Tuesday, November 05, 2019

2nd November,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Basmati prices down, Pusa 1121 unavailable

Farmers stock produce, hoping for hike in rates
Nov 1, 2019, 7:05 AM; last updated: Nov 1, 2019, 11:16 AM (IST)
 Description: Basmati prices down, Pusa 1121 unavailable
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, October 31
With a drop in prices of basmati variety Pusa 1121, farmers have started stocking their produce. They are hopeful that the prices of the paddy variety will increase in the near future.
The variety is fetching a price between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,800 in the Karnal grain market, between Rs 2,400 and Rs 2,700 in the Nigdhu grain market, between Rs 2,600 and Rs 2,850 in the Taraori grain market and between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,850 in the Gharaunda grain market.
The prices are almost the same in almost all grain markets of the district. During last year, the variety fetched prices between Rs 3,200 and Rs 3,700 in various grain markets of the district.
“I have harvested my produce on around five acres, but will not bring it to the grain market. I will wait for a week or two as rates will increase and I will get better prices,” said Raman of Kamalpur Roran village in the Indri block.
Deep Chand, another farmer, said they were hopeful that prices would reach the same level as last year, but the produce was fetching low prices this year, due to which he decided to stock it.
“My produce of Pusa 1121 was procured at Rs 2,500 on Wednesday so I kept the remaining produce. I will sell it when the prices will increase,” said Kuldeep, yet another farmer.
The area under paddy cultivation had increased in the district this year. It was cultivated on 1.72 lakh hectares compared to 1.70 lakh hectares last year. Of the total produce, around 40 per cent was basmati.
Exporters of basmati cited several reasons for the steep fall in prices. They pointed out the non-availability of a level playing field.
“Exporters are facing a fund crunch with their payments stuck in Iran for five months. Over 30 per cent of basmati export is affected due to the crisis, making exporters reluctant to purchase basmati,” said Vijay Setia, president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association.
“There are different market fee rates in states, disparity in rate of interest for rice mills and expenses like commission to agents and labour charges. The markets in Syria are unstable due to the civil war and local reasons, due to which demand is low,” he said.
He said exporters who had worked a lot on educating farmers about the judicious use of pesticides for the last four years were feeling tired.
He said they were demanding regulatory measures to make Indian rice free of pesticides. He said companies should be made responsible for excessive residue in crop and the government should evaluate pesticides used.

 

Madagascar Price Bulletin, October 2019

REPORT
Published on 31 Oct 2019 View Original
Description: preview
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.
Locally-produced rice is the most important staple food for households in northern and central Madagascar. Imported rice is a less-preferred substitute, but often consumed by poor households because it is cheaper than locally-produced rice and expands more during the cooking. Dried cassava is the primary staple food in the south, although it is consumed in other parts of the country during the lean season when household food stocks are low. Maize is the third most important staple and the second most consumed cereal in Madagascar. Antananarivo, the capital city, is the largest urban market and is the major hub for the country’s staple food trade networks. Antananarivo is a net consumer of staple food and is supplied by imports arriving through the port of Toamasina and from key surplus producing areas throughout the country. Antsirabe, the second urban market, is located in the surplus rice-producing Vakinankaratra region and one of the markets that supply Antananarivo. Located on the eastern coast, Toamasina is the main port city of Madagascar where major quantity of imported commodities comes before traded throughout the country. The southern Madagascar including Ambovombe, Tsihombe, Amboasary and Fianarantsoa markets are the main providers of cassava and maize.

Global Price Watch: September 2019 Prices (October 31, 2019)

REPORT
Published on 31 Oct 2019 View Original
Description: preview
Key Messages
·       In West Africa, as the new 2019/20 marketing year is about to begin, supplies are starting to increase, especially with early harvests and release of stocks, while demand is decreasing with substantial outstanding stocks. Month-to-month coarse grain prices in the Sahel are stable or decreasing, at below-average levels. Above-average local and imported rice prices, however, persist in most coastal countries. Disrupted trade activities and atypical market trends continue in insecurity-stricken Greater Lake Chad basin, Tibesti region, and Liptako-Gourma region. Nigeria’s land border closure has impeded trade and affected prices for imported products.
·       In East Africa, maize and sorghum prices increased in many areas of surplus-producing Uganda and Tanzania due to strong domestic and regional demand. Prices declined in Kenya and South Sudan with increased availability from local production and relatively lower-priced imports from regional markets. Sorghum prices remained stable at elevated levels ahead of harvests in Sudan and Ethiopia. Wheat flour prices were stable at elevated levels in Yemen. Livestock price trends varied depending on local rangeland conditions and export demand.
·       In Southern Africa, maize supplies on major markets were at average to below-average levels. Maize grain prices were stable or increasing and will likely continue increasing in the October to December period, except in South Africa where prices will likely remain stable. Maize grain was able to circulate between surplus and deficit areas, except in Zambia where export restrictions remain in place. There was, however, an uptick in informal maize grain exports from Zambia into Tanzania during September as traders were pre-positioning stocks for re-export to Kenya.
·       In Central America, maize and bean market supplies remained sufficient region-wide in September with availability from the recent Primera harvest, carryover stocks from the Postrera harvest and international imports. Month on month maize and bean price trends varied in line with seasonal trends, with maize prices remaining above average and bean prices below average. In Haiti, market activity has been disrupted by ongoing civil unrest. Imported rice and maize meal prices were stable. Local maize prices were stable while local black bean prices increased in September. The Haitian gourde remained stable against the U.S. dollar but maintains a 30 percent year-on-year depreciation.
·       Central Asia sustained adequate supplies and intraregional trade is expected to fill local wheat deficits within the region. Local wheat availability in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan is expected to be at average levels. Wheat prices have been increasing and are slightly above average in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
·       International staple food markets are well supplied. Rice, maize and wheat prices decreased while soybean prices were stable in September (Figure 2). Global crude oil prices increased sharply following mid-month attacks on Saudi Aramco processing facilities but had stabilized by the end of the month while global fertilizer prices decreased in September.


OCTOBER 28, 2019 / 1:37 PM / 5 DAYS AGO
Philippines to nearly triple local rice purchases, scraps safeguard duty proposal
3 MIN READ

MANILA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The Philippine government will nearly treble rice purchases from local farmers this year, officials said on Monday, after it rejected a proposal last week to impose safeguard duty.

The National Food Authority (NFA) said it will now buy up to 1.14 million tonnes of unmilled rice from local farmers, who were hurt by the removal of quantitative import restrictions, compared with the previous target of 389,000 tonnes.

The state-run agency’s purchases this year have already exceeded half of the new target, spokeswoman Rebecca Olarte said.

NFA also said it has been authorised by its council to buy the staple grain at 19 pesos ($0.37) per kilogram, from 17 pesos previously, and sell them to retailers at 23 pesos per kg, reduced from 25 pesos.

The announcement comes after Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said on Friday that the “foolhardy idea” of imposing safeguard duty on rice imports, which could push up inflation, has been dropped.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar had pushed for the safeguard duty to be imposed on top of existing tariffs, as proposed by some farmers’ groups, to ease the pain of local producers hit by a surge in rice imports.

The Southeast Asian nation, which is one of the world’s biggest rice importers and often buys grains from its neighbours Vietnam and Thailand, lifted a two-decade-old cap on purchases early this year and replaced it with tariffs.

The policy shift has led to unhampered rice importation by the private sector, with this year’s purchases seen reaching a record annual volume of more than 3 million tonnes, way beyond what the country needs to fill the supply gap.

While that helped bring down retail prices and ease inflation to the lowest in nearly three years in September, from its peak in almost a decade last year, farmers suffered as farmgate prices plunged.

The fall in farmgate prices is not a nationwide concern, however, according to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, saying those in central and southern Philippines in particular “seem to be holding up”.

