Maize prices up on strong demand and low arrivals on rains in Bihar.

Prices of maize were up in the key wholesale markets of Purnea, Bihar, because of strong demand for the coarse grain. Demand was high as rainfall in the state raised concerns of damage in the harvested maize crop lying in farms. In Purnea, the mill quality of the grain was sold up nearly 20 rupees from previous close. Prices of the poor-quality maize also rose by 10-20 rupees per 100 kg. Arrivals of maize in Purnea were estimated at 9,000 tonne, higher than 8,000 tonne on previous close.

Paddy distress sale in Jaleswar; Bengal traders make huge.

Despite adverse climatic condition, this agricultural district of Balasore has recorded bumper harvest of paddy this season. But farmers still resort to distress sale as the procurement process is yet to commence in this region. On the other hand, traders from West Bengal are set to make huge profit cashing in on the helplessness of the poor farmers. Though the government assessment has put the production at 50 quintals, some farmers have harvested more than 80 quintals per hectare. However, despite such bumper production, farmers are selling their produce at something around Rs 1,100 per quintal to traders of West Bengal against the government-fixed minimum support price of Rs 1,470 for fair average quality (FAQ) standard of paddy. It is not only paddy, farmers who have raised groundnuts, green gram and black gram, also suffer from distress sale.

Bangladesh rice crisis imminent after poor harvest.

Agriculture Ministry estimates say the average per hectare Boro production in Bangladesh is about 4 tonnes. The nation’s food supply is likely to face a threat from the loss of Boro production in the current season from early flash-floods in the Haor wetlands, as well as pest attacks on paddy crops across the country. Rice prices are already unusually high and market insiders fear that the worst is yet to come. The government is now scrambling to make a quick response and has agreed the first rice imports for six years, ordering 600,000 tonnes.Government rice reserve came down to 262,000 tonnes on May 7. In May, last year the reserve was about 678,000 tonnes. Traders are also have very little rice in reserve.

India rice unchanged in spot market.

Wholesale prices of rice were unchanged in major spot markets. The steam variety of basmati rice Pusa 1121 was sold at 6,800-6,900 rupees per 100 kg in Amritsar, while non-basmati variety Permal Raw sold for 2,900-3,000 rupees per 100 kg.

NCDEX coriander hits 3% lower cap on weak demand.

Futures contracts of coriander hit their 3% lower circuit on the NCDEX because of subdued demand from overseas buyers and the spice industry. A rise in arrivals also weighed on the prices. The most active June contract was down 3% on the NCDEX. Arrivals in Kota, the benchmark market, were at 13,000 bags (1bag=40kg) up from 10,000 bags on previous close. In Kota, the Badami variety and the Eagle variety both down 200 rupees from the previous trading day.

NCDEX Friday marks 5,150 tonne cotton oilcake for staggered delivery May.

The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange on Friday marked 5,150 tonne cottonseed oilcake, and 1,700 tonne mustard seed for staggered delivery in the May contract. The May derivative series will expire on May 19, Under the staggered delivery mechanism, sellers can indicate intention of delivery to the exchange during the tender period, which is 10 days before the contract expires.

MCX cotton up 1% on firm demand in spot markets.

Futures contracts of cotton rose nearly 1% on the MCX because of higher demand in the spot markets, and tracking benchmark contracts on the ICE. May contract of cotton on the MCX traded up 0.8% from the previous close. The June contract also traded 0.7% higher at 21,390 rupees. On the ICE, the most-active July contract traded at 77.53 cents per pound. However, prospects of a higher acreage for cotton, amid reports of an early onset of the southwest monsoon in India, prevented any further rise in prices.

Bengaluru coffee auction offtake at 74 tonne of 243 tonne offered.

J. Thomas & Co Pvt Ltd sold 74 tonne of 243.28 tonne coffee on offer at the auction in Bengaluru on Thursday. The volume of coffee sold was unchanged from the previous auction, held on May 4. Of the total coffee on offer, 154.12 tonne was of the Arabica variety, while 89.17 tonne was the Robusta variety. Roasters purchased superior quality Arabica Plantation variety, while Robusta Parchment coffee received enquiries from exporters.

Sugar prices fall in Maharashtra, steady in north India.

Prices of sugar fell in Mumbai and Kolhapur, in Maharashtra, due to weak buying even as mills lowered their prices to trigger demand. Demand has been subdued for almost two weeks in the state. In the key wholesale markets of Kolhapur and Mumbai, sugar was sold down 5 rupees from Thursday. In the other key wholesale markets of Muzaffarnagar and Delhi, prices were unchanged as trade remained thin. Demand for sugar is also subdued in the country as forecast of normal monsoon in 2017 has dampened the sentiment. Adequate rainfall may help in reviving the sugarcane crop across the southern part of India, which is facing acute shortage of water. Sugar prices in the near term may further fall as supplies are expected to increase once the imported sugar arrives in the market. On the NCDEX, the most-active July contract of sugar traded up 0.2% from the previous close.

NCDEX cotton oilcake recovers on bargain buying.

Futures contracts of cottonseed oilcake on the NCDEX recovered due to increased buying after prices hit a 17-month low of 1,845 rupees per 100 kg on Thursday. The most-active June contract was up 1.8% from the previous close. Gains in cotton futures on the MCX also contributed to the rise. The May contract traded up 1.6%. Cottonseed oilcake, a derivative of cotton, is used as animal feed. In Akola, Maharashtra, the benchmark market, cottonseed oilcake was sold at 1,900 rupees per 100 kg, while in Kadi, Gujarat, the commodity was sold at 1,960 rupees, both unchanged from the previous day.

Centre-South Brazil Apr 2017-18 sugar output 1.12 million tonne, down 38% year on year.

Mills in Brazil Centre-South region produced 1.12 million tonne of sugar during the second fortnight of April, down 38.1% from 1.81 million tonne produced a year ago. The fall in sugar output can be attributed to delay in milling and low sugar recovery from cane. Mills in the region, which accounts for more than 90% of Brazil total sugar output, crushed 24.09 million tonne of sugarcane during Apr 2017-18 down 33.5% on year. Mills in the region crushed 41.71 million tonne of cane during April, down 39.7% on year. They produced 1.83 million tonne of sugar, down 43.8% on year. Of the total cane crushed, around 41.5% was used for sugar production, while 58.5% was used to make ethanol. Mills in Brazil Centre-South region are likely to produce 35.2 million tonne of sugar this season compared with 35.6 million tonne produced in the 2016-17 (Apr-Mar) season.

NCDEX wheat futures end up; spot price unchanged.

Wheat futures on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange ended higher for the third consecutive session due to the disparity between prices in spot and futures markets. The June wheat contract on the NCDEX ended up 0.6% from the previous close. In Delhi, mill-quality wheat was unchanged from previous close.

Madhya Pradesh may miss FY18 wheat procurement target by 1.5 million tonne.

Madhya Pradesh is likely to miss the 8.5-million-tonne wheat procurement target for 2017-18 (Apr-Mar) by 1.5 million tonne, due to lower turnout of farmers at procurement centres following delay in payments. Target of 8.5 million tonne now seems difficult. Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest wheat growing state in the country with output this year seen at a record 23 million tonne. since the procurement began in the state late March, around 6 million tonne of wheat has been procured, while another 1 million tonne is expected to flow into government reserves till early June. Delay in payment from cooperative banks due to cash crunch has irked farmers, pushing them to sell the grain in spot markets for instant payments.