27th September, 2016 Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

September 27,2016
Vol 7 , Issue 9
Daily
Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter
Global, Regional & Local

Rice E-Newsletter
www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
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Today Rice News Headlines...
Union of Small and Medium Enterprises urges SMEDA to
recommend urgent revival plan of rice sector
Du30 rice paddy in Laguna draws visitors
NFA: Rice imports may be needed as La Nia buffer
Something to Chew On
Scientists are using social media to determine air quality
Land use
CAG raps FS&CW department for undue favour to rice millers
Speed up Rice Loan, China Told
Bank trims rate to coax millers
Rice Sector Intervention to Bolster CPP Support, Official Says
Six quintals of rice for a National championship!
No headway in non-basmati export deal with Indonesia
Indonesia to sign rice import deal with Myanmar
Arkansas Rice: Downed Rice And Harvest Aids Avoid Making Bad
Situation Worse
NFA assures enough rice supply for region
NFA mulls importation of addl 250,000 MT of rice in November
Cambodia asks China to speed up $300 million rice loan
3,860 farmers receive support for rice, sorghum production in Niger
State
Lao mills need to improve rice quality for exports to China: media
Egypt's rice export ban worries farmers
Cambodia seeks China's help as rice prices plummet
36bn demanded from Yingluck for rice losses
09/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
USA Rice Welcomes New Government Affairs/PAC Manager
Rice tariffs to boost local rice farming
USA Rice-Japan Academics Discuss Farm Policy Challenges
Editorial Board
Chief Editor
Hamlik
Managing Editor
Abdul Sattar Shah

Rahmat Ullah
Rozeen Shaukat
English Editor
Maryam Editor
Legal Advisor
Advocate Zaheer Minhas
Editorial Associates
Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid

Javed Islam Agha
Ch.Hamid Malhi
Dr.Akhtar Hussain
Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui
Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)
Islam Akhtar Khan
Editorial Advisory Board
Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim
Assistant Professor, Gomal

University DIK
Dr.Hasina Gul
Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK
Dr.Hidayat Ullah
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
Dr.Abdul Basir
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
Zahid Mehmood
PSO,NIFA Peshawar
News Detail...
Falak Naz Shah
Head Food Science & Technology

2
ART, Peshawar

Union of Small and Medium Enterprises urges SMEDA to
recommend urgent revival plan of rice sector
Sep 9, 2016 Posted by MediaLine Pakistan
Karachi, September 09, 2016 (PPI-OT): The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises
(UNISAME) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority held a special
meeting yesterday at SMEDA Karachi office presided by Alamgir Chaudhry general manager
(GM) out reach to discuss the issues of the rice industry and recommend measures to revive the
sector on fast track basis before the arrival of new crop to facilitate the stakeholders.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver invited the attention of the GM SMEDA that the SME rice
farmers, millers, processors and exporters are in turmoil and more than 1000 SME units are
closed due to lack of demand from overseas buyers who have become very cautious in placing
orders because of down slide in commodities. They are waiting for the prices to stabilize to place
fresh orders. This lack of overseas demand is reflecting on the entire rice sector as unlike wheat,
rice is an export commodity. As wheat is our staple crop but domestic rice consumption is much
less than our exports and all varieties of rice are being exported to global buyers. The rice
exports are next to textiles and need the immediate attention of the policy makers. There is
urgent need to regain lost markets for the rice industry to survive.
Secondly our rice is become non-competitive as Indian rice is cheaper due to subsidy support
from government Thirdly we have neglected research and development (R and D) on seeds to
produce grains with less cost of production. The R and D side needs to be taken very seriously.
Our super basmati rice which is our heritage is suffering a setback due to lack of R and D and we
cannot afford to lose our share of basmati in world markets. Every aspect of basmati inclusive of
packing, promotion, branding and marketing needs our immediate attention and needs immediate
attention of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) on priority basis.
Other factors which are a setback are lack of finance for exports to third world countries and low
premium insurance is unavailable.
The banks are not inclined to accept documents for negotiations for goods shipped to Iran and as
such transactions with Iran are at a standstill. The ministry of commerce needs to work overtime
to expedite the agreement with Iran and the matter needs immediate placement in the cabinet for
prompt approval.
3
Thaver said SMEDA needs to advocate the cause of the SME millers ,processors and exporters
of rice and urged the government to declare rice as an industry and grant relief on farm inputs
Secondly to impress upon the government to expedite the geographical indication of rice now

that the Draft GI protection bill is drafted and also to expedite the basmati trademark ownership
issue Mukesh Kumar provincial chief SMEDA endorsed the views of UNISAMEs chief and
Maimoona Sattar an SME expert also agreed with the suggestions of UNISAME and both
expressed strong feelings for the capacity building of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan
(REAP) and urged Thaver to work on the capacity building of REAP under the National
Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) jointly with SMEDA.
The GM SMEDA assured UNISAME of full support and promised a comprehensive
recommendations proposal for the uplift of the rice sector to be submitted to the Ministry of
Industries for remedial measures nrest in 2009-10, and illegal assistance for people prosecuted
for political crimes.
She also stands accused of giving the Finance Ministry permission to borrow 350 billion baht for
a water management scheme that had no details, and for proposing to finance a 2-trillion-baht
infrastructure programme by unconstitutional means.
http://medialinepakistan.com/137094.htm/union-of-small-and-medium-enterprises-urges-smeda-torecommend-urgent-revival-plan-of-rice-sector-2/
Du30 rice paddy in Laguna draws visitors

By: Maricar Cinco
12:01 AM September 27th, 2016
A RICE paddy in Los Baos town in Laguna province, featuring President Dutertes image,
gives farming a twist. CLIFFORD NUEZ / Inquirer Southern Luzon
LOS BAOS, LagunaNow, who says planting rice is easy?
Definitely not, especially when you have to meticulously tweak every inch and corner to turn a
rice paddy into a giant art canvas.
On a quiet road past the University of the Philippine Los Baos (UPLB) campus here, rice fields
have become a little more exciting to view through paddy art.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), an agency under the Department of
Agriculture, uses the traditional Japanese art form of planting various rice types and colors to
create a large image.

And what better way to feature this type of art than dedicate it to President Duterte, the countrys
man of the hour?
Its about using rice fields as canvas, highlighting arts and culture and science, said Mario
Movillon, PhilRice chief science research specialist.
Movillon said 27 members of PhilRices Los Baos team planted rice on a 2,000-square meter
plot here on Sept. 3 to create the image.
A little less than a month since, the imagefeaturing alphanumeric characters D, U, and 3
and the Presidents silhouette resembling a 0is visible from the road.
The design was made by Jayson Baldoz, PhilRices science research specialist, and engineering
students from UPLB.
When the Inquirer visited the site recently, a group of researchers parked their car in front of the
paddy and took selfies with Mr. Dutertes image as their background.
They said they heard about it on social media and wanted to see the paddy for themselves.
Did they color the rice black? one of them asked.

They said most of them supported Mr. Duterte during the elections and teased one in the group
while taking his picture, since he supported then Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Purple, green
No artificial colors were used in creating the paddy art.
Instead, PhilRice combined inbred rice varieties of green and purple to create contrasting colors,
said Imelda Olvida of PhilRices research and development division.
They also used regular fertilizers to protect the crops from snails, pests and diseases.
Movillon said the agency spent about P6,000 per hectare in preparing the rice paddy.
With the many challenges that Philippine agriculture faces climate change, rice shortage,
agricultural land conversion, aging and dwindling number of farmers, and the dropping number
of agriculture courses enroleesthe Du30 paddy art was conceptualized to make agriculture
more popular, Olvida said.
Agro-ecotourism
Du30 is PhilRices third rice paddy art. The other two were the images of popular television love
team Alden Richards and Maine Yaya Dub Mendoza, and the images of Mr. Duterte and Vice
President Leni Robredo. These were planted in PhilRices farms in the Science City of Muoz in
Nueva Ecija province.
Movillon said the Du30 paddy will be best viewed on Sept. 30, in time for PhilRices Farmers
Field Day, where the agency invites farmers to tour its experiment stations. The Duterte-Robredo
paddy will be best seen by Nov. 7, in time for PhilRices anniversary.
Indirectly, this is also to show our support for the governments effort to achieve rice
sufficiency, which is also our advocacy, Movillon said.
He said the rice paddy art, also called the Tanbo Art, has been popular in Japan, depicting
images on farmlands as big as 20 to 100 hectares.
In the Philippines, he said, the art is relatively new and quite ambitious, especially since
Filipino farmers have smaller land holdings (an average of 2 ha per farmer).
But still, he said, it remains viable for Philippine agro-ecotourism, especially for farmers who
wanted to explore their creative side.

