RICE STOCK

• The country’s total rice  stock inventory as of March 1, 2005 was 1.53 million metric tons, down by 14.1 and 21.4 percent from last month and year ago levels, respectively. The current stock  is enough for 53 days.
• Likewise, the household and commercial sectors’ holdings dropped from their month ago levels by 21.5 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively. On  the  other  hand, NFA stock   of which 64 percent   are imported rice went up by 18.9 percent.
• Stock position in all sectors dropped compared to last year with major drawdown of 60.3 percent in NFA depositories.
• As of the reporting period, households’ rice stocks was good for 32 days supply, while those of commercial and NFA warehouses were good for 13 and 8 days supply, respectively.

CORN STOCK

• The March 1, 2005 total corn stock inventory of 267 thousand metric  tons was 18.2 and 14.1 percent higher than those of last month and same period last year, respectively.
• Corn stocks in the households went up by 27.6 percent from last month’s  stock level. Commercial warehouses  also posted a 9.4 and 94.4 percent hike in corn stock position over that of last month and last year’s same period levels, respectively.
• The households have  around 50 percent of the current corn stock. NFA reported 794 metric tons of yellow corngrain for the period.