7th january,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

7th January, 2014

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Rice Farmers Hit By 40% Crop Lost
EC left with rice woes
Farmers assured to get money from the rice pledging scheme within this month
Thai govt seeks funds for rice scheme that fuelled protests
Farmers from lower North block highway to demand rice-pledging payment
NFA: No rice shortage
TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi-Jan 07
Gov’t pledges to run after rice smugglers
India's 2013/14 basmati rice exports to hit record 4 million tonnes : Sources
Rice farmers plan anti-govt protest
Govt's rice procurement down 8% at 16.39 million tonne
Fresh bulk buying pushes up Pusa-1121, Sharbati rice
Next-door neighbour: Delegation looks to promote rice exports to China
Agspring Announces Formation of Big River Rice and Grain
Includes Acquisition of Tubbs Rice Dryers and Raley Brothers
MPCA releases wild rice sulfate studies
Odisha Government to initiate stern action against erring rice millers over paddy procurement
Customs stumped in search for 'David Tan'
Wild rice research finds sulfate impact
Chinese Scientists Cultivate Salt-Resistant Rice With High Yield
Rice smugglers using courts to thwart BOC’

NEWS DETAILS:
Rice Farmers Hit By 40% Crop Lost
January 6, 2014
Author: Kha Hsu Nyar
Tags: flood, food shortage, Karen State

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Farmers along the Done-Tha-Mi River face severe rice shortages this year due to wet season flooding.Farmers
in Mon State and Karen State claim this years rice harvest is almost less than half and blame floodwaters for the
shortage.Naw Ya Pu, a villager from Kya-Thaung-Seik in the eastern part of the Done-Tha-Mi River in Hpa-An
Township spoke to Karen News.
“Our paddies have produced less this year. We are down 40%
on last years harvest. Our paddy plants this year were tinted
yellow not green. Most of the people around here will have to
buy-in rice this year.”Naw Ya Pu said last years heavy rains
damaged the rice plants and to add to the villagers troubles
insect plagues also attacked the rice crop.Naw Ya Pu estimates
that one-acre of rice paddy produces 35 baskets, this year’s
rice harvest produced less than 20 baskets.As many as 30villages from the eastern region of Done-Tha-Mi River, in
Hpa-An Township, are facing a low rice yield this year.A
community elder from Kya-Thaung-Seik village told Karen
News that last year’s flloding was the worst she had
witness.“We have had flooding before, but our paddies were
not damaged as much as this. It is the worst this time.”Farmers said rice prices have risen this year, but they
cannot take advantage of it as they need the rice to feed their families.Karen villages along the Done-Tha-Mi
River earn their living by growing crops such as rice paddy, sesame seeds, sugarcane, beans and seasonal
vegetables.Villages affected by flooding included, Kya-Thaung-Seik (east-west part), Pyin-Ma-Seik (east-west
part) such as Kaw-Poe-Kho, Lay-Khaw-Hti, Htee-Pah-Doh-Khee, Htaw-Klaw-Hta, Myit-Kyo, Thoo-Ka-Bee,
Kyoe-Wine-Ywar-Gyi, Kyoe-Wine-Ywar-Lay, Lay-Kay, Min-Zaw, Ta-Kay-Laung, Kyauk-Phya.

EC left with rice woes
Nakharin Srilert,Sayan Chucham
The Nation January 8, 2014 1:00 am

Govt needs EC-approved loan to pay for latest crop; farmers rallying over delay in payments
Problems related to the government's huge rice stockpile are now being left at the Election Commission (EC)'s doorstep.
The Commerce Minister wants the EC to advise him whether it is legal to sell rice from the stockpile, while the Finance
Minister also wants to know if he can borrow more funds to pay for the latest crops, bought under the 2013/14 pledging
scheme.Caretaker Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said after the Cabinet meeting yesterday a report on funding for
therice-pledging scheme showed Bt463.8 billion was spent out of a budget of Bt500 billion set for last year. That meant
only Bt36.2 billion remained.Kittiratt expected there would be no more than 11 million tonnes of paddy rice for the
2013/2014 crop, ending next month.

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"We expect to spend not
more than Bt130 billion on
the pledge, lower than the
expected budget of Bt270
billion, which was given
initial Cabinet approval on
September 3, 2013." He said
the caretaker government
would not spend all of the
Bt270 billion it will seek, as
spending would only be used
for main crops, which
account for not more than
Bt130 bn."We have sought
approval for the amount of
this loan from the EC,"
Kittiratt said, adding that the
size also depends on how
much of the rice stockpile is
released.Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Niwatthumrong Boonsongpaisan said yesterday the
government was waiting to hear from the EC on whether the caretaker administration had the legal right to enter into new
rice sale deals. "In fact, about one million tonnes of rice is waiting to be sold to China," he said, adding that there were
also other prospective buyers.
"If the EC says 'No', everything will have to wait," Niwatthumrong said. He expected an answer from the EC by the end
of the week. The rice-pledging scheme is highly controversial. Critics point out that it has caused massive financial losses,
as the government buys rice from farmers at a high price, which makes it tough to sell stock without incurring a
loss.Yesterday, farmers from five provinces blocked a highway in Phichit causing a serious traffic jam, while they
demanded that the government quickly address their woes. "We want the payments by January 15," Kittisak
Rattanawaraha said, in his capacity as the chair of the Northern Farmers Network. He said the government should also pay
for interest on loans that the farmers needed to get from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)
because of the delay in payment. "Farmers have to use the scheme's certificates of rice as collateral to get those loans,
despite the fact the certificates should warrant immediate payment. So, the government should pay for the interest from
such loans.
" Kittisak said the government should also offer a one-year and interest-free moratorium to affected farmers related to
other BAAC loans. "If the government doesn't answer our demands, we will combine our protest with the rally against the
government," he said. Senior officials stepped in to negotiate with the protesting farmers, who agreed to only partly block
the highway. Phichit Governor Surachai Khan-asa assured the farmers that Deputy Finance Minister Tanusak Lekuthai
had confirmed that the government had already approved Bt70 billion for payments to them. That news satisfied the
protesters, who ended their partial blockade of the highway in the evening. But they warned they would come out again if

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they were not paid by January 15.Another rally was also held in Phitsanulok, where about 500 farmers gathered in front of
the provincial city hall yesterday to demand that the government provide quick help. They said they have waited for
payment for months already.
These farmers said the payment should be made by January 31.Phitsanulok Governor Rapee Phong-buppakit met with
farmers and promised to relay their demands to the caretaker government. According to Niwatthumrong, all payments
pending for the 2013/14 crop season will be paid to the rice farmers before the end of this month. This crop season runs
from last October to next month. BAAC labour-union chief Prasit Pahome expressed concerns about the government's
plan to use the BAAC's available cash to pay farmers participating in the rice-pledging scheme. "It affects our liquidity,"
he said. The BAAC had about Bt100 billion in liquidity and payments for the rice scheme would require about Bt50
billion, he thought. Supannee Phutpisut of the BAAC labour union said if BAAC used Bt50 billion for the rice scheme,
depositors' confidence in the BAAC would falter. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has not had any notice from
Cabinet about a Bt55-billion loan to fund the rice-pledging scheme, secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said yesterday.
He advised the Cabinet it would need to get prior approval from them to get such a loan, or to carry out any projects or
policies before it tries to implement them.

Farmers assured to get money from the rice pledging scheme within
this month
Date : 7 มกราคม 2557
BANGKOK, 7 Jan 2014 (NNT) – Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong
Boonsongpaisan has assured farmers who sold their rice to the government under the rice pledging scheme and
have not yet received compensations will be able to collect their payments within this month. He said that his
ministry is talking with the Election Commission (EC) to grant the authority to the Bank for Agriculture and
Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to start distributing the payments. Minister Niwatthamrong stressed
however that any other long-term schemes of the ministry would have to wait until a new government. Since the
scheme’s inception until December last year, it had paid 180 billion baht to farmers, the minister said, adding
that rice farmers continue to sell their crops to the program, worth approximately one billion baht each
month. The minister said the government has set aside 270 billion baht for the current cropping season as it is
expecting 10 million tons of rice to be sold to the scheme.

Thai govt seeks funds for rice scheme that fuelled protests
nti-government protesters blow whistles and hold placards during a rally at Silom road in central Bangkok yesterday.
Reuters/Bangkok

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Thailand’s
besieged
government faces a
major confidence vote
in financial markets
next week when a state
bank will try to raise
about $600mn in a
domestic bond to fund
a rice-subsidy scheme
that has helped fuel the
country’s
political
crisis.The
generous
intervention scheme
helped Prime Minister
Yingluck Shinawatra
win power in a 2011
election thanks to rural
votes but hundreds of farmers, some unpaid since October, have joined demonstrations since November. More
are considering joining protests next week aimed at ousting her, disillusioned by the government’s inability to
reliably fund the controversial programme. “The 20bn baht ($605.79mn) is not enough to pay the thousands of
farmers who are still waiting for their money and they are getting angry and thinking about protesting,” said
Prasit Boonchoey, head of the Thai Farmers Association.
He said he attended anti-government rallies in November.An attempt to raise money to meet late payments fell
short in November after the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), which runs the
scheme, managed to raise just half the amount it needed as investors stayed away despite attractive terms. The
bond could face a tough reception next week, when the protesters plan to shut down Bangkok and force
Yingluck out, seeking to install an appointed “people’s council” after rejecting the Feb 2 election she called in
an attempt to defuse the crisis.Any caretaker government would not be able to renew the rice scheme which
runs until February, leaving big policy decisions to the next elected government.Millions of farmers in the
northeast remain loyal to Yingluck and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who brought in cheap healthcare and
other measures to help them when he was in power until 2006, but farmers elsewhere may not be so solid.
Thaksin was ousted by the military and now lives in exile but he is widely seen as the power behind his sister’s
government. Churarat Sutheethorn, head of the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), told Reuters the new
tranche of the reopened three-year bond would be auctioned on Jan 16.“It is part of the total 75bn baht in bonds
we aimed to issue to fund the 2013/14 rice scheme,” she said, adding the bank could return to the debt market
again in March to raise more funds. A source at one of the arranging banks said the environment was even more
difficult now than in November.“Last time there was no violence, the situation was not so bad, there was no
deadline then for the upcoming elections.”The source, who asked not to be identified, said the BAAC might
have to cut the price and offer a higher yield than November’s 3.53% to attract investors.Another local analyst

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

agreed the yield would be higher but said the government could put pressure on other state-owned banks to
subscribe to the issue, which will be guaranteed by the state.
The Yingluck government won a landslide election in July 2011, helped by its promise to pay farmers 15,000
baht per tonne of paddy, way above the market price. The scheme made Thai rice uncompetitive in the export
market and in 2012 Thailand lost its crown as the world’s top exporter, with India taking over. The state
amassed huge stockpiles which it is still struggling to sell.Anti-Thaksin protesters say the scheme is corrupt and
has helped wealthy farmers and regional politicians more than the poor. It helped fuel opposition to Yingluck
before the outbreak of street protests in November.The BAAC, acting for the state, has spent up to 680bn baht
buying rice and the scheme is expected to run up huge losses if grain is eventually offloaded at market
prices.The government has not put an official estimate on the losses but industry insiders and some academics
say they could be as high as 425bn baht.As a comparison, the projected government budget deficit for fiscal
2013/14 is 250bn baht, about 1.9% of gross domestic product (GDP).

