RPT-ASIA RICE-INDIA PRICES SLIP AS DEMAND
DIPS; DOMESTIC BUYING PROPS UP THAI RATES
3/28/2019
(Repeats
March 28 story with no changes to text)
*
Vietnam prices flat from last week as demand wanes
*
Chinese buyers met traders in Vietnam -trader
*
Bangladesh output seen rising 7 pct in year to April -USDA
By
Sethuraman N R
March 29
(Reuters) - Rice export prices in India eased from multi-month highs this week
due to weaker demand, while domestic buying pushed up rates in Thailand.
Top
exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety <RI-INBKN5-P1> was
quoted around $390-$393 per tonne, down from the previous week when prices rose
to the highest level in more than seven months at $392-$395.
"Buyers
are waiting for a price correction," said an exporter based at Kakinada in
the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
"Exporters
can't reduce prices due to the strong rupee and higher paddy prices."
Last
week's price rise was attributed to an appreciation in the rupee, which lowers
returns from overseas sales.
In
Thailand, benchmark 5 percent broken rice <RI-THBKN5-P1> prices rose to
$400-$404 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, on Thursday, from $390-$393 last
week.
Traders
said the price rise was due to higher domestic demand, even as overseas demand
remained flat.
"Prices
were very low last week, so there were some purchases in the country and now
prices have bounced a little," said a Bangkok-based trader.
Last
week, the Thai cabinet agreed to extend a rice trading agreement with the
Philippines, which expired in December, for another two years. The agreement
allows Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter, to take part in
tenders issued by the Philippines and states that the two countries can trade
up to 1 million tonnes of rice per year.
In
Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> were unchanged
from last week at $360 a tonne.
"Activity
is slowing down this week on weaker demand," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh
City said.
"Buyers
from the Philippines, our key market, said they have signed enough deals for
the near term and don't plan to buy more for now," the trader said.
Buyers
from China held a meeting with commodity traders in Ho Chi Minh City on
Thursday to explore trading opportunities, but no major rice deals were made,
another trader said.
Meanwhile,
Bangladesh's rice production is expected to rise 7 percent to 34.9 million
tonnes in the year to April from the corresponding period last year, due to
higher acreage and yields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
Bangladesh,
traditionally the world's fourth biggest rice producer, was forced to massively
increase imports to shore up domestic reserves in 2017 after floods wrought
havoc on local crops. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Patpicha
Tanakasempipat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Vietnam, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; editing by
Arpan Varghese and Kirsten Donovan)
©
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Kano/Jigawa
Customs impound rice, others,worth N45m
The
Kano/Jigawa Nigeria customs Area Command, has impounded over 1500 bags of
foreign rice along side other contraband items valued at over N45 million.
Displaying
the seized goods at the Kano Area Command headquarters on Thursday, the Area
comptroller,Nasir Ahmad said that 20 vehicles worth N7.2 million were used as
means of transporting the seized items.
He said
over 260 jerry cans of foreign vegetable oils valued at N3.7 million were
intercepted at various locations, adding that 25 bags of foreign sugar were
also seized valued at N412,510.
According
to him, the command has also impounded 20 used exotic vehicles at various
boarder locations and now in detention awaiting the owners to come forward for
clearance.
Ahmad
explained that the various contrabands that were impounded were intercepted at
Miltara road, Gumel boarder in jigawa, Bello road, Katsina Road, Babura,
Achilafiya, Zaria road and Maigatari border in Jigawa state.
Ahmad
said ” You can see another method that is being used by smugglers to smuggle in
rice into the country by using empty jerry cans to conceal the rice.
“If you
see a bus conveying empty jerry cans of vegetable oil, one would hardly suspect
anything but alas! it is another way of transporting smuggled foreign rice.
“We have
resolved that any vehicle coming out of the zone must be properly inspected.
“There
should be no snuggling of rice especially to these part of the country where
rice is largely cultivated and with lots of rice mills that can give us enough
local rice.”
He
warned smugglers to desist from these illegal business and find another means
of livelihood that any one caught indulging in such act will not be spared by
the law.
Research: Research on coffee farm habitats can
help both fowl and farmers
-
March
29, 2019
Coffee grown under a tree canopy is promoted as
good habitat for birds, but recent University of Delaware research shows that
some of these coffee farms may not be as friendly to our feathered friends as
advertised.
Working with geographer Robert Rice of the
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC), University of Delaware Professor of
Entomology Doug Tallamy and former UD graduate student Desirée Narango studied
canopy tree preference of birds in shade-coffee farms with a particular focus
on the implications for migratory birds that spend the winter in neotropical
coffee farms. The research was published in the journal Biotropica.
Americans drink a lot of coffee — 64 percent of
those aged 18 or over had at least one cup per day. That’s more than 150
million people in the U.S. and we all know one cup is a light day for many of
our friends and family. This incredible demand for coffee means a lot of land
in tropical zones is used to grow coffee beans in neotropical countries like
Colombia and Nicaragua (where the UD study took place). Across central and
South America, land converted to coffee agriculture occupies more than five
million hectares of what was once prime overwintering natural habitat for
migratory birds.
“Coffee grows right at the altitude that most
of our neo-tropical migratory birds are spending the winter, particularly
species that are losing one to two percent of their population every year like
the cerulean warbler, Canada warbler and wood thrush,” said Tallamy. “A lot of
this land has been leveled for coffee farms.”
In these and other countries in the tropical
zone, forests are being cut down and turned into ecological deserts at an
alarming rate. In traditional coffee agriculture, farmers clear-cut an area,
remove all trees, and plant coffee plants in direct sun. In that case, the
cultivated area provides almost no habitat for species of birds and insects. An
alternative method for growing coffee is shade-grown coffee. The beans are
grown in the shade of a mature tree canopy, which can also provide ecosystem
services for the farmer (like shade) as well as habitat for local wildlife.
“Sun coffee produces more yield, but is not as
sustainable,” said Narango, who now works for Advanced Science Research Center
at City University of New York and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Shade-coffee farms can produce just as high quality coffee beans as the direct
sun approach and with added benefits for people and wildlife. First, it’s more
comfortable for the workers. Second, the tree canopy protects the coffee.
Third, it provides critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.”Important
to note, the insects that are attracted to these trees (and attract the birds to
forage) do not pose a threat to coffee plants because they don’t feed on them.
Most coffee farms are still sun-grown.
Fortunately, some farmers have gone to the shade-coffee route. They can earn a
Bird Friendly coffee certification from the Smithsonian through a combination
of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity to provide quality habitat for
birds and other wildlife. SMBC has advocated the use of shade trees in coffee
systems since the 1990s, when Smithsonian staff discovered the habitat quality
of such systems in southern Mexico. But, until now, no one asked an overlooked
question. Which types of trees are bird friendly? Tallamy’s short answer:
Non-native, exotic trees do little to nothing for birds and the insects they
feast on, but certain native plants do wonders.
“The research all started here in Delaware when
we realized how different plants are in producing food that drives bird
populations,” said Tallamy, who conducted previous research with Narango and
SMBC on non-native plants on bird populations.
The Smithsonian’s Rice added, “We had yet to
understand which trees actually provide the better food resources in terms of
insects for birds. Doug Tallamy has researched the association of tree species
and the insects that make a living on them in the U.S. After talking with Doug,
we thought that investigating that association within the shade-coffee systems
would yield valuable insight as to which trees are the most beneficial for
birds. Diverse, native trees act very much like local forest and do so with the
economic advantage of having coffee produced beneath the shade canopy.”
The researchers quantified bird foraging
activity on 22 tree species in two coffee farms. Specifically, they used timed
observations to determine tree preferences, foraging bird abundance, foraging
time and species richness of birds using each canopy tree species. Results
indicate that birds do not forage randomly, and instead exhibit preferences for
particular native tree species, especially legumes. The UD-Smithsonian findings
indicate that coffee farms can serve as habitat refuge for wildlife, evidence
that agroforestry land can be improved for birds of conservation concern by
prioritizing canopy tree species that not only help birds, but also farm
productivity.
“Farmers often select tree species that are beneficial
to them and produce other products to sell in addition to coffee,” said
Narango. “Some farms might prioritize walnut trees because they produce lumber
or mango trees to produce fruit. There are so many choices. The goal of this
project was to get more information to help farmers make that decision.”
In an effort to get dual crops out of the land,
eucalyptus trees are another popular choice as they are a great source of
lumber. But these trees are native to Australia, not central and South America.
And these non-natives trees don’t jive with local insects in these critical
migratory bird zones.
“A very common scenario on these farms is to
have eucalyptus, pine, mango and citrus,” Tallamy said. “All of these are
non-native trees that support few insects — critical food for birds — or not
nearly enough insects to make a difference. If you have a substantial amount of
land with non-native plants, we’re not helping the birds at all.
Biodiversity-wise, it’s a real scourge.”
So farms with these non-native trees would not
get certified as bird friendly, but are still growing shade-coffee.
“The public reads shade-coffee and thinks it’s
automatically bird friendly. That’s not necessarily the case,” said Tallamy.
“But the growers don’t know. It’s not that they are trying to pull a fast one.
They think insects are everywhere. They don’t know that the type of plant
matters, so of course they use the plant that produces the highest amount of
income. We can now correct that misinformation.”
Attracting birds could also serve as a boon to
coffee production because birds attracted to the canopy trees can also protect
the coffee crop by providing pest control. The plants that tended to be highly
preferred, native legumes, also simultaneously provide nitrogen to the coffee
crops increasing production.
“The preferred tree species for birds’ foraging
tended to be native, which makes sense from an evolutionary point of view,”
Rice said. “Insects have co-evolved with native trees over millennia, so our
findings that birds preferred the native species, while not surprising, is
clearly confirming. Our challenge for future studies will be to determine which
trees are providing the greatest diversity and abundance of insects.”
SMBC’s long-term relationship with coffee
producers throughout Latin America positioned the researchers well to help find
the countries and regions within countries to conduct this research. With
funding from the Disney Conservation Fund, Rice found local collaborators in
Colombia and Nicaragua.
The study points strongly to the recently
publicized topic of global insect decline.
“The decline is not new. What’s new is that the
public is beginning to recognize it. People are writing about it. They write
about climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss, but they aren’t being
specific enough,” Tallamy said. “The fact that humans are taking away the
plants that allow insects to thrive and replacing them with plants that do not
is something that has not been mentioned in any articles. Habitat is not just a
location to live; it’s the food that you eat. Insects need particular plants.
Taking those plants away is, in my opinion, a major cause of insect decline,
which is what we are going to study next.”
Undergraduate research opportunity
Wildlife ecology and conservation major Kerry
Snyder, who graduated in 2015, is also a co-author on the research paper. As a
UD junior, she began working on undergraduate research with Tallamy and formed
her honors thesis around the topic.
“Research gave me an opportunity to travel
abroad and learn how environmental problems affect farmers in Central America.
In addition to the technical experience the work gave me, set me up well for my
assignment in the Peace Corps,” said Snyder, who studied for two summer
sessions under Tallamy and works for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“Doing research allowed me to connect what I was learning in the classroom with
real environmental conservation issues and allowed me to learn about the
importance of coffee certification programs. It would have been impossible to
take a class that would have taught me everything I learned through this
experience.”
AGI completes acquisition of rice equipment manufacturer
Photo courtesy of Milltec.
03.28.2019
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Ag Growth
International Inc. (AGI) completed the acquisition of Milltec Machinery Ltd.
Milltec is headquartered in Bangalore, India, and is a manufacturer of rice
milling and processing equipment in India.
The purchase price for Milltec was C$109.5
million, plus the potential for up to an additional C$38.4 million based on the
achievement of EBITDA targets.
“The acquisition of Milltec marks an important
step for AGI as we expand into rice equipment and enter the large, and rapidly
growing, markets in India,” said Tim Close, president and chief executive
officer of AGI. “Milltec now forms the foundation of our platform in India as
we build a footprint to deliver our complete 5-6-7 strategy. India is one
of the world’s largest producers and consumers of all agriculture products and
will invest heavily in the infrastructure required to facilitate the daily
lives of over a billion people. Milltec joins AGI at an inflection point
in its journey from a small regional company to a Pan-India business. We will
invest and collaborate to accelerate this journey. The founders of Milltec, and
a very talented team, are joining AGI in the pursuit of our goal to supply the
world’s food infrastructure.”
The acquisition fits with AGI’s 5-6-7 strategy,
the company said, noting that it moves AGI into rice processing with a complete
product line and establishes AGI’s platform in India. It is also complementary
to AGI’s existing product offerings and provides a strategic platform for
further consolidation.
In addition, AGI said it has identified several
opportunities for sales, operational and supply chain synergies, including the
service and support of AGI’s current product lines through Milltec’s Pan-India
distribution platform, the sale of Milltec’s products across AGI’s established
global distribution network, and significant advantages in engineering support.
Rising income in India and the ability to
purchase higher quality and branded rice is rapidly increasing the size of the
rice processing equipment market.
Growth drivers identified include: (i) As
incomes rise in India consumers are choosing to purchase higher quality, and
branded, rice products, which is rapidly increasing the size of the rice
processing equipment market; (ii) Milltec has recently expanded into pulses and
seed equipment adding another lever for growth in the region; and (iii) The additional
access to capital that AGI provides will support both domestic and export
growth.
Milltec’s equipment offerings include:
- Front-end
equipment: pre-cleaners, boilers, parboilers and dryers.
- Milling
equipment: classifiers, gravity separators, de-stoners, pneumatic
shellers, thickness graders, whiteners, silky polishers, rotary sifters
and length graders.
- End-of-line
equipment: color sorters, packaging equipment with a capacity range of 10
to 75 kilograms.
