Sri Lanka: Rice,wheat prices among highest in region
Source: IRIN06/05/2011 – Sri Lankans are experiencing steep increases in two staple food sources, rice and wheat, because of severe floods and global shortages, says the UN.
Philippines – ASEAN strives to make better use of rice reserve
Source: PhilStar06/05/2011 – Some ASEAN countries proposed to expand the use of ASEAN’s rice reserve to address the soaring price of the commodity among member countries and sought the possibility to develop its potential as food basket, Indonesian minister said here on Friday.
Bloomberg – Rice may fall on ‘abundant’ thai supply, aiding world’s poor as corn gains
Source: Bloomberg03/05/2011 – Increased rice supplies from Thailand, the biggest shipper, may help to boost global stockpiles and cap prices, the Food and Agriculture Organization said, mitigating record food costs that have pushed millions more into poverty.
USA – Rice farmers feel optimistic as 2011 planting begins
Source: California Farm Bureau Federal04/05/2011 – After another slow start resulting from cool, wet spring weather, Sacramento Valley rice fields have become a beehive of activity in recent days, as farmers take advantage of dry fields and perfect weather to prepare their ground for planting this year’s crop.
Philippines – Philippines sees record dry season rice harvest
Source: ABS-CBN News03/05/2011 – The country’s rice harvest in the current dry crop season may touch record high levels due to early rains in the first quarter, putting less pressure on the government to import more of the staple, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.
FAO – Rice Market Monitor
Source: FAO 02/05/2011 – The Rice Market Monitor provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global rice market, including a short-term outlook. Presently, the full document is available only in English but highlights are available in Spanish and French.
USA – Rice’s origins point to China, genome researches conclude
Source: Science Daily03/05/2011 – Rice originated in China, a team of genome researchers has concluded in a study tracing back thousands of years of evolutionary history through large-scale gene re-sequencing. Their findings, which appear in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), indicate that domesticated rice may have first appeared as…
Vietnam – S Korean firm looks to import unpolished, broken rice this year
Source: Viet Nam News30/04/2011 – International Corp, a major South Korean rice importer, has said it wants to import rice from Viet Nam.
Philippiness – Modern rice farm system pushed
Source: The Philippine Star01/05/2011 – A modern system of growing rice, the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), has spread to more than 30 countries.
Philippines – DoST promotes brown rice
Source: Manila Bulletin30/04/2011 – The Department of Science and Technology is determined to push for increased yields of brown rice in its bid to finally do away with the recurring rice shortage, which is now estimated at 11 percent.