The Centre has approved the State Government proposal for extension of Kharif paddy procurement deadline to April 30. Paddy procurement is in full swing in most of the districts except Kandhamal where the the process will start from next week, Joint Director (Procurement) in the Food Supply and Consumer Welfare department B K Prusty said.

Setting a target to procure 30 lakh tonnes of rice for the 2016-17 kharif marketing season (KMS), the state government started the procurement operation from Bargarh district on November 29 last year. Since post harvest operation of paddy is still on in many parts of the state, the state government requested the Ministry of Agriculture to extend the paddy procurement deadline from March 30 to end of April, 2017, he said.

Besides, demonetisation of high currentcy notes impacted paddy procurement as the agencies involved in procurement could not pay the minimum support price to the farmers due to cash crunch. About 17.45 lakh tonnes of paddy (equivalent to 11.87 lakh tonnes of rice) worth Rs 2,562 crore has been procured till date and Rs 2,012 crore has been credited to bank accounts of farmers, Prusty added.

This year procurement of paddy has been five percent more as compared to the corresponding period last year. About 16.63 lakh tonnes of paddy were procured by this time last year. Registered rice millers have already delivered 2,46,490 tonnes of rice to the state government.

The Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) is the principal procurement agency of the State Government. The corporation is procuring paddy in all the 30 districts through Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), pani panchayats, Large Scale Agriculture Multipurpose Societies (LAMPS) and women self help groups. The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department has introduced paddy procurement automation system (P-PAS) in 294 of the 314 blocks of the state. The remaining 20 blocks do not have surplus paddy for procurement.

The custom milled rice collected under the decentralised procurement system are supplied under the public distribution system in the state. The surplus rice was delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The deadline for Kharif paddy procurement is March while for Rabi crop it is June. FCI will not accept rice from the paddy procured beyond the stipulated time frame.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2017/jan/17/government-to-procure-kharif-paddy-till-april-30-1560598.html

The impressive growth of high-quality rice exports amidst the downward trend of rice export in 2016 proves that Vietnam’s rice export businesses should look to satisfy clients’ demands to protect Vietnamese rice’s reputation abroad.

HANOI, Jan 19 Rice prices in India advanced this week as demand from African buyers improved and government agencies and exporters bought aggressively, while export markets in Thailand and Vietnam were quiet in the absence of buyers ahead of Lunar New year holidays, traders said on Thursday.

India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, saw 5-percent broken parboiled rice rise $7 per tonne to $352 to $357 per tonne, as aggressive purchases by the government and exporters pushed prices of unmilled rice in the local market.

Export demand has improved from African buyers over the last few weeks, said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

“Supplies from new season crop are coming, but the government agencies are active in the market,” he said.

The government’s move to scrap high-value currency notes disrupted supplies in November and December and many domestic buyers could not replenish their inventories, said a Mumbai-based trader.

India scrapped 500-rupee and 1,000-rupee bills in November to crack down on rampant corruption and counterfeit currency.

India’s summer-sown rice output is seen at a record 93.88 million tonnes in the crop year to June 2017, 2.81 percent higher than last year, as plentiful monsoon rains help boost yields.

Meanwhile, Thai benchmark 5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 was quoted at $360-$365 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok on Thursday, the same as last Wednesday.

With the Chinese New Year just days ahead, there was no order as shipments would not make it in time for the holidays, said a trader in Bangkok.

The Thai Rice Exporters Association quoted the 5-percent broken rice at $380 a tonne on Thursday.

Vietnam’s 5-percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 was quoted at $335-$345 a tonne, FOB Saigon, down from $345-$350 a tonne a week earlier.

“The market is quiet as there are no buyers,” said a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam and the Philippines have extended a rice trade agreement to December 2018, under which Vietnam pledged to provide its partner up to 1.5 million tonnes of the grain per year.

Vietnam is expected to export 5.8 million tonnes of rice in 2017, up 7.4 percent from a year earlier, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December.

Thailand and Vietnam are the world’s second and third biggest rice exporters.

(Writing by My Pham; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/asia-rice-idINL4N1F91Y4

The Kano State Government has allocated over N200 million in the recently approved 2017 budget to boost rice farming in the state.

Mohammed Garba, the Commissioner of Information, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano.

He said this was part of the state government’s efforts to boost the agricultural sector in the state to complement President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to reduce over dependence on crude oil.

“Rice and wheat farmers were given N150 million loan in 2016 to boost production in the Sector, while in 2017 we are planning to increase the loan.

“All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the ordinary farmers in the state benefit more from the gesture,” the commissioner said.

Garba said that in 2016, the state government contributed to the production of 1.3 million tonnes of rice, saying that it hopes to increase it to over 2 million tonnes in 2017.

He said, “the state government has concluded plans to employ more Agricultural extension workers to assist farmers across the state.

‘These extension workers would be going round the farming areas to assist the farmers on how to ensure proper production of rice and wheat,” Garba said.

According to Garba, the extension workers would be provided with motorcycles to ease their movement especially at the rural areas. NAN

Source: http://www.tv360nigeria.com/kano-to-boost-rice-production-with-n200m-budget-allocation/

Sokari said this during a town hall meeting in Awka with stakeholders involved in the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme for rice production in Anambra.

He said the key role played by stakeholders in the country, especially in the state, contributed largely to the increase in rice yield in 2016.

He said, “I am confident that through this CBN programme, rice production will double in this country.

“By extension, this is sure to reduce poverty among small-holder farmers.’’

The branch controller said the state had accessed N2bn as at December 2016 from the programme’s funds.

He said that farmers could access the funds as a group of between five and 20; but they must open an account with any of the participating banks in the state.

He said, “From what is in the programnme, each state is expected to bring up a crop that has some production advantages.

“On the basis of that, they can approach the CBN through the participating institutions for funding.

“However, the loans must be repaid within five months through the produce.”

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanisation, Processing and Export, Mr. Afam Mbanefo, said the CBN funds would scale up activities in the state’s agricultural sector.

Mbanefo, who was represented by Mr. Jude Nwankwo, said the ministry had concluded plans to double yields this year for export which would also conserve foreign exchange.

The Branch Head, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Cooperative, Mr. Andrew Oseloka, urged farmers to indemnify their farms against damages like fire, flood, drought, pests and rice diseases for quick recovery.

In his remarks, the State Coordinator, IFAD-assisted Value Chain Development Programme, Mr. Emmanuel Agwuncha, said 10, 000 rice farmers would be registered for the CBN initiative in 10 local government areas.

Agwuncha said the farmers would be trained on good agronomic practices, business management and cooperative principles and dynamics in rice farming.

According to him, the town hall meeting is aimed at sensitising stakeholders on the modalities and approaches required of them to access funds from the CBN anchor borrowers programme.

Source: http://punchng.com/nigeria-becoming-self-sufficient-rice-production-cbn/