Farmers from lower North block highway to demand rice-pledging
payment
Date : 7 มกราคม 2557
PHICHIT, 7 January 2014 (NNT) - Rice growers from five lower Northern provinces have blocked a major
highway in Phichit in a bid to pressure the government to speed up payment owed under the rice-pledging
scheme. About 500 farmers from Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet have
sealed off highway number 117, which links the province to the rest of the northern region and to Bangkok.
They have expressed their anger at the government’s delay in distributing the funds from the scheme, which is
five
months
overdue.
Police have opened up another lane on the highway to alleviate traffic after the Bangkok-bound lane was closed
off. Plans to block more lanes are being mulled by the protesters. The group demanded that the government pay
the full amount of money owed them by January 15 and postpone their date of payment of debt to the Bank of
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). If their demands are not met, protests will be escalated to
pressure the government to resign. Their plan was unveiled on Monday by Warong Detkitwikrom, a former
Democrat MP for Phitsanulok, during a speech at the main protest rally venue near the Democracy Monument.

NFA: No rice shortage

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

BY RAPPLER.COM

those planning
disinformation campaigns and distributing rotten rice with NFA logos. Photo from the International Rice
Research Institute.MANILA, Philippines – The National Food Authority (NFA) warned against groups that
launched a campaign to project the image of a rice shortage.The NFA released a statement Monday, January 6,
saying the Philippines has enough rice and there's no reason to raise prices.NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said
the NFA received reports of a planned disinformation campaign.
POSTED ON 01/06/2014 6:53 PM | UPDATED 01/07/2014 8:16 AMWARNING. The National Food Authority warns against

The plan included the distribution of thousands of sacks of rotten rice. The sacks would be marked with the
NFA label “so as to put the agency in a bad light.”Estoperez added, "the saboteurs could now dispose of their
old rice stocks while also discrediting the agency’s leadership."The plan was reportedly meant to divert public
attention away from a recently exposed rice smuggling operation.
Estoperez added that NFA rice is "newly-milled from 2012 to 2013." The NFA has also buffered its stock with
22,500 metric tons of rice imported from Vietnam, part of some 500,000 metric tons procured from Vietnam
through a government-to-government agreement. (READ: PH to import rice for buffer stock after Yolanda).The
remaining 380,000 metric tons is expected to reach the Philippines within the first quarter.Related to this, the
agriculture department wants to create a prosecution office within its department to go after profiteering efforts.
Agriculture spokesman Emerson Palad said a draft bill is being set up for it, and that it has been discussed with
the Palace legislative liaison office. – Rappler.com

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TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi-Jan 07
Tue Jan 7, 2014 2:27pm IST

TABLE-India Grain Prices - Delhi - Jan 07
Rates by Asian News International, New Delhi
Tel: 011 2619 1464
Indicative
Previous
Grains
opening
close
(in rupees per 100 kg unless stated)
---------------------------------------------------------Wheat Desi
2,000-3,000
2,000-3,000.
Wheat Dara
1,725-1,825
1,700-1,800.
Atta Chakki (per 10 Kg)
215-240
215-240.
Roller Mill (per bag)
1,750-1,900
1,750-1,900.
Maida (per bag)
1,910-2,015
1,880-1,980.
Sooji (per bag)
1,900-2,000
1,900-2,000.
Rice Basmati(Sri Lal Mahal) 12,050-14,500 12,050-14,500
Rice Basmati(Lal Quila)
12,000-14,400 12,000-14,400
Rice Basmati(Common)
8,400-9,400
8,500-9,500.
Rice Permal
2,100-2,400
2,100-2,400.
Rice Sela
2,800-2,950
2,850-3,000.
I.R.-8
1,850-2,000
1,850-2,000.
Gram
3,100-3,200
3,050-3,150.
Peas Green
3,350-3,650
3,350-3,650.
Peas White
2,800-3,000
2,800-3,000.
Bajra
1,300-1,650
1,300-1,650.
Jowar white
1,550-2,250
1,550-2,250.
Maize
1,400-1,600
1,400-1,600.
Barley
1,350-1,425
1,350-1,425.
Guwar
3,300-3,900
3,300-3,900.
Source: Delhi grain market traders.

Gov’t pledges to run after rice smugglers
CUSTOMS Commissioner John Philip P. Sevilla yesterday vowed to go after companies involved in rice
smuggling amid reports that a certain David Tan from Davao allegedly cost the government some P7 billion in
lost revenues due to his illegal activities.In his first press conference since assuming the Customs chief post,
Mr. Sevilla said that the Bureau of Customs (BoC) would rather go after companies involved in rice smuggling

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

instead of focusing on Mr. Tan, whose identity is yet to be confirmed.“We are not getting fixated on whether
he [Mr. Tan] is a real person or not,” Mr. Sevilla told reporters.
Mr. Sevilla said there are roughly 20 to 25 consignees connected to the alleged rice smuggling activities of Mr.
Tan. “[The consignees are] legally accountable to the Bureau of Customs so even if we do not know if David
Tan is a real person or not, we will still chase the consignee because we know who the consignees are who are
bringing in rice without import permits,” the Customs chief said.Federation of Philippine Industries Chairman
Jesus L. Arranza earlier identified Mr. Tan as the alleged “Goliath of rice smuggling” in the country.Customs
Deputy Commissioner Jessie D. Dellosa said the BoC is trying to track down the different players involved in
rice smuggling in the country.Mr. Dellosa also said the BoC has recently seized P725 million worth of
imported rice without permit. “1,937 containers holding 48 million kilograms of rice worth P725 million are
currently on hold,” he told reporters in the same press conference.
Mr. Sevilla said the bureau is looking beyond just catching the culprits.He said process and systems reforms
are needed to be done to prevent the same thing from happening again in the future.“We need to think about
not just catching the smugglers but also how do we prevent this from happening in the future,” he
said.“Preventing smuggling in the future is not just a matter of justice but a matter of economics also,” the
Customs chief added.Meanwhile, the BoC is targeting to create a single information technology (IT) platform
by the end of this year.Mr. Sevilla said the bureau is currently looking into the implementation of a single IT
platform for all transactions at the bureau including record-keeping of trade data and import certificates.In
Davao City, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte yesterday met with local authorities as well as the Davao City Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Inc. to discuss the city government’s all-out drive against all forms of smuggling.
The meeting was called a few days after Internal Revenue chief Kim S. Jacinto-Henares asked Mr. Duterte’s
support to curb rice smuggling in the city. “Unless the Customs collector signs the assessment of the goods, it
will not be released and once it is released then that is smuggling,” Mr. Duterte said in the vernacular.The
mayor said everybody should be on full alert against smuggled goods and should flag the vehicles that are
carrying them.Mr. Duterte has ordered the setting up of checkpoints all over the city to make sure that
smuggled goods are intercepted.Once caught, he said he will check the name that signed for the release of the
smuggled goods and will personally arrest the signatory “in my capacity as Mayor of Davao City fully charged
with the enforcement of all national laws, ordinances and executive orders.”He also reiterated his call to
smuggled rice traders to stop their trade. “Smuggling is not an exclusive property of the Customs so any law
enforcement guy can interdict,” he said.“We have a functioning government here in Davao and it will continue
to fu
nction,” he added. -- MLVA with C. A. Carillo

India's 2013/14 basmati rice exports to hit record 4 million tonnes :
Sources
By Reuters | 7 Jan, 2014, 04.26PM IST

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With basmati rice exports likely to touch 4 million tonnes in
2013/14, India's total rice shipments are expected at about 10
million tonnes this year.NEW DELHI: Indian traders are set to
export a record 4 million tonnes of basmati rice in the year to
March on higher demand for the premium grade from the Middle
East, bringing total sales to about 10 million for a third straight
year, sources said. More supplies from India, which toppled
Thailand in 2011/12 to become the world's top rice exporter, could
further hit Thai benchmark prices that shed 3.4 percent over the
past week amid bulging supplies at other key suppliers Thailand
and Vietnam. While New Delhi does not allow exports of the grain
from government warehouses, private traders have annually sold
about 10 million tonnes a year over the past two years. India's
basmati rice exports rose 15 percent to 2.88 million tonnes between April and December, Vijay Setia, former president of
All India Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters. "A lot of deals are taking place due to a spurt in demand. Other than
some parts of Iran and Afghanistan, where you can find some basmati from Pakistan, India's basmati is in huge demand,"
said Setia, also a leading exporter. India and Pakistan exclusively grow long-grain, aromatic basmati in the foothills of the
Himalayas.

The superior variety carries a premium over non-basmati, or common grades of rice. Setia expects basmati rice sales to
Iran, the top buyer of Indian rice, to remain steady at about 1.1 to 1.2 million tonnes in 2013/14 due to relatively higher
government stockpiles there. But a rise in demand from buyers such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia would help India push
2013/14 exports of the premium grade to a record high, said Rajen Sundareshan, executive director of the All India Rice
Exporters Association. Basmati rice exports have risen 15 percent so far this year, shrugging off a more than nearly 18
percent rise in India's export price. Last year's average rate was $100 a tonne, said officials at two New Delhi-based rice
mills. "The trend clearly suggests that buyers are willing to pay more for premium rice varieties. Basmati is the most
premium rice variety, giving India an avenue to raise exports further," Setia said.
Rising income levels in the Middle East have also helped boost demand for basmati rice, traders said. With basmati rice
exports likely to touch 4 million tonnes in 2013/14, India's total rice shipments are expected at about 10 million tonnes
this year, Sundareshan said. In 2012/13, India's overall exports totalled 10.1 million tonnes, including 3.5 million tonnes
of basmati. Rice output in India, the world's No.2 producer, stood at 104.40 million tonnes in the crop year to June 2013,
more than sufficient to cover demand for its 1.2 billion people. Summer rice crop had been estimated at about 92 million
tonnes this year, on par with the previous crop year.

Rice farmers plan anti-govt protest
Published: 7 Jan 2014 at 08.57

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Rice farmers in five lower northern provinces
will stage a rally in Phichit today to protest
against the caretaker government's delay in
paying them money owed under the ricepledging scheme.Their plan was unveiled on
Monday by Warong Detkitwikrom, former
Democrat MP for Phitsanulok, during a speech
at the main protest rally venue near the
Democracy Monument.The farmers from
Phitsanulok,
Nakhon
Sawan,
Phichit,
Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet will gather at
Pluak Sung Intersection in Phichit, tired of
having waited for five months for the money from their pledged harvest and still not been paid.The protesters
plan to block a road linking Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sawan if the government fails to pay them, Mr Warong
said.

Govt's rice procurement down 8% at 16.39 million tonne
PTI Jan 6, 2014, 03.35PM IST



NEW DELHI: Government's rice procurement is lagging behind by 8 per cent over last year at 16.36 million
tonne so far in the 2013-14 marketing year due to lower production estimate and relatively strong open market
prices.Food Corporation of India, government's nodal procurement agency, had procured 17.78 million tonne
rice in the same period of 2012-13 marketing year (October-September)."Procurement is happening very slowly
in most states as open market prices are relatively ruling strong due to lower kharif crop estimate," a senior
Food Ministry official said.Procurement in eastern and southern states was also delayed by late rains and is
expected to pick up this month, the official added.
The rice production is estimated to be lower at 92.32 million tonne during the kharif (summer) season of 201314, as against 92.76 million tonne in the year-ago season.Currently, spot prices of common grade rice are ruling
in the range of Rs 1,835-3,750/quintal in major producing states, according to traders.Of the total rice procured
so far, FCI has purchased 8.1 million tonne in Punjab, 2.46 million tonne in Chattisgarh, 2.39 million tonne in
Haryana and 1.54 million tonne in Andhra Pradesh, as per FCI data.The government has set 34.5 million tonne
as target for rice procurement for 2013-14, as against 34.1 million tonne last year. In 2011-12, it was a record
35.06 million tonne.Looking at the procurement trends, market experts are of the view that total rice
procurement could reach 32 million tonne.

