News Headline

Thai farmers grow rice for life

Riverina farmers 'confused' by NSW Government water
allocation as dam levels strong
Korean Govt to Buy New Rice in Preemptive Measure to
Curb Oversupply
Chinas rice exports drop in Q1-Q3
NSW Government water allocation as dam levels strong
White, Red, Black or WildWhich Kind of Rice is Your
Favorite?
TABLE-India Grain Prices - Delhi - Oct 15
Burma to Begin Rice Exports to NE India
Matco Rice strengthens market presence
CRI experiment cultivation of genetically modified rice in
Ghana
Osh and Uzgen to host International Rice Festival
Millers yet to give 29000 MT rice
Basmati dispute between Pak traders, MP boils over
USA Rice Targets Mexican Gourmands at Expo
Mun River lowest in 20 years
Rice Prices
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
15
th
October, 2014
News Detail.

Thai farmers grow rice for
life

Xinhua
October 15, 2014

BANGKOK: Most Thai rice farmers are
used to producing rice for a living on a
permanent basis and cannot turn to doing
any occupation other than the rice-growing
business, said a leading Thai farmer. Thai
Rice Farmers Association president Vichian
Puanglamjeak was responding to the
military-led governments policy to reduce
quantitative production of rice in all regions
of Thailand and to prevent oversupply and
price slumps in both domestic and world
markets. But the associations chief told
Xinhua that millions of farmers nationwide
will not quit the rice farming as it is already
their permanent career.

Neither will they turn to other agricultural
occupations, albeit otherwise endorsed by
the government under non-elected Premier
Prayuth Chan-ocha, according to the
associations leader.We farm rice as a
lifetime occupation passed along from our
forebears. We do not know how to do any
job other than rice farming, at which we are
adeptly capable, Vichian said.If we turned
to growing soybeans, for instance, we might
unknowingly make a surplus of soybeans in
the market. Its price would certainly
plummet and we would undoubtedly suffer a
loss.

That being said, whats the essential
difference between growing rice and
producing an alternative crop? he
said.Instead of pressing the farmers in all
parts of the country to cut their rice output
and turn to other crops, the government
should find ways and means to secure new
rice markets and diversify rice products so
that oversupply of rice will not occur in the
future,said Vichian.Premier Prayuth earlier
declared his government policy would be to
stop subsidizing the farmers, as had been the
case with a populist rice program of
the previous government, to reduce the
acreages of rice farms and to set up the
zoning of them nationwide.

Besides the rice farmers, the premier also
plans to cut rubber plantations in all regions
of the country for price-bolstering reasons.In
order to prompt the rice farmers to reduce
production volumes, the government will
give cash as a compensation grant to an
estimated 1.9 million families of farmers
who currently possess a maximum of six
acres of farmland each and to some 660, 000
other families who currently own more than
six acres each.

Those who have a maximum of six acres
will be given 33.3 U.S. dollars for every 0.4
acre of their farm and those who have more
than six acres will be given a maximum of
500 dollars.They are meant either to cut
their quantitative production of rice or
entirely give up their rice-growing business
and turn to other crops such as sugarcane,
tapioca and maize, or to do other jobs,
according to the government policy,
primarily designed to slash a yearly volume
of Thai rice, which has reportedly amounted
to about 25 million tons.

But Vichian expressed his strong objection
to such a government policy.Even if the
rice prices increased in the domestic market
due to a remarkable drop in production
volumes, it would not necessarily assure that
the rice prices in the world market would
accordingly go up, he told Xinhua.He
added that the money which the government
will shortly begin to hand out to the farmers
will be far from enough to make ends meet,
let alone to repay their debts owed to the
Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural
Cooperatives, local savings cooperatives and
loan sharks.

The rice prices have considerably lowered
in the domestic market and the farmers have
sold much less than 500 dollars a ton. We
already earned less from the sales of our rice
and we might earn even less than now if our
production volume was slashed under such
government policy.
Who should be held responsible for such
predictable losses, which would very likely
put us in more trouble? he asked
rhetorically.
Riverina farmers 'confused' by
NSW Government water
allocation as dam levels strong
BY ENVIRONMENT AND SCIENCE REPORTER JAKE
STURMER IN GRIFFITHOctober 15, 2014, 6:03 pm
Rice Harvest
By RFD-TV News Staff
Watch the Rural Evening News Monday through
Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
October 14, 2014
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) Most of our
nation's rice comes from the Delta region of
Arkansas, Louisiana and the boot-heel of
Missouri. RFD-TV's Janet Adkison recently
met with a Missouri farmer to get an update
on his rice harvest and see how he uses his
equipment to his advantage. Learn more in
the story above.
SEE VIDEO:
http://www.rfdtv.com/story/26790446/rice
-harvest

Korean Govt to Buy New Rice
in Preemptive Measure to
Curb Oversupply

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Korea
Bizwire in Agriculture, Editor's
Choice, Food/Beverage, Policies & Politics

Rice fields in south korea (Wikimedia
Commons)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Korea Bizwire) The
government has decided to intervene in
South Koreas rice market as it announced it
would purchase up to 180,000 tons of rice to
ensure a stable national supply, its first
move since 2010.Growing worries that a
bumper crop of rice and a decline in rice
consumption may cause oversupply and
prices slump, prompted the Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs(MAFRA), to buy freshly harvested
rice of this year, plus another large amount
of rice for an international aid in case of
emergency.

This is largely due to notable declines in rice
consumption in the domestic market.
According to MAFRA, South Koreas
estimated per capita rice consumption is
about 64.4 kilograms for one year beginning
November this year. Annual rice
consumption per person in South Korea
recorded 132.4 kilograms in 1980 and that
has steadily been on the wane and it will
near 50 kilograms by 2022 according to An
estimated amount of rice to be harvested in
2014, as the Statistics Korea
(KOSTAT)predicts, is 4.18 million tons,
down 1.1% from the previous year, but led
by a decline in rice consumption, the
demand of rice for one year from November
in 2014 to October in 2015 will amount only
to about 4 million tons, said Kim Kyung-
kyu, a senior official on food policy at the
ministry, on October 14. Given the figures,
the government intends to purchase the
surplus new rice and put it aside, in an effort
to prevent rice oversupply and secure new
rice markets,
The KOSTAT predicts that this years gross
output of rice is more than the average
years by 3.5%, albeit lower than the last
year.

Although rice is the staple food for Koreans,
demand for it is in notable decline. (image:
Kobizmedia/Korea Bizwire)
MAFRA is determined to buy the rice
surplus, but the government will make its
final decision on the exact amount of rice to
purchase in the following month when the
yield and price of rice will be identified in
concrete after harvest. It however will not
put the purchased rice back on the market
unless its intervention is urgent as the price
of rice gets to be unstable, added the
official.Along with the purchase of the new
rice surplus, estimated at 180,000 tons, the
government will buy additional 370,000 tons
of rice for public stock and another 30,000
tons, in order to secure food security in an
emergency caused by temporary and large
scale calamity and to distribute them to the
countries in need, according to the scheme
of ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice
Reserve.

Koreas average rice yield from each unit
area of 10 hectares is predicted to rise 1
percent to 513 kilograms, according to the
government. (image: Pixabay)
By Eugene Yu (eugene@koreabizwire.com)

Chinas rice exports drop in Q1-
Q3
15.10.2014
China exported 179,061 tons of rice in the
first nine months of 2014, dropping 50.7$37;
on-year, according to data released by the
General Administration of Customs on
October 13th.Meanwhile, gross rice export
value declined 48.3$37; on-year to $157.27
million during the same period.In September
alone, rice export volume totaled 43,489
tons and export value amounted to $34.92
million.

NSW Government water
allocation as dam levels
strong
BY ENVIRONMENT AND SCIENCE REPORTER JAKE
STURMER IN GRIFFITHOctober 15, 2014, 6:03 pm
ABCGriffith ricegrower Chint Quarisa is confused
by the water allocation.
Riverina farmers have called for an urgent
rethink of the way water allocations are made
in the region.
Now is the critical time for planting rice, but
many farmers on general security allocations
are frustrated by the limited amounts of
water they are receiving.Without certainty in
the amount of water they will have, they do
not know how much to plant.Allocations
increased today by 3 per cent to a total of 40
per cent but Griffith rice grower Chint
Quarisa is frustrated."The dams are
somewhere between 65 and 80 per cent full
and last year they were even more than that
and here we have a 40 per cent allocation
announcement," he said.
"I'm very confused. What do the bureaucrats
in Sydney want us to do?"
Mr Quarisa has 360 acres to plant rice in,
but he is having to seriously reconsider how
much he will sow this year."The market out
there needs the rice and wants it and we're
not getting the water to grow it when it's up
there in the mountains," he said.It is a view
shared by the Griffith City Council."Last
year it's estimated that the reduction in water
cost this community between $55 million
and $60 million [and] the way we're headed
it's going to have the same effect this
coming year," the town's mayor, John Dal
Broi, said.
"Traditionally, farmers, if they've got a
dollar they'll spend it in the community."But
at the moment they are [holding their
money] because they haven't got any
confidence in the future."The smaller
farmer, the famed [figure] that built this
area, is going to start to suffer and wither
and I don't know what's going to happen - I
don't like to think about it."
Over-allocation 'does not end well',
minister says
The New South Wales Office of Water is
making the conservative allocations to avoid
a repeat of the late 2000s, when some
allocations had to be revoked."One of the
issues that you do not want to face as a
government ... is over-allocating water to
farmers, so that farmers are making
decisions about water they might not
necessarily receive," NSW Water Minister
Kevin Humphries said."We've had instances
of that in the past and I can tell you it does
not end well."You end up with failed crops
and it usually ends up in litigation as well.
"Griffith farmer and Mirrool Ricegrowers'
Association branch president Hayden
Cudmore remembers it all too well."It
wasn't great for business," he said."Crops
had to be turned off and died; people had
signed grain contracts on the back of
announced allocations."It was a very
expensive process for people to go through
to have allocations revoked."He said it was
important to understand the process and he
accepted the current limits."I'm comfortable
where things are at at the moment," he
said."Of course I'd like more water, we'd all
like more water, but the reality is we haven't
had the inflows to announce that water."
Carryover plan 'has to be looked at',
council says
The Griffith City Council said much of the
confusion was caused by
carryover.Carryover allows general security
irrigators that do not use all of their
allocation to keep 30 per cent until next
year, when it needs to be factored in when
looking at dam levels."[Farmers] are telling
me 'look, there's heaps of snowfall, there is
rainfall, the dams - one's at 80 per cent, the
other's at nearly 70 per cent - and we've only
got [a low] allocation'," he said."With that
sort of water in the dams at present, they're
frightened for the future.
"This whole issue of allocation, of carryover
water, has to be looked at."But the Minister
is unlikely to make any changes, telling the
ABC "the balance is there in the short-to-
medium term"."You're always going to get
people agitating for more water, depending
on the class of water that they're holding -
that's nothing new," he said."There are a few
things that we can do into the future in the
Murrumbidgee which might help in terms of
water delivery [such as] an additional water
storage location back up the system.
Kenya: New Thiba Dam to Boost Rice
Farming

By Wambugu Kanyi

A five-kilometer-square mega dam will be
built for Sh13 billion at Mwea, Kirinyaga
county.The project covering more than
48,000 acres will improve rice farming
through irrigation.Deputy Governor Julius
Njiiri made the announcement when he
launched the taxpayers' week in Nyeri town
yesterday.Njiiri said construction works will
begin in January.
A Japanese financier will fund the project,
he said.Compensation of residents affected
by the project is underway."The new dam
will multiply rice production in Mwea by
increasing water coverage," Njiiri said.He
said the county government is wooing local
and foreign investors."The region has a
promising future for business," Njiiri said.
White, Red, Black or Wild
Which Kind of Rice is Your
Favorite?
Shoppers Warm Up to Premium-
Priced Rice; Authentic Basmati
Sales of specialty rice like basmati and red rice
grow as Americans discover new flavors and
grains. WSJ's Sarah Nassauer and Tanya Rivero
discuss. Photo: F. Martin Ramin for WSJ
By SARAH NASSAUER
Updated Oct. 15, 2014 12:43 a.m. ET
Humble rice is becoming sophisticated fare
in American homes.More shoppers are
buying up pricey, aromatic rice varieties
such as imported basmati and jasmine,
blends of unusual red and black grains, and
fine-tuning their rice-cooking technique.
Until recently, Americans ate the revered
staple grain as an afterthought, seeing it as
an inexpensive carbohydrate or a way to
break the potato monotony.

The grain, a $2.2 billion U.S. business, is
getting its due as shoppers flock to ethnic
foods that feel authentic and search for
interesting grains that boast health benefits
like fiber, protein or other nutrients.While
rice sales overall are growingthe majority
white long-grain ricesales of specialty rice
including basmati, red and blends are rising
much faster.I had no idea these rices
existed, says 58-year-old Christina
Ragsdale, of the dark red, black and blends
of rice appearing more frequently at her
local supermarket.
ENLARGE
Amira Nature Foods sells basmati rice grown at
the base of the Himalayas. F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY ANNE
CARDENAS
The Sacramento, Calif., resident says she is
now eating more rice because there is a
wider variety of textures and flavors to
choose from. If you only eat the white stuff
its always the same, says Ms. Ragsdale,
who works in communications for her local
city government.The shift in habits has rice
sellers and retailers salivating. Amira Nature
Foods, one of the largest sellers of Indian-
grown basmati globally, hopes to expand its
now limited sales in the U.S., says Karan A.
Chanana, chairman and chief executive of
the Dubai-based company.The company
recently hired advertising agency Ogilvy &
Mather Worldwide and put its rice in eye-
catching metallic gold packaging. It hopes to
signal to mainstream shoppers that its
basmati, grown at the foothills of the
Himalayas, is precious because of its origins
and superior to the less flavorful white long-
grain rice most American shoppers grew up
with, says Mr. Chanana.Known for selling
fast-cooking, mostly white rice, Uncle Bens
in recent years has started selling more
jasmine, basmati and brown varieties, says a
spokesman for Mars Inc., which owns the
company, the largest rice brand in the
U.S.Big demographic and culinary trends
affecting the food industry have put rice in a
sweet spot.

Asians and Hispanics are the fastest-
growing ethnic groups in the U.S., and both
are sophisticated rice-eating cultures. Indian,
Mexican, Thai and other cuisines, often rice-
based, have become a part of mainstream
eating, especially among younger
Americans.And rice is naturally gluten-free,
as shoppers continue to flock to foods free
of the protein found in wheat.Darker rice has
more fiber than white rice. That is because
the bran, the outer layer on each grain,
hasnt been polished off to reveal the starchy
white interior. Some varieties, such as wild
rice, also have more protein than lighter-
colored grains.Lundberg brand wild rice has
6 grams of protein per serving, while its
short-grain brown rice has 3 grams per
serving.
A medium sized potato has about 4.3 grams
of protein.Grains of all sorts, including new
rice varieties, are seen as increasingly
healthy by shoppers, says Keith Dailey, a
spokesman for Kroger Co., the largest
traditional grocery company in the U.S. The
grocer is giving more space on shelves to
new, pricier grains, including basmati,
Italian Arborio and Thai jasmine rice, along
with quinoa, chia and freekeh, a roasted
wheat, he says.Basically take your birdseed
container and empty it out, quips Todd
Kluger, vice president of sales and
marketing for Lundberg Family Farms, a
mostly organic rice seller based in Richvale,
Calif.
Sales of the companys organic heirloom
rice, dark red and black rice and grain
blends are rising fast. Shoppers are starting
to understand that different rice has different
flavors or nutritional benefits, a turning
point for American rice eating, says Mr.
Kluger.U.S. sales of basmati and jasmine,
known as aromatic rice for their nutty, floral
aroma and flavor when cooked, hit $283
million over the 52 weeks ended Aug.
30, up 63% over the past four years,
according to Nielsen data provided by
Riviana Foods Inc., the largest seller of rice
in the U.S. Sales of rice overall grew about
7.4% over the same period. Aromatic rice
and blends are sold for sometimes twice as
much as white, long-grain rice.Still, rice
cooking continues to be an intimidating
prospect for the uninitiated.As a result,
companies have sold quick-cook and boil-
in-a bag varieties to cut lengthy cook times
and tricky liquid-to-rice ratios. We have
solved a problem for millions of people who
cant cook rice correctly, says Paul
Galvani, senior vice president of marketing
for Riviana, which sells several brands
including Minute Rice, Mahatma and
Success Rice.

The company is owned by Madrid-based
Ebro Foods SA.Fast-cooking varieties are
precooked, then dehydrated, before they are
packaged so the final phase of cooking can
happen in minutes.Rice cookers can help,
say rice companies. The small, often
inexpensive appliances can be turned on
then left alone because they stop cooking
automatically when water is absorbed, but
they keep rice warm. The feature forgives
small miscalculations in the liquid-to-rice
ratio.RiceSelect, a Houston-based company
owned by RiceTec Inc., is giving away
5,000 rice cookers as part of a social media
and blogger campaign aimed at people 35
and under who might be learning how to
cook, says Louis Fernandez, director of
marketing for the company.

RiceSelect sells rice blends and U.S.-grown
basmati, Arborio and jasmine in clear plastic
tubs.In the U.S., rice is grown primarily in
six states in the mid-south and Northern
California, all of which accounts for less
than 2% of global rice production, according
to the Agriculture Department. Most rice is
produced in Asia and India.At West Coast
Costco stores, where Indian rice seller
Amira now sells 10- and 20-pound bags of
basmati, rice cookers are often set up in
aisles to offer samples, says Mr. Chanana,
the chief executive.The rice is served plain
so shoppers can check the real pure flavor,
he says.The best basmati is grown in the
foothills of the Himalayas and has a specific
floral, nutty flavor as a result, says Mr.
Chanana, who is in the fourth generation of
his family to run the company. U.S. growers
say their aromatic rice is also high quality,
but it can have a different texture and flavor.

Amira buys its basmati from about 200,000
small farmers in India, says Mr. Chanana.
The brands rice and other basmati are often
aged for a year or longer in burlap bags after
harvest to bring out the rices aromatic
flavor. Then the grains husk is
removed.White rice is polished to remove
bran, giving the end product a pearly white
color, says Mr. Chanana. A high-quality
basmati elongates when cooked and has
uniform color and size, he says.
TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- October 15
TABLE-India Grain Prices - Delhi -
Oct 15
Rates by Asian News International, New Delhi
Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:27pm IST
Tel: 011 2619 1464
Indicative Previous

Grains opening close

(in rupees per 100 kg unless
stated)

-------------------------------------------------------
---

Wheat Desi 1,900-2,700 1,850-
2,650.

Wheat Dara 1,600-1,750 1,600-
1,700.

Roller Mill (per bag) 1,700-1,750
1,600-1,900.

Maida (per bag) 1,800-1,900
1,500-1,800.

Sooji (per bag) 2,100-2,200 1,700-
2,000.

Rice Basmati(Common) 7,700-8,500
8,500-9,200.

Rice Permal 2,100-2,300 2,000-
2,400.

Rice Sela 2,600-2,700 2,400-
2,700.

I.R.-8 1,900-2,000 2,100-
2,500.

Gram 2,620-3,820 2,600-
3,800.

Peas Green 2,400-3,000 2,400-
3,000.

Peas White 2,300-2,700 2,300-
3,700.

Bajra 1,100-1,400 1,500-
1,800.

Jowar white 1,400-1,600 1,400-
1,600.

Maize 1,300-1,520 1,300-
1,520.

Barley 1,500-1,650 1,500-
1,650.


Source: Delhi grain market traders.

Burma to Begin Rice Exports to
NE India
By KYAW HSU MON / THE
IRRAWADDY| Wednesday, October 15,
2014 |
RANGOON Burma and India are putting
the finishing touches on a major rice export
deal, set to begin this month, which will
facilitate the sale of about 20,000 metric
tons of Burmese rice into Northeast India
every month for the coming year.The
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF), Burmas
main independent rice industry oversight
body, recently met with Indian diplomats to
discuss details of the arrangement.The
Indian Embassy [in Rangoon] announced
the tender for rice imports last week, but
they only received two tenders and they
were very expensive.
Thats why they came to us for further
discussion, said Chit Khine, chairman of
MRF.India recently opened bidding for a
rice sales contract to supply parts of
Mizoram and Manipur, two remote
northeastern states that border Burma.
According to MRF, two Burmese companies
asking for US$800 per ton were the only
bidders. The Indian government then
approached the MRF to negotiate a counter
offer at half the price.Chit Khine said that
MRF has agreed to a sale price of $400 per
ton, but that sellers will only transport the
commodity to the border station, from which
Indian buyers will have to arrange pick-up
and transport to their local warehouses.
Burmese sellers said that their initial prices
were high because of difficult and expensive
transport conditions, as well as an uncertain
political atmosphere in Northeast India. The
area has long struggled with minority
insurgencies and political upheaval that
often takes the form of bandhs, a popular
form of protest whereby huge territories are
immediately cut off by blockading one of
the regions few main roads.We told them
that we could only bring rice to the border
stations at Tamu [in Sagaing Division] or
Rihkhawdar [in Chin State], because we
dont know what the situation is inside
India, Chit Khine said.India has agreed to
provide local transport once the products
cross the border, and the two sides are still
discussing tax rates, quality control
procedures and other logistical hurdles. Chit
Khine said that once those details are agreed
upon, the Indian government will reopen the
tender process and the Burmese firms will
reapply.
Dr. Soe Tun, secretary of MRF, told The
Irrawaddy that the Indian government has
committed to purchasing at least 200,000
tons of rice from Burma over the next year.
State media reported earlier this year,
however, that India had previously vowed to
buy well over twice that amount. MRF
estimated that Burma is capable of exporting
just over one million tons of rice per year
while still meeting domestic demand. Once
the agreement is signed, Burma will begin
legal rice exports to India for the first time.
China currently takes the bulk of Burmas
outbound rice, but cross-border rice sales
between the two are still technically illegal.
Chinese officials are working with MRF to
establish quality control facilities and
regulations, and MRF anticipates that China
will soon become a long-term trade partner
once they secure a legal contract.The World
Bank has estimated that up to 70 percent of
Burmas population relies on agriculture as
their primary source of livelihood. Burma is
expected to be the fifth-largest rice producer
in Asean during the 2014-15 financial
yearbehind Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand
and the Philippines. Only two of those
countries, Vietnam and Thailand, are
exporters.
Related Posts:
Image : A farmer plants rice seedlings in a
paddy field on the outskirts of Rangoon.
(Photo: Reuters)
Matco Rice strengthens market
presence

October 15, 2014




KARACHI (PR): Pakistans largest basmati
rice exporter, Matco Rice has announced the
launch of Falak Brown Rice to cater to the
growing demand of its health and taste
conscious consumers across the globe
including Pakistan.
The launch was held at an event where the
company, in continuation of its effort to
improve the lives of persons with
disabilities, signed an MoU with Network of
Organizations Working for People with
Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP). The MoU
was signed by Jawed Ali Ghori, Chairman,
Matco Rice and Amin Hashwani, Chairman,
NOWPDP. As per the MoU, Matco Rice
will share the profit that is earned through
the sales of Falak Brown basmati rice for
NOWPDPs social welfare projects.

CRI experiment cultivation of
genetically modified rice in
Ghana
Oct 14, 2014 at 2:20pm

Th
e
Cro
ps
Res
ear
ch
Inst
itute of the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research at Fumesua near Kumasi
has embarked on a trial cultivation of
genetically modified rice.The experimental
research work which is being carried out at a
confined field at Nobewam near Konongo in
the Asante Akyem Central District is funded
by the United States Agency for
International Development through Africa
Agricultural Technology Foundation based
in Nairobi Kenya.

Under the National Biosafety Law, the
allocated land for Genetically Modified rice
confined field trial is being monitored under
strict conditions by the management of the
CRI and the sponsors of the
project.Management and sponsors of the
project have paid a working visit to the site
to acquaint themselves with the progress of
the project.Speaking to Radio Ghana after
the tour, the Rice Project Manager in-charge
of Uganda and Ghana, Dr. Kayode Sanni
expressed satisfaction with the progress
made so far as part of efforts at addressing
food security, reduce poverty and improve
livelihood of the citizenry.
He disclosed that the phase one of the
project has duration of five years and hoped
with the efforts and commitments exhibited
by the research team particularly in Ghana,
it will achieve its aim at addressing
economic, social and environmental
challenges afflicting the poor in developing
African countries.Dr. Sanni hinted that
farmers stand to benefit mostly from
cultivating genetically modified crops since
the technology is much less expensive.

He observed that the country is gradually
warming up to the task of addressing its
research needs with the help of the CSIR-
CRI hence the need for closer collaboration
of all stakeholders for accelerated economic
and agricultural development.The Acting
Director of the Crops Research Institute Dr.
Emmanuel Otoo was satisfied with all the
measures taken to ensure a successful
implementation of the project.He therefore
commended the donors for the trust repose
in the institute.

GBC

Osh and Uzgen to host
International Rice Festival
15/10/14 08:45, Bishkek 24.kg news
agency, by Kanykei MANASOVA
The international Festival of Rice will be
held in the cities of Osh and Uzgen of Osh
province on October 23-24. This was
reported by a member of the organizing
committee on preparation and holding
Saltanat Barakanova.According to her, its
main goal - to create conditions for
exchange of experiences and
interpenetration of national cultures and
traditions of the people, engaged in
cultivation of rice.
For preparation and holding of the festival
of international level, the Prime Minister
Dzhoomart Otorbayev instructed to create
organizing committee, headed by the
Minister of Agriculture and Land
Reclamation Taalaibek Aidaraliev.The
program includes opening and closing
ceremonies, scientific-practical conference,
exhibition of agricultural products, visiting
rice plantations and processing plants in
Uzgen district. It is expected that scientists,
specialists in this growing culture from a
number of foreign countries and
representatives of international
organizations will attend the festival.
Expenses are paid for by sponsors.

Millers yet to give 29000 MT
rice

Siraj Mohammad,TNN | Oct 15, 2014, 12.34
PM ISTBHUBANESWAR:
Notwithstanding several reminders, the state
government has failed to receive 29,000 MT
of rice from millers for 2012-13 kharif
marketing season.This came to light during
a recent review meeting of paddy
procurement and recovery position of rice
from millers for kharif marketing seasons
2012-13 and 2013-14. Food supplies
secretary Madhusudan Padhi chaired the
meeting.
"The government has taken a serious note of
poor delivery of huge quantity of rice by
millers," said a government officer, seeking
anonymity. The officer said the meeting
decided to take strong action against 20
millers, identified as major defaulters during
2012-13, in eight districts. Besides issuing
notices, the government would lodge FIRs
and initiate certificate cases against them,
the officer added.Official sources said of
eight districts, 8,000 MT of rice are
supposed to be collected from Balasore
followed by 6,800 MT from Ganjam and
3,260 MT from Sambalpur. Other districts
are Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda,
Bhadrak and Kalahandi.
With procurement of over 42 lakh MT of
paddy during 2013-14 kharif, the
government has started receiving rice
delivery from millers, the officer said. So
far, the government has received over 2 lakh
MT of rice. Of the total receipt, Food
Corporation of India (FCI) received nine
lakh MT, the officer added.According to
normal practice, the state government
procures paddy through different agencies
and give them to millers. Thereafter, the FCI
according to its target takes rice.
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Basmati dispute between
Pak traders, MP boils over

Written by Milind Ghatwai | Bhopal
| Posted: October 14, 2014 3:32 am
Madhya Pradesh, which early this year
celebrated a Geographical Indication (GI)
tag for its basmati rice now has a new
enemy Pakistan.Lahore-based Basmati
Growers Association (BGA) has moved the
Chennai-based Intellectual Property
Appellate Board (IPAB) in appeal against
the order of the Assistant Registrar of
Geographical Indications that gave the
aromatic rice produced in MP the coveted
tag it had been seeking for a long
time.Stating that basmati is a name for a
slender, aromatic and long grain variety of
rice grown in the specific geographical area
at the foothills of the Himalayas in Pakistan,
the BGA has argued in the appeal, filed
through Shafiullah Khan, a Pakistan national
based in New Delhi, Only the rice grown in
certain areas of Punjab in Pakistan, where
the rice kernels are grown on conventional
rice lands and they interact with the
environment, atmosphere, soil and climate
to yield exquisite rice can be called
basmati in the true sense.

Insisting that these parts of the Indo-
Gangetic plains are the traditional basmati
rice yielding areas, the appeal has quoted a
renowned Punjabi poet Syed Waris Shah
whose work Heer (written in 1766)
mentions basmati grown in the Punjab of
those days that are now within the territorial
jurisdiction of Pakistan.Principal Secretary
(Agriculture) Rajesh Rajora told The Indian
Express that the IPAB was yet to issue
notices on the appeal but the state
government was seeking legal
opinion.Now we will be fighting against
Agriculture and Processed Food Products
Export Development Agency (APEDA), an
Indian entity, and Pakistan, the bureaucrat
said, adding jurisdictional issues will come
into play.While Pakistan filed its appeal a
few months ago, the MP government got a
copy of the appeal only recently.

The APEDA, that functions under Union
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had
also challenged the assistant registrars
decision.APEDA had previously rejected
MPs claim that its rice growing areas,
especially Morena, Bhind, Gwalior,
Sheopur, Datia, Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha,
Raisen, Sehore, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur and
Narsinghpur, were deserved the GI tag.
Chennai-based Geographical Indications
Registry quashed the objections raised by
APEDA creating possibility of an exciting
future for basmati and its growers in
Madhya Pradesh.Incidentally, Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had in
February blamed the then UPA government
for APEDAs stand on basmati grown in
MP.

USA Rice Targets Mexican
Gourmands at Expo
MEXICO CITY,
MEXICO --
Gourmet food is
on the rise in
Mexico, and
trend-watchers
say the movement is growing. To help
capture this market, the USA Rice
Federation participated in the 8th
annual Gourmet Show Expo at the Mexico
World Trade Center here last month to
promote U.S.-grown rice as "just what the
foodies ordered.


Surefire ingredient: U.S.
rice
"USA Rice chefs conducted daily cooking
demonstrations and tastings, and distributed
brochures and gourmet cookbooks to the
8,000 visitors attending the exposition,
including professionals from the high-end,
luxury hospitality, retail, and foodservice
sectors."Our goal here was to demonstrate to
key industry decision makers that U.S.-
grown rice is the ideal ingredient to prepare
aesthetically-pleasing, contemporary, and
elaborate dishes to discerning customers,
without breaking the bank," said Gaby
Carbajal, USA Rice's contractor in
Mexico. "Expo attendees were impressed
with the versatility rice provides in creating
refined gourmet-quality dishes."

Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457

Mun River lowest in 20 years
Published: 15 Oct 2014 at 16.28
Online news: Social
Writer: Online Reporters

BURI RAM - The Mun River, which runs
through several northeastern provinces, has
hit its lowest level in two decades as drought
impacts upon more than 10,000 rai of rice
paddies. The Mun River, which runs through
several northeastern provinces, has hit its
lowest levels in two decades as drought
impacts more than 10,000 rai of rice
paddies. (Photo by Surachai Piraksa)
With below-average amounts of rain and no
water released from a dam in Nakhon
Ratchasima, a stretch of the Mun River in
Buri Ram's Satuk district measured only
3.65 metres deep Wednesday, down from
nearly five metres this month last year.Opas
Chanadee, an official at the Irrigation Office
in Satuk district said the water level was the
lowest seen in the past two decades. It was
possible the river might run completely dry,
as it did in 1989, he said. By comparison,
the Mun's record high-water mark is
8.69m.At current levels, the Mun likely
doesn't have sufficient supplies for
agriculture, livestock and fishery industries.
The hardest hit will be farmers who have
grown rice in more than 10,000 rai along the
river. Water levels have been dropping
10cm a day over the past week.

Rice Prices
as on : 15-10-2014 08:11:28 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals Price