The rice paddy art also promotes rice management, wherein every space or quadrant is
preconceived, Movillon said
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/819241/du30-rice-paddy-in-laguna-draws-visitors#ixzz4LSPpqWxv

September 27, 2016
THE Philippines may soon call an auction for the import of an additional 250,000 metric tons (MT) of
rice as a precaution against the impact of La Nia in the first few months of 2017.
We want to evaluate whether we have to import it right away, National Food Authority Officer-incharge Tomas R. Escarez told reporters on Monday, referring to the remaining balance of 250,000 MT
from the 500,000 MT standby authority the Philippines may access at any given time to beef up its rice
stock.
On Aug. 31, the NFA Council awarded the contract for the supply of 250,000 MT [of] rice to the worlds
top rice exporters Thailand and Vietnam which offered 100,000 MT and 150,000 MT, respectively, under
a government-to government (G2G) procurement scheme.
Some 40% of the order is expected before the end of the month and the remaining 60% before the end of
October.
Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Reina A. Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet, the sitting chairperson
of the NFA Council, in an interview with reporters said that the arrival of the initially imported rice is
ongoing.
The NFA, Mr. Escarez revealed, will recommend that the council conduct the G2G procurement bid
possibly early in the last quarter to ensure adequate rice inventory in December, which is usually good for
22 days.
Currently, the NFAs rice inventory stands at 578,700 metric tons, sufficient for 18 days. The total
exceeds the mandate of the grains agency to maintain a buffer stock enough for 15 days at any given time.
Since we are facing La Nia and the lean months of January and February, I think we have to add some
more, Mr. Escarez said adding that the first two months of the year are considered lean periods in the
absence of harvested rice.

The NFA council is set to meet today and discuss the move, he added. -- Janina C. Lim
Something to Chew On
Eating slowly and chewing less decreased blood sugar
September 26, 2016 Author: Beth Greenwood
We were all told as children to chew each bite 30 times or some variation close to that number.
Well, that might not be the best advice after all.
A study from the A*STAR Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences found that eating slower and
chewing fewer times released less sugar into the bloodstream than quick and continuous
chewing.
When the blood sugar level surges it can increase the risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2
diabetes. Individuals vary in their response to food, but how they eat apparently is also a factor.
8
A previous study by the same researchers found that blood sugar levels were lower when study
subjects used chopsticks rather than a spoon to eat white rice.

Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, PhD, Yung Seng Lee, MD, and Verena Tan, PhD led the study of
75 healthy Asian men. Dr. Henry is the director of the Clinical Nutritional Research Centre at the
Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Dr. Lee is a pediatric endocrinologist and Dr. Tan is a
dietitian.
"The old wives' tale to chew and chew and chew like a cow is actually counterproductive when it
comes to glycemic response," Dr. Henry said in a press release.
Each man in the study was served a bowl of either basmati or jasmine rice. Both are a type of
long-grain rice.
The scientists studied the frequency of each mouthful, how long the men chewed, saliva content
and how long it took food to clear the stomach. In addition, the scientists collected blood samples
and saliva swabs before and after each meal.
The researchers found that fewer bites per mouthful, at a slower chewing rate, resulted in lower
blood sugar levels. The researchers noted that this study is specific to only the rice and
recommend further studies to confirm links between chewing and blood glucose for other foods.
"These results are gratifying because chewing time and frequency are behaviors that we can
consciously change," Dr. Lee said in the press release.
The study was published in the July issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Information on funding and conflict of interest was not available
http://www.dailyrxnews.com/eating-slowly-and-chewing-less-decreased-blood-sugar
Scientists are using social media to determine air quality

Monday, September 26, 2016, 5:52 PM - Researchers have just found a way to gauge air quality
based on social media posts.
A multidisciplinary study conducted by scientists at Texas's Rice University shows the frequency
of words like cough, haze, dust, or blue sky, can be a "proxy measurement" of the amount of
pollution in China's "megacities" at a specific time.
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Select words were curated from millions of posts on Weibo, a popular social media platform in
China.Computer scientists at Rice University were examining the data for a study on Chinese
social media censorhip a few years ago.
Dan Wallach, Rice University computer scientist, and Daniel Cohan, environmental engineer,
led the study that will be released in PLOS One, an open-access journal.
The big takeaway is that people grouse about air quality, and as it gets worse, people complain
more, said Wallach in a statement.
"When its really bad, it flattens out. Theyre as complained-out as theyre going to be. And if it
gets good enough, few people complain. But theres a zone in the middle where people really
grouse, and we can measure that."
The scientists devised their own metric: Air Discussion Index (ADI). It's based on the rate that
pollution-related words appeared in the 112 million posts culled from 2011 to 2013.
Residents from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, authored the millions of posts, and
unsurprisingly -- these are the cities where pollution is believed to be worst in China.
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/scientists-are-using-social-media-to-determine-airquality/72663
Land use
FROM THE STANDS By Domini M. Torrevillas
(The Philippine Star) | Updated September 27, 2016 - 12:00am
Food security is a very important item in the present administrations agenda. Yes, theres need
to support and increase rice production in this country. Promises have been made by our past
administrators of our becoming rice-sufficient, but promises they remained unrealized. Its a
shame, our countrymen keep saying, about how the Thais whose technicians have mastered the
science of rice production at UPLB and Los Baos-based International Rice Research Institute
made Thailand self-sufficient in rice, and even exported the basic staple to our country.
Has our government really put heart and soul, energy and logistics to making us rice-sufficient?
So much land government and privately-owned, are lying shamelessly idle. Couldnt these
have been developed?
10

Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael V. Mariano has come up with a proposal to suspend for a twoyear period, the processing and approval of pending or new applications for the conversion of the
use of agricultural lands from agricultural uses to non-agricultural uses.
The proposal, which is being supported by the Department of Agriculture, has a laudable
objective: to help establish the countrys food security.
But the proposed moratorium has its downside effect on another top priority program of the
government.
Real estate developers are requesting the Executive Branch to put a hold on the draft Executive
Order on the land conversion moratorium because food production is not the only interest at
stake, but the whole economy and Philippines society.
In effect, the proposed two-year moratorium will increase the amount of land that may be cultivated for
food crops, but it will reduce the amount of land for the construction of houses and the development of
whole communities.
The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), Organization of Socialized Housing and
Developers Association of the Philippines (OSHDAP), Chamber of Real Estate and Brokers Association
(CREBA) and the National Real Estate Association (NREA) summarize the impacts of the proposed
moratorium as follows:
1. Land conversion for housing has minimal effect on food security.
2. 3.5 million jobs are at stake: these are in housing and housing-related industries.
3. The housing backlog is already estimated at 5.7 million units and rising.
4. The proposed moratorium is contrary to the governments efforts to decongest Metro Manila and the
move toward federalism.
5. Related industries involving billions of pesos of investments will suffer.
6. The government will lose a significant amount of revenues from the housing and related industries and
businesses.
The Executive Order on the moratorium whose draft is scheduled to be presented to the President,
premises that preserving prime agricultural lands to ensure food security. It will suspend the conversion of
agricultural lands, including all lands previously awarded under Republic Act No. 6657, as amended,
Presidential Decree or PD No. 27 and other agrarian reform laws, as well as agricultural lands with
notices of coverage issued by the DAR, irrigated and irrigable lands, prime agricultural lands, retention
11

