Rough rice futures on the Chicago Board of Trade settled higher on Monday on light technical buying, traders said. July rice ended 34 cents higher at $20.37 per hundredweight, with September up 34 at $19.75. Volume was thin at an estimated 470 futures.
CBOT rice registrations dropped by 54 contracts to 1,704 contracts late Monday, a sign of firm domestic cash markets. After Monday's close, USDA said 70 percent of the US rice crop was rated in good to excellent condition, down from 71 percent a week earlier. USDA said 3 percent of the crop had headed, near the five-year average of 4 percent.