Fresh bulk buying pushes up Pusa-1121, Sharbati rice
KARNAL, JAN. 7:

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Fresh buying pushed Pusa-1121 and Sharbati rice prices
upwards, while other aromatic and non-basmati varieties
managed to maintain their previous levels on Tuesday.Amit
Chandna, proprietor of Hanuman Rice Trading Company,
told Business Line that bulk buyers bought Pusa-1121 and
Sharbati varieties. A marginal uptrend was anticipated and
not an upward movement of Rs 200-500 a quintal, he said.It
is unlikely to see any major alteration this week and the
market may continue to rule around current levels, said
Chandna. In the physical market, Pusa-1121 (steam) moved
up by Rs 500 to Rs 9,000 a quintal, while Pusa-1121 (sela)
improved by Rs 400 to Rs 8,000.Pure Basmati (raw) was
quoted at Rs 12,500/quintal. Duplicate Basmati (steam) was
sold at Rs 7,000.Pusa-1121 (second wand) was sold at Rs
7,000, Tibar at Rs 6,000, and Dubar at Rs 5,000.In the nonbasmati section, prices of Sharbati (steam) increased by Rs 200 to Rs 5,000; Sharbati (sela) was up by Rs 300 to
Rs 4,800. Permal (raw) was sold at Rs 2,300, Permal (sela) at Rs 2,350, PR-11 (sela) at Rs 2,900, while PR-11
(raw) was sold at Rs 2,800. PR14 (steam) sold at Rs 3,200.
Paddy Arrivals
About 10,000 bags of different paddy varieties arrived at the Karnal Grain Market Terminal. About 5,000 bags
of Pusa-1121 arrived and were sold at Rs 4,250; 2,000 bags of Sugandha 999 were sold at Rs 2,600-2,650,
2,000 bags of PR were sold at Rs 1,325-1,350, and 1,000 Sharbati bags at Rs 2,200-2,225.
(This article was published on January 7, 2014)

Keywords: Fresh buying, Pusa-1121, Sharbati rice

Next-door neighbour: Delegation looks to promote rice exports to
China
By APPPublished: January 7, 2014
Pakistan is striving to improve its technological and agricultural capacity to increase rice exports in the face of stiff
competition. PHOTO:FILE
BEIJING: A delegation of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) arrived in Beijing to explore possibilities of
enhancing exports to China. Pakistan Ambassador to China Masood Khalid hoped that rice exporters will utilise the
opportunities China has to offer and contribute in taking Pakistan’s export trade trajectory further upward. He expressed

these views while addressing a reception for the delegation of REAP, led by Chela Ram, senior vice chairman of the

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association. Khalid said the Pakistani embassy was making every effort to deepen the commercial and trade ties
between China and Pakistan and the current visit will complement those efforts.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has set out a
very clear and coherent vision to expand Pakistan’s business,
trade, financial and commercial ties with China.“China is set to
invest billions of dollars worldwide in the next few years, as
China’s ICBC bank has opened its branches in Pakistan,” said
the envoy. “Along with this, we have a free trade agreement,
currency swap arrangements and such steps will help promote
economic ties between the two countries.”Khalid said that the
country was constantly striving to improve its technological and
agricultural capacity to increase volume of its rice exports in the
face of stiff competition from its competitors and its rice quality
matches the highest international standards.“We need to make
every effort to expand rice exports across the world, particularly
to China,” he noted.
Highlighting the importance of trade and economic relations between Pakistan and China, Khalid emphasised the
need for further increasing the volume of trade between the two countries, particularly of rice exports.“I believe that
with China’s assistance, Pakistan can achieve a great deal of economic transformation.” Khalid said.Regarding the
REAP delegation’s meeting scheduled for Monday with the China Oil and Food Corporation (COFCO), Khalid said
the COFCO is the largest supplier of diversified products and services in the agricultural products and food industry
in China.He said the Cofco serves as the main importing and exporting channel in China for bulk agricultural
products such as wheat, corn, rice and sugar.He said that in 2012 Pakistan exported rice worth $268 million to
China. Out of that COFCO imported 70%, all IRRI-6 variety.The REAP delegation also planned to travel to other
cities, including Guangzhou, to deepen trade cooperation and coordination with their Chinese counterparts.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2014.

Agspring Announces Formation of Big River Rice and Grain
Includes Acquisition of Tubbs Rice Dryers and Raley Brothers

Kansas City, KS (PRWEB) January 07, 2014

Today Agspring announced the formation of Big River Rice and Grain, a new grain storage and merchandising
entity operating in Louisiana. As part of the formation of the entity, Agspring also announced the acquisition of
Tubbs Rice Dryers and Raley Brothers, two established agri-businesses located in Northeastern Louisiana.“We
are excited what our presence as part of the Agspring family will mean for our producer clients and partners in
Louisiana,” said Larry Tubbs, CEO of Big River Rice and Grain. “Our desire is to provide excellent operating
infrastructure and a stable partner who is committed to handling transactions quickly.”Big River will feature
expanded operations including a new barge loader and expanded overall capacity.“I think the fact that we
closed these deals right before the harvest and yet experienced no interruption in service shows what our

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producers and partners can expect from Big River,” said Mark Raley who heads business development for the
company.Operations will continue to be managed locally, while Big River will benefit from corporate support,
national supply chain planning and financial backing from Agspring headquartered in Kansas City.“We have to
think globally but, at the same time, bring concrete benefits to the farmer down the road,” said Brad Clark,
President of Agspring. “Trust in our operating companies, our growers and customers is built around a common
purpose to help small to mid-sized agribusinesses to compete in an increasingly global marketplace.”
Tubbs Rice Dryers, a long-standing family-owned elevator operation, has facilities in Mer Rouge and Pioneer,
Louisiana, handling rice, corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat and sorghum. Tubbs expanded operations in
2011, adding storage separations, drying and handling capacity to receive 60,000 bushels per hour and dry
16,000 bushels per hour.Raley Brothers, a third generation family-owned agribusiness has served the farmers of
North Louisiana for more than half a century as a retailer and grain merchant. Today the company operates a
grain merchandising business with operations across six locations. Big River local headquarters are in Pioneer,
Louisiana, centrally located among facilities in Delhi, Mer Rouge, Monticello, Lake Providence and Crowville,
Louisiana.
Agspring combines entrepreneurial teams, essential agriculture supply chains, and superior capital partners for
global success feeding our changing world. Deep equity and credit relationships provide Agspring a solid
platform for capital improvement and expansion. Agspring maintains decentralized operations and puts
leadership teams in place who desire to grow into new markets including grains and oil-seeds; livestock feed
ingredients; and consumer food ingredients.

MPCA releases wild rice sulfate studies
13 hours ago • By STEVE KARNOWSKI

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Tuesday it plans to make preliminary recommendations by
the end of February on whether a state standard meant to protect wild rice from sulfate discharges should
be changed based on a stack of reports and data just released from a major study.But the agency deferred
drawing any immediate conclusions from the extensive field and laboratory research, which was conducted
by scientists at the University of Minnesota's Duluth and Twin Cities campuses.
MPCA officials need to do more work to evaluate the research before they can recommend whether the
sulfate standard should be changed, said Shannon Lotthammer, director of the MPCA's environmental
analysis division.Minnesota limits sulfate discharges from mines and other sources into waters that produce
wild rice to 10 milligrams per liter, based on research from the 1940s suggesting that higher levels can stunt
development of the plants. Supporters of iron and copper-nickel mining have argued that the standard is

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obsolete, while the state's American Indian bands fear any weakening could imperil a food source they
consider sacred and central to their cultural identity.
The theory behind the overall three-year study is that higher concentrations of sulfates can harm wild rice
plants when they're converted into sulfides in the sediments where the plants grow. While the study
summary says some of the reports on specific aspects of the research include data about sulfate and sulfide
concentrations and their effects on wild rice, it would be "premature" to say whether they show that the
standard should be changed."Each Study component uses a different approach to examine how sulfate
might affect wild rice. The results of each component must be analyzed and integrated with the other
components before any recommendations can be made about the standard," the report said.John Pastor, a
UMD biologist who was the lead researcher, agreed with that assessment."People may think that whether
the standard is correct or not is a simple yes-or-no question that is easily answered by the data. But it isn't
and never was because the transformations and cycling of sulfur in wild rice beds are complicated.
That's just the way Nature is," Pastor said in an email.The mining industry has argued that companies
shouldn't be required to invest large sums in sulfate treatment technology that might not be needed."We
want to protect wild rice, but we believe that any standard for the level of sulfate in wild rice waters has to
be based on science," said Frank Ongaro, executive director of the industry group Mining Minnesota.
"That's what this study was supposed to do, so we'll see what the agencies make of the results."Tom
Howes, natural resources manager for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, who
harvest wild rice in waters downstream from the state's main mining area, said he hadn't fully digested the
reports and data and didn't want to speculate on what the MPCA might conclude.
"I'd rather they were cautious than hasty. It's an important study," he said.But Howes said a virtue of the current
standard is that it was set conservatively, instead of close to a breaking point."It's protective. To me that's a
good standard," he said.The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy will take a close look at the results,
said Scott Strand, executive director of the group, which has defended the current standard."The burden is on
the people who want to change it, not the people who think it's appropriate where it is," he said.Lotthammer
said there will be opportunities for public and expert reviews of the research, and there will be a formal public
comment process if the MPCA decides there's a scientific justification for changing the standard."We're
definitely very excited about getting to this point with the study. The reports ... represent a significant amount of
scientific work that we believe is going to be very valuable in further informing the standard. This was a very
important milestone," she said.

Odisha Government to initiate stern action against erring rice millers
over paddy procurement
Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Bhubaneswar: The State Government has decided to initiate stern action
against the rice millers. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister
Pratap Keshari Deb said he has directed the district Collectors to raid the rice
mills in their districts. Admitting that Government has failed to collect cent
percent CMR from the millers every year, he said the Government used to
collect the CMR either by seizing them from the mills or collecting penalty
from the millers. This year, the Government has decided to exclude the
millers from paddy procurement who have failed to return the CMR by
December 31 last. The Government incurs a loss of around `12 crore every
year due to the callousness of the millers, but now these erring millers would
be taken to task by confiscating their deposited money and filing cases
against them, Deb said. Sources in the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare
Department said that around 1,100 millers procure paddy from farmers on behalf of the Government every year
and return the CMR to the Government by December 31. However, some millers do not return the CMR as they
either sell the rice to other parties or hoard them to sell at a higher rate later.

