Total U.S. 2013/14 Rice Supplies Projected To Decline 6 Percent

By CnAgri2013-06-26 11:16:52 Print Total supplies for 2013/14 remain projected at 246.1 million cwt, a decline of 6 percent from a year earlier and the smallest since 2003/04. The smaller supplies are the result of a weaker crop and smaller carryin more than off setting higher imports.By class, long-grain total supplies are projected at 176.9 million cwt, up 1.0 million from last month’s forecast but down almost 6 percent from a year earlier.Combined medium- and short-grain total supplies for 2013/14 are projected at 67.0 million cwt, down 1.0 million cwt from last month’s forecast and down almost 8 percent from 2012/13. The 1.0-million cwt shift in supplies between classes wascaused by 2012/13 export revisions by class that changed 2013/14 beginning stocks by class.

At 34.1 million cwt, 2013/14 beginning stocks of all-rice are 17 percent below a year earlier. Long-grain beginning stocks are projected at 21.4 million cwt, up 1.0 million cwt from last month’s forecast, but down 12 percent from a year earlier. Medium- and short-grain beginning stocks for 2013/14 are projected at 10.5 million
cwt, down 1.0 million cwt from last month’s forecast and almost 29 percent below a year earlier.

All-rice imports for 2013/14 remain forecast at 22.5 million cwt, an increase of 5 percent from a year earlier and second only to the 2007/08 record of 23.9 million cwt. The increase is based on tighter supplies of U.S.-grown rice and continued growth in U.S. purchases of aromatic rice from Asia. Through April, shipments from Asia—primarily India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam—were 14 percent ahead of a year earlier. Long-grain imports remain projected at a record 20.0 million cwt, an increase of 5 percent from 2012/13. Thailand, India, and Pakistan typically supply the bulk of U.S. long-grain imports. In some years, Vietnam ships rice to the United States, mostly in the form of broken kernels for processed uses. Combined medium- and short-grain imports remain projected at 2.5 million cwt, unchanged from a year earlier. Specialty rice from Thailand accounts for most of the U.S. medium- and short-grain rice imported by the United States. Italy supplies most of the remainder of the medium- and short-grain rice imports.