Dear Subscriber,

We are pleased to send you the new issue of the FAO Rice Price Update: 

Brief commentary of the month:      

ˇ          In January 2015, the FAO All Rice Price Index (2002-2004=100) averaged 222 points, 2 points less than recorded in December. Although it would mark the fifth month of consecutive declines, the January fall was relatively contained, at 0.7 percent, especially if compared with the 3.9 percent drop observed in December. Of the four major segments that compose the market, the decreases were most pronounced for Japonica, which shed 1.3 percent, and less so for the Higher Quality and Lower Quality Indica rice, which fell by 0.5 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively. Against the general tendency, Aromatic rice prices, which had tumbled in November (-21.3 percent) and December (-11.4 percent), slightly rebounded (+1.1 percent) last month.

ˇ         The arrival of new supplies combined with subdued demand continued to weigh on the market. However, export prices showed greater resilience in Thailand and India, while weakening more markedly in Viet Nam and Pakistan. Prices in the United States were negatively influenced by limited new sales, but they held firmer in the rest of the Americas on relatively thin supplies. 

ˇ         The 2015 calendar year opened with the FAO All Rice Price Index in January falling 2 percent short of its corresponding level in 2014. The variations were much more prominent at the single market level: most striking was the sharply lower prices of fragrant rice compared to January last year, with the differential estimated at -28.2 percent, which contrasted with the 18.4 percent gain for Japonica rice. The price disparity was non-negligible either for the Higher Quality and the Lower Quality Indica, which were down by 8.6 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, year-on-year,

For more information on prices, you may wish to consult the International Commodity Price Database  http://www.fao.org/economic/est/statistical-data/est-cpd/en/, which gives access to weekly prices of major traded products, including the high quality Thai white rice 100% B and the 100 % broken rice Thai A1 Super, from 1989 onwards.  Monthly international and domestic prices for rice and other selected commodities in 90 countries are available through the Food Price Data and Analysis Tool (http://www.fao.org/giews/pricetool/).

You might also be interested to visit the FAO World Food Situation portal, which provides monthly updates on the World Cereal Supply and Demand Situation and Outlook (http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/en/).

Kind regards,

Concepción

Concepción Calpe
Senior Economist,
Secretary, Intergovernmental Group on Rice
Trade and Markets Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, Italy
D-803
Tel. 39-06-570 54136
Fax 39-06-570 54495
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

 



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