Taiwan News: The Result of the 3rd TRQ tender for rice imports

(News resources: TRCIA, Apr. 28, 2011)

The 3rd TRQ tender for rice imports is end this morning, and 17 private sectors share the 15,000 MT of import quota in the tender. The bidder's offer price at this tender is obviously higher than the last 2 tenders, and it's because of the rice price suddenly rocketing due to the promise of President Ma to raise Taiwanese rice price.

After joinning WTO, each year, Taiwan has to import 144,720 MT of rice, including 94,068 MT by Taiwan Council of Agriculture, COA, and 50,652 MT by private sectors. Every year, the government opens three TRQ tenders for the 50,652 MT private quota: the 1st tender for 15,000 MT, the 2nd for 20,000 MT, and the 3rd for 15,000 MT. All the quota expires at Dec. 31 of the year.

Taiwan News: Government to mull raising rice prices

(News resource: Taipei Times, Apr. 25, 2011)

The government will consider increasing the price of rice when commodity prices rise and it will augment reserve supplies in case of a shortage, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on a visit to Chiayi County yesterday. Ma said the agriculture council has been discussing a possible price increase since the price of rice was adjusted three years ago, from NT$21 per kilogram to NT$23 per kilogram.

For more details of the news, please link to the webpage of Taipei Times.

Global News: India Grain Output Expected to Rise

(News resource: Wall Street Journal, Apr. 21, 2011)

India, the world's second-largest grower of rice and wheat, expects to produce between 240 million and 242 million tons of foodgrains in 2011-12, Mr. Basu said in an interview. The weather office Tuesday predicted rainfall in 2011 would be 98% of a 50-year average, which is considered normal. The June-September monsoon is crucial as more than 60% of farmland is rain-fed and crops such as rice, sugarcane and cotton are sown on its arrival. "The indication is that there is no cause for worry about the monsoon. So we are confident of achieving the desired production target in 2011-12," Mr. Basu said.

For more details, please link to the webpage of WSJ.

Global News: Iraq Receives Wheat, Rice From U.S., Australia, Thailand

(News resource: Bloomberg, Apr. 6th, 2011)

Iraq took delivery of 400,000 metric tons of wheat and 127,000 tons of rice, said Hassan Ismail Ibrahim, director general of the country’s Grain Board. Eight ships delivered the wheat from U.S. and Australian suppliers and four more boats unloaded the rice imports from Thailand at the southern port of Umm Qasr, Ibrahim said in an e- mailed statement. The board in February signed 12 contracts to buy 850,000 tons of wheat from the U.S. and Australia. Iraq plans to import 4 million tons of wheat this year, mainly from the U.S. and Australia, Trade Minister Khairallah Hassan said March 24. Local output of the grain is forecast to be 1.5 million tons this year, he said.

For more details, please link to the webpage of Bloomberg.

Global News: 13 bidders win Philippine rice import rights

(News resource: GMA News, Apr. 4th, 2011)

Eleven private companies and two cooperatives have won the rights to import 255,348 metric tons (MT) of rice — two-fifths of the allocated volume for private sector importation, National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Angelito Banayo disclosed Monday. “The winning bidders were already informed. They can already place their orders as early as tomorrow if they want," Banayo told reporters in an interview at the NFA’s Quezon City office. The NFA will award the remaining three-fifths to 17 more companies and a number of cooperatives “within the week," he added.

For more details, please link to the webpage of GMA News.