U.S. National Weekly Rice Summary

LITTLE ROCK - Apr 10/06 - SNS -- The latest weekly rice market summary for the United States was released by the USDA today.

                       National Weekly Rice Summary
                   (Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas-California)

   Domestic shipment: Offers, fob mills, milled rice, spot prices, dollars per
cwt, bagged. (All milled rice grade No 2 not to exceed 4 percent brokens,
except California grade No 1. All second heads grade No 4 or better, second
head and brewers are bulk.)

                   Arkansas         Texas     Louisiana    California
Long grain      17.00-17.50   16.50-20.50   16.00-17.00
Medium grain    20.00-23.00                 22.00-23.00   22.00-26.00
Short grain                                               24.50-25.50
Parboiled       18.00-23.00   18.50-28.50         27.00
Second heads     9.00-11.50   10.00-11.00    9.00-11.00   15.00-20.00
Brewers          8.75-11.00    9.00-10.00    8.00-10.00   11.00-13.00

Feed by-products (spot prices, dollars per short ton, fob mills).

Rice bran       40.00-58.00   60.00-62.00   45.00-62.00   70.00-75.00
Rice millfeed         24.00   23.00-25.00   21.00-23.00
Rice hulls        5.00-7.00     2.00-5.00     1.00-3.00    6.00-10.00

                             Domestic Situation

   Domestic milled rice price quotes in the south were steady, in California
steady. By-products were mostly steady in the south, steady in California.

   In the south, long grain rice prices were steady, quoted mostly at 16.50-
17.25; medium grain prices were steady, quoted mostly at 22.00-23.00; parboiled
rice prices were steady, quoted mostly from 18.00-19.00; second heads were
steady, quoted mostly at 10.00-11.00; brewers were steady, quoted mostly at
10.00. Rice by-products: Offers for rice bran were steady, instances 3.00 lower;
millfeed was steady; hulls were steady.

   In California, medium grain milled rice prices were steady, quoted mostly
from 23.00-24.00; short grain prices were steady; second heads were steady to
instances 1.00 higher; brewers were steady to instances 1.00 higher. Rice bran
was steady; rice hulls were steady.

   Planting area intended for rice in 2006 is estimated at 2.97 million acres,
down 12 percent from 2005 and down 11 percent from 2004. Growers in California
intend to plant 550,000 acres, up 4 percent from last year.  All other rice-
producing States expect a decrease in acreage from 2005.

   Long grain intended acreage, representing 78 percent of the total, is down 16
percent from last year.  Medium grain intended acreage is up 5 percent from 2005
and represents 20 percent of the total. Area intended for short grain varieties
increased 2 percent from 2005 and represents 2 percent of the total.  Producers
expect acreage to decline from last year due to the current weak rice prices
along with higher fuel, fertilizer, and irrigation costs for the upcoming crop
year.

   Rough rice stocks in all positions on March 1, 2006, totaled 111 million
hundredweight (cwt), down 6 percent from the total on March 1, 2005.  Stocks
held on farms totaled 30.9 million cwt, and off-farm stocks totaled 80.4 million
cwt.  Long grain varieties accounted for 77 percent of the total rough rice,
medium grain accounted for 21 percent, and short grain varieties accounted for
2 percent.

   Milled rice stocks in all positions totaled 4.57 million cwt, 16 percent
below a year ago.  Milled rice stocks were comprised of 3.74 million cwt of
whole kernel rice and 831,000 cwt of second heads, screenings, and brewers rice.

Source:   USDA-AR Extension Service, Little Rock, AR

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STAT News Service