17th november,2015 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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November 02,2015 Vol 5, Issue XI

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Rice News Headlines...

A new Rice variety Stay Green Rice developed by Genetics Department, Hazara University

Pakistan

Why Basmati is down

Rice meet

Union Minister Announces Two Agriculture Research Centres for State

PhilRice observes rice awareness month

Editorial: Politically charged import

Govt strengthens prevention of commodity price fixing

Rice export deals hit record level in October

Water price bursts rice bubble

Choice for Vietnam rice brand still in dispute

500,000-ton Cuban market would be ‘beneficial’ to U.S. rice farmers

Thailand to gain from lower rice supply

Weak ringgit may push up RICE PRICE

Rice prices may shoot up, says Assocham study

A model for APEC: Innovative entrepreneurship for inclusive agribusiness

Rice procurement by govt agencies up 25%

USA Rice Visits UK Trade with Eye to Returning U.S. Rice to Shelves

11/17/2015 Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-November 17

Commodity Report-Nov. 16

APEDIA Commodity News from India

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

Shawarma the Syrian way at restaurant Reyan

VU celebrates Diwali

News Detail...

Dr. Fida Muhammad Abbasi, Associate Professor Department of Genetics Hazara

University Mansehra have developed STAY GREEN RICE for grain quality

Drought stress and resistance to Bacterial blight. He is PRINCIPAL

INVESTIGATOR for the project.for More project detail you can visit on following

website.

http://103.240.220.69/dost/Evaluation-of-STAY-GREEN-RICE-for-grain-quality-drought-stress-

and-resistance-to-Bacterial-blight.php


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Why Basmati is down

The world rice market is growing at 12.2 percent annually and Pakistan‘s share in this market is

increasing at a rate of 18 percent, opens an SBP report titled ―Basmati Rice Value Chain in

Pakistan.‖ However, the report concedes that this is due to the demand for our coarse rice in low-

end markets, while the superior Basmati breed continues to suffer. As per the report, the share of

Basmati rice in total rice production in Pakistan has gone down from 74 percent in 2008 to 50

percent last season.

The reason for this drop in production has been, among other things, due to the illegal adoption

of the Indian variety, Pusa. mall farmers are adopting the Pusa variety as it opens an opportunity

to grow a third crop between rice and wheat. This variety gives a superior yield, consumes less

water and grows in a short duration. However, this breed is illegal in Pakistan, and any concrete

reason for it being outlawed was absent from the report; an industry source told BR Research the

seed is not registered and not approved by the KSK Rice Institute, saying they ―don‘t do

anything themselves and won‘t let progress happen either.‖ Indeed, a lack of research and

development is a key reason for the decline of Basmati exports, no matter who you talk to.

Although the size of the international Basmati market is not mentioned in the report, an industry

source said that it may be around $6-6.8 billion (7-8 million tons @ $850/ton).

Two million tons of Basmati are grown annually in Pakistan, of which around 0.6 million tons

are exported. This number used to be a lot higher, but lack of research and no incentives have left

the industry behind, while our favorite neighbor India has stolen the show. ndia has hybrid seeds

which give exactly twice the yield of our seeds. Their inputs – water, electricity, fertilizer – are

also heavily subsidized by their government. An industry source added that India flooding the

market is the reason why international rice prices are so low. He added that India has snatched

key Basmati markets from Pakistan, such as Iran, and continues to penetrate the international

scene. Domestically, an important issue highlighted in the report was that of the middleman;

around 80 percent of farmers sell their produce to commission agents (Arthi) in the Mandi.

A profitability analysis revealed that the resource-poor farmer who is dependent on Arthi for

credit and input supply has a profitability of Rs1539 per acre, while the mill-driven business

model (contract farming), where both small and large farms are contracted by the mills, carries a

much higher profitability of Rs54012 per acre. So, credit facilities need to be provided to the

small farmers so they aren‘t exploited by middlemen, while contract farming needs to be adopted

on a larger scale. On the production front, there are issues in terms of water scarcity, outdated

planting and harvesting methods, electricity and gas outages, lack of technology, high cost of

inputs and low yields. For an industry that is the second-highest exports of our country, these are

a lot of issues that need to be addressed! http://www.brecorder.com/br-research/44:miscellaneous/6014:why-basmati-is-down/

Rice meet 600 scientists to present research papers

About 600 rice scientists will be presenting research papers at the three-day international rice

symposium with theme – ‗Rice science for global food and nutritional security‘ being organised

by the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) from Nov. 18-20. Union Minister Bandaru


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Dattatreya, Director Generals of ICAR, IRRI, ICRISAT, Vice-Chancellors of farm universities

will also be attending, a press release said.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-telangana/rice-meet/article7886036.ece

Union Minister Announces Two Agriculture Research Centres

for State By Express News Service

Published: 17th November 2015 04:47 AM

Last Updated: 17th November 2015 04:47 AM

VIJAYAWADA: Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh announced to set up

aquaculture institutions and a couple of agricultural research centres in the state, after an hour-

long discussion with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other ministers in Vijayawada on

Monday.He laid the foundation stone for ANGRAU campus in LAM Farms. Impressed with the

performance of the state in aquaculture and congratulating AP for its numero uno status in

shrimp exports, which makes up to 46 per cent of the total shrimp exports from the country,

Radha Mohan announced to set up National Breed Bank for improvement of Rohu, Catla and

Pangas fish breeds. He wanted the state to do well in fish production and exports as well.

The National Breed Bank (NBB) will come up in any of the 50 seed farms in the state and a

scientific team from the Centre will shortly visit AP to complete the process, he said and

announced to establish Breeder Multiplication Centre for L-Vannamei (a popular variety of

prawn), which will help produce more seed.The existing unit of Central Institute of Fisheries

Education at Balabhadrapuram in Kakinada will be upgraded into regional centre, he said and

announced Centre for Brackish Water Aquaculture regional centre for which the state

government has to provide necessary land anywhere along its long cost (at present, the centre is

located in Chennai). Radha Mohan also sanctioned Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture

(CIFA) at Penamaluru in Vijayawada (the CIFA is located only in Bhubaneswar).In agriculture

sector, he sanctioned Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) sub-centre in Srikakulam district

(now present in Bhubaneswar) and assured Naidu to look into the proposal for setting up Indian

Institute of Rice Research in West Godavari district.

The Union minister responded positively to the CM‘s request to consider the state for

implementation of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. Under the scheme, the Centre provides Rs

30,000 per acre for three years. Since farmers stand to benefit greatly from the scheme, the state

government had been requesting the Central government for implementation of the scheme for

some time now.The CM sought Centre‘s aid with regard to drought, micro-irrigation and oil

palm issues. He also explained the efforts taken up by the state to overcome drought like river

interlinking, micro irrigation, neeru-chettu, etc.As regards oil palm crisis, Chandrababu asked for

a clear announcement by the Centre and urged the latter to announce a price as per the market

conditions. State agriculture minister P Pulla Rao stressed the need for regulation of palm oil

import and suggested that import tax be increased.Responding to this, Radha Mohan assured that

the committee concerned will review the situation and take necessary steps in the next 10

days.Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, advisor to the state government


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(communication) Parakala Prabhakar and higher officials of agriculture and allied sectors were

present. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/Union-Minister-Announces-Two-

Agriculture-Research-Centres-for-State/2015/11/17/article3132106.ece

PhilRice observes rice awareness month November 17, 2015

By Merlito G. Edale Jr.

SAN MATEO, Isabela, November 17 (PIA) – The Philippine Rice Research Institute

(Philrice) here joined in the nationwide observance of National Rice Awareness Month

with the theme ―BROWN4GOOD or Be Riceponsible In Your Own Way Now 4

Good‖.Democrito Rebong II, PhilRice – Isabela station manager, said the annual

celebration is an opportunity to recognize and promote rice as the staple food of

Filipinos.He said the month-long activity also aims to encourage every Filipino to do their

share of responsibility by valuing every grain of rice and eating healthier rice, like brown or

unpolished rice and rice mixes to benefit themselves, other consumers, rice farmers and the

country to achieve rice sufficiency.

―Brown rice or unpolished rice are rich in vitamins and minerals and have high fiber

content and oil,‖ he said, adding that eating such rice may reduce cardiovascular diseases

such as hypertension, heart diseases, hypercholesterolemia, and stroke.Rebong urged

consumers to avoid rice wastage in order to help achieve rice sufficiency in the country.He

said families should just prepare the exact amount of rice for their daily consumption and

should not go beyond their capacity.Meanwhile, PhilRICE-Isabela, in collaboration with

the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Rice Research Institute, Bureau of Plant

Industry, National Irrigation Administration and the local government units, will be

showing the different brown rice varieties and other rice varieties as part of this year's

lined-up activities. (ALM/MGE/PIA-2/Isabela)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/481447721708/philrice-observes-rice-awareness-

month#sthash.wQuHIzhF.dpuf

Editorial: Politically charged import The Jakarta Post | Editorial | Tue, November 17 2015, 8:47 AM

The country‘s failure to secure its rice-import target of 1.5 million tons from its traditional

suppliers — Thailand and Vietnam — to beef up its stocks shows just how high a politically

charged commodity this staple food is and how confusingly inaccurate the national data has been

on rice output and consumption. Many analysts cautioned early this year that the government

should import rice because domestic production would fall owing to the impact of the El Niño

weather phenomenon. But President Joko ―Jokowi‖ Widodo, apparently influenced by the

optimistic output estimate by the Agriculture Ministry and hesitating to backtrack on his own

political promises to stop imports, insisted that domestic stocks were still fairly adequate.


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Only after rice prices continued to increase did the President eventually relent to allowing

imports. But stocks in the biggest exporting countries — Thailand and Vietnam — had run out as

several other Southeast Asian countries, hit by the prolonged drought, had also replenished their

stocks with imports. Allowing rice prices to continue to rise as a way to give higher earnings to

farmers, as several politicians have suggested, goes entirely against common sense and will

instead only hurt the majority of the people, 80 percent of whom are net-rice consumers

themselves.Data at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said that more than 75 percent of rice

growers were net-rice consumers.

High prices mostly hit the poorest group because almost 30 percent of their household spending

goes to rice. Worse still, because of the country‘s long and porous coastline, close to several

major rice exporting ports in Thailand and Vietnam, it is nearly impossible for our domestic rice

prices to be kept much higher than border prices without causing import smuggling.The present

rice-pricing policy is fairly adequate because it manages rice prices within an annually reviewed

range of floor and ceiling prices to ensure affordable prices for consumers and allows for fair

margins for rice farmers. Importing rice only as a contingency measure has been considered

fairly adequate as well. But this price mechanism must be based on fairly accurate data on

national production and consumption.

The biggest challenge is to ensure that the government-controlled State Logistics Agency

(Bulog) has enough funds for domestic rice procurement whenever needed to defend floor prices

and maintain enough stocks to release to the market whenever prices tend to rise far above the

fixed ceiling. Yet more important is that Bulog, the only licensed importer of medium-quality

rice, should be given the mandate to quietly carry out imports whenever necessary to beef up

domestic stocks without having to go through the noisy process of gaining a political

consensus.The problem is that Indonesia, given its consumption of over 35 million tons of rice a

year, could easily turn into the world‘s single largest importer whenever its own production

declines as it did this year due to the impact of the prolonged drought. But there are only a few

rice exporting countries http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/11/17/editorial-politically-charged-import.html#sthash.KOhHFTxJ.dpuf

Govt strengthens prevention of commodity price fixing The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Mon, November 16 2015, 5:31 PM

Business News

The government has reiterated its commitment to increasing market monitoring to manage prices

of staple commodities, including beef and rice, by eradicating price-fixing practices.Business

Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) head Syarkawi Rauf said President Joko

―Jokowi‖ Widodo had asked the commission to focus on the monitoring of beef and

rice.Syarkawi said the commission had identified five to seven major players in national rice

production in 11 provinces, including Central Java and North Sumatra, as the players could

possibly dictate the price of rice in the market.―We will continue to monitor them. If they do

anything that indicates anti-competitive practices, we will take necessary action,‖ Syarkawi told

reporters late last week.


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He further explained that with the limited number of players, it would be easy for price fixing to

occur. He said the commission would impose sanctions on unlawful players, if found guilty,

ranging from administrative punishment to recommending that their permits be revoked.The

price and scarcity of rice as Indonesia‘s main staple food has been a major concern this year

following decreasing rice stocks owing to the prolonged season as a result of the El Niño weather

phenomenon.

The government has been struggling to secure the country‘s stocks, which continue to run low,

partially through imports, as Vice President Jusuf Kalla confirmed that more than 1 million tons

of rice from Thailand and Vietnam had begun entering Indonesian ports.Kalla expressed concern

for the possibility of inflated prices with the late harvest, and that the country needed to secure

enough stocks to survive, with a vacuum to fill around 2.5 million tons.Rice prices rose by more

than 30 percent in February this year. The government attributed the abnormal price movement

partially to the ―rice mafia‖.The government has appointed independent firm PT Sucofindo to

audit at least 14,000 warehouses nationwide amid suspicion of illegal stockpiling and reselling.

Warehouse owners found guilty of illegal stockpiling could face up to five years‘ imprisonment

and fines of Rp 50 billion (US$3.70 million).Jokowi previously insisted that stocks, though

running low, remained adequate, as he aimed for the country to be self-sufficient in key

commodities such as rice, corn, soybeans and sugar.Meanwhile, Syarkawi also said that the

commission had tried 32 feedlotters allegedly involved in cartel-like practices last month that

contributed to soaring beef prices, which at one point rose to Rp 130,000 per kilogram from the

usual Rp 90,000 after Idul Fitri. He said the feedlotters were found to have reduced the supply of

cattle to be slaughtered from 30 head of cattle daily to eight head of cattle, leading to scarcity.

―This is where KPPU steps in to investigate the cartel-like practice on beef,‖ Syarkawi

said.Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on

Friday with the local governments of six provinces, including Jakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, East

Java and South Sulawesi, through which the leaders agreed to cooperate in securing and

monitoring the supply of staple commodities, including rice, beef and corn.In its first phase, the

MoU will focus on securing the supply of beef in Jakarta, which needed 60,000 head of cattle per

month, according to Amran, from the other five provinces. The ministry would use the new

livestock vessel recently officiated by the President to transport as many as 500 head of cattle to

Jakarta, said Amran. (fsu)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/11/16/govt-strengthens-prevention-commodity-price-

fixing.html

Rice export deals hit record level in October

VNA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 - 19:41:48


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Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – Exporters signed contracts to sell nearly 2 million tonnes of rice overseas in

October, exceeding the figure of the same period last year by over 22 percent and a record

volume for one month.The outcome is attributable to the winning of bids to sell more than 1.5

million tonnes of rice to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Cuba.According to the Vietnam Food

Association (VFA), in the last ten months, Vietnam exported over 5 million tonnes of rice, a

slight decrease of 6 percent year-on-year. The export price also dropped by 24.03 USD per

tonne.

Asia maintained its position as Vietnam‘s biggest rice importer, despite an annual decline of 11.2

percent in the market share to 71.58 percent. Africa, Australia, and Europe showed greater

demand for Vietnamese rice with higher imports recorded during the period.The VFA anticipates

6.34 million tonnes of rice will be shipped abroad in 2015, excluding cross-border sales

estimated at 1.64 million tonnes.-VNA

http://en.vietnamplus.vn/rice-export-deals-hit-record-level-in-october/84629.vnp


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Palay production to fall this year Posted on November 16, 2015 11:02:00 PM

PRODUCTION of palay -- a staple that contributes nearly a fifth to the value of total farm

output -- is now officially expected to be lower than last year and fall short of target due to

climate-related losses, increasing the likelihood of additional imports for 2016.

