JANUARY 24, 2019
LGB
and other sexual minorities face significant health disparities
Sexual minorities—people who are attracted to members of the
same sex or who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual—are at a higher risk for
several different health problems at different points in their lives, according
to Penn State researchers.
The researchers found that sexual minorities were more likely to
experience drug and alcohol use disorders, anxiety and
depressive disorders, and cardiovascular disease, among other negative health outcomes.
Cara Rice, assistant research professor in Penn State's
Methodology Center, said increased stress stemming from discrimination and
prejudice could be a potential reason for these disparities.
"It's generally believed that sexual minorities experience
increased levels of stress throughout their lives as a result of
discrimination, microaggressions, stigma and prejudicial policies," Rice
said. "Those increased stress levels may then result in poor health in a
variety of ways, like unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use."
Stephanie Lanza, professor of biobehavioral health and director
of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, said the
results—recently published in Annals of Epidemiology—help shed
light on health risks that
have been historically understudied.
"Discussions about health disparities often focus on the
differences between men and women, across racial and ethnic groups, or between
people of different socioeconomic backgrounds," Lanza said. "However,
sexual minority groups suffer substantially disproportionate health burdens
across a range of outcomes including poor mental health and problematic
substance use behaviors."
While previous research has shown that sexual minorities are
more likely to experience health problems like substance use
disorders and mood or anxiety disorders, Rice said it is not as
well known if those risks remain constant across age.
"As we try to develop programs to prevent these
disparities, it would be helpful to know which specific ages we should be
targeting," Rice said. "Are there ages where sexual minorities are
more at risk for these health disparities, or are the disparities constant
across adulthood?"
For the study, the researchers used data from about 30,999
participants between the ages of 18 and 65 from the National Epidemiologic
Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Data included information about
past-year alcohol, tobacco, and drug use disorders, as well whether they had a
history of depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or
cardiovascular disease.
Lanza said the researchers used a method developed at Penn
State, called time-varying effect modeling, to analyze the information.
"Using the time-varying effect model, we revealed specific
age periods at which sexual minorityadults in the U.S.
were more likely to experience various poor health outcomes," Lanza said,
"even after accounting for one's sex, race or ethnicity, education level,
income, and region of the country in which they reside."
The researchers found that overall, sexual minorities were more
likely to experience all the health outcomes. Nearly a quarter—24 percent—of
sexual minorities had an alcohol use disorder in the year prior to the survey,
compared to 15 percent of heterosexuals. Sexual minorities were also about
twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, and STIs in the previous
year.
Additionally, risks for some health problems were higher at
different ages. For example, the increased odds for anxiety and depression
among sexual minorities was highest in their early twenties, while increased
odds for poor cardiovascular health was higher in their forties and fifties.
"We also observed that odds of substance use disorders
remained constant across age for sexual minorities, while in the general
population they tend to be concentrated in certain age groups," Rice said.
"We saw that sexual minorities were more likely to have these substance
use disorders even in their forties and fifties when we see in the general
population that drug use and alcohol use start to taper off."
Rice said the findings could potentially be used to develop
programs to help prevent these health problems before they start.
"A necessary first step was to understand how health
disparities affecting sexual
minorities vary across age," Rice said. "These
findings shed light on periods of adulthood during which intervention programs
may have the largest public health impact. Additionally, future studies that
examine possible drivers of these age-varying disparities, such as daily experiences
of discrimination, will inform the development of intervention content that
holds promise to promote health equity for all people."
P10-B Rice Fund to minimize impact of tariffication
law
January 24, 2019
48
By
Lilybeth Ison/PNA
MANILA —
The implementation of a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) or Rice
Fund would provide assistance to farmers as compensation for the projected
reduction or loss of farm income arising from the proposed rice tariffication.
Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in a press briefing on Wednesday, said the proposed
PHP10-billion RCEF “is very critical to achieve growth in agriculture.”
As
such, he said this should be released before the planting season in March for
farmers to be able to plant on time.
The
proposed rice tariffication law, now awaiting President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s
signature, amends the 1996 Agricultural Tariffication Act that put quantitative
restrictions on rice imports. Instead, rice can now be imported freely as long
as the proper tariffs are paid.
The
measure also provides a PHP10-billion Rice Fund which will be allocated as
follows:
• 50
percent will go to the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
Modernization (PhilMech) to provide farmers with rice farm machineries and
equipment;
• 30 percent will be released to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to be used for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and the organization of rice farmers into seed growers’ associations engaged in seed production and trade;
• 10 percent will be made available in the form of credit facility with minimal interest rates and with minimum collateral requirements to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines; and
• 10 percent will be set aside to fund extension services by PhilMech, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for teaching skills on rice crop production, modern rice farming techniques, seed production, farm mechanization, and knowledge/ technology transfer through farm schools nationwide.
• 30 percent will be released to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to be used for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and the organization of rice farmers into seed growers’ associations engaged in seed production and trade;
• 10 percent will be made available in the form of credit facility with minimal interest rates and with minimum collateral requirements to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines; and
• 10 percent will be set aside to fund extension services by PhilMech, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for teaching skills on rice crop production, modern rice farming techniques, seed production, farm mechanization, and knowledge/ technology transfer through farm schools nationwide.
Piñol
said the PHP10-billion RCEF, which would enable Filipino farmers to export
their rice at globally competitive price levels, would be implemented annually
over the next six years, he said.
Moon-Forming
Collision Left Key Elements on Earth, Study Finds
Rice University
petrologists have found Earth most likely received the bulk of its carbon,
nitrogen and other life-essential volatile elements from the planetary
collision that created the moon more than 4.4 billion years ago. (Image
courtesy of Rice University)(CN) – Scientists at Rice University say elements essential for the formation of life were left on Earth after a planet the size of Mars crashed into it over 4.4 billion years ago and created the moon.
A new study published
Wednesday in the journal Science Advances claims it is likely that nitrogen and
carbon – two of only six elements that make up most of the human body – were
left on Earth from the theorized moon-forming cosmic collision.
A team of five researchers from the Rice University Department
of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences wanted to explore whether
elements that make up the building blocks of life on Earth came from collisions
with meteorites or some other way.
After computing a billion different cosmic scenarios and
comparing the results with current solar system conditions, they concluded a
planet with a core high in sulfur would also contain carbon and nitrogen on its
surface, which could transfer to Earth after a collision.
The research also suggests a rocky planet like Earth might gain
more key “volatile” elements if it is able to grow following sizeable impacts
with planets that have certain elements.
“From the study of primitive meteorites, scientists have long
known that Earth and other rocky planets in the inner solar system are
volatile-depleted,” study co-author Rajdeep Dasgupta said in a statement.
“But the timing and mechanism of volatile delivery has been hotly debated. Ours
is the first scenario that can explain the timing and delivery in a way that is
consistent with all of the geochemical evidence.”
Dasgupta added, “This study suggests that a rocky, Earth-like
planet gets more chances to acquire life-essential elements if it forms and
grows from giant impacts with planets that have sampled different building
blocks, perhaps from different parts of a protoplanetary disk,”
The study’s lead author, Rice graduate student Damanveer Grewal,
set up a series of experiments simulating high pressures and temperatures
during a planet’s core formation and found that a sulfur-rich core would mean
large amounts of carbon and nitrogen on a planet’s surface.
“What we found is that all the evidence — isotopic signatures,
the carbon-nitrogen ratio and the overall amounts of carbon, nitrogen and
sulfur in the bulk silicate Earth — are consistent with a moon-forming impact
involving a volatile-bearing, Mars-sized planet with a sulfur-rich core,”
Grewal said.
In addition to Grewal and Dasgupta, study authors include
Cenguang Sun, Kyusei Tsuno and Gelu Costin.
Another recent study found
that nearly three times more asteroids have collided with the Earth and moon in
the past 290 million years than ever before.
These findings have implications for the history of life on
Earth, particularly as asteroid strikes have had a significant role in mass
extinction events and the rapid evolution of species that follows.
Report on Political Economy of
Rice Trade between India, Bangladesh, Nepal Released
Share this
article
There are economic and social factors
associated with rice. The consumption of rice and the change in thereof,
is an indicator of the change in the country fuelled by increase in per capita
income, variation in individual preferences, and prices. In the social front,
rice also has an emotive value based on cultural traditions and beliefs.
Rise
production has made a quantum leap in the region, mainly due to unprecedented
economic progress and the advent of green revolution; this has tripled the food
grain production, thus moving a step towards attaining self-sufficiency in
production. In Bangladesh, India and Nepal, paddy production accounts for more
than 50 percent of the total cereal production.
In
Bangladesh, India and Nepal (BIN), rice is the staple food for most of the
population, and forms approximately 50 percent of the total cereal
production, providing 30 percent of the total calorific requirement. While the
BIN economies have a significant domestic production of rice, only India has a
surplus, and Bangladesh and Nepal are dependent on imports to meet their
domestic requirements. However, high agricultural tariffs in the BIN economies
decrease the competitiveness of imports in the local markets. Three levels of
analysis have been conducted in the study – (a) at the procurement stage in
India, (b) at the export stage, and (c) at the consumption stage in Nepal and
Bangladesh. The procurement analysis consists of factors such as input
subsidies, domestic production and consumption, and the dynamics of price
change in the Indian market; the export stage analyses the prevalence of tariff
and non-tariff barriers that exist at the border points; and the consumption
stage analyses the trend in consumption and the factors that drive exports from
India in Nepal and Bangladesh.
In view of the Regional perspective on rice
trade in South Asia, Shri Aditya Pillai, Consultant, The Asia
Foundation presented the pin pointed perspective and the Key highlights of the
study was presented by Shri Afaq Hussain, Director BRIEF,
who is co-author along with Riya Sinha of the study
also.
BRIEF-Bureau
of Research on Industry & Economic Fundamentals is an economic research
organization with a focus on primary survey-based research in undertaking
diagnostic studies, policy research, program implementation and of various
schemes in the socio-economic areas. BRIEF’s past engagements have spanned
areas from international trade to infrastructure to policy analysis with a
focus on India and other developing countries. Over the years, BRIEF has been
advising on developing inclusive and sustainable growth models for our clients.
The organization also functions as a research partner to various academia and
research institutions in carrying extensive research on contemporary issues.
BRIEF has been undertaking research on several areas to progress India’s
integration with the world economy with clients like The World Bank,
NITI Aayog, FIEO, FICCI, SIDBI, Dun & Bradstreet, British High
Commission, among others.
BRIEF, an
economic research organisation, organised the launch of its latest report on ‘The
Political of Rice Trade between Bangladesh, India and Nepal,’ on
22nd January
2019 at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The report
was released by Shri Sanjay Chadha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of
Commerce, amidst other dignitaries. The study was supported by The Asia
Foundation, New Delhi. The study, co-authored by Afaq Hussain and Riya Sinha,
was conducted in 2018 with the objective of assessing the factors that play a
role in the shifting trade patterns between the selected countries and
achieving food security.
Talking about the report, Mohammed Saqib, CEO, BRIEF, adds,
“Very few items of trade trigger a large scale emotive and economic response as
much as food grains do. Regional trade in food grains has the capacity for
improving the bilateral and multilateral relations in South Asia, as well as
the achievement of food security in order to contribute to the Sustainable
Development Goal no. 2, realisation of zero hunger, of the United Nations. The
first major step that can be taken is to undertake a
product-specific redressal of challenges faced in procurement and in
trade through border points. This report highlights the challenges faced in
rice trade between India, Nepal and Bangladesh in domestic procurement and
trade at border points, and suggests steps to be taken for redressal.”
The study highlighted some of the challenges that exist in rice
trade from India to Bangladesh and Nepal. Some of these include non uniform
farming practices due to small land-holding resulting in inconsistency of paddy
quality, infrastructural challenges at the border points, deterioration in
quality of rice due to high waiting time at the border points, lack of
transparency, traceability and accountability in the procurement and supply
chain module between the various entities in the chain – farmers, millers,
warehouses and the fair price shops are some of the challenges highlighted in
the report. The report also suggested that rice may be considered as a semi
perishable commodity while being exported due land borders in order to ensure
faster cross over and reduce incidences of quality deterioration.
Bangladesh needs hybrid rice production
to ensure food security
Posted By: daily industryon: January
24, 2019In: Bangladesh, Power, Energy and DevelopmentNo Comments
Bangladesh
population will reach 215.4 m in 2050, when 44.6 MT rice will be needed
Zahid
Hossain Biplob: Experts have underscored the need for increasing the rice
production capacity for meeting the demand of future. Hybrid rice production
would ensure the future food security of the country, they opined.
Total annual production may rise 5.78 percent year-on-year from the 32.65 million tones of 2017-18, said the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in its latest issue of Grain and Feed Update on Bangladesh released last week.
In 2014-15, the country acquired a rice surplus of about 2 MT for combined efforts of farmers, rice scientists, extension personnel and government.
However, maintaining the current surplus of rice in the coming decades is a great challenge. Population of Bangladesh will reach 215.4 million in 2050, when 44.6 MT of clean rice will be required, experts predicted.
Rice is the staple food for over half the world’s population. Approximately 600 million metric tons of rice is produced annually across the world. China and India alone account for 50 percent of the rice grown and consumed. Agronomists said more 150 million metric tons of rice will be needed by 2025 as the demand of rice is increasing day by day in the world.
Experts said future rice production would hamper for increasing population, decreasing resources like land, labour, soil health and water. Apart from this, the increasing climate vulnerability appeared as the great challenges to keep the pace of food production in the background of increasing population.
Bangladesh agriculture involves food production for 163.65 million people from merely 8.75 million hectares of agricultural land.
Rice production exceeded 15 million tons for the first time in FY 1986. In the mid-1980s, Bangladesh was the fourth largest rice producer in the world, but its productivity was low compared with other Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. It is currently the world’s sixth-largest producer. Highyield varieties of seed, application of fertilizer, and irrigation have increased yields, although these inputs also raise the cost of production and chiefly benefit the richer cultivators.
The government is importing rice maximum from India to fulfill the demand. The US agency forecasted that Bangladesh would import 0.8 million tonnes of rice in July-June period of fiscal 2018-19.
Bangladesh had been a major rice buyer in 2017-18, importing 3.89 million tonnes, the highest in the last three decades, after repeated floods washed away huge amounts of crops.
Experts pointed out that hybrid rice cultivation can ensure the future demand. Hybrid rice cultivation area has remained unchanged at 8 lakh hectares for the last few years and it is yet to cross the 10-lakh-hectare mark, the highest recorded in 2009-10.
So far 174 varieties of hybrid seeds were released but nearly 30 of them survived in the market due to farmers’ unwillingness to use the seeds, which they think may fail in producing expected yield, analysts said.
More cultivation of hybrid rice can help the country to avert its future challenge of diminishing trend of cultivable land, they said.
According to Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF), poor quality seeds, inadequate research to invent good variety of seeds and lack of awareness campaign among the farmers are the core challenges to making hybrid rice popular. Crop lands amounting to 62,000 hectares decrease per annum because of the spiraling population, which leave a negative impact on agricultural production.
Talking to Daily Industry, M Anis Ud Dowla, president of Bangladesh Seed Association told that production of hybrid rice in more farm lands will give us a solution stemming from the challenges as its yield is 15-20 percent higher than the inbred varieties.
Farmers usually believe that they might not get their desirable production if they cultivate the hybrid rice, he said.
The private sector has a vital role in popularising the crop. And the government also should take initiative to find a way out on how to cater the seed of hybrid rice to the farmers” said Anis.
Dr Shahjahan Kabir, director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) said the highest priority should be given to establish a hybrid rice research institute for addressing the challenges. “Hybrid rice seed production is highly technical, so required support needs to be extended at the farmer level who is interested to engage in seed production process,” he added.
The authorities concerned should provide enough funds, human resources, training and logistic support to all stakeholders to help hybrid rice to flourish, industry insiders said.
Department of Agricultural Extension data shows that the cultivation of hybrid rice accounted for only 7.13 percent of the total 1.14 crore hectares of lands in 2016-17.
Z Karim, former chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council said hybrid rice seed industry should be declared a thrust sector in the financial policy
Total annual production may rise 5.78 percent year-on-year from the 32.65 million tones of 2017-18, said the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in its latest issue of Grain and Feed Update on Bangladesh released last week.
In 2014-15, the country acquired a rice surplus of about 2 MT for combined efforts of farmers, rice scientists, extension personnel and government.
However, maintaining the current surplus of rice in the coming decades is a great challenge. Population of Bangladesh will reach 215.4 million in 2050, when 44.6 MT of clean rice will be required, experts predicted.
Rice is the staple food for over half the world’s population. Approximately 600 million metric tons of rice is produced annually across the world. China and India alone account for 50 percent of the rice grown and consumed. Agronomists said more 150 million metric tons of rice will be needed by 2025 as the demand of rice is increasing day by day in the world.
Experts said future rice production would hamper for increasing population, decreasing resources like land, labour, soil health and water. Apart from this, the increasing climate vulnerability appeared as the great challenges to keep the pace of food production in the background of increasing population.
Bangladesh agriculture involves food production for 163.65 million people from merely 8.75 million hectares of agricultural land.
Rice production exceeded 15 million tons for the first time in FY 1986. In the mid-1980s, Bangladesh was the fourth largest rice producer in the world, but its productivity was low compared with other Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. It is currently the world’s sixth-largest producer. Highyield varieties of seed, application of fertilizer, and irrigation have increased yields, although these inputs also raise the cost of production and chiefly benefit the richer cultivators.
The government is importing rice maximum from India to fulfill the demand. The US agency forecasted that Bangladesh would import 0.8 million tonnes of rice in July-June period of fiscal 2018-19.
Bangladesh had been a major rice buyer in 2017-18, importing 3.89 million tonnes, the highest in the last three decades, after repeated floods washed away huge amounts of crops.
Experts pointed out that hybrid rice cultivation can ensure the future demand. Hybrid rice cultivation area has remained unchanged at 8 lakh hectares for the last few years and it is yet to cross the 10-lakh-hectare mark, the highest recorded in 2009-10.
So far 174 varieties of hybrid seeds were released but nearly 30 of them survived in the market due to farmers’ unwillingness to use the seeds, which they think may fail in producing expected yield, analysts said.
More cultivation of hybrid rice can help the country to avert its future challenge of diminishing trend of cultivable land, they said.
According to Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF), poor quality seeds, inadequate research to invent good variety of seeds and lack of awareness campaign among the farmers are the core challenges to making hybrid rice popular. Crop lands amounting to 62,000 hectares decrease per annum because of the spiraling population, which leave a negative impact on agricultural production.
Talking to Daily Industry, M Anis Ud Dowla, president of Bangladesh Seed Association told that production of hybrid rice in more farm lands will give us a solution stemming from the challenges as its yield is 15-20 percent higher than the inbred varieties.
Farmers usually believe that they might not get their desirable production if they cultivate the hybrid rice, he said.
The private sector has a vital role in popularising the crop. And the government also should take initiative to find a way out on how to cater the seed of hybrid rice to the farmers” said Anis.
Dr Shahjahan Kabir, director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) said the highest priority should be given to establish a hybrid rice research institute for addressing the challenges. “Hybrid rice seed production is highly technical, so required support needs to be extended at the farmer level who is interested to engage in seed production process,” he added.
The authorities concerned should provide enough funds, human resources, training and logistic support to all stakeholders to help hybrid rice to flourish, industry insiders said.
Department of Agricultural Extension data shows that the cultivation of hybrid rice accounted for only 7.13 percent of the total 1.14 crore hectares of lands in 2016-17.
Z Karim, former chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council said hybrid rice seed industry should be declared a thrust sector in the financial policy
18
Indian institutions to study nitrogen pollution
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 24, 2019 22:47 IST
They
are part of a group of 50 which have received £20 million funding from the
United Kingdom
Eighteen research institutions in India
are among a group of 50 institutions — called the South Asian Nitrogen Hub
(SANH) — in the United Kingdom and South Asia that have secured £20 million
(about ₹200 crore) from the U.K. government to assess and study the quantum and
impact of “nitrogen pollution” in South Asia.
While nitrogen is the dominant gas in
the atmosphere, it is inert and doesn’t react. However, when it is released as
part of compounds from agriculture, sewage and biological waste, nitrogen is considered
“reactive”, and it may be polluting and even exert a potent greenhouse gas
(heat trapping) effect.
“So far, we have focussed on carbon
dioxide and its impact on global warming. Nitrous oxide
(N2O) is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide but isn’t as prevalent in
the atmosphere. However, this is poised to grow,” said N. Raghuram, Chairman,
International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) and Professor of Biotechnology at Guru
Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. “In the future, reactive
nitrogen pollution will be a matter of significant global discussion and,
unlike carbon, India and South Asia cannot wake up at the last minute,
realising that it has no updated, scientific assessment of its inventory.”
Other than air pollution, nitrogen is also
linked to the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of rivers and seas, ozone
depletion, health, economy, and livelihoods. Nitrogen pollution is caused, for
example, by emissions from chemical fertilisers, livestock manure and burning
fossil fuels. Gases such as ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) contribute
to poor air quality and can aggravate respiratory and heart conditions, leading
to millions of premature deaths across the world. Nitrate from chemical
fertilisers, manure and industry pollutes the rivers and seas, posing a health
risk for humans, fish, coral and plant life.
The Indian partner institutions are the
Aligarh Muslim University, Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology,
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research National Institute of
Oceanography, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Indian Council of
Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute and National Rice
Research Institute, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project
Directorate- National Institute of Ocean Technology Campus, Indian Institute of
Tropical Meteorology, Indian Ocean Rim Association Ecological Solutions,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology,
National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, National Physical
Laboratory, Society for Conservation of Nature, Sustainable India Trust, The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University.
Last year, Dr. Raghuram led a consortium
of researchers who assessed trends in nitrogen emissions in India, where NOx
emissions grew at 52% from 1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001 to 2011. Though
agriculture remained the largest contributor to nitrogen emissions,
non-agricultural emissions of nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide were growing
rapidly, with sewage and fossil-fuel burning — for power, transport and
industry — leading the trend. The SANH will study the impacts of the different
forms of pollution to form a “coherent picture” of the nitrogen cycle. In
particular, it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries — India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.
Tapan Adhya, Hub Co-Director for
Science, who is from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, said:
“High doses of fertiliser input of nitrogen to agriculture combined with low
nitrogen-use efficiency means that research on nitrogen pollution must be a
priority for South Asia. This is emphasised by the scale of nitrogen subsidies
across South Asia at around $10 billion per year. Better nitrogen management
will have huge economic and environmental benefits.”
Researchers grow rice with protein content over 10%
01.24.2019
By Jeff Gelski
“We are now studying
exactly how flour from this rice bakes differently than other rice flour,” said
Herry Utomo, Ph.D., a professor at L.S.U.’s Rice Research Station. “The
interest in gluten-free baked products continues to grow. This will present
another opportunity for rice growers to give people what they are looking for.”
The rice varieties also
could feed people who are not eating enough nutrients daily.
“There are hundreds of
millions of people around the world who depend on rice and eat it three times a
day, but their access to protein is very limited by availability and cost,” Dr.
Utomo said. “High-protein rice can be used to help solve the worldwide problem
across social, cultural and economic issues.”
Dr. Utomo and his team at
L.S.U. already developed Frontiere, a rice cultivar released in 2017. Marketed
as Cahokia rice and grown commercially in Illinois, it has a protein content of
10.6% on average, which marks a 53% increase compared to its original protein
content. The high-protein rice needs less heat, time and usually less water to
cook, according to L.S.U.
Breeding a crop for more
protein may reduce a crop’s yield. The researchers thus tested 20 new lines of
high-protein rice and improved yield by 11% to 17% when compared to the yield
of Frontiere. Grain quality, including gel temp, pasting and cooking quality,
varied among the high-protein lines.
“Because the original line
is new to the market, marketing channels have to be put in place,” Dr. Utomo
said. “In parallel, research for the next generation of high-protein rice lines
is being carried out.”
https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/47859-researchers-grow-rice-with-protein-content-over-10
Miagao
farmers group get pinawa rice mill
LSU researchers design high protein rice
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019
Preaching support for ExxonMobil, Broome declares Baton Rouge
‘open for business’
Global Brown Rice Market 2018 Industry scenario – Asia Golden,
T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat
Patanjali files 4 patents for ‘swadeshi’ fertilisers to help
India’s distressed farmers
Firm brings in experts, promises
better yield
FPCCI panel hopes rupee will stabilise
APP
LSU researchers design high protein rice
Worms can process rice straw, scientists discover
January 24, 2019, Sechenov University
Explore further: Corn with straw mulch builds yield, soil carbon
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-01-worms-rice-straw-scientists.html#jCp https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/25/1888085/farmers-association-wants-duterte-veto-rice-tariffication-bill
PCCI backs liberalizing sugar importation
Farmers Sinking Into Debt After EU Tariffs Lead to Plunging
Rice Prices
New tariffs
Farmers deceived
”I want to try this year, but it is bad since the prices are low already,” she said.
Chinese help
Sound and fury are
not enough
MORE STORIES
Government shutdown questions
Starred in any porn videos lately? Are you sure?
The Manchurian Candidate redux
Letters to the editor
Toxic masculinity is a myth
Turnaround shows School Board lacks experience
My Mother's Place Of Escape Is Patel
Brothers, Indian Grocery In US
Trade war impact: Indian exports to China
up 25% in Jun-Nov 2018 to $8.5 bn
Growth in exports to China is beneficial
for India as it has a huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country
· ALSO READ
Tim Cook hopes for calm
heads to prevail as US-China tariff war looms
A trade war is terrible for
everyone
Trump says tariffs are
greatest, hints more sanctions on trade allies
US proposes new round of
trade talks with China in future as tariffs loom
Trade war: Vow to erase
trade surplus with US by 2024 may be China's bluff
CROP-EATING ARMYWORMS HIT SRI LANKA'S
RICE AND MAIZE OUTPUT
Rabi sowing gap at 3 million
ha; rice worst-hit
Tamil Nadu reports 27% shortfall in sowing; huge drop in
Andhra Pradesh also
Higher sowing of peas, kulthi
DA
rapped for trying to ‘weaken’ rice tariffication bill
Buy ITC, target Rs 340:
ICICI Direct
The
current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.
Company Summary
ITC Ltd.
ADD TO WATCHLIST
SHARE YOUR OULOOK
India's exports up 25 % to
China during June-Nov 2018: FIEO
He
said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China
include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and
marine products.
Cash-strapped
Pakistan receives $1 bn each from Saudi Arabia, UAE
Battling a
severe financial crunch, Pakistan received
the third tranche of $1 billion from Saudi Arabia and a similar amount from the United
Arab Emirates.
On its Twitter account, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that it has received the amount.
Under the financial package, Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan as balance of payment support besides providing oil on deferred payment for three years, Radio Pakistan reported.
The State Bank of Pakistan has also received $1 billion from the UAE which has committed to provide a financial support package of $3 billion to Pakistan.
Pakistan has also approached China for funds to avoid its balance of payment crisis.
Pakistan's current account deficit rose to $7.9 billion in the first half of the current fiscal and is likely to reach $16-18 billion by June 30.
Finance Minister Asad Umar on Thursday said there was no panic in Pakistan over a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country would neither go down on its knees and surrender before anybody nor would it be dictated to for the economic support, Dawn reported.
He said this at a post-budget news conference when a questioner said the feeling among the Washington-based multilateral lenders was that Islamabad was taking expensive loans from alternative avenues instead of cheaper support from the IMF, World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Umar said Saudi Arabia had provided the deposit at about 3pc return and almost the same rate was on the UAE loan.
The Finance Minister revealed that an economic support package had been finalised with China and more such successes would be available over the next two weeks - in a reference to Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Qatar earlier this week.
Razak Dawood, Adviser to the PM on Commerce, said an agreement had been reached with China for financial support and a team would visit Beijing next week to finalise how much rice, sugar and textile products from Pakistan should be exported to China.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reportedly, the main reason for this change
was the substandard and low-quality of Pakistani rice supplied by the exporters
against the government tenders in 2011-12. The Indian rice exporters were the
ultimate beneficiaries of this situation and Indian rice exports to Qatar
reached 142,000 tonnes in 2017 from 18,774 tonnes in 2011.
As a viable solution, a third-party
inspection for the supply of rice through CTC tenders and taking strict action
against those involved in supplying substandard rice in future will be offered
to ensure quality rice. The lifting of ban is expected to provide additional
$40-50 million of rice exports to Qatar if the quality is maintained. Qatar
annually imports 200,000 tonnes of rice.
Adviser on Commerce, Textile and Industries
Abdul Razak Dawood stated the government is taking different measures for
export enhancement, including reclaiming traditional markets, besides accessing
new markets. He said one of the initiatives is to manage removal of
restrictions on Pakistani products in foreign markets.
Miagao
farmers group get pinawa rice mill
ORGANIC farmers in Miagao, Iloilo will be able to boost their
production and marketing of brown rice, locally known as pinawa, after
receiving a rice paddy huller from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western
Visayas through the Organic Agriculture (OA) Program.
The P700,000 pinawa rice mill was installed at Brgy. Kirayan
Tacas, Miagao. This Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Testing Center
(AMTEC)-approved rice paddy huller has a milling capacity of 470.5 kilograms
per hour with a brown rice milling recovery of 70.2 percent.
Miagao Organic Black Rice Producers’ Association (MOBRA) president
Fe Rem Niñofranco said that the local government unit donated the lot and
funded the P200,000 construction of a shed for the facility.
She also commended the support of 42 members of MOBRA who came
from the different barangays of Miagao.
“With the different projects we received from DA, our association
will continue to intensify our organic farming practices and to increase our
areas converted to organic,” added
Niñofranco also chairs the town’s P4MP and SWISA groups.
DA Regional Technical Director for Operations Manuel O. Olanday
encouraged the MOBRA members to maintain the good condition of this facility as
it will help them in the marketing of their rice, particularly brown rice which
is tagged as a healthy rice option.
The turnover ceremony held Jan 18, 2019 and was also graced by OA
program focal person Glenda Himatay, Iloilo assistant provincial agriculturist
Elias Sandig and Yvonne Grace Sur of the DA Engineering Division. (S. M. H. Toreno/DA-6, with reports
from L. S. Torejo/DA-OAP 6)
|
ago)
|
 |
||
|
|||
 |
|
||||||||||
|
Giving [Farm] Credit
Where It's Due
By Lesley Dixon
ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, CEOs of three
major farm credit unions gathered to address the media and ag community on
credit conditions and the general agriculture economy. Topics ranged
from trade to weather as well as current financial issues facing the farming
community and ways that credit union members can mitigate the ups and downs
of the business.
"I've heard a lot of stories of stress from my customers," said Kathy Heustess, CEO of ArborOne Farm Credit. Among the many challenges facing her clients are weather, depressed commodity prices, and global trade disputes. "There are a lot of uncontrollables for farmers," she said. Heustess added that many clients' ability to pay down short-term debt has become more difficult in recent years, and stressed the importance of credit unions and FSA programs during such times. "Our customers need immediate disaster relief. We need certainty in ag policy. We need a stable trade market and a stable workforce." President & CEO of Farm Credit Services of America Mark Jensen agreed, stating that the increased volatility of weather events and trade disputes have put additional pressure on commodity prices and overall profit margins. "We don't really see anything in the short term to change the price environment," he said. Jensen encouraged farmers to explore the many options and programs offered by farm credit unions. "Our view is to work with customers to put their operation in a position of sustainability through cycles. Frankly, you shouldn't be in the ag lending industry if you don't have the stomach for cycles and volatility in the industry. That's just inherent in financing agriculture." "Don't wait for things to change," Jensen advised. "What are the things you can do today and what are the options we can think through together?" Mark Knisely, CEO of Ag Country Farm Credit Services, agreed that the nature of agricultural work is cyclical, but also pointed out that the current climate in the industry is unique. "We have to realize that this is probably an unusual time in agriculture. Being proactive and intentional is important." Knisely also shed light on the issue of mental health during such times. "When you have these kinds of stresses in rural America, mental health is something that we need to address. We've been very intentional about sponsoring programs that are available." Through the many storms the ag industry must weather, all three farm credit leaders expressed a similar motto that they want their clients to take to heart: "We're in it for the good times and the bad." "We are all familiar with the inherent risks in farming," said USA Rice Chairman Charley Mathews, Jr. "It's comforting to know there are people and organizations we can go to for help, support, and advice if we need it." |
|||||||||||
|
|
Market Information
|
LSU researchers design high protein rice
By
Researchers at LSU have grown rice cultivars with protein levels
over 10%, more than double what rice typically produces.
Their findings eventually may lead to more nutritious
gluten-free products, World Grain reports. While rice is gluten-free, its protein
content, normally in single-digit percentage levels, does not compare to the
protein content of wheat
“We are now studying exactly how flour from this rice bakes
differently than other rice flour,” says Herry Utomo, a professor with LSU’s
Rice Research Station. “The interest in gluten-free baked products continues to
grow. This will present another opportunity for rice growers to give people
what they are looking for.”
Utomo and his team at LSU already developed Frontiere, a rice
type that was released in 2017. Marketed as Cahokia rice and grown commercially
in Illinois, it has an average protein content of 10.6%, marking a 53% increase
compared to its original protein content. The high-protein rice needs less
heat, time and usually less water to cook, according to LSU.
“Because the original line is new to the market, marketing
channels have to be put in place,” Utomo said. “In parallel, research for the
next generation of high-protein rice lines is being carried out.” Read the full story.
2 Comments
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019
Preaching support for ExxonMobil, Broome declares Baton Rouge
‘open for business’
By
Reinforcing her administration’s support for ExxonMobil’s future
investment in the parish, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome declared this morning that
the Baton Rouge is ready and willing to compete for business investment over
any other parish, city and state in the country.
“My mission here today is to send a unified and powerful message
on behalf of the citizens of Baton Rouge,” Broome said today at a City Hall
press conference. “Baton Rouge is not only open for business, but we are open
for growing businesses in a way that’s beneficial for the company and our
community,” Broome said at a City Hall press conference.
Larissa Littleton-Steib, chancellor of Baton Rouge Community
College; Donna Saurage, widow of longtime Community Coffee head Henry Norman
Saurage III; and George Bell, president and CEO of Capital Area United Way also
spoke at the conference of ExxonMobil’s importance to the community.
Calling ExxonMobil a “model of corporate citizenship,”
Littleton-Steib said the community college’s partnership with ExxonMobil has
been a springboard for workforce and educational opportunities in Baton Rouge,
as well as for the entire region. Bell praised the company’s $25 million in
contributions to the Capital Area United Way.
Broome’s public declaration comes nearly a week after ExxonMobil
pulled two of its Industrial Tax Exemption Program requests after the East
Baton Rouge School Board voted to deny the requests, which led the company to
call Baton Rouge an unpredictable place to do business, adding it would revisit
its plans for future expansion in the area.
Asked if she would support planned legislation by state Sen.
Mack “Bodi” White, R-Central, and Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, that would
return the ITEP approval process solely
to the state, Broome said she would have to look at the bill before making a
comment, adding she thought guidelines set by the Metro Council for ITEP
approval should be given time to work before any more changes are made to the
program.
Global Brown Rice Market 2018 Industry scenario – Asia Golden,
T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat
January 25, 2019
4 Min
Read
The new research report on Brown Rice, offered by LPInformation.biz, has
been just made available providing financial data derived from different
research sources to represent unique and reliable analysis. The report is based
on the existing market conditions and past data. Skillful market realities of
this study report cover the trends as well as the size of each separate segment
which comprises of submarkets, regional and country level analysis in the Brown
Rice market.
Download Free Sample Report @ https://lpinformation.biz/report/global-brown-rice-market-research-report-2018/53414/#requestforsample
Global Brown Rice Market Snapshot:-
The current and historical data was gathered, separated and analyzed to form a detail future prospect from 2018 to 2025 for the Brown Rice Market. Researchers have analyzed every type of data and the participants and have also covered the applications aspect for end-users. The report combines estimation capacities and information coordination with a relevant discoveries. Generations in this report are isolated by locales, innovation, and applications. The report thinks about the current fundamental realities associated with the market that will allow businessmen to expand knowledge on the industry chances. The market players are profiled and their development procedures are break down in order to guide new entrants as well as established players.
Numerous prominent Companies cited in the report are Asia Golden, T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat, Amira Nature Foods, Riviana Foods, Chandrika Group, Ebro Foods, Sun Food, Agistin Biotech.
The current and historical data was gathered, separated and analyzed to form a detail future prospect from 2018 to 2025 for the Brown Rice Market. Researchers have analyzed every type of data and the participants and have also covered the applications aspect for end-users. The report combines estimation capacities and information coordination with a relevant discoveries. Generations in this report are isolated by locales, innovation, and applications. The report thinks about the current fundamental realities associated with the market that will allow businessmen to expand knowledge on the industry chances. The market players are profiled and their development procedures are break down in order to guide new entrants as well as established players.
Numerous prominent Companies cited in the report are Asia Golden, T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat, Amira Nature Foods, Riviana Foods, Chandrika Group, Ebro Foods, Sun Food, Agistin Biotech.
Access Full Report With TOC @ https://lpinformation.biz/report/global-brown-rice-market-research-report-2018/53414/
Goals of The Report Are:
• To answer questions available on the industry size of Brown Rice market by 2025
• To identify important vendors in the market
• To analyze sales revenue of services and products
• To simplify the fresh market trends in global industry
• To answer questions available on the industry size of Brown Rice market by 2025
• To identify important vendors in the market
• To analyze sales revenue of services and products
• To simplify the fresh market trends in global industry
Table of Contents –
Chapter 1 Industry overview, covering Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force
Chapter 2 Analysis of the top manufacturers with sales, revenue, and price of Brown Rice
Chapter 3 Global industry capacity, production, revenue (value) by region (2013-2018)
Chapter 4 To analyze the key region with supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018);
Chapter 5 To show the market with production, revenue (value), sales, market share, growth rate, and price trend by type;
Chapter 6 Global industry analysis by Application
Chapter 7 To display profiles/analysis of the industry manufacturers
Chapter 8 Manufacturing cost structure analysis
Chapter 9 Industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream buyers
Chapter 10 To describe Brown Rice marketing strategy analysis, distributors/traders
Chapter 11 Market effect factors analysis
Chapter 12 Brown Rice market forecast, (2018-2025)
Chapter 13 Research findings and conclusion
Chapter 14 Appendix
Chapter 1 Industry overview, covering Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force
Chapter 2 Analysis of the top manufacturers with sales, revenue, and price of Brown Rice
Chapter 3 Global industry capacity, production, revenue (value) by region (2013-2018)
Chapter 4 To analyze the key region with supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018);
Chapter 5 To show the market with production, revenue (value), sales, market share, growth rate, and price trend by type;
Chapter 6 Global industry analysis by Application
Chapter 7 To display profiles/analysis of the industry manufacturers
Chapter 8 Manufacturing cost structure analysis
Chapter 9 Industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream buyers
Chapter 10 To describe Brown Rice marketing strategy analysis, distributors/traders
Chapter 11 Market effect factors analysis
Chapter 12 Brown Rice market forecast, (2018-2025)
Chapter 13 Research findings and conclusion
Chapter 14 Appendix
Research Methodology:
Market analysis is performed using a standard and the tailored research methodology approach. The market gauges and estimates were determined through a mix of crucial and optional research. The varied sources used for integrates Technical Journals, Paid Data Sources, Annual Reports, Company Websites, and other industry distributions.
Furthermore, the Brown Rice market report gives forecasts of the industry along with best players that are dominating. You will also find key information about consumption figures based on type and application. The report analysis covers all of the essential things affecting the international market such as demand, gross profit, cost, capacity, and global market share, sales, accredited data, and production. To pursue the regional and international market, all the predictions of the industry report were quantity-wise as well as quality-wise considered.
Market analysis is performed using a standard and the tailored research methodology approach. The market gauges and estimates were determined through a mix of crucial and optional research. The varied sources used for integrates Technical Journals, Paid Data Sources, Annual Reports, Company Websites, and other industry distributions.
Furthermore, the Brown Rice market report gives forecasts of the industry along with best players that are dominating. You will also find key information about consumption figures based on type and application. The report analysis covers all of the essential things affecting the international market such as demand, gross profit, cost, capacity, and global market share, sales, accredited data, and production. To pursue the regional and international market, all the predictions of the industry report were quantity-wise as well as quality-wise considered.
Customization of the Report:
This report can be customized to meet the client’s requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@lpinformation.biz), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.
This report can be customized to meet the client’s requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@lpinformation.biz), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.
About us – LPInformation.biz we are enthusiastically inquisitive
about people, society, brands and markets. We deliver data and research that
makes our mind-boggling world less simple and quicker to explore and motivates
our customers to settle on more intelligent decisions.
We trust that our work is vital. Security, speed and simplicity
applies to all that we do. Through specialization, we offer our customers a one
of a kind profundity of information and skill. Gaining from various encounters
gives us point of view and rouses us to strongly raise doubt about things, to
be inventive.
ANGRAU to set up National Rice Research
Institute in Srikakulam dist
THE HANS INDIA | Jan 27,2019 , 12:39 AM IST
ANGRAU to set up National
Rice Research Institute in Srikakulam dist
- It
will come up at Naira
- The
agriculture university has earlier set up maize research institute at
Vijayarai in WG district
- ANGRAU
VC Dr Vallabhaneni Damodar Naidu says soon vacancies will be filled up in
the university
Guntur: Acharya N G Ranga Agriculture University will set up
National Rice Research Institute at Naira in Srikakulam district and changed
the name of the rice research institute at Bapatla as Agriculture Research
Institute in Guntur district, according to university Vice-Chancellor Dr
Vallabhaneni Damodar Naidu.
He said a maize research centre was set up at Vijayarai in West
Godavari district. He hoisted the national flag at ANGRAU premises in Guntur
city on the occasion of Republic Day on Saturday.
Speaking on this occasion, he said that steps should be taken to
promote research in agriculture. He said university buildings were constructed
at a cost of Rs 135 crore and solar power system was introduced in the
university.
He pointed out that the agriculture scientists of the university
visited the Titli cyclone affected agriculture fields in Srikakulam and
provided suggestions and advise to the farmers.
The university released new seeds of paddy, black gram, sugarcane
and groundnut and imparted training to the farmers to improve their
skills.
He said that steps will be taken to soon fill the vacant posts in
the agriculture university.
ANGRAU board member Mekala Lashminarayana said that they have
taken up construction of buildings in the research centres at a cost of Rs 31.5
crore which was sanctioned under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
He said that they will give 40% of the seats to the children of the farmers. Earlier it was meant to children of ryots who had three acres of land and now it has been reduced to one acre.
He said that they will give 40% of the seats to the children of the farmers. Earlier it was meant to children of ryots who had three acres of land and now it has been reduced to one acre.
He further said that they increased dress code allowance to the
SC,ST students from Rs 200 to Rs 600.
ANGRAU Registrar Dr D Bhaskar Rao, scientists Dr L V Naidu, Dr K
Yella Reddy, Dr L Uma Devi and Dr S R Koteswara Rao were among those who
participated.
Patanjali files 4 patents for ‘swadeshi’ fertilisers to help
India’s distressed farmers
Baba Ramdev
| Facebook
Text Size: A- A+
Patanjali promises Indian cow manure fertilisers, claims they will
help farmers beat financial stress and improve incomes.
New Delhi: Ramdev’s Patanjali, having
established itself in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) space, is now set
to enter the country’s agriculture sector.
The company, through one of its arms, the Patanjali Bio-Research
Institute, has filed for four patents with the Modi government, claiming
that its organic fertilisers are innovative and first-of-their-kind products.
The company, according to its patent applications, has
manufactured its chemical-free fertilisers by using a mixture of herbs,
including turmeric, aloe vera, and natural sweeteners to boost per acre
productivity.
In line with its ‘swadeshi’
marketing, which it applies to all its business ventures, the company claims
its bio-fertilisers contain manure from Indian cows. Apart from the regular
mixture, the company says it has added a list of minerals and nutrients to
boost crop production.
“We are ready with the investments in our agriculture business as
it is likely to benefit the Indian farmers who are passing through financial
distress,” Acharya Bal Krishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurveda told
ThePrint. “We have a plan to solve their financial stress and improve their
income.”
If granted, Patanjali’s venture would compete with other
fertiliser makers such as Tata Chemicals, Hindalco Industries, Sriram
Fertilisers & Chemicals among others.
Firm brings in experts, promises
better yield
To help with its efforts, Patanjali has hired four scientists from
the country’s top agricultural institutes.
The company has brought in A.K. Mehta, former additional director
general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research — the autonomous body
responsible for coordinating agricultural research in India under the ministry
of agriculture — to oversee its entire project.
The other scientists are Ravindra Babu, former director of the
Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad; Ravindra Reddy, a one-time
senior scientist with the International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an international organisation; and Jawahar Lal
Dwivedi, former head of department of Plant Breeding and Genetics and officer
incharge at the Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology in
Faizabad.
Patanjali has also cited internal research to claim that its
bio-fertilisers are likely to boost the income of the farmers by reducing
production cost.
The company claims that with regard to wheat, for instance, the
average production cost with traditional fertiliser (per acre) is Rs 9,369 and
the cost increases every year as soil loses fertility and minerals.
With organic fertilisers, the company claims that while production
cost starts at Rs 10,900 per acre, after two continuous years of using these
fertilisers, it will reduce to Rs 9,580 per acre and then continue to fall.
Moreover, Patanjali says, the market offers a higher selling
price for products made from organic fertilisers. According to the company, the
average sale price of wheat grown with traditional fertiliser (per acre) is Rs
47,500 against the selling price of Rs 58,200 for organic fertilisers.
“In this case, the benefit to the farmer is more while using
organic fertiliser in that a farmer saves around Rs 47,800, on an average, per
acre,” Bal Krishna said.
Patanjali’s foray into agriculture comes on the back of Ramdev having announced
last year that his company is now focusing on the sector and
plans to bring out several products in the coming future.
For ThePrint’s smart analysis of how the rest of the media is
doing its job, no holds barred, go to PluggedIn
FPCCI panel hopes rupee will stabilise
Share:
APP
LAHORE
- Businessmen Panel for the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday hoped that now Pakistan rupee would get stable
after increase in country's foreign reserves.
Panel
Chairman Mian Anjum Nisar said in a media statement that the business community
appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan for his efforts to get support from the
brotherly countries like Saudia Arabia and United Arab Emirates, and now
country's reserves were moving towards a comfortable position.
He
mentioned that during the last few months, sudden depreciation in rupee had put
business community in great confusion, but now they hoped some stability would
prevail in exchange rate which was need of the hour.
Similarly
Pakistan had recently received the third tranche of US$1 billion from Saudi
Arabia and US$1 billion from the UAE, which was a good omen for country's
foreign reserves position. The chairman, however, urged the government to also
take effective measures to narrow down the current account deficit.
He
was of the view that Pakistan was likely to cross its export target of $25
billion for the current fiscal year, citing that China was also extending a
helping hand to assist Pakistan in boosting exports by $1 billion through
exports of Pakistani sugar and rice, while Qatar had also lifted ban on rice
export from Pakistan and these would definitely help strengthen country
agriculture exports and increase the overall exports volume.
About
recent Finance Amendment Bill 2019 (Economic Reforms Package) he said,
"The sentiments of business community have largely been positive and
felicitated the government for presenting a pro-business package."
VN, Thailand head toward $20 billion in trade #AsiaNewsNetwork
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai chair a
two-day meeting in Thailand which wrapped up yesterday. — Photo vov.vn
PUBLISHED 26 JANUARY 2019
(Viet Nam News/ANN)
BANGKOK — Viet Nam and Thailand have agreed to implement measures to boost economic
co-operation with the aim of reaching US$20 billion in two-way trade turnover
by 2020 at the meeting of their Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation in
Thailand which wrapped up yesterday.
The two-day meeting was
co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình
Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.
The two sides agreed to
create favourable conditions for businesses of the two countries to increase
investment and business cooperation as well as to facilitate agricultural
import and export activities between the two countries.
They also agreed to
promote cooperation and share experience in rice research, production and
export.
They stressed the
importance of enhancing cooperation in sub-region connection, particularly in
connecting road, water and air transport between Việt Nam and Thailand as well
as among ASEAN countries.
The two sides committed
to continue promoting and expanding cooperation in culture, education and
people-to-people exchanges, including increasing the teaching of Vietnamese and
Thai languages in each country.
Việt Nam applauded the
Thai Government for its decision to expand fields that Vietnamese workers will
be licensed to work in Thailand.
The two sides expressed
delight at the active development of the strategic partnership between Việt Nam
and Thailand. The political, diplomatic and security and national defence
cooperation between the two countries has developed practically, which is
evident through the regular exchanges of delegations between high-ranking
officials of the two countries.
They expressed pleasure
at the cooperation between the two countries during the framework of regional
and international forums, particularly ASEAN and the United Nations.
As Thailand is Chair of
ASEAN in 2019 and Việt Nam becomes ASEAN Chair in 2020, the two sides agreed to
work with member countries to promote the key role of ASEAN in regional issues,
including the East Sea (South China Sea). They stressed the strategic
importance of ensuring peace and maritime and aviation security and safety, and
maritime safety.
Yesterday, Deputy PM and
Foreign Minister Minh paid a courtesy visit to Thai Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-ocha.
Sowing
plant-based seeds
The SacTown VegFest grows the vegan community and success for
local businesses
This article was published on 01.24.19.
Sacramento Vegetarian Society president Glenn Destatte (left)
and Chili Smith Family Foods owner Steve Smith hold some of Smith’s heirloom
beans and rice in front of the McClellan Conference Center, the new home of
this year’s SacTown VegFest.
PHOTO BY SHOKA
|
|
Join the Sacramento Vegetarian Society for
the SacTown VegFest on January 26 at the McClellan Conference Center, 5411
Luce Avenue. Visit vegevents.com/events/sactown-vegfest-2019 for
tickets and more info.
Related stories:
SacTown VegFest’s optional dress code The third annual SacTown VegFest celebrating and educating veganism is on January 27—wear your best vegetable outfit. SN&R, 01.18.18. SacTown VegFest is back Learn how to deliciously save your health and the world with a plant-based lifestyle at the SacTown VegFest on Saturday, January 28. SN&R, 01.19.17. State of the veggie union Just in time for the fourth annual Sacramento VegFest, local experts explain how the city's meat-free options have evolved beyond lonely iceberg lettuce dinners.SN&R, 01.24.13. Where’s the veggie beef? Sacramento VegFest 2012 leaves this vegetarian very, very hungry. SN&R, 02.09.12.
Related websites:
Advertisement
 |
It’s hard not to notice the many fast-food
restaurants flanking Watt Avenue on the route to the SacTown VegFest at its new
location. The vegan festival, now in its fourth year, has relocated out of the
city center to the McClellan Conference Center for the first time, next to the
closed Air Force base.
The event, put on by the Sacramento Vegetarian
Society, happens on Saturday, January 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 5411 Luce
Avenue. It hosts food and lifestyle vendors who cater to the vegan crowd and
also has speaker presentations and cooking demos.
SVS president and organizer Glenn Destatte
said he scrambled to find a place when he found out in the fall that the
festival’s former venue, Sacramento Charter High School on 34th Street, was not
an option.
“SacTown VegFest is a great event, and we have
been proud to host it in the past,” Kari Wehrly, chief of schools for St. HOPE
Public Schools, said in an email. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us to
host it this year, but we will look for future opportunities to partner on this
important initiative.”
But Destatte made that lemon into agave-sweetened
lemonade.
“Losing the old venue is a blessing in
disguise,” he said. At the school, he said, would-be festivalgoers told him
they would circle around trying to find parking, then give up and leave. The
conference center has 2,000 parking spaces.
While parking may be plentiful, the new venue
is costing a lot more, Destatte said. So for the first time, SVS is charging
admission, which may be purchased in advance online or at the door. Tickets
range from $2.50 to $5, with free entry for kids under 6 years old.
Weather permitting, the plan is to have a
“rescue animal area” on the grassy area by the conference center’s entrance.
Animal rescue organizations Blackberry Creek Animal Sanctuary and Harvest Home
agreed to bring animals with whom people can get up close and personal. Asked
if he was worried that having essentially a petting zoo would conflict with
some attendees’ values of how humans use animals, Destatte replied, “The
organizations that we talked to say they were willing. If they are saying it helps
promote the cause, we’re good with it.”
Destatte, SVS president since 2011, said he
“became vegan by marriage” in 2006, when he married Mary Rodgers, who
co-organizes the VegFest. SVS stepped up in 2016 to put on the festival when
the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, which previously hosted the VegFest,
stopped presenting the event after 2015.
Many of the 40 or so vendors confirmed for
this year’s event (as of January 22) are local, such as vegan gelato company
Conscious Creamery and Bambi’s Vegan Tacos food truck, and others are from
afar, such as Southern California vegan clothing and accessory company
Cowhugger.
A new vendor is Chili Smith Family Foods from
Carmichael, which will be selling rice and beans, chili dogs and chili sauce.
Owner Steve Smith began selling locally grown heirloom beans and rice online,
and around April 2017 settled into a brick-and-mortar storefront, where he
hosts cooking classes. Two each month are plant-based and taught by Twyla
Teitzel, who will also be at the festival. While Chili Smith is not an
exclusively vegan venture, Smith said, “We were one of the original people at
the Farm-to-Fork Festival,” and “we’re committed that we support the local
shows and plant-based community.”
Yolanda’s Tamales is another nonexclusively
vegan company that has participated at every VegFest and found success in the
plant-based market. Andres Yanez, son of namesake Yolanda Yanez, said his mom
began selling tamales out of her van in 1988. She brought the company to
Sacramento in 1996, and has been selling at local markets, such as the Oak Park
Farmers Market.
“A lot vegan and vegetarian people always
asked for a vegan menu, then VegFest came up… and [Destatte] gave us the
opportunity,” Yanez said. So the company had a “menu shakeup,” and has sold out
every year at the festival, including 1,000 units last year. It even got hired
to cater a vegan wedding.
While no one in the family-run company is
vegan, they stand by their plant-based food—tamales, tacos, tostadas, berry
lemonade, almond-milk horchata and mint-cucumber-lime aguas frescas—and enjoy
eating it themselves.
“Every year the event has surprised us,” Yanez
said. He said their herbivore customers “are our most passionate,” and they are
grateful to the vegan community. This year, Yanez said he and his family plan
to bring more supply to try their best not to sell out.
“Vegans have been good for business,” Yanez
said.
And not just for local businesses. Recently,
even some of those fast-food chains on that stretch of Watt Avenue introduced
vegan and vegetarian menus at some of their U.S. locations, such as Carl’s Jr.
using the Beyond Meat burger patty. Maybe more will join the trend in time for
the fifth VegFest next year.
Contact us about this story
RELATED LINKS:
RELATED LINKS:
LSU researchers design high protein rice
By
Researchers at LSU have grown
rice cultivars with protein levels over 10%, more than double what rice
typically produces.
Their findings eventually may
lead to more nutritious gluten-free products, World Grain reports. While rice is gluten-free, its protein
content, normally in single-digit percentage levels, does not compare to the
protein content of wheat
“We are now studying exactly how
flour from this rice bakes differently than other rice flour,” says Herry
Utomo, a professor with LSU’s Rice Research Station. “The interest in
gluten-free baked products continues to grow. This will present another
opportunity for rice growers to give people what they are looking for.”
Utomo and his team at LSU
already developed Frontiere, a rice type that was released in 2017. Marketed as
Cahokia rice and grown commercially in Illinois, it has an average protein
content of 10.6%, marking a 53% increase compared to its original protein
content. The high-protein rice needs less heat, time and usually less water to
cook, according to LSU.
“Because the original line is
new to the market, marketing channels have to be put in place,” Utomo said. “In
parallel, research for the next generation of high-protein rice lines is being
carried out.” Read the full story.
image: https://www.philstar.com/images/arrow-top.png
image:
https://media.philstar.com/images/articles/bus2-imported-rice2_2018-05-17_19-16-47.jpg
Congress last year passed
the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural
Tariffication Act of 1996.
The
STAR/Edd Gumban
Farmers’ association
wants Duterte to veto rice tariffication bill
332SHARES27201
(philstar.com) - January
25, 2019 - 4:40pm
MANILA, Philippines —
A farmers’ group called on President Rodrigo Duterte to veto a legislation on
his desk lifting the more than two-decade-old caps on rice imports,
saying the measure would make the government “powerless” should price of rice
turns volatile.
Congress last year
passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural
Tariffication Act of 1996.
Related Stories
Under the measure,
individuals and businesses can import additional volumes of the crop from
Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam but will have to pay a
35-percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass
irrigation, warehousing and rice research.
Once the bill is
signed, the National Food Authority’s corruption-riddled role in rice imports
will be removed. The grains agency’s function will be limited to buffer
stocking which will be sourced only through buying palay from local farmers.
“The economic thinkers
are saying that a free market will ensure that rice prices will go down even
without NFA. They could be correct but what if they are wrong?” Federation of
Free Farmers National Business Manager Raul Montemayor said in a statement.
“What if importers
collude to bring up prices? What if they refuse to import because prices are
too high? What if palay prices suddenly go down because of excessive imports?”
Montemayor added.
“The government will
be practically powerless in all these scenarios under the proposed bill.”
Based on the central
bank’s estimate, scrapping import caps on rice could reduce annual inflation by
0.7 percentage points in 2019.
While the measure is
expected to give households reeling from soaring prices a reprieve, farmer
groups said replacing rice import limits with a system of tariffs would drive
down prices for their produce and hurt their business.
In the same statement,
Montemayor said his group is worried that the NFA will likely stop buying from
farmers when it acquires sufficient rice for its buffer stock even if palay
prices are declining.
“The tariffication
bill should focus only on the removal of volume restrictions on rice imports.
This is all what we have to do under our commitments to the World Trade
Organization,” he said.
“The issue of what
happens to NFA and the role of government in the rice trade must be addressed
separately and only after a comprehensive study and following genuine
consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
The rice tariffication
bill was submitted to Malacañang last January 15 for Duterte’s signature. Under
the Constitution, the president can either sign the bill or veto it. —
Ian Nicolas Cigaral with a report from BusinessWorld
Worms can process rice straw, scientists discover
January 24, 2019, Sechenov University
An
experimental set of mesocosms that helped understand the role of earthworms in
the process of rice straw decomposition. Credit: Andrey Zaitsev
A team of scientists from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical
University (MSMU) have discovered that earthworms efficiently process rice
straw and enrich the soil with organic matter, increasing its fertility while
preventing the burning of the straw, which takes a long time to decompose
naturally. The results of the study were published in the European
Journal of Soil Biology.
Rice is staple food product for the majority of the Earth's
population. The demand for it is constantly growing, and production increases
annually. Harvesting and grain peeling leave a considerable amount of crop
residue which is not naturally consumed by herbivorous animals, and is
therefore burned. Burning causes the emission of greenhouse gases (carbon
dioxide and methane) and black
carbon, which negatively affect the climate. Therefore, it is
important to develop a more eco-friendly method for rice straw
recycling.
The authors collected soil
samples at three regions of Russia where rice is grown:
Krasnodarsky Krai, Kalmykia, and Primorsky Krai. In all three regions the rice
fields lacked earthworms, and the scientists tested Eisenia fetida, a species
cultivated in Russia on an industrial scale for fishing and humus production.
The scientists wanted to find out if the worms were able to process rice straw.
The team created several mesocosms, closed confinements
imitating natural conditions, to study the ratio between the
emission of carbon dioxide, methane and organic
carbon. The setup tracked the type of soil, the presence of straw,
and the number of earthworms in the mesocosm. Each system contained 1 kg of
soil with or without rice straw. Finally, different amounts of earthworms were
placed into each mesocosm to find out how their activity would influence the
concentration of greenhouse gases and carbon input into soil.
It turned out that adding rice straw to any type of soil increases
carbon dioxide emission at least by the factor of three. The ratio between the
emitted CO2 and the number of earthworms varied depending on the soil type. For
example, the emissions barely changed when the worms were added to the
mesocosms with soil from Primorsky Krai. In other types of soil with rice
straw, the emission of carbon dioxide considerably increased after the worms
were added.
The highest effect in the soils from Kalmykia was reached at the
density of six worms per mesocosm, and from Krasnodar Krai at four worms per mesocosm.
At the same time, the increase in concentration of organic carbon in Krasnodar
soils turned out to be 10,000 times higher than its loss in the course of
emissions. When bound with the soil, organic carbon improves fertility and
erosion resistance, and when burned, produces carbon dioxide or black carbon.
The worms did not influence methane emissions.
"This work is of practical importance. We've found a way to
efficiently process rice straw instead of burning it, which is currently the
most common practice worldwide. Along with increasing the sustainability and
climate safety of rice cultivation, it reduces the risks for the environment
and mankind associated with agricultural burns as causes of fires and
atmospheric pollution, including that with carcinogenic substances. Moreover,
adding earthworms to soils will increase the quality, fertility and soil health
of the fields and reduce the risk of erosion due to binding with organic
substances," said Andrey Zaitsev, a researcher from MSMU.
Explore further: Corn with straw mulch builds yield, soil carbon
More information: Andrey S. Zaitsev et al, The earthworm species Eisenia fetida
modulates greenhouse gas release and carbon stabilization after rice straw
amendment to a paddy soil, European Journal of Soil Biology (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2018.10.003
Provided by: Sechenov University
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-01-worms-rice-straw-scientists.html#jCp https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/25/1888085/farmers-association-wants-duterte-veto-rice-tariffication-bill
PHILSTAR
HOME | THE PHILIPPINE STAR | PILIPINO STAR NGAYON | THE
FREEMAN | PANG-MASA | BANAT | INTERAKSYON
image:
https://www.philstar.com/images/header_divider.png
image:
https://www.philstar.com/images/header_divider.png
·
HOME
·
OPINION
·
NATION
·
WORLD
·
BUSINESS
·
SPORTS
image:
https://www.philstar.com/images/Home/loginserch_03.png
image:
https://www.philstar.com/images/header_divider.png
image:
https://www.philstar.com/images/login_icon.png
image: https://www.philstar.com/images/arrow-top.png
image: https://media.philstar.com/images/articles/bus2-imported-rice2_2018-05-17_19-16-47.jpg
Congress last year passed
the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural
Tariffication Act of 1996.
The
STAR/Edd Gumban
Farmers’ association
wants Duterte to veto rice tariffication bill
332SHARES27201
(philstar.com) - January
25, 2019 - 4:40pm
MANILA, Philippines —
A farmers’ group called on President Rodrigo Duterte to veto a legislation on
his desk lifting the more than two-decade-old caps on rice imports,
saying the measure would make the government “powerless” should price of rice
turns volatile.
Congress last year
passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural
Tariffication Act of 1996.
Related Stories
Under the measure,
individuals and businesses can import additional volumes of the crop from
Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam but will have to pay a
35-percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass
irrigation, warehousing and rice research.
Once the bill is
signed, the National Food Authority’s corruption-riddled role in rice imports
will be removed. The grains agency’s function will be limited to buffer
stocking which will be sourced only through buying palay from local farmers.
“The economic thinkers
are saying that a free market will ensure that rice prices will go down even
without NFA. They could be correct but what if they are wrong?” Federation of
Free Farmers National Business Manager Raul Montemayor said in a statement.
“What if importers
collude to bring up prices? What if they refuse to import because prices are
too high? What if palay prices suddenly go down because of excessive imports?”
Montemayor added.
“The government will
be practically powerless in all these scenarios under the proposed bill.”
Based on the central
bank’s estimate, scrapping import caps on rice could reduce annual inflation by
0.7 percentage points in 2019.
While the measure is
expected to give households reeling from soaring prices a reprieve, farmer
groups said replacing rice import limits with a system of tariffs would drive
down prices for their produce and hurt their business.
In the same statement,
Montemayor said his group is worried that the NFA will likely stop buying from
farmers when it acquires sufficient rice for its buffer stock even if palay
prices are declining.
“The tariffication
bill should focus only on the removal of volume restrictions on rice imports.
This is all what we have to do under our commitments to the World Trade
Organization,” he said.
“The issue of what
happens to NFA and the role of government in the rice trade must be addressed
separately and only after a comprehensive study and following genuine
consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
The rice tariffication
bill was submitted to Malacañang last January 15 for Duterte’s signature. Under
the Constitution, the president can either sign the bill or veto it. —
Ian Nicolas Cigaral with a report from BusinessWorld
PCCI backs liberalizing sugar importation
January 25,
2019
30
MANILA — The Philippine Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (PCCI) backs the government’s move to deregulate sugar
importation in a bid to moderate prices of the essential commodity.
In a statement Friday, PCCI President Alegria Limjoco said
opening up sugar importation is a welcome development to enterprises in the
food processing and manufacturing sector where sugar is a vital ingredient.
“Our domestic food processors, which are mostly small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) are taking the brunt of the high cost of domestic sugar,
which actually makes them uncompetitive. That’s why we laud the government for
taking this initiative to liberalize sugar imports,” Limjoco said.
Last week, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said sugar is next
on the government’s list of agricultural products that importation rules will
be relaxed.
The administration already pushed for deregulation of rice
imports with the Rice Tariffication Bill, which is only waiting for President
Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
PCCI said deregulating rice imports will “help to stabilize and
lower the prices of rice in the domestic market and ensure its sufficient
stock”.
“We are glad that our government is listening to our concerns because
this has become a burden on our part. We absolutely cannot compete with similar
products from ASEAN due to the prohibitive prices of our sugar,” said Roberto
Amores, PCCI Chair for Agriculture Committee.
He noted that refined sugar in the country is much pricier at
PHP60 to PHP65 per kg. compared to neighboring countries’ prices of PHP28 to
PHP30 per kg.
Farmers Sinking Into Debt After EU Tariffs Lead to Plunging
Rice Prices
26 JANUARY 2019
A
villager in Srayov commune,
Kampong Thom province, sold
rice to a dealer as the price is low, January 19, 2019. Photo:
Sun Narin/VOA Khmer
Share
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
KAMPONG
THOM— Hun Samnang, a rice farmer, has to pay off his loan in a few months.
But
he fears that he will not be able to meet the payments from this year’s harvest
due to plummeting grain prices caused by the imposition of tariffs by the
European Union, imposed over protectionist concerns.
Rice
prices at market have decreased by about 12.5 percent since the EU announced
the tariffs earlier this month.
“If
the price keeps the same or goes lower than that, I will lose,” the 39-year-old
farmer told VOA Khmer at his paddy field in Kampong Thom’s Srayov commune.
He
rented the 30 hectares of land he farms to export rice to Vietnam, costing
about $7,500 for four months.
He
now owes about $15,000 to the bank and needs to meet the $100 monthly payments
of interest, as well as paying off half the loan by mid-year.
“I
thought the rice price would be higher ... That’s why I tried to invest in
that,” he said. “We saw others coming here and they managed. So we took the
risk to come here.”
The
cost of fertilizers, gasoline and labor costs has also risen, he said.
A
rice farmer Hun Samnang, in Kampong Thom province, sitting in a hammock while
giving an interview to a VOA reporter, rented 30 hectares of land for growing
rice, but he was worried that the falling price of rice would make unable to
pay off his loans from the bank, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
New tariffs
Paddy
rice prices in Cambodia have fallen sharply following the EU decision to
re-introduce import duties on grains from Cambodia and Myanmar over the next
three years.
The
European Commission had received a request from Italy that called for the
imposition of safeguards on Indica rice originating in the two countries.
The
request was supported by rice growing states in the EU, according to the EU
ambassador.
“The commission opened a formal investigation on 16 March 2018. The findings of this investigation confirm a significant surge of imports of rice that has caused economic damage to the rice sector in Europe. As a result, the EU has decided to impose safeguard measures on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar,” he said in an email to VOA Khmer.
“The commission opened a formal investigation on 16 March 2018. The findings of this investigation confirm a significant surge of imports of rice that has caused economic damage to the rice sector in Europe. As a result, the EU has decided to impose safeguard measures on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar,” he said in an email to VOA Khmer.
Under
the new rules, normal customs duties will be imposed on the product, reducing
annually over the coming years.
The
EU is one of the world’s largest rice importing regions, with lower income
countries gaining tariff-free access via its Everything But Arms preferential
trading scheme.
“However,
it is important also to ensure that EU farmers and producers do not suffer as a
result of high volumes of cheap imports. The regulation related to the scheme
foresees that in such cases tariffs can be restored,” Edgar said.
In
response to the tariff, the Cambodian government has expressed its
disappointment, saying it would be used as “a weapon to kill farmers and their
families”.
Male
laborers prepare to spray pesticides in the rice field in Kampong Thom
province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Nar/VOA Khmer)
Farmers deceived
But
on the ground local farmers are unaware of the cause of their misfortune.
“I
didn’t know about this,” says Samnang. “I just grow rice and I don’t know about
the market.”
Farmers
are largely reliant on an informal network of brokers who provide access to
international markets.
Srey
Vuthy, an agriculture ministry spokesman, said the dealers can exploit events
like the EU tariff imposition to manipulate prices.
“Villagers
don’t know about it and they just follow [what the dealers say]. They are
deceived.”
The
problem was compounded, he added, by the harvest season in Thailand and Vietnam
coinciding with Cambodia this year.
“Our
country’s paddy rice still depends so much on Vietnam,” he said. “We heard that
Vietnam won’t buy much from us.”
Samnang
does not trust the dealers, but has no choice but to use their connections to
sell his produce.
“We
can’t talk about the price much with the dealers. When they say it costs this
and that, we have to follow.” I don’t think the dealers are honest with us.
They want more profit,” he said.
Storage
until the prices change is also not an option as the rice will spoil in the
heat and humidity, he says.
Nory
Noeun, 35, a laborer who collects rice from the farmers, complains about the
price increases, which he attributes to an “EU tax.”
“I
think the dealers have taken this opportunity to relate [a price rise] to the
EU,” he said.
Nory
Noeuy, a tractor laborer working for farmers in Kampong Thom province, January
19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
Another
farmer, Tong Y, also has an outstanding $15,000 loan to pay for her 70-hectare
land.
”I want to try this year, but it is bad since the prices are low already,” she said.
Other
farmers VOA Khmer spoke to agreed.
Tong
Y is a farmer who rented 70 hectares of land for growing rice in Kampong Thom
province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
The
Srayov commune chief, Sao Sothy, said he was aware of the problem, adding: “I
can’t help them. If you can, you should.”
“Farmers
know what profit they can make. It’s a free market. When there is more rice,
the price decreases.”
Vuthy,
the agriculture spokesman, said the government could not intervene to help
farmers. “Our country does not have a subsidy policy. We don’t have money.”
Chinese help
China
has grown increasingly close to Cambodia in recent years. A week after the EU
decision, Prime Minister Hun Sen met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bejing,
securing a purchase of 400,000 tons of Cambodian rice.
Cambodia
exported some 630,000 tons of rice last year, with about 40 percent going to
Europe.
Despite
the EU tariff, Vuthy said he still believes Europeans will demand Cambodian
rice, even if it is more expensive.
“They
want to eat delicious rice. Why not spend more money? We still urge [farmers]
to grow fragrant rice for the EU and still believe EU people will purchase the
rice despite the higher cost,” he said.
Local
farmer Samnang, this is his last rice-growing season.
“I
don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.
For
Pha Sreysor, 32, Samnang’s wife, the mounting debts are a real worry.
“I
am now very sad because of the paddy rice price. If [we] don’t have the ability
to pay, [our land] will be withdrawn.”
Sound and fury are
not enough
Since late 2018, there has been
a great deal of sound and fury over the alleged birth of gene-edited twins through the research of scientist He Jiankui
in China.
Using CRISPR-Cas9, He edited
the genes of multiple human embryos. More than a few died in the process, but
two were allegedly brought to term. He’s announcement brought almost
universal criticism, including from the National Institutes of Health in the
United States and his own China Association for Science and Technology. In
fact, the Chinese government has ordered a temporary halt on his research
activities and is investigating the scientist and his research. One American
professor at Rice University is also under scrutiny for his collaboration with
He.
Although this is not the place
to list them all, there are very good reasons to be concerned, not least that
He’s research protocol apparently was not evaluated and approved by any review
board or other body of ethical oversight. Instead of being lauded as a pioneer,
He is likely to go down in science history as a rogue. Worse, he clearly caused
harm to the unborn embryos and may have harmed the twins and their future
offspring. If the allegations prove to be true, this is a serious violation of
every accepted international policy on the protection of human subjects in
research.
Beyond the sound and the fury,
however, international bodies and professional societies owe it to the world to
double down in an effort to ensure that this does not happen again. Although
(some) scientists will not welcome more stringent oversight, this case
demonstrates that, at least in some quarters, it is clearly necessary. In
addition, significant penalties should be applied when the canons of medical
research are violated, especially on human subjects. The power of gene editing,
among other emerging biotechnologies, is too potentially harmful to go un- or
under-supervised.
The He Jiankui case has led
many individuals and groups in the United States to call on President Trump to
rehydrate a national council on bioethics. After his election in 2009,
President Obama dissolved the President’s Council on Bioethics that was very
active under President Bush. President Obama’s Presidential Commission on the
Study of Bioethical Issues met until 2016, when Trump was elected to the
presidency. Whether or not Mr. Trump will appoint a bioethics council is yet to
be seen, but some agency or research body should be commissioned to study the
implications of human gene editing. The stakes are too high not to have a
national conversation about the potential for harm to future generations.
C. Ben Mitchell, PhD, is
Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy and Special Assistant to the President at
Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is also the editor of “Ethics &
Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics” (www.ethicsandmedicine.com).
You May Like
MORE STORIES
·
Government shutdown questions
Jan. 22, 2019, 10:14 a.m.
·
Starred in any porn videos lately? Are you sure?
Jan. 24, 2019, 1:35 p.m.
·
The Manchurian Candidate redux
Jan. 25, 2019, 6:21 p.m.
·
Letters to the editor
Jan. 22, 2019, 10:40 a.m.
·
Toxic masculinity is a myth
Jan. 24, 2019, 1:38 p.m.
·
Turnaround shows School Board lacks experience
Jan. 15, 2019, 8:44 a.m.
NEWSLETTER
Be the
first to be informed of important news as it happens in your area
India rice rates rise, Vietnam prices slip before holiday
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export
prices rose in India, driven by higher procurement costs for local paddy even
as demand was tepid, while rates for the Vietnamese variety slipped as activity
slowed before a holiday season.
A farmer works in his rice paddy
field on Ghoramara Island, India, November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De
Chowdhuri/File Photo
Top exporter India’s 5 percent broken
parboiled variety rose to $381-$386 per tonne this week from the $379-$384
range last week, traders said. “Paddy prices have risen due to lower supply in
the local market, so we have to raise export prices,” said an exporter based in
Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Export prices had shot up after the central state
of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised minimum paddy buying prices to
2,500 rupees per 100 kg from 1,750 rupees. Neighbouring Bangladesh has no plan
to cut the import duty on rice, despite a rise in domestic prices in recent
week, given good crops and healthy reserves, a food ministry official said on
Wednesday. Higher domestic prices for the staple had prompted speculation
amongst traders that the government would cut the duty.
The south Asian country, which
emerged as a major rice importer in 2017 after floods destroyed crops, imposed
a 28 percent duty in June to support its farmers after local production
revived. A report from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) estimated Bangladesh’s rice output would hit a record 53.6 million tonnes
in 2018 on strong domestic prices and bumper yields due to favourable weather
conditions. In Vietnam, rates for the benchmark 5 percent broken rice fell further
to $340 a tonne from to $355-$360 last week, ahead of Tet, the Lunar New Year
Holiday during the first week of February. “Trade is very quiet and I think it
will stay like this until Tet is over,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
“Customs offices will close during the week-long holiday and things will get
slow.” Another trader based in Hanoi said the government was mulling buying
rice for stockpiling this year. “The government couldn’t buy last year
because prices were high, but we are seeing downward pressure on prices this
year given that China has moved to limit shipments from Vietnam,” a second
trader said.
Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice
prices were quoted at $390-$402 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, versus last
week’s $385-$400, with traders attributing the change to gains in the domestic
currency, as demand remained flat. “The Philippines remains the focus for many
Thai rice exporters because of its liberalized market and because their
government said last year that they still need to import a million tonnes,” a
Bangkok-based trader. “But we are still waiting to hear more about the possible
auction.”
Author Name: https://in.reuters.com/article/asia-rice/india-rice-rates-rise-vietnam-prices-slip-before-holiday-idINKCN1PI1L0
My Mother's Place Of Escape Is Patel
Brothers, Indian Grocery In US
(c) 2019 The Washington Post | Published: January 25, 2019 12:22 IST
SHARE
EMAIL
PRINT
My mom's bucket list doesn't include lavish trips to far-flung
locales like Bora Bora or Peru. Instead, it stars a grocery store - more
specifically, a Patel Brothers location in Naperville, Illinois. She has heard
rumors of its size, including one particularly egregious claim that it's as big
as a football stadium. (Most people agree that it's as large as any beloved
Midwestern supermarket, which is rare for an Indian grocery store in the
States.) Every time she speaks about it, her eyes become wide and animated, as
if she is running through the aisles in her mind. Recently, upon hearing that
one of my friends is from Naperville, she asked him a million questions, not
about his childhood or career, but about the Patel Brothers. Is it really that
big? Is it really busy? Is it really as nice as everyone says?
It's unfathomable to her that such a place could exist.
She arrived in the United States from India in the early 1980s,
armed with a jet-black braid that fell down her back, dreams of dental school,
and an adamantine sense of determination. It was the first time she had been on
a plane, the first time away from the comforts of home. Gone was the man who
delivered fresh milk to the door in thick glass bottles, and the vegetable
seller who roamed the streets of her neighborhood shouting out his selections
for the day. As she and my dad settled in a small, barren apartment in Detroit,
armed with just a sleeping bag and a radio, there was only one place to find
the flavors of home: A tiny, dimly lit Patel Brothers that was as well stocked
as it could be. Still, she was thankful. There she could find mounds of
jaggery; bags of crispy, salty sev; and pounds of whole wheat atta for making
rotis. It meant she wouldn't have to warm up limp grocery store pita and
pretend it was naan or live only off the one American dish she did like: Bean
tostadas at Taco Bell.
The author with her mother in
Michigan in 1994.
Patel Brothers was started in 1974 by Mafat and Tulsi Patel.
What was once a small grocery on Devon Avenue in Chicago has grown into more
than 50 locations in 19 states. No Indian grocery store chain offers the same
expansive selection of fresh produce, boxed spices, Indian beauty products and
thousands of other items from the Indian subcontinent that were once smuggled
back to the States in suitcases. Some have even begun to offer fresh, hot food,
such as flavor-packed kati rolls. Most locations now feature the same
fluorescent lighting and neat organization of a Whole Foods, but with burlap
bags of basmati rice instead of boxes of quinoa, and a freezer full of paneer
instead of a cheese counter.
Just as Patel Brothers has evolved, so has my mom. She is no
longer an immigrant fresh off the plane, trying to adjust to a new home
thousands of miles from everything and everyone she knew. She owns a thriving
dental practice that she built tooth-by-tooth. Her English features a robust
vocabulary dotted with a soft accent. She likes one more item at Taco Bell (a
soft taco with beans), and she has developed an inexplicable penchant for candy
corn. At her local supermarket, she picks up bottles of ranch dressing and
peruses the bulk bins for grains and nuts.
Patel Brothers is no longer her place of survival; it's her
place of escape.
Grocery shopping is usually a chore, one she does out of a
strong distaste for restaurant food and an even stronger drive to feed my dad,
my brother and me a mind-blowing range of high-quality home-cooked Indian meals.
At Patel Brothers, memories of her childhood flood back to her brain and her
taste buds.
A selection of Patel Brothers
grocery products.
In the produce section, she always excitedly points out the
plump and craggy karela, filling the thin plastic bag to the top. Same for the
okra - she swears Indian grocery stores always carry better okra - and mango,
which she buys 12 at a time during peak season. On the rare days Patel Brothers
stocks fresh sitafal, a fruit she reminisces about more than any other, it's
game over. On the aisle brimming with bags of lentils and flours, she pauses
often to explain the favorite ways her mom and her neighbors would use them. On
the spice aisle, she buys bags of dried bay leaves, bright yellow turmeric, jet
black mustard seeds and hing, or asafetida, the pungent spice that gives
certain Indian dishes their signature zing. Then she'd pick up Indian peanuts,
raisins and figs - all of which she swears have more flavor than the American
versions.
Like many fellow immigrants, my mom has not lost her sense of
frugality, even as she has become more financially stable. She still buys
clothes only off the sale rack and collects Bed Bath & Beyond coupons like
they are Pokemon cards. But at Patel Brothers, she throws caution to the wind.
Nothing feels off-limits, a rare boon to me and my brother when we were growing
up. A new snack mix I want to try? I could get it. A tin brimming with saffron?
Sure. Packets of Maggi Noodles, India's answer to Top Ramen, bags of
India-exclusive flavors of potato chips, chocolate bourbon biscuits and Parle-G
cookies all go in the cart. Argue for the same cookie leniency in an American
grocery store, and we'd get a firm no and a stern look.
Perhaps her desire for her children to engage in their heritage
overrides her desire for us to eat more fruits and vegetables. Or maybe Patel
Brothers is just where she's truly comfortable.
I've always had my feet firmly planted in two worlds: I am
Indian and I am American. I am fully Indian American. I am just as comfortable
among stacks of pepperoni pizzas and platters of Salisbury steaks as I am piles
of samosas and biryani. My mom cannot say the same. Though she is an American
citizen, she is part of a small but mighty class of immigrants who have lived
in their chosen country longer than their homeland. On visits back, roads that
once felt familiar now feel like an alien planet, and merchants at the market
instantly peg her for an NRI (a nonresident Indian). She exists in a Venn
diagram of never quite belonging.
While she prefers many things about life in America, certain
aspects she will never be able to adjust to. She was raised in a Jain
household, a religion built on the idea of Ahimsa, or nonviolence. This strict
code of vegetarianism is instilled deep within the fibers of her being. To this
day, going to the regular grocery store means engaging in a choreographed route
that lets her dodge the seafood counter. She speeds through the meat aisle,
refusing to look up from her cart, wrinkling her nose the whole time. She must
constantly compromise on her beliefs to just walk through the world.
Patel Brothers never asks her to be anyone except who she is.
The store carries no meat, meaning my mom can breathe deeply. Every aisle is
open to her. Conversations with staff can take place in an easy blend of
English and Gujarati or Hindi, her now preferred method of conversation. It's
possible to say, "Where is the jeeru?" and get an answer. At Whole
Foods, she must remember to ask for cumin. At Patel Brothers, they know what besan
is, and they carry the right brands of basmati rice, the kind that smells sweet
and starchy. The freezers are packed with ice cream in the flavors Ben &
Jerry's will probably never make, such as kaju pista, or cashew pistachio.
Staff understand that she buys Bisquick not to make pancakes but to make gulab
jamun. That she wants India's flavors with America's conveniences. That she
wants to remember her original home while living in her chosen home.
It may seem silly to plan a trip centered around a grocery
store, but I hope to take my mom to Naperville this year. There are so few
spaces in the world where we can uncompromisingly be ourselves. And if she is
able to do so, between aisles of frozen parathas and boxes of spice mixes, I
will be there, filling up the cart beside her.
(Khushbu Shah is a food writer)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the
personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the
article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any
responsibility or liability for the same.
Trade war impact: Indian exports to China
up 25% in Jun-Nov 2018 to $8.5 bn
Growth in exports to China is beneficial
for India as it has a huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country
Press Trust of India
| New Delhi Last Updated at January 24, 2019 20:19 IST
2812
· ALSO READ
Tim Cook hopes for calm
heads to prevail as US-China tariff war looms
A trade war is terrible for
everyone
Trump says tariffs are
greatest, hints more sanctions on trade allies
US proposes new round of
trade talks with China in future as tariffs loom
Trade war: Vow to erase
trade surplus with US by 2024 may be China's bluff
·
The
tariff war between the US and China is benefitting India as its exports to the
neighbouring country have increased by about 25 per cent during the
June-November 2018 period to $8.46 billion, apex exporters body FIEO said on Thursday.
Exports to China had stood at $6.37 billion in June-November 2017.
Exports to China had stood at $6.37 billion in June-November 2017.
In June
and September 2018, the US announced high customs duties on several Chinese
goods. In retaliation, China also raised levies on American goods.
"US-China
tariff war is benefiting India. Exports to China jumped from $6.37 billion in
June-November 2017 to $8.46 billion in June-November 2018," Federation of
Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta said in a
statement.
He said
commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include
petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine
products.
Growth
in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has a huge trade deficit
with the neighbouring country.
Trade
deficit with China increased to $63.12 billion in 2017-18 from $51.11 billion
in 2016-17.
India
is taking several steps to promote shipments to China. Recently, it has managed
to export agricultural goods such as non-basmati rice to China.
First Published:
Thu, January 24 2019. 19:25 IST
CROP-EATING ARMYWORMS HIT SRI LANKA'S
RICE AND MAIZE OUTPUT
1/25/2019
COLOMBO,
Jan 25 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is facing what could be its worst pest infestation
in history, potentially cutting the country's rice and maize output and forcing
the island nation to import the commodities, government officials said on
Friday.
Crop-eating
army worms, first confirmed in October, have spread across the country and
damaged crops, they said.
The
pest has damaged half of the country's 80,000 hectares of maize and it has also
infected rice and vegetable crops, W.M.W. Weerakoon, director general of
agriculture, told Reuters.
More
than 100 crops, including vegetables have become infested with the armyworm,
Weerakoon said.
"We
have never experienced this kind of damage in the past," he said, adding
the government is trying to find out the source of the pest attack.
Authorities
have found traces of the pest in about two hectares of rice, but they have
successfully stopped the spread of the worm, he said.
Lower
output could trigger large-scale imports of essential food products, pushing up
the country's import bill and deepening a balance of payments crisis, S.
Attygala, central bank deputy governor, said.
So
far conventional chemicals used in pest management have failed to check the
spread, authorities said.
The
government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will give 40,000 rupees
($220.4) per hectare to farmers to compensate for them their losses. President
Maithripala Sirisena has established a task force to help control the pest.
Sri
Lanka in November forecast a bumper 3.3 million tonnes of rice production in
the November-February cultivation season, after intermittent floods and
droughts in the past four years cut the country's crops and economic growth.
Many
sectors in Sri Lanka have suffered because of the political crisis that hit the
island country in November when Sirisena fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime
minister. ($1 = 181.50 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga
Sirilal; editing by Mayank Bhardwaj and Louise Heavens)
©
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
JANUARY 24,
2019 / 5:29 PM / 5 DAYS AGO
India rice rates rise, Vietnam prices
slip before holiday
3 MIN READ
·
·
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices rose
in India, driven by higher procurement costs for local paddy even as demand was
tepid, while rates for the Vietnamese variety slipped as activity slowed before
a holiday season.
A farmer works in his rice paddy field on Ghoramara Island, India,
November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo
Top exporter India’s 5 percent broken
parboiled variety rose to $381-$386 per tonne this week from the $379-$384
range last week, traders said.
“Paddy prices have risen due to lower supply
in the local market, so we have to raise export prices,” said an exporter based
in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
Export prices had shot up after the central
state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised minimum paddy buying
prices to 2,500 rupees per 100 kg from 1,750 rupees.
Neighbouring Bangladesh has no plan to cut the
import duty on rice, despite a rise in domestic prices in recent week, given
good crops and healthy reserves, a food ministry official said on Wednesday.
Higher domestic prices for the staple had
prompted speculation amongst traders that the government would cut the duty.
The south Asian country, which emerged as a
major rice importer in 2017 after floods destroyed crops, imposed a 28 percent
duty in June to support its farmers after local production revived.
A report from the United Nation’s Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated Bangladesh’s rice output would hit a
record 53.6 million tonnes in 2018 on strong domestic prices and bumper yields
due to favourable weather conditions.
In Vietnam, rates for the benchmark 5 percent
broken rice fell further to $340 a tonne from to $355-$360 last week, ahead of Tet,
the Lunar New Year Holiday during the first week of February.
“Trade is very quiet and I think it will stay
like this until Tet is over,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. “Customs
offices will close during the week-long holiday and things will get slow.”
Another trader based in Hanoi said the
government was mulling buying rice for stockpiling this year.
“The government couldn’t buy last year because
prices were high, but we are seeing downward pressure on prices this year given
that China has moved to limit shipments from Vietnam,” a second trader
said.
Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices
were quoted at $390-$402 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, versus last week’s
$385-$400, with traders attributing the change to gains in the domestic currency,
as demand remained flat.
“The Philippines remains the focus for many
Thai rice exporters because of its liberalized market and because their
government said last year that they still need to import a million tonnes,” a
Bangkok-based trader. “But we are still waiting to hear more about the possible
auction.”
Reporting by Rajendra
Jadhav in Mumbai, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Ruma Paul
in Dhaka; Editing by Arpan Varghese and and Edmund Blair
Our Standards:The Thomson
Reuters Trust Principles.
Rice federation to argue against European tariffs on Cambodian
exports | #AsiaNewsNetwork
A worker carries a bag of rice inside a rice
mill in Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
PUBLISHED 25 JANUARY 2019
POST STAFF
The Cambodian Rice
Federation (CRF) announced on Wednesday it planned to argue on the
international stage against EU tariffs on Cambodian rice exports, saying the
decision will cause the Kingdom to lose its competitiveness and hurt its
ability to sustain itself.
According to CRF’s
statement, imposing tariffs on Cambodian rice to the EU is a regressive move.
“The decision to impose
tariffs is happening too quickly, Cambodian rice will need more time to be
strong enough to fully compete against other rice without being tariff free,”
it read.
The statement did not
outline in detail the procedures it would take to negotiate over the EU’s
decision.
Despite mentioning in
the release that it will find ways to lower production costs across the rice
sector to cope with the financial blow, CRF has not yet provided further
details on how it will do so.
CRF also said it will
aim to build a brand name for Cambodian premium fragrant rice, Angkor Malis, in
the international market, and urged Cambodian people to buy local rice to grow
the market.
The Cambodian rice
sector lost its duty-free export status to the EU last Friday after the bloc
decided to impose tariffs on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb a surge in
such imports they say was undercutting European production.
The decision will be in
effect for three years, during which the tariff rate will be steadily reduced.
The sector will be
forced to pay approximately $53 million in the first year based on the amount
the Kingdom exported to the EU last year.
Rabi sowing gap at 3 million
ha; rice worst-hit
Our Bureau New Delhi | January
25, 2019
Tamil Nadu reports 27% shortfall in sowing; huge drop in
Andhra Pradesh also
The gap between rabi sowing this year and the
previous year has further widened with the difference surpassing more than 3
million hectares for the first time in the current season.
As compared to 622.12 lakh hectares (lh)
planted during the corresponding period, the sowing covered only 591.64 lh till
Friday, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry.
The worst hit seems to be winter rice, which
reported a shortfall of more than 21 per cent in planting, with Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu reporting a huge drop in rice acreage. Tamil Nadu, which
accounts for nearly half the rice cultivation in the rabi season, reported a
nearly 27 per cent shortfall in sowing.
Wheat cultivation, on the other hand, is
restricted to 296.37 lh, which is 2.5 per cent lower than the 304.88 lh
reported in the corresponding week in the previous rabi season. The shortfall
was mainly from Maharashtra and Gujarat, which are suffering a drought
currently.
The acreage under pulses dropped to 151.6 lh,
a little over 6 per cent lower than in the same period in 2017-18. The drop is
mainly due to less sowing of gram — the main rabi pulse crop — in Maharashtra,
Karnataka and Gujarat.
Higher sowing of peas, kulthi
Though there was a slight increase in pulses
acreage in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, it wasn’t
enough to pull up the numbers. Two pulse varieties that have reported higher
sowing this year were green peas and kulthi, which are substantially higher
than in the same period last year.
Another group of crops hit by drought
conditions is coarse cereals. The subdued sowing in Maharashtra and Karnataka
has led to a 14 per cent fall in acreage, which is 47 lh as compared to 54.63
lh in the corresponding period in the previous year.
A good showing by the mustard crop, mainly in
Rajasthan, has somehow helped oilseeds come up close to the levels last year.
The total area covered under oilseeds so far is around 79 lh, as per the
official data.
Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission
reported that the cumulative water storage in 91 major reservoirs monitored by
it was 74.23 billion cubic metres, which is 46 per cent of the total capacity
of these water bodies.
DA
rapped for trying to ‘weaken’ rice tariffication bill
- Manila Bulletin
- 26 Jan 2019
- +1
more
- By
MADELAINE B. MIRAFLOR
While
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol eagerly awaits the implementation
of Rice Tariffication Law, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto
Pernia said there is currently an attempt from the Department of Agriculture
(DA) to "weaken" the law, which will liberalize rice importation
in the Philippines.
Buy ITC, target Rs 340:
ICICI Direct
ETMarkets.com|
Updated: Jan 25, 2019, 10.37 AM IST
0Comments
The
current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.
Company Summary
NSE
BSE
ITC Ltd.
ADD TO PORTFOLIO
ADD TO WATCHLIST
SHARE YOUR OULOOK
EXPAND
ICICI Direct
has a buy call on ITC with a target price of Rs 340.
The current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.
Time period given by the brokerage is one year when ITC price can reach the defined target.
Investment rationale by the brokerage-
Cigarette margins to improve; strong FMCG margins to aid profitability: Cigarette business EBIT increased by 8.8 per cent on the back of a stable taxation regime during the year. However, due to high leaf cost tobacco prices and increasing salience of capsule filters from 2-3 per cent to 7 per cent, cigarette EBIT margins declined by 50 bps YoY. ITC has taken 14-16 per cent price hikes in the select portfolio (some of the Gold Flake varieties: 2.5 per cent volume of cigarette portfolio) and is planning to localize capsule filter from next year (capsule filters are largely imported), which should improve cigarette segment margins going forward. FMCG segment EBIT improved from Rs 47 crore to Rs 76.7 crore (EBITDA increased from Rs 122 crore to Rs 173 crore) led by strong growth in atta, biscuits (Dark Fantasy growing in double digits and Bounce seeing a recovery in South India), snacks and noodles. With operating margins at nearly 5.4 per cent in FMCG during the quarter, we believe ITC should be able to reach double-digit EBITDA margins in next two years (ITC’s FMCG gross margins are comparable to peers).
Foraying into newer segments: ITC’s vision of reaching Rs 100,000 crore turnover with FMCG contributing nearly Rs 70,000 crore is on right track with company’s slew of new launches recently. It has forayed into packaged non-basmati rice market with Sona Masoori in Bengaluru. In the dairy segment, it has launched four variants of RTD milk beverages under Sunfeast Wonderz brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. ITC is looking to expand its dairy business further by launching paneer in Kolkata and milk beverages on a pan India level in the near term. It has launched pouch milk under Aashirvaad Swasti and curd under Aashirvaad Swasti Dahi. It expanded its noodle portfolio by launching Sunfeast Yippee noodles in four new variants and launched its traditional flavours snack Tedhe Medhe Wakhra Style under Bingo brand. It launched recently acquired floor cleaner brand Nimyle across North Eastern states. We believe ITC’s strategy will be to reach profitable growth within each of the segments after achieving a meaningful scale.
Robust financials to provide support; reiterate 'Buy': Being a formidable player in the consumer space, ITC has a strong margin profile with an EBITDA margin of 38.3 per cent and net profit margin of 27.6 per cent in FY18. Led by superior margins, ITC has been able to generate operating cash flow of Rs 12,650 crore in FY18. While overall RoCE for the company is at 30.9 per cent, the cash cow cigarettes business enjoys RoCE of over 200 per cent due to superior pricing power and low capital intensity. High cash generation has enabled ITC to invest aggressively in other fast-growing businesses and thereby enable the company to diversify into other, non-stringent segments. We expect revenues and earnings to grow at a CAGR of 10.2 per cent and 10.6 per cent, respectively, in FY18-21E. We continue to maintain our BUY rating on the stock with a revised target price of Rs 340.
The current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.
Time period given by the brokerage is one year when ITC price can reach the defined target.
Investment rationale by the brokerage-
Cigarette margins to improve; strong FMCG margins to aid profitability: Cigarette business EBIT increased by 8.8 per cent on the back of a stable taxation regime during the year. However, due to high leaf cost tobacco prices and increasing salience of capsule filters from 2-3 per cent to 7 per cent, cigarette EBIT margins declined by 50 bps YoY. ITC has taken 14-16 per cent price hikes in the select portfolio (some of the Gold Flake varieties: 2.5 per cent volume of cigarette portfolio) and is planning to localize capsule filter from next year (capsule filters are largely imported), which should improve cigarette segment margins going forward. FMCG segment EBIT improved from Rs 47 crore to Rs 76.7 crore (EBITDA increased from Rs 122 crore to Rs 173 crore) led by strong growth in atta, biscuits (Dark Fantasy growing in double digits and Bounce seeing a recovery in South India), snacks and noodles. With operating margins at nearly 5.4 per cent in FMCG during the quarter, we believe ITC should be able to reach double-digit EBITDA margins in next two years (ITC’s FMCG gross margins are comparable to peers).
Foraying into newer segments: ITC’s vision of reaching Rs 100,000 crore turnover with FMCG contributing nearly Rs 70,000 crore is on right track with company’s slew of new launches recently. It has forayed into packaged non-basmati rice market with Sona Masoori in Bengaluru. In the dairy segment, it has launched four variants of RTD milk beverages under Sunfeast Wonderz brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. ITC is looking to expand its dairy business further by launching paneer in Kolkata and milk beverages on a pan India level in the near term. It has launched pouch milk under Aashirvaad Swasti and curd under Aashirvaad Swasti Dahi. It expanded its noodle portfolio by launching Sunfeast Yippee noodles in four new variants and launched its traditional flavours snack Tedhe Medhe Wakhra Style under Bingo brand. It launched recently acquired floor cleaner brand Nimyle across North Eastern states. We believe ITC’s strategy will be to reach profitable growth within each of the segments after achieving a meaningful scale.
Robust financials to provide support; reiterate 'Buy': Being a formidable player in the consumer space, ITC has a strong margin profile with an EBITDA margin of 38.3 per cent and net profit margin of 27.6 per cent in FY18. Led by superior margins, ITC has been able to generate operating cash flow of Rs 12,650 crore in FY18. While overall RoCE for the company is at 30.9 per cent, the cash cow cigarettes business enjoys RoCE of over 200 per cent due to superior pricing power and low capital intensity. High cash generation has enabled ITC to invest aggressively in other fast-growing businesses and thereby enable the company to diversify into other, non-stringent segments. We expect revenues and earnings to grow at a CAGR of 10.2 per cent and 10.6 per cent, respectively, in FY18-21E. We continue to maintain our BUY rating on the stock with a revised target price of Rs 340.
Read this
article in :Hindi
India's exports up 25 % to
China during June-Nov 2018: FIEO
PTI|
Updated: Jan 24, 2019, 09.22 PM IST
0Comments
He
said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China
include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and
marine products.
New Delhi: The
tariff war between the US and China
is benefitting India
as its exports to the neighbouring country have increased by about 32 per cent
to USD 8.46 billion during the June-November 2018 period, exporters body FIEO
said Thursday.
Exports to China had stood at USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017.
In June and September 2018, the US announced high customs duties on several Chinese goods. In retaliation, China also raised levies on American goods.
Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta also said that during the period, India's exports to the US grew by 12 per cent.
"Exports to China jumped from USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017 to USD 8.46 billion in June-November 2018," Gupta said in a statement.
He said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine products.
"While tariff war is not good for the global trade, the same has come as an opportunity for other countries including India. Our exports to China in June-November 2018 went up by 32 per cent and to US by 12 per cent in the same period," Gupta said.
If the tariff escalation continues, India has to increase production capabilities to meet the growing demand in both the markets, he added.
Growth in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country.
Trade deficit with China increased to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18 from USD 51.11 billion in 2016-17.
India is taking several steps to promote shipments to China. Recently it has managed to export agricultural goods such as non-basmati rice to China.
Exports to China had stood at USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017.
In June and September 2018, the US announced high customs duties on several Chinese goods. In retaliation, China also raised levies on American goods.
Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta also said that during the period, India's exports to the US grew by 12 per cent.
"Exports to China jumped from USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017 to USD 8.46 billion in June-November 2018," Gupta said in a statement.
He said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine products.
"While tariff war is not good for the global trade, the same has come as an opportunity for other countries including India. Our exports to China in June-November 2018 went up by 32 per cent and to US by 12 per cent in the same period," Gupta said.
If the tariff escalation continues, India has to increase production capabilities to meet the growing demand in both the markets, he added.
Growth in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country.
Trade deficit with China increased to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18 from USD 51.11 billion in 2016-17.
India is taking several steps to promote shipments to China. Recently it has managed to export agricultural goods such as non-basmati rice to China.
Cash-strapped
Pakistan receives $1 bn each from Saudi Arabia, UAE
ANI
| Asia Last Updated at January 25, 2019 18:15 IST
·
ALSO READ
·
On its Twitter account, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that it has received the amount.
Under the financial package, Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan as balance of payment support besides providing oil on deferred payment for three years, Radio Pakistan reported.
The State Bank of Pakistan has also received $1 billion from the UAE which has committed to provide a financial support package of $3 billion to Pakistan.
Pakistan has also approached China for funds to avoid its balance of payment crisis.
Pakistan's current account deficit rose to $7.9 billion in the first half of the current fiscal and is likely to reach $16-18 billion by June 30.
Finance Minister Asad Umar on Thursday said there was no panic in Pakistan over a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country would neither go down on its knees and surrender before anybody nor would it be dictated to for the economic support, Dawn reported.
He said this at a post-budget news conference when a questioner said the feeling among the Washington-based multilateral lenders was that Islamabad was taking expensive loans from alternative avenues instead of cheaper support from the IMF, World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Umar said Saudi Arabia had provided the deposit at about 3pc return and almost the same rate was on the UAE loan.
The Finance Minister revealed that an economic support package had been finalised with China and more such successes would be available over the next two weeks - in a reference to Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Qatar earlier this week.
Razak Dawood, Adviser to the PM on Commerce, said an agreement had been reached with China for financial support and a team would visit Beijing next week to finalise how much rice, sugar and textile products from Pakistan should be exported to China.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Fri, January 25 2019. 10:10
IST