Customs stumped in search for 'David Tan'
By Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 01/07/2014 11:50 AM | Updated as of 01/07/2014 5:18 PM

MANILA (UPDATED) - The Bureau of Customs does not know David Tan.The name David Tan was
identified in a Senate Joint Committee hearing in February last year, as one of the financiers who bankrolled the
syndicate of bogus cooperatives and enterprises that cornered a hefty chunk of the National Food Authority's
rice imports under the Aquino administration.The report also said that Tan had reportedly given as much as P6
billion in kickbacks to Customs officials and employees who facilitated the entry of his shipments of smuggled
rice over the last two years.Last month, Malacanang said the Department of Justice came out empty handed on
the hunt for David Tan because National Bureau of Investigation agents were unable to unveil the identity and
the whereabouts of a certain David Tan and a certain Danny Ngo.The Department of Justice is looking on the
possibility of reorganizing the investigation team handling the issue of rice smuggling, after NBI operatives
came up empty handed on the hunt for a certain David Tan.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Customs Commissioner John Sevilla said even their deputy
commissioners have no information on the David Tan named in the Senate hearing. But the Commissioner
assured that their effort against rice smuggling will not be hindered despite the inability to identify David
Tan.The Commissioner explained that they are now focused on targeting rice importers which numbered
between 20 to 25."We will start with the actual import and we can check if the company is a dummy or

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controlled by an entity,' he said.Sevilla said they are 100% committed against smuggling and is also interested
in finding out the real identity of Tan.Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Jaime Dellosa said the Bureau is
trying to profile the rice importers in the country and looking at ways on their mode of business.Dellosa said
there are now 1,937 container vans of rice that were put on hold since October to December of last year, in
different ports of the country.
Each van contains an approximate load of 25,000 kilos of rice.Part of the reforms being instituted by the Bureau
right is now is transparency in transactions made by the Bureau of Customs.Sevilla said imports are being
posted on the website of their agency and if the public sees a discrepancy in the valuation of the imports, the
people can send feedback to the Bureau of Customs so that rectifications can be made on the specific goods or
value that is being questioned.Sevilla called on the public to help the Bureau of Customs get rid of corruption
and smuggling. He said bad practices in the agency cannot be eradicated by the mere act of 3,600 employees of
the Customs.

Wild rice research finds sulfate impact
Results of two years of field and laboratory work on how sulfate impacts wild rice were released today, but any
decision on the state’s wild rice standard and its impact on the mining industry is still many months away.
By: John Myers, Duluth News Tribune
Results of two years of field and laboratory work on how sulfate impacts wild rice were released today, but any
decision on the state’s wild rice standard and its impact on the mining industry is still many months away.The
data was collected by studying wild rice in outdoor tubs and indoor labs at the University of Minnesota Duluth
and by University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus scientists studying wild rice in rivers and lakes across the
state.The $1.5 million effort concluded in December, and preliminary results made public today appear to show
that sulfate at certain levels does indeed impact wild rice, as suspected.But it’s not a direct, toxic effect,
according to John Pastor, the lead UMD scientist on the project.“Sulfate on its own did not have a detrimental
effect on wild rice; it wasn’t directly toxic to wild rice,” Pastor told the News Tribune. “But when sulfate is
converted to sulfides, that’s what has an effect.’’
That conversion happens in the sediment as the plant tries to pick up nutrients, Pastor said.Once sulfate is
converted to sulfide “the issue is not with germination. The seeds germinate. But it adversely impacts the
growth of the seedling,’’ Pastor added. Where sulfate wasn’t converted to sulfide, wild rice generally wasn’t
damaged, he said.The laboratory work corroborated the field work, Pastor noted, and all of it corroborated work
done in the 1940s by a state scientist -- John Moyle -- who found wild rice did not grow well in water high in
sulfate.“Moyle made the correlation correctly. What he didn’t know is how it happened,” Pastor said. “Now, we
know a lot more about how it happens.’’But knowing how it happens is different than deciding how much
sulfate is too much for wild rice, and what limit to apply to industrial discharges, especially mining.

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“I can’t make that recommendation. I can’t say what the limit should be,’’ Pastor noted.That will be up to the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. PCA officials will take the study results and use them to help make a
decision on what, if anything, to do with the state’s current standard of 10 parts per million sulfate in waters that
hold wild rice stands.For the next few months PCA staff will “analyze the data as a whole, and review existing
monitoring data’’ and other relevant scientific studies, and by April decide whether the standard should be
changed.If the answer is yes, the PCA would come up with a proposed new standard and kick-off a months-long
rulemaking process that would include public input, testimony and hearings headed by an administrative law
judge, all under the watchful eye of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.Several Minnesota taconite
operations are in violation of the state’s 10 parts per million sulfate limit and are waiting for the state’s decision.
The PCA is getting input and guidance from a 32-person “advisory committee” representing taconite
companies, business groups, environmentalists, Indian resource agencies and research universities.Shannon
Lotthammer, director of the PCA’s Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division, told the News Tribune
Tuesday that it’s “just too soon to draw any general conclusions from the data about the impact of sulfate on
wild rice,’’ saying additional analysis is needed.
The study results “include information about the concentrations of sulfate or sulfide at which effects on wild
rice were observed, and we continue to see correlations in the field data regarding sulfate and sulfide
concentrations and wild rice presence,” Lotthammer said. “With that said, we need to review the results…
complete our own statistical analyses, and compare the results across the individual study components before
we are in a position to say anything about the general consensus or conclusions about what impact sulfate has
on wild rice.”Sulfates are ions that can come from decaying plants and animals as well as some industrial
processes such as mine discharges, mine stockpiles and waste piles, tanneries, steel mills, pulp mills, sewagetreatment plants and textile plants. High sulfate levels are known to damage plants, in some cases by limiting
uptake of nutrients.The PCA is under pressure from business and mining groups to relax the standard, noting
several taconite mines and other industries may not be able to meet it without huge investments that might
impact Minnesota jobs.It’s also suspected that runoff from proposed copper mining operations will be high in
sulfate and that the standard could affect future mining projects. The proposed PolyMet copper mine, for
example, can meet the existing sulfate standard, an environmental review concludes, but only by treating water
that leaves the site for decades, possibly centuries to come.
Environment and tribal groups want to keep the old standard, saying higher sulfate standards could decimate
wild rice beds and may cause other harmful environmental effects.Minnesota lawmakers tried, on their own, to
relax the state sulfate rule in 2011 in an effort to help industry. But the EPA said they could not change a law
tied to the Clean Water Act without scientific backing. So the Legislature also approved money for what
became the state’s largest ever study of wild rice.The current standard of 10 parts per million was upheld in
December, 2012 by a state court of appeals ruling. The original lawsuit was filed by the Minnesota Chamber of
Commerce in 2010 asking the court to throw out the state's 1973 sulfate rule, claiming it was unfounded, based
on poor science and was overly restrictive, especially for the state's mining industry.
The court ruled that the Chamber would have to wait for the study to conclude and the state to determine any
new standard.While the state-funded study is over, Pastor said his efforts have received a $200,000 SeaGrant
grant and another $60,000 from the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe to continue his work over a longer period of

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time to see if the impact of sulfate to sulfide conversion changes over several more years, well beyond the two
years in the state study.
Tags: news, updates, rice, umd

Chinese Scientists Cultivate Salt-Resistant Rice With High Yield
Featured Research
January 8, 2014
Chinese scientists have cultivated a high-yield salt-resistant rice variety that boasts an output of six tons per
hectare.AsianScientist (Jan. 8, 2014) – Chinese scientists have created a high-yield salt-resistant rice variety that
boasts an output of six tons per hectare, according to China’s state-run Xinhuanews agency.Researchers from
Hainan University began their research on the development of salt-resistant varieties as early as 1992. In the late
1990s, they managed to cultivate salt-resistant vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplant, cowpeas and pepper.
Six years ago, the researchers inserted a salt-resistant gene from a wild plant into a normal rice variety, and after
five years of screening, they obtained 18 salt-resistant rice varieties.They planted 18 salt-resistant varieties on
saline-alkali land along the seacoast in the city of Yancheng in eastern Jiangsu province. One variety was
identified as matching the output of varieties growing on normal farmland, according to Hainan University
Professor Lin Qifeng.They now plan to expand the experimental plantation to 100 mu in Yancheng to further
evaluate the performance of the salt-resistant varieties.China has nearly 13.3 million hectares of saline-alkali
soils with the potential to be cultivated, equivalent to one-tenth of the country’s total farmland, according to
data from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Rice smugglers using courts to thwart BOC’
(The Philippine Star) | Updated January 8, 2014 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Rice smugglers are turning to the
courts to prevent the Bureau of Customs from seizing rice
cargo that has no import permit, a BOC official said
yesterday.“The strategy is to seek an injunction to prevent the
BOC from implementing the seizure of shipments. We would
contest very vigorously the injunctions against us… We
would go after the consignees and importers that bring in
these shipments,” said Jessie Dellosa, BOC deputy

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commissioner for intelligence.Dellosa said they noticed the “shift in strategy” in the last few months.He said at
least P725 million worth of smuggled rice had been seized since September. These were in 1,936 shipping
containers, of which 411 were abandoned.The rice imports entered the country through the ports of Manila,
Davao, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Batangas.Dellosa said the BOC issues a warrant of seizure and detention in
favor of the government if consignees leave the rice imports unclaimed for 30 days.BOC Commissioner John
Sevilla said the 1,936 shipping containers yielded around 48 million kilos of rice with an estimated value of
P725 million.
BOC slammed
Meanwhile, a rice importer slammed the BOC yesterday
for defying court orders allowing the release of their
shipments, which were seized last year for allegedly being
smuggled.Starcraft and Bold Bidder Marketing said
BOC’s refusal to release the shipments is “an open
defiance to the judiciary” and “utter disrespect of judicial
proceedings.”Starcraft’s lawyer Benito Salazar cited
separate orders of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch
54, Batangas RTC Branch 5 and Davao RTC Branch 16
granting their petition for writ of preliminary
injunction.He said the court orders prevent the National
Food Authority (NFA) from requiring those bringing rice
into the country to secure import permits.“Despite the
mandatory nature of the said writs, the BOC has
unlawfully refused to implement and/or disseminate to the concerned BOC offices/official directives on the
implementation of the subject writs,” he said during a press conference in Manila.Salazar said his client had
written Sevilla and the Office of the Solicitor General on Jan. 2 reminding them of the orders of the courts.
He said the BOC refused to release the rice shipments, insisting that the NFA has the authority to issue
discretionary import permits for rice in light of the expiration of the country’s right to impose limits and
restrictions in its importation.Salazar, however, noted that such restriction is in violation of the World Trade
Organization-General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.He also belied the NFA’s claim that the importers were
involved in rice smuggling in Davao. He said the rice shipments were fully declared as rice and there was no
mis-declaration.“Our clients did not smuggle rice; they brought the rice into the country legitimately and
openly,” he said.“How can the NFA accuse us of smuggling rice into the country when my clients openly
declared that they were importing rice into the country without an import permit, a fact they made known to
NFA officials in letters sent to them on Aug. 20, 2013 and Sept. 10, 2013?” he asked.
100 percent committed
Commissioner Sevilla assured the public that the BOC is “100 percent committed” to curb rice smuggling.He
said they are also looking into the involvement of a certain David Tan, alleged to be behind large-scale rice

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smuggling activities in various ports all over the country. However, he admitted that they have little information
about Tan’s real identity.When asked if it was possible that Tan is a fictitious name, Sevilla said “positive.”
No David Tan
There is no David Tan registered as rice trader with the NFA in Davao City, NFA-Southern Mindanao manager
Felimon Cangrejo told The STAR.There were reports saying David Tan’s real name was Davidson Tan
Bangayan, but Cangrejo said that name was also not in the NFA’s list of rice traders. – With Edu Punay,
Edith Regalado

For Advertising SPECS & RATES
Contact: Advertising Department
Mujahid Ali
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
+92 321 369 2874

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7th january,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine