million loan to the CRF to help keep the
local industry afloat, provided the organisation can produce a transparent spending budget.
In March, the CRF called on the government to take urgent measures aimed at addressing two
key challenges to the domestic industry: millers‘ insufficient access to capital and the flood of
illegal rice imports from neighbouring countries.
The request followed a separate initiative by the Cambodian Rice Industry Survival
Implementation Strategy (CRISIS) group, which provided a nine-point action plan to address .
Attachment 28th-June-2016-Daily-Global-Regional-Local-Rice-Enewsletter-by-Riceplus-Magazine.pdf
successfully uploaded and added.Conversation opened. 1 unread message.
A worker stacks sacks of rice in Phnom Penh earlier this year. Hong Menea
Good price expected when 1.11million tonnes of rice goes to
auction
The Nation June 27, 2016 5:47 pm
The Rice Policy Management Committee Monday agreed to sell 1.11 million tonnes of rice to 29
traders, which should earn the country Bt11.54 billion.Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of
the Foreign Trade Department, said that with demand for rice rising in the market, the
government could gain a good price from the latest auction.The traders were among the 64 that
joined the year's fourth round of bidding for 2.23 million tonnes of rice.
The government has managed to dispose of 6.59 million tonnes of its rice worth Bt69 billion via
tender in the past two years, leaving 9.5 million tonnes in its inventory. It will try to unload as
much of this rice as possible this year.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Good-price-expected-when-1-11-tonnes-of-rice-goes--
30289223.html

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Top scientists urge Greenpeace to drop GM, Golden Rice
campaign
NOAH BERGER/BLOOMBERG
Javier Alcantar tends to corn crops at the Monsanto test field in Woodland, California. Monsanto
is the world's largest producer of genetically engineered seed.
Get quality greenhouse supplies for professional nursing at Brinkman!
More than 100 Nobel laureates have signed a letter urging Greenpeace to end its opposition to
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The letter asks Greenpeace to cease its efforts to block introduction of a genetically engineered
strain of rice that supporters say could reduce Vitamin-A deficiencies causing blindness and
death in children in the developing world.
"We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers
worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognise the findings of
authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against
'GMOs' in general and Golden Rice in particular," the letter states.

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The campaign was organised by Richard Roberts, chief scientific officer of New England
Biolabs and, with Phillip Sharp, the winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine
for the discovery of genetic sequences known as introns.
The campaign has a website, supportprecisionagriculture.org, that includes a running list of the
signatories, and the group plans to hold a news conference on Thursday.
"We're scientists. We understand the logic of science. It's easy to see what Greenpeace is doing is
damaging and is anti-science," Roberts told The Washington Post.
"Greenpeace initially, and then some of their allies, deliberately went out of their way to scare
people. It was a way for them to raise money for their cause."
BIG LAUREATE ENDORSEMENT
Roberts said he endorses many other activities of Greenpeace and said he hopes the group, after
reading the letter, would "admit that this is an issue that they got wrong and focus on the stuff
that they do well".
Greenpeace is hardly the only group that opposes GMOs, but it has a robust global presence, and
the laureates in their letter contend that Greenpeace has led the effort to block golden rice, which
has been genetically modified to produce beta carotene, a compound the body turns into Vitamin
A.
The list of signatories had risen to 107 names by Wednesday. Roberts said that by his count,
there are 296 living laureates.
Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, a cell biologist at the University of California at Berkeley,
said, "I find it surprising that groups that are very supportive of science when it comes to global
climate change, or even, for the most part, in the appreciation of the value of vaccination in
preventing human disease, yet can be so dismissive of the general views of scientists when it
comes to something as important as the world's agricultural future."
The letter states: "Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and
consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer
than those derived from any other methods of production. There has never been a single
confirmed case of a negative health outcome for humans or animals from their consumption.
Their environmental impacts have been shown repeatedly to be less damaging to the
environment, and a boon to global biodiversity.
"Greenpeace has spearheaded opposition to Golden Rice, which has the potential to reduce or
eliminate much of the death and disease caused by a vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which has the
greatest impact on the poorest people in Africa and Southeast Asia.
"The World Health Organisation estimates that 250 million people, suffer from VAD, including
40 percent of the children under five in the developing world.

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"Based on UNICEF statistics, a total of one to two million preventable deaths occur annually as a
result of VAD, because it compromises the immune system, putting babies and children at great
risk. VAD itself is the leading cause of childhood blindness globally affecting 250,000 - 500,000
children each year. Half die within 12 months of losing their eyesight."
'GENETIC POLLUTION'
The scientific consensus is that gene editing in a laboratory is not more hazardous than
modifications through traditional breeding and that engineered plants potentially have
environmental or health benefits, such as cutting down on the need for pesticides.
A report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, released in May,
said there is no substantiated evidence that GMO crops have sickened people or harmed the
environment, but also cautioned that such crops are relatively new and that it is premature to
make broad generalisations, positive or negative, about their safety.
Opponents of GMOs have said these crops may not be safe for human or animal consumption,
have not been shown to improve crop yields, have led to excessive use of herbicides and can
potentially spread engineered genes beyond the boundaries of farms.
Greenpeace International's website states that the release of GMOs is a form of "genetic
pollution".
It continues: "Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-
organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally. These genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) can spread through nature and interbreed with natural organisms,
thereby contaminating non 'GE' environments and future generations in an unforeseeable and
uncontrollable way."
Virtually all crops and livestock have been genetically engineered in the broadest sense; there are
no wild cows, and the cornfields of the United States reflect many centuries of plant modification
through traditional breeding. Genetically modified crops became common in the mid-1990s;
today, most of the corn, soybeans and cotton in the country have been modified to be resistant to
insects or tolerant of herbicide.
Opponents of GMOs have focused on the economic and social repercussions.
Greenpeace has warned of the corporate domination of the food supply, saying that small
farmers will suffer. A Greenpeace spokesman Wednesday referred a reporter to a Greenpeace
publication titled "Twenty Years of Failure: Why GM crops have failed to deliver on their
promises."
This debate between mainstream scientists and environmental activists isn't new, and there is
little reason to suspect that the Nobel laureates will persuade GMO opponents to stand down. But
Columbia University's Martin Chalfie, who shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for

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research on green fluorescent protein, said he thinks laureates can be influential on the GMO
issue.
"Is there something special about Nobel laureates? I'm not so sure we're any more special than
other scientists who have looked at the evidence involved, but we have considerably more
visibility because of the prize. I think that this behooves us, that when we feel that science is not
being listened to, that we speak out."
Roberts has worked on previous campaigns that sought to leverage the influence of Nobel
laureates.
In 2012, for example, he organised a campaign to persuade Chinese authorities to release from
house arrest the human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo.
Roberts said he decided to take on the GMO issue after hearing from colleagues that their
research was being impeded by anti-GMO activism from Greenpeace and other organisations.
Rice-for-child swap on the rice (sorry, rise)
Posted By: Hardballon: June 29, 2016
in the mid-80s was a-rice o compatriots! Then essential commodities, most notably, rice was so
scarce that each time Nigerians heard the word rise, in any conversation, speech or even the
national anthem, they would come to attention, if only to find out the next location for the
rationed sale of rice.
There was a famous cartoon in one national newspaper of that era, which depicted guests
apparently at a seminar snoring away even as the speaker pranced and puffed, presenting his
speech. The great moment came when the speaker said: ―In conclusion, all these would give
rise…‖ and pronto, the snoozing audience came alive exclaiming: ―Rice? Did he just say rice?!
Where?!‖
Today, Nigeria‘s rice conundrum has shifted another gear and downhill it seems to throttle. Two
grievous incidents happened last week to buttress this point.
Inside Government House, Borno State, Northeast of Nigeria, there was a near-fatal shootout as
policemen and soldiers struggled over control of bags of rice meant for Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs). Also in Borno, some officials of the National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA) were apprehended attempting to re-bag rice meant for IDPs with a view to diverting
them.
But all these would be mild drama compared to the event last Sunday at Singer Market, Fagge
Local Government Area of Kano State. A man identified as Mallam Yusuf Bala procured a bag
of rice from Alhaji Suleiman Bagudu, a rice dealer in the market and reportedly left his five-

