30th September( Tuesday),2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Rice exports witness 37 percent growth in July-August

 RIZWAN BHATTI

 SEP 30TH, 2019

 KARACHI

Pakistan's rice exports witnessed a hefty growth of 37 percent in the first two months (July-Aug) of current fiscal year (FY20). According to latest exports statistics, Pakistan has exported some 368,503 metric tons rice amounted to $ 212.168 million during July-August of FY20, whereas some 259,871 metric tons worth $ 154.789 million was exported in corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY19), depicting a significant growth of 37 or $57.379 million in terms of values and 42 percent in terms of quantity.

Rice is the single largest commodity, which brings over $ 2 billion foreign exchange annually for the national exchequer and contributing to strengthen the country's economy. Exporters said that the current increase in rice export is attributed to some 42,000 tons export of rice to Africa in July 2019, lower export price compared to other competitors and joint efforts of the Ministry of Commerce and Rice Exporter Association of Pakistan (REAP). "The good thing is that rice exports not only in term of unit are showing improvement, but also in term of value posted massive growth," they added.

Rafique Suleman, Chairman FPCCI Export Committee on Rice and former Chairman REAP, has said that rice exporters are putting their extra ordinary efforts for fetching valuable foreign exchange for the county and they have made huge investment for import of world's latest rice machinery and most modern technology for value addition in rice.

He said that REAP also continued to work on all possible solutions for rice sector to increase the exports and earn more foreign exchange for the country. As a part of these efforts last year REAP organized a Rice Conference in Larkana to identify issues of rice crop and accordingly their solutions to enhance the exports. Since then REAP has close liaison with ministry of commerce and ministry of finance to overcome the challenges being by the rice trade.

Suleman said that Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood and his team is taking all the right moves by attending to the multiple PTAs and FTA, of which Indonesia and China have immediately started giving results. On larger scale the results of Ministry of Commerce's efforts will start showing results in next three years. He emphasized that the immediate gain area needs to be worked on war footing is the "Kalar Belt" for reviving basmati heritage. This alone has an export potential of $ 2 billion plus per annum more than what it is today with at a meager $ 750 million. On a positive note, both federal and provincial departments have also given positive response and implementation has already started, he informed.

Chairman FPCCI committee said that Pakistan's private sector is fully supporting the government policies, but needs a fair play for all sectors and correct policy decisions for a long term economic growth. He also urged the federal government for concrete efforts for skilled human resource development for all exporting sectors.

"Export Development Fund (EDF) board should prioritize this area and set up Technical Institutes across the Country for each sector but the management of these institutes should be assigned to full time professionals and the respective sector should only remain in consultative advisory role", he suggested. He asked for the energy supply to rural Agri based small industry and said that this remains the most neglected area by all the governments. From a small rice miller in Gujranwala to Shahdadkot and Larkana, the provision of utilities remains extremely poor.

Suleman informed that REAP is continuously sending trade delegation to various countries to explore new export markets for Pakistani rice. He also urged the government for minimizing the cost of production and research and development to increase the crop yield. REAP has also requested State Bank of Pakistan for allowing Islamic Financing facility for storage of agricultural produce and import of machinery at subsides rates. He mentioned that the pre and post harvest losses in the Agri Value Chain is more than the world best practices and it needs to curtail at lowest level.

https://fp.brecorder.com/2019/09/20190930522147/

The real safety net for rice farmers

September 29, 2019 | 11:46 pm

Introspective

By Calixto V. Chikiamco

Let me lay out the following propositions:

1. A number of rice farmers will never be competitive. The difference in average cost of palay between Vietnamese and Thai rice farmers and Filipino rice farmers is P4 to P5 per kilo, a huge gap showing the difference in productivity between Filipino rice farmers and our Asean neighbors.

This huge gap in productivity and average cost reflects differences in irrigation, the use of farm machinery, farming methods, average farm size, etc. A number of Filipino farmers, shielded by protectionist measures from foreign competition for so long, tilling fragmented lands, saddled with debt, exploited by traders, and deprived of critical agricultural extension services by an uncaring government, will never be able to compete.

2. The government is incompetent when it comes to making rice farmers productive, especially in the near-term, when farmers are reeling from the low prices of palay at the farmgate. It is similarly incompetent when it comes to extending a conditional cash transfer program that will provide relief to our suffering rice farmers.

We are talking here of 2.2 million rice farmers who the government must target to give financial assistance to.

I’m not denigrating the competence and integrity of Secretary William Dar who, I believe, is the best man for the job. However, he’s in charge of a bureaucracy that was home to the Napoles scam, the fertilizer scam, and many other scams. It’s simply unbelievable that this same bureaucracy can now deliver money to specific, targeted farmers — all 2.2 million them — efficiently, quickly, and without leakages.

(To see just how inefficient Department of Agriculture [DA] is, consider the study made by development economist Melinda Gayle-Limlengco for Nagoya University, who concluded that despite huge sums being spent, the DA’s regional expenditures had a negligible and insignificant impact on agricultural production.)

We are also talking here of government in general that is incompetent in most respects, whether it’s running the Bureau of Corrections, Customs, the MRT, the Philippine National Railways, the MWSS, the BIR, the LTFRB, or any other program or institution. As I had written before, the Philippine government is a reverse King Midas; whatever it touches turns into manure.

3. Increasing or even doubling the tariff rates is not a safety net. It will incentivize smuggling and increase rice prices for 105 million consumers. It will send confusing signals to rice farmers (How long is the increased tariff rate? Should I plant more or not?) and cannot be sustained without an impact on inflation.

4. It’s not acceptable, either, to go back to a status quo ante. The situation previous to rice tariffication was characterized by the rice importation monopoly of the National Food Authority (NFA). Unsurprisingly, the system only benefited corrupt NFA officials and the rice syndicates, penalized 105 million Filipino rice consumers with high prices, wasted resources subsidizing only a fraction of rice farmers (the NFA’s budget is good only for 3% of the rice output), enabled rice traders to capture most of the rent from rice protection, and caused last year’s consumer price inflation.

Worse, it gave the signal that our rice farmers don’t have to improve, despite the fact that our Asean neighbors are producing rice at almost half the cost. Therefore, when rice tariffication did finally arrive, government and the rice farmers were unprepared for the shock that happened.

5. There is no denying that a number of rice farmers will lose their present livelihood, especially those at the margins (no irrigation, limited access to financing, use traditional methods of farming). No amount in a rice competitiveness fund can sugarcoat this reality.

We can expect these rice farmers to quickly descend into dire poverty or move to cities to seek jobs as informal workers. This migration to cities will cause further squatting in slums, where crime and drug dealing fester. Or, for want of opportunity, they will be recruited by the NPA.

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

6. Therefore, a number of rice farmers cannot remain rice farmers forever. It would be wrong and foolish for the government to adopt an assistance program that assumes it to be so. We have to accept the reality of migration because that’s what industrialization and progress is all about. Farmers and agricultural workers at the margin move from their low productivity livelihood in the countryside to higher productivity jobs in semi-urban and urban areas.

Migration is not bad and should even be encouraged. The average income of Filipino farmers is only P100,000 a year. That’s much less than what a farmer could make as a worker with benefits (SSS, Philhealth, etc.)

Migration doesn’t necessarily mean migration from the countryside to the city. It could also mean migrating from less-productive work as a rice farmer to a more productive (and therefore higher income) work as a farm worker in an agribusiness farm.

7. If the government cannot provide the safety net, who will? The private sector — but only if the government provides the right policies for the private sector to come in.

What are these safety nets? One is the vigorous expansion of modern agribusiness farms which will take in the displaced rice farmers (and coconut farmers who are presently suffering from historically abysmally low prices) as agricultural workers. Industrializing farming and modernizing agriculture is one of the policy directions of DA Secretary Dar and he’s correct.

However, for this to happen, the government must remove the five-hectare retention limit on farmlands that is mandated by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. Successful and highly productive farmers aren’t allowed to expand. Imagine if Jollibee had been prohibited from expanding to no more than five stores. It wouldn’t be the world-class fast food chain that is employing thousands of Filipinos today.

The other safety net is the promotion of labor-intensive light manufacturing and cottage industries. Employment in this sector is not only a safety net for displaced farmers or their children, but is also a progression from low-income, low-productivity farming.

Again, I would like to state that internal migration from low-productivity agriculture to higher-productivity manufacturing and cottage industries is a normal and welcome process if the country is to industrialize. That happened in England in the 19^th century and in China in the period after 1985 when it started its breakneck speed toward industrialization. Some 200 million people moved from China’s countryside to its urban centers.

However, this process is stopped in the Philippines because of the labor rigidities enshrined in the Labor Code. Instead of displaced farmers and their sons and daughters going into light manufacturing, they go to the cities to find work, if they can, in unstable, low paying service jobs or as illegal vendors. (The service sector accounts for the biggest share of the nation’s employment, mainly from low productivity service work.)

It’s about time to revive former Socio-economic Planning Secretary Gerry Sicat’s idea of labor-friendly economic zones, where labor-intensive light manufacturing can find a welcome home. The idea is to promote labor-employment, either through a temporary suspension of labor security regulations and the high entry level minimum wages (this had been done before successfully in a banana plantation in Central Mindanao) or through government subsidy of employment — a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program for employment. A CCT for employment is more sustainable than sheer dole outs to rice farmers. Perhaps the tax code could also be changed to encourage employment (150% deductibility of labor-related expenses). The Labor Apprenticeship Law should also be passed to encourage businesses to invest in the training of unskilled workers or displaced farmers looking for work.

Government can also do its part by providing the infrastructure suitable for light manufacturing, perhaps even building and leasing factory buildings and warehouses. Then all the capitalists must do is bring in the machinery. (Think garments, for example, or shoe manufacturing.)

Let’s face it: some rice farmers may become competitive under a regime of rice import liberalization, but a good number will not be. They will be forced to exit farming altogether or shift to other high value crops — if they can. For those who can’t make the transition, the government must provide safety nets for them. However, it’s wishful thinking that the government, through the agricultural bureaucracy, can target and dole out money effectively for 2.2 million rice farmers. Neither is a dole out sustainable or to the long term interest of farmers.

The real safety net is to get agribusiness farms to expand and absorb the displaced farmers. Or, for displaced farmers to find employment in labor-intensive light manufacturing and cottage industries. Anything else will fail and just fool the people.

 Calixto V. Chikiamco is a board director of the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis.

idea.introspectiv@gmail.com

https://www.bworldonline.com/the-real-safety-net-for-rice-farmers/

Fighting anaemia with ‘paushtic’ rice

To dispel doubts, women were requested to cook and serve the ‘paushtic’ rice at awareness workshops. (Photo: Simit Bhagat)

6 min read . Updated: 28 Sep 2019, 12:40 PM ISTShail Desai

·       Villagers in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district were initially suspicious of rice mixed with Fortified Rice Kernels An awareness programme has changed that

This is a collaboration between the Maharashtra government and Tata Trusts

FSSAI

When Raju Padalwar received his monthly supply of rice in January, he saw a few grains in the batch that shone unlike the rest of the kernels. He had heard of the government’s plan to supply paushtic (nutritious) rice in his village Nargunda, in the Bhamragad tehsil of Gadchiroli district, but he had little idea that the suspicious-looking grains were actually Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK). The scepticism of Padalwar and others from the area lead to paushtic rice temporarily earning infamy as “plastic rice".

Padalwar’s reservations were perhaps justified given the lack of awareness at the time. Today, that has changed and the rice has been introduced as a collaborative project between the Maharashtra government and Tata Trusts to address the problem of anaemia in the region. One of the major reasons for it is the low level of nutrition and lack of diversity in diets among tribal communities.

“Anaemia is an issue in most rural regions of India and the biggest reason for low birth rates. In Gadchiroli, it becomes even more acute because the tribal populations live in remote places with a difficult terrain, and, at times, no road network. So it’s a combination of factors that leads to anaemia, especially in pregnant mothers and adolescents. Then, there is also a leftist movement prevalent in the region, which can make things difficult," says Shekhar Singh, district collector, Gadchiroli.

According to Singh, the state government is executing programmes such as Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation under which, as the name suggests, they administer an iron and folic acid tablet every week to adolescent girls and keep a check on the health of anaemic mothers.

The problem with such tablets, says Anagha Amte, a gynaecologist from Lok Biradari Prakalp (a social initiative that works on health, education and wildlife in Gadchiroli), is that most don’t have them. There is also a misconception within the tribal community that consumption of iron tablets leads to an increase in the weight of a baby, which can lead to complications during delivery.

“Rice fortification is a different approach. Rather than giving something over the top such as an iron folic acid tablet, we are including these nutrients as part of the diet. This is exactly how iodine was introduced in the diet through salt. Fortification can be a good and effective tool but at the same time it cannot solve everything," Singh says.

The idea was to introduce FRKs as part of the rice supply. The kernels are made with rice powder and mixed with micronutrients such as vitamins B1 and B12, besides folic acid and iron in certain proportions. They are then shaped in the form of rice and mixed with the main supply at the miller in a ratio of 1:100, in accordance with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards.

Rice, though, wasn’t part of the original plan. In 2017, as part of its nutrition programme, Tata Trusts started out with wheat fortification during a six-month project. The fortified wheat was supplied to a slum in Turbhe in Navi Mumbai.

“We evaluated the project to understand the scalability. What we realized was that Maharashtra was not primarily a wheat-eating state—it was a combination of rice, jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet). However, rice was the staple in most places, since it is grown in this region. We had to understand where local millers were accessible to process it," says Sonal D’Souza, project manager (food fortification), Tata Trusts.

Over the next few months, Tata Trusts evaluated the places where rice was grown and produced. It found the Konkan belt and Vidarbha region suitable for the project.

“The process is a value-chain model where we are procuring the rice locally, milling and fortifying it at the local miller to make it economically feasible. The rice millers are also major stakeholders in this project, so we had to keep in mind their considerations as well," says D’Souza.

A baseline study was conducted in March 2018 in three blocks of Gadchiroli—Bhamragad, Etapalli and Kurkheda—to assess the status of anaemia among women (15-45 years) and children under five years, and understand the level of interest among fair-price shop owners in fortified rice, since they would be responsible for the distribution. The baseline survey found mild anaemia in 30% of adolescent girls in Kurkheda and Bhamragad, and 43% in Etapalli. There were high ratios of sickle cell anaemia among pregnant and lactating mothers in all three blocks . Over 60% of adolescent girls were nutritionally weak, according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) status.

The study then picked out the Kurkheda and Bhamragad blocks for the programme. There were preliminary assessments of four rice plants to understand if these were capable of conducting the blending process to produce 65,851.92 quintals for the two blocks, to benefit a population of 189,972.

“The state food and civil supplies department too wanted to evaluate the complete pilot project to understand the point of efficacy in reducing anaemia. It was of paramount importance for us that hygiene is maintained, quality standards are high and there is continuous testing being done at various levels," D’Souza says.

“Fortified rice is a tried and tested formula. In 2012, the first project was undertaken in the Dhenkanal district in Odisha as part of the midday meal scheme. That is also a tribal block, and, after 18-24 months, they found there was a reduction of anaemia by 0.4%. It is now a published case study in the World Food Programme. We simply wanted to extend it through the public distribution system so that the beneficiaries were extended to an entire household rather than just children," D’Souza adds.

When the rice was introduced in the Kurkheda and Bhamragad blocks in January, its appearance led to resistance. Some tried to burn the FRKs; others put them in water to see if they would dissolve.

“Though we did involve all the stakeholders, which includes our staff, rice millers, shopkeepers and the beneficiaries, there were still issues about the colour; a few complained about the taste after cooking as well," says Mahesh Pathak, principal secretary, food and civil supplies and consumer protection, Maharashtra government.

As a result, they had to put up banners to create awareness about the project and then ask journalists and self-help groups to conduct workshops and camps for locals. The rice was even cooked and served in the form of masala rice and kheer. Over time, confidence built up.

“We had doubts over the quality of rice initially, but after learning about it at the workshops, we are more clear on the intention of the programme," says Ranju Naita, a resident of Fari village in Kurkheda.

The project was evaluated by the government’s policy think tank, NITI Aayog, and published as a successful health innovation pilot in March.

A scale-up plan for all 12 blocks in Gadchiroli will be executed by the state government, Tata Trusts and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. It’s also being introduced in other states.

“We made a presentation to NITI Aayog in the conference of the secretaries of food and civil supplies in January. It is now being scaled up to 15 districts across 15 states. All the misgivings were removed after realizing the speed at which it can be done and the cost-effective implementation," Pathak says.

They are also now undertaking a survey to understand the impact of the programme on health and better understand attitudes towards the use of fortified rice.

“Community mobilization was an important aspect of the pilot. At the end of it, we have to keep in mind that we are doing this for the beneficiaries," D’Souza says.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based writer.

https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/fighting-anaemia-with-paushtic-rice-1569575450764.html

How forex restriction, border closure could unlock N1trn for farmers

By Sunday Michael Ogwu, Lagos | Published Date Sep 30, 2019 5:54 AM

 How forex restriction, border closure could unlock N1trn for farmers Despite the vast agricultural potential, Nigeria is a net food importer, with the vast majority of people engaged in agriculture operating at subsistence level. The country spends an average of US $22 billion (₦7.92 trillion) annually on food imports. ADVERTISEMENT However, the paradigm is gradually changing through the restriction of foreign exchange to a number of food items and lately, the closure of land borders through the Exercise Swift Response by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Immigration and other security agencies to curtail smuggling. ADVERTISEMENT OVER 5,000 NIGERIAN MEN HAVE OVERCOME POOR BEDROOM PERFORMANCE SYNDROME DUE TO THIS BRILLIANT DISCOVERY Daily Trust in this analysis, dissects the opportunities provided by these actions to famers who would be willing to explore the window for wealth creation. Available data shows that famers will have the opportunity to earn around N1 trillion by venturing into six food crops that have been restricted by the CBN and aided by the recent land border closure to prevent smuggling. Milk Nigeria consumes an estimated 1.7m tonnes of milk yearly, but produces only 34 per cent to meet demand. The over 1m tonnes deficit is imported, and this costs $480.3m (N173.3bn). PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria in a recent report said Nigeria consumes an estimated 1.7m tonnes of milk annually, but her production output only meets about 34 per cent of demand. It added that Nigeria’s annual production deficit of over 1m tonnes of milk is being met by importation, which costs an average of $480.3 million, about N173.3bn, annually. It attributed the country’s low milk production output to low yield. A private sector-led push, through backward integration, to raise Nigeria’s level of local milk production and create jobs has reached advanced stage, riding vigorously on the back of integration between pastoralists and processors. Experts estimate that Nigeria’s population will rise between 207 to 210 million by 2020. This is why billionaire businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote planned to develop dairy plants and develop home-grown milk production to reduce importation. Rice The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), has been a major game changer for the cultivation of rice in Nigeria. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Nigeria’s rice production reached 7m tonnes (4.2m tonnes, milled basis) in 2017, up 12 per cent from 6.3m tonnes (3.8m tonnes, milled basis) in 2015. Official, accurate data to ascertain consumption and the gap with production is not readily available. However, when the smuggling market is considered, the opportunities become more obvious. Before now, Nigeria was said to expend N1bn daily on rice import, the bulk of that expense now goes into the pocket of rice farmers in Nigeria, especially as the federal government is trying to stem the tide of imported rice. In 2018, the federal government announced plans  to halt rice imports entirely. In doing so, it hopes to save a great deal of money. Cassava In the case of cassava, the gap is not exactly in growing but processing. Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, responsible for an estimated 20 per cent of global output, which in 2017 was 285 million metric tonnes in the global cassava processing market report. Even though Nigeria ranks as the world’s largest producer of cassava, the yield is low (at five to ten tonnes per hectare against global average of 25 tonnes per hectare). Cassava has some major industrial products among which are Ethanol, Industrial Starch, Cassava Flour, Glucose Syrup, Sweetner etc. Despite these potentials, Nigeria imports over 95 per cent of the industrial starch used in the country. Ashish Deshpande, a manager at Allied-Atlantic Distilleries Limited (AADL), an ethanol producer in Nigeria, said a litre of ethanol in the market is sold for N300. It means that Nigeria is spending N115bn annually to import 385m litres of ethanol. “We produce 9m litres of ethanol annually, it was gathered that other local producers of ethanol across the country produce about 6m litres annually which brings the annual ethanol production in Nigeria to about 15m. On starch production, the Chairman, Harvest Feeds Agro-Processing, Goke Adeyemi, said Nigeria requires about 600,000 tons of starch annually, while our annual production is about 100,000 tons, leaving a deficit of 500,000 which is imported.

Adeyemi further explained that a ton of starch is sold for N200,000 in the market, which means that Nigeria is spending about N100 billion annually, importing 500,000 tons of starch. Recently, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele announced forex restriction for starch, syrup, ethanol and other raw materials from starch. He said Nigeria imports cassava derivatives with over $600m each year. This is the opportunity for Nigeria.

  Tomato Tomato demand in Nigeria is put at 2.2m metric tons per annum, while annual actual production is 1.5m metric tonnes but 700,000 metric tonnes is lost to post harvest wastage, leaving only 800,000 metric tonnes supplied to the market, according to data from the Agriculture ministry. The 40 percent loss, valued at N72bn annually, between farm and market, on face value, portrays what could be a viable business, particularly in processing for tomato paste. Fish According to a 2017 report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 5.8m tonnes of fish had been produced between 2010 and 2015.

 Year 2014 recorded the highest tonnes of fish produced with 1.12 tonnes. Artisanal fish production has consistently accounted for the bulk, more than 60 percent annually, followed by Aquaculture (Fish farms), and the least from industrial commercial trawlers. However, Nigeria has a deficit of over 2m metric tonnes. Nigeria spends $60m, which translates to N21.6bn on the importation of fish annually, the former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, once said.

Oil Palm Oil Palm in Nigeria has a demand of 8m metric tonnes but production is 4.5m MT, which refers to fresh fruit bunch (FFB) from which oil is extracted at a 10 per cent – 15 per cent efficiency rate. Emefiele has said palm oil importation is $500m annually. With the recent restriction announced by the CBN, local palm oil producers are likely to get an even favourable market for their produce.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/how-forex-restriction-border-closure-could-unlock-n1trn-for-farmers.html

Future Consumer slips 4% after stake acquisition in Genoa Rice Mills

After the acquisition, Genoa has now become a wholly owned subsidiary of FCL Tradevest.

Moneycontrol News@moneycontrolcom

   

 

30 Sep, 2019 15:59

26.90  

-1.25 (-4.44%)

More 

Shares of Future Consumer shed 4 percent intraday on September 30 after the company acquired 50 percent stake in Genoa Rice Mills.

FCL Tradevest, a wholly owned subsidiary of Future Consumer, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 50 percent stake in Genoa Rice Mills from the joint venture partner, it said.

Genoa is now a wholly owned subsidiary of FCL Tradevest.

At 1207 hours, Future Consumer was quoting at Rs 26.90, down Rs 1.15, or 4.10 percent on the BSE.

The share touched its 52-week high of Rs 52.65 on November 14, 2018 and 52-week low of Rs 24.10 August 6, 2019.

It is trading 48.91 percent below its 52-week high and 11.62 percent above its 52-week low.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/stocks/future-consumer-slips-4-after-stake-acquisition-in-genoa-rice-mills-4488301.html

P2.46B released for RCEF

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P2.462 billion for the credit and seed program components of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said over the weekend.

In a statement, the DA said DBM has issued P2.038 billion to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) tasked to promote and distribute to farmers high-quality inbred palay (unmilled rice) seeds, including NSIC Rc222, Rc160, Rc216, and 16 other location-specific varieties in the regions.

“Seed distribution will commence in October for dry season 2019-2020. This will cover 57 provinces with a total area of more than 1 million hectares. A farmer will receive a maximum of 80kg of certified inbred rice seeds for two consecutive seasons depending on the size of his/her farm,” the DA said.

Acting DA Secretary William Dar said an agreement between seed growers and suppliers were already in place. PHOTO BY ROGER RANDA

The distribution of the palay seeds will start in October, in time for farmers’ preparation for the next cropping season.

Acting DA Secretary William Dar said an agreement with local seed grower associations and cooperatives as seed suppliers was already in place to ensure the availability and positioning of seeds for distribution before the year ends.

Farmer-beneficiaries are those listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), a nationwide database of information of farmers and fishers from the country’s various provinces, which serves as basis for some of the government’s support programs.

Under the Republic Act 11203 or known as the “Rice Tariffication Law,” each farmer will receive seeds for two consecutive cropping seasons until December 2020 and will be entitled to a maximum of four bags of inbred seeds, depending on the farm size for the October-December planting season.

Dar earlier said that the PhilRice would provide farmers with technical briefings on seed preparation and other interventions and technologies prior to the seed distribution to achieve the target yield in their areas.

In the same statement, the DA acting chief said the DBM, through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, also released P244 million to the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and P180 million to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) for the RCEF-Credit Program to be loaned out to individual farmers and DA-accredited cooperatives and associations.

DBP has recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Nagkakaisang Magsasaka ng Isabela Agricultural Cooperative and PayMaya, Inc. to provide financial services to rice farmers through e-wallet cards and to engage local government units in the loaning program implementation in 57 target provinces involving 747 cities and municipalities.

So far, LBP has received loan applications from 97 individual farmers and 7 cooperatives with a total loan amounting P38.07 million, the DA said.

Furthermore, the acting DA chief has also created the DA-led National Program Coordinating Team (DA-NPCT) to ensure integration of RCEF program components and complementation with the National Rice Program.

The DA-NPCT has also finalized the protocol for updating the RSBSA, the agency added.

“The initial validation shows 1,111,588 unique farmers with 618,725 hectares in 48 out of 57 target provinces from the original version of the RSBSA. The updated RSBSA will be available this month to be used as basis in identifying RCEF beneficiaries,” the DA said.

With the annual P10-billion RCEF, the DA through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) will provide farmers with P5 billion worth of machinery and equipment, free high-yielding seeds worth P3 billion from PhilRice, P1 billion for credit and P1 billion in training through the Agricultural Training Institute.

The Rice Tariffication Law removed restraints on the importation, exportation and trading of rice. Restraints on imports were replaced by tariffs.

Under the law, the country will apply a 35 percent tariff for rice shipments from Asean member states, 40 percent for in-quota or within minimum access volume from non-Asean, and 180 percent for out-quota and non-Asean or as calculated by the Tariff Commission.

The DA earlier said it was looking at raising tariffs on imported rice, which would be done through the implementation of a general safeguard duty to address the plunging prices of palay allegedly due to massive importation.

Since the passage of RA 11203 in February, about 2.4 million metric tons of imported rice has already entered the country.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/09/30/business/business-top/p2-46b-released-for-rcef/623735/

Making agriculture sexy again

Corteva Agriscience aims to propagate its hybrid rice technology in PH

By: Tina Arceo-Dumlao - Business Features Editor / @tinaarceodumlao

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:08 AM September 30, 2019

RICE PARTNERSHIP(From left) Jim Godfrey, chair, IRRI; Remy Bitoun, head of tech transfer, IRRI; Peter Brothers, chief of staff, IRRI; Peter Ford, Asia-Pacific president, Corteva Agriscience; and Rajan Gajaria, executive vice president, Corteva Agriscience

Filipinos cannot live without rice.

Morning, noon and nighttime, rice will most likely be present in a typical Filipino’s home and that high consumption of the staple presents both an opportunity and a hurdle for the country.

A hurdle because local demand of the population of some 100 million has long exceeded what the country can actually produce, thus government leaders struggle to implement policies that will balance the sometimes competing interests of the rice stakeholders, from the farmers to the traders and finally, the consumers.

On the flip side, it is also an opportunity for agriculture and science companies such as Corteva Agriscience to build a business in the Philippines.

Initially, its business here is centered around increasing the use of hybrid rice seeds that promise high yields and therefore increased profit for the Filipino rice farmers, who number among the poorest in the country.

Corteva, whose mission is to “enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come,” has already invested in its Corteva EduFarm in Tarlac province to showcase the proof of the science behind its claims about the benefits of hybrid rice and corn.

Corteva was the agriculture division of DowDuPont before it became an independent company following the listing of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in June, thus creating a stand-alone, pure-play agriculture company with leading positions in seed technologies, crop protection and digital agriculture.

It combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences, thus provides growers around the world with a complete portfolio of product lines from seeds to crop protection.

Peter Ford, Corteva Asia-Pacific president, said in a recent briefing in New York with select journalists from Asia that the region presented a growth market where the company could be more aggressive.

According to Ford, the Asia-Pacific region is the smallest of the four regions where Corteva is present, accounting for just 10 percent of the global turnover.

But it is the fastest growing, given the nature of the vast region, and Corteva expects Asia-Pacific, which covers 16 countries including giants India and China, to continue to outgrow the larger, more established regions in Corteva’s coverage.

Corteva estimates that North America accounts for a little over half of annual turnover, Europe and Latin America both contributing 20 percent and the balance coming from Asia.

At present, the company has concentrated its efforts on its home market and the rest of the Americas, but now plans to cover Asia as part of its growth strategy, recognizing that the region is young, increasing in number and becoming more affluent, and are already large consumers of staples such as rice.

Corteva chief executive James Collins said in a briefing following the official listing of Corteva on the NYSE that Asia represented a “strong source of growth” for the company, thus it was building for the company’s future.

“We do not see anything but strong growth there over the next five years,” Collins said. “Rice is Asia.”

This was also the reason behind Corteva’s decision to have a direct presence in the region through its Asia-Pacific office based in Singapore that opened officially in May this year.

The investments in the region include the establishment of a global analysis center of excellence and a new research and development lab, as well as a collaboration strategy designed to encourage the further development of the Asia-Pacific agri-technology startup ecosystem.

In the Philippines in particular, Ford said the hybrid rice project sought to address another issue—the increasing age of farmers and the lack of younger Filipinos wanting to follow in their parents’ or the elder generation’s footsteps in the farms.

He said this twin problem could be addressed by making rice farming more profitable and to define labor-saving opportunities, including the use of hybrid rice, which promised more output per hectare than the usual inbred rice varieties still favored by a good number of rice farmers in the country.

To further demonstrate its long-term commitment to the rice industry, Corteva last year forged a partnership with the Los Baños-based International Rice Research Institute (Irri) to develop advanced rice technologies and programs. It is part of the thrust of the two institutions to improve the quality and quantity of global rice production. Ford said last year that the shared goal for the partnership was to help rice farmers become more productive and sustainable.

“Our collaboration will allow us to offer farmers a broader suite of high-performing products and effective science-based innovations that will optimize yield and crop quality. Partnerships such as this create the power of scale and will drive positive change for rice farmers,” he said.

Corteva noted that rice was the world’s most important staple food, directly feeding more people than other crops such as wheat and corn.

To meet the demand of a growing global population, rice production needs to dramatically increase by 25 percent over the next 25 years. Yet increased competition for dwindling resources such as land and water, unpredictable climates, farm labor shortages and lack of technical expertise were some of the issues threatening the future of rice, Corteva said.

With the agreement, both parties would have access to advanced technologies, including Irri’s germplasm, hybrid and inbred rice programs and Corteva Agriscience’s precision breeding technologies. The partnership seeks to improve the genetic outcomes of breeding programs, encourage sustainable rice cultivation, and develop new rice varieties that deliver higher yields and are more resilient to various stresses.

The agreement was formalized at the 5th International Rice Congress in Singapore, organized by Irri.

In the Philippines, Ford said Corteva was particularly excited about the use of its direct seeded rice technology that claimed to reduce water consumption in the farm, a daunting challenge in the Philippines where most farms are rain-fed, not irrigated.

Corteva is likewise bullish on the increased use of digital tools to help increase farming output, in that way help entice younger generations to go back to the farm, since it will no longer be as labor-intensive as when their parents or grandparents were working the farm.

As Ford said, the challenge and the opportunity lie in making agriculture sexy again.

“We are going to have to,” Ford added.

https://business.inquirer.net/280038/making-agriculture-sexy-again#ixzz610TEseIU

Millers get one extra month to return rice

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Sep 30, 2019, 7:14 AM; last updated: Sep 30, 2019, 7:14 AM (IST)

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 29

The custom milled rice (CMR) policy for 2019-20 will give an extra month to all millers to return the CMR.

“Earlier, the CMR was to be delivered by the end of March. Now, they have to deliver by the end of April. Thirty per cent has to be returned by December, 20 per cent by January, 20 per cent by February, 20 per cent by March and 10 per cent by April,” said Vinay Pratap Singh, Deputy Commissioner.

Under the new CMR policy for 2019-20, rice mills which had returned CMR on time in the last four years would be given extra benefits in terms of preference in selection of procurement centres along with 100 per cent paddy allotment of mill capacity. They might be given 25 per cent additional allocation if paddy was left for allocation after the first allotment.

The authorities had started the process of identifying mills which had outstanding record of delivering custom milled rice on time. Under the new policy, millers were divided into five categories. If millers failed to deliver the CMR against paddy issued, they would be liable to pay the cost of rice short.

Allotment of rice mills would be done by September 30. “In the last seven years, it is the first time that millers have returned their CMR to agencies. We are shortlisting mills as per categories,” said Singh.

What new CMR policy says...

·       Under the new custom milled rice (CMR) policy for 2019-20, rice mills which had returned CMR on time in the last four years will be given extra benefits in terms of preference in selection of procurement centres along with 100% paddy allotment of mill capacity

·       They might be given 25% additional allocation if paddy is left for allocation after the first allotment

·       The authorities had started the process of identifying mills which had outstanding record of delivering custom milled rice on time. Under the new policy, millers were divided into five categories. 

·       If millers failed to deliver the CMR against paddy issued, they would be liable to pay the cost of rice short.

 https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/millers-get-one-extra-month-to-return-rice/840082.html

RCEF credit, seed funding worth P2.4 billion released

September 29, 2019 | 11:54 pm

PHILSTAR

THE government has released P2.462 billion for the credit and seed distribution components of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

In a statement, the Agriculture department noted that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allotted to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) P2.038 billion to fund promotion, acquiring, and distribution of certified seed to farmers listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).

Distribution will start in October for dry-season planting, covering 57 provinces, and 747 cities and municipalities, with a total land area of more than one million hectares. Each farmer will receive a maximum of 80 kilograms of certified rice seed, which include RC 222, RC 160, RC 216, and 16 other location-specific varieties, for two consecutive seasons.

Through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), the DBM also gave P244 million to the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and P180 million to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) for lending to individual farmers and accredited cooperatives and associations.

The DBP has partnered with Nagkaisang Magsasaka ng Isabela Agricultural Cooperative and PayMaya, Inc. for financial services to farmers in the form of e-wallet cards. It is currently working with the local government of Isabela to collect data from farmers to aid in the opening of bank accounts.

LANDBANK has received 97 loan applications from individual farmers, and seven applications from cooperatives, with a total loan amount of P38.07 million.

The Rice Tariffication Law liveralized the importation of rice, with importers having to pay a 35% tariff on grain from Southeast Asia.

The tariffs will help fund RCEF, which is authorized to take in P10 billion annually until 2024 from import tariffs.

RCEF will support greater mechanization, distribution of high-yield inbred seed, credit, and extension support and education in the rice industry.

“Funds for the mechanization and extension services programs will be available soon following the DBM’s issuance of the Special Allotment Release Order to the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA).”

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar also created the National Program Coordinating Team (NPCT) which will implement the programs.

The NPCT has finalized protocols regarding updating the RSBSA. It initial validation covers about 1.11 million unique farmers with 618,725 hectares in 48 of 57 target provinces. Updated data will be available shortly to help identify beneficiaries. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

https://www.bworldonline.com/rcef-credit-seed-funding-worth-p2-4-billion-released/

Mechanisation:Only Way To Reduce Farmer's Grief

Monday, September 30, 2019

Abul Bashar Meraz :
At present, about one-fifth of GDP is obtained from the agricultural sector. More than that, agriculture is the main source of food and nutrition security for the population of this country. Still, the employment of the large population of the country is also dependent on agriculture. As a result, more attention should be paid to agriculture in order to ensure food supply for the growing population, to improve living conditions and to create employment. The unprecedented success of agriculture in various sectors over the past half-century has been a real reflection of the current government's agricultural thinking.
After independence, the population of Bangladesh was about 7.5 crore. Every year there was severe food shortage in the country. Hunger killed many people in famine. At present, the population of the country has exceeded nearly 18 crore. The amount of cultivated agricultural land has also decreased manifold. Yet Bangladesh is now self-sufficient in food. In this case it is possible with the tireless efforts of farmers, agronomists and researchers. So much success has come because of the mechanisation of agriculture. The plow-tillage and 'plow-ox' were the main cultivators of peasant farming. On the one hand due to cultivation using modern technology in agriculture, as time, labour and money are being saved, the production of crops has increased several times. As a result, farmers are increasing interest in using modern machinery. Not only the cultivation of the land, weeding, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, cutting of rice, irrigation, drying and rice from paddy are all advanced through modern machinery.
According to the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), currently about 90% of the total cultivated land of the country is cultivated mechanically. According to a recent study conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded by the Appropriate Scale Mechanisation Innovation Hub of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery of the Bangladesh Agricultural University, if the rice seedling was transplanting instead of the traditional method save the 50% of cost. Combine Harvester saves 36 to 53 percent of the cost of the traditional method of cutting rice. In fact, under the current government, agricultural mechanisation has been very dynamic. Providing subsidy through the 'Increase in Crop Production through Farm Mechanisation' project provided 8,220 different types of agricultural machinery in 5 districts at a cost of 25% less. The current government has strengthened micro irrigation programmes to reduce the use of underground water by using ground water. The government has given importance to the use of ground water by implementing various irrigation programmes in water logged areas, haor and southern areas of the country. Irrigation facilities have been increased to increase irrigation facilities.
But a large part of the agricultural labourers are shifting to the industrial and transport sectors and many educated unemployed youths are moving to the city.
There is no alternative to mechanisation in agriculture to keep up with the labour crisis and agricultural productivity. As the amount of agricultural land is decreasing day by day, on the other hand, agricultural workers are moving towards the city, so it will not be possible to maintain self-sufficiency in food using only improved varieties and fertilisers. Therefore, it is possible to prevent waste by the use of proper instruments in post harvesting, harvesting and harvesting. To ensure food security, more emphasis will be placed on farming in the far reaches of the government which is also the foremost topic of the present government. To do this, it is necessary to arrange skilled agricultural engineers as well as skilled mechanics in each upazila.
Again, it is not just to invent the machine; it will not work if the farmer does not accept it.

Therefore, we should also keep in mind that innovation or new invention should be such that it can be easily used by small and medium farmers. We are working to increase agricultural production through mechanisation in agriculture. We are ready to face the challenges of food security in the future. After all, only if the mechanisation of agriculture can be done properly, will the farmer's misery be possible with increasing agricultural production of the country.

(Abul Bashar Meraz, student of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh; email: abmbau@gmail.com)

http://m.thedailynewnation.com/news/230841/mechanisation

Poor African demand pulls Indian rice price   

By  Abiola Odutola

September 30, 2019

The prices of Indian rice have dropped due to the poor demand for the commodity from Africa as consignments from Thailand remained sluggish to a strong baht. 

The prices of 5% broken parboiled variety had dropped from $379 to $375 per tonne last week. 

An exporter based at Kakinada, Southern India, explained that the demand from African countries had been muted for the last few weeks despite the fact that the export prices had been corrected.  

India’s rice exports plunged 26.5% in April-July from a year ago to 3.14 million tonnes, a government body said earlier this month. 

[READ MORE: Late budget cycles, food price hike fuel MPR retention – Experts]

In Thailand, a strong baht, Asia’s best-performing currency in 2019, has kept away potential buyers, who find cheaper markets elsewhere, such as in Vietnam. Thai exporters have struggled to sell the staple since the beginning of the year. 

The country’s benchmark 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $400-$420 a tonne last Thursday, compared to $400-$418 witnessed last week. 

“The price is only fluctuating due to the exchange rate at the moment as both demand and supply remain unchanged,” a Bangkok-based trader said. 

Concerns over supply also persist due to floods in northeastern Thailand that have damaged agricultural land, including some rice-growing areas. This has not had an immediate impact on prices though, traders said. 

“Buyers seem to be heading to Vietnam as Thai prices are a lot higher.”

“We think that prices have bottomed and that domestic supplies have gone low as the summer-autumn harvest has ended,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said. 

In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken rice rose to $335 a tonne on Thursday from $325 a week earlier, which was its lowest since November 2007. 

Preliminary data showed at least 37,100 tonnes of rice was scheduled to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports during October 1-9, with most of the shipments bound for West Africa and Malaysia, according to traders.  

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is considering providing a subsidy to farmers, who suffered a double blow of low rice prices and high harvesting costs, in an effort to reduce production costs and boost domestic output, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told Reuters on Thursday. 

“To make it profitable, we must use more machinery because the labour price is very high. We’ll provide (a) subsidy to help farmers buy modern machinery so that they minimize labour costs for production,” he said. 

Dhaka has been unable to clinch overseas deals since a long-standing export ban was lifted in May as its rice is more expensive than India’s or Thailand’s, despite a recent fall in local prices. 

https://nairametrics.com/2019/09/30/poor-african-demand-pulls-indian-rice-price/

Int’l engineering exhibition attracted 40,000 visitors

APP

September 30, 2019

LAHORE   -   Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) Senior Vice President Ahmed Hasnain on Sunday claimed that three-day International Engineering and Machinery Exhibition-2019 attracted around 40,000 trade visitors from relevant fields.

Talking to media here, he said that over 250 delegates from seven countries including Belarus, China, Germany, Jordan, UAE, Japan, Austria etc participated in the exhibition in which 120 local and 130 foreign companies showcased over 200 products at 250 stalls. The recent event was jointly organised by the PCJCCI and E-commerce Gateway Pakistan (EGP) at Lahore Expo Centre, he mentioned.

He claimed that almost all sector of the world engineering industry showcased their latest technology, equipment and innovative ideas of new products at the exhibition.

He added that exhibition led the way in delivering the most outstanding opportunities for all participants in different sectors like, Fiber Laser Cutting Machine, Brick Machinery, Mining Equipment, Road Building Equipment, Glass Fiber, Oil & Gas Refined Products, Chemical & Acrylic Fibers and Threads, chilled Iron Shot & Grit, Puff Smacks Machine, Rice Machine, Stationary and Mobile Compressor Station, Soya Protein Machine, tyres of all Vehicles, Truck Mounted Concrete Pump, Electric Screwdrivers, Power Shearing & Bending Machine, Truck, Buses, Prime Movers, Block Making Machinery, Concrete Mixer, Diesel / Gas Generators, Drilling Machinery, Fuel Dispenser ,UPS Inverter & Batteries, Power Cable & Switchgear, Construction Hoist, Gantry crane, CNC Machinery etc.

He mentioned that EGP and Lahore Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) also facilitated Business to Business (B2B) meetings during the events from September 26 to 28.

The exhibition, he asserted, was initiated to facilitate effective interaction among several camaraderie of the machine tool, automation, and cutting tool and user industries.

PCJCCI Senior Vice President Ahmed Hasnain said that International Engineering and Machinery Exhibition 2019 acted as a source of inspiration and real opportunities for business ventures to the local businesses and industries.

Further, it also opened doors for the up gradation of local industry by introducing emerging technologies and to develop businesses based on futuristic approach in order to take maximum benefits out of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), he added.

He said “This Business-to-Business Exhibition aims to be a one-stop shop for all the engineering industry products from processing technology to the finished products.

Hence, the event was a wonderful opportunity to see a range of products to thousands of potential buyers, who attended the exhibition.”

PCJCCI Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif hoped that exhibition would also help in developing international and domestic manufacturers, suppliers of machine tools and automation products/services, thus creating a unique platform to leverage the rapidly growing Pakistan’s market.

https://nation.com.pk/30-Sep-2019/int-l-engineering-exhibition-attracted-40-000-visitors

World Heart Day: Add more cereal fibre– enjoy health benefits galore!

Published: September 29, 2019 1:15:46 PM

Are you the kind, who is always on the lookout for nutritious foods? Are you also the type who checks the food label for healthier ingredients?

Cereal fibres may help shield us from chronic diseases like colorectal cancer and heart diseases.

By Nadiya Merchant

On World Heart Day, take a look at your food choices and lifestyle habits. Are you the kind, who is always on the lookout for nutritious foods? Are you also the type who checks the food label for healthier ingredients? If you said yes, you are one among many who have undertaken this journey. As we continue on our journey of learning to manage our dietary and lifestyle habits, we have certainly become more aware and taken cognizance of the food we eat. One such integral part of our diet is the ‘Dietary Fibre’, which comes with a host of health benefits.

There are predominantly three different types of fibres found in foods:

·       Soluble fibres found in oats, barley, rye, apples, peas etc.

