USA Rice Daily, Thursday, May 12, 2011
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USA Rice Daily
Up-to-the-Minute News on Issues and Activities
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USA Rice Federation is the global advocate of all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses.
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| Crawford Seeks Trade-Negotiating Assurances from USTR |
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Crawford spoke during the USA Rice Government Affairs Conference earlier this year.
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WASHINGTON -- Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) today called on U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to provide assurances that U.S.-grown rice would not be excluded from future U.S. trade agreements. Crawford's concern stemmed from the bad precedent set when rice was omitted at the last minute from the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during those negotiations several years ago. Crawford represents the largest rice-producing district in Arkansas, the nation's top rice-farming state.
Kirk told Crawford that the United States will continue to push access for U.S.-grown rice to South Korea and said all negotiating partners in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks have been asked to "put everything on the table."
According to Kirk, South Korea is very protective of its rice market, but he is encouraged that the United States has a minimum access agreement with the country that allows for 50,000 metric tons of U.S. rice to be exported there annually. South Korea imported 40,000 metric tons of U.S. rice in excess of the minimum access amount last year, Kirk said.
The exchange occurred during a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the free trade agreements the United States has negotiated with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Provisions for expanded U.S. rice access into the Colombian and Panamanian rice markets are specified in those agreements, but not in the South Korea document.
USA Rice Federation advocates that FTAs entered into by the United States must be comprehensive and include all products.
Contact:
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, (703) 236-1451 |
| House Chairman Announces FY 2012 Discretionary Spending Levels and Markup Schedules, Agriculture Funding Reduced |
WASHINGTON -- House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) announced that the draft fiscal year (FY) 2012 discretionary spending allocation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is $17.25 billion, nearly $2.7 billion less than Congress' final FY 2011 amount. Rogers also issued a schedule to debate appropriations bills, with May 24 and 31 set as the dates to mark up USDA and FDA budgets at the subcommittee and committee levels, respectively.
The allocations are subject to change until the FY 2012 budget resolution is officially adopted and the committee approves the final funding levels, Rogers said.
Discretionary USDA programs include the Women, Infants, and Children program, rural development loans and grants, research and education programs, and soil and water conservation technical assistance. Allocations to 11 of the 12 House appropriations subcommittees were reduced from FY 2011, except for defense, which is $17 billion more than the current fiscal year.
In April, USA Rice Federation submitted FY 2012 appropriations requests to the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, opposing "any attempts to modify the farm-safety-net support levels" provided by the 2008 farm bill and encouraging the subcommittee and committee "to resist such efforts during the appropriations process." USA Rice also urged maintaining current authorized funding levels for export market development programs and food aid, strong research funding, and adequate funding for USDA's Risk Management, Farm Service, and Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Contact:
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, (703) 236-1451 |
| USA Rice Joins Effort to Break Guinness World Record |
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Participants shown with the mosaic.
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AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico -- USA Rice Federation joined a team of 120 culinary students from the Universidad del Valle de Mexico (UVM) on May 7 to break the Guinness World Record for the world's largest sushi mosaic, which measured 27 square meters (approximately 290 square feet). The team's mosaic, in the shape of the jaguar warrior of the state of Chiapas, contained nearly 10,000 pieces of sushi made with U.S.-grown rice.
The size of the mosaic was certified, as the rules state, and UVM submitted the results to Guinness World Records, where official certification of the record is pending. The sushi was completed during the Feria San Marcos, Mexico's largest state fair. The event was initiated by a culinary professor who has participated in various USA Rice training events and promotions.
The previous record for world's largest sushi mosaic was set in October 2010 at the World Expo in Shanghai by the Norwegian Seafood Export Council. The mosaic measured 21 square meters (approximately 226 square feet).
USA Rice works with eight UVM campuses throughout Mexico to teach culinary students about rice's versatility and profitability on restaurant menus.
Contact:
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, (303) 955-1634 |
| Weekly Rice Sales Increase, Exports Decrease |
WASHINGTON -- Net rice sales of 67,500 metric tons (MT) increased noticeably from the previous week and were 30 percent more than the prior four-week average, according to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture Export Sales Highlights Report. Increases were reported for Mexico (27,200 MT), South Korea (22,900 MT), Ghana (10,000 MT), El Salvador (6,600 MT), and Honduras (2,000 MT). Decreases were reported for Iraq (6,000 MT), Turkey (2,200 MT), Equatorial Guinea (500 MT), and Liberia (200 MT).
Exports of 47,900 MT were 20 percent less than the previous week and 32 percent less than the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were South Korea (12,600 MT), Liberia (12,200 MT), El Salvador (6,600 MT), Saudi Arabia (3,800 MT), and Mexico (3,600 MT).
This summary is based on reports from exporters for April 29-May 5. |
| CME Group/CBOT Rice Futures Closing |
CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 12
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Month
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Price
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Net Change
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May 2011
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$13.785
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+ $0.035
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July 2011
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$13.985
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+ $0.03
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Sept. 2011
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$14.865
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- $0.15
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Nov. 2011
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$15.19
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- $0.02
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Jan. 2012
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$15.47
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- $0.06
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March 2012
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$15.74
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- $0.11
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May 2012
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$16.045
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- $0.11
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| Mission Statement |
| USA Rice Federation is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses. |
| About Us |
Editor: Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd, (703) 236-1458,
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Associate Editor: Rob Yunich, (703) 236-1444,
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Fax (703) 236-2301
4301 North Fairfax Dr.
Suite 425, Arlington, VA 22203-1616.
This report is time-sensitive, based on information available at press time. Content is derived from facts and sources believed to be reliable. Reprinting and/or distribution may be done with permission of the USA Rice Federation
Copyright © 2011. Please direct comments or questions to the editor or contact name listed for each story. |
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