Thai rice exports get boost from global COVID-19 fear
Source:
Xinhua| 2020-03-15 22:16:04|Editor: xuxin
BANGKOK,
March 15 (Xinhua) -- The global COVID-19 scare has unexpectedly boosted Thai
rice exports, said Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of the Thai Rice Exporters
Association.
"The
COVID-19 situation has led to many countries stocking up on food supplies,
boosting orders for Thai rice," Chookiat told Xinhua. "Many rice
importers worldwide want Thai rice shippers to deliver 100 percent of the order
quantity immediately."
He
said that rice importers preferred delivery of 50 percent of the order, such as
50 percent in March and the rest in April. But now they want 100 percent full
delivery."
Chookiat
said the price of rice exported from Thailand rose from 410 U.S. dollars per
ton to 450-460 U.S. dollars per ton.
Due
to the recent rise in demand, Thailand's rice exports in February were
estimated at 630,000 tons.
The
association president said that should the COVID-19 situation subsides, rice
orders will drop.
"Because
of the COVID-19 outbreak, Thai rice has done extremely well. We are targeting
7.5 million ton this year," he said.
Rosy signs show bright
prospect for rice export
Vietnam is enjoying strong growth in both rice export volume and
value, and more export chances are still ahead as some free trade agreements (FTAs) have come into force
and consumers around the globe are boosting purchase to ensure food security
amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Monday, March 16, 2020 10:45
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Winter-spring rice is harvested in Tan An
commune of Tan Hiep district, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang (Photo:
VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is enjoying strong growth in both rice export volume and value, and more export chances are still ahead as some free trade agreements (FTAs) have come into force and consumers around the globe are boosting purchase to ensure food security amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the first two months of 2020, about 900,000 tonnes of rice worth 410 million USD were shipped abroad, up 27 percent in volume and 32 percent in value year on year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Export prices averaged 478 USD per tonne in January, rising 7 percent from the same period last year. The Philippines was the biggest importer, accounting for 31 percent of total rice shipments. Meanwhile, Mozambique and Angola were among the markets with biggest growth rates.
Phan Xuan Que, General Director of the Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (VINAFOOD 1), said after the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, the rice market has been very vibrant. Prices set for both export and domestic sale surged by 30 – 50 USD per tonne, depending on varieties and quality.
He noted rice prices are usually adjusted on the quarterly or yearly basis, but they have been changed week by week in the first months of this year, which is a very rare situation, especially when the Mekong Delta – the country’s largest agricultural production hub – is currently in the harvest period of the winter-spring crop.
These positive signs show Vietnam is likely to achieve the rice export target of 6.7 million tonnes worth over 3 billion USD this year, according to him.
Explaining the reason for good prices in all segments, Que said as countries opened their markets for rice imports early, businesses have inked big contracts and stepped up purchase of inputs. Besides, China, which previously dominated the African market with about 3 million tonnes of rice annually, has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, creating a chance for Vietnamese rice in this market.
Strong demand from the Philippines and Malaysia has also helped raise prices of Vietnamese rice, thus helping the grain to narrow the price gap with the Thai counterpart and surpass the Myanmar and Indian rivals.
The MARD’s Agro Processing and Market Development Authority said demand for Thai rice stays flat as drought in this country has driven concerns about supply sources.
Export prices of Vietnamese rice are likely to rise further since they are still much lower than those of other producers’ rice, the authority noted, adding that global consumers are boosting purchase while China doesn’t increase its shipments in order to ensure food security to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic.
Que attributed the rosy export signs partly to the agricultural restructuring, which in turn has helped restructure export markets to reduce dependence on certain markets. Moreover, the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice, including that of components in the rice value chain from production, supply, processing and transportation, has been improved.
However, he said the agricultural sectors as well as businesses should continue to keep a close watch on changes in the market to concurrently attain food security and export targets.
According to the MARD, the COVID-19 outbreak has little impact on Vietnam’s rice sector, and there are likely more opportunities for export to East Africa. Besides, companies should also gear up to capitalise on advantages generated the FTA between the EU and Vietnam when this deal takes effect./.
Measures
sought to minimise drought's impact on rice production
Source
Published:16 Mar 2020
Origin
BÌNH ĐỊNH —
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called on
provinces in the south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions to take
measures to minimise the impacts of drought on summer-autumn crops.
Speaking at
a conference in the central province of Bình Định on Friday, Deputy Minister Lê
Quốc Doanh urged localities to review regions and sub-regions to find water
resources to meet rice production.
It is
essential to avoid cultivating rice in areas at risk of lacking water, Doanh
said.
According to
the ministry, farmers will face difficulties this season, as the south-central
coastal and Central Highlands regions have experienced lower rainfall than in
the previous years.
From March
to May, the coastal provinces of Thanh Hoá, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận, and
Central Highlands and southeast localities were predicted to witness severe
water shortages, according to Châu Trần Vĩnh, deputy head of the Department of
Water Resources Management.
In the
provinces of Bình Định, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận, the water level in many
reservoirs would reach only 10-40 per cent of the designed capacity.
Meanwhile,
in the Central Highlands region, the level would be about 62 per cent. At
present, the region has nearly 350ha of crops lacking water. The total area is
forecast to reach 25,000-30,000ha due to low rainfall.
The Central
Highlands province of Lâm Đồng is seeking more than VNĐ127 billion (US$5.5
million) from the Government to repair and dredge irrigation and water supply
projects in rural areas during the peak drought season.
The province
has had little or no rain in the first two months of the year, with average
rainfall lower than normal, according to its Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development.
About
25,000ha of farmland and 4,300 households in the province were expected to face
water shortages if the hot weather continues for much longer, according to the
department.
Deputy
Minister Doanh suggested shifting to other crops that needed less water, and
focusing on short-time rice varieties with high yield and pushing the seasonal
calendar up to 15 days earlier to take advantage of water sources.
MARD
proposed cutting down 10,000-47,000 hectares of rice to deal with drought.
The ministry
proposed these localities to zone off areas at high risk of drought and lacking
water to change their production structure from three crops to two crops or
shift to other short-term crops.
According to
the ministry, in the winter-spring crop 2019-20, the two regions had over
314,200ha of rice with an estimated yield of 66.3 tonnes per hectare.
A report
issued by the World Bank in 2019 predicted the rising level of water-related
threats could reduce Việt Nam’s GDP by 6 per cent by 2035. At the same time,
the rising demands of water was forecast to harm 11 out of 16 basins in the
country by 2030. — VNS
Measures sought to minimise
drought's impact on rice production
Update: March,
16/2020 - 08:29
|
A reservoir in central Bình Định
Province has fallen to "dead" (critically low) water
level. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyên Linh
BÌNH ĐỊNH — The Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development (MARD) has called on provinces in the south-central
coastal and Central Highlands regions to take measures to minimise the impacts
of drought on summer-autumn crops.Speaking at a conference in the central province of Bình Định on Friday, Deputy Minister Lê Quốc Doanh urged localities to review regions and sub-regions to find water resources to meet rice production.
It is essential to avoid cultivating rice in areas at risk of lacking water, Doanh said.
According to the ministry, farmers will face difficulties this season, as the south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions have experienced lower rainfall than in the previous years.
From March to May, the coastal provinces of Thanh Hoá, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận, and Central Highlands and southeast localities were predicted to witness severe water shortages, according to Châu Trần Vĩnh, deputy head of the Department of Water Resources Management.
In the provinces of Bình Định, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận, the water level in many reservoirs would reach only 10-40 per cent of the designed capacity.
Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands region, the level would be about 62 per cent. At present, the region has nearly 350ha of crops lacking water. The total area is forecast to reach 25,000-30,000ha due to low rainfall.
The Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng is seeking more than VNĐ127 billion (US$5.5 million) from the Government to repair and dredge irrigation and water supply projects in rural areas during the peak drought season.
The province has had little or no rain in the first two months of the year, with average rainfall lower than normal, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
About 25,000ha of farmland and 4,300 households in the province were expected to face water shortages if the hot weather continues for much longer, according to the department.
Deputy Minister Doanh suggested shifting to other crops that needed less water, and focusing on short-time rice varieties with high yield and pushing the seasonal calendar up to 15 days earlier to take advantage of water sources.
MARD proposed cutting down 10,000-47,000 hectares of rice to deal with drought.
The ministry proposed these localities to zone off areas at high risk of drought and lacking water to change their production structure from three crops to two crops or shift to other short-term crops.
According to the ministry, in the winter-spring crop 2019-20, the two regions had over 314,200ha of rice with an estimated yield of 66.3 tonnes per hectare.
A report issued by the World Bank in 2019 predicted the rising level of water-related threats could reduce Việt Nam’s GDP by 6 per cent by 2035. At the same time, the rising demands of water was forecast to harm 11 out of 16 basins in the country by 2030. — VNS
Govt OKs
importation of over 1.4MMT of rice
By
-
March 16, 2020
The government has approved the
importation of over 1.4 million metric tons (MMT) of rice after it issued over
1,800 sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-ICs) to about 145 grain
retailers, traders, importers and farmers organizations.
Latest Bureau of Plant Industry
(BPI) data showed that as of February 29, it has issued 1,877 SPS-ICs to
eligible rice importers, covering the importation of 1.472 MMT.
Some 90 grain traders, importers,
retailers, corporations and private firms accounted for the bulk of the
approved importation as they secured 1,258 SPS-ICs for a total applied volume
of 928,005.268 MT, BPI data showed.
Around 55 farmers’ organizations,
including cooperatives and irrigators’ associations, were issued with 619
SPS-ICs for an approved importation of 544,251.41 MT of rice.
Commodities trader Arvin
International Marketing Inc. topped the list as it was able to get 45 SPS-IC
for its applied rice import volume of 57,075 MT followed by Mindanao Agriplus
Corp. with 55,510 MT (99 SPS-ICs), BPI data showed.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) previously said that it has been more stringent in issuing SPS-ICs,
particularly to farmers groups, to weed out entities, such as cooperatives that
are being used as “dummies” by unscrupulous rice traders and importers.
The DA also pronounced recently
that it will void all existing unused SPS-ICs for rice imports that were issued
last year to curb import arrivals this harvest season.
In a separate data released by
the BPI, about 105 rice importers used 480 SPS-ICs to bring in 320,044.555 MT
of staple during the January-to-February period.
This now brings the total volume
of rice imported since rice trade liberalization (RTL) law took effect on March
5, 2019 to nearly 2.177 MMT, according to BPI data.
During the two-month period,
Integrated Farmers Producers Cooperative imported the most rice at 20,634.885
followed by Arvin International Marketing Inc. at 20,395.020 MT, BPI data
showed.
In a recent report, the United
Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said strong demand from
Malaysian and Filipino rice importers drove the export price of Vietnamese
5-percent broken rice in February to increase by 4.7 percent to $362 per MT
from $346 per MT in January.
“February quotations of
Vietnamese 5-percent broken rice climbed 4.7 percent over January values to
their highest level since December 2018,” it said in its March 2020 FAO Rice
Price Update report.
“Strong demand from Malaysian and
Filipino buyers spurred the increase, coming at a time of tight availabilities
as the 2020 winter-spring harvest was just getting started,” it added.
Manila is targeting to maintain
imports at around 1.6 MMT—the estimated shortfall in local output—to stabilize
the farm-gate price of the staple.
Agriculture Secretary William D.
Dar said the country’s rice production is capable of supplying only 85 percent
to 87 percent of the requirements of Filipino consumers.
“That’s the direction [to keep
imports at that level]. Managing importation and enhancing local productivity
equals better opportunity for rice farmers, and they are more productive and
competitive and they have higher income,” Dar told reporters in an interview at
the sidelines of the government’s celebration of the anniversary of the RTL law
last March 5.
Scientists optimize prime editing for rice and wheat
MARCH 16, 2020
Credit:
CC0 Public Domain
Many genetic and breeding studies
have shown that point mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) can alter
elite traits in crop plants. Although nuclease-initiated homology-directed
repair (HDR) can generate such changes, it is limited by its low efficiency.
Base editors are robust tools for creating base transitions, but not
transversions, insertions or deletions. Thus, there is a pressing need for new
genome engineering approaches in plants.
David R. Liu and his colleagues
at Harvard University developed a new genome editing approach, prime editing,
which uses engineered Cas9 nickase (H840A)-reverse transcriptase (RT) fusion
proteins paired with a prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA) that encodes the
desired edit in human cells.
Recently, a research team led by
Prof. Gao Caixia of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the optimization of a prime editing system
(PPE system) for creating desired point mutations, insertions and deletions in two major cereal crops, namely,
rice and wheat. The main components of a PPE system are a Cas9 nickase-RT fusion
protein and a pegRNA.
Using the PPE system, these
researchers produced all 12 kinds of single base substitutions, as well as
multiple point mutations and small DNA insertions and deletions at 9 rice and
seven wheat sites in protoplasts, with efficiencies up to 19.2%. The efficiency
of PPE was strongly affected by the length of the primer binding site (PBS) and
RT template.
Although byproducts (off-target
effects) were generated by the PPE system, they can be reduced by optimizing RT
template length. Moreover, using a PPE system optimized for plants, they found
that the original RT could be replaced by CaMV-RT (from the cauliflower mosaic
virus) and retron-derived RT (from E. coli BL21). Prime editing efficiency was
also improved at some targets by using their PPE-Ribozyme (PPE-R) and by
incubating at 37 C.
Furthermore, Gao and her
collaborators were able to create stable mutant rice plants carrying G-to-T
point mutations, multinucleotide substitutions,
and a number of desired 6-nt deletions, with a mutant production efficiency
approaching 22%. It is noteworthy that these three types of mutation are very
difficult to produce with current editing tools.
"Although the efficiency of
the PPE system is lower than that of base editors, it is still an appealing new tool for creating all 12 types of
single-point mutation, mixtures of different substitutions, and insertions and
deletions. The system thus has great potential for plant breeding and
functional genomics research," said Dr. Gao.
The scientific paper, entitled "Prime genome editing in rice and wheat,"
was published in Nature Biotechnology on March 16, 2020.
·
Indo-Pak nuclear war may lead to
global famine: Study
India-Pakistan nuclear war may lead to global
starvation, says study
- Mar 16 2020, 23:42pm ist
- updated: Mar 17 2020, 09:06am ist
Even a limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan may
lead to global starvation because of a famine, unmatched in modern history,
eclipsing every historic drought and volcanic eruptions, says a new study.
(iStock Image)
Even
a limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan may lead to global starvation
because of a famine, unmatched in modern history, eclipsing every historic
drought and volcanic eruptions, says a new study released on Monday
The
research conducted by 19 scientists in Europe and the US has suggested that the
climate and crop impacts of such a nuclear exchange would lead to unprecedented
food shortages affecting at least 71 countries.
This
would happen due to the release of a huge amount of soot – created by the
fireballs caused by nuclear explosions – that would block the sun, heralding an
unforeseen winter that would cause the global temperature to drop by 1.8
degrees Celsius in the first five years.
For
decades, researchers are worried about the possibility of a limited nuclear war
between India and Pakistan and its consequences. While its impact on climate
change was evaluated, this is the first effort to understand what would happen
to global food production.
The
researchers used six state-of-the-art crop models and two sets of climate model
simulations for the study and conclude that the release of 5 teragrams (one
terra gram is one trillion grams) of soot would decrease the global temperature
by 1.8 degrees Celsius and rainfall by 8%, on average, over the first 5 years.
The
smoke from a single fire would not produce detectable climate impacts, but
cumulative emissions from many fires generating several trillion grams of soot
could substantially absorb sunlight in the stratosphere so that less
energy reaches the earth’s surface cooling it for about a decade.
If
targeted on urban areas, even a small 15-kt weapon, as the one used on
Hiroshima, could ignite fires releasing large amounts of soot (black carbon).
Once the smoke plume reaches the upper troposphere, soot would absorb solar
radiation and self-loft into the stratosphere, where particles would spread
globally within months.
This
would lead to a drop in the production of maize, wheat, rice, and soybean by
11% annually for the first five years. Yield losses could reach 50% in
temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes countries that are
major cereal grain exporters.
“By
the fifth year, the availability of maize and wheat would decrease by 13%
globally and by more than 20% in 71 countries with a cumulative population of
1.3 billion people,” the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. Among all crops studied, rice showed the lowest
level of the loss.
According
to a 2019 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute India
currently holds 130-140 nuclear weapons but is expanding its military fissile
material production capabilities on a scale that may lead to significant
increases in the size of their nuclear weapon inventories over the next decade.
Pakistan too has an estimated 140-150 nuclear warheads.
UCI-led study
finds California’s strict air quality regulations have helped farmers
17 March 2020
Researchers at the University of
California, Irvine and other institutions have conducted a statistical analysis of
pollution exposure and yields from 1980 to 2015 on a key sector making up about
38% of the state’s total agricultural output: perennial crops such as almonds,
grapes, nectarines, peaches, strawberries and walnuts. They found that
reductions in ground ozone during this 35-year period resulted in $600 million
in increased production annually by the early 2010s.
An open-access paper on the work
appears in Nature Food.
The researchers also projected
yield changes up to 2050 under various scenarios, determining that expected
declines in ambient ozone will result in a 5% boost in wine grapes, an 8% climb
in nectarines and a 20% jump in table grapes. They discovered, however, that
yields of other crops, such as almonds, may suffer comparable decreases due to
higher temperatures.
Co-author Steven Davis, UCI
associate professor of Earth system science, noted that earlier studies on the
impact of climate warming and ambient ozone on the state’s ability to grow food
have focused on high-volume staple crops such as wheat, soy and rice. Davis and
his colleagues chose to concentrate on perennials because of the long-term
investment they represent and the fact that California is a major supplier of
this type of produce.
These aren’t the things that are
providing the global population with its main source of calories. These are the
sweet things in life—fruits, nuts and grapes for wine. Also, monetarily, some
of these crops are a lot more valuable than wheat or corn.
—Steven Davis
Another difference is that some
grains can be annually modified to withstand greater heat and even higher ozone
levels in the air. But almond trees, for example, remain for decades (to recoup
the capital investment in them), and once planted, there’s no way to make them
more tolerant of changing conditions.
The study demonstrated that the
effects of warming have not been statistically significant for many perennial
crops to date, but ambient ozone—much of which results from emissions from
California’s energy production and transportation sectors—substantially reduces
harvests of strawberries, grapes, peaches and nectarines—by as much as 22% in
the case of table grapes.
If you look at a map of the state,
you’ll see an overlap in areas such as the San Joaquin Valley where many
perennial crops are grown and which have high levels of ozone pollution. This
co-location indicates that there are opportunities to increase the state’s crop
production with even a localized reduction in the amount of ambient ozone
pollution.
—lead author Chaopeng Hong, a UCI postdoctoral scholar
in Earth system science
Tropospheric ozone is created when
nitrogen oxide, emitted primarily through human activities, reacts with
volatile organic compounds in sunlight. When ozone enters plants’ leaves via
their stomates, it burns plant cells via oxidization, impairing photosynthesis
and the energy the plants can dedicate to producing fruit.
Davis said that now that he and his
fellow climate scientists know more about the relationship between air
pollution and agricultural output, California is in a position to serve as a
test bed for different climate change mitigation scenarios.
We can really look at the state’s
energy and transportation systems and be quantitative about how those things
might help or hurt agriculture. As we transition away from fossil fuels in
favor of solar and wind energy and electric vehicles, there will be big changes
in ozone pollution. We can simulate those changes and project the effects on
California’s most valuable crops.
—lead author Chaopeng Hong, a UCI postdoctoral scholar
in Earth system science
This project—which involved
collaborators from Colorado State University, UC San Diego, Northeastern
University, UC Davis and The Ohio State University—was funded jointly by the
National Science Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture.
Resources
·
Hong, C., Mueller, N.D., Burney,
J.A. et al. (2020) “Impacts of ozone and climate change on
yields of perennial crops in California.” Nat Food 1, 166–172
doi: 10.1038/s43016-020-0043-8
Karnataka, Maharashtra to take a big hit if liquor
bars, restaurants shut down due to coronavirus
Though
Karnataka government has not yet imposed a shut down order on liquor bars and
restaurants, it has asked beer outlets to down shutters
- Mar 17 2020, 14:46pm ist
- updated: Mar 17 2020, 14:48pm ist
An impact analysis of likely shut down of eateries and
liquor bars shows a consumption slowdown across the country with Maharashtra
and Karnataka, where restaurants and bars account for more than 40% of total outlets,
taking a significant hit.
Domestic brokerage Emkay Capital has estimated that
lower footfalls in bars and restaurants, together with postponement and
cancellation of several events, may impact on-premise consumption.
It, however, said the off-take from retail shops is
likely to be steady, restricting the overall impact.
A study on presence of bars and restaurants in 10
states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu and Kerala by the brokerage, suggests that Maharashtra and Karnataka
have the largest presence of hotels and restaurants.
Though Karnataka government has not yet imposed a shut
down order on liquor bars and restaurants, it has asked beer outlets to down
shutters.
In Maharashtra too, where the government has revoked
permission to all kinds of public functions for sometime, it has not banned
hotels, restaurants and pubs from functioning.
In Tamil Nadu, however, the Madras High Court, has
issued a notice to the state government, to close down all state run liquor
shops and bars to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The brokerage said the weekly volume data from
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is not yet showing any drop in volumes as average
volume per day during March 8-13, 2020 were marginally higher than March
1-7, 2020 compared to the same period in March 2019.
The Bengaluru-based online food ordering and delivery
platform, Swiggy, however, has, said that their delivery partners were
continually being trained in best practices of respiratory hygiene, proper
method and frequency of washing hands and identification of associated symptoms.
Food systems
are fodder for curbing cities' environmental impacts
Date:
March 16, 2020
Source:
Princeton University, Engineering
School
Summary:
Focusing on urbanization as a key
driver of environmental change in the 21st century, researchers have created a
framework to understand and compare cities' food systems and their effects on
climate change, water use and land use. The research will allow planners to
estimate the impact of a city's food system and evaluate policy actions.
Share:
FULL
STORY
Focusing
on urbanization as a key driver of environmental change in the 21st century,
researchers at Princeton University have created a framework to understand and
compare cities' food systems and their effects on climate change, water use and
land use. The research will allow planners to estimate the impact of a city's
food system and evaluate policy actions.
"Our
approach reveals differences between urban food systems both within and across
countries," said co-author Anu Ramaswami, the Sanjay Swani '87 Professor
of India Studies and a professor of civil and environmental engineering.
"Despite these differences, we now have a common methodology to identify
which policies would result in what levels of environmental mitigation."
The
study analyzed the greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land use of food
systems for two metropolitan areas in India, Delhi and Pondicherry; and two in
the United States, New York and Minneapolis. The results highlight the impacts
of differences in meat consumption between Indian and U.S. cities, as well as
differences in food processing. Comparing the two Indian cities shows contrasts
in diets, supply chains and local production levels.
In
general, dietary changes and waste management emerged as the most effective
ways to shrink cities' food footprints, with specific beneficial changes
differing among cities, the researchers reported in a paper published Jan. 30
in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. Ramaswami co-wrote the study
with Dana Boyer, research and development manager in the Sustainable Urban
Infrastructure Systems Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and the Princeton Environmental Institute.
In
coming decades, cities, particularly in the developing world, are expected to
experience unprecedented growth. For instance, the United Nations projects that
India will add more than 400 million urban dwellers by 2050.
The
study is part of an ongoing effort by Ramaswami and colleagues to advance
research and practice in urban sustainability. Ramaswami directs the National
Science Foundation-supported Sustainable Healthy Cities Network, a
collaboration of university researchers with industry and policy partners. In a
recent commentary, Ramaswami outlined seven types of infrastructure, including
food systems, that cities should consider when looking to improve outcomes for
the environment as well as for human health, equity and well-being.
In
the Industrial Ecology paper, the researchers selected the four cities to
provide contrasts in population size, infrastructure, diet and other
characteristics, with the aim of creating a generalizable approach. In addition
to dietary changes and waste management, the study assessed the potential
footprint reductions of policies to promote urban agriculture or change food
preparation methods.
In
New York and Minneapolis, the study showed that changing residents' diets by
replacing all meat consumption with lentils and legumes could reduce land use
by more than half, and could also cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34% and water
use by as much as 24%. Even replacing beef and mutton with poultry and pork
could achieve nearly the same footprint reduction. While these are idealized
scenarios that involve 100% implementation, they can give policymakers a
starting point for encouraging meaningful changes, said Boyer.
In
India, meat consumption is far lower than in the United States -- an annual
average of just 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) per person in Delhi and 16 kilograms
(35 pounds) in Pondicherry, compared with the U.S. average of approximately 59
kilograms (130 pounds). However, in India rice is a significant contributor to
greenhouse gas emissions and land use. The study showed that switching from
rice to wheat could decrease both Delhi's and Pondicherry's food footprint.
Improving
food waste management could have benefits in all four cities, although the most
useful ways to reduce waste differed based on the nature of waste accumulation
in the respective countries, the researchers found. In the United States,
eliminating avoidable (edible) household food waste could reduce both water and
land use by about 18% in Minneapolis and 11% in New York, and could reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by about 10% in both cities. In India, however,
pre-consumer food waste is a much larger problem, as infrastructures for
harvesting, transportation and food storage are less efficient. Tackling these
issues has the greatest potential to reduce the environmental impacts of
India's food systems.
Notably,
the study found that increasing urban agriculture, whether through conventional
farming or vertical farming techniques, would have negligible environmental
impacts. This is because food transport accounts for at most 10% of
food-related greenhouse gas emissions in New York, Minneapolis and Delhi, and much
less in Pondicherry, which is surrounded by agricultural production and
processing industries.
"Many
cities are holding up urban agriculture as an approach to decreasing the
[greenhouse gas] emissions in their food system," said Boyer. "This
is not to negate the other benefits that it might have in terms of education or
exercise or just having an enjoyable connection with your food. But our study
really puts the emphasis on cities figuring out ways to address diet change,
and to some extent food waste management if they are to make meaningful
reduction to their food system emissions."
Looking
at the environmental footprints of entire food systems also reveals the
importance of food processing, which accounts for about 20% of food system
greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. cities. In Indian cities, the emissions
associated with food processing are relatively negligible, but some
policymakers have proposed increasing food processing as a way to decrease food
waste. The benefits of decreasing waste could be offset by the rise in
emissions from the energy used for food processing.
"The
indicators and approach in this study are exciting in that they should be
largely replicable, and provide a feasible approach to addressing major gaps in
data availability -- and also because using this approach enables creation of
comparable data across diverse cities and contexts," said Roni Neff, an
associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who
was not involved in the study. "From the practice side, creating a tool to
enable cities to perform such modeling in their own context would be a valuable
addition, and could also contribute to development of a large database of
city-level data."
Boyer
and Ramaswami also plan to examine the ease of implementation of policy
options. For example, in Pondicherry switching diets from rice to wheat could
achieve about the same reduction in land use as reducing pre-consumer food
waste, but the latter might be more feasible than the former. In U.S. cities,
on the other hand, lowering meat consumption might be more realistic than curbing
food waste.
"What
I think is really challenging, but also useful, in the United States is just
how quickly we are into the newest [food] fad," said Boyer, whereas in
India even a shift from white rice to brown rice "can have a really
significant impact on someone's everyday life. Food is much more ingrained in
the cultural fabric and food traditionally has much more meaning beyond just
taste and fad."
Ramaswami
and Boyer came to Princeton in 2019 from the University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis, where they are continuing a partnership with the city government
to pilot a food action plan aimed at improving environmental sustainability and
public health. The project combines research with community engagement.
"Our
research gives us a method to inform the environmental aspects of urban food
system actions, but the food system is very multifaceted, said Boyer.
"There's cultural aspects, there's health aspects, equity considerations.
So, this is one tool that we can pair with other tools to inform a holistic food
action plan."
This
work was supported by a Partnership in International Research and Education
Award and a Sustainability Research Network Award from the U.S. National
Science Foundation.
