Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

Commerce Minister pushes Thai rice to Hong Kong

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter www.ricepluss.com

January 15, 2015 Volume 5, Issue I

HONG KONG, 16 January 2015 (NNT) –

Thailand's Minister of Commerce is attending

the discussion of expanding the market of Thai

rice in Hong Kong, aiming to place Thailand as

the gateway of trade in ASEAN. The Minister of

Commerce Gen. Chatchai Sarikulya revealed the

details on his official visit to Hong Kong today,

where he will meet with the the Secretary for

Commerce and Economic Development of Hong

Kong to discuss expansion of Thai rice market

negotiations.

The Thai Minister has said that he will witness

the signing of the Letter of Intent (LOI) for the

cooperation in promoting Thai rice along with

the signing of the Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) for the trade of up to 100

thousand tons of Hom Mali Rice between Thai

exporters and Hong Kong importers. The

Commerce Minister will also give the Best

Friend of Thai Rice Award to Hong Kong

importers who had continuously imported rice

from Thailand.

Regarding the trade negotiations, the Minister of

Commerce has said that he will propose the

strains of rice that are nutritionally rich in health,

such as the Organic Fragrant Rice, the Black

Fragrant Rice, Rice berry, and the Sangyod

Rice, as well as other products and services such

as spas, insurances, logistics, and finances to

increase trade opportunity with Hong Kong. The

Commerce Minister said that this discussion will

demonstrate that Hong Kong can rely on

Thailand as a gateway to ASEAN, while Hong

Kong can function as a gateway to China for

Thailand as well. Hong Kong is currently

Thailand‘s 9th largest trading partner for rice

products. The trading value for the past five

years has reached approximately 13.6 billion

dollars.

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/New

sDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO58011600100

14#sthash.BCUSKvS6.dpuf

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/New

sDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO58011600100

14

Gauging Impact Of FG’s

Rice Policy

By Ruth Tene Abuja

— Jan 16, 2015 |

The Nigerian rice sector is believed to have

witnessed a revival with the introduction of

the new rice policy which made it possible

for indigenous rice investors with visible

investments to be allocated rice import

quota. In this report, Ruth Tene Natsa

analyses the challenges and advantages of

the policy.The economic diversification

efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan‘s

administration are beginning to find

expression in the agricultural revolution

Plan of the federal government.The shift

from oil to non-oil sector has witnessed

tremendous life-lifting policies and

measures, particularly in the agro-allied

sector.

The federal government has continuously

demonstrated its avowed determination to

ensure that the nation achieves self-

sufficiency in rice production.

Consequently, stakeholders are buoyed and

encouraged to meet the government‘s target

via robust rice policy. However, it would

appear that some stakeholders are trying to

undermine the good intentions of the federal

government by raising eyebrows on the

granting of waivers to genuine rice dealers,

including millers, farmers and importers in

the country. The rice allocation quotas to

investors are meant to realise the federal

government‘s self-sufficiency objective on

rice.

But the question begging for answer is why

are some stakeholders kicking against the

new rice policy being implemented by

government? According to investigations,

this is members of Rice Millers, Importers

and Distributors Association of Nigeria

(RiMIDAN) and Nigerian millers

Association are accommodated in the

federal government‘s backward integration

policy on rice.Congregating under the aegis

of the Nigeria Rice Investors Group, the

stakeholders, including RiMIDAN

members, received rice import quota from

the federal government. Under the scheme,

rice importers and new investors (including

existing millers expanding into new

operations) were required to post a Domestic

Rice Production Performance Bond. This,

according to the minister agriculture and

rural development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina,

would be used to demonstrate a clear

commitment by beneficiaries, to domestic

investment plans in rice production and

processing.

The bond value for each importer/new

investor would be equivalent to 30 per cent

of the value of the quota received. The bond

must be secured at a qualifying bank

approved by the Federal Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development

(FMARD) and the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN). For the avoidance of doubt, the

federal government made it clear that ―rice

imported under the quota allocation will be

charged 10 per cent duty and 20 per cent

levy; rice imported since May 2014 in

excess of approved quotas will be charged a

higher tariff of 10 per cent duty and 60 per

cent levy and paid into the national treasury

with 60days.

‖The government also announced that rice

importers who have already exceeded their

allocated quota, importing at a higher tariff,

would not be given a quota to import more

rice until after a new quota was announced;

while failure of any importer/investor to

comply would result to forfeiture of import

quotas. Curiously, this apparent

magnanimity on the part of federal

government aimed at developing the rice

value chain in the country did not go down

well with an aggrieved group, whose

members have millers and farmers and,

therefore, thought that the government‘s

largesse was meant to bring in ―intruders‖ or

―outsiders‖ into the rice business. This

group has given wings to the allegation that

the waivers and import quotas would

exacerbate the rate and level of smuggling

of the commodity into Nigeria from

neighbouring countries, especially the

Republic of Benin.

The resistance displayed by the aggrieved

rice dealers, according to observers was

misplaced. It is significant to note that the

federal government was clear from the

outset that ―investors rice investment plans

will be strictly monitored against key

milestones.‖It further emphasised that

failure to execute the plans would lead to

withdrawal of the bond by the FMARD.

First, there was a Presidential Inter-

Ministerial Committee on Rice Supply Gap

comprising of the minister of agriculture and

rural development, coordinating minister for

the economy/ minister of finance, minister

of industry, trade and investment as well as

the minister of national planning. The

committee was mandated by the president to

determine the national rice supply gap and

appropriate volume of import quotas to be

issued in order to close the gap and advance

the rice supply the rice transformation

agenda and objectives of the National Rice

Policy.

The ministerial committee after its

deliberations mapped out four specific

criteria to gauge production among which is

the Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP)

to demonstrate evidence of current or

planned investment in domestic rice

production over a 3-year period, size of

investment, proof of land acquisition and

establishment of rice field and paddy

production.; Paddy purchase outlook from

Paddy Aggregation Centres (PAC):

Demonstrate a clear plan of purchase of

paddy from PACs which should include

location of PACs, volumes of paddy to be

purchased, etc. Also, Paddy purchase

outlook from outgrower farmers and farmer

cooperatives should include location of

farms, volumes of paddy to be purchased.

On the other hand, ownership of Integrated

Rice Milling Facility (With par boilers and

dehuskers) should include Size of planed

installed capacity (score relative to the

largest sized facility), evidence of

acquisition of integrated rice milling

equipment.

Infact, there has been a deliberate policy by

the government to boost the potential of

local industries such as imposing high tariffs

on commodities which could be produced in

the country, export promotion drive, as well

as ensuring that the backward integration

policy of the government in line with the

Agricultural Transformation Agenda

succeeds. The government also encourages

the processing, production and marketing of

paddy rice via the deregulation of seeds and

fertilizer markets as well as private sector

coordinated commodities market.

Equally, it is worthy of note that apart from

credit facilities, efforts are being made

towards setting up local crop processing

zones to enhance food processing industries

in proximity to raw materials and end-

users.However, contrary to views in some

quarters, that the Federal Government‘s

Backward Integration Plan for the rice

industry might suffer loss, if the issues of

waivers and import quota allocations are not

redressed, there is abundant proof that those

who do not want competition or expansion

of the rice production sector are bent on

circumventing the Government policy. This

group is in the minority and pursues selfish

objectives. For instance, one of the reasons

adduced by those opposed to liberalisation

of waivers and import quotas for rice which

is that smuggling of the product into Nigeria

would now increase, remains and appears

fatally flawed. Before now, smuggling has

been with us especially regarding rice

importation.

http://leadership.ng/business/402214/gauging-impact-

fgs-rice-policy

Vietnam’s reliance on

imports in agriculture

leaves less profit for

farmers

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam had a bumper

2014 with bountiful crops and high farm

produce export prices, but farmers believe

there is nothing to be happy about.