Milltec also offers end-to-end turnkey solutions
for rice processing activities. It also has expanded its product portfolio to
include pulse, seed, maize and wheat processing equipment as well as ancillary
products, including silica extraction and co-generation plants.
AGI is a provider of equipment solutions for
agriculture bulk commodities, including seed, fertilizer, grain, feed and food
processing systems. AGI has manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United
States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy, and distributes its
product globally.
Vietnam sees rice export
opportunity to Egypt
Vietnamese enterprises see a chance to export
20,000 tonnes of rice to Egypt, according to the Ministry of Industry and
Trade’s Import-Export Department.The department said that it had received a
tender notice from the Egyptian Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade. Under
the tender notice, the minimum amount is 20,000 tonnes of rice (± 10 per cent).
The type of rice required is short- and medium-grain white rice with 10-12 per
cent broken rice.
The rice
must be harvested in the last crop of 2018 and meet Egypt’s requirements. The
volume of rice will be shipped to Egypt in two phases, from June 1-15 and from
June 16-30, 2019.
The time
for bidding is March 30 (before 12:00) and the offer is valid until April 30
(18:00 local time).The Import-Export Department said that this is a big
opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to boost rice export to this market. The
department advised the businesses to pay attention to the quality of rice to
create trust among customers.
On the
management side, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with
ministries, branches and localities to focus on trade promotion and seeking new
markets.
According
to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Vietnamese rice shipments have remained
in good shape from the beginning of March thanks to the robust demand from
Iraq, Malaysia, Cuba and China.
Iraq has
already signed a deal to purchase 120,000 tonnes of the grain from Việt Nam.
Exporters expect to ship some 300,000 tonnes to the Middle Eastern country in
2019, equal to the same amount from the previous year.
Meanwhile,
Malaysia’s commodities procurement agency Bernas sealed an agreement with the
Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1) to buy 25,000 tonnes of five per
cent broken rice. Bernas has requested express delivery for the order to ensure
sufficient rice supply in the country.
Negotiations
are underway with importers from the Philippines and China. In addition, the
VFA is hoping for a rice export deal with the Republic of Korea via the Tariff
Rate Quotas (TRQs) system. Last year, Viet Nam supplied more than 113,000
tonnes for the East Asian market through the TRQs.
In late
2018, Egypt agreed to import one million tonnes of white rice from Việt Nam in
the next three to four months after it reduced the area for the cultivation of
the grain due to a lack of water.
Source: VNS
Source: VNS
Customs Impounds
Foreign Rice, Contrabands Worth 45m In Kano/ Jigawa Command
The Controller incharged of Kano/Jigawa customs
Area Command, Alhaji Nasir Ahmad said that his men has impounded over 1500 bags
of Foreign rice along side other contraband items valued at over N45 million.
Displaying the seized goods at the Kano Area
Command headquarters on Thursday Ahmad said that 20 vehicles worth N7.2 million
were used as means of transporting the seized items.
He said over 260 jerry cans of foreign
vegetable oils valued at N3.7 million were intercepted at various locations,
adding that 25 bags of foreign sugar were also seized valued at N412,510.According
to him, the command has also impounded 20 used exotic vehicles at various
boarder locations and now in detention awaiting the owners to come forward for
clearance.
The Comtroller explained that the
various contrabands that were impounded were intercepted at Miltara road, Gumel
boarder in jigawa, Bello road, Katsina Road, Babura, Achilafiya, Zaria road and
Maigatari border in Jigawa state.
Ahmad said ” You can see another method
that is being used by smugglers to smuggle in rice into the country by using
empty jerry cans to conceal the rice.“If you see a bus conveying empty jerry
cans of vegetable oil, one would hardly suspect anything but alas! it is
another way of transporting smuggled foreign rice.“We have resolved that any
vehicle coming out of the zone must be properly inspected.
“There should be no smuggling of rice
especially to these part of the country where rice is largely cultivated and
with lots of Rice mills that can give us enough local rice.”
He warned smugglers to desist from these
illegal business and find another means of livelihood that any one caught
indulging in such act will not be spared by the law.
Cutting nitrogen fertiliser amounts raise rice yields
Copyright: R.Raman/AfricaRice[CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]
Speed read
· Only 60 per cent of rice consumed in
Sub-Saharan Africa is produced locally
· Researchers assessed how different fertiliser
applications influence yields
· They found that reducing amount of nitrogen in
fertilisers could still increase yields
By: Paul Adepoju
[IBADAN, NIGERIA] The amount of nitrogen in
fertilisers could be reduced to achieve high rice yields and boost food security in Sub-Saharan Africa,
a studysays.
Despite rice being a major staple in Sub-Saharan Africa, only about 60 per cent of rice consumed is produced locally, according to researchers who conducted the study in 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The researchers add that poor nutrient management practices and deficiencies in major soil nutrients account for low yields of rice in the region, thereby resulting in interventions to increase application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers.
Despite rice being a major staple in Sub-Saharan Africa, only about 60 per cent of rice consumed is produced locally, according to researchers who conducted the study in 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The researchers add that poor nutrient management practices and deficiencies in major soil nutrients account for low yields of rice in the region, thereby resulting in interventions to increase application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers.
“This study
adds more pieces to the emerging puzzle of how to achieve fertiliser efficiency
in rice farming”
Isaiah Sesan, Federal University Wukari, Nigeria
But according to the findings of the study
published this month (15 March) in the journal Geoderma, when the target yield is
between four and eight tonnes per hectare, the amount of nitrogen could be cut
by eight to 12 per cent, taking into account factors such as production systems
and types of farms.
“We will use results from this study to further improve RiceAdvice [an app for educating rice farmers] providing decision support tailored to the particular site, zone, or production system, thereby closing yield gaps, improving fertiliser nutrient efficiency and preventing negative environmentalconsequences of fertiliser use,” says Kazuki Saito, a co-author and a principal scientist at the Africa Rice Center based in Côte d'Ivoire.
Saito, who is an agronomist, tells SciDev.Net that the study was carried out to develop site-specific nutrient management for rice in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers assessed current on-farm yield gaps and nutrient deficiency levels in different rice production systems — irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland and rainfed upland rice systems — in different agricultural zones including highlands.
They conducted on-farm nutrient omission trials with different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers in 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.
The findings of the study show that nitrogen was most limiting nutrient. For instance, rice yields with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were 68 per cent while those with only phosphorus and potassium fertilisers were 84 and 89 per cent of yields respectively.
“We will use results from this study to further improve RiceAdvice [an app for educating rice farmers] providing decision support tailored to the particular site, zone, or production system, thereby closing yield gaps, improving fertiliser nutrient efficiency and preventing negative environmentalconsequences of fertiliser use,” says Kazuki Saito, a co-author and a principal scientist at the Africa Rice Center based in Côte d'Ivoire.
Saito, who is an agronomist, tells SciDev.Net that the study was carried out to develop site-specific nutrient management for rice in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers assessed current on-farm yield gaps and nutrient deficiency levels in different rice production systems — irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland and rainfed upland rice systems — in different agricultural zones including highlands.
They conducted on-farm nutrient omission trials with different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers in 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.
The findings of the study show that nitrogen was most limiting nutrient. For instance, rice yields with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were 68 per cent while those with only phosphorus and potassium fertilisers were 84 and 89 per cent of yields respectively.
Sea
grapes reveal secrets of plant evolution
Date:March
28, 2019
Source:Okinawa
Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
Summary:Scientists
decoded the genome of the popular Okinawan seaweed 'umi-budo' or 'sea grapes,'
which could help ease the crop's cultivation and address environmental issues
caused by the invasive spread of related species.
Share:
FULL
STORY
Umi-budo,
or 'sea grapes' in English, grow tiny green balls along their stems. These pop
in the mouth when chewed, releasing a refreshing flavor reminiscent of the sea.
Credit:
OIST
If you've ever dined on the tropical island of
Okinawa, Japan, your plate may have been graced by a remarkable pile of seaweed,
each strand adorned with tiny green bubbles. Known as umi-budo or sea grapes,
the salty snack pairs well with rice, sashimi and a tall glass of beer. But
umi-budo is more than an iconic side dish; it's a staple crop for Okinawan
farmers. Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Graduate University (OIST) recently decoded the sea grape genome to learn about
the plant's unique morphology and assist farmers in proper cultivation of the
succulent seaweed.
"Many farmers face problems with sea
grapes growing poorly. Today, they don't know why such problems occur,"
said Dr. Asuka Arimoto, first author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar in
the OIST Marine Genomics Unit, led by Prof. Noriyuki Satoh. "Our genomic
data can show them which genes are causing such trouble." With a catalog
of all the genes controlling sea grape growth, said Arimoto, the researchers
may be able to help farmers diagnose deficient plants when they crop up. The
research could also help curb the spread of closely-related green seaweeds,
which harm the environment by pushing out local plant varieties in the Mediterranean
Sea and Pan-Pacific.
The study, published February 28, 2019 in DNA
Research, utilized sample sea grapes from the Onna
Village Fishery Cooperative, whose greenhouses are located just around the
corner from OIST campus. The scientists deciphered the full sea grape genome
and compared it to 15 published plant genomes, collected from unicellular
algae, a type of moss, rice and thale cress. The research revealed key genes
that allow sea grapes, a unicellular organism, to don its complex shape, and demonstrated
the utility of using the algae to explore evolutionary processes in green
plants.
"Recently, other countries have started
cultivating this and related species of green seaweed," said Arimoto.
"I think this genomic information could help their future development, as
well as Okinawa prefecture."
Collection of Genes Creates "Puchi
Puchi"
Tiny green balls branch off the central stem of
the umi-budo plant, and when chewed, these teeny orbs burst in a pop of salty
goodness. In Japanese, this sensational texture is known as "puchi
puchi," an onomatopoeia mimicking the sound of puny pops. The Marine
Genomics Unit was curious as to how a plant made up of just one cell could grow
into such a fantastical shape, thus granting sea grapes their singular texture.
"When we started the project, there were
no [decoded] green seaweed genomes," said Arimoto. "It was completely
unknown how many genes are present in green seaweed, and which plant hormones
are present to drive development." The researchers succeeded in
deciphering a high-quality genome from an umi-budo plant and compared it to
known plant genomes to see whether certain genes appeared in different
quantities between them.
The results suggest that the sea grapes contain
an expanded set of genes thought to be descended from a core gene set found in
a common ancestor of green plants. Among these genes are those that code for
nuclear transport regulators -- proteins that help control how information
moves between the nuclei and the cytosol, the liquid in which a cell's
organelles float. In multicellular organisms, transport regulators tune whole
cells to only receive certain signals, like a dial on a radio. In umi-budo, a
unicellular organism, the proteins do the same for individual nuclei in the
cell.
The mechanism allows single cells to take on
complex shapes despite lacking cell membranes to separate one region from the
next. Without nuclear transport regulators, sea grapes couldn't grow in their
signature clusters.
Compared to other green algae, sea grapes also
have extra genes to code for homeobox proteins, which help to regulate the
physical development of plants. Homeobox proteins flip switches on critical
genes to turn them "on" or "off," said Arimoto, which
triggers cellular processes and shapes an organism's anatomical structure down
the line.
Helping Sea Grape Farmers in Okinawa and Beyond
In the future, the Marine Genomics Unit hopes
to analyze gene expression as it occurs throughout the sea grape life cycle.
For instance, evidence suggests that specific homeobox genes are highly
expressed in the pollens and eggs of land plants. They may hold similar
importance in the early life stages of umi-budo. As sea grape cultivation takes
root beyond Okinawa and across the Pacific, this genomic data could help farmers
establish more effective growing strategies.
While OIST researchers work with umi-budo in
the lab, food-lovers can continue to order the delectable seaweed in
restaurants across Japan, likely topped with a light dressing of vinegar, mirin
and soy sauce. Oishi!
Story Source:
Materials provided
by Okinawa Institute of
Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Asuka Arimoto, Koki Nishitsuji, Yoshimi Higa,
Nana Arakaki, Kanako Hisata, Chuya Shinzato, Noriyuki Satoh, Eiichi
Shoguchi. A siphonous macroalgal genome suggests
convergent functions of homeobox genes in algae and land plants. DNA
Research, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsz002
Cite This Page:
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
(OIST) Graduate University. "Sea grapes reveal secrets of plant
evolution." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 March 2019.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190328080351.htm>.
Okinawan sea grapes
reveal secrets of plant evolution
MARCH
28, 2019
Umi-budo, or 'sea grapes' in English, grow tiny
green balls along their stems. These pop in the mouth when chewed, releasing a
refreshing flavor reminiscent of the sea. Credit: OIST
If you've ever dined on the tropical island of
Okinawa, Japan, your plate may have been graced by a remarkable pile of
seaweed, each strand adorned with tiny green bubbles. Known as umi-budo or sea
grapes, the salty snack pairs well with rice, sashimi and a tall glass of beer.
But umi-budo is more than an iconic side dish; it's a staple crop for Okinawan
farmers. Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Graduate University (OIST) recently decoded the sea grape genome to learn about
the plant's unique morphology and assist farmers in proper cultivation of the
succulent seaweed.
"Many farmers face problems with sea
grapes growing poorly. Today, they don't know why such problems occur,"
said Dr. Asuka Arimoto, first author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar in
the OIST Marine Genomics Unit, led by Prof. Noriyuki Satoh. "Our genomic
data can show them which genes are causing such trouble." With a
catalog of all the genes controlling sea grape growth, said Arimoto, the
researchers may be able to help farmers diagnose deficient plants when
they crop up. The research could also help curb the spread of closely-related
green seaweeds, which harm the environment by pushing out local plant varieties
in the Mediterranean Sea and Pan-Pacific.
