US rough rice futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell Wednesday on profit-taking after notching a six-week peak early in the session, traders said. Rice rallied on worries that Tropical Storm Gustav could cause further delays to the US rice harvest. The biggest concerns would be delays in Mississippi and Arkansas where the crop is furthest behind, traders said.
Once September rice penetrated its 100-day moving average of $18.64 per hundredweight, climbing to $18.72 - selling surfaced amid the weakness in wheat. September rice closed 13 cents lower at $18.34.
November rice ended 14 down at $18.55. Only 10 percent of the US rice harvest was complete as of Sunday, behind the five-year average of 14 percent, USDA said. USDA left its weekly world market price for long grain rough rice unchanged at $17.33 per cwt. Price of Thai 100 percent B grade white rice was unchanged for the second week at $700/tonne.