Chicago Board of Trade rice futures continued an upturned on Friday, ending higher on strong technical, traders said.
CBOT rice futures ended 5 to 17 cents per hundredweight higher. May was up 16-1/2 at $10.56-1/2 and July was 17 higher at $10.78.
Estimated volume was 2,096 for futures and 110 for options.
Speculators continued to buy rice but there was also commercial buying that pushed the market to the day's highs, floor traders said.
The highs came amid talk of market participants buying CBOT rice receipts heading into first notice day for the May contract on April 30.
The May/July spread traded between 22 cents and 23 cents as traders rolled their May positions.
The market remains underpin by strong US rice exports and little to no farmer hedge pressure as they focus on spring planting, traders said.