areas of landowners which are tenanted, and agricultural lands with presence of agricultural activities or
being cultivated by the farmers individually or collectively.
According to the industry groups, the Constitution provides a foundation which specifically addresses
the issue of industrialization based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform while ensuring
the optimal use of the nations limited land resources.
They state that Republic Act 6657 and other laws implement the constitutional mandate, which
recognize that, under certain conditions, some agricultural lands are better reserved for non-agricultural
purposes. Some of these conditions are when the land ceases to be economically feasible and sound for
agricultural purposes, or the land or locality has become highly urbanized and the land will have a greater
economic value for residential, commercial or industrial purposes.
The group of real estate developers declare: As an agricultural country, and in order to establish food
security, the government must implement programs to help farmers and boost food production. Policies
and programs designed to realize these objective, however, must also take into account other sectors of
the economy, as well as the needs of society.
*
On another front, an interesting art exhibit is currently showing at the Secret Fresh Art Gallery, on the
rooftop of the Robac Lifestyle bldg. at Magallanes Commercial center. Its a fitting tribute to the
expressionist artist Onib Olmedo who passed away 20 years ago. It consists of toy sculptures sculpted
interpretations in resin of two of Onibs works.
The sculptures are by Rommel Chua, who did a sculpted replica of The Apartment, and Edmund
Yanga, who did Bionic Syndrome.
The winsome widow of Onib, Bettina Olmedo, said in her opening remarks that it was the young and
creative owner of Secret Fresh Gallery, Big Boy Chen, who conceptualized the innovative art exhibit,
which has proven to be highly successful in two previous consecutive shows. Big Boy and his talented
group of young and bright millennials forming the gallerys think tank came up with a suitable title for
the avant garde exhibit of Onib: Onib in 3D.The group, said Bettina, felt that Onibs paintings really
lent themselves perfectly for replication in the form of sculptures. For Onibs paintings are truly threedimensional, with the figures virtually jumping out of the canvas.
Two of Onibs renowned paintings are interpreted in the form of toy sculptures.The first painting, The
Apartment, is recognized all over the world as an iconic work of art, said Bettina. It garnered an
honorable mention award at the prestigious international competition held at the Chateau Musee de
Cagnes-sur-Mer in France in June 1992. Onib was the very first Filipino artist to be accorded such a
distinction.Rommels interpretation of The Apartment is a fascinating construction of a resin hut,
faithfully copied from Onibs painting (which like The Bionic Syndrome was hung on the Secret Fresh
Art Gallery wall) sends out its message in a subliminal manner.
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In spite of the abject poverty depicted in the Filipino familys squalid surroundings in a cramped shanty,
the human spirit stills shines through,said Bettina. The woman holding her rosary beads exemplifies
Filipinos who take refuge in their faith and spirituality, which empower them to hurdle the challenges
posed by their dire circumstances. The man strumming a guitar on the lower level of the shanty depicts
the other coping mechanism of Filipinos. In their day-to-day struggles, in the midst of their hand-tomouth existence, they experience joy in their music.
The Bionic Syndrome is presented in an edgy head sculpture of the main character of an American
television science-fiction series that was a top-rated TV show in the 70s. This was a spy with superhuman
powers through the use of cybernetic surgical implants known as bionics. But later she suffered from
her body rejecting her bionic implants.
Onibs The Bionic Syndrome said Bettina, is a satirical portrait of modern man who has been reduced
to a robot with metallic parts, who has become desensitized to the pain of others, who is nothing but an
artificial toy full of fake components, an empty shell with a lot of pretensions and pretenses. All of us, to
a certain degree, are suffering from the bionic syndrome in the materialistic society of the 21st century.If
you cant own an original Onib, the next best thing is to own creative toy sculptures of his works.
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/09/27/1627758/land-use
CAG raps FS&CW department for undue favour to rice

millers
By Express News Service
Published: 26th September 2016 11:08 PM
Last Updated: 26th September 2016 11:08 PM
BHUBANESHWAR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped the Food
Supplies and Consumer Welfare department for showing undue favour to private rice millers for
custom milling of paddy despite huge arrears pending against them.
Performance audit of the department by the premier audit agency has detected that 211 millers of
six out of eight test checked districts having no licenses from competent authorities were allowed
to mill paddy for delivery of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
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As many as 1,523 rice mills operating in the state. The rice millers are required to get license
from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), Inspector of Factories and Boilers (IF&B) and
Regulated Market Committee (RMC) for operating their mills.
In case of 769 mills, validity of SPCB license has expired as on September 1, 2014 while 904
have invalid IF&B certificates and 565 mills have no appoval from RMCs concerned.
"In three cases, despite default in delivery of 2,594 tonnes of custom milled rice (CMR) valued
at Rs 5.44 crore, personal property of the millers could not be attached as per terms and
conditions of the agreement due to non-availability of property details," the CAG report for
General and Social Sector for year ending March 2015 said.
It further detected that short delivery of 72,000 tonnes CMR during 2010-15 from the test
checked districts namely Bargarh Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Sambalpur,
Sundargarh and
Rayagada. Though the cost of the rice was valued at Rs 168.56 crore, only Rs 3.38 crore has
been recovered.
"There was also misappropriation of 11,243 tonnes of paddy valuing Rs 40.78 crore by 20
millers in three of these districts," the report said.
Authorised agency procured excess paddy than that of marketable surplus. About 17,982 quintals
of paddy were procured from 44 farmers who have no agricultural land.
Taking serous objection to arbitrary reduction of 2 to 4 kg of paddy on the plea that the paddy
quality is below fair average quality (FAQ), the audit report said an estimated quantity of 2.51
lakh tonnes of paddy worth Rs 305.17 crore was unduly passed onto the millers during 2010-15
at the cost of the farmers
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/CAG-raps-FSCW-department-for-undue-favour-to-ricemillers/2016/09/26/article3630519.ece
Speed up Rice Loan, China Told

The government has asked China to make good on its pledge to buy 200,000 tons of rice annually from
the Kingdom and also to speed up the approval of a $300 million loan to the countrys beleaguered rice
sector.
14

This request was made yesterday during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong and the
newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Namhong said China heeded Cambodias call to help the
countrys rice farmers and millers who are grappling with falling prices and struggling to compete with
the influx of cheaper rice from neighboring countries.
China has been buying 100,000 tons of rice a year from Cambodia. Recently China agreed to buy an
additional 100,000 tons annually, raising their quota to 200,000 tons a year. I asked the newly-appointed
Chinese ambassador to help accelerate this, added Mr. Namhong.This purchase of 200,000 tons of
milled rice annually is very important to help Cambodian farmers.
Chinese Premer Li Keqiang, in his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Laos early this
month, pledged to double Chinas annual purchase of 100,000 tons of Cambodian rice to 200,000 tons,
starting from next year.
Mr. Namhong also called on China to disburse its pledged loan of $300 million to Cambodias rice
millers for building warehouses with drying facilities.
In a bid to stabilize falling prices, the Cambodian government last week gave the green light to the Rural
Development Bank (RDB) to disburse loans totaling $27 million to millers to buy paddy rice from
farmers at 840 riel ($0.21) per kilogram.
Phou Poy, president of the Green Rice Miller in Battambang province and also chairman of the Rice
Bank, told Khmer Times that the RDB intervention was necessary to prevent rice prices from tumbling
further.
Without the 840 riel per kilogram government price, the price of rice might go into a free fall, he
warned.
But Mr. Poy pointed out that the $27 million was only a short-term measure.We have to take into
account the capacity of rice millers to store paddy rice in their warehouses and sell milled rice at a time
when there is surplus rice in the market. If there is good market demand for their milled rice, and if they
have the capacity to store paddy rice in their warehouses, then $20 million to $30 million is enough, he
said.
But if the market is not there due to the influx of cheap quality rice from neighboring countries, then
this $27 million will not go a long way. Then its just a band aid measure for the rice millers.
15
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30195/speed-up-rice-loan--china-told/
Bank trims rate to coax millers

Tue, 27 September 2016
Hor Kimsay
A man inspects milled rice at a processing plant in Phnom Penhs Por Sen Chey district last year. Heng
Chivoan
The state-owned bank entrusted with extending $27 million in emergency loans to millers to
purchase rice paddy has marginally lowered the interest rate on these conditional loans in an
effort to shorten some of the strings attached.
The Rural Development Bank (RDB) announced late on Sunday that it would lower the annual
interest rate on loans to rice millers to 7 percent, from 8 percent.
Kao Thach, the banks CEO, said yesterday that the revised interest rate aimed at helping
farmers get more revenue from the sale of paddy rice by encouraging millers to accept a floor
price. Under the terms of the lending package announced last week, millers who accept the loans
are required to purchase paddy rice from farmers at $210 per tonne at the farm gate or $225 per
tonne at their warehouse.
16

The packages announcement came after the farm-gate price of paddy rice fell precipitously from
$240 per tonne in August to $192 per tonne earlier this month.
We think it is a suitable interest rate, Thach said of the revised rate. Many millers have
suggested that we lower the interest rate much more than this, but this new rate is reasonable and
acceptable for many people.
None of the loans have been disbursed yet, Thach said, explaining that the bank is still evaluating
the applicants. He expects the first loan to be issued later this week.
According to RDBs announcement, the bank has received loan applications primarily from
millers in Battambang, Pursat and Pailin provinces, with a combined 8,000 tonnes of paddy rice
offered as collateral. The bank has agreed to provide loans up to 70 percent of the collaterals
value, which suggests a total of $1.26 million could be disbursed to these millers.
Phon Nary, director-general of Heng Huch Rice Mill in Battambang province, said while the
RDBs 7 percent interest rate was lower than the going rate at commercial banks, the stipulation
that the funds must be used to purchase paddy from farmers at the above-market rate of $210 per
tonne makes things difficult. At that price, millers have no margin for profit, he said.
We know if we buy paddy at a very low price, farmers will die. But, if we buy paddy from
farmers at a high price and sell milled rice at a low price, we will also die, he said.
Nary explained that the market price of milled rice has also dropped, falling from $620 per tonne
in August to about $550 per tonne. At that price factoring in the costs of electricity, transport,
labour and milling he said millers could squeak by with a profit. However, heavy competition
has pushed some local millers to offer their product at just $500 per tonne.
The price of milled rice is decreasing, but were required to buy paddy at an above-market
price, he said. We might take a loss and so we dont dare to take the loans.
Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice, said that he is currently tapping his companys reserve funds to
purchase paddy from farmers, but might consider taking a loan from RDB when the main rainy
season harvest of fragrant rice begins next month.
He said at 8 percent annual interest, many rice millers would prefer to borrow from a commercial
bank, even at a slightly higher rate, in order to avoid the conditions attached to the RDB loan.
However, by lowering the interest rate to 7 percent, the bank has made it more appealing.
We want a 6 percent annual rate, but 7 percent is at least a bit better and acceptable for the
majority [of millers], he said.
17

