Insect or
virus? How plants know
OCTOBER
15, 2019
by
Steinar Brandslet, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology
A model organism like thale cress
(Arabidopsis thaliana) is used in plant research because many of its properties
are considered to be more or less representative. Credit: Shutterstock, NTB
Scanpix
Most
plants have plenty of enemies, from insects and other grazing creatures to
various diseases, droughts and many other stressors.
As
with humans, plants respond to injuries or illnesses by initiating various
defense measures. But a viral infection requires a completely different
response than desiccation, of course.
To
know more about its attacker, the cell relies on mechanical and chemical signals,
much in the same way that we use our senses to figure out what we might be
willing to eat in an exotic restaurant. Smell and taste are chemical cues, the
structure of food is a mechanical cue.
Humans
respond appropriately to what their senses tell them because they have
dedicated structures that allow both simple responses (reflexes) and more
complex ones (fight or flight), both of which are controlled by a unifying and
coordinating centers (the brain).
So
how do brainless plants defend themselves appropriately?
Research
valuable for food crops
The
answers to this question may be especially important as scientists develop new
varieties of food crops like rice and maize. The research has great potential
value, both financially and in meeting the food needs of an ever-growing human
population. Corn accounts for around 40 percent of the world's grain supply.
Rice is the main food source for about half of the world's population.
A
review article recently published in Nature Plants provides
some of the answers to this question.
Cell walls are dynamic structures
that provide mechanical support during growth and development and that help the
plant adapt to environmental change. Credit: Vaahtera et al, Nature Plants
Thorsten
Hamann is a professor at NTNU's Department of Biology and was the senior author
of the publication. He and several colleagues are working with a plant called
thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). This small flowering plant is widely
used in research as what is called a model organism.
A model organism like
thale cress is used in plant research because many of its properties are
considered to be more or less representative of food and bioenergy crop plants,
such as rice, brassica, poplar and maize. But thale cress is much faster and
easier for researchers to work with.
Cell
walls aren't just dead material
Decades
ago, biologists regarded the plant's outer cell walls as little more than dead
material that held up the rest of the plant's more important and exciting
parts. But that belief no longer holds.
"Cell
walls are dynamic structures that provide mechanical support during growth and
development and that help the plant adapt to environmental change,"
says Hamann.
A
plant's cell walls are much stronger than the thin structures surrounding human
cells, which can also give rise to our skin. This is necessary because the
pressure inside plant cells is roughly equivalent to the pressure in our car
tires. The cell walls are largely made up of cellulose microfibers, a strong
material that can handle this pressure.
"The
plant walls make sure that the cells don't explode," Hamann notes.
But
the abilities of the cell walls go significantly above and beyond preventing
explosions.
Rice is the main food source for
about half of the world’s population. Credit: Shutterstock, NTB Scanpix
The
plasma membrane
If
the cell walls are to respond to environmental changes in an adaptive manner,
there must be a mechanism in place that allows them to do this. This mechanism
must monitor the state of the cell wall and
initiate changes in cell metabolism to allow it to adapt.
This
mechanism has actually been previously described in yeast cells, the single-celled organisms that
can be used to make beer, bread or wine. This suggests that the plant mechanism
is derived from an ancient process that regulated interactions between
single-celled organisms and their environment already a long time ago.
Professor
Hamann's lab has been investigating how plant mechanisms act and has shown how
these mechanisms help with plant defense and development.
Currently,
postdoctoral fellow Lauri Vaahtera and Ph.D. candidate Julia Schulz are working
on understanding the principles that regulate the mechanism and alter the
plants' chemical composition.
"The
outer part of the cell wall is rigid, but between the cell wall and the rest of
the cell is a plasma membrane that
is responsive to changes in the cell walls. A lot of the defense activity is
coordinated in this transition area, called the apoplast, between the outer
cell wall and the rest of the cell," Hamann says.
Short
protein molecules called peptides are central to the process, because they can
function as signaling agents. These signaling agents bind to different
receptors to trigger specific defense responses depending on the type of
stress.
Plant cells are able to integrate
different inputs and activate differential responses using tightly interwoven
and complex mechanisms, where mechanical signals caused by mechanical stressors
like locusts and chemical signals like PAMPs and peptides are combined to
fine-tune responses. Credit: Vaahtera et al, Nature Plants
Regulating
responses through changes in acidity
"One
way that plants induce
specific defense measures is by changing acidity (pH) in the apoplast when
exposed to stress," says Hamann.
Take
for example a plant that is exposed to a mechanical stressor, like a locust
chewing on a leaf.
The
chewing locust damages the cell wall and causes a loss of pressure in the
containment. This triggers a reaction requiring the plasma membrane localized
receptor THESEUS1, or THE1 for short. The reaction in turn activates defense
measures designed to prevent further pressure loss by initiating repairs.
The
defense measures also involve other receptors and are regulated by RALF
peptides. One of them (RALF34) binds to THE1, in a pH dependent manner. For
example, at pH 7.8, the peptide binds very strong to the plasma membrane
localized receptor, while at the more acidic pH of 6.5, binding is not
detectable.
The
researchers say it is important to note that the pH is not regulated by
mechanical stressors alone but also by other signaling agents, such as
something called PAMPs, which are derived from pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
Thus, changes in the pH can be caused by several inputs and can thus integrate
these different inputs to activate responses suitable for either chewing
locusts or bacteria.
This
means that the pH functions almost like an on/off switch, although the NTNU
researchers think it may actually work like a dimmer switch, where the extent
of the acidity, and thus the response, can be regulated in a graduated manner.
Complex,
interwoven mechanisms
In
other words, plant cells are
able to integrate different inputs and activate differential responses using
tightly interwoven and complex mechanisms, where mechanical signals caused by
mechanical stressors like locusts and chemical signals like PAMPs and peptides
are combined to fine-tune responses.
What's
most notable is that there is no central entity, like a brain, that drives the
response. Instead, every single plant cell is theoretically capable of
responding to the different inputs. It's almost as if the whole plant consists
of a multitude of single cell-sized computing units.
TS showcases PDS reforms at national
meet
HYDERABAD, OCTOBER
14, 2019 23:43 IST
Commissioner of Civil Supplies
Akun Sabharwal has stated that Telangana government has curbed malpractices to
a large extent in the public distribution system with the help of technology in
every aspect linked to it.
Speaking at a two-day national
conference of State/UT Food Secretaries on PDS Reforms & New Initiatives at
Kevadiya in Gujarat on Monday, he said being the youngest State in the country
Telangana had achieved good results with reforms and technology. He also made a
power point presentation on the implementation of reforms, new technology and
success achieved by Telangana Civil Supplies Department in the Public
Distribution System.
Mr. Sabharwal said as per 2011
Census, population of Telangana was 3.51 crore and there were 87.72 lakh food
security cards with 2.81 crore beneficiaries. Every eligible beneficiary was
being given 6 kg of rice at ₹1 per kilo. In May 2018, Ration Portability was introduced for
better service to beneficiaries to avail ration from anywhere in the State and
about 13 lakh transactions were being done every month as part of it.
Besides PDS they had also
introduced a mobile app for transparency and accountability in paddy
procurement. Online Procurement Management System, Geo-Tagging of Paddy
Procurement Centres (PPCs), Miller Acknowledgement, T-Ration and T-Wallet Apps
were also made available for better services.
Buhari's
minister says there is no hunger in Nigeria
Today at 9:37 AM
Nanono said this at a news conference on Monday in Abuja as
part of activities to mark the 2019 World Food Day being celebrated
internationally on Oct. 16.
Alhaji Muhammad Sabo-Nanono, Minister of Agriculture
[Twitter/@NanonoSabo]
Alhaji Muhammad Sabo-Nanono, Minister of Agriculture
[Twitter/@NanonoSabo]
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono
says Nigeria is producing enough to feed itself, contrary to the narrative in
some quarters that there is hunger in the land.
Nanono said this at a news conference on Monday in Abuja as part of
activities to mark the 2019 World Food Day being celebrated internationally on
Oct. 16.
He said it was wrong to promote the idea that there was hunger
in Nigeria, adding that there were only inconveniences being addressed by the
Federal Government and relevant stakeholders like the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO).
According to the minister, the world food day is set aside to
discuss food production.
“From what I am seeing in this
conference room, there is no sign of hunger but obesity. Only a few people like
me are either trying to balance their diet or is it fasting that is responsible
for the way some of us look?
“The policy of the present government
for us to feed ourselves is key. In the process value chains are being created
to empower people and give out some jobs.
“I think we are producing
enough now to feed ourselves and I think there is no hunger but if you say
inconveniences I would agree.
“When people talk about hunger
I laugh because they do not know hunger. If you go to other countries you will
see what hunger is.
“Food in Nigeria is fairly
cheap compared to other countries. In kano for instance, you can eat N30 worth
of food and be satisfied. So, we should be thankful that we can feed ourselves
and we have relatively cheap food in this country,” he said.
On fears that insecurity and flood may lead to food shortage,
the minister said while it was true that there were challenges in some states.
According to him, reports from Gombe and Bauchi states where I
visited a few days ago, showed that there will be bumper harvest.
“Although, there has been flood
and insurgency but I think the surplus that will be created in other parts of
the country will balance up food shortage in other areas.
“In Nigeria, we are lucky that
one of the food security spot is in Dawano market, Kano. But what we need is to
reorganise our markets to solve the problem of malnutrition and other
issues,” he said.
The minister noted the narrative of hunger was erroneous, noting
that Nigeria was a buffer zone for migration for the the rest of West African
sub regions.
He explained that there were lots of people from other African
countries in Nigeria, who often blend into the system and were not easily
identified except for their assent.
On border closure, Nanono said that the report from farmers and
dealers in rice and other commodities was that of commendation.
He said although many people were not comfortable with the development
when it happened, the testimonies that followed the closure were encouraging.
The minister said, “I think when the government came out with the rice policy, most
people felt uneasy because they are used to imported rice, which sometimes are
expired but we are now seeing the benefit.
“Some of our neighbouring
countries are using Nigeria as dumping ground and efforts to let them know
failed. So we closed the borders to sensitise them on the implications of that.
“One of the largest producers
of Nigeria rice was in my office after the closure of the borders and they had
about 600 tonnes of rice in the warehouse but that within the week the borders
were closed 50 per cent was sold and farmers are smiling.
“So, as long as the countries
will not respect the protocol, the border closure will remain.”
On rejection of Nigerian products in the international market,
Nanono said efforts were being made to engage relevant inspection agencies to
access and certify products for export.
On high cost of imported wheat, the minister said if Nigerians
decide to stop consuming wheat bread the problem would be tackled.
According to him, bread is food for the elite and ordinary
Nigerians eat more of local foods for breakfast than bread that can be done
away with.
Nanono urged Nigerians, particularly the aged, to eat balanced
diet, exercise regularly to shed weight, adding that there was a need for
continued sensitisation on healthy living.
New
USA Rice Trade Policy VP is a Familiar Face
|
ARLINGTON, VA -- Peter
Bachmann has rejoined USA Rice as vice president of international trade
policy directing all of USA Rice's trade policy initiatives and programs.
 Peter most recently served as senior advisor to Secretary Sonny Perdue at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), focusing on farm production, conservation, and trade issues. Prior to joining USDA in April 2017, he worked at USA Rice, primarily on domestic farm policy, and prior to that, for the National Association of Conservation Districts. Peter earned his bachelor's degree in dairy science at Virginia Tech, and grew up in the agriculture industry and exhibited livestock through the 4-H program in his home state of Maryland. "Secretary Perdue gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to work with the dedicated career and political staff at USDA over the last two and a half years," said Peter. "In that time we saw the 2018 Farm Bill drafted, passed, and mostly implemented, along with several other pieces of historic farm policy. I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective back to USA Rice after my brief hiatus, and getting back on the ground working with the industry promoting exports and market access for U.S.-grown rice." |
|
Webinar
Series on Sustainability Starts Tomorrow
By Lydia Holmes
MEMPHIS, TN -- A new
webinar series focused on the impressive sustainability record of the U.S.
rice industry makes its debut tomorrow at 12:00 noon EDT. The webinars
are an extension of the work done around the U.S. Rice Industry
Sustainability Report, and are open to anyone interested in learning about
rice sustainability efforts and practices.
 The first in the four-part series hosted by the American Society of Agronomy and sponsored by The Rice Foundation and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, is titled "U.S. Rice: Sustainability Powerhouse." "The U.S. rice industry's commitment to sustainability dates back generations, long before the word "sustainability" became a popular, if difficult to define, term," said Jennifer James, Arkansas rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee. "In the first webinar, you'll hear from U.S. rice farmers on why preserving resources and providing habitat is important to them, and why end users are making investments around the implementation of more sustainable practices." Tomorrow's webinar speakers include James; Bill Jones, rice agronomy manager with Anheuser-Busch, Paul Buttner, manager of environmental affairs at the California Rice Commission; and George Dunklin, past president of Duck's Unlimited. Continuing education units (CEUs) are available for this webinar although you do not have to be a certified crop advisor or professional agronomist to sign up. Go here to register. |
||||
|
New
USA Rice Trade Policy VP is a Familiar Face
ARLINGTON,
VA -- Peter Bachmann has rejoined USA Rice as vice president of international
trade policy directing all of USA Rice's trade policy initiatives and
programs.
Peter most recently served as senior advisor to Secretary Sonny Perdue at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), focusing on farm production, conservation, and trade issues. Prior to joining USDA in April 2017, he worked at USA Rice, primarily on domestic farm policy, and prior to that, for the National Association of Conservation Districts. Peter earned his bachelor's degree in dairy science at Virginia Tech, and grew up in the agriculture industry and exhibited livestock through the 4-H program in his home state of Maryland. "Secretary Perdue gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to work with the dedicated career and political staff at USDA over the last two and a half years," said Peter. "In that time we saw the 2018 Farm Bill drafted, passed, and mostly implemented, along with several other pieces of historic farm policy. I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective back to USA Rice after my brief hiatus, and getting back on the ground working with the industry promoting exports and market access for U.S.-grown rice." |
Natural infiltration helps water quality in rice
Rice
has a good story to tell.
U.S. rice fields provide natural
filtration systems that help farmers improve the quality of the water used to
irrigate those crops.
That’s how Lydia Holmes, manager
of industry affairs and sustainability for USA Rice, described one of the
positive environmental impacts of the crop during a presentation at the
Mississippi County Rice Irrigation Field Day near Blytheville, Ark.
“No-till, minimum-till – these
are practices that are helping with water quality,” she said. “We don’t have
specific metrics for this topic yet – all of the data we’re using
are Field to Market, and they have recently implemented new water quality
metrics.
“But rice has a good story here
to tell, as well,” she noted, referring to a slide listing good management
practices for improving water quality. “Rice is a natural filtration system,
and anyone who pulls water in and uses it on rice can see the water you put in
is dirtier than the water you get out.”
Those other practices include the
use of grass filter strips and buffers, integrated pest management and the 4R
Nutrient Management System, which is putting the right amount of fertilizer
from the right sources at the right place and the right time.
“With IPM you try to stay within
your pesticide budget, only putting out as much as you need when you need it,”
she said. “These are things you’re already doing, but these are some of the
buzzwords consumers really want to hear about.”
Rice farmers have reduced
greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent since the 1980s. “That’s from using such
practices as alternate wetting and drying or AWD, letting your soils dry out
somewhat and reducing those emissions.”
Growers have also been switching
their pumping systems to utilize more efficient fuel sources, a practice that
has helped reduce rice energy consumption by 34 percent over the 36 years since
the 1980s benchmark.
The creation of habitat for waterfowl is one of the rice
industry’s best-known sustainability stories, she noted. Studies by USA Rice
and Ducks Unlimited show that recreating that habitat if rice fields went away
would cost upwards of $3.4 billion.
CL farmers see 3.6-m ton rice yield
San Fernando,
Pampanga—Central Luzon, the rice granary of the country, continues to have
bountiful harvests despite markets being flooded by imported rice.
Benjamin
Balthazar, operations officer of the Department of Agriculture in Central Luzon
said about 200,000 farmers in the region have started harvesting their palay
since last month.
“We are
expecting to harvest about 3.6 million metric tons, especially this season,”
Balthazar said.
The top palay
producers in the region remain in Nueva Ecija, which is contributing 50 percent
of the production, followed by Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales and Bataan
in order.
Despite the
bountiful harvest, farmers continue to lose profits due to the low farmgate
prices of rice, which is pegged at P11 to P 13 per kilo and P 19 for clean rice
per kilo.
Farmers in the
region are cultivating an estimated 400,000 hectares of land across six
provinces.
According to
Baltazar, farmers need to invest P12 to produce a kilo of rice.
To assist them,
the DAR continues to organize the Rice Processing Complex, which aims to market
their produce directly to customers instead of rice traders to minimize
farmers’ losses.
At present,
there are 18 rice complexes operating in the region, Baltazar said, as farmers
also received equipment like dryers, seeds, and other farming aids.
He admitted
that the region lacks rice dryers for the farmers to use.
In a related
development, the provincial government of Pampanga distributed a total of 28
carabaos in the province to help farmers to augment their income.
Dr. Augusto
Baluyut, provincial veterinary officer, said the carabaos were distributed in
Candaba, Arayat, Mexico, Sta. Ana, Porac, Lubao, Sta. Rita, Magalang, and the
city of San Fernando.
Baluyut said
the carabao dispersal is a joint project of Gov. Dennis Pineda and the
Department of Agriculture Field Office 3.
China's low
demand causes rice price to fall to 12-year low
15/10/2019 14:35
GMT+7
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development has attributed the lowest rice price in 12 years to low
demand from China, as many Vietnamese exporters continue to fail to meet this
market’s requirements.
 |
|
Rice is packaged for export at a plant owned by
Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC in Can Tho City - PHOTO: VNA
|
At a press briefing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on October 14, Nguyen Quoc Toan, head of the Farm Produce Processing and Market Development Department, under the ministry, noted that the ministry had predicted that the country would face difficulties in exporting rice this year, news site Vietnamplus reported.
Specifically, Vietnam’s major
importers, such as China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, have reduced their rice
imports.
As for China, Vietnamese rice
exporters are facing increased competition as China has welcomed other
countries, such as Myanmar and Cambodia, to supply rice to its market.
Tran Cong Thang, deputy head of
the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development,
pointed out that in the past two months, Vietnam’s 5% broken rice prices have
fallen to US$325 per ton, the lowest level since November 2007.
The main reason is that China has
tightened control over the quality of rice imports and diversified its rice
suppliers.
According to Deputy Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, the slower global growth has
also affected Vietnam’s rice export volume. Further, technical barriers on food
safety and origin traceability have hindered the export of local farm produce,
including rice.
Toan from the Farm Produce
Processing and Market Development Department proposed removing obstacles to the
export of rice to China and boosting rice shipments to the Philippines and
Africa.
According to the department,
Vietnam exported 5.2 million tons of rice worth US$2.24 billion in the
January-September period this year, up 5.9% in volume but down 9.8% in value
over the same period last year. The Philippines was Vietnam’s largest rice
buyer in the period, accounting for over 36% of the country’s total rice export
volume. SGT
Rosy forecast for rice in Q4
Hin Pisei | Publication date 14 October 2019 |
22:59 ICT
Cambodia’s rice exports to the European market are expected to
grow in the fourth quarter. Heng Chivoan
After three consecutive quarters
of decline, Cambodia’s rice exports to the European market are expected to grow
in the fourth quarter following a Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) working
group’s visit to the EU to promote the produce, CRF president Song Saran said.
The exports dropped sharply in
the first nine months after the EU imposed tariffs on the Kingdom’s rice at the
beginning of this year.
Saran led the working group to
several European countries to meet with various parties and look into issues
related to Cambodian rice.
Following the EU’s import duty on
Cambodian rice, price competition with other countries led to a decline in
exports to Europe, he said.
“Europe is still a potential
market for Cambodian rice and we are currently looking for real demand. We have
to diversify our markets according to the needs of the European market.
“I hope that rice exports to the
European market will increase by the end of 2019,” said Saran.
A CRF report shows that the
Kingdom’s rice exports reached 398,586 tonnes in the first nine months of this
year – up 2.3 per cent from the same period last year, or 389,264 tonnes.
Rice shipments to the Chinese
market stood at 157,793 tonnes during the period. This was up more than 44 per
cent year-on-year. But exports to Europe fell to 135,471 tonnes, or down nearly
30 per cent.
The rest was exported to Asean
markets, said the report.
Saran said he spoke with German
Member of Parliament Martin Patzelt about concerns of the possible withdrawal
of the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ agreement, which would strongly impact
Cambodian farmers.
In France, he lobbied
representatives of Ethiquable – a French cooperative specialising in organic
products – to increase its orders of Cambodian rice, he said.
Last year, Ethiquable bought
around 120 tonnes of rice from the Kingdom, while this year’s orders were a
mere 100 tonnes, said Saran.
He expects that Cambodian rice
exports to international markets this year will be between 650,000 and 750,000
tonnes, which is a slight increase on last year.
Bayon Cereal Co Ltd CEO Yon
Sovann said exports will rebound by the end of the year, following the steady
decline in Cambodian rice exports to the European market.
“The CRF’s efforts to explore
additional markets for Cambodian rice will help boost exports to Europe by the
end of the year,” he said.
Thailand’s Government Commences Rice Price
Guarantee Scheme
“Farmers who grow white
rice will be paid 2,469.64 a tonne. While those growing fragrant Pathum Thani
rice will get 783.45 baht a tonne,” he said.
October 15, 2019
By
Farmers who grow white rice will
begin receiving cash handouts under the rice price-guarantee scheme, says
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.
The Bank for Agriculture and
Agricultural Cooperatives will hand out money to registered farmers, Jurin
said. However only if the prices of their rice crops fall below a predetermined
market level.
Should rice prices drop below the
cap that the difference in prices will be shouldered by the state-owned bank.
“Farmers who grow white rice will
be paid 2,469.64 a tonne. While those growing fragrant Pathum Thani rice will
get 783.45 baht a tonne,” he said.
Under the scheme, the price of
white rice paddy is guaranteed at 10,000 baht a tonne for a maximum of 30
tonnes per household.
Guaranteed
Price for Rice Paddy
Meanwhile, the guaranteed price for
Pathum Thani rice paddy is set at 11,000 baht a tonne for a maximum of 25
tonnes per household.
Mr Jurin will officially launch the
scheme — which will expire in October 2020 — in Ayutthaya’s Lat Bua Luang district.
“At present, three other types of
white rice paddy in the price-guarantee program. Namely Thai Hom Mali, regional
fragrant rice varieties and glutinous rice with 15% moisture content. They
fetch high prices in the market, so we won’t pay the difference,” he said.
If the prices of Thai Hom Mali,
regional fragrant white rice varieties and glutinous rice begins to decline,
then the government will step in to guarantee their prices.
“Farmers who grow Thai Hom Mali white rice paddy will have their crop prices
guaranteed; up to a maximum of 14 tonnes per household; while price guarantees
for those growing regional fragrant rice varieties and glutinous rice will be
limited to 16 tonnes per household,” he said.
Mr Jurin also said he will also ask
the cabinet to approve another price-guarantee scheme for rubber.
“If the rubber price-guarantee
scheme get the green light from the cabinet. Officials can start paying the
difference to farmers as early as November,” he said.
Granaries
Overflowing, Food Dept Suggests Export Of Wheat, Rice To Deserving Countries
The Logical Indian CrewIndia
October 15th, 2019 / 8:28 PM / Updated 17 hours ago
The government has decided to
liquidate its grain stocks to prevent damage and cut down the transportation
cost beyond the requirement as the granaries of Food Corporation of India are
overflowing.
The Department of Food and Public
Distribution has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to explore the
possibility of export of wheat and rice from the surplus stock available with
FCI, through G2G (government-to-government) basis in the form of humanitarian
aid to deserving countries, The Indian Express reported.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution had made similar requests to the MEA twice in the
last two years. Over the years, procurement of wheat and rice in the central
pool has increased, leading to the accumulation of surplus stock with
FCI. The situation in contrast with the World Hunger Index figures, which
ranked India 102. The index placed India in the ‘serious’ category with
children having “low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.”
As per stocking norms, the total
requirement of food grain in the central pool as of July 1 was 411.20 lakh
tonnes, and as of October 1 307.70 lakh tonnes. However, as of September 1, the
stock available in the central pool was 669.15 lakh tonnes (254.25 lakh tonnes
of rice and 414.90 lakh tonnes of wheat).
“The present procurement and
lifting pattern of wheat and rice indicate that in the near future, FCI may
have to carry huge and undisposed stocks, leading to not only blockage of
borrowed funds but difficulty in accommodating new crop of wheat and rice due
to occupation of space by the old stocks,” a note prepared by the Department of
Food & Public Distribution stated.
“Therefore, for it would be in
our interest to liquidate at least a part of the surplus stock of wheat and
rice available with the FCI by offering the same as humanitarian aid to
deserving foreign countries,” it further stated.
Phone Uthao, India Ko Padhao’ Initiative:
What If You Could Just ‘Take A Call’ And Educate India?
Free-Food Canteen With An Adjacent Organic
Farm Opens In Kerala, State Finance Minister Serves Food On The First Day
Social progress, it is believed
comes when collective action is taken by the people. Many of us in a way want
to do something to give back to the nation, to contribute in modest ways. But
more often than not, we do not know what to do or where to begin. In such a
scenario, what if someone told you that you can now do a lot just by taking a
phone call and only for 10 minutes a week.
Nihar Shanti Amla in its
nationally launched ‘Phone Uthao India Ko Padhao’ program aims to connect the
educated urban adults to the underprivileged children through just a phone
call- to teach them basic spoken English. The #PhoneUthaoIndiaKoPadhao or
‘Take a call’ campaign gives the under-resourced and underprivileged children the
opportunity to talk to urban volunteers who speak fluent English in their day
to day lives.
“Phone Uthao India Ko Padhao” was
born under the ‘Paathshala Funwala’ umbrella, a parent project of
the brand when they realised that while the kids could learn English through
their free of cost, IVR based modules, they couldn’t imbibe it comprehensively
because they lacked an ecosystem where they could actually practise the
language. But the question always remains, ‘Why English?’
Nihar Shanti Amla believes that
English is widely considered to be a marker of progress and in most places, it
also enhances employability. However knowing English and speaking the language
are two very different things. They also believe that education is the core
foundation of growth. In order to impart quality learning through a medium that
connects well with children, they have been running multiple programmes under
the ‘Paathshala Funwala’ that started five years ago and taught spoken English
to kids in a fun manner free of cost. Over the past few years, ‘Paathshala
Funwala’ has led massive rural outreach programmes that have positively
impacted more than 7500 villages with call volumes nearing 8.5 lakh from 3 lakh
unique children in these villages in the past 1 year.
Besides, Nihar Shanti Amla, as a
progressive brand also works with Educate Girls (EG), an NGO which provides
quality education for all underserved and marginalized girls by mobilizing
public, private and community resources thus improving access to education,
school quality and achieving behavioural, social and economic transformation
for all girls in India’s gender gap districts thereby creating an India where
all children have equal opportunities to access quality education. In the past
year, the program has impacted over two lakh beneficiaries in Dhar, Madhya
Pradesh and in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
The Logical Indian believes that
the #PhoneUthaoIndiaKoPadhao initiative has given the power to
every single individual to simply pick up a phone and change the face of
education in India from their place of comfort. It is a simple, thoughtful and
yet a very powerful endeavour carried out by the brand.
This International Literacy Day,
all it takes is 10 minutes to make a difference to a child’s life. You
can register as a volunteer and be a part of this
movement.
Dominicans eat
50,000 tons of rice monthly; demand met
Santo Domingo.- Dominicans consume about 50,000
tons of rice each month, or 33,333 quintals per day, according to National Rice
Producers Federation (Fenarroz) president Mauricio María.
Although the drought impacted more than 3,000
hectares of rice fields in the Northwest, the production that is currently
available is enough to meet the demand of consumers across the country.
“There is no fear in supplying the demand of
the Dominicans. We have a projection that we don’t have to import rice, we have
enough rice. Right now we have four million quintals stored ready to go to
market,” the producer told Diario Libre.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, between January
and August rice production reached 8,528,734 quintals. The institution also
reported that the area harvested in the same period was 111,000 hectares.
9 Surprising Benefits of Rice
Bran Oil
If you buy something through a
link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How
this works.
Rice bran oil is extracted from
rice bran, the outer layer of the rice grain.
It’s commonly used as a cooking
oil in many Asian countries, including Japan, India, and China.
As a byproduct of rice milling,
rice bran is usually used as animal feed or discarded as waste. Yet, it has
recently gained attention for its potential health benefits as an oil.
Here are 9 impressive benefits of
rice bran oil.
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1. Contains beneficial nutrients
Rice bran oil provides healthy
fats and a variety of other nutrients.
One tablespoon (14 ml) packs 120
calories and 14 grams of fat (1).
Similarly to other nontropical
vegetable oils like canola and olive oil, rice bran oil contains higher
proportions of heart-healthy unsaturated fat than saturated fat.
It also boasts 29% of the Daily
Value (DV) for vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin involved in immune
function and blood vessel health (1, 2).
Other compounds in rice bran oil,
such as tocotrienols, oryzanol, and plant sterols, have been studied for their
health benefits (3Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Rice bran oil is a good source of unsaturated fats, vitamin E,
and other important nutrients.
2. May support healthy blood sugar levels
Rice bran oil may support healthy
blood sugar levels by improving insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2
diabetes (4Trusted Source).
Insulin lowers blood sugar by
transporting sugar into your cells. Yet, if you develop insulin resistance, your body stops responding to
this hormone.
In a test-tube study in mouse
cells, rice bran oil reduced insulin resistance by neutralizing free radicals,
which are unstable molecules that may lead to oxidative stress (5Trusted Source).
In a 17-day study in mice with
type 2 diabetes, rice bran oil significantly lowered blood sugar levels by increasing insulin
levels, compared with the control group (6Trusted Source).
A human study found similar
results. The morning after 19 healthy men ate a single meal containing 3.7
grams of rice bran mixed in oil, their blood sugar levels dropped 15%, compared
with those who didn’t eat this ingredient (7Trusted Source).
Yet, no changes in insulin levels
occurred, suggesting that rice bran oil may even support healthy blood sugar
levels without affecting insulin (8Trusted Source).
As such, more research is needed.
SUMMARY
Rice bran oil may help lower
blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance, though more human studies
are necessary.
3. May promote heart health
Rice bran oil may promote heart health (9Trusted Source).
In fact, the Japanese government
recognizes this oil as a health food because of its cholesterol-lowering
effects (3Trusted Source).
Early studies in mice show that
rice bran oil significantly lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol while boosting HDL
(good) cholesterol (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Human studies likewise note that
this oil reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol (12Trusted Source).
A review of 11 randomized,
controlled trials in 344 people linked rice bran oil intake to significantly
lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels — an average drop of 6.91 mg/dL. Just a 1
mg/dL decrease in LDL can reduce heart disease risk by 1–2% (13Trusted Source).
Eight of the studies involved
people with hyperlipidemia, or high concentrations of fat in the blood, while
the remaining ones monitored people without this condition.
In a 4-week study in people with
hyperlipidemia, following a low-calorie diet with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of rice
bran oil per day led to significantly decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol, as well
as reductions in other heart disease risk factors, such as body weight and hip
circumference (14Trusted Source).
Researchers attributed the improvements in cholesterol levels to the oil’s
plant sterols, which prevent your body from absorbing cholesterol.
SUMMARY
Rice bran oil may reduce heart disease risk by improving
cholesterol levels.
4. Has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
Several compounds in rice bran
oil have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
One of these compounds is
oryzanol, which has been shown to suppress several enzymes that promote
inflammation (15Trusted Source).
In particular, it may target
inflammation in your blood vessels and heart membrane. If untreated, this
inflammation can trigger atherosclerosis — the hardening and narrowing of the
arteries, which can lead to heart disease (16Trusted Source).
Furthermore, test-tube studies in
mouse cells reveal that other active compounds called tocotrienols inhibit inflammation (17Trusted Source).
In a 4-week study, 59 people with
hyperlipidemia took either 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of rice bran oil or soybean
oil. Compared with soybean oil, rice bran oil significantly increased
people’s antioxidant capacity, which may help combat oxidative
stress (18Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Several active compounds in rice bran oil, including oryzanol
and tocotrienols, may provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
5. May have anticancer effects
Tocotrienols, a group of
antioxidants in rice bran oil, may have anticancer effects.
Test-tube and animal studies
indicate that tocotrienols suppress the growth of various cancer cells,
including those of the breast, lung, ovary, liver, brain, and pancreas (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
In one test-tube study,
tocotrienols from rice bran oil seemed to protect human and animal cells
exposed to ionizing radiation, high levels of which may cause harmful effects
like cancer (21Trusted Source).
Additional test-tube studies
reveal that tocotrienols have strong anticancer effects when combined with
other anticancer drugs or chemotherapy (22Trusted Source).
However, it’s controversial to
supplement with antioxidants, such as tocotrienols, during chemotherapy. That’s
because research is mixed on whether doing so boosts or impairs treatment (23)Trusted Source.
Thus, more studies are necessary.
Keep in mind that rice bran oil should not be considered a treatment for
cancer.
SUMMARY
Test-tube and animal studies suggest that compounds in rice bran
oil may safeguard against cancer, but further research is needed.
6–8: Other promising benefits
Rice bran oil has several other
emerging benefits.
6. May fight bad breath
Oil pulling is an ancient
practice that involves swishing oil around in your mouth like mouthwash to
improve oral health.
One study in 30 pregnant women
found that oil pulling with rice bran oil reduced bad
breath (24Trusted Source).
Researchers speculate that the
oil’s rich antioxidant content may be responsible.
7. May enhance immune health
Rice bran oil may improve your
immune response, which is your body’s first line of defense against bacteria,
viruses, and other disease-causing organisms.
For example, a test-tube study in
mouse cells revealed that an oryzanol-rich extract from rice bran oil enhanced
immune response (25Trusted Source).
However, it’s unclear whether
this effect occurs in humans (26Trusted Source).
8. May boost skin health
The antioxidants in rice bran oil
may support skin health.
In a 28-day study, people
experienced improvements in forearm skin thickness, roughness, and elasticity
after using a gel and cream containing rice bran extract twice daily (27Trusted Source).
Despite a lack of research,
several moisturizers and other products marketed to those in search of
younger-looking skin contain rice bran oil.
SUMMARY
Studies indicate that rice bran oil may combat bad breath,
enhance your immune system, and promote skin health. Still, more research is
necessary.
9. Easy to add to your diet
Rice bran oil is quite versatile.
Unlike olive and canola oils,
it’s ideal for frying and baking because its subtle taste won’t overpower a
dish. It has a nutty, earthy flavor similar to that of peanut oil.
Its high smoke point means that
it’s suitable for high-temperature cooking. Moreover, its beneficial compounds,
such as oryzanol and tocotrienols, are well preserved when cooked (28Trusted Source).
Although few products specify
production methods, rice bran oil processed using solvent extraction rather
than cold pressing may boast more beneficial compounds (29Trusted Source).
You can use the oil for
stir-fries, soups, dressings, and vinaigrettes. It’s also easy to add to hot
cereals like oatmeal (30Trusted Source).
For a unique twist, you can blend
rice bran oil with other oils, such as olive or canola oils (31Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Rice bran oil is versatile and easy to add to your diet. Its
high smoke point and mild flavor make it ideal for stir-fries, soups, dressings,
and vinaigrettes.
The bottom line
Rice bran oil is produced from
rice bran, the outer layer of a rice kernel.
It’s rising in popularity due to
its potential health benefits, such as improved blood sugar control and heart
health. What’s more, it offers several antioxidants and may provide
anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects.
You can find rice bran oil in
your local grocery store or online.
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TT producing all the rice it
needs makes no sense
Rice farming in Orange Grove, Tacarigua. Local production of goods
is still affected by the imports of machinery which are not manufactured in TT.He was contributing to budget debate in the House Monday.
"Agricultural production in this country, and food, is not keeping the imports out. If we had to produce rice in this country to dispel the imports, we would have to level every building in Trinidad, Tobago and down the islands and turn them into lagoons and plant rice. But there is no economic rationale for planting rice and producing rice."
He said the country has good rice farmers whom the Government wants to keep in production. He added, however, the price of local rice as paddy is three time the price of first-grade parboiled rice.
"That is the reality."
He announced the preferred bidder for Carlsen Field mill to talk to Government about a rice parboiling plant and, after several months, and yesterday morning he delivered the letter to Trinidad Parboil Ltd to establish a rice parboil plant in Couva South.
He said every agriculture minister had fallen into the "trap" of reducing the food import bill. Rambharat recalled in his first year the food import bill dropped by $1 billion, but he had very little to do with it, as foreign exchange was tight and weather conditions in the US led to a reduction in grain prices. He said the case for supporting local farmers and farmers markets was the health of consumers.
"The food import bill will always be with us."
Rambharat said the country has been "obsessed" with local rice and the term "food security" had stuck in our language despite the reality of modern trading.
19 Hrs Ago
Julien
Neaves
RCEF funds not enough to cover farmers’ losses from Rice
Tariffication law —NGO
Published October 16, 2019 12:23pm
Updated October 16, 2019 3:26pm
Updated October 16, 2019 3:26pm
By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News
Non-government organization
Integrated Rural Development Foundation (IRDF) called on the government to
earmark more funds for financial assistance to farmers who are bearing the
brunt of the Rice Tariffication Act.
IRDF executive director Arze
Glipo on Wednesday said the P10 billion allotted to the Rice Competitive
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) is not enough.
“RCEF is not enough to offset the
huge losses to farmers estimated at a high of P118 billion and a low of P60
billion,” Glipo said during a roundtable discussion in Quezon City.
Established in 1989, the IRDF was
mandated to implement development programs that will contribute to social and
economic empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable sectors such as farmers,
fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, women, and youth.
The Rice Tariffication Law removed the quantitative restrictions
on rice imports and imposed a 35% tariff on imports from Southeast Asia.
It also mandated the creation of RCEF to help rice farmers in the face of
unrestricted flow of imported rice into the country.
The P10-billion RCEF fund
includes P5 billion allotted to farm mechanization, and P3 billion to procure
seedlings.
The fund intends to ensure that
rice imports won’t drown out the agriculture sector and rob farmers of their
livelihood.
Should this be divided equally
among local farmers, they will only receive a financial assistance of P4,000
each, Glipo noted.
“That’s P4,000. Ang losses ng
ating farmer sa isang cropping is umaabot ng mga P25,000 to P30,000,” she said.
“May ibibigay na P15,000 na
emergency loan, but that’s only for 100,000 farmers to 150,000 farmers. So
where is the justice in this?” she emphasized.
Starting September, the National
Food Authority (NFA) started to procure palay from local farmers at P19 per
kilogram.
While the NFA’s buying price was
set at P20.70, as the NFA Council decided to remove the P3.70 of incentives
given to farmers.
The P3.70 incentive covers P3
buffer stocking fee, 20 centavos delivery fee, 20 centavos drying fee, and 30
centavos cooperative incentive fee.
NFA Administrator Judy Carol
Dansal said the incentives were removed due to limited funds.
IRDF’s Glipo said the government
must increase the budget for the NFA to procure more palay from local farmers
at a higher price, and for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide
additional financial assistance.
“Ang panawagan ngayon, dapat
dagdagan ‘yung pondo nila para mabili nila ‘yung mas maraming bilang, volume.
Kailangan lakihan ang budget,” she told GMA News Online on the sidelines of the
roundtable discussions.
“Nasa P20 dapat minimum ‘yung
presyo ng palay, kaya ‘yung nakuha (ng farmers) nung nakaraan na P20, dahil
andun din ‘yung NFA bumili ng P20, sinundan ng mga traders ‘yung presyo, doon
may mga naitabi sila para sa mga pangangailangan nila, pambayad sa mga
pangungutang nila, at meron din silang panggastos,” she added. —VDS,
GMA News
Killing almost-dead agri sector
04:03 AM October 16, 2019
Despite
being known as an agricultural country, the Philippines is now facing serious
drawbacks in the agricultural sector, particularly the rice industry, with the
implementation of the rice tariffication law.
The major staple
food that Filipino farmers have cultivated from time immemorial and that serves
as their main source of income is at risk due to the unimpeded importation of
rice in the country. Considering the high cost of rice production and the
backwardness of our local processes, the influx of low-priced imported rice
places our local farmers in a much more disadvantaged situation.
Aside from
the obvious displacement of rice farmers, we see the weakening of the
agro-industry that is integrated with the rice production value chain. In the
case of rice milling, an important postharvest operation in the rice industry,
the Philippine Confederation of Grains Association (PhilConGrains) has lamented
the closing of 40 percent of the 10,000 registered rice mills in the country.
This has
ripple effects as well on agro-industry processing, such as the production of
feeds for poultry and biomass for energy industry. It will cause a heavy impact
on the poultry sector and the energy production in the country. Declining rice
production will also be detrimental to the 110,000-strong manpower involved in
postharvest facilities, and the 320,000 workers in ancillary activities.
The new
policy in place will constrict the already dying local agriculture. The
stakeholders of the local rice industry will be in peril as the country
continues to lose from the flooding of rice imports into the local market. The
future becomes bleak for those who want to pursue their livelihood in
agriculture.
We call on
all stakeholders of the rice industry — the government, industry, academe, and
all the other key players — to take a stand and fight for the future of local
agriculture. It is imperative that Filipinos come together to defend our rice
industry, to secure the country’s food security and self-sufficiency.
Farmers’ advocates launch petition vs Rice Tariffication Law
Oct. 15, 2019 KEN
E. CAGULA
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Food
security advocates have launched a campaign petition for the repeal of Republic
ACT 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).
The rice watch group Bantay
Bigas, as well as other farmers’ groups, claim that RA 11203 has had
detrimental impact on the rice industry, especially on the local farmers.
Imported rice have flooded local
markets following the removal of quantitative restrictions on rice imports.
Because of this, small farmers decry the dramatic drop in the prices of their
harvested palay.
Farmers’ advocacy group Masipag
Mindanao, in partnership with University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao School
of Management Student Council and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA)
launched the said petition during a forum titled “Tarrification, Plantation and
Plunder: Forum on Philippine Agriculture Crises” in Davao City on Monday.
“The government has abandoned its
mandate to the Filipino farmers,” UMA chairperson Antonio Flores told
reporters, in an interview. He noted that the current average farmgate price of
palay is now only at Php7 to Php15 per kilo.
Flores added that the Php15,000
government loan assistance that will be given to affected farmers “only shows
that RTL is a failure as a program.”
The group plan to bring the
petition signing to other regions in Mindanao as well.
Flores said they aim to gather
millions of signatures nationwide by the end of this year. The petition will be
sent to different government agencies, and lawmakers “to show that the people
reject such unjust law.”
On the other hand, another threat
to the livelihood of Filipino farmers that Flores pointed out is the aggressive
expansion of plantations of banana, pineapple, oil palm, and others crops for
export.
He bared that the government
plans to convert 1.7 million hectares of the country’s agricultural lands into
plantations.
In South Cotabato, considered to
be the “Mindanao’s rice granary”, farmers are now affected to the expansion of
banana and palm oil plantations in the region, Flores said.
As the World Food Day is to be
observed in October 16, the group strongly called for junking of RTL and
instead implement a genuine agrarian reform program that would address the
‘food insecurity’ in the country.(davaotoday.com)
Border closure: CBN
begs farmers not to increase price of rice
by Omotayo Yusuf - The Central Bank of Nigeria called on
rice farmers not to increase the price of their product - Godwin Emefiele said
increasing the price will only bring hardship for Nigerians - The CBN governor
said the decision to close the border was in the interest of Nigerians The
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has appealed to members of Rice Millers
Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and other stakeholders in the rice value chain
not to increase the price of rice over border closure. Godwin Emefiele, the CBN
governor, said this in a statement issued and made available to newsmen on
Monday, October 14, in Abuja by Muhammed Tijani, media assistant to RIMAN’s
chairman.
Emefiele also called on them not to hoard rice
as a result of the closure of the borders in order to increase price, adding
that such acts were unpatriotic. The CBN governor said that the border closure
was meant to promote the growth of the Nigerian economy and ensure that the
country attained food self-sufficiency in the rice value chain. He said that
this was for the benefit and well being of the citizenry. He said that imported
rice into the country were chemicalised for preservation, therefore not good
for the consumption. Emefiele said that there was need to increase rice
production and discourage hoarding leading to price increase, while calling on
rice millers to support government’s effort in the rice value chain sector. He
said that hoarding rice with a view to increase the prices of rice would bring
hardship to Nigerians. He said that the CBN under his leadership would support
rice millers to stem off smuggling in the country and grow the rice sector for
food self–sufficiency. Emefiele called on Nigerians to support the government
action on closure of the border, adding that government took the decision in
the best interest of Nigerians as it was meant to secure the country.
He said that this would
also secure the health of the citizenry from heavily chemicalised products that
were injurious to the health of the country. Peter Dama, the RIMAN chairman,
assured the CBN of the support of its members on the federal government’s
action on border closure. He said that its members would not succumb to
pressure to reverse the policy on borders’ closure. He urged the CBN for
financial support to build capacity and expand milling activities to stimulate
further growth in the rice sector. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for
Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app Meanwhile, the Nigerian
Customs Service earlier announced the complete border closure across the
nation, which also means a total ban on all import and export goods through the
land border. The comptroller-general of customs, Hameed Ali, on Monday, October
14, stated that the ban will remain in place until agreement is reached with
neighbouring countries on the kind of goods allowed into the nation. He said
the measure is for security purpose so as to scan all goods that enter and exit
the nation. https://www.legit.ng/1266563-border-closure-dont-increase-price-rice-cbn-begs-farmers.html
Rice storage facilities to be
built with ADB assistance
Chhut Bunthoeun / Khmer Times
With $10 million in financial assistance
provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), selected rice millers in
Battambang, Kampong Thom, and Prey Veng provinces will soon build warehouses
and silos to expand their storage capacity.
Kao Thach, director of the
state-own Rural Development Bank, told Khmer Times yesterday that a total of
six rice millers will gain access to the money to build the storage facilities.
Mr Thach said five companies have
already signed agreements with RDB to take out the loans. The last rice miller
will soon be selected, Mr Thach said, adding that this sixth company will be
based in Prey Veng province.
The first five agreements were
signed between the companies, RDB, and the Climate Resilient Rice
Commercialisation Sector Development Programme (Rice-SDP) of the Ministry of
Economy and Finance last week.
“So far, we have signed deals
with five rice millers: two in Battambang, two in Kampong Thom and one in Prey
Veng province,” he said, adding that two storage facilities will be built in
each of these provinces.
Mr Thach said the loans mature in
10 years but did not go into details regarding the interest rate.
“The goal of these loans by ADB
is to boost rice millers’ exports,” he said, adding that when having access to
enough storage room, these companies will buy more from farmers, helping
stabilise the price of paddy rice.
According to the latest report
from the Ministry of Agriculture, during the first nine months of the year,
Cambodia’s exports of milled rice grew by a moderate 2.3 percent compared with
the same period last year.
The same report notes that China
was the largest buyer of Cambodian milled rice, importing 157,793 tonnes from
January to September. This is equal to 40 percent of Cambodia’s milled rice
exports. China is followed by France and Gabon, with 53,723 tonnes and 21,682
tonnes, respectively.
Earlier this year, the European
Union imposed tariffs on imports of Cambodian rice to protect European
producers.
As a result of the levies, during
the first half of 2019, Cambodia’s milled rice exports to the EU fell by almost
50 percent compared with the first half of 2018, Lun Yeng, secretary-general of
the Cambodian Rice Federation, told Khmer Times in August.
“Overall, exports to the EU are
down, but, fortunately, exports to other markets are increasing,” he said.
He pointed out that the local
rice sector continues to thrive, mostly due to a rise in shipments to China.
The Rice Federation recently
reaffirmed its commitment to grow the country’s rice exports to 1 million
tonnes a year by 2022. This goal was originally set for 2015 but was not
achieved.
Capt reviews paddy procurement in Moga
·
Also in this section
Oct 16, 2019, 6:52 AM; last updated: Oct 16, 2019, 10:20 AM
(IST)
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh - File photo
Tribune News Service
Moga, October 15
To ensure
hassle-free, smooth and speedy procurement of paddy, Chief Minister Capt
Amarinder Singh reviewed procurement arrangements of paddy at Killi Chahal
village on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by local Congress MLA Dr Harjot
Kamal, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Hans and SSP Amarjit Singh Bajwa, besides
other officials of the district administration.
While addressing
the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated government’s commitment to lift
every single grain of farmers’ produce from the grain markets in a smooth,
prompt and hassle-free manner, while adhering to the prescribed norms of timely
payment.
He directed officials to ensure timely lifting of paddy from
the grain markets. Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Hans apprised the CM that
necessary arrangements for the smooth procurement of paddy had been made in all
grain markets of the district. He also assured that the paddy crop arriving in
the grain markets was being procured and lifted within the time period of 72
hours fixed by the state government.
The DC said till
Monday evening, 15,397 MT of paddy crop had arrived in the grain markets of
Moga district, out of which 13,378 MT had been purchased by agencies. He said
of the total purchased crop, about 5,232 MT of crop had been lifted from
markets by rice millers.
ADC Anita
Darshi; ADC, Development, Subash Chandar; Sub-Divisional Magistrate Narinder
Singh Dhaliwal and District Food and Supply Controller Major Gurpreet Singh
Kang were present.
Rice
Importation Ban: Customs officials ‘kill’ smugglers’ informant in Jigawa
A man suspected to be an
informant of rice smugglers has been killed allegedly by officials of the
Nigeria Customs Service in Jigawa State.
Tasiu Muhammad, 22, a resident of
Babura Local Government Area, was shot dead at Unguwar Gawo, about five
kilometres from Bubara town, the council headquarters.
The police commissioner in
Jigawa, Bala Senchi, at a press conference on Tuesday confirmed the incident.
He said the police were not
involved in the operation that led to the killing of Mr Muhammad.
Residents said the deceased had
been on the wanted list of the NCS for allegedly running local routes for
smugglers and informing them on the movement of security officials enforcing
the ban of importation of contraband goods through Nigeria’s land borders.
The deceased was reportedly shot
dead while attempting to escape arrest, even though he was not in possession of
any incriminating evidence, a resident who requested not to be named for
security reasons said.
The spokesperson of the NCS in
Kano, Jigawa command, Dan-Baba, said he could not speak with the reporter
because he was “in a meeting.”
Bubara Local Government Area
shares border with Niger Republic. Rice smugglers use bush paths in the area to
smuggle banned items into Nigeria.
The Customs boss, Hameed Ali, at
a press conference on Monday in Abuja, said all Nigerian land borders will
remain shut in continuation of a closure that began in August.
He said the measure is to improve
Nigeria’s economic situation and reduce further exploits by neighbouring
countries.
NSCDC warns
grain dealers against hoarding of food items
He said that the call was imperative to check indiscriminate
mopping up of grains in village markets to guard against artificial scarcity
and price hike.
NSCDC warns grain dealers against hoarding of food items
NSCDC warns grain dealers against hoarding of food items
Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Commander, Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Borno, has warned grain dealers against hoarding of
food items in the state.
Abdullahi gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of
Nigeria(NAN) on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
He said that the call was imperative to check indiscriminate
mopping up of grains in village markets to guard against artificial scarcity
and price hike.
Abdullahi said that some grain dealers resorted to mopping up of
grain in the markets to hoard since the closure of the national borders.
He said that the development could lead to scarcity, price hike
and negatively affect food security.
The commander said that officials of the command had stopped and
prevented about 20 trucks loaded with paddy rice from being transported out of
the state.
“Price of food items are
increasing in the market, the hike in prices might not be unconnected with the
massive mop up of grain by traders.
“Urgent steps are necessary to
guard against hoarding and price hike.
“We invited them and sensitized
them on dangers associated with hoarding and transporting food items to other
parts of the country,” he said.
Abdullahi further advocated for establishment of a committee to
regulate prices of food commodities in the country.
He reiterated the commitments of the command to protect farmers
to enable them cultivate their farmlands and encourage agricultural activities
in the state.
China Focus: China's food security a boon for
itself and the world
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-10-16 12:34:11|Editor: huaxia
BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- In his childhood, Zhao Guochun
never expected that one day he would need to eat coarse grains to balance his
diet because of overnutrition.
Zhao, a 68-year-old from northeast China's Heilongjiang
Province, suffered from hunger in his early years. He later lived on a diet of
coarse grains, and wheat-flour was a treat to be enjoyed only during the Lunar
New Year holiday.
Zhao is just one of hundreds of millions of Chinese people whose
fates have been changed by the country's great increases in food production
over the past decades.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
More high-quality farmland, irrigation facilities, technology
support and government policies are among the factors behind bumper harvests
over recent years.
Zhang Jinghui, who grew 23 hectares of rice at a Qixing farm in
Heilongjiang this year, reaped a harvest despite a summer flood. "With
flood control measures, we embraced a harvest with the yield reaching 7.5
tonnes a hectare," he said.
Zhang, who has worked on the farm for over 30 years, has seen
the farmland turn into a high-yield field from a low-lying plot prone to
flooding, with the annual yield more than doubling in peak harvest years.
Last year, the Qixing farm, with over 80,000 hectares of
farmland, reaped 700,000 tonnes of grain, mostly rice, of which 98 percent went
to the market.
Farmers in Heilongjiang, China's largest grain-producing region
since 2011, now use more large machinery, including self-driving seeders and
harvesters and unmanned pesticide-spraying aircraft, to increase efficiency.
Heilongjiang's grain output surged to 75 million tonnes last
year from 5 million tonnes in the early years of the People's Republic of China
(PRC).
Between 1949 and 2018, China's annual grain output rose by
nearly five times from 113 million tonnes to 658 million tonnes, while the per
capita output more than doubled from 209 kg to 472 kg, data from the National
Bureau of Statistics showed.
China's food supply has reached basic self-sufficiency from
widespread shortages decades ago. With a population of 1.4 billion, the country
has seen the self-sufficiency rates of its major grains of rice, wheat and corn
remain above 95 percent.
In the PRC's early years, many Western countries were skeptical
about China's ability to ensure food security, but the Chinese people have
managed to firmly hold the "rice bowl" in their own hands, said Li
Guoxiang, a researcher with the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences.
China now feeds around 20 percent of the world's population with
less than 9 percent of the world's arable land.
China has long been a positive force in ensuring the world's
food security, said Li. "China's eradication of hunger is a huge
contribution to global food security," said Li.
CHINA SOLUTION
China mainly relies on itself for food supply, but it has
actively taken part in global cooperation by offering the world its own
solutions and experiences to jointly guarantee food security, said Li.
"A great departure from a grain recipient in the PRC's early
years, China has become a main provider of technological aid and other grain
solutions for many countries in the Global South," said Li.
In May, the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development
Center opened its African research branch in Madagascar to select hybrid rice
varieties based on the island nation's diverse ecological environment, in a bid
to find more productive crops for a continent long troubled by insufficient
grain output.
Georges Ranaivomanana, a 55-year-old Madagascan farmer, has
benefited from planting Chinese hybrid rice in his town of Mahitsy.
"We're no longer suffering from hunger," he told
Xinhua, adding that he hoped all his compatriots would use these seeds to raise
their living standards, and that his country might even be able to export rice
someday.
Last year, China pledged to support Africa in achieving general
food security by 2030, work with Africa on agricultural modernization,
implement 50 agricultural assistance programs, provide 1 billion yuan (141
million U.S. dollars) emergency humanitarian food assistance to African
countries affected by natural disasters, and train young researchers in
agri-science and entrepreneurs in agri-business.
China aims to share its experience in agricultural development
with Africa and transfer readily applicable technologies to African countries,
said Peter Smerdon, spokesperson for the World Food Program Regional Bureau in
Nairobi, Kenya.
INT'L COOPERATION
China will continue to provide assistance to other developing
countries to the best of its ability within the framework of South-South
cooperation, and promote the sound development of the global food industry,
said a white paper titled "Food Security in China," which was
released by the State Council Information Office on Monday.
Meanwhile, China will explore new modes of international food
cooperation and conduct multifaceted and advanced cooperation with other
countries.
The world is still facing severe food security challenges, with
over 800 million people suffering from hunger and food trade being disrupted by
protectionism and unilateralism, according to the white paper.
"Observing WTO rules, China will do all it can to make the
international food supply more secure, stable and rational in order to better
safeguard the food security of our world," said the white paper.
How evolution builds genes from
scratch
16 OCTOBER 2019
Scientists long assumed that new
genes appear when evolution tinkers with old ones. It turns out that natural
selection is much more creative.
Some
cod species have a newly minted gene involved in preventing freezing.Credit:
Paul Nicklen/NG Image Collection
In
the depths of winter, water temperatures in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean can
sink below zero. That’s cold enough to freeze many fish, but the conditions
don’t trouble the cod. A protein in its blood and tissues binds to tiny ice
crystals and stops them from growing.
Where
codfish got this talent was a puzzle that evolutionary biologist Helle Tessand
Baalsrud wanted to solve. She and her team at the University of Oslo searched
the genomes of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and several of its
closest relatives, thinking they would track down the cousins of the antifreeze
gene. None showed up. Baalsrud, who at the time was a new parent, worried that
her lack of sleep was causing her to miss something obvious.
But
then she stumbled on studies suggesting that genes do not always evolve from
existing ones, as biologists long supposed. Instead, some are fashioned from
desolate stretches of the genome that do not code for any functional molecules.
When she looked back at the fish genomes, she saw hints this might be the case:
the antifreeze protein — essential to the cod’s survival — had seemingly been
built from scratch1.
The
cod is in good company. In the past five years, researchers have found numerous
signs of these newly minted ‘de novo’ genes in every lineage they have
surveyed. These include model organisms such as fruit flies and mice, important
crop plants and humans; some of the genes are expressed in brain and testicular
tissue, others in various cancers.
De
novo genes
are even prompting a rethink of some portions of evolutionary theory.
Conventional wisdom was that new genes tended to arise when existing ones are accidentally
duplicated, blended with others or broken up, but some researchers now think
that de novo genes could be quite common: some studies suggest
at least one-tenth of genes could be made in this way; others estimate that
more genes could emerge de novo than from gene duplication.
Their existence blurs the boundaries of what constitutes a gene, revealing that
the starting material for some new genes is non-coding DNA (see ‘Birth of a
gene’).
The
ability of organisms to acquire new genes in this way is testament to
evolution’s “plasticity to make something seemingly impossible, possible”, says
Yong Zhang, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of
Zoology in Beijing, who has studied the role of de novo genes
in the human brain.
But
researchers have yet to work out how to definitively identify a gene as
being de novo, and questions still remain over exactly how — and
how often — they are born. Scientists also wonder why evolution would bother
making genes from scratch when so much gene-ready material already exists. Such
basic questions are a sign of how young the field is. “You don’t have to go
back that many years before de novo gene evolution was
dismissed,” Baalsrud says.
New arrivals
Back
in the 1970s, geneticists saw evolution as a rather conservative process. When
Susumu Ohno laid out the hypothesis that most genes evolved through duplication2, he wrote that
“In a strict sense, nothing in evolution is created de novo. Each
new gene must have arisen from an already existing gene.”
Gene
duplication occurs when errors in the DNA-replication process produce multiple
instances of a gene. Over generations, the versions accrue mutations and
diverge, so that they eventually encode different molecules, each with their
own function. Since the 1970s, researchers have found a raft of other examples
of how evolution tinkers with genes — existing genes can be broken up or
‘laterally transferred’ between species. All these processes have something in
common: their main ingredient is existing code from a well-oiled molecular
machine.
Credit:
Nik Spencer/Nature
But
genomes contain much more than just genes: in fact, only a few per cent of the
human genome, for example, actually encodes genes. Alongside are substantial
stretches of DNA — often labelled ‘junk DNA’ — that seem to lack any function.
Some of these stretches share features with protein-coding genes without
actually being genes themselves: for instance, they are littered with
three-letter codons that could, in theory, tell the cell to translate the code
into a protein.
It
wasn’t until the twenty-first century that scientists began to see hints that
non-coding sections of DNA could lead to new functional codes for proteins. As
genetic sequencing advanced to the point that researchers could compare entire
genomes of close relatives, they began to find evidence that genes could
disappear rather quickly during evolution. That made them wonder whether genes
could just as quickly spring into being.
In
2006 and 2007, evolutionary geneticist David Begun at the University of
California, Davis, published what many regard as the first papers to make the
case for particular genes arising de novo in fruit flies3,4. The studies
linked these genes to male reproduction: Begun found they were expressed in the
testes and the seminal fluid gland, where it seemed the powerful evolutionary
force of sexual selection was driving gene birth.
Shortly
before that, evolutionary genomicist Mar Albà at the Hospital del Mar Medical
Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, had shown that the younger a gene is,
evolutionarily speaking, the faster it tends to evolve5. She
speculated that this might be because the molecules encoded by younger genes
are less polished and need more tuning, and that this could be a consequence of
the genes having arisen de novo — they were not tied to a
previous function as tightly as those that had evolved from older genes. Both
Albà and Begun recall that it was challenging to publish their early work on
the topic. “There was a lot of scepticism,” says Albà. “It’s amazing how things
have changed.”
Studies
have also started to unpick what de novo genes do. One gene
allows the thale cress plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) to produce starch,
for instance, and another helps yeast cells to grow. Understanding what they
are doing for their hosts should help to explain why they exist — why it is
advantageous to create from scratch rather than evolve from existing material.
“We’re not going to understand why these genes are evolving if we don’t
understand what they’re doing,” says Begun.
Genes-in-waiting
Studying de
novo genes turns out to be part genetics, part thought experiment.
“Why is our field so difficult?” asks Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis at the University
of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “It is because of philosophical issues.” At its
heart is a question that Carvunis has been asking for a decade: what is a gene?
A
gene is commonly defined as a DNA or RNA sequence that codes for a functional
molecule. The yeast genome, however, has hundreds of thousands of sequences,
known as open reading frames (ORFs), that could theoretically be translated
into proteins, but that geneticists assumed were either too short or looked too
different from those in closely related organisms to have a probable function.
When
Carvunis studied yeast ORFs for her PhD, she began to suspect that not all of
these sections were lying dormant. In a study6 published
in 2012, she looked at whether these ORFs were being transcribed into RNA and
translated into proteins — and, just like genes, many of them were — although
it was unclear whether the proteins were useful to the yeast, or whether they
were translated at high enough levels to serve a function. “So what is a gene?
I don’t know,” Carvunis says. What she thinks she has found, though, is “raw
material — a reservoir — for evolution”.
Some
of these genes-in-waiting, or what Carvunis and her colleagues called
proto-genes, were more gene-like than others, with longer sequences and more of
the instructions necessary for turning the DNA into proteins. The proto-genes
could provide a fertile testing ground for evolution to convert non-coding
material into true genes. “It’s like a beta launch,” suggests Aoife McLysaght,
who works on molecular evolution at Trinity College Dublin.
Some
researchers have gone beyond observation to manipulate organisms into
expressing non-coding material. Michael Knopp and his colleagues at Uppsala
University, Sweden, showed that inserting and expressing randomly generated
ORFs into Escherichia coli could enhance the bacterium’s
resistance to antibiotics, with one sequence producing a peptide that increased
resistance 48-fold7. Using a
similar approach, Diethard Tautz and his team at the Max Planck Institute for
Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany, showed that half of the sequences slowed
the bacterium’s growth, and one-quarter seemed to speed it up8 —
although that result is debated. Such studies suggest that peptides from random
sequences can be surprisingly functional.
Researchers
studying the rice strain Oryza sativa japonica found 175 of
its genes were created de novo.Credit: Jay Stocker
But
random sequences of DNA could also code for peptides that are “reactive and
nasty and have a tendency to aggregate and do bad things”, says evolutionary
biologist Joanna Masel of the University of Arizona in Tucson. Expressing these
sequences at low levels could help natural selection to weed out potentially
dangerous portions — those that create messy or misfolded proteins — so that
what remains in a species is relatively benign.
Creating
genes from non-coding regions could have some benefits over other gene-making
methods, says Albà. Gene duplication is a “very conservative mechanism” she
says, producing well-adapted proteins cut from the same cloth as their
ancestors; de novo genes, by contrast, are likely to produce
markedly different molecules. That could make it difficult for them to fit into
well-established networks of genes and proteins — but they could also be better
suited to certain new tasks.
A
newly minted gene could help an organism to respond to a change in its
environment, for instance. This seems to have been the case for the cod, which
acquired its antifreeze protein as the Northern Hemisphere cooled some 15
million years ago.
Birth rate
To
trace which of an organism’s genes were made de novo, researchers
need comprehensive sequences for the organism and its close relatives. One crop
plant that fits the bill is rice. The sweltering heat of Hainan, a tropical
island in southern China, is the perfect environment for growing the crop —
although the working conditions can be trying. “It’s horrible,’’ says
evolutionary geneticist Manyuan Long of the University of Chicago, Illinois.
It’s so hot “you can cook your egg in the sand”.
Long’s
team wanted to know how many genes had emerged de novo in the
strain Oryza sativa japonica, and what proteins those
genes might be making. So the team lined up its genome against those of its
close relatives and used an algorithm to pick out regions that contained a gene
in some species but lacked it in others. This allowed the researchers to
identify the non-coding DNA that led to the gene in question, and track its
journey to being a gene. They could also tot up the number of de novo genes
that appeared in the strain: 175 genes over 3.4 million years of evolution9 (over the
same period, the strain gained 8 times as many genes from duplication).
The
study gets at one of the field’s biggest preoccupations: how to tell whether a
gene is truly de novo. Answers vary wildly, and approaches are
still evolving. For example, an early study found 15 de novo genes
in the whole primate order10; a later
attempt found 60 in humans alone11. One option
for finding candidate de novo genes is to use an algorithm to
search for similar genes in related species. If nothing shows up, then it’s
possible that the gene arose de novo. But failing to find a
relative doesn’t mean no relative is there: the gene could have been lost along
the way, or might have shape-shifted far away from its kin. The rice study got
around this by explicitly identifying the pieces of non-coding DNA that
became de novo genes.
Over
long evolutionary timescales — much longer than the few million years of rice
evolution — it is hard to distinguish between a de novo gene
and one that has simply diverged too far from its ancestors to be recognizable,
so determining the absolute number of genes that have arisen de novo rather
than from duplication “is an almost unanswerable question”, says Tautz.
To
demonstrate how varied the results of different methods can be, evolutionary
geneticist Claudio Casola at Texas A&M University in College Station used
alternative approaches to reanalyse the results of previous studies, and failed
to verify 40% of the de novo genes they had proposed12. To Casola,
this points to the need to standardize tests. Currently, he says, “it seems to
be very inconsistent”.
Counting de
novo genes in the human genome comes with the same trail of caveats.
But where de novo genes have been identified, researchers are
beginning to explore their roles in health and disease. Zhang and his colleagues
have found that one gene unique to humans is expressed at a greater level in
the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease13, and previous
work14 had
linked certain variants of the gene to nicotine dependence. For Zhang, research
that links de novo genes to the human brain is tantalizing.
“We know that what makes us human is our brains,” he says, “so there must be
some genetic kit to push the evolution of our brain.” That suggests an avenue
for future studies. Zhang suggests that researchers could investigate the
genetic kit through experiments with human organoids — cultured cells that serve
as a model organ.
De
novo genes
could have implications for understanding cancer, too. One such gene — unique
to humans and chimpanzees — has been linked to cancer progression in mouse
models of neuroblastoma15. And
cancer-causing versions of human papillomavirus include a gene that is not
present in non-cancer-causing forms16.
Many de
novo genes remain uncharacterized, so the potential importance of the
process to health and disease is unclear. “It will take some time before we
fully understand to what extent it contributes to human health and to what
extent it contributes to the origin of the human species,’’ says Carvunis.
Although de novo genes
remain enigmatic, their existence makes one thing clear: evolution can readily
make something from nothing. “One of the beauties of working with de
novo genes,” says Casola, “is that it shows how dynamic genomes are.”
Nature 574, 314-316 (2019)
References
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Baalsrud, H. T. et al. Mol.
Biol. Evol. 35, 593–606 (2018).
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Begun, D. J., Lindfors, H. A.,
Thompson, M. E. & Holloway, A. K. Genetics 172,
1675–1681 (2006).
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Begun, D. J., Lindfors, H. A.,
Kern, A. D. & Jones, C. D. Genetics 176, 1131–1137
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Albà, M. M. & Castresana,
J. Mol. Biol. Evol. 22, 598–606 (2005).
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Carvunis, A.-R. et al. Nature 487,
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Knopp, M. et al. mBio 10,
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Neme, R., Amador, C., Yildirim,
B., McConnell, E. & Tautz, D. Nature Eco. Evol. 1,
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Zhang, L. et al. Nature
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Toll-Riera, M. et al. Mol.
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Wu, D.-D., Irwin, D. M. &
Zhang, Y.-P. PLoS Genet. 7, e1002379 (2011).
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Casola, C. Genome Biol.
Evol. 10, 2906–2918 (2018).
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Li, C.-Y. et al. PLoS
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Willemsen, A., Félez-Sánchez, M.
& Bravo, I. G. Genome Biol. Evol. 11, 1602–1617
(2019).
PHL urges
Asean+3 nations to develop new rice varieties
October 16, 2019
Photo shows NSIC Rc 222, one of the rice varieties developed by
the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). NSIC Rc 222 is known to have
“moderate” resistance to pests. To come up with more varieties like Rc 222, the
PhilRice is currently developing an analysis tool dubbed as “RIGby.”
Manila said it is supporting the proposal of the International
Rice Research Institute (Irri) to involve Southeast Asian nations and their
trade partners in the development of new rice varieties that are resilient to multiple
environment stresses.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the new varieties will
help increase rice production amid the challenges presented by climate change
and the expansion in the population of members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean).
“The Philippines, being the host country of Irri, will reiterate
its strong support to the institute’s proposal to the 41st Asean Ministers on
Agriculture and Forestry (Amaf) Meeting, hoping that Korea, Japan and China can
really come forward, and significantly push this initiative,” Agriculture
Secretary William D. Dar said in a statement.
Dar went to Brunei Darussalam to represent the Philippines in
the 41st Amaf.
Irri’s proposal hopes to bring the Asean+3 (South Korea, Japan
and China) to be involved in the selection and the development of new rice
varieties that are resilient to multiple environmental stresses, pest and
diseases, thereby elevating the production capacity in the region.
“We need to combine these strengths and to have the right rice
varieties that can adapt to all potential scenarios and also meet the market
readiness and expectation acknowledging that in Southeast Asia consumers have
particular preferences,” Irri Director General Matthew Morell said in a
statement.
Morell added that the Irri’s proposal is set to build a
comprehensive testing and selection that is also backed up by training capacity
for its national partners.
“We are not just transferring these new varieties but we are
doing it with the national partners for them to conduct it themselves,” he
added.
The Philippines is endorsing Irri’s proposal during the Amaf
meeting and it hopes to secure the strong support of Japan, South Korea and
China.
El Niño episodes in the Philippines usually wreak havoc on rice
production. The destruction rice crops in 1998 and 2010 forced the country to
import some 2 million metric tons (MMT) of rice. Output fell during those years
as El Niño dried up farms and destroyed standing rice crops.
The rice sector also bore the brunt of the El Niño episode this
year. The dry spell destroyed billions of worth of unhusked rice and caused
farmers to incur losses.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said inadequate water
supply/rainfall, and the dry spell caused the harvest of rice to decline in
Mimaropa, Bicol region and Western Visayas.
Palay production in January to June fell by 5.1 percent to 8.269
MMT, from 8.713 MMT in the same period last year, according to data from the
PSA.
Over
1 lakh acres of paddy infested
G. VENKATARAMANA RAO, OCTOBER 15, 2019 23:52 IST
Farmers have been able to treat the
pestilence in 81,421 acres, say officials.
Groundnut, cotton, maize and sugarcane too affected
Paddy has been infested by five types of pests in over one lakh
acres in four districts, according to the Agriculture Department.
Similarly, groundnut has been infested in 61,000 aces in
Chittoor and Anantapur districts.
Types of pests
The department has received reports that paddy in Krishna,
Vizianagaram, East Godavari and Prakasam districts has been infested in
1,00,485.4 acres by rice blast, BPH, sheath blight, stem borer and leaf folder.
Farmers are, however, able to treat the pestilence in 81,421
acres of paddy and stop the spread of the pests and diseases.
According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
rice blast, considered a major disease, is capable of causing very severe loss
(up to 100%). While the data for India is old, the yield loss due to the
disease in the Philippines is between 50% and 85%.
The yield loss caused by sheath blight is 6%, according to the
IRRI studies.
The department has also received pest infestation reports on
groundnut in Chittoor and Anantapur.
While the infestation of leaf-eating caterpillar, aphids and
Spodoptera has been reported in 61,000 acres, farmers have been able to treat
the crop in only 51,892 acres and check the spread of the pests and diseases.
Pests have also infested cotton, maize and sugarcane in several districts.
Aphids and pink boll worm have reportedly infested cotton crop in Krishna,
Prakasam and Vizianagaram districts. Fall army worm and stem borer have
infested maize crop in Anantapur, Krishna, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam
districts. And, mealy bugs, stem borer, smut, aphids and red rot have infested
sugarcane in East Godavari, Prakasam and Vizianagaram districts.
Humidity blamed
“Normally, pestilence is reported in traces, but this season the
infestation is more because of the high humidity,” according to Y. Ramamurthy,
a farmer from Gudivada.
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