The Philippine Statistics Authority‘s (PSA) Rice and Corn Situation and Outlook for October

that was released yesterday showed production of palay, or unmilled rice, is now forecast at 18.3

million metric tons (MT) for this year, 3.54% below 2014‘s 18.97 million MT and 8.5% short of

a 20 million MT full-year target.PSA reported last Friday that palay production fell 15.71%

annually to 2.55 million metric tons (MT) last quarter as ―[s]ignificant reductions were noted in

the volume of production, harvest areas and yield as a result of unrealized plantings [sic] due to

inadequate irrigation water, late occurrence of rains and some areas being left in-fallow.

‖This quarter‘s production -- based on standing crop -- is expected to reach 7.42 million MT,

1.84% lower than the 7.56 million MT actually recorded in 2014‘s comparable three

months.Citing ―farmers‘ planting intentions‖, the agency now sees palay production edging up

by 0.31% to 4.38 million MT in 2016‘s first quarter from 4.37 million MT in January-March this

year on the back of expanded harvest area that should offset lower yield as the El Niño-induced

drought rages.

Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, who heads the El Niño Task Force, had said

earlier this month -- before the government reported lower actual third-quarter palay output --

that his panel would recommend an additional 1.3 million MT of rice imports in the wake of

recents storms and amid current dry weather.For corn -- which contributes about seven percent to

total value of farm output and whose production slipped by 1.7% year-on-year to 2.41 million

MT last quarter -- the PSA now expects the year to end with 7.55 million MT, 2.8% below

2014‘s 7.77 million MT.

October-December corn crop is expected to be 4.18% lower annually due to a 0.62% reduction

in harvest area and a 3.58% fall in yield per hectare, while first-quarter 2016 production is

projected to edge up by 0.48% to 2.38 million MT from the 2.37 million MT actually recorded in

this year‘s comparable three months.


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http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=palay-production-to-fall-this-

year&id=118747

Water price bursts rice bubble Jessie Davies@jessie_davies& JESSIE DAVIESOct. 23, 2015, 3 a.m.

Eflem Sartor, "Farm 500", Yenda, in last summer's Reziq rice crop which yielded 12 tonnes a

hectare.THE sky-high price of water could squeeze rice out of the Murray and Murrumbidgee

Valleys this summer.Temporary water in the Murray is selling for about $280 a megalitre, up

from $120/ML this time last year and irrigation water in the Murrum-bidgee is selling for

$210/ML.Water prices softened on the back of increased water allocations last week but many

growers aren't committing to the thirsty crop.


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Murray Catchment Authority senior land services officer John Fowler, Deniliquin, estimated rice

plantings could be down b y as much as 80 per cent this year."As much as they'd love to support

the local rice industry, they've done the sums and they know they can't afford to buy water," Mr

Fowler said.I've heard of some neighbours pooling the water they have to get a crop between

them."He said many growers around the Deniliquin area had used their existing water to finish

winter cereals.RiceGrowers Association president Jeremy Morton said the state's rice crop would

be well down, but not to the extent Mr Fowler estimated.

"Our selling window will be open for at least another month and I expect a number of growers

will decide to plant a crop within that time."In a bid to boost plantings in the Riverina last week,

SunRice guaranteed a price of $415 a tonne for medium grain Reiziq and up to $655 a tonne for

speciality varieties, including organic medium grain rice, delivered to the 2016 crop rice

pool.SunRice chairman Laurie Arthur said the tight water outlook pushed the announcement.It

had already made a difference, he said."We did notice after the announcement we got a boost of

people collecting seed and we're are confident our guaranteed price will continue to have an

impact on grower numbers over the next month," he said.Coleambally grower Rodney Foster

was swayed by SunRice's guaranteed prices.

"When I heard the prices they were offering I thought I had better put some in," Mr Foster

said.He will plant 38 hectares, down from his usual 380ha."We would have put in another 40

hectares if we had enough water but it's just not in the system," he said."We've gone big on corn

instead."Mr Foster said a few of his neighbours had turned to cotton to maximise the return on

their hefty water investment.Growing rice this year was off the table for Moulamein grower

Robert Glenn, "Edward Park", until he heard about SunRice's deal."We're still undecided, but it


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helps to know that SunRice has extended the offer," he said."We can't generate enough money

by growing rice but we're passionate about our rice industry and what it does for our local

community, so we may let our heart rule our economics."RiceGrower's Jeremy Morton expected

the Sherpa variety to be popular this summer."It's a short season variety, so it will use less water

than other options. However, Reiziq will be the most popular variety planted," he said.

Rice no dice, cash price too nice at Yenda

IT IS better economics for Yenda grower Eflem Sartor to sell his water than plant a summer

crop.It was "an easy decision" not to plant rice for Mr Sartor, "Farm 500"."It was much more

viable for me to sell my water, which I did a week and a half ago," he said."I couldn't see the

sense in working over summer for such little profit."Instead, he will have his first holiday in 35

years."I don't know where I'm going or what I'm going to do but I'm very much looking forward

to it."He said some neighbours had committed to planting rice, despite temporary water trading

at about $210 a megalitre."They must be using a completely different calculator to me," he said.

"Then again, they may have carryover water from last season, which I don't."Mr Sartor is

pictured in last year's Reiziq rice crop, which yielded 12 tonnes to the hectare."I was very

pleased with it, but it's a completely different scenario this year."This year Mr Sartor planted

1000 hectares of dryland cereals and was pleased with their development in the lead-up to

harvest.

JESSIE DAVIES http://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/3442284/water-price-bursts-rice-bubble/?cs=4770

Choice for Vietnam rice brand still in dispute

VietNamNet Bridge - Both Jasmine and Japonica rice are being considered as Vietnam’s national rice brands but many experts

disagree.

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has suggested that Jasmine and Japonica rice varieties can

be chosen for development into Vietnam‘s national rice brand. However, experts say they are not

a reasonable choice.Two weeks ago, experts and businesses raised their opposition against the

association‘s proposal on the Jasmine variety.Professor Vo Tong Xuan, the best known rice

expert, said this variety of rice has been eliminated in many countries in the world, emphasizing

that a variety which is no longer favored in the world must not be the symbol of Vietnam.VFA

recently suggested adding Japonica, a Japanese rice variety, on the list of rice varieties for

consideration to develop a national rice brand.There are two reasons behind the association‘s

decision. First, the market demand for Japonica rice is relatively high. And second, Vietnam has

favorable conditions to organize the production of the rice.

However, VFA has once again spoken about public opposition to this proposal. Of the 4.3

million tons of rice exported by VFA‘s member companies in the first nine months of 2015,

Japonica rice only accounted for one percent. A VFA‘s report showed that 27.55 percent of rice

exported was high-quality white rice, while 25.01 percent was scented rice. Average-quality

white rice exports accounted for 13.69 percent of total exports, while low-cost white rice

accounted for 11.29 percent. Huynh The Nang, VFA‘s chair, said VFA wants to choose three


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market segments for the national rice brand development – scented rice, high-quality white rice

and specialty rice. Japonica has been suggested for specialty rice. However, he stressed that the

Japonica VFA has suggested is not the pure Japanese variety, but the one created by cross-

breeding by a Vietnamese company, which also has round grains like Japanese Japonica.Xuan

believes that the rice variety mentioned by Nang is DS1 created by the Vietnam Agriculture

Genetic Institute.

Meanwhile, Xuan does not think DS1 could be welcomed by Japanese.Though DS1 also has

round grain like Japonica, DS1 is less soft than Japonica and therefore, it could not be rolled to

make sushi.Le Minh Truong, deputy general director of Vinafood 2, thinks it would be better to

develop the rice varieties which account for the highest proportions in exports.―Why shouldn‘t

we think of consolidating what we have now instead of developing completely new ones?‖ he

said.

500,000-ton Cuban market would be ‘beneficial’ to U.S. rice

farmers

Nov 15, 2015Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press


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What

What I'm leading to is that a 500,000- ton market in nearby Cuba with Cuba mostly taking milled

rice would be very beneficial to the U.S. rice industry.‖ - Dr. Nathan Childs.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visits PALCO grocery store accompanied by PALCO

President Abraham Masques in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday (Nov. 14). USDA photo by Lydia Barraza

How much rice could the United States sell Cuba if all the political, financial and other hurdles

that have brought U.S. rice shipments to the island to a standstill in recent years were

permanently removed?

That‘s been a subject of considerable speculation in the U.S. rice community since President

Obama and President Raul Castro announced the United States and Cuba would restore full

diplomatic ties last Dec. 17.Most rice industry members know a number of obstacles such as the

50-plus-year-old trade embargo against Cuba and restrictions on providing credit to finance

Cuban purchases have to be removed. But what happens if those are cleared and shipments of

U.S. rice begin arriving in Cuban ports again?

―If the U.S. exported the same amount of rice it did in the late 1950s and 1960s – around 150,000

to 160,000 tons – Cuba would be the seventh largest U.S. rice market today,‖ says Nathan

Childs, senior agricultural economist with the USDA‘s Economic Research Service.Dr. Childs,

who has been analyzing the U.S. and global rice markets for more than 20 years, discussed the

outlook for U.S. and Cuba trade, during a University of Arkansas Systems Division of

Agriculture Food and Agribusiness Webinar. Stephen Zahniser, a USDA economist specializing

in trade with Mexico, was also a presenter.After the passage of the Trade Sanctions Reform and

Export Enhancement Act of 2000, the U.S. shipped from 150,000 to 175,000 tons, mostly of

milled, rice to Cuba a year until 2008 when exports peaked and began to decline. Most of the

shipments were of milled rice.


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http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/500000-ton-cuban-market-would-be-beneficial-us-rice-farmers

Thailand to gain from lower rice supply

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI

THE NATION November 17, 2015 1:00 am

THE COMMERCE Ministry is set to release 13 million tonnes of

rice from the government's stockpiles by the end of 2018, while it

expects Thailand to export at least nine million tonnes of rice next

year due to lower-than-normal rice supplies globally because of

climate change.The ministry also expects rice shipments to reach

10 million tonnes this year, with shipments of about eight million

tonnes worth US$3.8 billion (Bt127 billion) between January 1 to

November 10.Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent-secretary to the ministry, said yesterday

that the government was confident it would clear the stockpiles within the next two years as

many countries had lower rice stocks because of the El Nino climate effect.She said that the

government set up a strategy to release rice from the stockpiles in June 2014. So far, from about

18 million tonnes of rice in stockpiles, about 13 million is remaining and this amount should be

release continuously," she said.

The government is scheduled to sign a rice contract with the Chinese government on December

19 that will result in a second shipment of rice to China under a government-to-government deal

for one million tonnes of rice. The first G-to-G between Thailand and China for one million

tonnes of rice will be completed early next year. Thailand has already shipped about 800,000

tonnes of rice to China.Thailand will soon sign a contract to sell 500,000 tonnes of rice to the

Indonesian government.Chutima said that in 2016 the ministry would continue its plan to release

rice from stockpiles, while also help promote the sale of rice in a bid to ensure farmers have

stable incomes.Thailand is expected to produce about 10 per cent less rice than normal next year

due to the drought impact and limitations in growing second crops.

With a lower supply to the market, the price should increase and create a better return for

farmers, the ministry said. The ministry reported that since August last year until now, the

government had sold about five million tonnes of rice worth Bt52.3 billion. From the total stock

of 13 million tonnes, about six million tonnes is good quality, while six million tonnes is a lower

quality that can be upgraded to mixed rice or used for industrial supply. The remaining 700,000

tonnes is rotten rice, which can not be consumed and can only be sold for non-food industrial and

biomass production.The ministry will suspend releasing the good quality rice from the


17

government's stockpiles until March next year when the current main-crop rice harvest season

ends.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-to-gain-from-lower-rice-supply-

30273059.html

Weak ringgit may push up RICE PRICE

KUALA LUMPUR- The weak ringgit has not only made imported rice dearer, it may eventually

cause the hitherto stable prices of local rice to also go up as consumers switch to the cheaper

local grains.Malaysia Rice Wholesalers Association president Ng Chee Len has expressed

concern that if the ringgit weakens further, the prices of imported rice, which had gone up a

month ago, may rise again early next year, Nanyang Siang Pau reported today.Should that

happen, consumers may ditch the imported rice to opt for the cheaper local alternative, forcing

the price of the latter to also go up due to the spike in demand, he explained."This is the

prediction by rice traders, but we hope this worst-case scenario won't happen.

"Ng told the daily that there is ample supply of both imported and locally produced rice and the

only factor behind the hike in imported rice is the slide in value of the ringgit.On the price

outlook in the near term, he said it all depends on how Bernas (Padiberas Nasional Berhad) deals

with the situation.The prices of local rice have remained unchanged for the time being as they

are not affected by the ringgit dip.However, he pointed out that another round of price hike for

imported rice will make consumers wanting to stretch their ringgit to opt for the cheaper local

varieties, thus pushing up their prices.

At present, imported rice constitutes 35% of the total consumption in Malaysia.In the past

month, the prices of imported glutinous rice had gone up by an average of 17%, and 10% for

fragrant rice.On the government's decision to scrap the Super Tempatan 15 (ST15) rice subsidy,

Ng said it was laudable as the subsidy benefited middlemen more than the targeted

consumers.He said there are better ways to help the poor.-TheSunDailyhttp://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=606827:weak-ringgit-may-push-up-rice-

price&Itemid=2#axzz3rvvpZFQd

Rice prices may shoot up, says Assocham study OUR BUREAU

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15:

Rice prices may surge in the coming months as stocks are depleting fast on the back of deficient

rains and fall in output, a study by industry chamber Assocham said, urging the government to

closely monitor prices and stocks as the domestic demand for rice is huge. ―Though the

government estimates kharif rice production at 90.61 MMT (million metric tonnes), this is

unlikely to be achieved due to severe deficit rains in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,


18

Maharashtra and Karnataka and the best that could be achieved is 89 MMT,‖ according to a

paper on ‗Impact of weak/deficient monsoon on agricultural production and prices‘ by the

Associated Chambers of Commerce of India.

Output estimates

The actual production may be around 103 MMT during 2015-16. Moreover, rice stocks have

been steadily declining in the past three years, the study added. ―Increasing export outgo on

account of the public distribution system and other welfare schemes will continue to weigh on

availability in the open market. Unless the government is able to handle the situation prudently,

depleting stocks will soon reflect on the open market prices,‖ Assocham said.

The industry body suggested that direct seeded rice (DSR) should be encouraged to conserve

water. At present, less than 10 per cent of paddy production is under DSR due to limitations in

the availability of suitable equipment for DSR in clay soils.

(This article was published on November 15, 2015)

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices-may-shoot-up-says-assocham-

study/article7880619.ece

A model for APEC: Innovative entrepreneurship for inclusive

agribusiness


19

Grassroots & Governance -- Teresa S. Abesamis

Inclusive growth, the overall theme for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Conference that began this week, is really about reducing poverty or closing the gap between

the rich and poor in and among the member economies.