The governments announcement of emergency loans to millers and its call for officials and
wealthy patrons to purchase paddy from farmers have had some effect on stabilising rice paddy
prices, according to farmers, though prices remain low.
Seung Soda, who farms rice on his 12-hectare farm in the Sangke district of Battambang
province, said he sold his paddy for a low $188 per tonne though this was higher than the
prices he was offered last week.
The price is better than before, but we cannot earn profit from it yet, he said
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/bank-trims-rate-coax-millers
Rice Sector Intervention to Bolster CPP Support, Official

Says
by Kang Sothear | September 27, 2016
The government expects that its rapid intervention to save a rice sector crippled by a sudden
slash in domestic paddy prices will boost the ruling partys popularity ahead of upcoming
elections next year and in 2018, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said on Monday.
With the value of paddy having fallen from about $250 per ton in the middle of last month to just
over $190 earlier this month due to a drop in international demand, the government acted quickly
to mitigate the effects of the tumbling prices on farmers.
An emergency grant of $27 million was approved to subsidize rice millers and stabilize the price
they pay for paddy, while the government also requested an additional $300 million from China.
CPP officials and their friends in the private sector were asked to personally purchase and
transport as much rice as possible.
All of those who bought rice are members of the CPP, Mr. Eysan said on Monday. It is the
partys principlefor all of its members to be linked to farmers and to be generous in supporting
their standard of living.
It is also the policy of the government to increase the popularity of the CPP to attract support in
response to the upcoming election, he added.
Mr. Eysan said farmers would inevitably return the favor after the CPPs financial intervention
due to the prevailing Buddhist culture of gratitude.
18

Even though we dont want gratitude, the people will still give it to usgiving us support as we
have obviously helped them generously, he said. They will not forget.
According to the Rural Development Bank, mills across the country have purchased about 7,000
tons of paddy since the government released funds last week, while another 2,700 tons of milled
rice were sold in the same stretch of time.
Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong met with Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo on Monday to
ask China to expedite the requested $300 million in emergency funds and to fulfill its promise to
purchase 300,000 tons of milled rice annually.
The Cambodian people are facing a crisis of rice prices which fell rapidly, Mr. Namhong said,
according to Reuters. I asked the Chinese ambassador to report this to the Chinese government
so they would hurry up and buy rice as they had promised in order to help our farmers.
CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said that undertaking structural reforms to save the agricultural
sector should be the priority, rather than attempting to win political points.
While the people face difficulties, we should not talk about popularity, he said. We want to
talk about solutions that restore the situation.
Sustainable changes would require reforming energy policies, eliminating informal costs
added by middlemen, improving cropping techniques, and expanding infrastructure and
irrigation across the country, he said.
sothear@cambodiadaily.com
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/rice-sector-intervention-bolster-cpp-support-official-says-118499/
Six quintals of rice for a National championship!
A. Joseph Antony
Believe it or not, six quintals of rice are integral towards sponsorship of a National
championship!
We are in no position to be picky but open to piecemeal funding, in cash or kind, Hyderabad
District Basketball Association (HDBA) General Secretary Norman Isaac admitted to The Hindu
. The sub-junior National basketball championship at the Sports Authority of Telangana State
(SATS) stadium, Saroor Nagar, Hyderabad from October 1 to 7, is less than a week away.
19

Such support, not to be scoffed at, translates to about Rs. 25,000 in cash. It has been raised from
internal resources, M. Raghunandan Reddy of the Nizamabad Rice Millers Association and
Treasurer, Telangana Basketball Association, chipping in!
The nearly nine-month quest to meet the Rs. 90 lakh to 1 crore target has been tough, despite
cutting corners at every step. The SATS indoor stadium, Gachibowli, can accommodate two
courts, vital to complete fixtures in time. Rents in the vicinity are beyond reach though. Two
adjacent courts cannot be fitted into the KVBR stadium, Yousufguda.
Minor players (born on or after January 1, 2003) present major problems! Its a must that the
manager of every girls team is a lady. As is transport for the 3km distance between venue and
accommodation mandatory, since children cannot commute without adult supervision.
The Rs. 30 lakh committed to the cause so far will just about meet the costs of stay, 750 players
and officials booked in 250 hotel rooms. Of the said amount, Rs. 10 lakh is from SATS and Rs. 5
lakh from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
Catch 'em young and grass-root level growth will remain hot air if such is the scene for a
sport among the top five in popularity world-wide
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/six-quintals-of-rice-for-a-nationalchampionship/article9151663.ece
No headway in non-basmati export deal with Indonesia

Negotiations for exporting one million tonne of non-basmati rice to Indonesia from official
reserves seem to be stuck, with Jakarta yet to respond to New Delhis call for sealing the deal at
the earliest, sources told FE.
By: Banikinkar Pattanayak | New Delhi | Published: September 26, 2016 6:23 AM
Commerce secretary Rita Teaotia had said in June that both the nations were on the verge of
signing a government-to-government deal. (Representative Image)
Negotiations for exporting one million tonne of non-basmati rice to Indonesia from official
reserves seem to be stuck, with Jakarta yet to respond to New Delhis call for sealing the deal at
the earliest, sources told FE.
Commerce secretary Rita Teaotia had said in June that both the nations were on the verge of
signing a government-to-government deal. This would have been the highest export of rice from
state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI)s reserves since 2003-04 when it had shipped out 2.78
20

million tonne.
Despite Indias reminders for clinching the deal, Indonesia is silent on the issue, said a source.
However, none of the countries has formally closed channels of negotiations, a senior industry
executive told FE.
Scrapping of the deal would be a setback for both the nations. For Indonesia, India was supposed
to act as a key source of rice from outside the ASEAN trading bloc (barring the formers recent
deal with Pakistan).
Having struggled to finalise similar contracts with Thailand and Vietnam, Indonesia had
expressed interest on tapping the massive Indian grain market and diversifying import
destinations.For India, a deal even at the 2015-16 economic cost of rice would fetch
R3,258 crore ($489 million) and help it regain some of the lost momentum in trading of nonbasmati rice.
While Indonesia hasnt yet specified the reason for the delay, Indias similar deals with other
nations fell through on the issue of prices in the past. FE had earlier reported that Indias
negotiations with Bangladesh around 2010-11 to supply grains from official reserves did not
fructify due to differences over prices.
21

According to the FCI, its economic cost of rice stood at R32,580 ($489) per tonne for the
common variety in 2015-16, which is estimated to go up to R32,667 in 2016-17.
The STC was to supply rice from FCIs reserves to Indonesias state-run Bureau of Logistics,
which handles food distribution and price control for that country. Despite massive stocks, India
has failed to export much from its official reserves even through government-to-government
deals, mainly due to the fact that economic costs of the FCI grains are much higher compared
with prices of Thai or Vietnam varieties.
For instance, 5% broken rice was quoted an average of $415 per tonne in Thailand and $348 in
Vietnam in August, while FCIs 2015-16 economic cost was as high as $490 per tonne.A major
reason for high costs of grains has been FCIs dis-economics of scale, as stated in a report by
the Commission For Agricultural Costs and Prices.
This means as FCIs scale of operation increases, the per unit real costs also rise, in a stark
contrast with the nature of operational costs of most companies. Consequently, the country
hasnt been able to export much of
FCI rice since shipping 65,000 tonne in 2004-05. As of September 1, rice stocks with the FCI
touched 16.53 million tonne, higher than the mandatory requirement of 13.54 million tonne.
http://www.financialexpress.com/economy/no-headway-in-non-basmati-export-deal-withindonesia/391083/
Indonesia to sign rice import deal with Myanmar

Nilar | Myanmar Eleven/ANN | Naypyidaw
Sun, September 25 2016 | 05:50 pm
Workers carry sacks of rice on their shoulder in State Logistics Agency's (Bulog) warehouse in
Jakarta.(JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
Myanmar is due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia to export

500,000 tons of rice a year until 2019, according to Myanmars Commerce Ministry.There is a
new minister of commerce in Indonesia and it has requested to postpone the deal for the time
being. We are scheduled to visit Indonesia this month to sign the agreement, said assistant
secretary of the ministry Khin Maung Lwin as quoted by Myanmar Eleven on Sunday.
About 90 percent of rice exports currently go overland to China, but the Myanmar Rice
Federation is looking to increase sales to Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.
22
The Indonesian government initiated a plan to import rice from Myanmar in December 2015,
saying that importing rice from Myanmar would serve as backup in case rice imports from
Vietnam and Thailand were not adequate to stabilize local prices.
In May 2016, the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry reported that 15,000 tons of Myanmar rice had
entered Indonesia, but was halted at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, East Java. Then-trade
minister Thomas Lembong refused to comment on the problem behind the rice import initiated
by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).(ags)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2016/09/25/indonesia-to-sign-rice-import-deal-withmyanmar.html
Arkansas Rice: Downed Rice And Harvest Aids Avoid

Making Bad Situation Worse
23
By Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist, University of Arkansas September 25, 2016
Harvest aids are tools to help us harvest rice faster and more efficiently. Any tool can be
misused. My favorite example is a hammer: its great when it hits the nail, not so great when it
hits your thumb. Same with harvest aids.
Sodium chlorate does an excellent job of desiccating rice foliage for ease of harvest and lowering
grain moisture content. However, applied at the wrong time or in the wrong manner and it causes
more problems than it solves.
As of last weekend we still had ~30% of rice left in the field. That number is probably down to
only 20% now, but much of it is lodged due to the high wind and rain event that hit the Delta last
Sunday. So the question has been, can I apply sodium chlorate (salt) on my rice.
Sodium chlorate isnt mobile in the plant. Its only going to affect the parts of the plant that it
touches. So in downed rice, only the plants on top are going to be affected. But the entire plant
will receive coverage and dry down much more extremely than in standing rice. And the rice
underneath? It will stay green and moist. That means youll be harvesting rice that is a mixture of
the two extremes this always creates issues.
In this situation, the rice treated will be much drier than the untreated rice below it. The drier rice
will be more prone to rewetting and drying in the field which can increase breakage and lower
head rice yields. If harvested and dried with grain of mixed moisture levels, the grains that
become overly dry will break up and lower milling yields. Plants that become too dry also
increase the chance of shattering as the panicles dry and do not hold the grain, leading to direct
yield loss.
24

This is not to say that sodium chlorate cant be used if theres any lodging in a field. The point is
in fields with a high percentage of severe lodging it should be avoided.
When using sodium chlorate properly in standing rice, use a rate of 3-6 lb ai/acre. Apply it when
rice grain moisture is below 25% (DO NOT apply below 18%). If you use the proper rate and
timing, and harvest in no more than 4-7 days, research has shown no adverse effects on grain or
milling yields.
The coming week looks like a decent one for harvest. Good luck and lets get this crop out of the
field and say goodbye to 2016.
NFA assures enough rice supply for region

Monday, September 26, 2016
THE National Food Authority in the Cordillera region has enough supply of rice until the end of
the year and even if visited by few typhoons.
According to NFA, the office has 63,705 bags of rice and there are still a stand-by supply
coming from La Union staging warehouse.
In Baguio City alone, there are 147 Department of Agriculture accredited outlets in and out of
the city market including several bigasang bayan and and food terminals in the different parts of
the city to assure residents easier access to sufficient, good quality and low-price NFA supply.
In Benguet, NFA buyers generally consume 4,700 bags daily with the 50 kilos each product as
based from the record in the daily stock assessment.
The NFA in the region added the agency has also enough imported rice stock to sustain possible
emergency needs.
Since August 1 of this year, the NFA has yet to find a bigger warehouse to store rice stock after
their depot at the PNR was sold to a bus company.
Meanwhile, the food authority has warned traders not to mix NFA with other low quality rice to
avoid penalty and seizure of tampered products including the confiscation of permit.
25
Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on September 26, 2016.

Latest issues of Sun.Star Baguio also available on your mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.
Subscribe to our digital editions at epaper.sunstar.com.ph and get a free seven-day trial.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/local-news/2016/09/26/nfa-assures-enough-rice-supply-region-499870
Posted on September 27, 2016

THE Philippines may soon call an auction for the import of an additional 250,000 metric tons (MT) of
rice as a precaution against the impact of La Nia in the first few months of 2017.
We want to evaluate whether we have to import it right away, National Food Authority Officer-incharge Tomas R. Escarez told reporters on Monday, referring to the remaining balance of 250,000 MT
from the 500,000 MT standby authority the Philippines may access at any given time to beef up its rice
stock.
On Aug. 31, the NFA Council awarded the contract for the supply of 250,000 MT [of] rice to the worlds
top rice exporters Thailand and Vietnam which offered 100,000 MT and 150,000 MT, respectively, under
a government-to government (G2G) procurement scheme.
Some 40% of the order is expected before the end of the month and the remaining 60% before the end of
October.
Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Reina A. Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet, the sitting chairperson
of the NFA Council, in an interview with reporters said that the arrival of the initially imported rice is
ongoing.
The NFA, Mr. Escarez revealed, will recommend that the council conduct the G2G procurement bid
possibly early in the last quarter to ensure adequate rice inventory in December, which is usually good for
22 days.
Currently, the NFAs rice inventory stands at 578,700 metric tons, sufficient for 18 days. The total
exceeds the mandate of the grains agency to maintain a buffer stock enough for 15 days at any given time.
Since we are facing La Nia and the lean months of January and February, I think we have to add some
more, Mr. Escarez said adding that the first two months of the year are considered lean periods in the
absence of harvested rice.
26

The NFA council is set to meet today and discuss the move, he added. -- Janina C. Lim
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=nfa-rice-imports-may-be-needed-asla-ni&241a-buffer&id=133978
NFA mulls importation of addl 250,000 MT of rice in

November
by Madelaine B. Miraflor
September 26, 2016
After securing 250,000 metric tons (MT) of

rice imports from Thailand and Vietnam earlier
this month, the National Food Authority (NFA)
is now mulling to tap the half of its standby
authority to
secure
countrys
grains
requirement in the first few months of 2017.
NFA Officer in Charge Tomas Escarez said the
NFA Council will meet today to evaluate
whether the government has to buy another
250,000 MT of rice abroad right away.We
already imported 250,000 MT but then we
think more is needed because between January
to February are lean months. So we recommended to the council based on the standby authority
of 500,000 MT, even if we already imported 250,000 MT, we are allowed to import another
250,000 MT. We are just awaiting the instruction of the NFA council, Escarez told reporters.
M FILE Workers arranges sacks of NFA rice at a warehouse in Visayas Ave, Quezon City.
(Mark Balmores/ Manila Bulletin)
We plan to have the G2G [government-to-government] earlier but its really up to the council
but most probably the importation would happen around November. Most likely we will be
allowed to import before December because it takes how many days to take the procurement
process, he further said.
Lean season in the Philippines usually starts in July and ends in September but with the threats of
La Nia, more imports must be tapped immediately.
While assuring the public that there is more than enough stocks for now, Escarez said the
country must prepare for La Nia.
27

Forecasted to hit the country this year, La Nia is a weather phenomenon expected to bring
heavy rains in most parts of the country.
In September 1, NFA awarded the import contracts, covering 250,000 MT of 25-percent broken
well-milled rice at $424.5 per MT, to Thailand and Vietnam.
The NFA noted that the price was 0.15 percent lower than the reference price of $425 per MT.
Escarez said earlier that 40 percent of the rice shipment is expected to be delivered by the end of
this month, while the remaining 60 percent will reach the country by the end of October.
This will give NFA sufficient lead time to preposition the stocks nationwide in time for the
season of tropical storms and typhoons which usually occur during the end of the third quarter
until the fourth quarter, Escarez said then.
NFA Council earlier allowed the government to tap 500,000 MT of rice import as standby
authority to fill an estimated gap of five percent of the national production as the result of the El
Nio phenomenon
http://www.mb.com.ph/nfa-mulls-importation-of-addl-250000-mt-of-rice-innovember/#TJ0IvEG2Dk362ugs.99
Cambodia asks China to speed up $300 million rice loan

by Reuters
Monday, 26 September 2016 10:21 GMT
PHNOM PENH, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Cambodia asked China on Monday to speed up a $300 million loan
to help Cambodia's rice sector that has been hurt by plummeting prices amid fierce global competition.
Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong told China's ambassador to Cambodia, Xiong Bo, during a meeting
on Monday that Cambodia urgently needed the funds which it first asked for last year.
China has drawn Cambodia into a closer military and diplomatic relationship in recent years as part of its
efforts to quell regional opposition to its sea territorial claims in Asia, deepening China's already close
ties to Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen.Rice farmers in Cambodia have had a hard time competition
with other Southeast Asian rice exporters such as Thailand and Vietnam because of expensive transport
and higher electricity prices. The lack of overseas demand has pushed prices lower to around $193 per
tonne from around $250 in August.
28

