Prime Minister's Advisor Appreciates Performance Of
TCP
Thu
22nd August 2019 | 10:37 PM
Adviser to Prime Minister on
Commerce, Industry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood visited the head office of
Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) here on Thursday
KARACHI,
(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Industry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood visited
the head office of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) here on Thursday.
The
Chairman TCP, Dr. Riaz Ahmed Memon briefed the Advisor about the performance of
the Corporation during last one year. The Adviser was informed that TCP is
self-sustained and profitable organization which has strategic significance.
The
Corporation has imported 200,000 M.T of Urea on the directives of ECC in order
to stabilize Urea market. Resultantly, prices of Urea have remained stable in the
country.
The
Adviser was further apprised that TCP has also digitalized Rice Inspection
process to facilitate the Rice Exporters. It was also informed that the
Corporation has launched "TCP Green Seed Balls Campaign" as Corporate
Social Responsibility. Around 800,000 seed balls are prepared for the purpose.
Razak
Dawood appreciated the performance of TCP and advised to bring forth new
proposals for price stabilization of commodities and
facilitation of business community.
He also appreciated TCP's
"Green Ball Campaign" being cost effectiveand major contribution towards Prime Minister's goal of 10 billion Trees Tsunami.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/prime-ministers-advisor-appreciates-performa-695609.html
Rice bowls of Sindh and Punjab
But even intra-province yield-comparisons may be misleading.
Above average yield in Sindh for example, appears to be concentrated in
northern- and central districts, beginning near the Kashmore and Jacobabad
border region, down to Shikarpur.
This contiguous region, together with rest of the Larkana
division, in fact, is known as Sindh’s rice belt, and contributes more than
two-third of Sindh’s paddy production. Yet, Sindh has precious little paddy
production in the southern region, where the champion yield is concentrated in
Badin. Even though the district has the highest country-wide yield, it
contributes less than 15 to average paddy output.
The stark difference in champion yields and crop concentration
in fact indicate two disadvantages to Pakistan’s rice potential. First,
Pakistan’s flagship rice variety – basmati – is concentrated in the
north-eastern border of Punjab, popularly known as Pakistan’s basmati bowl.
Although the region is home to most of Punjab (and Pakistan’s)
export-oriented rice potential, its basmati yield is lower when compared to
region such as Lodhran and Toba Tek Singh within the province. Meaning that
while the region may historically have been deemed most suitable for premium
rice cultivation, growers in other less conducive climatic zones manage equally
productive yields if not more.
Second, from a logistics perspective, the Gujranwala rice bowl
is located at the farthest distance from seaport, resulting in increased
freight cost for export-oriented producers and millers. The Sindh story is not
quite dis-similar, where the Irri-6 and Irri-9 are more popular. While the
variety may fetch lower premium compared to basmati in international markets,
it is not entirely devoid of export-potential.
In fact, Irri-varieties have dominated rice export volume for
all of last decade. Yet the rice bowl of Kashmore-Jacobabad-Ghotki is located
at the northern-most hinterlands of provincial border, farthest away from
Karachi port.
The other more revealing factor is how traditional agro-climatic
zones for major crops hardly ever record highest-ever yields. As small-scale
growers dominate farming across the length of the country, even in
climatic-zones most suitable to a particular grain, average yield inadvertently
falls.
Pakistan’s district-wise crop yields actually reveal the
strength of its progressive farmers, who manage target yield even outside
traditional crop belts.
Source: Punjab Agriculture Directorate; Sindh Development
Statistics.
Risk Management Agency
Does Their Research on Rice
By Lydia Holmes
JONESBORO & STUTTGART, AR --
This week, staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management
Agency (RMA) toured Arkansas to talk with rice farmers and see irrigation
methods like alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and furrow irrigated (or row)
rice firsthand. RMA is actively working
to provide crop insurance coverage for these two irrigation methods to give
rice farmers more assurance as they adapt their irrigation systems.
The seven RMA staff members are
based out of Kansas City, Missouri; Topeka, Kansas; and Jackson, Mississippi;
and were hosted by Jarrod Hardke, University of Arkansas rice extension
specialist, and USA Rice staff during their Arkansas rice tour.
The group saw research plots and
field scale research trials on AWD and furrow irrigated rice being conducted by
the University of Arkansas in both the Grand Prairie and northeast Arkansas
regions. They also visited with growers
using a variety of irrigation methods from conventional flood using contour or
straight levees, to multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI), to row rice fields.
"USA Rice has long worked to
secure crop insurance policies for both furrow and AWD," said Jamison
Cruce, USA Rice government affairs manager.
"We were successful in getting specific language in the 2018 Farm
Bill instructing the RMA to consider coverage for these new, innovative
irrigation practices, and are hopeful that coverage will be available for crop
year 2020."
USA Rice and the rice extension
agronomists in states where these practices are common also submitted input
throughout the RMA's research and development process.
"We appreciate the time and
effort spent on rice production insurance policies by the RMA staff, particularly
their diligence toward the development of crop insurance policies that will
provide coverage for innovative and conservation-minded irrigation
practices," said Daniel Berglund, Texas rice farmer and chair of the USA
Rice Farmers Crop Insurance Committee.
"By taking the time to visit and witness rice production and rice
research firsthand, we hope these RMA staffers now have a good sense of why we
need crop insurance policies that continue to work for our industry as new
production practices are developed and proven successful. I think we're headed in the right
direction."
RMA staff takes note of various irrigation practices
USA rice daily
CBN Goes Into Overdrive On Protectionism
|
|
 |
Friday, August 23, 2019 /08:49AM / By FDC
/ Header Image Credit: Picbear
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed
his intentions to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop providing foreign
exchange for food imports. The directive, which is in line with Buharis trade
protectionist stance, is aimed at stimulating agricultural output and reducing
the countrys dependence on oil exports.
Impact on the economy and policymakers
Since 2015, the CBN has been enforcing
policies that deny access to foreign currency for several imported products.
Currently, there are 43 items, including some foodstuffs such as rice, tomato
paste, vegetable oil and recently, milk. Food items are a major import item
into Nigeria. In the last 6 years, Nigeria spent approximately $19.24bn on food
importation.
In Q1 2019, food imports was estimated at
$1.1bn, 10.7% of total imports. Imported food inflation in Q2 was 15.72%, 2.04%
higher than domestic food inflation. Hence, the prohibition of forex access for
all food imports could push up commodity prices, stoke inflation and could make
the CBNs single-digit inflation target unattainable.
This will also increase the cost of
imported food. Importers of food products would have to source for forex from
other windows such as the parallel market. The resultant increase in demand at
the parallel market will result in a weaker exchange rate from the current
N360/$ level. It will also heighten the pressure on the exchange rate at the
parallel market.
Currently, the exchange rate at the
Investors & Exporters Foreign Exchange (IEFX) window (N363.68/$) is more
expensive than the parallel window (N360/$). This has widened the spread
between IE rate and parallel market rate to 1.02%.
By implication, we could see a shift to
the parallel market, thus, increasing demand pressures. This would be further
exacerbated by the forex restriction on food imports. Hence, naira could
depreciate to about N370/$ before the end of 2019.
Impact on the consumer
Food inflation declined to 13.39% in July
(7th highest in Africa) and it is expected to sustain this trajectory in Q3.
However, the denial of forex for food imports would push up food inflation to
about 14.5% and reduce consumers purchasing power. A resulting effect of this
is an increase in poverty, 93,823,485 Nigerians (47.7% of the total population)
live in extreme poverty, with an aggregate consumption of $410bn and
consumption per head of $2,039.
To put this in context, if food prices
spike further due to the possible full foreign-exchange ban on all food imports
(raw materials and finished products), the poverty level and economic hardship
will rise steeply. Furthermore, given that poverty is the bedrock of the unrest
Nigeria faces on numerous fronts, we would see an increase in corruption and
kidnapping.
Impact on smuggling
The agric sector has been growing at an
average of 3.53% in the last 5 years. It remains one of the most resilient
since the recession in 2016. However, the sector is held back by more than just
cheap imports. The sectors performance is still limited by poor quality
seedlings, inadequate fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, outdated
machinery and farming techniques, high post-harvest losses and instability in
the Middle Belt.
The widening supply gap has led to
increased smuggling of food items to and from neighbouring countries. For
instance, the reduction in rice imports has been compensated by a corresponding
increase in its smuggling from porous borders. Data from the IMF shows that as
Nigerias rice imports have been declining, rice imports into Benin Republic
have been on the increase. So, if the total foreign-exchange ban on imported
food products is actualized, higher food prices or outright shortages would
quickly turn Nigeria to a smugglers paradise.
John Innes discovery could pave the way for disease-resistant
rice crops
22 Aug 2019 --- Researchers at the John Innes Centre have come one
step closer to genetically engineering rice that is resistant to a globally
devastating fungus. The discovery, published in the Journal
of Biological Chemistry, provides new insights into how rice’s
immune receptors recognize and bind to fungal proteins. With a grip on how the
grain fights illness, researchers hope to arm a variety of rice with the
receptors it needs to resist rice blast disease. The fungus causes losses of up
to a third of the global rice harvest – enough to feed 60 million people each
year, reports the institute.
“Better immune receptors should benefit the whole crop and
increase overall yields for farmers. We hope to engineer rice immune receptors
to better detect the presence of the rice blast pathogen through binding
pathogen “effector” proteins,” Lead Researcher Mark Banfield tells FoodIngredientsFirst.
The challenge
Magnaporthe oryzae, the fungus that leads to rice blast disease, creates lesions on rice plants, which in turn reduces the yield and quality of the grain. “Rice farmers employ various strategies to ward off the fungus, but a sustainable approach is not yet available. Both the cost and environmental concerns have limited the success of fungicides,” reports the John Innes Centre.
Magnaporthe oryzae, the fungus that leads to rice blast disease, creates lesions on rice plants, which in turn reduces the yield and quality of the grain. “Rice farmers employ various strategies to ward off the fungus, but a sustainable approach is not yet available. Both the cost and environmental concerns have limited the success of fungicides,” reports the John Innes Centre.
