NEWS ABOUT RICE

News About Rice

Updated at: 1740 PST,  Friday, February 12, 2010
KARACHI: Prices of rice in Pakistan witnessed 3 to 6 per cent drop due to decrease in international demand and presence of plentiful stock of rice in Africa.
According to rice exporters, the international price of Irri-6 rice has come down from 360 dollars per ton to 350 dollars while the rate of Irri Silky Polish 5% slipped from 350 dollars per ton to 325 dollars.
They said almost 70 per cent produce of Irri-6 rice is exported but due to the drop in international demand the size of local stocks of rice has also grown leading to the decrease in prices.
Stoage Tips:

Rice is a staple food for many cultures  in the world, as it is highly nutritious, filling, and can be cooked in several ways. If stored properly, rice will remain edible and flavorful for several years. You can buy rice in bulk to save money or to avoid having to buy it frequently, then store it to use when you need it.

Types of Rice

Use white rice for long-term storage since it is dry and contains very little oil which could cause it to spoil. Different types of white rice, such as “long grain,” “medium grain” and “short grain,” have different cooking  properties and are used in different types of recipes.  Several specialty varieties of white rice, such as jasmine and basmati, also have different textures, flavors and scents. Brown rice, although more nutritionally complete, is considered “oily.” You should not store it for more than two months.

Location

Store rice in a dark, cool, dry place, such as a basement or a pantry or dark closet on a lower floor inside your house. If you store it at 40 degrees F or colder it will last for 20 years. If you store it at 70 degrees F or colder with oxygen absorbers it will last for 10 years.

Containers

Store rice in an air-tight container made of food-safe plastic, glass or metal with a food-safe lining. Glass canning jars with tight-sealing lids are good containers. Plastics made of high-density polyethylene (also known as HDPE or plastic #2), low-density polyethylene (also known as LDPE or plastic #4) or polypropylene (also known as PP or plastic #5), such as Tupperware or Glad storage products, are also good containers. Metal #10 cans with food-grade enamel lining are also appropriate if you have a can sealer. The container should be strong enough to keep out insects and rodents. Use food-safe oxygen absorbers, available from canning supply stores, in the containers to keep oxygen out of the rice. Oxygen spoils the rice more quickly.

Flood-hit Pakistan’s rice exports may dip 40%

Pakistan’s rice exports, a major source of revenue to the government, is estimated to decline by nearly 40 per cent in 2010-11 to 2.3 million tonnes due to the floods in the country that has badly hit the crop, the US Department of Agriculture said in a report.
“Although rice is not a staple commodity in the Pakistani diet, it is a major source of revenue for the country. Rice is Pakistan’s second largest export and the reduction in rice exports is expected to have implications for Pakistan’s balance of payments,” the USDA pointed out.
In 2009, Pakistan’s rice exports totalled an estimated $2 billion. Typically, Pakistan exports 50 to 60 per cent of its rice production (2.8 to 3.8 million tonnes).
“The expected decline in rice exports is likely to have an impact on government revenues and adversely affect its already fragile economy,” it pointed out.
The Department has revised downwards Pakistan’s rice production in 2010-11 marketing year starting November this year, to 4.4 million tonnes from its earlier projection of 6.5 million tonnes due to destruction caused by floods.
Similarly, it has lowered exports projection by 36 per cent to 2.3 million tonnes from earlier forecast of 3.6 million tonnes.
Compared to the current marketing year (2009-10), the fall is even more higher. Rice production is estimated at 6.8 million tonnes and exports at 3.8 million tonnes in 2009-10.
Agriculture has been badly hit due to one of the worst floods in Pakistan in the recent history.
Although the core Basmati belt in central Punjab has not been significantly affected by the inundations, initial estimates indicate huge losses to the large rice growing areas of Southern Punjab and Sindh.
The rice growing districts of Sindh, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Larkana, Badin and Thatta have borne the brunt of the floods. Areas of Southern Punjab and Sindh primarily grow coarse rice varieties.
According to estimates, approximately 7 lakh hectares of Pakistan’s rice crop is partially or completely submerged under water.
Widespread damage to the rice crop has severely affected the rice milling industries in Sindh and Baluchistan provinces.

Rice exporters get 20pc less prices than competitors

Pakistan s rice is fetching 20 per cent low prices compared to its competitors in the world market due to unsatisfactory quality, seed adulteration and lack of exporter will. Though the local market has improved and farmers are getting more than the support price of paddy, international prices for Pakistan s rice are well below those of competitors. Vietnam, a competitor of Pakistan, sells its rice for $664 in the international market. Its rice is equal in quality to Pakistan s Irri-6, which fetches no more than $370. Irri-6 quality was not improved in the last 40 years, yet it contains some taste and is liked by African countries, Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association President Arif Hussain Mahesar told The News. He said there were three major reasons for low prices of Pakistan s rice which were bad quality, adulterated seed and lack of commitment of exporters. The quality of local rice was not so good as most of the broken rice was mixed while making exports. The State Bank of Pakistan, in its order of November 2, recommended soft loans for improvement of machinery, which would take time, said Mahesar. Irri-6 seed is mixed with some Chinese hybrid seed, which is better in yield but low in quality. Besides, exporters want to buy cheap rice to sell at lower prices in the international market. Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan s former chairman Abdul Rahim Janoo said prices fell due to supply and demand mechanism. Comparing price of Pakistan s basmati to Indian basmati, he said their (Indian) marketing strategy was better than Pakistan s.

Sindh Abadgar Board President Abdul Majeed Nizamani said farmers, processors and exporters or traders were three major stakeholders of rice and they should be treated equally. He said due to the rupee s depreciation input cost of rice increased by 28 per cent and the government had also reduced the price of paddy. Price of Irri-6 was reduced to Rs600 from Rs700 per 40kg and that of basmati was cut to Rs1,250 from Rs1,500 last year. He said there was a need of timely intervention, but unfortunately intervention came at a time when a big quantity of paddy with the farmers was sold. He said PASSCO s intervention should come in July-August which would help the growers. Export of non-basmati rice increased by 32 per cent in July to November 2009 against the same period last year while export of basmati fell by 6 per cent. Pakistan exported 0.993 million tons of non-basmati rice for $384.676 million during the period against 0.751 million tons last year. However, prices this year remained below than last year. The country received Rs98.333 million less than what it got last year. Quantity as well as price of basmati declined during the five months. Last year, the country had exported 0.398 million tons for $536.724 million from July to November while this year it recorded exports of 0.372 million tons for $322.262, showing a decline of $214.528 million. REAP Vice Chairman Rafiq Suleman said prices of rice went down in the international market, so Pakistani rice was also sold at lower rates. Rice exports were above $2 billion in FY08-09 for the second consecutive year. Total exports from the first of July 2008 to June 30, 2009 were 2.930 million tons with non-basmati rice exports of 2.005 million tons and basmati 0.924 million tons. Total value of exports was $2.044 billion with basmati and non-basmati each having a share of over $1 billion. Last year too, rice exports were more than $2 billion.