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Monday, June 22, 2015

USA Rice Engages Local Help to Navigate Iraq                

          Iraqi ports of entry

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA -- USA Rice has hired a consultant in Baghdad to represent the interests of the U.S. rice industry before the Ministry of Trade and the Grain Board of Iraq that issues public tenders for the purchase of rice on the international market.  USA Rice has been engaged with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones, the Department of State, and the Foreign Agricultural staff in Washington to make the case for U.S. rice to the Ministry. 

 

"The hiring of a local consultant who is a native speaker is the next logical step in the process of establishing consistent lines of communication and assuring fair treatment of U.S. offers on the current and future tenders," said Hartwig Schmidt, USA Rice regional director, international market development.

 

The consultant, Duraid Al Soufi, met with the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Trade Minister yesterday and has an appointment to meet the Minister this weekend. 

 

There is currently an active tender for purchasing 30,000 MT of rice which closes on June 28.  Iraq usually tenders for a minimum of 30,000 MT, but more often than not purchases significantly more than the minimum on each tender. 

 

Iraq imports nearly 1.5 million MT of rice annually.  The U.S. is competitive with other rice exporters in the Western Hemisphere, and if treated equitably should win a portion of the current tender.

 

Contact:  Jim Guinn (703) 236-1474

Crop Progress:   2015 Crop 6 Percent Headed   

WASHINGTON, DC -- Six percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is headed, according to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report.

Rice Headed, Selected States 
Week Ending
State
June 21, 2014  
June 14, 2015  
June 21, 2015
2010-2014 average
Percent
Arkansas
N/A
--
California
--
N/A
10 
--
Louisiana
11 
12
22
21
Mississippi
--
1
11 
2
Missouri
--
N/A
-- 
--
Texas
4
1
2
13
Six States
N/A
6
5
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Preliminary):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for June 22

Month
Price
Net Change
July 2015
$9.845
+ $0.125
September 2015
$10.100
+ $0.125
November 2015
$10.375
+ $0.125
January 2016
$10.635
+ $0.120
March 2016
$10.840
+ $0.120
May 2016
$10.840
+ $0.120
July 2016
$10.840
+ $0.120

In the News

Around Washington

Kelly to Join House Ag Committee Agri-Pulse

Trent Kelly (R-MS) was sworn in June 9 after winning a June 2 special election runoff. He fills the seat vacated by the death of Alan Nunnelee, who passed away in February from brain cancer. He represents Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, which includes all or part of 22 counties in northwest Mississippi along the Alabama and Tennessee borders.

 

Washington Week Ahead: TPA Heads to Senate, House Targets Obama Rules Agri-Pulse

Senate Republicans will look to send the fast-track trade bill to President Obama this week, while the House debates a spending measure that would block a wide array of environmental regulations.

 

 

Around the Country

Ag Facing Lean Year Appeal-Democrat

A variety of sources in agriculture said crop shortages caused by the drought are likely to have substantial economic impacts this year, ranging from less part-time employment to lower herbicide sales. Statewide, the drought is expected to result in a losses of $2.7 billion and 18,600 jobs, according to a study by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

 

Researchers Going Up Against the Khapra Beetle as a Food Safety Concern  

Food Safety News

Khapra beetle contamination in food products presents a food safety concern as the hairs associated with larvae and cast skins are potential allergen and respiratory hazards, particularly for young children.

 

Richmond Company Educating American Consumers about Benefits of Rice  

Contra Costa Times

Lotus Foods trains farmers to use System Rice Intensification method of rice-growing, which reduces water use and doesn't require chemicals.

 

USDA Seeks Partner Proposals to Protect and Restore Critical Wetlands USDA

$17.5 million in funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), a special enrollment option under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program's Wetland Reserve Easement component. It is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

 

 

Tariffs and Trade

American Food Producers See Bonanza in Cuba but Steep Barriers Remain  

Washington Post

As the administration wraps up negotiations with Cuba that are expected to lead to restored diplomatic ties this summer, only Congress can lift the embargo that still prevents nearly all financial and trade relations and severely limits even the few permitted exports. Obama has said he wants that to happen, and U.S. producers from major agribusiness companies to small farmers have joined a bipartisan force of farm state governors and lawmakers to help overturn restrictions they say are keeping them out of a $2 billion annual market.

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