Scholarships Awarded Following Delta Classic Golf Tournament
Aug. 26, 2015
Brandon Moore of Marion, Paul Wolf of White Hall and Austin
Cates of Marion earned scholarships awarded following the 16th Annual Delta
Scholarship Golf Classic.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
Department in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
at the University of Arkansas collected more than $20,000 for scholarships at
this year’s 16th Annual Delta Scholarship Golf Classic.The tournament was July
24 at The Ridges at Village Creek in Wynne. Since 2000, the tournament has
generated more than $375,000 used to fund 139 scholarships while building an
endowment for future scholarships.
Students earning a Delta Classic Scholarship include Tanner
Bratton, Austin Cates and Brandon Moore from Marion High School; Drew Dillion
from DeWitt High School; Seth Busby from Green County Tech High School in
Paragould; Laura Ortega from Rogers High School; Zane Taillon from Beebe High School;
Kaitlyn Turner from Tuckerman High School; and Paul Wolf of White Hall.
“I would like to earn my master’s degree and possibly a
doctorate, and help future students after I begin my career.”James L.
Barrentine Endowed scholarships were awarded to Zachary Jones, a U of A junior
from Paragould; Blake Bennett from Pocahontas High School; Tanner Schuck from
Har-Ber High School; and Helen Sha from Fayetteville High School. Barrentine, a
former Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department head, organized CSES
alumni and friends who initiated the benefit golf tournament to support
scholarships prior to his retirement in 2006.“I want to thank our alumni and
friends for their hard work in keeping this event going in the Delta,” said
tournament director Darrin Malone.
“I also want to thank the staff at The Ridges at Village Creek
for helping make it a success. It’s been fun helping provide resources to our
new and upcoming students in the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences
Department. I think our alumni and friends find great pleasure in being a small
part of their future and career while they are at the University of
Arkansas.”Tournament winners include the DuPont Pioneer 1 team of Tim Sisk, Jay
Cadwell, Danny Draper and Jody Gilbert, all from Wynne, in Flight A; the
Southern Bancorp team of Gaylon Rogers and Edward Reginold of Blytheville, and
Wayne Anderson and John Bryant of West Helena in Flight B; and the U of A Weed
Science team of Bob Scott and Ward Hanna of Cabot, Clark Moore of Little Rock
and Chuck Capps of DeWitt in Flight C.
“I continue to be impressed with how well everything gets done
and how good the final product is,” said Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
Department head Robert Bacon. “It was very gratifying for me to see a team
composed of former scholarship recipients not only supporting the tournament,
but also knowing the contributions they are making to the agricultural industry
in the state. The proceeds from the tournament are extremely important in
maintaining the vitality of our undergraduate program.”Corporate sponsors for
the tournament were Farm Bureau of Arkansas, Dow AgroSciences/Mycogen/Phytogen
and DuPont Pioneer. Premier hole sponsors were DuPont Crop Protection and
Monsanto.
Hole sponsors included Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services, BASF Ag
Products, Farm Credit Midsouth, Gillett Grain Services, Producers Rice Mill,
Riceland Foods Foundation, U of A Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, U of
A Entomology Group, U of A Rice Research and Extension Center, and U of A Weed
Science Group.Team sponsors included Adams Fertilizer Equipment, Alice-Sidney
Dryer and Seed Company, Armor Seed, Bayer CropScience, Crop Production Services
of Bernie, Missouri, Fuller Seed and Supply, Hickory Hill Pharmacy, Mid-South
Ag Equipment, Mid South Ag Consultants, RiceTec, Southern Ag Resources,
Southern Bancorp, and Stanley & Co.
About the Dale Bumpers College of
Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position
and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with
foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality
of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders,
innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale
Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state
prominent in national and international agriculture.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally
competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200
academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic
development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also
providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie
Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of
universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public
research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10
colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes
personal attention and close mentoring.
CONTACTS
Robby Edwards, director of
communications
Dale Bumpers Co
Dale Bumpers Co
http://news.uark.edu/articles/32118/scholarships-awarded-following-delta-classic-golf-tournament
APEDA INDIA NEWS
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2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference to Feature Political Duo
Matalin
and Carville
Keynote speakers Mary Matalin and James
Carville
NEW
ORLEANS, LA - Husband and wife political strategists and best-selling authors
Mary Matalin and James Carville will be the keynote speakers at the 2015 USA
Rice Outlook Conference to be held here this December with a conversation about
the political outlook and what to expect during the 2016 presidential election.
True to their reputations the couple, speaking from their home town of New Orleans,
will offer fiery discussion and insight into the current political landscape
and share their concerns, hopes, and predictions for the upcoming election
cycle.
Matalin
is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America. Among
her many roles, she has served under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W.
Bush, and George W. Bush. Matalin currently co-hosts the nationally syndicated
radio program Both Sides Now, which is broadcast on more than 100 radio
stations.
Outlook
Sponsorship Brochure
Get in on the rice industry's premier event:
become an exhibitor or sponsor today
Carville
and Matalin are headlining an expanded USA Rice Outlook Conference now with two
full days of programming. Attendees will hear timely information and outlooks
on farm policy, the economy, weather trends, farm management, food innovation,
and more.
Other
noted presenters will include Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham, farm
management expert Dick Wittman, economist Dr. David Kohl, and many more.Visit
www.usarice.com/outlook for additional program and registration information and
watch the USA Rice Daily for more program news.The USA Rice Outlook Conference
is the largest annual rice meeting and trade show. Several exciting exhibitor and sponsorship
opportunities are available for this premier event. To learn more, download a
brochure, or contact Jeanette Davis at jdavis@usarice.com, (703) 236-1447.
Contact: Amy Doane (703) 236-1458
California Rice Industry Hosts
USA Rice Leaders
Betsy Ward
USA Rice's Betsy Ward
SACRAMENTO, CA - This week, USA Rice Chairman
Dow Brantley traveled to California to meet with members of the rice industry
and attend the annual California Rice Experiment Station Field Day in Biggs.
In addition to the field day, Brantley and USA
Rice President & CEO, Betsy Ward attended the 8th annual The Rice Trader
(TRT) Americas Conference held in Sacramento yesterday. Ward joined California
Rice Commission (CRC) CEO Tim Johnson and President of the Northern California
Water Association David Guy as panelists on the "Politics, Water, Rice and
the Future" panel during the general session. Ward provided an overview of
USA Rice's activities and mission, particularly updates on international
promotions for several export markets, farm policy and conservation efforts,
and changes to the USA Rice communication resources.
Doherty
and Brantley
California producer Sean Doherty (l) and USA
Rice Chairman Dow Brantley
Following the panel, Brantley and Ward along
with the CRC Executive Committee and CRC Committee Chairs provided updates
relative to the California rice industry, specifically the Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade deal and the China phytosanitary protocol.
Brantley, a rice farmer from Arkansas, shared
his enthusiasm for this trip saying, "It's really been a privilege to
learn about the California rice industry firsthand while I've been in the
state." He added, "Knowing that many challenges California faces are
shared by their colleagues in the south will only strengthen and further unify
the U.S. rice industry."
Contact: Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475
CCC Announces Prevailing World
Market Prices
|
WASHINGTON, DC ---The Department
of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporationtoday announced the following
prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S.
milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and
loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2015 crop, which will
become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices decreased $0.21 per cwt
for long grain and $0.22 per cwt for medium/short grain.
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:
The next program announcement is scheduled for September 2, 2015. |
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
Rice Field Day: Growers get up close with industry-funded
research
POSTED: 08/26/15, 8:04 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
Biggs >> This summer has been rough for rice farmers with
nearly 30 percent of the statewide rice acreage left to bare, open ground.Yet,
cutbacks on water did not keep hundreds of rice farmers from attending the
traditional summer get-together — Rice Field Day.Once a year, growers converge
on the research farm, where scientists hand-plant more than 40 acres, keeping
carefully cross-bred plants separate from other plants.
The goal is to develop improved plants that will provide better
yield, disease resistance, cooking quality and other factors.Farmers pay a
small amount per bag of harvested rice, and that money funds the experiment
station and researchers.During the drought, less rice was grown, which meant a
decreased flow of money to the research station.Experiment Station director Kent
McKenzie said his operation was fortunate that some funding from a tariff
settlement has been used to offset the lost financial support.For the past
several years, the California Rice Research Board has received funding from a
tariff agreement with Colombia, Seth
Fiack, chairman of the Rice Research Board, explained. Rice buyers bid for the
right to buy California rice. The treaty allows for a phase-in of duty-free
access to U.S. rice over time.
Yet, for now a few million dollars are divided among
rice-growing states each year.The funding came just in time, and has been used
to ensure the Biggs experiment station is fully-funded.McKenzie said the
research center also could have had problems this year due to lack of water.
Like many landowners who receive surface water, the Biggs experiment station
had cutbacks of 50 percent.The stations has a well, but that did not provide
enough water to keep all of the research plants alive.McKenzie said some nearby
landowners through Richvale Irrigation District provided the needed water, and
all of the research plants were maintained.
GROWING TENACITY
The Rice Experiment Station
recently passed the 100-year mark. Tim Johnson, president of the California
Rice Commission said he is always impressed by the tenacity of the rice
industry.After four years of drought, acreage in the state is down 30 percent,
with 175,000 few acres planted.A key goal of the breeding program is
to develop even better types of rice.Calrose is the mainstay medium-grain rice
grown in the Sacramento Valley. Most growers opt for one of just a handful of
seed types, depending on their specific growing conditions. Early this year, the board of directors approved a new Calrose
named M-209, which matures early, is semi-dwarf and has high yield.One drawback
is that the variety can be damaged in cold temperatures and more of the kernels
may not mature in cooler weather.
SHARING KNOWLEDGE
A big part of Rice Field Day is
for growers to learn more about their industry, especially if that information
will help them grow more or better rice. One highlight of Rice Field Day is the
ride through the 3,000 experimental rice plots. Farmers pile into the back of
oversized pickup trucks.Julie Tillman was at the event to share information
about the University of California’s new Rice Online website,
http://rice.ucanr.edu
One feature is a map that shows
early and very early rice field test results in different parts of the valley.
This can be important because one type of rice plant may perform slightly
better or worse in slightly different climates.For example, the M-206 did best
in Colusa County over the past four years. In Butte County, early M-209 has
done very well the past three years.
PRAISE FOR FARMERS
The annual event is also a time
to honor those who stand out in the industry.The group managed to surprise Tim
Kelleher.Organizers asked Kelleher to present the Rice Industry Award to Dr. C.
Lorenzo Pope, who worked as a private rice researcher in Glenn County for 39
years.After Pope’s award was given, Kelleher was announced as a another
recipient.Kelleher is an attorney, who was instrumental in helping
farmer-friendly provisions in the latest version of the Farm Bill, McKenzie
said.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reporter Heather Hacking focuses on water and
agriculture, as well as many other community topics. Her column, which is
mostly about gardening, appears on Fridays. She has been writing for the
Enterprise-Record since 1992. Reach the author athhacking@chicoer.com or follow
Heather on Twitter:@HeatherHacking.
Rice cook off contest entry
deadline nears
(Photo: Special to The Clarion-Ledger)
“Farmers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, California,
Missouri and Texas grow 18 billion pounds of rice each year,” said Laura
Giaccaglia, Mississippi State University extension agent/coordinator for
Bolivar County, who assists with Delta Rice Promotions. “And, nearly 85 percent
of the rice Americans eat is grown by America’s rice farmers.”The cook off
contest will have four categories: appetizer, side dish, main dish and dessert.
Cash prizes will be awarded in each category, and cooks can enter one dish in
more than one category. The prize potential: $100 for first place winners; $75
for second place, $50 for third place. The grand prize is $300.Contestants must
be Mississippi residents 18 years old or older. Official entry forms and more
details are available at the Bolivar County Extension Service in Cleveland,
(662) 843-8371 or online at http://msucares.com/counties/bolivar_6/info.html.Official
entry forms must be turned in to the Bolivar County Extension Service by
Friday.
Prepared dishes must be dropped off for judging, 9-9:45 a.m.
Sept. 18 at the Delta State University Walter Sillers Coliseum. Winners will be
announced during the Rice Tasting Luncheon that same day.
To contact Sherry Lucas, email slucas@gannett.com or call (601)
961-7283. Follow @SherryLucas1 on Twitter.
Research Reveals How Rice Plants Detect
Pathogens
Aug 26, 2015 06:23 PM EDT
Researchers recently discovered
that a sensor protein from rice, Pik, binds with AVR-Pik, a protein from the
rice blast pathogen, which is a fungus that causes the most devastating disease
of rice crops. The strength of this bond, directly correlates to the strength
of the plant's response. (Photo : Maqbool et al.)
Certain types of plants can fight off plant killers, or
pathogens--but not others, according to a mid-20th century model called the
"gene-for-gene" hypothesis, developed by scientist Harold Henry Flor.
New research from the UK's John Innes Centre and others bring great detail to
Flor's model, showing how a plant senses a pathogen.
"We know that plants have sensors to detect pathogens but we
knew little about how they work," Professor Banfield, lead researcher from
the John Innes Centre (UK), said in a statement.Their
study, recently published in eLife, investigated how a sensor protein
in rice (called Pik) binds with AVR-Pik, a protein from the rice blast
pathogen. The latter is a fungus that causes rice's most devastating disease.
The team used X-ray crystallography facilities at Diamond Light Source in
Oxfordshire, from which they were able to identify the contact points between
the plant and pathogen proteins at the molecular level.
This is the first imagery that has been done for a pair of plant
and pathogen proteins that follow the gene-for-gene model."Harold Flor
predicted that plant sensors discriminate between different pathogen types, but
at the time he had no knowledge of the molecules involved. It is remarkable
that his ideas have now crystallized into detailed molecular models,"
explained first author of the study, Dr. Abbas Maqbool.The team also found that
the strength at which the Pik sensor binds with the pathogen AVR-Pik protein
correlates with the strength of the plant's response, meaning that plant
responses can be engineered to better fight against pathogens. By building
sensors with increased strength of binding to pathogen proteins, plants would
be able to enhance their resistance to diseases.
"Once we understand how these plant sensors detect invading
pathogens, we can devise strategies to 'boost' the plant immune system and help
protect rice and other important food crops from disease," Professor
Banfield said.
For more great nature science
stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global
News (HNGN) http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/16240/20150826/research-reveals-rice-plants-detect-pathogens.htm
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
A comprehensive daily commodity market report for Arkansas
agricultural commodities with cash markets, futures and insightful analysis and
commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity analysts.
Noteworthy benchmark price levels of interest to farmers and
ranchers, as well as long-term commodity market trends which are developing.
Daily fundamental market influences and technical factors are noted and
discussed.
Soybeans
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
913
|
822
|
|
New
Crop
|
899
|
833
|
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Riceland Foods
|
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Cash
Bids
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Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
|
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New
Crop
|
Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
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Futures:
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Soybean Comment
Soybeans saw sharp losses today as prices again put in a new low
for a close. Soybeans have been hit particularly hard by the turmoil in China
and increased competition from international competition. While demand remains
robust domestically, the forecast large supplies and weak exports have the
market worried about the impact this will have on ending stocks this year.
Improving weather conditions are another bearish factor for prices and could
push prices below $8.50 should they continue.
Wheat
|
High
|
Low
|
|
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Cash
Bids
|
455
|
368
|
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New
Crop
|
507
|
400
|
|
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|
Futures:
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Wheat Comment
Wheat prices weakened further today. Prices remain under
significant pressure from the strong dollar and weak demand. With other
commodities seeing weakness there remains little support for wheat to push
higher.
Grain Sorghum
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
367
|
329
|
|
New
Crop
|
367
|
302
|
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||
Corn
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
360
|
317
|
|
New
Crop
|
385
|
337
|
|
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|
Futures:
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Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower today as concerns about China and slow
exports continue weigh prices down. Improving weather conditions are likely to
keep a lid on prices as we approach harvest. Look for prices to remain under
pressure until we get a clearer picture of the size of this crop.
Cotton
|
Futures:
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Cotton Comment
Cotton futures continued this weeks trend of sharp losses,
although losses were less severe today. The market continues to be concerned
about a global economic slow down and China in particular, as it has the
potential to impact cotton demand. December futures continued to retrace the
gains charted in reaction to the monthly supply/demand report with the next
support at the contract low of 61.25.
Rice
|
High
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Low
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|
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Long
Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
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Long
Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice futures traded in a narrow range before closing a bit
lower. Burdensome stocks continue to keep a lid on prices, despite the forecast
for a smaller crop in 2015. Monday's low of $11.43 1/2 is providing support for
the time being. Additional support can be found at the 50% retracement level of
the summer's gains at $11.06.
Cattle
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Futures:
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Live Cattle:
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Feeders:
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Arkansas Prices
Conway Livestock Auction
Pocahontas Livestock Auction
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City - Weekly Weighted Average Summary Wednesday
Cattle Comment
Cattle prices closed lower again today. Slow cash demand and
concerns about the impact declines in China will have on demand for beef has
over shadowed the improvements in the beef price in recent weeks.
Hogs
|
Futures:
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Hog Comment
Shell Eggs
National Turkeys
Delmarva Broilers
EG rice millers in a hard grind
Rice millers in EG
district have pending dues Rs. 100 crore from the Kerala State Civil Supplies
Corporation and the Kerala State Co-operative Consumers’ Federation.– File
PHOTO
The dull export market and the Centre’s new levy policy
has delivered a double whammy on the rice mill industry in East Godavari
district. Majority of the otherwise busy 450 and odd mills in the district have
downed their shutters or on the verge of closure owing to the slump in
business.The millers have faced a major setback as dues from the Kerala State
Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) and the Kerala State Co-operative
Consumers’ Federation (Consumerfed) have mounted up to around Rs. 100 crore.
With the rotation of money coming to a halt, the millers now are finding it
tough to run their units by paying hefty power bills and maintenance charges.The
first three months of a financial year is very crucial for the rice exports
from the Kakianda Anchorage Port, which contributes to nearly about half of the
rice being exported from the port. The export figures for the April, May and
June were put at 1.79 lakh metric tonnes, 1.68 lakh metric tonnes and 2.28 lakh
metric tonnes respectively. Last fiscal year, as many as 22.01 lakh metric
tonnes of rice were exported from the port.
“Slowdown owing to the price fluctuations has taken the
sheen off the export market. Our traders are not getting a competitive price
due to slump in demand,” observes Dantu Surya Rao, president of the Cocanada
Chamber of Commerce.As the flow of produce into the export market is not on the
expected lines, the millers have no other options to clear the stocks. “Most of
them are not in a position to operate their units owing to recurrent losses.
Every year, we export rice to Kerala, especially the ‘Bondalu’ variety. Given
the bad debts of the Supplyco and the Consumerfed, we are not in a position to
send the stocks to Kerala,” says Ambati Ramakrishna Reddy, president of the
East Godavari Rice Millers Association.
Slowdown owing to the price fluctuations has taken the
sheen off the export market. Traders are not getting competitive prices due to
slump in demand
Dantu Surya Rao,president, Cocanada Chamber of Commerce
www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
Say Goodbye to Gluten!
A Gluten Free
diet doesn’t mean you have to compromise on flavour orvariety. In fact, eliminating gluten opens up a
colourful world of fresh foodand fibre-rich ingredients, like our nutritious Wholegrain Basmati and Quinoa. Thinking more
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discover the joy of creating a beautiful, healthy, Gluten Free meal from scratch.
Agricultural pricing policy
August 26, 2015
Commodity prices have been falling,
led by the precipitous collapse globally in the price of oil from a peak of
$120 per barrel to a low of below $40. Oil importing countries have benefited
in terms of a lower import bill, a fall in prices of electricity and transport
and a decline in the overall rate of inflation in consumer prices. But there is a flip side. As the prices
of agricultural commodities have come under pressure farm incomes have been
adversely affected. This has been manifested recently by protests by the
Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Council in Lahore, demanding measures by the Provincial
Government of Punjab to minimise the loss in farm incomes. There is also the
risk of a restricted supply response to the fall in prices.
How much have prices fallen? On a year to year basis, as of July 2015, the wholesale prices of rice, cotton and potatoes have shown declines of 19 percent, 21 percent and 72 percent respectively. The ex-farm prices of wheat and sugarcane have remained relatively stable, due to the presence of a procurement/support price regime in these two products.
The fundamental question is how should the Government intervene in a period of falling prices of agricultural commodities? One option is to do nothing and to try and preserve the status quo. The argument can be made that markets should play their normal role in determining prices. After all, the overall international primary commodity price index has been showing a healthy upward trend since 2005, with only one dip in 2009. Between 2005 and 2013 the index rose cumulatively by as much as 83 percent.
How much have prices fallen? On a year to year basis, as of July 2015, the wholesale prices of rice, cotton and potatoes have shown declines of 19 percent, 21 percent and 72 percent respectively. The ex-farm prices of wheat and sugarcane have remained relatively stable, due to the presence of a procurement/support price regime in these two products.
The fundamental question is how should the Government intervene in a period of falling prices of agricultural commodities? One option is to do nothing and to try and preserve the status quo. The argument can be made that markets should play their normal role in determining prices. After all, the overall international primary commodity price index has been showing a healthy upward trend since 2005, with only one dip in 2009. Between 2005 and 2013 the index rose cumulatively by as much as 83 percent.
The fall since then may be essentially
cyclical in nature and prices will recover sooner or later. The perspective
from the consumer point of view is that low food prices will provide relief,
reverse at least partially the fall in standards of nutrition and augment
overall food security in Pakistan. The
problem with this view is that lower prices may force farmers to produce less,
implying a reduction in the availability of food and agricultural raw
materials. This will lead to either a fall in exports or a rise in imports. On
top of this supply problem, large farmers have considerable political power and
the vast body of small farmers can launch a process of widespread agitation.
This may, for example, lead to
disruption of traffic on key highways and temporary suspension in the supply of
essential commodities. What have
the federal and provincial governments done in the face of falling
international prices in 2014? The response has been to only protect the growers
of wheat and sugarcane. As mentioned earlier, these are the only two
commodities in Pakistan for which procurement/support prices are offered.
Despite falling prices, the procurement price of wheat was raised by over 8
percent to Rs 1300 per 40 kgs. In the case of sugarcane, the support price was
increased by almost 6 percent. No significant interventions were made in other
commodity markets or in prices of agricultural inputs. The enhancement in the procurement
price of wheat implied that the Pakistani farmer was promised 30 percent more
than the prevailing international price. Clearly, this represented a
potentially large welfare transfer from consumers to producers.
It could only be sustained by the introduction
for the first time of a big regulatory duty of 25 percent on the import of
wheat. A similar policy had to be followed in the case of sugar to compel sugar
factories to pay the higher support price to sugarcane growers. The consequence is that consumer
prices of wheat flour (atta) and sugar have remained high in Pakistan. For
example, a comparison of retail prices in Lahore versus Delhi reveal that in
the latter city the atta price is 20 percent lower, while sugar is cheaper by
35 percent. Therefore in the case of extremely important items in the consumer
basket, there has been no transmission of the benefit of lower international prices
in Pakistan. Simultaneously,
another problem has emerged. It has not been possible to dispose of the
exportable surplus of over two million tons of wheat.
The subsidy offered by the federal
and provincial governments combined has proved to be inadequate. The result is
an accumulation of stocks. Fortunately, relatively large exports of sugar have
taken place of over 700,000 tons in 2014-15. In
the absence of any interventions, conditions in the markets for other crops
have deteriorated. The worst hit are rice, cotton and potato growers. In an
effort to maintain the export price of Basmati rice, the quantity exported has
fallen by as much as 27 percent. Therefore, stocks of this commodity have also
risen. The export prices of other varieties of rice have declined by about 4
percent. The potato price has collapsed in the domestic market. The failure of the 2014 pricing policy
clearly demonstrates that a change is required. A more balanced policy of
insulating the farmer from low international prices needs to be followed, based
on the following two guidelines. First, the support price regime needs to be
broadened. In particular, such protection needs to be offered to rice, cotton
and vegetable growers. Pakistan, in fact, had a more comprehensive support
price system in the 90s. This was abandoned during the Musharraf period, when
agriculture was given less priority in relation to other sectors like industry,
banking and telecom. India provides the guarantee of minimum support prices to
as many as 28 commodities.
Covering more commodities with
support prices ought not to prove too costly as prices are generally expected
to stabilise by mid-2016. The
second guideline is that with the fall in international prices, the support
prices be fixed in such manner that there is also some general `cascading` down
of prices domestically. This is essential to pass some of the benefit of lower
food prices, especially to the poorer segments of the population. Also, too
high support prices will necessitate large export subsidies by the government,
which may not be financially sustainable. The
best way to facilitate lower prices is for input costs in agriculture to be
brought down. In particular, the introduction of GST at 17 percent on
fertilizer and pesticides in 2010-11 is contributing to squeezing the farmer in
the presence of lower output prices. Therefore, to the extent possible, all
taxes on agricultural inputs need to be withdrawn.
The revenue loss will be at least partially
compensated for by the reduction in the export subsidy bill. The primary
objective should be to confer more benefits to our domestic consumers rather
than consumers in foreign markets. In
summary, there are important decisions to be taken by Federal and Provincial
Governments in the agricultural sector in coming weeks. It is of fundamental
importance that there be a balanced consideration of the interests of growers,
exporters and consumers. Also, there is need for proper co-ordination of
policies among the Federal and Provincial Governments at this time.
The cost sharing formula should be
such that the latter pick up the costs of the support price regime while the
federal government bears the loss of revenue from agricultural inputs and the
cost of export subsidies. This is essential if the agricultural sector is to
achieve the target growth rate of almost 4 percent in 2015-16. (The writer is
the Managing Director of the Institute for Policy Reforms and a former Federal
Minister)
Scrutinizing Prescience Point's
Short Attack On Amira Nature Foods
Disclosure: I am/we are long ANFI. (More...)
Summary
Prescience Point has accused Amira Nature Foods of fraud, and
has slapped a $0 price target on the stock.Reviewing the two reports laid out
by Prescience, there are questionable aspects which raise doubt as to the
quality of the analysis.I believe a fair value on the stock is $7.50-10 until
the dust settles on the fraud accusations.Amira Nature Foods Ltd. (NYSE:ANFI) is an international company with origins in India
that is engaged in the processing, distribution, and marketing of packaged
specialty rice. On the surface, that may sound like an uninteresting stock, but
ANFI has been absolutely hammered from $12 to less than $3, before rebounding
since the start of August amid fraud allegations led by Prescience Point.
Investors have feared that there may be some truth to this
research firm's claims, as the company recently changed auditors for the second
time in a couple of years. The value proposition on ANFI is obvious, as the
company's price-to-earnings ratio sits at only 2.7 at a $3.75 stock price.
Calming investor concerns over the fraud allegations would lead the stock to
having 2x-5x upside, as it has turned into a deeply discounted value play. KRBL
Limited (KRBL.NS) is the largest player in the Indian rice industry, and
currently has a P/E of 11 and P/S of 1.2. As some investors sell their
shares at all-time lows out of fear, others such as myself have picked up
shares in hopes that the fraud allegations turn out to be baseless or greatly
exaggerated.
What do chefs
pack for their kids?
Published on Wednesday, 26
August 2015 05:44 - Written by Arthi Subramaniam, Tribune News Service Restaurant chefs are like every other parent when it comes to
wanting to give their children specially prepared, tasty and healthy school-box
lunches. But they have an advantage because of their professional background
and access to a variety of foods, and can almost pull off anything when it
comes to pleasing their child’s palate.Here’s how they think outside the box
for the back-to-school days.
---
SONJA FINN
Sonja Finn, chef and owner of Dinette in Pittsburgh’s East
Liberty, does not favor sugared foods for her 3-year-old son, Miles, but
insists on some sort of fruit.What she packs: A pasta with walnut-basil pesto.
Sometimes she would pack baked spinach rice, which she makes with basmati rice,
onion, spinach and vegetable or chicken stock; or a roasted chicken breast; or
some version of a peanut butter sandwich made with no-sugar peanut butter and
low-sugar wheat bread. A banana is a must, and so is some sort of a cut-fruit
like watermelon, strawberries or apricots. Miles’ favorite is matzo balls made
by his nana.
Her prep technique: “I make pesto ahead of time and keep it in
the freezer. On Sunday night, I cook a pound of pasta and then add the frozen
pesto to the hot pasta. I keep stirring until the pesto melts completely,
coating the pasta and at the same time cooling it. That way I don’t need to
wait for it to cool to pack it away (waiting isn’t an option anyway since it’s
already midnight by the time I get around to making the school lunch). I can
immediately pack it into individually covered containers and put it in the
fridge, and I’m set for the week.” Frozen walnuts will ensure that the pesto
will be green, she says.
What she won’t pack: “No juice boxes and no yogurt shooters.”From
Dinette’s menu: Dinette doesn’t have a lunch menu, and so sometimes Miles gets
a slice of cheese pizza that was made the night before. “A lot of Miles’
lunches are prepared at Dinette.”Her school lunch: “I didn’t take lunch from
home. I did school lunch the whole time.”Changes in lunch-box fare: “The convenience
foods and prepackaged foods have gotten worse. There is more sugar, more salt
and the sizes have gotten bigger.”
BILL FULLER
Bill Fuller is the corporate chef at Big Burrito. He has an 11
and 14 year old and packs their lunches every day.What he packs: “Either a
sandwich, milk (I pack the milk with a small ice pack together in a baggie
because my kids hate warm milk), fruit and snack (crackers, chips, etc.) or a
thermos of soup or leftovers instead of the sandwich. Occasionally two slices
of leftover pizza in place of the thermos of soup/sandwich. If they are sweet,
I’ll drop a piece of leftover Halloween candy or some cookies in there.”What he
won’t pack: “Nothing that won’t be temperature safe through the course of the
day. Not very many sweets. Never soda.”
From Casbah’s menu: “I always sent leftover pastas from Casbah
(his restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside), especially the Ricotta Cavatelli.
Both my kids devour that.”His school lunch: “We rarely packed lunches but when
we did it was a sandwich, chips/snack, fruit. We usually ate school lunch
because my grandmother cooked in the cafeteria. In those days, they actually
cooked, so it was my grandmother cooking for us every day in grade school.
Also, we got free or reduced lunches throughout school too, and that was hard
to pass up.”
His lunch box: I had an “Adam-12” box when I was a little kid.
Also a Spider-Man one, I think. I remember the “Adam-12” one best because I hit
Eddie Krauch in the face with it once and got in trouble. We were friends,
mostly, but got in a fight that day.Changes in the lunch-box fare: Not much in
my world. I guess I can afford fresh fruit and my mother couldn’t. A lot of
kids bring pre-packaged stuff. My older kid likes to take Ramen noodles
occasionally since the middle school cafeteria has a microwave. We never had a
microwave!
LING ROBINSON
Ling Robinson, executive chef and owner of Asiatique Thai Bistro
in Larimer’s Bakery Square, who has four children and two grandchildren, says
it’s important to prepare a different lunch everyday for children as they will
remember it. “It’s a gift from childhood that creates special memories of how
much their mother or father loved them,” she says.What she will pack: Fresh,
healthy, non-processed food.” I always include a protein, fruit and vegetable.
I grill chicken or beef or salmon, steam vegetables, thinly slice apples, cut
up some carrots, and put it all together in one container with a light dressing
using olive oil. For my older boys, who require more calories, I would make a
sandwich containing salmon, beef or chicken.”
What she won’t pack: “Chips, soft drinks or prepackaged meats.”From
Asiatique’s menu: “I would pack foods such as our Summer Roll, which is quick
and easy to make, and contains fresh leaf lettuce, cilantro, mint, avocado,
tomato and tapioca skin.” She wraps it with chicken or salmon and rice noodles.Her
school lunch: “Growing up in Thailand, I would take rice with mixed vegetables
and seafood.” She says she was fortunate because her parents insisted on those
foods along with fruit. “All kinds of fruits.”
Her lunch box: “My lunch box was a vertical stack of containers
- the bottom one had rice, the middle one had steamed vegetables and the top
held fresh fruit. I also carried one metal spoon - no plastic spoons. If you
had brothers and sisters at the same school, you also carried their lunches in
your lunch box. You just added more containers to your stack. It was usually
the older child who had to carry it to school.”
Changes in the lunch-box fare: “Back then, our lunch boxes
featured these three different compartments for three food groups. It was easy
to open and was safe and secure. Today, everything is taken in Ziploc bags,
which are sometimes not so easy for the children to open without spilling on
themselves. Also, it’s all about processed fruits and puddings in plastic
containers. I do use the safe plastic box containers that are easier to open.
My boys and grandchildren would have a hard time carrying the stacked lunch
boxes today, so it’s the next best thing.”
Philippines: Government targets 6.5% rice output growth in 2016,
says may buy more
reuters via ABS-CBN News.com | Aug 26, 2015
|
The Philippines aims to increase rice production by as much as 6.5
percent next year after an expected fall in this year’s output, with state
spending to boost crop yields helping to offset possible losses from the El
Nino dry weather condition, a senior official said on Tuesday.Higher domestic
output, however, does not mean the Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice
importers, will not import the grain any more, with the government finalizing
plans to buy an additional 250,000 tonnes before the year ends, Francis
Pangilinan, the country’s food security chief, told a congressional budget
hearing.Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at the same hearing that the
target next year is to harvest as much as 20.09 million tonnes. That compares
with the 18.86 million tonnes output that the government statistics agency has
projected for this year, below last year’s record harvest of 18.97 million tonnes.
http://ricetoday.irri.org/philippines-government-targets-6-5-rice-output-growth-in-2016-says-may-buy-more/
Ningbo becomes import base for rice from Thailand
distributed by noodls on 26/08/2015 09:32
Ningbo becomes
import base for rice from Thailand
2015-08-26
16:50:14
Ningbo
citizens will have the opportunity to buy the fresh "Thai rice". On
the morning of August 24, a container ship docked at the Daxie Wharf of Ningbo
Port of, and a large bridge crane lifted the container full of rice imported
from Thailand from the ship to the truck, marking both the overall opening of
the "COFCO Express" and the establishment of the import base for farm
produce from Southeast Asia.
Based on the
four Southeast Asian shipping routes, two from Thailand to China, one from
Burma to China, and the other one from Cambodia to China, the "COFCO
Express" is able to increase the weekly container volume of the imported
rice from 960 cases to 1900 cases.In October 2014, Ningbo Port was approved as
one of the first designated rice import ports by the State Bureau of Quality
Inspection. After the farm produce are imported, they can be shipped to the
markets in East China by land, and can also be shipped to other ports along the
Yangtze River by water.According to Hong Qihu, Director of Business Department
of China Port Co. Ltd., at first the monthly delivery of the imported rice from
Thailand to Ningbo via the "COFCO Express" stands at 3000 tons on
average, accounting for over 20% of the Thai rice in Ningbo market. After
becoming the new import market for the COFCO, Ningbo will become a more
important import crop distribution center in East China.
http://www.noodls.com/view/AC7173D35F3D4824D9CF3B87AF1F5871B463F6B8?7691xxx1440583275#sthash.flEP4pXZ.dpuf
Rice Price in Traditional Markets
Skyrocketing
REPORTER : NURITO | TRANSLATED BY :
TRIAS RISANGAYU | 08-26-2015 03:52 PM | HITS 209
( Photo : Nurito / Beritajakarta.Com)
Rice price in a number of traditional markets began to rise. The
increase in rice prices has occurred since a few days ago.
"
It hikes since last Tuesday. The price had
increased from the agent
"
Due to the rise, the number of buyers was fairly decreased.
Moreover, the stall is only open from 5 AM to 12 PM. They maximally sold
2 bags of rice, 50 kg size.“I could buy two sacks of rice, but tomorrow it
could only 1.5 sacks since the price goes up,” he said.Similar statement was
also stated by another rice trader, Slamet (40).“Price hiked since post ied-ul
fitr, it hikes gradually. The condition worst by the drop of rate exchange,” he
expressed.Separately, Assistant Economy of City Secretary, Mangatas Panjaitan
uttered indeed rice price is hiking up in Cipinang Wholesale Rice Market in the
third week of August.According to him, price increase due to the amount of
spending is higher than revenue despite normal supply with an average of 3,586
tonnes per day.
http://beritajakarta.com/en/read/7104/Rice_Price_in_Traditional_Markets_Skyrocketing#.Vc-7HvlViko
WEDNESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2015 - 8:14
It has been reported to our news team from several areas with
regard to the way farmers are inconvenienced as a result of paddy purchase not
taking place in a systematic manner.Some farmers told our regional
correspondents visiting the relevant locations that they were staying in queues
for three days to sell paddy.This situation is widely prevalent in the Matale
District. The farmers said further that paddy sale was further
delayed as the Paddy Marketing Board had appointed only one manager for the
store.
Our news team inquired about this problem from PMB Chairman M.
B. Dissanayake.
The PMB Chairman said that the Paddy Marketing Board did not
have enough efficient personnel for handling paddy purchase.He said that
however he hoped to carry out paddy purchase in manner not inconveniencing the
farmers by using the mobile purchase service.
(Pix by - Kanchana Ariyadasa) http://www.hirunews.lk/115493/group-farmers-in-queues-for-3-days-unable-to-sell-paddy
Colombians flee Venezuela after mass
deportations
Colombians have begun fleeing their homes in Venezuela, rather
than risk deportation. The exodus comes as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
vowed to extend a crackdown on illegal migrants living along the border.
Hundreds of Colombians left Venezuela Tuesday, fleeing the
country with their belongings instead of risking being deported empty-handed
like more than 1,000 people sent home in the last week in agrowing border crisis."We left at 3:00 am (0800
UTC) in the clothes we were wearing. We wanted to come back before they
deported us," said Rosana Morena, a 25-year-old Colombian who fled
Venezuela with her two children.
Colombians waded through the waist-deep water of the river that
forms the border with Venezuela, carting refrigerators or mattresses on their
backs as they made the trek back to their home country.Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro closed the border between Tachira and the Colombian department of Norte de
Santander last week in response to an attack by unknown assailants on an
anti-smuggling military patrol. A civilian and three soldiers were wounded in
the attack.Maduro has sought to combat the rampant smuggling of heavily
subsidized food and other goods out of Venezuela. He initially ordered the border
closed for 72 hours, but later extended it indefinitely after accusing Colombia
of waging "an attack on Venezuela's economy."
Venezuela has deported more than a thousand people in the last
week amid a smuggling crackdown, convincing many more to leave on their own
accord.
Venezuela has long taken advantage of its oil wealth to
subsidize goods such as rice and toilet paper, making them up to 10 times
cheaper than in Colombia. But now the country is in the midst of shortages,
exacerbated by falling oil prices.The Venezuelan government launched mass
deportations of Colombians shortly after closing the border, drawing scathing
criticism from Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernanda Cristo, who decried
the deportations as "a humanitarian tragedy."The majority of the
deportees were sent home for lacking documents, without their families or their
belongings. Some 600 of them are currently being housed in shelters, while 400
are staying with relatives, according to officials.
Another 400 to 700 people have crossed the border into Colombia
to avoid deportation, Colombian police said.Many of those fleeing have accused
Venezuelan soldiers of robbing their belongings and ordering them to leave
their homes within a matter of hours.The Colombian and Venezuelan foreign
ministers are scheduled to meet Wednesday in the Colombian city of Cartagena to
discuss the crisis.
bw/lw (AP, AFP)
DW RECOMMENDS
Colombia
complains of mass deportations from Venezuela
Colombia calls
on Venezuela to re-open border after anti-smuggling military patrol attack
http://www.dw.com/en/colombians-flee-venezuela-after-mass-deportations/a-18672312
Venezuela’s Food Shortages Trigger Long Lines, Hunger and
Looting
Violent clashes flare in pockets of the country as citizens wait for
hours for basics, such as milk and rice
1 of 10fullscreen
A National Guard soldier leads detainees accused of illegally
selling contraband state-controlled food goods in Maracaibo on Aug. 13. MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Shoppers wait in a long line to enter the "Latino
Supermarket" in the Dr. Portillo area of Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Aug. 12.MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By MAOLIS
CASTRO and
KEJAL VYAS
Aug. 26, 2015 5:30 a.m. ET
‘We are going very hungry here and the children are suffering a
lot.’
The soldiers had been deployed to stem rampant food smuggling
and price speculation, which President Nicolás
Maduro blames for triple-digit
inflation and scarcity. But after they seize contraband goods, the troops
themselves often become targets of increasingly desperate people.
“What’s certain is that we are going very hungry here and the
children are suffering a lot,” said María Palma, a 55-year-old grandmother who
on a recent blistering hot day had been standing in line at the grocery store
since 3 a.m. before walking away empty-handed at midday.In a national survey,
the pollster Consultores 21 found 30% of Venezuelans eating two or fewer meals
a day during the second quarter of this year, up from 20% in the first quarter.
Around 70% of people in the study also said they had stopped buying some basic
food item because it had become unavailable or too expensive.
‘If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside standing in
line for goods.’
Food-supply problems in Venezuela underscore the increasingly
precarious situation for Mr. Maduro’s socialist government, which according to
the latest poll by Datanálisis is preferred by less than 20% of voters ahead of
Dec. 6 parliamentary elections. The critical situation threatens to plunge
South America’s largest oil exporter into a wave of civil unrest reminiscent of
last year’s nationwide demonstrations seeking Mr. Maduro’s ouster.“It’s a
national crisis,” said Marco Ponce, head of the Venezuela Observatory of Social
Conflict, noting that unlike the political protests of last year, residents are
now taking to the streets demanding social rights.
The nonprofit group recorded 500 protests over food shortages
during the first half of 2015, 56 looting incidents and dozens of attempted
lootings at grocery stores, pharmacies and warehouses. Even delivery trucks are
frequently targeted. “If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside
standing in line for goods,” Mr. Ponce said.The unrest is a response to
dramatically worsening living conditions for Venezuelans as the economy reels
from oil’s slump following more than a decade of populist spending that left
the government broke.
‘They’re committing treason against our country, taking food and
crossing the border.’
In past years, when oil prices were high, Venezuela’s leftist
government flooded markets with subsidized goods ranging from cooking oil to
diapers. It gave citizens in border towns like La Sibucara not only access to
cheap supplies, but also a source of income as many people trafficked
products—including nearly free gasoline—to neighboring Colombia, drawing
handsome profits.With the government now struggling to pay for imports, there
is less inventory to go around. In recent days, Mr. Maduro upped the ante by
ordering troops along the border to seize contraband, deporting hundreds of
Colombians whom the government blames for smuggling and shortages.
Armed soldiers monitor supermarkets as part of an effort the
president calls “Operation People’s Liberation.” More than 6,000 alleged
smugglers have been arrested this year, according to the attorney general’s
office. Images of soldiers posing with handcuffed suspects and stacks of
decommissioned goods are splashed on state media.“We’re going to get to the
root of the problem,” Mr. Maduro said in a national address last week after a
shootout with smugglers in the frontier state of Táchira left three National
Guard troops injured and pushed Venezuela to shut key border crossings.
The smugglers targeted by the government crackdown are called bachaqueros, named after a
leaf-cutter ant that can carry many times its weight. The word, first used here
in the northwestern state of Zulia, has become part of daily national parlance
as a label for Venezuelans who buy price-controlled goods and resell them for
profit on the black market.While the government blames the shortages on bachaqueros, economists say they
are the consequence of price controls and a broken economic model that has left
average Venezuelans with diminishing employment options.“The people that used
to give us work—the private companies, the rich—have all gone,” said Ms. Palma
in La Sibucara, adding that she also occasionally traffics goods to get by.
“It’s not the greatest business but we don’t have work and we have to find a
way to eat.”
Earlier this month, Venezuela’s military raided homes and
warehouse around the town, seizing tons of allegedly hoarded goods that were
destined to leave Venezuela or be resold on the black market for well above the
state-set price.Lisandro Uriana, who
had a black eye and a bandaged leg, said he and two friends were badly beaten
up when a neighbor’s house was raided. “They didn’t say or ask us anything,”
recalled the 46-year-old Wayuu father of four, who lives in a tin-roofed house
of two rooms. “They just beat us and we couldn’t defend ourselves because they
were armed and were many. I don’t even smuggle…and now I can’t even get up to
work.”
The day of the raids, neighbors said residents pleaded with
troops at the National Guard command post to distribute seized food to
non-smugglers but were turned away. An angry mob soon formed, sending soldiers
fleeing before they attacked the office and even stripped it of scrap metal.
‘We are very peaceful people, but what happened was an act of
desperation. I think this is going to get worse.’
“These are just some isolated cases,” Manuel Graterol, a
National Guard general overseeing operations in La Sibucara on a recent day, said,
blaming the unrest and the bachaquerophenomenon
on opponents of Mr. Maduro’s government.“Many of them are being shameless,”
said Gen. Graterol. “They’re committing treason against our country, taking
food and crossing the border.”
But such food fights have broken out in numerous small
municipalities around the state of Zulia. In the nearby town of Sinamaica, the
ground floor of the mayor’s office was set on fire in early August following a
wave of unrest that included gangs looting delivery trucks. The unrest, locals
said, began after police detained a truck loaded with rice.Street vendor Robert
Guzmán, wearing a red pro-government T-shirt, said the sacking was justified.
“We are very peaceful people,” Mr. Guzmán said of his Wayuu community, “but
what happened was an act of desperation. I think this is going to get worse.”
Resident Yusleidy
Márquez said she too fears the
worst. The basket of subsidized food the government gives her mother every 15
days only feeds her family for two days. Lately, she only eats a cornmeal patty
for lunch because she can’t afford more.“I think we’re going to die of hunger,”
she said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-food-shortages-trigger-long-lines-hunger-and-looting-1440581400
Cuba Suffers Through The Worst
Drought Of ‘The Last Century’
More than 1 million residents in
the Caribbean country are now relying on trucked-in water to survive.
Posted: 08/26/2015 01:36 AM EDT | Edited: 08/26/2015 08:49 AM EDT
A man fills bottles with water
in the Consolacion del Sur neighborhood in the Pinar del Rio province, Cuba on
August 19, 2015.With the year-long drought in Cuba
forecast to worsen in the coming months, some residents are harboring what may
seem like an unusual hope.“It is hard to believe, but many of us are hoping for
a hurricane,” Nuris Lopez, a hairdresser in Granma province, told Reuters
earlier this month. “I might lose my roof, but at least I could clean my
house.”Lopez is one of more than 1 million people in
Cuba who are currently relying on trucked-in water to survive.
Reuters says one in 10 residents in the Caribbean country have been depending
on government tank trucks to make do during a record hot summer.
Last Monday, Cuba reportedly put its civil defense system on alert
due the continuing drought that has already depleted the country's reservoirs
and destroyed thousands of acres of crops including coffee, rice, sugar cane
and tobacco. “Reservoirs are well below capacity and underground
water sources are falling as compared to previous months,” the civil defense
system stated.Cuban
journalist Elaine Diaz wrote Wednesday that the drought, which has been caused
by the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, was the worst to hit the Caribbean
country “in the last century.”With the rainy season expected to
bring lower-than-average rainfall this year, experts say the drought will
likely worsen in the coming months. The Cuban government said emergency
measures are already being “taken at all levels, including stricter rationing
of water through the state-run waterworks,” per Reuters.
A man fills a drum with water
in the Consolacion del Sur neighborhood in the Pinar del Rio province, Cuba on
August 19, 2015.El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific
Ocean that affects global weather patterns, has caused terrible drought
conditions across the Caribbean this year.
“California gets all the attention
but in the Caribbean the situation is worse because
large-scale water transport is not possible at all,” Toby Ault, a
professor in Cornell University’s earth and atmospheric sciences department,
told Bloomberg in July.
In Puerto Rico, more than 1.5
million people have been affected by drought while in some areas of the
Dominican Republic, people have reportedly gone weeks without “any liquid in
the pipes.”
In June, Norman Gibson,
scientific officer at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development
Institute, told The Associated Press that the region's farm sector had already lost more than $1 million in
crops and tens of thousands of dollars in livestock due
to the dry spell. “The outlook is very, very bad,” Anthony Herman,
who oversees a local farm cooperative in St. Lucia, told the AP. “The trees are
dying, the plants are dying ... It's stripping the very life of rivers.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cuba-drought_55dd3e28e4b08cd3359ddfef
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