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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU
Latest News Headlines…

 Study: Straight tail crawfish were not dead and salt doesn't purge them
 Amira Nature Foods Ltd to Participate in the 3(rd) Annual UBS Global Consumer
Conference
 Concise Analysis of the Chinese Rice Milling Machinery Industry
 Improved white ponni rice variety
 Rice Producers stepping up efforts to market rice in Central America
 Major rice-producing Asean members form regional group
 Acadia Parish to Rice Krispies
 M'sia and other demands keep Asia rice prices steady
 Rice farmers dealt another blow in ongoing drought
 Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Feb 27
 Bangladesh to buy more domestic rice to boost reserves
 Govt eyes income from 1m-tonne G2G China rice sale
 Bulk buyers shy away from rice market
 B60bn 'siphoned to Hong Kong' in rice-pledging scam
 Lawyers acknowledge PM rice charge
 EC casts doubt on rice payment plan
Cell # 92 321 369 2874

NEWS DETAILS:

Study: Straight tail crawfish were not dead and salt doesn't purge them
Dave Cohen Reporting
The LSU AgCenter is trying to clear up some long-held "crawfish
myths." Researchers found salting crawfish before boiling does no
good and the ones that come out with straight tails were not dead
before they went in.Ray McClain, LSU AgCenter crawfish
researcher at the Rice Research Station near Crowley says the
straight tailed mudbugs were actually more likely to be alive before
going into the boiling pot."Research at the LSU AgCenter showed
that the degree of tail curl in cooked crawfish was not significantly
different between crawfish alive at the time they were cooked and
those that had been dead... prior to cooking," McClain explained.
So why do some have straight tails when they come out of the boiling pot? Researchers says it may just be that another
crawfish blocked their tail from curling or the mudbug was shoved up against the side of the pot and its tail couldn't
curl."The results suggest that the age-old adage of avoiding straight-tailed crawfish at a crawfish boil, as a means of
ensuring safety and quality, may not be reliable and certainly has little to do with knowing the living status of the animal
at the time of cooking,‖ McClain said.As for salting the crawfish before boiling them as a means of "purging" or causing
the crustaceans to excrete anything inside of them... McClain says it doesn't work."Research at the LSU AgCenter has
shown that the addition of salt to the wash water provides no significant advantage in cleansing crawfish despite the
numerous claims to the contrary," McClain insisted.He says if you want to purge the crawfish, you have to set them aside
with no food for an entire day."The only way to significantly reduce size and content of the intestinal tract is with a 12- to
24-hour freshwater purge, which is difficult and impractical for homeowners to do," McClain explained.He did note that
washing crawfish for as little as 10 minutes in water helps remove mud and other debris.But, he says, "Does little to
eliminate intestinal wastes... and salt appears to be of no benefit."

Amira Nature Foods Ltd to Participate in the 3(rd) Annual UBS Global
Consumer Conference
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--February 26, 2014--

Amira Nature Foods Ltd (the "Company;" NYSE:ANFI), a leading global provider of packaged Indian specialty rice,
today announced Karan A. Chanana, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Ashish Poddar, Chief Financial
Officer, will present at the 3rd Annual UBS Global Consumer Conference on March 12, 2014 at 3:10 p.m. ET.Live
audio of the presentation will be simultaneously webcast on the investor relations section of the Company's website

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

at http://www.amirafoods.com/. The webcast of the presentation will be archived and available on the Company's
website.
About Amira Nature Foods
Founded in 1915, Amira has evolved into a leading global provider of packaged Indian specialty rice, with sales in
over 40 countries today. Amira sells Basmati rice, premium long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the
Indian sub-continent, under their flagship Amira brand as well as under other third party brands. Amira sells its
products primarily in emerging markets through a broad distribution network. Amira's headquarters are in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, and it also has offices in India, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United
States.
CONTACT: ICR

Katie Turner, 646-277-1200

Concise Analysis of the Chinese Rice Milling Machinery Industry
By Research and Markets

Published: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014 - 3:47 am

DUBLIN, Feb. 26, 2014 -- /PRNewswire/ -'Concise Analysis of the Chinese Rice Milling Machinery Industry' is a professional and in-depth research report on
the rice milling machinery industry in China.The report first provides basic information on the rice milling
machinery industry, covering definitions, classification, application, industry chain structure and overview. Market
analysis is provided for both the international and Chinese domestic situations including product and technology
developments, competitive landscape analysis, key regions development status, trends and market comparisons.
Development policies and plans are also discussed and manufacturing processes and cost structures analyzed.
Import/export consumption, supply and demand figures and cost price and production values are also provided
.A key feature of the report is its focus on 13 industry players providing company profiles, product specification,
capacity production, price cost, production value and contact information. Up and downstream industry analysis is
carried out for raw materials and equipment. Rice milling machinery marketing channels, industry development
trends and proposals are analyzed as well as the feasibility of new investment projects. Finally the report offers
overall research conclusions.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Key Topics Covered: 1 Rice Milling Machinery Industry Overview 2 Rice Milling Machinery International and
China Market Analysis 3 Rice Milling Machinery Industry Development Environmental Analysis 4 Rice Milling
Machinery Development Policy and Plan 5 Rice Milling Machinery Manufacturing Process and Cost Structure 6
2009-2013 Rice Milling Machinery Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast 7 Rice Milling
Machinery Key Manufacturers Analysis 8 Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis and Influence 9 Rice Milling
Machinery Marketing Channels Analysis 10 Rice Milling Machinery Industry Development Trend 11 Rice Milling
Machinery Industry Development Proposals 12 Rice Milling Machinery New Project Investment Feasibility
Analysis 13 China Rice Milling Machinery Industry Research Conclusions Companies Mentioned:


Bühler



HUNAN XIANGLIANG



Hubei Bishan Grain & Oil Equipment



Hubei YONGXIANG



Hunan Chenzhou



JIANGSU HEXI MACHINERY



MUYANG



SATAKE MANUFACTURING



Wufeng



YANGZHOU ZHENGDA MACHINERY MANUFACTURE



YUTAI GOLD AND GRAIN OIL MACHINERY



Zhejiang QiLi Machinery



Zhejiang Zhancheng Machinery

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c5h6s4/china_rice

Improved white ponni rice variety
Ponni variety has been popular among Tamil Nadu famers for a long time but the origin and source from which
it was developed is still not known.The variety is resistant to leaf yellowing (tungro virus), blast and bacterial
blight diseases.Though the grain yield is less (4 - 4.5 tonnes from a hectare) than other commercial varieties,
farmers preferred this variety owing to its fine quality and premium price in the market.
Former name

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Initially, called ―mashuri kuttai‖ the yield realised by farmers was very low due to admixtures and segregated
population with the variations in crop duration ranging from 90 to 140 days.Plant breeders at Tamil Nadu Rice
Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai had collected 300 samples of seeds, from various locations in state,
screened and finally selected three improved lines for further selection.After strenuous efforts the new improved
white ponni was released in 1986 and even today finds ready acceptance from farmers. It is a 130-135 duration
varirty and suitable for late samba/thaladi season in Cauvery delta.The improved variety was tested in 11
districts of which in eight districts it recorded higher yield of 5.8 per cent than IR 20 variety.
Yield
It recorded 300 kg/ha more yield than traditional ponni and has yield potential up to 7.4 tonnes per hectare. It is
suitable for raw and parboiled rice consumption.Besides excellent grain quality, other special features include
its resistance to many diseases such as tungro virus, leaf yellowing, blast and bacterial leaf blight.It grows tall
and well under restricted fertilizer use especially nitrogen application which should be limited to 75-100 tonnes
per hectare depending upon the soil fertility and climate.Organic farmers mostly prefer this variety as it
responds well under natural nutrients supply.
(Dr. R. Rajendran is presently Director- in- charge,Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, TNAU, Aduthurai – 612 101, Tamil
Nadu, Phone: 0435-2472108 and 2472098, email: dirtrri@tnau.ac.in)
Keywords: ponni rice, tungro virus, grain yield, mashuri kuttai, Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, grain quality

