Where rice fields go, geese follow, experts report
Researchers say there’s more geese wintering in Arkansas than
ever before. Experts are using transmitters to understand migration patterns
and winter distribution. Special to The Commercial/Jarrod Hardke.
MONTICELLO – The western edge of
the Mississippi Delta, which contributes so richly to Arkansas agriculture, is
well known as a prime area for hunters, with both wet marshes and flooded rice
fields after the fall. But it hasn’t always necessarily been so.
Until about the early 1990′s, the
migration patterns of Arctic geese — migrating over North America through the
fall and into the winter — were dominated not by the Delta, but by the rich,
rice-dominated farmland of East Texas and Louisiana. But as drought took hold
in the South and water rights issues left growers in those areas with little
choice but to move into other, less water-intensive crops, mid-continent
migration patterns gradually gravitated toward eastern Arkansas.
Which raises more than a few questions.
Satellite telemetry technology
Douglass Osborne, associate
professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has been leading a
research team studying not only how the shift occurred, but what some of the
potential adverse implications may be, as well.
“Right now, we’re in the
relatively early stages of using satellite telemetry technology to learn about
the distribution of the geese on the landscape.” Osborne said. “Aerial surveys
are conducted during the winter, and anecdotally, we know that there’s more
geese wintering in Arkansas than ever before. We’re using transmitters to
understand migration patterns and winter distribution.”
Osborne and his team have about
40 years’ worth of data to work with, much of it from band and encounter data, supplied
from hunters on occasions when banded birds were harvested during a hunt.
“Analyzing that data, we see that
the initial shift in distribution, from Texas-Louisiana into Arkansas, occurred
in the 90′s. In the early 2000′s, we see a really dramatic shift into the
Arkansas Delta,” he said. At the same time so many Texas and Louisiana growers
were shifting from rice to cotton, Arkansas rice growers realized that by
reflooding their fields after harvest, they could in turn make a profit leasing
the land to bird hunters for the season.
Trading coastal layovers for the Delta
Osborne said the data reflect three distinct time periods over the past four
decades, including a historical wintering distribution of migrating arctic
geese, a transient distribution in the mid- to late-90′s, as the birds “began
to dabble in Arkansas,” and the current distribution, in which the birds have
essentially traded their coastal layovers for the Delta.
“Historically, these birds were
migrating from the arctic tundra in the summer, through the mid-continent and
toward the Gulf of Mexico, hanging out in freshwater coastal marshes, feeding
on plant material in the marsh, digging up the root tubers, then bouncing out
of the marsh into the surrounding agriculture,” Osborne said. “But the
conversion of agriculture toward cotton in the mid-1990′s in that part of the
world took water off the landscape — water that was necessary for these birds
in winter.
While the increasing artic goose
population may be a boon to both landowners and hunters, Osborne said there are
other, long-term factors to consider.
“It’s worth asking: What is the role of these
geese in the agricultural system itself,” Osborne said. “What’s their role in
nutrient distribution, and seed dispersal of different weeds? Are these geese
environmental pests, or do they help agriculture?
“There’s also potential impacts
for other waterfowl, that historically always wintered here,” he said. “There’s
upwards of 3 million white-fronted geese in the population, and 10-20 million
snow geese in the population — so now that a large portion of the distribution
of birds has shifted into Arkansas, what does that mean for the amount of food
on the landscape, which other birds always wintered here rely on?”
Osborne said that because hunting
is such a strong engine in the Arkansas economy, it behooves the state and its
residents to consider such implications, including effects on the populations
and reproduction of other birds competing for scarce resources.
Osborne said his research, which
began about three years ago, could easily take a career’s worth of time.
“You attempt to answer one
question, and it leads to about four more questions,” he said.
More research needed?
While his research to this point
has been supported through the University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture, Ducks Unlimited, the Canadian Wildlife Services and Environment
Canada, Osborne said his team is hoping to attract underwriters for continuing
research.
“Overall, the waterfowl community
thinks there’s too many geese on the landscape — but what does ‘too many geese’
mean, and what impacts are they having on agricultural production in the
southern portion of the range?” Osborne said. “This whole topic is a relatively
unexplored area right now. There’s lots to learn about what impacts these geese
may have here in the South.”
To learn about waterfowl in
Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all
eligible persons without discrimination.
http://www.pbcommercial.com/news/20171026/where-rice-fields-go-geese-follow-experts-report
Nigeria
Customs seize 1,401 bags of smuggled rice in Ogun
October 28, 2017
The
Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command, said it had seized 1,401 bags of
rice and three used cars within the last one week.The goods were reportedly
smuggled into the country from the neighbouring Republic of Benin.The
Controller of the Area Command, Sani Madugu, disclosed this on Friday at the
Idiroko border office of the command.
According to him, the vehicles intercepted are Mercedes Benz
C220, Toyota Tundra pick-up van and a Volkswagen Golf car.Also impounded were
17 motorcycles used as means of conveyance of smuggled rice.Madugu said within
the period under review, 29 kegs of vegetable oil, two sacks of second-hand
clothes and one sack of used shoes were also seized.
He gave the total duty payable
value of the total seizures as N30.3m.He said the seizures of the rice were
made through the creeks around Yewa River, small warehouses and dump sites in
Ipokia and the environs.He said, “The command will not relent in its fight to
curtail smuggling in Ogun. The smugglers have attacked me and they have
attacked my officers, but we will not relent.“We will continue to make the
terrain very difficult for them. We have the backing of the army, the police
and the Department of State Services.
