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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter


13 January, 2015

Volume 4 Issue: XI

th

Vol . 5, Issue I

Todays News Headlines


Asian importers out to sabotage local rice production Agric
Minister
Thai Rice To Be Promoted In Hong Kong
Texas rice producers to gather for production planning
Stocking up for the low season
Meetings highlight rice prices, new varieties
Vietnam aims to increase rice exports
Palay price in South Cotabato sinks to P13.50 per kilo
Thai govt aims to sell 17 mln tonnes of stockpiled rice over 2
years
Legal actions taken against more than 100 partners of
contract in rice pledging scheme Nigeria
Rice Importers Owe FG N36.5 Billion in Unpaid Duties, Says
Agric Minister
Ministries discuss rice production structure
Coming soon: gluten-free Coors
Nigeria: Rice Importation - Olam, Popular Farm, Others
Owe FG N36 Billion - Minister
Asias Invisible Women Farmers
FGs new rice policy raises hope for robust business
activities at port
Govt threatens rice importers over unpaid N36.56b duty
Registered Dietitians' Nutrition Forecast Bodes Well for U.S.
Rice
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
Japan Announces 10th Ordinary Import Tender in FY

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News Detail.
Asian importers out to
sabotage local rice
production Agric
Minister
BY OUR REPORTER ON JANUARY 14,
2015BUSINESS, COVER
By DORIS OBINNA

Federal Government has accused Asian


companies involved in rice importation in
the country of aiming to sabotage its local
rice production programme.Speaking at an
interactive session with reporters in Lagos
yesterday, Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said
the Asian countries engaged in importation
brought in rice above allocated quota and
therefore owed the Federal Government a
total of N36. 56 billion.He fingered two
companies, Popular Farms and Mill as well
as Olam, which allegedly imported 300,
204.53 metric tonnes of rice and 110, 163.
63 metric tonnes of rice respectively above
their allocated quotas to buttress his point.
As at December 3, 2014, Popular Farms
and Mills had exceeded their approved quota
by 300, 204.53MT and Olam by 110,
163.63MT, a combined total of 410,
368.16MT, he said.Owing to the excess

importation without governments approval,


he said the two companies were to pay the
Federal
Government
N28.
299
billion.Popular Farms and Mills owes the
treasury N19.379 billion in unpaid levies,
while Olam owes the treasury N9.02
billion. Together these two Asian companies
owe the Federal Government N28.399
billion.He lamented that rather than pay the
levies, the two Asian companies wrote
letters to the minister asking for a revision of
their rice import quotas. Olam asked for
400, 000MT rice import quota to cover the
quantities of rice that they had gone ahead to
import (or still desire to import) without any
approved quotas or DRPP as required, but a
mere agreement with Nigeria Customs that
they would pay the duties due once the
quota allocations are out. They pleaded with
the minister of agriculture to no avail as he
insisted everyone must follow the
transparent and rigorous methodology on
issuance of quotas.
Vowing that the Asian companies must pay
the money owed the Federal Government,
Adesina said: Every company must follow
the rules and there are no sacred cows. The
days are gone when they can bribe to get
what they want. I will not allow them to
scuttle our self-sufficiency drive in rice
production. I cannot be bought or bribed.
These two companies, Olam and Popular
Farms and Mills, owe N28.399 billion and
they must pay for the excess rice they
imported above their allowed quotas at
preferential rate.The minister also revealed
that other Asian companies importing rice
into the country exceeded their allocated
quotas and, therefore, owed the Federal
Government.

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Three other companies, Conti-Agro,
Central Trading and Export, and African
Farms with no domestic rice production
plan, have imported 98, 285MT of rice
without approved quotas and owe the
treasury N8.16 billion. All these five
companies owe the Nigerian government a
total of N36.56 billion, he said, insisting
that every company must pay what is due
for excess volume they were allotted to
import or for rice imported without a
quota.On his resolved to ensure that the
right thing was done, the minister said: I
will not be intimidated. I will not be bought
or corrupted. I will not sell my country to
any foreign company. The president has
given us a clear marching order to make
Nigerian self sufficient in rice and we will
fully achieve this.

Thai Rice To Be Promoted


In Hong Kong
BANGKOK, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Commerce Minister
General Chatchai Sarikulya will visit Hong Kong from Jan

promote Thai rice, Thai News


Agency (TNA) reported.The ministry's
Department of Foreign Trade reported on
Tuesday that the minister will lead a
delegation of Thai rice exporters to meet
Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and
economic development to discuss trade
relations, especially those concerning
rice.The official report said the Thai
delegation will also meet chairs of Hong
Kong's three rice importers' associations
which have played important roles in
importing and distributing Thai rice to local
restaurants and households.
16-17 to

The report noted that the Thai commerce


minister will also witness the signing of a
letter of intent (LOI) on bilateral cooperation
to promote Thai rice and a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) between Thai rice
exporters
and
Hong
Kong's
rice
importers.According to the official report,
both pacts should involve the trade of
100,000 tonnes of rice and should be a good
sign for an increase in market share for Thai
rice in Hong Kong.The Ministry of
Commerce will also present the Best Friend
of Thai Rice Award to seven key importers
of
Thai
rice
in
Hong
Kong.
BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/wn
/newsworld.php?id=1100452

Texas rice producers to


gather for production
planning
Jan 12, 2015Logan Hawkes
President Obama's planned initiative to ease
embargo restrictions on Cuba is some of the
best news rice producers have heard in 40
years.
In spite of multiple and consecutive years of
major setbacks for Texas rice producers, the
century-old tradition of growing long grain
rice in the state remains an important and
viable industry to the individuals and
communities it serves.While a shortage of
water for irrigation, persistent pest
management challenges and competition
from foreign rice producers, among other
issues, continue to hamper Texas and

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Western rice belt producers, not all news is
bad.
Dwight Roberts, CEO of the US Rice
Producers Federation in Houston, said
President Obama's planned initiative to ease
embargo restrictions on Cuba is some of the
best news rice producers have heard in 40
years."I had the excitement of a 5year old on
Christmas," Roberts said to Federation
members last month through the group's
newsletter. "This is more than just about
rice. A new relationship initiative sends such
an important message throughout Latin
America and will bring much needed respect
for the USA from throughout the region.

