First
Sale of U.S. Rice to China
By Sarah Moran
GUANGZHOU, CHINA -
After decades chasing the enormous China market, a sale of U.S. rice was
confirmed here last week.
"This sale marks a turning point for the U.S. rice industry and its relationship with China as the it is the first ever of U.S. rice to a private importer and is truly historic as it sets the stage for continued regular trade with China for U.S. grown rice." said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.
The deal occurred on the margins of the first U.S. rice trade seminar in China that was conducted with funds from the new U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program. Five U.S. companies had the opportunity to meet with 15 of China's top rice importers who expressed a great deal of interest in U.S. rice.
"Fifteen years of patience and hard work have paid off," said Ken LaGrande, founder of LaGrande Family Foods Group and CEO of Sun Valley Rice, the company that made the sale. "It is truly an honor and a privilege to blaze this trail of trading history - American rice in China. Our team has worked with incredible tenacity and diligence to reach this point."
"It has been a long journey," agreed Steve Vargas, senior vice president of global rice trading for Sun Valley Rice and vice chair of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee. "It has taken a great deal of effort on the part of Sun Valley Rice, as well as the USA Rice Federation, to gain access to the Chinese market."
"This sale marks a turning point for the U.S. rice industry and its relationship with China as the it is the first ever of U.S. rice to a private importer and is truly historic as it sets the stage for continued regular trade with China for U.S. grown rice." said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.
The deal occurred on the margins of the first U.S. rice trade seminar in China that was conducted with funds from the new U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program. Five U.S. companies had the opportunity to meet with 15 of China's top rice importers who expressed a great deal of interest in U.S. rice.
"Fifteen years of patience and hard work have paid off," said Ken LaGrande, founder of LaGrande Family Foods Group and CEO of Sun Valley Rice, the company that made the sale. "It is truly an honor and a privilege to blaze this trail of trading history - American rice in China. Our team has worked with incredible tenacity and diligence to reach this point."
"It has been a long journey," agreed Steve Vargas, senior vice president of global rice trading for Sun Valley Rice and vice chair of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee. "It has taken a great deal of effort on the part of Sun Valley Rice, as well as the USA Rice Federation, to gain access to the Chinese market."
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Making the pitch
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During the
seminar, USA Rice was formally introduced by USDA's Minister-Counselor Bobby
Richey, and Jim Guinn, USA Rice director of Asia promotion programs, and the
five USA Rice members discussed their capabilities to service the Chinese
market. This was followed by a "speed dating" event, where
importers met one-on-one for 15 minutes with each of the represented exporters
before attending a closing dinner with nearly 50 Chinese importers.
USA Rice conducted this seminar during the World Rice Summit trade show where a booth showcased cooked samples of five different types of U.S. rice: long grain, Koshihikari, Calhikari, Calrose, and sweet rice. Additionally, each of the five U.S. exporters had their own station to meet with interested importers.
USA Rice will hold two additional trade seminars this year, on August 2 and August 5, in Shanghai and Shenzhen, respectively, and interested exporters are encouraged to contact Guinn about participating.
USA Rice conducted this seminar during the World Rice Summit trade show where a booth showcased cooked samples of five different types of U.S. rice: long grain, Koshihikari, Calhikari, Calrose, and sweet rice. Additionally, each of the five U.S. exporters had their own station to meet with interested importers.
USA Rice will hold two additional trade seminars this year, on August 2 and August 5, in Shanghai and Shenzhen, respectively, and interested exporters are encouraged to contact Guinn about participating.
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Samples of U.S. rice entice
prospective importers
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Neem
chemical can disable cotton pest in multiple ways: Study
Research on cotton bollworm
reveals that the phytotoxin acts in multiple ways to suppress growth of the
pest
Last Updated: Tuesday 02 July 2019
The neem plant, Azadirachta
indica, is known to contain a potent phytochemical Azadirachtin-A (Aza-A)
that can ward off several pests. Scientists from India and Germany have now
deciphered the mechanism by which Aza-A does this. Their research on cotton
bollworm reveals that the phytotoxin acts in multiple ways to suppress growth
of the pest.
Cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa
armigera) is a dreaded pest attacking several crops of economic value and
has become resistant to most insecticides in use.
Unlike synthetic pesticides which
target a single protein, Aza-A aims several proteins in pests. This, in turn,
triggers actions that change their feeding habits and metabolism, thereby
arresting their growth.
Two sets of the insect larvae
were reared — one fed on a diet with Aza-A and the other without it. Aza-A
was extracted from neem fruits. By using a technique called MALDI-TOF Imaging,
researchers examined the distribution of Aza-A in the larvae of the pest.
“It revealed that the neem
extract vigorously attacked the worm’s key enzyme JHE (Juvenile Hormone
Esterase), which is involved in metabolism and its growth. The presence of the
phytotoxin made worms engage in the detoxification process, changing the way
they used their energy, which, in turn, affects their metabolism, feeding
habits and growth,” explained Vishal Dawkar, lead researcher, while speaking to India
Science Wire.
Even a small amount of Aza-A
could alter primary metabolism in the insect. Metabolomics analysis performed
on the larvae showed that the worms underwent various changes in response to
the toxin. In some, the moulting phase was arrested, while in others, there was
stunted growth. The whole larvae burst upon ingesting Aza-A diet in some cases.
This suggested that Aza-A could
have several targets for its toxic mode of action. Aza-A metabolites produced
in H. armigera could also inhibit the activity of vital
enzymes. In all, over 35 such metabolites have been identified. “Aza-A has a
complex structure, and it has taken several years to understand it. Owing to
this complexity, it cannot be synthesised in the laboratory. However, the
metabolites can be. By exploiting this, we can develop broad-spectrum
bioinsecticides,” said the scientist.
The team included Vishal V
Dawkar, Ranjit S Barbole, Vidya S Gupta, Saikat Haldar, Hirekodathakallu V.
Thulasiram and Ashok P Giri (National Chemical Laboratory, Pune); Sagar H
Barage (Savitribai Phule Pune University); Amol Fatangare, Susana Grimalt and
Aleš Svatoš (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology). The study results
are published in the journal ACS Omega. (India Science Wire)
The future for food
Published at 12:04 am July 4th, 2019
Photo: BIGSTOCK
Is a crisis of greens and proteins imminent?
According to
estimates, the world’s population will hit 10 billion by the year 2050. Along
with the challenges of housing, sanitation, and social services comes the
all-important one of food for hungry mouths.
Tucked away in
little laboratories, scientists are already at work trying to figure out not
just what food can be made available but also where these can be grown.
Growing
industrialization, clearing forests for accommodation, and the devastating
impact of climate change are coming in the way.
By now the war
on organic food is all but lost and genetically modified food with all of its
risks looms large. Genetically modified (GM) food has already been proven to be
short on natural nutrients and long on harmful additives, and it is this that
foxes scientists.
The other
battle being lost to lifestyle choices is the fast diminishing rainforests,
much of which create the basic order of nature’s sustainability.
Heatwaves,
seasonal forest fires, and unseasonal storms and typhoons are indicative of the
harm that we are committing to nature.
The demands for
natural protein are creating pressure on artificial insemination of cattle and
poultry so much so that there’s further pressure on natural greenery.
This has given
rise to the previously unheard of consumption of insects as forms of protein
instead of cattle.
It will take
time for palates to develop before such insects become part of a healthy diet
but are already in vogue in parts of Asia and Africa. This is gradually moving
to the West in fried form topped up with sauces and cream.
With multiple
cropping already pressurizing the ability of soil to refresh itself till the
monsoon rain and floods create natural rejuvenation, it has become a must to
prevent urban residential areas from being developed in an unplanned manner
thereby reducing natural cropland.
The prime
minister has already sounded a warning on this score, but until concrete steps
are taken, cropland will continue to recede in the face of more homes that are
required.
The worrying
aspect is that building construction is extending to rural areas as hapless
farmers don’t find decent prices for their crops. One example has been the
bumper production of rice at ridiculous prices that caused protests through the
burning of crops.
The government
responded by slapping import tariffs on rice, except that it was on the
superior quality product rather than the usually consumed mid and lower quality
rice.
