Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

14 November, 2014

Volume 4 Issue: XI

th

Vol 4, Issue XI

Todays News Headlines

Pakistan team to take part in CII agri-business meet

Research collaboration for Thai rice development
3 millers booked for embezzling paddy worth Rs 8cr
To achieve projected rev of Rs 1500 in FY15: Kohinoor
Foods
AIREA All India Rice Exporters Association : Iran Rules
Out Further Rice Imports in 2014
India Rice procurement down by 8% so far this year
Ricegrowers : SunRice acquisition of Blue Ribbon Rice
Groups rice assets to help boost local rice industry in North
Queensland
Ousted Thai PM's rice scheme lost $15.8 billion, say Finance
Ministry
Egypt farmers call for aid, threaten strike
Rice subsidies 'cost B682b in 10 years'
U.S. Medium Grain Performing Well with Japanese
Consumers
USA Rice Exhibits at Food and Hotel Show in Shanghai
Thailand. Ministry plans 2m-tonne rice deal with China
Trader, 11 customs brokers charged for illegal rice import
Progress continues on hybrid rice breeding
Hyderabadi mutton biryani

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News Detail.
Pakistan team to take part
in CII agri-business meet
TOMOJIT BASU
NEW DELHI, NOV 13:
A delegation from Pakistan will debut at the
Confederation of Indian Industrys (CII)
Agro Tech fair which will be held between
November 22 and 25 in Chandigarh. The
11th edition of the agro-technology and
business event is a biennial meet which has
been hosted by the business association
since 1994.The team from across the border
comprises of eight members including
representatives from the Farmers Associates
Pakistan body, the Punjab Livestock and
Dairy Development Board, import-export
sector professionals and agricultural
solutions providers. A country-specific
session will be held with the neighbours
who will interact with Indian industry faces
and Government officials.
The idea is to explore trade and commerce
ties and experiences on the commodities
front which could also possibly help the
political situation. We will assess the
possibility of doing business together across
the border instead of a via-via
arrangement, said Rajesh Srivastava, CoChairman, CII Agro Tech 2014, adding that
there was ample scope for exporting tea,
sugar, wheat and non-Basmati rice to
Pakistan.We hope the key takeaway from
this is that well be in a position to present a
paper to the Commerce Ministry that
outlines both countries competitive
advantages as well as the benefits of agritrading between India and Pakistan, he
added.Asked about the participants from
India, Srivastava said, We have invited

Government officers from the Agriculture,

Commerce and Food and Consumer Affairs
Ministries. From the business sphere, we
have individuals from ITC, HUL, Bharti and
Mahindra. We also expect participation from
those involved in the fruits and vegetables
sector.
Large footfall expected
The theme of Agro Tech 2014 is Building
Global Competitiveness in Agriculture and
will 154 exhibitors including 37 from
overseas. There are 11 participating nations
and roundtables will also be held with
African and German delegations. CII
expects at least 50,000 farmers to participate
from across the country.
The fair provides a critical platform to
domestic farmers to imbibe global best
practices and develop a greater learning of
the latest technological innovations being
undertaken across international markets,
said Salil Singhal, Co-Chairman, National
Council on Agriculture, CII.
(This article was published on November
13, 2014)

Research collaboration for

Thai rice development
Date : 13 2557
PATHUM THANI, 13 November 2014
(NNT) The National Science and
Technology
Development
Agency
(NSTDA) under the Ministry of Science
today signed a collaborative agreement with
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
and
Cooperatives' Rice Department in order to

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continue a rice development program. For
more a decade the two agencies have been
working together in trying to develop rice
breeds, strengthening rice strains to
withstand drought, flash floods, insects,
diseases and climate change, while
producing higher yields, consuming less
water, and offering more nutrition, which
will give farmers more value for their rice
plantation.
The two ministries recently made their
partnership official, and is the second signed
agreement after the first 5-year agreement
expired on 9 February 2014, after the
successes of the first contract. The
collaboration also resulted in the
development of two new rice breeds. These
include 51, which is rice that can
withstand flooding and is photosensitive and
is intended to be grown in the north and
northeastern regions, and 18, which is
sticky rice that withstand Rice Blast Disease
and is photosensitive, and will also be grown
in the north and northeastern regions of the
country.

developed an "Insect Server" in which

information
from
the
Metrological
Department given to researchers can better
help them forecast the direction that insects
will spread in order to warn farmers to guard
their crops.
After the presentation, Dr. Thaweesak
Koanantakool, NSTDA President and Mrs.
Parichart Sriwipat Rice Department Deputy
Director signed the cooperative agreement.
The cooperation will allow both agencies to
share
laboratory,
research
findings,
information, budgeting, organize seminars
and workshops to further support the
knowledge for staff of both agencies to
know more about rice. Continuing
developing the rice breeds for sustainable
food supply and ease farmers in growing
rice, the research will also extend to
development of the whole value chain on
rice from the plantation to consumption.
The two agencies expressed gratitude and
strongly believe that
through the
collaboration will be another step for Thai
rice development, brining out the best of
each agencies and department to create the
maximum potentials and results for rice
plantation and development of the entire rice
manufacturing processes.

3 millers booked for

embezzling paddy worth Rs 8cr
Representatives from each working group
reporting on their project found benefits for
the rice industry, such as a mobile
application to detect and count brown
planthopper insects, how much pesticide
residue there is on rice. They have also

TNN | Nov 14, 2014, 03.45 AM IST

MOGA: In a crackdown on rice mill owners

who embezzle government paddy, the police
on Thursday booked three of them for
misappropriation
worth
over
Rs
8
crore.Around 43,350 quintal paddy worth Rs

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8.18 crore of the state procurement agencies
Markfed and Warehousing Corporation was
embezzled by the millers. The trio was booked
on cheating charges. Two cases have been
registered at Ajitwal police station whereas
one was registered at Badhni Kalan police
station in Moga district.

The economic offences wing of the district

police
is
investigating
the
cases.
A case has been registered against Arun Jain
of Rama Mill for allegedly embezzling 9588
quintal paddy worth Rs 1.71 crore. Markfed
district manager Nishan Singh had
complained against Arun Jain on July 15 for
embezzling paddy.In another case, Gurbhej
Kumar and Lavlesh Kumar of Jagraon
owning Joga Agro Industries at Ajitwal have
been booked for embezzling 29,748 quintal
paddy worth Rs 5.68 crore of Punjab State
Warehouse Corporation.
The corporation district manager had
complained to the police on August
19.Gurbhej has also been booked in another
case for embezzling 3011 quintal paddy
worth Rs 78.94 lakh in another rice mill at
Ajitwal.Moga SSP Jatinder Singh Khaira
said the three complaints of embezzlement
were pending for some time and cases
against three mills have been registered.
Stay updated on the go with The Times of
Indias
mobile
apps.
Click here to
download it for your device.

We have given a projection of Rs 1,500

crore this year and I am very hopeful that we
are going to achieve that or maybe surpass
that.
GURNAM ARORA
Joint MD
Kohinoor Foods
Gurnam Arora, Joint Md, Kohinoor
Foods in an interview to CNBC-TV18
spoke about the companys second quarter
numbers and the outlook going forward.He
is confident of achieving FY15 projected
revenues of Rs 1500 crore and more. He
said the season and crop looks good and
with the main season starting next month the
outlook going forward is positive both for
basmati rice and the industry in whole.
The soft numbers seen in Q2 could be
because of slow season, he said.On the
exports front too he is upbeat on markets
like London, Middle East, Iraq but a bit
worried about Iran.The prices this year are
going to be reasonbale around USD 10001000 per tonne, cheaper by USD 200-300
per tonne than last years average price of
around USD 1400 per tonne, he said.Below
is the transcript of Gurnam Arora\\'s
interview with Anuj Singhal and Ekta Batra
on CNBC-TV18.Anuj: Can you tell us, you
had your net sales also going down 9
percent, your profit was also down about
7 percent, what led to this decline and

To achieve projected rev of Rs

1500 in FY15: Kohinoor Foods

going forward, what kind of earnings can

we expect?

Gurnam Arora, Joint Md, Kohinoor Foods is

confident of achieving FY15 projected
revenues of Rs 1500 crore and more.

A: The season looks good, the crop is good,

the prices are low, lot of customers are
visiting us, in fact our joint venture partner

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Al Dahra visited us yesterday and has given
us the order of about 25,000 tonnes. So
everything looks good. Because this is a
slight low season and main season will start
from next month, the shipments will start
going on -- everything looks good to me.
Reema: In the first half of the year, you
have done sales of Rs 580 crore or
thereabouts, what could be the potential
sales in the second half of the year given
that you have seen increased orders etc,
can it cross that Rs 600-700 crore, give us
some
estimate?
A: We have given a projection of Rs 1,500
crore this year and I am very hopeful that we
are going to achieve that or maybe surpass
that.

AIREA
All
India
Rice
Exporters Association : Iran
Rules Out Further Rice
Imports in 2014
Iran is likely to cut down on further imports
in 2014 as it has surplus stocks that accrued
from high imports last year as well as high
seasonal yield this year, according to local
sources.
The Minister of Agriculture was quoted as
saying that there is as such no restriction or
ban on rice imports but the reduction is only
temporary as the existing socks are
sufficient to meet the consumption needs of
the country for the remaining part of the

year. He noted that rice imports

halted for last few months. He
sources that the rice market
regulated and prices move in
demand and supply conditions.

have been
told local
is fairly
line with

Exporting countries like India and Thailand

may facing a tough time due to Iran's stance
of temporarily halting rice imports. The
Middle East nation's decision to revise the
accepted level of arsenic content in basmati
rice from 150 parts per billion (ppb) to 120
ppb has significantly reduced India's basmati
rice exports to Iran. Its stance to increase the
import duty for basmati rice to 45% from
22% in September has further snubbed down
India's basmati rice exports to Iran.
Similarly Thailand is also trying to reinstate
its exports to Iran after the Middle East
nation halted imports from the South East
Asian country following a default by a
private rice exporter in 2011.
Iran is an important destination for India's
basmati rice and constitutes about 30% of
India's total basmati rice exports. India
exported around 1.44 million tons to Iran in
FY 2013-14 (April - March), which is
around 36% of India's total basmati rice
exports of around 4 million tons during the
period, according to data from Agricultural
and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA).
USDA estimates Iran to produce around
1.683 million tons of rice and import around
1.7 million tons in MY 2014-15 (October September) to meet the consumption
demand of around 3.45 million tons.

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India Rice procurement down
by 8% so far this year

farmers get a minimum support price

(MSP).
In Punjab, rice procurement has reached

The agencies have procured 9.2 million

7.23 million tonnes so far this year,
tonnes so far against 10 million tonnes
marginally down from 7.49 million tonnes
in the year-ago period, as per FCI data.In
Haryana, rice purchase remained down at
1.87 million tonnes from 2.5 million tonnes,
while procurement in Chandigarh was lower
at 10,000 tonnes from 11,000 tonnes in the
during the same period last year. Last year,

review period.

kharif rice procurement was 26.65 million

tonnes against the target of 32.06 million
ton.NEW

DELHI

(Commodity

Online): The volume of rice procured by

government agencies in India is down by
8% in the current 2014-15 marketing year.
The agencies have procured 9.2 million
tonnes so far against 10 million tonnes
during the same period last year.Rice
marketing year runs from October to
September. Annual procurement target for
this year is 30 million tonnes. Last year,
kharif rice procurement was 26.65 million
tonnes against the target of 32.06 million
tonnes.State-run Food Corporation of India
(FCI)

and

state

agencies

undertake

procurement of rice and wheat to ensure

However, rice procurement in Uttar Pradesh

was higher at 18,000 tonnes this year so far
compared to 15,000 tonnes in the year-ago
period.

Ricegrowers : SunRice
acquisition of Blue Ribbon
Rice Groups rice assets to help
boost local rice industry in
North Queensland
SunRice today announced it has completed
the acquisition of the rice milling assets of
Blue Ribbon Rice Group ("Blue Ribbon"),
which it announced in July 2014. This
follows the decision by the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission
(ACCC) to not oppose the proposed
acquisition.Commenting on the completion
of the acquisition, SunRice CEO Mr Rob
Gordon welcomed the decision by the
ACCC, stating the acquisition provides a
valuable opportunity to boost the local rice

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industry in North Queensland and help it to
realise its potential."SunRice is pleased to
have completed the transaction with Blue
Ribbon and we are now working together to
progress the integration of the business,"
said Mr Gordon.
"We are excited at the opportunity to add
value and help develop the Burdekin
region's rice industry, and in the process,
help to strengthen the local economy and the
region's farming communities. With its
climate and secure access to water, the
Burdekin is regarded as one of the most
promising rice-growing areas outside of the
Riverina and we see strong potential in
Burdekin-grown rice by contributing our
agronomic support, integrated supply chain,
distribution network and international sales
and marketing capability."According to Mr
Gordon, rice is a good fit with farming
activities in North Queensland.
"We are confident that rice production can
expand to complement existing crop
rotations in the Burdekin region, working in
well with crops such as sugar and pulses.
This will provide farmers with important
benefits in the form of additional income,
while also assisting in the management of
pests and diseases" he added.SunRice will
now look to commence engaging with
stakeholders across the region, including
growers and suppliers, via a range of
initiatives such as Rice Field Days, grower
meetings and stakeholder forums.
"We are keen to build relationships with key
stakeholders and to commence discussions
around the issues and opportunities that exist
in developing the local industry further, and
to collaborate and share expertise across
important areas such as farming practices,
rice research and development, and
distribution and marketing," said Mr
Gordon.SunRice will look to undertake

additional research and development to

maximise growing options through its
subsidiary, Rice Research Australia
(RRAPL).
A particular focus will be on specialty rice
varieties and specific long grain options that
are suited to local conditions and which will
complement the Riverina crop."We are
already a world leader in terms of quality
and production efficiency, sustainability and
water efficiency and we see our involvement
in the Burdekin as a real opportunity to
increase the overall competitiveness of
Australian rice," said Mr Gordon.

Ousted Thai PM's rice scheme

lost $15.8 billion, say Finance
Ministry

BANGKOK Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:41am EST

Farmers rearrange a pile of rice after

dumping them on the ground during a rally
demanding the Yingluck administration
resolve delays in payment from the rice
pledging scheme, outside a Bank for
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in
Bangkok March 11, 2014.
(Reuters) - A rice-subsidy scheme
introduced by Thailand's ousted former
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra lost
518 billion baht ($15.8 billion, the Finance
Ministry said on Thursday.The scheme,
which paid farmers above-market rates for

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their crop, helped bring Yingluck to power
in a landslide election in 2011 due to support
from farmers mostly in the country's north
and northeast.
However, the scheme backfired when the
government failed to sell rice to pay arrears
to angry farmers, leaving Thailand with
massive stockpiles. The stockpiles are now
estimated at 19.2 million tonnes, said
Rangsan Sriworasart, permanent secretary
for the Ministry of Finance.Yingluck was
forced to step down in May when a court
found her guilty of abusing power in the
transfer of an official. Days later, the
military staged a coup following six months
of street protests aimed at ousting Yingluck.
The military put a halt to state rice sales and
General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the coup leader
and current Prime Minister, has ruled out a
new rice price intervention scheme.In its
record year for exports in 2011, Thailand
shipped 10.6 million tonnes of rice.The
latest audit found that around 70 percent of
the
rice
held
in
stockpiles
is
deteriorating.Rangsun said an official audit
of state stockpiles would be announced at a
later date by the prime minister's office.
(1 US dollar = 32.8000 Thai baht)
(Reporting By Kaweewit Kaewjinda and
Kittiphong Thaicharoen; Editing by Amy
Sawitta Lefevre; and Simon CameronMoore)

Egypt farmers call for aid,

threaten strike
CAIRO Despite President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisis directives

to

support

Egyptian

farmers and help them cope with the

difficulties they face, farmers have been
taken

aback

by

higher

prices

in energy, fertilizers and pesticides.

In

addition, the lack of water for irrigation in

some provinces has caused prices of
agricultural

products

to rise.Summary Egyptian

farmers

are

threatening to halt cultivation of certain

crops to call attention to the need for state
action to support and protect the industry.
Author Rami
2014

GalalPosted November

12,

Translator(s)Sahar Ghoussoub
However, the farmers hardships do not end
with production, but also extend to the
market,
where
staple
crops
such
as rice, cotton and wheat have suffered
heavy losses. Many farmers groups such
as the Farmers and Agricultural Producers
Syndicate, the Farmers Syndicate, the
General Assembly for Agrarian Reform and
the General Assembly for New Land
Reclamation have vowed to take action
against the government of Prime Minister
Ibrahim
Mahlab,
accusing
it
of
working against the farmers interests,
which violates the constitution.
Farid Wassel, head of the Farmers and
Agricultural Producers Syndicate, told Al-