producers. In addition to the possibility of


opening new rice markets in the Caribbean,
recent news that Mexico is imposing a 20
percent import tax for rice of Asian origin
strengthens the U.S. rice industry's ties with
its largest customer and clears the way for
additional exports.
http://southwestfarmpress.com/grains/texasrice-producers-gather-production-planning

Stocking up for the low


season
Tue, 13 January 2015
Hor Kimsay

"While the release of the five Cuban


prisoners arrested in Miami in 1998 was the
administrations
first
step
toward
normalizing relations with the island nation,
a great deal of opposition to lifting the
embargo remains.Conservative lawmakers
have threatened to take legal action if
President Obama goes forward with his plan
without approval from Congress. But
Roberts believes the usefulness of the
embargo is long past and says lost business
opportunities as a result of the embargo
amount to about $1.2 billion per year.
Even many conservative-leaning business
and industry leaders say the U.S. economy
could profit from normalized relations, and
most grain producers favor the Cuba
initiative.Roberts says the news about Cuba
is not the only positive development for rice

Warehouse workers use a conveyor belt to


move rice at the rice bank in Battambang
province
last
week.
PHOTO
SUPPLIEDThree months after it began
buying up rice stock, the Cambodia Rice
Bank (CRB) has acquired about 20,000
tonnes of paddy and 7,000 tonnes of milled
rice, a representative from the bank said on
Friday. According to Phou Puy, chairman
and CEO of the CRB, the stock is valued at
close to $12 million and will be accessible to
millers during the months of April and May
when paddy supply is seasonably low.

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Our operation is going on well. We predict
that for 2015-2016 harvest season, our stock
capacity will be triple the size of what it is
now, Puy said.The CRB is a private sector
initiative established by local millers aiming
to better manage market fluctuations in
Cambodias rice industry.The bank is
attempting to stem the flow of informal, or
over-the-border, paddy trade during the
harvest season when paddy supply peaks
and it aims to have rice on hand for millers
to access during the low season when supply
is low.Every year, millers always find it
difficult to buy paddy during April to June
and I think at that period, we can sell all our
stock pile, Puy added.
Fitted with silos, rice dryers and storage
sheds, the $30 million rice bank began
operating in Battambang province in August
last year.From October to December
during harvest season for fragrant rice the
CRB began collecting rice from farmers in
Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, and
Siem Reap.Lim Bunheng, CEO of rice
export company Loran Group, said that
millers often run out of funding during the
harvest season and were unable to collect all
available rice which meant much of it was
lost over the border to neighbouring
countries.The rice bank will be a major
place where millers can get fragrant paddy
when the shortage time arrives, he said.
Now we have another option so that once
the bank can sell paddy at a suitable price
it will be very much benefit for miller.
David Van, senior adviser of the Cambodia
Rice Federation, said despite some hold ups
from individual investors, the private sector
has been able to venture into territory where
the government and donors had failed. At
least the private sector gets things moving
with its own limited resources, he said.

Most countries have their agricultural


sector fully subsidised by their governments
but not in Cambodia and thus the private
sector must fend for itself first.Van also
called on the government and donors to
work more closely with the private sector in
development
of
their
proposed
warehousing receipt concept that uses
paddy stock as collateral for loans.
Contact author: Hor Kimsay

Meetings highlight rice


prices, new varieties
Nikki Henderson

01/13/2015 10:51 AM
01/13/2015 10:57 AM

Rice farmers across southern Louisiana


heard the latest recommendations from LSU
AgCenter experts.They gave tips for
growing the 2015 crop at a series of LSU
AgCenter meetings held during the week of
Jan5. The meetings were held in Avoyelles,
Jefferson Davis, Evangeline, Acadia and
Vermilion parishes.

A meeting for north Louisiana farmers will


be held between 9 a.m. and noon Feb. 12 at
the Delhi Civic Center, 232 Denver St., in
Delhi.Farmers could start planting their crop

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in early March.At the sessions, LSU
AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said
fertilizer applications have a direct effect on
yields.Harrell said Agronomy studies at the
LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station near
Crowley have shown that the best results are
obtained from applying fertilizer on dry
ground along with a urease inhibitor, like
Agrotain, that prevents nitrogen from
decomposing rapidly.Two-thirds of a crops
nitrogen fertilizer should be applied
preflood, with the remainder at midseason,
he said. Applying phosphorus fertilizer
when the crop needs it is also important, and
waiting until the pre-flood stage to apply
phosphorus fertilizer can reduce yields
by 12 percent.
AgCenter rice breeder Steve Linscombe said
two new long-grain Clearfield lines are
being grown now in Puerto Rico and will be
grown as foundation seed in 2015 at the
Rice Research Station. He said both lines
have good yields with improved blast
resistance and lower chalk than CL151.A
new Clearfield medium-grain line being
grown in Puerto Rico has improved yield,
grain appearance and lodging resistance
over CL271.Linscombe said checkoff
money provided by farmers is essential to
funding the winter nursery in Puerto Rico.
Linscombe said, If we didnt have the
checkoff funds, we wouldnt have Puerto
Rico.
At the Acadia Parish meeting, Jerry
Leonards, a farmer and chairman of the
Acadia Parish Rice Growers sociation, said
studies done at the Rice Research Station
are critical to rice farmers.
Linscombe said, If it werent for these
people, wed probably be out of business by
now."Linscombe said work on hybrids
continues, with the possibility of a seed
increase for a hybrid line in the next year or
two.The work on the new Provisia
herbicide-resistant rice is making progress

with yield testing being conducted in


Argentina on 13 lines. Linscombe said, We
are looking at getting one of these lines out
as quickly as possible." AgCenter weed
scientist Eric Webster said the Provisia
herbicide will extend the life of the
Clearfield
system
by offering
an
alternative technology to control red
rice.Webster said farmers should be starting
their burndown of weeds in preparation for
planting.
He urged farmers to be aggressive
early against small weeds and use the full
rate of herbicides.Nealleys sprangletop
weed is becoming more of a problem for
farmers after midseason. Webster said, It
grows about an inch a day. RiceStar is
effective against the weed."Farmers who
know they have weeds resistant to
herbicides should use alternative chemistry
to control the problem.AgCenter plant
pathologist Don Groth said farmers should
consider whether they need to use a
fungicide. Groth said, If you dont have
disease, youre not going to get any benefit
from using a fungicide.
"Groth cautioned farmers against using
excessive amounts of fertilizer that could
result in increased diseases problems of
bacterial panicle blight and smut.AgCenter
entomologist Mike Stout said the Mexican
rice borer continues its spread eastward after
it was found in Calcasieu Parish
in 2008.Seed treatments offer the best
control for rice water weevils, and the
Dermacor option provides some control
against armyworms and stem borers.
He said using Cruiser and Nipsit seed
treatments help early planted rice deal with
cold
stress.AgCenter
reproductive
physiologist Glen Gentry said research on
controlling wild pigs is being conducted at
the Dean Lee and Idlewild research stations.

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One system involves the use of sodium
nitrite mixed with a bait, but its unknown if
the chemical will threaten the Louisiana
black bear.AgCenter soybean specialist Ron
Levy said Louisiana farmers have shown in
the past few years that Louisiana can
produce soybean yields comparable with
those grown in the Midwest. He said a new
fungicide will be released this year to
control aerial blight disease.
AgCenter economist Mike Salassi said longgrain rice prices are low because of a 12
percent increase in the amount of rice on
the market. He said much of that can be
attributed to the 400,000 -acre increase in
Arkansas last year for a total of 1.4 million
acres that produced roughly half of the rice
grown in the U.S.Salassi said long-range
projections by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture dont offer much hope for a
price increase in the coming months.John
Morgan, of the Louisiana Rice Mill, told
farmers at the Vermilion Parish meeting that
international
buyers
are
demanding
better quality.
He said Central American buyers who once
preferred American rice are turning to
Uruguay for long-grain rice because they
are not pleased with the quality of some of
the rice they are getting from the
U.S.Morgan said, They are paying more for
South American rice than our rice."He said
the large number of varieties being grown
now has resulted in inconsistent quality, and
Central
American
buyers
have
complained about large amounts of chalky
rice.The quality problem appears to
originate from the Arkansas rice industry.
Morgran said, I think our guys do a pretty
good job of growing for demand and
segregating their rice.
"He said the quality issue may even be a
reason why more U.S. rice isnt being
purchased by Iraq.Louisiana Rice Mill has

started separating rice varieties in its storage


system to make it easier to meet customer
demand. Morgan said higher-quality rice
sold to the mill last year brought 75 cents
more per barrel.
http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/story/d/story
/meetings-highlight-rice-prices-newvarieties/25483/Xha3PFPetEGn_HVjQ2GV1g

Vietnam aims to increase


rice exports
Business Desk
Viet Nam News
Publication Date : 13 -01-2015
Vietnam will focus on Africa, West and
South Asian markets to boost rice exports
amidst harsh competition anticipated this
year, according to the ministry of industry
and trade.Those markets saw rising demands
for rice, the ministry's Department of Africa,
Western and Southern Asia Markets
said.The department cited statistics from the
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the
United Nations, which stated that rice
consumption in Africa, with a population of
more than 1 billion, was estimated at some
24 million tonnes per year and rising.Since
2009, Africa has imported 8-10 million
tonnes of rice annually, worth between
US$3.5 - 5 billion.
The department pointed out that import
demands for rice in West and Southern Asia
were also high. However, currently many
countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and
Bangladesh, mainly imported rice from
Thailand or India.Statistics from the
Vietnam General Department of Customs

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showed that, as of November 2014,
Vietnamese rice was exported to 46 of 78
markets in Africa, Western and Southern
Asia markets, with a total turnover of about
US$410 million.Rice exports to major
markets, including Ivory Coast, Angola, and
Cameroon, however, declined sharply last
year due to price competition from Thailand,
India and Pakistan.The decline was also
attributed to the impact from the Ebola
epidemic, which struck several West Africa
countries.The ministry believes there are
significant potentials for Vietnam to expand
rice exports into these markets this year.
Among measures being undertaken to boost
rice exports, the ministry said, included
negotiating memoranda of understanding
(MoU) to sell rice to the Ivory Coast, Kenya,
Angola, Mozambique and Madagascar.Also,
marketing and promotional efforts would be
strengthened, while co-ordination with other
governmental agencies involved in agroforestry-fisheries
exports
would
be
improved.Support to provide market
information and opportunities, along with
the establishment of warehouses in major
markets, such as Cameroon, Angola, and
Mozambique, would also be provided to
make it easier for Vietnamese exporters to
expand into those markets.
2014 was a difficult year for rice exports
from Vietnam due to the impact of
oversupply, high inventories and significant
pressure from the competition, besides the
impact from El Nino, Ebola and political
unrest in several regions.Statistics showed
that as of November, rice export from
Vietnam reached 6.062 million tonnes,
valued at US$2.8 billion, down 2.3 per cent

in volume, while up 2.6 per cent in value.


Rice exports for the full year were expected
to be 6.5 million tonnes.As difficulties for
rice exports were expected to continue this
year, the ministry urged keeping a close
watch on market fluctuations and expanding
exports to new and potential market, while
enhancing the quality of Vietnamese rice.

Mexico imposes 20 per cent tax on rice


imports. Beginning January 9, Vietnamese
rice included a tax rate of 20 per cent when
imported to Mexico and a rate of 9 per cent
was applied on paddy-raised rice.The tax
increase seeks to protect Mexico's rice
production, after Mexican rice cultivation
declined by nearly 88 per cent after the
country's free trade policies in rice imports
came into force.The Vietnam Food
Association noted that Mexico was a new
potential customer for rice exports from
Vietnam.

Palay price in South Cotabato


sinks to P13.50 per kilo
January 13, 2015
Facebook Google + Tweet Email
KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, Jan. 13
(PIA) -- The peaking of the harvest season
has farmers of South Cotabato concerned. This,
according to the Office of the Provincial
Agriculturist (OPAG), is because the expected
harvest has also brought steep drop in buying
prices
this week, which could persist for
several weeks more.Based on our monitoring
the buying price of palay in South Cotabato
at present ranges from P13.50 per kilo to
P15.00 per kilo, Justina Navarrete, OIC

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provincial agriculturist,
confirmed in an
interview. In the past few weeks, commercial
traders in the area bought palay at prices
ranging from P18 per kilo to P19 per kilo.
Citing the principle of supply and demand, the
agriculture official attributed the decrease in
the buying price to the peaking of the harvest
season in the area.Some 10,800 hectares of
rice are set for harvest in January, which we
believe has led price speculators and local
traders to offer lower prices.Farmers are
really worried, so I called up a meeting with
the National Food Authority and the Provincial
Agriculture and Fishery Council to provide
solutions to this problem, Navarrete said.
During the discussion, officials of NFA South
Cotabato assured that they have sufficient
existing funds for the procurement of palay
and that they could request for replenishment
in case more funds are needed.Rice growers
have the option to sell their produce to the
NFA where they could get better price for
their palay, she said. NFAs subsidized
buying price remains at P17 per kilo.
It also provides additional incentives such as
40 centavos
for individual farmers
for
delivery and drying fees and up to 70
centavos for cooperatives, organizations and
associations for delivery and drying fees and
cooperative
development
incentive fund.
(DEDoguiles-PIA 12)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1611421132
168/#sthash.0YPWbbRH.dpuf

Thai govt aims to sell 17


mln tonnes of stockpiled
rice over 2 years
BANGKOK Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:06pm IST

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Thailand's government


plans to sell around 17 million tonnes of rice
over the next two years from stockpiles built
up under the previous administration's failed
buying programme, the commerce ministry
said on Tuesday, announcing a new series of
tenders.Thailand was the world's top rice
exporter for decades until its grain became
uncompetitive under the buying scheme
brought in by ousted former Prime Minister
Yingluck Shinawatra after she won election in
2011.The scheme paid farmers well above
market rates for their crops and the Finance
Ministry, in its most recent estimate, said it
caused losses of more than $15 billion to the
state, although that would be reduced if grain
is sold.
"We have set up a plan to sell 17.8 million
tonnes of rice within a two-year timeframe,"
Chutima
Bunyapraphasara,
permanent
secretary at the ministry, told reporters.The
aim is to sell 10 million tonnes this year and 7
million in 2016, she added.Terms of reference
for a tender for 1 million tonnes would be
announced on Jan. 20, she said, adding that
the ministry would hold two or three tenders
from January to March.The authorities have
held four, smaller tenders since the military
seized power last May and have sold 681,740
tonnes for around 6.36 billion baht ($194
million), Chutima said.
Government-to-government deals have been
done for larger amounts, of which 570,000
tonnes had so far been shipped or was about to
be shipped this month, she added.An audit

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conducted after the military seized power in
May suggested that only 10 percent of the
grain in the stockpiles was of standard export
quality. The buying scheme effectively lapsed
in early 2014 when political turmoil meant
Yingluck's government was unable to pay
farmers for their grain.Thailand's parliament
began an impeachment hearing against
Yingluck on Friday over her role in the
subsidy programme.
Critics denounced it as a wasteful handout to
supporters of Yingluck and her brother
Thaksin Shinawatra, another former premier
ousted by the military.The country exported
around 10.8 million tonnes of rice in 2014, a
record high, according to the commerce
ministry.Its previous record of 10.4 million
tonnes was reported in 2011, after which India
took over as top exporter.
Thailand is experiencing drought in eight
provinces, which will cut its 2015 off-season
crop output by more than 30 percent,
according to the latest report from the Office
of Agricultural Economics.The smaller
harvest is unlikely to have a big impact on
global prices, which are still under pressure
from Thailand's stockpiles and bumper output
in rival exporters India and Vietnam. ($1 =
32.8400 baht) (Reporting by Kaweewit
Kaewjinda; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre
and Alan Raybould)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/01/13/thailandrice-idINL3N0US3D520150113

Legal actions taken against


more than 100 partners of
contract in rice pledging
scheme
Date : 12 2558
BANGKOK, 12 January 2015 (NNT) - The
National Rice Policy and Management
Committee presses charges against partners of
contract in the rice pledging scheme operated by
the
previous
administration.
Permanent
Secretary
for
Commerce
Chutima
Boonyapraphatson on Monday traveled to meet
police officers to sue partners of contract in the
rice pledging scheme on grounds of theft,
embezzlement
and
fraudulent. Relevant
documents were submitted to the investigators to
be used as evidence.

There are more than 100 partners of contract


who face the charges. Most of them were
allegedly involved in selling substandard rice to
the program. Ms. Chutima said civil servants
who were aware of or had taken part in the
wrongdoing would face both disciplinary and
criminal actions. Their cases would be
forwarded to investigators and the National
Anti-Corruption Commission for further
investigations, she said.

http://thainews.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/NewsEN/N
ewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNPOL580112001
0009#sthash.CK4G6qwJ.dpuf