The study, published February 28, 2019 in DNA
Research, utilized sample sea grapes from the Onna Village Fishery
Cooperative, whose greenhouses are located just around the corner from OIST
campus. The scientists deciphered the full sea grape genome and compared it to
15 published plant genomes, collected from unicellular
algae, a type of moss, rice and thale cress. The research revealed
key genes that allow sea grapes, a unicellular organism, to don its complex
shape, and demonstrated the utility of using the algae to explore evolutionary
processes in green plants.
"Recently, other countries have started
cultivating this and related species of green seaweed," said Arimoto.
"I think this genomic information could help their future development, as
well as Okinawa prefecture."
Umi-budo don is a traditional Okinawan dish
prepared with the umi-budo seaweed. The seaweed is served over rice with sea
urchin, salmon roe and sanbaisu sauce, made from equal parts soy sauce,
vinegar, and mirin. Credit: OIST
Collection of Genes Creates "Puchi
Puchi"
Tiny green balls branch off the central stem of
the umi-budo plant, and when chewed, these teeny orbs burst in a pop of salty
goodness. In Japanese, this sensational texture is known as "puchi
puchi," an onomatopoeia mimicking the sound of puny pops. The Marine
Genomics Unit was curious as to how a plant made up of just one cell could grow
into such a fantastical shape, thus granting sea grapes their singular texture.
"When we started the project, there were
no [decoded] green seaweed genomes," said Arimoto. "It was completely
unknown how many genes are present in green seaweed, and which plant hormones
are present to drive development." The researchers succeeded in
deciphering a high-quality genome from an umi-budo plant and compared it to
known plant genomes to see whether certain genes appeared in different
quantities between them.
The results suggest that the sea grapes contain
an expanded set of genes thought to be descended from a core gene set found in
a common ancestor of green plants. Among these genes are those that code for
nuclear transport regulators—proteins that help control how information moves
between the nuclei and the cytosol, the liquid in which a cell's organelles
float. In multicellular organisms, transport regulators tune whole cells to
only receive certain signals, like a dial on a radio. In umi-budo, a
unicellular organism, the proteins do the same for individual nuclei in the
cell.
The Marine Genomics Unit sequenced the genome
of umi-budo plants supplied by the Onna Village Fishery Cooperative. The data
should help farmers better understand why some plants grow well (left) and
others develop poorly (right). Credit: OIST
The mechanism allows single cells to take on
complex shapes despite lacking cell membranes to separate one region from the
next. Without nuclear transport regulators, sea grapes couldn't grow in their
signature clusters.
Compared to other green algae, sea grapes also
have extra genes to code for homeobox proteins, which help to regulate the
physical development of plants. Homeobox proteins flip switches on critical
genes to turn them "on" or "off," said Arimoto, which triggers
cellular processes and shapes an organism's anatomical structure down the line.
Helping Sea Grape Farmers in Okinawa and Beyond
In the future, the Marine Genomics Unit hopes
to analyze gene expression as it occurs throughout the sea grape life cycle.
For instance, evidence suggests that specific homeobox genes are highly
expressed in the pollens and eggs of land plants. They may hold similar
importance in the early life stages of umi-budo. As sea grape cultivation
takes root beyond Okinawa and across the Pacific, this genomic data could help
farmers establish more effective growing strategies.
While OIST researchers work with umi-budo in
the lab, food-lovers can continue to order the delectable seaweed in
restaurants across Japan, likely topped with a light dressing of vinegar, mirin
and soy sauce. Oishi!
Birds
bug out over coffee
Mar 28,
2019 09:27 AM EDT
The
yellow-tailed oriole is among the resident Colombian bird species. University
of Delaware researchers studied canopy tree preference of birds in shade-coffee
farms with a particular focus on the implications for migratory birds that
spend the winter in neotropical coffee farms.
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
A native
leguminuous canopy tree on a coffee farm can help farmers, coffee drinkers,
birds and insects.
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
Nymphalid
butterfly caterpillars found on a Nicaraguan coffee farm provide food for
birds.
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
(Photo : University of Delaware/ Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango)
Coffee
grown under a tree canopy is promoted as good habitat for birds, but recent
University of Delaware research shows that some of these coffee farms may not
be as friendly to our feathered friends as advertised.
Working
with geographer Robert Rice of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC),
University of Delaware Professor of Entomology Doug Tallamy and former UD graduate
student Desirée Narango studied canopy tree preference of birds in shade-coffee
farms with a particular focus on the implications for migratory birds that
spend the winter in neotropical coffee farms. The research was published in the
journal Biotropica.
Americans
drink a lot of coffee -- 64 percent of those aged 18 or over had at least one
cup per day. That's more than 150 million people in the U.S. and we all know
one cup is a light day for many of our friends and family. This incredible
demand for coffee means a lot of land in tropical zones is used to grow coffee
beans in neotropical countries like Colombia and Nicaragua (where the UD study
took place). Across central and South America, land converted to coffee
agriculture occupies more than five million hectares of what was once prime
overwintering natural habitat for migratory birds.
"Coffee
grows right at the altitude that most of our neo-tropical migratory birds are
spending the winter, particularly species that are losing one to two percent of
their population every year like the cerulean warbler, Canada warbler and wood
thrush," said Tallamy. "A lot of this land has been leveled for
coffee farms."
In these
and other countries in the tropical zone, forests are being cut down and turned
into ecological deserts at an alarming rate. In traditional coffee agriculture,
farmers clear-cut an area, remove all trees, and plant coffee plants in direct
sun. In that case, the cultivated area provides almost no habitat for species
of birds and insects. An alternative method for growing coffee is shade-grown
coffee. The beans are grown in the shade of a mature tree canopy, which can
also provide ecosystem services for the farmer (like shade) as well as habitat
for local wildlife.
"Sun
coffee produces more yield, but is not as sustainable," said Narango, who
now works for Advanced Science Research Center at City University of New York
and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "Shade-coffee farms can
produce just as high quality coffee beans as the direct sun approach and with
added benefits for people and wildlife. First, it's more comfortable for the
workers. Second, the tree canopy protects the coffee. Third, it provides
critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife."
Important
to note, the insects that are attracted to these trees (and attract the birds
to forage) do not pose a threat to coffee plants because they don't feed on
them.
Most
coffee farms are still sun-grown. Fortunately, some farmers have gone to the
shade-coffee route. They can earn a Bird Friendly coffee certification from the
Smithsonian through a combination of foliage cover, tree height and
biodiversity to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. SMBC has
advocated the use of shade trees in coffee systems since the 1990s, when
Smithsonian staff discovered the habitat quality of such systems in southern
Mexico. But, until now, no one asked an overlooked question. Which types of
trees are bird friendly? Tallamy's short answer: Non-native, exotic trees do
little to nothing for birds and the insects they feast on, but certain native
plants do wonders.
"The
research all started here in Delaware when we realized how different plants are
in producing food that drives bird populations," said Tallamy, who
conducted previous research with Narango and SMBC on non-native plants on bird
populations.
The
Smithsonian's Rice added, "We had yet to understand which trees actually
provide the better food resources in terms of insects for birds. Doug Tallamy
has researched the association of tree species and the insects that make a
living on them in the U.S. After talking with Doug, we thought that
investigating that association within the shade-coffee systems would yield
valuable insight as to which trees are the most beneficial for birds. Diverse,
native trees act very much like local forest and do so with the economic
advantage of having coffee produced beneath the shade canopy."
The
researchers quantified bird foraging activity on 22 tree species in two coffee
farms. Specifically, they used timed observations to determine tree
preferences, foraging bird abundance, foraging time and species richness of
birds using each canopy tree species. Results indicate that birds do not forage
randomly, and instead exhibit preferences for particular native tree species,
especially legumes. The UD-Smithsonian findings indicate that coffee farms can
serve as habitat refuge for wildlife, evidence that agroforestry land can be
improved for birds of conservation concern by prioritizing canopy tree species that
not only help birds, but also farm productivity.
"Farmers
often select tree species that are beneficial to them and produce other
products to sell in addition to coffee," said Narango. "Some farms
might prioritize walnut trees because they produce lumber or mango trees to
produce fruit. There are so many choices. The goal of this project was to get
more information to help farmers make that decision."
In an
effort to get dual crops out of the land, eucalyptus trees are another popular
choice as they are a great source of lumber. But these trees are native to
Australia, not central and South America. And these non-natives trees don't
jive with local insects in these critical migratory bird zones.
"A
very common scenario on these farms is to have eucalyptus, pine, mango and
citrus," Tallamy said. "All of these are non-native trees that
support few insects -- critical food for birds -- or not nearly enough insects
to make a difference. If you have a substantial amount of land with non-native
plants, we're not helping the birds at all. Biodiversity-wise, it's a real
scourge."
So farms
with these non-native trees would not get certified as bird friendly, but are
still growing shade-coffee.
"The
public reads shade-coffee and thinks it's automatically bird friendly. That's
not necessarily the case," said Tallamy. "But the growers don't know.
It's not that they are trying to pull a fast one. They think insects are
everywhere. They don't know that the type of plant matters, so of course they
use the plant that produces the highest amount of income. We can now correct
that misinformation."
Attracting
birds could also serve as a boon to coffee production because birds attracted
to the canopy trees can also protect the coffee crop by providing pest control.
The plants that tended to be highly preferred, native legumes, also
simultaneously provide nitrogen to the coffee crops increasing production.
"The
preferred tree species for birds' foraging tended to be native, which makes
sense from an evolutionary point of view," Rice said. "Insects have
co-evolved with native trees over millennia, so our findings that birds
preferred the native species, while not surprising, is clearly confirming. Our
challenge for future studies will be to determine which trees are providing the
greatest diversity and abundance of insects."
SMBC's
long-term relationship with coffee producers throughout Latin America
positioned the researchers well to help find the countries and regions within
countries to conduct this research. With funding from the Disney Conservation
Fund, Rice found local collaborators in Colombia and Nicaragua.
The
study points strongly to the recently publicized topic of global insect
decline.
"The
decline is not new. What's new is that the public is beginning to recognize it.
People are writing about it. They write about climate change, pesticides, and
habitat loss, but they aren't being specific enough," Tallamy said.
"The fact that humans are taking away the plants that allow insects to
thrive and replacing them with plants that do not is something that has not
been mentioned in any articles. Habitat is not just a location to live; it's
the food that you eat. Insects need particular plants. Taking those plants away
is, in my opinion, a major cause of insect decline, which is what we are going
to study next."
Undergraduate
research opportunity
Wildlife
ecology and conservation major Kerry Snyder, who graduated in 2015, is also a
co-author on the research paper. As a UD junior, she began working on
undergraduate research with Tallamy and formed her honors thesis around the
topic.
"Research
gave me an opportunity to travel abroad and learn how environmental problems
affect farmers in Central America. In addition to the technical experience the
work gave me, set me up well for my assignment in the Peace Corps," said
Snyder, who studied for two summer sessions under Tallamy and works for the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "Doing research allowed me to connect
what I was learning in the classroom with real environmental conservation issues
and allowed me to learn about the importance of coffee certification programs.
It would have been impossible to take a class that would have taught me
everything I learned through this experience."
Productive outcomes: Researchers are keen to find
ways to adapt rice growing methods to suit the Australian climate. Picture:
Andy Rogers
Missing
proteins could improve varieties
NICOLA
BELL, The Weekly Times
March
28, 2019 6:00pm
RESEARCHERS want to find the missing proteins
in rice so they can better understand the plant.
While the genome of rice was completed and
published in 2001, the proteins in rice haven’t all been identified.
In a new study co-authored by scientists from
the Macquarie University, Iran and Japan, researchers identified more than 5700
new proteins in rice, but want to find the remaining missing proteins.
Macquarie University’s Professor Paul Haynes
said there were an estimated 35,000 proteins encoded by the rice genome but
they still don’t have experimental evidence for 82 per cent of them.
“If we are going to try and engineer a system
we need to understand it,” Prof Haynes said. “Rice is so important as so many
people rely on it for their major food source and in order for it to grow in
warmer climates and with less water we will need to better understand rice at
the molecular level,” he said.
While they have a good first approximation of
what the gene sequence actually encodes for, Prof Haynes said there was still
much information to be confirmed.
Rice is Australia’s ninth largest agricultural
export and generates about $800 million in revenue each year
“It’s imperative that we find ways to make rice
better adapted to environments with warmer climates and less available water,”
Prof Haynes said.
“There are 22 species of rice plants and more
than 100,000 varieties and in Australia rice grows on the side of the road in
the Northern Territory. So if we could create a plant that had the
characteristics of that wild rice with commercial varieties we could solve a
lot of food security issues.”
“These plants grow vigorously in many wild
areas across Australian without additional watering, in part because their
roots grow longer and penetrate deeper into the soil allowing the plants better
access to underground reserves of both water and nutrients.
“If we could somehow transform commercial rice
varieties so that they grow deeper roots, thereby increasing water uptake
efficiency while still retaining high grain yields, we could produce more
sustainable plants that would help to future-proof the Australian rice
industry.”
Government committed to protect rice mill
industry, says Etala
Etala Rajender said the State government, as part of its efforts to
bail out the industry from problems, had taken a number of initiatives after
assuming power in the State in 2014
By Author | Published: 28th Mar 2019 8:44
pm
Karimnagar: Health
Minister Etala Rajender on Thursday asserted that the State government was
committed to protect the rice mill industry in the State. He promised to bring
their issues to the notice of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and solve
their problems.
The Minister was felicitated by District Rice
Millers Association here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, he said the
rice mill industry was in a crisis when Telangana State was formed.
Observing that the number of rice mills had also come down to about 1,500 from 3,000 in the district, Rajender said the State government, as part of its efforts to bail out the industry from problems, had taken a number of initiatives after assuming power in the State in 2014.