·       Insoluble fibres found in most cereals, especially wheat bran, rice and maize and skins of many fruits and vegetables

·       Resistant starch, found in some cereals like corn and cooled cooked rice

Research has shown that dietary fibre has the ability to reduce the risk of developing many lifestyle diseases. Grains, especially whole grains, contain cereal fibre, which provides several health benefits. Incorporating cereal fibre in your diet is very easy considering that India is home to a variety of grains which are available across the length and breadth of our country.

READ | World Heart Day: Break that fast!

Now that we know what dietary fibre is, let us have a look at the numerous benefits it offers.

Amongst the range of health benefits that cereal fibre provides, some prominent ones are mentioned below:

·       Stay strong, live long
According to studies, cereal fibre intake is significantly and inversely associated with risk of total death and death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), infectious diseases and respiratory diseases in both men and women.

·       Eat, digest, repeat!
Cereal fibre plays an important role in aiding digestion and bowel health. Insoluble fibre such as bran is perceived to increase transit time thereby increasing stool frequency. Wheat bran is considered the best fibre for promoting regularity.

·       Feel light
Cereal fibre intake is associated with reduced body weight and waist circumference. Scientific research has shown inverse associations between cereal fibre intake and BMI, weight gain and body fat. Other factors remaining constant, high fibre eaters gain less weight over time.

·       Super shield
Cereal fibres may help shield us from chronic diseases like colorectal cancer and heart diseases. Colorectal cancer which strikes at a young age (40 – 45 years) is one of the most preventable cancers. According to a research by Aune (2011) – Each 10-gram increase in cereal fibre is estimated to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 10%.

So what are you waiting for? For the benefits galore, unlock the door to nourishing cereal fibre living!

(Nadiya Merchant is Lead – Nutrition & Scientific Affairs, Kellogg South Asia. Views expressed are the author’s own.)

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https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/world-heart-day-add-more-cereal-fibre-enjoy-health-benefits-galore/1720593/

What: Lakbay Palay

About a thousand farmers will attend this wet season’s Lakbay Palay, in which rice farming technologies that can help farmers become competitive will be highlighted. The field day will also serve as venue, in which the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be presented to the rice farmers.

Representatives of RCEF implementers from PhilRice, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, LandBank of the Philippines, Agricultural Training Institute, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will join the farmers in the open forum.

When: October 3, 2019, 9am -12 nn

Where: PhilRice Central Experiment Station, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija

For confirmation, please contact Love Gado-Gonzales, senior science research specialist, at 0928 370 3328.

Thank you.

Woman, man die in accidents

Our Correspondent . Rangpur | Published: 00:28, Sep 29,2019

A young man and a college girl were killed in road accidents in Rangpur and Magura.

The college girl was killed in a road accident on Rangpur-Dhaka highway on Saturday noon in Dharmodas area on the outskirts of the city.

The victim, Eti Akhtar, 17, daughter of Dulal Miah, a resident of Mirganj Thamphat area of the city, was an HSC second-year student of Government Begum Rokeya College.

Police said a Dhaka-bound speeding bus of Sha Fateh Ali transport ran over Eti as she was crossing the highway near Bangladesh Rice Research Institute office while going to college. She died on the spot.

Local people put barricade on the road for an hour protesting at the death. Traffic on the both sides of the highway remained stranded. Later, police came and brought the situation under control.

Tajhat police officer-in-charge Rukonuzzaman said police seized the bus, but the driver and his assistant managed to flee the scene.  

Police sent the body to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.

United News of Bangladesh reports from Magura: A man was killed after his motorbike hit a roadside tree in Goaldaha village in Sreepur upazila of Magura on Friday night.

The deceased was identified as Shawon Bishwas, 22, son of Ibadat Bishwas of Chandrapara village in the area.

Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sreepur Police Station, said the motorcycle hit a roadside tree, leaving Shwaon dead on the spot and another rider, Milon Molla, 22, severely injured.

They were going to Dariapur village from Sachilapur bazaar, the OC added.

The injured was admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.  

http://www.newagebd.net/article/86073/woman-man-die-in-accidents

Food review: Roll into The Wheel at Worfield for tasty food

Dining out | Published: Sep 29, 2019 | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Food reviewer James Driver-Fisher recommends a visit to a gastro pub for a warm welcome, good service and generous portions!

Black pudding bon bons came with a lovely, crispy coating and a chorizo salad

It was my wife’s idea to pop into The Wheel at Worfield to finally see what the pub and restaurant was all about.

The venue had always looked so welcoming from the outside, nicely refurbished – a few years ago now, I believe – inside with a nice seating area too, where families and couples could take in some of the late autumn sunshine before heading inside for food.

Having never stepped foot in the pub we had no idea what to expect. We had had a quick glimpse at the menu online but other than that we were going in blind.

My wife, Kelly, and I had booked for 3pm on a Saturday because we thought our five-year-old daughter, Annabelle, would be hungry enough to eat nicely but not so hungry she would be screaming the place down before we even ordered. It worked out pretty well.

First impressions were how nicely laid out the venue was. There was lots of space and plenty of room between the tables – you certainly didn’t have to worry about eating on top of each other.

We were given a corner table, which meant Annabelle could spread out her colouring books, etc, while we had a closer look at the food and drinks menus.

The venue looks welcoming from the outside

One section that did stand out was the specials board, which changes on a regular basis but has a big focus around fish dishes. I was pretty sure I’d be ordering from that but still continued to browse just in case.

None of the food was cheap but at the same time certainly not over-priced. And we were soon to discover the portion sizes were some of the biggest we had come across, but it was all quality food and not just dumped on the plate for the sake of it. If anything, the presentation was as good as the food itself.

After ordering an ale, wine and fruit shoot we decided to share two starters between all three of us.

Bread and olives, soup of the day, prawn cocktail and duck liver parfait were some of the options, as well as halloumi kebabs, chickpea salsa and red pepper coulis for those who fancied something a bit different.

In the end we went for the crab cake with lobster cream sauce, and black pudding bon bons with a chorizo salad.

The crab cake was delicious. It was just one but it was large enough to share, and came with a nice crispy coating and a soft, tasty filling.

The lobster sauce also went really well along with the chopped cucumber, onion and tomatoes, which all helped to make a nice salsa-style accompaniment.

Plaice stuffed with prawns, egg and herbs

The bon bons also came with a lovely, crispy coating, which gave way to the slightly-spicy filling. It perhaps didn’t even need the chorizo in the salad but it did give the starter some extra bite. All in all, a very nice way to start the meal.

The main menu included a lot of variation alongside some of the more usual fare. There was certainly something to suit all tastes.

Deli sharing platters included a fish board of oak-smoked salmon, mackerel paté, cod goujons, battered king prawns, aioli, cucumber relish and Mediterranean breads – which sounded absolutely superb.

Lamb shank, duo of pork with black pudding, winter vegetable pie – which again was very tempting – and a mushroom, leek and artichoke tart could all be found in the house specials section, and then there were the Wheel Classics, such as steak and ale pie, fish and chips, scampi and lasagne, all served with a choice of potatoes and fresh vegetables, unless otherwise stated. Again, they were all very reasonably priced too.

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Family Fun Day

As well as the usual steaks and burgers, the salads were also very intriguing, so much so Kelly decided to order the The Wheel Greek Salad, which came with grilled aubergine, cherry and sun-blushed tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, olives, red onion and feta cheese over mixed salad leaves, all served with a zesty lemon, mint and turmeric dressing. She also added some chicken.

In her words, the portion was enormous, but the salad was beautifully presented, with a great variety and texture of foods, along with plenty of colour and taste.

There was a little too much olive oil and dressing for her liking, but it was only a small criticism.

The Wheel Greek Salad with added chicken was an enormous portion and so delicious

She didn’t think a salad could be too filling but it certainly was, so much so we eventually swapped dishes half way through, so she could taste some of my fish dish, as the specials board had really turned my eye. It included pan-roasted breast of duck, confit duck leg and shredded duck croquettes, served with a poivrade sauce and a medley of vegetables.

And supreme of roasted chicken with a stuffing of mushroom and spinach mousseline, served with a rich red wine sauce with smoked bacon, peral onions and herbs, with parsley mash and a medley of vegetables.

Either of those would have done for me but once again it was the fish dishes that appealed most and included:

Medallions of monkfish cooked in a mildly-spiced balti sauce with sweet potato and chickpeas, served with basmati rice and homemade flatbread.

Pan-baked supreme of hake served over a bed of tagliatelle, spinach and prawns in a creamy saffron sauce.

Pan-seared fillets of bass with asparagus, lemon and parmesan sauce, with crab and dill pilaf rice.

It was such a hard decision but as we were catching the last of the summer sun, and the starters had been pretty healthy portions, I went for something a little lighter, which was paupiette of plaice stuffed with prawns, egg and herbs, served with new potatoes, steamed green vegetables and finished with a white wine velouté sauce.

Crab cake with lobster cream sauce

The fish was superb and came served exactly how I had hoped it would. It was perfectly cooked, light and not overdone, which can often be the case.

When it broke away, the meat was fluffy and the filling went really well. I couldn’t taste much of the prawn but it didn’t matter in the slightest – and served with the crispy vegetables and new potatoes, it was the perfect size. Delicious.

The children’s menu was very reasonably priced too but nothing could have prepared us for the size of the meal.

Annabelle went for the mac ‘n’ cheese, which came served with garlic bread and salad.

Each kid’s meal also includes either a side of beans or peas, as well as a choice of potato. Annabelle went for peas and chips.

The best part of her meal was that it was not dry in the slightest. Like most parents we have been to certain places where a cheesy pasta dish has been left on the side for far too long, turning dry, crispy and frankly tasteless.

Inside, The Wheel is nicely laid out

That was not the case at The Wheel as ample amounts of sauce ensured the meal stayed tasty throughout.

However, and this is not really a complaint as such, an entire bowl of chips accompanied her already-large meal. It was simply too much, despite us all getting involved in the end, so perhaps it would save on food waste if that was looked into.

Overall it was a wonderful, relaxed afternoon where the staff were once again all friendly and really went out of their way to make us feel welcome, with a mixture of table service and ordering at the bar.

Another place I’d recommend popping into, especially as it sits on the border of Shropshire, not far from the Black Country, meaning it’s only a fairly short drive out for most of us.

Food facts

The Wheel at Worfield,

Bridgnorth,

WV15 5NR

Star rating: 4/5

Tel: 01746 716392

https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/dining-out/2019/09/29/food-review-roll-into-wheel-for-tasty-food/

Rice $322.8 million exported in two months

ISLAMABAD     -   Rice exports from the country during first two months of current financial year grew by 48.64% as compared to exports of the corresponding period of last year. About 590,053 metric tons of rice valuing $322.836 million was exported from July-August, 2019 as compared to exports of 399,633 metric tons worth of $223.918 million of same period of last year, according the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. During the period review under review, country earned $135.249 million by exporting about 148,772 metric tons of basmati rice as against the exports of $101.851 million and 99,287 metric tons, witnessing an increase of 32.79%, it added. The exports of other rice grew by 61.87% and about 441,281 metric tons of rice other than basmati rice valuing $197.587 metric tons was exported as against the exports of 300,346 metric tons worth of $122.067 million of same period last year, the data revealed.

 https://nation.com.pk/29-Sep-2019/rice-322-8-million-exported-in-two-months

Rice exports witness 37 percent growth in July-August

Pakistan's rice exports witnessed a hefty growth of 37 percent in the first two months (July-Aug) of current fiscal year (FY20). According to latest exports statistics, Pakistan has exported some 368,503 metric tons rice amounted to $ 212.168 million during July-August of FY20, whereas some 259,871 metric tons worth $ 154.789 million was exported in corresponding period of last fiscal year (FY19), depicting a significant growth of 37 or $57.379 million in terms of values and 42 percent in terms of quantity. Rice is the single largest commodity, which brings over $ 2 billion foreign exchange annually for the national exchequer and contributing to strengthen the country's economy. Exporters said that the current increase in rice export is attributed to some 42,000 tons export of rice to Africa in July 2019, lower export price compared to other competitors and joint efforts of the Ministry of Commerce and Rice Exporter Association of Pakistan (REAP). "The good thing is that rice exports not only in term of unit are showing improvement, but also in term of value posted massive growth," they added. Rafique Suleman, Chairman FPCCI Export Committee on Rice and former Chairman REAP, has said that rice exporters are putting their extra ordinary efforts for fetching valuable foreign exchange for the county and they have made huge investment for import of world's latest rice machinery and most modern technology for value addition in rice. He said that REAP also continued to work on all possible solutions for rice sector to increase the exports and earn more foreign exchange for the country. As a part of these efforts last year REAP organized a Rice Conference in Larkana to identify issues of rice crop and accordingly their solutions to enhance the exports. Since then REAP has close liaison with ministry of commerce and ministry of finance to overcome the challenges being by the rice trade. Suleman said that Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood and his team is taking all the right moves by attending to the multiple PTAs and FTA, of which Indonesia and China have immediately started giving results. On larger scale the results of Ministry of Commerce's efforts will start showing results in next three years. He emphasized that the immediate gain area needs to be worked on war footing is the "Kalar Belt" for reviving basmati heritage. This alone has an export potential of $ 2 billion plus per annum more than what it is today with at a meager $ 750 million. On a positive note, both federal and provincial departments have also given positive response and implementation has already started, he informed. Chairman FPCCI committee said that Pakistan's private sector is fully supporting the government policies, but needs a fair play for all sectors and correct policy decisions for a long term economic growth. He also urged the federal government for concrete efforts for skilled human resource development for all exporting sectors. "Export Development Fund (EDF) board should prioritize this area and set up Technical Institutes across the Country for each sector but the management of these institutes should be assigned to full time professionals and the respective sector should only remain in consultative advisory role", he suggested. He asked for the energy supply to rural Agri based small industry and said that this remains the most neglected area by all the governments. From a small rice miller in Gujranwala to Shahdadkot and Larkana, the provision of utilities remains extremely poor. Suleman informed that REAP is continuously sending trade delegation to various countries to explore new export markets for Pakistani rice. He also urged the government for minimizing the cost of production and research and development to increase the crop yield. REAP has also requested State Bank of Pakistan for allowing Islamic Financing facility for storage of agricultural produce and import of machinery at subsides rates. He mentioned that the pre and post harvest losses in the Agri Value Chain is more than the world best practices and it needs to curtail at lowest level.

 https://fp.brecorder.com/2019/09/20190930522146/

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- September 30, 2019

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 / 1:40 PM /

* * * * * *

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-September 30, 2018 Nagpur, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid release of stock from stockists. Downward trend on NCDEX in gram, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also pushed down prices. About 350 bags of gram and 100 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM

* Gram varieties firmed up in open market here on good festival season demand from

local traders.

TUAR

* Tuar dal best and medium phod reported higher in open market here on renewed demand

from local traders.

* Udid varieties recovered strongly in open market here on seasonal

demand from local traders. Reports about poor crop position in this season also

boosted prices.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,500-5,700, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,200, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 7,600-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,200-8,900, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super best

– 5,600-6,000 * 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 3,650-4,210 3,650-4,325

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 5,075-5,280 5,100-5,330

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 2,000-2,030 2,000-2,045

Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000

Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,200 5,800-6,000

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,700-5,900 5,400-5,600

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,450-4,550 4,350-4,450

Desi gram Raw 4,400-4,450 4,350-4,4000

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,300-8,400 8,300-8,400

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,800-8,100 7,800-8,100

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,400-7,700 7,400-7,600

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 6,800-7,300 6,800-7,200

Tuar Gavarani New 5,700-5,800 5,700-5,800

Tuar Karnataka 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100

Masoor dal best 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700

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 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800

Moong dal Chilka New 7,200-7,800 7,200-7,800

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,400-8,900 8,400-8,900

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,800-8,800 7,500-8,400

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 5,800-7,000

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,300 4,500-5,100

Mot (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,700-5,000 4,800-5,100

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,350 2,250-2,350

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,750 2,650-2,750

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,650 2,550-2,650

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450

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) 2,600-3,100 2,600-3,100

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500

Rice BPT best new (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600

Rice BPT medium new(100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100

Rice Swarna best new (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700

Rice Swarna medium new (100 INR/KG)2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Rice HMT best new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,000 3,800-4,000

Rice HMT medium new (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,500 3,300-3,500

Rice Shriram best new(100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000

Rice Shriram med new (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,200 5,000-7,200

Rice Chinnor best new 100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700

Rice Chinnor medium new(100 INR/KG)5,100-5,200 5,100-5,200

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. 32.4 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 22.8 degree Celsius Rainfall : 0.4 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or thunder-showers. 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)

https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-september-30-2019-idINL3N26L2LN

Agriculture emergency programme

Frontier Post

Published on 28 Sep 2019 —View Original

Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government has decided to start an ambitious agriculture emergency programme from next month by implementing projects of water conservation and augmentation, increasing production of cereal crops and oil seeds, facilitate enterprises of live stock and poultry farming. The province is dependent on supplies of wheat flour, rice, pulses, fruits and vegetables from Punjab and Sindh. But development of agriculture has always remained at the bottom of priorities. Because of water scarcity 1.8 million acres cultivable land is yet to be brought under extensive cultivation of crops and fruit orchards.

The launching of big water conservation projects like Chishma Right Bank Canal Project (CRBC) and KurranmTangi dam can serve as big leap forward in bringing vast tracts of fertile agriculture land in the rain-fed areas of southern districts. In the previous PTI provincial government there was a loud talk of starting work on the CRBC lift irrigation scheme at a cost of Rs. 120 billion. But the priorities were changed and non-productive BRT was given preference. Likewise, the construction of small dams for storing rain and flash flood water for irrigation and drinking purposes were put on the backburner. In the southern districts of the province there are dozens of potential sites of such small dams each of which can cost less than 5 million rupees but can store water for thousands of acres of land. It would have also brought up water table which is going down in these areas.

Installation of solar tube wells is another most economical method of water availability for agriculture lands. In the previous PTI provincial government a programme of installing solar irrigation tube wells had been intiated but it could not yield collective benefit to the community as a whole. For example, political consideration was given preference while installing solar tube wells in Zakhel and Adezai areas of TappaMomand. Solar tube wells were installed for 8 Kanal and 12 Kanal land holders instead of feeding the available water channels to benefit large number of small farmers. Community welfare should reign supreme in the projects of agriculture development

Majority of farmers in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa own small and subsistence land holdings. They cannot afford purchase of genetically modified hybrid seeds that are imported from advanced countries. Funding to the agriculture research centers has greatly squeezed and high yield hybrid varieties of seeds are not evolved in the province despite the existence of research centers and know how available there. The agriculture and fruits research centers need to be made fully functional to ensure production of better varieties of seeds for different crops and sapling of fruit trees. The price of fertilizers has gone out of the purchasing power of farmers. Agriculture is no longer a profitable enterprise.

Livestock and poultry farming are non-existent in the province due to lack of monetary and marketing incentives. The price of chicken has abnormally gone up due to sharp decline in supply. Poultry farming needs encouragement both at micro and macro levels by providing easy credit to the interested entrepreneurs who are keen to invest in this economical but at the same time profitable enterprise.

Khyber Pukhtunkhwa can get an edge in the production of delicious varieties of fish. The agriculture package which has been approved by the federal government include fisheries one of the major components. Both the federal and provincial government can agree on a viable plan of fisheries promotion. Hopefully during the tenure of present provincial government, agriculture development will get top priority to make the province self-reliant in the production of wheat, rice and other food commodities.

https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/agriculture-emergency-programme

Rice worth $322.836 million exported in two months

  Last Updated On 29 September,2019 09:24 am

About 590,053 metric tons of rice valuing $322.836 million exported from July-August, 2019.

(APP) – Rice exports from Pakistan during first two-month of current financial year grew by 48.64 per cent as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

About 590,053 metric tons of rice valuing $322.836 million exported from July-August, 2019, as compared the exports of 399,633 metric tons worth of $223.918 million of same period of last year, according the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

https://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/511601-Rice-worth-322836-million-exported-in-two-months

TERI study shows crop residue could fuel village cold storages for fruit, milk

Seema Sharma | TNN | Updated: Sep 29, 2019, 17:58 IST

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CHANDIGARH: In the past few years, citizens and environmentalists have flagged the enormous spike in air pollution in the region once stubble burning begins after the harvest in Punjab and Haryana. The Energy Resource Institute (TERI) researchers have now shown how crop residue can be used to chill milk in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana.
Punjab and Haryana reports the highest land productivity for rice at four tonnes per hectare. A joint report of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) shows Punjab and Haryana are India’s top rice and wheat producers, contributing almost 15% of India’s entire rice production.

A survey by Trendrr in February 2019 placed Punjab at 5th position in the list of top milk producing states of the country, with 9.714 million tonnes, which is 7% of the total milk production in the country. Haryana has been ranked at eighth position, producing 7.04 million tonnes of milk in a year.
The TERI study explored how biomass from crop residue could be turned into fuel. Paddy straw is a good source of fuel, and could cater to the local requirement for fuel and electricity. It can also be used to generate power to run decentralised cold storage facilities for storing crop yields for longer and keeping milk chilled.
Sunil Dhingra, senior fellow at TERI said, “Crop residue burning has now been established as a major cause of air pollution. This is a concern even for public health as around 35 million tonnes of crop residue are burnt every year in Punjab and Haryana alone, with the two states forming the grain bowls of India. These two states have a predominant paddy-wheat cropping pattern. The high water demand of these crops is badly affecting groundwater. One of the solutions is for farmers to shift to horticultural crops such as fruits and vegetables. However, such crops are perishable and require cold storage so farmers can take them to far away markets for profitable deals. Paddy straw can be used as fuel for running decentralised cold storages to store horticulture produce and chill milk in the village. This could encourage more farmers to grow horticultural and other crops.”
One task, however, is setting up bio-waste collection and supply chain mechanisms. The study shows that there is a huge demand for solid fuels such as coal and fuel wood in the local economy. These, however, are expensive as they have to be transported over long distances. So it might prove cheaper and more efficient to have a biomass supply chain mechanism involving entrepreneurs who could set up facilities to convert paddy straw into useful forms such as briquettes, pellets etc to generate energy.
“We need policy initiatives to encourage crop residue collection and processing. Farmers should be offered viable options of disposing bio-waste,” Dhingra said, adding that existing policy already has directives to utilize bio-waste for different purposes. “Alternative uses of crop residue should be analysed, and costs and benefits should be properly assessed.”
The government should also spread awareness about the uses of crop residue, the scientist said, adding that low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants and advanced energy efficient cooling technologies for agriculture could be developed with proper collaboration between academia and industry.
Meanwhile the Agriculture department of Punjab government has also urged the Rural Development and Panchayats department for barring farmers cultivating panchayat land who indulge in stubble burning from taking panchayat land on lease in future, with a view to ensure clean, green and pollution free environment in the state this winter.
Secretary agriculture Kahan Singh Pannu revealed that there were nearly 1.37 lakh acres of Panchayati land under agriculture, where this unhealthy practice of open stubble burning could be averted effectively through coherent compliance of government orders issued under Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The department has sent a communiqué to panchayats department for issuing requisite directions in this regard so that farmers cultivating Panchayati lands can be apprised about the proposal, which may disqualify them from bidding process of these lands in next auction, in case they indulge in stubble burning after harvesting paddy.
Referring to celebration of 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in the coming November in the state, Pannu said that it was our bounden duty to keep Punjab’s environment safe and healthy on this pious occasion as millions of devotees from across the globe will be visiting the religious places associated with first Sikh Guru in different parts of the state. In reverence to this historic event, besides upholding the ideology of Guru Nanak to protect natural resources, the farmers should refrain from burning of paddy straw which poses serious threat to the environment, soil texture as well as human health, he added.

Emphasizing the need to sensitize the farmers holding Panchayati lands against the ill-effects of crop residue burning, he said that the Rural Development and panchayats department should launch a massive drive to persuade the farmers to abstain from this practice.
Pannu pointed out that the state agriculture department had already ordered to impound the combine harvester machines functioning without Super Straw Management System . He said that no harvester combine shall be allowed to harvest paddy in Punjab without installation of Super Straw Management System which cuts the straw into small pieces, thereby helping the farmers to manage it without resorting to burning.

City researchers document sustainable livelihood ways

By Himanshu NitnawareHimanshu Nitnaware, Pune Mirror | Updated: Sep 30, 2019, 06:00 IST

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Residents of Umbhrande, Kalmuste, Jambhulwadi and Harshewadi villages are being observed

They are studying lives of tribal communities near Nashik, who source much from nearby forests

City researchers are working to document the sustainable livelihood practices followed by tribal communities living near Nashik. The inhabitants of Umbhrande, Kalmuste, Jambhulwadi and Harshewadi villages in Trimbakeshwar taluka, about 25 km from Nashik, live in a way that can offer insights to how natural resources needed every day could be conserved.

“These people survive on nearly Rs 50 a month. The reason is that most ingredients and vegetables for daily consumption are sourced from the nearby forest,” said Anish Pardeshi, one of the researchers working on the project, adding that wild vegetables are aplenty and many spices or material required to cook them can also be found from the forest. “Rice and millet are grown while other materials are sourced from the natural forest,” he said, informing that the washing of utensils is also done by scrubbing with particular leaves from plants.

The researcher said that since the daily livelihood is dependent on forest, residents make sure to plant the trees they require. “This is a true example of conservation as the population is sensitive and valuing the precious resources they depend on,” he said.

Amit Wadekar, project coordinator and member of Vanrai, said the vast knowledge of the locals is being documented. “The work is being done under the sustainable rural development funded by CTR Manufacturing Industries and to ensure that all-natural resources which are sustainable are conserved. The tribals take up only one crop annually and six months depend entirely on forest produce,” he said.

The coordinator said that a number of watershed programmes have been initiated as the population faces water issues during summer despite surplus rainfall of about 2,500 mm during monsoons.

“The People Biodiversity Register (PBR) is being prepared to map the biodiversity known by the locals. There are native names of insects, plants, berries, fruits and others. However, as the area is less studied. It is unknown if the scientific community is aware of the same or not,” Wadekar said.

Speaking to Mirror, he said that scientists may be able to discover new species altogether. “The natural resources, if consumed in large quantities, face a threat. For example, there are already instances of locals claiming an increase in the rat population in fields. The reason is the decline in the owl and snake populations,” Wadekar said, elaborating that hence, conservation of wildlife and other species becomes an integral part of their survival and livelihood.

“The villagers, students from neighbouring areas studying science and conservationists from Nashik would all contribute towards documentation, eventually developing into conservation efforts,” he said.

Wadekar said that locals will also be informed about keeping the habitat intact especially for endemic species and effective management of natural resources. “Some tribals who moved to use a hybrid variety of seeds already faced issues. Hence, they were told to switch back to the traditional and indigenous varieties,” he added.

The researcher said that some local varieties found in abundance are exploited and sold commercially. “Awareness towards conservation and preserving the vital elements of the food chain therefore becomes important at the grass root level,” he added.