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Monitor, Following the rise in prices of
fertilizers, we held a press conference at the
Press Syndicate to announce our escalatory
steps against the government. However,
following the painful incident in Sinai,
where 30 Egyptian soldiers were killed and
20 others were injured most of whom
belong to families of farmers we
canceled it to mourn their souls.Wassel
added that farmers are facing a great many
challenges.
Although food is a national security issue,
we do not wish to escalate the situation to
the extent of stopping farming and starving
people. However, we are bearing many
burdens, starting with the high prices of
energy and fertilizers, not to mention the
taxes we have to pay.
This would push farmers to stop working
involuntarily, as they do not have the means
to face all these hardships and cannot market
their products at good prices, he
said.Wassel also said that farmers suffered
great losses in their cotton and rice crops, as
the state and the public and private textile
factories prefer imported cotton, which is
50% cheaper although Egyptian cotton is
the finest.As for the rice crops, the state
opened the door for rice exportation. But
despite this, we continue to endure heavy
losses.
The Minister of Agriculture suggested to
the president to buy rice from farmers
[directly] after traders used to control the
industry for 2,050 Egyptian pounds
[$286]. Nevertheless, the president, who
agreed to the decision, was misled by the
[agriculture] minister, who took action in
favor of traders, not farmers, Wassel
said.Wassel added, We as farmers demand
that the president set forth agricultural

policies and provide the agricultural system,

which is still rudimentary, with the means to
conduct modern scientific research. Abroad,
one farmer can plow 100 acres alone using
agricultural machines, while we continue to
use primitive axes and tools, which makes
agriculture a difficult and expensive process.
We cannot compete at the international
level, which causes Egypt to export the
majority of its food, he went on. We
demand that an agricultural plan be set forth
for the next 20 years, including a plan to
meet our need of [national] products, a
marketing plan. Steps should also be
adopted to increase the value added to
agricultural products through manufacturing,
cancel debt interest for farmers and
implement the health insurance law, which
was issued more than two months ago but
has yet to be executed."Wassel believes that
the quickest solution to alleviate the current
hardships faced by farmers is through
energy subsidy vouchers, similar to those
granted to bakery owners.
The head of the Farmers Syndicate,
Mohammed Barghash, told Al-Monitor that
farmers could to stop the cultivation of dill,
watercress, celery and parsley, all staple
flavorings in the Egyptian kitchen. At a later
stage, they could also stop the cultivation of
onions, peppers and then tomatoes.
However, we will never stop growing
wheat or corn, because this would cause the
Egyptian people to starve, Barghash
said.He added that the syndicate was waiting
for the deputy head of the National Council
for Human Rights, Shahenda Maklad, to
fulfill her promise after she required them to
write a letter with their demands to be sent
to the president. These demands included
stopping increases in the property tax on

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agricultural arable land, stopping increases
in energy and fertilizer prices and forming a
delegation of 27 farmers from all provinces
to meet with the president to discuss their
situation.
The
official
spokesman
for
the Agriculture Ministry, Mohammed alBarghouti, accused farmers of fomenting
trouble only to make complaints later on
before the government. In a telephone
interview with Al-Monitor, Barghouti said,
There are 13,000 farmer syndicates in
Egypt, all convinced that the government
has been conspiring against them.Who is
responsible for the trade of subsidized
fertilizers on the black market? Are they not
the farmers? Who encroached on Egyptian
agricultural lands only to sell them for urban
construction? The infringements were made
on 150,000 acres after the January 25
Revolution alone.
They do not abide by the government
instructions not to grow rice in restricted
areas. They drain water while we are
suffering
from water
scarcity,
he
said.Barghouti warned that if farmers
continued this encroachment, agricultural
lands in the valley and delta would
disappear within the next 110 years, as their
current area does not exceed 6.5 million
acres.He also denounced the farmers
accusations that the Agriculture Ministry
had allied with traders against them with
regard to rice exports after selling the crop.
He stressed that the decision was made
based on a field study, which confirmed that
only 10% of the crop had been
sold.Barghouti said farmers were victims of
ignorance and the corrupt agricultural
regime that existed before the revolution.
Before this period, President Hosni

Mubaraks regime had destroyed the entire

agricultural awareness system.Regarding
threats to stop the cultivation of certain
crops, Barghouti said these were empty, as
Egyptian women would not go so far as to
import the ingredients of salads they grow
on their homes porches and balconies.