$1 = 51 Philippine pesos Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; editing by Uttaresh.V

95% of tested baby foods in the US contain toxic metals, report says



by Sandee LaMotte, CNN
Friday, November 1st 2019
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Toxic heavy metals damaging to your baby's brain development are likely in the baby food you are feeding your infant, according to a new investigation published Thursday.
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Toxic heavy metals damaging to your baby's brain development are likely in the baby food you are feeding your infant, according to a new investigation published Thursday.
Tests of 168 baby foods from major manufacturers in the US found 95% contained lead, 73% contained arsenic, 75% contained cadmium and 32% contained mercury. One fourth of the foods contained all four heavy metals.
One in five baby foods tested had over 10 times the 1-ppb limit of lead endorsed by public health advocates, although experts agree that no level of lead is safe.
The results mimicked a previous study by the Food and Drug Administration that found one or more of the same metals in 33 of 39 types of baby food tested.
Foods with the highest risk for neurotoxic harm were rice-based products, sweet potatoes and fruit juices, the analysis found.
"Even in the trace amounts found in food, these contaminants can alter the developing brain and erode a child's IQ. The impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats," the report said.
The tests were commissioned by Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which calls itself an alliance of scientists, nonprofit organizations and donors trying to reduce exposures to neurotoxic chemicals during the first months of life.
Rice-based foods
Infant rice cereal, rice dishes and rice-based snacks topped the list of most toxic foods for babies.
"These popular baby foods are not only high in inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form of arsenic, but also are nearly always contaminated with all four toxic metals," the report said.
Prior research has shown that even low levels of arsenic exposure can impact a baby's neurodevelopment. A 2004 study looked at children in Bangladesh who were exposed to arsenic in drinking water, and it found that they scored significantly lower on intellectual tests. A meta-analysis of studies on the topic found that a 50% increase in arsenic levels in urine would be associated with a 0.4-point decrease in the IQ of children between the ages of 5 and 15.
Arsenic is a natural element found in soil, water and air, with the inorganic form being the most toxic. ("Inorganic" is a chemical term and has nothing to do with the method of farming.)
Because rice is grown in water, it is especially good at absorbing inorganic arsenic and, according to the Food and Drug Administration, has the highest concentration of any food.
And in this case, brown and wild rice are the worst offenders, because the milling process used to create white rice removes the outer layers, where much of the arsenic concentrates.
And you can't rely on organic either. A 2012 study found that brown rice syrup, a frequent sweetener in organic foods, was also a source of significant levels of arsenic. One "organic" milk formula marketed to toddlers had levels of inorganic arsenic that were six times the levels currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
In the Healthy Babies analysis, four of seven rice cereals contained the most toxic form of arsenic in levels higher than the FDA's proposed action level of 100 parts per billion (ppb).
Action needed
Urgent action is needed by major baby food companies and the FDA, the report said. While the FDA has been investigating how to reduce exposure and some levels of arsenic in rice and juice are lower than a decade ago, exposure is still too high.
"When FDA acts, companies respond. We need the FDA to use their authority more effectively, and much more quickly, to reduce toxic heavy metals in baby foods," said study author Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies Better Futures, in a statement.
What can parents do
The analysis looked at which baby foods are highest risk, and offered safer alternatives.
Puff rice snacks and cereals
Rice cereal is the top source of arsenic in a baby's diet because it is often used as a first food; rice puffs and other rice flour snacks also contain high levels. Healthy Babies suggested cereals low in arsenic, such as oatmeal and multigrain cereals, and rice-free packaged snacks.
Pediatrician Tanya Altmann, author of "What to Feed Your Baby" echoes the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advises parents to offer a wide variety of first foods including grains such as oats, barley, wheat and quinoa.
"Best first foods for infants are avocado, pureed veggies, peanut-butter oatmeal and salmon," Altmann told CNN in a prior interview. "They all provide important nutrients that babies need, help develop their taste buds to prefer healthy food and may decrease food allergies."
She believes meats are a better source of iron and zinc for babies than rice cereal, "so I haven't been recommending rice cereal as a first food for several years."
If you do choose to cook rice for your toddler, Healthy Babies recommends cooking rice in extra water and pouring it off before eating. That will cut arsenic levels by 60%, they say, based on FDA studies.
"For the lowest levels, buy basmati rice grown in California, India, and Pakistan. White rice has less arsenic than brown rice," the report said.
Teething foods
Teething biscuits can contain arsenic, lead and cadmium, the report said. Instead, soothe your baby's pain with frozen bananas, a peeled and chilled cucumber or a clean, wet washcloth -- but be sure to watch for choking.
Drinks
Juice is often the go-to drink for parents, but it's not a good option, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. Juices are high in sugar, lack fiber, and can contribute to tooth decay and later obesity. Apple, pear, grape and other fruit juices can also contain some lead and arsenic, so frequent use is a top source of these heavy metals.
Instead, experts say water and milk are best choices, depending on the age of the child. Babies under six months only need breast milk and formula. The drinks of choice for a child's second year of life should be water and whole milk. Between age 2 and 5 parents should move to skim or low-fat milk and keep pushing water to hydrate their children.
At all ages, juice should be kept to a minimum. One tip: add water to make the juice last longer and always be sure the drink is 100% juice.
Fruits and veggies
While sweet potatoes and carrots are great sources of vitamin A and other key nutrients, the report found they are also high in lead and cadmium. Go ahead and feed your child these veggies, but be sure to add many other colorful fruits and vegetables to add variety.
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Missouri farmers seeking to reduce runoff in Gulf of Mexico

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HIDE CAPTION
A farmer harvests soybeans in a field on Oct. 13 near Concordia. [Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press]
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A barge unloads fertilizer at Port KC in Kansas City in 2016. The Missouri River is slowly resuming its role as a transportation corridor for commodities such as grain, scrap metal and fertilizer. [Orlin Wagner/The Associated Press]
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A farmer harvests soybeans in a field on Oct. 13 near Concordia. [Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press]
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A barge unloads fertilizer at Port KC in Kansas City in 2016. The Missouri River is slowly resuming its role as a transportation corridor for commodities such as grain, scrap metal and fertilizer. [Orlin Wagner/The Associated Press]
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A farmer harvests soybeans in a field on Oct. 13 near Concordia. [Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press]
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KANSAS CITY — When corn and soybean farmer Kenny Reichard stopped plowing some of his fields in northern Missouri in 1982, other farmers told him that it was a terrible decision that would lower his yields.
“I’ve been told many times that no-till doesn’t work,” said Reichard, 62, who farms north of Brunswick in Chariton County.
More than three decades later, state programs and agriculture initiatives are trying to encourage farmers to adopt no-till and other practices that reduce fertilizer runoff that contributes to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. While many farmers think such methods are expensive, they’re critical to cleaning up the Mississippi River basin.
“We do realize if we put too much (fertilizer) on, it’s going to go somewhere, and we don’t want to be paying to kill the fish in the Gulf,” Mitchell Rice, 39, a farmer in Chariton County, told KCUR-FM.
Urban stormwater, sewage and farm runoff that flow downstream from states in the Mississippi River basin have created an area in the Gulf where oxygen is too low to support marine life. Missouri is among the top contributors of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to the river basin, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Federal data shows that the state’s pollution largely comes from fertilizer and manure.
Iowa, Minnesota and a few other agricultural states have set goals for the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus. Missouri has not set targets. The state’s approach to curtailing farm runoff, which environmentalists say lacks strength, is to use sales tax revenue to provide farmers financial incentives to improve crop and livestock practices.
Under the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax program, Missouri farmers can apply for funding that would cover up to 75% of the cost of conservation projects. The projects could involve planting cover crops, types of crops that reduce soil erosion, or using vegetation to build buffer zones that block nutrients from waterways.
Last year, the state spent $40 million generated by the sales tax on projects that helped farmers adopt conservation practices. The program has received such a high level of interest from farmers that the state can’t accommodate every funding request, said Chris Wieberg, water protection program director at the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“We would double that conservation if we doubled that money,” Wieberg said.
Some environmentalists in Missouri want the state set targets on nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. It isn’t enough to increase acreage of cover crops and fund better agricultural practices, said Maisah Khan, water policy director at the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
“You can check the box and say we have accomplished x, y and z, but there’s not a lot of data and metrics behind it,” Khan said. “The strategy isn’t really tracking what we’re achieving with this plan.”
Khan has also pressed the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to increase its monitoring of nutrient pollution. The state’s plan to track nitrogen and phosphorus in lakes received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency last year. However, the DNR has no plans to monitor runoff in Missouri’s streams or in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Many farmers in Missouri are opposed to limits on nutrient pollution. Some argue that the approach could be counterintuitive. For example, state regulators might instruct farmers to avoid applying fertilizer during a rain event, which may result in farmers adding more fertilizer before the rain, causing more runoff to occur, said Andrea Rice, director of research and outreach for the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board.
“By putting targets (on nutrients), you’re having to adhere to end goals, whereas here in Missouri, we’re able to focus on the process,” said Rice, who is married to Mitchell Rice.
Rice and her husband farm 1,700 acres of corn and soybean near Clifton Hill, where they plant cover crops and use grid sampling, or precision technology to conserve fertilizer.
Rising fertilizer and seed prices have motivated farmers like him to use these practices, Mitchell Rice said.
“We have to look at the bottom line on everything,” he said. “Cover crops, where we’re having to use less chemical, eventually less fertilizer. It makes sense to be good stewards and do those things.”
Research suggests it could be many years before efforts by farmers and state governments would make much of a difference in the Gulf of Mexico, said Steven Herrington, director of science and impact measures at the Nature Conservancy’s Missouri chapter.
“Let’s say we reduced all of our nitrogen into our soil to zero,” Herrington said. “We still have a legacy of nitrogen in our soils from decades and decades of agriculture that would still be moving down through these systems.”
Missouri DNR officials plan to study the impact of the parks, soils and water sales tax in the coming months.

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CLIMATE CHANGE COULD DOUBLE TOXIC ARSENIC IN RICE

DANIELLE TORRENT TUCKER-STANFORD
"I just didn't expect the magnitude of impact on rice yield we observed," says coauthor Scott Fendorf, professor of earth system science at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. (Credit: Getty Images)
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UNIVERSITY
Climate change may cause a dramatic drop in rice production in major growing regions, a decline that could jeopardize critical food supplies, researchers report.
New experiments exploring rice production in future climate conditions show rice yields could drop about 40% by 2100—with potentially devastating consequences in parts of the world that rely on the crop as a basic food source.
What’s more, changes to soil processes due to increased temperatures will cause rice to contain twice as much toxic arsenic than the rice consumed today, according to the study, published in Nature Communications.
“By the time we get to 2100, we’re estimated to have approximately 10 billion people, so that would mean we have 5 billion people dependent on rice, and 2 billion who would not have access to the calories they would normally need,” says coauthor Scott Fendorf, professor of earth system science at Stanford University’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. “We have to be aware of these challenges that are coming so we can be ready to adapt.”

RICE AS BABY FOOD

Researchers specifically looked at rice because it grows in flooded paddies that help loosen the arsenic from the soil and make it especially sensitive to arsenic uptake. While many food crops today contain small amounts of arsenic, some growing regions are more susceptible than others.
Future changes in soil due to higher temperatures combined with flooded conditions cause rice plants to take up arsenic at higher levels—and using irrigation water with naturally occurring high arsenic exacerbates the problem.
While these factors won’t affect all global commodities in the same way, they do extend to other flood-grown crops, like taro and lotus.
“I just didn’t expect the magnitude of impact on rice yield we observed,” says Fendorf, who is also a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “What I missed was how much the soil biogeochemistry would respond to increased temperature, how that would amplify plant-available arsenic, and then—coupled with the temperature stress—how that would really impact the plant.”
A naturally occurring, semi-metallic chemical, arsenic exists in most soils and sediments, but generally in a form that plants don’t take up. Chronic exposure to arsenic leads to skin lesions, cancers, aggravation of lung disease, and, ultimately, death.
It is especially concerning in rice not only because of its global significance, but also because the low-allergen food is often introduced early to infants.
“I think this problem is also crucial for people that have young kids in our society,” says lead author E. Marie Muehe, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford who’s now at the University of Tübingen, Germany. “Because infants are a lot smaller than we are, if they eat rice, that means that they take up more arsenic relative to their body weight.”

‘SOIL IS ALIVE’

The researchers created future climate conditions in greenhouses based on estimates of a possible 5 degree Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature increase and twice as much atmospheric carbon dioxide by 2100, as projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
While previous research examined the effects of increasing temperature in the context of the global food crisis, this study was the first to account for soil conditions in combination with shifts in climate.
For the experiments, the group grew a medium-grain rice variety in soil from the rice-growing region of California. They controlled the greenhouses for temperature, carbon dioxide concentrations, and soil arsenic levels, which will be higher in the future due to its buildup in soils from irrigating crops with arsenic-contaminated water, a problem that by overpumping groundwater worsens.
“We don’t often think about this, but soil is alive—it’s teeming with bacteria and a lot of different microorganisms,” Fendorf says. “It turns out those microorganisms determine whether the arsenic stays partitioned onto the minerals and away from the plants or comes off the minerals into the water phase.”
The researchers found that with increased temperatures, microorganisms destabilized more of the soil’s inherent arsenic, leading to greater amounts of the toxin in the soil water available for the rice to take up. Once taken up, arsenic inhibits nutrient absorption and decreases plant growth and development, factors that contributed to the 40% decrease in yield the scientists observed.

EARLY WARNING, FUTURE PLANNING

While the dramatic loss in production is a major cause for concern, the scientists remain hopeful that this research will help producers find potential solutions for feeding the world.
“The good news is that given past advances in terms of the global community’s ability to breed varieties that can adapt to new conditions, along with revisions to soil management, I’m optimistic we can get around the problems observed in our study,” Fendorf says.
“I’m also optimistic that as we continue to shine a light on the threats resulting from a 5 degree Celsius change, society will adopt practices to ensure we never reach that degree of warming.”
As next steps, Fendorf, coauthor Tianmei Wang, and Muehe hope to use remote sensing to pinpoint contaminated rice paddies in order to model future yields and arsenic contamination.
“This is most likely to be a problem where most rice is consumed, so we think about South and East Asia,” says Wang, a PhD candidate in earth system science. “Especially for people like my dad—he consumes rice three times a day and he just cannot live without it.”

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Brad Robb
Grain farmer Jay Coker farms rice and soybeans on the outskirts of the rice and duck hunting capital of the world — Stuttgart, Ark.

Arkansas rice farmer follows multiple risk management strategies

Managing risk has never been more important in agriculture.
Brad Robb | Oct 31, 2019
Jay Coker knows managing risks has never been more important, especially in a year that started so inauspiciously.
He’s looking at equipment, crop insurance, marketing and labor for opportunities to mitigate some of the risks on the 4,000 acres of rice he farms in the Arkansas Grand Prairie near Stuttgart, Ark.
The 2019 season started with an extremely narrow planting window. “We planted rice into last year’s stubble with no prior ground work,” Coker says. “We rolled rutted up fields and flooded them before winter and that helped smooth them out. We didn’t burn the straw, which allows the soil to dry out then warm up faster in the spring. It also helps to reduce disease and pest risks.”
Most of Coker’s ground is in rice for two or three years before he rotates into two years of soybeans. He typically floods the zero-grade buckshot ground for duck season, and no-till drills next planting season. “We really rutted the fields last year. After a very late harvest, we came back with cleated rollers that allowed us to work the muddy ground,” Coker says. “That also helped incorporate the straw and smooth out the ruts.”
In 25 years of farming, he has done that with only a few acres, never an entire crop. His land drains slowly. Moist, sticky ground does not like to let go of water. “It’s great soil for producing rice, but man it takes a long time to dry out, and spring rains made it even more of a challenge this year,” Coker says.

Reducing equipment risks

Running heavy equipment can cause compaction and rutting, so Coker uses a combination of tractors — tracked or dual tire configurations. “I’m also running a tracked undercarriage on one grain cart and flotation tires on the other,” Coker says.
“If a farmer buys into a no-till system as I have, especially in heavy clay soils, he might have to wait two or three days after a rain before getting back into the field to lower (or lessen) the risk of rutting during harvest with heavy equipment. With tracked equipment and flotation tires, I can get back in the field much sooner.”
Coker has witnessed more farmers using shallow tillage equipment like a Diamond Harrow, a Turbo Till, or something similar that can be pulled at a ground speed that disturbs only the top 2 or 3 inches of soil while effectively handling crop residue. “I’m looking for economies of scale,” Coker says. “We’re looking for ways to be successful with less tillage so we can plant in a timely fashion.”
Each year he considers burndown products to prevent early spring vegetation from developing, so he can avoid tilling. “This has allowed us to get away from disk harrows, plows and other deep tillage equipment,” Coker says.
In 2018, Coker purchased a tracked Claas 750 combine with a 32-foot stripper header to work in combination with his Case 9230. He is running two years of rice through each combine each season. “This may be risky. I don’t know how many farmers would try to harvest 4,000 acres of rice with two machines, but I spoke with a number of people about the Claas machine and their comments were all positive.
“They [Claas] have a rice package that includes more stainless steel and beefed up, heavier components in high-wear areas,” Coker says. “Rice is the most abrasive grain there is, and I feel like I can get more efficiency out of this machine by not having to replace augers, boots, elevator chains, or other components during harvest.”

Technology

Technology helps, too. Coker keeps abreast of everything going on through the Field View application on equipment and combines. “I’m able to use my iPad to see what’s going on with various aspects of my operation,” Coker says. “It’s a digital tool that allows me to view real time harvest data, as well as the location of my equipment. I can analyze yield performance by soil type, by each field, or by the hybrids I’m using. As long as I’ve got a cell signal, I can access it.”

Crop insurance and marketing

Coker also evaluates crop insurance each year, looking for the best coverage he can afford. “The amount of risk we take as farmers is hard for non-farmers to understand,” Coker says. “We’re putting our entire net worth up every year to plant a crop. It’s not a Harvard-designed business plan, and sometimes Mother Nature and/or the markets are not cooperative. Sometimes it comes down to how many dollars an acre I want to tie up in crop insurance.”
Coker says the last two farm bills addressed crop insurance. Today, more acreage is being covered, which he says is a direct result of the government (USDA) working with the Risk Management Agency to create policies farmers can afford. “We can insure almost anything,” Coker says. “Crop insurance can help if we need to replant, or even if we can’t plant. Preventive planting was a big buzzword this year.”
Two of the world’s largest rice cooperatives, Riceland Foods and Producer Rice Mill, are located in Stuttgart, a significant marketing advantage. “For years, rice farmers have cut rice and delivered it green to those two cooperatives,” says Coker, who is the chairman of the board for Producers Rice Mill. “They dry it, store it, mill it, and have marketing programs that allow farmers to sell on a daily cash price, forward contract, or place rice in a marketing pool — which is what a lot of farmers do, and they get advances throughout the year.”