"The Cambodian people are facing a crisis of rice prices which fell rapidly," said Namhong, adding that
he had also asked China to make good on its pledge to buy 300,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice annually.
"I asked the Chinese ambassador to report this to the Chinese government to hurry up to buy rice as China
had promised to help our farmers," he said.
China's embassy in Phnom Penh did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Kann Kunthy, chief executive of rice miller Battambang Rice Investment Co, said that the falling rice
prices were a global trend and that Cambodia faces fierce international competition.
"There have been no orders from abroad so millers couldn't buy rice from farmers," he said. "Farmers are
seriously affected."
Cambodia exported 530,000 tonnes of rice last year, well below its target of 1 million tonnes, partly
because of drought but also due to a global supply glut.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Christian Schmollinger
http://news.trust.org/item/20160926102354-rhnrr/
3,860 farmers receive support for rice, sorghum production

in Niger State
By Innocent Senyo
September 25, 2016 16:16:48pm GMT
Rice
WorldStage Newsonline-- As part of efforts to boost rice production in Nigeria, about 2000
farmers in Niger state are being assisted by Fadama to cultivate 2000 hectares of rice farms this
year while1,860 farmers were also being assisted in sorghum production.
Niger State Coordinator of Fadama, Engineer Aliyu Usman Kutigi told journalists in Minna the
number was an improvement from 1000 farmers on rice farming assisted in 2015.
29

According to him, the need to improve local production of some food products especially staple
foods like rice, cassava and sorghum cannot be over emphasized especially in the recent
economic
recession
of
Nigeria.
Kutigi said that with Fadama 111 Additional Financing which currently making huge impact in
the agricultural sector in the country towards boosting food production with about 24 states in
the nation working to improve various major crops, no doubt that there will soon be a change in
the sector.
He stated that instead of producing one or two tonnes of rice per hectares, with the assisted
improved inputs and mechanized tools, the farmers are currently producing five tonnes and more
per hectares.
He said, "Fadama have mandated six states to boost rice production in the country. We started
last year, although the impact is not much, the yield realized by the farmers in rice production
have been increased. With 1000 hectares cultivated last year and 2000 being cultivated this year,
there will be significant impact in the country soon."
Kutigi further disclosed that Fadama in Niger state was aiming towards assisting 10,000 farmers
of rice and sorghum while increasing their income and yield by 40 per cent, adding that 300
youths and women groups will be trained and empowered by Fadama in the area of livestock to
reduce youth restiveness and boost the economy of the state.
30

http://www.worldstagegroup.com/worldstagenew/index.php?active=news&newscid=31696&catid=36
Lao mills need to improve rice quality for exports to China:

media
Source: Xinhua 2016-09-26 13:56:55
VIENTIANE, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lao officials said the country's mills need to improve rice
quality as to meet the needs for exports to China, Lao daily Vientiane Times reported Monday.
Only a mill named IDP Rice Mill in Savannakhet province of central Laos is able to produce rice
of sufficient quality to meet the standard required by Chinese buyers, said the report.
There are many rice mills around the country but they are inefficient and the finished product is
of low quality. Based on a nationwide survey, only the IDP Rice Mill in Savannakhet has been
able to meet Chinese standards.
Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Bounkhouang Khambounheuang, told to
reporters on last Friday that Laos began selling rice to China last year. So far, about 3,700 tons of
sticky rice and nonglutinous rice have been shipped.
"The Xuanye Company of China received an import quota from the Chinese government to buy
rice from Laos," he said. Last year Xuanye was authorized by the Chinese government to import
8,000 tons of rice from Laos and this year has ordered 7,200 tons.
An official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said the rice grown in Laos had pure
white grains, was soft and had a pleasant aroma.
Although the rice grown by Lao farmers is of good quality, rice mills must maintain high
standards if they hope to export rice to China. Mills that use low quality methods will need to
improve their operations and the machinery they use.
This year Lao rice went on display for the first time at the annual China-Asean Expo. The 13th
Expo was staged from September 11-14 at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition
Centre, alongside the 13th China-Asean Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, Quangxi,
China.
Lao government has earmarked 10 provinces for the cultivation of rice for export and to ensure
food security.
31

To increase crop yields for food security and commercial gain, the government is continuing to
build more irrigation schemes using its own budget and low-interest loans. Higher yields are
helping to contribute significantly to socio-economic development and poverty reduction,
according to the report.
More than 778,000 hectares of wet season rice and over 126,600 hectares of dry season rice are
grown annually in Laos. However, about 226,000 hectares of rice fields in flatland areas are
totally dependent on rainfall because irrigation channels have not yet been built in those areas.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-09/26/c_135714365.htm
Egypt's rice export ban worries farmers
32
Source: Xinhua | 2016-09-25 03:41:59 | Editor: huaxia

An Egyptian farmer works after the harvest of paddy rice in a field in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, Sept.
17, 2016. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)
by Marwa Yahya
GHARBIYA, Egypt, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- "I expect the rice price will get lower this season, and it will be
better for me to buy rice than to plant it," said Mahmoud Abdel Fattah, a 55-year-old farmer.The rice
harvest season came in September in the Nile Delta area of Egypt. Farmers will be busy on harvesting,
packaging and selling through the whole month, with the hopes to earn more to feed their
families.According to the official data from the Egyptian government, the rice price has surged by about
50 percent this year. In supermarkets of Cairo, the price of one kilo rice has increased from 3.5 Egyptian
pounds (0.4 U.S. dollar) last year to unprecedented 11 pounds three months ago.
The hiking price encouraged more farmers to plant rice this year. However, this season is not a source of
joy anymore since a ban of rice exports, issued by the government last month, aiming to control the price
and preserve stocks for the local market.
"For this season, I have spent 2,000 Egyptian pounds on 12 acres since this May, but now I can't expect a
reasonable income," Fattah said while spreading the rice on ground to get drier, helped by his daughter
and his two grandchildren.He said that after calculating the expenses of seeding, cultivating, farming,
using machines, hiring workforce and harvesting, as well as the revenues, he has regretted planting rice
this year.
With the sound of reapers from behind, Fattah's family were collecting the crops by hand in piles. "I can't
even afford 160 pounds per day to hire more hands," he added.
Since the year of 2011 when the former president Hosni Mubarak was overthrew, Egypt has been trapped
in economic stagnation and security problems.In 2016, food problem has become more serious because of
the hiking prices. The failure to stockpile rice earlier this year has left it at the mercy of traders, who are
usually not interested in domestic market, or prone to stockpile for a higher price. "I don't care about
exportation, I just want the rice to be available like last year with cheaper prices," said Amal Moustafa, a
housewife in her thirties, while buying some vegetables from the market."The rice is a base for everyday
dishes, and with high prices, I reduce the amounts of vegetables and meat to buy more rice," she said,
noting the ban of rice exports is really important for poor people living in cities.
However, farmers stand on the other side, regarding to the ban and lower price of rice. "Actually, we
produce more than enough rice for the domestic needs, especially this year. I was told that the price of a
kilo of rice might be lower than 3 pounds after the harvest season," a farmer named Abdel Shafy Qasem
told Xinhua.
33

He added that earlier this year, many farmers have planted rice and nobody expected that the government
will totally ban the rice exports."It was a bad decision to plant the rice this season. I have some other
fields planted with garlic, carrot and corn, now they are my hope for the whole year," Qasem said.
He said that for most farmers, this water-consuming grain has brought them more economic burden on
irrigation, because they have to spent much to find water."My land is located in a higher level, and I have
to dig nearly 150 meters for ground water, which cost me and my neighbors 15,000 pounds," Qasem
explained in details.According to Ragab Shihata, head of the Rice Department in the Industries Union of
Egypt, halting the rice exportation will lower the price in a short time, but in a long run, the ban will
increase the stock percentage, and make the rice vulnerable for spoilage."The key problem is that nobody
expected this policy earlier this year, so it will really harm the farmers' income," he said.At the same time,
the expert called for a more balanced policy on rice."For example, the government can open exportation
for one million tons of rice to make balance between controlling the high prices in the local market and
avoiding losses of farmers and businessmen,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-09/25/c_135711167.htm
Cambodia seeks China's help as rice prices plummet
34
26 Sep 2016 at 18:38

