IRAQ, one of the world's largest importers of wheat and rice, has bought 90,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice after a tender was issued more than two weeks ago, an Iraqi grain board official said on Thursday. "The rice tender has been set to buy 60,000 tonnes from Vina Food Company and 30,000 tonnes of rice from VIP, an Iraqi-Vietnamese company," said Hassan Ibrahim, director general of the Iraq Grain Board. "The purchase was on FOB terms."

 MUMBAI (Commodity Online): Australia's rice output in the crop year ended March 31 is expected to touch around 205,000 metric tons or triple from 63,000 tons, according to the grains report by the New South Wales Industry & Investment department. Harvesting of the crop in the Riverina district of New South Wales is almost complete, with yield averaging 11 tons a hectare, the highest on record, up from 8.9 tons/hectare previously, according to the report.

 NEW DELHI: Rice production of the country may cross 100 million tonnes in the 2010-11 crop year provided there is normal monsoon, Planning Commission member, Mr Abhijit Sen, said on Wednesday. "Rice output is likely to be over 100 million tonnes this year if Met department's monsoon forecast comes true," Mr Sen told reporters on the sidelines of a function. If production crosses 100 million tonnes, it will be a new record surpassing the earlier high of 99.18 million tonnes in 2008-09 crop year (July-June).

 NAIC, CAVITE—A FLOOD OF RICE IMPORTS during the election period is now hurting farmers who are deep in debt as a result of losses incurred by falling prices of local rice.The importation of 2.4 million metric tons (MT) of rice started in December and continued until May, according to a rice agency official. Farmers are bearing the brunt of the adverse effects of the importation. “Here, if you want to incur debts, go plant rice,” said 68-year-old farmer Ciriaco Catibayan.