Currently, fungus-resistant rice varieties have been developed,
but they are not ideal due to low yields. Their lower production is associated
with “linkage drag,” the transfer of bad genes along with good ones. The
discovery could give rice breeders the information they need to engineer elite
cultivars of rice that perform better in the field.
Genetically-engineered rice holds
promise for alleviating world hunger.The experimentRice blast fungus sends out many types of proteins, known as effectors, into the cells of the rice plant. However, the class of immune receptors researchers studied, nucleotide-binding–leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs), typically only recognizes one type of pathogenic protein. Unable to cope with more than one rice blast effector, the plant cannot fight the disease properly.
In collaboration with researchers in Japan, Banfield’s team wanted
to find out if NLRs could identify more types of fungal effectors and bind to
them. When NRLs bind to a rice blast effector, it causes cell death, saving the
rest of the plant from harm.
“The cells die in a very localized area, so the rest of the plant
is able to survive. It’s almost like sacrificing your finger to save the rest
of your body,” says Banfield.
The researchers were surprised to find that NLRs bound to more
than one type of fungal effector. NLRs bound to both AVR-Pik and AVR-Pia
effectors, which are different but have a similar structure to each other.
AVR-Pia did not trigger as much plant-saving cell death as AVR-Pik, but the
findings were promising. Demonstrating the dual-capability of rice immune
receptors, researchers hope to build a more dynamic immune system. A
genetically-edited robust receptor system may be one way of handling rice blast
disease.
Gene-editing could reduce world hunger
The debate continues about the ethical and potential adverse health impacts of genetically modified organisms, with the USDA recently suggesting that gene-editing could be allowed in organic production. Scientists across Europe are also calling for the EU to rethink its “retrograde” gene-editing legislation in a petition signed by 126 research institutes. Meanwhile, the UN has an ambitious goal of eliminating hunger in the world by the year 2030.
The debate continues about the ethical and potential adverse health impacts of genetically modified organisms, with the USDA recently suggesting that gene-editing could be allowed in organic production. Scientists across Europe are also calling for the EU to rethink its “retrograde” gene-editing legislation in a petition signed by 126 research institutes. Meanwhile, the UN has an ambitious goal of eliminating hunger in the world by the year 2030.
It is estimated that 815 million people are hungry today, and an
additional two billion people are expected to be undernourished by 2050. For
this, the UN reports that a profound change of
the global food and agriculture system is needed.
“Investments in agriculture are crucial to increasing the capacity
for agricultural productivity, and sustainable food production systems are
necessary to help alleviate the perils of hunger,” urges the UN.
Banfield sees promise in this rice discovery leading to better
food security the world over. “It is possible that the findings could inspire
others working on different crops, such as wheat, to try a similar approach to
engineering better immune receptors,” he concludes.
By Missy Green
To contact our editorial team please email us at editorial@cnsmedia.com
Scientists
successfully innoculate, grow crops in salt-damaged soil
High-salinity
land now unable to sustain plant life could once again be used
Date:
August 22, 2019
Source:
Brigham Young University
Summary:
Researchers may have found a way
to reverse falling crop yields caused by increasingly salty farmlands
throughout the world. Scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of
salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly
salty soil.
Share:
FULL
STORY
A
group of researchers may have found a way to reverse falling crop yields caused
by increasingly salty farmlands throughout the world.
Led
by Brent Nielsen, professor of microbiology and molecular biology at Brigham
Young University, scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of
salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly
salty soil.
"We
take the roots of these salt-tolerant plants (called halophytes), grind them up
and grow the bacteria in a petri dish in the lab," Nielsen said.
"Doing this, we isolated over 40 different bacteria isolates, some of
which can tolerate ocean-level salt content."
The
team then applied the bacteria isolates to alfalfa seeds through a solution and
tested the alfalfa's ability to grow in high-saline conditions. They saw
significant growth of the alfalfa both in their lab and in greenhouse
experiments carried out by collaborators at the Institute for Advanced Learning
and Research in Virginia.
The
study identifies two specific bacteria isolates -- Halomonas and Bacillus --
that worked to stimulate plant growth in the presence of 1 percent sodium
chloride (salt), a level that significantly inhibits growth of uninoculated
plants. This discovery is significant since soils throughout areas of China,
Australia and the Middle East have grown increasingly salty, as well as major
farmland in the southwest United States.
"As
an area of land is repeatedly used for farming, the salinity rises; the
irrigation water has salt in it and when it evaporates or is taken up by the
plants, the salt is left behind," said student Caitlyn McNary, one of six
BYU undergraduate co-authors on the paper. "With what we've found, lands
that are now unable to sustain plant life due to high salinity could once again
be used for crops."
In
addition to the work on alfalfa, America's No. 4 crop, the research team has
already started to conduct lab and greenhouse experiments on rice, green beans
and lettuce. The next step is to carry out field trials on the inoculated
crops.
The
lab work for the research, recently published online in Frontiers in
Microbiology, was carried out primarily by six BYU undergraduate students:
McNary and fellow first author Jennifer Kearl, Emily Colton, Steven Smith,
Jason West and Michelle Hamson. BYU Plant and Wildlife professor Zachary
Aanderud, and Scott Lowman and Chuansheng Mei of the Plant Endophyte Research
Center also served as a study co-authors.
"We've
long wondered if increasingly salty land was just a losing battle or if there
was something we could do about it," Nielsen said. "Now we have shown
there is something we can do about it."
Story
Source:
Materials provided by Brigham Young University. Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.
Jennifer Kearl, Caitlyn McNary,
J. Scott Lowman, Chuansheng Mei, Zachary T. Aanderud, Steven T. Smith, Jason
West, Emily Colton, Michelle Hamson, Brent L. Nielsen. Salt-Tolerant
Halophyte Rhizosphere Bacteria Stimulate Growth of Alfalfa in Salty Soil. Frontiers
in Microbiology, 2019; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01849
Cite
This Page:
·
MLA
·
APA
·
Chicago
Brigham
Young University. "Scientists successfully innoculate, grow crops in
salt-damaged soil: High-salinity land now unable to sustain plant life could
once again be used." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 August 2019.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190822124834.htm>.
Rupee slide pushes India rice
rates to 7-week low, Vietnamese exports dip
By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
ReutersAugust
22, 2019
A
worker uses his feet to spread rice for drying at a rice mill on the outskirts
of Kolkata
By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
BENGALURU (Reuters) - A
depreciating rupee pushed export prices of rice from India to their lowest in
seven weeks on Thursday despite healthy demand from African countries, while
lower purchases from Philippines weighed on rates for the Vietnamese grain.
Top exporter India's 5 percent
broken parboiled variety was quoted around $372-$375 per tonne this week, down
from $374-$377 a week ago.
"A falling rupee has been
allowing us to lower export prices. Demand has also been improving," said
an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian rupee on Thursday fell
to its lowest in over eight months, raising exporters' margins.
Farmers have planted rice on
30.14 million hectares as of Aug. 16, against 33.84 million hectares at the
same time last year, government data showed.
India's rice exports in
April-June dived 28.2% from a year ago to 2.35 million tonnes. In Vietnam,
rates for 5% broken rice eased to $335-$340 a tonne from $335-$345 last
week on weak demand.
Buyers from Philippines have
reduced their purchases from Vietnam while awaiting a possible curb on rice
imports to support local farmers, a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
Preliminary data showed only
23,000 tonnes of rice is scheduled to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports
during September 1-10, bound for West Africa.
Meanwhile, Thailand's benchmark
5-percent broken rice prices were quoted at $415-$430 a tonne on Thursday,
slightly higher than $415-$425 last week.
Concern over shrinking supply due
to the worst drought in a decade, has pushed up Thai prices and prompted the
government to introduce new subsidies to help farmers during the main harvest
seasons for the remainder of this year.
"The new subsidies will
drive the export prices up in the medium term because the market will now gain
confidence that domestic price will not go down since the prices are now
guaranteed by the government," a Bangkok-based trader said.
Overseas demand for Thai rice is
expected to remain unchanged with prices affected by fluctuations in the
exchange rate between the US dollar and baht, Asia's best performing currency
so far this year.
Food group
exports grew by 11.45% in first month of FY 2019-20: SBP
By Uploader
August 22, 2019
ISLAMABAD,
Aug 22 (APP):Food group exports from the country during first month of
financial year 2019-20 grew by 11.45% as compared the corresponding period of
last year.
During the month of July, 2019,
the food commodities worth US$408.404 million exported as against US$366.427
million of same month of last year, according the latest data issued by the
State Bank of Pakistan.
During the period under review,
rice exports grew by US$9.56% as rice worth US$181.565 million exported as
compared the exports of US$165.709 million of same month of last year.
During first month of fiscal year
2019-20, basmati rice worth US$74.990 million exported as against US$48.319
million of same month last year which was up by US$55.20%.
An Anti-Pakistan agenda
BY PAKISTANTODAY )
·
Behind abrogating Article 370 is
a hunger for water
By:
Muhammad Sohail Ahmed
In
1944, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah while addressing the students of Muslim
Aligarh University, said that Pakistan came into existence the moment the first
Hindu embraced Islam, as Muslim nationhood lies in the ‘Kalima’ (there is no
God but One) and not on the basis of region or ethnicity. In 1954 India had
illegally annexed Kashmir to its territory, but to hoodwink the world
community, it introduced Article 370 in its Constitution, thereby claiming that
it had given autonomy to the Kashmiris. This clause acknowledges special status
in terms of autonomy to the locals to formulate laws of the state. In the
subsequent years, the Indian leadership continued to vow that the right of
self-determination in the light of UN Security Council resolution will be given
to the Muslims of Kashmir, (as done by the other federating units of the
subcontinent). Despite religious difference, the Indian establishment wanted
water of the rivers for irrigating Rajasthan desert. Indira Gandhi Canal, a
678-km water canal was therefore built in 1958-1963. The canal runs from North
East of Ravi to the south-west along the Pakistan India border. This diversion
of water not only dried up the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers and created a
drought-like situation in southern Punjab. The Indus Basin Waters Treaty was
also for this purpose.
Pakistan must exercise all options
including, diplomatic, political, financial, legal and military to safeguard
its interest
India
obtained loans from world financial institutions to supposedly turn its desert
to green pastures. The loan obtained from world financial institutions was to
be paid from the income of ‘desert converted to green pastures harvest’. The
expertise of making a canal in desert is quite challenging as in Sudan from
river Nile. particularly, the problem of seepage of water in the desert terrain
continues to pose challenge as India has recently obtained loan of $250 million
from ADB and $400 million from Russia to improve the water management and water
transportation through the Indira canal.
Over
the last 65 years the water continues to be wasted and the objective of Indian
constitutional amendment is to drain water from Jhelum and Chenab, which is a
clear violation of the IWT. Pakistan has always upheld the UN resolutions on
Kashmir, as article 257 of its Constitution states, “when the people of state
of Jammu and Kashmir decide to accede to Pakistan, the relationship between
Pakistan and that state shall be determined by the wishes of that state”.
Although it does not include the states of Hyderabad Deccan, Junagarh,
Manawadar, which had opted to join Pakistan and the Indian army forcefully
occupied them. Provision of the demand of these states needs to be made part of
Pakistan’s constitution.
Similarly,
Gurdaspur, being a Muslim majority region was wrongly annexed to India, and
this needs to be rectified. With the unending appetite for resources such as
water, dams, rivers, electricity and green pastures, fuelled with the Indian
hegemonic designs, efforts to build maximum dams will increase day by day. One
of the interesting aspects is that India is obtaining loans from international
monetary agencies like the World Bank and the IMF, for diverting the water of
these rivers. The external debt of India stands at a staggering amount of $521.3
billion, as on 31 December 2018 and increases at 2.6 percent per annum.
Expensive
loans on cost-prohibitive terms, implemented illegally while annoying
neighbouring countries and creating disenchantment among the masses, is a
unique feature of the Indian establishment and those politicians who do not
possess financial, legal or professional credentials. Whether India can survive
or not without Kashmir is clear. The last 72 years analysis suggests that India
can survive only without Kashmir. However, Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah
called Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan, hence Kashmir remains the
unfinished agenda of independence of Pakistan. Diverting all the rivers flowing
through Indian-occupied Kashmir may deprive Pakistan of the mandatory water
reservoirs. It will not only cause environmental degradation but will turn into
a calamity depriving the Pakistani people of grain, rice and all crops.
What
if Pakistan decides to launch strikes against illegally constructed dams to get
water supply restored? What if a nation devoid of food launches weapons of
appropriate destructive power, closes Banehal Tunnel to disconnect India from
Kashmir for good? What if the people of Kashmiris drive out the Indian security
forces like the masses did from the Bastille during the French Revolution?
What
if an environment-friendly government of Pakistan scraps the IWT to restore
imbalance? How will the Indian govt return the billions of dollars it has
borrowed with the Indira canal drained out for want of water?
It
is also necessary to examine article 103 of the UN Charter which states, “in
the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the UN under
the present charter and their obligations under any other international
agreement their obligations under the present Charter shall prevail”. If Indian
govt thinks that with revoking Article 370, it can enter into a bilateral
agreement for any project in Indian Occupied Kashmir, it is mistaken due to
Article 103 of the UN Charter. It can, therefore, be concluded that the
abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A are aimed to destroy Pakistan and kill its
population.
Pakistan
must exercise all options including, diplomatic, political, financial, legal
and military to safeguard its interest. The government of Pakistan should
announce support for establishing a government of Kashmir in exile. The
following points merit consideration for presenting a case by Pakistan:(a)
Sanctions on India for violation of the UN charter by revoking Article 370 and
declaring a disputed territory as its own. (b) All international tenders in
Indian occupied Kashmir should be challenged in the ICJ in the light of art
370/35 of Indian constitution read in conjunction with art 103 of UN Charter.
(c) Demand return of Junagarh, Manawadar and Hyderabad to Pakistan.
The writer is a retired commodore
of the Pakistan Navy.
Cambodia
says EU rice tariffs hurting farmers
AUGUST 22, 2019
PHNOM PENH, Aug 22 (Reuters) -
Cambodia said on Thursday European Union tariffs on its rice had hurt half a
million farmers with a sharp decline of exports to the bloc, as it reviews the
Southeast Asian nation’s duty-free trading access over human rights concerns.
The EU in January imposed tariffs
for three years on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar, aiming to protect EU
producers such as Italy following a surge in imports from the two Asian
countries.
For the first six months after
duties were imposed on Cambodian rice, exports to the EU fell by half compared
with the same period last year, to 93,000 tonnes, according to the Cambodia
Rice Federation (CRF).
“This has been acutely felt by most
of the 500,000 families who eke out a living farming jasmine and fragrant long
grain rice, in spite of the fact that these varieties are geographically
specific and do not compete directly with products grown in the EU,” the CRF
said in statement.
The EU in February also started an
18-month process that could lead to the suspension of Cambodia’s special
Everything But Arms (EBA) access, which allows for duty free access for all
exports to the EU, except arms, over it human rights record.
That process is separate from the
rice tariffs.
The block takes more than a third of
Cambodia’s exports, including garments, footwear and bicycles.
In April, Cambodian Prime Minister
Hun Sen said China, his closet ally, would help Cambodia if the EU withdrew the
EBA. China had also agreed to import 400,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice,
according to a posting on Hun Sen’s Facebook page. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul
Editing by Robert Birsel) https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4N25I2XG
Paddy Varieties With Good Aroma, Taste Must Be Discovered:
Minister
Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial has said
that paddy varieties having great aroma and taste must be discovered with an
aim to export them
LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st
Aug, 2019 ) :Punjab Agriculture Minister
Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial has said that paddy varieties having great aroma
and taste must be discovered with an aim to export them.
He said this during a meeting of Rice Working Group at Rice
Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku on Wednesday, said a press release issued
here. Jahangir Tareen also attended the meeting as a chief guest.
The meeting was told that paddy had been cultivated in Punjab on
380,000 acres of land and till now 25 paddy varieties had been discovered and
these also included varieties which were resistant against various diseases.
This year Basmati variety was being cultivated on 40 per cent of
land, Sela rice on 37 per cent of land thick rice on 7 per cent and Hybrid rice
on 02 per cent of land.
It was further told 4 million ton of
paddy yield is expected.
Jahangir Tareen said the present government was
paying special attention for increasing the paddy export and in this regard a
national project to increase paddy yield was being started by Federal government with
a hefty amount of above Rs 4 billion.
He said under this project special attention would be paid on
latest research on paddy besides discovering varieties giving maximum yield.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 23, 2019
AUGUST
23, 2019
* *
* * * *
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-August 23, 2019 Nagpur, Aug 23 (Reuters) –
Gram and tuar prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) on poor buying support local millers. Sharp fall on NCDEX in
gram, easy condition in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival
also affected prices in limited deals. About 700 bags of gram and 150 bags of
tuar reported for auction, according to sources.
GRAM
*
Desi gram raw moved down in open market here in absence of buyers.
TUAR
*
Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka quoted weak in open market here on lack of
demand
from
local traders.
*
Mot prices reported higher in open market here on increased festival season
demand
from
local traders.
*
In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-5,800, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,000-8,100, Udid Mogar
(clean)
–
7,200-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,000-8,900, Gram – 4,200-4,300, Gram Super
best
–
5,800-6,200 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered
deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram
Auction 3,800-4,255 3,900-4,330
Gram
Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar
Auction 5,100-5,680 5,100-5,740
Moong
Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid
Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor
Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat
Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,120 2,000-2,110
Wheat
Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram
Super Best Bold 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Gram
Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram
Medium Best 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Gram
Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram
Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600
Desi
gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,550-4,650
Gram
Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar
Fataka Best-New 8,600-8,700 8,600-8,700
Tuar
Fataka Medium-New 8,100-8,300 8,100-8,300
Tuar
Dal Best Phod-New 7,800-8,000 7,800-8,000
Tuar
Dal Medium phod-New 7,200-7,600 7,200-7,600
Tuar
Gavarani New 6,000-6,100 6,100-6,200
Tuar
Karnataka 6,400-6,600 6,450-6,650
Masoor
dal best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700
Masoor
dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong
Mogar bold (New) 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000
Moong
Mogar Medium 7,200-7,800 7,200-7,800
Moong
dal Chilka New 6,500-7,700 6,600-7,800
Moong
Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong
Chamki best 8,800-9,400 8,800-9,400
Udid
Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800
Udid
Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,200 5,500-6,200
Udid
Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,700 4,300-4,700
Mot
(100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,600 5,500-6,500
Lakhodi
dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Watana
Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900
Watana
Green Best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Wheat
308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Wheat
Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat
Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700
Wheat
Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650
Wheat
Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Lokwan
Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP
Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000
MP
Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000
Rice
Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Rice
BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice
BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice
Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice
Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750
Rice
Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice
Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600
Rice
HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400
Rice
HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600
Rice
HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000
Rice
Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800
Rice
Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800
Rice
Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000
Rice
Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500
Rice
Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice
Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200
Rice
Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Rice
Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,200-5,600
Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar
CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 33.0
degree Celsius, minimum temp. 23.7 degree Celsius Rainfall : 9.3 mm FORECAST:
Generally cloudy sky with moderate rains. Maximum and minimum temperature
likely to be around 32 degree Celsius and 24 degree Celsius respectively. Note:
n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery
prices, but included in market prices)
Our
Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Thailand:
Sticky rice price almost doubling last year´s due to limited supply
Last
update: 22/08/2019
BANGKOK, Aug 22 -- The
price of sticky rice in Thailand has almost doubled from last year’s and could
go up further over scared supply, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
Insiders said this time in 2018, sticky rice was sold for 20 to 30 baht (US$0.64 to US$0.97) per kg, adding that the figure is 40 - 50 baht (US$1.29 to US$1.62) per kg.
Recently, customs officers in the eastern province of Sa Kaew seized a total of 30 tonnes of glutinous rice seeds smuggled into the country from Cambodia.
Drought in Thailand has pushed up prices of sticky rice seeds and other crops, while Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have recorded much lower prices.
Insiders said this time in 2018, sticky rice was sold for 20 to 30 baht (US$0.64 to US$0.97) per kg, adding that the figure is 40 - 50 baht (US$1.29 to US$1.62) per kg.
Recently, customs officers in the eastern province of Sa Kaew seized a total of 30 tonnes of glutinous rice seeds smuggled into the country from Cambodia.
Drought in Thailand has pushed up prices of sticky rice seeds and other crops, while Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have recorded much lower prices.
Jammu and Kashmir is bilateral
issue between India and Pakistan: Zambia
PM Modi on Tuesday announced that India will train Zambian
forces. "To increase the capacity of Zambian Armed Forces, Indian military
and airforce training team will be stationed in Zambia," said PM Modi
Zambian
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India
and Pakistan. He is the first African country to react to the current tensions
between India and Pakistan. The President is on a three-day India visit and
Tuesday was the main day of engagement.
M
Modi on Tuesday announced that India will train Zambian forces. "To
increase the capacity of Zambian Armed Forces, Indian military and airforce
training team will be stationed in Zambia," said PM Modi. India will also
provide 100 solar irrigation pumps, 1,000 tons of rice and 100 tons of milk
powder to the southern African country.
Lauding
India's role in his country's development Lungu said, "India is an
important and strategic partner in Zambia's enhanced quest for socio-economic
development." He was given the guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan and
paid homage to Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat.
At
the visitor's book at Raj Ghat, he said, "All said and done, only
acknowledging the truth about past, present and future, can set us mankind
free."
President
Ram Nath Kovind had paid a visit to the southern African country in April 2018.
The bilateral trade between India and Zambia stands at USD 830 million with
India importing copper from the country. Zambia is the second-largest producer
of copper in Africa with USD 5 billion investment. India is one of the leading
investors in the country.
Federal funding broadens global education
opportunities for Canadian students
New $148-million pilot program will give up
to 11,000 university and college students across Canada a chance to gain
international experiences and skills.
U of A master’s student Monica Shandal and PhD candidate Fahed
Elian talk about their international experiences during the announcement today
of nearly $148 million in federal funding for post-secondary education abroad.
(Photo: Michael Brown)
By MICHAEL BROWN
Monica Shandal said she always
wanted to use her abilities to make a difference and help people but wasn’t
sure what they were or how to apply them.
Then, the University of Alberta
master’s student in agricultural and resource economics travelled to India as
part of a study abroad program to explore challenges of the rice seed
production system.
“I was exposed to problems that I
never thought could be in the realm of what I was good at and what I was
capable of doing,” said Shandal. “Seeing and working with these people with the
International Rice Research Institute sparked something ... some sort of
passion I guess I had inside me that I never really found while just being
here.”
She said she used her newfound
passion to guide her master's thesis looking at ways to empower women in rural
communities in India as a way to develop those communities.
“This is an independent project
that was only made feasible through the connections that I made going abroad
and the experiences that I gained with my internship that University of
Alberta International provided me,” she said.
It is Shandal’s story and
thousands others similar to it that are fuelling a new federal government
global mobility program looking to give more Canadian students a chance to
study abroad.
The Outbound Student Mobility
Pilot, announced today at the U of A as part of the Government of Canada’s new
$147.9-million International Education Strategy, will provide funding for up to
11,000 university undergraduate and college students to gain in-demand
international skills and experience during their studies.
Minister of International Trade
Diversification Jim Carr, who was on hand for the announcement, said only 11
per cent of Canadian university students take part in international study over
the course of their degree, compared with international peers such as France,
Germany, Australia and the United States, where students go abroad at rates of
33 per cent, 29 per cent, 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
“We're not where we should be.
It's not where we want to be and it's not where we will be,” said Carr. “(Other
countries) don't have these higher percentages by accident—it's intentional.
They have made a commitment to address gaps in their workforce, to increase
their competitiveness and to strengthen diplomatic relations in the long run
with key countries. And we have to do the same.”
Paul Davidson, president of
Universities Canada, said the five-year pilot program, which will be jointly
administered by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, is an
important step toward achieving Canada’s trade diversification goals and
strengthening international networks.
“Study abroad changes lives. The
new Outbound Student Mobility Pilot is significant news for young Canadians and
for Canada,” said Davidson. “Canada’s universities look forward to working with
our partners in government and the higher education sector to enable more
students, from all backgrounds, to participate in global mobility experiences.”
Employment and Social Development
Canada will design the Outbound Student Mobility Pilot in consultation with
Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada and other stakeholders.
The pilot will launch in 2020.
Funding for bursaries will be based on applications.
Vikings Asia sells P682-M ANI
shares
AUGUST 23, 2019
VIKINGS
ASIA SELLS P682-M ANI SHARES
LISTED
agricultural trading firm AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI) on Thursday said Vikings Asia
Agri Ventures BV, formerly Solveigh Philippines Agri Investments BV, sold a
total of P682.1 million ANI shares.
In
a disclosure to the stock exchange, ANI said the transaction was pursued
through a block sale of 50 million common shares for P682.1 million or P13.642
per share.
Incorporated
in 1997, ANI began as an importer, trader and fabricator of post-harvest
agricultural machinery that improves the productivity and income of Filipino
farmers. It was the first to bring into the Philippine market the Mega-Sun
brand of grain dryers and established itself as a supplier and manufacturer of
conveyor systems and other rice mill equipment.
Currently,
ANI supplies home-grown fruits such as mango, banana and pineapple to customers
in Hong Kong, Mainland China, the Middle East, and to different European
countries
Heavy rains
across South Bengal turns as a blessing to farmers
The officials said that
till August 6, only 33.69 per cent of plantation was completed.
Aug 22,
2019, 02.51 PM IST
0Comments
Reuters
West Bengal produces on an
average 105 million tonne of rice per annum, 70% of which is produced during
the kharif season.The officials said that till August 6, only 33.69 per cent of plantation was completed.
The target for seed bed preparation for paddy is across 4,29,400 hectares, of which preparation over 4,22,322 hectares has been completed. But till August 6, plantation of paddy could be done only across 14,46,388 hectares, which is only 34 per cent of the target.
West Bengal produces on an average 105 million tonne of rice per annum, 70% of which is produced during the kharif season. This production comes from 5.8 million hectare of land with the districts of Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia, Birbhum and parts of Howrah giving the highest productivity with more than 32% of the state’s total rice production covering around 27% of the acerage.
Before the rains lashed south Bengal, 98.36 per cent of the targeted paddy seed bed preparation was completed, but only about 50 per cent of the target for planting paddy was met. The heavy rains will change the situation rapidly, said officials
Basmati rice
exporters to visit Saudia Arabia seek relaxation on quality norms
The Saudi Food and Drug
Authority has effective September 1 sought test reports on minimum residue
levels along with Certificate of Conformity from Indian exporters.
Aug 22,
2019, 11.36 AM IST
BCCL
Saudi Arabia accounts for 20% share of India's annual basmati rice exports
of 4-4.5 million tonnes
NEW DELHI: India’s
basmati-rice exporters and government officials are set to visit Saudi Arabia to lobby
for permission to export rice
without any new restrictions, beyond the target date of September 1.
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has effective September 1 sought test reports on minimum residue levels (MRL) along with Certificate of Conformity from Indian exporters. It has also asked them to source rice from good agriculture practices (GAP) certified farms approved by SFDA. Apart from this, it has asked for DNA test to prove the authenticity of basmati rice.
To address these concerns Indian rice exporters are expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week in a government cum trade delegation along with Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) officials to discuss the issue with SFDA.
Saudi Arabia accounts for 20% share of India's annual basmati rice exports of 4-4.5 million tonnes
“The trade has slowed down since Saudi Arabia announced certain requirements for compliance by Indian exporters in July this year. The trade is apprehensive about making further shipments in view of unclear situation. They will now wait for the outcome of the trade talks before shipping new consignments,” said Vijay Setia, president of The All India Rice Exporters Association.
Exporters said that they was no clarity on whether the SFDA proposes to apply the new regulation on export consignments which will be shipped from September onwards or even those which will be arriving in Saudi Arabia on September 1.
“There is also confusion about which pesticides are to be tested. Details of these are also required,” said an exporter who added that 70,000-90,000 tonne of rice was being exported in a month to Saudi Arabia.
Indian rice exports have been hurt by various non-tariff barriers, mainly over MRLs in the past few years. Indian companies have been working with farmers to reduce the use of pesticides.
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has effective September 1 sought test reports on minimum residue levels (MRL) along with Certificate of Conformity from Indian exporters. It has also asked them to source rice from good agriculture practices (GAP) certified farms approved by SFDA. Apart from this, it has asked for DNA test to prove the authenticity of basmati rice.
To address these concerns Indian rice exporters are expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week in a government cum trade delegation along with Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) officials to discuss the issue with SFDA.
Saudi Arabia accounts for 20% share of India's annual basmati rice exports of 4-4.5 million tonnes
“The trade has slowed down since Saudi Arabia announced certain requirements for compliance by Indian exporters in July this year. The trade is apprehensive about making further shipments in view of unclear situation. They will now wait for the outcome of the trade talks before shipping new consignments,” said Vijay Setia, president of The All India Rice Exporters Association.
Exporters said that they was no clarity on whether the SFDA proposes to apply the new regulation on export consignments which will be shipped from September onwards or even those which will be arriving in Saudi Arabia on September 1.
“There is also confusion about which pesticides are to be tested. Details of these are also required,” said an exporter who added that 70,000-90,000 tonne of rice was being exported in a month to Saudi Arabia.
Indian rice exports have been hurt by various non-tariff barriers, mainly over MRLs in the past few years. Indian companies have been working with farmers to reduce the use of pesticides.
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