Meanwhile rice production in the US and Australia is decreasing this year due to reports of discovereries of GMO-strains of the grain there, resulting in import bans in some markets such as Europe. While China is now the biggest importer of Thai rice, Chookiat expects Indonesia to become a major market in 2007 because of declining production in the archipelago nation. That's all good news for Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, that is expected to ship between 8. Hue blamed the...

The scientists said GM potato seeds would enhance the crop's overall resistance against blight, a commonly found disease in potato. This comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court judgment, allowing field trials of GM potatoes, rice, mustard, tomatoes, cauliflower and groundnuts. Major potato producing state West Bengal is in the grip of blight disease and farmers are set to suffer huge losses this time due to the late attack of the fungi. The state, with the highest productivity of...

Indonesian rice farmers in Java and Bali must invest in hardier crops and better water storage methods if they hope to maintain harvests in the face of man-made climate change and weather systems such as El Nino, according to a new study. The warm El Nino weather system has already been shown to wreak havoc with the region's rice production by delaying monsoon rains, disrupting the planting of the main rice crop and prolonging the "hungry season" before the main rice harvest. The...

In the case of the stock market, if the market continues to trend up you can buy back the short put and play out the long puts for a major down spike. The overall outlook for the energy remains bearish as the potential for problems remains but the reality is that nothing concrete has happened and cannot support this market. I see natural gas as a great trailing bear play, with put options remaining cheap and a lag effect from a broad based energy sector selloff ultimately bringing this...

He says rice is becoming a staple food in the country and its important the government encourage farmers to grow the crop locally instead of importing it. The Solomon Islands government and an advertising agency have provided equipment for some rice farmers. Sols government and an advertising agency provide equipment for rice farmers. Fiji Methodists denounce 2006 coup as worst of takeovers. The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific. New Zealand boosts foreign aid by more than...