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Nigeria: Rice Importers Owe FG N36.5 Billion
in Unpaid Duties, Says Agric Minister
"There is N36.56 billion owed to Government
by foreign importers of rice (and a few local
ones) who wish to run their own rice policy,"
says Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development.Adesina
told media executives in Lagos on Tuesday that
contrary to speculations in a section of the
media, "there is no N40 billion missing, rather,
there is N36.56 billion owed to Government...
".He said that the Federal Government's policy
of encouraging local production of rice, with a
view to attaining self-sufficiency in the sector,
was giving sleepless nights to those determined
to undermine the policy.
Adesina noted that now that Nigerians have
become major investors in the local rice sector,
"the fear of competition... .and their
unwillingness to pay to the treasury billions of
Naira is what is driving a devious media
campaign against the rice quota allocation".He
said that to encourage investment in local rice
production and milling, the Presidency approved
an import duty differential on rice (brown or
polished)imported by rice investors, compared
to rice traders."Investors that have milling
capacity with verified Domestic Rice Production
Plans (DRPP) enjoy an import duty of 10 per
cent and levy 20 per cent, while traders will pay
an import duty of 10 per cent and levy 60 per
cent.
"The new rice policy also stated that importation
of brown or polished rice should be limited to
the national supply gap for import-grade rice to
be determined by an inter-ministerial
committee."Without
waiting
for
the
determination of supply gap by the interministerial committees or issuance of quotas,
two Asian companies--Popular Farms and Mills,

owned by Stallion Group; and Olam, had


imported 390,145.53MT and 244,126.63MT
respectively, of polished rice as at December 3,
2014, at the preferential duty of 10 per cent and
levy 20 per cent" .
According to the minister, Popular Farm and
Mills imported 390,143MT, instead of the
89,939 approved quota and hence, liable to pay
N2.2 billion as tariff on approved quota, and
N17.2 billion as tariff on excess import, bringing
its total indebtedness to Nigeria to N19.37
billion.He said that on the other hand, Olam
imported 244,126MT as against the 133,963
approved for it, thereby owing Nigeria N9.03
million as duty payable on both approved quota
and excess import.
Adesina said that three other importers would
also have to pay about N8 billion to the Federal
Government on the same issues, bringing the
total to N36.56 billion.The minister said, "The
national supply gap of import grade rice is
expected to decline to one million MT in 2015,
0.3MT in 2016 and to zero in 2017 when the
country is expected to become self-reliant in rice
production."
According to the minister, it has been discovered
that some of the rice importers are bagging rice
produced in Nigeria, passing them as foreign,
because the nation has succeeded in bridging the
quality gap with good quality seedlings and
adequate processing plants.Adesina said that the
government's effort in making rice and other
food stuffs available locally had prevented the
country from experiencing high inflation, and
that the move was being applauded by foreign
governments and international organisations.
(NAN)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201501140323.html

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Ministries discuss rice
production structure
Date : 13 2558

http://thainews.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/NewsEN/N
ewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO580113001
0018#sthash.fM1Ez6Lj.dpuf

Coming soon: gluten-free


Coors

BANGKOK, 13 January 2015 (NNT) The


Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
(MOAC) and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC)
held a meeting on the rice production structure
adjustment, which will be presented to the
National Rice Policy Committee. The MOAC
Permanent-Secretary Chavalit Chookajorn has
presided over the meeting on the rice production
structure adjustment held by the MOAC and the
MOC.

This meeting took into consideration the


information from the MOAC on the different
strains of rice and the targeted rice grains
production plan with the in-stock rice, export
figures, domestic consumption, and rice market
information form the MOC. The adjustment of
the rice production structure is expected to
balance the demand and the supply of rice in the
market by the year 2019. This meeting
concluded that relevant information on rice
production structure, both supply and demand,
must be made clear by 23 January 2015 and be
submitted to the National Rice Policy
Committees consideration by the end of
January.

One
of
the
nation's
largest
beer brands is
about to jump on
the
gluten-free
craze. Chicagobased
MillerCoors next
month will begin
marketing a "naturally gluten free" version
of Coors called Coors Peak Copper Lager
that will be sold in Seattle and
Portland."With more consumers living a
gluten free-lifestyle, there are few satisfying
choices in the beer category," the brewer
stated in a memo shared with Crain's sister
publication Advertising Age that it plans to
send to distributors today.
"Our brewers have developed a proprietary
brewing process that is specifically designed
to deliver a 100% gluten free beer worthy of
the Coors name."Big food brands have
increasingly added gluten-free offerings to
their portfolios in recent years. But until
now mainstream beer brands have largely
stayed on the sidelines. Anheuser-Busch in
2006 launched a gluten-free brand called
Redbridge that is made with sorghum and is
available nationally. But it has remained a

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relatively niche brand.MillerCoors plans to
give some local marketing support to Peak
in Seattle and Portland. But the brewer is not
eyeing national distribution at the moment.
"Given production limitations, there are
currently no plans to expand beyond [Seattle
and Portland]," the brewer stated in the
distributor memo.
A BARLEY SUBSTITUTE
To make the beer gluten-free, Coors will
replace barley with brown rice, malted
brown rice and protein from peas, a
spokesman said. The beer also must also be
made separately from beers that contain
gluten in order to comply with gluten-free
certification rules.In an email, MillerCoors
described Coors Peak as a "light to mediumbodied crisp copper lager" with a "malty,
slight caramel profile offset by subtly spicy
hops and the finish is slightly bitter, crisp
and perfectly balanced." The beer contains
170 calories per 12-ounce serving. While
big brewers have cautiously crept into the
gluten-free beer segment, they have
capitalized on the trend via their hard cider
brands, which are naturally gluten free.
This report first appeared on Crain's sister
website, AdAge.com.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/201501
13/NEWS07/150119948/coming-soon-glutenfree-coors

Nigeria: Rice Importation Olam, Popular Farm, Others


Owe FG N36 Billion Minister
By Olushola Bello

Olam Central Trading and Export, a popular


farm and mills enterprise, and three other
companies owe the Nigerian government
N36.56 billion for rice import above their quota
allocation, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development (FMARD) has
stated.The ministry, in a press statement, also
denied the allegation by a group, Stakeholders in
the Rice Industry, that it granted waivers and
rice import quotas indiscriminately to investors
who had no verifiable investment in the
industry, causing a N40 billion loss in
government revenue.
According to the ministry, Nigerians need to be
aware that there is no N40 billion missing;
rather, there is N36.56 billion owed to
government by some foreign importers of
rice.According to the data obtained from the
Nigerian Customs Service by the ministry, one
of the firms, Popular Farm, imported 300,204.53
million metric tonnes (MT) in excess of its quota
and is owing the government N19.38 billion,
while Olam imported 244,126.63 MT in excess
of its quota and is owing N9.03 billion. Others
are Conti-Agro, Central Trading and Export and
African Farms which imported 98,285MT of
rice without approved quotas and are indebted to
the tune of N8.16 billion.Also, from July 1, 2014
to December 3, 2014, a total volume of rice
import of 1.12 billion MT, valued at N73.45
billion, was imported by 48 rice importers.
The minister of agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi
Adesina, said that every company must pay the
government what is due it for the excess volume
of they were allocated to import or for rice
imported without a quota."All who owe the
federal government must pay what they owe and
Nigeria must lose no single naira. No amount of
malicious misrepresentation will derail the new
rice policy," he said.He pointed out that with the
devaluation of the naira, all hands must be on
deck to ensure that all leakages are blocked, and
that the president had given its officers the

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marching orders to make Nigerian self-sufficient
in rice, a task the ministry is keen to achieve.

LEADERSHIP recalls that in May 2014, a new


rice policy was approved by President Goodluck
Jonathan to encourage investment in local rice
production and milling through the introduction
of an import duty differential on imported.One
of the conditions precedent to import quota
allocation includes investors that have milling
capacity with verified Domestic Rice Production
Plans (DRPP). They are to enjoy an import duty
of 10 percent and levy of 20 percent while
traders will pay an import duty of 10 percent and
levy 60 percent.The ministry noted that the
matter at hand was not the first time that foreign
importers had tried to derail government rice
self-sufficiency policy.
"They have always sabotaged every rice policy
of the federal government, even the efforts of the
presidential initiatives on rice put in place
between
2001
and
2003
by
the
government."Nigerian farmers have shown an
impressive performance in response to
government's new rice policy that favours local
rice production and milling. Nigeria has grown
in paddy production from 4.5 million MT in
2012 to 10.7 million MT in 2014," the statement
noted.At
stakeholders'
meetings
and
consultations with members of the Rice
Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) and
Rice Importers and Distributors Association of
Nigeria (RIMIDAN), a national supply gap of
1.5million MT was determined.

The national supply gap of import grade rice is


expected to decline to 1.0 million MT in 2016
and to zero in 2017, when the country is
expected to become self-reliant in rice
production, when new rice mill being purchased
by investors, such as Dangote Group,

Honeywell, Wacot, to mention few, come on


board.Following, a transparent exercise was
conducted by FMARD to allocate 1.3 million
MT of rice quotas, out of the 1.5 million MT
national supply gap of import-grade rice, to
deserving companies.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201501140154.html

Asias Invisible Women


Farmers

Asias Invisible Women Farmers Technology


support for farmers should address the needs of
women, who provide more than half of the
agricultural labor input in Asia. Science and
Development Network | January 13, 2015 |
Editorials AsianScientist (Jan. 13, 2015) - By
Crispin Maslog - Women hold up half the sky,
so goes the Chinese saying. Yet in the
developing countries of Asia, they do not get
half the credit for it. In the field of agriculture,
women have been especially invisible to
scientists.
The work women do, no matter where it is,
doesnt count. If the work goes unpaid, it is
housework, and if it is paid, it is simply farm
labor. Neither term recognizes the true value of
the contributions women make to the foodproducing capacity of Asia, say social scientists
Michael Collinson and Hilary Sims Feldstein,
who produced a gender study on rice farming

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systems for the Consortium of International
Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR). Yet,
both stress: Women are major participants in
the rice growing regions of Asia. In Indonesia,
Thailand and the Philippines, women provide up
to half the labor input in rice production.
In India and Bangladesh, women do as much
as 80 percent of the work. Invisible role of
women in farms Other scientists have also
pointed out that women are often the most
important decision makers in the household.
They manage the household budget, decide the
amount of rice to be kept for consumption and
for sale, and buy farm inputs like pesticides
when they go to the town market. The role of
women in Asian rural life is growing with
urbanisation. As men are drawn to the cities to
find jobs, the women are left behind to manage
families and make decisions on the farms. But
Asian agricultural scientists were slow to
recognize this, and in the isolation of their labs,
continued to develop technologies for men on
Asian farms. These scientists could not see that
technology is not necessarily gender neutral,
Thelma Paris, a gender specialist at the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
tells SciDev.Net.
Consequently, women farmers are excluded in
technology design, testing and dissemination,
and agricultural extension services. This has left
untapped the potential capabilities of women as
farmers and as leaders in agricultural
development. Paris adds that she had a hard
time convincing engineers at IRRI to develop
machinery that would help ease the work of
women as this was not considered a research
priority. But after years of persuasion, IRRI
engineers finally designed an ultra-light
transplanter in pink colour to help women with
the backbreaking task of transplanting rice
seedlings, Paris recalls. The same narrow focus
characterises agricultural extension workers.
Typically, their advisory services on improved

crop establishment techniques involve only men,


although in most rice communities, women take
care of seed nurseries as well as
uprooting/pulling seedlings.
Even social scientists have fallen into this trap.
When doing surveys on rural poverty, they
interview only the men as heads of household.
The wifes occupation is automatically recorded
as housewife although she provides unpaid labor
in almost all agriculture-related activities (crop
production,
postharvest
and
livestock
management activities). Womens contributions
to household income, although small, are also
often
unrecorded.
Broadening
gender
perspectives Thankfully this narrow-mindedness
on the part of agricultural science research is
changing. Since the mid-1980s, Paris notes,
social scientists led by IRRI have started
making Asian women in farms visible in
agricultural statistics by quantifying their labour
inputs in rice production per hectare and by
disaggregating unpaid family and paid hired
labour of male and female workers.
These data, she says, have provided evidence
that although womens contributions vary across
countries, their contributions total to about half
in Cambodia and Indonesia, up to half in
Thailand, and more than half in Vietnam and
Laos. In the Philippines, women participation in
rice production is about a quarter but their
participation in farm management decisions
about inputs and hiring of labor is higher than
the women in other countries of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Programmes like Women in Rice Farming
Systems (WIRFS) have worked to address
gender issues in agriculture, enhance gender
analysis in research for technology development,
recruit and train more women scientists and
professionals, and develop and disseminate
teaching and communication materials to
promote understanding of gender analysis in