The
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has done some sterling work in
coming up with hybrid varieties, but these are of lower quality variety. Even
the government found it hard to sell course rice at Tk10 per kg, way below
production cost, through its open market sale.
It’s time we
had our own laboratories incorporated with the IRRI to experiment with green
produce and protein varieties before the world starts selling us varieties at a
premium.
At the end of
the day, it’s business after all.
Mahmudur Rahman
is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.
The IT and biological technology
link
WEDNESDAY,
JULY 3, 2019 18:47
We need
capacity to engage with respect to policy and regulatory mechanisms. FILE PHOTO
| NMG
We need
capacity to engage with respect to policy and regulatory mechanisms. FILE PHOTO
| NMG 
How do nations create an adaptive management of benefits and
risks in the face of rapid technological changes? I had the privilege of being
one of the keynote speakers at The Gordon Institute of Business Science and the
Georgia Institute of Technology on The Emerging to Converging Technologies
Conference in Johannesburg last week. The two-day conference sought to address
the above question.
Among the speakers were Kenneth
Oye, professor of Political Science and Data Systems & Director Programme
on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prof Oye
dedicated his speech to the late Prof. Calestous Juma, the renowned Kenyan
biotechnology expert who they closely worked with in Boston.
His speech, although revealing a
wide rift between the scientific needs of the developed world and that of the
developing world, had many solutions that could bring great benefit to the
southern hemisphere.
While acknowledging that the
field of biotechnology is changing fast, he emphasized that DNA sequencing has
made it possible to redesign crops and livestock; make new materials; improve
health and edit the environment. All these discoveries are possible due to
exponential decline in cost of information technology data, growth in data
analytics, advances in efficiency and development of gene editing tools.
For example, the editing of genes
in goat embryos led to an increased number of second hair follicles and
enhanced fiber length necessitating greater productivity of cashmere (Kashmir)
wool, a fiber obtained from cashmere goats. The technique can practically be
applicable to any other types of goat. NDEMO: We are firmly in 4th Industrial Revolution
Genetic engineering is improving
food production especially in salmon that grows to market size within a shorter
period (half the time) as conventional Atlantic salmon.
The US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved genetically engineered Salmon for human
consumption in 2015.
In crop science, it is now
possible to grow salt tolerant crops without losing productivity. What this
means is that it is possible to use saline water for irrigation purposes. Some
of the arid and semi-arid areas could benefit from this.
In essence it is a major
disruption that will make millions of people productive in lands that were
basically useless. India has successfully developed a salt tolerant transgenic
rice plant rice similar to their IR 64 variety that is commonly used by
over-expressing a gene from wild rice.
In healthcare, scientists have
managed to genetically modify mosquitos that carry malaria parasites which they
transmit through bites, infecting close to a billion people and killing at
least 10 percent of the infected annually. Genetic modification of especially
crops is expanding especially now when crop productivity is declining while
populations rise. Many countries, whether they like it or not, will eventually
consume genetically modified foods.
These advances in science are not
without risk. There have been cases that have gone wrong especially with rogue
researchers. There have been cases where scientists attempted to create a gene-edited
baby. In other cases, a gene-edited animal led to the destruction of its
immunity. Many researchers, however, are acting responsibly but this is not
sufficient.
As the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (4IR) beckons, genetic modification will intensify. Africa’s
safeguards will largely depend on the scientific capacities we build.
Even if we don’t close the
scientific research gap between the developed and developing countries, we need
capacity to engage with respect to policy and regulatory mechanisms.
Some of the discoveries will mean
well while others may be damaging. Either way, we need to create a
well-informed and adaptive management system of innovations for our benefit as
well as the risks ahead of us.
Although Africa holds more than
60 percent of arable land globally, it is a net food importer, thus posing a
great risk of importing foods that we have no clue under what conditions they
were grown in.
To boost exports, state to tag basmati
growers
Jul 3, 2019, 6:51 AM; last updated: Jul 3, 2019, 6:51 AM
(IST)
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 2
In its bid to boost quality Basmati exports to the European
Union (EU), Western countries and Iraq by making the crop “pesticide free”, the
Agriculture Department has initiated an ambitious project to register and tag
each of over six lakh Basmati growers of Punjab.
A unique ID
would be allotted to every farmer in a phased manner so as to ascertain the
origin of pesticide laden Basmati from a particular area or region. The end
objective of the mammoth exercise was to not only to enhance the Basmati
quality but also to ensure better crop remuneration for the growers.
Basmati growers of the state had earned handsome profits from
the non-MSP crop last year when they were able to sell their crop between Rs
3,000 and Rs 3,200 per quintal. The good remuneration had inspired more farmers
to go for basmati and as a result, the area under the crop was expected to
increase from 5.11 lakh hectares last year to around 7 lakh hectares. Basmati
transplantation in Punjab will start from July 15.
Punjab accounted
for 50-60 per cent share in basmati exports to the EU, Iraq and a number of
Western countries. However, several lots of exports are increasingly being
rejected by these countries.
The sole factor
was that at times the pesticide residue had surpassed the permissible limit of
.01 mg per kilogram.
To curb the
phenomenon, the Punjab Rice Millers’ Export Association and the Agricultural
and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have joined
hands to deal with the matter.
Ambitious
project
A unique ID
would be allotted to every farmer in a phased manner so as to ascertain the
origin of pesticide-laden basmati from a particular area or region. The main
aim of the exercise is not only to enhance the quality of the rice but also to
ensure better crop remuneration for growers.
Trader to get Sh130m as Meru
officials escape court's wrath
TUESDAY JULY 2 2019
Meru County Secretary Rufus
Miriti (left) with Meru Deputy Governor Titus Ntuchiu when they appeared before
Justice Alfred Mabeya after being summoned for contempt of court charges on
July 2, 2019. PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
· The judge saved the two from the embarrassment of
standing in the dock and allowed them to give explanations just next to where
the lawyers sit.
· The two had been summoned to explain why the govt failed to pay
Sh144m to Nice Rice Millers company whose director was beaten up by county
officials and his goods destroyed in 2015.
The High Court on Tuesday dropped
contempt of court charges against Meru Deputy Governor Titus Ntuchiu and County
Secretary Rufus Miriti after they explained circumstances that led then to
twice skip court proceedings.
Meru Resident Judge Alfred Mabeya, however, warned the officials
that the consequences for contempt of court were severe and apply equally
everyone.
The judge saved the two from the embarrassment of standing in
the dock and allowed them to give explanations just next to where the lawyers
sit.
OFFICIALS' APOLOGY
Mr Ntuchiu, who is also the county Finance minister said his
failure to attend was not disrespectful but that he was caught up in the
budget-making process and had sent the Finance chief officer, who is the
accounting officer to represent him.
On the other hand, Mr Miriti said he skipped court because he
was indisposed and had an appointment with his doctor.
·
“The court accepts the explanation and the apology offered. I
believe there was no intention to treat the court in contempt. However, I would
warn you. You know you are not only senior citizens but also senior officials
of this government. You are supposed to lead by example by obeying court
process if you want others to obey,” he said.
CONSENT
The two had been summoned to explain why the government had
failed to pay Sh144 million compensation to Nice Rice Millers company, whose
director Charles Njiru was beaten up by county officials and his goods
destroyed in 2015.
On Tuesday, Mr Ntuchiu and Mr Njiru said they had entered a
consent where Mr Njiru had agreed to take Sh130 million by end of the year and
spare the government any accruing interest.
However, Mr Ntuchiu said they would have to request the county
assembly for a supplementary budget in order to offset the debt.
At the mercy of smugglers
•Sad, bad. Local rice producers
take their destiny in their hands; plan price cut
The cost of 50kg of locally produced rice which currently sells
at N13,500 to N15,000 is about to go further down to N10,000 if the plan of
Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RFAN) and Rice Producers Association of
Nigeria (RPAN) becomes a reality before Christmas. According to the leaders of
RIFAN and RIPAN, the plan derives from a decision by rice producers to confront
smuggling of foreign rice into the country, despite government’s total ban on
importation of rice.
The resolution of the rice farmers and millers to get into a
price war with distributors of imported rice has several implications. One, the
policy will make the price of local rice competitive with that of rice smuggled
from India and Thailand through Niger Republic and Republic of Benin. Another
likely implication is that rise in the sale of local rice may encourage farmers
and millers to produce more and make rice affordable to the average consumer of
the product. Production of more rice will not only bring the price of rice down
for consumers, it may also stimulate processing of secondary products from raw
local rice while adding to jobs in the manufacturing sector as well.
But if the efforts of rice producers to bring price of the
produce down is to achieve its goals, governments and their agencies ought to
buy into saving the budding agricultural revolution started only four years ago
and whose benefits citizens have been seeing in the last two years, especially
noticeable fall in the price of rice since the end of 2017. First, the
government should study the policy proposal of RIFAN/RIPAN in respect of giving
additional support to rice producers to make their produce competitive through
improved technology in the farming and milling of rice.
More important is the need for the Federal Government to fight
smuggling with as much energy as it has promised to devote to fighting other
political and bureaucratic corruption. It is sad and embarrassing that
smuggling of rice into the country, even about two years after the ban on its
importation seems to be as efficient as it was before 2015. It is not
economically logical that India and Thailand, the two sources of smuggled rice,
would be in a position to sell smuggled rice for 40% less than the price of
local rice, given higher minimum wage in Thailand and the cost of transporting
rice, not to talk of cost of smuggling the commodity into Nigeria.
One form of corruption that the Federal Government must fight
with vigour is smuggling. For one reason, an act that has not already taken
place can be prevented, and without necessarily getting stuck in court
processes. It is a shame on the country’s customs service if enough rice is
still being smuggled through the coast and the Sahel. Apart from the urgency to
reform the service through deployment of proper technology before smuggled rice
reaches Nigeria, it is not only vital for the government to change the culture
of the customs as an organisation; it is also crucial for government to improve
the character of the men and women admitted to this agency that is vital not
only to the country’s economy but also to its security.
Smuggling of rice via two neighbouring countries with historical
and cultural ties with Nigeria is an indictment on our customs, which seems
unable to check illegal flow of rice into the country. If Benin and Niger
republics are feeding fat on Nigeria through criminal acts, it is a no brainer
that this is happening because of the failure of our system of controlling
Nigeria’s borders.
Leaving local rice producers at the mercy of smugglers could be
a major disincentive to local farmers, because the farmers and millers may find
it more difficult to repay their loans or meet other obligations that can
sustain local production of more nourishing rice than imported brands not
subjected to Nigeria’s quality control. Allowing smuggled rice into the country
also threatens the jobs of millions of citizens already engaged in rice
production.
We hope the government will rise to the occasion to make our
rice farmers reap the fruits of their labour. Failure to make the customs do
its part would make a mess of government’s agricultural dreams.
Capacity building programme on
scientific cultivation of rice held
03-Jul-2019
CHANDEL, Jul 3
A capacity building and input distribution programme on “Scientific cultivation of High yielding varieties of rice, rice bean, blackgram under rainfed condition for doubling farmers’ income under NEH component" was conducted today at KVK Chandel.
The programme was sponsored by ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and implemented in collaboration with KVK Chandel. The programme was attended by Krishna Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Chandel, Dr Tilak R Sharma, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand), Dr Vijai Pal Bhadana, Nodal Officer & Pr Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding), ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Dr IM Singh, Joint Director, ICAR-RC for NEH Region, Manipur Centre as presidium members, said a statement of KVK Chandel.
DC Chandel Krishna Kumar in his speech acknowledged the role of scientists of KVK Chandel and line departments in successful implementation of programmes in the Aspirational District. He encouraged all concerned including the farmers to cooperate in development of the district.
Dr Tilak R Sharma, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) highlighted that the programme is being implemented in five hill districts of Manipur, said KVK Chandel.
Dr I M Singh, Joint Director, ICAR-RC for NEH Region, Manipur Centre in his presidential speech shared his gratitude in achieving a milestone during the Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan in the district. Being aspirational district, he requested the farmers to involve keenly in their agricultural activities to uplift their livelihood and the district as a whole.
Dr Vijai Pal Bhadana, Nodal Officer & Pr Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding), ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) gave keynote address. Dr Deepak Singh, Sr Scientist & Head, KVK Chandel expressed gratitude to ICAR-IIAB, Ranchi for sponsoring the programme.
In the technical session, S Gunamani Singh, SMS (Plant Breeding), KVK Imphal West spoke on package and practices of rice seed production while Dr N Johnson Singh, SMS (Plant Protection), KVK Churachandpur spoke on Insect pest management on rice, rice bean and rajma. The programme was also attended by Ts Gladney Monsang, District Agriculture Officer, staff of KVK Chandel and farmers from various blocks of the district. Various inputs were also distributed to the farmers, said KVK Chandel.
A capacity building and input distribution programme on “Scientific cultivation of High yielding varieties of rice, rice bean, blackgram under rainfed condition for doubling farmers’ income under NEH component" was conducted today at KVK Chandel.
The programme was sponsored by ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and implemented in collaboration with KVK Chandel. The programme was attended by Krishna Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Chandel, Dr Tilak R Sharma, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand), Dr Vijai Pal Bhadana, Nodal Officer & Pr Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding), ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Dr IM Singh, Joint Director, ICAR-RC for NEH Region, Manipur Centre as presidium members, said a statement of KVK Chandel.
DC Chandel Krishna Kumar in his speech acknowledged the role of scientists of KVK Chandel and line departments in successful implementation of programmes in the Aspirational District. He encouraged all concerned including the farmers to cooperate in development of the district.
Dr Tilak R Sharma, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) highlighted that the programme is being implemented in five hill districts of Manipur, said KVK Chandel.
Dr I M Singh, Joint Director, ICAR-RC for NEH Region, Manipur Centre in his presidential speech shared his gratitude in achieving a milestone during the Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan in the district. Being aspirational district, he requested the farmers to involve keenly in their agricultural activities to uplift their livelihood and the district as a whole.
Dr Vijai Pal Bhadana, Nodal Officer & Pr Scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding), ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi (Jharkhand) gave keynote address. Dr Deepak Singh, Sr Scientist & Head, KVK Chandel expressed gratitude to ICAR-IIAB, Ranchi for sponsoring the programme.
In the technical session, S Gunamani Singh, SMS (Plant Breeding), KVK Imphal West spoke on package and practices of rice seed production while Dr N Johnson Singh, SMS (Plant Protection), KVK Churachandpur spoke on Insect pest management on rice, rice bean and rajma. The programme was also attended by Ts Gladney Monsang, District Agriculture Officer, staff of KVK Chandel and farmers from various blocks of the district. Various inputs were also distributed to the farmers, said KVK Chandel.
Uttar Pradesh Scientists Develop Rice Paddy That
Survives Vagaries of Weather
·
IANS
·
Jul 2, 2019
Farmers plant paddy saplings.
(IANS file photo)
AYODHYA
(IANS) — The Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology in Masaudha
in Ayodhya district is bringing good news for farmers in eastern Uttar Pradesh:
scientists there have developed varieties of paddy that can be grown in
times of floods as well as drought.
This
has been done on the initiative of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who has given
a special package ‘Centre of Excellence for Rice' to NDUAT.
The
Chief Minister has been particularly concerned about the plight of farmers in
eastern Uttar Pradesh since most of them suffer huge losses due to unexpected
weather conditions.
The
scientists are developing new varieties of paddy that can withstand the
vagaries of weather and multi-location trials are on. Some paddy varieties are
already being cultivated by farmers with good results.
A.K.
Singh, assistant professor in the Crop Physiology Department in NDUAT, said
that varieties like Suvarna and Samba Masuri can remain submerged in water for
up to 12 days. "These varieties will regenerate once the water is drained
off," he said.
If
an area is facing drought conditions, the new variety NDR 97 is apt for
cultivation.
"We
have latest varieties like Barani, Susamrat and Saubhagi that rate high on
moisture conservation. These varieties ripen within 100 to 120 days, compared
to the normal variety that takes about 150 days. Saubhagi is most popular with
farmers now," said Singh.
He
said that the varieties being developed in NDUAT are also being connected with
other locations in the country's rice belt that have different ecosystems.