Analysts noted that though the production

value and export turnover were high, the

money farmers could pocket was modest.

The problem lies in the fact that Vietnam

had to import many kinds of raw materials.A

report by the Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Development (MARD) showed that

the total farm, forestry and seafood produce

import turnover in the first 11 months of

2014 reached $19.78 billion, of which the

majority were agricultural

materials.Vietnam had to spend $690

million on pesticides and input material

imports during that period and $774 million

in 2014, an increase of 3.5 percent over

2013.Vietnam vows to develop the animal

husbandry, but in order to do that, it has to

import most of the animal feed products

needed. The import turnover reached $3.24

billion in 2014, higher by 5.2 percent over

2013 and higher than the money Vietnam

earned from rice exports.Vietnam cannot

produce plant seeds. MARD reported that

Vietnam had to spend $500 million to

import 8,000 tons of seeds for the country‘s

700,000 hectares of vegetable area in 2013.

Dr. Le Hung Quoc, former head of the

MARD‘s Plantation Agency, said these facts

are not surprising.He said that all the input

materials used in agricultural production in

Vietnam are imports (except farmers and

land).―The best varieties used in Vietnam

are imports,‖ he said. ―Vietnam even cannot

make cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, carrot,

cucumber, tomato seeds, the popular kinds

of vegetables.‖

How much does Vietnam earn from farm

exports?

Though Vietnam is the world‘s biggest rice

exporter, the money it can pocket form rice

exports is small.The Vietnam‘s rice export

price hovers around $400-450 per ton,

which is lower by $50-75 per ton if

compared with the products of the same

kinds from India, Pakistan and

Thailand.While government agencies report

great achievements in the agriculture sector

at workshops and conferences, Vietnamese

farmers have quietly given up their rice

fields.According to MARD, 42,785

households gave up farming in 2012-2013,

leaving 6,882 hectares idle. As many as

3,407 households gave back agricultural

land to the state.

The Chair of the Vietnam Farmers‘

Association, Nguyen Quoc Cuong, said

farmers can make a profit of only

VND100,000-200,000 per 360 square

meters from every crop within a three month

period.

Dat Viet

Tags:Vietnam,agriculture,high technology,rice export,

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/120831/vie

tnam-s-reliance-on-imports-in-agriculture-leaves-

less-profit-for-farmers.html

Vietnamese agro-scientists

sell seeds to earn a living

VietNamNet Bridge – Most research

institutes and agronomists have unwillingly

become ―marketing experts‖ or ―seed

sellers‖ to earn money to live and conduct

scientific research.

Dr. Do Nang Vinh, chair of the Scientific

Council of the Agricultural Genetic Institute,

while affirming that agro-scientists have to

take on different kinds of jobs, from

producers to sellers, noted that this paradox

only exists in Vietnam.―Such a thing cannot

be seen elsewhere in the world. In Vietnam,

scientists can do everything, from creating

new varieties, introducing the varieties to

farmers, organizing trial production, to

building up the large-scale production

models and selling seeds,‖ Vinh

noted.―They have to do all kinds of jobs to

make money,‖ he added.

In developed countries, this is undertaken by

seed firms, while research institutes are only

in charge of inventions and providing

materials and genetic sources.The scientists

in these countries own the copyright on their

inventions. Seed firms have to pay royalties

to them to have the right to exploit the

inventions for commercial

development.However, Vietnamese

scientists cannot follow such a procedure.―If

you give the new varieties to others, your

inventions will be in vain,‖ he said.―If so,

you will not have any other source of

income, except the modest salary paid by the

State,‖ he explained, adding that creating

seeds and selling seeds is the major source

of income of many generations of scientists.

A lecturer at the Hanoi Agriculture

University noted that the research institutes‘

achievements are ―measured‖ by the number

of new varieties created.In most research

projects, scientists are required to create new

varieties, and they only have three to five

years to do that. Meanwhile, Vietnam now

seriously lacks scientific research

works.―Scientists are requested to create

new varieties with their specific

characteristics,‖ the lecturer said.

―Meanwhile, genes and hereditary

characteristics have been ignored. This

explains why Vietnam can create many

varieties, but cannot make any

breakthrough.‖

Vinh, in an interview given to Dat Viet

newspaper recently, noted that when

scientists have to spend time to advertise

their inventions and sell products, they

would not have time and energy to create.He

warned that the unreasonable pay for

scientists had led to lower quality of

scientists. The low pay does not allow

research institutes to attract talent.Professor

Nguyen Van Hieu has said in the past that

he fears that Vietnamese scientists may be

―issueless‖.A report shows that rice yield in

Vietnam has increased by 95 kilos per

hectare, and rice varieties make up 30

percent of the increase. Thus, Vietnamese

scientists created $66 million from new rice

varieties alone.

Dat Viet

Tags:Vietnam,genetic sources,

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-

it/121209/vietnamese-agro-scientists-sell-seeds-

to-earn-a-living.html

Major grant

awarded to rice

industry By USA Rice Federation January 15, 2015 |

4:30 pm EST

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

announced approved grants from the first

round of proposals to the new Regional

Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The USA Rice Federation, Ducks

Unlimited, Inc. (DU), and more than 40

collaborating partners are pleased that

the ―Rice Stewardship Partnership –

Sustaining the Future of Rice‖project was

selected for support.This project will help

rice producers conserve natural resources

such as water, soil and waterfowl habitat,

while having long-term positive impacts on

their bottom line. The RCPP application

process was very competitive; less than half

of all applications were awarded funding,

and no proposal was fully funded.

However, the USA Rice and DU national

request was deemed to have significant

merit, and the Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) – the agency

responsible for administering RCPP –

awarded the partnership a grant of $10

million, one of the largest awards given

under the program.―The Mississippi Alluvial

Valley, Texas‘ and Louisiana‘s Gulf Coast,

and California‘s Central Valley are critical

landscapes for waterfowl and therefore

ranked as some of DU‘s top priorities for

habitat conservation,‖ said DU President and

Arkansas rice producer George Dunklin. A

2014 study conducted by DU scientists for

The Rice Foundation demonstrated thatrice

agriculture provides 35 percent of the food

resources available to migrating and

wintering dabbling ducks in the regions

where rice is grown in the United States.

―U.S. rice farms are valuable, not just for the

nutritious commodity they produce and their

positive impact on the economy, but also as

important contributors to the entire

ecosystem, and today‘s announcement from

NRCS and USDA recognizes that fact,‖ said

USA Rice Federation Chairman Dow

Brantley, an Arkansas rice farmer. ―Wildlife

and waterfowl depend on our farms as much

as any of us do.‖Established in the 2014

Farm Bill, the RCPP competitively awards

funds to conservation projects designed by

collaborating partners.

―RCPP provides an opportunity for locally

driven partnerships to work side by side

with local Conservation Districts and NRCS

to accelerate conservation efforts and

achieve measurable progress,‖ said NRCS

State Conservationist for Arkansas Mike

Sullivan. The USA Rice Federation, Ducks

Unlimited, and all of our partners commend

the USDA for their vision in creating

partnership-driven conservation initiatives,

and we especially appreciate each of the six

state NRCS offices who were instrumental

in crafting a competitive proposal,‖ said

Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice.

―This is a giant step forward for

conservation in ricelands with many more

steps to come.