Rice Producers stepping up efforts to market rice in Central America
U.S. rice farmers are coming off a year in which many of them produced record yields. But they also know that
if they can‘t market their rice all the production practices they use will come to nought.President and CEO
Dwight Roberts talked about what the U.S. Rice Producers Association is doing to increase rice sales in Central
America in a speech at the National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference in Tunica, Miss. U.S.
Rice Producers Association was one of the sponsors of the conference.―Rice is such a unique commodity,‖ said
Roberts. ―In the United States, we grow a little over 3 million acres of rice, nothing to compare to the 90-plus
million acres of corn or the 11 million acres of cotton. But rice is that commodity around the world that
governments protect and subsidize.―It‘s a commodity that if the prices goes up a few cents per pound, they have
riots in Thailand or Haiti or Nicaraugua. It‘s a commodity that is heavily protected and subsidized in a number
of countries. Farmers in Central America and Asia receive $500 per ton for paddy rice at the farm. If we had
subsidies like those we‘d be growing rice in downtown New York.‖Roberts cited a new grain loading facility
near Lake Charles, La., as an example of what rice farmers are doing to enable them to ship identity-preserved
rice by rail to rice mills in Mexico. The facility, located in a former sugar refinery, was converted using funds provided
by farmers and aid from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Major rice-producing Asean members form regional group
Category: Agri-Commodities 27 Feb 2014
Written by Alladin S. Diega
TO bolster their position in the global rice trading, five members of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean), have finalized plans for the formation of the Asean Rice Federation (ARF), the Myanmar Rice
Federation (MRF) said.In a two-day conference organized and hosted by the MRF, rice importing and exporting
Asean member-countries agreed to form a regional grouping, which will further strengthen their position in
global rice trading, according to local reports from Yangon.MRF, a privately led organization, said these
countries include Myanmar, Thailand, Laos PDR, Vietnam and Cambodia.―The terms of the agreement will be
presented in a minister-level meeting to be held in August,‖ reports quoted MRF Secretary Soe Tun as saying,
and added that the ARF will focus on regional and global food security, global rice market stability, mutual
assistance for technological advancement and improving trade along with improving the lives of the rice
farmers
.The planned regional rice federation will include two of the top rice exporters in the region, Thailand and
Vietnam, which account for around 40 percent of global rice trade. Thailand is keen to form the ARF and
believes that it could help control global rice prices.Critics, however, doubt the feasibility of such a federation,
noting that rice is a perishable commodity, and citing the lack of sufficient storage facilities in some Asean
countries as another hurdle.―The five Asean countries have annual combined export of 20 million tons of rice,
and the intention of organizing the ARF is to boost rice price by 10 percent annually,‖ the secretary of the
Commerce Ministry of Thailand was quoted as saying by the Mynma Freedom Daily.Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are rice-exporting countries and Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Brunei Darussalam and Timor Leste are rice- importing countries of Southeast Asia

Acadia Parish to Rice Krispies
Updated: Feb 27, 2014 4:00 AM PST
By Darren Robert -

To accurately look at the economic impact of rice farming in Acadia Parish, you
need to start at the national level."If you purchase Rice Krispies today there's a
very good chance that the rice was either grown in Louisiana or an excellent
chance that the variety that led to that particular product was developed at this rice
research station," says Steve Linscombe, Director of the LSU AgCenter Rice
Research Station.Linscombe says there's a more than 90 percent chance your Rice
Krispies were grown in Acadia Parish and that figure may have been even higher in recent years."This past year
in 2013 we had a little over 80,000 acres and we had by far the highest yield we've ever had on a per acre
basis," says Linscombe.

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Officials are estimating the 2013 yield around 7,900 pounds per acre—a parish and state record."Some of the
neighbors and myself had some of the best crops we've ever seen," says Acadia Parish farmer Alan Lawson
about the 2013 grow season.Lawson, a third generation farmer, says those high yields in recent years continue
to rub off on other sectors of the parish rice economy."We spend a lot of money in the stores, so it has a trickledown effect of getting turned over many times in the economy," says Lawson.Linscombe says that affect onto
the economy, just in Acadia Parish is worth about $90 million."You add the value added from milling and that
adds up probably to $120 million, but then just as with anything you look at the multiplier effect in the
community. It's huge. I mean it's a major economic engine for this region," says Linscombe.

M'sia and other demands keep Asia rice prices steady
HANOI: Asian rice prices were steady this week, supported by new demand from Malaysia, Africa and China,
ahead of an expected pick-up in supplies from bumper crop harvests in Thailand and Vietnam, traders said on
Wednesday.In Thailand, the world's third-largest exporter after India and Vietnam in 2013, rice exporters were
loading shipments for African countries including Nigeria, Togo and Ghana under small deals signed last week,
a Thai rice trader said.China, which scrapped a 400,000-tonne deal with Thailand early this month due to an
anti-corruption investigation in the Southeast Asian nation, could secure another deal in March, a senior Thai
government official said on Tuesday.In addition, Malaysia was looking to buy 300,000 tonnes of rice and has
sought offer prices from Thailand, Vietnam, India and Pakistan, a state-run newspaper reported on
Wednesday."Thailand is likely to secure the contract as it offers $380 a tonne, much lower than those offered by
the other three countries," Vietnam Food Association ChairmanTruong Thanh Phong was quoted as saying by
the Saigon Marketing newspaper.
Phong could not be reached for comment.Thailand's common grade 5 percent broken rice jumped 14 percent on
Friday from the previous day to $435-$440 a tonne, on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, and has stood at $430-$440
a tonne since Monday. <RI-THBKN5-P1>.In Vietnam, thin domestic stocks coupled with China's purchases
and shipments heading to the Philippines has helped keep prices firm despite expectations that the current
harvest will peak in mid-March, traders said."China has been buying strongly under deals delivered across the
land border, so prices have not eased as expected," a trader at a foreign firm in Ho Chi Minh City
said.Vietnam's 5 percent broken rice edged up to $380-$400 a tonne, FOB, from $380-$395 a week ago.It was
not immediately clear how China's import demand from Vietnam would fare in 2014. Last year, China was
Vietnam's top buyer, taking 3.6 million tonnes or more than 40 percent of its total rice exports, based on
government and rice industry data.
Colder-than-normal temperatures in early February has affected the country's largest-yielding Mekong Delta
winter-spring crop, and the harvest peak will be delayed by two weeks to mid-March, traders said.Vietnam will
be loading rice for the Philippines until mid-March under a contract of 500,000 tonnes signed last
November.Vietnam's rice exports in January-February dropped 6.3 percent from a year ago to an estimated
749,000 tonnes, the government said on Wednesday, higher than an earlier agriculture ministry estimate of
702,000 tonnes. - Reuters

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Rice farmers dealt another blow in ongoing drought
By David YeomansUpdated: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 8:55 pmPublished: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 4:29 pm

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality delayed a decision Wednesday that will affect the livelihoods
of thousands of people in Southeast Texas.The meeting was intended to rule on a ―trigger level‖ of the Highland
Lakes dictating whether rice farmers will receive irrigation water this year.Instead, the TCEQ voted to delay the
decision and re-visit the issue in about four months.In the meantime, rice farmers will not receive water from
the Highland Lakes for this season‘s crop.The rice industry employs thousands of people in Southeast Texas,
and this is the third consecutive year they have been cut off from irrigation water.With headquarters in the
coastal community of Bay City, Joe Crane is a ‗rice entrepreneur‘, employing 80 people on 1,200 acres.―I‘ve
been in rice farming ever since I was a teenager,‖ Crane said.But lately…
―This piece of ground has laid fallow, generating virtually no income to anyone,‖ Crane said.Facing three years
without LCRA water from the Colorado River, irrigation canals – typically brimming this time of year – are
bone-dry.―This third year here, I‘ll tell you as I stand here,‖ Crane said, ―we‘re going to have to lay people
off.‖During a normal year, Joe‘s operation could fill the massive storage containers at his headquarters with
about 140 million pounds of rice. This year, however, he‘ll only be able to produce about 25 percent of that.―It
is absolutely catastrophic, not only to myself but to the rest of the economy here in the lower basin,‖ Crane
said.By cutting rows in some of the flat rice fields, Joe will be able to plant a cotton crop – a move that can
salvage only some of the dry soil.―We‘re going to do whatever it takes to stay in business until it rains again,‖
Crane said.
An example of the hard-headed mentality it takes to grow rice in Texas.―You just have to take advantage of the
good years, and suck it up in the bad years,‖ Crane said. ―That‘s what it‘s about. And that‘s what we‘re going to
do. When it‘s all said and done, I intend to still be standing here farming this ground.‖Taking a deeper look into
how rice farmers will survive a third year without LCRA water, farmers like Joe Crane are able to plant
alternative crops, such as cotton, on some of their rice fields to make up for lost money.But most of the flat,
sandy soil in Southeast Texas won‘t support anything but rice – leaving only about 25% of the land suitable for
alternative crops.2011 was the last year water was released for agriculture.That year, downstream farmers used
nearly a half-million acre feet of water. That‘s more than twice as much as all cities used.

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Feb 27
Thu Feb 27, 2014 3:48pm IST
Nagpur, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Committee (APMC) zoomed up again on good buying support from local millers amid tight supply
from producing belts because of continuous rains. Sharp rise on NCDEX in gram and fresh hike in
Madhya Pradesh pulses also pushed up prices, according to sources.

*

*

*

*

FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram reported sharp recovery on good festival buying support from local traders
amid weak supply from producing regions because of rains.

TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market matching the demand and supply position.

* Moong dal super best and moong dal chilka firmed up again on renewed demand from
local traders amid thin arrival from producing bets because of unseasonal rains.

* In Akola, Tuar - 3,700-3,900, Tuar dal - 5,900-6,100, Udid at 6,000-6,300,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,000-6,200, Moong - 8,100-8,300, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,500-9,700, Gram - 2,600-2,700, Gram Super best bold - 3,300-3,500
for 100 kg.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in thin trading activity, according to sources.

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

FOODGRAINS
Gram Auction
Gram Pink Auction
Tuar Auction

Available prices
2,700-2,850
n.a.

2,600-2,850
2,100-2,600

3,900-4,000

Moong Auction
Udid Auction
Masoor Auction

Gram Medium Best

6,100-6,300
4,300-4,500

n.a.

Gram Super Best Bold
Gram Super Best

3,730-3,910

n.a.
n.a.

Previous close

2,600-2,800
3,750-3,900

3,750-3,900

n.a.
3,200-3,400

3,200-3,400

Gram Dal Medium

n.a.

Gram Mill Quality

3,200-3,250

3,200-3,350

Desi gram Raw

2,900-3,000

2,800-2,850

Gram Filter new

3,000-3,500

n.a.

3,000-3,500

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Gram Kabuli

7,900-10,300

Gram Pink

7,700-8,100

Tuar Fataka Best

7,900-10,300
7,700-8,100

6,300-6,500

Tuar Fataka Medium

6,300-6,500

6,000-6,100

Tuar Dal Best Phod

6,000-6,100

5,800-6,000

Tuar Dal Medium phod

5,800-6,000

5,500-5,700

5,500-5,700

Tuar Gavarani

4,000-4,100

4,000-4,100

Tuar Karnataka

4,200-4,300

4,200-4,300

Tuar Black

7,200-7,400

Masoor dal best

5,400-5,500

Masoor dal medium
Masoor

7,200-7,400
5,400-5,500

5,100-5,300
n.a.

Moong Mogar bold

n.a.
9,700-9,950

Moong Mogar Medium best
Moong dal super best
Moong dal Chilka

5,100-5,300

9,700-9,950

9,300-9,500

8,600-8,900
8,000-8,300

9,300-9,500

8,500-8,800
7,900-8,200

Moong Mill quality

n.a.

n.a.

Moong Chamki best

8,200-8,700

8,200-8,700

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,400-7,600
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)

4,000-5,000

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)

4,000-5,000

3,300-3,400

3,100-3,200
3,300-3,400

3,300-3,400

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)

3,300-3,400

4,400-4,700

1,700-1,800

Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG)
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)

5,800-6,600
4,700-5,000

3,100-3,200

Watana White (100 INR/KG)

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)

5,800-6,600

4,700-5,000

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)

4,400-4,700

1,700-1,800

1,840-1,890

1,840-1,890

1,650-1,850

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)

7,400-7,600

1,650-1,850

2,400-2,500

2,400-2,500

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)

n.a.

2,050-2,200

n.a.

3,000-3,600

3,000-3,600

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900

2,400-2,900

Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG)

1,600-1,700

1,600-1,700

Wheat Best (100 INR/KG)

1,700-1,750

1,700-1,750

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG)

2,600-2,950

2,600-2,950

Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG)

2,800-3,300

2,800-3,300

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)

1,700-1,850

Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)

1,700-1,850

2,500-2,750

Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)

2,500-2,750

2,300-2,450

Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG)

3,800-4,200

3,800-4,200

Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG)

4,700-5,200

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)

11,000-13,500

4,700-5,200
11,000-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,300-7,600
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)

5,500-6,000

2,300-2,450

6,300-7,600

5,500-6,000

Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG)

5,200-5,600

5,200-5,600

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)

1,400-1,600

1,400-1,600

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)

1,700-1,800

1,700-1,800

WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 30.5 degree Celsius (86.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
17.9 degree Celsius (64.2 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 13.3 mm

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder shower likely to occur in evening or night.
Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 31 and 18 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices.)

Bangladesh to buy more domestic rice to boost reserves
Ruma Paul, Reuters | Updated: 02/26/2014

Bangladesh will buy more rice locally in an effort to replenish reserves, while it has no plan to import the grain
this year, the head of the state grains buyer said on Wednesday.Such procurement is crucial for the South Asian
nation to feed its poor and keep domestic prices stable at a time when government reserves are at five-year
lows."We are buying 400,000 tonnes of rice from local farmers this harvesting season, double the earlier
purchase target," Ahmed Hossain Khan of the Directorate General of Food said."This time we are getting a
good response from the farmers as we have raised the price of rice to 30 taka ($0.38) a kg from 26 taka a year
ago to ensure a fair price for them," he said.The current food situation does not resemble that in 2008, when
wheat and rice prices surged to record highs, or that in 2011, when Bangladesh became a major rice importer
after its local procurement drive failed, he said.
"We have no plan to import rice this year, though global rice prices are low," he added.Bangladesh, the world's
fourth-biggest rice producer, consumes almost all its production at home. It aims to produce more than 35
million tonnes of rice in the current year, up from nearly 34 million in the previous year.Global rice supplies
have increased sharply as the embattled government of Thailand has been liquidating its stockpiles in order to
pay farmers and avoid further protests.Benchmark Thai rice prices fell as much as 15 percent last week.Rice is
the main staple for Bangladesh's 160 million people, but wheat consumption is also rising due to economic
growth and lifestyle changes. It often needs to import rice to cope with shortages caused by floods or
droughts.Late in 2012, the government was considering lifting a four-year old ban on rice exports to support
farmers as record crops and bulging domestic reserves pushed prices below production costs.But prices soared
in January 2013, and the government backed off of scrapping the export ban.
The government buys rice and wheat from local farmers to ensure a support price for them and builds stocks for
welfare programmes and to meet any emergency needs. Its reserves have fallen to nearly 900,000 tonnes, the
lowest in five years, from 1.4 million tonnes a year ago.Although it did not import rice over the last two years,
Bangladesh was ranked as the fourth-largest importer of the grain by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in
2011, with a volume of 1.48 million tonnes.The state grains buyer, meanwhile, has moved to speed up imports
of wheat, taking advantage of a slump in global prices.Global wheat prices fell 25.6 percent to $6.05 a bushel in
2013 due to oversupply, with benchmark Chicago futures still hovering around that level.

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TO bolster their position in the global rice trading, five members of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean), have finalized plans for the formation of the Asean Rice Federation (ARF), the Myanmar Rice
Federation (MRF) said.In a two-day conference organized and hosted by the MRF, rice importing and exporting
Asean member-countries agreed to form a regional grouping, which will further strengthen their position in
global rice trading, according to local reports from Yangon.MRF, a privately led organization, said these
countries include Myanmar, Thailand, Laos PDR, Vietnam and Cambodia.―The terms of the agreement will be
presented in a minister-level meeting to be held in August,‖ reports quoted MRF Secretary Soe Tun as saying,
and added that the ARF will focus on regional and global food security, global rice market stability, mutual
assistance for technological advancement and improving trade along with improving the lives of the rice
farmers.
The planned regional rice federation will include two of the top rice exporters in the region, Thailand and
Vietnam, which account for around 40 percent of global rice trade. Thailand is keen to form the ARF and
believes that it could help control global rice prices.Critics, however, doubt the feasibility of such a federation,
noting that rice is a perishable commodity, and citing the lack of sufficient storage facilities in some Asean
countries as another hurdle.―The five Asean countries have annual combined export of 20 million tons of rice,
and the intention of organizing the ARF is to boost rice price by 10 percent annually,‖ the secretary of the
Commerce Ministry of Thailand was quoted as saying by the Mynma Freedom Daily.Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are rice-exporting countries and Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Brunei Darussalam and Timor Leste are rice- importing countries of Southeast Asia.

Govt eyes income from 1m-tonne G2G China rice sale
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation. February 28, 2014 1:00 am
The caretaker government has high hopes of bringing in some funding from the sale of 1 million tonnes of rice
from the state stockpile via a government-to-government deal to pay what it owes farmers under the pledging
programme.The rice sale would help speed up payments to farmers, as only one bidder showed up yesterday
when the Finance Ministry opened the bidding for its Bt20 billion promissory notes (PN).
An industry source said the Chinese government could sign an agreement for the deal in the next few weeks
depending on the Thai government's readiness. The source said the G2G deal must be done with China's stateowned enterprise COFCO as the Thai government's counterpart. However, the deal should not be finalised in
short. Still, the government is yet to seek the Election Commission‘s approval for the deal, as this is considered
an obligation of the new government," said Surasak Riangkrul, director general of Department of Foreign
Trade. Meanwhile, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) on Thursday agreed to set
up "Farmer Assistance Funds" for temporary relief to the unpaid farmers. There will be three funds: one from
donations, one interest-free, and a third that is expected to provide a return on investment, for which the BAAC
will pay interest of 0.63 per cent per annum. BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said the bank projected
receiving about Bt20 billion in donations and investments from those wanting to help the unpaid farmers.

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The funds will be open for donations and investment from March 10 to June 30, while payments should be able
to reach farmers from March 10 until the end of the year. The BAAC will manage the funds transparently and
should get some return for investors from rice sales or loans by the end of the year, Luck said. Minimum
investment to each fund (except donations, for which there is no minimum) is set at Bt1,000. The BAAC will
allocate initial investment capital worth Bt100 million from its own resources, from which it expects to earn no
interest. The bank will also allocate Bt10 million from its central budget to advertise the project. A group of
farmers yesterday gathered in front of the United Nations building on Rajdamnoen Avenue, while waiting to
submit a petition to HM the King asking for the royal assistance. The payment could be further delayed as the
Public Debt Management Office yesterday had a difficulty in finding the buyers of the eight-month PN. Several
state enterprises were reluctant to join the bidding, fearing that it could violate a constitutional clause that a
caretaker government should not embark on recurring debt. It was not disclosed which who was the only bidder
for the financial paper.

Bulk buyers shy away from rice market
OUR CORRESPONDENT
KARNAL, FEBRUARY 27:
With not much trading taking place in the market, prices of aromatic and non-basmati rice varieties remained
unchanged on Thursday.Amit Chandna, proprietor of Hanuman Rice Trading Company, told Business Line that
bulk buyers and retail traders are keeping themselves out of the market as they are reluctant to make fresh
purchase on current levels.Market sentiments are weak following continuous fall and only need-based buying is
taking place in the market, he said. It is hard to anticipate the market‘s future but it is unlikely to see any major
alteration in the coming days. It may continue to rule around current levels with marginal alteration, said
sources.In the physical market, Pusa-1121 (steam) sold at ₹8,700
-8,800, while Pusa-1121 (sela) quoted at
₹7, 50. Pure Basmati (Raw) quoted at ₹12,200. Duplicate basmati (steam) sold at ₹7,000. Pusa1121 (second
7
wand) was at ₹7,100, Tibar at ₹6,150 while Dubar at ₹5,000 a quintal.
In the non-basmati section, Sharbati (Steam) sold at ₹4,800 while Sharbati (Sela) q
uoted at ₹4,500 a quintal.
Permal (raw) sold at ₹2,320, Permal (sela) at ₹2,340, PR (sela) sold at ₹2,700 while PR (Raw) at
-11
-11
₹2,600. PR14 (steam) sold at ₹2,950 a quintal.
(This article was published on February 27, 2014)

B60bn 'siphoned to Hong Kong' in rice-pledging scam
Corrupt rice-pledging officials have siphoned 60 billion baht of state cash to Hong Kong through an illegal
money exchange network in Yaowarat, a rice miller has claimed.
Published: 27/02/2014 at 04:06 PM
Writer: Online Reporters

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Niphon Wongtra-ngarn, honorary president of the Thai Millers Association, said he had met with a banker who
informed him that politicians and senior civil servants involved in the rice-pledging had skimmed around 60
billion baht from the programme in 2013, according to a report in Post Today.The banker claimed that corrupt
officials used a system known as ―Phoi Khwan‖ to channel cash and cheques through an operator in Yaowarat
in exchange for money orders that could be redeemed in Hong Kong. The money would then be deposited in
Hong Kong or transferred back to Thailand. The money exchange system provides a cheap alternative to formal
transactions via financial institutions and avoids legal fees associated with transferring money overseas. It also
circumvents scrutiny from the Bank of Thailand, which supervises unusually large transfers.Mr Niphon said the
rice industry believes around 80 billion baht was now in the hands of crooked officials involved in the ricepledging scheme, which is reported to have suffered around 300-400 billion baht in losses.

He argued that the rice-pledging scheme was wrong from the outset, since government mistakenly believed that
holding rice in Thai stockpiles would help push up the global price of the grain.He warned that rice is a
degradable product and that when Thailand refused to sell its stocks, other countries simply stepped in, meaning
that the global rice price did not increase as predicted by ministers.Mr Niphon said that the initiative was also
vulnerable to corruption from the start due to loopholes in the registration process for farmers, which led to
inflated numbers of farmers and cultivation areas.Insufficient numbers of surveyors to inspect the quality of rice
meant low quality produce had been sold to the scheme, he said, adding that some high quality rice had been
removed from government warehouses and replaced with low quality stock.Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra is accused knowing about corruption in the rice-pledging scheme and failing to stop it.
Her management of the scheme is the subject of a National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) probe. The
graft-agency said she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering corruption and causing financial
losses. She has been charged with dereliction of duty, which could lead to her removal from office and a fiveyear ban from politics.Ms Yingluck was scheduled to answer the charge at an NACC hearing on Thursday
afternoon. She has assigned her legal team to meet the NACC instead, as she completes the second day of an
official trip to the North.Norawich Lalaeng, a lawyer for Ms Yingluck, said the caretaker premier had given the
legal team full authority to defend the charge and file a petition asking to examine facts and evidence in the
case. He said Ms Yingluck was willing to cooperate with the NACC to establish the facts because the ricepledging scheme had been implemented for the benefit of the people.In a show of support for Ms Yingluck, progovernment red-shirts have been protesting outside NACC headquarters in Nonthaburi province since
Wednesday.They chained up the gates to prevent officials from entering on Wednesday.
The group allowed the office to reopen on Thursday morning but said they would seal the entrance to the office
with the concrete in the afternoon, just as anti-government protesters had done at Government House.The
flagship rice-pledging scheme has become increasingly fraught with problems since the House of
Representatives was dissolved last year. Election law means the caretaker government is now unable to finance
the project and officials have struggled to release rice in stockpiles quickly enough to generate sufficient money
to pay farmers for produce sold into the scheme. Stockpiles are estimated to contain around 18 million tonnes of
rice. with combined valued of around 130 billion baht. The caretaker government has made several bids to
acquire the money it needs to pay farmers, many of whom have joined street protests to demand overdue
payments be settled.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Government attempts to sell bonds or promissory notes to commercial and state-run banks have failed, while
efforts to secure funding from state-run enterprises have faced opposition from unions. Farmers are meanwhile
camping out at the Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi province to call for payment, as groups of growers from
different provinces continue to stage protests in their local areas.A large group of rice growers from the central
provinces threatened to descend on Suvarnabhumi Airport last week, to step up their protests for payments.
They travelled part of the way to Bangkok but turned around after Ms Yingluck promised that long-overdue
payments would be made this week.

Lawyers acknowledge PM rice charge
Published: 27 Feb 2014 at 16.32
Online news: Local News
Two lawyers acting on behalf of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reported to the National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) on Thursday to acknowledge charges for neglecting to stop corruption in the
government's rice-pledging scheme.Norawich Lalaeng and Bancha Parameesanaporn met the NACC at its
temporary office at the Nonthaburi Municipality with an assignment letter from the prime minister.The letter
authorised the lawyers to acknowledge the NACC's charges on Ms Yingluck's behalf, to testify or submit a
statement and evidence in her defence, and to request copies of case investigation reports for examination.
Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of knowing about corruption in the rice-pledging
scheme and failing to stop it. The anti-graft agency said she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering
corruption and causing financial losses. She has been charged with dereliction of duty, which could lead to a
five-year ban from politics.Ms Yingluck assigned her legal team to answer the charges at an NACC hearing, as
she completed the second day of an official trip to the North.

EC casts doubt on rice payment plan
Contingency fund use 'risks charter breach'
Published: 28 Feb 2014 at 01.02
Newspaper section: News

An election commissioner has questioned the legality of the government‘s bid to use the state‘s contingency
budget to pay off its debts to rice farmers.Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said on Thursday that along with its request
for the Election Commission (EC) to approve the use of 20 billion baht from the budget, the caretaker
government should explain whether the move would boost its popularity in the electorate.
If this was the case, the spending would violate Section 181(4) of the constitution, which prohibits the use of
any government resources that might affect an election outcome.Mr Somchai also asked the government
whether the request would violate Section 181(3) of the charter, which prohibits a caretaker government from
taking any action that would create a burden for the incoming government.He demanded a full explanation of

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

plans for the entire 70-billion-baht contingency fund, as well as an outline of plans to sell pledged rice this
year.The caretaker government must seek EC approval for the use of any special budget.The government is
struggling to raise funds to pay rice growers who are demanding money owed to them since October for their
pledged crop.The government owes about 875,900 farmers some 116 billion baht for their 6.7 million tonnes of
pledged rice.The government‘s National Rice Policy Committee decided on Monday to seek 20 billion baht
from the state‘s contingency budget to make an initial round of payments to farmers.
In the meeting of the rice committee, a representative of the National Budget Bureau said the government‘s
Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order had already sought 10 billion baht to pay riot police deployed to deal
with anti-government protesters.If that request is approved, it would mean only 60 billion baht remains in the
contingency budget.The budget authority also noted that the government had to save the fund for emergency
cases until September, when the 2014 fiscal year ends.The representative recommended the spending for rice
payments be capped at 20 billion baht.Luang Pu Buddha Isara, the abbot co-leading anti-government protests,
led a group of rice farmers to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to request legal action be brought
against the government for the payment delays.Protesters and rice growers laid siege at the office on Thursday
to pressure it to comply with the request.OAG inspector-general Winai Damrongmongkolkul promised that
officials would receive farmers‘ complaints at their demonstration site on Chaeng Watthana Road on Friday.He
also promised that public prosecutors would proceed with individual complaints of rice growers rather than
combining their cases, which would delay the prosecution.Mr Winai said prosecutors were likely to handle
complaints from about 500 rice farmers each week.Meanwhile, rice growers in Lop Buri‘s Muang district
vowed to march on Bangkok to protest against the payment delays.

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27th feb.,2014 global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine