AUSTRALIA

Rice to Be Shipped to Japan: The Ricegrowers Cooperative said it expects to start shipping bags of Australian rice to Japan after finalizing an agreement with Tokyo this week under Japan’s emergency rice import program. The agreement ends concern in the Australian industry that the Japanese government would favor U.S. rice over Australian rice to ease trade tensions with Washington. The Japanese government was forced to lift a ban on imports of rice because of insufficient domestic supply after the worst harvest in decades. The shipments are the first of what some hope will become regular shipments of Australian rice to Japan, Ricegrowers Cooperative Chairman Ian Davidge said in a statement.