By APP
Published:
August 15, 2018
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Wide-range of mango delicacies
such as milk-shake, lassi, ice cream, salad served, made of fresh Pakistani
mangoes. PHOTO: CREDIT: https://twitter.com/PakTurkey
ANKARA: A large
number of Turks on Wednesday got a first-hand experience of the taste and aroma
of the Pakistani mangoes as they converged in Ankara at a gathering to
feast on a wide spread of mango delights made out of freshly-arrived juicy
fruit.
The event organised at the Pakistan House was aimed at
further popularising Pakistani mangoes in Turkey and facilitating their
availability in the local market.
The “Pakistan Mango & Food Festival”, held by the
Embassy of Pakistan, coincided with the celebration of the Independence Day of
Pakistan.
Key political figures, fruit importers, diplomats and
media representatives attended the festival in which the guests were served
with fresh mango and mango cuts, and wide-range of mango delicacies such as
milk-shake, lassi, ice cream, salad, soufflé, mousse, trifle, tart, pudding,
and cake, made of fresh mangoes from Pakistan.
Biryani’ made of famous Pakistani Basmati rice was also
served at the festival with selected Pakistani music in the backdrop. A
photographic display of Pakistan’s natural beauty also formed part of the
event.
Speaking on the occasion, ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi
said that Pakistan is the 5th largest producer and the 6th largest
exporter of mangoes.
“For Pakistanis, mango or ‘King of Fruits’ is an integral
part of our history and rich culture,” he said, adding that there are over
110 varieties of high quality Pakistani mangoes, including Sindhri, Anwar
Retaul, Lungra, Malda, Dusehri, Fajri and the most popular Chaunsa.
Ali Sahin, Chairman of Turkey-Pakistan Parliamentary
Friendship Group in the Turkish Parliament, said he first had a taste of
mangoes when he was a university student in Pakistan.
He congratulated the people of Pakistan on the
Independence Day and said 14th August was also very important in the Turkish
history, as on this day, the Justice & Development Party (AK Party) was
established 17 years ago.
He also thanked the leadership of Pakistan on showing
strong solidarity with Turkey during challenging times.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1781537/1-pakistani-mangoes-get-kings-welcome-turkey/The politics of rice trading
By
-
August 15, 2018
Three weeks after President
Duterte asked Congress in his State of the Nation Address to prioritize the
approval of the rice-tariffication measure, the House of Representatives on
Tuesday passed on third and final reading House Bill (HB) 7735, or the proposed
“Revised Agricultural Tariffication Act,” which would convert the quantitative
restriction on rice into tariffs. The bill will now be transmitted to the
Senate for its own deliberations and approval.
Notable among the provisions of
HB 7735 is the creation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which
comes from the duties collected from rice imports, to help rice farmers become
more competitive. The Senate will have its chance to strengthen the safety nets
for rice farmers and consumers through import tariffication.
The rice tariffication bill will
help reduce the price of rice by P3.40 per kilogram. If implemented in the last
quarter of this year, bill sponsors said it could reduce headline inflation by
about 0.20 percentage points, and an additional 0.60 percentage points in 2019.
Under HB 7735, the Lower House
has set the bound tariff rate for rice imports outside the minimum access
volume at 180 percent. The measure indicated that the Philippines will impose a
bound tariff rate of 35 percent for rice from the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, regardless of volume. Manila will also impose a 40-percent bound
tariff most-favored nation rate for in-quota rice imports from countries that
do not belong to the Asean.
Other provisions of HB 7735,
however, need further study. For example, the bill authorizes the National Food
Authority to allocate import permits among certified and licensed importers. In
other words, it gives the NFA the discretion to choose its preferred rice
importers. We all know that discretion breeds corruption. And we also know
that, for the longest time, the biggest headaches for our regulators are the
rice cartels and rice smugglers. Legislators now have a chance to craft
sanctions to curb rice smuggling.
Unscrupulous traders will always
try to evade paying duties and taxes if the government won’t press its heavy
foot on their throats. The problem with the current system is the absence of
coordination among government agencies as far as rice importation is concerned.
For example, a rice trader—Jomerito “Jojo” Soliman, owner of Sta. Rosa Farm
Products—recently cried foul over allegations made by the Bureau of Customs
(BOC) that he was behind the unlawful importation of 200 containers of Thai
rice, insisting that his transactions were legal.
The rice trader maintained that
all of his rice importations were allowed and cleared by the NFA. He said a
letter issued by the NFA on July 27, 2018, upheld the rice importation of Sta.
Rosa Farm subject to the payment of 50-percent tariff. Insisting that the
shipment was not smuggled, he said it was a “special importation” channeled
through the NFA so that it will be sold at a lower price in the market to help
replenish the country’s rice stock.
The BOC, however, said the 200
containers of rice arrived from Thailand at Manila International Container Port
without import permits. That’s why they were seized and were later auctioned
off even before the expiration of the prescribed period for appeal.
Hopefully, with the
rice-tariffication measure signed into law, cases like this will become a thing
of the past. We need the help of rice traders to help boost the country’s
supply of our staple food. But we also need to clean up the rotten setup where
crooks in the government can demand bribes from rice traders. This measure can
help remove the politics involved in the rice business.
Villar pushes for P10-billion
rice farmers' subsidy
Ralf Rivas
Published 6:30 PM, August 15, 2018
Updated 6:30 PM, August 15, 2018
SUBSIDIES. Senator Cynthia Villar vows to block rice
tariffication if there would be no subsidies for farmers. Photo by Ralf
Rivas/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines –
Senate agriculture and food committee chairperson Cynthia Villar is pushing for
a P10-billion subsidy for local rice farmers along with the proposal to lift
import quotas and slap tariffs on rice imports.
Villar said local farmers need subsidies to compete with cheap rice from
abroad.
"I won't agree na mag-liberalize ng market tapos walang
subsidy.... Talo ang farmer," Villar said on Wednesday, August 15.
(I won't agree to a liberalized
market without subsidies.... Local farmers would lose.)
The Senate version of the bill
which was filed by Villar includes the creation of a rice competitiveness
enhancement fund (RCEF), where collected taxes from rice imports would fund
programs for farmers.
However, she admitted that it
would take a long time before farmers could benefit from the funds, hence the
proposed subsidy.
The senator said the P10-billion
subsidy must be included in the annual budget of the national government until
money from the RCEF would suffice to support the rice sector.
This provision under Villar's
Senate bill is in contrast with the House of Representatives' version, which
only plans to subsidize farmers for a maximum of 5 years.
Farmers' groups oppose freeing
the market for more rice imports, insisting that imports would not bring prices
down.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that rice inflation
rose to 5% in July despite the arrival of rice imports from Thailand and
Vietnam. (READ: Rice imports fail to tame inflation in July 2018)
Local farmers produce rice at P12
a kilo. This is almost double the cost of Vietnam's P6.50 per kilo and also
higher than Thailand's P9.
The Department of Agriculture
previously said it is working on bringing down the production cost of local
farmers through various programs and upgrading farming techniques.
The National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) estimated that rice tariffication would bring down
prices for regular milled rice to P30 per kilo, P4.30 less than the prevailing
price.
NEDA also said a typical family
of 5 would save over P2,000 a year if the measure is implemented.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary
Ernesto Pernia reiterated that rice tariffication and a free market would
stabilize rice prices. – Rappler.com
https://www.rappler.com/business/209642-cynthia-villar-pushes-for-farmer-
Turkey accusing U.S.
of trying to tank its economy after Trump orders new sanctions
Turkey accusing U.S. of trying to tank its economy after Trump
orders new sanctions
Pregnant Colorado mother and two daughters reported missing
A NASA scientist is behind bars. But Trump isn't tweeting about
it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/turkey-increases-tariffs-u-s-imports-including-cars-alcohol-n900821Africa: Farmers Set to Make More Profits From Hybrid Rice in
Kenya, Africa
Africa
Palay output
seen declining by nearly 2% in 3rd quarter
New rice research center to open in northeast Arkansas
Growing paddy rice in upland fields
Local View:
MPCA admits there's no solution in sight on wild rice sulfate issue
Mobile app helps discern rice plants pests
Global Rice Bran Wax Market Research
2018 : Wordwide Players Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical, Huzhou Shengtao Biotech,
Kahlwax, Croda, Koster Keunen, Poth Hille
The Turkish lira has nosedived in value in the past week.Lefteris Pitarakis /
AP
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey announced
Wednesday that it is increasing tariffs on imports of certain U.S. products,
escalating a feud with the United States that has helped trigger a currency
crisis.
In a decision announced in the
Official Gazette, Ankara said it will impose extra tariffs on imports of
products including rice, vehicles, alcohol, coal and cosmetics. Tariffs on
American cars were doubled to 120 percent while tariff on alcoholic drinks to
140 percent.
Turkey's Vice President Fuat
Oktay said on Twitter that the tariffs on certain products were increased
"within the framework of the principle of reciprocity in retaliation for
the deliberate economic attacks by the United States."
Turkey accusing U.S.
of trying to tank its economy after Trump orders new sanctions
AUG.14.201801:21
The currency strengthened to
around 6.20 lira against the dollar on Wednesday after the government took
steps to shore up the currency by reducing the daily limit in bank foreign
currency swap transactions and amid news that the finance minister would
address foreign investors on Thursday.
Turkey accusing U.S. of trying to tank its economy after Trump
orders new sanctions
Pregnant Colorado mother and two daughters reported missing
Investors are worried
not only about Turkey's souring relations with the U.S., a longtime NATO ally,
but also Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's economic policies and the
country's high debt accumulated in foreign currencies.
Turkey has accused the United
States of waging an "economic war" as part of a plot to harm the
country.
Washington has imposed financial
sanctions on two Turkish ministers and doubled steel and aluminum tariffs on
Turkey, as U.S. President Donald Trump tries to secure
the release of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor being tried in
Turkey on espionage and terrorism-related charges.
A NASA scientist is behind bars. But Trump isn't tweeting about
it.
The decision to impose
new tariffs came a day after Erdogan said Turkey would boycott U.S. electronic
goods, singling out iPhones. He suggested Turks would buy local or Korean
phones instead, although it was unclear how he intended to enforce the boycott.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/turkey-increases-tariffs-u-s-imports-including-cars-alcohol-n900821Africa: Farmers Set to Make More Profits From Hybrid Rice in
Kenya, Africa
Tagged:
By Njenga
Hakeenah
In October last year, rice production declined sharply pushing
retail prices up by 38 per cent in Kenya.
The country's staple was selling at Sh145 in January 2017 but
hit Sh200 per kilogramme towards the end of the same year.
But all this may change with researchers targeting to increase
production from less than 200,000 tonnes of rice which is far below the
national demand of over 450,000 tonnes per year.
To fill the deficit, Kenya imports the grain mostly from Asian
countries since low productivity leads to high production costs which limit
rice farmers by making their products costlier and less competitive in the
global market.
Imports are mainly from Pakistan, Thailand, India and Vietnam
but there are also modest imports from Tanzania and Uganda.
According to the 2017 Kenya Corn, Wheat and Rice Report by the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service, EAC
maintains a common external tariff of 75 per cent ad valorem or $345 USD per
ton, whichever is higher for rice imports from non-EAC countries.
Kenya has however been granted by EAC "the stay of
application", based on limited local production, and therefore applies the
former tariff structure (that was applicable before July 1st, 2015) of 35 per
cent ad-valorem or $200 USD per ton, whichever is higher.*
The USDA adds that Kenya mainly produces the aromatic Basmati in
irrigation schemes managed by Kenya's National Irrigation Board (NIB).
In addition, GOK and county governments have been promoting the
New Rice for Africa (NERICA), an improved, rain-fed, upland rice variety. NIB
is also responsible for the rehabilitation of the irrigation schemes.
And scientists are now working on the Hybrid Rice Project which
aims to develop 2-line hybrids and parental lines in selected African countries
among which is Kenya.
According to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation
(AATF), the project will facilitate expedited farmer access to this product
through private companies and public institutions in Africa, for increased
yields and improved income streams for farmers.
In AATF's 2017 Annual Report, in the trials, the candidate
hybrids outperformed the local checks for key traits such as date-to-maturity,
yields and disease resistance.
The hybrids take only 90-120 days to mature compared to 135-150
days for local varieties. Tried in Hola and Malindi in the coastal region, Mwea
in central Kenya, and Bondo and Kisumu in western Kenya, the new rice hybrids
will not only improve yields of rice but they will also be as competitive as
imported rice in terms of grain quality and affordability.
It is estimated that farmers stand to gain an average of US$350
to US$1,000 per hectare more than with the commercially available varieties.
Africa
Palay output
seen declining by nearly 2% in 3rd quarter
By
-
THE country’s unmilled rice output could decline by nearly 2
percent to 3.323 million metric tons, from the previous year’s 3.39 MMT,
according to latest forecast of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its quarterly “Rice and Corn Situation and Outlook” report,
the PSA attributed the possible decline to the contraction in harvest area and
the decision of farmers to delay planting.
The PSA expects total harvest area for the July-to-September
period to shrink by 2.82 percent 829,000 hectares, from 853,000 hectares
recorded a year ago.
In contrast, yield per hectare could increase to 4.01 MT per
hectare, from 3.98 MT per hectare in 2017, according to the PSA.
“The considerable decreases in production are foreseen in
Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA and SOCCSKSARGEN,” the PSA said in the
report published recently.
“Cutbacks in output may be attributed to delayed plantings due
to the late release of irrigation water and late onset of rainfall in Cagayan
Valley, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, SOCCSKSARGEN and Caraga,” it
added.
Based on farmers’ planting intentions, the PSA noted that palay
production in the fourth quarter may be higher than the previous year’s level.
“This may be attributed to the perceived availability of
irrigation water coupled with occurrence of rain during the planting period,”
it said. The PSA did not provide a production forecast for the fourth quarter.
Price drop
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a Facebook post
that he sees the farm-gate price of palay in the third quarter to decline
“drastically” due to the influx of imports.
“The farm-gate price of locally produced paddy rice, which went
up to an unprecedented level today, could fall drastically this harvest season
because of the delay in the arrival of rice supplies from Vietnam and Thailand
imported by both the National Food Authority (NFA) and the private sector under
the Minimum Access Volume (MAV),” Piñol said on August 15.
“The PSA reported a few days ago that the national average
farm-gate price has fallen [from an] all time high of P22 per kilogram (kg) to
P21.50 per kg. Prices are expected to fall further at peak harvest season
because this will be the time when imported rice is expected to reach the
market,” he added.
Piñol said the decline in paddy rice prices is a “welcome
relief” for consumers as this could ease the rise in the retail price of the
staple.
“The delay in the arrival of rice imported by both the NFA and
the private sector is also the main factor behind the spike in the price of rice
in the market,” he said. The agriculture chief said the delay in the arrival of
rice imports was due to by the conflict between the NFA and the NFA Council.
Piñol noted that rice imports usually arrive during the
country’s lean season, which runs from July to September, to beef up local
supplies. The country has minimal harvest during the lean months.
“The issuance of the import permits both for NFA and the private
sector, however, was delayed because of a disagreement between the NFA and the
NFA Council, the governing body composed of several government agencies (but
not including the Department of Agriculture), over the mode of importation,” he
said.
Furthermore, Piñol said the late arrival of the imported rice
has “placed the country’s buffer supply at critical level resulting in
speculation in the market which further pushed rice prices up.”
“The private sector importation, however, is expected to arrive
by the end of August toward early-September by which time the farmers would
already start harvesting their paddy rice,” he said.
Palay production in the second quarter reached 4.09 MMT, 1.44
percent lower than the 4.15 MMT recorded output a year ago due to contracted
harvest area. Harvest area shrank by 1.52 percent to 932,790 hectares, from
947,190 hectares.
New rice research center to open in northeast Arkansas
University
of Arkansas to expand facility over several years
Desiring to maintain a top-notch
rice research capability into the future, the University of Arkansas and
far-sighted members of the rice sector in the state are looking at a new
facility just south of Jonesboro. In the northeast part of the state, the new
center will see limited capacity in 2019 and will expand from there.
Recently, the university’s
Jean-Francois Meullenet spoke to Delta
Farm Press about the new venture. Among his comments:
On the genesis of the project…
“We are still in the planning
stages so we’re not 100 percent sure who will be located there. The purpose of
the new farm will primarily be rice research.
“Right now, there’s a 600-acre
piece of land without infrastructure. So we’re looking at what we need to do to
bring the infrastructure to where we can farm it. Over time, we’ll then build a
research structure.”
Time frame?
“We’re hoping to initiate some
research in the spring of (2019). It obviously won’t be full-scale and we’re
unsure about what acreage we’ll do research on.
“The land was purchased through a
gift received by the (University of Arkansas System) Division of Agriculture
from the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board. It’s off Highway 1 south
of Jonesboro in the community of Greenfield. It has a Harrisburg address and is
adjacent to the Ricetec research facility.”
Reasons for opening a new facility in northeast Arkansas?
“We’re already doing rice
research in Keiser although the soils are quite different from what you’ll find
in Greenfield. There are also differences in climate and soils between rice
grown north of I-40 and south of I-40.
“Much of the state’s rice
production is now in the northeast. We feel to fully address the needs of the
rice industry we need a research facility in that area.
“We hope within three to five
years we’ll be fully operational. Our current plans for doing research in 2019
include constructing a shop and equipment storage facility on the site. That
will start within the next two or three months so we have something available
by the spring of 2019 to house equipment and have it be secure.
“Obviously, we won’t have a lot
of office facilities. But we hope to have personnel on the farm next year to
keep an eye on the operation. Long-term, though, we’ll need to build a research
building with offices and labs. We’re still considering our options as far as
funding the building before thinking about what program and faculty might be
houses there. That’s a bit on the horizon, though. It’ll probably take a couple
of years to build a research building and find a way to fund that – having a
building within the next three years is probably the earliest timeline.
“Dr. Chuck Wilson is heading
this. He came from Stuttgart where he was the center director to take the same
role at Keiser. He’s now helping us with this project, on the ground helping
with the planning…
“I’d imagine there will be
collaboration with (Arkansas State University). We’re already partnering with
researchers there. I imagine our ability to have (a new rice) facility nearby
will only strengthen those relationships.”
On goals for the new facility…
“For 2019, assuming we can build
the shop and get the equipment in place, we will conduct some of the rice
performance trials. All the relevant cultivars and hybrids available in the
state will be looked at. We’ll likely look at nitrogen trials and planting date
trials, as well.
“Longer-term, there are a lot of
ideas floating around. We’re talking about irrigation studies where we compare
surface- versus ground-water, alternative irrigation strategies, and do
long-term soil fertility studies. Breeding, obviously, will be part of the
research.
“We’re not planning to move our
rice breeders from Stuttgart. But in the early selection trials they conduct,
certainly the new farm will be another site that will reflect new significant
climates that will be helpful to them.
“We anticipate weed science will
be represented with herbicide trials. Entomology (research) will also be a
part.”
On maintaining Arkansas’ position as number one in U.S. rice…
“We’re very proud of Arkansas
being the largest producer of rice in the country by a wide margin. The
investment we make in rice research is probably unparalleled in the country. We
need to further enhance what we’re doing and make sure the rice industry
remains strong.
“We’re very excited about the
project. A new (research) location hasn’t been opened in a long time. So, these
are exciting times for us and the partnership with the Arkansas Rice Research
and Promotion Board has proven to be very strong and we appreciate their help
in making this a reality.”
Growing paddy rice in upland fields
By Zhu Lingqing in Shihezi, Xinjiang | chinadaily.com.cn |
Updated: 2018-08-16 06:50
It is not a paddy field, but the paddy rice planted in it is developing
splendidly.
The secret lies in the under-film
drip irrigation system, an efficient and environmentally friendly system
developed by Xinjiang Tianye (Group) Co Ltd.
The State-owned enterprise in
Shihezi, a city in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, spent
eight years overcoming the problem of growing paddy rice in upland fields.
It carried out field experiments
for five consecutive years beginning in 2004, successfully tested the system in
small fields in 2008 and set up large-scale demonstration projects in 2009. In
February 2011, its mechanized direct seeding rice drip irrigation technology
was granted a national invention patent.
Chen Yifeng, research director of
the Agricultural Research Institute of the Tianye Group, said compared to the
traditional method of planting rice in a paddy field, the rice drip irrigation
system can save more than 60 percent of water, which makes it perfect to be
applied in dry areas.
"By applying the technology,
the yield of rice can reach 59.53 kilograms per hectare, while the average
yield of rice in China is about 26.67 kg per hectare," Chen said.
In addition to saving water, the
technology also can save fertilizer and the labor force, as farmers can control
the system on an app, even from a long distance.
"Israel is leading the world
in developing drip irrigation technology, but its technology has not been
adopted as widely as ours due to its high costs," Wang Yongqiang,
vice-director of the Agricultural Research Institute, said.
Tianye Group has become the
world's largest production base of water-saving, under-film drip irrigation
equipment.
He said with Tianye Group's
technology, the total cost of drip irrigation equipment and plastic film used
in the field is about 6.67 yuan per hectare.
In addition, the water-saving
droppers are recycled annually, which allows farmers to replace the old ones
with new ones at very low prices every year.
Not only having a 200 mu (13.33
hectares) demonstration field in Shihezi, the system also has been introduced
in other provinces, such as Northeast China's Heilongjiang, North China's
Shanxi, and East China's Shandong and Jiangsu.
The various kinds of water-saving
drip irrigation systems developed by Tianye Group have been promoted in 17
countries, according to the company.
Song Xiaoling, chairwoman of
Tianye Group, said the company will further expand to markets involved in the
Belt and Road Initiative, to promote its products and technologies.
Local View:
MPCA admits there's no solution in sight on wild rice sulfate issue
The seemingly never-ending saga over the contentious wild
rice/sulfate standard in Minnesota moves into the next phase, the 2019
legislative session, after the long-awaited release of an independent analysis
and report on the affordability and viability of multiple treatment options for
the removal of sulfate.
Steve Giorgi
This independent research and report was requested by the
Legislature and was due by May 31. When the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
announced in 2017 that it had decided to commence with its rule-making public
hearings prior to the completion of this financial and viability study, the
Range Association of Municipalities & Schools, or RAMS, objected via
letters to the governor and MPCA commissioner.
It seemed to make little sense to undertake the rule-making
process prior to knowing for certain whether, first, there was a viable,
affordable treatment process and, second, the actual cost for treatment to the
citizens of the impacted communities and potentially to the state.
Since no other state in the nation has a sulfate standard for the
protection of wild rice, there are no functioning treatment systems to analyze.
The assumption was, and still is after the independent study, that reverse
osmosis is the "most likely" treatment method known that could reduce
sulfate to the 10 milligrams per liter standard required by current Minnesota
law.
This summer, the MPCA finally released the comprehensive
independent report conducted by Bolton & Menk, Inc., and Barr Engineering
Co., on the affordability of sulfate removal from wastewater. The researchers
also looked at alternative treatment methods for sulfate removal.
The report stated in plain English the following determination:
"The study results show that reverse osmosis is the one treatment method
that is closest to being feasible — but that it is not currently affordable.
The 30 other treatment processes evaluated either would not effectively remove
sulfate from wastewater, were not yet developed enough to be used, or would
cost even more than reverse osmosis."
This is virtually the same testimony provided at the MPCA public
hearing on this matter by RAMS and the same position taken by our organization
on behalf of the 13 Iron Range communities targeted as having wastewater plants
that discharge to wild rice waters, as identified by the MPCA.
If the Duluth-based Western Lake Superior Sanitary District had to
install a reverse-osmosis filtration system to meet the current standard, the
estimated cost would be $500 million. Imagine what that would do to the sewer
rates for the end users of WLSSD.
Other major issues with any reverse-osmosis system is that the
filtration process produces a brine that, to date, the MPCA has not been able
to determine whether it is toxic. This brings into question the how and where
one could dispose of this residue.
Unfortunately, a solution to the wild rice/sulfate standard was
not accomplished in the last session of the Minnesota Legislature, despite
lawmakers twice passing bills to prohibit enforcement of the standard (which
has been the case since 1973). Lawmakers instead established a task force to
explore options and provided funding for wild rice growth and rehabilitation.
Perhaps common sense can be applied to the problem once a new
governor and Legislature are elected and all of the needed information around costs
and feasibility of treatment options are available.
This should not be that difficult. Make a permanent funding source
available for wild rice growth and rehabilitation efforts. And allow our Native
people to control water levels and invasive species proven to be one of the
most detrimental factors to wild-rice growth. Then Minnesota will have a
vibrant, natural, wild-rice crop for generations. Isn't that what we all want?
Steve Giorgi of Mountain Iron is executive director of the Range
Association of Municipalities & Schools, or RAMS (ramsmn.org).
Mobile app helps discern rice plants pests
Xinhua
20:04
UTC+8, 2018-08-15
A new mobile app, which can recognize rice plant pests, will
soon be available for download after having passed rigorous tests, app
developers in the eastern province of Anhui said on Wednesday.
The app, co-developed by the Anhui Academy of Agricultural
Sciences and the Institute of Intelligent Machines of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, can recognize more than 50 species of rice plant pests with a
recognition rate exceeding 80 percent.
Users can download the app on their mobile phones and identify
the pests through a database by taking photos of insects and uploading the
images.
"We've been building the database since 2000, which now has
more than 800,000 photos of pests collected by the Anhui Academy of
Agricultural Sciences," said Zhang Liping, an official with the academy.
After identifying the pests, the app can provide suggestions and
guidelines for which pesticide to use.
The test version of the app is now available for agricultural
and scientific departments, and rice plant research institutes in the province.
"The system works well right now, and we will soon launch
new versions for the iOS and Android app stores," Zhang said.
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