It happens that rice farmers, who produce the basic food for majority of

Asians, and increasingly for Africans, are among the poorest in the APEC

economies. Rice is the staple food for over half of the world‘s population. It

is an ironic situation that has prevailed for centuries; and it is time, with

economic integration and opening of free markets, that innovations be

created and adopted to radically transform the rice business to benefit all of

its stakeholders. There is an interesting and successful model in Vietnam that deserves serious

study not only for rice production but for food production in general.

From colonial times, Asia has been home to feudal systems of agriculture with large land-

owning families, such as was once the prevalent case in the Philippines, and poorly paid,

impoverished agricultural workers subsisting on the landowners‘ benevolence, if any.Since

agrarian reform, rice farming in Asia has been characterized by small holder farms of two

hectares or less, with planting and harvesting, threshing and winnowing done through manual

labor. Drying the palay has often been done on concreted roads causing the rice to be mixed with

dirt and stones, resulting in about 15% wastage even before the rice is milled. Small farmers who

have no direct access to capital and markets, end up owing traders who supply their inputs

(seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) who deduct it from the price of the paddies, which the traders take

to the millers who either buy the rice or charge for the milling services. The rice farmers end up

earning below the poverty line.

The rice farmer‘s plight is one of the tragedies of Asia, and rural folk are among the poorest of

the poor.The An Giang Plant Protection Joint Stock Co. (AGPPS) in Vietnam, founded in 1993,

has pioneered a remarkable, inclusive approach to working with farmers, who can only provide

their small piece of land, and their labor. Because of the low returns on their land and their hard

work, the younger generation prefers to get jobs in the cities. In the Philippines, the average age

of farmers is estimated at 57 years old!An Giang‘s founder and chairman, Mr. Huyn Van Thon,

57, saw the problem and worked out a deal with the government to privatize some functions of

the government, and take over the business, leaving the government with 29% share of the

privatized corporation.

Starting as a supplier of rice production inputs: seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, An Giang

diversified vertically downstream and worked closely with the farmers, supplying inputs on

credit with no interest, in which international supplier companies like Syngenta (a merger

between Novartis and Ciba Geigy) cooperated with equally liberal terms of credit.


20

Working with the government‘s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development it set up a

Research and Development Center toward increased productivity of rice crops, technologies

which An Giang shared with the farmers through its Farmer Friends network, consisting of

agronomists and agricultural engineers who were sent out into the field. These Farmers‘ Friends,

who grew into a force of over a thousand, were also subjected to intensive training in socializing

skills, climate change adaptation, and community health, environmental sustainability and

development orientations which enabled them to build relationships of trust with the farmer-

clientele.

In order to increase efficiency through economies of scale, An Giang was able to obtain

cooperation from the government in order to consolidate on voluntary basis, small parcels of

land into large integrated cooperative networks, thus enabling the farmers to rent or acquire

Combine harvesters which mechanized large scale harvesting, threshing and winnowing. The

Combine harvesters achieved in a few hours what labor intensive approaches took days to

complete.An Giang also advanced milling and storage facilities payments, on condition that the

farmers paid for such services within 120 days, upon sale of their produce. Farmers were also

taught to calculate costs and benefits from their outputs enabling them to negotiate fairer deals

for their produce, which they continued to own until sold. Farmer leaders, who became the link

to the cooperatives were given shares in the An Giang Corp., which incentivized them to be loyal

and productive.

An Giang is the first private sector led initiative to establish large scale rice cultivation in

Vietnam. It is also the first private sector-led initiative on providing direct services to small-

holder farmers through its Farmers‘ Friends Program. It also established the first privately run

research center on rice and agricultural seedlings, and the first food corporation to offer

ownership to farmers. Through its vertical and horizontal integration strategies, An Giang‘s

business philosophy consisted of a Triple Bottom Line approach (Profit, People and

Planet).Impact? There are 13 provinces in the Mekong River Delta covered by public-private

activities on environmental protection. AGPPS adheres to VietGAP, which is based on Global

Good Agricultural Practices promoted by the International Rice Research Institute.

Being in the Mekong River Delta is of course advantageous for irrigation and fertility of the

soil. As of 2013, about 11,000 farmers were enrolled in AGPPS‘s extension programs.

Membership increased by 78% per annum. AGPPS reduced production costs by 10%-20%. The

production cost of 1 kilogram of rice paddy is only 2,200 dongs while it costs about 3,200 dongs

to 3500 dongs in other fields. Farmers sell their harvested rice to AGPPS for 6300 dong to 6,700

dongs per kilogram and earn a profit of 200%. The project allowed processing to increase five-

fold from 100,000 tons of paddies in 2012 to 500,000 tons in 2014.Today, Vietnamese rice

reaches 120 countries. China is its biggest buyer. African countries such as the Ivory Coast,

Angola and Ghana are increasing their imports. There are traditional buyers from ASEAN


21

region, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.An Giang‘s shared business success

attracted the interest of Standard Chartered Bank which in 2014, through its Private Equity Fund,

invested $92 million in exchange for 34% of the company, following months of due diligence.

Bert Kwan, Head of SCPE Southeast Asia commented ―We are extremely pleased to be an

investor in one of Vietnam‘s flagship enterprises.

We are privileged to support AGPPS‘s laudable mission of bringing to the market commercially

sound products and services that bolster the profitability of the Vietnamese rice value chain,

while raising the standard of living for potentially millions of farmers. We worked closely with

Mr. Thon and his highly capable management team over the past nine months during the due

diligence process, and are confident that SCPE is well positioned to play a constructive role

going forward as AGPPS‘s shareholder partner.

‖In the past months, with its increased capitalization, Chairman Huyn Thon announced radical

transformations in the organization of the corporation, renaming it the Loc Troi Group. He also

announced plans to diversify into other crops such as coffee and vegetable crops.The APEC

membership would do well to learn from the example of Chairman Huyn Thon‘s initiatives in

inclusiveness up and down the value chain, in which ―everybody is happy.

‖ He mobilized the support of government, obtained cooperation of multinational input suppliers,

and attracted private investment from an international venture capital institution. Most important,

he earned the trust of the farmers through his innovative, inclusive approaches to extension work,

and business sharing. With demonstrated good intentions, it can work.The AGPPS story is

mainly a research output of AIM’s Research and editorial team for the APEC Business Advisory

Council led by Professor Federico Macaranas.Teresa S. Abesamis is a former professor at the

Asian Institute of Management and an independent development management consultant.

[email protected]

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=a-model-for-apecinnovative-

entrepreneurship-for-inclusive-agribusiness&id=118781

Rice procurement by govt agencies up 25% FCI, others have purchased more than 12.22 mt since Oct 1

By: Sandip Das | New Delhi | November 17, 2015 1:22 AM

Notwithstanding the prospect of a lower output this year because of deficient monsoon, rice

procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government-owned agencies in the

kharif marketing season 2015-16 has seen an increase of close to 25% so far in comparison to

last year.The government agencies have purchased more than 12.22 million tonne of rice since

October 1 (when new procurement season began) till now, compared to 9.7 mt rice purchased

from the farmers during same period last year.


22

Food ministry sources told FE that the higher procurement of rice is also attributed to fall in

prices of common variety of rice in various mandis across the country. ―The farmers prefer to

sell their grain to agencies rather than giving it the private traders in Punjab and Haryana,‖ an

official said.As per the latest data, out of the total rice equivalent of paddy procurement in

Punjab, the agencies have purchased 8.3 mt of rice from the farmers till now, thus surpassing

even the target of 8.8 mt for 2015–16 marketing season. In Punjab, which contributes the highest

volume of rice and wheat to central pool, 7.5 mt of rice was purchased during the same period

last year.

In Haryana, the state

government agencies

have purchased more

than 2.8 mt of rice

equivalent of paddy by

now, thus surpassing the

target of 2.3 mt set for

the year.Other states

which have commenced

rice procurement include

Uttar Pradesh (1.7 lakh

tonne), Telangana (2

lakh tonne), Kerala

(76,933 tonne) etc.The

food ministry officials

say that if the current

trend continues, the

overall rice procurement

during 2015–16 period would surpass the target of 30 mt.

The agencies had purchased 32 mt of rice so far in 2014-15 marketing year (October-

September). Agencies buy paddy from the farmers, thereafter the grain is given to millers for

conversion into rice.The rice procurement in states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and

Assam would commence at the end of next month.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

(CCEA) in June had increased the minimum support price (MSP) of common variety of paddy

by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per quintal for 2015-16 kharif season. The hike in MSP was based onthe

recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).Meanwhile, the

food ministry has asked agencies in the decentralised procurement states Madhya Pradesh,

Chhattisgarh and Odisha and other non-traditional states Bihar and Jharkhand to maximise the


23

procurement of rice and coarse grains during next marketing season.The FCI has been preparing

a policy for involving private sectors in the procurement of rice in eastern states.

USA Rice Visits UK Trade with Eye to Returning U.S. Rice

to Shelves

Reputation for quality

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward and Regional

Director Hartwig Schmidt recently conducted trade visits here to update the UK rice trade on the

current U.S. rice supply situation.Approximately 90 percent of U.S. long grain rice sales here

service the ethnic sector, but there is increasing competition from European and Thai origins,

based on price."We're also now seeing basmati prices dropping enough that consumers are

sometimes willing to give it a try in place of U.S. long grain," Ward said after meeting with

major retailers. "The good news is that we have an unparalleled reputation for quality,

consistency, food safety, and sustainability. The task at hand will be doing more to promote

these facts to consumers."

Ward said USA Rice conducts several promotional activities in the ethnic sector throughout the

year here and that importers of U.S. rice she met with offered valuable suggestions on additional

promotions that should be considered to increase U.S. rice sales. Meetings with rice buyers in the

industrial sector revealed the potential for reintroducing U.S. rice to this high volume market

segment, who remember and appreciate the consistency and high quality of U.S. long grain rice.


24

It is through regular trade servicing and promotional activities that USA Rice, in cooperation with the UK

trade, will get U.S. rice back on the retail shelves beyond just the ethnic markets. In spite of the tough

competition, U.S. long grain rice sales more than doubled as compared to last year, reaching over 18,000

MT in the period January-September 2015.

Contact: Hartwig Schmidt 011-49-40-4503-8660

11/17/2015 Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

Rice

High Low

Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -

Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -

Futures: ROUGH RICE

High Low Last Change

Jan '16 1220.0 1174.5 1206.5 +22.5

Mar '16 1242.5 1202.5 1232.5 +22.5

May '16

1261.5 +22.5

Jul '16

1286.5 +22.5

Sep '16

1243.0 +22.5

Nov '16

1243.0 +22.5

Jan '17

1243.0 +22.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures reversed yesterday's huge losses and charted a bullish key reversal in the process. January will have

resistance near $12.50 on the rebound, though. Global ending stocks for 15/16 were raised by 3 percent (2.7 million


25

tons) due to an increase in beginning stocks and a decrease in consumption in the November report. The average

long-grain price is projected down $1.30 from last month to $11.50 to $12.50.

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-November 17

Nagpur, Nov 17 Gram prices today firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and

Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good seasonal buying support from local millers amid

weakarrival from producing regions. Fresh rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and enquiries

fromSouth-based millers also boosted prices, according to sources.

* * * *

FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM

* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.

TUAR

* Tuar varieties declined sharply in open market here on subdued demand from local

traders because of higher prices and good overseas arrival.

* Masoor varieties showed weak tendency in open market on poor buying support from

local traders amid ample stock in ready position.

* In Akola, Tuar - 10,000-10,300, Tuar dal - 15,800-16,200, Udid -

13,900-14,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 17,300-18,000, Moong -

10,000-10,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 11,600-11,800, Gram - 4,200-4,300,

Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,200 for 100 kg.

* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market

in weak trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 4,100-4,800 4,080-4,740

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction n.a. 7,800-9,200

Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800

Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,100 5,000-5,100


26

Desi gram Raw 4,900-5,000 4,900-5,000

Gram Filter new 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600

Gram Kabuli 5,800-7,100 5,800-7,100

Gram Pink 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000

Tuar Fataka Best 16,000-16,500 16,300-16,700

Tuar Fataka Medium 15,000-15,500 15,300-15,800

Tuar Dal Best Phod 14,000-14,500 14,300-14,700

Tuar Dal Medium phod 12,500-13,000 12,800-13,400

Tuar Gavarani New 10,500-11,000 10,200-11,300

Tuar Karnataka 11,000-11,500 11,200-11,800

Tuar Black 17,000-17,500 17,200-17,800

Masoor dal best 7,500-7,800 7,700-8,000

Masoor dal medium 7,100-7,400 7,300-7,600

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 11,600-12,100 11,600-12,100

Moong Mogar Med 10,100-11,100 10,100-11,100

Moong dal Chilka 9,500-9,600 9,500-9,600

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 9,000-10,000

Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 16,600-18,600 16,600-18,600

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 14,600-15,600 14,600-15,600

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,200 10,600-11,200

Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,100-6,600 6,100-6,600

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 5,200-5,300 5,200-5,300

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400

Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,750 1,650-1,750

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,100 1,950-2,100

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,100

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,900

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,200 1,800-2,200

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,300 3,100-3,300

Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500

Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,100 3,600-4,100

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500


27

Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,500

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,700-5,000

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,100 1,800-2,100

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800

WEATHER (NAGPUR)

Maximum temp. 32.0 degree Celsius (89.06 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

15.5 degree Celsius (59.9 degree Fahrenheit)

Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : n.a.

FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32

and 16 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available

(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

Commodity Report-Nov. 16 Published November 16, 2015

In today‘s commodity report we have the Weekly Rice Summary, the California Shell Eggs:

Daily Egg Report and other commodity end of the day market numbers.

Weekly Rice Summary

In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady to 1.00 lower.

Second heads and Brewers prices steady to 1.00 lower. Rice by-

products: Rice Bran prices 10.00 to 15.00 higher. Ground rice hulls

spot trade lightly tested, mostly all hulls already sold. The large supply

of rice stocks on hand has softened market prices and continues to

remain weak for new milling season. CME Rough Rice settlements for

Friday Nov 13th, Jan 16 closed .215 lower at 12.145; Mar 16 closed .22 lower at 12.405; May 16

closed .22 lower at 12.69. US dollar index on Friday settled at 98.80.Benchmark prices are 23

cents higher for Jumbo, 25 cents higher for Extra Large, 24 cents higher for Large and 7 cents

higher for Medium and Small. Retail and food service demand is fairly good to good. Offerings

and supplies are mostly moderate. Market activity is active. Small benchmark price $2.31.Shell

egg marketer‘s benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of USDA Grade AA and Grade AA in

cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not reflect discounts or other contract terms.

RANGE

JUMBO 298

EXTRA LARGE 311

LARGE 306


28

MEDIUM 251

Check the November USDA Commodity Report Calendar for today‘s commodity reports

released by USDA.

Now Monday’s Commodity Market ending market numbers for other commodities:

Corn December Corn ended at $3.60 gaining 1 3/4 cent, March ended at $3.66 3/4 increasing 1 1/4

cent.

Soybeans January Soybeans ended at 8.59 1/2 up 4 1/4 cents, March ended at $8.60 3/4 gaining 4 1/2 cents.

Wheat December Wheat ended at $4.94 losing 1 3/4 cent, March ended at $4.95 1/2, decreasing 2 1/4

cents.

Rough Rice January Rough Rice ended at 11.84 down 0.305, March ended at 12.10 losing 0.305.

Live Cattle December Live Cattle ended at $127.675 decreasing $3.00 and February ended at $129.65

dropping $3.00 and April ended at $129.55 off $3.00.