Observing that the number of rice mills had also come down to about 1,500 from 3,000 in the district, Rajender said the State government, as part of its efforts to bail out the industry from problems, had taken a number of initiatives after assuming power in the State in 2014.
He said that the industry did get some relief
from the initiatives taken by the government. Instead of business, the rice
mill industry has now become a service sector supplying rice to the government
after milling paddy under custom milling system. “There are some people
involved in fraud. The rice mill industry can be run based only on efficiency
and you should try to maintain it,” he advised the millers.
Stating that there was a good chance that the
TRS Karimnagar nominee for the April 11 Lok Sabha elections, B Vinod Kumar
would become a Central Minister, Rajender appealed to the millers to strive
hard for his victory.
The only agenda of the TRS party was to develop
the State by getting more funds and permissions for various projects from the
Centre, he said, adding that for this, it was essential that TRS wins maximum
number of Parliament seats.
Responding positively on the problems expressed
by some millers that they were facing troubles to store paddy due to
non-cooperation from FCI officials, he assured to solve their problem by
coordinating with FCI officials.
Rice millers praised Rajender for enhancing
custom milling charges to Rs 50 from Rs 25 for quintal boiled rice and Rs 30
from Rs 15 for raw rice.
03-28-2019
Scientists develop an automated technique to identify plant metabolites
Earth.com staff writer
A new automated
system developed by researchers at the RIKEN
Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) can instantly
identify a vast amount of metabolites present in different living organisms.
The new method identified over a thousand metabolites in tissues from 12 plant
species, including previously unknown metabolites with antibiotic and
anti-cancer properties.Aspirin was first made in the 19th century from willow bark extract, which was a medicine that was described in clay tablets thousands of years ago. Plants have unlimited potential for drug discovery and biotechnology, but it has been difficult to explore the individual metabolomes of millions of plant species. The metabolome is the set of all products of the plant’s metabolism, and only about five percent of all these natural products are currently known.
Computational mass spectrometry is a growing field of research that is focused on finding previously unknown metabolites and predicting their functions. The CSRS team has spent several years developing a system that can quickly identify large numbers of plant metabolites.
“While no software can comprehensively identify all the metabolites in a living organism, our program incorporates new techniques in computational mass spectrometry and provides 10 times the coverage of previous methods,” explained co-lead author Hiroshi Tsugawa.
Previously, mass spectrometry-based methods only pinpointed about one hundred metabolites. By using computer algorithms that compare the mass spectrometry outputs from plants that are labeled with carbon-13 with those that are not, the new system was able to detect more than one thousand metabolites.
The algorithms classify the metabolites by type and predict the substructure of unknown metabolites so they can be linked to known metabolites. This helps the experts predict the functions of the unknown substances.
The CSRS method was able to find a class of antibiotics in rice and maize as well as a class with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties in the common onion, tomato, and potato. The tissue tests also identified two classes of anti-cancer metabolites – one in soybeans and licorice and one in a plant from the coffee family.
“I believe that computationally decoding metabolomic mass spectrometry data is linked to a deeper understanding of all metabolisms,” said Tsugawa. “Our next goal is to improve this methodology to facilitate global identification of human and microbiota metabolomes as well. Newly found metabolites can then be further investigated via genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.”
The study is published in the journal Nature Methods.
—
Copernicus Programme: Easy access alternative technology in the
Philippines
Franz Jessen (The Philippine Star) -
March 28, 2019 - 12:00am
The
Philippines, as well as all other countries, stands to benefit from reliable
monitoring of its natural and urban environment. The El Niño phenomenon,
unpredictable weather patterns, road traffic conditions, ocean’s parameters and
the state of natural forests – all these and more can easily be monitored and
accessed through the Copernicus Programme of the European Union.
What is
the Copernicus Programme? It is a programme which offers a high-speed
performance and efficient operational infrastructure to monitor natural and
urban environment, to perform complex data analysis, to simulate future impact
scenarios, and to make informed decisions. It has seven sentinel
satellites that capture high-quality data which can yield over 16 terabyte of
high-quality full, free and open earth observation data per day.
The
sensors on the Copernicus’ sentinel satellites can determine features down to 5
to 10m which means that even though one cannot see every tree or small
building, it is accurate enough to give a mapping of areas such as the whole of
the Philippines, for example.
To top
all these, this technology offers its data for free; it is readily available
and easily accessible. Therefore it is extremely useful in land and atmospheric
monitoring, marine and maritime environment monitoring, climate change and
emergency civil protection and security. It serves as a useful tool for
research, development and application expertise.
To
introduce the Copernicus programme in the Philippines, the EU Delegation to the
Philippines held the “National Conference on Copernicus Systems and
Applications” for the first time on March 11.
The
conference gathered about 100 scientists, technologists, environment and urban
planners, local government workers and businesspeople.
The
presence of Deputy Director General of the National Security Council Vicente
Agdamag who represented Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon; Science and
Technology Undersecretary Renato Solidum; technical experts Dr. Alice Laborte
from the International Rice Research Institute and Paolo Corradi from the
European Space Agency, among others, reflected the enthusiasm of various
organisations in technology and research. Initial feedback following the
conference was encouraging. There was a high-level of interest expressed in
vulnerability mapping particularly in poverty and gender issues; marine plastic
waste; agriculture; urban planning and atmospheric pollution warnings.
As far
as usage in the region is concerned, the International Rice Research Institute
has been utilizing this technology in crop monitoring, health and disease
control and rice yield impact scenarios under climate change. As a result of
this, Copernicus has been able to aid in coming up with a food security system
across the region.
And as
if these are not enough, Copernicus is also able to make use of open street
emergency mapping and can therefore be very vital in the event of disasters
such as typhoons and in the event of drought. The technology is able to
model and visualise available water resources capacity, monitor pollution
sources and movements, land and water management reserves, determining upcoming
rainfalls, temperature variations and predict pathways of marine litter to aid
in decision-making.
The
functions of Copernicus are certainly endless and its applications can be
tailored to the needs of specific users. Building on the foundations of
deeply-rooted scientific knowledge and on decades of EU investment in research
and technological development, Copernicus is exemplary of European strategic
cooperation in space research and development. Since 2014, it has
invested €9.6 billion in the programme with an additional €5.8
billion allocation proposed for 2021 to 2027.
Copernicus
may not provide an ultimate solution to all of the global challenges but it is
certainly one big step that every sector should consider in land and atmosphere
monitoring, emergency management, climate change service, marine environment
monitoring and security services. The European Union Delegation to the
Philippines would be delighted if the Philippines will take a serious and
closer look at what the Copernicus Programme has to offer.
* *
*
(Franz
Jessen is the Ambassador of the European Union.)
|
In Memory: Mark Wimpy
Excerpt from HorizonAg Tribute
USA Rice extends condolences to the family and friends of Mark Wimpy, of Jonesboro, Arkansas, who passed away March 25, at the age of 59. A fourth-generation farmer, Mark took great pride in his work and cared deeply for the rice industry, often serving as a spokesperson for important topics like conservation, progressive agricultural practices, or promoting U.S. rice. Mark and his family won Arkansas Farm Family of the Year in 2009, and in 2011 he was honored as the Rice Farmer of the Year by Rice Farming magazine, an acknowledgment of his contributions to our industry, and to his commitment and dedication to farming. When he was interviewed for the award, he was quoted in Rice Farming saying that he considers raising quality seed as his greatest achievement as a farmer, along with protecting the environment, maintaining the integrity of the land, and conserving resources for generations to come. For the last several years, he graciously opened his farm and headquarters for the Horizon Ag annual field day near Jonesboro, hosting farmers, consultants, industry leaders and influencers, and visitors from around the world. "I've had the privilege of working with Mark over many years," said Dr. Sunny Bottoms, Horizon Ag district field representative for the Arkansas Grand Prairie. "I've grown very close to him and his family. This is a huge loss, and I will miss Mark very much." For lasting memorials the family asks that consideration be given to Arkansas Children's Hospital-Angel One, 1 Children's Way, Slot 661, Little Rock, AR 72202-3591; Mark Wimpy Family Scholarship award for high school students, 854 CR 431, Jonesboro, AR 72404; or Keller's Chapel Cemetery Association-Jerry Lewis, 707 Amberwood Cove, Jonesboro, AR 72401. |
|
Is the U.K. In or Out? Implications for
U.S. Rice
By Bob Cummings
ARLINGTON, VA -- Each day brings a new twist
on Brexit and when and how the United Kingdom will exit the European
Union. While that drama plays out, U.S. rice exporters have customers
to serve in what has been a single market since 1973 and looks to continue to
be one, but for how long is anyone's guess.
As of today, the U.K. remains a member of the EU and access for U.S. rice is largely governed by a 38,000 MT tariff rate quota (TRQ) for milled rice across all 28 member states. Sales in excess of the TRQ do occur, but are limited because they face a duty of the equivalent of just under $200/MT. U.S. rice exports to the EU in 2018 were 54,200 MT, valued at $45.4 million, of which 45 percent went to the U.K. Plans by the U.S. Administration for a free trade agreement with the U.K., which USA Rice supports, are on hold while the situation in Europe sorts itself out. The other trade agreement in the mix - with the EU - is also on hold because Brussels wants to exclude agriculture market access while the United States, with the support of USA Rice and nearly all U.S. agriculture, is insisting that agriculture has to be part of any free trade deal. "We have been looking for an opening for many years in Europe to change the terms of access for U.S. rice and improve our competitiveness," said Terry Harris, chair of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee and an Arkansas miller. "Brexit and the potential trade agreements with the U.K. and EU offer those opportunities, but we have some uncertainty ahead of us first." The original departure, or Brexit, date for the U.K. was March 29, but failure of the U.K. government to gain Parliament's approval of an exit deal and fear of a "hard Brexit" resulted in a postponement of sorts. EU leaders have given Prime Minister Teresa May until April 12 to have Parliament approve the exit plan it has already twice rejected and thereby allow further negotiation on implementing that plan until May 22, at which point the election process for the European Parliament begins and the U.K. would need to leave the EU or remain and take part in the elections. A complicating factor is a successful move earlier this week by Members of Parliament to take control of the Brexit agenda in the House of Commons away from the Prime Minister. Yesterday, May told a meeting of Tory MPs she would leave office earlier than planned if it guaranteed Parliament's backing for her withdrawal agreement with the EU. One of the potential options, a "hard Brexit" means the U.K. stands outside the common customs union of the EU. In anticipation of this, the U.K. issued last week a full stand-alone tariff schedule that provides for duty free access for brown rice; a 75,000 MT annual TRQ for milled rice with an over quota duty of $164/MT; and a broken rice duty of $73/MT. "This provisional U.K. tariff regime is certainly more favorable on its face than what we currently face in the EU, but we will need to study it closely and watch carefully implementation if it comes to pass," concluded Harris. |
Amira Nature Foods Ltd to Present at the Spring Investor
Summit in New York City on April 1, 2019
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Mar 27, 2019--Amira Nature Foods Ltd (the “Company”) (NYSE: ANFI), a
global provider of packaged specialty rice, today announced that the Company is
scheduled to present at the upcoming Spring Investor Summit on Monday, April 1,
2019. The Spring 2019 Investor Summit will be held in New York City at the
Essex House.
About Amira Nature Foods
Founded in 1915, Amira has evolved into a
global provider of packaged specialty rice, with sales in over 40 countries
today. Amira sells Basmati rice, premium long-grain rice grown only in certain
regions of the Indian sub-continent, under their flagship Amira brand as well
as under other third party brands. Amira sells its products primarily in
emerging markets through a broad distribution network. Amira’s headquarters are
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it also has offices in India, Germany, the
United Kingdom, and the United States.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. These
forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases that we or
our members of management use such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,”
“foresee,” “forecast,” “estimate” or other words or phrases of similar import.
Specifically, these statements include, among other things, statements that
describe our expectations for the global rice market, the financial impact of
new sales contracts on our revenue, our expectations regarding the successful
efforts of our distribution partners, and other statements of management’s
beliefs, intentions or goals. It is uncertain whether any of the events
anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if
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continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; our reliance on a few
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to our business and realize additional opportunities for growth; and the other
risks and important considerations contained and identified in our filings with
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MARCH 28, 2019 / 7:27 PM / UPDATED 20 HOURS AGO
India
rice prices slip as demand dips; domestic buying props up Thai rates
·
·
(Reuters)
- Rice export prices in India eased from multi-month highs this week due to
weaker demand, while domestic buying pushed up rates in Thailand.
Women
plant rice saplings at a paddy field in a village in Nagaon district, in the
northeastern state of Assam, India, July 3, 2018. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika/File
Photo
Top
exporter India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $390-$393
per tonne, down from the previous week when prices rose to the highest level in
more than seven months at $392-$395.
“Buyers
are waiting for a price correction,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the
southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
“Exporters
can’t reduce prices due to the strong rupee and higher paddy prices.”
Last
week’s price rise was attributed to an appreciation in the rupee, which lowers
returns from overseas sales.
In
Thailand, benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices rose to $400-$404 a tonne,
free on board Bangkok, on Thursday, from $390-$393 last week.
Traders
said the price rise was due to higher domestic demand, even as overseas demand
remained flat.
“Prices
were very low last week, so there were some purchases in the country and now
prices have bounced a little,” said a Bangkok-based trader.
Last
week, the Thai cabinet agreed to extend a rice trading agreement with the
Philippines, which expired in December, for another two years. The agreement
allows Thailand, the world’s second-largest rice exporter, to take part in
tenders issued by the Philippines and states that the two countries can trade
up to 1 million tonnes of rice per year.
In
Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice were unchanged from last week at $360
a tonne.
“Activity
is slowing down this week on weaker demand,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City
said.
“Buyers
from the Philippines, our key market, said they have signed enough deals for
the near term and don’t plan to buy more for now,” the trader said.
Buyers
from China held a meeting with commodity traders in Ho Chi Minh City on
Thursday to explore trading opportunities, but no major rice deals were made,
another trader said.
Meanwhile,
Bangladesh’s rice production is expected to rise 7 percent to 34.9 million
tonnes in the year to April from the corresponding period last year, due to
higher acreage and yields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
Bangladesh,
traditionally the world’s fourth biggest rice producer, was forced to massively
increase imports to shore up domestic reserves in 2017 after floods wrought
havoc on local crops.
Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Patpicha
Tanakasempipat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Vietnam, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; editing by
Arpan Varghese and Kirsten Donovan
Drones to Save as Much as 90 pct of Manpower in
Rice Cropping
Posted
on March 28, 2019 in Agriculture, Business, Industries, Other Technologies, Technology, Top
News with 0 Comments
(image:
Rural Development Administration)
SUWON,
Mar. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Drones
are expected to soon become the new ‘right hand’ of farming in South Korea.
The
Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services invited 100
agricultural experts and farmers on Wednesday to conduct a demonstration of
rice cropping using drones.
The
institution is also responsible for studying and educating farmers on using
drones to conduct direct sowing methods to grow rice, which involves drones
spreading rice seeds in paddies filled with water.
This
will allow rice seeds to submerge well, preventing ducks and other birds from
eating them. The seeds will be coated with silicic acid to encourage
germination.
The
institution argued that this method, compared to the traditional ones, offers
manpower savings of as much as 90.6 percent while reducing personnel expenses
by half.
What
would take at least 798 hours to grow rice in a 10 acre field using traditional
methods can be handled by drones within 75 hours by skipping unnecessary
procedures.
The
new method will only require 11 workers instead of the 22 normally needed for
carrying out traditional methods.
Agricultural
drones cost around 20 million won (US$17,600) each, which is far cheaper than
rice-planting machines that normally cost as much as 40 million won.
“The
drones are capable of spreading rice seeds over 3,300m2 in less than 10
minutes,” said the institution. “Sowing rice seeds directly using drones will
speed up the entire rice growing process by 30 to 35 days.”
The
institution plans to focus on educating farmers about the new method as part of
its initiative to resolve increasing labor shortages in the agricultural
industry.
Kevin
Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
(image:
Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services)
Tagged
· drone
· farming
· rice
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Bangladesh’s rice production to increase to
34.7 tons: USDA
daily industryon: March
28, 2019In: Bangladesh, Corporate, ManagementNo Comments
Staff
Correspondent: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its report on
Bangladesh said total rice area and production levels are forecast to increase
to 11.7 million hectares (HA) and 34.7 million metric tons (MMT) respectively.The growth is due to a recovery from last year’s Boro and Aman crop losses and an expected higher price. The report is projected a time period between May of 2018 and April of 2019.
For, MY 2018/19, rice imports are forecast to fall to 0.8 MMT due to higher domestic production while assuming favorable weather conditions.
Wheat area and production in MY 2018/19 are forecast to increase to 370,000 HA and 1.18 MMT, assuming favorable prices and good weather. For MY 2018/19, wheat imports are forecast at 6.5 MMT because of further diversification in the food processing industry, and changing food habits of a growing population. In MY 2018/19 corn area and production are forecast at 448,000 HA and 3.5 MMT due to farmers’ interest in meeting an increasing demand in the animal feed sector.
As a result, corn imports in MY 2018/19 are
forecast down to 1 MMT due to an expected increase in domestic production.
Govt to procure 12,50,000 tonnes paddy, rice, wheat
· UNB NEWS
· PUBLISH DATE - MARCH 28,
2019, 08:47 PM
· 274 VIEWS
Dhaka,
Mar 28 (UNB) – The government will procure 12,50,000 tonnes of rice, paddy and
wheat during the upcoming Boro season.
Food
Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said the procurement will take place between
April 25 and August 31.
He came
up with the remarks after concluding a meeting of Food Planning and Monitoring
Committee at the ministry.
Per
kilogram rice will be bought at Tk 36, wheat Tk 28 and paddy Tk 26, he said.
Agriculture
Minister Abdur Razzaque, Health Minister Jahid Malek and State Minister for
Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman were also present in the
meeting.
Food for thought for the new
govt
Siraj Hussain | Updated on March 27, 2019 Published on March 27,
2019
Piling
up A file picture of wheat bags stacked at an FCI godown in Punjab - REUTERS
Given the
ballooning costs of storing grain, there is an urgent need to cut down
excessive procurement of rice and wheat
In 2018-19, wheat procurement at 35.8 million
tonnes (mt) was the second highest ever. It is estimated that by the end of
kharif marketing season in September, rice procurement may also touch an
all-time high of 45 mt. With such high procurement, one of the first difficult
challenges the new government will face in May will be to manage the excessive
stock of foodgrains (central pool stocks) with the FCI and State government
agencies.
On April 1, the central pool is likely to have
rice stocks of 28.4 mt and wheat stocks of 17.6 mt. Low temperatures and a
rather prolonged winter this year are likely to result in higher productivity
and wheat production may reach 102 mt, about 3 mt higher than the government’s
second advance estimate of 99 mt.
In 2018-19, the open market prices of wheat
have risen by about 10 per cent but with an attractive MSP of ₹1,860
per quintal and a bonus of ₹140 per
quintal in Madhya Pradesh, we can expect wheat procurement to match last year’s
level of about 36 mt.
The buffer norm for wheat for July 1 is 27.58
mt against which India is likely to have stock of 47.6 mt. The buffer norm for
rice is 13.54 mt but the stock is estimated to touch 29.6 mt. Thus, the country
will be saddled with 77.2 mt of wheat and rice stock against the buffer norm of
only 41.1 mt.
Fortunately, 15 mt of covered storage capacity
has been added since 2010 under Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee Scheme (PEG) of
2008. Without this, there would have been no godown space for rice procurement
even in Punjab and Haryana.
On January 1, the FCI and the State sgencies
together have 85.2 mt of storage capacity out of which 72.5 mt is covered but
12.7 mt is Covered and Plinth (CAP) storage. Punjab and Haryana alone have
about 10 mt of CAP storage capacity. We should expect that this will be fully
utilised for wheat storage.
Excess stocks pose a challenge for safe and
scientific storage. They also cause enormous financial burden on the Union
Budget as the FCI and the State agencies have to pay interest on borrowed
capital which will have to be finally paid as food subsidy. The economic cost
of excess stock (over the buffer norm) will be ₹1.07
lakh crore. The annual carrying cost of this stock is estimated to be ₹13,710
crore. On previous occasions, the government had used three instruments to
reduce the stocks — sale under open market sale scheme for domestic consumption,
ad-hoc additional allocation to States and export of wheat.
In 2012-13 and 2013-14, 29.5 lakh tonnes and
26.73 lakh tonnes of wheat was exported respectively from the Central pool
stocks. Exports came down to 3.27 lakh tonnes in 2014-15. In the last three
years, there was no export from central pool stocks, except 1.1 lakh tonnes of
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
WTO
pressure
The US, Canada, Australia and Japan have raised
a number of questions in WTO about the financial incentives provided by the government
for wheat exports.
Indian rice is exported from private stocks. In
2018-19 rice exports are likely to be about 12.75 mt. Despite the bulging stock
of rice, the government will find it difficult to subsidise export as it will
surely invite objection in WTO from other rice exporting countries including
Thailand and Pakistan.
The economic cost of wheat in 2019-20 is
estimated at ₹2,505.67
per quintal. Even if it is assumed that the transportation charges from storage
point to port will be borne by government as subsidy, the FOB value wheat will
come to $363.87 per tonne (at 1$=₹68.86).
On March 1, milling grade wheat was quoted at
$209 for US soft red winter wheat, $231 for Russian and $221 for Australian
wheat. This clearly shows that Indian wheat in the central pool stock cannot be
exported without large subsidy by government. In 2012-13, MMTC, PEC and STC
were engaged to export wheat and the FCI delivered the required rakes at ports.
In this period also, the FOB price received in global tenders was higher than
MSP but much lower than economic cost of wheat.
Under clause 9.1 of WTO’s Agreement on
Agriculture, subsidies for export of agricultural goods can be provided for
marketing cost and internal transport. This also includes handling, upgrading
and other processing costs and the costs of international transport and
freight.
If India decides to use this clause to
subsidise wheat export from the central pool stocks, major wheat exporting
countries like US and Australia are surely going to raise questions in WTO,
especially in the light of the so-called peace clause which allowed India to
maintain its procurement operations even if the ceiling of 10 per cent of value
of production was breached.
Export of grains from central pool stocks is
therefore an unlikely option.
Normal allocation of 5 kg foodgrain per person
in PDS meets just about half the monthly requirement of a person.
PDS allocation
In the past, the Centre has made ad-hoc
allocations of grains to State governments for distribution under PDS. Since
these allocations are temporary, there is little awareness about them among
ration card holders and it is feared that that they do not reach real
beneficiaries.
Such ad-hoc allocations have not been
independently evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing a poor family’s
expenditure on foodgrains. Also, such ad-hoc allocations at highly subsidised
rates of ₹2 for
wheat and ₹3 for
rice will further inflate food subsidy bill of ₹1,84,000
crore in 2019-20.
If export and additional ad-hoc allocations are
not practical options before the government, the only alternative is to reduce
excessive procurement of wheat and rice over the next five years.
The new government will do well to remove the
dust from Shanta Kumar Committee Report of 2015. In water stressed regions of
Punjab and Haryana, less water-guzzling crops like maize, pulses and oilseeds
will have to be provided incentives similar to paddy. The Madhya Pradesh
government should extend similar bonus to pulses and oilseeds as it does for
wheat. Such interventions can gradually result in reducing excessive
procurement of rice and wheat.
This will require imagination and boldness which
will hopefully not be lacking in the new government.
The
writer is a former Union Agriculture Secretary. He is now Visiting Senior
Fellow, ICRIER
Monsoon should be robust
provided there’s no El Nino surprise: IMD
Reuters New
Delhi | Updated on March 27, 2019 Published
on March 27, 2019
India’s monsoon, crucial for Asia’s third
largest economy, is likely to be a robust and healthy one this year provided
there isn’t a surprise El Nino phenomenon, an India Meteorological Department
(IMD), official said on Wednesday.
Monsoon rains, the lifeblood for India’s
farm-dependent $2.6 trillion economy, arrive on the southern tip of Kerala
around June 1 and retreat from Rajasthan by September.
The country’s 263 million farmers wait for
monsoon rains to plant crops such as rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean
because nearly half of the country’s farmland lacks irrigation. Farming output
makes up just less than 14 per cent of India’s economy but the sector employs
more than half of the country’s 1.3 billion population.
“It’s really early to talk about the pattern
that this year’s monsoon will follow, but we do know that practically no one is
predicting a strong El Nino,” KJ Ramesh, Director General of the state-run IMD,
told Reuters.
Plentiful monsoon rains could lift agricultural
and wider economic growth and keep food prices and overall inflation subdued.
That could also add to pressure on the Reserve Bank of India to cut interest
rates.
The
downside
On the downside, higher production could mean
farmers continue to get hit by low crop prices, a major cause for concern in
rural India in the past two years.
A strong El Nino, marked by a warming of the
sea surface on the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Australia,
Southeast Asia and India, while drenching other parts of the world such as the
US Midwest and Brazil in rains.
The emergence of a strong El Nino triggered
back-to-back droughts in 2014 and 2015, only for the fourth time in over a
century, driving some Indian farmers to penury and suicide. The IMD defines
average, or normal, rainfall as between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a
50-year average of 89 cm for the entire four-month season beginning in June.
In 2017 and 2018, rainfall was 95 per cent and
91 per cent of the long-term average respectively.
IOD factor
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomenon could
also be a positive development, said Ramesh.
The IOD phenomenon is characterised by higher
sea-surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean. A positive IOD creates a barrier
in the eastern Indian Ocean and all the southwesterly winds blow towards the
Indian sub-continent, causing rains in the country.
Weather officials say a positive IOD played a
big role in bringing adequate rains to India in 1967, 1977, 1997 and 2006.
The India Meteorological Department is likely
to make its first official forecast of this year’s monsoon rains by the middle
of April
Photosynthesis-efficient rice
could help meet surging food demand in developing countries
Work is well underway to engineer a rice
plant in a way that global production of the grain gets a dramatic
boost. The idea is to convert rice into a photosynthesis-efficient plant,
which will produce up to 50% higher yields using sunlight.
In an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune,
Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Dr
Matthew Morell, said two Bangladeshi scientists are working at IRRI
headquarters in the Philippines on this “C4 Rice Project,” often dubbed a
“grand challenge” of the 21st century.
…
Rice uses the C3 photosynthetic pathway, which
in hot and dry environments, is much less efficient than the C4 pathway, used
by some other plants such as maize, sugarcane, and sorghum. Scientists thought
that if rice could “switch” to using C4 photosynthesis, productivity would
increase by 50%.
…
The population of Bangladesh, is projected to
reach 202 million by 2050, while the economy is projected to continue to grow
at a rate of 7 to 8 per cent per year, said Dr Matthew Morell, adding that: “This
robust emerging economy in South Asia will fuel a rise in the demand for
rice….”
Read
full, original article: IRRI DG: Work underway for a
dramatic rise in rice yield
The GLP
aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news,
opinion, and analysis. Click the link above to read the full, original article.
- 47SHARES
Indian basmati rice industry to clock its highest export
ever
The
growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations,
strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in
a row.
By
, ET Bureau|
Mar 27, 2019, 01.01 PM IST
0Comments
Agencies
Basmati paddy prices have
been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row.
The Indian basmati rice
industry is on the verge of clocking its highest ever exports of around Rs.
30,000 crore in FY2019 (previous high of Rs. 29,300 crore in FY2014), according
to an ICRA report released on Wednesday.
The growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations, strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in a row. As per an ICRA note, the momentum of the current fiscal is likely to percolate into the next fiscal, FY2020 as well with expectation of 4-5% growth in exports, given the high base.
Elaborating further, Mr. Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA, says, “It is important to note that this growth has been despite some challenges that surfaced during FY2019 - pesticide residue issue leading to a decline in exports to European Union (EU), Saudi Arabia mulling adoption of stringent pesticide rules, payment issues from some Iranian importers and uncertainty due to imposition of trade sanctions on Iran by the US Government. The stringent pesticide norms by EU led to loss of exports worth around Rs. 1,000 crore in 9MFY2019, and the same could exacerbate going forward. Nevertheless, the fact that EU contributed around 8% to the exports till FY2018, allowed for the loss to be compensated by exports to the Middle Eastern countries. Further, the industry has been able to tide through most of the other issues, as demonstrated by steady increase in exports to Saudi Arabia and establishment of the rupee payment mechanism to facilitate future trade between India and Iran, its prime market for Basmati exports. However, overall, tightening of pesticide residue norms by key importers could be a long-term risk for the industry.”
Continuing the momentum from FY2018, India has already exported Basmati rice worth Rs. 24,919 crore (3.37 million MT) in 10M FY2019, 17% higher than Rs. 21,319 crore (3.28 million MT) in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal. Like the previous fiscal, growth in the current fiscal too has been driven by firming up of average export realisations (14%), while the volumes have only been marginally higher (2%). Over the next few quarters, demand in the export market is likely to remain steady (also supported by resumption of imports by Iran), thereby driving the industry exports in FY2019 to the highest ever level of almost Rs. 30,000 crore.
As per ICRA, the average export realisations have firmed up to Rs. 74,053/MT in 10MFY2019, against Rs. 64,997/MT in 10MFY2018, on the back of multiple factors namely increase in paddy prices over the previous and current year’s procurement season, aggressive buying by Iran in the first half of the fiscal due to the uncertainty at that time regarding imposition of US trade sanctions and its impact on trade between India and Iran; and depreciation of the rupee against the USD.
Basmati paddy prices have been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row. In the current fiscal as well, basmati production has been lower by around 5%, attributable to some decline in area under cultivation as some farmers shifted to non-basmati due to a considerable increase in its Minimum Support Price; and some loss of the standing crop due to untimely rainfall in some of the key Basmati rice growing states. Consequently, paddy prices have firmed up by 10-15% across varieties, third year in a row. Hike in Basmati rice average realisations is likely to sustain in H1 FY2020, given the increase in paddy costs in the recently concluded procurement season and steady international as well as domestic demand outlook.
“However, the strong growth in the current fiscal also foretells the need to be cautious. The inventory funding requirements of the industry have been increasing thereby accentuating price risk. In such a scenario, minor dip in international demand, especially given high concentration on one country for almost a third of the total exports, renders the industry vulnerable to some extent. The industry may be at the peak of the paddy price cycle, which was last witnessed in FY2014 before the prices corrected sharply. Industry participants would need to be cautious about this and be prudent with their inventory holding,” concludes Mr. Jotwani
The growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations, strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in a row. As per an ICRA note, the momentum of the current fiscal is likely to percolate into the next fiscal, FY2020 as well with expectation of 4-5% growth in exports, given the high base.
Elaborating further, Mr. Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA, says, “It is important to note that this growth has been despite some challenges that surfaced during FY2019 - pesticide residue issue leading to a decline in exports to European Union (EU), Saudi Arabia mulling adoption of stringent pesticide rules, payment issues from some Iranian importers and uncertainty due to imposition of trade sanctions on Iran by the US Government. The stringent pesticide norms by EU led to loss of exports worth around Rs. 1,000 crore in 9MFY2019, and the same could exacerbate going forward. Nevertheless, the fact that EU contributed around 8% to the exports till FY2018, allowed for the loss to be compensated by exports to the Middle Eastern countries. Further, the industry has been able to tide through most of the other issues, as demonstrated by steady increase in exports to Saudi Arabia and establishment of the rupee payment mechanism to facilitate future trade between India and Iran, its prime market for Basmati exports. However, overall, tightening of pesticide residue norms by key importers could be a long-term risk for the industry.”
Continuing the momentum from FY2018, India has already exported Basmati rice worth Rs. 24,919 crore (3.37 million MT) in 10M FY2019, 17% higher than Rs. 21,319 crore (3.28 million MT) in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal. Like the previous fiscal, growth in the current fiscal too has been driven by firming up of average export realisations (14%), while the volumes have only been marginally higher (2%). Over the next few quarters, demand in the export market is likely to remain steady (also supported by resumption of imports by Iran), thereby driving the industry exports in FY2019 to the highest ever level of almost Rs. 30,000 crore.
As per ICRA, the average export realisations have firmed up to Rs. 74,053/MT in 10MFY2019, against Rs. 64,997/MT in 10MFY2018, on the back of multiple factors namely increase in paddy prices over the previous and current year’s procurement season, aggressive buying by Iran in the first half of the fiscal due to the uncertainty at that time regarding imposition of US trade sanctions and its impact on trade between India and Iran; and depreciation of the rupee against the USD.
Basmati paddy prices have been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row. In the current fiscal as well, basmati production has been lower by around 5%, attributable to some decline in area under cultivation as some farmers shifted to non-basmati due to a considerable increase in its Minimum Support Price; and some loss of the standing crop due to untimely rainfall in some of the key Basmati rice growing states. Consequently, paddy prices have firmed up by 10-15% across varieties, third year in a row. Hike in Basmati rice average realisations is likely to sustain in H1 FY2020, given the increase in paddy costs in the recently concluded procurement season and steady international as well as domestic demand outlook.
“However, the strong growth in the current fiscal also foretells the need to be cautious. The inventory funding requirements of the industry have been increasing thereby accentuating price risk. In such a scenario, minor dip in international demand, especially given high concentration on one country for almost a third of the total exports, renders the industry vulnerable to some extent. The industry may be at the peak of the paddy price cycle, which was last witnessed in FY2014 before the prices corrected sharply. Industry participants would need to be cautious about this and be prudent with their inventory holding,” concludes Mr. Jotwani
Hainan's hybrid seeds sprout
along Belt, Road
By Ma
Zhiping in Haikou | China Daily | Updated: 2019-03-29 09:23
Farmers
harvest hybrid rice at the Nanfan Scientific and Research Breeding Base in
Sanya, Hainan province, on May 12. [Wu Wei/For CHINA DAILY]
Island province 'will ensure' that Boao Forum
continues to promote cooperation
The international exchanges and cooperative
efforts prompted by the Boao Forum for Asia are turning Hainan province into
the Silicon Valley of seeds for countries involved in the Belt and Road
Initiative, according to a Hainan government official.
More hybrid rice seeds cultivated by Chinese
scientists at the Nanfan Scientific and Research Breeding Base in Hainan are
being introduced to ASEAN countries. The total combined area of hybrid rice
cultivation in India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan and Indonesia - major
rice-growing countries - has reached 4.28 million hectares, said Wang Sheng,
director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan province.
Wang spoke at a news conference on March 19
before the Boao Forum for Asia 2019 Annual Conference in Boao, Hainan, which
ends on Friday.
Since 2015, more than 100 foreign experts and
students from countries involved in the BRI have visited Hainan annually to
study agricultural technology, including Nanfan's breeding program, which is
"playing the role of Silicon Valley for the country's seed industry",
Wang said.
Hainan's climate and biological resources have
made Nanfan an important national center of seed propagation. Every winter,
more than 7,000 domestic agricultural scientists and workers are busy at the
Nanfan centers. More than 70 percent of the country's 7,000 crop varieties have
been cultivated in the tropical island province, which is building a global
resources center, National Business Daily reported.
"With good stress resistance and higher
yields, hybrid rice seeds developed by Nanfan's centers are being welcomed in
Southeast Asian countries," said Xie Zhenyu, an assistant research fellow
at the Research Institute of Tropical Crop Germ Plasm under the Chinese Academy
of Tropical Agricultural Sciences.
"We have sent farming experts to hybrid
rice growing areas overseas, and we give local farmers guidance, training and
planning for future development," said Xie, who has worked as an expert in
Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Gambia.
Under the Boao Forum framework, Hainan has
created a series of subforums, such as the ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors
Dialogue, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Island Economy subforum, the
South China Sea subforum, the Roundtable Discussion for Overseas Chinese
Business Leaders and Chinese think tanks, Wang said. "These diplomatic
platforms serve as new bridges to promote practical industrial cooperation
between BRI countries."
Five new frog species from Madagascar
Date:
March
28, 2019
Source:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
München
Summary:
Scientists have named five new species of frogs
found across the island of Madagascar. The largest could sit on your thumbnail,
the smallest is hardly longer than a grain of rice.
Share:
FULL
STORY
An adult
male Mini scule resting on a fingertip.
Credit:
Photo by Sam Hyde Roberts
Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet
(LMU) in Munich and the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology have named five
new species of frogs found across the island of Madagascar. The largest could
sit on your thumbnail, the smallest is hardly longer than a grain of rice.
Madagascar, an island a little larger than
mainland France, has more than 350 frog species. This number of recognized
species is constantly rising, and many of the newly named species are very
small.
Mark D. Scherz, a PhD candidate at LMU Munich,
and Dr. Frank Glaw, Head of the Herpetology Section at the Bavarian State
Collection of Zoology in Munich, together with colleagues at the Technical
University of Braunschweig and the University of Antananarivo have named five
new species of tiny frogs found across the island. Their study appears in the
online journal PLOS ONE.
The five new species belong to a group of frogs
commonly referred to as 'narrow-mouthed' frogs, a highly diverse family found
on every continent except Antarctica and Europe. Although most narrow-mouthed
frogs are small to moderately large, many are tiny. In fact, the group includes
the smallest frog in the world -- Paedophryne
amauensis from Papua New Guinea, mature specimens
of which reach a length of only 7.7 mm. What's remarkable is that, in the
smallest frogs, "miniaturization" has evolved independently -- often
several times within a single region, as highlighted in this new study. Three
of the new species belong to a group that is wholly new to science, which the
authors have formally dubbed Mini. The
other two new species, Rhombophryne
proportionalis and Anodonthyla
eximia, are also just 11-12 mm long, and are much
smaller than their closest relatives.
"When frogs evolve small body size, they
start to look remarkably similar, so it is easy to underestimate how diverse
they really are," says Mark D. Scherz, lead author on the new study.
"Our new genus name, Mini, says
it all. Adults of the two smallest species Mini
mum and Mini
scule are 8-11 mm long, and even the largest
member of the genus, Miniature, at 15
mm, could sit on your thumbnail with room to spare."
Finding tiny frogs in the leaf litter is hard
work. "Calling males often sit one or two leaves deep and stop calling at
the slightest disturbance," says Frank Glaw. "It can take a lot of
patience to find the frog you are looking for."
Story Source:
Materials provided
by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
München. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Mark D.
Scherz, Carl R. Hutter, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Jana C. Riemann, Mark-Oliver
Rödel, Serge H. Ndriantsoa, Julian Glos, Sam Hyde Roberts, Angelica Crottini,
Miguel Vences, Frank Glaw. Morphological and ecological convergence at the
lower size limit for vertebrates highlighted by five new miniaturised
microhylid frog species from three different Madagascan genera. PLOS ONE,
2019; 14 (3): e0213314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213314
Cite
This Page:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
München. "Five new frog species from Madagascar." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 28 March 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190328112519.htm>.
Indian basmati rice industry to clock its highest export
ever
The
growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations,
strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in
a row.
By
, ET Bureau|
Mar 27, 2019, 01.01 PM IST
0Comments
Agencies
Basmati paddy prices have
been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row.
The Indian basmati rice
industry is on the verge of clocking its highest ever exports of around Rs.
30,000 crore in FY2019 (previous high of Rs. 29,300 crore in FY2014), according
to an ICRA report released on Wednesday.
The growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations, strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in a row. As per an ICRA note, the momentum of the current fiscal is likely to percolate into the next fiscal, FY2020 as well with expectation of 4-5% growth in exports, given the high base.
Elaborating further, Mr. Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA, says, “It is important to note that this growth has been despite some challenges that surfaced during FY2019 - pesticide residue issue leading to a decline in exports to European Union (EU), Saudi Arabia mulling adoption of stringent pesticide rules, payment issues from some Iranian importers and uncertainty due to imposition of trade sanctions on Iran by the US Government. The stringent pesticide norms by EU led to loss of exports worth around Rs. 1,000 crore in 9MFY2019, and the same could exacerbate going forward. Nevertheless, the fact that EU contributed around 8% to the exports till FY2018, allowed for the loss to be compensated by exports to the Middle Eastern countries. Further, the industry has been able to tide through most of the other issues, as demonstrated by steady increase in exports to Saudi Arabia and establishment of the rupee payment mechanism to facilitate future trade between India and Iran, its prime market for Basmati exports. However, overall, tightening of pesticide residue norms by key importers could be a long-term risk for the industry.”
Continuing the momentum from FY2018, India has already exported Basmati rice worth Rs. 24,919 crore (3.37 million MT) in 10M FY2019, 17% higher than Rs. 21,319 crore (3.28 million MT) in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal. Like the previous fiscal, growth in the current fiscal too has been driven by firming up of average export realisations (14%), while the volumes have only been marginally higher (2%). Over the next few quarters, demand in the export market is likely to remain steady (also supported by resumption of imports by Iran), thereby driving the industry exports in FY2019 to the highest ever level of almost Rs. 30,000 crore.
As per ICRA, the average export realisations have firmed up to Rs. 74,053/MT in 10MFY2019, against Rs. 64,997/MT in 10MFY2018, on the back of multiple factors namely increase in paddy prices over the previous and current year’s procurement season, aggressive buying by Iran in the first half of the fiscal due to the uncertainty at that time regarding imposition of US trade sanctions and its impact on trade between India and Iran; and depreciation of the rupee against the USD.
Basmati paddy prices have been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row. In the current fiscal as well, basmati production has been lower by around 5%, attributable to some decline in area under cultivation as some farmers shifted to non-basmati due to a considerable increase in its Minimum Support Price; and some loss of the standing crop due to untimely rainfall in some of the key Basmati rice growing states. Consequently, paddy prices have firmed up by 10-15% across varieties, third year in a row. Hike in Basmati rice average realisations is likely to sustain in H1 FY2020, given the increase in paddy costs in the recently concluded procurement season and steady international as well as domestic demand outlook.
“However, the strong growth in the current fiscal also foretells the need to be cautious. The inventory funding requirements of the industry have been increasing thereby accentuating price risk. In such a scenario, minor dip in international demand, especially given high concentration on one country for almost a third of the total exports, renders the industry vulnerable to some extent. The industry may be at the peak of the paddy price cycle, which was last witnessed in FY2014 before the prices corrected sharply. Industry participants would need to be cautious about this and be prudent with their inventory holding,” concludes Mr. Jotwani
The growth has been fuelled by considerable firming up of average realisations, strong demand from Iran and steady increase in paddy prices for three years in a row. As per an ICRA note, the momentum of the current fiscal is likely to percolate into the next fiscal, FY2020 as well with expectation of 4-5% growth in exports, given the high base.
Elaborating further, Mr. Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA, says, “It is important to note that this growth has been despite some challenges that surfaced during FY2019 - pesticide residue issue leading to a decline in exports to European Union (EU), Saudi Arabia mulling adoption of stringent pesticide rules, payment issues from some Iranian importers and uncertainty due to imposition of trade sanctions on Iran by the US Government. The stringent pesticide norms by EU led to loss of exports worth around Rs. 1,000 crore in 9MFY2019, and the same could exacerbate going forward. Nevertheless, the fact that EU contributed around 8% to the exports till FY2018, allowed for the loss to be compensated by exports to the Middle Eastern countries. Further, the industry has been able to tide through most of the other issues, as demonstrated by steady increase in exports to Saudi Arabia and establishment of the rupee payment mechanism to facilitate future trade between India and Iran, its prime market for Basmati exports. However, overall, tightening of pesticide residue norms by key importers could be a long-term risk for the industry.”
Continuing the momentum from FY2018, India has already exported Basmati rice worth Rs. 24,919 crore (3.37 million MT) in 10M FY2019, 17% higher than Rs. 21,319 crore (3.28 million MT) in the corresponding period in the previous fiscal. Like the previous fiscal, growth in the current fiscal too has been driven by firming up of average export realisations (14%), while the volumes have only been marginally higher (2%). Over the next few quarters, demand in the export market is likely to remain steady (also supported by resumption of imports by Iran), thereby driving the industry exports in FY2019 to the highest ever level of almost Rs. 30,000 crore.
As per ICRA, the average export realisations have firmed up to Rs. 74,053/MT in 10MFY2019, against Rs. 64,997/MT in 10MFY2018, on the back of multiple factors namely increase in paddy prices over the previous and current year’s procurement season, aggressive buying by Iran in the first half of the fiscal due to the uncertainty at that time regarding imposition of US trade sanctions and its impact on trade between India and Iran; and depreciation of the rupee against the USD.
Basmati paddy prices have been on an increase for two years (FY2017 & FY2018) in a row. In the current fiscal as well, basmati production has been lower by around 5%, attributable to some decline in area under cultivation as some farmers shifted to non-basmati due to a considerable increase in its Minimum Support Price; and some loss of the standing crop due to untimely rainfall in some of the key Basmati rice growing states. Consequently, paddy prices have firmed up by 10-15% across varieties, third year in a row. Hike in Basmati rice average realisations is likely to sustain in H1 FY2020, given the increase in paddy costs in the recently concluded procurement season and steady international as well as domestic demand outlook.
“However, the strong growth in the current fiscal also foretells the need to be cautious. The inventory funding requirements of the industry have been increasing thereby accentuating price risk. In such a scenario, minor dip in international demand, especially given high concentration on one country for almost a third of the total exports, renders the industry vulnerable to some extent. The industry may be at the peak of the paddy price cycle, which was last witnessed in FY2014 before the prices corrected sharply. Industry participants would need to be cautious about this and be prudent with their inventory holding,” concludes Mr. Jotwani
AGI Announces Completion of
Milltec Acquisition
Mar 28, 2019, 08:11 ET
|
____________________________
|
|
1 See "Reader Advisories – Currency
Conversions" and "Reader Advisories - Non-IFRS Measures" below.
|
Milltec is headquartered in Bangalore, India,
and is a market leading manufacturer of rice milling and processing equipment
in India.
"The
acquisition of Milltec marks an important step for AGI as we expand into rice
equipment and enter the large, and rapidly growing, markets in India.
Milltec now forms the foundation of our platform in India as
we build a footprint to deliver our complete 5-6-7 strategy. India is
one of the world's largest producers and consumers of all agriculture products
and will invest heavily in the infrastructure required to facilitate the daily
lives of over a billion people. Milltec joins AGI at an inflection
point in its journey from a small regional company to a Pan-India business. We
will invest and collaborate to accelerate this journey. The founders of
Milltec, and a very talented team, are joining AGI in the pursuit of our goal
to supply the world's food infrastructure," said Tim Close,
President and CEO of AGI.
The
acquisition of Milltec is the next step in AGI's 5-6-7 strategy:
- Geographic diversification: The
acquisition of Milltec moves AGI into the rice processing systems space
with a complete product line and establishes AGI's platform in India.
AGI gains seasonal and cyclical diversification through this acquisition.
- Complementary product offering and
customer base: Milltec adds a complete rice
processing product line to AGI's product catalogue.
- Strategic Platform for further
consolidation: Milltec provides a platform for
further consolidation in India, which is very
fragmented across the seed, fertilizer, grain, feed and food industries.
The acquisition also provides AGI with greater access to the broader Asian
markets.
- Sales, manufacturing and supply chain
synergies: AGI has identified several
opportunities for sales, operational and supply chain synergies, including
the sale, service and support of AGI's current product lines through
Milltec's pan-India distribution
platform, the sale of Milltec's products across AGI's established global
distribution network, and significant advantages in engineering support.
- Growth drivers identified, including: (i)
As incomes rise in India consumers
are choosing to purchase higher quality, and branded, rice products which
is rapidly increasing the size of the rice processing equipment market;
(ii) Milltec has recently expanded into pulses and seed equipment adding
another lever for growth in the region; and (iii) The additional access to
capital that AGI provides will support both domestic and export growth.
COMPANY
PROFILE
AGI is a leading provider of equipment
solutions for agriculture bulk commodities including seed, fertilizer, grain,
feed and food processing systems. AGI has manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States,
the United
Kingdom, Brazil, France and Italy, and
distributes its product globally.
Further information can be found in the
disclosure documents filed by AGI with the securities regulatory authorities,
available at www.sedar.com and
on AGI's website www.aggrowth.com.
READER
ADVISORIES
Currency
Conversions
All currency conversions in this press release
are based on the Indian Rupee to Canadian dollar exchange rate of 0.0192 on March 11, 2019,
the date AGI entered into the agreements to acquire Milltec.
Non-IFRS
Measures
References to "EBITDA" are to the
unaudited earnings of Milltec before income taxes, finance costs, depreciation
and amortization. EBITDA is a non-standardized financial measure that is not
calculated or presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting
Standards ("IFRS"). Accordingly, it may not be possible to compare
Milltec's EBITDA with EBITDA or other financial measures of other companies
having the same or similar businesses. We use these non-IFRS financial measures
such as EBITDA in addition to, and in conjunction with, results presented in
accordance with IFRS (or the accounting principles used to prepare Milltec's
financial statements) as we believe they reflect an additional way of viewing
aspects of a company's operations that may provide a more complete
understanding of factors and trends affecting the company's business. Investors
are cautioned that EBITDA should not replace profit or loss as indicators of
Milltec's performance, or cash flows from operating, investing, and financing
activities as a measure of Milltec's liquidity and cash flows. AGI's
method of calculating Milltec's EBITDA may differ from the methods used by
other issuers.
In addition, the financial information in this
news release relating to Milltec's sales and EBITDA is derived from Milltec's
financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in India,
which differ in some material respects from IFRS, and accordingly may not be
comparable to the financial statements of AGI or other Canadian public companies.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements that reflect our expectations regarding the future growth, results
of operations, performance, business prospects, and opportunities of the
Company and Milltec. Forward-looking statements may contain such words as
"anticipate", "believe", "continue",
"could", "expect", "intend", "plan",
"will" or similar expressions suggesting future conditions or events.
In particular, the forward-looking statements in this press release include
statements relating to our expectations and beliefs with respect to the
benefits of the Milltec acquisition including anticipated cross-selling,
consolidation, synergy and growth opportunities, the expected continuing
involvement of Milltec's founders and management, and our business plans and
strategy following completion of the acquisition. Such forward-looking
statements reflect our current beliefs and are based on information currently
available to us, including certain key expectations and assumptions concerning,
among other things, anticipated agricultural production in our market areas
including India, growth in the size of the rice processing equipment
market in India,
financial performance, business prospects, strategies, product pricing, regulatory
developments, tax laws, the sufficiency of budgeted capital expenditures in
carrying out planned activities, currency exchange rates and the cost of
materials, labour, services, AGI's ability to achieve the expected benefits of
the acquisition of Milltec, and the anticipated impact of the acquisition of
Milltec on AGI's business. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks
and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including
changes in international, national and local business conditions, weather
patterns, crop planting, crop yields, crop conditions, the timing of harvest
and conditions during harvest, seasonality, industry cyclicality, volatility of
production costs, agricultural commodity prices, the cost and availability of
capital, currency exchange rates, competition and the failure to realize some
or all of the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Milltec. Many of these
risks and uncertainties are described under "Risks and Uncertainties"
in our most recently filed MD&A and Annual Information Form. These factors
should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on
the Company's forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that any of
the anticipated benefits of the Milltec acquisition will be realized. We cannot
assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these
forward-looking statements and we undertake no obligation to update such
statements except as expressly required by law.
SOURCE Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI)
For
further information: Investor Relations, Steve Sommerfeld, 204-489-1855,
steve@aggrowth.com
Related Links
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/agi-announces-completion-of-milltec-acquisition-808699423.html
IFAD-VCDP Trains 60 Youths
In Farm Machinery
By
-
Nnewi – No fewer
than 60 youths have been trained in farm machinery management in Anambra State
as part of efforts to boost rice and cassava production in the country.
Mr
Nnamdi Aguncha, the state programme officer (SPO), Value Chain Development
Programme (VCDP), made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Onitsha
yesterday.
VCDP is
an intervention programme financed by the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) for rice and cassava production.
Aguncha
said the youth, selected from Anambra, Ebonyi and Ogun states, converged on
Awka for the training workshop on the operation and management of some farm
machinery.
According
to him, IFAD –VCDP wanted to encourage youths to go into farming, especially
the production of rice and cassava.
“The
workshop, which centered on practical demonstration of the various ways of
using the simple farm implements to reduce drudgery was also aimed at
encouraging youths to take up agriculture as a business.
“We
conducted a survey in 2018 where we discovered that the population of youths in
agriculture under the VCDP was low.”
“So we
looked inward and discovered that farming was tedious for them; and so, we
decided to introduce some machinery to attract and support them,” he said.
He said
the youth were trained on use of machinery like threshers, power tillers,
de-stoners, harvesters and manual/mechanical transplanters, among the 20
different farm implements.
“We
intend to support them with these machineries to create jobs for them and also
for them to use the machines to render services that will lead to increased
production of rice and cassava.
“They
will step down the skills acquired to others when the return to their bases,”
he said.
He said
IFAD-VCDP would support the youth with 70 per cent cost of any implement chosen
by any group that had made available their 30 per cent matching grant.
Aguncha
expressed hope that the training and support will rekindle youths’ interest in
agriculture, ease their labour and increase production
IFAD-VCDP trains 60 youths on farm management
The
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has trained 60 youths
from three states on farm machinery management in Awka, the Anambra State
capital.
The
state Programme Officer, Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), IFAD, Mr
Nnamdi Aguncha, stated this in Onitsha.
VCDP is
an intervention programme by IFAD for rice and cassava production.
Aguncha
said the youth, selected from Anambra, Ebonyi and Ogun states, converged on
Awka for the training to boost rice and cassava production.
“The
workshop, which centered on practical demonstration of the various ways of
using the simple farm implements is to reduce drudgery and to encourage youths
to take up agriculture as a business.
“We
conducted a survey in 2018 where we discovered that the population of youths in
agriculture under the VCDP was low.
“So, we
looked inward and discovered that farming was tedious for them; and so, we
decided to introduce some machinery to attract and support them,” he said.
He said
the youth were being trained on use of equipment like threshers, power tillers,
de-stoners, harvesters and manual/mechanical transplanters, among the 20 farm
implements.
“We
intend to support them with these machineries to create jobs for them and to
use the machines to render services that will lead to increased production of
rice and cassava.
“The
trainees will step down the skills acquired to others when they returned to
their base,” he said.
He said
IFAD-VCDP will support the youth with 70 per cent cost of any implement chosen
by any group that had made available their 30 per cent matching grant.
Aguncha
expressed hope that the training and support would rekindle youths’ interest in
agriculture.
Govt to
procure 12.50 lakh tonnes of rice
Bangladesh Sangbad
Sangstha . Dhaka | Published: 01:43, Mar 29,2019
‘Procurement drive of paddy, rice and wheat will begin on April 25 and continue till August 31 while the wheat procurement will begin on April 1 and continue till June 30,’ he told journalists after a meeting of Food Planning and Monitoring Committee at the food ministry conference room in the city.
The minister said that the procurement price for per kg paddy has been fixed at Tk 26, parboiled rice at Tk 36, non-parboiled rice (Atop) at Tk 35 and wheat at Tk 28.
According to the meeting, the government has reserve of 12.97 lakh tones of rice and 1.61 lakh tonnes of wheat in different warehouses across the country.
The minister said the government procured nine lakh tones of rice and 1.5 lakh tones of paddy in the last year.
The meeting was attended, among others, by agriculture minister M Abdur Razzaque, health and family welfare minister Zahid Maleque, state minister for ministry of disaster management and relief M Enamur Rahman and senior officials concerned.
More
about:
Government to procure
125,000 tons of rice during Boro season
·
Published
at 09:47 pm March 28th, 2019
Boro cultivation picks up pace in Khulna’s
Koyra upazila, after saltwater shrimp farming decreased due to gradual increase
of farmlands’ height Dhaka
Tribune
The Food
Minister said the procurement price for per kg paddy has been fixed at Tk26,
parboiled rice at Tk36, non-parboiled rice (Atap) at Tk35 and wheat at Tk28
Food
Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Thursday said the government has set a
target to procure 125,000 tons of Boro rice and 50,000 tons of wheat in the
upcoming Boro season.
“Procurement
drive of paddy, rice and wheat will begin on April 25 and continue till August
31 while the wheat procurement will begin on April 1 and continue till June
30,” he told journalists after a meeting of Food Planning and Monitoring
Committee (FPMC) at the Food Ministry Conference room in the city, according to
a press release.
The
minister said the procurement price for per kg paddy has been fixed at Tk26,
parboiled rice at Tk36, non-parboiled rice (Atap) at Tk35 and wheat at Tk28.
According
to the meeting, the government has reserve of 129,700 tons of rice and 161,000
tons of wheat in different warehouses across the country.
The
minister said the government procured 900,000 tons of rice and 150,000 tons of
paddy in the last year.
The
meeting was attended, among others, Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque,
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, State Minister for Ministry
of Disaster Management and Relief Dr M Enamur Rahman and senior officials
concerned.
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unsure of Rajan’s cause of death even after autopsy
·
Tyrion Lannister Doppleganger Is Waiting Tables At A Restaurant
In...
·
NEXT
Tyrion Lannister
Doppleganger Is Waiting Tables At A Restaurant In Pakistan
9views
0
At Dilbar
Hotel in the heart of Rawalpindi, you head for some
traditional Pakistani rice and spice. You’re consumed in your meal; you point
to food on the table, dish yourself more, and chow down as you yell out another
order to add to your bill. Soon after, the next dish arrives, and when you look
up, you see the most intellectually brutal and petrifyingly cunning mastermind
who’s conquered 8 seasons of the infamous HBO fantasy serial Game of Thrones.
There you sit, awestruck.
Pakistan has made many a
kind from the slums and the streets famous online for beauty, resemblance, and
just general viral eye candy. Think back to Arshad Khan, Pakistan’s most famous “Chai Wala” who became famous after an
aesthetic photo of him pouring tea went viral. He, then 18 years old, was
photographed and featured in Islamabad’s Sunday Bazaar. Once the issue was out,
he woke up one morning to ride the wave of online fame straight into becoming a
menswear model with his first campaign shooting just days later.
As was once with the Chai
Wala, another young man has found fame for resembling American actor Peter
Dinklage who stars as the witty dwarf character Tyrion
Lannister on Game of Thrones. The resemblance between the
Rozi Khan, a waiter at Dilbar Hotel in Rawalpindi, and Peter Dinklage is
uncanny, and there’s no surprise that Khan sees swarms of people asking for a
photo, now making it onto the digital scape with his photos virally attracting
all Game of Thrones fans nearby.
Of this, Khan says:
“I don’t mind. A lot of my
pictures have been taken, that’s why I have become very famous everywhere.”
At the small Kashmiri
restaurant where Khan works, the owner Malik Aslam Pervez, as quoted in the
original story by geo.tv, describes him as a “hard
worker” as well as a “drawcard for the eatery.”
“When he takes a day off or
gets sick, people look for him and ask where did he go? They get upset. They
love him. There is always a crowd here but it has boomed because of him,” Says
Pervez
Besides their near
identical facial features, the two are also around the same height of 135
centimeters (4ft 5in). Mansehra (northern Pakistan) born Khan says about
Dinklage that he would be overjoyed to meet the actor one day, who he holds
dear as a friend and brother in his heart.
“I love him very much, he
is my friend… he is my height so I like him a lot.”
With the aftermath of the
Chai Wala before us, what opportunities sail forward for Rozi Khan as he climbs
his sky rocket of fame? Perhaps it’s a matter of time before Dinklage opts to
pay a visit to Khan or to arrange a meeting inviting the young man to the
United States. It may just be as well that Khan may score himself a role in the
hit HBO serial as Tyrion Lannister’s body double for cinematic scenes that
require such. The resemblance between the two is irreproachable, and this could
be an asset for the TV show as they go into their final season expected to be
full of blips of absurdly intense and unforeseen plot twists.
Just two weeks away, Game of
Thrones is returning to HBO on April
14, 2019, for the eighth and final season of the
show.
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McKenzie
Rodriguez
·
SEBI nod for basmati Pusa 1121 paddy futures on ICEX
Cogencis, Thursday, Mar 28
By Shrikant Kuwalekar
MUMBAI – The Indian Commodity Exchange has
received the Securities and Exchange Board of India's approval to launch
basmati futures contracts, an exchange source said.
"ICEX has been given permission to launch
Pusa 1121 variety of basmati paddy contract," the source told Cogencis,
adding that Karnal in Haryana would be the base delivery
centre.
The exchange, however, has not taken any
decision on when to launch the contract, as the commodity is currently in the
lean supply season, sources in the exchange said.
The new crop of the Pusa 1121 variety would be
harvested from October, while Nov-Dec is the peak arrival season.
In February 2007, the government had banned
futures trade in wheat and non-basmati rice due to concerns of inflation. While
wheat futures were relaunched a few years ago, Pusa 1121 paddy would be
the first futures contract in the basmati segment.
India is the world's largest producer of
basmati rice, followed by Pakistan. In 2014-15, India produced 8.7 mln tn
of basmati rice, after which the output has been declining. In the last couple
of years, production has been in the range of 5.5-6.5 mln tn.
As around 4 mln tn or 70% of the output is
exported, a futures contract would be helpful in hedging price risks on
the domestic exchange, traders said. End
Edited by Avishek Dutta
·
PAKISTAN
TDAP informs Senate body: BD’s visa restriction main
hurdle to entrepreneurs
Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) revealed on Thursday that Pakistan's
biggest issue with Bangladesh is its visa regime which is hindering Pakistani
entrepreneurs from visiting Bangladesh. This was stated by Syed Rafeo Bashir
Shah of TDAP in the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile presided
over by Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi.
"Bangladesh does not grant visas to our people. It's a political issue. We have taken up this issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he added.
Additional Secretary Commerce Division, Syed Tariq Huda Shah informed the committee that a summary for the appointment of Chief Executive TDAP has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan. The summary comprises three names, of which former Secretary Finance Arif Khan, who is also a member of various Boards, is considered as the favourite. While deliberating on the measures taken by TDAP to promote business abroad, the committee was informed that Pakistani exporters are meeting with the chambers, trade associations and potential buyers in several countries. The outcome of the trade delegation depends on product acceptability, pricing and compliance; there is a need to explore new markets and the foreign office would need to be taken on board.
The committee also discussed the possibility of shifting the head office of TDAP from Karachi to Islamabad. However, Additional Secretary Commerce Division stated that TDAP has offices in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad which are facilitating exporters and TDAP head office in Karachi is also facilitating businessmen and other export related activities.
The committee was informed that China is importing sugar, rice and cotton yarn from Pakistan worth one billion dollars, which is over and above the concessions to be availed in FTA-II. Director General Trade Policy, Muhammad Ashraf said that China is purchasing sugar from Pakistan at a good price.
Chairman State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC)/newly appointed Secretary Finance, Younus Dagha briefed the committee about affairs of the insurance company whose market share has declined from 61 percent to just 28 percent, and projected a further decline during this year.
He said that SLIC's asset worth is Rs 800 billion. Another official stated that SLIC has invested Rs 686 billion in Pakistani Bonds. SLIC's policy holders are 0.6 million.
Younus Dagha stated that SECP had urged on the Commerce Division again and again to rectify its wrongdoings to avoid a penalty and the government has now taken steps in accordance with SECP's directions.
He further stated that dummy agents have been fired due to which Rs 4.8 billion has been saved. This amount is being distributed amongst the policyholders.
The committee also got a briefing on unclaimed policies. The committee was informed that an amount of Rs 10 billion of policyholders is lying with SLIC which has not yet been claimed.
An official informed the committee that the finance ministry and the SBP are formulating a law according to which the amount of unclaimed insurance claims will be surrendered to the SBP after a specific period.
While discussing unclaimed insurance benefits the committee was informed that one major impediment faced by the organization is lack of a centralized database of deaths. The Nadra has created software that is being used by respective Union Councils for issuance of death certificates; however, the same is not linked with the Nadra. This has limited regulatory compliance. It was revealed that Nadra has refused to conduct bulk verifications which are a major impediment in paying off claims.
The committee directed the ministry concerned and the Nadra to facilitate SLIC. A letter will be written to the Nadra in this regard at the earliest and it will be summoned to the next standing committee meeting.
While being briefed about the steps taken by SLIC to reduce business procurement costs, and resolve the issue of dummy agents, the Chairman and members of the Committee appreciated Chairman Younus Dagha for his efforts in making SLIC a more efficient organization.
The meeting was attended by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Senator Dilawar Khan, Senator Dr. Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak, Senator Ahmed Khan and senior officers from the Ministry of Commerce and Textile Industry, State Life Insurance (SLIC) and Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP).
"Bangladesh does not grant visas to our people. It's a political issue. We have taken up this issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he added.
Additional Secretary Commerce Division, Syed Tariq Huda Shah informed the committee that a summary for the appointment of Chief Executive TDAP has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan. The summary comprises three names, of which former Secretary Finance Arif Khan, who is also a member of various Boards, is considered as the favourite. While deliberating on the measures taken by TDAP to promote business abroad, the committee was informed that Pakistani exporters are meeting with the chambers, trade associations and potential buyers in several countries. The outcome of the trade delegation depends on product acceptability, pricing and compliance; there is a need to explore new markets and the foreign office would need to be taken on board.
The committee also discussed the possibility of shifting the head office of TDAP from Karachi to Islamabad. However, Additional Secretary Commerce Division stated that TDAP has offices in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad which are facilitating exporters and TDAP head office in Karachi is also facilitating businessmen and other export related activities.
The committee was informed that China is importing sugar, rice and cotton yarn from Pakistan worth one billion dollars, which is over and above the concessions to be availed in FTA-II. Director General Trade Policy, Muhammad Ashraf said that China is purchasing sugar from Pakistan at a good price.
Chairman State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC)/newly appointed Secretary Finance, Younus Dagha briefed the committee about affairs of the insurance company whose market share has declined from 61 percent to just 28 percent, and projected a further decline during this year.
He said that SLIC's asset worth is Rs 800 billion. Another official stated that SLIC has invested Rs 686 billion in Pakistani Bonds. SLIC's policy holders are 0.6 million.
Younus Dagha stated that SECP had urged on the Commerce Division again and again to rectify its wrongdoings to avoid a penalty and the government has now taken steps in accordance with SECP's directions.
He further stated that dummy agents have been fired due to which Rs 4.8 billion has been saved. This amount is being distributed amongst the policyholders.
The committee also got a briefing on unclaimed policies. The committee was informed that an amount of Rs 10 billion of policyholders is lying with SLIC which has not yet been claimed.
An official informed the committee that the finance ministry and the SBP are formulating a law according to which the amount of unclaimed insurance claims will be surrendered to the SBP after a specific period.
While discussing unclaimed insurance benefits the committee was informed that one major impediment faced by the organization is lack of a centralized database of deaths. The Nadra has created software that is being used by respective Union Councils for issuance of death certificates; however, the same is not linked with the Nadra. This has limited regulatory compliance. It was revealed that Nadra has refused to conduct bulk verifications which are a major impediment in paying off claims.
The committee directed the ministry concerned and the Nadra to facilitate SLIC. A letter will be written to the Nadra in this regard at the earliest and it will be summoned to the next standing committee meeting.
While being briefed about the steps taken by SLIC to reduce business procurement costs, and resolve the issue of dummy agents, the Chairman and members of the Committee appreciated Chairman Younus Dagha for his efforts in making SLIC a more efficient organization.
The meeting was attended by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Senator Dilawar Khan, Senator Dr. Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak, Senator Ahmed Khan and senior officers from the Ministry of Commerce and Textile Industry, State Life Insurance (SLIC) and Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP).
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THE AUTHOR
MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
I did graduation from the Government Murray
College Sialkot and MSc in Psychology from the University of Punjab. I am in
journalism since 1990. I worked in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt as sub editor and staff
reporter in Daily Pakistan and Daily Din prior to joining Daily Business
Recorder. I have been associated with this newspaper since 2000 as staff
reporter. Energy Sector, Commerce / Trade and Industries are key areas of my
interest. I have also the credit of exposing number of scams like Rental Power
Plants (RPPs), LNG, sugar import, etc.
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