A girl dries unhusked rice on a road in front of her home in Kampong Thom province,
Cambodia, on Saturday. (Reuters photo)
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia is seeking early implementation of China's plan to annually
purchase 200,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice, to help prevent plummeted rice prices from falling
even further, a senior government official said Monday.Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister in
charge of foreign affairs, said he made the request in a meeting with China's new ambassador
Xiong Bo, while also explaining that the sharp decline in rice prices is seriously affecting
Cambodian farmers.
Chinese Premer Li Keqiang, in his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Laos
early this month, pledged to double China's annual purchase of 100,000 tonnes of Cambodian
rice to 200,000 tonnes, starting from next year.Since last month, the price of rice has fallen from
$240 per tonne to $192, leading to protests by some farmers and prompting the government to
grant $27 million to millers to buy rice from them.The deputy prime minister also called for
early disbursal of China's pledged loan of $300 million to Cambodia for building warehouses
and drying facilities.Cambodia is a diplomatic ally of China, while the latter is a major provider
of low-interest loans and grants to the Southeast Asian country.
36bn demanded from Yingluck for rice losses

Sep 2016 at 18:15
WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters prior to an appearance last month
at the Supreme Court in Bangkok, where her trial for dereliction of duty in connection with the
rice-pledging programme is taking place. Defence testimony is scheduled to continue until
February next year. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
A government committee has concluded that Yingluck Shinawatra must pay 35.7 billion baht in
compensation for losses from her rice-pledging programme from 2012-14.The bills could mount
further as the military regime pursues several other cases against the former premier, including
compensation for losses from the "poorly planned" responses to the severe flooding in
2011.Comptroller-General Manas Jamveha, the head of the civil liability panel, said Ms
Yingluck was held responsible for 20% of the 178 billion baht in losses resulting from rice
pledging in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 crop seasons.
35
An administrative liability panel ruled earlier that a violation was committed and the civil
liability panel was set up to determine the financial damages. Under the chairmanship of Jirachai
Moonthongroi, it originally settled on a total of 286.6 billion baht. But when Mr Manas assumed
the chairmanship, a different calculation method was applied to arrive at 178 billion.
Ms Yingluck did nothing wrong in campaigning for votes on a promise to help farmers by
buying all their rice, Mr Manas said. But she was responsible for refusing to stop the programme,
as state agencies called on her to do, as its losses started to mount.
He was referring to warnings from the Office of the Auditor General, the National AntiCorruption Commission and the Finance Ministry.The Yingluck government paid farmers
inflated prices, 40-50% above prevailing market rates, for rice and built up huge stockpiles from
2011-14. World market prices were falling at the time and it became impossible to sell the rice,
some of which rotted in storage.The situation was made worse by mismanagement and
corruption including allegedly fake government-to-government sales, for which former
commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom is being prosecuted.
36

The government's borrowing of 400 billion baht to carry out the rice programme showed clearly
the damage it was causing, and Ms Yingluck should have had the discipline to stop it, Mr Manas
said.
Ms Yingluck had the right to contest the compensation demand in the Administrative Court, he
added.
The former premier's Pheu Thai Party maintains that since she is still being tried in the Supreme
Court in connection with the rice scheme, it is inappropriate to use administrative orders to
demand compensation unless culpability is legally established first.
Defence testimony in the Supreme Court case is not scheduled to end until February next
year.Mr Boonsong also faces a compensation order for 20 billion baht and he has indicated that
he will go to court to fight it.Meanwhile, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Ms
Yingluck would be prosecuted for failing to deal effectively with the 2011 floods, the worst to
hit the country in six decades.In addition to poor management of the flooding, her government's
response was marked by questionable spending, he said.
Ms Yingluck, whose government was overthrown in the military coup of May 2014, is facing
prosecution in as many as 15 cases of alleged wrongdoing. They include her government's
issuance of a passport to her brother, the fugitive former prime minister Thakshin Shinawatra;
undue influence on a military reshuffle; the transfer of a former secretary-general of the National
Security Council; 7.5 million baht in individual compensation for people affected by political u
09/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

2:24 AM (14 hours ago)
37

Soybeans
High Low
Cash Bids 993 910
New Crop 993 925
Riceland Foods
Cash Bids Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - New Crop Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - -
Futures:
SOYBEANS
High Low
Last Change
Nov '16 960.25 943.75 945.25 -9.75

Jan '17 966.25 950.00 951.50 -9.50
Mar '17 972.00 956.00 957.25 -9.25
May '17 977.50 962.00 963.00 -8.75
Jul '17 982.50 967.00 968.00 -9.00
Aug '17 970.25 966.50 967.00 -8.75
Sep '17 962.50 960.25 954.50 -6.75
38

Nov '17 956.25 943.25 945.25 -4.00
Jan '18 948.00 948.00 948.00 -3.75
Soybean Comment
Soybeans closed lower today as soybean meal moved to a new multi month low. While palm oil
prices remain strong, the market seems to have already factored in these higher prices. The market
was pressured by not only weak meal prices, but a disappointing export inspections last week.
Soybeans need strong demand as the record demand forecast is keeping supplies in check this year
and preventing a major build in soybean supplies. Soybeans continue to hold support near recent
lows of $9.37
Wheat
High Low
Cash Bids 392 360
New Crop 423 398
Futures:
WHEAT
High Low
Last Change
39
Dec '16 407.00 395.25 396.00 -8.75

Mar '17 430.25 418.50 419.75 -8.25
May '17 443.75 432.75 433.75 -8.00
Jul '17 451.75 442.25 443.50 -6.50
Sep '17 459.50 457.00 457.50 -5.25
Dec '17 483.00 473.25 476.00 -4.50
Mar '18
490.75 -3.75
May '18
497.00 -3.75
Jul '18
493.00 -3.75
Wheat Comment
Wheat prices closed lower today. While flooding and a reduction import duties in India were bullish
for prices, weakness in outside markets and continue forecast for strong supplies continues to weigh
on prices. Wheat prices closed below support near $4, and now have support at $3.91.
Grain Sorghum
High Low
Cash Bids 302 235
New Crop 302 277
40
Corn
High Low
Cash Bids 343 234
New Crop 349 313
Futures:
CORN
High Low
Last Change
Dec '16 336.50 328.50 329.00 -7.50

Mar '17 346.25 338.50 339.00 -7.25
May '17 352.25 345.25 346.00 -6.75
Jul '17 359.25 352.50 352.75 -6.75
Sep '17 365.00 359.50 359.75 -6.75
Dec '17 375.50 368.75 369.50 -6.25
Mar '18 384.00 379.50 379.50 -6.00
May '18
385.00 -6.25
Jul '18 393.25 388.75 389.00 -5.50
41
Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower today. After wet weather supported prices last week, a change in forecast
to drier weather has put pressure on corn prices. While demand continues to look good as this
weeks export inspection were again strong, the expectations of a record crop are weighing on
prices. In any other year, the 55% increase in exports year-to-date would be supporting prices;
however, the large supply forecast continues to drag prices lower. Corn continues to hold support at
recent lows of $3.14.
Cotton
Futures:
COTTON
High Low Last Change
Oct '16 69.84 69.35 69.16 0.08
Dec '16 71
69.68 70.08 0.01
Cotton Comment
Cotton futures were higher across the board, but closed a penny off the day's highs. Concerns about
the U.S. Crop combined with strong export demand continue to support cotton. December continues
to find support at 70-cents. Nationwide, 10% of the crop has been harvested, and 63% of the acres
have open bolls. 48% of the crop is in good to excellent condition with another 36% in fair
condition.
42

Rice
High Low
Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -
Futures:
ROUGH RICE
High Low
Last Change
Nov '16 980.0 962.5 967.5 +2.5

Jan '17 1001.5 986.5 991.5 +2.0
Mar '17 1011.0 1011.0 1015.5 +1.0
May '17
1035.5 +1.0
Jul '17
1054.0 -0.5
Sep '17
1054.0 -0.5
Nov '17
1054.0 -0.5
Rice Comment
Rice prices were mostly higher, but harvest pressure continues to limit the upside potential of the
market. 73% of the crop has been harvested nation-wide, and in Arkansas 84% of the crop is in the
bins. November continues to chop along mostly sideways above support at the low of $9.35.
43
Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle:
LIVE CATTLE
High
Low
Last Change
Oct '16 107.050 105.575 106.825 -0.450

Dec '16 106.625 104.950 106.125 -0.725
Feb '17 106.775 105.200 106.300 -0.800
Apr '17 106.025 104.625 105.775 -0.700
Jun '17 99.100 97.825 98.975 -0.775
Aug '17 97.450 96.250 97.275 -0.775
Oct '17 98.400 97.525 98.300 -0.725
Feeders:
FEEDER CATTLE
High
Low
Last Change
Sep '16 136.550 135.825 136.050 -0.775

Oct '16 132.350 129.825 131.050 -1.325
Nov '16 129.450 126.875 127.875 -1.850
44
Jan '17 124.750 122.325 123.375 -1.950

Mar '17 123.000 120.725 121.850 -1.600
Apr '17 121.750 120.750 121.625 -0.825
May '17 121.200 120.375 121.100 -1.375
Aug '17 122.925 121.525 122.650 -0.850
Cattle Comment
Hogs
Futures:
LEAN HOGS
High Low
Last Change
Oct '16 54.250 52.950 53.050 -0.950

Dec '16 49.000 48.050 48.600 -0.300
Feb '17 53.300 52.525 52.950 -0.400
Apr '17 59.550 58.900 59.200 -0.525
May '17 66.525 66.325 66.325 -0.425
Jun '17 70.750 70.225 70.525 -0.225
Jul '17 70.250 69.750 69.750 -0.500
Aug '17 69.525 69.250 69.300 -0.350
45

Oct '17
59.875 -0.450
Hog Comment
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/
USA Rice Welcomes New Government Affairs/PAC Manager

By Deborah Willenborg
,Bree Pettigo
Welcome Bree!ARLINGTON, VA- USA Rice is pleased to welcome Bree Pettigo as the new
Government Affairs/PAC Manager.
Bree comes to USA Rice from the U.S. House of Representatives

where she most recently served as the Executive Assistant to
Congressman Henry Cuellar [TX-28]. In that role, Bree managed Rep.
Cuellar's daily schedule and coordinated logistics for all meetings and
events the Congressman attended in both n, D.C. and throughout his
district.A native of Memphis, Tennessee, home to the upcoming 2016
USA Rice Outlook Conference, Bree grew up in Southaven,
Mississippi, and attended Mississippi State University where she
obtained a B.S. in Psychology
46

Rice tariffs to boost local rice farming
BIZLINKS By Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 27, 2016 - 12:00am
The groundwork to lift the quantitative restrictions on rice importation has started even
against the protest of the Department of Agriculture on behalf of Filipino farmers who will
definitely be hard-pressed to compete with lower priced rice imports.Even with tariffs of at
least 35 percent, it is estimated that imported rice can still be sold at competitive prices to
local farmers rice produce or even cheaper, since one of the goals of the move to lift QRs is to lower
the price of rice.
The plan to lift QRs on rice had been on the stove burner since last year in a bid to end almost 20 years of
preferential restrictions approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on our rice importations.
The WTO first allowed the Philippines to impose a 10-year quota system for rice importation in 1995,
and extended this in 2004 for another six years. When the QR lapsed in 2012, negotiations resumed to
extend the preferential status starting in 2014 and ending in June 30, 2017.
Actually, it does seem a little embarrassing to ask for another extension, given the number of times the
country has implored to be given more time to prepare its farmers for trade liberalization, and the two
decades 20 years that was given.
Therefore, if you hear Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piol ranting a protest, please just bear with him:
its a sort of duty thing. Really, if you think hard, it was not exactly his fault, but more of the neglectful
agriculture bureaucrats during the last 20 years.
Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Competitive study
Therefore, its now reckoning time. The big question on the minds of many would be a concern for our
farmers survival in the face of unlimited rice importation from such rice-exporters as Thailand and
Vietnam. Will we start to see more Filipino rice farms being abandoned?
In a study by the Philippine Rice Research Institute completed in 2015, Filipino rice farmers were ranked
fourth in competitiveness behind Vietnam, Thailand and India. China and Indonesia were the other two of
the six countries included in the study.
47

The same study categorically stated that Filipino farmers when faced with the lifting of QRs, would not
be able to survive. This would mean our struggling rice farmers may totally decide to give up their rice
farms for other crops or just abandon the land and find other jobs.
The study shows where Filipino farmers pale in comparison with competitors. Against Vietnam, for
example, the Philippines had a higher production cost because Vietnam had greater volume of paddy,
more efficient handling, and higher milling recovery.
There is also the contention that there is a huge difference in land productivity. In Vietnam, there are
three rice crop harvest in a year, whereas we have only two. Our average rice yields are also much lower,
even during Vietnams autumn-winter season.
Then, the Philippines has a high labor cost (P3.76 for hired labor to produce a kilogram of paddy in
Nueva Ecija, against only P0.46 in Can Tho, Vietnam). Our farmers rely more on hired workers, whereas
the Viets mobilize all their family members before resorting to hired hands.
Also, Vietnam uses direct seeding in crop establishment, and combined with the use of harvesters, are
able to further bring down labor cost. In the Philippines, transplanting is the preferred route, something
that is labor-intensive, plus manual harvesting and mechanized threshing.
The study also pointed out that machine rental and fuel are more expensive in in the Philippines at P1.73
per kg of paddy, while it costs only P0.80 in Vietnam with the use of more efficient machines in land
preparation, harvesting and threshing.
Theres more information available, but what is important is understanding where we stand against our
more progressive neighbors in terms of rice farming, and for our government to be able to use this
knowledge to craft measures that will keep rice farming competitive and alive in the Philippines.
Support rice farms
48

We cannot afford to lose rice lands for the very simple reason that the excess rice production set aside for
export of countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and China will not be able to supply our
needs.
The worlds rice surplus made available for the Philippines averaged at only 2.84 million metric tons a
year from 2008 to 2012. Since our yearly total rice requirement is about 14.97 million MT, it is definitely
impossible to rely on importations to feed our families without local production.
What to do?
Offhand, it would be safe to assume that imposing tariffs on rice imports would mean additional earnings
for the government. Definitely, allocating part of the earnings on some form of cash support for displaced
farmers would not be a good idea.
In the first place, cash subsidies for the victims of the QR lifting will be difficult to manage, and in the
long run, would be an opportunity for corruption. More importantly, these kinds of subsidies are not
productive and will not assure a structural change in the quality of rice farming in the country.
Instead of cash transfers, why not channel all or a large part of the funds from the rice import tariffs to an
agricultural fund that will support a definite set of programs.
First there should be free irrigation water to all our farmers and rice farms. Water is a state resource that
should be channeled for the welfare of the nation, and in this case, what better use than water for rice
paddies. Vietnam and China are doing this, why not us?
Second, mechanization of rice farms cannot be overlooked. This can help bring rice production to three
harvests a year, improve production per hectare, and reduce costs on manpower, which is among the
highest in the region. We should also explore better varieties of rice that promise improved yields.
Lastly, the collected tariffs must go to post-farm support: better dryers (not streets) and community
storage facilities, more efficient mills, more extensive farm-to-market roads and access to cheaper
transportation facilities.
On a parting note, it has been experienced as with the garlic trade that free trade without the proper
safety nets does not necessarily mean lower prices. It would be a travesty and a tragedy if we will end up
with higher priced rice in the years to come, and more importantly, the loss of our rice farms
49

USA Rice-Japan Academics Discuss Farm Policy
Challenges
By Colleen Klemczewski
ARLINGTON, VA - Two agriculture policy

specialists from Japan's Ibaraki University,
Drs. Kunio Nishikawa and Katsutoshi Ohnaka,
visted USA Rice's office last week to review
farm policy developments in Japan and the
United States. They were joined by Mr.
Takeshi Nakamura of JA-ZENCHU, the
central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives and
Japan's largest farm cooperative.
Comparing notes
USA Rice's Bob Cummings, Hugh Maginnis,
and Peter Bachmann reviewed trade and agricultural policies in the United States and U.S. rice
farmers' views on the Farm Bill. The group also discussed proposals by Japan's prime minister
to reform rice production policy.
"We have met periodically with farm policy experts from Japan and these gatherings provide a
good opportunity for an exchange of views and for both sides to provide information on current
issues facing our industries," said Cummings, USA Rice's COO.
USA Rice
50

27th September, 2016 Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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September 27,2016

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Global, Regional & Local

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Abdul Sattar Shah

Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid

Editorial Advisory Board

Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim

Assistant Professor, Gomal

Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK

Falak Naz Shah

Head Food Science & Technology

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Du30 rice paddy in Laguna draws visitors

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

NFA: Rice imports may be needed as La Nia buffer

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

September 26, 2016 Author: Beth Greenwood

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Scientists are using social media to determine air quality

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CAG raps FS&CW department for undue favour to rice

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Speed up Rice Loan, China Told

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Bank trims rate to coax millers

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Rice Sector Intervention to Bolster CPP Support, Official

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Six quintals of rice for a National championship!

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Indonesia to sign rice import deal with Myanmar

Myanmar is due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia to export

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Arkansas Rice: Downed Rice And Harvest Aids Avoid

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NFA assures enough rice supply for region

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on September 26, 2016.

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

NFA: Rice imports may be needed as La Nia buffer

Posted on September 27, 2016

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

NFA mulls importation of addl 250,000 MT of rice in

After securing 250,000 metric tons (MT) of

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Cambodia asks China to speed up $300 million rice loan

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3,860 farmers receive support for rice, sorghum production

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Lao mills need to improve rice quality for exports to China: