10th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Philippine rice program on track – DA officials
April 11, 2015
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, April 11 (PIA) — Senior officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA)
said Monday that Filipino farmers and consumers are expected to benefit further from the
ongoing research collaborate on between the DA and the International Rice Research Institute
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
April 10, 2015
V o l u m e 5, Issue I

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(IRRI). Agriculture officials expressed optimism regarding the various components of the Food
Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) during a program review from 6-8 April 2015 at IRRI
headquarters. “The agriculture department, as an implementing agency, is assuming a scientific
approach with interventions geared towards improving the productivity of our farmers. We need
research breakthroughs for this," said Undersecretary for Field Operations Emerson Palad.
The Undersecretary further said "We want to enhance our decision-making by familiarizing
ourselves with different factors affecting the rice sectors, both in the Philippines and
globally."“The cooperation between IRRI, PhilRice, and the DA is such that the approach
towards improving the Philippine rice sector is comprehensive and scientific,” added
Palad.Sustained and accessible rice supplies, and globally competitive Filipino rice farmers—
enjoying high productivity and higher income—are the overarching goals of the seven multi-
disciplinary projects comprising the FSSP’s rice research and development component.Central to
the DA and IRRI's research agenda is helping the poorest farmers who till the most unfavorable
soil. In addition to better varieties and technologies, the partnership includes strengthening the
extension system and informing policy.
According to IRRI Deputy Director General Bruce Tolentino, “farmers in the Philippines are
facing greater challenges with a continuously growing population and ever-scarcer land and
natural resources. Climate change will only exacerbate these challenges”. Tolentino added that
improved agricultural technology developed through advanced scientific research is necessary to
overcome these challenges in the long term.Specifically, technologies that help increase
productivity in areas suffering from negative effects of climate change are now being made
available to rice farmers. Philippine and IRRI scientists are working to institutionalize farmer-
level protocols on varietal evaluations to accelerate the development and deployment of new and
improved rice varieties.
Philippine extension professionals will benefit from training and the use of tools that allow faster
information transfer using information and communication technology. In addition, policies
formulated through accurate and ground-validated information, as well as knowledge of policies
that have spurred growth of rice sectors in neighboring countries, will help the country achieve
food security.Critical improvements are being made to IRRI’s breeding infrastructure, which
needs to be more responsive to the requirements of current and future rice demand.
Responsiveness requires increasing rice genetic gain in yield and pursuing an agenda that’s
driven by what consumers need and prefer.
Taken together, these improvements are called Transforming Rice Breeding (TRB), funded by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.At Breeders' Week, several updates were presented, which
include development of profiles of rice preferred in selected countries in Southeast Asia and
Africa; market research on types of rice consumers prefer; updates on the irrigated variety
development pipeline that now benefits from an expedited breeding process; breeding hubs in
Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia; grain quality and how it integrates into the development
of high-yielding
rice varieties with desirable traits; managing information through bioinformatics; genotyping
services; partnerships within the hybrid rice development program; and exploration of rice's
diversity for breeding. IRRI is part of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), a platform

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for impact-oriented rice research for development with more than 900 rice research and
development partners worldwide. (IRRI)
Bill Gates and Irri
Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:14 AM | Saturday, April 11th, 2015
Manila’s political and party crowds must be sore at Bill Gates. The world’s wealthiest man
($79.2 billion in 2015, up from $76 billion last year, according to Forbes magazine) is said to
have flown in on April 4, but without the hoopla usually associated with celebrities and world
figures who touch down in this part of the world. Gates’ visit was devoid of any announcement
or even advance word to Malacañang; he did not meet with President Aquino or other political
figures, did not hobnob with the usual suspects in local high society, was not seen in the metro’s
default ritzy places where the country’s elite would have typically feted him, basked in the trails
of his oxygen, and claimed him as one of their own.
In fact, no photo of him in Philippine surroundings has surfaced; he is reportedly on holiday in
the exclusive Amanpulo resort in Palawan with his family, and has made a side trip to the
International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna. But the entire trip has been kept
under wraps so well, and his entourage and security personnel drilled to a uniform tight-lipped
silence, that all that the media could rely on to confirm the buzz about his visit are the official
immigration records and the flight logs of his private plane and helicopter rides.The reticence is
understandable.
All that money and the corresponding influence that goes with it make Gates a tempting target
for criminal minds or syndicates preying on the wealthy and well-connected. Ensuring his safety
and security is paramount, and heaven forbid that anything untoward should happen to the
famous billionaire tech visionary while on Philippine soil.On the other hand, the self-effacement
also seems typical of the Microsoft founder and philanthropist, who has visibly eschewed the
trappings of international celebrity to focus his attention, and the billions of dollars at his
disposal, on more urgent, earthbound concerns such as trying to end hunger, disease and
illiteracy in many parts of the planet. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he
cofounded with his wife in 2000, has an endowment of $42.3 billion as of November 2014, and
he himself has donated more than $28 billion so far to the philanthropic organization.Gates’ visit
to the Philippines, and to the Irri in particular, may be explained by the fact that his foundation is
said to be the single biggest private donor to it. Some $18 million of the Irri’s annual budget of

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$100 million comes from the Gates Foundation. That annual budget may surprise some: That
big? But, unknown to the younger generations of Filipinos, as well as Asians who have grown up
on better and healthier varieties of rice developed at the Irri, “the world’s premier research
organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science” (as it describes
itself) now has offices in 17 countries.
Its headquarters in Los Baños is but the global base of a humanitarian scientific endeavor that
has seen the Irri, since its founding in 1960, bring its motto—“Rice Science for a Better
World”—to diverse places where the grain serves as the staple food to billions of people, from
Bangladesh in Asia to Burundi in Africa.Time was when the Philippines had preeminence in
Southeast Asia not only in rice research and development but also in production, thanks to the
Irri. Scientists from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and other neighboring countries came to study
and learn from the institute, and brought home with them new ways of growing the staple crop
and creating sustainable ways to improve rice farming and food production in their countries.
The Philippines, meanwhile, lost the initiative along the way; by the post-Marcos years it had
settled in a most unenviable position: Once a world leader in rice production, it now had to
import rice to feed its population. By 2008 it had become the world’s largest importer of rice,
buying 1.8 million tons from countries it had once mentored on the subject. A cruel irony, and
just one more affliction on a country that can’t seem to get its act together after the ravages of the
Marcos dictatorship.
Gates’ staunch support for the Irri should help reboot the government’s efforts, if any, for
national rice sufficiency. The institute jump-started the “Green Revolution” in Asia that saved
tens of millions of people from hunger and disease. What are the bright minds in government
doing to access that deep, invaluable knowledge to get us out of our chronic rice deficiency?
http://opinion.inquirer.net/84003/bill-gates-and-irri#ixzz3WzmgGv9s
Gates Foundation backs IRRI research into healthier,
hardier rice
By BEA MONTENEGRO, GMA News April 10, 2015 6:45pm
Tags: irri

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According to a press release from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), senior officers
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) recently visited their facilities to see the
progress of ongoing research projects.Scientists gave briefings on advances made, including
information on climate change-ready rice varieties and healthier varieties that aim to help solve
the problem of micronutrient deficiency.IRRI researchers have identified regions in the rice
genome that improve grain yield even under harsh drought conditions and are working to
introduce this tolerance into high-yielding rice varieties. The more well-known Golden Rice
project aims to address Vitamin A deficiency by introducing beta carotene into rice, which is the
staple food for many Asian countries.
Rice varieties
The climate change-ready rice varieties were developed by IRRI and its partners under the
Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project.One stress-tolerant rice
variety is able to provide a good harvest, even after being submerged for over 14 days. Non-
tolerant varieties normally die after four days of submergence in floodwaters because they
expend all their energy trying to grow leaves that will rise above the flood. If the flood lasts too
long, the rice expends too much energy and they’re unable to recover once floods recede.
Researchers have identified the SUB1A gene in the SUB1 region the genome of an Indian rice
variety that activates when rice is submerged. It renders the plant dormant, saving its energy until
the floodwaters recede.The climate change-ready rice project was funded by BMGF, IRRI’s
largest private donor. An earlier rumor said that Bill Gates himself visited IRRI, but the press
release doesn’t mention his name among the list of senior officers. — TJD, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/467686/scitech/science/gates-foundation-backs-irri-
research-into-healthier-hardier-rice
50th annaul group meet of rice workers in Hyd from April 12
Press Trust of India | Hyderabad
April 10, 2015 Last Updated at 18:07 IST
Indian Institute of Rice Research (formerly Directorate of Rice Research DRR), Hyderabad, a
constituent of Institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, is
organising 50th Annual Group meetings of rice workers during April 12-15 here. The workshop
would be inaugurated by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Badaru Dattatreya, an IIRR
release said. The meeting would be chaired by S Ayyapan, Secretary, DARE and Director
General ICAR. Telangana Minister of Agriculture P Srinivas Reddy andAndhra
Pradesh Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao would be the special guests on this occasion. Guests of
honour would be director General, International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines, Dr
Robert Zeigler and Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi, Dr
Gurbachan Singh.

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More than 500 rice scientists of different national institutes including 25 scientists from
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines, would participate in this workshop,
which is the largest rice researchers' gathering in the country. The workshop is organised to
review the work done across the country in the field of rice research during the year 2014-15 and
to develop work-plans for next year. Based on the recommendations made during the annual
workshop, new rice varieties and hybrids are released either at central or at state level. Till date,
1100 rice varieties including 75 hybrids and several other technologies have been developed and
made available to the rice farming community.
Dr V Ravindra Babu, Project Director, IIRR, stated that during the Golden Jubilee year, the
institute is geared up for achieving newer heights in rice research and coordination. There are
emerging challenges in rice farming and hence rice research in the country has to be re-oriented
towards addressing such challenges. The five-day event will bring together hundreds of rice
scientists, private sector representatives, industry people, farmers from across the country and
abroad. During the event, 31 retired rice scientists and 22 innovative rice farmers who
contributed immensely to rice research and development in the country will be felicitated, it was
stated. During the deliberations, it is expected that many rice varieties/hybrids suitable to various
rice growing regions would be identified. National and international initiatives would also be
reviewed for improving the strategies for enhancing rice production and productivity, the release
added
USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited Thank NRCS in USA Today
Ad
Official shout-out
ARLINGTON, VA -- The USA Rice Federation and Ducks
Unlimited partnered on a print ad in the current USA Today
special edition newspaper, "U.S. Department of Agriculture:
America's Farming Landscape."The half-page ad thanks USDA
and the Natural Resource Conservation Service for their
visionary support of the organizations' joint Regional
Conservation Partnership Program proposal that was approved
earlier this year and is resulting in some $10 million being
designated specifically for rice farmers engaging in approved
conservation and stewardship practices.The 96-page newspaper
features articles on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, school
nutrition programs, hot button ag political issues, and more, and
is being distributed widely to tens of thousandds of farm-owners nationwide, as well as
throughout USDA and their many agencies.Digital copies have also been made available to Land

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Grant Universities, members of the Future Farmers of America, and the national and state 4-H
offices.
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 10
Month Price Net Change
March 2015 $10.260 - $0.140
May 2015 $10.515 - $0.140
July 2015 $10.755 - $0.145
September 2015 $10.990 - $0.135
November 2015 $11.220 - $0.150
January 2016 $11.270 - $0.150
March 2016 $11.270 - $0.150
50th annaul group meet of rice workers in Hyd from April
12
Press Trust of India | Hyderabad
April 10, 2015 Last Updated at 18:07 IST

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Indian Institute of Rice Research (formerly Directorate of Rice Research DRR), Hyderabad, a
constituent of Institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, is
organising 50th Annual Group meetings of rice workers during April 12-15 here. The workshop
would be inaugurated by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Badaru Dattatreya, an IIRR
release said. The meeting would be chaired by S Ayyapan, Secretary, DARE and Director
General ICAR. Telangana Minister of Agriculture P Srinivas Reddy andAndhra
Pradesh Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao would be the special guests on this occasion.
Guests of honour would be director General, International Rice Research Institute, the
Philippines, Dr Robert Zeigler and Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New
Delhi, Dr Gurbachan Singh. More than 500 rice scientists of different national institutes
including 25 scientists from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines, would
participate in this workshop, which is the largest rice researchers' gathering in the country. The
workshop is organised to review the work done across the country in the field of rice research
during the year 2014-15 and to develop work-plans for next year. Based on the recommendations
made during the annual workshop, new rice varieties and hybrids are released either at central or
at state level.
Till date, 1100 rice varieties including 75 hybrids and several other technologies have been
developed and made available to the rice farming community. Dr V Ravindra Babu, Project
Director, IIRR, stated that during the Golden Jubilee year, the institute is geared up for achieving
newer heights in rice research and coordination. There are emerging challenges in rice farming
and hence rice research in the country has to be re-oriented towards addressing such challenges.
The five-day event will bring together hundreds of rice scientists, private sector representatives,
industry people, farmers from across the country and abroad. During the event, 31 retired rice
scientists and 22 innovative rice farmers who contributed immensely to rice research and
development in the country will be felicitated, it was stated. During the deliberations, it is
expected that many rice varieties/hybrids suitable to various rice growing regions would be
identified. National and international initiatives would also be reviewed for improving the
strategies for enhancing rice production and productivity, the release added.
Rice Subsidies Too High in Advanced Developing Countries
10 April 2015
US - Several key advanced developing countries have ramped up subsidies to their producers of
rice, corn, and wheat, according to a new study.The joint study by the USA Rice Federation and
US Wheat Associates found that subsidies in Brazil, China, India, Thailand, and Turkey exceed
each country's commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Representatives of the US

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organisations said at a media briefing that these issues must be addressed as part of a renewed
push to complete the Doha Round of trade negotiations, which are aiming for major reform of
the international trading system.
USA Rice Federation Chief Operating Officer Bob
Cummings said, "Our joint study showed that these
five advanced developing countries have steadily
increased subsidies to their producers to the point of
being out of compliance with their WTO
obligations.""While we support the WTO and global
trade agreements because they work for our
members, WTO negotiators must address the trade
distortions in today's trading environment if the
long-running Doha Round of negotiations is to
conclude successfully."Several of these countries are also very likely using export subsidies to
dispose of surplus production." The group delivered this same message earlier this year to more
than 50 representatives from WTO member countries at meetings in Geneva, Switzerland."It's
hard to talk about a new trade agreement when countries are ignoring their existing obligations,"
said Mr Cummings. "It's neither fair nor sustainable."
TheCropSite News Desk
http://www.thecropsite.com/news/17513/rice-subsidies-too-high-in-advanced-developing-
countries/?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+April+10%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=em
ail#sthash.3E9QeDzq.dpuf
Iran talks free trade, basmati imports with India
By PTI | 10 Apr, 2015, 03.03PM IST
Rajeev Kher's visit to Iran yielded a lot of overtures from
Iranian government regarding a free trade agreement and
basmati imports by Iran.NEW DELHI: Expecting the
removal of trade sanctions imposed on it by western nations,
Iran has proposed a free trade agreement with India to boost
bilateral trade and investment.The matter came up for
discussion during the recent visit of Commerce Secretary,
Rajeev Kher to Tehran. He was there for the first meeting of
the joint working group (JWG) of the two countries."Iran is
very keen to enhance its trade relations with India. It wants to increase its share in the global trade and
they said that India can play a very major role in fulfilling that ambition," Kher said."Iran has proposed to
negotiate a preferential trading agreement with us. I told them that India will consider this proposal very
positively and will soon respond after taking the appropriate mandate from the government," he
added.Kher said the pact would be beneficial for India as through Iran, it can get market access to some

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parts of Europe and Africa.He said he met his Iranian counterpart and members of several
industry chambers in Tehran and now the JWG would meet every year as it would
institutionalise the framework.
Iran is in the process of reaching an
understanding with the six world powers on its
contentious nuclear programme, which may
ultimately lead to lifting of trade sanctions on
the Islamic nation. The move will help Iran to
enhance its trade ties with its trading partners
including India.On discussions over basmati
rice exports to Iran, Kher said India raised the
issue of high import duty, declining imports of
the commodity from India and stringent
standards."We discussed all the issues on basmati rice. Iran has said that they have adopted the
Codex plus standard and they expect all their suppliers to comply with them. Indian exporters
would have to comply with that. We will see how we can do that," he said.
Codex is an international standard for food trade for safety, quality of products.Iran, however,
assured that it would increase imports of basmati rice from India as "New Delhi is a chosen
partner for basmati rice for them", he added.India's basmati rice exports to that country have
declined to $600 million from $1.4 billion annually. Iran has not being issuing fresh import
permits since October 2014.India's overall basmati rice exports declined by over six per cent to
2.57 million tonnes during April-December 2014 as compared to 2.74 million tonnes in the same
period last year.Iran is the largest basmati rice importer, accounting for around 60-65% of total
basmati rice exports from India. Basmati rice was India's second largest export commodity after
buffalo meat to Iran.
Japan forecaster: El Nino likely to emerge by summer
TOKYO
(Reuters) - Japan's weather bureau said in its monthly outlook on Friday that the possibility of an
El Nino weather pattern forming by summer remains high, but gave no probability forecast.The
previous El Nino, which emerged last summer, ended over winter and conditions appear to be
normal now, the bureau said. Last month, it raised its projections for an El Nino pattern
emerging by summer to more than 50 percent.U.S. and Australian weather bureaus have also put
the probability for the phenomenon emerging this year at 50-70 percent. The weather pattern - a
warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific - can trigger drought in Southeast Asia

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and Australia, and floods in South America, potentially hitting production of such key foods as
rice, wheat and sugar.
(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Super hybrid-rice sees massive yield drop
2015-04-11 09:17chinadaily.com.cnEditor: Gu Liping
Yuan Longping (front), known in China as "the father of hybrid rice," checks grains of hybrid rice in Hongxing Village of Xupu
County, central China's Hunan province, Oct 10, 2014. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
Massive crop failure was reported in rice fields where strains developed by China's "father of
hybrid rice" Yuan Longping was cultivated, reported Southern Weekly on Thursday.Significant
crop loss caused by rice blast, a deadly disease affecting cultivated rice, hit more than 10,000 mu
(1 hectare equals 15 mu) of rice fields in six cities in Anhui province, a major rice producer in
East China in the autumn harvest season last year.
In Wuhe county, the yield of rice fields plummeted from 500 kilograms per mu to 50 kilograms
per mu or even to none."Anhui was hit hard by the crop failure," said Liu Gen, deputy head of
the provincial seed administration station.After witnessing massive crop failures, local farmers

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blamed misleading advertisements for their loss.On the package of seeds sold to farmers, the ad
claims the strains has a resistance of 5.6 grades, which indicates an incidence rate of only 25
percent, but inside the package, a piece of paper shows that the seeds have a resistance of 9
grades, suggesting the possibility of catching a disease is as high as 100 percent, according to the
Southern Weekly report.
In response, Peng Guanjian, the executive president of Yuan Long Ping High-Tech Agriculture
Co., told National Business Daily on Thursday that the poor harvest was mainly a result of a
natural disaster which affected not only rice fields on which Liangyou 0293 are planted, but also
other varieties.The affected hybrid-rice strains, "Liangyou 2093", is one of the products
developed by Yuan Long Ping High-Tech Agriculture Co., an enterprise founded in 1999 to
promote super high-yield hybrid rice.China launched an initiative to cultivate super high-yield
hybrid-rice the 1990s in an effort to feed 20 percent of the world population with only seven
percent of its arable lands.
Yuan Longping was designated as leader of the research team.Under Yuan's leadership, the
output of the "super hybrid rice" surpassed 1,000 kilograms per mu last year.However, the whole
picture of rice growing in China seems grimmer than the glamorous figures registered at test
fields. On average, yield of rice fields across the country stood at 447.8 kilograms in 2013,
roughly half the output recorded at experimental farmlands.The difference between actual output
and experimental output lies in that the rice planted in test fields enjoy "better fertility, better
environment and better cultivation", said Deng Guofu, a rice expert at Guangxi Academy of
Agriculture.
South Asian officials strengthen partnership with IRRI
April 09, 2015
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, April 8 (PIA) — His Excellency Arjun Bahadur Thapa, secretary general
of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and his colleagues are at the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) this week to be acquainted with the Institute's
research accomplishments and explore opportunities for further collaboration to improve food
security in South Asia.
“South Asia, an important beneficiary of IRRI’s work, leads on global rice production, with
India being the second largest rice producer and the first largest exporter in the world,” says
Abdelbagi Ismail, who heads the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA)
project. “Nonetheless, some areas in the region still host high populations with extreme poverty
and food insecurity."

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“In fact, about 30% of the 700 million people in absolute poverty or with income of less than
USD1.25 per day in all of Asia live in rice-growing areas in South Asia,” added Ismail. “About
half of the rice growing areas in the region are rainfed and prone to flooding, drought, and soil
salinity. On the other hand, these areas offer great potential for enhancing agricultural
productivity in SAARC member countries.”
According to IRRI deputy director general Bruce Tolentino, “Real challenges with agriculture
and continuing hunger occur in the region. While progress has been promising in some SAARC
countries, such as India, large population segments in other countries have not been reached in
terms of both food and health services.”
“We’ve discovered through STRASA that, in northern India, the benefits of stress-
tolerant rice varieties have actually been enjoyed by women and marginalized groups, who have
been—up to now—socially excluded,” added Tolentino. “So, there is a real need to speed up the
process of making more of these new varieties available across the SAARC region.” Recently,
IRRI facilitated an unprecedented regional seed cooperation agreement that speeds up the release
and dissemination of rice varieties to benefit farmers in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. “Rice
varieties released in one country can now be released in other countries.
This means that the other countries do not need to undergo the entire research and regulatory
processes to benefit from these varieties,” says Tolentino.IRRI officials will share the rationale
and progress of this agreement, among many other initiatives and programs, with the SAARC
delegation.Tolentino is optimistic that SAARC will see the opportunities of working with IRRI
and extend the agreement to its other member countries Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sri
Lanka, and Maldives.Julian Lapitan, head of IRRI’s partnerships office, hopes that “a more
productive and efficient partnership mechanism will contribute to fulfilling regional goals during
discussions with SAARC.
“We are glad that the SAARC officials are here,” says Tolentino. “We will give them a sense of
the kind of research that we do, not only for stress-tolerant rice but also for other initiatives and
rice science in general. We welcome them to take a look of what we do and see how it can
benefit all SAARC members.”SAARC aims to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia
and to improve their quality of life. It also targets to accelerate economic growth, social progress,
and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in
dignity and to realize their full potential. (IRRI)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931428631701/south-asian-officials-strengthen-partnership-with-
irri#sthash.Kg3SsgKf.dpuf

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HL expects another boatload of rice from Vietnam, NFA says
by Philippines News Agency - April 10, 2015
The National Food Authority (NFA) is expecting another boatload of Vietnamese rice to arrive at
the Iloilo International Port in Barangay Loboc, Lapaz, Iloilo City, by next week.Lino Lamojer
of the National Food Authority Iloilo said the boatload of Vietnamese rice is an additional to the
earlier 132,000 bags of Vietnamese rice that have arrived on April 4 and now being unloaded for
transfer to the NFA warehouses in Jaro, Iloilo City, and in Dumangas town in Iloilo province.
The NFA expects the additional 118,000 bags of rice to arrive next week onboard MV My Hung
from Vietnam. These are part of the 250,000 bags of rice intended to ensure enough supply for
consumption of residents of Panay Island where Iloilo is situated and Guimaras that are being
affected by the onset of the El Nino phenomenon.Meanwhile, Lamojer said the unloading of the
132,000 initial bags of rice started on Monday with the remaining 42,000 bags still to be
unloaded as of early Friday morning.Vietnam is a major source of imported rice to the
Philippines. Hanoi has a rice-supply agreement with Manila.Recently Vietnam was awarded the
contract to supply 300,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to the Philippines this year. The NFA said
Vietnam will supply 150,000 MT each of the 15 percent and 25 percent broken rice
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/phl-expects-another-boatload-of-rice-from-vietnam-nfa-says/
World rice trade to drop to 41.3 million tonnes in 2015: UN
food agency
By Reuters | 10 Apr, 2015, 04.59PM IST
HANOI: Global milled rice trade this year is forecast to drop 2.5 percent from 2014 to 41.3 million
tonnes, due mainly to good stockpiles or higher production in Asia, the United Nations food agency said
on Friday. Global paddy output in 2015 is forecast to edge up 1.1 percent from last year to 749.8 million
tonnes, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in its rice market monitor report for April.
Thailand is expected to retain the world's largest rice export position this year with shipments of 11.2
million tonnes, followed by 9.3 million tonnes from India and 6.5 million tonnes from Vietnam.
As such, the three Asian nations would account for a combined 65 percent of the world's rice trade, down
slightly from 68 percent last year. China, which was the world's biggest importer last year along with
Nigeria, is forecast to raise its import volumes by 5.2 percent to 3.2 million tonnes in 2015 due to higher
demand in the mainland, the report said. Nigeria's purchases abroad are forecast to dip 3.3 percent to 2.9
million tonnes in 2015. Rice output in China, also the world's top producer, is forecast to edge up 0.2
percent to 208.5 million tonnes this year, FAO said. Last year China and Nigeria each bought 3 million
tonnes of rice from abroad.

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Vietnam's Exports Experience Hard Time In Q1
HANOI, April 10 (Bernama) -- Foreign trade experienced difficulties as exports of many key
commodities tumbled in the first quarter of 2015, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MOIT).Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported that export turnover reached
US$35.67 billion, up 6.9 per cent from the same period last year but below the quarterly target of
10 per cent set by the sector.The figure fulfilled 21.6 per cent of the state's yearly target, the
Ministry said.Vietnam shipped US$4.25 billion worth of agricultural and seafood products
abroad, an annual decrease of 15.8 per cent, due to the fall of several key export revenue
generators including seafood, coffee, rubber and rice (with decreases of over 30 per cent),
costing the country US$500 million during the period.
The contraction was triggered by the absence of major contracts from Vietnam's key buyers early
this year, such as China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, explained MOIT Deputy
Minister Tran Tuan Anh.Seafood exports suffered as a consequence of high anti-dumping tax
rates imposed by the US coupled with the strengthening of the US Dollar.Exports of minerals
and fuels dropped 37.2 per cent from 2014 to US$1.35 billion.Turnovers of crude oil and petrol
plunged by 48.9 per cent and 36.7 per cent respectively, following their weakening price, whilst
coal exports fell a significant 78.6 per cent in volume.
However, exports of industrial commodities were on the rise with phones & components, textiles
& garments, footwear, machines and bags witnessing higher growth rates than national
averages.To solve the downturn, Tran urged the sector authorities to support domestic businesses
in improving their competitiveness to fully tap the potential brought about by already inked and
upcoming free trade agreements such as those with the European Union, South Korea and Chile
alongside the impending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, and the formation of the
ASEAN Economic Community by the end of this year.The sector should increase its marketing
efforts and work closely with overseas trade promotion agencies to provide domestic businesses
with accurate market information, research ways to spur business development and quickly settle
international trade disputes negatively affecting the interests of Vietnamese enterprises, he
added.-- BERNAMA
Rice exporters face fewer contracts as China changes its rice
quotas
VietNamNet Bridge - Rice exporters say the “bad crop” in the first quarter of 2015 was the worst sales
season ever, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) said the difficulties had been anticipated.

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Deputy Minister of MOIT Tran Tuan Anh mentioned the unsatisfactory export volume when
reporting the modest growth rate in total export turnover in the first quarter.One of the reasons
was that China changed its management policy and was slow in granting rice import quotas to
Chinese businesses, which affected rice exports to the Chinese market.Professor Academic Tran
Dinh Long, chair of the Vietnam Seed Association, once warned that Vietnamese businesses
may fall into the Chinese “trap” when trying to sell rice in bulk to China.Also, rice exporters
could not get big contracts in the first quarter. A report from the General Statistics Office showed
that only one million tons of rice were exported in the first quarter, worth $450 million, which
represented a 26 percent decrease in quantity and 30 percent in value, compared with the same
period last year.
However, MOIT said rice exporters had been warned about the difficulties of the export markets,
and had offered help for exporters to look for new markets and take full advantage of existing
and upcoming free trade agreements.Of the world’s biggest rice exporters, which make up 80
percent of global rice trade, Vietnam is the only one that “went downhill”. Vietnam fell from
third to fourth position following Pakistan. Meanwhile, the other countries all saw sales
increasing. Thailand, for example, had sales up by 10 percent, India by 50 percent and Pakistan
by 22 percent. Rice exporters say they doubt MOIT’s promise to help look for new markets.The
director of a rice export company in the south noted that Vietnam’s rice is now “hard to sell”
because sales heavily depend on key markets such as China, the Philippines, Indonesia and
Malaysia. Meanwhile, Vietnam has lost the African market to its rivals.

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An analyst noted that Vietnam’s largest markets in Asia tend to be choosier amid abundant
supply and lower prices from other exporters. Sources said Thai inventory was still high, at over
10 million tons, while Thai companies can make deliveries at any time. Lam Anh Tuan, director
of Ben Tre-based Thinh Phat Food Company, noted that the Philippines and Indonesia no longer
invite exporters for big package deals. They tend to buy rice in small quantities, because they
know they can buy Thai rice i emergency cases.Thai exporters are now making every effort to
boost sales because the rice inventory has seen quality decreasing as time elapses.
Rice exporters report slow sales despite drop in price
VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese rice exporters have lowered selling prices, but are still finding it
difficult to obtain export contracts.
Nguyen Cong Tri, a farmer in Thoi Lai District of Can Tho City, said he has sold all of his
winter-spring rice, but at the “lowest ever price”. The profit was modest.According to Tri, wet
IR50404 was sold at VND4,000 per kilo. When the government began collecting rice for
stockpiling, the price moved up to VND4,200-4,300 per kilo. However, farmers did not benefit
from the stockpiling program, before they had sold out of their rice. Meanwhile, the price was
VND4,600-4,800 per kilo in previous years.“Previously we could pocket VND1,800-2,000 per
kilo, but now we can earn VND1,200 only,” he said.“I heard the price has fallen because China

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has shifted to buy high-quality rice and placed smaller orders,” he said. “Meanwhile, Vietnam’s
rice is less competitive than Thailand’s and Pakistan’s”.
Nguyen Van Don, director of Viet Hung Company, confirmed that he had not seen such slow
sales.Don said Vietnamese rice is selling at the lowest level in the world. The common five
percent broken rice is offered at $360-365 per ton, or $35-40 per ton lower than Thai rice of the
same kind. Indian and Pakistani rice is $10-20 per ton more expensive. Vietnam also offers the
lowest price for 25 percent broken rice.Don explained that as Thailand, trying to clear its big
stocks, has lowered its selling prices, the move has forced India, Pakistan and Vietnam to lower
their prices to compete with Thailand. However, despite the price decrease, Vietnam’s rice
cannot be easily sold. Thailand and Pakistan have been trying to conquer Africa, which was once
Vietnam’s key market.
According to Don, in previous years, Vietnam relied on commercial contracts on exporting rice
to China and government-to-government contracts with the Philippines and Indonesia.However,
China has changed its import policy, only seeking to buy high-quality long-grain 5 percent
broken rice, while refusing 15-25 percent broken rice, which it had bought in previous years.Le
Van Banh, head of the Mekong River Delta Rice Institute, said that the world market now
demands high quality rice, but Vietnam does not have this kind to export.Banh said IR50404 is
the most commonly grown rice in Vietnam, accounting for 50-60 percent of the total winter-
spring crop production area in the Mekong River Delta.However, Don is optimistic about rice
exports in 2015. China is planning to grant import quotas to its businesses in the second stage,
and will still need common cheap rice, he said. Meanwhile, the Philippines, Malaysia and
Indonesia have to import rice in large quantities because of a shortage of domestic supply.
Vietnamese agriculture concerns about export prospects
Technical barriers to trade have concerned several farm products of Vietnam which are not
supposed to be able to compete against foreign ones after economic integration when import
tariffs return to zero percent.According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
farm produce exports sharply fell in the first three months of this year while competitive
advantage of Vietnamese farm produce is at an alarming rate. In the first quarter, total farm
produce exports merely reached US$6.13 billion, down 13.2 percent over the same period last
year. Of which, various key farm produce, including seafood, rice, coffee, and wood, have
drastically dropped.The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors said that
seafood export turnover has also sunk 23 percent in the first three months of this year, the
strongest drop in the past five years.
Of which, shrimp whose export turnover accounts for 40 percent of seafood exports posted
steepest decline of 30 percent, and pangasius exports slid 18 percent.Meanwhile, according to the
Vietnam Food Association, the country’s rice exporters have contracted to export 2 million tons
of rice and have delivered 720,000 tons since the beginning of this year. However, in comparison
to the previous year, it shows a decrease of 30 percent in both volume and value.A few years

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ago, agriculture proudly backed the economy amid economic crisis. However, most agricultural
experts said that domestic agriculture has reached its limits with many products not be able to
add more value as well as increase productivity. The country has advantages on rice, seafood,
pepper, and cashew but weakness on husbandry products, fruits, and other farm products.
Agriculture minister Cao Duc Phat said that from now to 2018, common trend of countries in the
ASEAN is to send import tariffs of agricultural products to zero percent. Tariff will still be
imposed on a few farm products, but not high. Accordingly, farm produce will be imported and
exported among the countries easily. It raises concerns about how to improve competitiveness
for Vietnamese farm produce or the domestic market will be dominated by foreign ones. Earlier,
the government was able to protect domestic industries by import tariffs. However, once import
tariffs are removed, the only measure that the government can use is technical barriers which
include quarantine regulations and food safety standards.
However, Mr. Phat emphasized that technical barriers have to comply with international
regulations and standards and scientific ground. In addition, domestic agriculture industry must
improve competitive ability for local farm products in order to attract customers.He revealed that
next week, the Ministry will have a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to
implement measures to promote and support farm produce exporters.The ministry also ordered
relevant departments to carry out solutions and resolve obstacles for businesses who meet
difficulties in procedure.
Before June 30, all HS codes of agriculture industry will be announced and the government will
cut 50 percent of procedures of veterinary quarantine, plant protection, and food safety,
compared to current procedures.The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on April 9
held an online meeting with 63 provinces in Ha Noi City to discuss on urgent measures to
promote competitiveness of Vietnamese farm produce amid regional and international economic
integration.
India remains top rice exporter in 2014 with late export
surge
Bernama |Updated:April 10, 2015
(First published on: April 10, 2015 23:43 MYT)
India shipped an unprecedented 11.3 million tonnes, slightly ahead of Thailand's 11.0 million
tonnes (milled). - File Photo
BANGKOK: India retained its position as the top rice exporter in 2014, edging out Thailand
which appears to have toppled India based on the early data of the last quarter of 2014.Rice
exports by India and Thailand surged in late 2014 and the latest revisions for rice exports

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indicate that India edged out Thailand to retain
the top spot, according to the first rice market
report 2015 published by the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).It said
India shipped an unprecedented 11.3 million
tonnes, slightly ahead of Thailand's 11.0 million
tonnes (milled).However, the FAO report
predicts that Thailand will regain the top
exporter position in 2015 as is expected to export
11.2 million tonnes compared with India's 9.3
million tonnes. On the overall situation, it said following years of bumper harvests, rice
production would like experience its first annual contraction since 2009, while global prices for
the grain would remain soft.
The FAO has lowered its 2014 estimated global padi production by 3.3 million tonnes since
December to 741.3 million tonnes (494.4 million tonnes milled), only 0.5 percent below the
record 2013 performance."Thailand's rice production (paddy) declined by 2.7 percent in 2014 to
34.3 million tonnes (22.7 million tonnes milled rice), due mainly to declining secondary crop
outputs affected by cuts in planted areas," Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO assistant director-general and
regional representative for Asia and the Pacific said.
"However, in 2015, Thailand is expected to increase production by 2.1 per cent," he said at a
media briefing.FAO's Rice Market Monitor predicts that under normal climatic conditions, 2015
will see a modest recovery of around one percent in world padi output to 750 million tonnes.In
spite of falling international prices, many rice importing countries continue to pursue self-
sufficiency in rice production policies.Indonesia is forecast to reduce its imports by 25 per cent
in 2015, the Philippines by 21 per cent and Bangladesh by 36 per cent, while exporter
competition for markets is likely to intensify this year, FAO said.
http://english.astroawani.com/business-news/india-remains-top-rice-exporter-2014-late-export-surge-57599?cp
Vietnamese agriculture concerns about export prospects
Friday, Apr 10, 2015, Posted at: 14:29(GMT+7)
Technical barriers to trade have concerned several farm products of Vietnam which are not
supposed to be able to compete against foreign ones after economic integration when import
tariffs return to zero percent.According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
farm produce exports sharply fell in the first three months of this year while competitive
advantage of Vietnamese farm produce is at an alarming rate. In the first quarter, total farm
produce exports merely reached US$6.13 billion, down 13.2 percent over the same period last

www.ricepluss.com
21
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
year. Of which, various key farm produce, including seafood, rice, coffee, and wood, have
drastically dropped.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors said that seafood export turnover
has also sunk 23 percent in the first three months of this year, the strongest drop in the past five
years. Of which, shrimp whose export turnover accounts for 40 percent of seafood exports posted
steepest decline of 30 percent, and pangasius exports slid 18 percent.Meanwhile, according to the
Vietnam Food Association, the country’s rice exporters have contracted to export 2 million tons
of rice and have delivered 720,000 tons since the beginning of this year. However, in comparison
to the previous year, it shows a decrease of 30 percent in both volume and value.
A few years ago, agriculture proudly backed the economy amid economic crisis. However, most
agricultural experts said that domestic agriculture has reached its limits with many products not
be able to add more value as well as increase productivity. The country has advantages on rice,
seafood, pepper, and cashew but weakness on husbandry products, fruits, and other farm
products.Agriculture minister Cao Duc Phat said that from now to 2018, common trend of
countries in the ASEAN is to send import tariffs of agricultural products to zero percent.
Tariff will still be imposed on a few farm products, but not high. Accordingly, farm produce will
be imported and exported among the countries easily. It raises concerns about how to improve
competitiveness for Vietnamese farm produce or the domestic market will be dominated by
foreign ones.Earlier, the government was able to protect domestic industries by import tariffs.
However, once import tariffs are removed, the only measure that the government can use is
technical barriers which include quarantine regulations and food safety standards.
However, Mr. Phat emphasized that technical barriers have to comply with international
regulations and standards and scientific ground. In addition, domestic agriculture industry must
improve competitive ability for local farm products in order to attract customers. He revealed
that next week, the Ministry will have a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to
implement measures to promote and support farm produce exporters.
The ministry also ordered relevant departments to carry out solutions and resolve obstacles for
businesses who meet difficulties in procedure. Before June 30, all HS codes of agriculture
industry will be announced and the government will cut 50 percent of procedures of veterinary
quarantine, plant protection, and food safety, compared to current procedures.The Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development on April 9 held an online meeting with 63 provinces in Ha
Noi City to discuss on urgent measures to promote competitiveness of Vietnamese farm produce
amid regional and international economic integration

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22
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Enriching lives of small rice farmers
Posted by: Daniel Essiet in Agriculture
As a result of government and donor-supported development programmes, Nigeria is making
efforts to grow more rice than ever before. However, there are challenges facing farmers in
their quest to perform at optimum level. As a way out, experts have called for partnership
between farmers and researchers in developing locally suitable farming practices, DANIEL
ESSIET reports.
Musa Basa (not real name) lives in the North with his wife and children. They grow rice and
other crops. But they have to contend with a harsh soil type.Typically, when Basa and other
farmers prepare their land at the start of the rains, they hope that the rains would be abundant and
evenly spread throughout the season.When the rains start, he plants seeds. The challenge
however is that when the rains stop, the farms return to degraded lands. While rainfall
may be short and intense, sometimes , the challenge is minimising run-off and increasing
infiltration which are crucial. Since they are not achieving this, many farming families don’t
plant more rice on and around their fields.
There are situations where farmers have suffered huge losses in quantity and quality of rice
after harvest. This is also because dry soils don’t help rice growth and so producing enough is an
enormous task. While this is an example of what some farmers suffer in the North, the case
of Abdul Ganiyu Alabi Ojolowo, a rice farmer in Lagos is different.An accountant by
training, Ojolowo sells locally milled rice (ofada) that is of high quality. But the same cannot be
said of few of his colleagues. There are circumstances were bags of rice were fraught with stones
and debris.Added to this, he said, is consumer’s perception of local rice as inferior, making it
less competitive against imported varieties.
Another constraint he highlighted, is the long distance between the villages where the
rice farms are located, and the supply towns. The towns are filled with good suppliers
of imported rice than locally grown ones.If the government must change the
situation, Ojolowo said, there is a need to improve infrastructure such as irrigation, milling and
processing facilities and farm-to-market roads to boost rice production.To some stakeholders,
while that is the reality on ground, researchers and the government are making efforts to
boost crop yields and improve the soil.
A Professor at the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri,Daniel Gwary,
said there are tremendous efforts to improve food security with focus on rice production.
The measures include improving harvesting and postharvest practices and equipment to achieve
high-quality grain.Gwary advised however, that farmers should be assisted with inputs such
as improved seeds, fertiliser, agrochemicals and to benefit from extension services.
He said improving rice production under rain-fed lowland and irrigated lowland should be a
priority, while attention should be paid to rain-fed upland rice in some key states, adding that
Nigeria has huge potential, to not only achieve rice self-sufficiency but also to become the rice
granary of the continent.From what experts have observed , addressing the challenge
in rice production is crucial considering that Nigeria spends billions of naira annually on the

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importation of rice This, they warned is not in the interest of the economy.According to Africa
Rice Center, reliance on imported rice and limited efforts in increasing domestic production is
costing sub-Saharan Africa almost $5billion annually, its new appointed Director-General, Dr.
Harold Roy-Macauley, has said.
“Africa is losing about five billion dollars in the consumption of imported rice due to the high
demand for the produce. However, even with the limited supply regionally, there are high
chances for African countries to close that gap if the crop is given a lot of priority by the
governments and scientists who play big roles in developing solutions for the challenges
hindering massive rice production in Africa.” Roy-Macauley said Africa’s rice growing
countries must invest more resources to support more production of the cereal crop.To this end,
scientists from the center are developing climate-smart rice varieties and intends to field-test a
number of flood-tolerant varieties in Nigeria. The center has been collaborating with local and
international partners to develop improved rice varieties and technologies to increase rice
productivity across the continent.
A major partner of the centre in Nigeria is the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI),
Badeggi, Niger State.NCRI has the national mandate for the genetic improvement, production of
breeders’ seeds and development of production, processing and utilisation technologies of six
crops which include rice, soybeans, beniseed, sugar cane acha and castor. The institute had been
able to develop 62 varieties of rice since inception.Supporting the institute is the West African
Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), a World Bank assisted programme.WAAPP
Nigeria has entered into collaboration with National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI), Baddegi
to boost rice production. Niger State is among the few states selected for the programme.
Speaking at an event recently, the National Project Coordinator, WAAPP, Nigeria , Professor
Damian Okey Chikwendu, said that WAAPP is targeting root crops in the state.Chikwendu who
was represented by the Environmental Focal Point Officer, Shitu Hussaini, listed its
collaboration role with NCRI to include production of breeder and foundation seeds, as well
as implementing System for Rice Intensification Initiative (SRI) in the state.According to the
Coordinator, the seeds being targeted for production by WAAPP are the high yielding and
drought resistant varieties.WAAPP-Nigeria in collaboration with some research institutes, has
produced and released a total of 434 metric tonnes of rice.
Chikwendu reiterated that the objective of WAAPP is to produce enough genetic materials in
form of certified and foundation seeds in the priority agricultural commodities of rice, maize
sorghum, yam and cassava to enable farmers increase their productivity.He said seeds would be
provided to farmers through States’ Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs), the research
institutes and colleges of agriculture, as well as universities collaborating with WAAPP, which
are the immediate hosts to the farmers in the adopted villages and the agricultural innovation
platforms.He said the project is interested in producing certified seeds to go round to farmers.The
project is currently targeting 1.5 million farmers.
On SRI, he said the programme is sponsoring the promotion of an integrated menu of
agronomic and soil management practices known respectively as System of Rice Intensification
(SRI) and Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in Ebonyi, Niger and Jigawa states.The

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project involves sponsoring 20 Demonstration Rice Plots in each state, and an additional 10 plots
in Jigawa State under the management of a partner-NGO called Green Sahel Agricultural and
Rural Development Initiative (GSARDI). The project which involves the provision of training,
utilise both theoretical presentations and practical sessions at the demonstrations plots.Recently,
to boost rice production, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
demonstrated the use of locally fabricated rice threshing machine to farmers in Lavun Local
Government Area of Niger.
The Director, Rice Value Chain, Dr Victor Onyeneke, who introduced and demonstrated the
machine to over 100 farmers, said the idea was to remove impurity associated with paddy
rice.Represented by Mrs. Ihecherem Nneka, an Assistant Chief Agricultural Officer, Onyeneke
said the machine saves time compared to using manual method of processing the paddy rice.
“Most of our processed local rice cannot compete favourably with foreign rice because of
impurities such as stones and others from the farms“The introduction of thresher cleaner
machine will ensure that our local rice compete favourably with any foreign rice,’’ he said.
Onyeneke said the programme was part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the
Federal Government introducing the mobile rice thresher to rice farmers across the country,
adding that the idea behind the fabrication of the machine with local content was in collaboration
with the Ministry, Africa Rice and the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM),
Ilorin.He said the machine which would be put into use by the farmers for one month, would be
sold to rice producing communities in the state at between N300, 000 and N700, 000 each.The
State’s Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bello Salihu, said the
machine is capable of threshing one tonne of paddy rice per hour.Salihu said the manual labour
would have taken between eight hours for the same processing.He said that the introduction of
the machine was to address the challenges of production and processing faced by rice farmers in
the country
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/enriching-lives-of-small-rice-farmers/
Thailand poised to top rice table
10 Apr 2015 at 21:36
WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS
A farmer in Nong Chok district in Bangkok harvests rice on Jan 31 this year. The UN Food and
Agriculture Organization has predicted more output and more exports of Thai rice this year.
(Photo by Patipat Janthong)
Thailand is poised to overtake India and regain its customary status as the world's top rice
exporter this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.Despite a late
surge by Thailand in 2014, India held on to the title last year, selling 11.3 million tonnes to the
world market compared with 11 million for Thailand.But the UN-affiliated agency predicted
more rice from Thailand would reach global markets this year while India's performance would
decline markedly.

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Thailand will export 11.2 million tonnes of rice this year and India 9.3 million, it forecast.
Hiroyuki Konuma, the FAO assistant director-general, said he expected paddy rice production in
the country this year would improve."Thailand's rice production (paddy) declined by 2.7% in
2014 to 34.3 million tonnes (22.7 million tonnes of milled rice), due mainly to a decline of
secondary crop outputs affected by cuts in planted areas," he said. "However, in 2015, Thailand
is expected to increase production by 2.1%."However, the FAO cautioned that competition for
exports would intsneify as many importing countries are reducing orders as they attempt to
become more self-sufficient in the grain.
It forecast that Indonesia would reduce imports by 25%, the Philippines by 21% and Bangladesh by
36%.Indonesia and the Philippines are major buyers of Thai rice in Southeast Asia.Get full Bangkok Post
printed newspaper experience on your digital devices with Bangkok Post e-newspaper. Try it out, it's
totally free for 7 days.

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