Rice subsidies 'cost B682b

in 10 years'
76% of losses generated by Yingluck's
scheme
Published: 14 Nov 2014 at 05.35
Online news: General
Writer: Online Reporters

More than a dozen rice-pledging schemes

since 2004 have cost the country 682 billion
baht, but about 76% of those losses were
caused by the previous governments four
programmes, the Finance Ministry said.

Permanent secretary for finance Rangsan

Sriworasart told a press conference
Thursday that a subcommittee reviewing
balance sheets for 15 rice-pledging schemes
run between 2004 and May 22, 2014
calculated a total loss of 682 billion
baht.The ministry said the first 11 projects
resulted in a loss of 163 billion baht, but the
final four projects implemented by the
Yingluck Shinawatra government generated
a loss of 518 billion baht, or about 75.9% of
the total.

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During the 2011 election, the Pheu Thai
Party initially promised to give farmers
15,000 baht per tonne of unmilled white rice
with no limit on pledged amounts.
The campaign pledge brought victory to the
party and fugitive ex-premier Thaksin
Shinawatra's youngest sister, who was
appointed prime minister. While limits and
price changes were introduced in later stages
of the programme, the four stages combined
bought in a total 85 million tonnes of
unmilled rice for 1.1 trillion baht. There are
19.2 million tonnes of rice remaining, worth
approximately 225 billion baht. The country
got 347 billion baht from sales of rice in the
stock.
The subcommittee found that the rice
pledged under Ms Yingluck's programme
had 10%-40% rates of deterioration and the
government still has to pay other expenses,
including
warehouse
rent,
milling,
management fees and interest.He said the
account-closing for rice-pledging scheme
had been carried out under proper
accounting standards and audited by the
professional council and the Comptroller
General's Department. However, it has not
taken into account the result of any stockchecking, which has been done by the
National Rice Policy Committee.
Mr Rangsan said the subcommittee would
report account-closing details to the NRPC
and
await
further
instruction.The
subcommittee said the rice scheme's balance
sheet will run through Sept 30, the end of
the 2014 fiscal year. Then the government
can set aside funds to repay the Bank for
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperative,
which is responsible for paying farmers for
pledged grain.He said losses might be higher
if the NRPC instructed the Finance Ministry
to combine the loss incurred by stock-

checking. The loss will also depend on the

selling price and quality of rice in the stock.
"The amount of loss is not beyond
expectations. The government may have to
find a method to pay the debt without
causing problems to the country's
development and public-debt position. It
may take too long time to rely solely on
budget allocations, so bond may need to be
issued," said Mr Rangsan.
Iamge: A farmer in Kong Krailas district of
Sukhothai province harvests rice after her
field was flooded in September 2014. (Photo
by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

U.S. Medium Grain

Performing Well with Japanese
Consumers
Making US rice available in Japan
TOKYO, JAPAN -- Most of the U.S.-grown
rice entering Japan is utilized in foodservice,
but a pilot retail project has shown good
results and could be expanded according to
the USA Rice FederationUSA Rice
representatives met here with Mr. Naomi
Hamashima of Nishimoto Trading to review
his
company's
U.S.-grown
rice
program."Nishimoto offers U.S.-grown
medium grain rice in a 450 gram (1 pound)
pack in two company stores and through
their online division," explained Bill Farmer,
director of Asia programs for USA Rice
who attended the meeting.
"This is currently the only U.S. rice
available at the retail level."USA Rice's vice
president of international promotion, Jim
Guinn, also attended the meeting and

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reported that Mr. Hamashima is satisfied
with the early results of sales during a short
promotional period and that they are likely
to branch out by distributing this rice to
another retailer."We're very pleased that the
sale of U.S. medium grain directly to
Japanese consumers is going well," Guinn
said. "We assured Mr. Hamashima that we
are fully behind Nishimoto's effort to
continue offering U.S. medium grain, and
that we would do what we could to support
expanding the program."
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

USA Rice Exhibits at Food and

Hotel Show in Shanghai
The in-crowd gathers at the USA Rice
booth

They met with Chinese companies who are

becoming increasingly interested in U.S.
rice as market access grows ever
closer.Featured at the USA Rice booth are
samples of U.S.-grown short, medium, and
long grain rice to help educate those
unfamiliar with U.S. rice.
"We were pleased to meet with officials
from Shenzhen Hong Tai Xiang Company
on the opening day of the show," said USA
Rice's Vice President of International
Promotion Jim Guinn. "This is the same
group who traveled to the U.S. in October to
meet with rice exporters in anticipation of
the opening of the China rice market, and
continue to express their intent to be the first
Chinese company to import U.S. rice." (see
USA Rice Daily story, October 8, 2014).
Contact: Bill Farmer (832) 302-6710
RCPP Announcement Delayed

SHANGHAI, CHINA -- The USA Rice

Federation is exhibiting for the first time at
the Global Food and Hospitality Show here,
an enormous imported food and beverage
show in this important Chinese trade center.
Attending the show, which runs from
November 12-14, are marketers Chris
Crutchfield of American Commodity
Corporation, Kevin McGilton of Riceland,
Kirk Messick and Derek Alarcon of
Farmer's Rice Cooperative, and Steve
Vargas of Sun Valley Rice.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Natural

Resources Conservation Service originally
estimated that Regional Conservation
Partnership Program recipients would be
notified in mid-November, but a thorough
evaluation process has led to a delay.
Another progress update on proposals will
be made in early December.

Thailand. Ministry plans

2m-tonne rice deal with
China
14.11.2014

Thailand plans to sell a further 2 million

tonnes of rice to China under a governmentto-government contract after the delivery of
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an existing order for 1 million tonnes to that
country is completed next year.Commerce
Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said his
ministry would discuss the new G2G rice
contract with the China National Cereals,
Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO),
a state agency for oil, rice and foodstuff
imports, with a view to further sales.
"The country will accelerate shipments of
the existing order for 1 million tonnes. We
will sell another 2 million tonnes to China
after completion of the 1-million-tonne
shipment," he said.Thailand so far has
shipped 300,000 of the 1 million tonnes
under the existing contract, and is scheduled
to ship the rest by next July. Chatchai said
that for the remaining 700,000 tonnes, the
government would encourage China to
import jasmine rice, as it has more added
value.China is one of the largest import
markets for Thai rice, with jasmine rice
picking up interest among consumers.
During a trip to Thailand by COFCO
officials this week, the delegation will be
taken on a tour of rice and jasmine-rice
fields and witness the production process
from milling to packaging, in order to gain
confidence in Thai products. Also, the
ministry's Foreign Trade Department will
demonstrate the DNA inspection process to
the visitors.To promote Thai rice in China,
the Commerce Ministry will launch a series
of activities including a cooking pavilion at
a Chinese supermarket to raise awareness of
Thai products.With closer cooperation
between Thai and China agencies, it is
hoped that Chinese consumers will develop
a preference for Thai rice.
Moreover, Thailand will work closely with
Chinese importers to tackle the problem of
lower-quality grains being mixed with Thai
rice. The ministry will insist on the display
of the Thai rice-certification logo to ensure

that all Thai rice sold in China is pure. Any

rice trader found mixing Thai rice with other
products will be subject to punishment for
breaching
Thai
intellectual-property
rights.The ministry will encourage Thai rice
exporters to use the certification logo for
jasmine rice to boost the confidence of
buyers.China imports about 4 million tonnes
of rice each year, mainly from Vietnam and
Thailand.

Trader, 11 customs brokers

charged for illegal rice import
By Ruji Peter S. Abat
Thursday, November 13, 2014
DAVAO CITY -- Top officials of the
Bureau of Customs (BOC) have filed
charges against a rice importer and 11
customs brokers who were found to have
imported rice worth over P641-million in
different ports of the country, including this
city, without import permit from the
National Food Authority (NFA).

Progress continues on hybrid

rice breeding
Jim Oard, LSU AgCenter hybrid rice breeder,
looks over his notes while inspecting hybrid
plots at the Rice Research Station. Photo by
Bruce Schultz
Several lines of hybrid rice under development
at the Rice Research Station have shown
promising results in tests. Photo by Bruce
Schultz
News Release Distributed 11/11/14

CROWLEY, La. Hybrid development at the

Rice Research Station continues to make

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program is also incorporating the new Provisia
herbicide resistance trait.

progress under hybrid rice breeders Jim Oard

and Weike Li.Oard, an LSU AgCenter
researcher and professor, said a preliminary
yield trial resulted in 16 of 35 hybrid lines
having a 15-20 percent yield advantage over
conventional varieties CL152 and Catahoula,
and nine had yields exceeding commercial
hybrids CLX729 and XL723.
Multilocation trials of eight new hybrids were
conducted in Acadia, St. Landry and Vermilion
parishes in 2014, Oard said. Results showed
good yield and milling quality.
Four hybrids from the LSU AgCenter were
tested by the University of Arkansas, he said.
There were 30 entries, and the best ones were
the Louisiana hybrids.The fact that the hybrids
performed well in Arkansas demonstrates their
adaptability to different locations, Oard
said.Hybrids are evaluated not only for yield but
also for milling quality. Oard said the new cereal
chemistry lab run by Ida Wenefrida, researcher
and assistant professor at the Rice Station,
enables quick results for testing amylose content
and gelatinization temperature.
Otherwise, wed be waiting for months to get
these grain quality results, he said.Chalk is a
major quality consideration. Its a big issue we
are paying a lot of attention to, he said. Grain
uniformity also is emphasized in the
program.Oard said 1,200 crosses made in 2014
resulted in 12 lines with yield advantages over
commercial hybrid CLXL729. Many of those
new lines have the Clearfield trait.The hybrid

We think it will be a good complement to the

Clearfield technology, he said.Even though the
hybrid program has been underway for four
years at the Rice Station, work continues on
fine-tuning the process. Oard said the seed
production system is being improved with the
use of seed treatments to make sure male-sterile
and
fertile
pollinator
plants
flower
simultaneously.The program is close to having a
commercially viable hybrid. I would say within
two to three years well have a rice hybrid that
will be of commercial interest, he said.Li, a
research associate at the station, also is
optimistic.
He said the hybrid program is progressing well,
and several lines show promise with good
milling quality, short stature and excellent
yields. I can say Im quite sure we will be
successful.The research on hybrids is supported
by funds provided through the rice checkoff
program. This program has paid excellent
dividends for 40 plus years and will continue to
help the rice industry in the future, said Steve
Linscombe, director of the Rice Research
Station and the AgCenters Southwest Region.
Bruce Schultz

Hyderabadi mutton biryani

Anushree Basu Bhalla, TNN | Nov 12, 2014,
07.06PM IST

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Hyderabadi mutton biryani
A legend from the kitchens of the Nizam of
Hyderabad, thekachche gosht ki biryani,
also known as
the Hyderabadi muttonbiryani or is a spicey,
fragrant and colourful variant of biryaniin
India. The traditional style of making
the biryani by cooking the raw meat with
spices for couple of minutes and then
covered with rice and kept on dum until
done.
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins
Marinade mutton in spices overnight
Ingredients
Mutton: 1kg
Basmati rice: 500gm
Cumin (jeera): 1 tsp
Whole garam masala: 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder: 2 tsp
Boiled egg for decoration (optional): 2
Rose water (optional): 1 tbsp
Garlic-ginger paste: 2 tbsp
Golden-fried sliced onions: 2 cups
Mint leaves: 1 bunch
Curd: 2 cups
Cashew nuts (optional): 50gm
Turmeric powder: 1 pinch
Saffron: 1 pinch
Coriander leaves: 1 bunch
Salt: As per taste
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
Oil: 5 tbsp
Procedure:

The Marinade -- Wash mutton (I prefer

the raan or hind leg of a goat, for biryani).
Pat dry and add garam masala, salt, gingergarlic paste, red chilli paste, and two cups of
curd. Put it in a clean film pastic bag and
keep it in the refrigerator to marinade
overnight.
Directions:
-First boil the water, add oil, salt and halfcook the rice.
-Next fry thinly sliced onions until golden
brown. Add 1/3 of the golden-brown onion
to the mutton marination and rest keep aside.
-Now in a handi (deep pan) add the
marinated mutton in the bottom and top it of
with half cooked rice, add mint leaves,
coriander leaves and top it up fried onions.
In a separate bowl, add some warm milk to
soak saffron. Once the milk soaks the colour
of the saffron, add it to the handi.
-Cover the handi or pan with a airtight lid or
add sticky dough to the edges and cover it
with a lid. Cook for 45 min.
-Add rose water and garnish with sliced
boiled eggs.
-Serve hot with raita and mirchi ka salan.
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