Story
Source:
Materials provided by Princeton University, Engineering School. Original written by Molly
Sharlach. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.
Dana Boyer, Anu Ramaswami. Comparing
urban food system characteristics and actions in US and Indian cities from a
multi‐environmental
impact perspective: Toward a streamlined approach. Journal of Industrial
Ecology, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/jiec.12985
Cite
This Page:
Princeton
University, Engineering School. "Food systems are fodder for curbing
cities' environmental impacts." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 March 2020.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200316090336.htm>.
Scientists optimize prime editing for rice and wheat
Many genetic and breeding studies
have shown that point mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) can alter
elite traits in crop plants. Although nuclease-initiated homology-directed
repair (HDR) can generate such changes, it is limited by its low efficiency.
Base editors are robust tools for creating base transitions, but not
transversions, insertions or deletions. Thus, there is a pressing need for new
genome engineering approaches in plants.
David R. Liu and his colleagues
at Harvard University developed a new genome editing approach, prime editing,
which uses engineered Cas9 nickase (H840A)-reverse transcriptase (RT) fusion
proteins paired with a prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA) that encodes the
desired edit in human cells.
Recently, a research team led by
Prof. GAO Caixia of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the optimization of a prime editing system
(PPE system) for creating desired point mutations, insertions and deletions in
two major cereal crops, namely, rice and wheat. The main components of a PPE
system are a Cas9 nickase-RT fusion protein and a pegRNA.
Using the PPE system, these
researchers produced all 12 kinds of single base substitutions, as well as
multiple point mutations and small DNA insertions and deletions at 9 rice and
seven wheat sites in protoplasts, with efficiencies up to 19.2%. The efficiency
of PPE was strongly affected by the length of the primer binding site (PBS) and
RT template.
Although byproducts (off-target
effects) were generated by the PPE system, they can be reduced by optimizing RT
template length. Moreover, using a PPE system optimized for plants, they found
that the original RT could be replaced by CaMV-RT (from the cauliflower mosaic
virus) and retron-derived RT (from E. coli BL21). Prime editing efficiency was
also improved at some targets by using their PPE-Ribozyme (PPE-R) and by
incubating at 37 ?.
Furthermore, GAO and her
collaborators were able to create stable mutant rice plants carrying G-to-T
point mutations, multinucleotide substitutions, and a number of desired 6-nt
deletions, with a mutant production efficiency approaching 22%. It is
noteworthy that these three types of mutation are very difficult to produce
with current editing tools.
"Although the efficiency of
the PPE system is lower than that of base editors, it is still an appealing new
tool for creating all 12 types of single-point mutation, mixtures of different
substitutions, and insertions and deletions. The system thus has great
potential for plant breeding and functional genomics research," said Dr.
GAO.
###
The scientific paper, entitled
"Prime genome editing in rice and wheat," was published in Nature Biotechnology on March 16, 2020.
The research was supported by the
National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research
Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Key Research and
Development Program of China and the U.S. NIH and HHMI.
Coronavirus: Time to give immediate stimulus to indigenous Ghanaian
enterprises - Nduom
Date: Mar 16 , 2020 , 12:53
BY: Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom
A few days ago, I posted the
following about the Coronavirus:
“This is the threat to the global
financial system we must guard against. As many countries begin to take
proactive steps to deal with this global health threat, conferences, factories,
business, social and sports events of all types are being put on hold. The
World Bank/IMF spring meetings this year are not going to have mass physical
interactions that will need thousands to travel to Washington, DC. The global
financial system will react. Herein lies the economic threat.
Ghana must take steps to manage the
impending threat to our fragile economy. Yes, this is an election year.
However, politicians must think of the nation and not themselves by limiting
mass gatherings. On the economic front, the needs of the private sector must be
put in front in a way that brings more liquidity to indigenous enterprises.
This would be a great time to pay infrastructure, school feeding and all types
of contractors. Chances are that Chinese, American and European exports and
fund flow will be in a go slow so a domestic stimulus will be needed.
So it is not just a health scare
that we face. It could be an economic nightmare. In an election year. Are we
prepared for this?”
U.S.
Government Responds to Coronavirus Outbreak
WASHINGTON,
DC -- As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues spreading across the world, the
impacts are being felt here and across the United States. The Trump
Administration has announced travel bans, Congressional offices and the Capitol
are closed to the general public, area schools are beginning to close, and
meetings and conferences are canceled or postponed.
Congress
continues to consider a relief package in response to the World Health
Organization (WHO) declared global pandemic. Early Saturday morning,
House lawmakers passed a proposed multi-billion dollar bill that includes
emergency provisions for paid sick leave, free virus testing, domestic food
aid, and unemployment insurance.
Over
the weekend, House leadership signaled they would like to make technical
corrections to the bill before sending it on to the Senate. The Senate
postponed its scheduled recess this week to work on the relief package,
returning to Washington today. It is likely Senators will not reach a
consensus on moving the legislation forward until after their respective party
caucus lunches tomorrow.
President
Trump declared a national emergency on Friday in an effort to combat the
growing concerns and widespread consequences of the pandemic. The
declaration allocates an additional $50 billion in funding, as well as allows
certain regulations related to testing delivery and coronavirus patient care to
be waived by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The
Federal Reserve is slashing interest rates to nearly zero percent in an effort
to stabilize tumultuous financial markets, the first time this sort of action
has been taken since the financial crisis in the late 2000s.
Additionally, the central bank will purchase millions of dollars in bonds to
aid in this effort.
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has closed a portion of their South
Building for deep cleaning and sanitation because an employee there tested
positive for coronavirus. Other confirmed cases of coronavirus have
affected Congressional offices and the Capitol, with access being limited to
Members of Congress, their staff, and those on official business only, which
requires an escort.
"In
efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, that can be deadly to high risk
patients, government offices and agencies are following the lead of the private
sector in reducing or eliminating non-essential travel, and encouraging
telework whenever possible. To protect our employees and the community
at-large, USA Rice is following suit, and has today begun telework," said
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "While promotion events,
meetings, and travel are being postponed, we are still operating at capacity,
and our members and stakeholders should not hesitate to reach out to us for
service."
Impacts
are being felt widespread across the agriculture industry as the already
volatile futures markets are reacting to the trade restrictions and price
increases across the globe. In some Asian countries, freight charges have
increased by as much as $3,000. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has
closed its trading floor to reduce the risk of spreading; however, most trading
markets are electronically based and events such as this should have little
impact on commodity trading. Rice itself has seen subtle movements in the
market, as there is very little old crop left to trade.
usa rice daily
The race against time to cut rice’s
carbon footprint
Rice is the most polluting grain, but demand for the staple food is
growing. A project called the Sustainable Rice Platform started in 2015 and has
grown to 500,000 farmers across 21 countries today. It’s only just
getting started.
Thai farmer Winaisak Sripakdee grew up helping his
parents and grandparents on rice fields, and now tends 9.6 hectares with his
wife. Image: Olam International
Brought to you
by:
March 17, 2020
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When Thai farmer Winaisak Sripakdee learnt about a project that
offered training to grow rice using less water, less fertilisers and better
seeds in 2018, he was curious to see if it was for real.
He volunteered a demonstration plot on his rice field in in Ubon
Ratchathani, eastern Thailand, and was “very happy with the result”.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
In addressing climate change,
rice production needs more attention and urgent action
The 47-year-old grew up helping his parents and grandparents on
rice fields and now tends 9.6 hectares with his wife. His paddy field is
rain-fed and does not rely on irrigation, which means its yield depends heavily
on rainfall and the weather, which he said is getting more unpredictable.
In the past, after a tractor had levelled his field, Sripakdee
would only do a visual check for any remaining uneven spots. Through the
project under the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), he began using a laser
transmitter to ensure, with much greater precision, that the field was evenly
levelled. This helped greatly in reducing the water and fertilisers needed, and
resulted in more evenly maturing crops.
Key SRP
requirements
·
Record-keeping: Data on seed variety, yield, fertiliser and
pesticide use, number of irrigations, among other things.
·
Use of pure quality seeds that are free of weeds, seeds, pests and
diseases
·
No child, forced or slave labour
·
No burning of rice stubble
·
Integrated pest management, which includes preventive methods such
as use of resistant rice varieties and crop rotation. The highest level of
compliance is if curative methods are not required
·
Rainwater harvesting and storage for supplementary irrigation, for
rain-fed fields
·
Alternate wetting and drying for fields with irrigation systems.
The climate impact of alternate
wetting and drying sparked debate among rice experts, after a study in 2018 reported that the practice could result in higher levels of
nitrous oxide—a greenhouse gas even more potent than methane—than previously
thought.
But experts from the International
Rice Research Institute and other institutions responded to the study, saying there was no information showing the likelihood that
nitrous oxide emissions are underestimated.
The authors of the study, from the
nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), replied. The EDF reiterated that under intense forms of intermittent
flooding, the focus of mitigation should shift from methane to nitrous oxide,
which is a long-lived greenhouse gas.
It is possible that many farms using alternate wetting and drying
may be under mild-intermittent flooding regimes, which would minimise both
methane and nitrous oxide, the EDF said. But this cannot be assumed, and more
research is needed to map flooding regimes and measure nitrous oxide from rice
paddies, it added.
Another key change to his rice cultivation methods, was the use
of a drilling machine to do direct seeding. Compared to the more common
practice of broadcasting—where seeds are scattered by hand or mechanically—a
drilling machine requires fewer seeds per hectare without sacrificing yield and
establishes crops in rows, making it easier for farmers to monitor. Only about
31 to 44 kg of seeds per hectare are needed using a drilling machine, a
fraction of about 187 kg per hectare needed for the broadcasting method, said
Sripakdee.
“Many farmers worried that using a lot less seed would kill the
production yield. In fact, the space between seed rows allows the plant to
produce more tillers (grain-bearing branches),” he said.
Rice production presents a conundrum in a world facing a climate
crisis. It is a staple food for much of the world’s population, and production
will need to nearly double by 2050 to meet demand. But it is also the most polluting grain, and is said to be responsible for 2.5 per cent of man-made global warming. Growing the crop, which has traditionally been done in flooded
fields, results in emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane.
Under current conditions, additional land equivalent to the size
of Chile would be needed for rice production to meet demand by 2050. Resulting
emissions would be equivalent to 300 billion kg of carbon-dioxide, according to
food and agribusiness firm Olam International.
71 farmers in the beginning
In a bid to grow more rice sustainably, UN Environment and the International
Rice Research Institute co-convened the SRP in 2011. Its 16 founding
members included Olam, Mars and German development agency GIZ.
In 2015, SRP rolled out the Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation
and its first set of performance indicators, and began a pilot project with 71
farmers in Ubon Ratchathani.
Since then, SRP pilot projects have been successful in reducing
the resource footprint of rice production—20 per cent less water and 50 per cent
less greenhouse gas emissions, on average—and have raised farmers’ incomes by
about 10 per cent.
This set the stage for its expansion. The SRP became an
independent body last year and now has over 100 member organisations. Over
500,000 farmers are enrolled in 25 projects across 21 countries, said Narawadee
Modenuch, Olam’s rice research analyst in Thailand.
Thai farmers make up the largest group, with 134,000 involved in
SRP projects, she said. The SRP’s target is to reach 1 million farmers by 2023.
As of 2020, Olam is involved in projects that engage over 11,000
farmers in its rice supply chains across Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and
India, and is targeting 50,000 farmers in Asia by 2023, said Modenuch.
The impact of these projects under the SRP will be monitored
through the metrics of AtSource,
Olam’s business-to-business sustainable sourcing platform. This transparency
will allow rice brands and manufacturers to track the social and environmental
footprint of their rice from the field, right up to their door, via the digital
dashboard. In turn, they can better engage consumers on the story behind their
rice products and, hopefully, drive more sustainable buying decisions, she
said.
Although SRP’s numbers today are not to be sniffed at, Modenuch
said it is impacting less than 1 per cent of rice production worldwide. Without
revealing exact figures, she said costs during the project’s pilot stage, which
ended last year after revised performance indicators and standards kicked in,
were equally shared among Olam, GIZ and the Thai Rice Department. With more
funding, the SRP would be able to scale up more rapidly.
Scaling up
SRP was recently shortlisted, along with 99 other initiatives,
for a US$100 million grant under the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition, which seeks bold solutions to the critical
problems of our time. The winner will be announced later this year.
Modenuch said considerable time and resources are needed to
train farmers on advanced agronomy practices, and multiple sessions are needed
over several years to develop the right knowledge, skills and confidence. “The
risk of getting (practices) wrong is a potential loss of crop and, therefore,
income for the farmers. Like any partnership, our engagement with these farmers
requires diligence and continual engagement,” she said.
Thai farmer Udon Kamwongsa gets rid of weedy rice manually.
Image: Olam International
Besides companies, which should support sustainable farming
practices by incorporating environmental and social criteria in their
procurement contracts, governments and consumers also have a role to play.
The Thai Rice Department is well aware of challenges facing rice
producers in Thailand and has tried to put strategies in place to empower
farmers and address labour shortage, said Ladda Viriyangkura, a rice expert who
was formerly with the department and is now GIZ’s senior advisor on sustainable
rice policy.
The kingdom supplies 4 per cent of the world’s rice and is the
second-largest exporter globally. The average age of Thai rice farmers is about
58 and the younger generation, which is generally not keen to enter the
vocation, will sell their parents’ farms when they inherit the land, she said.
Farmers also lack access to loans, as well as to technologies and information
that would enable them to be more productive.
Then, there is the challenge of climate change. Only 22 per cent
of Thailand’s planted area for rice has access to irrigation systems; the
majority is rain-fed, making farmers highly vulnerable to increasingly
unpredictable weather patterns, she said.
Viriyangkura said the Thai Rice Department is looking at both
climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including specific techniques for
planting, fertiliser management and integrated pest management.
It is also introducing a “mega farm” project , which encourages small farmers to organise into groups
for better access to equipment and resources. Rice community centres have been
set up to dish out certified seeds and advice to farmers, the government is
also facilitating greater access to machinery to address labour shortage.
A new label later this year
As for consumers, a label to identify rice that has been grown
more sustainably could be found on packets of the grain sold in supermarkets,
possibly in Europe, later this year.
The SRP has partnered Global G.A.P., an organisation that sets
voluntary standards for certification of agricultural products, to establish
the world’s first rice-certification programme with on-pack labelling, Modenuch
said.
“We hope the on-pack labelling will influence consumers’ buying
decisions and help drive demand for sustainable rice,” she said.
This would help fuel the dreams of the rice farmers. Sripakdee
said he has used some of the extra income from higher rice yields to buy more
cows, while another rice farmer, Udon Kamwongsa, said she hopes to buy more
land to save for her son’s education.
Kamwongsa, 42, has been a farmer for 17 years and works on a
four-hectare farm with her parents. They own part of the land and lease just
under half of the area. Since joining the SRP last year, Kamwongsa, secretary
of the Ban Khu Mueang Community Rice Centre in Ubon Ratchathani, has minimised
her use of chemicals and no longer burns her field to get rid of rice stubble.
Instead, she sells some of the straw and plows some of the stubble to channel
nutrients back into the soil. The remainder, she saves for her cattle, whose
manure is used for fertiliser.
Said Kamwongsa of her son: “He is seven years-old and shows an
interest in farming. I hope that one day he will carry on the farming on our
own land.”
Punjab government gave 50% subsidy on certified
rice crop seeds
Punjab government started new project worth Rs6 billion for
endorsing mechanization, usage of certified rice crop seeds and responsible
application of pesticides according to the quantity prescribed by the agricultural
experts.
Farmers will be given 50% subsidy on the purchase of certified
rice seed under this project. Currently the department is pre-qualifying
the seed companies in this regard. It is a complete package being given by the
government to improve the productivity of the rice sector.
Director Agriculture (Extension) Gujranwala Javed Iqbal said
while speaking at the MoU signing ceremony that this project is also
aimed for promoting the use of transplanters for rising plant population in
rice fields and extending subsidy on other agricultural implements.
Syngenta Pakistan and Atlas Foods limited signed an agreement to impart training to the rice growers
regarding the need-based application of pesticides. The training will create
awareness among the farmers to keep away from excessive usage of pesticides.
The director agriculture informed that the government will bear
50% of the cost on the usage of different types of machinery such as
transplanters, nursery raising machines, DSR-drill, rice straw choppers,
rotavators and power sprayers.
He added that the aim is to convert this sector from the present
status of tractors into real mechanization.
Atlas Foods Limited CEO Samiullah Naeem said that 55% of
Pakistan’s economy relies on agriculture and rice is one of the most important
crops, which is earning foreign exchange for the country.
He said that monitoring of pesticides deposit in rice crop has
been increased by the European Union (EU), USA and Saudi Arabia since the last
three to four years.
He added that our products are going to high-end market
and we have to keep the pesticide deposit at their required level.
He informed that unfortunately, pesticide deposit for the rice
crop in Punjab is high but, in Sindh, it is very good. this is why paddy of
Sindh is getting more price than Punjab.
Furthermore, the provincial agriculture department has divided
the Punjab province into red, blue and green zones to highlight the areas where
pesticide residue is high and need to be controlled. We have to stop wrong and
excessive use of pesticides, as it is also dangerous for the growers.
https://www.technologytimes.pk/2020/03/17/punjab-government-50-subsidy-certified-rice-crop-seeds/ GO LONDON
·
·
·
Called off: The St Patrick's Day
parade has been cancelled by Sadiq Khan ( PA )
All the
major London events cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus, from the St Patrick’s
Day parade to London Marathon
·
1 day ago
·
GO LONDON newsletter
Your guide to what's hot in London
Londoners
are preparing themselves for a period of instability and uncertainty, as fears
over coronavirus continue to take hold.
While the majority of events and
things to do across the city are currently going ahead as planned, organisers
have begun to pull the plug on events due to the pandemic.
The decision has also been made
to suspend major sporting events, with the Premier League, Champions League and
Europa League matches all postponed, as well as Six Nations games and England's
cricket tour of Sri Lanka.
These are the events which have been either
postponed or cancelled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak – we’ll keep the
page updated as and when more events are affected.
For our
separate guides to cancelled music events head
here, and for
temporary restaurant closures head here. If there’s anything we’ve missed, let us
know by emailing Harry.Fletcher@Standard.co.uk.
St Patrick’s Day parade – cancelled
London’s St Patrick’s Day parade has been
cancelled by mayor Sadiq Khan due to the “ongoing threat of
coronavirus.” The capital's official celebrations were set to take place
on March 15, with St Patrick’s Day itself falling on March 17.
Original date: March 15
London Coffee Festival – postponed
(Nathan Dumlao)
This celebration of all things java had
been due to take place at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, but will now happen
in the last week of July. CEO Jeffrey Young told the Standard it was a
difficult decision to make, saying it would cost “hundreds of thousands of
pounds to postpone”.
Original date: April 2-5
New date: July 23-26
The London Book Fair – cancelled
One of the first events to announce its
cancellation, the London Book Fair had expected to see around 25,000 people
attend the event at Olympia.
Original date: March 10-12
Cinderella – postponed
The new musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Cinderella has been delayed, and will now open at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in
October instead of this summer.
Original date: From August 28
New date: From October 9
Vegan Life at Alexandra Palace – postponed
The celebration of plant-based food had
been due to take place at Alexandra Palace from March 14-15, but organisers
have decided to postponed until further notice.
Original date: March 14-15
THE BEST VEGAN DISHES IN LONDON
8show all
London Raw Wine fair – postponed
London’s celebration of natural and organic
wine has been postponed until further notice.
Original date: March 8-9
Country to Country – cancelled
The country music celebration at the O2 has
been pulled at the last minute, with further details yet to be announced.
Original date: March 13-15
The Other Art Fair – cancelled
The event in east London has been
cancelled, with organisers announcing: “We take the safety and health of our
artists, partners, team, and community very seriously. We urge everyone to
follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Original date: March 19-22
The London Marathon – postponed
IN PICTURES - LONDON MARATHON 2019
62show all
The race has
been postponed for the first time in
its history, and more
than 40,000 runners will now wait six months to complete the 26.2 mile route.
Original date: April 26
New date: October 4
BFI Flare Film Festival – cancelled
BFI FLARE 2020: 12 FILMS TO LOOK
FORWARD TO
12show all
The event, which celebrates LGBTIQ+ cinema
in the capital, had been due to take place at BFI Southbank.
Original date: March 18-29
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Framework compares environmental impact of
regional food systems
The research, carried out by
Princeton University, aims to allow planners to estimate the impact of a city’s
food system and evaluate policy actions.
Focusing on urbanisation as a key driver of environmental
change, researchers at Princeton University have created a framework to understand and compare cities’
food systems and their effects on climate change, water use and land use.
“Our approach reveals differences
between urban food systems both within and across countries,” said co-author
Anu Ramaswami, a Professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Despite
these differences, we now have a common methodology to identify which policies
would result in what levels of environmental mitigation.”
The study analysed the greenhouse
gas emissions, water use and land use of food systems for two metropolitan
areas in India, Delhi and Pondicherry, and two in the US, New York and
Minneapolis.
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In general, dietary changes and
waste management emerged as the most effective ways to shrink cities’ food
footprints, with specific beneficial changes differing among cities, the
researchers reported.
They selected the four cities to
provide contrasts in population size, infrastructure, diet and other
characteristics, with the aim of creating a generalisable approach. In addition
to dietary changes and waste management, the study also assessed the potential
footprint reductions of policies to promote urban agriculture or change food
preparation methods.
Meat
consumption
In New York and Minneapolis, the
study showed that changing residents’ diets by replacing all meat consumption
with lentils and legumes could reduce land use by more than half, and could
also cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent and water use by as much as 24
percent. Even replacing beef and mutton with poultry and pork could achieve
nearly the same footprint reduction, according to the report.
In India, meat consumption is far
lower than in the US – an annual average of just four kilograms per person in
Delhi and 16 kilograms in Pondicherry, compared with the US average of
approximately 59 kilograms. However, in India rice is a significant contributor
to greenhouse gas emissions and land use and the study showed that switching
from rice to wheat could decrease both Delhi’s and Pondicherry’s food
footprint.
Food waste
Improving food waste management
could reportedly have benefits in all four cities, although the most useful
ways to reduce waste differed based on the nature of waste accumulation in the
respective countries, the researchers found. In the US, eliminating avoidable
(edible) household food waste could reduce both water and land use by about 18
percent in Minneapolis and 11 percent in New York, and could reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by about 10 percent in both cities. In India, however,
pre-consumer food waste is a much larger problem, as infrastructures for
harvesting, transportation and food storage are less efficient.
Food
processing
Looking at the environmental
footprints of entire food systems also reveals the importance of food
processing, which accounts for about 20 percent of food system greenhouse gas
emissions in the US cities. In Indian cities, the emissions associated with
food processing are relatively negligible, but some policymakers have proposed
increasing food processing as a way to decrease food waste. The benefits of
decreasing waste could be offset by the rise in emissions from the energy used
for food processing.
The researchers also plan to
examine the ease of implementation of policy options. For example, in
Pondicherry switching diets from rice to wheat could achieve about the same
reduction in land use as reducing pre-consumer food waste, but the latter might
be more feasible than the former. In US cities, on the other hand, lowering
meat consumption might be more realistic than curbing food waste.
“Our research gives us a method
to inform the environmental aspects of urban food system actions, but the food
system is very multifaceted, said one of the researchers. “There’s cultural
aspects, there’s health aspects, equity considerations. So, this is one tool
that we can pair with other tools to inform a holistic food action plan.”
The race against time to cut
rice’s carbon footprint
Rice is the most polluting grain, but demand for the staple food is
growing. A project called the Sustainable Rice Platform started in 2015 and has
grown to 500,000 farmers across 21 countries today. It’s only just
getting started.
Thai farmer Winaisak Sripakdee grew up helping his
parents and grandparents on rice fields, and now tends 9.6 hectares with his
wife. Image: Olam International
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March 17, 2020
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When Thai farmer Winaisak Sripakdee learnt about a project that
offered training to grow rice using less water, less fertilisers and better
seeds in 2018, he was curious to see if it was for real.
He volunteered a demonstration plot on his rice field in in Ubon
Ratchathani, eastern Thailand, and was “very happy with the result”.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
In addressing climate change,
rice production needs more attention and urgent action
The 47-year-old grew up helping his parents and grandparents on
rice fields and now tends 9.6 hectares with his wife. His paddy field is
rain-fed and does not rely on irrigation, which means its yield depends heavily
on rainfall and the weather, which he said is getting more unpredictable.
In the past, after a tractor had levelled his field, Sripakdee
would only do a visual check for any remaining uneven spots. Through the
project under the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), he began using a laser
transmitter to ensure, with much greater precision, that the field was evenly
levelled. This helped greatly in reducing the water and fertilisers needed, and
resulted in more evenly maturing crops.
Key SRP
requirements
·
Record-keeping: Data on seed variety, yield, fertiliser and
pesticide use, number of irrigations, among other things.
·
Use of pure quality seeds that are free of weeds, seeds, pests and
diseases
·
No child, forced or slave labour
·
No burning of rice stubble
·
Integrated pest management, which includes preventive methods such
as use of resistant rice varieties and crop rotation. The highest level of
compliance is if curative methods are not required
·
Rainwater harvesting and storage for supplementary irrigation, for
rain-fed fields
·
Alternate wetting and drying for fields with irrigation systems.
The climate impact of alternate
wetting and drying sparked debate among rice experts, after a study in 2018 reported that the practice could result in higher levels of
nitrous oxide—a greenhouse gas even more potent than methane—than previously
thought.
But experts from the International
Rice Research Institute and other institutions responded to the study, saying there was no information showing the likelihood that
nitrous oxide emissions are underestimated.
The authors of the study, from the
nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), replied. The EDF reiterated that under intense forms of intermittent
flooding, the focus of mitigation should shift from methane to nitrous oxide,
which is a long-lived greenhouse gas.
It is possible that many farms using alternate wetting and drying
may be under mild-intermittent flooding regimes, which would minimise both
methane and nitrous oxide, the EDF said. But this cannot be assumed, and more
research is needed to map flooding regimes and measure nitrous oxide from rice
paddies, it added.
Another key change to his rice cultivation methods, was the use
of a drilling machine to do direct seeding. Compared to the more common
practice of broadcasting—where seeds are scattered by hand or mechanically—a
drilling machine requires fewer seeds per hectare without sacrificing yield and
establishes crops in rows, making it easier for farmers to monitor. Only about
31 to 44 kg of seeds per hectare are needed using a drilling machine, a
fraction of about 187 kg per hectare needed for the broadcasting method, said
Sripakdee.
“Many farmers worried that using a lot less seed would kill the
production yield. In fact, the space between seed rows allows the plant to
produce more tillers (grain-bearing branches),” he said.
Rice production presents a conundrum in a world facing a climate
crisis. It is a staple food for much of the world’s population, and production
will need to nearly double by 2050 to meet demand. But it is also the most polluting grain, and is said to be responsible for 2.5 per cent of man-made global warming. Growing the crop, which has traditionally been done in flooded
fields, results in emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane.
Under current conditions, additional land equivalent to the size
of Chile would be needed for rice production to meet demand by 2050. Resulting
emissions would be equivalent to 300 billion kg of carbon-dioxide, according to
food and agribusiness firm Olam International.
71 farmers in the beginning
In a bid to grow more rice sustainably, UN Environment and the
International Rice Research Institute co-convened the SRP in 2011. Its 16 founding
members included Olam, Mars and German development agency GIZ.
In 2015, SRP rolled out the Standard for Sustainable Rice
Cultivation and its first set of performance indicators, and began a pilot
project with 71 farmers in Ubon Ratchathani.
Since then, SRP pilot projects have been successful in reducing
the resource footprint of rice production—20 per cent less water and 50 per
cent less greenhouse gas emissions, on average—and have raised farmers’ incomes
by about 10 per cent.
This set the stage for its expansion. The SRP became an
independent body last year and now has over 100 member organisations. Over
500,000 farmers are enrolled in 25 projects across 21 countries, said Narawadee
Modenuch, Olam’s rice research analyst in Thailand.
Thai farmers make up the largest group, with 134,000 involved in
SRP projects, she said. The SRP’s target is to reach 1 million farmers by 2023.
As of 2020, Olam is involved in projects that engage over 11,000
farmers in its rice supply chains across Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and
India, and is targeting 50,000 farmers in Asia by 2023, said Modenuch.
The impact of these projects under the SRP will be monitored
through the metrics of AtSource,
Olam’s business-to-business sustainable sourcing platform. This transparency
will allow rice brands and manufacturers to track the social and environmental
footprint of their rice from the field, right up to their door, via the digital
dashboard. In turn, they can better engage consumers on the story behind their
rice products and, hopefully, drive more sustainable buying decisions, she
said.
Although SRP’s numbers today are not to be sniffed at, Modenuch
said it is impacting less than 1 per cent of rice production worldwide. Without
revealing exact figures, she said costs during the project’s pilot stage, which
ended last year after revised performance indicators and standards kicked in,
were equally shared among Olam, GIZ and the Thai Rice Department. With more
funding, the SRP would be able to scale up more rapidly.
Scaling up
SRP was recently shortlisted, along with 99 other initiatives,
for a US$100 million grant under the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition, which seeks bold solutions to the critical
problems of our time. The winner will be announced later this year.
Modenuch said considerable time and resources are needed to
train farmers on advanced agronomy practices, and multiple sessions are needed
over several years to develop the right knowledge, skills and confidence. “The
risk of getting (practices) wrong is a potential loss of crop and, therefore,
income for the farmers. Like any partnership, our engagement with these farmers
requires diligence and continual engagement,” she said.
Thai farmer Udon Kamwongsa gets rid of weedy rice manually.
Image: Olam International
Besides companies, which should support sustainable farming
practices by incorporating environmental and social criteria in their
procurement contracts, governments and consumers also have a role to play.
The Thai Rice Department is well aware of challenges facing rice
producers in Thailand and has tried to put strategies in place to empower
farmers and address labour shortage, said Ladda Viriyangkura, a rice expert who
was formerly with the department and is now GIZ’s senior advisor on sustainable
rice policy.
The kingdom supplies 4 per cent of the world’s rice and is the
second-largest exporter globally. The average age of Thai rice farmers is about
58 and the younger generation, which is generally not keen to enter the
vocation, will sell their parents’ farms when they inherit the land, she said.
Farmers also lack access to loans, as well as to technologies and information
that would enable them to be more productive.
Then, there is the challenge of climate change. Only 22 per cent
of Thailand’s planted area for rice has access to irrigation systems; the
majority is rain-fed, making farmers highly vulnerable to increasingly
unpredictable weather patterns, she said.
Viriyangkura said the Thai Rice Department is looking at both
climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including specific techniques for
planting, fertiliser management and integrated pest management.
It is also introducing a “mega farm” project , which encourages small farmers to organise into groups
for better access to equipment and resources. Rice community centres have been
set up to dish out certified seeds and advice to farmers, the government is
also facilitating greater access to machinery to address labour shortage.
A new label later this year
As for consumers, a label to identify rice that has been grown
more sustainably could be found on packets of the grain sold in supermarkets,
possibly in Europe, later this year.
The SRP has partnered Global G.A.P., an organisation that sets
voluntary standards for certification of agricultural products, to establish
the world’s first rice-certification programme with on-pack labelling, Modenuch
said.
“We hope the on-pack labelling will influence consumers’ buying
decisions and help drive demand for sustainable rice,” she said.
This would help fuel the dreams of the rice farmers. Sripakdee
said he has used some of the extra income from higher rice yields to buy more
cows, while another rice farmer, Udon Kamwongsa, said she hopes to buy more
land to save for her son’s education.
Kamwongsa, 42, has been a farmer for 17 years and works on a
four-hectare farm with her parents. They own part of the land and lease just
under half of the area. Since joining the SRP last year, Kamwongsa, secretary
of the Ban Khu Mueang Community Rice Centre in Ubon Ratchathani, has minimised
her use of chemicals and no longer burns her field to get rid of rice stubble.
Instead, she sells some of the straw and plows some of the stubble to channel
nutrients back into the soil. The remainder, she saves for her cattle, whose
manure is used for fertiliser.
Said Kamwongsa of her son: “He is seven years-old and shows an
interest in farming. I hope that one day he will carry on the farming on our
own land.”
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Scientists optimize prime editing for rice and wheat
Many genetic and breeding studies have shown that point
mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) can alter elite traits in crop
plants. Although nuclease-initiated homology-directed repair (HDR) can generate
such changes, it is limited by its low efficiency. Base editors are robust
tools for creating base transitions, but not transversions, insertions or
deletions. Thus, there is a pressing need for new genome engineering approaches
in plants.
David R. Liu and his colleagues at Harvard University developed
a new genome editing approach, prime editing, which uses engineered Cas9
nickase (H840A)-reverse transcriptase (RT) fusion proteins paired with a prime
editing guide RNA (pegRNA) that encodes the desired edit in human cells.
Recently, a research team led by Prof. GAO Caixia of the
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences reported the optimization of a prime editing system (PPE system) for
creating desired point mutations, insertions and deletions in two major cereal
crops, namely, rice and wheat. The main components of a PPE system are a Cas9
nickase-RT fusion protein and a pegRNA.
Using the PPE system, these researchers produced all 12 kinds of
single base substitutions, as well as multiple point mutations and small DNA
insertions and deletions at 9 rice and seven wheat sites in protoplasts, with
efficiencies up to 19.2%. The efficiency of PPE was strongly affected by the
length of the primer binding site (PBS) and RT template.
Although byproducts (off-target effects) were generated by the
PPE system, they can be reduced by optimizing RT template length. Moreover,
using a PPE system optimized for plants, they found that the original RT could
be replaced by CaMV-RT (from the cauliflower mosaic virus) and retron-derived
RT (from E. coli BL21). Prime editing efficiency was also improved at some
targets by using their PPE-Ribozyme (PPE-R) and by incubating at 37 ?.
Furthermore, GAO and her collaborators were able to create
stable mutant rice plants carrying G-to-T point mutations, multinucleotide
substitutions, and a number of desired 6-nt deletions, with a mutant production
efficiency approaching 22%. It is noteworthy that these three types of mutation
are very difficult to produce with current editing tools.
"Although the efficiency of the PPE system is lower than
that of base editors, it is still an appealing new tool for creating all 12
types of single-point mutation, mixtures of different substitutions, and
insertions and deletions. The system thus has great potential for plant
breeding and functional genomics research," said Dr. GAO.
###
The scientific paper, entitled "Prime genome editing in
rice and wheat," was published in Nature Biotechnology on March 16, 2020.
The research was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, the National Key Research and Development Program of China
and the U.S. NIH and HHMI.
Thai rice exports get boost from global
COVID-19 fear
Source:
Xinhua| 2020-03-15 22:16:04|Editor: xuxin
BANGKOK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The global COVID-19 scare has
unexpectedly boosted Thai rice exports, said Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of
the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
"The COVID-19 situation has led to many countries stocking
up on food supplies, boosting orders for Thai rice," Chookiat told Xinhua.
"Many rice importers worldwide want Thai rice shippers to deliver 100 percent
of the order quantity immediately."
He said that rice importers preferred delivery of 50 percent of
the order, such as 50 percent in March and the rest in April. But now they want
100 percent full delivery."
Chookiat said the price of rice exported from Thailand rose from
410 U.S. dollars per ton to 450-460 U.S. dollars per ton.
Due to the recent rise in demand, Thailand's rice exports in
February were estimated at 630,000 tons.
The association president said that should the COVID-19
situation subsides, rice orders will drop.
"Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Thai rice has done
extremely well. We are targeting 7.5 million ton this year," he said.
Meru
farmers express disappointment at poor rice prices
Rice
farmers in different parts of Meru want assistance to market the produce
similar to support accorded to coffee and other high-value crops.
Farmers
said despite allocating land for rice farming, they were yet to get good
prices.
The
rain-fed rice production was introduced in South Imenti, North Imenti, Tigania
East and Tigania West over an area of 300 acres where farmers have managed an
average yield of 300 tons per year.
Hundreds
of rice farmers in Tigania West Sub County, for instance, said they are forced
to sell it at a throwaway price due to lack of capacity to fetch good prices.
Since
2009, the farmers relied on the water from Kiorimba-Machegene Irrigation Scheme
and Muungano water project to produce large volumes, for sale and for
subsistence.
The
farmers said the initiative, partly supported by the national government
brought them good money and ensured they lacked no food.
Now
lack of market and poor roads have hit the rice production in Tigania West,
with many of them reduced to growing it for domestic consumption.
"When
we started growing rice, hundreds of locals came on board. Rice farming was
unknown here, but the irrigation projects and good soils, coupled with quality
Nerica rice seeds we got from the national government, gave us a lot of rice
and good money. We sold it to brokers at between Sh60 and Sh70 a kilogram
initially. But at some point, the prices dropped because of the unscrupulous
brokers, and bad roads that made it impossible for us to take it to Meru
town," said Reuben Kamandu, from Machegene.
"We
had the good fortune of getting the support of IFAD to do the irrigation.
Tharaka Nithi senator Kithure Kindiki was instrumental in setting up the
Muungano water project which benefits residents on the Meru and Tharaka
sides," Kamandu said.
Rice
farming is done in Machegene, Kiorimba, Kaboto near the Meru-Tharaka border,
and other areas.
Cyprian
Gitonga and Joel Gautia, who still grow the popular Nerica type, said they
earned significant amounts of money from it at the beginning, before brokers
swarmed the area and bad roads which made it impossible to transport it to
markets with huge demand.
"We
produced very large amounts of rice in the initial seasons. The good money we
earned inspired us to double our efforts. Selling a kilo at Sh70 meant we had
enough money to support our children's education. Though many were discouraged
because of the drop in prices, many of us still grow it, but mainly for our own
use. We sell a little to neighbors who no longer grow it, at Sh50 and even
lower," said Mr. Gitonga.
While
distributing the Sh3.9 million hulling equipment in September 2018, Governor
Kiraitu said that rice farming in the county would go a long way to boost food
production and alleviation of hunger.
Governor
Kiraitu's administration bought rice hullers, equipment to assist farmers to
remove husks from the produce after harvesting
Thailand sees
increase in rice exports over coronavirus scare
3/16/2020 9:41:34 AM
(MENAFN)
The president of the Rice Exporters Association in Thailand, Chookiat Ophaswongse, said that the rice exports of Thailand have witnessed increases over the international coronavirus fears.
The official said that "The COVID-19 situation has led to many countries stocking up on food supplies, boosting orders for Thai rice", adding that "Many rice importers worldwide want Thai rice shippers to deliver 100 percent of the order quantity immediately".
The then added that the importers of rice usually wanted 50 percent delivery of the order, such as 50 percent for March and the remaining for April, but now they want the entire 100 percent delivery.
The official said that the rice exported from the country saw an increase in prices from USD410 for a ton to USD450-460 per ton.
The Thai rice exports stood at around 630,000 tons in February over the large increase in demand.
The president of the Rice Exporters Association in Thailand, Chookiat Ophaswongse, said that the rice exports of Thailand have witnessed increases over the international coronavirus fears.
The official said that "The COVID-19 situation has led to many countries stocking up on food supplies, boosting orders for Thai rice", adding that "Many rice importers worldwide want Thai rice shippers to deliver 100 percent of the order quantity immediately".
The then added that the importers of rice usually wanted 50 percent delivery of the order, such as 50 percent for March and the remaining for April, but now they want the entire 100 percent delivery.
The official said that the rice exported from the country saw an increase in prices from USD410 for a ton to USD450-460 per ton.
The Thai rice exports stood at around 630,000 tons in February over the large increase in demand.
With India-Iran
trade at standstill, banks set to lose low cost deposits
For about last
six months, India has stopped importing oil from Iran, and thus oil companies
have stopped depositing money to the designated banks
Namrata Acharya & Avishek Rakshit | Kolkata Last
Updated at March 16, 2020 01:15 IST
In the wake of US sanctions on Iran, India cannot engage in
dollar-denominated trade with Iran
· ALSO READ
US-Iran tensions,
coronavirus to pull down rice exports by 20%: Report
Basmati exporters
jittery, turmeric also hit over rising US-Iran tensions
Domestic paddy
prices hold firm over damage to crop last year
Top Headlines:
Key Cabinet decisions, Coronavirus updates, and more
Coronavirus
outbreak in China an opportunity for Indian exporters
·
Apart from exporters, the two lending entities — UCO Bank and IDBI
Bank — which enable the payment mechanism for this bilateral trade, will also
be hit, since they will lose on a pool of low-cost deposits. A top official of
UCO Bank said the deposits on account of the special mechanism put in place for
trade with Iran had already substantially reduced — the bank would be able to
extend the support till funds were available.
This is a double whammy for exporters, struggling with a drastic
fall in trade with Iran over the past month due to acute shortage of
containers, largely supplied from China (which accounts for nearly 30 per cent
of container supply worldwide).
For the banks, if both export and import get halted, the payment
mechanism will turn redundant. The two banks did not reveal the extent of deposits on account of the Iran
trade. However, its utility can be gauged from the fact that in the final
quarter of 2018-19, UCO Bank could trim its loss by 27 per cent since it got Rs
13,000-14,000 crore of an interest-free floating fund from Indian oil refiners.
In the wake of US sanctions on Iran, India cannot engage in
dollar-denominated trade there. Hence, a rupee-rial trade mechanism has been
put in place. Under which, oil refineries from India deposit rupees in
designated banks for import from Iran; the fund is used to clear dues to exporters
from India to Iran.
However, for about six months, India has stopped importing oil
from Iran. So, oil companies have stopped depositing money to the
designated banks.
Although, export had not proportionally fallen.
According to government data, our import from Iran was nearly $13
billion in 2018-19; this had come down to $1.35 billion in the first 10 months
(April 2019-January 2020) of the ongoing financial year. In contrast, the fall
in export was much less. From $3.5 billion in 2018-19, it was $2.8 billion this
financial year, in April-January.
Rice, tea, sugar and pharmaceutical products are key products
exported from India to Iran. Rice has the largest share. Vinod Kaul, executive
director of the All India Rice Exporters Association, says the segment’s trade
with Iran has nearly stopped with the acute shortage of containers. Last year,
India exported about 1.4 million tonnes of rice to Iran. This financial year,
says Kaul, it will not be more than a million tonnes.
Tea exporters to Iran also say shipment has frozen on account on
unavailability of containers; also, due to shipping companies being unwilling
to send consignments there. “More Iranians are not able to come here to place
forward orders; neither can we go to Iran to sign a deal. This crucial market
is expected to be hit severely this year,” said a tea estate owner from Assam.
Usually February-April is a major season for tea companies, as
forward contracts are signed during this period. Based on these contracts,
where prices and export volume are negotiated, companies plan the season’s
harvest.
Between June and December 2019, Indian exporters to Iran faced
huge delays in repayment, amounting to about Rs 2,000 crore. The dues were
later cleared on government intervention
The rice
and fall: Vietnam eyes more global opportunities as Thai supply totters
17-Mar-2020 - Last
updated on 17-Mar-2020 at 02:27 GMT
Thailand’s
position as the largest exporter of rice from the South East Asian region is at
risk as the country struggles to handle weather, economical and quality
changes. ©iStock
Thailand’s
position as the largest exporter of rice from the South East Asian region is at
risk as the country struggles to handle weather, economical and quality
changes, whereas Vietnam looks to be going from strength to strength.
In 2019,
Thailand was the world’s second-largest exporter of rice and the top in South
East Asia. Previously it was beaten globally only by India but this year the
country is expected to fall behind Vietnam within the region as well.According to data from the Thai Foreign Trade Department, rice production in 2020 is expected to fall a whopping 9% to 18.5 million tonnes from around 20.34 million tonnes in 2019, whereas Vietnam is predicted to grow by almost 2% to produce 28.3 million tonnes, from 27.77 million tonnes last year.
In terms of exports, the Thai Rice Exporters Association has set a target of 7.5 million tonnes for 2020, its lowest since 2013.
“Thailand has shipped the same rice varieties for 30 years and lacks rice variety development to deal with changing market demand and consumer behaviour,” the association’s President Charoen Laothamatas told Bangkok Post.
“Because of the labour shortage, farmers opt to use machinery and chemicals that affect Thai rice's aromatic quality and good taste, while other exporters such as Vietnam have developed their own varieties every year to serve consumer demand.
“Vietnam now has seven or eight rice types for export to serve global demand.”
Apart from innovation, a severe drought in the country has also led to serious supply shortages. USDA Global Agricultural Information Network analysis described the drought as the ‘second most severe in a decade’ and estimated total agricultural at approximately THB26bn (US$840mn) with rice taking the bulk of the damage at THB25.2bn (US$801mn).
“Vietnamese and Indian rice prices were also [found to be] US$70 to US$80 cheaper per MT, making Thai rice less competitive in the international market. [This] will likely cause a further reduction in Thai rice exports to 7.5 million metric tons in 2020, down 1% from 2019,” said the USDA report.
The rice of Vietnam
Meanwhile,
Vietnam rice prices (for its benchmark 5% broken rice variety) rose to a record
high since December 2018 benchmark at US$380 per tonne, and the local industry
expects both demand and prices to continue to grow.“Demand is seen rising this year as Vietnamese rice is more competitive in terms of prices,” Vietnam Food Association Vice Chairman Do Ha Nam told Reuters.
"Vietnam is [also] producing more fragrant rice to tap new markets, such as South Korea and Africa."
Vietnamese rice is priced at roughly THB5,600 per tonne (US$178), as opposed to Thailand’s THB7,500 (US$238.44) to THB7,800 (US$247.98). The association expects that Vietnam will export 6.75 million tonnes of rice in 2020, a 6% rise from 2019.
That said, virus-stricken China is one of the country’s largest importers, and so Vietnam is also looking to widen its scope to other countries worldwide, such as in South America.
Fragrance failure
Thai
fragrant rice is renowned worldwide for its aroma, but failure to secure the
top spot as the World’s Best Fragrant Rice both in 2018 and 2019 has also
placed a damper on its reputation.The Rice Trader World Conference crowned Vietnam’s ST25 rice variant as champion last year, and Cambodia’s Jasmine in 2018. Thailand’s Hom Mali variant had won the award for two years in a row before that, in 2016 and 2017.
Laothamatas attributed the loss to too little innovation and too much politics.
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