22nd january,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Daily Exclusive ORYZA E-Newsletter
Compiled & Edited by Riceplus Magazine
IGC Raises Corn Outlook, Sees Grains Stockpiles at 30-Year
High
By Rudy Ruitenberg Jan 22, 2015 7:29 AM PT
World corn output will beat a November forecast, the International Grains Council said, lifting the
estimate an eighth time on improved prospects for South America.Bigger corn and wheat crops will
expand world grain output excluding rice to a record and lift inventories at the end of the season to the
highest in about 30 years, the London-based organization wrote in a report today.Corn futures have
dropped 9.7 percent in Chicago in the past 12 months as U.S. growers harvested a record crop and the
outlook for production in Brazil and Argentina improved, while wheat futures have dropped 4.4 percent.
Cheaper grain has contributed to a drop in international food prices.“World maize export prices turned
lower amid stiff global competition and ample availabilities,” the council wrote, using another word for
corn.Farmers will gather 991.9 million metric tons of corn this season, 9.6 million tons more than forecast
previously and climbing from 990.7 million tons in 2013-14, the council wrote.The IGC left its outlook
for this season’s wheat production little changed, forecasting a crop of 717 million tons from 717.2
million tons in November, rising from 712.7 million tons a year earlier.Prospects for the 2015-16 winter
Chief Editor:Hamlik
For Advertisement & Specs:
Mujahid Ali
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
Cell: +92 321 36 92874
Compiled & Edited by
Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
Volume 5, Issue I
January 22, 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
www.ricepluss.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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wheat crop are mostly favorable in the Northern Hemisphere, and world wheat production is
“provisionally” forecast to slip 2 percent to 701 million tons next season, the report showed.
Record Production
Total grain production, excluding rice, is forecast to advance to a record 2.002 billion tons from 2 billion
tons in 2013-14, according to the IGC, which raised the outlook by 11.8 million tons. Stockpiles may
climb more than 7 percent to 432 million tons, the highest since the mid 1980s, the council said.“Even
with a solid rise in consumption, global closing stocks are seen reaching a near 30-year peak,” the IGC
said.For corn, the biggest adjustment to the outlook was made for Argentina, with production there now
seen at 29.5 million tons, 7 million tons more than in November.Brazil’s corn outlook was lifted by 2
million tons to 77 million tons, while the U.S.
corn estimate was cut by 3.9 million tons to 361.1 million tons.The world soybean outlook was raised by
4 million tons to 312 million tons, predicted to climb from a year-earlier 284 million tons. Stockpiles at
the end of this season may climb to 42 million tons from 31 million tons, the council said.The IGC
trimmed the global rice outlook by 1 million tons to 474 million tons.
To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net
John Deane, Nicholas Larkin
Source with thanks: Bloomberg
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
A comprehensive daily commodity market report for Arkansas agricultural commodities with cash
markets, futures and insightful analysis and commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity
analysts.
Noteworthy benchmark price levels of interest to farmers and ranchers, as well as long-term commodity
market trends which are developing. Daily fundamental market influences and technical factors are noted
and discussed.
Soybeans
High Low
Cash Bids 1024 933
New Crop 1009 984

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Riceland Foods
Cash Bids Stuttgart: 981 Pendleton: 981
New Crop Stuttgart: 946 Pendleton: 951
Futures: High Low Last Change
Mar '15 992.50 975.00 976.75 -6.75
May '15 998.50 981.25 983.00 -6.50
Jul '15 1003.50 986.75 988.75 -5.75
Aug '15 1003.00 986.75 988.75 -5.25
Sep '15 986.00 971.50 973.25 -4.75
Nov '15 974.50 959.25 961.00 -4.75
Jan '16 979.50 965.75 966.75 -4.75
Mar '16 979.50 972.75 972.50 -5.00
May '16 976.00 -5.00
Arkansas Daily Grain Report
FOB Memphis Elevator Crops
Soybean Comment
Soybeans were un able to hold onto yesterdays gains. Weakness in outside markets spilled over into this
market pulling prices lower. The market is anxiously awaiting tomorrows export sales report which prices
need to see growing demand to have support. Recent news continues to be bearish for soybean prices and
this market still has the potential to test $9 in the coming months.

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Wheat
High Low
Cash Bids 515 452
New Crop -- --
Mar '15 542.50 532.50 533.75 -3.00
May '15 545.25 535.75 537.25 -2.75
Jul '15 548.50 539.50 540.75 -2.75
Sep '15 555.75 547.75 548.50 -2.75
Dec '15 567.50 559.25 560.25 -2.25
Mar '16 569.75 569.75 566.50 -2.25
May '16 565.75 -2.50
Jul '16 555.00 554.75 553.50 -1.25
Sep '16 556.25 -1.00
Wheat Comment
Wheat prices continued their march lower today. Prices have yet to find any fundamental support. Look
for this market to test lows around $5 this spring, unless some major conflict can pull prices higher. If you
haven’t priced wheat yet, watch for a technical rally over the next week that could offer you an
opportunity to price some wheat.

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Grain Sorghum
High Low
Cash Bids 483 373
New Crop -- --
Corn
High Low
Cash Bids 412 360
New Crop 411 386
Mar '15 390.50 382.50 383.75 -4.25
May '15 398.25 390.50 392.00 -3.75
Jul '15 405.00 397.50 399.25 -3.25
Sep '15 410.50 403.75 405.25 -3.00
Dec '15 418.00 411.50 413.25 -2.25

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Mar '16 425.75 419.75 422.00 -1.75
May '16 427.75 426.25 428.25 -1.50
Jul '16 434.25 431.00 432.50 -1.50
Sep '16 424.50 -0.25
Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower again today. While outside market remain a negative for prices, corn prices
continue to only see modest losses as the market remains concerned about acreage. Current estimates
between 88 and 90 million acres allow little room for reduced yields. If this market were to endure
another drought the market would quickly go through the 1.9 billion bushel carryover. The smaller the
acreage the more concerned the market will become with weather in 2015. At the same time, if we harvest
another record corn crop in 2015 we would experience another build up in stocks in 2015.
Cotton
Mar '15 58.4 57.58 57.76 -0.25
May '15 59.19 58.41 58.65 -0.23
Dec '15 62.11 61.57 61.71 -0.26
Memphis, TN Cotton and Tobacco Programs
Cotton Comment
Cotton futures traded in a relatively narrow range on either side of unchanged before settling lower. There
was no new export report to react to today, is it was delayed until tomorrow due to the MLK holiday on

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Monday. March and May set a new low again today. Previous support of 57.84 cents on the monthly
continuation was violated during selloff this week. Bearish news out of China sparked the selloff, as
December imports were down 57% from a year earlier and were a five-year low.
Rice
High Low
Long Grain Cash Bids - - - 1055/cwt
Long Grain New Crop - - - 1053/cwt
Mar '15 1135.0 1115.5 1116.0 -21.0
May '15 1156.5 1141.5 1141.5 -20.5
Jul '15 1165.0 -20.0
Sep '15 1133.0 -15.0
Nov '15 1143.0 -15.0
Jan '16 1161.0 -25.5
Mar '16 1161.0 -25.5
Rice Comment
Rice futures turned lower again today with no new export report to react to. The market did manage to
hold above support at last week's new contract lows. For March, that level is $11.06 and for May support
is $11.36 1/2. Weak demand globally has resulted in the lowest price for Vietnamese rice in over 10
months, and prices in Pakistan are even lower, providing plenty of competition for U.S. origin rice and
keeping a lid on prices here.

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Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle: High Low Last Change
Feb '15 154.950 153.000 153.450 -0.250
Apr '15 153.600 151.450 151.900 +0.025
Jun '15 147.300 145.375 145.700 0.000
Aug '15 146.100 144.275 144.700 -0.175
Oct '15 148.525 146.825 147.175 -0.025
Dec '15 149.350 147.700 148.000 0.000
Feb '16 148.850 147.350 147.950 +0.375
Apr '16 149.250 148.100 148.150 +0.150
Jun '16 143.800 142.500 142.500 +1.250
Feeders: High Low Last Change
Jan '15 217.050 215.400 216.450 +0.750
Mar '15 208.375 204.575 206.225 +0.925
Apr '15 209.150 205.675 207.250 +0.900
May '15 210.000 206.725 208.250 +0.900
Aug '15 211.625 208.750 209.925 +0.525
Sep '15 211.125 209.150 209.150 +0.150
Oct '15 210.250 208.075 208.175 +0.575
Nov '15 208.200 206.650 207.075 +1.075

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Arkansas Prices
Charlotte Livestock Auction
Green Forest Livestock Auction
Ratcliff Livestock Auction
Oklahoma City
El Reno Livestock Market, El Reno, OK
Cattle Comment
Cattle prices remain weak, but seemed to have found support near 150 for live cattle and 200 for feeders.
This market remains technically oversold and should see a rally in the coming days. The fundamentals
will determine if this rally can be sustained as we await the inventory report later this month.
Hogs
Feb '15 73.525 70.800 71.300 -1.050
Apr '15 75.100 71.975 72.400 -1.825
May '15 81.725 78.875 79.125 -1.850
Jun '15 85.150 82.275 82.600 -1.550
Jul '15 84.925 82.250 82.600 -1.450
Aug '15 84.700 82.000 82.300 -1.600
Oct '15 73.900 71.775 72.575 -0.850
Dec '15 69.725 67.900 68.900 -0.300
Feb '16 70.450 69.575 69.575 -0.875

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Rice exports in Q1 to reach 900,000 tonnes
Rice exporters are expected to ship 900,000 tonnes of the grain abroad in the first quarter of this
year.Under plans drawn up for 2015 by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), rice exports for
the whole year will reach 7 million tonnes.Nguyen Hung Linh, VFA Chairman, said local
exporters have not signed many contracts because local rice prices have been higher than average
world prices, reported the Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam (Vietnam Economic Times) newspaper.But,
as the winter-spring crop approaches harvest time, traders are likely to step up purchases because
of reasonable prices when supply increases, he said.
However, the association has also said that this year will also see a drop in Vietnam's rice
exports to key markets.A recent report in the Thoi bao Ngan hang (Banking Times) said that rice
exports to China will see the steepest fall because of the Chinese Government's policies on
controlling trade via border gates.Meanwhile, export of Vietnamese rice to African markets will
plunge 60 percent, as it did in 2014, said the VFA.The main reason for this drop is that African
nations are buying considerable amounts of cheap and low-quality rice from Thailand and India,
and Vietnamese companies are unable to compete with them.
The two countries have large inventories of low-quality rice and they plan to sell several dozen
tones of this in 2015.Regarding other key export markets, the VFA estimates that the Philippines,
Malaysia and Indonesia will import from Vietnam 1.7, 1.1 and 1.3 million tonnes respectively in
2015.If Vietnam's rice exporters can take advantage of the regional situation and cut selling
prices, they can increase shipments this year by as much as 2.1 million tonnes to the three
markets, the VFA said.In 2014, Vietnam exported 6.32 million tonnes of rice, earning 2.8 million
USD, to become the third largest rice exporter in the world, after Thailand and India, according
to the association.
VNA
Tags:Rice exports,
Mahama: Ghana striving to be net rice producer
President John Mahama has said Ghana is still striving to become a net producer of rice so as to
reduce the amount of rice imported from outside.He told Ghanaians in Germany Tuesday that:
“We are investing to increase rice production. We’ve brought improved seeds from all over the
world, and we are encouraging rice farmers to produce more rice and so we are seeing an
increase in rice production. From 2012 to 2013, we increased rice production by 60 percent, but
still we are importing a lot of rice. We are not yet a net producer of rice to feed our own market,”
Mr Mahama said.The President said once the country becomes self-sufficient in rice production,

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it will further reduce the amount of foreign exchange expended by the Government to import
rice, poultry and other products from outside.
“Today chicken and rice and potato chips and things are becoming the natural fair for Ghanaians
and because we are not producing enough of it we have to spend dollars importing these and so
of course when the Cedi to Dollar rate varies, it makes the cost of rice more expensive, but we
are even investing in these areas,” the President said.Speaking at the 30th National Best Farmers
Day Award ceremony at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western region Friday December 5, 2014, the
President said Ghana currently imports rice to the tune of US$500million every year.“The last
statistics was US$470million worth of rice,” the President decried as he urged Ghanaians to eat
what they grow.Apart from rice, US$1 billion of other produce, which are produced in Ghana or
can easily be produced in Ghana are also imported.
Meanwhile, the country’s yearly exports hover around US$13 billion while its imports bill stands
at about US$17 billion.The President said the development in local rice production means “we
are growing more local rice and you can see the attractiveness of the rice industry by the
investment that has started to be made by the private sector in this industry.”“Several private
sector business people have set up rice milling plants in various parts of the country and are
buying locally produced rice and milling it not only for our local market but also for export.“And
it is my belief that if this trend continues, Ghana should become a net exporter of rice in the next
few years,” President Mahama said.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/artikel.php?ID=343575
Adamas denies involvement in G2G rice deal
The Nation January 22, 2015 2:34 pm
Listed Adamas Corp today clarified that its subsidiary, Kitha Properties Co Ltd, has no
involvement in the government-to-government rice deal.The statement followed the National
Anti-Corruption Commission's decision on Tuesday to indict a number of individuals and
companies alleged to have involved in the controversial G2G rice deal.Kitha was held as an
accomplice."The Company would like to clarify that Kitha has confirmed that it has not involved
in the actions or procedures described as the wrongdoings.
From its inception, Kitha undertake real estate development business only and has never
undertaken rice trading or purchase or sell rice. Kitha have not been informed of the indictment
resolution from the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission or other agencies. If we
receive any additional relevant information, we will inform the Stock Exchange of Thailand
accordingly," Adamas' chief executive officer Panchai Aroonpairoj said in the statement.

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Adamas took over Kitha in July 2014 at the cost of Bt800 million.
Adamas' share trading is suspended as of today.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Adamas-denies-involvement-in-G2G-rice-deal-
30252440.html
Nigeria will become net rice exporter if re-elected, says
jonathan
January 22, 2015 | Filed under: Real Sector | Author: Editor
President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to put in place policies and programmes that will
make Nigeria a major rice exporting nation if re-elected in February.He also restated the
commitment of the Federal Government to reactivate all the moribund industries in Kano. He
made the remark while addressing party supporters at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP)
presidential campaign rally held at the Polo Ground on Wednesday in Kano. President Jonathan,
who is the PDP’s presidential candidate, also assured of his intention to ensure that Nigeria
joined the league of nations declared polio free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Jonathan particularly promised to work with the governor of Kano State to ensure that
agriculture is given all the attention required.According to him, the development of agriculture
would go a long way in boosting the creation of new employment, as well as reduction of
mountingpoverty being experienced among the young people in the state.He thanked the people
of the state for coming out en masse to participate in the political rally, and also commended the
youths in the northern part of the country for making a contribution of N2 million for the
purchase of his nomination form.In the same vein, the president promised to work towards
ensuring that Kano, which was known as a centre of commerce, regained its glory as an active
business centre.
He used the occasion to condole with the people of the state over the demise of Ado Bayero, the
late Emir of Kano and paid glowing tributes to previous Nigerian leaders from the state, such as
the late General Murtala Mohammed for their contributions to nation building.Speaking earlier,
during the campaign, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sabo debunked what he described as
insinuation in some quarters that President Jonathan regime is against the northern people.
http://businessdayonline.com/2015/01/nigeria-will-become-net-rice-exporter-if-re-elected-says-
jonathan/#.VMLOMtLF_Jc

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Modi-picked panel wants India to get nimble on grains
exports
BY MAYANK BHARDWAJ AND RATNAJYOTI DUTTA
NEW DELHI Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:00pm IST
A worker carries a ladder past sacks filled with wheat at a Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouse in
Morinda in Punjab February 20, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/AJAY VERMA/FILES
(Reuters) - India needs to become more nimble in allowing wheat and
rice exports from overstocked government silos if it wants to cut waste
and get the best price for its grains, a panel appointed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi recommended.Despite stocks that are often
more than double the government's target, India exports only about 10
percent of its wheat and rice output of 195 million tonnes.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), a government
behemoth set up 60 years ago after acute food shortages
forced India to import, sits on mounds of rice and wheat
thanks to bumper harvests since 2007. "Because of
bureaucracy, we take a long time to agree on exports and
market dynamics change by then, thwarting our efforts to
make the best out of attractive prices abroad," Shanta
Kumar, chief of the panel, said after unveiling the report
on Thursday.Currently the government takes a call on
exports and local sales after a lengthy consultation process.
The panel would like the FCI to abolish regional offices, focus on key states for procurement,
invest in computerisation and bring in technical and managerial expertise from the private
sector.A nimble-footed FCI will help us earn precious foreign exchange and save a lot of money
that is blocked in terms of extra grains stocks that is prone to pest attack and wastage," said
Ashok Gulati, a noted economist and a member of the panel.Modi, who formed the panel in
August to suggest an overhaul of India's theft-prone food distribution network, has asked the
food ministry to examine the recommendations before acting on the report.India, the world's

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biggest rice and wheat producer after China, runs a mammoth $18.64 billion food welfare
programme.
But nearly half of the ultra-cheap rice and wheat meant for the poor is either wasted or stolen,
according to various experts.The panel also suggested the government scale down its food
distribution programme by covering only 40 percent of the population, instead of 67 percent.
However, it favoured a higher monthly allocation of 7 kg per person against 5 kg now.Lowering
the number of beneficiaries could save India 330 billion rupees ($5.35 billion) a year in
subsidies, said Kumar, a former food minister. But the move could potentially anger millions of
voters enjoying cheap grains and would require the approval of India's partisan parliament."It's
not an easy task to reduce the level of beneficiaries as a host of procedural hurdles will have to
be crossed before accepting the latest recommendations," said B.C. Barah, a New Delhi-based
agriculture economist.
($1 = 61.6300 Indian rupees)
(Editing by Krishna N. Das and Michael Urquhart)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/india-food-exports-idINKBN0KV1A420150122
Rice losses likely to top B682bn
Published: 22 Jan 2015 at 08.00
Newspaper section: Business
Writer: Wichit Chantanusornsiri
Financial losses incurred from rice subsidy schemes dating back to 2004 are likely to exceed the
estimated 682 billion baht, says the Finance Ministry. If rising depreciation and missing milled
rice from warehouses are taken into account, the combined losses will be higher than the recent
estimate, finance permanent secretary Rungson Sriworasat said yesterday.The subcommittee
overseeing accounting affairs of all rice subsidy schemes earlier estimated losses from buying 84
million tonnes of milled rice in the 15 schemes from 2004-14 amounted to 682 billion baht, with
the Yingluck Shinawatra government's programme alone accounting for 518 billion.
But that estimate did not take into account depreciation or missing rice from warehouses
inspected by a team working for PM's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul.According to the
inspection of 17 million tonnes of milled rice bought under the previous government's scheme,
only 2.19 million tonnes were deemed of standard quality and classified as Grade A rice.Some
14.4 million tonnes were judged to be substandard Grade B, while the rest was classified as
Grade C because it was either rotten or had been registered incorrectly.The rice-pledging scheme
was a major policy that helped to sweep Ms Yingluck to power in the 2011 general

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election.However, its guaranteed purchase of every single grain at a pledging price of 40-50%
above market prices incurred a substantial cost to taxpayers.
Thailand also lost its crown as the world's biggest rice exporter, as the scheme, which ran for five
crops, encouraged farmers to grow low-quality rice that normally took less time to cultivate.The
joint committee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Office of the
Attorney-General on Tuesday agreed to press criminal charges against Ms Yingluck for alleged
dereliction of duty in overseeing the rice scheme and causing massive damage to the state.
The NACC also recommended that former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his ex-
deputy Poom Sarapol and 19 others be indicted for graft for their roles in government-to-
government rice sales.Manas Jamveha, director-general of the Comptroller-General's
Department, said his department, which is responsible for seeking compensation from those
alleged to have caused damage to the state, was awaiting the Commerce Ministry's
report."Damaged state agencies must submit a summary report of the charge to verify all
information," he said."They must set up a committee to launch the probe again before arranging
the report."
Source with thanks:The Bangkok Post
One million tonnes of rice on auction
Online news: News
Writer: Online Reporters
The Commerce Ministry is auctioning off a total of one million tonnes of rice to domestic buyers
on the condition that winning bidders must take all the grain in whatever warehouse stockpile
they buy. An official takes a sample from a sack of rice to check on its quality. (Bangkok Post
file photo)
The first auction for 2015 is scheduled on Jan 29, with
the ministry to offer 850,000 tonnes of 5% white rice
and 150,000 tonns of fragrant rice stored in warehouses
of the Public Warehouse Organisation and the
Marketing Organisation for Farmers.The ministry is
arranging the sale through the Foreign Trade
Department, which handles domestic and foreign sales
of the government stockpile.The auction terms were
explained to a large group of potential bidders on
Thursday.
Bangjoingitt Angsusinght, the department’s deputy director-general, said interested people can
check the quality of rice offered for the auction at the listed warehouses.The department will
announce a minimum bidding price and if all offers are lower than that price, the auction for that
particular warehouse will be cancelled. Under the plan, the ministry expects to dispose of 17

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million tonnes of rice left in its stockpile, accumulated from the implementation of rice pledging
scheme, within two years, with a major portion of about 10 million tonnes to be sold this
year.However, some potential participants in the auction said they were worried about the quality
of the rice as each warehouse kept grain from different sources, so it might not meet their
required standard.
Rice scheme damaging, corrupt political tactic, says NACC
Online news: Politics
Writer: Online Reporters
The rice-pledging scheme of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government was a
damaging political tactic to help her party to win a general election and rise to power, and to
benefit corrupt associates, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) told the National
Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is hounded by reporters as she arrives at the
parliament to deliver her closing statement in defence of her government's rice pledging scheme
on Thursday. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
Presenting the NACC's closing statement in its impeachment case against Ms Yingluck,
commissioner Vicha Mahakun said Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party had campaigned for votes by
promising to give rice growers 15,000 baht per tonne of rice under its proposed rice-pledging
scheme.The promised price was twice the then market price of 7,500 baht per tonne. This
campaign promise was clearly a populist policy to ensure Pheu Thai's election victory, to form a
new government in place of the previous administration of former prime minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva, he said.Mr Vicha said that in fact the "rice-pledging" scheme was not a pledging
scheme at all, because the offered rate was far higher than the market price and no rice growers
who pledged their rice would ever redeem it for less.
He said the Yingluck government called it a "rice-pledging" scheme only to prevent the
government from being considered a rice trader in its own right with a monopoly because of the
high price offered for the grain.Mr Vicha also said that the rice-pledging scheme led to policy-
based corruption, because rice in the government's stockpiles had been sold largely to associates
at low prices, and these people later made huge profits from selling the grain at high prices.
s Yingluck's government had tried to cover up by claiming that it had released the rice under
government-to-government deals which actually had not existed, Mr Vicha said.

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NACC member Vicha Mahakun delivers his anti-graft panel's closing statement. (Photo by
Chanat Katanyu)
He also said that the NACC and the Office of the Auditor
General had repeatedly urged her government to stop the rice
scheme because it would cause endless losses to the state.He
said the implementation of the rice scheme from 2011 to 2014
resulted in a posted loss of 518 billion baht, meaning about
200 billion baht per year or 17 billion baht per month, and the
state would take about three decades to repay the debts
resulting from the loss incurred using the taxpayers' money.
Rice growers had committed suicide because they had fallen into financial strife while being
forced to wait too too long for the pledged-rice money from the loss-ridden scheme of Ms
Yingluck's government, Mr Vicha said.In her closing statement, Ms Yingluck told the NLA that
the impeachment case should not have been brought against her because the 2007 constitution
that allowed the impeachment had already been revoked.She also said that the impeachment
could lead to the five-year suspension of her political rights and that would unfairly limit her
fundamental rights.She rejected the NACC's statement that it had spent one year and 10 months
investigating the rice scheme. Actually, she said, the anti-graft panel had done it in only slightly
over three months.
Ms Yingluck also said that she had received reservations about her rice
scheme from concerned organisations, but those letters had not urged her
to halt the scheme. A letter calling for the end of the scheme, from the
Office of the Auditor General, arrived after she had dissolved the House
of Representatives, she said.She also complained that the NACC
accepted her political opponents as witnesses in its investigation while rejecting several key
witnesses that she had proposed.The former prime minister denied that her rice-pledging scheme
caused national damage. On the contrary, she said, it had benefited the national economy by
increasing farmers' incomes and their spending stimulated the economy.
Ms Yingluck makes her closing statement. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
The rice scheme had put extra money into circulation in the national economy,
308 billion baht in the 2011/2012 crop season and 315 billion baht in the
2012/2013 season, Ms Yingluck said.The scheme acceptably consumed no
more than five percent of the annual national budget, while helping take good
care of 20 million farmers, she said.As the economy was stimulated by this
money entering circulation, the national economy recovered and the

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government could generate more revenue through taxation, she said.Ms Yingluck denied the
NACC accusation that the rice scheme allowed her government to monopolise the rice trade in
the country. She said only half the total rice yield had entered the rice-pledging scheme.
Ms Yingluck also denied that she ignored reservations expressed about the project. She said that
after receiving the warnings, she launched a corruption investigation and surveillance of the
scheme's implementation.She also argued that the implementation of the rice-pledging scheme
involved so many ministers and committees she had assigned to handle it, it was unfair for her to
face prosecution alone.NLA president Pornphet Wichitcholchai scheduled the NLA's vote on the
impeachment case for Friday Jan 23,the same day as the vote on the impeachment cases against
former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij and former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont on
their constitutional amendment case.The NLA will sit at 10am, and will vote first on the cases
involving Mr Nikom and Mr Somsak.
Genetically Modified Rice on trial at Nobewam since April
2013
A Genetically Modified Rice which has been on trial at a confined environment at Nobewam in
the Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of Ashanti since April 2013 is expected to be released to farmers
upon approval by the National Biosafety Committee.The Genetically Modified Rice under trial
has proved to be nitrogen, water use efficient and salt tolerant is a project being undertaken by
the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research at Fumesua in
Ashanti. Correspondent Thomas Nsowah-Adjei was there for Radio Ghana.The partners in the
project are the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Kenya, Atadia Biosciences in the
US and the National Cereals Research Institute in Nigeria.
In order to make the outcome of the research experiment secure and safe for public consumption,
the field is confined and protected from human and animal interference such that apart from the
research scientists and the staff, no foreign interference including birds is allowed into the
confined environment.The Confined Field Trial rice which is ready for harvest involve rice
plants that have been genetically modified or transformed to utilize nitrogen efficiently while
others have three stack genes developed to do well on drought environment, salty soil, and lack
of fertilizer nitrogen.The aim is to help rice farmers in Ghana and other developing countries in
Africa and Asia with rice varieties that can withstand the three stresses and climate in an effort to
address food insecurity.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 19 of 30
A Plant Breeder and a Principal Investigator of the Project, Dr Maxwell Asante noted that the
purpose was to research into GM rice that can perform well under nitrogen fertilizer levels that
are lower than the recommended rate and give at least 15 percent yield advantage over the non
GM version of the rice.He said the identified rice when confirmed shall be recommended to the
National Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers after testing.Dr Asante said
when the approval is given the genes that make the GM Rice nitrogen-use efficient will then be
transferred to other popular varieties in Ghana through conventional breeding methods.The
Director of the CRI, Dr Mrs. Stella Ennin said there is nothing frightening about GMOs. What is
significant about GMOs is that they improve upon varieties of existing crops to enhance
production and subsequently address food insecurity in Ghana.
GBC
http://www.gbcghana.com/1.1965702
AFAN Expresses Optimism In 2015 Rice Target
Posted by admin on Jan 23rd, 2015 and filed under Business. You can follow any responses to
this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.National
Technical Adviser, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Dr. Tunde Arosanyin has
expressed optimism on the country’s ability to meet the 2015 target for self-sufficiency in rice
production.Arosanyin expressed the hope in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in
Abuja.He said the efforts of the Federal Government and the farmers to meet the target were in
the right direction.He called on states and local governments to complement the efforts of the
Federal Government to make the goal realistic.“All hands must be on deck to ensure that the
target is achieved.
“The commercial farmers are coming up but we need
to see more indigenous commercial farmers in rice
production.“Some of the states that have economic
advantage on rice production should ensure they
keyed into the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
where there are so many agricultural investors.“I
really don’t see the need for Nigeria to be importing
rice, maize, sugar or wheat, we must look inwards to
salvage our economy,” he told reporters.
“We must initiate how to become exporters of food items to reduce unemployment and also
address the issue of food security.’’The AFAN technical adviser urged state governments to
create an enabling environment where farmers could exhibit their potential to attract
investors.The Tide source recalls that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr

www.ricepluss.com
Page 20 of 30
Akinwumi Adesina, had in 2013 said that Nigeria would be self-sufficient in rice production by
2015.Adesina noted that the country, a major consumer and importer of rice in Africa, was
spending over N1 billion daily and N356 billion annually on rice importation.
The minister said the high import cost of rice must be reduced drastically.Dr Olukayode
Oyeleye, the Special Assistant to the minister, said in 2013 that the Federal Government had
provided quality seeds as well as other input to support rice farmers.He said the country had
begun a rice revolution and produced nearly 50 per cent of all its rice needs in just a
year.Oyeleye added that the private sector also responded with 14 new rice mills and made high
quality local rice available in 2013.
http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2015/01/23/afan-expresses-optimism-in-2015-rice-target/
Driverless tractor proving itself in Australia
By Rich Keller, Editor, Ag Professional January 20, 2015 | 4:00 pm EST
Trials of a robotic driverless tractor are looking
good in Australia. The work is a joint program
among Rice Research Australia, Japanese
companies Hitachi Zosen Corporation and
Yanmar Co. and three Australian universities. The
study seeks to verify that advanced positioning
signals transmitted from Japan’s Quasi-Zenith
Satellite System can be used in precision farming,
reports Roderick Makim for the Australian and
British emphasis publication, The Land."It is
meeting all expectations...it's accuracy is very good," Makim quoted Rice Research Australia
Manager Russell Ford as saying.
"It seems a bit out there, but when you see it, you realize it's not far away (from being widely
used by farmers).”But once he was quoted as saying its not that far away, Ford was further
quoted as suggesting not far away is something like 10 to 15 years before being “a reality.”The
potential of driverless tractors has already been proven by U.S. equipment manufacturers for
some specific tasks such as running side by side with a moving combine for grain to be unloaded
into a tender grain trailer.All types of crop production practices are being investigated in
Australia for use of the driverless tractor such as cultivation, spreading fertilizer and even
operating crop sensors to detect plant nitrogen levels as it proceeds through a field. Many more
trials are planned.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 21 of 30
http://www.agprofessional.com/news/driverless-tractor-proving-itself-australia
CSIR harvests fourth batch of genetically modified rice
Wednesday, 21 January 2015The Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has
harvested its fourth batch of genetically-
modified (GM) rice cultivated at Nobewam in
the Ashanti Region for confined field trials
(CFTs).The rice project, dubbed “NEWEST”,
started in April 2013 after an approval was given
by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC)
under the Biosafety Law (Act 831), to regulate
the production of GM improved seeds in the
country.
Briefing the media after a visit to the CFTs at Nobewam in the Ejisu –Juaben District, the
Principal Investigator of the CSIR, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, said the fourth harvest had
revealed a “lead event” in the outcome of the trials, which, he said, would be recommended to
the Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers in Ghana after testing.“The
NEWEST rice lines had been developed to handle drought, salty soils, lack of fertiliser nitrogen,
and also handle climatic change”, he said.
The project is partnered by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AAFT) in Kenya,
Arcadia Biosciences in the USA, the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia,
the NARO-National Crops Resource Institute in Uganda, the National Cereals Research Institute,
Nigeria, and the USAID.Dr Asante said he was hopeful that the analysis of the harvested rice
seeds would be completed before the end of the year. However, he said, it would take three to
five years before the produce would leave the confined field to be produced on commercial scale
by conventional farmers.
The Head of Biotechnology Research Programme at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Dr
Mariam Quain, called on Ghanaians to embrace the use of biotechnology in agriculture
production to ensure increased crop yields.Biotechnology, she said, was a tool employed by
scientists to improve the genetic make-up of organisms to produce improved seeds.She stressed
the need for the country to have improved means of production of food in order to meet the
increased demand of the populace, coupled with climatic change and increased pressure on
limited arable lands.Dr Quain said the introduction of genetic engineering (GE) would beef up

www.ricepluss.com
Page 22 of 30
agriculture production, and also improve the livelihood and income of farmers, as well as the
country’s economic situation.
“Currently, GE crops are grown on commercial scale in 27 countries, including 19 developing
and eight industrial countries,” she added.She said so far, Burkina Faso was growing GE cotton
on commercial scale, which, she said, had enabled them to reduce the application of pesticides
on the field from six sprayings to two from planting to harvest, coupled with the quality cotton
they harvested.
Rice exports post 3.46pc growth in first two quarters
Thursday, 22 January 2015 19:24
Posted by Imaduddin
ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the country during first
two quarters of current financial year witnessed 3.46
percent growth as compared to the corresponding period of
last year. During the period from July-December, 2014
about 1,781,401 metric tons of rice worth $976.784 million
exported as compared to 1,709,883 metric tons valuing
$944.077 million exported in same period of last financial
year.According the latest figures released by Pakistan
Bureau of Statistics (PBS), exports of basmati rice
recorded 2.63 percent increase as about 260,481 metric tons of basmati rice worth $302.265
million exported as compared to the 269,272 metric tons valuing $294.517 million of same
period last year.
Meanwhile, the exports of rice other then basmati also grew by 3.84 per Percent and reached at
1,520,920 metric tons costing $674.519 million which stood at 1,440,611 metric tons valuing
$649.560 million during same period last year.However, the data reveled that exports of fruit and
vegetables from the country during the period under review remained on down track as their
exports witnessed 3.29 percent and 25.23 percent decrease respectively.From July-December,
country was managed to export 256,146 metric tons of fruit worth $189.136 million which was
recorded at 345,791 metric tons valuing $204.875 million of corresponding period of last year.
Vegetables exports was recorded at 167,648 metric tons during the period under review as
compared to the 244,365 metric tons of same period last year, the data added.During the period
under review, sugar exports posted 0.46 percent growth And reached at 204,711 metric tons
valuing $98.652 million as compared to the exports of 208,438 metric tons worth $98.202
million of same period last year.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 23 of 30
Source with thanks:The Business Record Pakistan
United Airlines to Serve Up New Premium-Cabin Dining
Experience on North America Flights
Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:01am EST
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.
- All-new meals and snacks coming to mainline flights within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean
and leisure markets in Mexico
- Airline to also add meals to shorter flights, expand mid-continental and transcontinental meal
service and offer customers greater variety
PR Newswire
CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2015
CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines will treat premium-cabin customers
on flights within North America to a brand new dining experience beginning Feb. 1, when the
airline elevates everything from entrees to desserts and lighter snacks for United First and United
Business customers.Additionally, United will expand North America premium-cabin meal
service to include flights of at least 800 miles - or as short as two hours and 20 minutes -
increasing the number of flights on which customers may enjoy meals. The airline will also offer
a greater variety of dining choices.These changes come as United is making a multi-million-
dollar investment in in-flight food service.
Premium-Cabin Dining Changes
Created by United's team of chefs and inspired by cuisine in the airline's hub cities and other
popular North American destinations, United will introduce flavorful new entrees, including
cage-free scrambled eggs prepared skillet style with pepper-jack cheese, sauteed pepper mix,
sliced New Mexico sausage, potato gratin and fire-roasted pepper sauce; lobster macaroni and
cheese with a baked crumb topping and side of broccoli rabe; and chicken and sausage
jambalaya with white rice and green onions.
Other changes include:
For short flights that offer lighter refreshments, the addition of new breakfast breads in the
morning and a rotation of 25 new premium snacks in the afternoon and evening;
On meal flights less than four hours, a variety of enhanced breakfast choices, such as French
toast souffle or steel-cut oatmeal, both paired with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt, plus new dinner
selections, including tandoori chicken with basmati rice and paneer, to replace the current
premium sandwich options;
An expanded mid-continental meal service on flights of four hours to five hours and 19 minutes,
offering customers who now get two entree options a choice of three, such as creole shrimp

www.ricepluss.com
Page 24 of 30
served with Carolina grits, and a dessert of sorbet with mint-leaf topping during lunch or gelato
or ice cream for dinner;
New multi-course meal service on transcontinental and Hawaii flights, featuring heartier entrees,
such as tamale-stuffed chicken wrapped in a corn husk and served with creamy corn sauce,
roasted red and yellow tomatoes and yucca sticks, followed by sorbet during lunch or gelato or
ice cream for dinner; and
Signature bake-on-board cookies in customer-chosen flavors, including triple-chocolate chunk,
served for dessert on short- and medium-haul flights that offer meals, or as an afternoon or
evening pre-arrival treat on transcontinental flights and flights that link Hawaii with Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Houston.
United will also continue to offer premium-cabin customers Prosecco sparkling wine and - on
lunch and dinner flights - the airline's signature warmed nuts.
"Our customers tell us they want greater options and fresh, savory dining choices when they fly
with us," said Lynda Coffman, United's vice president of food services. "With these latest
enhancements, we will offer restaurant-quality cuisine that enriches their in-flight experience."•
In-flight Dining Investments
United will continue to make investments in its customers' in-flight dining. Beginning in March
and throughout the rest of this year, the company will:
Upgrade premium-cabin meal service on United Express flights, replacing snack boxes with
freshly prepared food served on chinaware on flights of at least 800 miles - or as short as two
hours and 20 minutes - and offering a selection of premium packaged snacks on flights less than
800 miles;
Significantly enhance United Economy meals and beverages on long-haul international flights,
including adding multi-course meal service;
Refresh its Choice Menu Bistro on Board selection, which offers fresh food for sale in
United Economy on most flights scheduled for more than three-and-a-half hours within North
America, to Central and northern South America and betweenHonolulu and Guam; and
Launch new premium-cabin menu choices on its p.s. Premium Service between New York JFK
and Los Angeles and New York JFK and San Francisco.
The Reuters
Eyeing Rs 1500 crore turnover in FY15: Kohinoor Foods
Kohinoor Foods Basmati rice exports increased by 27 percent from Rs 296 crore to Rs 375 crore and
foods sales have increased by 24 percent from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore said Gurnam Arora of Kohinoor
Foods. 7 0Google +0 1Comments (2) Midcap Radar 01:30 pm Right now the prices of Basmati have
decreased quite a bit but still the orders are very good so we will be able to increase volumes a little bit
than last year. GURNAM ARORA Joint MD Kohinoor Foods Gurnam Arora, Joint MD of Kohinoor
Foods talking about growth outlook said the company is eyeing Rs 1475 crore turnover in FY15 on back
of strong orders and improvement in domestic sales.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 25 of 30
Going forward he expects steady growth momentum of order inflows from Iran. Total export sales have
increased from Rs 417 crore to Rs 465 crore from April to September end. The December quarter did
very well in terms of sales, says Arora. Traditionally, second half is a strong for the company but this time
the Basmati rice prices were 30-40% cheaper than last year because of bumper crop. However, he expects
the uptick in volume growth to compensate for lower prices in the second half.
Basmati rice exports have increased by 27 percent from Rs 296 crore to Rs 375 crore and foods sales have
increased by 24 percent from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore. Below is the transcript of Gurnam Arora
interview with Ekta Batra & Nigel D'Souza on CNBC-TV18. Nigel: The stock is higher in today’s
session. There is some talk that with inflation pressures easing there could be higher discretionary spends
and may be you stand to gain from that. Give us the break up of your domestic as well as exports in terms
of revenues? Do you believe that in fact the domestic story as well is improving? A: You see the Basmati
rice export has increased by 27 percent from Rs 296-375 crore and food sales has increased by 24 percent
from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore.
Totally the export sale has increased from Rs 417-465 crore till September. Ekta: This is from April to
September? A: Correct. Ekta: How is this December quarter done for you? A: It has done very well. Ekta:
What are the trends for the second half it is generally stronger seasonally I do understand for the rice
industry. What do you think you can clock in terms of volumes and prices as compared to that same time
last year? A: Right now the prices of Basmati have decreased quite a bit but still the orders are very good
so we will be able to increase volumes a little bit than last year. Ekta: You are saying that your volumes
will compensate on the price? A: Yes. Ekta: How much of a price decline have you seen and how much
of an incremental volume gain can you see? A: Our prices are about 30-40 percent cheaper than last year.
Ekta: Why is that? A: It is because of bumper crop of Basmati rice. Ekta: What about volumes? A: This
year we have increased our exports to 2-3 new clients which are quite big. We have taken over the Abu-
Dhabi municipal corporations business which is quite good and we have done good business in Iran.
Iran is banned now but some of our customers are still doing business with their old commitments so we
are doing fine for even the next quarter. Kohinoor Foods stock price On January 23, 2015, at 15:40 hrs
Kohinoor Foods was quoting at Rs 50.30, down Rs 4.35, or 7.96 percent. The 52-week high of the share
was Rs 61.20 and the 52-week low was Rs 37.95. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs
1.98 per share as per the quarter ended September 2014. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was
25.4. The latest book value of the company is Rs 137.64 per share. At current value, the price-to-book
value of the company is 0.37.
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/eyeing-rs-1500-crore-turnoverfy15-kohinoor-
foods_1279884.html?utm_source=ref_article

www.ricepluss.com
Page 26 of 30
The Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR) has harvested its fourth
batch of genetically-modified (GM) rice
cultivated at Nobewam in the Ashanti
Region for confined field trials (CFTs).The
rice project, dubbed “NEWEST”, started in
April 2013 after an approval was given by
the National Biosafety Committee (NBC)
under the Biosafety Law (Act 831), to
regulate the production of GM improved
seeds in the country.
Briefing the media after a visit to the CFTs at Nobewam in the Ejisu –Juaben District, the
Principal Investigator of the CSIR, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, said the fourth harvest had
revealed a “lead event” in the outcome of the trials, which, he said, would be recommended to
the Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers in Ghana after testing.
“The NEWEST rice lines had been developed to handle drought, salty soils, lack of fertiliser
nitrogen, and also handle climatic change”, he said.The project is partnered by African
Agricultural Technology Foundation (AAFT) in Kenya, Arcadia Biosciences in the USA, the
International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, the NARO-National Crops Resource
Institute in Uganda, the National Cereals Research Institute, Nigeria, and the USAID.Dr Asante
said he was hopeful that the analysis of the harvested rice seeds would be completed before the
end of the year. However, he said, it would take three to five years before the produce would
leave the confined field to be produced on commercial scale by conventional farmers.
Embrace GMOs
The Head of Biotechnology Research Programme at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Dr
Mariam Quain, called on Ghanaians to embrace the use of biotechnology in agriculture
production to ensure increased crop yields.Biotechnology, she said, was a tool employed by
scientists to improve the genetic make-up of organisms to produce improved seeds.She stressed
the need for the country to have improved means of production of food in order to meet the
increased demand of the populace, coupled with climatic change and increased pressure on
limited arable lands.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 27 of 30
Dr Quain said the introduction of genetic engineering (GE) would beef up agriculture
production, and also improve the livelihood and income of farmers, as well as the country’s
economic situation.“Currently, GE crops are grown on commercial scale in 27 countries,
including 19 developing and eight industrial countries,” she added.She said so far, Burkina Faso
was growing GE cotton on commercial scale, which, she said, had enabled them to reduce the
application of pesticides on the field from six sprayings to two from planting to harvest, coupled
with the quality cotton they harvested.
Image: The Principal Investigator, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, explaining a point to the media
during a GM-rice confined field trials (CFTs) at Nobewam. Picture: EMMANUEL BAAH.
21 January 2015 | Written by Emmanuel Baah |
http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/37266-csir-harvests-fourth-batch-of-genetically-
modified-rice.html#sthash.yPMqb5RV.dpuf
Rice Leadership Class Graduates Next Month
STUTTGART, AR- The 2013-2015 Rice Leadership
Development Class will hold the fourth and final session
of their two year program next month in Washington D.C.
The Session will be held at the same time as the USA Rice
Federation Government Affairs Conference and will allow the class members to observe the
leadership of the U.S. rice industry conducting their business meetings, as well as participating in
lobbing efforts on the Hill.Class members will also take part in meetings with various
government agencies that impact the U.S. rice industry, attend the World Market Price meeting,
and participate in a special graduation ceremony.
The class is made up of five rice producers: John Compton, Jennings, LA; Seth Fiack, Glenn,
CA; Mark Isbell, North Little Rock, AR; Steven Schuler, Woodland, CA; Joel Stevens,
Monticello, AR, and two industry representatives: Robb Dedman, Pro Ag Consulting, Inc.,
Rison, AR and Wes Long, RiceTec, Inc., Benton, AR.The Rice Leadership Development
Program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity
Company through a grant to the Rice Foundation and managed by the USA Rice Federation.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 28 of 30
Contact: Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541
USA Rice Federation
Announcement of 11th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014
Announcement: 20 January 2015
Tender: 23 January 2015
Offer details: 57,000 mt
Country
Specified or
Global
Non-
glutinous
milled rice
(medium
grain)
Non-
glutinous
milled rice
(long grain)
Glutinous
milled rice
(long grain)
Glutinous
broken rice
(long grain)
Thailand 7,000 7,000
U.S.A. 36,000 36,000
Global
Tender
14,000 14,000
36,000 21,000 0 0 57,000
Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for January 22
Month Price Net Change

www.ricepluss.com
Page 29 of 30
March 2015 $11.160 - $0.210
May 2015 $11.415 - $0.205
July 2015 $11.650 - $0.200
September 2015 $11.330 - $0.150
November 2015 $11.430 - $0.150
January 2016 $11.610 - $0.255
March 2016 $11.610 - $0.255
Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation
Mahyco expects marketing of Bt rice with high salt tolerance
from 2018
The company will work on multiple transgenic lines of rice under the aforesaid trials and expects to pick
the best out of them
BS Reporter | Hyderabad January 22, 2015 Last Updated at 20:42 IST
Hybrid seeds producer Mahyco today said its latest genetically modified Bt rice effective in
mitigating the impact of high salinity might see commercialisation from 2018-19.Having taken
up field trials in the Nizamabad district of Telangana, the company started the event selection
trial in a coastal area in Maharashtra two days ago. Mahyco claims there was a 15-20 rise in
yields when it was grown in highly saline soils.“It is an event selection trial. After this, we have
three more seasons of trials for two years for bio-safety research level I and II. Based on these
observations, if the states give the necessary permissions, we will start its commercial production
from 2018-19,” said Ritesh Mishra, lead for regulatory affairs at Maharashtra-based Mahyco.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 30 of 30
He said due to high levels of ground water utilisation and drought conditions, crop fields are
witnessing accumulation of salt of up to one feet and above.The company will work on multiple
transgenic lines of rice under the aforesaid trials and expects to pick the best out of them.Seed
researchers usually take up research in greenhouse conditions to start with, and take them
forward for field-level studies after seeking regulatory permission from the Centre and the state
governments.The company is also working on Bt chickpea that can minimise the crop damages
due to the commonly seen insect attack to 2-3 per cent.According to Bharat R Char, lead for
biotechnology at Mahyco, the Bt gene in chickpea controls the insect damaging the crop, and it is
the same insect that damages the cotton crop.
However, the gene used in Bt chickpea is slightly different from the one used in Bt cotton.On
permissions for this, Char said, “We have permissions for bio-safety research level I trials for the
next two rabi seasons. While we had applied for seven states, we got to know that Andhra
Pradesh has given the permission to do field trials in Kurnool and Kadapa.” It is also expecting
grant of permission soon from the Maharashtra government.It must be noted that though India is
the largest producer of chickpea in the world. it had been depending on imports to the extent of
3-4 million tonnes to the meet the total annual demand of 22 million tonnes. India is procuring
the protein-rich agri commodity from Canada and Tanzania

22nd january,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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22nd january,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine