RICE STOCK

• Total rice stock as of February 1, 2005 was estimated at 1.78 million metric tons. It was lower than last month’s and same month last year’s stock volume by 13.7 and 15.7 percent, respectively. Stock levels   dropped as less harvests came in the later part of January. The current stock is enough to last for 62 days.
• Compared to last month’s stock position, NFA, household and commercial stock holdings  for  this  month  dropped  by  21.5, 14.0 and 8.1 percent, respectively.
• Compared to 2004 levels, this year’s   NFA and commercial sectors’ holdings dropped by 65.6 and 16.1 percent, respectively. In contrast, household stocks went up by 12.9 percent. Imported rice accounted for 51.0 percent of NFA stocks.
• Around 66 percent of the total current rice stock inventory are with the households, while around 23 percent and 11 percent are with the commercial warehouses and NFA depositories, respectively.

CORN STOCK

• The February 1, 2005 total corn stock inventory was placed at 224 thousand metric tons, higher than the  preceding month and last year’s  levels by 17.4 and 8.8 percent, respectively.
• The commercial sector posted   43.6 and 42.4 percent increments  over its month and year ago stock levels. Household holdings on  the  other hand dropped from those of  last month and last year by 2.8 and 14.2 percent, respectively.
• NFA reported no corn stock for the period.