The
Barani deep variety of rice was well suited for rain-fed upland condition of
Uttar Pradesh. This rice variety has long cylindrical grains with a good
cooking quality. It is also fertilizer responsive as well as resistant to brown
spot, bacterial leaf blight and rot.
The
scientist said that the NDUAT had been working in close coordination with the
International Rice Research Institute in Philippines that has provided the germ
plasma for the new varieties.
IIRI
in Philippines is the world's biggest rice research center and is located
in Laguna.
Scientists discover tiny spider
species
A
jumping spider Jotus fortiniae is among five new species discovered by
scientists in Australia. (AAP)
A
Queensland Museum arachnologist has helped identify five new species of tiny
Brushed Jumping Spiders the size of a grain of rice.
Deep in Germany's Black Forest, arachnologist Barbara Baehr
first discovered the fascination with spiders that led her to Australia.
Not
so much the big hairy ones, but the tiny little spiders, like five new species
of brushed jumping spiders she's found.
Little
spiders have more interesting features and characteristics, Dr Baehr told AAP
on Tuesday.
With
most of Europe's arachnids already identified, she moved to Australia where
scientists estimate more than 70 per cent of spiders remain unclassified.
Some
3500 species of Australian spiders have been classified but scientists believe
that number will eventually soar past 10,000 species.
Dr
Baehr has classified dozens of spiders with the latest being tiny Australian
jumping spiders - barely the size of a grain of rice.
Along
with colleagues Dr Joseph Schubert from Monash University and Dr Danilo Harms
from the University of Hamburg, Dr Baehr has discovered five new species.
"Jumping
spiders are among some of the most beautiful spiders in Australia, yet almost
nothing is known about their diversity and taxonomic identity," Dr Baehr
said.
"These
tiny spiders are quick to capture the hearts of the public and naturalists."
Four
of the five new species are from Queensland and one is from New South Wales. At
only a few millimetres, they can be difficult to spot.
The
male brushed jumping spider is known for an elaborate mating dance involving a
brush of long and often colourful setae on their legs (like butterflies).
The
five are close relatives of the Australian peacock spiders which also perform
courtship dances for females.
One
spider in particular with its large black eyes like sunglasses and its black
and white front legs lead to it being named after late fashion icon Karl
Lagerfeld.
The
new species are:
*
Jotus albimanus - White-handed Brushed Jumping Spider, Found: New England
National Park, New South Wales
*
Jotus fortiniae , Found: Cape York Peninsula, Quinkan Country, Queensland
*
Jotus karllagerfeldi - Karl Lagerfeld's Jumping Spider, Found: Lake Broadwater
via Dalby, Queensland
*
Jotus moonensis - Mount Moon Brushed Jumping Spider, Found: Mount Moon,
Queensland
*
Jotus newtoni - Mark Newton's Brushed Jumping Spider, Found: Lake Broadwater
via Dalby, Queensland
NARI Trains Scientists On Plant
Breeding
July 3, 2019
Abdoulai G. Dibba
The National Agricultural
Research Institute (NARI), with funding from the EU funded Agriculture project
being implemented by FAO in the Gambia, on Monday June 24thcommenced a five-day training for
young Gambian scientists on groundnut breeding.
The event which was held at the
NARI conference hall, brought together twenty-six participants from NARI, The
Gambia College School of Agriculture, the National Seed Secretariat, and the
National Coordinating Organization of Farmer Associations in the Gambia
(NACOFAG).
The training aims to develop the
next generation of home-grown crop and plant breeders to adapt to modern tools
for enhancing the precision and efficiency of their breeding programs.
According to the organizers, the
objective of the training is to provide participants with the theoretical
knowledge on modern plant breeding methods and techniques; that after the
course, participants will be able to adopt good principles of breeding
methodologies and will improve the quality of their research and enhance their
knowledge.
In his statement at the opening,
the Director General of NARI Ansumana Jarju, reminded the young research
scientists that the training was just the beginning; that they do not have to
become professors to be breeders. He said the course will provide a theoretical
background on modern breeding methods and techniques including the use of
biotechnology, experimental techniques, planning, information management tools
and software, to be able to adopt good principles of breeding methodologies and
to improve the quality of their research.
The FAO Consultant Moussa Sie,
said the course became a requirement because there is no breeder at NARI and
the University of the Gambia is not providing such a breeding program.
Sie said the course will combine
both theory and practice and will provide opportunity for participants to share
experiences with other crop breeders, to enable them have latest updates in
areas of relevance in rice breeding and the worldwide exchange of rice genetic
resources. Professor Sie said Gambia is a net importer of food and produces
only half of its national requirement of staple foods.
“The government’s effort to
address the deficit in the agriculture sector has resulted in designing a
project which aims to create sustainable production and productivity of crops
and livestock, reduce food insecurity and malnutrition, and create the enabling
environment for an improved national economy,” he concluded.
NARI’s Crop Research Director
Kebba Drammeh, said the institute has been handicapped in the area of research
for some time now and the training will assist in the creation of the next
generation of researchers. Drammeh continued that for nearly thirty years or
more, NARI has been depending on outside expertise for crop plant breeding;
that the training is expected to lift the burden of relying on outside breeders
when the need arises.
“Our gene bank is dysfunctional.
We therefore hope that this training and the continuous support from FAO, will
go a long way in assisting us build our Gene Bank once again,” he concludes.
Crop breeding is the art and
science of improving important agricultural plants for the benefit of
humankind.
How Plants' Breathing Mechanism Can Help Create Water-Efficient
Crops
Researchers at Lancaster University use genetic manipulation
techniques to explore plants' stomata further and create water-efficient crops.
Image Credit: Pixabay
Thanks to a better understanding of the breathing mechanism in
plants, researchers can now breed water-efficient crops.
Back in the 19th century, botanists discovered that
leaves have pores called stomata. They also noted that
these pores contain a complex internal network of air channels.
At the time, the scientists didn’t understand how the air
channel functioned to deliver the right amount of carbon
dioxide to all the cells in the plant. Now, they do.
Speaking on the project, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Lancaster
University, Dr. Marjorie Lundgren said:
“Scientists have suspected for a
long time that the development of stomata and the development of air spaces
within a leaf are coordinated. However, we weren’t sure which drove the other.
So this started as a ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’ question.”
They answered the question. Using genetic manipulation
techniques, the researchers at the University of Sheffield were
able to explore the nature of stomata further.
The findings in Nature
Communications revealed that the more stomata a leaf has, the
more airspace it forms. Also, they noted that the movement of CO2 primarily
determines the shape and scale of the air channel network through the pores.
This is huge!
The discovery is a massive leap
in our understanding of the internal structure of a leaf. Alongside explaining
how the stomata work, the study also describes how tissue functions influence
the plant’s development.
Dr. Lundgren noted:
“While we show that the development
of stomata initiates the expansion of air spaces, we took it one step further
to show that the stomata need to be exchanging gases for the air spaces to
expand. This paints a much more interesting story, linked to physiology.”
The ramification of this study extends beyond botany into
other fields such as evolutionary biology.
Creating Water-Efficient Crops
Findings from the study also
revealed that the leaves of wheat plants have fewer air channels and pores.
This explains why the plant has densely packed leaves to enable them to grow
with less water.
With this new insight, scientists can now alter the internal
structure of leaves to breed water-efficient crops like wheat. Other scientists
at the Institute of Sustainable Food are
already exploring this approach in creating climate-ready rice and wheat.
According to a researcher from the Institute for Sustainable
Food at the University of Sheffield, professor Andrew
Fleming:
“The fact that humans have
already inadvertently influenced the way plants to breathe by breeding wheat
that uses less water suggests we could target these air channel networks to
develop crops that can survive the more extreme droughts we expect to see with
climate breakdown.”
Innovative Way To Monitor Ocean
Micro Plastics
July 3, 2019 | 8:39 pm
A Newfoundland-based invention
will help to better monitor the amount of micro plastics on the surface of the
ocean.
“BabyLegs” is the
creation of Dr. Max Liboiron, the Director of Civic Laboratory for
Environmental Action Research at MUN.
It uses baby’s tights, soda pop
bottles and other inexpensive materials to trawl for floating micro plastics.
Most marine plastics are smaller
than a grain of rice and are ingested by all sorts of marine life, including
fish consumed by humans.
Dr. Liboiron is partnering with
the Public Lab for Open Technology, which will help to produce BabyLegs kits
for distribution to the public.
It will also host sessions on how
to use the contraption to collect data that can be shared with scientists.
A scientific research trawl could
cost as much as $3500 dollars, while BabyLegs costs around $20 and can be built
and used by people without scientific knowledge, but produces similar data.
For more information on the
crowdfunded science project: www.kickstarter.com/projects/publiclab/babylegs
How USDA
climate change denial threatens the South
The USDA under President Trump
and Secretary Sonny Perdue, in photo, is trying to suppress the
department's research into global warming's impacts on agriculture. (USDA Photo
by Lance Cheung via Wikimedia Commons.)
· More
· Linkedin
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture has withheld from the public dozens of
climate-change related studies conducted by the department's principal research
agency, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
That's the finding of a
recent Politico investigation, which documented
"a persistent pattern in which the Trump administration refused to draw
attention to findings that show the potential dangers and consequences of
climate change." Though the ARS has reportedly completed at least 45
climate-related studies since Trump took office in 2017, only two have been
publicized, Politico found. Both contained findings favorable to the meat industry,
which in 2018 alone at the federal level spent over $4 million on lobbying and
donated nearly twice as much to Republican candidates as Democratic ones.
Reports that conflict with the administration's agenda, such as those pointing
to climate change as an agricultural emergency or to industrial agriculture as
a high-emissions sector, have been relegated to the sidelines.
Several of the reports that the
administration buried are particularly relevant to the agricultural industry in
Southern states, which are especially vulnerable to the higher
temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent and extreme
natural disasters wrought by climate change. They include 2017 findings that
climate change would increase agricultural pollution and nutrient runoff in the
Lower Mississippi River Delta, and 2018 research showing that the Southern
Plains area that includes Texas is increasingly vulnerable to the effects of
climate change.
Burying reports that contain
inconvenient facts is just one way the Trump administration has made it harder
for the South's agricultural sector to grapple with the climate crisis.
ARS spokespeople have maintained
that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has never explicitly interfered with
the agency or its research partners, but the department's leadership has set a
clear agenda. Just days after President Trump took office, USDA employees began
receiving emails discouraging the use of the term "climate
change" at all. Perdue, the former governor of
Georgia, has a history of making statements hostile to climate science. In
2014, for example, he had an essay published in the
conservative National Review in which he criticized "liberals" for
connecting extreme weather events to climate change — a connection scientists
say is real. As recently as last month, Perdue dismissed climate change in
a CNN interview, attributing its effects to
"weather patterns."
The USDA appears to have punished
its own employees for refusing to toe the party line on climate. The
department's Economic Research Service (ERS) has acknowledged that the Earth's
temperature is rising as a result of increased atmospheric concentrations of
greenhouse gases. "Climate change will affect crop and livestock yields
worldwide," the ERS website states, "which will lead to changes
in food and fiber consumption, prices of agricultural commodities, and farm
incomes."
In May, Perdue announced that ERS
headquarters, along with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),
would be relocated from Washington, D.C., to the Kansas City area, a move that
some saw as retaliation for the agency's scientific stance. After the move was
announced, the National Farmers Union released a statementexpressing concerns that the USDA
was attempting to undermine the integrity of the ERS and NIFA, as well as
"diminish the role of science in policymaking." Indeed, many ERS and
NIFA employees have already unionized in an effort to resist
relocation, and many are planning to decline the move, which could
cripple the agencies' intellectual strength.
Meanwhile, climate change is
already taking a financial toll on the South's farmers and ranchers, and it's
expected to get worse. For example, a 2013 ERS report found temperatures in the
region are already close to optimal for corn production, meaning temperature
increases will reduce yields. Warming will have the same effect on soybeans and
cotton, also major commodity crops in the region. Livestock are also vulnerable
to heat stress, so rising temperatures demand adaptive strategies for their
care. And climate change-driven disasters are costing farmers as well; in 2018,
for example, Hurricane Michael resulted in crop losses of over $2.5 billion in
the state of Georgia alone.
Climate change is also expected
to affected rice production in the United States, the world's fourth-largest
rice exporter with production centered in the Mississippi Delta. For two years,
USDA worked with University of Washington researchers and other scientists to
study the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on rice, concluding they can
result in lower nutrient levels. Days before the University of Washington was
slated to announce the findings, the communications director received a call
from an ARS staffer stating the agency had decided against a press release and
suggested the university do the same. Though the rice article had already gone
through a peer-review process, as well as the agency's own technical and policy
review, the staffer claimed senior leaders were concerned "there was not
enough data" to support the study's claims and that other scholars may
"question the science." If current climate change patterns continue,
the U.S. rice industry will struggle to remain competitive.
It has long been established that
climate change, much like any other global health crisis, will
disproportionately affect poor and rural communities. That has important
implications for the South, which has eight of the 10 poorest states and where
over 56 percent of land is categorized as "rural." Withholding
critical information puts these communities at even greater risk of failing to
make the necessary adaptations to withstand weather disasters, sustain
industries, or protect vulnerable populations from extreme heat and polluted
air and water.
Reduced agricultural yield and
increased production costs will also result in higher food costs in the South,
the region of the country that already suffers from the highest rates of food insecurity. And it's not
just consumers and farm owners who will be adversely affected. The fourth
annual National Climate Assessment determined
that the Southeast employs the second highest number of farmworkers per year
compared to other regions.
Simply put, the South cannot
afford for the USDA to ignore climate change.
US makes first-ever rice sale to
China
·
Thursday, 4 Jul 2019
The Chinese importer bought two
containers, about 40 tonnes, of medium-grain rice from California-based Sun
Valley Rice, said Michael Klein, a spokesman for USA Rice, a trade group that
promotes the sale of the U.S. grain. The U.S. rice was milled and packaged into
bags for consumer and food service use, Klein said.
CHICAGO:
A private importer in China last week bought U.S. rice for the first time ever,
in the midst of a trade war between the two nations, a rice industry group said
on Wednesday.
The Chinese importer bought two containers, about 40 tonnes, of medium-grain rice from California-based Sun Valley Rice, said Michael Klein, a spokesman for USA Rice, a trade group that promotes the sale of the U.S. grain.
The Chinese importer bought two containers, about 40 tonnes, of medium-grain rice from California-based Sun Valley Rice, said Michael Klein, a spokesman for USA Rice, a trade group that promotes the sale of the U.S. grain.
The
U.S. rice was milled and packaged into bags for consumer and food service use,
Klein said.
China was a major buyer of U.S. soybeans and pork before the trade war started by the Trump administration. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that China had agreed to make unspecified new purchases of U.S. farm products after he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but purchases of major export crops have so far been elusive.
It was not immediately clear whether the rice purchase was a goodwill gesture following the Trump-Xi meeting. The rice deal follows a sale of 544,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China confirmed last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the largest such sale since March.
China is the world's largest rice grower and consumer, producing 148.5 million tonnes of the grain in the 2018/19 marketing year and importing 3.5 million tonnes.
The United States produced 7.1 million tonnes of rice in 2018/19 and exported less than 3 million tonnes.
Chinese officials agreed to allow imports of U.S. rice in July 2017, following years of negotiations. But a nearly year-long trade dispute between the two countries threatened the first sale.
"It looked dicey for us for a while, with the hostility going back and forth ... We were about to have a market, and saw it snatched away, or so we thought," Klein said.
Sun Valley Rice hopes the deal lays the groundwork for more sales of U.S. rice to China in the future, representatives said.
"Sun Valley has been a leader when it comes to agriculture trade with China, we have been taking the first steps," said Karen Leland, Sun Valley's chief marketing officer. - Reuters
China was a major buyer of U.S. soybeans and pork before the trade war started by the Trump administration. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that China had agreed to make unspecified new purchases of U.S. farm products after he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but purchases of major export crops have so far been elusive.
It was not immediately clear whether the rice purchase was a goodwill gesture following the Trump-Xi meeting. The rice deal follows a sale of 544,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China confirmed last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the largest such sale since March.