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research. WIRFS launched a model project in a
Philippine village in 1986 to demonstrate how a
gender-sensitive approach to science and
development could work. Among the outcomes
of that project was the design of a micro rice
mill powered by a small motorthe first
technology intentionally designed for women.
The micro rice mill meant the women did not
have to pound the unhusked rice to process the
rice for cooking, reducing the drudgery of
womens work on the farm. In Thailand, the
WIRFS project on integrated pest management
primarily involved women. IRRI entomologist
Kong Luen Heong narrated how they were
surprised when visiting farming villages to find
only women farmers since the men had all gone
to the cities to work. But they found out in a
survey that the women did not know how to
properly use agro-chemicals on their rice crops.
Only the men had attended government training
programs on pest management. Heong, however,
noted that women farmers tend to be more
receptive to new ideas while men tend to be
more dogmatic. Women are more sensitive to
the health effects of spraying.
This realisztion led to the inclusion of women in
pest management training programs and
projects. The pioneering work of the WIRFS
program since its inception 30 years ago should
be a model for others. It has raised awareness
about the role of women in rural Asia and made
people realize that Asian women, hitherto
invisible, may even be holding up more than
their half of the sky. Crispin Maslog is a Manilabased consultant for the Asian Institute of
Journalism and Communication. A former
journalist, professor and environmental activist,
he worked for the Press Foundation of Asia and
the International Rice Research Institute. ------Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at:
http://www.asianscientist.com/2015/01/features/
asias-invisible-women-farmers/

FGs new rice policy raises


hope for robust business
activities at port
January
14,
2015
| Filed
under: Maritime | Author: Uzoamaka
Anagor
The Federal Governments new policy on
rice, which has reversed the duty paid on
imported rice from 110 percent (100 percent
levy and 10 percent duty) to 30 percent (20
percent levy plus 10 percent duty) for rice
millers and 70 percent (60 percent levy plus
10 percent duty) for other importers, has
created fresh hope for increased importation
of rice through the nations seaports this
year.
Industry close watchers believe that the new
policy, which allocates import quotas at 30
percent duty to people who have invested in
rice production and existing millers, will not
only help in bridging the gap created by
insufficient local production but also reduce
the alarming revenue loss due to drop in the
volume of imported rice.Statistics from
Federal Ministry of Agriculture show that
Nigerians consume about 5 million metric
tonnes of rice annually, which sums to about
100 million 50kg bags of rice, putting the
total consumption of rice in excess of N1
trillion annually at a minimum price of
N10,000 per 50kg of bag.
Also, about 2.9 million metric tonnes, which
amounts to 58 million 50kg bags of rice, is
the estimated quantity of rice that is
produced locally while the remaining 2.1
million metric tonnes used to be imported
into the country through the seaports.Going
down memory lane, however, it would be
recalled that the volume of imported rice
recorded a drastic drop in 2013 when the
Federal Government commenced the
implementation of 110 percent duty on rice

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such that over N110 billion revenue loss was
also recorded.At that time, rice cargo, which
used to be the mainstay of Apapa port,
dropped as a break bulk handling port
stopped coming into the Apapa port, and this
affected the revenue collection of Customs,
affirmed Charles Edike, Customs area
controller of Apapa command.
BusinessDay check reveals that rice is a
commodity which Nigeria in the past two
years (during the implementation of 110
percent) lost to ports of neighbouring
countries of Cameroun, Ghana and Benin
Republic most especially. As a result, break
bulk terminals like ENL Consortium
Limited and Josep Dam also counted their
losses as there were little or no business
activities due to drop in the volume of
imported rice.Given the 110 percent duty,
the landing cost of rice became very high for
importers to pay, and this resulted to
importers preferring Benin port where the
landing cost was cheaper, said Vicky
Haastrup, executive vice chairman of ENL
Consortium Limited.
Haastrup, who made it clear that smuggling
of rice into the country from Benin Republic
was the order of the day, and that was why
the country never recorded scarcity of
foreign or imported parboiled rice in
Nigerian market, also noted that Nigeria is
not self-sufficient in the production of rice
because local production could not satisfy
the local demand for 170 million
population.To implement the new policy,
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is to
facilitate the importation process for the
beneficiaries of the preferential levy and
duty rates, while enforcing the limit on the
quantities imported in line with the approval
of the Inter-Ministerial Committee.
Nigeria Customs in a recent public notice
signed by Wale Adeniyi, public relations

officer, re-assured all stakeholders of its


readiness to collaborate with other
government agencies in enforcing the import
quotas, including other measures to achieve
national
self-sufficiency
in
rice
production.With the new policy, analysts see
a situation where importers will start
bringing back loss rice cargo from the
neighbouring ports to Nigerian port. This,
they say, will create businesses, revenue and
jobs for the operators of Nigerian bulk
terminals as well as the Federal Government
through Customs pending when Nigeria
becomes sufficient in rice production.
Uzoamaka Anagor

Govt threatens rice


importers over unpaid
N36.56b duty
Posted
by: Bunmi
Ogunmodede in Featured, News
Firms fault policy
FIVE
have

companies
up
till tomorrow to
remit N36.56 billion
to
Federal
Governments
treasury or face sanctions, a minister said
yesterday.The
firms
owe
N36,
569,117,975.4, being preferential duty and
levy on the tariff and levy on the 732,555.55
metric tons of rice they imported,
Agriculture and Rural Development
Minister Akinwunmi Adesina said in Lagos.
The companies are: Popular Farm and Mills;
Olam, Central Trading and Export; ContiAgro and African Farms.Akinwunmi, who
at a session with journalists, accused rice
importers of sabotaging the governments
policy.

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But Olam Nigeria Limited said: there is
clearly a misconception and mistake in the
policy. These rice millers are sorting this
misconception and mistake.Three other
operators also spoke in the same vein.He
said the companies imported 508,653.55
metric tons of rice in excess of the 223,902
metric tons approved by the government.
The minister said the firms resorted to
attacking the policy on rice and blackmail
rather than respect the gentlemans
agreement they reached with the Nigerian
Customs Service when they brought in their
consignments.His words: Without waiting
for determination of supply gap by the interministerial committees or issuance of
quotas, two Asian companies Popular
Farms and Mills, owned by Stallion Group
and Ola -, had each imported 390,145.53
MT and 244,126.63MT respectively of
polished rice as at December 3rdat the
preferential duty of 10% and 20% levy,
according to data from Nigerians Customs.
These two companies together imported a
total of 634,270.16MT of finished rice or
56% of the total imported finished rice
under the new policy as at December 3rd,
2014.According to Customs, the importers
agreed to pay any duty andn levy differential
if their eventual quota allocation turned out
to be lower than what they have
imported.Akinwunmi said the government
will not fold its arms and watch some
foreign firms undermine its policy, which,
according to him, has been designed to
encourage local rice production and
discourage importation.The minister said:
Every company must follow the rules and
there are no sacred cows. I will not allow
them to scuttle our self-sufficiency drive in
rice production.
These two companies Olam and Popular
Farms and Mills owe N28.399 billion and
they must pay for the excess rice they

imported above their allowed quota at


preferential rate.This is not the first time
that foreign importers have tried to derail
government rice self-sufficiency policy.
They have always sabotaged every rice
policy of the Federal Government; even the
efforts of the the Presidential Initiative on
Rice put in place in 2001 and 2003 by the
Federal Government.The minister insisted
that the government policy on rice was
yielding the desired dividends as domestic
rice production has increased and the
number of modern rice mills grown.He
listed Dangote Group, Elephant Group,
Flour Mill and Honeywell as some of the
local firms that have been enticed by the
policy to go into rice production on a large
scale.
Adesina said: The goal is to turn importers
into local producers. And that is being
achieved. For example, Dangote Group, a
major importer of food in the country, is
developing 150,000 hectares of rice fields in
Edo, Kebbi, Jigawa, Niger and Kogi states
that will produce one million MT of rice
paddy
per
annum
within
four
years.Elephant Group, another major rice
importer, is investing $300 million on a
76,000MT/annum mill and a 10,000Ha farm
in Oyo State. These are all investments that
have been publicly announced.The Asians
are getting good competitors in our local
firms and they are not happy. Dangote
Group is investing $1 billion; Flour Mill
($218 million); Elephant Group ($300
million); and Honeywell ($213 million)
He said: Nigerian entrepreneurs have also
seen the opportunity created by the
increased paddy production; rice mills have
risen from just one integrated rice mill in
2010 to twenty rice mills today, with a
combined
capacity
of
700,000MT
annum.The use of certified improved seeds
by farmers led to high quality uniform

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paddy which greatly increased the
marketability of rice from out local
integrated millers comparable with importgrade, high quality rice. According to the
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), price of
local rice has consistently been lower than
that of imported rice; no wonder some
unscrupulous importers bag local rice and
sell it as imported rice.
Image: Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akin
Adesina

environmental story to tell, so I think rice will be


well-positioned with this important audience."

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/govt-threatensrice-importers-unpaid-n36-56b-duty/

Registered Dietitians'
Nutrition Forecast Bodes
Well for U.S. Rice
On trend with RDs and consumers: "Think
Rice!"

According to the survey, RDs' top


recommendation for Americans to achieve an
overall healthy diet is to eat high quality,
nutrient-rich foods. In addition, nearly 73
percent of respondents reported using MyPlate
as a tool in nutrition education with
patients.USA Rice is a USDA MyPlate National
Strategic Partner and the Meeting Your MyPlate
Goals on a Budget Toolkit, that heavily features
rice, remains the most popular tool on the
MyPlate website.

ARLINGTON, VA -- A survey of more than


500 registered dietitians (RD) reveals the food
trends that will dictate consumer choices in
2015, many of which are good news for rice.
The "What's Trending in Nutrition" survey,
conducted by Pollock Communications and
Today's Dietitian, show top trends include: a
continuing interest in gluten-free eating; a desire
for non-GMO, locally sourced, eco-friendly
foods; and an increased awareness of "clean
eating" diets.

"It's important to be aware of the advice


nutrition experts are giving to consumers since
they have the ability to impact purchasing
decisions," said Zaunbrecher. "We promote
U.S.-grown rice as a nutrient-rich food that fits
the MyPlate healthy eating guidelines, so it's
good to know that our efforts are in the right
place since RDs are stressing the same
message."

"U.S.-grown rice hits all of the points mentioned


in this research - we're gluten-free, GMO-free,
locally-grown, and can help people eat healthy
diets," says Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana rice
farmer and chairman of the USA Rice
Federation's Domestic Promotion Committee.
"Additionally, we also have a great

Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453

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CME Group/Closing
Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice
Futures for January 13

Month

Price

Net
Change

Japan Announces 10th


Ordinary Import Tender in
FY 2014
Announcement:
Tender:
Offer details:
Country
Specified
or
Global

13 January 2015
16 January 2015
61,000 mt

Nonglutinous
milled
rice
(medium
grain)

Nonglutinous
milled
rice
(long
grain)

TOTAL

January 2015

$11.240

- $0.005

March 2015

$11.445

- $0.015

May 2015

$11.685

- $0.015

U.S.A.

37,000

July 2015

$11.910

- $0.015

Global
Tender

12,000

12,000

24,000

September 2015

$11.485

- $0.015

49,000

12,000

61,000

November 2015

$11.360

- $0.015

Shipping period:
20 May 2015

January 2016

$11.630

- $0.010

10 June 2015

37,000

U.S.A. From 20 April 2015 to


From 10 May 2015 to
From 1 June 2015 to 30

June 2015
G.T.

From 20 April 2015 to

31 May 2015

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