“We have mounted surveillance at the creeks and river banks; we are
monitoring the activities of the smugglers. We allow them to bring the bags of
rice into the small warehouses by the creeks and bushes and then we swoop on
them.”https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/27276/nigeria-customs-seize-1401-bags-smuggled-rice-ogun
Customs impounds N25m donkey
Leather, 80 bags of rice, others
Posted
By: On:
The
Comptroller General of Customs Compliance Team yesterday in Kano burnt over 2,
700 pieces of raw Donkey hides and skins valued at N25 million which was
intercepted at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), in an
attempt to export the commodity abroad.
The
Head of the CG Compliance Team, Comptroller Ahmed Abubakar Azarema who was
flanked by the Kano/Jigawa Customs Command Comptroller, Mr.
Yusuf Abba-Kassim, described
the exportation of unprocessed hides and skin as criminal and economic sabotage.
According
to him, “it is disheartening to note that some Nigerians are now indulged in
unpatriotic business of exporting unprocessed leather, while we have our
tannery industries here. Doing this means killing our economy, doing this means
outing hundreds of thousands of our teeming youths out of employment.
“We
have the resources and needed man power to process these leathers here and
export them as finished products. We also have a number of industries here
engaged in production of shoes, bags belts and other leather-related products.
“We
need to help ourselves; we need to protect the future of our children. This is
why Nigeria customs has come all out in tandem with the economic agenda of
President Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure that these unpatriotic citizens engaged
in this kind of illegal business must be stopped, arrested and brought to book.”
Comptroller
Azarema who hailed good spirited Nigerians for given customs information on
illegal activities of smugglers and illegal exporters, said no arrest has been
made so far, adding that, “we are current using the clearing agent to get at
those behind this crime.”
He
also displayed over 80 bags of smuggled rice and sugar concealed inside bags of
Tiger nuts.
According
to him, Customs intercepted the goods loaded in a J5 vehicle with registration
number KRD 943XC, along Katsina Road, heading to Kano from Katsina.
He
added that the driver and other occupants of the vehicle fled into the bush
when the CG Complain team on duty apprehended the vehicle.
He,
however, warned smugglers to desist from economic sabotage and look for decent
business to do, adding that the Nigeria customs will not fold its hand
and allow criminals ruin the nation’s economy
http://thenationonlineng.net/customs-impounds-n25m-donkey-leather-80-bags-of-rice-others/
PH now
95% self-sufficie
The country’s rice self-sufficiency ratio in 2016 improved to 95.01
percent from 88.93 percent in the previous year, a report from the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.This meant local production accounted for
95.01 percent of the total rice supply in the local market.
This development resulted in further reduction in the country’s
dependence on rice imports last year to 4.99 percent of total supply from 11.07
in 2015.With a favorable trend in the country’s average rice production per
hectare, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said the Department of
Agriculture’s rice self-sufficiency target could be achieved in 2019, or a year
earlier than its original time frame.The DA is hoping to reach an average of 6
metric tons (MT) per hectare production or about 19 million MT of unmilled rice
or palay per year from the current level of 4.38 MT per hectare per harvest.
However, the PSA said that despite the higher SSR ratio, the
country’s annual per capita production in 2016 fell by 3.12 percent to 111.66
kilograms from the 2006 record of 115.35 kg which serves as the basis for the
index.This meant the farm sector was not able to produce enough of the
commodity to keep in pace with the country’s population growth.Pinol said the
DA had been pushing for the planting of hybrid seeds to boost yield. The DA is
expecting to cover about one million hectares for the program at an estimated
cost of P15 billion while providing small farmers with easy access to credit.
The DA’s credit arm Agricultural Credit Policy Council was given a
budget of P970 million for 2018.Earlier this month, a United Nation’s market
monitor reported that conditions for growing the staple in the country remained
favorable despite the tightening of the global rice market.
We saved N216bn from rice import – BOA
Published October 28, 2017
Oyo
State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi
Kunle
Falayi
The
Bank of Agriculture says Nigeria has saved over $600m (N216bn) from not relying
on rice import from Thailand and other countries, after the nation’s domestic
mass production increased under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
The
Executive Director, Risk Management and Finance, Bank of Agriculture, Niyi
Akenzua, disclosed this when he led a delegation of the bank management on a
courtesy call to Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, in Ibadan, on Thursday.Akenzua
said it was worthy of commendation that the country had committed itself to
diversifying from oil, with emphasis on revitalisation of agriculture.
According
to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria import bill was $22bn (N7.92tn) as
recently as 2016.
Akenzua
said it was necessary to enlist the support and involvement of state
governments in the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, which, he said, had freed the
country from reliance on importation of rice.
Akenzua
said, “We enjoin Oyo State to participate in the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme,
as we expanded the scope of beneficiaries. The pilot scheme was so successful
that $600m was saved from rice importation due to massive rice production in
the country.“One or two rice millers in Thailand closed down because Nigeria,
which has always been their major importer, has stopped importing their rice.
“We
used to spend $22bn importing food into Nigeria and with our consciousness that
every square metre in the country is arable land, we felt that it was not
sustainable. Of course, the crash in crude oil price has forced us back to
agriculture.”In his response, the governor commended the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, for what he called the
positive changes he had brought into the agriculture sector since taking over
the ministry.
Ajimobi
said that the state was supposed to be the food basket of the nation if past
leaders had seen agriculture as a major solution to hunger and economic driver,
as well as a main source of employment for the youth.According to him, the
state is in good stead to be a major agriculture hub.It is unclear how much the
governor has focused on agriculture since the inception of his administration
in 2011.
He
advised the new management of the BOA to do all that was humanly possible to
sustain the momentum in its renewed drive to revitalise the agricultural sector
http://punchng.com/we-saved-n216bn-from-rice-import-boa/
Rice among top 5 most imported
items through Chittagong port
·
Published
at 09:01 PM October 27, 2017
·
Last
updated at 11:49 PM October 27, 2017
More than
400,000 tons of rice has already been unloaded at the port from July to
September 2017
As much as 12 million tons of
goods were imported through Chittagong port from July to September in the last
fiscal year. None of those imports were rice.However, rice is already among the
five most imported goods in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. More
than 400,000 tons of rice has already been unloaded at the port from July to
September 2017.According to the Chittagong Port Authority and Chittagong
Customs House, 140 tons of goods were imported through the Chittagong sea port
during the first quarter of the 2017-18 fiscal year.
As usual, cement clinker has
topped the list registering 2,989,000 tons of imports. In addition, 923,000 tons
of stone, 763,000 tons of wheat, 612,000 tons of high speed diesel and 463,000
tons of rice were imported through Chittagong port. Of the five items, only
rice was not imported during the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.
As of October 10, as much as
324,000 tons of rice were imported by the government to the tune of Tk 1,168
crore. At the private level, BSM imported 50,000 tons, S Alam Trading Company
Ltd imported 26,000 tons, Commodities Trading Company imported 16,000 tons,
Lucky imported 16,000 tons, Bengal Trade 6,500 tons and Green Grain Processing
Industry imported 3,000 tons of rice.
A total of 1,043,000
consignments, worth Tk32,000.2 crore, were delivered through Chittagong port in
the 2016-17 fiscal year.Some 20,000 government and private enterprises import
goods from 4,671 different categories through Chittagong port every year.
Moreover, over 1,000 tons of goods are imported in 900 categories
http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2017/10/27/rice-imported-items-chittagong/
Obasanjo flays Shagari, says his govt stopped Nigeria from
being rice exporter
Wale Akinola
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
has lambasted the ex-president Shehu Shagari over rice exportation - He said
Shagari’s government scuttled the efforts the nation was making to be
self-sufficient in rice production - He also noted that due to policy
inconsistency, the Shagari administration later set up a committee on
importation of rice Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, October 26,
flayed former President Shehu Shagari for scuttling the efforts the nation was
making to be self-sufficient in rice production.
The Punch reports that Obasanjo
spoke as the chief launcher at the unveiling of Okun Rice at the Olusegun
Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state. READ ALSO: What God says
about election in Anambra state - Popular cleric NAIJ.com gathered that Okun
Rice is produced by Hyst Global Business Limited, owned by Biodun Onalaja.
Obasanjo, who noted that Nigeria was almost achieving self-sufficiency in rice
production in 1979 before he quit as the military Head of State, said due to
policy inconsistency, the Shagari administration later set up a committee on
importation of rice. He said this shift in policy focus from his own
agricultural revolution, served as a disincentive to rice farmers who had to
compete with government-backed rice importers.
Obasanjo, however, commended Onalaja
for rekindling the hope of the country at achieving self-sufficiency in rice
production and ensuring food security for the nation. He said: “One of our
problems in this country is inconsistency in policy. In 1979, we were getting
to a place where we would be self-sufficient in rice production, but then a new
administration came and set up a presidential committee on rice importation
instead of a presidential committee on exportation of rice.
“In no time, when the imported rice started a
arriving, those farmers who were cultivating rice gave up. “Today, I commend
Hyst Global Business Limited and the Chairman, Mr. Biodun Onalaja, for his
doggedness, persistence, and stubbornness. It is not easy to succeed here as a
farmer. But I want to say Onalaja is a success story, because despite the odds
he never gave up.” Obasanjo said if the nation had just 100 Onalajas, the
country would not only be self-sufficient in rice production but would have
become an exporter of rice. The former President appealed to commercial banks
to offer soft loans to farmers at a single digit interest rate, arguing that no
farmer could break even on two digits interest rate.
In his remark, Onalaja said the company,
currently located at Ejiba, in Kogi State, engages in rice farming on 1,000
hectares of land, in the precinct of the Lower Niger River Basin. He said the
company started its operation at Ejiba in 2014, after its efforts to start rice
farming at Taraba State ran into a hitch. Onalaja, who commended Obasanjo, said
his (Obasanjo’s) administration’s policy on agriculture and assistance helped
the company to find its footing in rice production. He said: “The rice project
was made possible by the assistance given by the chief launcher of today, who
is a former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
“While in office, he had food self-sufficiency
for the nation as one of his goals. He assisted us to set up the company while
also blazing the trail for people like us as farmers. Here is a person who not
only talks agriculture, but also walks the talk of a farmer and agro
entrepreneur.” Onalaja also commended the current administration on the
priority given to agriculture, and noted the assistance of the Minister of
Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, in getting a 20-tonne integrated rice mill for
the company at a subsidised rate. He, however, disclosed that the company’s
five-year lease on the rice plantation at Ejiba would lapse in November and
pleaded with the state and federal governments to renew it, in order to sustain
food self-sufficiency for the nation and employment opportunities for the
youth.
Onalaja, who said the company had trained many
youths and women in rice production and offered to do more, added that the Okun
Rice “is available in different sizes of 1kg, 5kg, 10kg, 25kg and 50kg bags.”
The Ogun state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, also commended Onalaja for his
company’s efforts at making the nation self-sufficient in rice production.
Amosun, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry,
Bimbo Ashiru, noted that through rice production, “he is helping to
industrialise the nation.
” He, however, appealed to him to
invest in his home state, Ogun. Highlight of the event was an informative
documentary on the rice plantation at Ejiba. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on
Nigeria’s #1 new app Among the dignitaries at the event were the Ebumawe of Ago
Iwoye, Oba Razak Adenugba; a former Vice-Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of
Education, Ijagun, Prof. Segun Awonusi; the Managing Director, Punch Nigeria
Limited, Mr. Demola Osinubi; and other royal fathers from Ogun and Kogi states.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria
stated that Nigeria would begin to export rice to other countries by the end of
2017.
GIEWS Country Brief: Bolivia 27-October-2017
REPORT
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Cereal production anticipated to recover in 2017 from last year’s drought
- Cereal imports in 2017/18 marketing year expected to decline from record levels
- Cereal prices generally stable in September and below year-earlier levels
- Cereal production anticipated to recover in 2017 from last year’s drought
- Cereal production anticipated to recover in 2017 from last year’s drought
- Cereal imports in 2017/18 marketing year expected to decline from record levels
- Cereal prices generally stable in September and below year-earlier levels
- Cereal production anticipated to recover in 2017 from last year’s drought
Cereal production in 2017 is
forecast to recover from last year’s drought-reduced levels
The 2017 summer crops, including maize and rice, were harvested
in May. Maize yields were marginally affected by dry weather conditions at the
beginning of the season. By contrast, the summer rice crop was more impacted,
as the dry weather reduced water availability. The 2017 winter crops, whose
harvest is underway and will be finalized in November, progressed under
generally favourable weather conditions. FAO forecasts 2017 cereal output at an
average of 2.3 million tonnes. This mainly reflects an anticipated strong
recovery in maize production, particularly during the winter season, and a good
wheat harvest. Part of the recovery also reflects the support of the
Government, in close collaboration with the private sector, to aide in the recovery
of agricultural outputs from their drought-reduced levels of 2016, including
the distribution of inputs at a lower cost. In addition, the Government has
also increased the public purchase price of crops, particularly for wheat.
Cereal imports in 2017/18
marketing year expected to decline from record levels
FAO’s initial forecast for cereal import requirements in the
2017/18 marketing year (July/June) points to a sharp reduction from last year’s
record highs of 824 000 tonnes to 521 000 tonnes. This mainly reflects a strong
decline in maize imports, as domestic production was significantly affected in
2016 by drought. Wheat imports are also anticipated to decline, but at a
smaller rate.
Cereal prices generally stable
in September and below year-earlier levels
Prices of mostly imported wheat flour remained overall unchanged
in September and were down from a year earlier reflecting abundant imports in
the form of grain and flour, mostly from Argentina. By contrast, prices of
yellow maize followed mixed trends across the markets in September, but were
significantly below their year-earlier levels reflecting the good 2017 output
and imports. Rice prices continued relatively unchanged, reflecting adequate
imports from neighbouring countries that compensated for a decline in this
year’s output.
https://reliefweb.int/report/bolivia-plurinational-state/giews-country-brief-bolivia-27-october-2017
Punjab, Haryana paddy procurement crosses 160 lakh
tonne
Sat, Oct 28 2017 08:33:46
AM
Chandigarh, Oct 28 (IANS): Agrarian states Punjab and Haryana have
procured over 160 lakh tonne of paddy this season so far, Food and Supplies
Department officials said here on Friday.Punjab has procured over 111.37 lakh
tonne of paddy while in Haryana nearly 49 lakh tonne has been procured.Government
agencies have procured 98 per cent of the paddy arriving in grain markets in
Punjab.
In Haryana, government agencies have procured nearly 96 per cent of
the paddy arrivals. The rest of the paddy has been procured by rice millers and
traders.The procurement of paddy began in both states on October 1.The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has sanctioned an amount of nearly Rs 28,263 crore to
Punjab to make payments to farmers for the paddy procured.The paddy arrival and
procurement will continue till the end of November.Both states are expecting a
bumper crop this year with total procurement likely to be around 225 lakh
tonne.http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=478761
REAP team
apprises governor about exporters’ issues
Muhammad Zubair Governor Sindh has assured rice exporters for full
cooperation to resolve their issues. A high profile delegation of Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) led by Rafique Suleman Senior Vice
Chairman met with Governor Sindh at Governor House, Karachi. During the meeting
Haji Abdul Rauf Chappal, Jawed Jillani, Asif Polani, REAP's Managing Committee
Members along with Jawed Tar Muhammad, Anis Majeed and Nadeem Polani were also
present. Rafique Suleman apprised Governor Sindh about the issues and problems
being faced by Pakistani Rice Exporters.
He informed that despite country 2nd largest foreign exchange
earning sector, rice export sector is not given the status of industry by the
federal government. In addition, in the recently announced export package by
government has ignored the rice sector and there was no relief for rice export
sector such as other exporting sectors, he added. He said that Pakistani rice
exporters are putting their untiring efforts for the increase of export trade;
however some issues are needed to address immediately to enhance the country's
exports. He further informed that Indonesia only procure rice on
Govt-to-Government (G to G) basis and following this process several rice
exporting countries have authorized their Exporting Associations to export rice
to Indonesia on behalf of their government.
"We had also requested Federal Commerce Minister to authorize
REAP for rice export to Indonesia, as Pakistani rice has a good potential in
Indonesia and approx 300,000 metric tons of rice may be exported to Indonesia
which will fetch $ 120 million valuable foreign exchange for our beloved
country", he informed. Muhammad Zubair listened problems and issues of
rice exporters with interest and assured his full cooperation to resolve them.
To accelerate the process for rice export to Indonesia, he assured that he
would arrange a meeting of Federal Commerce Minister and REAP to finalize this
important matter. In the end, Rafique Suleman, Senior Vice Chairman REAP presented
REAP's memento to Governor Sindh.
https://fp.brecorder.com/2017/10/20171027229837/
Rice prices in
India dip on rising supply; Thailand eyes Sri Lankan demand
BENGALURU: Rice prices in India slipped this week on expectations
of a rise in supplies from the new season crop, while rates for the staple
grain edged higher in Thailand as traders were optimistic about the possibility
of demand from Sri Lanka. Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent broken rice was quoted
at $375-$388 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, up from $375-$385 last week.
“There looks to be demand from Sri Lanka, which we’re optimistic
will translate into more demand for Thai rice,” said a Bangkok-based rice
trader. The government of Sri Lanka has issued a tender to buy 200,000 tonnes
of rice as recent floods in the country have destroyed crops. In Thailand,
however, heavy rain have not hurt crops and all of the rice has already been
harvested. But, the rains have caused difficulties for shipments to be
collected and delivered, which has had a negative impact on exports, traders
said. “Due to heavy rains, a lot of ships from abroad coming in to get rice
have had to push their schedule back. From November onwards when the rains
subside, exports will hopefully be more active,” said a Bangkok-based trader.
India’s 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices edged down by $2 per tonne to
$402 to $405 per tonne this week.
“New season supply will be
available in the next few weeks. Exports will also pick up with supply,” said B
V Krishna Rao, managing director of leading exporter Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt.
“Demand is expected to be robust from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the next few
months,” he added. Bangladesh, which has emerged as a major importer this year
after floods damaged its crops, has approved the purchase of 100,000 tonnes of
parboiled rice from India in a government-to-government deal at $455 a tonne,
including CIF and discharge costs. It has also approved a purchase of 150,000
tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand at $465 a tonne. The country’s major
summer rice output in 2017 fell about 5 percent from a year earlier to 18
million tonnes, the lowest in seven years, according to a preliminary estimate
of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, high prices
prevailed as rice stocks were running dry, traders said. Benchmark 5-percent
broken rice rates rose to $395-405 per tonne, FOB Saigon, from $390-400 last
week.
Author Name:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/130954/rice-prices-india-dip-rising-supply-thailand-eyes-sri-lankan-demand/
SRI rice cultivation yields significant results
in NTT
·
Djemi Amnifu
The Jakarta Post
Kupang | Fri, October 27 2017 | 12:38 am
The Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund (ICCTF)
and Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University’s (UGM) School of Agriculture have
joined hands to develop and implement a rice intensification (SRI) method to
grow paddy in Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara’s (NTT).The project started in
April 2016 as part of ICCTF’s climate adaptation strategy, and the SRI method
has already been impleme...
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/27/sri-rice-cultivation-yields-significant-results-ntt.html
Vietnam uses remote sensing to monitor rice production
The
use of satellite earth observation date to monitor rice production in the Red
River and Mekong Deltas was discussed at a workshop in Hanoi on October 25.
Signals
collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can help calculate rice
productivity in Vietnam
The workshop on remote sensing
application in agricultural production in Vietnam was jointly held by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Swiss Embassy. Nguyen
Quang Dung, Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Planning and
Projection (NIAPP), said the project on remote sensing application in rice
production in 10 provinces of the Red River and Mekong Deltas has been launched
since 2012.The two-phase project conducted studies using finance from the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation and other international partners, he
said. Dung said rice production in Vietnam has been monitored from the
Sentinel satellite of the European Space Agency, with the algorithm and model
developed by Sarmap Company of Switzerland and the International Rice Research
Institute. Signals collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can
help calculate rice productivity in Vietnam. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang
Ha, from the NIAPP, said losses caused by natural disasters can be evaluated by
remote sensing technology, thus assisting insurance activities to ease risks
facing farmers.-VNA
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/189091/vietnam-uses-remote-sensing-to-monitor-rice-production.html
Rice prices in India dip on rising
supply; Thailand eyes Sri Lankan demand
OCTOBER 27, 2017
BENGALURU: Rice prices in India slipped this week on
expectations of a rise in supplies from the new season crop, while rates for
the staple grain edged higher in Thailand as traders were optimistic about the
possibility of demand from Sri Lanka.
Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent broken rice was quoted at
$375-$388 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, up from $375-$385 last week.
“There looks to be demand from Sri Lanka, which we’re optimistic
will translate into more demand for Thai rice,” said a Bangkok-based rice
trader.
The government of Sri Lanka has issued a tender to buy 200,000
tonnes of rice as recent floods in the country have destroyed crops.
In Thailand, however, heavy rain have not hurt crops and all of
the rice has already been harvested. But, the rains have caused difficulties
for shipments to be collected and delivered, which has had a negative impact on
exports, traders said. “Due to heavy rains, a lot of ships from abroad coming
in to get rice have had to push their schedule back. From November onwards when
the rains subside, exports will hopefully be more active,” said a Bangkok-based
trader.
India’s 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices edged down by $2
per tonne to $402 to $405 per tonne this week.
“New season supply will be available in the next few weeks.
Exports will also pick up with supply,” said B V Krishna Rao, managing director
of leading exporter Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt.
“Demand is expected to be robust from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
in the next few months,” he added. Bangladesh, which has emerged as
a major importer this year after floods damaged its crops, has approved the
purchase of 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from India in a
government-to-government deal at $455 a tonne, including CIF and discharge
costs.It has also approved a purchase of 150,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand at $465 a tonne.The country’s major summer rice output in 2017 fell about 5 percent from a year earlier to 18 million tonnes, the lowest in seven years, according to a preliminary estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, high prices prevailed as rice stocks were running dry, traders said. Benchmark 5-percent broken rice rates rose to $395-405 per tonne, FOB Saigon, from $390-400 last week.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/130954/rice-prices-india-dip-rising-supply-thailand-eyes-sri-lankan-demand/
Myanmar will sign agreement to export rice to China
Submitted by Eleven on
Fri, 10/27/2017 - 20:13
Writer: Nilar
A rice wholesale centre in the Bayint Naung Warehouse
(Photo-Myint Thu)
YANGON - Myanmar and China will sign an MoU next month for the
export of 100,000 tons of rice, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation.“We
are now discussing rice exports, not only with China but also other countries.
The rice export contract will be signed in November,” said Ye Min Aung,
General-Secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation.Although Myanmar legally
exported rice to China through border trade routes, China had not designated
Myanmar rice as an official export product. That’s why both sides agreed that a
bilateral agreement was needed to confirm the status of rice as an official
export.
Myanmar exported 31,792 tons of rice worth of US$ 9.763 million from October 1-7.Last week, 35,627 tons of rice were exported through marine channels but this week the volume of rice exports decreased from 35,627 to 3,835 tons, according to the Ministry of Commerce.The Ministry reported that Myanmar had earned nearly US$500 million from exporting more than 1.6 million tons of rice in the 2017-2018 fiscal year until October 6. Trade between Myanmar and China is worth about US$ 10 billion annually, equal to 30 percent of Myanmar’s total overseas trade
Myanmar exported 31,792 tons of rice worth of US$ 9.763 million from October 1-7.Last week, 35,627 tons of rice were exported through marine channels but this week the volume of rice exports decreased from 35,627 to 3,835 tons, according to the Ministry of Commerce.The Ministry reported that Myanmar had earned nearly US$500 million from exporting more than 1.6 million tons of rice in the 2017-2018 fiscal year until October 6. Trade between Myanmar and China is worth about US$ 10 billion annually, equal to 30 percent of Myanmar’s total overseas trade
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/12177
Uganda: Rice Shortage Worries
Consumers, Traders
By Ismail Musa Ladu
Kampala — Rice producers have admitted to shortages of rice in
the country, leaving consumers uncertain of what lies ahead.This development
comes just days after some of the big sugar industry players in the country say
they plan to massively lay off their employees who have been rendered redundant
due to shortage of sugarcanes, resulting from unfair competition with the small
mushrooming sugar millers.
In an email interview whether there is rice slump in the
country, the chairperson of Rice Millers Council of Uganda, Mr Philip Idro,
said: "Yes, this is true, but not at crisis levels."He added:
"It is also not production alone (that has caused the slump) but increased
demand due to population growth and change of diet as well."
He explained that there is a general food shortage in the
region, a reason why Kenya has imported maize from Mexico and Tanzania has
stopped exports of grains.There have also been failures of harvest of rice in
Northern Tanzania (Mwanza and Bukoba) which exported some rice into Uganda.
As a result, northern Tanzania gets their supplies from Dodoma
as well.
According to consumer advocates, already the population is
facing hard times due to the grappling economy and the low purchasing power of
the consumers.The consumer protection organisations also say the effect of the
recent drought and the uncertainty rocking the region following prolonged
electioneering period in neighbouring Kenya, only tell of hard times ahead.
The activists also fear for the worst especially if companies
such as Kakira Sugar Ltd owned by the Madhvani Group, Uganda's biggest sugar
manufacturer go ahead to lay off employees."Consumers in Uganda are
already in a tricky position," the executive secretary of Consumer
Education Trust, Mr Richard Henry Kimera, said in an earlier interview.Mr Sula
Kasule, a trader in Kampala said the situation should not be allowed to reach
crisis point, saying the government should act now.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201710270104.html
Chinese
scientists created a type of rice that can grow in saltwater
For
the first time, rice grown in diluted saltwater has yielded a crop sufficient
enough to be commercially viable, according to a new study by Chinese
scientists. The research team led by agricultural scientist Yuan Longping, also
known as China’s “father of hybrid rice,” planted 200 types of rice in spring
in the coastal city of Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong Province and then
subsequently tested their resilience to saline-alkali soil and diluted
saltwater; four types of rice showed particular promise.
If
successful on a large scale, these salt-resistant rice varieties could turn
previously non-arable space into productive agricultural land. In order to test
the rice’s resilience in saline-alkali environments, the scientists pumped in
saltwater from the Yellow Sea, on which Qingdao is located. The seawater was
first diluted to achieve a salinity level of .3 percent, then gradually
increased to .6 percent. Although researchers expected only an output of around
4.5 tons per hectare, “the test results greatly exceeded our expectations,”
according to Liu Shiping, a professor of agriculture at Yangzhou University.
The
four mentioned rice varieties ultimately produced yields of 6.5 to 9.3 tons per
hectare. While some wild varieties of rice are known to survive in salty
environments, they typically only yield 1.125 to 2.25 tons per hectare.
Increased yield from salt-resilient varieties of rice could have significant
economic benefits. “If a farmer tries to grow some types of saline-tolerant
rice now, they most likely will get 1,500 kilograms per hectare. That is just
not profitable and not even worth the effort,” said Yuan.
“Farmers will have an incentive to grow the
rice if we can double the yield.” The current 100 million hectares of
saline-alkali soil in China, one-fifth of which could be cultivated with the
right crop, also may experience significant change as farmers move onto
previously unusable land. Salt-resilient rice would prove to be an asset for
South and Southeast Asia as well, regions where millions of hectare are left
unused due to high salinity. The team plans to refine its rice varieties and
growing techniques, so that salt-resilient rice may soon become a supplemental
extension of the region’s staple crop.
http://gearsofbiz.com/chinese-scientists-created-a-type-of-rice-that-can-grow-in-saltwater/156505
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- October 27, 2017
OCTOBER
27, 2017 / 1:24 PM
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open
Market-October 27
Nagpur, Oct 27 (Reuters) – Gram and
tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing Committee (APMC) on poor
buying support from local traders. Easy condition on NCDEX ingram, weak trend
in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also pulled downprices,
according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw reported weak in open market in absence of buyers amid
good supply
from producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market in poor demand from local
trader traders
amid ample stock in ready position.
* Moong Chamki showed upward tendency in open market on good seasonal
demand from
local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-4,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-6,000, Udid
Mogar (clean)
– 7,800-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,900-7,200, Gram – 5,000-5,025, Gram
Super best
– 7,100-7,300
* Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market
prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous
close
Gram Auction
3,800-4,620 4,000-4,650
Gram Pink Auction
n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
3,550-3,920 3,600-3,950
Moong Auction
n.a. 3,900-4,200
Udid Auction
n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a. 2,600-2,800
Wheat Mill quality Auction
1,600-1,642 1,592-1,782
Gram Super Best Bold
7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Gram Super Best
n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best
6,400-6,800 6,400-6,800
Gram Dal Medium
n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality
5,100-5,200 5,100-5,200
Desi gram Raw
4,850-4,950 4,900-5,000
Gram Kabuli
12,500-13,200 12,500-13,200
Tuar Fataka Best-New
6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Tuar Fataka Medium-New
5,600-5,900 5,600-5,900
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New
5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New
4,800-5,200 4,800-5,200
Tuar Gavarani New
3,800-3,900 3,800-3,900
Tuar Karnataka
4,100-4,400 4,200-4,500
Masoor dal best
4,800-5,200 4,800-5,200
Masoor dal medium 4,400-4,800 4,400-4,800
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New)
6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Moong Mogar Medium
6,200-6,600 6,200-6,600
Moong dal Chilka
5,400-5,800 5,400-5,800
Moong Mill quality
n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best
7,000-7,500 6,900-7,400
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,000-8,500 8,000-8,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)
6,200-7,200
6,200-7,200
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
5,200-6,200
5,200-6,200
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)
3,800-4,400
3,800-4,400
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,850
1,700-1,850
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,300
2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,450
2,200-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,150 1,900-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)
n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,600
3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,700
2,200-2,700
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,500
3,000-3,500
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)
2,800-2,900
2,800-2,900
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,400
2,200-2,400
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,600
2,500-2,600
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,400
2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)
3,600-4,000
3,600-4,000
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)
3,250-3,600
3,250-3,600
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)
4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)
4,200-4,500
4,200-4,400
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)
10,000-14,000
10,000-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)
5,000-7,500
5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)
4,700-4,900
4,700-4,900
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)
4,400-4,600
4,400-4,600
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,100
2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
1,700-2,000 1,700-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 33.4 degree Celsius,
minimum temp. 17.0 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum
and minimum temperature would be around and 33 and 17
degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are
excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices)
https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-october-27-2017-idINL4N1N23FE
Senate Hearing
Attacks Food Aid Status Quo
By Rebecca Bratter
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Senate Foreign
Relations Committee held a hearing last week to look at ways to modernize the
U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Food For Peace Program. The
chairman of the committee, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), is a frequent critic of
the current program structure, and has sought to push through various reforms
with the goal of increasing cash/voucher-based food aid and reducing or
eliminating in-kind aid.
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) opened the hearing
calling for the total elimination of the current cargo preference program
requiring that 50 percent of all food aid shipped overseas is on U.S. flagship
carriers. Ranking Member Ben Cardin
(D-MD) endorsed the need to eliminate cargo preference but also broadened the
scope of reform to include prepositioning, monetization, and an increase in the
use of cash, and local and regional purchase-based food assistance.
Four witnesses, from USAID's Office
of Food For Peace, Catholic Relief Service, the Government Accounting Office,
and Cornell University, were unanimous in their agreement about the need to
reform the Food For Peace Program for greater efficiencies and made strong
statements about the need to eliminate cargo preference and increase cash-based
assistance.
The U.S. agricultural community, including USA
Rice, historically has worked together in coalition with the maritime industry
and private voluntary organizations (PVO) to fight for food aid budgets and to
keep U.S. programs focused on in-kind food aid.
"We believe current U.S. food aid
programs work and while there is always room for reform and improvement in
these programs, we maintain that food must continue to be a critical part of
all future U.S. food assistance programs," said USA Rice Food Aid Subcommittee
Chairman Bobby Hanks. "We will
face ongoing criticism of the current food aid paradigm and it will be critical
going forward for the agricultural community to communicate the success and
importance of these programs."
Round Table
Discussion with USA Rice Chairman Brian King
By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA - In town for the
latest USA Rice World Market Price Subcommittee meeting, USA Rice Chairman
Brian King, a rice merchant with Erwin Keith, Inc., met with USA Rice staff to
talk about industry priorities and give some background on the important role
merchants play in the U.S. rice industry.
"Everyone's aware stemming
imports is a top priority for our industry," said King. "This is an issue that has to be
approached from many different angles.
On the domestic side, working with the industry to improve quality, and
with consumers and the foodservice sector to speed acceptance and increase
consumption of U.S.-grown rice. And on
the international side, staying vigilant when it comes to enforcement and
finding inroads into new markets around the world. We rely on USA Rice to keep our industry in
play in all these areas."
King has more than 24 years of rice
and grain marketing experience and has been active in various merchant groups
since 2002."When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into
force in 1994, and the U.S. started exporting paddy rice in a big way to
Mexico, a new business model was created, including the need for the merchant
sector," King explained. "Today
Mexico is our largest export market and Canada is our fourth, but we facilitate
rice shipments all over the world and we're always looking for new
markets."
King continued, "Merchants are really
into logistics. Moving product is our
business whether by truck, barge, or rail.
We fulfill a 12-month need for that product and provide a market outlet
for thousands of farmers in all six rice-producing states."
King also praised USA Rice for
filling a valuable forum and education component. "The annual USA Rice
Outlook Conference continues to grow and is extremely valuable for all sectors
of the industry," he said.
"This meeting, and others throughout the year that USA Rice
sponsors and attends, bring us all together providing excellent opportunities
for us to learn from each other. We are
stronger as an industry for those efforts and interactions."
"I really appreciate Brian taking the
time to talk with our staff about his business and how he thinks USA Rice can
best serve the industry," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy
Ward. "He is well versed on our
issues having graduated from The Rice Leadership Development Program, serving
on the board of the USA Rice Merchants' Association and numerous other USA Rice
committees, and as current chair of the USA Rice Western Hemisphere
Subcommittee. He's been great to work
with as chairman because of his vast knowledgeable and experience and his
generosity with both."
Division of Ag researchers studying impact of
shifting artic geese migration into Arkansas
MONTICELLO – The western edge of
the Mississippi Delta, which contributes so richly to Arkansas agriculture, is
well known as a prime area for hunters, with both wet marshes and flooded rice
fields after the fall. But it hasn’t always necessarily been so.
Until about the early 1990′s, the
migration patterns of Arctic geese — migrating over North America through the
fall and into the winter — were dominated not by the Delta, but by the rich,
rice-dominated farmland of East Texas and Louisiana. But as drought took hold
in the South and water rights issues left growers in those areas with little
choice but to move into other, less water-intensive crops, mid-continent
migration patterns gradually gravitated toward eastern Arkansas.
Which raises more than a few questions.
Satellite telemetry technology
Douglass Osborne, associate
professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has been leading a
research team studying not only how the shift occurred, but what some of the
potential adverse implications may be, as well.
“Right now, we’re in the relatively
early stages of using satellite telemetry technology to learn about the
distribution of the geese on the landscape.” Osborne said. “Aerial surveys are
conducted during the winter, and anecdotally, we know that there’s more geese
wintering in Arkansas than ever before. We’re using transmitters to understand
migration patterns and winter distribution.”
Osborne and his team have about
40 years’ worth of data to work with, much of it from band and encounter data,
supplied from hunters on occasions when banded birds were harvested during a
hunt.
“Analyzing that data, we see that
the initial shift in distribution, from Texas-Louisiana into Arkansas, occurred
in the 90′s. In the early 2000′s, we see a really dramatic shift into the
Arkansas Delta,” he said. At the same time so many Texas and Louisiana growers
were shifting from rice to cotton, Arkansas rice growers realized that by
reflooding their fields after harvest, they could in turn make a profit leasing
the land to bird hunters for the season.
Trading coastal layovers for the Delta
Osborne said the data reflect three distinct time periods over the past four
decades, including a historical wintering distribution of migrating arctic
geese, a transient distribution in the mid- to late-90′s, as the birds “began
to dabble in Arkansas,” and the current distribution, in which the birds have
essentially traded their coastal layovers for the Delta.
“Historically, these birds were
migrating from the arctic tundra in the summer, through the mid-continent and
toward the Gulf of Mexico, hanging out in freshwater coastal marshes, feeding
on plant material in the marsh, digging up the root tubers, then bouncing out
of the marsh into the surrounding agriculture,” Osborne said. “But the
conversion of agriculture toward cotton in the mid-1990′s in that part of the
world took water off the landscape — water that was necessary for these birds
in winter.
While the increasing artic goose
population may be a boon to both landowners and hunters, Osborne said there are
other, long-term factors to consider.
“It’s worth asking: What is the role of these
geese in the agricultural system itself,” Osborne said. “What’s their role in
nutrient distribution, and seed dispersal of different weeds? Are these geese
environmental pests, or do they help agriculture?
“There’s also potential impacts
for other waterfowl, that historically always wintered here,” he said. “There’s
upwards of 3 million white-fronted geese in the population, and 10-20 million
snow geese in the population — so now that a large portion of the distribution
of birds has shifted into Arkansas, what does that mean for the amount of food
on the landscape, which other birds always wintered here rely on?”
Osborne said that because hunting
is such a strong engine in the Arkansas economy, it behooves the state and its
residents to consider such implications, including effects on the populations
and reproduction of other birds competing for scarce resources.
Osborne said his research, which
began about three years ago, could easily take a career’s worth of time.
“You attempt to answer one
question, and it leads to about four more questions,” he said.
More research needed?
While his research to this point
has been supported through the University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture, Ducks Unlimited, the Canadian Wildlife Services and Environment
Canada, Osborne said his team is hoping to attract underwriters for continuing
research.
“Overall, the waterfowl community
thinks there’s too many geese on the landscape — but what does ‘too many geese’
mean, and what impacts are they having on agricultural production in the
southern portion of the range?” Osborne said. “This whole topic is a relatively
unexplored area right now. There’s lots to learn about what impacts these geese
may have here in the South.”
To learn about waterfowl in
Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all
eligible persons without discrimination.
Quote of the Day
"Mothers
all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to
become politicians in the process."
-John
F. Kennedy
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