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year-old son at the rice dealer‘s. He had promised to dash home for some more money to make
payment. He never returned for his boy.
When he was traced to his residence, he confessed he was impoverished, thus had to devise such a means
to find sustenance for his family. This trick is not novel by any means. A woman had played it out quite
successfully in Akure, Ondo State recently.
With the strictures at the land borders to curb rice importation and attendant massive smuggling, it has
become apparent that Nigeria, the giant of Africa boasting of a population of over 170 million, can hardly
produce one tenth of her most important staple food. The prices of the imported commodity have
continued to skyrocket, almost jumping out of the reach of the common man. A 50 kg bag, which sold for
a little below N10, 000 about a year ago, has almost double, depending on the city you are.
One worries that so much hoopla has been made about local production of rice; in fact, the last
government had claimed it was going to achieve local sufficiency by 2015. Yet hardly can local rice be
found in any significant quantity in any part of the country. So much for diversification of the economy,
food security and the rediscovery of Nigeria‘s rice belt, which had been the buzz phrases in the past few
years?
We knew about crude oil swap deals; now we have rice for child swaps; what next
http://thenationonlineng.net/rice-child-swap-rice-sorry-rise/
Four get World Food Prize
Dr Bouis, who helped Bangladeshi scientists breed world's first zinc-enriched rice, among winners
The 2016 World Food Prize Laureates (from left to right) - Dr. Maria Andrade, Dr. Robert Mwanga and
Dr. Jan Low, three scientists of the International Potato Center (CIP), and Dr Howarth Bouis, founder of
the HarvestPlus.
Staff Correspondent

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Founder of an international organisation that helped Bangladeshi scientists breed the world's first
zinc-enriched rice has been announced this year's World Food Prize recipient along with three
other pioneers of biofortified crops.
Names of Howarth Bouis, founder of HarvestPlus, and three scientists of the International Potato
Centre (CIP) -- Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga and Jan Low -- were announced as the 2016
World Food Prize Laureates during a ceremony at the US State Department in Washington DC
yesterday.
Releases issued by the World Food Prize authorities and HarvestPlus Bangladesh said the four
winners would receive the award at a ceremony to be held at the Iowa State Capitol building in
Des Moines, Iowa, USA, on October 13 this year.
The World Food Prize, created in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug, is the
most prominent global award for individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger
and promote global food security. Last year's recipient was Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. Nobel Peace
Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus also won the World Food Prize in 1994.
This year's $250,000 prize will be divided equally among the four recipients. The prize rewards
their work in countering world hunger and malnutrition through biofortification, the process of
breeding critical vitamins and micronutrients into staple crops.
Over the last 25 years, Howarth Bouis, popularly known in scientific fraternity as Howdy,
pioneered the implementation of a multi-institutional approach to biofortificatoin as a global
plant breeding strategy.
Bouis recognised that what mattered was not just how many calories people get, but the
nutritional value contained in their food. Today, more than 2 billion people -- one in three -- do
not get enough essential vitamins and minerals. Undernutrition contributes to almost half of
deaths in children under 5. More than one in three children under 5 is stunted in most parts of
Africa and South Asia.
He pioneered promotion of biofortification as a process to breed critical vitamins and
micronutrients directly into staple crops to improve their nutritional quality.
As a result of his leadership, crops such as rice, beans, wheat and pearl millet have been
biologically fortified with iron and zinc and those along with Vitamin A-enriched cassava, maize
and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) are being tested or released in over 40 countries.
Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga and Jan Low of the CIP, which has had sweet potato in its
research mandate since 1988, are being honoured for their work developing the single most
successful example of biofortification -- OFSP.
Thanks to the combined efforts of these four laureates, over 10 million people are now positively
impacted by biofortified crops, with a potential of several hundred million more in the coming
decades.

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Under the support of HarvestPlus, Bangladesh has released since 2013 five zinc biofortified rice
varieties -- four inbred varieties by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and one
hybrid variety by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University.
Of the 64 districts in Bangladesh, HarvestPlus in 2015 covered 58 districts, reaching 50,000 farm
households in 350 upazilas, and in 2016, it expanded its operation in 64 districts covering around
5,00,000 farm households.
Currently, HarvestPlus is working with six government organisations, 25 NGOs, and two seed
multiplier associations (300 companies).
Countries where crops have been released include: Bangladesh (zinc rice); the Democratic
Republic of Congo (iron beans and Vitamin A cassava); India (iron pearl millet, zinc rice and
zinc wheat); Nigeria (Vitamin A cassava and maize); Rwanda (iron beans); Uganda (Vitamin A
OFSP and iron beans); Mozambique (Vitamin A OFSP); Zambia (Vitamin A maize), and
Pakistan (zinc wheat).
HarvestPlus is part of a Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health run by the
Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CGIAR is a global
agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/four-get-world-food-prize-1247857
NFA: There is enough rice for the lean months
June 29, 2016 9:07 pm
by JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ, REPORTER
The National Food Authority (NFA) on Wednesday assured Filipinos there is ample rice even if
the government‘s rice importation scheme for the lean months has been deferred.
In a statement, NFA Officer-in Charge Tomas Escarez said he has directed all field offices to
monitor the supply and price situation in markets nationwide.
―We have more than enough stock of the good quality, low-priced NFA rice for the lean
months,‖ Escarez noted.
As of June 15, the country has more than the 30-day buffer stock needed at the start of the lean
months. Currently, the inventory is enough for 32 days.
―These stocks are now strategically prepositioned across the country, especially in calamity-
vulnerable areas,‖ the NFA official said.

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The lean season starts in July and ends in September. It is the time when the government imports
rice to help stabilize retail prices.
Under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program, the country should have a 60-day inventory at any
given time, and a 90-day buffer stock during lean months.
The state-run NFA alone is required by law to have at least a 15-day buffer stock in its
depositories at any given time, and a 30-day buffer stock during lean months.
Escarez has instructed field offices to accredit more outlets for NFA rice so the supply may be
more accessible to low-income residents anywhere in the country.
―Closer price monitoring and the opening of more rice outlets will ensure that our people will
always have access to NFA rice,‖ Escarez said.
The country‘s national rice inventory currently stands at 3.54 million metric tons (MT), to last
for 110 days based on a national daily requirement of 32,560 MT. At least 1.02 million MT is
with the NFA, 1.04 million MT is commercial rice, with 1.47 million MT in households.
NFA Spokesperson Angel Imperial said the grains agency has yet to receive the order on
importation, particularly the mandated buffer stock by the government and use of the minimum
access volume (MAV) by the private sector.
―… [T]he NFA administration has decided to let the new leadership to make the importation
decision,‖ Imperial said, adding that the Philippines can afford to stall discussions on
importation.
Talks about transferring the NFA back to the Department of Agriculture may also affect the
negotiations on rice imports.
―At the… first week of July, we can expect a decision by the new leadership,‖ Imperial noted.
Prior to his resignation, former NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay said they have prepared all
possible rice importation schemes for approval of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte
http://www.manilatimes.net/nfa-there-is-enough-rice-for-the-lean-months/270684/
Govt Approves Rice Loans

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The government has come to
the rescue of rice millers and
exporters, currently in the
throes of a serious financial
crisis, with loans of between
$20 and $30 million to the
Cambodia Rice Federation
(CRF). This is to help the
sector purchase rice from
farmers after the harvest this
November, to store in
warehouses and process them
for export, said the CRF.Hun
Lak, CRF vice president, told
Khmer Times yesterday that
he and key rice millers and
exporters had met with
economy and finance minister
Aun Pornmonirath on
Monday.In the meeting, Mr.
Hun Lak said, important issues
like an emergency budget to
revive the rice sector following
the severe drought that
affected production, the flow
of low-grade rice into the
country from Vietnam, and
high taxes imposed on rice
millers were discussed.―The
government agreed to make
out the loans of between $20
and $30 million to CRF, with
the foundation acting as a
guarantor. The CRF in turn
will screen all applicants and hand out the money to deserving rice millers and exporters,‖ he
said.Mr. Hun Lak said the government would charge an interest rate of about seven to eight
percent for the loans. ―These loans would enable rice millers and exporters to purchase rice from
farmers to store in their warehouses and later process them for export.‖Mr. Hun Lak said the
CRF had already formed a working group with representatives from the Ministry of Economy
and Finance and the Rural Development Bank to process all the loan applications.
―We hope to complete all the formalities immediately after CRF‘s annual general meeting on
July 2,‖ he said.All CRF members have to submit their loan request forms if they want to apply
for the grants. There will be a formula for vetting the applicants to ensure that the loans would be

18
put to good use to revive their businesses,‖ added Mr. Lak.In March, rice millers and exporters
wrote to the government urging intervention due to stiff competition in export markets as well as
domestic ones. In the letter, they said they were facing a cash crunch due to a flood of low-grade
rice from Vietnam while stressing that bankruptcy was widespread among farmers, millers and
exporters alike.The letter said Vietnamese companies were snapping up high-quality Cambodian
paddy for export from Vietnam and flooding the Cambodian market with low-grade rice. This,
the letter said, was driving domestic millers out of the market.
To make matters worse, many millers, exporters and farmers are in financial doldrums due to
the severe drought early this year that saw rice production fall drastically.Economy and Finance
Minister Aun Pornmoniroth, stressed that Cambodia would not totally stop importing rice from
neighboring countries. However, he said the government plans to reduce the export duty of
milled rice
Image: Many millers, exporters and farmers are in financial doldrums due to the severe drought early this
year that saw rice production fall drastically. KT/Chor Sokunthea
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26615/govt-approves-rice-loans/
Paddy farmers ‘watching’ rain; sowing expected to pick up
in coming days

19
Farmers in Punjab, Odisha, Haryana, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, await upturn in monsoon
New Delhi, June 27:
Sowing of paddy in the country so far is significantly lower compared to the average sowing in the
previous five years.
Farmers, not just in States that have received low rainfall, such as Odisha, Haryana, Assam, Chhattisgarh
and West Bengal, but also in Punjab, which received good ‗pre-monsoon‘ rains last week, have adopted a
‗wait-and-watch‘ approach.
On the bright side, rice sowing is likely to gather pace in the last week of June and early July, as
―conditions are becoming favourable‖ for a further advance of the South-West monsoon after June 24,
according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Farm advisory
Some more parts of the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat, the remaining parts of west Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and most parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and
east Rajasthan are likely to get covered by the monsoon this week.
―Advisories are now being sent to farmers to undertake transplanting of rice seedlings and continue
nursery sowing of rice in almost all major rice growing States, including Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal,
Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,‖ an Agriculture Ministry official told BusinessLine.
Farmers in coastal Karnataka and Kerala as well as Assam, which may get a short-spell of heavy rains,
have been advised to provide for proper drainage in rice fields and drain out excess water from rice
nursery/transplanted rice field and orchards to avoid water stagnation.
―The timing of sowing is very important as not just early sowing but late sowing could also spoil a crop
as a deluge at the wrong time could harm the seed,‖ pointed out agriculture expert VN Saroja.
Lower acreage
Till June 24, lower area coverage under rice, compared to normal of corresponding week (average of
2011-12 to 2015-16), was reported from Punjab (8.08 lakh hectares shortfall), Odisha (2.09 lakh hectare
shortfall), Chhattisgarh (1.59 lakh hectare shortfall), Haryana (1.26 lakh hectare shortfall), Assam (0.9
lakh hectare shortfall), Kerala (0.26 lakh hectare shortfall), Uttarakhand (0.12 lakh hectare shortfall),
Bihar (0.10 lakh hectare shortfall), Telangana (0.09 lakh hectare shortfall), Andhra Pradesh (0.08 lakh
hectare shortfall), West Bengal (0.06 lakh hectare shortfall), Tripura (0.06 lakh hectare shortfall),
Rajasthan (0.05 lakh hectare shortfall), Sikkim (0.02 lakh hectare shortfall) and Mizoram (0.01 lakh
hectare shortfall).

20
Plentiful rain is vital for a good rice crop as cereal — the staple food for people in Eastern and Southern
India — is very heavily monsoon-dependent in the country.
India is the second largest producer of the crop (annual production of about 105 million tonnes), which is
mostly grown in the kharif season, and accounts for over a fourth of total world production.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/paddy-farmers-watching-rain-sowing-
expected-to-pick-up-in-coming-days/article8780118.ece
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1505
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 28-06-2016
Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

21
Product Market Center Variety Min Price M
Maize
1 Haveri (Karnataka) Local 1690
2 Dahod (Gujarat) Yellow 1700
3 Sangli (Maharashtra) Other 1850
Paddy(Dhan)
1 Sanad (Gujarat) Other 1450
2 Kasargod (Kerala) Other 1500
3 Attabira (Orissa) Other 1410
Papaya
1 Jagraon (Punjab) Other 2300
2 Jalore (Rajasthan) Other 1500
3 Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh) Other 1230
Onion
1 Bargarh (Orissa) Other 1500
2 Giridih (Jharkhand) Other 1200
3 Siliguri (West Bengal) Other 1600
06/29/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

22
Soybeans
High Low
Cash Bids 1182 1090
New Crop 1148 1075
Riceland Foods
Cash Bids Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - -
New Crop Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - -
Futures: SOYBEANS
High Low Last Change
Jul '16 1155.75 1140.00 1144.50 -6.00
Aug '16 1151.75 1136.50 1140.50 -5.75
Sep '16 1134.75 1119.50 1123.00 -7.25
Nov '16 1125.50 1108.00 1112.50 -7.75
Jan '17 1121.00 1104.25 1108.50 -8.25
Mar '17 1082.50 1069.50 1073.50 -7.25
May '17 1067.75 1056.00 1059.50 -8.00

23
Jul '17 1068.00 1053.75 1058.25 -8.00
Aug '17 1042.00 -7.25
Soybean Comment
Soybeans gave back some of the gains from earlier in the week. Tomorrow will be a big day for
soybeans as the market will get three USDA Reports: Acreage, Quarterly Stocks, and Exports sales.
While the trade expects higher acreage tommorow, the trade will also be closely watching stocks
and exports to see if demand continues to remain robust.
Wheat
High Low
Cash Bids 455 388
New Crop 454 423
Futures: WHEAT
Jul '16 447.25 428.50 429.50 -14.25
Sep '16 460.50 443.75 444.50 -12.75
Dec '16 480.50 464.75 465.25 -11.75
Mar '17 498.00 484.00 484.25 -10.50

24
May '17 507.00 494.50 494.75 -9.25
Jul '17 513.75 502.25 502.50 -8.50
Sep '17 515.75 511.50 511.75 -7.50
Dec '17 535.75 526.25 526.50 -6.50
Mar '18 544.00 540.00 540.00 -5.50
Wheat Comment
Wheat closed lower today posting new contract lows. Weakness in outside markets continues to
pressure prices. Additionally, the market is bracing for bearish demand report tomorrow as stocks
report may come in close to 1 billion bu. This combined with the improving yield forecast is adding
additional pressure to the market.
Grain Sorghum
High Low
Cash Bids 385 262
New Crop 360 266
Corn

25
High Low
Cash Bids 407 355
New Crop 406 359
Futures:
CORN
Jul '16 387.25 372.25 372.75 -12.50
Sep '16 390.75 377.25 377.75 -11.00
Dec '16 396.25 382.50 383.00 -11.25
Mar '17 402.75 390.00 390.25 -10.50
May '17 406.25 394.00 394.25 -10.25
Jul '17 409.75 397.00 397.50 -10.75
Sep '17 391.00 382.25 382.25 -8.25
Dec '17 395.75 386.00 386.50 -6.50
Mar '18 400.00 393.25 394.00 -6.25
Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower as the market remains cautious ahead of tomorrow's USDA report. As
weather forecast improves the market remains concerned about large supplies this year. While
tomorrow's report is expected to show acreage down slightly, the trade also expects large stocks.
While acreage is a major concern, tomorrow stock number could give more direction near term to
prices.

26
Cotton
Futures: COTTON
Jul '16 64.76 64.76 64.5 -0.16
Oct '16 66.65 66.1 66.22 0.08
Dec '16 66.31 65.57 65.85 -0.01
s
Cotton Comment
Cotton futures ended mixed. December posted gains early but ran out of steam as traders were
unwilling to move the market much ahead of tomorrow's supply/demand report. The market will
have resistance at 66.64 cents. The short-term trend looks more sideways, but the uptrend drawn off
the February low remains intact, with support currently around 63.36 cents. Better exports last week
gave the market a boost Thursday, thanks to some weakness in the dollar. Weekly export sales of
178,100 running bales boosted 15-16 commitments to 9.137 million bales.
Rice
High Low
Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -
Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -
Futures:

27
ROUGH RICE
Jul '16 1081.0 1062.0 1064.5 -3.0
Sep '16 1107.5 1087.5 1090.0 -3.5
Nov '16 1133.0 1118.0 1118.5 -3.0
Jan '17 1142.0 -1.5
Mar '17 1162.5 -2.0
May '17 1181.5 -2.0
Jul '17 1195.5 -2.0
Rice Comment
Rice futures were lower across the board. Tomorrow's USDA report is expected to show a large
acreage. Crop conditions remain generally favorable, with 68% of the crop rated good to excellent
for the second week in a row. July's close below $10.75 is worrisome, as there is little technical
support above the recent low of $9.70. The market needs to see better export movement to generate
buying interest. Net sales last week totaled 50,100 tons for the 15-16 marketing year cancellations
resulted in -100 tons for 2016-2017 delivery.
Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle: LIVE CATTLE

28
Jun '16 119.000 117.200 118.900 +1.825
Aug '16 114.300 113.025 114.125 +1.400
Oct '16 114.225 113.325 113.950 +0.900
Dec '16 114.750 114.100 114.375 +0.475
Feb '17 114.275 113.600 113.800 +0.375
Apr '17 113.300 112.725 113.000 +0.450
Jun '17 107.325 106.850 107.025 +0.250
Aug '17 106.200 105.525 105.775 +0.325
Feeders: FEEDER CATTLE
Aug '16 144.350 141.000 143.050 +2.375
Sep '16 142.650 140.050 142.050 +2.325
Oct '16 140.750 138.400 140.450 +2.200
Nov '16 137.950 135.925 137.800 +2.100
Jan '17 133.700 131.925 133.475 +1.925
Mar '17 130.250 129.100 130.250 +1.525
Apr '17 129.800 129.100 129.800 +1.450
May '17 128.500 128.500 128.500 +1.075

29
Cattle Comment
Cattle prices closed higher again today, as the cash market continues to improve. This combined
with lower corn prices is helping support cattle prices despite lower beef prices.
Hogs
Futures: LEAN HOGS
Jul '16 83.550 82.850 83.100 -0.050
Aug '16 84.375 83.050 83.325 -0.650
Oct '16 72.225 71.325 71.650 -0.375
Dec '16 64.250 63.650 64.025 -0.225
Feb '17 67.200 66.750 67.125 -0.100
Apr '17 70.975 70.625 70.800 -0.425
May '17 75.375 -0.200
Jun '17 78.900 78.600 78.850 +0.050
Jul '17 78.925 78.800 78.800 +0.225

30 june ,2016 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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