‖―We applaud the many rice producers who

integrate extra conservation measures into

their rice production to maintain water

quality and provide much-needed waterfowl

habitat,‖ said USDA NRCS Chief Jason

Weller. ―The partnership between DU, USA

Rice, and USDA offers increased technical

and financial assistance to help producers

accomplish these goals on their land, and the

tangible benefits to farmers, the

environment, and all Americans will be felt

for a long time.‖

http://www.agprofessional.com/news/major-

grant-awarded-rice-industry

Criticisms Trail N90bn

Annual Rice Import from

Vietnam

16 Jan 2015

Dr. Adewunmi Adesina, Minister of

Agriculture

John Iwori

Nigerians, especially stakeholders in the

maritime industry, have decried the huge

amount of money spent by the federal

government on importation of rice and

other commodities from Vietnam, noting

that it could be used to produce the

commodities locally with many benefits.The

Nigerian-Vietnam Chambers of Commerce

and Industry (NVCCI) recently disclosed

that Nigeria spends not less than $500

million annually to import rice from

Vietnam, while Vietnam spends about $100

million to import agricultural produce such

as raw cashew nuts, cassava and oil palm

from Nigeria. President of the Chamber, Mr.

Oye Akinsemoyin made the disclosure.

However, some stakeholders in the maritime

industry, who spoke against the backdrop of

the dwindling oil prices in the international

market, said it does not make economic

sense to import what can be produced

locally into the country.

Also, a Lagos base licensed customs agent,

Mr. Timothy Obadina, who spoke on the

issue, wondered why Nigeria has continued

to import things that are produced locally.―

I do not understand this country. Imagine

importing rice worth N80 billion from

Vietnam annually. How do we encourage

the local rice producers in the country? How

do we motivate them to expand and employ

more hands when we are helping their

competitors to strangle them out of

business", Obadina rhetorically asked.

―This is the figure for Vietnam, we have not

added the ones from Thailand, China, and

Indonesia. By the time we put all the figures

together, it will be astronomical. Yet you

hear government officials using every

opportunity to say how they have been

growing the economy. As far as I am

concerned, those are rhetorics. In what

specific ways are they motivating and

supporting the local rice farmers especially

in Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Ogun States and

elsewhere? You do not need to go to Havard

University to know that as long as we do

reduce our dependence on foreign products,

particularly the ones we are producing

ourselves, we are not going to make

headway as a country.

In the past, we do not bother about such

things because the oil money was flowing

endlessly but now that the reality is starring

us on the face, we should put on our

thinking cap.‖Another key player in the

maritime industry noted that it is not only in

the area of rice importation that Nigeria and

Nigerians have showed their lack of

readiness to grow the economy.He posited

that most of the things Nigerians spend

billions of naira to import from other

countries, thereby developing their own

economies at the detriment of ours, are

readily available in Nigeria.―All we need is

encourage and motivate the people

producing the items to do better than they

are presently doing. Adequate packaging

and marketing will go a long way in

changing the status quo,‖ he said.

He, however, identified Nigerians penchant

for foreign goods as the reason why Nigeria

continue to import things we also produce

into the country.―Visit any supermarket or

shopping mall and you will see the items on

display. They are mostly stocked with

foreign goods. If the owners of these

supermarkets or shopping malls are not

getting huge patronage from Nigerians, they

will not continue to stock them. This is

because nobody goes into a business he or

she is not making profit since the profit

motive is the sole aim of any business

venture.

Therefore, the austerity measures we are

talking about should start from a change in

how abandon our own goods and patronage

foreign items. For instance, in the last

Christmas and New Year celebrations, how

many Nigerians bought ofada rice or

Abakiliki rice? The truth is bitter but we

must say all the same,‖ he added.The

NVCCI president, Akinsemoyin had

disclosed that Nigeria imports from

Vietnam a wide range of commodities. He

listed Vietnam‘s major exports to Nigeria to

include rubber, electric and electronic

products, footwear, plastics, handicraft and

fine art articles and construction materials,

while the country imports from Nigeria raw

cashew nuts, fruits, cotton and

minerals.Akinsemoyin said: ―Basically,

Nigeria exports agricultural products.

At the moment, Vietnam is the largest

importer of Nigeria‘s raw cashew nuts.

Vietnam‘s cashew import from Nigeria is

about a $100 million yearly. Nigeria exports

agricultural items like Cassava with which

Vietnam produces starch and the raw

materials.‖

Tags: Nigeria, Featuered, Business, NVCC

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/criticisms-

trail-n90bn-annual-rice-import-from-

vietnam/199304/

Rice policy criticism: Are

stakeholders treading the right

path?

January 15, 2015 | Filed

under: Features | Author: OSA VICTOR

OBAYAGBONA

Few weeks after the Federal Government

introduced its new rice policy of backward

integration, some stakeholders in the sector

have come out with information allegedly

aimed at possibly reversing the initiative

that seeks to make Nigeria self-sufficient in

rice production within, possibly, two

years. OSA VICTOR

OBAYAGBONA examines the stakeholders’

criticism and the implication on rice

production.Recently in Abuja, the Nigerian

Federal Capital, Tunji Owoeye, president,

Nigerian Rice Investors Group and

managing director of Elephant Group, led

the association‘s members to addressed the

press and evaluate the Federal Government

new backward integration initiative on rice

production.

At the meeting, Owoeye revealed that some

stakeholders in the sector were against the

initiative, saying that the views being

brought forward by these stakeholders were

false and unfair to government officials who

had worked hard to midwife the

policy.According to Owoeye, ―most

Nigerians are unaware that time was when

we depended entirely on imported rice.

Government examined past efforts to restore

self-sufficiency in rice production that failed

before coming out with the new

revolutionary policy.

―The critical thing is protecting local

investors to the point they can reasonably

stand on their feet. The government

developed the new rice policy based on what

is produced presently against the shortfalls,

which were factored to further encourage

local investors against those whose core

interest is importing and selling locally

without the mind of contributing to the

national dream of self-sufficiency.‖Although

the critics claim to be genuinely concerned

about the initiative derailing, over one defect

or another of the implementation instrument,

the truth is that they are driven by insatiable

greed and total disregard for constituted

authorities, he said.The rice policy,

unarguably, is the initiative of government

and not at the order of stakeholders.

The Federal Government decided to use

fiscal policy to help businesses already

engaged in and others interested in growing,

milling and packaging rice locally to end the

perennial importation of the product.

Government set the parameters – the best

possible completion time frame, the

incentives and who best could be brought in

with the assurance that they would

perform.The Federal Ministry of Agriculture

and Rural Development, as the project

coordinator, invited stakeholders principally

to share with them the dream and

seriousness government attached to the

policy, but not to determine the basics such

as the volume of rice that would enjoy

import waivers and quota allocation

qualifications, according to Owoeye.

These critics argue that the indiscriminate

granting of waivers in the guise of backward

integration may promote smuggling and

therefore make the policy

counterproductive.However, the quota

allocations based on the supply gap of

import grade rice of 1.5 million metric tons,

Owoeye said, were made to both existing

rice millers and new investors in

equity.―Existing millers and others with

expressed interests submitted Domestic Rice

Production Plan (DRPP), and based on the

submissions, a total of 1.3 million metric

tons of rice import quotas was issued to 25

qualifying millers at the preferential levy of

20 percent and duty of 10 per cent.

The remainder 0.2 million metric tons of

rice imports will be at the higher levy of 60

per cent and duty of 10 percent,‖ Owoeye

said.Stakeholders did not know why

government asked rice investors to give their

DRPP, he said. Thereafter, a committee

went round to verify the claims in terms of

farm holdings, and so on, and did not inform

the stakeholders that they were coming to

investigate. In some cases, the committee

got to the sites and called the concerned

party that the inspectors were at their

premises.―We believe the market is big

enough for all genuine investors in the rice

market so that there is no point dissipating

energy on frivolities and wild allegations,‖

Owoeye said, but added that he wondered

why anyone could sincerely allege that some

quota beneficiaries were ―already trading it

to interested buyers at between 60 percent to

80 percent levy, having got the same at 20

percent levy.

‖The allegation implies that the 60 percent

levy is lower than what is charged as penalty

for otherwise, why would anyone pay above

that to buy from those who got the waiver,

the Group asked.―Rice smuggling into

Nigeria is not contentious because it is

common knowledge, but to allude any

complexity of the policy is subversive and

clear indication that some interests are trying

to persecute others and would stop at

nothing to achieve the unholy objective,‘‘ he

said.Furthermore, the outcry over giving

businesses that expressed interests in

investing in rice production waivers as those

who have made substantial investments are

not well founded, he said.―Considered on

the surface, the government could be faulted

but on close review, it is certain government

wants to recruit and expand the investors‘

base and was not whimsical.

―President Goodluck Jonathan approved the

backward integration policy on rice in May

and the implementation is starting just this

December 2014. I can say authoritatively

that government did not only ask interested

parties to submit their DRPP but demanded

also their production plans, including

establishing staple crop processing zones

(SCPZs) that are intended to encourage the

clustering of food processing industries in

proximity to raw materials and end

markets,‖ he said.Currently, 16 major

investors have farms and or established

milling plants with cumulative capacity of

about 1 million metric tons by 2016, while

the rice policy estimates additional 2.7

million metric tons produced locally by

2016. It was obvious to the government that

more reliable investors must be recruited

with secure commitments to attain set

targets.

―To ensure government is not giving cheap

money to opportunistic businesses, the

waiver requires that 30 percent of the quota

fee be paid into a participating bank. In the

event the beneficiary fails to meet the terms,

the ministry of agriculture will call on the

bond fee, which means that government

would take it over and use it to develop and

advance the policy to the logical

conclusion.―What government has been

doing in the last two to three years is to get

across the value chain to get an investment

plan in the rice industry, and inspections

were concluded based on the claims.

Government has given six months to those

who expressed interests to start tangible and

serious work.

The process is tamper proof and measurable.

It is the first time government is doing

something right in the rice sector,‖ the

Group noted.Imploring persons who feel

displeased not to derail the policy with

internal squabbles, the Group gave

assurance that all issues will be addressed

since the policy was in the early stage.―To a

large extent, government gave allocations to

encourage big investors who are putting

down substantial amounts of money. There

is nowhere on earth that major investors are

not wooed and that is what the government

has done, but I can tell anyone who cares to

listen that government also took adequate

precautions in case of anyone defaulting,‖

Owoeye said.

He therefore told the stakeholders to worry

over the 1.2 million metric tons lost between

the government‘s estimated 1.5 million

metric tons imports and what can safely be

assumed allotted the illegally operators.The

investors who feel bitter that others who

have not much on ground received high

allocations know for sure that the in-coming

players plan to exceed the current investors,

Owoeye said.―They need not hide their fear

of being overtaken by the new-comers but

should join hands with other stakeholders to

ensure rice smugglers are put out of business

because until illegal traders are caught and

caged, honest investors are in danger.―The

reason is simple and applies to all industries:

until Nigerian growers and millers reach

maturity and efficiency levels, the

international traditional growers still hold

the ace and can sink us unless we are fairly

protected,‖ he said.

Nigeria‘s 170 million people constitute the

largest market in Africa, and in the

consumer and commodity markets, the

stakes are high. To dominate the largest

market South of the Equator is serious and

sometimes brutal business, he

said.Government wants the Nigerian rice

industry to explode similar to what

happened in the telephone industry in recent

years, he said, noting that the potential has

been there for decades but the reality has

just dawned on the government.―Anyone

capable of investing huge has immense

business opportunity and government is

saying everyone is welcome on board.

Investors who have made some input should

not cry blue murder when there is none.

The Nigerian rice market (local productions)

can accommodate all serious investors and

that is enough guarantees,‖ according to the

Group.Michael Aondoakaa, former minister

of justice and attorney general of the

federation, and secretary, Rice Processors

Association of Nigeria (RIPAN),

emphasised that prior to the emergence of

President Goodluck Jonathan‘s

administration, nobody had ever wondered

who got what quota.

―The truth is that many have had witnessed

the old system where some highly connected

people influenced the rice quota allocation.

This administration made sure it went to rice

farmers with visible investments,‖ said

Aondoakaa.

The rice policy of the present administration

is visible for all to see, Owoeye said, adding:

―if you travel through Zamfara, Niger,

Benue, Sokoto, and many other states in the

country, you will see vast plantations of rice

in the last two year.‗‘We have also seen

some of our members who were traders

make huge investments in local rice

production. We have seen increase in

employment and value creation in the rice

sector.

‘‘The Federal Government has provided rice

investors with improved seedling and that is

the reason rice production is getting better.

On his part, Abubakar Mohammed,

president, Rice Millers, Importers and

Distributors‘ Association of Nigeria, said

five years ago, there was only one

processing mill in Nigeria but the number

grew to 24 by 2014, just as he stated that

before President Goodluck Jonathan‘s

administration, rice paddy produced from

Nigeria was one of the worst in the world.

But this had changed, according to him.―We

process 800,000 tons of paddy rice annually,

and the government is putting measures in

place to produce additional 360,000 tons.

All these happened with the help of

President Goodluck Jonathan and the

minister of agriculture and rural

development, Akinwunmi Adesina,‖ he said.

http://businessdayonline.com/2015/01/rice-

policy-criticism-are-stakeholders-treading-the-

right-path/#.VLmSYtLF_Jc

Changes to Cuba Policy

Effective Immediately

WASHINGTON, DC -- The promise of more

open trade, travel, and business between Cuba

and the United States got that much closer today

when the Obama Administration announced new

regulations on export policy that take effect

tomorrow. The regulatory amendments are part

of a process of normalization of relations

between the two countries. "We are analyzing

how these changes will apply to the U.S. rice

industry," said USA Rice Federation President

and CEO Betsy Ward. "The current rapid pace

is an encouraging sign although we realize we're

still at the front end of the process."

Just last week, the USA Rice joined with more

than 25 prominent U.S. food and agriculture

associations and companies to announce the

launch of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for

Cuba (USACC), a coalition that seeks to

advance trade relations between the United

States and Cuba. The purpose of the USACC is

to re-establish Cuba as a market for U.S. food

and agriculture exports and address liberalizing

trade between the United States and Cuba."Open

trade with Cuba would be an enormous boon for

U.S. rice farmers," said Ward. "There was a time

when Cuba was the top destination for U.S.-

grown rice -- we are ready to facilitate a return

to those days."

Contact: Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

USA Rice and Big Y: Live

Well, Eat Smart

Let U.S. rice help you

ARLINGTON, VA -- The USA Rice Federation

is participating in the Living Well Eating Smart

(LWES) program at Big Y, a supermarket chain

of more than 60 stores in Massachusetts and

Connecticut. Beginning today through March

25, shoppers will be introduced to the many uses

and nutritional benefits of U.S.-grown rice

through a print and online newsletter, social

media, and in-store signage and displays.USA

Rice's Cranberry Pecan Rice Pilaf is the featured

recipe on the cover of the LWES magazine, a

publication (print and online) that generates

more than 150,000 impressions a month. The

full recipe, rice nutrition information, and the

"Grown in the USA" logo are highlighted in a

two-page spread. Rice is also featured in other

sections of the publication including the

"Dietitian's Corner" letter and the "Here's to

Your Heart" article both discussing the health

benefits of whole grains, like brown and wild

rice. "The National Rice Month toolkit we

developed for retail dietitians was a huge

success and this next step to customize

partnerships will help us promote U.S. rice

throughout the year," said Paul Galvani,

chairman of the USA Rice Retail Subcommittee.

"Working one-on-one with retail dietitians is a

great way to increase visibility of U.S.-grown

rice in the supermarket communication channels

and boost consumer awareness and usage of

U.S. rice."

Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports

Reported

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 76,900

MT for 2014/2015 were up noticeably from the

previous week and 68 percent from the prior

four-week average, according to today's Export

Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported

for Mexico (53,600 MT), Taiwan (9,000 MT),

Haiti (7,400 MT), Iraq (3,000 MT), and Jordan

(2,100 MT). Decreases were reported for Japan

(3,500 MT) and Colombia (1,300 MT).

Exports of 44,900 MT were down 11 percent

from the previous week and 27 percent from the

prior four-week average. The primary

destinations were Iraq (31,500 MT), Mexico

(3,900 MT), Canada (2,600 MT), Honduras

(1,600 MT), and South Korea (1,200 MT).This

summary is based on reports from exporters

from the period January 2-8.

CME Group/Closing

Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice

Futures for January 15

March

2015 $11.330 + $0.180

May 2015 $11.580 + $0.175

July 2015 $11.815 + $0.180

September

2015 $11.420 + $0.210

November

2015 $11.560 + $0.270

January

2016 $11.860 + $0.270

March

2016 $11.860 + $0.270

Month Price Net Change

Louisiana receives

conservation funding for

rare snake, Fort Polk and

other projects

AMY

WOLD| AWOLD@THEADVOCATE.COM

Jan. 15, 2015

The rare Louisiana pine snake and the Fort

Polk military installation share a common

bond as beneficiaries of a new round of

conservation projects announced by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture on

Wednesday.Louisiana received approval for

four of the 115 conservation projects in the

country that will share $370 million in

federal funding through the Regional

Conservation Partnership Program approved

in the 2014 Farm Bill.

The program was designed to bring together

government agencies, nonprofit

organizations and private landowners to

better leverage conservation money and to

take on large projects, said Kevin Norton,

state conservationist for Louisiana with the

USDA Natural Resources Conservation

Service.

Partners for each project will bring in

another $400 million for conservation,

bringing the total to almost $800 million,

according to USDA.Two of the four projects

are only for Louisiana and will bring in $1.5

million in additional money to conservation

efforts in the state. In addition, Louisiana

was part of two other approved multistate

projects involving long-leaf pine restoration

and rice farm conservation.One of those

multistate projects focuses on restoring or

protecting about 20,000 acres long-leaf pine

in and around military bases in Louisiana as

well as South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

In Louisiana, that project will involve the

purchase of 6,300 acres of land near Fort

Polk in an effort to provide habitat for the

Louisiana pinesnake. Although not yet listed

under the Endangered Species Act, it‘s

expected that the species will be listed in the

future, said Richard Martin, director of

forest programs with The Nature

Conservancy. Martin said the Louisiana pine

snake is possibly one of the rarest

vertebrates in the country.If that listing

happens, training exercises on the military

base could be seriously hampered and, with

base closures across the country, it could be

enough to put Fort Polk on the chopping

block, he said.

―Fort Polk has said let‘s try to get ahead of

this,‖ Martin said.The best habitat for

the snake is located on nearby private

property. The owner of that property is

willing to sell an easement and the property

for restoration to long-leaf pine, which is the

preferred habitat of the rare snake. By

providing an easement for the restoration,

the large property owner and Fort Polk get a

little more protection against accidental

killing of Louisiana pine snakes should they

be put on the Endangered Species List in the

future, Martin explained.

This is not the first collaboration between

Fort Polk and The Nature Conservancy. For

several years, the two worked together in

protecting the endangered red-

cockaded woodpeckers, which also depend

on long-leaf pine for habitat and call Fort

Polk home.However, unlike the

woodpecker, which can be seen in the trees

and largely avoided through precautionary

measures, the snakes spend a large amount

of time underground and are not easily seen

when above ground, Martin said.In addition

to the long-leaf pine project, Louisiana also

got approval for two state projects including

$25,000 to determine the best conservation

projects for five watersheds around the state.

The state Department of Agriculture and

Forestry‘s Office of Soil and Water

Conservation and other partners will use the

money to analyze the most effective

conservation tools to solve soil and water

problems.

―They‘re going to look where we can make

the biggest impact,‖ Norton said.Once those

critical areas are identified, other

government conservation programs can be

accessed to pay for construction or

implementation of the developed plans,

Norton said.The rest of the state‘s $1.5

million will go toward a rice stewardship

program in the southwestern part of the

state. In this program, Ducks Unlimited will

be working with rice producers and other

partners to develop ways to conserve water,

improve water quality and provide improved

habitat for wintering birds.

―Rice is good for ducks,‖ said Alicia

Wiseman, Ducks Unlimited Rice

Stewardship Partnership coordinator for

Louisiana. About 42 percent of the food

eaten by wintering ducks in Louisiana

comes from these rice fields.Louisiana is

also part of the national Rice Stewardship

Partnership project, which expands this rice

field conservation work to multiple states

and will include ways to monitor the

program‘s success over time.

http://theadvocate.com/news/11295267-

123/louisiana-receives-conservation-funding-

for?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+Januar

y+15%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+

December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Wintering geese flock back

to Texas after downward

trend

By Shannon Tompkins | January 14,

2015 | Updated: January 14, 2015 9:34pm

Photo By Picasa

The number of geese wintering on Texas'

coastal prairie and marshes more than

doubled this year from last year's record

low, with the largest increase seen along the

upper coast, where rice production also

boomed.

More than twice as many geese are

wintering on Texas' coastal prairies and

marshes this year than the record-low

number counted there a year ago, according

to preliminary data from just-completed

aerial surveys conducted each December

and early January since 1948.The survey, for

which trained observers aboard fixed-wing

aircraft combed the band of coastal marsh

and prairies between the Sabine River and

Rio Grande, locating and counting all

species of geese, estimated 428,000 light

geese (snow, blue, Ross's) wintering in the

four coastal survey zones.

That's a considerable bump from the record

low of 181,000 geese counted during the

2014 survey but still about 33 percent below

the 1982-2014 average of 636,000 birds and

not half the number counted as recently as

the late 1990s.While results of the annual

mid-winter goose survey show a significant

increase in the total number of the big

waterfowl on their traditional Texas coastal

wintering grounds this year, they also

illuminate issues surrounding winter

distribution of North America's mid-

continent geese."One of the big things I

think (the 2015 mid-winter survey) shows is

the strong correlation between habitat and

where (geese) winter," said Kevin Kraai,

waterfowl program leader for Texas Parks

and Wildlife Department.

"The birds are shifting their wintering areas

to where they find the best

habitat."Increasingly over the past decades,

that has not been Texas' coastal prairies and

marshes.For thousands of years, 90 percent

or more of the snow, blue, Ross's, Canada

and white-fronted geese using North

America's Central Flyway wintered on the

narrow band of wetland-rich coastal prairie

and marshes stretching from the Sabine

River to northeast Mexico.

Downward trend Hunters and birders noticed that changing in

the 1960s as the tens of thousands of large

Canada geese - birds weighing 9-12 pounds

- that had wintered along the Texas coast

began stopping far up the flyway, where

increased corn production and permanent

open water in new reservoirs gave the big

geese no reason to migrate farther south. By

the 1970s, only a handful of the large

subspecies of Canada geese wintered on the

Texas coast.But snow geese, white-fronted

geese and smaller subspecies of Canada

geese continued pouring into Texas each

autumn.

Through the 1980s and into the 1990s,

Texas' booming rice industry provided

outstanding wetland/moist soil habitat, and

coastal prairies and marshes wintered as

many as 1 million snow geese, more than

100,000 Canadas, and 100,000 whitefronts.

Coastal Texas was the center of the goose

and goose hunting universe.That quickly

changed beginning in the late 1990s with the

decline in the amount of rice grown in

Texas.Texas rice production peaked in the

1980s, with more than a half-million acres

of the water-loving grain planted. Rice

acreage began a steep decline as changes in

federal farming policy made rice a less

attractive crop for farmers and Houston's

sprawl consumed tens of thousands of acres

of prairie and rice fields west and southwest

of the city.

Texas' rice acreage fell from 590,000 acres

in 1981 to 215,000 acres by 2001.Changes

in water policy triggered by persistent

drought over the past decade that included

the record-setting single-year drought of

2011 and increasing demand for water in

urban areas have further reduced rice

acreage. The harshest blow has been

the Lower Colorado River Authority's

decision to greatly reduce or decline to

provide irrigation water for rice production

or creation of managed wetlands along the

river's lower section, a move resulting in

about 60,000 acres taken out of rice

production.Texas rice production has been

below 200,000 acres since 2006 and as low

as 130,000 acres - a fifth of what it was

three decades ago.

Population booms Those rice fields were crucial as feeding and

roosting areas for wintering geese. As rice

acreage fell, so did the number of geese

wintering on the Texas coast. In 1999, the

mid-winter goose survey counted about 1.01

million light geese on the Texas coast. Over

the past decade, that number has fallen as

low as 181,000 and averaged around

390,000.That decline in light geese came as

the birds' mid-continent population

exploded.

The decline in the number of Canada and

white-fronted geese counted in the mid-

winter survey of the Texas coast has been

even more severe. The past four mid-winter

surveys have counted fewer than 20,000

whitefronts in the coastal zones, down from

more than 100,000 most years prior to 2000.

The numbers are much worse for Canada

geese. Only handfuls of Canada geese - as

few as 100 total - have been spotted during

recent mid-winter surveys of Texas coastal

zones.As with snow geese, the decline in the

number of Canada and whitefronts on the

Texas coast comes as continental

populations of those birds booms.So where

are all of those geese that once wintered on

the Texas coast?

"There's been a massive shift of wintering

Canada geese to the north, and whitefronts

have moved north and east," Kraai

said.Snow geese, too, have moved their

wintering areas to the north and east in

places like Arkansas, where rice production

has boomed over the past decades and more

than 1 million acres of rice are now planted

annually.

Staying to the north Huge numbers of Canada geese winter in the

Midwest, where the landscape has turned to

corn fields. The birds are so numerous they

have become nuisances, and daily bag limits

have been raised to as many as eight

Canadas per day."There's no reason for them

to go any father south. They have everything

they need," Kraai said of the short-stopping

Canadas.Whitefronts are following a similar

pattern of behavior, he said."Not that long

ago, Texas was where all the Central

Flyway's whitefronts wintered," he said.

"Now there are big numbers wintering in

places like Kansas."Even more of the mid-

continent's whitefronts - "specklebellies" to

most waterfowlers - have shifted to the east

and winter in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

in Arkansas, he said."Thirty years ago,

seeing a specklebelly was a rare thing in

Arkansas," Kraai said. "Not

anymore."Despite the steady shrinking of

the wintering population of all species of

geese on the Texas coastal plain, the region

still attracts large numbers of snow geese

and good numbers of whitefronts, Kraai

said. And some of the results of this year's

mid-winter survey are encouraging for those

who would like to see the number of geese

coming to the Texas coast grow instead of

decline, he said.

This year's survey counted almost 243,000

snow geese in the coastal zone east of

Houston. That's a record for the zone that

includes Chambers. Liberty, Jefferson and

Orange counties and more than twice as

many snow geese as the region has averaged

since the zone counts began in 1982.

Rice on rebound That surge in the zone's snow geese numbers

comes in the wake of a boom in the amount

of rice acreage in the area. This past year, an

estimated 30,000 additional acres in the

region were put into rice production as

operations that once grew rice along the

water-starved middle coast shifted their

businesses to the upper coast, where

irrigation water remains obtainable.That

increase in the number of rice fields - along

with efforts of landowners, waterfowl

hunting clubs, wetland conservation groups

such as Ducks Unlimited, and state and

federal wildlife agencies to pump water and

create managed wetlands - resulted in a

significant flush of excellent waterfowl

habitat."

When you see almost a quarter-million snow

geese show up - a record number for that

zone - and look at the increase in the amount

of rice acreage and other habitat, it points

strongly toward habitat, particularly rice, as

one of the biggest factors in how many

geese we see on the coast," Kraai said."It

gives me hope," he said. "If rice acreage can

rebound - if that 50,000-60,000 acres of rice

that has disappeared along the mid-coast

comes back - it's not out of the question that

we could see wintering populations of

500,000 or 600,000 snow geese on the

Texas coast again."

http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Winter

ing-geese-flock-back-to-Texas-after-

6016432.php?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+Ja

nuary+15%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+D

ecember+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Shivraj invites Modi for

Simhastha Mahakumbh January 15, 2015 12:33 pm

Staff Reporter, Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj

Singh Chouhan today urged Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to grace the Simhastha

Mahakumbh Mela, to be organised in the

state‘s temple town of Ujjain in April next

year. Mr Chouhan met the Prime Minister at

his residence in New Delhi and extended the

invitation, an official release said.

Significant from religious and spiritual

viewpoints, Simhastha Mahakumbh attracts

saints, seers, philosophers, devotees and

foreign nationals in large numbers to avail

the benefit of this confluence of knowledge

and faith. International seminars over

Swachh Bharat, spirituality and conservation

of environment and Earth will also be

organised on the occasion.

Mr Chouhan also requested the Prime

Minister to inaugurate the Singaji Thermal

Power Plant in Khandwa. Referring to the

deep sense of agony of basmati producing

farmers before Mr Modi, Mr Chouhan said

that APEDA has gone in appeal against the

Registrar General of Patents and GI‘s

(geographical indication) order dated

December 31, 2013 recognising Madhya

Pradesh as a Basmati paddy growing-

state.APEDA‘s moving the Intellectual

Property Rights Board has affected interests

of the state‘s farmers whereas situations are

arising in international market to purchase

Pakistani basmati rice.

Mr Chouhan urged the Prime Minister to

take steps in this regard so that the interests

of basmati rice producing farmers in the

state were safeguarded and the export of

basmati rice from the state continues as

before.He also requested him to expand the

ambit of private-public partnership (PPP) by

bringing the projects of waste management,

rural drinking water supply, micro irrigation,

logistic parks, medical colleges and metro

project of Indore and Bhopal. The Prime

Minister assured of all possible help on the

issues raised by the Chief Minister and gave

his consent to visit Madhya Pradesh.

Posted in: Bhopal

Source with thanks:www.chronicle.com

Gov‘t requests Chinese

funding for rice warehouses

Thu, 15 January 2015

Hor Kimsay

In a bid to stock 1.2 million tonnes of rice

paddy, Cambodia has sent a draft

memorandum of understanding to China

asking the country for a $300 million loan to

build more than 10 warehouses

nationwide.The draft MoU was prepared by

the Ministry of Economy and Finance and

sent to the Chinese government late last

month, according to Mey Kalyan, senior

adviser for the Supreme National Economic

Council (SNEC) and leader of the

project.Kalyan said Cambodia is now

waiting for the Chinese government‘s

response and expects to begin the project

mid-year.

―We will build warehouses that ensure the

good quality [of the paddy],‖ said

Kalyan.―Our goal is to build confidence to

creditors so that those who store their paddy

can use it as collateral for bank

loans.‖Kalyan added that while the

warehouse would be built by the

government, it would be run by the private

sector, with revenue coming from millers

paying maintenance fees to have their paddy

stored during the harvest season.―The

success of this project depends strongly on

participants from the private sector,‖ Kalyan

said.A major portion of Cambodian paddy is

exported to neighbouring countries through

unofficial channels during the harvest

season.

Because of this, millers face severe paddy

shortages once the season is over.Hun Lak,

vice president of Cambodia Rice Federation,

said that developing the warehouse system

would help millers find more stable sources

of paddy storage.Lak added that there were

other potential benefits as well.―Once the

government builds warehouse for paddy

storage, we will be able to better realise

which kinds of paddy have high market

demand and how high the quality of our rice

is,‖ he explained.―If we don‘t address such

issues clearly, we will have a problem for

this project.‖But independent economist

Srey Chanthy warned that building more

warehouses was far from a silver bullet.

Chanthy said that the country‘s rice sector

faced many other issues asides from a lack

of paddy storage, explaining that rice

processing techniques and the sector‘s

overall governance was still poor compared

to other countries.―If the government

charges a low fee for millers to rent a place

to stock their rice, it will increase the

competitiveness of the Cambodian rice

sector in some ways,‖ he said.―But if the

service change is not affordable for millers,

they may turn away from using this service.‖

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/govt-

requests-chinese-funding-rice-warehouses

Utilizing a Self-steering

Robotic Tractor in the

Developmental

Phases of Rice

-- Feasibility Study on Using Quasi-Zenith

Satellite System

for Precision Farming in Australia --

January 14, 2015

Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd., and

Yanmar Co., Ltd., have been commissioned to

conduct a study on the effective use overseas of

advanced positioning signals from Japan's

Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) *1,

organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and

Communications of Japan.The study seeks to

verify that advanced positioning signals

transmitted from the QZSS can be used in

precision farming in Australia. Specifically,

demonstration tests will be conducted using the

advanced positioning signals to control a self-

steering robotic tractor and perform actual farm

work in a paddy field.

At present, technical validation is in progress for

three high-precision positioning methods: 1)

RTNet, 2) RMIT, and 3) MADOCA *2. The

demonstration tests aim to determine the optimal

positioning method for precision farming in

Australia.The mainstream positioning method,

precise point positioning (PPP), receives

positioning data directly from GPS satellites.

The challenge is that this provides limited

accuracy with an error of approximately 10-20

centimeters, and cannot be replaced with data of

centimeter-level accuracy. The study aims to

enhance positioning accuracy by employing a

new method, precise point positioning with

ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR), using

Australia's electronic datum points *3, and make

it possible to perform accurate farm work with

an error of 5 centimeters.

The first demonstration test, conducted in late

November 2014 during the growth stage of rice,

succeeded in controlling the self-steering robotic

tractor so that its tires run between rows of

planted rice. In January 2015, the tractor will be

used to monitor growth conditions. The study

will continue thereafter, performing several

aspects of farm work at different timings.

Following the study, farm workers and

government officials will be interviewed based

on the demonstration test results to identify

challenges in commercializing precision farming

employing advanced positioning signals. In the

future, a consortium is scheduled to be

organized centering on the three commissioned

companies to actively promote precision

farming. Plans include further enhancing the

accuracy of positioning data, applying the

technology to other programs, and expanding

services to regions other than Australia, such as

Japan and Asia.

Study Abstract

1. Consignor : Ministry of Internal Affairs and

Communications of Japan

2. Title : ―Study on the Effective Use

Overseas of Advanced Positioning Signals from

Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System‖

3. Details : Generate highly accurate

positioning correction data from QZSS's LEX

signal *4 and collect data on field and rice

growth conditions using a self-steering tractor.

4. Commissioned companies : Hitachi-Zosen,

Hitachi and Yanmar, as core members.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),

who operates QZSS, and various research

institutes in Japan and Australia for technical

cooperation and research support.

5. Roles of organizations involved :

Hitachi-Zosen (main contractor) - Supervises

whole project. Investigates feasibility of study,

evaluates positioning data accuracy and overall

project development. Uses PPP-AR positioning

function of Hitachi-Zosen's multi-GNSS analytic

software ―RTNet‖ as a new positioning method

to generate highly accurate positioning

correction data which is able to superimpose on

QZSS's LEX signal, and verifies position

accuracy and operability in the field of a self-

steering robotic tractor.

Hitachi - Tracks and integrates data of a self-

steering robotic tractor and crop growth sensors

installed on it into ―GIS Cloud Service‖ *5 and

displays machine operation and crop growth

conditions on computer maps. This will verify

tractor path and movement precision, and

enhance farm planning and operations precision.

Yanmar - Develops, manages and operates a

self-steering robotic tractor.

Hitachi Australia Pty Ltd - Conducts project

management and workshops, and coordinates

with the related research institutes in Australia.

Hokkaido University - Supports precision

farming research (Agricultural Information

Engineering Research).

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) -

Operates QZSS (Generation, distribution and

conversion of correction data, technical support).

Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial

Information (CRC-SI) - Supports geospatial

information research and investigation.

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

(RMIT) University - Supports positioning

system research (satellite positioning research

and investigation).

University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Australia - Supports positioning system research

(satellite positioning research and investigation).

University of New England (UNE) - Supports

precision farming research (precision farming

research).

Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd (RRA) -

Supports precision farming research

(agricultural research on rice).

SmartNet AUS - Provides data from Australia-

based electronic datum points.

6. Area : New South Wales, Australia

7. Period : October, 2014 - March, 2015

http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2015

/01/150114.html

Commerce Min led

exporters to sell rice to

Hong Kong

BANGKOK, 15 January 2015 (NNT) --

The Ministry of Commerce has led a

delegation of Thai rice exporters on a trip

to Hong Kong, during which a

cooperation contract will be signed

between Thailand's and Hong Kong's rice

trader associations

Gen. Chatchai Sarigalaya and the delegation

of the Thai Rice Exporter Association will

meet with Hong Kong's Minister of

Commerce, Gregory So, and its rice

importers. According to the Minister, a

contract will be signed calling for Hong

Kong to purchase 100,000 tons of rice from

Thailand. This is the first time Hong Kong

has signed a major deal with Thailand since

Thailand lost her rice market to other

countries a few years back.

However, the situation has changed now that

the prices of rice from Thailand have

dropped, enabling the country to compete

with others in the market. With the support

of the Commerce Ministry, Thai rice

exporters hope to tighten relations with

Hong Kong's importers, attracting them to

buy more rice from Thailand in the near

future. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/79209

2-thai-commerce-min-led-exporters-to-sell-

rice-to-hong-kong/

Strategy to tap core export

markets via goods with

strong potential

THE NATION January 15, 2015 1:00 am

THE COMMERCE MINISTRY is seeking

cooperation from large, established companies

to serve as mentors for small and medium-sized

enterprises to help achieve its 4-per-cent growth

target for exports this year.Commerce Minister

Chatchai Sarikulya said yesterday that his

ministry would adopt an aggressive export

strategy with clear targets that show potential for

growth in line with current global trends.

A "cluster" marketing approach will be used to

enter new industries and expand marketing

channels creatively with the focus on four core

markets:

as the United States, the European Union and

Japan, which account for 30 per cent of total

Thai exports. The emphasis will be on the

elderly, institutions, hotels, casinos, cruise ships,

environmentalists, animal lovers and Hispanics,

who make up a third of the US population. The

export value growth target is 1.9 per cent.

-range economically developed: Markets

such as China, India, South Korea, the Middle

East, Latin America and Russia, which account

for 36 per cent of total Thai exports. The focus

will be on the "super rich". The aim is to

penetrate secondary sectors with potential,

including encouraging exporters to utilise the e-

commerce/online marketing channel, as well as

the modern trade (retailers). The target is to

expand this market by 6 per cent.

South Asia excluding India. The focus will be on

tapping the agricultural goods industry,

construction, sanitation and raw materials

sources.

service-related businesses, construction and

investment. The growth target is 5.9 per cent.

Large, established companies will be asked to

coach and assist local SMEs by providing useful

training and advice and accompanying SMEs

abroad to help them explore overseas markets.

Loxley has agreed to serve as a mentor for local

SMEs to help them tap business opportunities in

Hong Kong, while Charoen Pokphand Group

and Central Group will do the same for SMEs

interested in mining mainland China's business

opportunities. The ministry hopes to achieve the

export target through an aggressive but cautious

approach to prevent potential international trade

problems or conflicts, as well as to restructure

the export framework to support long-term

economic goals.

The ministry will expedite the sale and

distribution of the government's remaining rice

stocks from this month to March. On March 15,

Chatchai will visit Hong Kong to witness the

signing of a purchase contract for about 100,000

tonnes of Thai jasmine rice. Next in his sights

are mainland China, India and Russia, where

Thai jasmine rice is popular with upper-income

consumers.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Stra

tegy-to-tap-core-export-markets-via-goods-with-

30251911.html

Paddy farmers in Erode

expect bumper harvest The World's #1 Online Community. Join for Free & Enjoy the

Benefits!facebook.com

R. KRISHNAMOORTHY

Seed requirement, human labour very less;

revenue likely to be double the investment

System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

methodology of rice cultivation has been

adopted overwhelmingly by farmers in the

district this year, in view of the twin

advantages: higher productivity, and lesser

requirement of capital and human labour.In

Modakurichi block, for instance, farmers

who have switched over to SRI

methodology are looking forward to reaping

a bumper harvest.

Scientific demonstrations of the benefits

carried out by officials through biometric

testing have convinced the farmers.In the

first place, seed requirement under SRI

methodology is just one-tenth when

compared to normal planting.Fifteen-day

seedlings of ADT 38 variety planted under

the SRI pattern have shown robust growth at

the mature stage, in a five-acre farm owned

by Sengottayan in Modakurichi village, who

is in the reckoning for State-level prize for

best paddy productivity.

The farmer required only 2kg of seeds an

acre.Another farmer Vadivel, who has

adopted SRI cultivation for his seed farm at

Odanilai is also looking for handsome

returns. He is poised to make a margin of

two-times over the invested amount from the

seven acre field where he is raising seeds of

ADT 38 and IR20 paddy varieties.Tilling is

much higher per hill in farms under SRI

cultivation wherein saplings are planted with

spacing of 25cm.At the fields of the two

farmers, the number of panicles exceeded 45

in certain hills chosen randomly. On an

average, there would be not less than 25

panicles a hill in the farms under SRI,

explained Kulandaivelu, Assistant Director

of Agriculture, Modakurichi.

There are only 16 hills a square metre under

SRI when compared to 50 under normal

planting.But, in terms of productivity, the

number of panicles are more than thrice

under SRI when compared to normal

planting. Also, the number of grains is close

to 300 per panicle when compared to 180 to

200 per panicle under normal planting

method.As the saplings are planted in lines,

cultivators could rely on mechanised

equipment and shed dependence on

shrinking number of farm labourers.

Machine transplanting was a viable option

and power-operated rotary weeders could be

utilised, Mr. Kulandaivelu said.There was

cost saving in mechanisation since the rotary

weeders perform the deweeding task, which

would otherwise require a day of

employment for 20 labourers, in just a

matter of few hours.Paddy cultivation has

been carried out in about 31,000 hectares

and 70 per cent of farmers have adopted SRI

methodology, Joint Director of Agriculture

Selvaraj said. The new methodology had

gained popularity fast, he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-

nadu/paddy-farmers-in-erode-expect-bumper-

harvest/article6790754.ece

Why commodities are

taking a beating again

Wednesday, 14 Jan 2015 | 2:13 PM ETCNBC.com

Commodities took a beating Wednesday, as

prices for everything from industrial metals

to grains slid on global growth

concerns.Copper, which is often seen as an

important indicator of global growth

because of its use in industry, fell as much

as 5 percent on Wednesday. A host of other

commodities,

including palladium, rice and oats, also saw

multiple-percentage point drops on the day.

Although separate factors weighed on each

asset, some factors affected the international

commodities market.That said, some

expressed that the pain could soon be

drawing to an end for traders.

"Commodities are going to be a big deal this

year," said Michael Gurka, founder and

president of BruinHill Partners. "We're

going to have to ratchet our belts a bit

tighter, but I think we're about to hit a

bottom."

Muriel de Seze | Photodisc | Getty Images

Copper wire. The commodity was trading at

five-year lows Wednesday.

The World

Bank said on

Tuesday that it was

lowering its global

growth forecasts for 2015 and 2016 on

account of economic prospects

inEurope, Japan and emerging markets. That

outlook is weighing on commodities traders,

especially those looking at copper,

AvaTrade's chief market analyst, Naeem

Aslam, wrote in a Wednesday morning

note.Copper, which on Wednesday traded at

its lowest levels since July 2009, has faced

expectations of a major surplus from mines.

Many analysts are revising those estimates,

however, saying that supply should be more

balanced with demand this year than

previously expected.

Still, copper traders are also concerned

about demand for the metal, which finds

uses in both construction and consumer

products. Markets are particularly focused

on growth in China, traders said, with all

eyes on the property market in Asia's biggest

economy."The key might be in the second

half, when we see whether the Chinese

property cycle recovers modestly or if it

continues to slump. That will be a key

determinant in terms of how big the copper

surplus will be," Xiao Fu, head of

commodity markets strategy at Bank of

China International, told Reuters.Oil, of

course, is among the commodities that have

suffered most in recent months—with

many traders saying that it is impossible to

knowwhere the bottom for crude lies.For his

part, Gurka said he sees West Texas

Intermediate crude finding support between

$38 and $42 per barrel, but that it will be a

slow climb back upward.Investors are torn

over whether low oil prices will prove

beneficial for global growth, but some have

theorized that pessimism about the energy

slide is at least partly responsible for the fall

in other commodities.But as with the

precipitous fall in crude, oversupply is also

to blame for dragging down prices across

the board.Despite a vicious drought

consuming California, the biggest U.S.

agricultural state, bumper crops elsewhere

have put downward pressure on farmed

commodities.

The U.S. corn crop is at a record-setting 14.2 billion

bushels, but is still slightly lower than numbers forecast in

November, according to the USDA's January Crop

Production estimate on Monday. Farmers produced more

corn per acre than they did in 2013, and devoted more

acreage to grain production over 2013 as well.Soybeans,

cotton and rice production all exceeded 2013 numbers, with

cotton farmers producing 25 percent more cotton in

2014.As of noon EST on Wednesday, corn, oats and rice

futures had fallen by 1.6 percent, 4 percent and 2 percent,

respectively.Not all commodities dropped on Wednesday.

In fact, gold saw slight gains, stretching out a recent run of

good fortune.For its part, copper may be nearing a level

where its cheap price actually begins to spur new building

in places like China, Gurka said."The pain is going to be a

little bit more, but truly there's value here in copper," he

said. "I'm buying when the whole world's selling."

—CNBC's Robert Ferris and Reuters contributed to this

report.

Watch Video on http://www.cnbc.com/id/102337294