Current
%
change
Season
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Shahjahanpur(UP) 2800.00 90.48 42793.00 2140 2140 17.26
Varanasi(Grain)(UP) 364.00 - 728.00 1990 - -
Burdwan(WB) 355.00 1023.42 1423.20 2360 2360 -
Manjeri(Ker) 290.00 NC 18560.00 3300 3300 NC
Bareilly(UP) 231.00 -6.85 35020.00 2230 2225 11.50
Kanpur(Grain)(UP) 220.00 4.76 29865.00 2070 2150 6.43
Mekhliganj(WB) 220.00 1057.89 4030.05 3200 2600 28.00
Ranchi(Jha) 205.00 -12.88 9630.70 2450 2450 13.95
Gorakhpur(UP) 200.00 -5.88 2722.00 2130 2100 10.65
Samsi(WB) 200.00 900 880.00 2300 2300 -
Habra(WB) 200.00 122.22 1120.00 2500 2500 -
Gondal(UP) 178.00 -57.62 4400.70 2060 1935 -
Memari(WB) 178.00 9.88 680.00 2350 2300 -
Bolpur(WB) 170.00 NC 3815.00 2825 2825 11.88
Mainpuri(UP) 165.00 -15.38 1380.50 2075 2075 5.06
Muktsar(Pun) 150.00 150 420.00 2410 2430 -
Ballia(UP) 150.00 -16.67 9900.00 1960 1950 7.40
Etawah(UP) 140.00 -3.45 25782.00 2180 2180 10.66
Faizabad(UP) 132.00 -20.48 931.00 2040 2035 -
Durgapur(WB) 122.00 -0.81 2871.50 2520 2480 1.61
Auraiya(UP) 110.00 100 1014.50 2215 2210 -
Mathabhanga(WB) 110.00 - 220.00 2450 - -
Hardoi(UP) 87.00 12.99 328.00 2180 2170 -
Ghaziabad(UP) 80.00 33.33 420.00 2160 2170 9.09
Saharanpur(UP) 80.00 NC 479.00 2165 2170 -
Kalna(WB) 80.00 -11.11 340.00 2275 2275 -
Bharthna(UP) 70.00 40 7085.00 2170 2170 16.98
Basti(UP) 68.00 21.43 309.50 2090 2080 -
Katwa(WB) 67.50 NC 2542.70 2600 2600 10.64
Lanka(ASM) 60.00 20 255.00 2100 2100 -
Coochbehar(WB) 57.00 7.55 314.00 2450 2450 -
Chitwadagaon(UP) 50.00 -88.64 1090.00 1950 1900 12.39
Jangipur(WB) 50.00 8.7 276.00 2440 2500 -0.81
Kopaganj(UP) 49.00 - 98.00 2105 - -
Jasvantnagar(UP) 45.00 28.57 1637.50 2165 2175 9.90
Tilhar(UP) 40.80 -69.32 347.60 2155 2160 7.75
Cachar(ASM) 40.00 33.33 510.00 2700 2700 -
Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB) 40.00 -33.33 250.00 2460 2460 -
Pundibari(WB) 39.00 225 124.00 2425 2400 31.08
Khatra(WB) 37.00 -2.63 3764.00 2500 2500 4.17
Howly(ASM) 36.50 -22.34 268.00 1700 1650 -
Dibiapur(UP) 35.00 -48.53 339.00 2180 2160 10.10
Nalbari(ASM) 32.00 3.23 126.00 2000 2000 -
Meerut(UP) 30.00 20 432.50 2160 2180 6.40
Bohorihat(ASM) 28.50 -18.57 501.00 2600 2550 NC
Pratapgarh(UP) 27.50 -15.38 291.00 2010 1955 -
Balurghat(WB) 25.00 4.17 1850.00 3200 3150 -8.57
Howrah(WB) 21.00 - 42.00 3100 - -
Jajpur(Ori) 20.00 33.33 1185.00 2500 2400 9.65
Baraut(UP) 20.00 66.67 1039.50 2080 2120 2.21
Bindki(UP) 20.00 -23.08 20171.20 2085 2090 5.30
Bankura Sadar(WB) 19.00 18.75 3534.00 2475 2500 1.02
Kendrapara(Ori) 16.00 33.33 122.00 2500 2500 4.17
Kendrapara(Marshaghai)(Ori) 16.00 -20 52.00 2500 2400 19.05
Midnapore Sadar(WB) 16.00 -89.33 414.10 2680 2650 7.20
Ajuha(UP) 15.00 - 30.00 2030 - -
Barasat(WB) 15.00 -80.52 2136.00 2450 2400 22.50
Raiganj(WB) 15.00 NC 2096.50 2800 2800 NC
Hazaribagh(Jha) 14.80 18.4 210.60 2840 2670 1.43
Dhekiajuli(ASM) 14.00 16.67 103.50 2600 2650 -
Silapathar(ASM) 12.50 5.04 125.40 3000 3000 -
Cherthalai(Ker) 12.00 NC 63.00 9000 9000 -
Muradabad(UP) 12.00 20 62.00 2190 2200 -
Achalda(UP) 12.00 -33.33 1629.00 2175 2165 10.41
Haldibari(WB) 12.00 NC 1271.50 2750 2750 NC
Shahabad(New Mandi)(UP) 11.50 -17.86 935.50 2180 2200 -
Sitapur(UP) 11.00 -42.11 60.00 2038 2036 -
Alappuzha(Ker) 10.00 NC 160.00 4150 4100 -
Lakhimpur(UP) 10.00 56.25 243.90 2320 2170 17.77
Kaliaganj(WB) 10.00 - 20.00 2550 - -
Deogarh(Ori) 9.00 NC 376.00 3000 3000 20.00
Partaval(UP) 8.00 -11.11 360.00 2085 2080 8.88
Mirzapur(UP) 7.50 NC 694.00 1980 1980 10.61
Khairagarh(UP) 7.00 -50 59.00 2010 1950 5.24
Jeypore(Kotpad)(Ori) 6.30 14.55 52.60 4600 4100 27.78
Aroor(Ker) 6.00 NC 97.80 9500 9500 -
Chandoli(UP) 6.00 -14.29 569.50 1835 1825 11.89
Buland Shahr(UP) 6.00 NC 34.00 2040 2060 -
Kasganj(UP) 5.00 -56.52 1845.00 2065 2060 9.55
Naugarh(UP) 5.00 -33.33 60.50 2085 2095 -
Raibareilly(UP) 5.00 42.86 412.30 2050 2070 4.59
Yusufpur(UP) 5.00 25 48.00 1970 1968 -
Jahanabad(UP) 4.80 -12.73 563.00 2075 2050 6.96
Pukhrayan(UP) 4.50 NC 192.50 2210 2225 11.62
Egra/contai(WB) 4.20 NC 1532.80 2500 2500 8.70
Sultanpurchilkana(UP) 4.00 - 8.00 2180 - -
Bethuadahari(WB) 4.00 33.33 610.50 3150 3150 1.61
Rura(UP) 3.80 -15.56 249.60 2150 2150 11.11
Siyana(UP) 3.50 -12.5 146.50 2070 2050 4.81
Kalyani(WB) 3.50 NC 247.00 3600 3600 41.18
Khurja(UP) 3.20 6.67 313.60 2080 2080 6.12
Chakdah(WB) 3.20 6.67 347.90 3100 3100 -
Islampur(WB) 2.50 -16.67 21.00 2500 2500 -
Perinthalmanna(Ker) 2.00 NC 48.00 3100 3100 10.71
Wansi(UP) 2.00 - 4.00 2085 - -
Melaghar(Tri) 1.50 -25 7.00 2750 2650 -
Jatni(Ori) 1.00 NC 217.00 2500 2500 4.17
Lalganj(UP) 1.00 -33.33 125.50 2000 2000 5.26
Sardhana(UP) 1.00 NC 141.40 2140 2140 7.54
Uluberia(WB) 0.80 - 1.60 2700 - -
Shillong(Meh) 0.70 -12.5 49.00 3500 3500 NC
Keonjhar(Ori) 0.60 -40 3.20 2300 2300 21.05
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TOPICS
agriculture |rice (commodity) |