RICE STOCK

• The total rice stock inventory for May 1, 2005 was estimated at 2.01 million metric tons, up by 13.4 percent from previous month’s level. Households, traders and NFA depositories posted increments in their stock volumes by 3.7, 23.1 and 28.2  percent,  respe ctively.  The current stock is enough to last for 70 days.
• The present stock level was lower by 16.5 percent as compared to last year’s total inventory. Stock holdings in all sectors dropped from 19 to 13 percent.
• Around 57 percent of the total current stock inventory were in the households, while 23 and 20 percent were stored in commercial warehouses and NFA depositories, respectively. Imported rice accounted for 87.9 percent of NFA stocks.

CORN STOCK

• The May 1, 2005 total corn stock inventory stood at 255.0 thousand metric tons, 15.5 percent lower than previous month’s level but 6.9 percent higher than that of same period last year.
• Compared to last month ’s inventory, the households and commercial warehouses registered declines in their holdings by 23.9 and 6.2 percent, respectively.
• Around 52.5 percent of the current corn stocks were with the households while the 47.0 percent were with the commercial warehouses.
• Corn stocks in NFA depositories remained the same.