Feeder Cattle November Feeder Cattle ended at $172.30 losing $2.775 and January ended at $160.10

decreasing $4.45 and March ended at $156.925 down $4.00.

Lean Hogs December Lean Hogs ended at $51.80 decreasing $3.00, February ended at $54.05 down $3.00

Class III Milk November Class III Milk ended at $15.40 down $0.01, December ended at $14.82 dropping

$0.24 and January ended at $14.95 decreasing $0.17.

#2 Cotton December #2 cotton ended at 61.74 up 0.06, March ending at 62.61 gaining 0.62.

Sugar #11 March sugar #11 ended at 15.18 up 0.14 and May ended at 14.79 increasing 0.12.

Orange Juice January Orange Juice ended at 153.55 gaining $0.60, March ending at 150.25 up $1.15.

http://agnetwest.com/2015/11/16/commodity-report-nov-16/

APEDIA Commodity News from India

Price on: 17-11-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

White Sugar


29

1 CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t) 847

2 Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t) 691

3 Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t) 559

Raisins

1 Californian Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (GBP/t) 1700

2 South African Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (GBP/t) 1615

Guar Gum Powder

1 Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 2190

2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 1530


Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 17-11-2015

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Rice

1 Alappuzha (Kerala) Other 3800 3900

2 Solapur (Maharashtra) Other 2115 5225

3 Dhing (Assam) Common 1700 2000

Wheat

1 Cherthala (Kerala) Other 2350 2500

2 Nagpur (Maharashtra) Other 1500 1640

3 Sainthia (West Bengal) Other 1615 1640

Pine Apple

1 Chala (Kerala) Other 2000 2060


30

2 Ropar (Punjab) Other 1600 2000


Cabbage

1 Barnala (Punjab) Other 1000 1200

2 Shillong (Meghalaya) Other 1500 1800

3 Samsi (West Bengal) Other 990 1020

Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 16-11-2015

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 386

2 Chittoor 375

3 Hyderabad 353

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 16-11-2015

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks

1 Atlanta Washington Yellow 19.50 22

2 Chicago Nevada Yellow 11 13

3 Dallas Colorado Yellow 14 17

Cauliflower Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta Mexico White 23.25 23.50

2 Dallas California White 26.50 30


31

3 Miami California White 20 24

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida Red 17.50 18

2 Dallas Florida Red 23 23.50

3 New York Florida Red 26 26

Source:USDA

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 16-11-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Garlic

1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2100

2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000

3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1800

Ginger

1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600

2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100

3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000

Guar Gum Powder


2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 1530


Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch


32

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 14-11-2015

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Maize

1 Gadag (Karnataka) Local 950 1439

2 Dahod (Gujarat) Yellow 1400 1470

3 Khargone (Madhya Pradesh) Other 1151 1352

Paddy(Dhan)

1 Kasargod (Kerala) Other 1700 1800

2 Bonai (Orissa) Other 1410 1500

3 Sainthia (West Bengal) Common 995 1015

Mousambi

1 Jagraon (Punjab) Other 2400 3000

2 Sirsa (Haryana) Other 3200 3200

3 Ahmedabad (Gujarat) Other 1500 2800

Carrot

1 Bonai (Orissa) Other 1000 2000


3 Kattappana (Kerala) Other 4400 4700

Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 16-11-2015

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 386

2 Chittoor 375


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3 Hyderabad 353

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 16-11-2015

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks

1 Atlanta Washington Yellow 19.50 22

2 Chicago Nevada Yellow 11 13

3 Dallas Colorado Yellow 14 17

Cauliflower Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta Mexico White 23.25 23.50

2 Dallas California White 26.50 30

3 Miami California White 20 24

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida Red 17.50 18

2 Dallas Florida Red 23 23.50

3 New York Florida Red 26 26

Source:USDA

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 17


34

Month Price Net Change

January 2016 $12.065 + $0.225

March 2016 $12.325 + $0.225

May 2016 $12.615 + $0.225

July 2016 $12.865 + $0.225

September 2016 $12.430 + $0.225

November 2016 $12.430 + $0.225

January 2017 $12.430 + $0.225

Shawarma the Syrian way at restaurant Reyan Ali Fallaha brings a taste of Syria to Toronto at his Mississauga restaurant Reyan.

By: Corey Mintz Food, Published on Tue Nov 17 2015

For Ali Fallaha, life in Syria was pretty swell.That sounds counter-intuitive today given

the current image of Syria is one of war and tragedy.But, during his years there before moving to

Canada in 2006, Fallaha had it made in the shade.Graduating from the University of Damascus

in 1980, he immediately found work as a geologist, examining locations for diamond mines. He

began cooking for the long stretches in the field — 25 days at a time — and soon was bringing

food for the whole team. He then began a side business making prepared meals, and later opened

a clothing factory, then another one, producing leather shoes.

―My situation was at the top,‖ Fallaha tells me, as he sits down on a stool for a rest in the kitchen

of his Mississauga restaurant Reyan. ―Geologist, catering, I have my own business, my family,

my house, my car. So I have everything. Life itself is good.‖He had everything but the freedom

to come and go.Fallaha was born in Syria but his parents were Palestinian.―I have the same right

what Syrians have. I can study in the university for free. I get a job easy. But I have no travel

documents.‖His brother Mazen, a chemical engineer, lined up a good job prospect in Qatar, but

couldn‘t get permission to leave the country for the interview in Jordan, just a few hours drive. It

took more than a month to get the documents to cross the border and in that time he lost the

opportunity.Mazen applied for Canadian citizenship and added Ali‘s name as well. At first

Fallaha didn‘t want to go. But in the five years between filing the request and being called for an

interview, his attitude changed.


35

―My sister lived in Jordan. My aunt lived in Lebanon. It‘s like 40 minutes from us. But we

cannot cross the border. My brother said, ‗Do you remember when your sister‘s husband died?

Could you go there to stand behind your sister? You couldn‘t. And don‘t forget you have two

boys. Think about your kids‘ future. Stay and they will live as we live here.‘‖He only intended to

stay in Canada long enough to help establish his children, before returning. Since he didn‘t need

to renounce his Syrian citizenship he was permitted to go. But life in Canada was hard at

first.―I‘m not happy when I came here. I try here to start as a geologist. But it doesn‘t work. I am

48 years old. I graduate not from Canada. My English is not so good. And if I want to qualify it

will take five years. I will be 55. Who will hire me?‖

So he decided to switch to the restaurant business, working for two years, in an Italian restaurant

and an Arabic restaurant, learning about Canadian tastes while saving money.He was not

impressed by the shawarma here.―It is not shawarma,‖ he says of the pita loaded with onions,

pickles and lettuce. ―It‘s shawarma Subway style. If I make it back home, like they make it here,

I‘d have no customers.‖ While working for someone else, he tried it his way, just a bit of garlic

and pickles with the chicken. ―But they didn‘t accept that. It‘s not my store. I cannot make what I

want.‖So in 2009 he took over the current property from a Sri Lankan restaurant. His brother,

also unable to work in his field as a chemical engineer, helped out. At first, they served only

shawarma and falafel.―But around me there became a lot of shawarma stores. Competition. I

discuss this matter with my wife, Hazar.

The real chef is my wife. She is the brains. Back in Syria, all people like her dishes. She teach

me.‖With his wife‘s guidance, he added more Syrian style dishes — horrak osba‘ao (a.k.a.

―finger burner,‖ lentils and fried bread), basmashkat (a thin steak stuffed with ground beef,

which Fallaha delights in untying at the table, for the customers) — and the business grew.―The


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Syrian kitchen is very famous in Arabic world. Lebanon is the first kitchen in appetizers. Kibbeh,

tabbouleh, things like that. But,‖ he holds up a finger, ―Syria, main course.‖

One lamb for a girl Sometimes a recipe isn‘t about taste, but religious tradition. And sometimes it‘s both.