China is the world's largest rice grower and consumer, producing 148.5 million tonnes of the grain in the 2018/19 marketing year and importing 3.5 million tonnes.
The United States produced 7.1 million tonnes of rice in 2018/19 and exported less than 3 million tonnes.
Chinese officials agreed to allow imports of U.S. rice in July 2017, following years of negotiations. But a nearly year-long trade dispute between the two countries threatened the first sale.
"It looked dicey for us for a while, with the hostility going back and forth ... We were about to have a market, and saw it snatched away, or so we thought," Klein said.
Sun Valley Rice hopes the deal lays the groundwork for more sales of U.S. rice to China in the future, representatives said.
"Sun Valley has been a leader when it comes to agriculture trade with China, we have been taking the first steps," said Karen Leland, Sun Valley's chief marketing officer. - Reuters
TAGS / KEYWORDS:Corporate News
P5.9-B taxes collected from liberalized rice imports
July
4, 2019, 2:54 pm
(File
photo courtesy of National Food Authority)
MANILA -- Preliminary data show that
the government has so far collected PHP5.9 billion in tariffs from some 1.43
million metric tons (MT) of rice stocks imported by private traders, following
the enactment of a law in March that liberalized the importation of the grain,
the Department of Finance (DOF) disclosed in a statement on Thursday.
A report to Finance Secretary
Carlos Dominguez III by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero revealed
that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) collected the highest amount of rice import
tariffs from the Subic Bay port at PHP1.37 billion.
The Port of Manila collected
PHP978.51 million in tariffs, followed by the Manila International Container
Port with PHP942.76 million, Guerrero said during a recent DOF Executive
Committee meeting.
The Port of Cagayan de Oro
collected PHP754.13 million in tariffs from rice imports, while the Port of
Davao collected PHP703.93 million, the data showed.
Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice
Liberalization Act was signed and approved by President Rodrigo Duterte last
February 14.
Dominguez has described the rice
liberalization law on the shift from quantitative restrictions (QRs) to tariffs
on rice imports as a “proud” accomplishment of the Duterte presidency and the
DOF, given that it took more than 30 years under various administrations to get
the Congress to approve this game-changing reform.
Liberalizing rice imports, he said,
will not only make quality rice more affordable and accessible to Filipino
families, but will also lower the country’s inflation rate, revolutionize the
agriculture sector and help farmers become more productive and competitive in
the global economy.
Dominguez said rice tariffication
has proved to be challenging because it was “a politically difficult reform to
pass."
Liberalizing rice imports has made
the staple food more affordable to Filipinos, making retail prices this summer
cheaper by PHP10 per kilo.
RA 11203 created the PHP10-billion
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to help palay growers and their
farmers' cooperatives transition to a new rice regime.
The RCEF will be used to provide
farmers tools and equipment, assistance in the production, promotion, and
distribution of certified rice seeds, upgrading of post-harvest storage facilities,
credit assistance, irrigation support, and research and development (R&D)
support. (PR)
EU-Mercosur deal: Is the agreement a threat to
European agriculture?
Not everyone is on board
However,
the treaty has not satisfied all member states. While French President Emmanuel
Macron said it was a "good agreement" that met key French demands,
other factions in France did not agree.France is the EU's largest farming power. French farmers' groups and environmentalists have regularly raised concerns about the risk of a surge in South American agricultural exports to Europe. In addition, critics argue there are lower standards for produce in the Mercosur countries and insist that they would oppose the deal unless they see proper traceability and good livestock practices in the beef sector.
"We won't have an accord at any price. The story isn't finished," agriculture minister Didier Guillaume told lawmakers on Tuesday.
"We are going to wait and see what exactly is in this text but, I would like to tell you that the whole government and I will be vigilant. I will not be the minister who sacrifices French agriculture at the altar of an international agreement."
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed his colleague, saying that while the draft trade deal provided opportunities for European exporters, it remained to be seen whether it met France's demands.
"The red lines we have drawn for the agreement are firm," he told parliament, adding it "remained to be seen" whether Paris would support it, when it examined the details of the agreement.
France's main farmers' union, the FNSEA, said on Tuesday that it had requested a meeting with Macron and was also planning protests over the accord.
Unió de Llauradors, a Spanish agrarian organization based in Valencia, has also criticized the "obscurantism" with which the treaty has been negotiated.
Día histórico, ya es oficial: el #Mercosur
y la UE alcanzaron un acuerdo después de 20 años de negociaciones. Un enorme
paso para el bloque y su apertura comercial #AcuerdoMercosurUE
What is Mercosur?
Mercosur
is a trade bloc of South American countries with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
and Uruguay as full members. Venezuela, too, is a full member but has been
suspended since 2016. Officially known as the Southern Common Market, the bloc
was established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in
1994.The European Union is already Mercosur's biggest trade and investment partner and its second largest for goods trade. With this trade pact, the EU is now also the first major partner, potentially giving EU firms a head start.
Although finer points are still to be discussed and understood, the EU stands to benefit greatly from tariff reductions on goods such as cars and wine. The bloc has its eye on increasing access for its companies making industrial products.
Meanwhile, Mercosur aims to increase exports of farm products. Phased over years, it will get a new 99,000-tonne quota of beef at a 7.5% tariff.
Which agricultural products will be affected?
European
orange juice, mainly produced in Spain and accounting for 14% to 20% of the
annual production of oranges, would compete with Brazil, the largest producer,
and exporter of orange juice in the world.As for lemons, Argentina is the world's leading producer. In previous years, lemon imports from Argentina have led to an oversupply in the European market, and the scenario is likely to continue.
Recent rice imports from Myanmar and Cambodia have already weakened the European rice sector. Now, Uruguay could be an additional threat. In fact, rice from Mercosur countries is round grain, the same kind that is produced in the Spanish Levant. This would likely put Spanish farmers at a disadvantage given that the Mercosur rice would probably come at lower prices.
French cattle ranchers have already said that they would be unable to compete with large, South American livestock farms, mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.
With 20% of its current wine tariffs eliminated, Argentina is likely to be a big player in wine production, with estimates saying current exports will be multiplied by twelve. This would put it in competition with France, Spain and Italy — the largest producers of wine in Europe.
What about European pesticide legislation?
Mercosur
uses about 240 active substances prohibited by the EU in its crops. Brazil and
the United States use the most pesticides in the world.According to Carles Peris, president of Unió de Llauradors, an organisation of farmers and ranchers in the Valencian countryside, the agreement is not the best idea given the "unsustainable" production methods in Latin American countries, violating strict regulations imposed by the EU on its own producers.
The Unió de Llauradors recently compiled and submitted a dossier on high-risk pesticides used by the Mercosur countries, urging them to be banned.
Critics have drawn comparisons to an agreement with South African countries, which allowed for the introduction of oranges in European markets that contain up to three materials classified as "extremely dangerous" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Is there a danger of new pests?
One fear
that some are voicing is that the imports could cause the introduction of new
pests and diseases into Europe.The citrus sector especially is pushing to introduce the obligatory "cold treatment" on Mercosur imports, since lemons and oranges can contain pests that do not exist in Europe.
What about working conditions?
According to Carlos Baixauli, an agronomist, or expert in the science of soil management and crop production, European producers must pass a series of controls when they sell to supermarkets, showing that workers were receiving a salary in accordance with national legislation and their working conditions are adequate. But he said these regulations would be absent on Mercosur imports.
"The big exporters will continue to work, the danger is that the small subsistence agriculture, which is widespread on our continent, will end up disappearing," Baixauli explained.
CBN hasn’t allocated forex to rice importers since 2015
RIFAN
By Chris Agabi
| Published
Date Jul 4, 2019 6:38 AM
Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has said
since 2015, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has not allocated any money to
fund rice import even as it said at least N1.2bn worth of rice is consumed
daily in Nigeria. RIFAN also debunked claims from some quarters that CBN owed
RIFAN contractors who supplied farm inputs in the Anchor Borrowers Programme
(ABP) being implemented by the bank. ADVERTISEMENT The National President of
RIFAN, Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, said this in Abuja in a chat with newsmen while
reacting to an advertorial by “concerned RIFAN contractors” claiming the CBN
owed them billions of naira. ADVERTISEMENT OVER 5,000 NIGERIAN MEN HAVE
OVERCOME POOR BEDROOM PERFORMANCE SYNDROME DUE TO THIS BRILLIANT DISCOVERY.
CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE The advertorial, titled ‘Rice Farmers Association
contractors cry out: An open letter to President Buhari’ and signed by one Mr.
Christopher Gajere, said “the contractors are being forced out of business
because of the billions of naira the CBN owed them for months.” ADVERTISEMENT
But in a swift reaction, RIFAN claimed the group was faceless and the name of
the person that signed the open letter cannot be traced as an input supplier to
the farmers under the ABP. It said there was no such thing as “RIFAN
Contractors” but “RIFAN Suppliers” adding that “among our 25 inputs suppliers
and five services providers, making 30 in number, we don’t have such a name
among those who have given RIFAN service or supplied RIFAN any inputs.” Alh.
Goronyo also stated that RIFAN discovered that a name of an individual was used
to countersign the advertorial, and explained that RIFAN didn’t deal with
individuals but corporate organisations. “That alone has clearly shown to us
that the open letter has nothing to do with RIFAN,” he stated. According to
him, it appeared the individual or group were out to discredit the landmark achievements
recorded in rice sufficiency through the CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme.
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/cbn-hasnt-allocated-forex-to-rice-importers-since-2015-rifan.html
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/cbn-hasnt-allocated-forex-to-rice-importers-since-2015-rifan.html
Rice tariffication to boost GDP growth by 0.44 percentage point
—NEDA
Published July 4, 2019 11:26am
The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to gain
and additional 0.44 percentage point from Rice Tariffication Law, the National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Thursday.
Policy simulations conducted by NEDA and the International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showed that the Rice Tariffication Law would
boost the economy. The GDP is a measure of the value of goods and service a
country produces in a specific period.
“The preliminary results of the policy simulations done by NEDA
and IFPRI show that, at the macro level, rice liberalization generates positive
impacts on GDP across all sectors,” NEDA said in a statement.
“Under 35% tariff rate, GDP would improve by 0.44 percentage
points. The agriculture sector would expand as there would be more crop
diversification—as uncompetitive rice areas shift to other high-value crops
with relatively higher net returns,” according to the NEDA.
NEDA Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie Edillon
said the new measure will free up the flow of funds going to private sector,
which was previously restricted.
“Before the rice tariffication law was passed, the government
had been monopolizing the rice trade. This set-up had been restricting the flow
of private funds going to the sector,” she said.
For local farmers, the law earmarks P10 billion for the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, of which P5 billion will be allotted to farm
mechanization and P3 billion to seedlings.
The fund intends to ensure that rice imports won’t drown out the
agriculture sector and rob farmers of their livelihood.
“The agriculture sector, particularly the rice sector, is
vulnerable to climate shocks, which have been increasing in frequency and intensity.
So we want to be prepared and provide interventions ahead of time,” said
Edillon.
For 2019, the government has lowered its economic growth
outlook to 6.0 to 7.0%, lower than the earlier target range of 7.0 to 8.0%. —VDS,
GMA News
ASU's Burcham to Lead Rice Research Center
Wednesday, Jul. 3, 2019 3:27
pm
Tim Burcham (UA System Division
of Agriculture)
In his new position as director of the
Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center in Poinsett County, Tim Burcham
wants to help improve production of Arkansas' top crop.
He also gets to play in the dirt.
On Monday Burcham was named director of the
center, to be built on Highway 1 near Harrisburg, in the heart of Arkansas rice
country. He was formerly dean of the Agriculture College at Arkansas State
University with a joint appointment with the University of Arkansas System of
Division of Agriculture.
"Certainly the facility that we're
constructing there would allow us to implement a wide range of production
practices," said
Burcham, who will assume his new job Aug. 1 and came to ASU from the University
of Tennessee-Martin in 2013.
The center will be built on 641 acres in
Poinsett County and be financed by gifts that include $4 million from the
Arkansas Rice Promotion Board for the land. The division is working on two more
gifts to fund operation, equipment and construction and an endowment to pay for
base operation costs.
Burcham will oversee construction of the
center and is tasked with developing its master plan, which will include
researching the area's unique soils and an education component.
The Division of Agriculture currently
conducts research at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart and at
the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser, where the mixed and clay
soils differ from the lighter mixed soils in Poinsett County.
"This would give us a great
opportunity to test those varieties that are being developed in different soil
types that are predominant in that particular region, which is a highly
productive rice production region there," Burcham said of the Delta.
More than 60 percent of Arkansas rice
production is in northeast Arkansas and the state is the nation's leading rice
grower, producing more than 50 percent of the crop. In 2016, Arkansas harvested
1.52 million acres of rice with a state average yield of 6,920 pounds an acre.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the farm value of
production for rice in Arkansas was $995.2 million.
Burcham sees the research center as a nexus
of research, technology and education. He envisions educational outreach for
all ages; application of technology that could include drones, automation
systems and robotics; big data set analytics and production practices that
include row rice and alternate wetting and drying.
Water management is critical to rice
production. The research center will have a surface water irrigation system and
Burcham discussed using surface and groundwater in testing trials.
"My vision — I haven't even started
the job yet — but certainly my vision here is for us to complement the other
activities that we already have going on now within the division, particularly
in the Delta as it relates to rice," Burcham said.
Burcham earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in
agricultural engineering from Mississippi State University and his Ph.D. in
agricultural engineering from Clemson University. Before his appointment at
ASU, he held teaching, research or extension positions at the University of
Tennessee at Knoxville, Mississippi State University and UT-Martin.
A registered professional engineer in
Arkansas and Mississippi, Burcham has been involved in a number of consulting
roles within the agriculture industry as well as well as several leadership
positions.
He said he and his wife Joan have developed
an affinity for the northeast Arkansas region and its farmers in his six years
at ASU, and he touted the potential economic benefit of having researchers,
staff and other employees manning the new research center.
"When I'm around people that have a
similar passion I really get excited about that," he said. "So when you look at this
opportunity you think about the impact that this is going to have for northeast
Arkansas. We're talking a multimillion-dollar investment in this
community."
With the University of Arkansas System of Division
of Agriculture, Arkansas State with its College of Agriculture and Biosciences
Institute and now the planned research center in Poinsett County, the region
has a "trifecta" of
cooperation in the study of rice, Burcham said.
"It can't get any better than
that," he said.
The coordination, research and the hard
work of the farmers, scientists and innovators underscore a commitment to keep
Arkansas among the world's top rice producers Burcham said.
He didn't specifically discuss the ongoing
trade wars with China and other nations, some of whom have placed retaliatory
tariffs on rice, but Burcham said the collaboration and innovation within the
Arkansas rice industry will help it persevere through downturns and economic
uncertainty.
Burcham said facilities like the new
research center are "proof of their commitment to the fact that we're
going to remain competitive in the worldwide market of rice production."
Rice parks in Thrissur
and Palakkad districts
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 03, 2019 08:19 IST
Chelakkara, Kanjikode areas
The integrated rice technology park announced for Alappuzha
district will be established in Mulakkuzha in Chengannur taluk.
Construction will begin in two months, the government said on
Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting convened here by Industries
Minister E.P. Jayarajan.
Kinfra has been entrusted with the job of acquiring the land for
the project. Kitco will prepare a detailed project report.
Special officer
The department has also appointed a special officer for project
implementation. Once the rice park is commissioned, the paddy harvested in
Kuttanad can be processed there.
At present, the harvest is transported to other districts of
Kerala and Tamil Nadu for milling.
In January, foundation stones were laid in Thrissur and Palakkad
districts for rice parks.
In Palakkad, the project is envisaged at Kingra’s mega food park
at Kanjikode. In Thrissur, it is coming up at a 15-acre district panchayat farm
at Chelakkara.
The government has earmarked ₹20 crore in the 2019-20 budget
for establishing food parks.
Rice and value-added products from the rice parks would be
marketed under the Kerala brand, the government said.
India raises 2019/2020 common rice
purchase price by 3.7%: minister
JULY 3, 2019 / 4:06 PM
Labourers spread harvested rice crop for drying at a wholesale
grain market in Chandigarh, October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Ajay Verma/Files
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has raised the price at which it will
buy new-season common rice varieties from local farmers by 3.7 percent, the
agriculture minister said on Wednesday.
For common grades of rice, the government has fixed the support
price at 1,815 rupees ($26.34) per 100 kg, Narendra Singh Tomar told a news
conference.
The government announces the so-called minimum support prices
(MSPs) for 22 crops to set a benchmark. But state agencies buy limited
quantities of staples such as rice and wheat at those prices, restricting
benefits of guaranteed prices to only around 7 percent of the country’s 263
million farmers, according to various studies.
($1 = 68.91 rupees)
Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Long An seeks rapid adoption of
advanced rice farming techniques
Update: June,
29/2019 - 08:52
A combine harvester harvests rice in
Long An Province’s Kiến Tường Town. – Photo baolongan.vn
LONG AN – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province
of Long An hopes to ensure 20,000ha of paddies are farmed using advanced
techniques by the end of this year.Nguyễn Chí Thiện, deputy director of its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said these lands would be in Vĩnh Hưng, Tân Hưng, Thạnh Hóa, Mộc Hóa, and Tân Thạnh districts and Kiến Tường Town.
These localities now have 62 different models that use advanced techniques on an area of 13,400ha.
Farmers adopting these models use certified high-quality rice seeds and machinery in all stages, organic fertilisers, and biocides, and grow flowers around rice fields to attract insects that are natural enemies of brown plant hoppers.
Rice produced under these models has guaranteed outlets.
They have reduced production costs by VNĐ2 – 2.5 million (US$86 - 107) per hectare and increased yields by VNĐ300 – 500 kilogrammes, according to the department.
Participating farmers earn VNĐ4 – 6 million ($171 - 258) per hectare more than from normal farming methods, it said.
Nguyễn Thị Diệu Ngân, director of the Vĩnh Thuận Agriculture Co-operative in Vĩnh Hưng District, said her co-operative was selected to implement an advanced rice farming model on 50ha in 2016.
It received assistance with building a warehouse and rice-drying facility and buying machinery like laser-operated land levellers, ploughing machines and combined harvesters, she said.
For this summer – autumn crop, it is growing 50ha to Vietnamese good agricultural practice (VietGAP) standards.
It signed contracts with a company for selling its paddy at VNĐ500 – 1,000 a kilogramme higher than market prices.
In Kiến Tường Town, the application of advanced farming techniques on nearly 3,400ha has increased rice yields and farmers’ incomes.
Hà Văn Nứa, who has a 2.5ha rice field in Tuyên Thạnh Commune, said he followed all the instructions carefully, including using low seedling transplant density.
“[The low density] offers many benefits and is more effective than high density transplantation.”
Võ Thanh Tòng, deputy head of the town Economic Bureau, said advanced techniques were used under three rice farming models on a total of 149ha in the summer – autumn crop.
It involved 56 households, and most of them used certified rice seeds and techniques like ‘one must and six reductions’, he said.
Under this method, farmers use certified seeds and reduce seeding, plant protection chemicals, nitrogen fertilisers, irrigation, greenhouse gas emissions, and post-harvest losses.
Thiện said to increase the area under advanced farming techniques, the department would strengthen advocacy to raise awareness among farmers, co-operative teams, co-operatives, and rice companies about their benefits.
It would continue to provide training to farmers in advanced techniques and encourage them to grow rice to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, he said.
The province would promote trading and urge more rice companies to sign contracts with farmers, he added. – VNS
Ships carrying
S. Korean rice to deliver food aid to North Korea this month
Posted
on : Jul.3,2019 17:47 KST Modified on : Jul.3,2019 17:47 KST
Rice
to be loaded onto WFP vessels at S. Korean ports
WFP Workers stockpile rice at a
World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility in Pyongyang in 2016. (provided by
the WFP)
Ships
carrying South Korean rice for humanitarian aid purposes will set sail for
North Korea this month. Fifty thousand tons of rice is to be provided to the
North in 10 deliveries through the “spring austerity” period in September. It
is the South Korean government’s first conveyance of rice through the World
Food Programme (WFP) in 12 years.
“We’re
currently looking for vessels [to transport the rice], so I can’t say for
certain, but we’re shooting for delivery within July,” a Ministry of
Unification official said while meeting with reporters on July 2.
“The
rice is to be loaded [onto vessels prepared by WFP] at South Korean ports, at
which point the WFP takes over responsibility for transport to North Korea,”
the official explained, adding that WFP was “locating vessels and preparing
contracts.”
The
50,000 tons of rice are to be provided in 1.25 million 40kg bags, with 10
deliveries of 5,000 to 6,000 tons at a time. With a short shelf life of three
to six months for the polished rice to be provided as aid, the South Korean
government determined that its resistance to stockpiling means it is unlikely
to be diverted to other uses. The polishing of rice is to begin as soon as the
vessel is prepared.
Once
the 50,000 tons of rice have been loaded into its vessels at South Korean ports
including Ulsan, Mokpo, and Gunsan, the WFP plans to use North Korean ports to
deliver it to vulnerable segments of the local population. The delivery of rice
as humanitarian aid is not itself in violation of US or UN Security Council
sanctions against the North, but a vessel used to transport it may be subject
to US sanctions.
“The
WFP is in discussions [on the sanctions issue], and the South Korean government
is cooperating,” said a Ministry of Unification senior official.
The
ministry official also said, “There are around 50 people working at the WFP’s
Pyongyang office, and they have announced plans to double that and increase the
number of regional offices.”
“We
believe the monitoring plan [to confirm that the food is properly distributed
to beneficiaries] is sound and highly capable,” the official added.
By
Noh Ji-won, staff reporter
Please
direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr
Basmati rice exports
rise to USD 4.71 bn in 2018-19
Press Trust of India | New Delhi
Last Updated at July 3, 2019 16:45 IST
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The country's basmati rice exports increased to USD 4.71 billion in
2018-19 as compared with USD 3.20 billion in 2016-17, Parliament was informed
Wednesday.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in a written reply to the Lok Sabha
said promotion of agricultural products such as basmati rice is a continuous
process.
In volume terms, the exports increased to 44,14,605 tonne in
2018-19 from 39,85,210 tonne.
Similarly, exports of non-basmati rice also rose to USD 3 billion
in the last financial year from USD 2.52 billion in 2016-17.
Replying to a separate question, the minister said the top-10 destinations
for the country's agricultural exports include the US, Vietnam, Iran, China,
the UAE, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
The main countries from where India mainly imports include
Indonesia, Ukraine, Argentina, the US, Malaysia and Brazil.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is
auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Basmati rice exports rise to USD 4.71 bn in 2018-19
Similarly, exports of non-basmati rice also rose to USD 3
billion in the last financial year from USD 2.52 billion in 2016-17.
PTI|
Jul 03, 2019, 05.06 PM IST
0Comments
Agencies
The top-10
destinations for the country's agricultural exports include the US, Vietnam,
Iran, China, the UAE, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
The country's basmati rice exports increased to USD 4.71 billion in
2018-19 as compared with USD 3.20 billion in 2016-17, Parliament was informed
Wednesday. Commerce Minister Piyush
Goyal in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said promotion of
agricultural products such as basmati rice is a continuous process.
In volume terms, the exports increased to 44,14,605 tonne in 2018-19 from 39,85,210 tonne.
Similarly, exports of non-basmati rice also rose to USD 3 billion in the last financial year from USD 2.52 billion in 2016-17.
Replying to a separate question, the minister said the top-10 destinations for the country's agricultural exports include the US, Vietnam, Iran, China, the UAE, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
The main countries from where India mainly imports include Indonesia, Ukraine, Argentina, the US, Malaysia and Brazil.
In volume terms, the exports increased to 44,14,605 tonne in 2018-19 from 39,85,210 tonne.
Similarly, exports of non-basmati rice also rose to USD 3 billion in the last financial year from USD 2.52 billion in 2016-17.
Replying to a separate question, the minister said the top-10 destinations for the country's agricultural exports include the US, Vietnam, Iran, China, the UAE, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
The main countries from where India mainly imports include Indonesia, Ukraine, Argentina, the US, Malaysia and Brazil.
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