Labor, technology, and communication

Retaining qualified and reliable farm labor continues to plague many farming operations across the country. Coker has used the H-2A visa program for at least 15 years. He and a few other farmers in Arkansas County formed a loosely knit organization to bring in Hispanic workers. The work force has included a father, brothers, a few cousins and uncles.
“Now their children have gotten old enough to participate,” Coker says. “They come over around the middle of March and return home around the beginning of November. I have a full-time crew of great guys with me all year, but the H-2A visa program allows me to supplement labor during the most labor-intensive part of the crop year.”
Coker’s labor needs correlate to planting and harvest. “Some crop years I get by with less labor, some years I can’t. H-2A helps reduce my risk of a labor shortage, and it pays off when I need to get a crop out during a narrow weather window,” Coker says.
Coker Farms spreads out over a 25-mile radius, and technology plays a key role in communication. The operation uses 11 grain trucks and trailers, and four seasonal truck drivers during harvest. Communicating independently with each one would eat up much of his time. “We all have iPhones and Facebook, so we use the Messenger App,” Coker says. “I can drop a location pin to identify the next field I want them to harvest and the drivers know just where to go without making a phone call or typing out directions.”
Coker believes a better way to do anything always exists and he is ready to evaluate that better way anytime the opportunity presents itself. “I think the real risk is not doing something, instead of doing it. If you risk nothing, you risk everything,” Coker said.

SMUGGLED CARS FROM LIBYA COME WITH WEAPONS- CUSTOMS
Description: Smuggled cars from Libya come with weapons- Customs


November 1, 2019
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Smuggled cars from Libya come with weapons- Customs

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The Nigeria Customs Service has discovered that cars smuggled into the country from Libya, come with weapons.
Senior officials of the service made this revelation in Kaduna while giving operational update in the last two months.
They also disclosed that thousands of smuggled bags of rice have been seized, with the bulk of the seizures happening at the popular Mando garage in the state capital.
The Federal Operations Unit, Zone B of the Nigerian Customs Service and rice farmers in the zone met to discuss how the menace of smuggling could be tackled
Senior customs officers suspect some of them are conniving with smugglers.
They say bags of seized foreign parboiled rice are now been re-bagged in local sacks.
The Customs officials are not happy that the Republics of Benin and Niger are working hard to frustrate the good work of the government.
They disclosed that cars smuggled into the country, now come with weapons especially those from Libya.
   
The rice farmers and millers are charged to partner with government to grow the economy.
They promise to do their best.
The farmers are also calling on Nigerians to endure what they call “the initial pain of change”.
The rice farmers and the Nigerian Customs service both believe that the government is right on the border closure.

This is a victory over gunda gardi, fake FIRs done during Akali rule: Punjab Congress MLA Raminder Awla 

AFTER WINNING the Jalalabad bypoll, newly-elected Congress MLA Raminder Awla feels he has won the “toughest” seat in Punjab. In an interaction with The Indian Express, he talks about his future plans and the reason he thinks he won from an Akali stronghold:

Written by Raakhi Jagga |Chandigarh |Published: November 2, 2019 8:31:35 am
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Jalalabad MLA Raminder Awla. (Source: Facebook/RaminderAwlaOfficial)
Jalalabad was considered as Akali stronghold and was being represented by the SAD President himself. What factors were responsible for your victory?
This is a victory over gunda gardi done by SAD-BJP during their rule and lodging of fake FIRs during the Akali regime. After 2017, although Sukhbir Badal had won this seat, the Congress had come to power in the state and due to the intervention of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the fake FIRs, hence people started realising that electing a Congress representative will provide them justice from the 10 years pof injustice done by Sukhbir Badal. The SAD president won three elections from Jalalabad (2009, 2012, 2017) but could not make a change in this constituency as he had promised. Hence voters preferred to vote for Congress. During Akali rule, Sukhbir Badal also served as deputy CM and hence gunda gardi was at its peak.
What issues did you witness in rural as well as urban areas during your campaign?
I have found that rice millers don’t have enough business, their mills are lying closed for want of stock. There is no big industry in this area where local residents can be employed. In border villages, the incomes of farmers are limited and hence they need an alternative source of income. The issue of drug smuggling is also prevalent in border villages. I need to work on all of these one by one.
On polling day, SAD leaders alleged that Congress indulged in high-handedness to win elections, what do you have to say about it?
Videos can be proof of who was involved in violence. SAD workers tried to overpower our workers, they even damaged many of our polling booths and after that started raising allegations otherwise. Nearly 2,000 voters of town area did not come out to vote because of such incidents done by SAD workers at many booths in the town area. Once a person starts losing, they resort to cheap ways to justify their defeat.
It is being said that the SAD president was busy in Haryana and hence did not campaign much in Jalalabad…
He made repeated visits, his wife and many SAD leaders campaigned in Jalalabad. Despite that they lost as they had lost connect with the masses in the past two years.They tried to defame me by raising allegations of liquor distribution, but despite that negative propaganda, voters took the right decision.
What are your future plans?
I will bring agro-based industry to this area so as to generate employment for local residents. Agriculture is the main occupation here and hence agro-based industry is the need of the hour. I will try to convince the government to open a unit here, otherwise I myself will generate employment for the masses. I will be meeting the chief minister with my plans to open industry in this area. I am hopeful of bringing big projects to border areas.

For latest coverage on Haryana and Maharashtra Elections, log on to IndianExpress.com. We bring you the fastest assembly election 2019 updates from each constituency in both the states.

India Grain: Wheat, maize dn on weak demand, basmati up on firm buys

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By Sampad Nandy

NEW DELHI – Prices of mill-quality wheat fell across key spot markets today due to weak demand from bulk buyers such as flour millers and stockists at higher prices, traders said. A gradual decline in arrivals, however, cushioned the decline, they said. 

In Indore, arrivals were pegged at 200-250 bags (1 bag = 100 kg), down from 350-400 bags on Thursday, traders said. In Jaipur, arrivals were at 200 bags compared with 250 bags on Thursday, they added. 

Prices of the grain are seen falling further in the coming days as spot prices have crossed the base price of the government's weekly auction scheme, traders said.

For Oct-Dec, the government has set a base price at 2,190 rupees per 100 kg in non-wheat producing states under its open market sale scheme. The price will be hiked by 55 rupees every quarter in the current financial year.

Futures contracts of wheat on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, however, rose due to an anticipation of tight supply in spot markets. The November contract of wheat on NCDEX ended 0.2% higher at 2,131 rupees per 100 kg. 

Prices of maize fell in key spot markets as higher arrivals of poor quality crops dampened demand from poultry feed makers and starch manufacturers, traders said. A rise in arrivals also weighed on prices, they said.  

In Nizamabad, arrivals were pegged at 5,000 bags (1 bag = 100 kg), up from 2,000 bags from Thursday. 

Demand for the new kharif maize crop is seen weak in the coming days as fresh arrivals are of poor quality with moisture content of 25-30%, against the acceptable limit of 13-14%, traders said. 

Prices of Pusa 1121 basmati paddy continued to rise due to firm demand from rice millers amid steady arrivals, traders said. The new crop has started arriving in some parts of Haryana and Punjab in full swing, Amritsar-based trader Ashok Sethi said. However, heavy rains during the harvest season has delayed arrivals in many places.

The December 1121 basmati paddy futures contract on the Indian Commodity Exchange fell 0.9% to 3,130 rupees per 100 kg as production is pegged 15% higher on year, traders said.

India's basmati rice production may also rise 15% on year to 5.7 mln tn in 2019-20 (Jul-Jun), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority's Basmati Exports Development Foundation Director A.K. Gupta had told Cogencis earlier.

Following are today's prices of wheat, maize, and paddy, in rupees per 100 kg, in key wholesale markets, and the change from the previous day: 

Commodity
Market
Price
Change
Wheat
Indore
2,225
(-)10-15
Wheat
Jaipur
2,190
  (-)15-20
Maize
Sangli
2,270-2,280
  (-)10-15
Maize
Nizamabad
2,090
   (-)10-15
Pusa 1121 basmati paddy
Amritsar
2,900-2,970
  30-50

End

Edited by Subham Mitra

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Send comments to feedback@cogencis.com
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This copy was first published on the Cogencis WorkStation
© Cogencis Information Services Ltd. 2019. All rights reserved.

Mwea farmers decry Pakistani rice influx

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 11:22Description: Workers on a rise fieldWorkers on a rise field. Unbranded rice imported from Pakistan has flooded the market with local farmers and traders struggling to sell produce from Mwea Scheme. FILE PHOTO | NMG 
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Unbranded rice imported from Pakistan has flooded the market with local farmers and traders struggling to sell produce from Mwea Scheme.
Mwea, in Kirinyaga County, is Kenya’s largest irrigation scheme, whose performance impacts the volumes of the grain available in the market as well as pricing.
A kilogramme of Pakistani rice is selling at Sh80 while the Mwea brand is retailing at between Sh130 and Sh140 for the same quantity.
Traders interviewed said their mini-rice milling factories were on the verge of closure as lack of profits is edging them out of the market.
They want the government to regulate imports as choosy buyers shun local rice for the cheaper foreign brands.

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“Business has become really hard for us because of the imported rice. Many of us will be closing shop soon,” said Ms Mary Mumbi, owner of Good Hope Rice Millers.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019 data, Mwea produces about 100,000 tonnes of rice which is 80 percent of the national output.
Currently, the country has a deficit of 400,000 tonnes of rice annually meaning it has to import 300,000 tonnes.

Exporters seek share in Qatar’s rice tender

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KARACHI: Rice exporters on Friday urged the government to approach Qatari authorities for including Pakistan origin rice in the Doha’s second import tender for 48,000 tonnes which had been specified for Indian-origin rice only.
At a meeting held at the Federation House, Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice Rafique Suleman met with the members of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap).
Appreciating the efforts made by the Ministry of Commerce in re-opening of Qatari market for Pakistani rice which also resulted in winning the first import tender of 4,000 tonnes rice. However, the participants regretted that the second tender issued by Qatar was specific for Indian rice only. The FPCCI convener urged the government to take up this matter with relevant Qatari authorities.
Besides including Pakistan in this the second tender of 48,000 tonnes rice, Mr Suleman also demanded that in future all tenders to be issued by Qatar should without any discrimination to give an opportunity to Pakistan rice imports.
He explained that import tenders issued by Qatar for rice varieties belonging to both India and Pakistan should not be origin specific so that a fair level playing field was ensured to rice exporters of both countries.
Mr Suleman informed the participants that new revolutionary rice seed variety called Green Super Rice (GSR) is very low cost and needs less quantity of water and other inputs while the yield is better than other rice seeds.

Residents turn to Waiguru after influx of Pakistan rice

Rice traders in Kirinyaga cry foul over massive imports of Pakistan rice that is choking their business. Sine entry of the rice in Mwea, the traders claim they have not managed to break even since last year.

Rafique Suleman urges govt to take up matter of 2nd rice tender with Qatar

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Zubair Yaqoob
Karachi
Rafique Suleman, Convener, FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice called 3rd meeting of his Committee Today at Federation House, Karachi. This meeting was attended by Muhammad Raza, Senior Vice Chairman REAP, Shiraz Shaikh REAP’s Managing Committee Member, Faisal Anis, Kazim Khandwala, Sufiyan Rahim, Shoaib Rauf, Noman Arif, Jatender Kumar and other leading rice exporters.
During the matter various matters related to rice export trade have been discussed. Rafique Suleman thanked all participants for attending this meeting. He expressed his gratitude to Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Team at MINCOM for their efforts for re-opening of Qatar market for Pakistani rice exporters after long time. As a result, first tender of Qatar was issued for 4,000 M/Ton rice and successfully awarded to a Pakistan origin company.
However, it was very surprising that 2nd tender of Qatar CTC for 48,000 M/Ton was only for India origin. He requested Government of Pakistan to take up this matter with relevant Qatari Authorities and arrange to add Pakistan origin in this tender and all future tenders. Further he suggested that if the rice variety belongs to both India and Pakistan then the tender should not be origin specific, so that fair level playing field will be available for all.
He informed the House about the new revolutionary rice seed namely, Green Super Rice (GSR) which is very low cost and needs less quantity of water and other input and its yield is better than other rice seeds.
He added that after the consistent efforts GSR seed was distributed to farmers for sowing in this season and recently a delegation of REAP’s Senior Members along with Dr. Muhammad Arif, Senior Scientist from NIBGE Faisalabad, Nadeem Shah, Vice President Sindh Abadgar Board, Director General, National Institute of Agriculture, Tando Jam and Other officials visited various rice fields in Sindh Province and it is very good to see the encouraging results and we will be having good quality of rice this year.

CPEC- A Road towards Prosperity

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NOVEMBER 2, 2019
China-Pakistan friendship dubbed as “higher than the Himalayas and sweeter than honey” further strengthened with the announcement of the CPEC project on 20th April 2015.
The economic corridor (CPEC), a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is a 3000km linkage of roads, pipelines, and railways to transport goods from Gawadar port to Kashgar in Xinjiang. With an investment of 62 billion dollars, CPEC is a “flagship project” which can change the destiny of the country explicitly due to its strategic position. Pakistan is located at the juncture of energy proficient to the energy-deficient countries which would transform the country into a transit corridor.
With the four phases of the CPEC project; each focusing on transport, infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, it has been anticipated that if CPEC utilized properly, it would assist in revamping the ailing economy of Pakistan. In the first phase, the emphasis was laid on refining the transport sector of the country. The number of roads and railways have been constructed as a part of this plan.
Next comes the energy sector where 34 billion dollars have been invested for the refurbishment of the outdated energy sector of Pakistan. The establishment of Quaid-e-Azam solar, Port Qasim, Sachal wind and Sahiwal Coal have been completed while other 3 to 4 projects will be finalized very soon that would add about 7500 MW to the national grid of the country. It is no wrong to say that Pakistan has been able to overcome acute energy cries solely due to the installation of these energy-rich projects by China.
Besides, the 11billion dollars investment has spent on the infrastructure development in Pakistan under the CPEC project which envisages an extensive overhaul of the existing transportation infrastructure in Pakistan and laying out of new routes for easing the transit trade and enhancement of market accessibility. Also, the chief achievement has been the up-gradation of Pakistan’s digital Infrastructure in the form of construction of 44 million dollars Optical Fiber that runs from Khunjrab to Islamabad to amplify the source of data connectivity.
In the agriculture sector, the efforts are underway for boosting yields in the crop sector, reducing losses from harvest and transportation and engaging with life stocks and dairy. Moreover, as a part of the Long Term Plan (LTP), China has already started cultivating Hybrid rice in Pakistan. The usage of China’s expertise and modern technology would also aid in rebuilding the agriculture sector of the country.
The current focus as a part of the fourth phase has been made on the industrial development of Pakistan. New SEZ has been set up and Chinese investors are invited to acquire stakes and do investments in various sectors of the country. The first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) comprising of 20 factories is being set up in KPK. In the next stage, China is planning of planting heavy industry SEZ in Sindh. Keeping in view the importance of these zones for both China and Pakistan, president Xi at the aftermath of SCO meeting 2019 said:
“We must expand and enrich the construction of the CPEC with a new focus on industrial parks, agriculture and people’s livelihood’.
Not only this but the number of experts has also predicted that China’s investment could potentially stimulate an 8-10% increase in Pakistan’s GDP by 2020. Moreover, in 2018, the Chinese embassy while lauding the successful execution of projects enunciated that there was a growth of 2.11 percent in Pakistan’s GDP due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
New industries and Business would in return brings new jobs which would ultimately solve the employment crises in Pakistan. As per International labor organization (ILO), CPEC is estimated to create 400,000 jobs to the country while another source from Applied Economic Research Centre (AERC) has estimated that mega Initiatives would produce around 700,000 direct jobs in Pakistan. This means that our country will soon replete with a skillful and talented labor force that would contribute positively towards the development of the country.
Keeping in view the significance of this mega initiative for the betterment of Pakistan, there is a need to design investment-friendly policies on an immediate basis to make this project a success story. Moreover, knee-jerk reactions are required to resolve the confronted hurdles; be it external or internal as CPEC is not only a game-changer for China and Pakistan but for the whole South Asian region.
The writer is a Masters in International Relations from NDU and currently works at NOA Islamabad.


95 Percent of Tested Baby Foods in the US Contain Toxic Metals, Report Says


By Wire Service Content 
Description: 95 Percent of Tested Baby Foods in the US Contain Toxic Metals, Report SaysToxic heavy metals damaging to your baby's brain development are likely in the baby food you are feeding your infant, according to a new investigation published on Oct. 31, 2019.(Shutterstock/Elroi)
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Toxic heavy metals damaging to your baby’s brain development are likely in the baby food you are feeding your infant, according to a new investigation published Thursday.
Tests of 168 baby foods from major manufacturers in the United States found 95 percent contained lead, 73 percent contained arsenic, 75 percent contained cadmium, and 32 percent contained mercury. One fourth of the foods contained all four heavy metals.
One in five baby foods tested had over 10 times the 1-ppb limit of lead endorsed by public health advocates, although experts agree that no level of lead is safe.
The results mimicked a previous study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that found one or more of the same metals in 33 of 39 types of baby food tested.
Foods with the highest risk for neurotoxic harm were rice-based products, sweet potatoes, and fruit juices, the analysis found.
“Even in the trace amounts found in food, these contaminants can alter the developing brain and erode a child’s IQ. The impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats,” the report said.
The tests were commissioned by Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which calls itself an alliance of scientists, nonprofit organizations, and donors trying to reduce exposures to neurotoxic chemicals during the first months of life.
Description: rice-crackerRice crackers in a file photo. (Mabel Amber/Pixabay)

Rice-Based Foods

Infant rice cereal, rice dishes, and rice-based snacks topped the list of most toxic foods for babies.
“These popular baby foods are not only high in inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form of arsenic, but also are nearly always contaminated with all four toxic metals,” the report said.
Prior research has shown that even low levels of arsenic exposure can impact a baby’s neurodevelopment. A 2004 study looked at children in Bangladesh who were exposed to arsenic in drinking water, and it found that they scored significantly lower on intellectual tests. A meta-analysis of studies on the topic found that a 50 percent increase in arsenic levels in urine would be associated with a 0.4-point decrease in the IQ of children between the ages of 5 and 15.
Arsenic is a natural element found in soil, water and air, with the inorganic form being the most toxic. “Inorganic” is a chemical term and has nothing to do with the method of farming.
Because rice is grown in water, it is especially good at absorbing inorganic arsenic and, according to the Food and Drug Administration, has the highest concentration of any food.
And in this case, brown and wild rice are the worst offenders, because the milling process used to create white rice removes the outer layers, where much of the arsenic concentrates.
And you can’t rely on organic either. A 2012 study found that brown rice syrup, a frequent sweetener in organic foods, was also a source of significant levels of arsenic. One “organic” milk formula marketed to toddlers had levels of inorganic arsenic that were six times the levels currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
In the Healthy Babies analysis, four of seven rice cereals contained the most toxic form of arsenic in levels higher than the FDA’s proposed action level of 100 parts per billion (ppb).

Action Needed

Urgent action is needed by major baby food companies and the FDA, the report said. While the FDA has been investigating how to reduce exposure and some levels of arsenic in rice and juice are lower than a decade ago, exposure is still too high.
“When FDA acts, companies respond. We need the FDA to use their authority more effectively, and much more quickly, to reduce toxic heavy metals in baby foods,” said study author Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies Better Futures, in a statement.

What Can Parents Do

The analysis looked at which baby foods are highest risk, and offered safer alternatives.
Description: oatmeal and blueberriesA bowl of oatmeal with blueberries in a file photo. (iha31/Pixabay)

Puff Rice Snacks and Cereals

Rice cereal is the top source of arsenic in a baby’s diet because it is often used as a first food; rice puffs and other rice flour snacks also contain high levels. Healthy Babies suggested cereals low in arsenic, such as oatmeal and multigrain cereals, and rice-free packaged snacks.
Pediatrician Tanya Altmann, author of “What to Feed Your Baby” echoes the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advises parents to offer a wide variety of first foods including grains such as oats, barley, wheat, and quinoa.
“Best first foods for infants are avocado, pureed veggies, peanut-butter oatmeal, and salmon,” Altmann told CNN in a prior interview. “They all provide important nutrients that babies need, help develop their taste buds to prefer healthy food and may decrease food allergies.”
She believes meats are a better source of iron and zinc for babies than rice cereal, “so I haven’t been recommending rice cereal as a first food for several years.”
If you do choose to cook rice for your toddler, Healthy Babies recommends cooking rice in extra water and pouring it off before eating. That will cut arsenic levels by 60 percent, they say, based on FDA studies.
“For the lowest levels, buy basmati rice grown in California, India, and Pakistan. White rice has less arsenic than brown rice,” the report said.

Teething Foods

Teething biscuits can contain arsenic, lead, and cadmium, the report said. Instead, soothe your baby’s pain with frozen bananas, a peeled and chilled cucumber or a clean, wet washcloth—but be sure to watch for choking.
Description: fresh orangeFresh orange juice in a file photo.
(Steve Buissinne/Pixabay)

Drinks

Juice is often the go-to drink for parents, but it’s not a good option, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. Juices are high in sugar, lack fiber, and can contribute to tooth decay and later obesity. Apple, pear, grape and other fruit juices can also contain some lead and arsenic, so frequent use is a top source of these heavy metals.
Instead, experts say water and milk are best choices, depending on the age of the child. Babies under six months only need breast milk and formula. The drinks of choice for a child’s second year of life should be water and whole milk. Between age 2 and 5 parents should move to skim or low-fat milk and keep pushing water to hydrate their children.
At all ages, juice should be kept to a minimum. One tip: add water to make the juice last longer and always be sure the drink is 100 percent juice.

Fruits and Veggies

While sweet potatoes and carrots are great sources of vitamin A and other key nutrients, the report found they are also high in lead and cadmium. Go ahead and feed your child these veggies, but be sure to add many other colorful fruits and vegetables to add variety.

What suspension of Thiba Dam construction means for Kirinyaga

In Summary
• Central Regional Commissioner Wilfred Nyangangwa, assured that   the problem will be solved soon.
Description: President Uhuru Kenyatta during the ground-breaking of the Sh20 billion Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga county, November 23, 2017.
President Uhuru Kenyatta during the ground-breaking of the Sh20 billion Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga county, November 23, 2017.
Image: FILE
A temporary halt to the construction of the  Sh20 billion Thiba Dam meant to boost rice production in Kirinyaga County spells doom for rice farmers who viewed the project as a major solution to water shortage in Mwea.
The close down, attributed to cash flow from the treasury, has seen over three hundred workers previously engaged by the contractor, Strabag Internationals suspended.
The workers including drivers said they were sent packing because the government had not released money to the company.
Officials from the National Government and those in charge of the Strabag Company have confirmed that the government has not remitted money in excess of Sh1 billion which has left them with no other alternative but to suspend the work.
Central Regional Commissioner Wilfred Nyangangwa, assured that   the problem will be solved soon.
“It is true the construction has temporarily been suspended due to problem of resources,” the Commissioner said without elaborating.
He said, as the Chair of the Regional National Government Project Implementation Team, he has impressed upon officials at the treasury to address the issue.
“Once the problem is addressed, the project will resume in the shortest time possible, we are taking the matter seriously,” he said.
Nyangangwa said the government is committed to ensuring the project moves within the scheduled time to enhance irrigation of rice in Mwea and improve   country’s food security.  
“The problem is further complicated by some of the people who surrendered their land for the construction of the dam, claiming they will come back and re-possess their land if the work is abandoned,” claimed the people living around the project.
“We have been told to go home until further notice because the Company has no money to pay us and finance the project,” John Njiraine, a worker at the dam said. 
A Strabag official who is, however, not authorised to speak for the Company said the change of the Cabinet Minister and his Principal Secretary was also affecting the cash flow for the project.
He said they have now gone for over eight months without receiving any funding from the government which has virtually brought everything to a standstill.  
“We are getting worried that the works at Thiba Dam which has been on good progress at 30% is now almost abandoned, we don’t exactly know what is happening, we are only hoping the dam will not end up as Kimwarer Dam,” said the official
“There is even a possibility that cartels importing cheap rice to the country could be behind the whole thing, trying to frustrate the work with an intention of making sure the dam is not completed to enable them continue importing the rice,” he said. 
The Sh19 billion project was expected to be completed in 45 months, but the Manager, Eng. Stephen Mutinda, always claimed the work could be completed much earlier that is before the problem occurred.
Mutinda previously claimed with all factors remaining and according to the work plan, the construction could have taken about 36 months to complete. But this will now have to change.
Data from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics shows that Kenya imports rice worth about Sh 40 billion every year largely from Pakistan, Thailand, India and Vietnam.
It is estimated that with the completion of Thiba Dam, this amount will be reduced by half or even more if it succeeds in improving more water, to allow for three seasons of rice per year, unlike the current one season.
While the current rice production during a good season is about 100,000 tones or about 80 percent of Kenyan total rice, it has been achieved without steadfast water flow.
The rice scheme is fed by direct water flow from Thiba and Nyamindi rivers without a dam.
But Thiba Dam will provide a holding ground for water, ensuring controlled flow even during the times of lower rainfall.
This is planned to increase normal production by about 100 percent, meaning 140,000 tones and since the water will double overall area under rice, Mwea is set to produce about 280,000 tons of rice.
There is much more opportunity as by the time the dam is finished, ongoing research on better yielding rice is likely to have reached the farm level.
Rice farms are also likely to be more mechanized by then. The storage of rice will have improved, eliminating post-harvest losses.
More farmers will also be educated on modern farming methods to ensure that they harvest more bags of rice per acre than they currently do.
While Kenya produces on average Four tons of rice per 2.5 acres, Egypt produces double at 8 tons, while Vietnam produces Six tones, same as China, Pakistan and India.
Exporters of rice into Kenya produce the same tonnage as Kenya, according to data aggregator index. It therefore means, Kenya has a big opportunity to become self-sufficient in rice if it can increase its yields per acre.
The project will also help in the stabilization of the irrigation water supply, allowing double cropping with the area under irrigation increasing from 25,000 cares to 35,000 acres.
The construction of the Thiba Dam is being financed in partnership with Japanese Government through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
At completion, the Dam will be 40 meters tall and 1 kilometer long and is expected to have a holding capacity of 15 million cubic meters.
The construction was initially expected to take Three years and seven months, meaning it would have been complete around July 2020.
Thiba Dam project, officially launched on November 23 2017 by Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, is being constructed at Rukenya in Gichugu Constituency, about four kilometers from Kutus town, the County Headquarters.
During the launch the President directed that work be completed within the stipulated time
Kenya produces 100,000 tons of rice annually which is not enough to meet the local demand of 500,000 tones.

MCAs fault Water ministry over stalled Embu dams



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General News of Friday, 1 November 2019
Source: www.allafrica.com

Ghana plans to ban rice, poultry imports

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Rice importers would be ordered to cease their trade in three years if everything goes as planned, Ghana's Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, has said.

The same applies to persons who import poultry products.

The policy, if implemented would also be similar to the situation with Nigeria, its neighboring country.

Afriyie-Akoto said the government was working fervently to "establish the local capacity" to meet demand.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express programme on Wednesday, he said this should be completed in the next three years.

After that, merchants would be expected to trade with local farmers.

Currently, most of the rice consumed locally comes from overseas.

Deputy Trades Minister, Robert Ahomka Lindsay had previously said rice importation alone takes 82 per cent of all imports into the country.

This cost more than $1 billion, almost two per cent of the country's GDP in 2018.

This must stop, the Agriculture Minister said.

The government intends, with the help of its flagship planting for food and jobs programme, to increase the yield of farmers.

This, Afriyie-Akoto said should be achieved in three years, paving way for the order to stop imports.

He said this is not over-ambition, neither does it violate WTO protocol.

The government has been selling fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates as part of the planting for food and jobs programme.

The Minister says with 50 per cent government subsidy on fertilisers for smallholder farmers, a farmer who was previously producing three bags of rice per acre was now producing 10 bags.

This has massively increased jobs since more hands are needed to harvest the produce and process same for the market.
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Participation in tender: Rice exporters urge government to take up matter with Qataris


Rice exporters have urged the federal government to negotiate with Qatari authorities to ensure Pakistan's participation in the international rice tender, issued for import of 48,000 tons of rice.
The federal government should take up rice origin issue with Qatari authorities so that Pakistan could participate in the international rice tender and earn foreign exchange for the country, they added.
The 3rd meeting of FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice was held Thursday at the Federation House. The meeting was convened by Rafique Suleman, Convener of the committee.
During the meeting, Suleman expressed his gratitude to Abdul Razzak Dawood, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and his team at MINCOM for their efforts for re-opening of Qatar market for Pakistani rice exporters after long time. As a result, first tender of Qatar was issued for 4,000 metric tons of rice and successfully awarded to a Pakistan origin company.
However, it was surprising that the 2nd tender of Qatar CTC for 48,000 metric tons entailed a condition, ie, for India origin only, after which Pakistani exporters are unable to participate in the tender.
Therefore, he has requested the federal government to take up the matter with relevant Qatari authorities to add Pakistan origin in the recently issued Qatar rice import tender and future tenders.
He said as the rice variety belongs to both India and Pakistan, therefore the tender should not be origin specific to provide a fair level playing field. The addition of Pakistani origin in the tender will also create a competition in the market and ultimately Qatar will be beneficiary in shape of quality and price, he added.
Rafique Suleman informed the meeting about the new revolutionary rice seed namely, Green Super Rice (GSR) which is very low cost and needs less quantity of water. Its input and yield is better than other rice seeds.
He said that after the consistent efforts of Rice Exporters Association GSR seed was distributed to farmers for sowing in this season and recently a delegation of REAP's Senior Members along with Dr. Muhammad Arif Senior Scientist from NIBGE Faisalabad,. Nadeem Shah Vice President Sindh Abadgar Board and Director General National Institute of Agriculture Tando Jam and Other officials visited various rice fields in Sindh Province to check the progress of this seed.
“It is very good to see that the results were satisfactory and encouraging and we will be having good quality of rice this year. Nadeem Shah also commented that a rice seed having 75-80 maunds per acre yield is considered as a good but GSR seed is looking far better than conventional seeds," he added.
Convener of FPCCI Committee informed that during the visit of Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA) Tando Jam, its team briefed about the another rice seed called Shandaar. This is another conventional seed which has given good results. Commercial trials for this seed are also in the process after which it will be available to the farmer.
Rafiq Suleman also appreciated the efforts of NIA for the betterment of the farmer and their role in agricultural development in Pakistan.
Muhammad Raza senior vice chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) endorsed that GSR seed is heat tolerant and despite very low quantity of water and other inputs its yield is amazing. This project was funded by Malinda & Bill Gates Foundation for the distribution among under developed countries including Pakistan.
He was of the view that our aim should be to spread this seed as much possible. He also suggested to take REAP's Representative on the board of Rice Research institutes and all technical departments of Pakistan. He proposed to start a training course with the joint collaboration of Kala Shah Kaku Rice Research Institute & REAP to arrange awareness workshops for rice related subject.
Kazim Khandwala and Faisal Anis also seconded the views of Muhammad Raza. It was also decided that a REAP delegation will visit to Rice Research Institute at Dokri (Larkana) very soon for better interaction with relevant Government officials.
The meeting was also attended by Shiraz Shaikh REAP's Managing Committee Member, Faisal Anis, Kazim Khandwala, Sufiyan Rahim, Shoaib Rauf, Noman Arif, Jatender Kumar and other leading rice exporters. Various matters related to rice export trade were also discussed.

Exporters seek share in Qatar’s rice tender

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KARACHI: Rice exporters on Friday urged the government to approach Qatari authorities for including Pakistan origin rice in the Doha’s second import tender for 48,000 tonnes which had been specified for Indian-origin rice only.
At a meeting held at the Federation House, Convener FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice Rafique Suleman met with the members of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap).
Appreciating the efforts made by the Ministry of Commerce in re-opening of Qatari market for Pakistani rice which also resulted in winning the first import tender of 4,000 tonnes rice. However, the participants regretted that the second tender issued by Qatar was specific for Indian rice only. The FPCCI convener urged the government to take up this matter with relevant Qatari authorities.
Besides including Pakistan in this the second tender of 48,000 tonnes rice, Mr Suleman also demanded that in future all tenders to be issued by Qatar should without any discrimination to give an opportunity to Pakistan rice imports.
He explained that import tenders issued by Qatar for rice varieties belonging to both India and Pakistan should not be origin specific so that a fair level playing field was ensured to rice exporters of both countries.
Mr Suleman informed the participants that new revolutionary rice seed variety called Green Super Rice (GSR) is very low cost and needs less quantity of water and other inputs while the yield is better than other rice seeds.
Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2019

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SUMMARY

o   Unbranded rice imported from Pakistan has flooded the market with local farmers and traders struggling to sell produce from Mwea Scheme.
o   Mwea, in Kirinyaga County, is Kenya’s largest irrigation scheme, whose performance impacts the volumes of the grain available in the market as well as pricing.
o   A kilogramme of Pakistani rice is selling at Sh80 while the Mwea brand is retailing at between Sh130 and Sh140 for the same quantity.
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Mwea farmers decry Pakistani rice influx

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 11:22Description: Workers on a rise fieldWorkers on a rise field. Unbranded rice imported from Pakistan has flooded the market with local farmers and traders struggling to sell produce from Mwea Scheme. FILE PHOTO | NMG 
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Unbranded rice imported from Pakistan has flooded the market with local farmers and traders struggling to sell produce from Mwea Scheme.
Mwea, in Kirinyaga County, is Kenya’s largest irrigation scheme, whose performance impacts the volumes of the grain available in the market as well as pricing.
A kilogramme of Pakistani rice is selling at Sh80 while the Mwea brand is retailing at between Sh130 and Sh140 for the same quantity.
Traders interviewed said their mini-rice milling factories were on the verge of closure as lack of profits is edging them out of the market.
They want the government to regulate imports as choosy buyers shun local rice for the cheaper foreign brands.

Use of neonicotinoids on rice paddies linked to fishery collapse in Japan

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A team of researchers with members affiliated with several institutions in Japan has found what they describe as compelling evidence of two fisheries collapsing due to use of neonicotinoid pesticides by nearby rice farmers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their study of fishery water quality data over two decades and what they learned from it. Olaf Jensen with Rutgers University has published a Perspective piece discussing the work by the team in the same journal issue.
As Jensen notes, it is easy to test the toxicity of chemicals directly on plants or animals. Simply applying them and watching what happens lets researchers know the impact it has. Much more difficult is nailing down the indirect effects of chemicals such as those that are used in neonicotinoid pesticides. In this new effort, the researchers started with the notion that it was likely the use of such pesticides that had led to sudden fishery collapse in Lake Shinji, Japan.
Back in 1993, fishermen working at two fisheries on the lake found that yields had suddenly dropped dramatically. The reason for it was not known but many suspected it was tied to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides by nearby farmers—a new practice. To find out if that was indeed the case, the researchers gathered data obtained by other teams studying the lake over a period ten years before and after the collapse of the fisheries.
In looking at the results, the researchers found that the year following the first use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the local area, the amount of zooplankton in the lake nosedived. This was followed by a very swift drop in population of the fish that fed on them. More specifically, they found that zooplankton biomass shrank by approximately 83 percent. That year the smelt harvest was just 22 tons, a dramatic drop from an average haul of 240 tons each year.
The researchers note that they also studied other factors that might have led to fishery collapse, such as nutrient depletion or changes in oxygen or salt concentrations. They report that they were not able to find any evidence showing that there might have been something other than pesticides killing the food fish ate leaving them to starve. They conclude that the evidence strongly suggests it was the introduction of neonicotinoid pesticides into the lake environment that led to the die-offs.

Explore further

More information: Masumi Yamamuro et al. Neonicotinoids disrupt aquatic food webs and decrease fishery yields, Science (2019). DOI: 10.1126/science.aax3442
Journal information: Science 

Japanese Fisheries Collapsed Due to Pesticides, New Research Says

ANIMALS
Spraying chemicals on rice crop in Japan. Stockbyte / Getty Images
Scientists announced today that pesticide use on rice fields led to the collapse of a nearby fishery in Lake Shinji, Japan, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
The long-term study seems to have borne out the prophecy of Rachel Carson's seminal 1962 book Silent Spring, in which the author describes the nefarious trickle down effects of chemical pesticides that could "still the leaping of fish." While it is impossible to say that the use of pesticides caused the collapse of the fishery, the correlation is extremely strong.

The researchers looked at the degradation of the food chain around rice paddies after the introduction of the pesticide neonicotinoids in 1993 in Japan. The study showed an immediate decline in insect and plankton populations in Lake Shinji after the pesticide was sprayed in nearby rice fields, as The Guardian reported.
The decline in insects and plankton then led to the collapse of eel and smelt populations, which rely on the tiny insects for food. The scientists looked at other possible causes for the collapse of the smelt and eel fisheries, but those were all ruled out. The scientists say there is "compelling evidence" that neonicotinoids are the culprit, as The Guardian reported.
The pesticide has previously been linked to declines in pollinator populations. Researchers have found that it lowers the sperm count of bees and shortens their lifespan, as EcoWatch reported. Its role in colony collapse disorder and in declining butterfly populations caused the European Union to ban the world's most popular insecticide for all outdoor use in 2018, as Reuters reported.
Previous studies have also linked ripple effects of the pesticide's application to cause collapses of mayflies, dragonflies and snails. A Dutch study found that bird populations declined where the insecticide was sprayed. In that case, the absence of swallows, starlings and tree sparrows does not mean they were dying, but possibly moved to riper feeding grounds.
By contrast, the study is the first time a potential link has been shown between the insecticide and its effect on other animals, including vertebrates, according to a press release from the American Association for The Advancement of Science.
The year that the insecticide was first applied, 1993, coincided with an 83 percent decrease in the average amount of springtime plankton. A year later, the smelt harvest collapsed from 240 tons per year to just 22 tons in a single year, according to the study. Additionally, the midge, Chironomus plumosus, which smelt also feed on, was one of the worst affected bugs. It vanished completely from all 39 locations sampled in 2016, despite being abundant in 1982.
The researchers noted that Rachel Carson's book was prophetic. In their paper, The Guardian reported, the Japanese researchers said how "she wrote: 'These sprays, dusts and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests and homes – nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad', to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams.' The ecological and economic impact of neonicotinoids on the inland waters of Japan confirms Carson's prophecy."
"This disruption likely also occurs elsewhere, as neonicotinoids are currently the most widely used class of insecticides globally," worth more than $3 billion per year, they said, as The Guardian reported.
The German company Bayer is the world's largest producer of neonicotinoids.
"The annihilation of humble flies and the knock on effects on fish serve as further testament to the dreadful folly of neonicotinoids," said Matt Shardlow, from the charity Buglife, to The Guardian. "Let's hope this is a wake-up call for Asian countries and they move to quickly ban the chemicals from paddyfields."

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These 10 baby foods have the highest levels of arsenic, says report

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Of each of the metals, arsenic was found in 73% of baby foods, lead was found in 94%, cadmium was found in 75% and mercury was found in 32%, according to a recent study conducted by Healthy Babies Bright Future. (Staten Island Advance)
6
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Nearly three out of every four baby food items sold in the United States include trace amounts of arsenic, with some containing much more of the harmful carcinogen than others.
A recent study conducted by Healthy Babies Bright Future (HBBF) found that 95% of all popular baby foods in the country contain toxic heavy metals, with 73% containing arsenic.
Researchers tested 168 different baby food items, consisting of 61 brands and 13 types of food, including infant formula, teething biscuits, cereals, and fruit juices, all of which were selected by parents at their local stores and online. The study tested for arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.
Of the 123 baby food items that tested positive for arsenic, these 10 contained the highest amount, measured in parts per billion (ppb):
HappyBABY Organic Rice Cakes Puffed Rice Snack - Apple Snack: 455 ppb
BioKinetics BioKinetics Brown Rice Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Baby Cereal: 353 ppb
O Organics (Albertson/Safeway) Organic Puffs - Apple Strawberry Snack: 309 ppb
Simple Truth Organic (Kroger) Whole Grain Puffs Broccoli & Spinach Snack: 307 ppb
HappyBABY Superfood Puffs Organic Grain Snack - Sweet Potato & Carrot Snack: 295 ppb
HappyBABY Superfood Puffs - Apple & Broccoli Organic Grain Snack - for crawling baby: 266 ppb
Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal - 4+ months: 153 ppb
Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal: 138 ppb
Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal: 126 ppb
Beech-Nut Rice Single Grain Baby Cereal - Stage 1, from about 4 months: 117 ppb
Arsenic is a Grade-A carcinogen, known to cause lung, skin and bladder cancer. The toxic metal is also known to harm the development of the brain and nervous system, with at least 13 studies linking arsenic to IQ loss in children.
According to the HBBF study, lead was found in 94% of baby foods, cadmium in 75%, arsenic in 73% and mercury in 32% of foods. Twenty-six percent of baby foods contained all four metals, 40% contained three metals, 21% contained two metals, and 8% contained only one metal. Only 5% (nine baby foods) contained no metals.
According to the study, while the FDA has proposed to limit the amount of toxic heavy metals in baby food in the past, no action has been taken to this point.
Description: Baby Food Metals
ADVICE FOR PARENTS
HBBF recommended five healthier food substitutions that can help in reducing babies’ exposure to heavy toxic metals:
·       Rather than rice snacks, parents can give their children rice-free snacks, which which contain much lower levels of toxic metals
·       Parents can use organic teething foods, like frozen bananas and chilled cucumbers, instead of teething biscuits or rice tusks
·       Multi-grain cereals, like oatmeal, can also be fed to babies instead of rice cereal
·       Babies can drink tap water instead of fruit juice
·       Feed babies a variety of fruits and veggies instead of just carrots and sweet potatoes
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Arsenic Found in 73% of Baby Food: 4 Things to Know About Arsenic Poisoning

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Description: Some private laboratories have detected that a single adult serving of some commercially available rice can give about 1.5 times the amount of permissible arsenic.
By Peter Schelden on 11/01/2019 4:12 PM

Latest Nutrition, Food & Recipes News

Source: MedicineNet Health News
Arsenic has been found in nearly three out of every four baby food products tested for a report published this month by a health advocacy group. Sixty-one brands of baby foods were tested for the study, including infant rice cereals, teething biscuits, and fruit juices.
The study was not peer-reviewed. It comes from Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a non-profit public health advocacy group. The researchers used a detection method more sensitive than the one used by the FDA.
The FDA has not set standards for arsenic in rice, according to MedicineNet author Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD. Arsenic is a naturally-occurring substance found in low amounts in nearly all foods.
According to the FDA, the amount of arsenic typically found in food is usually not enough to cause poisoning: "As a naturally occurring element, it is not possible to remove arsenic entirely from the environment or food supply."
The potential risks of arsenic poisoning have inspired several groups to advocate for FDA and EPA safety standards, Dr. Davis said.
"The groups claim some private laboratories have detected that a single adult serving of some commercially available rice can give about 1.5 times the amount of permissible arsenic in one liter of water (under 10 parts per billion)," he said. "So action on permissible arsenic levels should be done quickly."
The FDA currently advises the food industry to limit arsenic levels to less than 100 parts per billion (PPB). The study found that four of seven rice cereals tested higher than this recommended limit.
Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated with a wide range of health problems, Dr. Davis said. These include vomitingdiarrheadark urine, heart problems, vertigodeliriumshock, and death.
"There are only a few ways to possibly save the patient's life" after arsenic poisoning, Dr. Davis said. Treatments include hemodialysis, which must be administered quickly after arsenic exposure, as well as chelation drug therapy.
Here are four key facts from Dr. Davis regarding chronic arsenic poisoning.
1.    Arsenic poisoning raises cancer risks.
Arsenic is classified as a carcinogen by the FDA. Some studies have linked the drinking of arsenic-tainted water with higher rates of bladder, kidney, lung, and skin cancers.
2.    Arsenic comes in different forms.
The severity of arsenic poisoning depends on many factors, including how much arsenic you are exposed to and what form it takes.
Arsenic can be found in organic, inorganic, and gaseous forms. Inorganic arsenic is more hazardous to your health than the organic form. Organic arsenic compounds are not as toxic as inorganic compounds and are not believed to be linked to cancer.
3.    Arsenic exposure is associated with common, chronic health problems.
Chronic inorganic arsenic poisoning has been associated with a number of chronic medical conditions, such as sensory and motor nerve defects, skin changes like swelling, bumps, and redness, and liver and kidney problems.
4.    Arsenic poisoning can be difficult to diagnose.
Arsenic poisoning may develop gradually and can be subtle.
Here are some signs and symptoms of arsenic poisoning that a physician might watch for:
  • Breath and urine smell like garlic.
  • Urine may be dark, a condition known as "blackwater."
  • A low blood count may be caused by arsenic blood cell destruction.
  • Calcium and magnesium in blood may be affected.

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