Arsenic
and Global Warming: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly
From
aquifers in Vietnam to wells in America, Haaretz climate change briefs brings
you the arsenic edition, plus a moment in a Mississippi marsh
Published
on 05.24.20
Protest
at water shortage in Chennai, India: the more people need water, the more
groundwater can get depleted, the higher the arsenic riskCredit: ARUN SANKAR / AFP
Global
warming increases the probability that we’ll be drinking arsenic, especially if
we live in Asia. At this point, between 94 million to 220 million people – of
whom 94 percent live in Asia – are at risk of drinking water containing harmful
levels of arsenic, according to a new map of global arsenic risk published Friday in
Science. The map reveals previously unknown hot spots in central
Asia, as well as broad areas of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. At low levels
arsenic doesn’t hurt us, but at high levels it makes us sick or even dead.
And
why might the risk get worse? So many reasons:
heightened evaporation, causing concentration of contaminants; changes in water
table; very importantly – over-exploitation of groundwater; and
ever-growing populations requiring ever-more fresh water, whose sources are
dwindling (and/or getting polluted). By the way, arsenic is tasteless and
odorless.
Arsenic-laced
water can kill after decades
While
on the topic, in March a separate paper published in the Journal of the
National Cancer Institute reported that arsenic in drinking water may have
one of the longest dormancy periods of any carcinogen. A perfect if inadvertent
lab to study this was Chile, where the people of Antofagasta suffered a sudden,
significant increase in arsenic water concentrations in 1958, which was
ameliorated by the construction of an arsenic removal plant in 1970. Checking
mortality rates from lung, bladder and kidney cancer, the team concluded that increased risks
continued to manifest 40 years after exposure reduction. “Our findings suggest
that arsenic in drinking water may involve one of the longest cancer latencies
for a human carcinogen,” the team wrote.
Hanoi,
poster child for groundwater-arsenic link
In
Vietnam, meanwhile, scientists using modeling demonstrated that increasing
groundwater extraction to slake the thirst of the growing population of Hanoi
is leading to arsenic pollution in the aquifer: arsenic-poor water can be
replenished with arsenic-heavy water. If an aquifer is heavily tapped and
if its replenishment comes from arsenic-heavy muds, there you have a cause,
they demonstrated. A case in point is river mud regularly deposited at slower-flowing stretches of the Red River:
organic matter, including bacteria in the mud, fueled a biogeochemical
reaction, causing enhanced arsenic release into the aquifer underlying the Van
Phuc village.
Arsenic
caps in America helped
- Deadly Heat
and Humidity Emerging Decades Ahead of Forecasts
- As the
Middle East Bakes, Humans Show Earth’s Orbit Who’s Boss
- Village
Where Jesus’ Disciples May Have Lived Flooded by Rising Sea of Galilee
- Rare
Lengthy Heat Wave in Israel Could Break Records
Americans
are safer from arsenic in the water, according to a Columbia University study
published in The Lancet Public Health – thanks to new arsenic caps handed
down by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006, reducing the arsenic
allowance from 50 to 10 micrograms per liter. Compliance with the regulation
led to a 17 percent decline in levels of urinary arsenic, the report found.
Note, however, that nobody’s checking private wells, and that’s a significant
factor because more than 45.5 million Americans draw water from their own
wells, leaving perhaps 1.7 million at risk.
Open
gallery view
Elephant
having a drink at a water tap in Allahabad, IndiaCredit: AP
If
you drink arsenic, don’t smoke…
Oh,
by the way, cigarettes will contain arsenic if that mineral is used in the
pesticides used to grow tobacco free of pests. And research has shown that
arsenic and cigarette smoking co-exposure increases the incidence of lung
cancer by acting together to damage our DNA. This was tested in Syrian hamsters, but the
results surely apply to us too. For what it’s worth, beef, fish and chicken may
also contain arsenic from their feed – incredibly (with hindsight), Americans
added arsenic to chicken feed in the 1940s and the additive took until the last
decade to be phased out.
Global
warming will increase arsenic component in rice
No
newsletter on arsenic would be complete without mentioning rice. Yes! Global
warming is also projected to increase the concentration of arsenic in rice,
which is already notoriously rich in the inorganic compound. Is it a comfort
that rice crops are expected to dramatically decline with climate change? No? In
2019, Stanford scientists projected that rice yields could plunge by 40 percent by 2100 and
“changes to soil processes due to increased temperatures will cause rice to
contain twice as much toxic arsenic than
the rice consumed today.” Haaretz repeats that all rice, but
especially brown, non-husked rice, contains a lot of arsenic – which is
water-soluble. Wash your rice before cooking; cook in lots of water; and discard
the excess water.
Open
gallery view
Growing
rice in VietnamCredit:
Reuters
Mississippi
marshes pass point of no return
Another
problem faced by coastal aquifers is encroachment by seawater. Now, a study from Tulane University, New Orleans, is
noting the inevitable submersion of the remaining marshland in the Mississippi
Delta, based on hundreds of sediment cores collected to examine how marshes
responded to a range of rates of sea-level rise during the past 8,500 years.
What they found is a tipping point beyond which a small upturn in the rate of
sea-level rise leads to widespread submergence. In the last century, Louisiana
has so far lost 2,000 square miles (5,000 square kilometers) of wetland; it has
6,000 square miles to go.
“The
scary thing is that the present-day rate of global sea-level rise, due to
climate change, has already exceeded the initial tipping point for marsh
drowning,” said Torbjörn Törnqvist, lead author and Vokes Geology Professor in
the Tulane Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Open
gallery view
In
the Mississippi marshesCredit: Charlie Brenner
Yes,
you can use oilfield waste water for irrigation…
With
a caveat. First the good news, all things being relative: Reusing the water
from a specific California oilfield that’s been mixed with surface water to
irrigate crops “does not pose major health risks” if the farmers grow
boron-tolerant crops and keep mixing the oilfield water with freshwater to
dilute the salts, researchers reported in the journal Science of the Total
Environment. The caveat is that oilfield water does contain a lot of boron and
salts, and if the farmer doesn’t keep on top of that – the soil will be ruined.
It begs clarifying that this doesn’t mean all water from all oilfields can,
even if diluted, serve to irrigate our food crops; elsewhere, the salinity in
the water tends to be much higher. At least the oilfield water didn’t increase
the arsenic in the crops.
Paswan praises food-grain distribution system in
State
|
Date :23-May-2020
|
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Ram Vilas Paswan praised the effective measures taken for protection against
COVID-19 infection and food-grain distribution system in Chhattisgarh.
While reviewing the implementation of major schemes of the
Department of Food and Public Distribution (DoFPD) in states/UTs in time of
lockdown enforced for control and prevention of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19
(SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan held a review meeting
with state/UTs Food and Public Distribution Ministers and Food Secretaries
through video conference on Friday.
Speaking to food ministers and food secretaries from various states
across country, Paswan said that they should ensure distribution of food-grains
so that no one goes hungry. The Minister said that FCI has become the lifeline
of food distribution and food grains and pulses are being distributed across
country by road, rail and air. The Minister took stock of the distribution of
food grains and pulses in the states and UTs. He heard the successes and
hurdles faced and peculiar problems of each state. He also took stock of the
implementation of the One Nation, One Card (ONOS) Scheme.
Paswan said that Chhattisgarh has achieved success in providing
food-grains to its people as well as the arrangements of transportation, food
and health examination made for migrant labourers are also praiseworthy.
Raising the issue of rice procurement under central pool during the
review meeting held through video conferencing, Food Minister Amarjeet Bhagat
said that procurement of 24 lakh MT rice has been permitted for central pool
and urged the Union Minister to raise it to 32 lakh MT, to which the Union
Minister made a positive gesture towards hiking additional 8 lakh MT for
central pool. The Food Corporation of India has also given its approval for
procuring additional rice.
During the meeting Food Minister Bhagat urged the Union Food
Minister to extend the allotment of 5 kg rice per member free of cost under
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for another three months. He also urged to
permit distribution of rice at low price to APL card holders alike BPL card
holders. Bhagat informed during the meeting that after lockdown was enforced,
40,000 new ration cards were prepared, most of these cards were of those people
who had migrated to other states, but have returned now. He urged to extend
facility of central scheme to these card holders as well who’re mostly migrant
labourers.
During the meeting, Bhagat urged the Union Minister to allow
distribution of state-quota sugar produced in sugarcane factories in
Chhattisgarh through PDS. He also informed that State Government is
distributing chana (gram) since April and is continuing in May as well. He said
that State Government is providing food grains to labourers from other states
as well and that there is no dearth of food grains in State. Food Minister
Amarjeet Bhagat extended his government’s gratitude to the Prime Minister and
the Union Minister for food and public distribution for the aid provided by the
Centre, FCI and NAFED in respect of food-grains and pulses provided under the
‘Atma Nirbhar’ package and the PMGKAY. Present during the meeting were
Secretary (Food) Dr Kamalpreet Singh, Special Secretary Manoj Kumar Soni, MD
Civil Supplies Corporation Niranjan Das and other senior officials.
Lessons from 1971: If India could host and feed 10 million
refugees for 10 months then, what’s wrong now?
In 1971, India hosted 10 million refugees from Bangladesh. The
refugees, both Hindus and Muslims, had fled the crackdown and genocide by the
Pakistani army
In 1971, India hosted 10 million refugees from Bangladesh
NHS Bureau
Published: 24 May 2020,
1:30 PM
Engagement: 797
In 1971, India hosted 10 million
refugees from Bangladesh. The refugees, both Hindus and Muslims, had fled the
crackdown and genocide by the Pakistani army, which had been let loose to teach
Bengalis a lesson for electing the Awami League to power.
West Pakistan would not allow a
Bengali, Muzibur Rahman, to become Prime Minister of united Pakistan. This led
to the war with India in December, 1971, creation of Bangladesh and
dismemberment of Pakistan. But from February that year to January, 1972, India
had to bear the burden of refugees in camps set up in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura
and Meghalaya. India was then a 24-year-old young republic. Its economy was
weak. It had to depend on food aid from the US to feed its teeming millions.
Therefore, hosting 10 million
additional souls was no small task. But the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
vowed to send the refugees back to Bangladesh with honour and dignity. For
almost a year ration was supplied to refugees in the camps: each adult was
given 300 grams of rice, 100 grams of wheat flour, 100 grams of pulses, 25
grams of edible oil and 25 grams of sugar every day, and half of this quantity
for children.
They were also given cash for daily
expenses. A special postage stamp was issued, among other measures, to raise
funds besides seeking donations, which poured in from both Indians and countries
and agencies abroad. Some 6.8 million refugees returned within two months of
the end of the war while the last batch of 3,869 refugees left on March 25,
1972.
The question is, if India could
bear the burden of 10 million refugees for a year then, why has the Indian
Government failed to take care of the migrant workers almost 50 years later,
when its economy is a lot stronger; when communication is faster, when roads
are better and when there are back to Bangladesh with honour and dignity. For
almost a year ration was supplied to refugees in the camps: each adult was
given 300 grams of rice, 100 grams of wheat flour, 100 grams of pulses, 25
grams of edible oil and 25 grams of sugar every day, and half of this quantity
for children.
They were also given cash for daily
expenses. A special postage stamp was issued, among other measures, to raise
funds besides seeking donations, which poured in from both Indians and
countries and agencies abroad. Some 6.8 million refugees returned within two
months of the end of the war while the last batch of 3,869 refugees left on
March 25, 1972.
The question is, if India could
bear the burden of 10 million refugees for a year then, why has the Indian
Government failed to take care of the migrant workers almost 50 years later,
when its economy is a lot stronger; when communication is faster, when roads
are better and when there are
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/lessons-from-1971-if-india-could-host-and-feed-10-million-refugees-for-10-months-then-whats-wrong-now
Sino Pak Agri Cooperation Under
CPEC way forward
Agriculture
has remained at the heart of Pakistan’s economy contributing nearly 19 per cent
of the country’s entire GDP. Being a well-integrated sector, Agriculture is
providing largest employment base to nearly thirty percent of the labor force
contributing towards overall wellbeing of Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan is
amongst top producers of rice, mango, dates, citrus, cotton, and sugarcane with
attached livestock, fishery and forestry sectors contributing immensely. With
recent changing climatic conditions and due to lack of innovation including use
of the advance of technology has led Agriculture to remain sluggish in its
economic contribution. Despite having a huge potential, Agriculture in Pakistan
continues to remain struggling to survive with the available resources. China
Pakistan Economic Corridor emerged as a life line to this sector. The first
phase of CPEC, apart from other important steps, had focused on the overall
development of communications and network projects including roads, bridges and
motorways. CPEC energy projects are energy booster to not only industry but
also for agriculture sector as well. This has created a plethora of
opportunities to farmers to connect not only with the tremendous network at the
local level but may reach to the global markets. However, this was also
realized that with the development of networks, roads and other communications
links alone will not help the Agriculture and there is more to be done. As a
result in the second phase of CPEC, apart from other important focus on the
areas of collaboration, Agriculture has received primary and immediate
attention from all sides. We have also observed that new to the second phase of
CPEC and emphasis of both Pakistan and China, China has recently appointed
Agriculture Commissioner to oversighting the cooperation between the two
countries. As a result of these effective measures and efforts, CPEC is also
turning into a green corridor which galvanized the mutual opportunities in the
entire framework of cooperation.
Recently
the second meeting of Joint Working Group on Agriculture was hosted online to
further deepen the cooperation in the filed cooperation was held between
Pakistan and China online. There was discussions primarily in the setting
priorities for development of the agriculture. Both Pakistan and China agreed
to jointly implement the Memorandum of Understanding on further cooperation in
dealing with disease and pest control including locust, plant diseases and
insect and pest prevention. There was also discussion on finalizing modalities
to establish a sustainable plant pest control center in Pakistan. The decision
and discussion during this join working meeting has reflected China’s emergency
assistance especially where Pakistan is currently battling with the Desert
Locust. During the meeting other options for cooperation in trade, investment
and construction as well. Representatives from the Chinese Secretariat of the
CPEC and Pakistan Affairs Bureau of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were
present during the meeting. All the projects under the CPEC is moving on a fast
track to be completed under the given timeline. With building of intuitions and
cooperation’s on exchange of technology sharing, Chinese government is
supporting Pakistan in its drive to diversify the agriculture sector and improve
the yield for better growth of economy.
CPEC
is an opportunity corridor and is transforming Pakistan’s entire economic base
with proven results as we have witnessed in first phase of the project
CPEC
is a combination of phase wise implementation of diverse range of project
including short, medium and long term with estimation of completion of each
phase in 2017, 2025 and 2030. Agriculture sector is part of the second phase.
We have observed that as a result of the strong cooperation and effective implementation
of Phase I of CPEC, there are larger connectivity that has made the linkages
from farms to the market hence providing ample assistance to farmers to reach
to not only local but regional and international markets as well. CPEC Energy
projects have also helped boost the level of contribution for the Agriculture
which was under stress as a result of the lack of energy resources. CPEC is
overall strengthening the entire agriculture system in Pakistan. The plans that
include in CPEC are to promote and introduce the water management techniques,
improve the crop yielding, storage and transportation of agriculture products
in pre and post-harvest period apart from creating innovation for marketing and
sales. As a result of larger and close cooperation between Pakistan and China
under the CPEC framework, there has been several important steps taken in order
to provide effective ways and transfer of technology along with learning
experience between experts, farmers and connected agriculture value chain that
is making headways now in various directions. During the ongoing phase as the
primary focus is on Agriculture, Industrial Cooperation along with Socio
Economic projects, these all are overlapping and building one way or the other.
Especially when we look at the industrial cooperation, we also observe that
many of our industrial units are relying heavily on the agricultural products
including cotton and others. This gives a multiplying effect to overall
strategy for improving business. The second phase of CEPC is focusing also on
the Agriculture sector in order to improve Pakistan’s agriculture based exports
which is currently lingering on only 18 percent of the entire export based. It
is also important to note here that our Agri-based exports to China are also at
8 percent. Pakistan is looking for capitalizing on the building and evolving
opportunities created by the CPEC and trying to add high value products that
can be exported to China for consolidating and reaping the fruit. Recently a
list of the items were enlisted 313 items that are free from any duties, most
of them are agricultural products or by products.
One
of the important sector within agriculture is that to have effective seeds and
yields and better production capacity including training and helping farmers to
build their capacities in order to come out of low production syndrome. It is
strongly believed that the joint ventures between Pakistan and China have the
capacity that can bring Chinese researchers, agriculture experts and business
investors to develop joint cooperation to boost the agriculture sector. In
order to consolidate the entire process of cooperation a special Centre for the
Pakistan-China Agriculture exchange was established under the Pak-China
Agriculture Cooperation Exchange Framework. Another important step is to
protect the yield from disease as well. In this regard, experts and scientist
are working together for sharing information and building new pesticides and
helping to develop seeds that are disease free and high yield as well. In this
regard, several Chinese agriculture intuitions and agencies are in close
coordination with the Pakistani counterparts.
During
the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan, there was a detailed discussion
and inking of initial agreement of cooperation on agriculture as well. The
visit has put an impetus towards building and attracting Chinese investment and
technical assistance in all subsectors of agriculture. Pakistan’s one of the
leading company Fatema Group has also signed agreement of cooperation with the
two important leading companies China Machinery Engineering Cooperation (CMEC)
a construction and engineering company and Xinjiang Tianye Group. Xinjiang
Tianye Group specialized in irrigation and water saving drip irrigation
technologies. Pakistan Agriculture Research Council is a leading specialized
intuition providing a lead in developing synergies in Pak-China Agriculture
Cooperation. There has been as special committee on Agricultural Products was
formed within the parliament initiated by the current Speaker of the National
Assembly which is one of the largest having members of National Assembly from
across Pakistan overlooking the entire Agriculture cooperation and one of the
important subject is CPEC and its Agriculture related steps. These
collaboration, institutions and at people’s level connection is making CPEC
cooperation to a much higher level and creating cementing ties amongst people
at the very grassroots level.
CPEC
is an opportunity corridor and is transforming Pakistan’s entire economic base
with proven results as we have witnessed in first phase of the project.
Pakistan needs to adopt to changing methods and techniques that are offered in
this unique cooperation period and beyond. All we have to do is to gather our
energies and make every possible step to benefit from this emerging and
established opportunity.
The
writer is Director, Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and established
Centre for BRI and China Studies at the Institute.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/617119/sino-pak-agri-cooperation-under-cpec-way-forward/
Karimnagar:
Rythu Bandhu Assocition member Tula Manohar alleges irregularities at
purchasing centres
Hans News Service |
24 May 2020 1:54 AM IST Rythu Bandhu Association member Tula Manohar
submitting representation to District Collector Siktha Patnaik in Karimnagar on
Saturday HIGHLIGHTS District Rythu Bandhu Assocition member Tula Manohar have
alleged a lot of irregularities at the purchasing centres and alleged a lot of
cheating have been done while purchasing the food grains from farmers in
Peddapalli Karimnagar: District Rythu Bandhu Assocition member Tula Manohar
have alleged a lot of irregularities at the purchasing centres and alleged a
lot of cheating have been done while purchasing the food grains from farmers in
Peddapalli. T Manohar met District collector Siktha Patnail and had submitted
the representation and requested to take immediate action against the persons
who are responsible for corruption. Speaking on the occasion, T Manohar alleged
that the 200 kgs of food grains which are weighed at purchasing centres are
weighing 203 kgs to 210 kgs at Miller weigh bridge and instead of giving information
to the farmers to whom the food grains belongs, by creating a binami farmer,
they are adding the money into his account and later, the people involved in
this are distributing the money. This season, around 1.21,60,000 quintals of
food grains were purchased in the district from the farmers. All the food
grains which are purchased are sent to the rice millers by loading in around
66,815 lorries by weighing 200 kgs in each lorry. If we calculate excess of
just 3 kgs of food grains in each lorry it would be around Rs31 crore, he
pointed out. All that money belongs to farmers. So, a representation is given
to the District Collector requesting her to take immediate action, he informed.
https://www.thehansindia.com/telangana/karimnagar-rythu-bandhu-assocition-member-tula-manohar-alleges-irregularities-at-purchasing-centres-624223
China science, technology news summary -- May 22
BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of
published science and technology news of China.
RICE RESISTS WEEDS
Scientists have revealed that gene clustering helped rice evolve
to produce so-called momilactone to defend itself against weeds, according to a
study published in the journal PNAS.
Chinese and Japanese scientists analyzed more than 100 genome
sequences from plants, finding that the gene clusters that can compound
momilactone exist only in three plant species, including rice.
SCI-TECH JOURNALS TO CONTRIBUTE TO WHO'S COVID-19 DATABASE
The China Association for Science and Technology has called on
the country's sci-tech journal publishers to contribute to the COVID-19
database of the World Health Organization (WHO), sharing research data and
experience to aid the fight against the pandemic.
The association released the initiative on its website
Wednesday, saying that authorizing the WHO to use original metadata of Chinese
COVID-19-related research papers is an effort to offer China's research
progress and prevention experience more thoroughly and widely to global medical
experts and scientists.
5G-ASSISTED UNMANNED BOAT
An unmanned boat with 5G wireless technology has been used to
monitor water quality in a Beijing park, according to the Beijing Daily
Thursday.
The unmanned boat shuttles in the waters of Beihai Park to
collect data on water quality and the surrounding environment.
The 1.2-meter-long boat is equipped with high-definition cameras
and a water quality sensor, which can transmit real-time data to a monitoring
platform through the 5G network.
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/265170266/china-science-technology--summary----may-22
Highlights of China's science news
Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-23 15:36:38|Editor:
huaxia
BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The
following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:
AGRICULTURAL PLANNING
Chinese researchers have proposed
a land-use approach for the management of mercury-contaminated farmlands.
The researchers from the
Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences hoped to devise
an agricultural planning strategy for reducing human exposure to mercury
pollution through selecting native low-mercury-accumulating crops for future
planting in contaminated farmlands.
CANCER RESEARCH CENTER
The University of Oxford and
China's Sichuan University have jointly launched a center to bolster research
cooperation on gastrointestinal cancer.
Representatives from the two
sides signed a contract for the Sichuan University-University of Oxford Huaxi
Joint Centre for Gastrointestinal Cancer during a recent video conference,
according to a statement by the Sichuan University.
ICE CORES
A Chinese research team has, for
the first time, extracted ice core samples from a glacier outside the country.
This will help the study of the history of climate and environmental changes in
the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and surrounding areas.
Using self-developed drill
systems, the researchers obtained ice core samples with a total length of more
than 110 meters at an altitude of 5,600 meters at the Biafo Glacier. They also
extracted four cores from the beds of two nearby lakes called Sheo Sar and
Saiful Malook.
RICE RESISTS WEEDS
Scientists have revealed that
gene clustering helped rice evolve to produce so-called momilactone to defend
itself against weeds, according to a study published in the journal PNAS.
Chinese and Japanese scientists
analyzed more than 100 genome sequences from plants, finding that the gene
clusters that can compound momilactone exist only in three plant species,
including rice.
5G-ASSISTED UNMANNED BOAT
An unmanned boat with 5G wireless
technology has been used to monitor water quality in a Beijing park, according
to the Beijing Daily Thursday.
The unmanned boat shuttles in the
waters of Beihai Park to collect data on water quality and the surrounding
environment.
The 1.2-meter-long boat is
equipped with high-definition cameras and a water quality sensor, which can
transmit real-time data to a monitoring platform through the 5G network.
Enditem
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/23/c_139081476.htm
Genome research reveals how rice evolves to
resist weeds
Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-21 22:58:50|Editor:
huaxia
BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) --
Chinese scientists have revealed that gene clustering helped rice evolve to produce
so-called momilactone to defend itself against weeds, according to a study
published in the journal PNAS.
In order to fight weeds, one of
its main enemies, rice has evolved to produce momilactone, a metabolite that
can inhibit the growth of weeds.
Chinese and Japanese scientists
analyzed more than 100 genome sequences from plants, finding that the gene
clusters that can compound momilactone exist only in three plant species,
including rice.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/21/c_139076383.htm
LSU AGCENTER SETS VIRTUAL RICE FIELD DAY JULY 1
Fri, 05/22/2020 - 5:21pm
CROWLEY
The 2020 field day at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice
Research Station will be held online only because of the challenges caused by
the ongoing pandemic.
The internet presentations by Rice Research Station faculty will be available for viewing starting July 1 at www.LSUAgCenter.com/ricefieldday(link is external).
“This virtual field day will allow our scientists to make their presentations just like they have in the past,” said Don Groth, Rice Research Station resident coordinator. “We concluded this is the best option to keep our stakeholders and the public informed of the work we are doing at the Rice Research Station.”
Groth cited several advantages. Viewers can watch the presentations later on YouTube, and presenters will be able to include graphics in the talks that will add to the content.
The field tour will include talks on disease, insects, weeds, variety development, and an update on hybrid breeding and agronomics. For the first time, the field day will include a talk by Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant crawfish specialist, who is overseeing research at the station’s South Farm.
Also, poster presentations will be available in PowerPoint.
The event will wrap up with talks by Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture; Mike Salassi, AgCenter associate vice president for plant and animal sciences; Richard Fontenot, chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board; and Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Groth said he is hopeful the 2021 field day can return to a live event.
The internet presentations by Rice Research Station faculty will be available for viewing starting July 1 at www.LSUAgCenter.com/ricefieldday(link is external).
“This virtual field day will allow our scientists to make their presentations just like they have in the past,” said Don Groth, Rice Research Station resident coordinator. “We concluded this is the best option to keep our stakeholders and the public informed of the work we are doing at the Rice Research Station.”
Groth cited several advantages. Viewers can watch the presentations later on YouTube, and presenters will be able to include graphics in the talks that will add to the content.
The field tour will include talks on disease, insects, weeds, variety development, and an update on hybrid breeding and agronomics. For the first time, the field day will include a talk by Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant crawfish specialist, who is overseeing research at the station’s South Farm.
Also, poster presentations will be available in PowerPoint.
The event will wrap up with talks by Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture; Mike Salassi, AgCenter associate vice president for plant and animal sciences; Richard Fontenot, chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board; and Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Groth said he is hopeful the 2021 field day can return to a live event.
https://www.raynetoday.com/news-local-state-agriculture/lsu-agcenter-sets-virtual-rice-field-day-july-1
First ancient cultivated
rice discovered in Central Asia
IMAGE: SATELLITE IMAGERY OF KHALCHAYAN
AND SURFACE REMAINS WITHIN THE SITE. CREDIT: CHEN GUANHAN AND ZHOU XINYING,
IVPP view more
CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS
Rice has always been the most important food in Asia and the
world. About half of the population on earth use rice as their main food
source. The origin, spread, evolution, and ecological adaptation of cultivated
rice are still one of the most important issues which currently concerned by
global archaeologists, biologists, and agricultural scientists.
In recent years, archaeobotany and molecular biology studies have
shown the originally cultivated rice was domesticated into japonica rice (Oryza
sativa japonica) in the lower Yangtze region, China, 10000 years ago, then
spread to Japan, South and Southeast Asia. About 5000-4000 years ago, the
cultivated japonica rice spread to South Asia, hybridized with the native wild
rice, gradually form the indica rice (Oryza sativa indica) and become the main
crop in South Asia today.
However, in recent years, research on the origin and spread of
rice have mainly focused on East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. At
present, we still know very little about when and how rice spread into West
Asia, Europe, and Africa. The Central Asia region, as an important node in the
ancient Silk Road cannot be ignored, because it is the "crossroad" of
world civilization. Therefore, studying the time and location of rice emergence
in Central Asia can help us restore the spread process about of rice
agriculture and add an important part for the early crop globalization
research.
Recently, Li Xiaoqiang research group in Institute of Vertebrate
Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IVPP, CAS) and
other researchers in College of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, China,
Institute of Archaeology, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences reported their latest
research about the agricultural remain in Khalchayan site, Uzbekistan, which
published in the Science China: Earth Science. Researchers investigated 11
sites on the northern bank of the Amu Darya from Bronze Age to Arabian period
and found carbonized rice remain at Kalchayan site. With archaeobotany,
chronology method and other local archaeological records, researchers provide a
new physical evidence for the spread of rice to western Asia and the exchange
of eastern and western civilizations along the ancient Silk Road.
Khalchayan site is a city site in southeastern Uzbekistan.
Researchers use flotation method obtain large amount of botanical materials at
a cultural layer in southwest part of the site. The AMS 14C dating results
showed that the age of the rice remains in the site are 1714-1756 cal. B.P.,
which in Kushan period. In addition to the rice remains, carbonized wheat,
2-row barley, pea, millet, grapes, flax and other crops were recovered at the
site. These crops include both West Asian and East Asian origin, which
illustrates a diverse and complex oasis farming system. Because rice
cultivation requires a lot of heat and water then wheat and millet, make it
difficult to cultivate in arid regions in early times. But combining the
carbonized rice remains with the records of the irrigation system existing in
other local oases agricultural archeological sites during Kushan period,
researchers believe it has the possibility of cultivation rice locally during
that time.
Morphological studies show that the carbonized rice remains are
japonica rice, and their morphology is similar to the remains found in some
sites in southern China and northwestern India during the same period. That
indicating the possibility of rice in Central Asia was spread from South Asia.
Meanwhile, when rice appeared in Central Asia, Kushan Empire has already
established in northwest India and conquered most part of Central Asia and
South Asia. The imperial expansion and political unrest may have further fueled
the dispersal of crops across Inner Asia. The emergence of rice may also
indicate the beginning of the rice-based diet culture gradual integration with
the local wheat-based diet system in Central Asia and finally form Central Asia
diet system today, like baked dough (Naan), pilaf and barbecue.
The rice remains in Khalchayan site is the first well reported
rice remain in Central Asia. It is also one of the few ancient cultivated rice
found without in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a great value
for further understanding the exchange process of the early agricultural
activities in the Southern Himalayan route, and also provided a new evidence to
explain how rice further spreads westward to Iran, Europe, and Africa, where
rice cultivation activities exist today.
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/scp-fac052120.php
Coronavirus: Time to localise all food production, stabilise
cedi – ADB MD
Dr. John Kofi Mensah, Managing Director for
ADB
COVID-19 presents Ghanaians with the best
opportunity to localise the entire food production value chain in the country,
become less reliant on import of basics such as rice and poultry and finally
offer the best chance to sustained stability of the local currency, Dr. John Kofi
Mensah, Managing Director of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has said.
Speaking, in Accra, at the official launch of a GH¢500 million project to finance and localise the full value chain of poultry from day-old chick producers, to broiler production, feed millers, processors and distributors, by linking one chain to another, Dr. Mensah noted that the age old story of import substitution would be realised via this project.
“This is the time to be food sufficient and change the diet patterns of Ghanaians from consumption of foreign products to high standard local ones. Agribusiness is the key backbone of any developing economy and it is time all stakeholders take the bull by the horn and ADB is leading this charge,” he said.
Giving a breakdown of the project dubbed ‘Broiler Value Chain Financing Concept’, Dr. Mensah pointed out that the project also forms part of government’s agenda of reducing the importation of food products such as poultry into the country.
The project which identifies, links and finances players in the poultry value chain has so far been piloted in the Bono Region with six players in the value chain including input suppliers, producers, processors and market players.
The six players, who are being financed by ADB, have received a total of GH¢25 million with the least receiving GH¢1 million and the highest receiving GH¢9 million.
Ghana, annually spends more than US$1billion to import food including rice, poultry, cooking oil, and several others. Poultry alone accounts for US$300million and rice accounting for some US$400million.
Partnerships for expertise and cheaper finance
Forming partnerships with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) for technical expertise, Dr. Mensah noted that even though agriculture is considered a high risk venture, the bank is leaving no stone unturned to make sure all players in the value chain are provided with the right financing, expertise and insurance to get the products to market.
Also, the bank is working with the Ghana Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL), which is guaranteeing the loans, and the Outgrower Value Chain Fund, which is providing supports to help reduce the interest on loans for the value chain players so that the end products do not become more expensive than the imported ones.
“With these partnerships, the interest on these loans should eventually become so low it doesn’t go beyond 10 percent per annum. What this project seeks to achieve is revive the poultry industry, improve standards across the board so the end product competes favourably with imports and create serious jobs,” he said.
Dr. Mensah explained that by the end of the first phase of the project, which would see replication of what is happening in Bono Region in five other regions –Ashanti, Greater Accra, Eastern, Western and Central– at least 3,000 new jobs would be created and poultry farmers that produce 10,000 birds a month would be producing 50,000 birds a week.
The project, the Managing Director, added would also provide healthy and fresh proteins to Ghanaians, engender the production of maize and soya beans which are all major feed ingredients for broiler production, feed the hospitality industry when it revives after COVID-19 and help push ADB’s total loan book portfolio to GH¢4 billion by 2022.
On rice
For the rice sector, Dr. Mensah explained that the same format of linking one chain to another, financed by the same bank, advised by experts from MoFA, and the process guaranteed by OVCF and GIRSAL would be deployed. Thus, the chains of farmer, miller and distributor would be linked and monitored for success.
“The challenge with quality when it comes to local rice is simply because of timing. The rice millers are severely underfunded, which slows the whole process. When the rice is not milled on time, it loses its moisture thereby dropping the quality of the final product. But with ADB financing the growers, millers and marketers, the quality of the end product would be guaranteed.”
Speaking, in Accra, at the official launch of a GH¢500 million project to finance and localise the full value chain of poultry from day-old chick producers, to broiler production, feed millers, processors and distributors, by linking one chain to another, Dr. Mensah noted that the age old story of import substitution would be realised via this project.
“This is the time to be food sufficient and change the diet patterns of Ghanaians from consumption of foreign products to high standard local ones. Agribusiness is the key backbone of any developing economy and it is time all stakeholders take the bull by the horn and ADB is leading this charge,” he said.
Giving a breakdown of the project dubbed ‘Broiler Value Chain Financing Concept’, Dr. Mensah pointed out that the project also forms part of government’s agenda of reducing the importation of food products such as poultry into the country.
The project which identifies, links and finances players in the poultry value chain has so far been piloted in the Bono Region with six players in the value chain including input suppliers, producers, processors and market players.
The six players, who are being financed by ADB, have received a total of GH¢25 million with the least receiving GH¢1 million and the highest receiving GH¢9 million.
Ghana, annually spends more than US$1billion to import food including rice, poultry, cooking oil, and several others. Poultry alone accounts for US$300million and rice accounting for some US$400million.
Partnerships for expertise and cheaper finance
Forming partnerships with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) for technical expertise, Dr. Mensah noted that even though agriculture is considered a high risk venture, the bank is leaving no stone unturned to make sure all players in the value chain are provided with the right financing, expertise and insurance to get the products to market.
Also, the bank is working with the Ghana Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL), which is guaranteeing the loans, and the Outgrower Value Chain Fund, which is providing supports to help reduce the interest on loans for the value chain players so that the end products do not become more expensive than the imported ones.
“With these partnerships, the interest on these loans should eventually become so low it doesn’t go beyond 10 percent per annum. What this project seeks to achieve is revive the poultry industry, improve standards across the board so the end product competes favourably with imports and create serious jobs,” he said.
Dr. Mensah explained that by the end of the first phase of the project, which would see replication of what is happening in Bono Region in five other regions –Ashanti, Greater Accra, Eastern, Western and Central– at least 3,000 new jobs would be created and poultry farmers that produce 10,000 birds a month would be producing 50,000 birds a week.
The project, the Managing Director, added would also provide healthy and fresh proteins to Ghanaians, engender the production of maize and soya beans which are all major feed ingredients for broiler production, feed the hospitality industry when it revives after COVID-19 and help push ADB’s total loan book portfolio to GH¢4 billion by 2022.
On rice
For the rice sector, Dr. Mensah explained that the same format of linking one chain to another, financed by the same bank, advised by experts from MoFA, and the process guaranteed by OVCF and GIRSAL would be deployed. Thus, the chains of farmer, miller and distributor would be linked and monitored for success.
“The challenge with quality when it comes to local rice is simply because of timing. The rice millers are severely underfunded, which slows the whole process. When the rice is not milled on time, it loses its moisture thereby dropping the quality of the final product. But with ADB financing the growers, millers and marketers, the quality of the end product would be guaranteed.”
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Coronavirus-Time-to-localise-all-food-production-stabilise-cedi-ADB-MD-959332
Boro Harvest, Price: Farmers happy, yet experts worry
12:00 AM, May 23, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 01:26 AM, May
23, 2020
High paddy price, stockpiling may affect retail market of rice
Farm labourers hold Boro crops harvested from a flooded
field in Chalan Beel area of Natore's Singra. Photo: star
Anticipating an increased demand
for food grain, a section of rice millers and wholesalers are exhibiting
stockpiling tendencies, pushing up the price of the recently harvested Boro
paddy.
Since the coronavirus pandemic led
to a countrywide shutdown, people have been buying more rice, feeling insecure
about its future availability.
To cash on this behaviour, rice
millers and wholesalers are buying Boro paddy in large volumes at Tk 250 to Tk
400 per maund (40 kg) -- more than what they paid last year.
Though high paddy prices are making
farmers happy, it may affect the retail price of rice, making the staple
unaffordable to millions of low-income people, who lost their income during the
pandemic, experts fear.
To keep the rice market under
control, economists have urged the government to increase its food grain stock
by purchasing more paddy.
WHAT FARMERS SAY
Talking to farmers from districts
with higher Boro production, our correspondents reported that the paddy price
is ranging between Tk 650 to Tk 800 per maund. Last year, around this time the
paddy was selling for an average of Tk 500 per maund.
Farmer Ratiranjan Das from
Madhyanagar of Sunamganj's Dharmapasha upazila is seeing good production after
several years of bad yield and low prices.
"The price is ranging between
Tk 650 to Tk 780 taka per maund in the local bazaar depending on the variety,
quality and moisture content of paddy," he informed.
In Mymensingh, the price of paddy
has gone up to as high as Tk 800 per maund, said Ali Asgar, a farmer of
Chargobindapur of the district.
"The price of Boro paddy is
around Tk 600 to Tk 700 per maund depending on variety. It was around Tk 400 to
Tk 450 last year," said farmer Abdul Gani of Dolua Dogachhi village of
Nilphamari Sadar upazila.
However, farmers of Moulvibazar and
Netrokona are not getting very high prices yet.
"In local bazaars of
Moulvibazar, the price is ranging between Tk 550 to Tk 600 per maund",
said Mosabbir Ali, a farmer of Bhukshimoil of Kulaura upazila in the district.
In Netrokona's remote areas, buyers
are deducting the cost of transportation from the purchase price so farmers are
getting less money, said Dilip Talukder of Chakua village in the district's
Khaliajhuri upazila.
Abidur Rahman Kayes, a rice trader
of Kazirbazar in Sylhet, said, "The price of new rice from the fresh Boro
harvest is ranging between Tk 1,400 to Tk 1,500 per maund and is increasing
because of the rising paddy price."
Compared to last year, the price of
new rice is higher, he added.
WHAT MILLERS SAY
"Millers, wholesalers,
middleman, small traders -- everyone with money is buying paddy now to make
profit as the demand is likely to increase due to the coronavirus
pandemic," said Ashrafur Rahman Chowdhury, general secretary of Sunamganj
Rice Mill Malik Samity.
He said around 4,500 millers under
the Samity are buying at least 500 maunds more rice than last year.
Although a bumper harvest of the
Boro paddy is expected this year, Md Tareq Anam, national sales manager (rice)
of Rashid Group, one of the biggest rice millers in the country noted that
recent rainfall affected the crop in some areas in Jashore.
Besides, harvest is not yet
complete because of labour shortage, he added.
"The supply of rice has
reduced in the market because of humanitarian aid by individuals and groups.
Some consumers are also stockpiling fearing uncertainty. As a result, traders
are refilling their stock," he said.
KM Layek Ali, general secretary of
the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mills Association, said millers are buying
paddy to supply to state godowns as per the contract with the government.
Besides, cultivation of fine grain
appears to be less this year compared to the previous season. As a result,
millers, who market fine rice such as miniket, are buying more to build stock
for the whole year.
GOVT MEASURES NEEDED
Although the government doubled its
paddy procurement quantity this year and has started buying eight lakh tonnes
of paddy, 10 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice and 1.5 lakh tonnes of sunburnt
rice, experts opine it should be increased further.
"The government is purchasing
around 10 percent of the total production of Boro. But to influence the market
price during the pandemic, the stock must be increased," said Professor
Jasim Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Agricultural Economics and Policy department of
Sylhet Agriculture University.
This year, the targeted production
of Boro paddy is 2.04 crore tonnes from 47.54 lakh hectares of land, as per the
Department of Agriculture Extension.
"As the government can't build
new storage overnight, they should rent unused buildings. The more paddy in
government storage, the more the market will be in control," said the
professor.
However, Md Amzad Hossain, director
of Supply, Distribution and Marketing Division of the Directorate General of
Food, said,
"We are facing an
unpredictable situation due to the coronavirus pandemic and some people are
buying paddy to stockpile for profit."
He added, "It is too early to
comment on what will happen in future as it all depends on how long we will be
in such a pandemic situation."
[Our Nilphamari Correspondent EAM
Asaduzzaman, Mymensingh Correspondent Aminul Islam and Moulvibazar
Correspondent Mintu Deshwara contributed to this report]
https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/boro-harvest-price-farmers-happy-yet-experts-worry-1905238
Surjewala slams BJP-JJP govt in Haryana for imposing curbs on
paddy cultivation
The Congress leaders claimed that it will
deprive farmers from cultivating the crop in about 4.5 lakh acres of land and
demanded immediate withdrawal of the order.
Updated: May 22, 2020 18:33 IST
By HT
Correspondent , Hindustan Times, Karnal
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala
on Friday slammed the BJP-JJP government in Haryana for imposing curbs on paddy
cultivation in the state and claimed that it will deprive farmers from
cultivating the crop in about 4.5 lakh acres of land.
Surjewala, who along with three
other party leaders staged a protest at Kurukshetra’s Shahbad, demanded
immediate withdrawal of the order under which farmers have been asked to
diversify at least 50% of their last-year cultivated paddy area by growing
alternate crops in eight blocks of the state including Ratia, Siwan, Pipli,
Shahbad, Babain, Ismailabad, Guhla and Sirsa.
“How can you prevent farmers from
cultivating paddy on their own land and threaten to punish them by denying MSP
for paddy and other due benefits in case they still choose to grow this crop,”
he said.
Surjewala said the
Khattar-Chautala government is punishing farmers of northern Haryana in guise
of the ‘Jal Hi Jeevan Hai’ scheme. “The BJP-JJP government’s order to ban paddy
cultivation in several blocks of the state is not acceptable to the farmers,”
he added.
He said all ministers, MP and
MLAs should oppose the order of the state government and if they cannot protect
farmers, rice millers and traders, then they have lost the moral right as
people’s representative and should tender their resignation.
Surjewala alleged that the crop
diversification scheme by the Khattar government was a conspiracy to eventually
stop the procurement of paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by discouraging a
large number of farmers from cultivating the crop.
:https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/surjewala-slams-bjp-jjp-govt-in-haryana-for-imposing-curbs-on-paddy-cultivation/story-
How Much Arsenic Are You Eating?
Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.
Journal of Gluten Sensitivity Spring 2009
Issue. NOTE: This article is from a back issue of our popular subscription-only
paper newsletter. Some content may be outdated.
Caption: A farmer harvests his rice. Image: CC BY 2.0--udeyismail
Celiac.com 05/23/2020 - Although large doses of arsenic are
deadly, many of us are consuming small quantities of this poison on a daily
basis. It comes to us in our drinking water and in some of our foods,
especially rice. Small doses of arsenic are considered harmless. It
is a natural substance, traces of which are found in most soils. However,
chronic intake or larger doses of arsenic cause an increased risk of cancers of
the liver, skin, lung, and bladder. Still larger doses are well documented
to result in multi-system organ failure and death. Unfortunately, this
ubiquitous substance seems to have an affinity for rice, especially in the
bran. Rice is a common substitute, among gluten sensitive individuals,
for gluten-containing flours. Since we are more likely to eat more rice
than the national average, we may also ingest more of this toxic and dangerous
chemical. Thus, it may be prudent to learn more about the carcinogenic
properties of arsenic and just how large the arsenic content of rice really is.
Reznikova and her associates have postulated a theory explaining
how arsenic causes skin cancer (1). Meanwhile, Lorraine Heller, reporting
for Nutraingredients.com, states that there are no safe levels of arsenic when
it comes to cancer risk. She quotes Professor A. Meharg as saying
that ingestion of even the tiniest quantities of arsenic “will have an
associated cancer risk” (2). One reporter for the “Mail Online” has
asserted that “Arsenic is believed to be particularly associated with a higher
risk of bladder and lung cancer” (3). Liao and associates have reported
data suggesting a linear relationship between internal cancers and arsenic
exposure (4) while Chen, et. al. indicated that patients with
arsenic related cancers have decreased survival rates (5). Further, Lubin
et. al. report that workers who breathe airborne arsenic from the
air in copper smelters have a dose-dependent, increasing risk of
developing lung cancer (6).
Animal studies conducted by Lantz et. al.
also indicate that exposure to arsenic in utero and infancy, in addition
to causing an elevated risk of lung cancer, also induces permanent damage to
pulmonary structure and function (7). Cox has even suggested that the
removal of arsenic from tobacco may reduce or eliminate the increased risk of
some types of lung cancer related to smoking (8).
Rice grown in paddies is more likely to contain higher
concentrations of arsenic if it is available in irrigation or ground water (9).
While industrial effluent is one important contributor to arsenic
concentrations (10) professor Meharg has also pointed out that cotton
production in the past often relied heavily on arsenic pesticides.
Residues of these pesticides are now being assimilated by rice crops
being grown in former cotton fields (3). This may explain why researchers
are finding disturbing arsenic concentrations in rice grown in parts of
Arkansas, Louisana, and Mississippi. These regions are producing rice
that has arsenic concentrations that are three to five times the concentrations
in rice grown in California (3).
Brown or whole grain rice is particularly problematic. The
bran of rice is not only where most of the arsenic is concentrated (11) this
bran also contains anti-nutrients that interfere with mineral absorption.
(I won’t pursue this latter issue any further, as I have raised this
concern in previous articles.)
Of particular concern is the traditional recommendation that
infants be started on solid food in the form of rice pablum. Professor
Meharg pointed to several groups that consume relatively large quantities of
rice, including infants and individuals eating a gluten-free diet (12).
Meharg points out that “The majority of babyfood has relatively high
levels of arsenic—the top end of the range”. He goes on to say that given
their body weight, children are eating relatively larger quantities of arsenic
in rice, rice pudding, rice crackers, and powdered rice” (12). Rice bran
is of particular concern because this is where the arsenic is more concentrated
(13).
Given the potential for arsenic-induced, permanent lung damage,
increased risks for a variety of internal and skin cancers, and a general
reduction of life expectancy, we need to pay attention to several facets of
rice cultivation, particularly as there are farming methods and fertilizers
that can reduce the uptake of arsenic by rice. We need to be aware that
consumption of rice in large quantities, over long periods, may be damaging to
our health. We also need to start children on solid foods that are less
likely to have a poisonous impact. In addition to its highly glycemic
nature, rice is far from an ideal infant food because of the phytates it
contains. The arsenic is assimilated by rice whenever rice is cultivated
in areas with elevated levels of arsenic in the water and/or soil, in the
absence of special farming techniques or special fertilizers. I recommend
that we all be conservative in our consumption of rice, avoid rice bran or
brown rice, and completely ignore the “superfood” claims for rice bran.
It is particularly important that rice not be fed, in significant
quantity, to infants.
Sources:
1.
Reznikova
TV, Phillips MA, Rice RH.Arsenite suppresses Notch1 signaling in human
keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Jan;129(1):155-61.
Epub 2008 Jul 17.
2.
Heller
L, Rice bran contains high arsenic levels. www.nutraingredients.com Aug
26, 2008
3.
Rice
tainted by arsenic ‘raises cancer risk’ Mail Online www.dailymail.co.uk March
23, 2007
4.
Liao
CM, Shen HH, Chen CL, Hsu LI, Lin TL, Chen SC, Chen CJ. Risk assessment
of arsenic-induced internal cancer at long-term low dose exposure. J
Hazard Mater. 2008 Nov 5.
5.
Chen
CH, Chiou HY, Hsueh YM, Chen CJ, Yu HJ, Pu YS. Clinicopathological
Characteristics and Survival Outcome of Arsenic Related Bladder Cancer in
Taiwan. J Urol. 2008 Dec 11.
6.
Lubin
JH, Moore LE, Fraumeni JF Jr, Cantor KP. Respiratory cancer and inhaled
inorganic arsenic in copper smelters workers: a linear relationship with
cumulative exposure that increases with concentration. Environ Health
Perspect. 2008 Dec;116(12):1661-5.
7.
Lantz
RC, Chau B, Sarihan P, Witten ML, Pivniouk VI, Chen GJ. In utero and
postnatal exposure to arsenic alters pulmonary structure and function.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2008 Nov 27.
8.
Cox
LA. Could Removing Arsenic from Tobacco Smoke Significantly Reduce Smoker
Risks of Lung Cancer? Jr.Risk Anal. 2008 Nov 5.
9.
Bogdan
K, Schenk MK. Arsenic in rice (Oryza sativa L.) related to dynamics of
arsenic and silicic acid in paddy soils. Environ Sci Technol. 2008
Nov 1;42(21):7885-90.
10.
Mandal
BK, Suzuki KT. Talanta. Arsenic round the world: a review.
2002 Aug 16;58(1):201-35.
11.
Brahic
C, Superfood rice bran contains arsenic. www.newscientist.com Aug.
22, 2008
12.
Clover
C, ‘Dangerous’ levels of arsenic in 10pc of rice. www.telegraph.co.uk Aug
29, 2007
13.
Sun
GX, Williams PN, Carey AM, Zhu YG, Deacon C, Raab A, Feldmann J, Islam RM,
Meharg AA. Inorganic arsenic in rice bran and its products are an order
of magnitude higher than in bulk grain. Environ Sci Technol. 2008
Oct 1;42(19):7542-6.
14.
Mandal
BK, Susuki KT, Arsenic round the world: a review. Talanta, Aug 16, 2002
16;58(1): 201-35.
15.
Ma
JF, Yamaji N, Mitani N, Xu XY, Su YH, McGrath SP, Zhao FJ. Transporters
of arsenite in rice and their role in arsenic accumulation in rice grain.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jul 22;105(29):9931-5. Epub
2008 Jul 14.
16.
Chen
XP, Zhu YG, Hong MN, Kappler A, Xu YX. EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF
NITROGEN FERTILIZERS ON ARSENIC UPTAKE BY RICE PLANTS. Environ Toxicol
Chem. 2007 Nov 20:1.
·
About Me
As co-author of "Dangerous Grains" and "Cereal
Killers", the study of the impact of gluten continues to be a driving
passion in my life. I am fascinated by the way that gluten induces illness and
impedes learning while it alters mood, behavior, and a host of other facets of
our existence. Sure, the impact of gluten on health is an important issue, but
that is only the most obvious area of impact. Mood disturbances, learning
disabilities, and the loss of quality of life due to psychiatric and
neurological illness are even more tragic than the plethora of physical
ailments that are caused or worsened by gluten. The further I go down this
rabbit hole, the more I realize that grains are a good food for ruminants - not
people. I am a retired school teacher. Over the last decade, I have done some
college and university level teaching, but the bulk of my teaching career was
spent working with high school students. My Web page is: www.DangerousGrains.com
https://www.celiac.com/articles.html/how-much-arsenic-are-you-eating-r5191/
Sri Lanka
trade controls extended, license regime in import substitution drive
Saturday
May 23, 2020 16:13:26
·
ECONOMYNEXT
– Sri Lanka has extended import bans for three months on a wide variety of
goods and started a license regime on other goods in an import substitution
drive after money printing brought currency pressure on top a Coronavirus
crisis.
Sri
Lanka is relying on a law widely in the 1970s to control imports and cripple
economic activities in th 1970s as the central bank was unable to deal with the
collapse of the Bretton Woods system which also sent oil prices up.
But
the controls are now coming despite oil prices falling.
The
bewildering array of controls including outright bans, halting imports under
licensing, allowing import if there is export value addition of 20 percent.
The
import of a series of items have been banned for 90 days from April 16.
Some
items have been banned except under a under licensing procedure for 90 days
from May 22.
However
exporters would be allowed to import inputs if they use funds in foreign
currency banking unit or if it is financed by the foreign buyers.
Some
items have been allowed under a if there is 20 percent value addition in export
and if the funds are brought back to Sri Lanka within 60 days.
Some
items are allowed if there are no domestic inputs and value addition is 35
percent. They would be allowed if they are financed by foreign buyers on 30-60
days credit.
Some
items such as sugar, cement or palm oil are allowed under 180 day suppliers
credit or using or using foreign currency banking unit deposits
These
items banned for 90 days from April 16 include ornamental fish, fish fillets,
vegetable and rice including basmati rice and broken rice.
Rice
imports have been banned as price controls triggered shortages in the domestic
markets.
Flour
from grains other than wheat flour, peanuts, chewing gum, confectionery,
chocolate, spaghetti, biscuits, aerated waters, beer and vinegar.
Building
materials such as marble, quartz, granite, paints, plastic pipes, water and
bathroom fittings, flooring, windows, doors, panels, curtains, ceramic tiles.
Many
plastic items.vehicle tyres, suitcases, leather goods, furniture, clothing,
slips, jackets, pantyhose, scarves, ties, shoes, hats.
Perfumes,
colognes, sunscreen, make-up, deodorants, shaving foam,
These
includes arecanut, pepper, dried fruits, some aerated waters, cement and
concrete items, piston engines, marine engines, buses, engine parts.
Download Import-control-list-lgfull import control and
licensing order from here.
The
controls are coming despite Sri Lanka making strong gains and are ahead of many
other countries and the central bank injected large volumes of money in March
amid spike in private credit.
Private
credit is expected to ease and domestic consumption had already fallen due to
curfews.
Many
private firms are already in trouble before the import controls
Economists
have analysts have called for reform of the central bank and curtailing its
ability to inject excess liquidity to trigger currency pressure and allow
economic agents to carry out their activities in peace. (Colombo/May23/2020)
https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-trade-controls-extended-license-regime-in-import-substitution-drive-70281/
No Subsidy for Rice Import
No Subsidy for Rice
Import
The government will no longer
allocate subsidized foreign currency at the rate of 42,000 rials per US dollar
for rice imports, Fars News Agency quoted the head of Rice Importers
Association, Abbas Tavakkoli, as saying.
Rice importers are allowed to procure their forex requirements
from the export earnings of non-oil products (petrochemicals, steels and
minerals) traded through the so-called secondary FX market, known by its
Persian acronym Nima.
Following the re-tanking of the national currency in early 2017,
the government introduced stringent rules like banning the import of
non-essential goods, especially those produced inside the country (known as
Group IV goods).
https://financialtribune.com/articles/domestic-economy/103498/no-subsidy-for-rice-import
DA-10
hands over P6.1-M machinery to farmers in Bukidnon
By
Nef Luczon May
24, 2020, 3:18 pm
·
AGRICULTURAL
INTERVENTION PROGRAM. Representatives
of farmer organizations in Talakag, Bukidnon receive a farm tractor which is
part of the Department of Agriculture Region 10's (DA-10) agricultural
intervention program. The DA-10 has provided PHP6.1 million worth of machinery
to farmers organizations in the area. (Photo courtesy DA-10)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of
Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-10) has provided PHP6.1 million worth of
machinery to farmers organizations as part of its agricultural interventions
program.
Under
the DA-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) machinery and
equipment, the local government of Talakag, Bukidnon received three units of
35-horsepower mini four-wheel drive farm tractors with implements and two units
of corn mechanical sheller amounting to PHP3.2 million.
The
Upper Patag Growers and Farmers Associations, Inc. of Lantapan, Bukidnon got
one unit rice combine harvester and one unit 35-horsepower four-wheel drive
farm tractors with implements which include rotavator and trailer worth PHP2.6
million.
“The
need to increase the level of farm mechanization to produce more food
efficiency and quality will be beneficial both for farmers and consumers,”
Carlene Collado, officer-in-charge-regional executive director of DA-10, said
on Saturday.
He
said the machinery will boost farming activities and ensure high production and
reduce postharvest losses.
Collado
cited a DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization
(DA-PhilMech) report indicating that postharvest losses in corn and rice are
7.18 percent and 16.47 percent, respectively, from harvesting, piling, hauling,
shelling, drying and storage.
Collado
thus underscored the need for farmers to adopt the different agri-machinery and
equipment innovations to increase the country’s mechanization rate from 2.31
horsepower per hectare to 4 horsepower per hectare.
“Dako
ug ikatabang ang mga makinarya kay ang wala na develop nga yuta tungod kay
kulang sa galamiton maka expand na. Dako pasalamat namo sa Ginoo nga natabangan
mi sa DA (The machinery would be a big help in developing and expanding our
farm. We’re thankful to God with DA's assistance),” Reynaldo Berdi, president
of Dominorog Small Farmers Association of Dominorog, Talakag, Bukidnon, said.
DA-SAAD
is a locally-funded program of the agency that addresses poverty alleviation
among the marginalized sectors in agri-fishery.
Through
this program, provinces with high poverty incidence rates have been given
assistance in agri-fisheries since 2017.
Also
included in the turnover of agri-interventions were six units of 500-egg
capacity automatic egg incubators amounting to PHP306,372 under the livestock
program of the agency.
The
project aims to provide livelihood enterprise to qualified recipients who may
engage in balut business, selling of days-old-chicks, and production of live
chicken or poultry meat.
The
incubator comes with a module of 10 male and 100 female chicken or ducks as
start-up agribusiness kit.
Six
association-beneficiaries in Bukidnon received one unit each of egg incubator,
comprising the Quabra Farmers Cooperative and Ambong Women’s Organization of
Impasug-ong; Dologon Fisherfolk Livelihood Association of Maramag; Bethany
Christian Home for Children of Talakag; Kalilangan Cassava Farmers Association
of Kalilangan, and J.A Agro Employees Farmers Beneficiary Association of
Quezon. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1103785
Volunteers help expand COVID-19 testing across Bangladesh
Published: 23 May 2020 11:34 PM BdST Updated: 23 May 2020 11:34 PM BdST
·
·
·
·
Ever since the first cases of the
coronavirus were reported in Bangladesh, experts have stressed the need to
expand the country's testing capacity in order to gauge the scope of the
outbreak and formulate effective steps to mitigate its impact on public health.
RELATED STORIES
At the same time, discussions also centred on the lack of
trained professionals to test samples for COVID-19, highlighting how unprepared
the country was initially to deal with the impending crisis.
Tests for the coronavirus infection only started being conducted
outside Dhaka two and a half months after the first COVID-19 patient was
detected in the country. The process was made easier by the relentless efforts
of a group of volunteer researchers who identified themselves as biologists.
The team is constantly visiting different parts of
the country to set up testing laboratories. From collecting samples of
suspected COVID-19 cases to using kits and determining the results, the
volunteers are taking a hands-on approach to teaching doctors and medical
technologists everything the testing process entails.
After the spread of the coronavirus infection across the
country, the health directorate decided to increase the number of COVID-19
testing laboratories. Sample test kits (RT-PCRs) are now being installed in
different medical colleges across the country. The kits are supplied and
installed by a private company.
The team of biologists, who have been instrumental in keeping
RT-PCRs operational from the beginning of the crisis, is being led by ASM
Shamim, general secretary of the Graduate Biochemists Association, Habibul Bari
Shozib, senior scientific officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute,
Richard Malo, a post-doctoral fellow of Dhaka University Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Noorjahan Maliha of Dhaka University
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and Sabrina Moriom Elias,
assistant professor of Independent University, Bangladesh.
The volunteers are working to introduce the RT-PCR
kits in Dhaka, Faridpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Mugda Medical College,
Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, Kumirtola General Hospital, Armed
Forces Institute of Pathology, National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and
Referral Centre, according to ASM Shamim.
They are presently focussing their attention on Kushtia Medical
College Hospital, Cumilla Medical College, a 300-bed hospital in Narayanganj
and Sirajganj M Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital.
The RT-PCR machines are being installed in the microbiology
departments of different hospitals, Shamim told bdnews24.com. After its
placement, sample tests are carried out by physicians, microbiologists and
medical technologists.
“Sample testing for the coronavirus is a bit complicated because
it is a new process, especially for those who do not work full-time in the
laboratory. This is where trained people are needed.”
"The COVID-19 test depends on a lot of things.
You have to collect samples first. Then comes sample processing. Afterwards,
the processed samples have to be run through an RT-PCR machine. Physicians,
supporting staff and technologists are given training on generating test
results.”
The start of the journey was not very smooth, according to
Shozib. The volunteers wanted to use their experiences during the crisis and
had contacted the health directorate regarding the matter. But they did not
receive any positive feedback.
The team later contacted an overseas marketing company, which
supplies RT-PCR machines, through a colleague.
Ashraful Alam, chairman of the microbiology department at
Faridpur Medical College, said the laboratory would not have been possible
without the help of biologists.
Their efforts have also drawn praise from DGHS Additional
Director General Nasima Sultana.
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/05/23/volunteers-help-expand-covid-19-testing-across-bangladesh
Farmers in Ambala anxious over labour shortage ahead
of paddy sowing season
Harvinder
Singh, a farmer from Sonda village near Hisar Road said his labourers were like
family to him, but they left a few days ago due to panic and rumours without
informing him
Updated:
May 24, 2020 22:29 IST
By Bhavey Nagpal , Hindustan Times,
Chandigarh
As
migrant labourers continue to leave for their hometowns, farmers’ anxiety is
shooting through the roof ahead of the paddy sowing season in the region.
After
facing a similar problem during wheat harvest, farmers in Ambala are bracing
for another period of labour shortage. Paddy is grown on nearly 80,000 hectares
of land in the district.
Harvinder
Singh, a farmer from Sonda village near Hisar Road said his labourers were like
family to him, but they left a few days ago due to panic and rumours without
informing him.
“There
were around 15 labourers from Bihar working for years with us, but many of them
believed that they might get stuck here if the impact of this pandemic
increases. Sowing paddy will be a challenge for us without them. There is no
support regarding machinery from the government, but we are expecting something
in the economic package from the Centre,” he said.
Another
farmer from Ambala said that he even offered ration and medical services to his
labourers, but they insisted on leaving due to the infection scare. The farmer
said this time he may have to sow paddy seeds with the help of his family.
This
season comes as a test even for the state government after it altered some
rules of paddy farming under the ‘mera paani, meri virasat’ scheme in many
districts, including Ambala, owing to depleting water table in these areas.
Terming
the labour engaged in paddy sowing as a sociological aspect, Ambala deputy
director of agriculture (DDA) Girish Nagpal said, “This will boost
mechanisation of agriculture through DSR (direct seeding of rice) equipment
that are in great demand nowadays and subsidies will also be dispersed for the
same. While there is no study as of now on this elevating their profitability,
but the technique will definitely make the sowing compact and timely.”
About
the new scheme, the DDA said, “In Ambala, availing the scheme is a choice as
water depletion is not that bad. Till now, farmers with 1,000 acres of land
have given their consent for it and we are hoping for more in the future.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/farmers-in-ambala-anxious-over-labour-shortage-ahead-of-paddy-sowing-season/story-6pGilXvYoxBQQMI2WCwVQP.htm
Arkansas
farmers struggling to regain footholdsBut they’re facing another tough year
by Ginny Monk, Stephen
Simpson | Today at 9:27 a.m.
Conway County cattle farmer Tiffany Williams stands
in a sand-cov- ered field after the 2019 flooding. She said the sand has
created an environment where only weeds can grow easily.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
When the Arkansas River flooded
last spring, farmers already were wading through economic insecurity caused in
part by a federal trade war with China.
Then floodwaters overwhelmed
levees, wiped out crops, damaged farm infrastructure and buried grazing land in
sand across much of Arkansas, while wreaking billions in farm damage through
the nation's south-central region.
Despite government aid programs
such as the Farm Bill and supplemental programs designed to help, many Arkansas
farmers are still suffering, agriculture experts and farmers said.
A second year of harsh weather --
too wet for some plants, too cold for others -- has slowed crop production.
Rates of rice, cotton and
soybeans that have been planted are lower than the averages for 2015 to 2019,
according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For example, in the week ending
May 17, Arkansas farmers had planted 76% of their rice. On average for the past
five years, farmers had planted 88%.
Rice generally should be planted
by May 15, experts said. Arkansas is the leading U.S. producer of rice.
Vic Ford, associate director of
agriculture and natural resources at the University of Arkansas System's
Division of Agriculture, said he couldn't recall a time with two back-to-back
years of such bad weather for farmers.
He said farmers are "way
behind" on corn, and that while cotton can be planted, it may not grow
well in the cooler weather. If cotton doesn't grow quickly, he said, farmers
have to contend with pests on the crop.
Andrew Grobmyer, executive
director of the nonprofit Agricultural Council of Arkansas, said last year's
flooding had a large impact on the rice crop and that economic issues caused by
the covid-19 pandemic could negatively affect farmers further.
"It's really two bad years
back to back, and that's putting a lot of pressure economics-wise on the
farming community," said Ford, who works in the division's cooperative
extension service. "Because you've had a bad year, and [it] looks like you
are going to have another one.
"The unknown and uncertainty
creates a very volatile market."
Much of the problem comes from
mounds of sand the river deposited on cropland, Ford added. Crops can't grow in
sand, and it chokes out grazing grass for livestock such as cattle.
Sand deposits more than a foot
deep need to be removed, Ford said.
Tiffany Williams, a cattle farmer
in Conway County, said the sand on her fields has created an environment where
only weeds can grow easily.
"You're trying to come back
and build another layer of topsoil again," she said. "We're doing it
however we can."
Problems at her farm after the
flooding included damage to fences, washed-out roads and deep holes in fields
created by swirling water. Holes ranged from 20 feet to 200 feet wide, Williams
said.
Damage to pastures, which are
home to about 500 cattle, is documented in a video Williams created in 2019 to
draw attention to the flooding's effects. Although she's applied for federal
assistance, she hasn't gotten it yet, she said.
"We can salvage our
farm," she added. "There's a lot of people who could not salvage
their farm."
The sand has caused problems for
farmers around the state, particularly in the River Valley area, Ford said.
County Judge Jim Baker of
Faulkner County said acres of agricultural land in his jurisdiction were
completely washed out or ruined by sand.
"We are just trying to get
some kind of crop planted this year because of it," he said. "We are
now seeing the real effects of the flood."
Kevin Lawson, Faulkner County
extension staff chairman, said the situation was unique because farmers knew
the flood was coming and had time to move cattle and equipment to safe areas.
Williams said neighbors on higher
ground allowed her and other cattle farmers to keep livestock on their land,
resulting in fields that were overcrowded until the animals could be returned.
"There's been floods over
the past five years, but not like this," she said.
Lawson said producers worked hard
to get their fields operational again, but many are still working to get
federal assistance.
"There was a lot of sand
left behind," he said. "The sand I witnessed on some acres of land
was really deep."
Other farmers on low plains in
east Arkansas are seeing more flooding than a decade ago and haven't been able
to plant this year because of increased rainfall.
Jackie Prince, who owns an
1,800-acre family farm, said his farm has been underwater nearly the whole
year. He rotates his crop among soybeans, rice and grain sorghum.
It'll take at least a week to 10
days for the ground to dry once the water recedes, he said, leaving him little
time to plant. June 20 is the last day he thinks he'll be able to have a chance
at planting, and ideally he'd be in the fields planting in April or early May.
"My whole farm is
underwater, as we speak, again this year," Prince said. "We're
rapidly approaching a period of time when it's too late to plant."
From 2018 into last year, the
land was flooded from November to July, he said. He knows to expect flooding
during winter months because of the location of his property, but the past few
years have been different.
The deluge is caused by multiple
factors, including a halt to dredging of the Cache River, changes to the flow
of the river through dams, and other regulatory adjustments.
Last year, when he wasn't able to
plant, he and those who work on his farm picked up jobs such as welding,
remodeling houses and helping neighbors on their farms, Prince said.
"It's just becoming a way of
life over here in east Arkansas," he said of the flooding.
Although he realizes his land is
a flood risk, the recent water damage is the worst his family can remember.
"It's really been
frustrating trying to make a living the way we have for generations, but doing
it this way," Prince said.
The effects of two years of bad
weather will ripple beyond farmers, Grobmyer said. Other businesses that
provide supplies to farmers, sell their crops or use them in products could
also be hurt.
The 2019 flooding "was felt
not only on the farm but throughout the rural economy. ... You have a lot of
other businesses that are affected," he said.
These stresses combined can put
extra pressure on farmers' mental health, Ford said.
The Division of Agriculture
established two programs in March 2019 to address mental health concerns and
suicides in rural communities. One, called "Managing Stress and Pursuing
Wellness in Times of Tight Margins" or "Farm Stress," is a
one-hour program that offers information about stress management, depression
and suicide, according to a news release.
It's a way to communicate to
farmers "you're not in this alone, and you know that there are folks that
can help you during this time," Ford said.
Statistics from the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention show that workers in farming, fishing and
forestry industries have some of the highest suicide rates of all professions.
Increased rates of mental health problems have also been linked to more rural
populations.
"It's putting a lot of
stress, and a lot of folks are just trying to stay in business, just trying to
keep things rolling," Ford said.
A Section on 05/25/2020
https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2020/may/25/farmers-struggling-to-regain-footholds-/
4,770 rice farmers in Negros Occidental get P23.86M in cash
subsidy
BACOLOD. One of the small rice farmers in Negros Occidental who
were able to receive the P5,000 in cash assistance from the Department of
Agriculture through its Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers program recently.
(Capitol Photo)
May 25, 2020
OVER 4,770 small rice farmers in Negros Occidental have received
about P23.86 million worth of cash assistance from the Department of
Agriculture (DA) through its Financial Subsidy to Rice Farmers (FSRF) program.
Engineer Jose Albert Barrogo, DA-Western Visayas team leader for Negros Occidental, told SunStar Bacolod that the amount covers qualified farmers from 17 localities in the province since the payout distribution started on May 18.
Barrogo said they form part of the 25,486 submitted registered farmers with a total allocation of almost P128 million.
"The total number of qualified farmers is actually beyond our initial target of 20,488 in Negros Occidental," he said, adding that the release of P5,000 for each of the farmers is through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
The subsidy is a sort of social amelioration intended to allay possible adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis among small rice farmers.
Under the FSRF program, those who are qualified are those with farm areas of one hectare and below.
The DA has allocated P3 billion for the recipient-rice farmers in the country.
In Negros Occidental alone, the DA has already distributed the assistance to 330 farmers in Victorias City, 422 in Silay City, 502 in Sagay City, 43 in Bacolod City, 50 in Toboso, 50 in Pulupandan, 28 in Pontevedra, 214 in Talisay City, 90 in San Enrique, 783 in San Carlos City, 363 in Bago City, 65 in Murcia, 206 in Valladolid, 527 in Candoni, 326 Sipalay City, 88 Hinoba-an and 687 in Cadiz City.
Barrogo said there are still remaining farmers in these cities and towns as well as in other localities in the province who are yet to receive the P5,000 subsidy.
In fact, there is a scheduled distribution in Silay City, Calatrava and Manapla on May 26.
On May 27, distribution will be in La Castellana, Moises Padilla and La Carlota; May 28 - Ilog; May 29 - Cauayan; and May 30 - Kabankalan City and Himamaylan City.
Barrogo said there is no final schedule yet for the payout distribution in towns of Hinigaran, Isabela and Binalbagan.
"We target to fully distribute the subsidy in the province within this month, the latest is early part of June," he said, adding that recipient-farmers are reminded to bring necessary requirements when receiving their assistance. These include photocopy of their identification card (ID).
For those rice farmers who are not able to go to the venue of distribution, the LBP allows authorization letter with the ID of the authorized representative.
For the farmers affected by the lockdown in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, authorization and IDs of the recipient and his representative are also required.
Also, it should be attested by their respective City and Municipal Agriculture Offices, Barrogo added.
He earlier urged farmers to use such aid for their basic needs as well as farm inputs like seeds and fertilizers in preparation for the first cropping season.
Engineer Jose Albert Barrogo, DA-Western Visayas team leader for Negros Occidental, told SunStar Bacolod that the amount covers qualified farmers from 17 localities in the province since the payout distribution started on May 18.
Barrogo said they form part of the 25,486 submitted registered farmers with a total allocation of almost P128 million.
"The total number of qualified farmers is actually beyond our initial target of 20,488 in Negros Occidental," he said, adding that the release of P5,000 for each of the farmers is through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
The subsidy is a sort of social amelioration intended to allay possible adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis among small rice farmers.
Under the FSRF program, those who are qualified are those with farm areas of one hectare and below.
The DA has allocated P3 billion for the recipient-rice farmers in the country.
In Negros Occidental alone, the DA has already distributed the assistance to 330 farmers in Victorias City, 422 in Silay City, 502 in Sagay City, 43 in Bacolod City, 50 in Toboso, 50 in Pulupandan, 28 in Pontevedra, 214 in Talisay City, 90 in San Enrique, 783 in San Carlos City, 363 in Bago City, 65 in Murcia, 206 in Valladolid, 527 in Candoni, 326 Sipalay City, 88 Hinoba-an and 687 in Cadiz City.
Barrogo said there are still remaining farmers in these cities and towns as well as in other localities in the province who are yet to receive the P5,000 subsidy.
In fact, there is a scheduled distribution in Silay City, Calatrava and Manapla on May 26.
On May 27, distribution will be in La Castellana, Moises Padilla and La Carlota; May 28 - Ilog; May 29 - Cauayan; and May 30 - Kabankalan City and Himamaylan City.
Barrogo said there is no final schedule yet for the payout distribution in towns of Hinigaran, Isabela and Binalbagan.
"We target to fully distribute the subsidy in the province within this month, the latest is early part of June," he said, adding that recipient-farmers are reminded to bring necessary requirements when receiving their assistance. These include photocopy of their identification card (ID).
For those rice farmers who are not able to go to the venue of distribution, the LBP allows authorization letter with the ID of the authorized representative.
For the farmers affected by the lockdown in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, authorization and IDs of the recipient and his representative are also required.
Also, it should be attested by their respective City and Municipal Agriculture Offices, Barrogo added.
He earlier urged farmers to use such aid for their basic needs as well as farm inputs like seeds and fertilizers in preparation for the first cropping season.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1857643
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Philippine
pivot does not impact on Vietnamese rice export
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Sunday, May 24, 2020,18:44 (GMT+7)
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https://english.thesaigontimes.vn/76838/philippine-pivot-does-not-impact-on-vietnamese-rice-export.html
Ca Mau faces severe shortage of
irrigation water
Many crop growing areas in Ca Mau province’s
freshwater zones are facing a severe shortage of water because of a prolonged
dry spell.
Sunday, May 24, 2020 16:28
Ca Mau (VNS/VNA) - Many crop growing areas in Ca Mau province’s freshwater
zones are facing a severe shortage of water because of a prolonged dry spell.
Ca Mau is the only province in the Mekong Delta that cannot access water from the Mekong and relies mostly on rainwater for irrigation.
Ly Van Lam commune, one of the largest vegetable growing areas in Ca Mau city, has seen its irrigation canals dry up and farmers struggle to find water for their crops.
Following instructions from local authorities at the beginning of the ongoing dry season, farmers grew only short - term crops like onion, bitter melon, mustard greens, gourds, and cucumber.
To secure water for their vegetables, many farmers have had to drill borewells to draw groundwater. But groundwater has become scarce and farmers drilling now have difficulty finding water.
Mac Ngoc Truyen, Chairman of the Ly Van Lam Commune Farmers Association, said the association has told farmers not to grow vegetables on large areas like they did before.
This would help farmers save water, use water meant for domestic use and mitigate the losses caused by the drought, he said.
In Tran Van Thoi district, vegetable farmers are facing a poor harvest because of the lack of water while the prices of vegetables have fallen dramatically.
Vu Dang Khoa, Chairman of the Minh Ha Agriculture Service Co-operative in the district’s Khanh Binh Dong commune, said after Tet (Lunar New Year) members grew pumpkin and gourds.
When the crops began to bear fruit, there was no water and the yield is set to fall by half, he said.
The cooperative’s members have built a temporary dam to store water, but there is not enough to irrigate crops, he said.
Fruit growing areas in the province have been affected by a lack of water and farmers have had to make great efforts to save their fruit trees.
Nguyen Van Thinh, who has a 1ha guava orchard in Tran Van Thoi district’s Khanh Hung commune, said the leaves of many trees have withered.
He had to prune many branches to save the trees, but many still died, he said.
“The source of irrigation water for the orchard is a river. This year the drought has been severe and the river has dried up.”
The dry weather has been forecast to continue, and agricultural officials have instructed fruit farmers to take measures to save their trees.
Farmers are instructed to use rice straw, dried grass and dried leaves to cover the roots to lock in moisture, and prune branches to reduce the quantity of water required by the trees.
Drought and saltwater intrusion had wholly or partially affected more than 20,500ha of crops including rice in the province as of early April, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
To mitigate losses to the summer – autumn rice crop caused by dry weather, the department has established farming schedules for various localities.
The province plans to grow a total of 36,000ha of summer – autumn rice in Tran Van Thoi, U Minh and Thoi Binh districts and Ca Mau city.
The schedules require farmers to sow 27,000ha of rice after they finish preparing the land. The remaining 9,000ha will be sown when there are rains. The rainy season normally begins in May.
High-quality varieties will account for 65 – 70 percent of the province’s summer – autumn rice area, fragrant and specialty varieties for 10 -15 percent and medium-quality varieties for 10 percent.
The department has urged farmers to grow more high-quality and fragrant varieties since they are in high demand.
Nguyen Tran Thuc, head of the province’s Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department, said rice farmers should adopt advanced farming techniques to improve quality, reduce costs and improve their incom
Ca Mau is the only province in the Mekong Delta that cannot access water from the Mekong and relies mostly on rainwater for irrigation.
Ly Van Lam commune, one of the largest vegetable growing areas in Ca Mau city, has seen its irrigation canals dry up and farmers struggle to find water for their crops.
Following instructions from local authorities at the beginning of the ongoing dry season, farmers grew only short - term crops like onion, bitter melon, mustard greens, gourds, and cucumber.
To secure water for their vegetables, many farmers have had to drill borewells to draw groundwater. But groundwater has become scarce and farmers drilling now have difficulty finding water.
Mac Ngoc Truyen, Chairman of the Ly Van Lam Commune Farmers Association, said the association has told farmers not to grow vegetables on large areas like they did before.
This would help farmers save water, use water meant for domestic use and mitigate the losses caused by the drought, he said.
In Tran Van Thoi district, vegetable farmers are facing a poor harvest because of the lack of water while the prices of vegetables have fallen dramatically.
Vu Dang Khoa, Chairman of the Minh Ha Agriculture Service Co-operative in the district’s Khanh Binh Dong commune, said after Tet (Lunar New Year) members grew pumpkin and gourds.
When the crops began to bear fruit, there was no water and the yield is set to fall by half, he said.
The cooperative’s members have built a temporary dam to store water, but there is not enough to irrigate crops, he said.
Fruit growing areas in the province have been affected by a lack of water and farmers have had to make great efforts to save their fruit trees.
Nguyen Van Thinh, who has a 1ha guava orchard in Tran Van Thoi district’s Khanh Hung commune, said the leaves of many trees have withered.
He had to prune many branches to save the trees, but many still died, he said.
“The source of irrigation water for the orchard is a river. This year the drought has been severe and the river has dried up.”
The dry weather has been forecast to continue, and agricultural officials have instructed fruit farmers to take measures to save their trees.
Farmers are instructed to use rice straw, dried grass and dried leaves to cover the roots to lock in moisture, and prune branches to reduce the quantity of water required by the trees.
Drought and saltwater intrusion had wholly or partially affected more than 20,500ha of crops including rice in the province as of early April, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
To mitigate losses to the summer – autumn rice crop caused by dry weather, the department has established farming schedules for various localities.
The province plans to grow a total of 36,000ha of summer – autumn rice in Tran Van Thoi, U Minh and Thoi Binh districts and Ca Mau city.
The schedules require farmers to sow 27,000ha of rice after they finish preparing the land. The remaining 9,000ha will be sown when there are rains. The rainy season normally begins in May.
High-quality varieties will account for 65 – 70 percent of the province’s summer – autumn rice area, fragrant and specialty varieties for 10 -15 percent and medium-quality varieties for 10 percent.
The department has urged farmers to grow more high-quality and fragrant varieties since they are in high demand.
Nguyen Tran Thuc, head of the province’s Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department, said rice farmers should adopt advanced farming techniques to improve quality, reduce costs and improve their incom
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ca-mau-faces-severe-shortage-of-irrigation-water/173813.vnp
Mandalay to beef up 5,000 tons of
national reserve rice
PUBLISHED 25
MAY 2020
LE LE
AUNG
A warehouse stores national rice
reserve in Mandalay Region (Photo-Oakkar Kyaw)
MANDALAY-Mandalay
Region is going to beef up 5,000 tons of national reserve rice for emergencies
in case the COVID-19 outbreak drags on. 
At present, the region is storing
over 1,800 tons of rice.
At present, the region is storing
over 1,800 tons of rice.
The
Ministry of Commerce announced on April 22nd that it would buy and stockpile
50,000 tons of rice and 12,000 tons of palm oil as reserve food for
emergencies. And then, the ministry will purchase the items at a reasonable
price.
“5,000
tons of rice will be stored in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region. Now, over
1,800 tons of rice has been stored in Kyaukse Township. There are totaling
37,196 rice bags till May 21st. Currently, a warehouse in Phaung village fills
up with rice bags. We don’t receive palm oil yet. However, we are now carrying
out the palm oil receiving plan,” said Oakkar Kyaw, Secretary of Mandalay
Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MRCCI).
The
Ministry of Commerce is also working on the national reserve food plan with the
private sectors as well as the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of
Commerce and Industry, Myanmar Rice Federation and Myanmar Edible Oil Dealers’
Association.
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/mandalay-to-beef-up-5000-tons-of-national-reserve-rice
CAA inspects eight major and medium
scale rice mills in Polonnaruwa district
Sat,
May 23, 2020, 10:05 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
May 23, Colombo: A team of 50
officers of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) including the Chairman Retired
Major General Shantha Dissanayake this evening has raided eight main and medium
scale rice mills in the Polonnaruwa district.
A
number of main rice mills in the district including the Araliya, Nipuna,
Nivratna and Latht Sahal and several medium scale mills were inspected. Paddy
mills owned by former president’s brother Dudley Sirisena and former MP
Siripala Gamlath were also inspected.
Consumer
Affairs Authority officials in Colombo, Polonnaruwa, Gampaha, Kurunegala and
Kandy districts also participated in the raid.
The
Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority said that after a discussion with
the paddy mill owners, they had agreed to provide the Samba and Nadu rice
unconditionally to the market at the maximum control prices set by the
government.
The
CAA Chairman speaking to the media stated that during the raid paddy and rice
stocks at each rice mill, their production capacity as well as the amount of
paddy and rice currently stocked in each of those mills were inspected.
He
further stated that steps will be taken in the future to arrest the paddy mill
owners who hoard paddy and rice stocks without releasing to the market.
CAA
Chairman Dissanayake said that rice mill owners will not be allowed to hoard
rice stocks to create a shortage of rice in the market. at a time when the
people are economically distressed and the Authority will do its utmost to
ensure that rice is available to the consumer at an affordable price.
Dissanayake
said he had instructed the mill owners to promptly convert the paddy stored in
the main mills in the Polonnaruwa District into rice and release them to the
market.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_20A/May23_1590251759CH.php
Rice Prices
as on : 25-05-2020 01:05:51 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Dadri(UP)
|
100.00
|
11.11
|
390.00
|
5950
|
5950
|
-
|
|
Lucknow(UP)
|
89.00
|
-5.32
|
4064.00
|
2460
|
2475
|
-6.82
|
|
Ghaziabad(UP)
|
80.00
|
NC
|
1746.00
|
2700
|
2700
|
-1.82
|
|
Madhoganj(UP)
|
45.00
|
NC
|
3015.00
|
2450
|
2430
|
9.87
|
|
Jaunpur(UP)
|
23.00
|
-11.54
|
1085.70
|
2485
|
2470
|
6.20
|
|
Fatehpur(UP)
|
22.50
|
-32.84
|
2024.30
|
2435
|
2430
|
5.87
|
|
Sahiyapur(UP)
|
20.00
|
-33.33
|
1847.00
|
2540
|
2540
|
6.72
|
|
Asansol(WB)
|
20.00
|
-9.09
|
858.89
|
3100
|
2900
|
3.33
|
|
Durgapur(WB)
|
20.00
|
-9.09
|
770.85
|
2900
|
2900
|
1.75
|
|
Dahod(Guj)
|
19.10
|
20.13
|
746.50
|
4300
|
4300
|
NC
|
|
Bangarpet(Kar)
|
15.00
|
-
|
15.00
|
3600
|
-
|
-
|
|
Sirsaganj(UP)
|
13.50
|
-3.57
|
712.50
|
2630
|
2660
|
3.14
|
|
Farukhabad(UP)
|
12.00
|
-25
|
807.50
|
2460
|
2450
|
-6.82
|
|
Sheoraphuly(WB)
|
11.00
|
2.8
|
138.90
|
3100
|
3100
|
3.33
|
|
Devariya(UP)
|
8.00
|
23.08
|
829.00
|
2585
|
2580
|
5.08
|
|
Karvi(UP)
|
7.00
|
NC
|
438.00
|
2425
|
2395
|
5.66
|
|
Jahangirabad(UP)
|
3.50
|
NC
|
173.00
|
2670
|
2660
|
1.71
|
|
Uluberia(WB)
|
3.00
|
7.14
|
44.10
|
2800
|
2900
|
-3.45
|
|
Sonamura(Tri)
|
2.10
|
-8.7
|
52.00
|
2800
|
2800
|
-
|
|
Gurusarai(UP)
|
1.50
|
150
|
12.00
|
2500
|
2500
|
8.23
|
|
Kaliaganj(WB)
|
1.50
|
-25
|
128.40
|
3150
|
3250
|
-
|
|
Wazirganj(UP)
|
1.40
|
-6.67
|
35.10
|
2580
|
2600
|
-
|
|
Risia(UP)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
63.90
|
2410
|
2410
|
-
|
|
Melaghar(Tri)
|
0.80
|
-20
|
42.60
|
2700
|
2800
|
NC
|
|
Anandnagar(UP)
|
0.80
|
-27.27
|
186.10
|
2490
|
2515
|
8.26
|
Published on May 25, 2020
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article31668754.ece#
Those without ration cards to get 5kg rice
Abhilash Botekar | TNN | May 23,
2020, 04:15 IST
As per the Central government guidelines, the beneficiaries of the National Food Security scheme were given food grain at subsidised rates in April and May and would continue to get their share in June under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana in addition to the grain distributed as part of the PDS.
Similarly, people who have saffron cards but are not beneficiaries of the PDS have also been given grain at subsidised rates for the months of May and June.
“There are a large number of out-of-work migrant workers who do not have ration cards and are stuck up at various places. We had placed a demand for grain for such people which the Central government has now approved,” said Bhujbal.
During a video conference with Union food and civic supplies minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Bhujbal also demanded that the ration stocks be increased so that the state government could accommodate the migrants in the list of PDS beneficiaries.
“There are about three crore people in Maharashtra who do not have ration cards. All of them were provided grain at subsidized rates for which the state spent Rs 22/kg from its pockets. If the state quota is increased by 10% for the PDS subsidiaries, many people will benefit,” said Bhujbal.
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