The lamb in this pot is for aqiqa, the Islamic tradition of sacrificing and serving an animal for the

birth of a child. So it had to be one year old, healthy and slaughtered in the name of the

newborn.―For sons, you have to slaughter two lambs. For daughters, one,‖ says Fallaha. ―Either

sheep or lamb or cow or camel. If you don‘t have money, chicken is good.‖ A further tradition is

to invite less fortunate people to share the lamb.He asks if I know the story of Ibrahim. I was a

bad Hebrew school student, reading X-Men under my desk. But even I remember Abraham,

tested by God, asked to slay his son.

―After that, God gave him a big lamb and said slaughter this lamb instead of your son. He

wanted to show Ibrahim how the son obeys the father and how the father obeys God. So that‘s

why we have the lamb.‖This one, chopped into fist-sized chunks, has been boiled in a large pot

for five hours with lots of cinnamon bark, and spice shakers filled with pepper, nutmeg, bay

leaves and cloves (that way you get all the scent of the spices with none of the grit). Draining off

the rich lamb stock, Fallaha uses it to cook the basmati rice.Pouring the fragrant rice onto trays,

he tops it with the meat, placing the skull in the centre while I pick out any cinnamon sticks and

loose bones, off of which the meat is falling.

He fills a separate bowl with rice and lamb for me. The fat is so soft you could spread it on toast

for breakfast. The meat and rice are perfumed with the spices, none of them competing with the

intensity of the flesh.A geologist by training, Fallaha is methodical in everything, from chopping

an onion into exactly six pieces (eaten raw on a platter with pickles alongside the signature

hummus dishes), to stirring Turkish coffee (you know it‘s stirred when you no longer hear the

echo of the spoon in the small pot) to mashing garlic in a mortar and pestle (though he also has a

―new style‖ garlic press) to weighing out one gram spoonfuls of alkaline powder in the sauce for

fattet hummus bez-zeit, chickpeas and dried pita served with a sauce made from whipping

hummus, olive oil and chickpea boiling water into a froth.For falafel, he uses a small, handheld

device: a brass rod with a circle at the end. Into the circle he packs the batter of chickpeas and

spices, dabbing it with a thumbnail of sesame seeds.

Like a syringe, he depresses a plunger on the rod and out pops a hoop of batter, a hole in the

centre, dropping into a pot of oil.Holding up a finished falafel, he points to the centre hole of the

dark brown chickpea doughnut, indicating how this allows the oil to circulate so the centre isn‘t

undercooked.There‘s a note of homesickness as he describes the specificity of everything he

does. But he‘s proud to make it all from scratch, grinding his own beef, pickling his own turnips

in beet juice. Wanting everything to be perfect, he moves slowly and deliberately, diners waiting

patiently out front.―Reyan means ready to eat, from the sun and the earth,‖ says Fallaha,

searching for the English word. ―Ripe.‖The lamb dish is available a la carte.But if you want to

try some of Fallaha‘s cooking and you don‘t live in Mississauga, you can attend the Supper With

Syria fundraiser at Wychwood Barns on Nov. 29, featuring Syrian food, music and culture.

Proceeds go to support Lifeline Syria, an organization that helps settle Syrians in Canada. You

can buy tickets at Torontoartscape.org.

Recipe: Fattet hummus

Wanting to simplify any recipe for publication, I‘d usually list cooked, canned beans by volume,

instead of soaking and boiling dry beans, which is always better. But in this case it‘s essential, as

you need the liquid from the boiling chickpeas for your sauce. And also the chickpeas will taste


37

better. This is normally made with old bread that‘s dried out on its own. I‘ve included the steps

for drying (you can toast it too) and frying it. But those are optional.

Ingredients 2 cups (500 mL) dried chickpeas

4 pieces pita

canola oil for frying

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) hummus

1/4 cup (60 mL) ghee

1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice

salt to taste

2 tsp (10 mL) sumac

2 tsp (10 mL) paprika

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley

1/2 cup (125 mL) pomegranate seeds

In a large container, cover chickpeas with water and soak overnight.

Slice the pita into nickel-sized bits. Place half on a tray to dry out. Fill a pot one-third with oil,

heat to 325F/160C and fry remaining pita until crispy (about 1 minute). Remove with a slotted

spoon and transfer to a paper towel to soak up excess fat.The next day, drain and rinse the

chickpeas. Place in a medium pot covered with lightly salted water and bring to a light boil.

When the chickpeas are soft (about 40 minutes), lower the heat to a simmer.

In another small pot, warm ghee to a simmer.

In a mixing bowl, combine hummus, lemon juice and 3/4 cup (180 mL) of the chickpea boiling

water. Whisk and season to taste with salt.

Divide the dried pita between your four serving bowls. Add chickpeas and sauce in layers and

stir. Spoon ghee over top. It will sizzle.

Garnish with sumac, paprika, parsley, fried pita chips and pomegranate seeds.

Makes four servings

by Corey Mintz

Email [email protected] and follow @coreymintz on Twitter

andinstagram.com/coreymintz

Correction: Last week‘s column, about the kitchen at the Toronto Zoo, inaccurately identified

potatoes, squash and carrots as being fed to ―red river hawks,‖ when they are, in fact, fed to ―red

river hogs.‖ Dear red river hogs, with your white stripes and droopy ears, I regret the error.

VU celebrates Diwali

Susan O'Leary, The Times

A diner takes a sample of vegetable pakoras Sunday evening at the Indian buffet at the Dewali

celebration at Valparaiso University.

November 16, 2015 5:30 pm •

VALPARAISO | The triumph of light over evil and darkness was celebrated Sunday at

Valparaiso University.


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More than 300 guests gathered for the traditional Indian celebration of Diwali, the ancient Hindu

festival of lights, an event sponsored by the campus‘s Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition

and the Valparaiso University Indiana Student Association.

The festival is normally celebrated ―just before Thanksgiving,‖ said Carl Isada, the president of

AAPIC at the university.Morgan Mitchell, who helped organize the event, said the event is

celebrated in India for five days, and ―illuminates the country‖ as the beginning of the Hindu

year.Highlights of the evening included a traditional Indian buffet, which featured Indian

delicacies such as vegetable pakoras, chicken and vegetable samosas, mater paneer, butter

chicken, basmati rice, naan, cucumber raita, and dal makhani, with gulab jamun with rabri for

dessert.Diners were entertained after dinner by VU student dancing groups, including Indian

Cultural Fusion and the Naughty Nautankies.

Isada said AAPIC

exists to cultivate a

―welcoming and

inclusive‖

atmosphere at the

university and in the

community.―We

promote the

appreciation,

education, and

celebration of diverse

cultures through

campus activities and

events,‖ said Isada, a

junior from

Chicago.Many

students wore

traditional Indian garb in celebration of the event. Rachael Broadus, of Fishers, wore a dress a

friend brought back from India, while her roommate, My Linh Mac, of Vietnam, wore a

traditional lengha, or embroidered skirt and top she purchased online.―I grew up in different

cultures,‖ said Mac, a senior in digital media.

―When I lived in Singapore, the Indian culture was one I grew up around.‖ VU students Kristine

Tarmann and Brendan Flaherty enjoy being a part of VU‘s diverse student body.―I love different

cultures and want to show support for the office of international programs,‖ said Tarmann, of

Minonk, Ill. ―And I love Indian food. I‘m a total foodie. ... I‘ll try one of everything.‖Flaherty

tries to broaden his horizons to complement his upcoming degree in social work.―I try to become

more culturally competent,‖ said Flaherty, of Chicago. ―It‘s a good idea in social work to gain

more knowledge of different cultures.‖

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/vu-celebrates-diwali/article_2c2db970-e811-5675-

bd77-bb86aec5146a.html

17th november,2015 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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