The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said Thursday that Far East rice production was forecast at 694.3 million tonnes for the latest season — three percent above the five-year average.

“Record or near-record outputs are forecast in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan and the Philippines,” said the FAO’s quarterly global report on crop prospects and the food situation.

“Near-average out-turns are forecast in Thailand, China (mainland) and Viet Nam,” it said.

But Nepal’s paddy output is expected to reach a five-year low due to unseasonal rains across several provinces in October that affected yields when crops were about to be harvested.

“Similarly, below-average harvests are forecast in Myanmar, due to both area and yield contractions, in Indonesia and in Bhutan, where farmers shifted some paddy land to more profitable food crops, including vegetables.”

“In Japan and Malaysia, the 2021 paddy outputs are seen to decrease compared with the previous five-year averages.”

After falling for most of 2021, Vietnamese prices firmed in January — just before the main winter-spring crop harvest — and were about 20 percent down from a year earlier.

In India, prices were stable or rose, mostly supported by government procurement activities.

“Similarly, prices were generally stable in Cambodia and China (mainland), reflecting adequate supplies from the 2021 harvests,” the report said.

“In Myanmar, prices decreased for the third consecutive month from the high levels reached in October 2021, reflecting improved availabilities from the 2021 main season harvest.”

“In Thailand, by contrast, domestic rice prices increased for the fourth consecutive month in January but were nonetheless more than 10 percent below their year-earlier levels after the decreases in 2021,” the report said.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press