VIETNAM, May 28, 2004 -- Vietnam's 2004 rice production is revised up due to the bigger Summer-Autumn rice crop. Prices of Vietnam's rice (both domestic and export prices) are at high level due to tight exportable rice supplies. Vietnam's Ministry of Trade is working on a more flexible rice management mechanism. Trade data for Vietnam's rice exports in the first quarter of 2004 and revised rice PS&D table are also included.

JAPAN, May 28, 2004 -- U.S. rice, accounting for 2,724 MT, or 13% of the total (20,764 MT) was contracted under the first JFY 04 Simultaneous Buy and Sell (SBS) rice tender on May 21. Despite early speculations that China may not have enough supplies to offer, contracts for Chinese rice reached 13,286 MT, or 64% of the total. Price mark-ups have returned to 2002 levels, reflecting a sharp decline in the price of Japanese domestic rice.

PAKISTAN, May 28, 2004 -- This report contains the most recent official wheat and rice trade data for Pakistan for CY 2003.

THAILAND, May 28, 2004 -- Export prices continued to declined slightly, due to sluggish demand and higher freight rates.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION, May 28, 2004 -- Grain prices have been decreasing since their peak in February, but bread and grain product prices continue to rise, fueled by the high costs of fuel, electricity, and rental payments.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION, May 28, 2004 -- Total oilseed production in MY 2004 will decline as the area sown to sunflowerseeds declines in response to more attractive prices for grains. Given that sunflowerseeds constitute over 85 percent of total oilseed production, the expected decrease in the sunflowerseed crop will affect both exports and crushing despite a forecast increase in soybean production. Domestic demand for oilseeds for crushing will be strong, mainly from large vertically integrated companies. Imports will only increase slightly, but exports will decrease by a factor of three.

TAIWAN, May 28, 2004 -- On May 24, Taiwan announced its 2nd public tender for 20,000 metric tons of medium brown rice plus 1,700 metric tons of long brown rice. The medium brown rice tender is subdivided into two bids, each 10,000 metric tons. The tenders are for crops harvested after July 2003.

ZIMBABWE, May 28, 2004 -- Zimbabwe, once the world's second biggest tobacco exporter is currently selling its smallest crop in 33 years allowing competitors like Brazil, China and India to gain market share. Total 2004 production is estimated at 60,750 tons compared to the record 245,148 tons produced in 2000. Exports could still exceed 60,000 tons compared to the 143,000 tons exported two years ago. The cutback in production is mainly due to the land reform program.

EU-25, May 28, 2004 -- This weekly report contains data on rice prices in the U.S., Thailand and the EU. It also lists current import duties and export subsidies in the EU. All information will be published as such in the USDA publication "Rice Market News".

SPAIN, May 28, 2004 -- In CY 2003, Spain's overall tomato production rose to 3.91 million tons due to a record crop of processing tomatoes -- which exceeded the EU quota for processing. As a consequence, the EU subsidy for processing tomatoes will be reduced by 14.9 percent for MY 2004/05. However, the penalty has had little impact on producers, who expect to harvest yet another record crop of processing tomatoes in MY2004/05; if realized, this output would support a dramatic increase in paste production and exports in MY 2004/05.

EL SALVADOR, May 28, 2004 -- El Salvador's coffee production continues to decline and in MY 2003/04 is expected to reach 1.25 million 60 Kg. bags green bean equivalent (GBE). Some efforts to promote Specialty and Gourmet coffee are being spearheaded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in conjunction with the Salvadoran Coffee Council (CSC). However, El Salvador still lacks a national program to market its coffee abroad. Imports of mainly soluble low quality coffee have gained control of local consumption. Coffee exports in 2004/05 are expected to only generate approximately $100 million in foreign exchange

NIGERIA, May 28, 2004 -- Total Nigerian seafood imports increased 33 percent from 600,000 MT in 2002 to 800,000 MT (valued $570 million) in 2003 [Industry/AgOffice estimates]. A 30-35 percent increase is anticipated by end of 2004. Export sales of U.S. seafood (especially frozen mackerel, herring and croaker) to Nigeria nearly doubled in 2003 although market share remains negligible. If brokers consolidating these seafood products can be found in the U.S., Nigerian importers would consider large-volume purchasing for shipment in larger river vessels to reduce average freight costs. Sections I & II have been updated.

MEXICO, May 28, 2004 -- *FOOD SALES THROUGH SUPERMARKETS INCREASING *IMPLEMENTATION OF U.S. BIO-TERRORISM LAW DOES NOT AFFECT MEXICAN COMPANIES *DISPUTE TO ALLOW TOTAL ACCESS FOR MEXICAN HASS AVOCADOS ENDS *DRY EDIBLE BEAN PRODUCTION SHOULD BE MOVED TO MORE PROFITABLE CROPS *INCREASE IN DOMESTIC PRICES OF MEAT AND POULTRY FORESEEN *U.S. MEAT PRODUCERS TO LOWER THEIR PRICES IN MEXICO *U.N. FOOD AGENCY REPORTS BIOTECH CROPS DO NOT HAVE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH