Kentucky
Hosts 2020 SASDA Cyber Conference
LITTLE ROCK, AR
-- Before COVID-19, many people were anxiously anticipating a trip to
Lexington, Kentucky, this week for the Southern Association of State
Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) conference. SASDA is comprised of ag
commissioners from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. The annual conference is
held every June and the meeting location rotates to the SASDA president's home
state. 
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles was looking forward to showcasing his state's diverse agriculture portfolio -- from hemp to bourbon to thoroughbreds -- in person. Unfortunately, pandemic restrictions mandated the meeting go virtual for health and safety reasons.
The online meeting started off with remarks from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Sonny Perdue. Secretary Perdue discussed the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), Farmers to Families Food Box program, and trade relations with China, which he feels are on track and proceeding as expected.
Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry, thanked Perdue for his tireless efforts during this unprecedented time and inquired about including crawfish producers in the next CFAP. "In Louisiana, we have 24,000 acres of crawfish and those producers took an 80 percent hit to their industry this year. Aquaculture is big business in Louisiana. The majority of the fresh seafood consumed in America is from Louisiana farms or caught off our coast in the Gulf of Mexico. It is imperative that we recognize the importance of this industry and assist these farmers as we are assisting all other aspects of production agriculture."
Perdue agreed this needed to be addressed along with other industries, such as horticulture and seafood, that were not included in the original program. "If they're farmers, we (USDA) think they're ours and we want to take care of them," he said.
Next, a panel of speakers including Dr. Will Snell, agricultural economist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture; Bill Johnson, president and CEO of Farm Credit Mid-America; and Joseph Sisk, a Kentucky corn and hemp producer, discussed the state of the agricultural economy.
Snell estimated that 30-50 percent of farm income this year will likely come from government assistance. Johnson, who offered his opinion from a lender's viewpoint, added that one positive during this time is that land values continue to hold steady. Sisk believes that the effects of the current ag downturn will be harder psychologically than that of the 1980s because of the higher input costs. He also said that Market Facilitation Payments (MFP) payments are essential, and if they were removed, the agriculture industry would have huge financial stress.
The meeting also included National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) updates, as well as an EPA update.
Region 4 EPA Administrator Mary Walker discussed the efforts the EPA has taken recently to test and approve effective disinfectants against coronavirus while also working closely with U.S. Customs to prevent ineffective, imitation disinfectants from entering the country. In online markets, there has been an increase in items claiming to protect the wearer from being exposed to the virus or claiming to contain an effective disinfecting agent when they don't.
At the close of the meeting, Commissioner Quarles passed the virtual gavel on to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.
"I'm honored to be the new president of SASDA, and am excited to welcome everyone to Arkansas, often called the the rice and duck capital of the world, for next year's annual meeting," said Ward.
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles was looking forward to showcasing his state's diverse agriculture portfolio -- from hemp to bourbon to thoroughbreds -- in person. Unfortunately, pandemic restrictions mandated the meeting go virtual for health and safety reasons.
The online meeting started off with remarks from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Sonny Perdue. Secretary Perdue discussed the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), Farmers to Families Food Box program, and trade relations with China, which he feels are on track and proceeding as expected.
Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry, thanked Perdue for his tireless efforts during this unprecedented time and inquired about including crawfish producers in the next CFAP. "In Louisiana, we have 24,000 acres of crawfish and those producers took an 80 percent hit to their industry this year. Aquaculture is big business in Louisiana. The majority of the fresh seafood consumed in America is from Louisiana farms or caught off our coast in the Gulf of Mexico. It is imperative that we recognize the importance of this industry and assist these farmers as we are assisting all other aspects of production agriculture."
Perdue agreed this needed to be addressed along with other industries, such as horticulture and seafood, that were not included in the original program. "If they're farmers, we (USDA) think they're ours and we want to take care of them," he said.
Next, a panel of speakers including Dr. Will Snell, agricultural economist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture; Bill Johnson, president and CEO of Farm Credit Mid-America; and Joseph Sisk, a Kentucky corn and hemp producer, discussed the state of the agricultural economy.
Snell estimated that 30-50 percent of farm income this year will likely come from government assistance. Johnson, who offered his opinion from a lender's viewpoint, added that one positive during this time is that land values continue to hold steady. Sisk believes that the effects of the current ag downturn will be harder psychologically than that of the 1980s because of the higher input costs. He also said that Market Facilitation Payments (MFP) payments are essential, and if they were removed, the agriculture industry would have huge financial stress.
The meeting also included National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) updates, as well as an EPA update.
Region 4 EPA Administrator Mary Walker discussed the efforts the EPA has taken recently to test and approve effective disinfectants against coronavirus while also working closely with U.S. Customs to prevent ineffective, imitation disinfectants from entering the country. In online markets, there has been an increase in items claiming to protect the wearer from being exposed to the virus or claiming to contain an effective disinfecting agent when they don't.
At the close of the meeting, Commissioner Quarles passed the virtual gavel on to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.
"I'm honored to be the new president of SASDA, and am excited to welcome everyone to Arkansas, often called the the rice and duck capital of the world, for next year's annual meeting," said Ward.
1K Cebu City PUJ drivers receive 50 kilos of rice
Sunstar2 June 2020
THE Cebu City
Government distributed on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, a sack of 50 kilos of rice to
each of the 1,000 public utility jeepney drivers whose livelihood has been disrupted
by the crisis brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)
pandemic.
Mayor Edgardo
Labella said he decided to distribute the rice assistance after he learned that
the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) did not allow
old jeepneys to ply.
Transportation
Assistant Secretary Mark Richmund de Leon said the virus that causes Covid-19
can quickly spread inside old public utility jeepneys.
Cebu City is
under general community quarantine (GCQ) on June 1-15, 2020. During the entire
period of GCQ, buses and modern jeepneys are allowed to transport passengers on
a reduced capacity.
Original plan
City
Administrator Floro Casas Jr. said the original plan was to distribute 25 kilos
of rice, but the mayor insisted on giving 50 kilos of rice to each of the
jeepney drivers.
The
distribution happened during a meeting with the drivers outside the command
center of the Cebu City Hall.
Jeepney driver
Louie Baylosis thanked the mayor for considering their plight.
“Lisod gyud kay
ang amo gisaligan ug gibuhi sa among pamilya mao ra gyud ang pag-drive (We fell
on hard times because my family rely on and live off only on me driving a
jeepney),” he said.
Baylosis gladly
received the rice assistance, saying he needed it to feed his three children,
albeit for a short period of time. (PAC)
Delegation thanked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister for resuming works in
90%of the MSME sector in state
By
June 2, 2020
Raipur: Delegation of industrial organizations from Bilaspur led by
Mr. Atal Shrivastava paid courtesy call on Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel at
his residence office yesterday evening. Delegation included office-bearers of
District Industry Union of Bilaspur and The Federation of Rice Millers. The
delegation members thanked Chief Minister for resumption of works in 90% ofthe
MSME sector of the state and that of 60% production works. They also praised
Chhattisgarh Government’s works for prevention and control of corona infection
in the state. Delegation also shared the problems being faced by industries of
the state. Mr. Baghel assured the delegation of taking necessary steps to
redress the problems. On the occasion, Mr. Ramavtar Agrawal, Mr. Harish Kedia,
Mr. Arvind Gard, Mr. Abhishek Sultaniya and other officials were present.
Eating whole grains helps cut diabetes risk, says new study: Know what to include in your diet
As a diabetic, there are many foods that you need to avoid while certain other foods help you bring your blood sugar levels down.
By: Jahnavi
Sarma | | Updated: June 3, 2020 1:18 pm
According to a new study, eating more of high-quality
carbohydrates, especially from whole grains, lower the risk for type 2
diabetes. @Shutterstock
Diabetes is a disease where your body is either
not able to use the insulin hormone effectively or your pancreas do not produce
enough of this hormone. It is a metabolic disease that causes your blood sugar levels to rise
above normal levels. Diabetes is today a global problem and millions of people
suffer from this disease. Other than taking medications, you can also deal with
this condition with lifestyle modifications and dietary changes. As a diabetic,
there are many foods that you need to avoid while certain other foods help you
bring your blood sugar levels down. Also Read - Swollen foot is a common complication of diabetes: Know
how to deal with it naturally
According to a new study, eating more of
high-quality carbohydrates, especially from whole grains, lower the risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers from Harvard University in the
US looked at whether this effect is different for high-quality carbohydrates
and low-quality carbohydrates, which include refined grains, sugary foods and
potatoes. Also Read - New smart patch to help you manage diabetes better
About the study
For the purpose of the study, researchers
analysed data from three studies that followed health professionals in the US
over time. These included 69,949 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, 90,239
women from the Nurses’ Health Study 2 and 40,539 men from the Health
Professionals Follow-up Study. Collectively, the studies represented over four
million years of follow-up, during which almost 12,000 cases of type 2 diabetes cases were documented. Also Read - Planning to party? Diet tips for diabetes on Christmas
The findings of this study
During the course of the study, researchers saw
a lower risk of type 2 diabetes when high-quality carbohydrates replaced
calories from saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, animal protein
and vegetable protein.
They also found that replacing low-quality
carbohydrates with saturated fats, but not with other nutrients, was
associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
They say that these results highlight the
importance of distinguishing between carbohydrates from high- and low- quality
sources when examining diabetes risk.
Rice grown in the Sharjah desert promises bright farming future
Research in partnership with experts from South
Korea reaps impressive crop yields in early trials
Rice is a demanding crop to grow. It typically
requires specific conditions and flooded paddies but a group of scientists in
the UAE are learning to turn the dry deserts of Sharjah into land capable of
nurturing this global staple.
It is hoped the joint project between UAE
University scientists and South Korean experts could lead the way for similar
initiatives that will reduce the country's reliance on imported food.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced some rice
growing nations to restrict the amount of produce they export.
If successful on a large scale, this
groundbreaking project has the potential to shape the future of agriculture as
it can be replicated
Dr Thani
Al Zeyoudi, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
To counter the growing food security threat,
local scientists are using the latest technology to grow 763 kilograms of rice
in a 1,000 square metre plot of desert.
Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change
and Environment, said the impressive results could change agriculture across
the arid region.
“The innovative venture is the first of its
kind in the Middle East,” he said.
“If successful on a large scale, this
groundbreaking project has the potential to shape the future of agriculture as
it can be replicated.
"Rice is one of the most important foods
that is consumed on a daily basis in this area.
“We are focusing on driving innovation and
exploring agritech in growing the crops that are in high demand.”
After extensive testing, experts selected Asemi
(Japonica) and FL478 (Indica) rice varieties to grow because of their ability
to tolerate heat, salinity and poor soil conditions.
Seeds were sowed in November last year and
harvested in three stages between May 5 and May 30.
The crops had a growing cycle of 180 days and
were watered via an underground drip irrigation system to reduce cost and
wastage.
The harvested rice will only be used
commercially once tested to ensure compliance with standard specifications.
Despite the UAE being in the top 10 global rice
importers and relying on shipping and air freight for 90 per cent of its food,
serious pandemic related disruption has so far been avoided.
The impressive rice growing results at the
Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s Al Dhaid research centre have
added hope for other agricultural innovations.
“We seek to make the most of our resources and
find the crops and methods that are suitable for our desert climate,” said Dr
Al Zeyoudi.
“We have to target the crops that are in high
demand locally. This is one of the things we’ve noticed during the pandemic.
“We are exploring and adopting more innovative
solutions in every phase.”
Read More
The results will provide a baseline for other
research programmes and undertakings related to food and agriculture.
The rice project was completed in partnership
with the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea.
Other initiatives in the pipeline to encourage
more self sufficiency include smart greenhouse projects, vertical farms that
grow crops inside climate-controlled facilities and the control of date palm
pests.
In March, at the height of the pandemic in
Asia, Vietnam announced a ban on rice exports to ensure the country had
sufficient foods to cope.
Quotas on white rice exports from the country
have since increased to 500,000 tonnes a month.
It was a warning to nations reliant on imported
goods to become more self-sufficient in the post-pandemic world.
South Korea will continue to work with the UAE
on developing further water-saving technologies to maximise crop growth.
“Korea has long experience and cutting-edge
technologies in the field of agriculture and food security, which it is ready
to share with the UAE,” said Kwon Yongwoo, Republic of Korea ambassador to the
UAE.
"The two countries have great potential to
become ideal partners in agriculture and food security, just as they are in
many other areas.”
Farms in the UAE find a way to thrive amid pandemic:
Farmers pick out ripe eggplants from the field. All photos by
Victor Besa / The National
Updated:
June 3, 2020 02:02 PM
Ensure procurement at MSP: Congress to TS govt
Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy demands compensation for
farmers for the "heavy" deduction in paddy by rice millers and for
the losses due to damage in the recent rains
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By AuthorTelanganaToday
| Published: 1st Jun 2020 9:41 pm
Hyderabad: The Congress in Telangana State has urged the State
government to put in place a mechanism by which farmers will be able to sell
unprocured paddy and maize crops at Minimum Support Price “as announced by
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.”
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar here on
Monday, chairman of the party’s Covid-19 Task Force Marri Shashidhar Reddy also
demanded compensation for farmers for the “heavy” deduction in paddy by rice millers
and for the losses due to damage in the recent rains.
Stating that the Congress does not see any scope for improvement in
procurement even after the last date for procurement was extended from May 31
to June 8, the Congress leader, quoting media reports, said the Chief Minister
had announced at a media conference on March 29 that the State government would
procure the entire yield at MSP announced by the Centre.
“The promised quantities of paddy and maize have not been procured
even after opening more centre this year,” he said, and alleged that TRS
functionaries were dominating at procurement centres and that the procurement
system was flawed.
“As against the normal deduction of 1.5 to two kg per quintal of
paddy, miller were forcing and even blackmailing farmers that unless they
accepted a deduction of six to 10 kg per quintal, they would not unload the
paddy at the mills,” Shashidhar Reddy said, and sought a categorical assurance
from the government on these issues.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram
everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Analysis: Pros and cons of Trade Ministerial Regulation No. 40/2020
- Haris Eko Faruddin
Mandiri
Jakarta / Wed,
June 3 2020 / 11:29 am
The government has issued policies related to
export and import activities by sea. The policies are contained in Trade
Ministerial Regulation No. 40/2020 concerning provisions for the use of
national sea transportation and national insurance for the export and import of
certain goods. In this regulation, it states that exporters who export coal
and/or crude palm oil (CPO) and importers who import rice and/or goods for the
procurement of government goods are required to use national sea transportation
and national insurance.This provision is specifically for sea transportation
with a carrying capacity smaller than 15,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT). As for
insurance, it is compulsory to use national insurance where national insurance
must be administered by the national insurance company and/or
government-established export financing institutions that have received a list
of certificates fro...
Lagos-based rice mill project reaches ‘80 percent’ completion
The 32 metric-ton-per hour rice mill under
construction at Imota in Lagos has reached 80 percent
completion from 35 percent in May 2019, the state government has said, with
construction expected to be finished before the end of the year.
When operational, the mill would ensure a
steady supply of about 2.4 million freshly processed 50 kilograms bags of rice
per annum, the state commissioner for agriculture Gbolahan Lawal said at a
recent ministerial
press briefing.
That output would greatly reduce the need to
import rice from surrounding states and countries, solving to an extent the
food supply needs of the state. “The increasing population in Lagos has put
pressure on the State’s food security, supply mechanism, and available
infrastructure, hence the need to prepare adequately to meet the challenges of
upscaling food production cannot be over-emphasized,” Lawal said.
The rice mill also serves as a strategic
project as regards unemployment, especially in the wake of the coronavirus
pandemic that has led to massive job losses. Upon completion, more than 250,000
jobs are expected to be created in both the upstream and downstream sectors of
the rice value chain.
Local farmer groups in Lagos State and other
nearby states will be integrated into the mill operations when it commences,
Lawal said further. This is to ensure an adequate supply of paddy to the mill
for smooth operations, as well as the provision of inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers, and irrigation facilities, where applicable, to the farmers.
“To meet the Paddy requirement of the Mill, we
have undertaken a backward integration in the form of collaboration with other
States like South-Western States, Kwara, Sokoto, Benue, Borno and Kebbi,” the
commissioner said. “This will be done leveraging on the Anchor Borrower Scheme
of the Central Bank of Nigeria with the Rice Mill as the off-taker of the
products.”
In addition to benefiting small-scale farmers,
for most of whom rice is an essential cash crop from which they get significant
income, this will help to enhance food security in Nigeria’s commercial
city, while the broader objective is to ensure that the state can produce “at
least 25 percent of the food consumed by residents of the State before the end
of year 2025,″ Lawal said.
More so, the state project keys into the
broader national goal of the current administration to achieve self-sufficiency
in the production and consumption of rice. Nigeria is the continent’s leading
consumer of rice, one of the largest producers of rice in Africa and
simultaneously one of the largest rice importers in the world.
In 2015, the central bank of Nigeria banned the
use of its foreign exchange to pay for rice imports and has supported loans of
at least $130 million to help small-holders boost output. The regulator also
placed a ban on rice imports across land borders, adding a hefty 70 percent
tariffs on imports coming through ports.
The government last August then closed the country’s land borders
altogether to stamp out rampant
smuggling, often from neighboring Benin, with rice being one of the main
targets. The measures saw Nigeria’s rice output go up to 4.9 million tonnes in
2019 – up 60 percent from 2013 – according to agricultural data firm Gro
Intelligence, a notable achievement but still not enough to satisfy the 7 million
tonnes of rice Nigerians consume yearly.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects
imports of 2.4 million
tonnes of rice for this year while an estimated 800,000 metric tons is
suspected to enter the country illegally on an annual basis. In Lagos
meanwhile, supermarket shelves remain stocked with several imported rice
brands.
Photograph — Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder of Lifebank.
Funkola Odeleye and Temie Giwa-Tubosun have
been shortlisted as two of three African entrepreneurs who could stand a chance
to win the sum of $100,000 in grant at this year’s edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative.
The initiative, which was founded in 2006, has
helped women over the years to reach their full potential by shining a light on
their achievements while providing them with the necessary financial, social
and human capital support in growing their businesses and leadership skills. It
is open to women-run and women-owned businesses across the globe with the aim
of ensuring a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact as defined
by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Owing to the social impact of their businesses
within Nigeria, Funke Odeleye and Giwa-Tubosun were among the selected 21
finalists from a pool of 1,200 applications from 162 countries across 7
regions. A winner will be selected from each region and take home the sum of
$100,000 in prize money, whereas the second and third runner-ups will receive
the sum of $30,000.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative is a joint partnership project
initiated by luxury giant Cartier, the Women’s Forum, McKinsey & Company,
and INSEAD business school.
Funkola Odeleye is the Co-founder and CEO at DIYlaw, a legal technology company committed to
empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs through the provision of accessible and
affordable legal services and free legal and business resources. She is also
the Corporate-Commercial and Intellectual Property lead at The Longe Practice LP (TLP), an
entrepreneur-focused law practice.
Funkola has a Masters in Finance and Financial
Law from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London in
addition to her LLB from the Lagos State University and BL from the Nigerian
Law School. Her legal experience prior to founding TLP and DIYlaw cuts across
capital markets, investment advisory, compliance, and securities. In addition,
she is an Obama Leader, having been chosen as a 2019 Obama Africa Leader and
also an Innovating Justice Fellow of “The Hague Institute for the Innovation of
Law” (HiiL).
“With our goals aimed at reducing unemployment
in Nigeria by 50 percent by 2030, DIYLaw’s services and partnerships at the end
of 2019 had created more than 120,000 jobs in Nigeria. Every job increases an
individual’s financial independence, provides a chance for stability, and in
some cases even offers the possibility of moving off the streets” she said.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun, also shortlisted as one of
the finalists, is the founder of LifeBank, a
medical distribution company with the mission aimed at helping hospitals find
critical supplies and deliver them in the right condition and on time within
three cities in Nigeria.
Since it’s founding in 2016, LifeBank has
consistently ensured the timely delivery of vital medical supplies and blood to
hospitals in its service area within 55 minutes day or night, thereby relieving
doctors of the logistical stress associated with locating blood and giving them
ample time to focus on treating patients. The company has transported more than
20,000 units of blood and other medical products, served 450 hospitals, engaged
5,823 donors, and saved over 6,757 lives.
LifeBank’s ambitious mission is to save a
million lives across Africa in 10 years and to reach all of Africa, India,
Southeast Asia, and South America to deliver critical supplies around the
clock, eventually becoming a profitable public company.
Seven laureates out of 14 finalists from the
2020 edition of the Cartier women’s initiative will be announced early June.
The laureates and finalists will all benefit from financial advisory services,
strategy coaching, media visibility, and international networking
opportunities, as well as a place on an INSEAD executive education programme.
Rice Shipments of 100000 Tonnes Cleared at Iran Ports since March
June 2, 2020
Gurneel Kaur
No Comments
Rice consignments imported from India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, and the UAE were stuck at Iran customs for months. Since March 2020, rice shipments of 100000 tonnes cleared at Iran ports.
Rice Shipments at Iran ports
More than 114,000 tons of rice were awaiting completion of clearance procedures in the customs terminals of Chabahar, Zahedan, Shahid Rajaee and other ports. The latest figures released by the Statistical Center of Iran reveal that the country’s per capita consumption is 35 kilograms. Iran produces around 2.9 million tonnes of rice in 2019-20, marking a 45% increase as against the last year. Further, the report shows that Mazandaran (38%) and Gilan (33%) contribute the highest to the overall rice production. Iran imports over 1.4 million metric tonnes of rice annually.
Increase in Import of Essential Commodities
The DG of the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization of Iran stated that cargo ships carrying basic commodities (sugar, rice, wheat, and corn) have docked at the Chabahar port since March 20. The arrivals during the seven weeks comprised 421,298 tons of essential commodities as against 27,500 tons of previous year. Further, he emphasized the uninterrupted supply of commodities through Chabahar port to Sistan and Balouchestan amid the adverse effects of the pandemic. Besides, the deputy director of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran highlighted the importance of the city port. He said that Iranian port equipped with strategic loading and unloading equipment that offers special discounts on port charges.
Revenue for Indian Basmati Rice Industry Weakens
Vice President and Sector Head, ICRA stated that the Iranian government’s support for imports of Indian basmati is sceptical. Imports of basmati rice fell due to the reduced availability of subsidised foreign currency to Iranian private importers. Also, depletion of reserves rupee payment mechanism over the next few months remains a significant concern for trade with Iran.
12000 Tonnes of Rice Imported via Bushehr Port
Mohammad Shakibi-Nasab, an official with the Bushehr Ports and Maritimes Organization, revealed that around 12,000 tons of rice imported into Iran via Bushehr Port from India. Also, about 45,000 tons of rice imported via the same port in the previous year. However, an exporter confirmed piling of around 5,00,000 tonnes of rice at customs terminals. This was due to complications associated with the provision of foreign currency from the export earnings of non-oil products.
Rise in Import of Essential Goods via Khomeini Port
The import of non-oil products increased by 15% in April and reached 1.79 million tons mark. Further, the country imported 1.42 million tons of essential goods to regulate the market during the holy month of Ramadan. Overall, Iran bought 25.09 million tons of essential goods worth close to USD 15.5 billion during the last fiscal year (March 2019-20).
In all, Iran’s port operations have resumed amid the pandemic.
Tags: Basmati Rice, Bushehr port, Chabahar, Chabahar port, gilan,
icra, import of basmati, import of rice, Iran ports, Khomeini Port, mazandaran,
Mohammad Shakibi-Nasab, pandemic, Rice import, Shahid Rajaee, shipments,
Zahedan
Fighting off disease? It's gut instinct: Dr MICHAEL MOSLEY's guide to helping you fight back against coronavirus
Wednesday, Jun 3rd 2020 5PM 38°C
8PM 35°C 5-Day
Forecast
This week in the Daily Mail, Dr Michael
Mosley is setting out a health revolution that will put you on course to
staying one step ahead of coronavirus
as lockdown eases.
In exclusive extracts from his new book
Covid-19, he will help you get in the best shape to fight the virus. Today, he
explains why having a healthy gut is crucial to your wellbeing.
+11
This
week in the Daily Mail, Dr Michael Mosley (above) is setting out a health
revolution that will put you on course to staying one step ahead of coronavirus
as lockdown eases
Like any
army, your immune system needs feeding to work efficiently and destroy any
potentially dangerous invaders such as the coronavirus.
Eating a
diet rich in vitamins and minerals is key here. But did you know you also need
to include foods that will support the trillions of microbes living in your
gut?
The ‘gut
microbiome’ is the scientific name for the 2-3 lb of microbes that live in our
intestines, and today, in the second part of a groundbreaking series from my
new book Covid-19, I will reveal why gut bacteria are so important when it
comes to protecting you from the life-threatening complications of
Covid-19.
A
healthy microbiome should be diverse, but sadly, our modern way of eating is
decimating the populations that live inside us.
One of
the problems is, the more limited the range of foods you eat, the more limited
your bacterial diversity is likely to be. Many of us eat such a narrow range of
foods that our gut bacteria are forced to exist on a restricted diet. And it
doesn’t make them happy.
Eating
lots of processed food, junk food, and unnecessary doses of antibiotics, has
laid waste to our microbiome. The emulsifiers added to processed foods in order
to extend their shelf life are a problem, too. These detergent derivatives have
been shown to reduce microbial richness.
This
couldn’t be more important right now because studies have shown our microbiome
plays a vital role in the proper training and functioning of your immune
system.
Having a
diverse microbiome is good because it means you have a wide range of different
microbes in your gut and the ‘bad’ ones, that do things like encourage
inflammation, are in the minority
I’m a
big fan of a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in healthy natural fats,
nuts and fish, as well as vegetables and legumes packed with disease-fighting
vitamins and minerals.
Not only
does it taste great, but it is regularly voted by health professionals as the
healthiest diet on the planet.
There is
so much scientific evidence that adopting this lifestyle will cut your risk of
heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression and dementia. But now we
also know it will improve the workings of your immune system as well.
One of
the reasons why the Mediterranean diet is so super healthy is because it boosts
levels of the ‘good’ microbes in your gut, which play an important role in the
body’s immune response to infectious pathogens such as coronaviruses.
Stock up on seaweed
Edible
seaweeds (sold as dried nori sheets) or coastal plant samphire, are excellent
prebiotics packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids.
Studies
showed that people who took a daily seaweed capsule over six weeks saw an
increase in 15 different types of ‘friendly’ bacteria in their gut.
The
easiest way to incorporate seaweed into your meal is to sprinkle dried nori
sheets into soups and stews and over salads to give them a tangy, salty taste.
Or you
can snack on mini sheets of dried seaweed, like Itsu sea- weed thins, which are
low calorie but high in vitamin B12, iodine, protein and fibre, making them the
perfect snack for your good gut bacteria.
Studies
showed that people who took a daily seaweed capsule over six weeks saw an
increase in 15 different types of ‘friendly’ bacteria in their gut [File photo]
One
reason is the impact that these ‘good’ bacteria have on chronic inflammation.
Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. If you cut your finger the inflammatory
process makes it feel hot and swollen as your body repairs the damage and keeps
infection out.
However,
as we get older, inflammation can start to spread throughout the body, becoming
chronic and widespread. When that happens it can damage your DNA, scar your
blood vessels, age your skin and kill off healthy cells. It is linked to a
whole range of diseases, including heart disease, cancer and dementia.
But a healthy
diet can prevent much of this happening, and one of the ways it does this is by
feeding the ‘good’ bacteria that live in your gut. They, in turn, are very good
at turning fibre and other nutrients in your diet into chemicals called
short-chain fatty acids (SCFs), which reduce inflammation in the body.
If you
are overweight, have type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure,
asthma or arthritis — any of the very typical 21st-century diseases — then you
are very likely to have chronic inflammation.
Unfortunately,
this means your immune system will also have become less effective.
Not only
will your army of fighters be slow to react to a Covid-19 infection, and
ill-equipped to fight it, but chronic inflammation means your immune system
could also be more likely to overreact and cause very serious damage instead.
Most
people who get Covid-19 get either no symptoms or experience a relatively mild
illness which can be effectively treated at home. But the complications that
lead to an ambulance trip to hospital, and a possible stay in intensive care,
can be caused by a malfunction of the immune system called a ‘cytokine storm’.
This
typically happens within ten days of first noticing symptoms. If your body has
not managed to subdue the virus by then, it may instead start to overreact and
attack healthy tissue as well as cells infected with the virus. This can lead
to extensive damage to the heart, lungs and other organs. It can ultimately
lead to death.
We now
know that people who already have chronic inflammation are more likely to
suffer from a ‘cytokine storm’. Which could help explain why overweight people,
and those with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, are more likely
to die.
Before
embarking on a diet packed with vegetables, pulses, wholegrains and seaweed,
it’s a good idea to assess the state of your microbiome [File photo]
This is
also why a healthy mix of gut microbes is so important. The ‘good’ guys produce
chemicals that reduce chronic inflammation and so help reduce the risk of a
‘cytokine storm’.
They are
like firefighters who help put out the blazes that would otherwise destroy your
body. But, be warned, there are also plenty of ‘bad’ microbes living in your
guts — these are more like arsonists setting fires.
If you
haven’t been eating a healthy diet and established a good mix of
anti-inflammatory gut bacteria, there’s a risk your immune system lacks the
resilience and diversity that is required to establish balanced immune
responses.
The
importance of a healthy microbiome was illustrated by a recent study of more
than 900 people who had Covid-19, some of whom developed severe symptoms, while
in others the effects were mild.
The
researchers found that studying the patients’ microbiome was one of the best
ways of predicting who would get seriously ill and who would not.
As well
as reducing chronic inflammation, a healthy, diverse microbiome will also help
you maintain a healthy weight and keep your blood sugar levels down.
The mix
of microbes in your gut can affect how much energy your body extracts from the
food you eat; they generate their own hunger signals; they may help decide
which foods you crave; they also help to determine how much your blood sugar
spikes in response to a meal.
The link
is clear when you know that people who are seriously overweight or have type 2
diabetes are at twice the risk of becoming seriously ill if they get Covid-19.
So now,
more than ever, you want to be sure your gut microbiome is fighting for you,
rather than against you.
Switch to a sunshine diet
The good
news is that you can change the balance of your microbiome in a very short
period of time by switching to a Mediterranean diet.
This
will not only bolster your immune system by improving your microbiome, but it
means you will be getting the full spread of vitamins and minerals that your
body also needs to fight the virus.
Here’s
how:
- Eat natural healthy fats in the form of real food, such as olive oil, salmon, tuna, full-fat dairy, avocado, nuts and seeds. These natural fats are also good for the waist and the heart, and will keep you feeling full for longer.
- Eat decent amounts of protein such as oily fish (salmon, mackerel), seafood, chicken, some red meat, eggs, tofu, beans, pulses, dairy and nuts. You need at least 50-60g of protein a day, every day. As you get older, you need more. Restrict your intake of processed meats such as sausages, bacon and salami, as most contain high levels of salt, nitrates and other preservatives which your gut bacteria don’t love.
- Eat plenty of dark green and coloured veg. These are very low in calories and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients. They also contain lots of fibre, which the ‘good’ microbes in your gut will benefit from. Experiment with different types of fruit or vegetables (your gut bacteria loves variety).
- Swap white pasta and rice for wholegrains and pulses which are rich in fibre. Choose multigrain, seeded or rye bread over white. Again, the good bacteria in your gut will thrive on the fibre in these foods. If you’re trying to lose weight, you should keep your intake of carbs down.
- Avoid snacking between meals or late-night grazing. Grazing stops fat burning. If you must, snack on non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cucumber or celery, or a small handful of nuts or a small piece of cheese. Fruit is not a good choice, particularly when you are trying to lose weight. ÷ Cut right back on sugar or sweeteners.
- Reduce your intake of processed food, junk food, ready meals and takeaways, tempting though they may be during these stressful times. Eating lots of sugary or processed foods will just reinforce and feed the ‘bad’, pro-inflammatory microbes that live in your gut.
- Drink healthily. Plenty of black tea, fruit tea, black coffee and water. As for alcohol, an occasional glass of red wine with a meal is OK, but don’t overdo it.
How good is your digestion?
Before
embarking on a diet packed with vegetables, pulses, wholegrains and seaweed,
it’s a good idea to assess the state of your microbiome.
This
quiz will tell you if you’re likely to have a healthy population of ‘good’
bacteria which may just need supporting (with meals packed with prebiotic
foods) and topping up (with probiotic foods, such as live yoghurt or
sauerkraut).
It could
also indicate that your microbiome is in poor shape, dominated by
pro-inflammatory microbes which might be driving lethargy, weight gain, mood
swings and even health problems.
Having a
diverse microbiome is good because it means you have a wide range of different
microbes in your gut and the ‘bad’ ones, that do things like encourage
inflammation, are in the minority.
But
problems occur, and your immune system becomes compromised if one group — say,
the ones who thrive on junk food — start to dominate. These bad guys can
swiftly become much more influential and, by producing chemical signals, induce
anxiety, cravings and inflammation.
If you
have recurrent gut problems, you might suspect your microbiome isn’t happy, but
often you have become so accustomed to being out of kilter that mild digestive
discomfort — and the low mood, pain and bloating that come with it — has become
just ‘normal’.
Take
this quiz to find out. If you answer yes, that counts as one point. Add up your
totals then discover, in the panel on the right, what this says about your gut
health.
Sleep and weight gain
An
unhappy microbiome can affect your ability to sleep well, and can make you
prone to weight gain, too.
Poor
sleep means you produce more of the stress hormone, cortisol, and more of the
hunger hormones that drive appetite.
You are
more likely to eat badly because poor sleep cranks up your desire for sugary
carbohydrates and high-fat snacks, which, in turn, encourage a shift towards
the growth of ‘bad’ microbes in your gut.
- I don’t sleep well.
- I rarely seem to be able to shake off feelings of tiredness.
- My weight has steadily crept up over the years.
- Losing weight is a battle.
Poor
sleep means you produce more of the stress hormone, cortisol, and more of the
hunger hormones that drive appetite [File photo]
Mood barometer
The microbiome
also influences our brains. In fact, a network of neurons in your gut
communicates directly with the brain via a superfast ‘broadband’ connection
called the vagus nerve.
Studies
show that people who suffer from depression and anxiety often have gut
problems.
Changing
your diet will increase levels of healthy bacteria, which then produce
chemicals that help improve mood.
These
include serotonin and GABA (a neurotransmitter that acts in a similar way to
the anti-anxiety drug, valium).
- I can be pretty moody at times.
- I am prone to anxiety.
- I get brain fog and sometimes find it difficult to think straight.
Digestion troubles
Having
an unbalanced microbiome, with too many ‘bad’ bacteria producing chemicals that
help inflame the lining of the gut, is called dysbiosis.
Common
symptoms include constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue, anxiety and
depression.
- I frequently get gut pain.
- I have irritable bowel syndrome.
- Bloating and trapped wind are problems for me.
- I frequently have constipation or diarrhoea.
- I’m prone to indigestion.
Childhood links
Studies
show that children who are born by Caesarean section and those who are not
breastfed as babies can grow up with a less diverse population of gut
bacteria.
You
inherit your gut bacteria from your mother, gulping them down as you travel
along the birth canal and out into a bright new world.
If you
are born by Caesarean section this doesn’t happen.
Similarly,
breastfeeding naturally introduces you to a wide variety of bacteria from your
mother.
Additionally,
a restricted diet of processed foods will lead to a limited microbiome
population in later life.
- I was born by C-section.
- I wasn’t breastfed.
- I have always been a fussy eater.
- I was brought up on a diet mainly of junk/processed food.
Studies
show that children who are born by Caesarean section and those who are not
breastfed as babies can grow up with a less diverse population of gut bacteria
[File photo]
Medical issues
As well
as a poor diet, being stressed, taking too many antibiotics and certain other
medications can all cause inflammation in the gut wall, which protects your
body from all the microbes that enter your body, along with food. Inflammation,
in turn, can weaken the gut wall leading to ‘leaky gut syndrome’.
This
compromises your ability to absorb the nutrients in your diet and allows
bacteria and other toxins to escape from your gut into your blood causing all
sorts of health problems, compromised immunity and skin problems.
- I have taken antibiotics multiple times.
- I have raised blood sugar levels.
- I am prone to more colds than most people.
- I am prone to skin rashes or thrush.
- My skin is bad (eczema, psoriasis, acne)
Eating habits
The
drugs given to the animals we eat to encourage them to gain weight, and the
emulsifiers added to processed foods in order to extend their shelf life,
combine to reduce microbial richness.
If you
eat fast, and on the move, it is likely you are eating a lot of junk.
- I’m not great with vegetables and rarely eat three portions a day.
- I eat very quickly and often on the run.
- I often eat in front of the TV.
- I have no time to cook from scratch so have to rely on processed food.
Food preferences
Good gut
bacteria thrive on variety, but 75 per cent of the world’s food comes from just
12 plants and five animal species.
And most
families eat from a limited repertoire of meals with a boringly small range of
ingredients — doing this will really limit your microbial diversity.
Because
the microbiome can influence how much your blood sugar levels rise when you eat,
this can have an impact on cravings and appetite control. Some bacteria thrive
on sugar, others love fat.
They can
manipulate behaviour and mood, changing taste receptors, producing toxins to
make us feel bad and releasing chemical rewards to make us feel good.
They
even manufacture a range of chemicals that are strikingly similar to the main
hunger hormones that control our appetite.
- I tend to have the same breakfast every morning.
- I like the same sandwiches for lunch every day.
- Dinner for me will be one of less than ten options.
- I stick to the same supermarket shopping list each week.
- I have strong cravings for coffee/sugar/alcohol.
- I’m a chocaholic.
Good gut
bacteria thrive on variety, but 75 per cent of the world’s food comes from just
12 plants and five animal species [File photo]
Now find out what your score means
Zero to
five points
Congratulations!
You and your gut bacteria are clearly a happy team.
Keep up
the good digestive work — continue experimenting with different foods and try adding
fermented foods into your diet which are rich in probiotics, living bacteria.
Although
there is no direct evidence that they will benefit your immunity, they are a
useful way of boosting your ‘good’ bacteria. One note of caution: if you have
not eaten fermented foods before, start with small amounts or you might get
some gastrointestinal symptoms initially, such as bloating or gas.
Five to
ten points
You
probably feel OK most of the time, but it’s probable your biome isn’t as happy
as it could be.
Eating a
wider variety of vegetables and other gut-friendly foods will help build the
armies of ‘good’ bacteria.
Ensure
there’s more colour on your plate. Colour is a great indicator of nutritional
diversity.
That’s
because the pigments plants produce not only give them their colour, scent and
flavour, but also means they contain hundreds of different bioactive compounds
known as phytonutrients.
These
phytonutrients tend to be concentrated in the skins of fruits and vegetables.
Their role in the plant is, among other things, to protect it against fungi and
bacteria. But they also have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties.
Phytonutrients
in fruit and vegetables come in a range of colours — green, yellow-orange, red,
blue-purple and white. The key is to eat a wide variety of colours, aiming for
two or more of each per day.
Over ten
points
If you
scored ten or more in my quiz, there’s a chance your gut might be struggling.
You probably know if things aren’t quite right.
It might
be griping stomach pain, or bloating, occasional nausea or frequent trips to
the bathroom (or not going often enough).
The
lining of your intestine can be inflamed, or hyper-sensitive and vulnerable to
damage by infections, some medications, an overactive immune system (which can
lead to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease) and a poor diet. If you
have major gut problems talk to your GP first.
But
evidence is emerging that a change to a Mediterranean-based diet that
encourages the growth of ‘good’ bacteria, might help matters.
We know,
for example, that as well as shielding your gut from attack, some of the ‘good’
gut bacteria produce chemicals which actually REDUCE inflammation and help to
reinforce your gut wall.
You
should always discuss any gut-related symptoms with your GP (to exclude the
possibility of a serious illness).
If you
suspect you might have problems or dietary sensitivities, I recommend you try a
‘remove and repair’ protocol for a few weeks to allow any gut inflammation to
calm down before launching into a more gut-friendly diet that will help bolster
your immunity.
Remove and repair
Before
bombarding your gut with more vegetables and pulses than it is used to, give it
the chance to heal first.
One good
way is to cut out any potential ‘irritants’ from your diet, then gradually
re-introduce them to allow your ‘good’ gut bacteria to re-populate.
Troublesome
foods include gluten, pulses, milk, eggs, soya, coffee and alcohol.
When
your symptoms have settled, slowly re-introduce trigger foods one at a time
with a gap of at least three days.
Keep a
food and symptom diary to track your body’s response to foods so you know which
ones to target.
+11
Like any
army, your immune system needs feeding to work efficiently and destroy any
potentially dangerous invaders such as the coronavirus. Eating a diet rich in
vitamins and minerals is key here [File photo]
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Now try these gut-friendly recipes
Asian coleslaw with leftover chicken
This
brightly coloured dish includes lots of gut-friendly ingredients. You can use
leftover chicken or poach or grill a chicken breast and shred it on top when
cooled.
Serves 4
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 small white cabbage
- ½ small red cabbage
- 1 mango, cut into slices
- Couple handfuls leftover cooked chicken
For the
dressing
- 2 tbsp tamari sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 garlic clove
- Thumb-size piece of root ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp olive oill
- Handful of coriander and half a lime, to serve
To
assemble the salad, cut the carrots into fine strips with a vegetable peeler or
grate them quite thickly into a large bowl.
Discard
the outer leaves and the cores from the cabbages and shred the leaves as finely
as you can.
Add them
to the carrots, then mix in the mango slices and cooked chicken. Make the
dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour it
over the salad and toss everything together. Serve with fresh coriander leaves
and a squeeze of lime.
+11
Asian
coleslaw with leftover chicken
Goan fish curry with seaweed & turmeric
An
aromatic curry packed with health-boosting nutrients, including seaweed. Cod is
rich in selenium, iodine and choline, while turmeric, garlic and ginger have
anti-microbial properties.
Serves 4
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cm piece root ginger, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 mild or medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp live (raw) apple cider vinegar
- 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
- 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 500 g firm white fish (e.g. cod, pollock, haddock or hake) in chunks
- 8-10 g nori sushi sheets
- Handful fresh coriander
- Cauliflower rice or brown basmati rice, and green vegetables to serve
Heat the
coconut oil in a large saucepan and fry the spices for 1-2 minutes. Blend the
onion, ginger, garlic and chilli with the apple cider vinegar to make a
paste.
Add this
to the pan containing the spices and cook for 2 minutes, until the oil
separates, then add the coconut milk and the tomato and bring to the
boil.
Tip in
the fish and simmer gently until cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). Chop a 3
cm strip off the pack of nori seaweed, then cut the strip into ½ cm-wide pieces
and stir them into the curry.
For a
fuller seaweed taste, add another, larger strip, 2-3 cm wide. Check the
seasoning — it may be salty enough with the seaweed. Finally, stir through the
fresh coriander, saving a few leaves to garnish.
Serve
with a couple of spoonfuls of cauliflower rice or brown basmati rice and green
veg.
+11
Goan
fish curry with seaweed & turmeric
Healthy
gut green smoothie
Healthy gut green smoothie
Serves 1
- 2 handfuls organic spinach leaves
- 220 ml water
- ½ avocado
- 1 medium banana
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp root ginger, chopped (optional)
- Juice of 1 lemon
Blitz
all the ingredients together in a blender until thick and creamy.
Cook and cool rice to slim
You can
make your gut bacteria happy by adding ‘resistant starch’ to your diet. This is
a type of starch that, as its name implies, resists digestion in your stomach
and small intestine.
Once it
reaches the large intestine, it feeds the ‘good’ bacteria which digest it,
releasing butyrate which reduces inflammation and strengthens the gut wall.
You’ll
find lots of resistant starch in grains, seeds (such as flaxseeds) and legumes,
unripe bananas and green peas.
But one
of the more surprising places you will find some of it is in pasta or rice that
has been cooked and cooled as this changes the structure of the starch, making
it more resistant to digestion.
Studies
have shown that if you boil rice with a bit of coconut oil, cool it down, then
reheat it in a microwave, you can increase the levels of resistant starch
roughly 15-fold.
Eating
rice this way could halve the amount of calories your gut will absorb from
it.
+11
Studies
have shown that if you boil rice with a bit of coconut oil, cool it down, then
reheat it in a microwave, you can increase the levels of resistant starch
roughly 15-fold [File photo]
Adapted by Louise Atkinson from Covid-19, What
You Need To Know About The Coronavirus And The Race For The Vaccine by Dr
Michael Mosley, published by Short Books at £6.99.
© 2020 Michael Mosley
read more
High-yielding rice seeds to help farmers recover from coronavirus pandemic
Published June 2, 2020, 6:34 PM
By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
More than 1 million bags of certified inbred rice seeds have
been delivered to rice-producing cities and municipalities to help farmers
recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Deputy Executive
Director Flordeliza Bordey on Tuesday said the seed delivery is almost half of
its seed distribution target this planting season.
Through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Seed
Program, Bordey said, “We have delivered 1,128,368 bags and with help from
local government units, we have distributed 439,545 bags to more than 113,000
farmers.”
Reaching 64 percent of its target municipalities in two months, the PhilRice official said the seeds – which would be planted in about 126,000 hectares of farmlands – were delivered to 51 provinces.
“This milestone is truly remarkable as it was achieved despite the difficulties in logistics and transportation, quarantine rules constraining staff mobility, and banning of mass gathering in light of COVID threat,” Bordey said.
Compared with farmer-saved seeds from previous harvest, the certified inbred seeds distributed under the RCEF program could yield 10 percent or more as these seeds have high seedling vigor, pure, and uniform crop stand.
Bordey explained that the increase in yield helps ensure enough supply of rice and in improve farmers’ competitiveness, especially under the society’s new normal.
The RCEF-Seed Program, the government’s intervention to enhance farmers’ competitiveness in a free trade regime, aims to distribute more than 2.5 million bags of high-quality seeds to more than one million Filipino rice farmers, which is about twice the total number of bags distributed and beneficiaries reached by the Institute when it rolled out the program in October 2019.
Farmers listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture and are practicing transplanting method can receive one 20-kilogram (kg) bag of seed for every half hectare of cultivated area up to a maximum of six bags for those who have rice fields larger than 2.5 hectares.
Meanwhile, farmers practicing the
direct-seeding method can receive two bags of seeds for every half hectare.
Riceland Foods launches ‘Ingrain Good’ sustainability initiative
Riceland Foods announced Monday (June 1) its new Ingrain Good
initiative focused on creating value through sustainability across the
farmer-owned cooperative.
Riceland Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Ben Noble said the new initiative is the key to the cooperative’s future in
becoming a leader in sustainable practices to better serve its farmer members,
customers and consumers across the supply chain.
“As consumer demand shifts, we have to change. Consumers want
their food to be sustainably grown. Our job is to make that happen from farm to
table,” said Noble. “Ingrain Good is our way of telling the story of our
farmers’ sustainable practices on their family farms and our cooperative’s
dedication to making sustainability a priority across all areas of our
business.”
The mission of Ingrain Good is to create value for Riceland’s
members, employees, customers and consumers by prioritizing the education and
adoption of sustainable practices. Riceland will focus improvement efforts on
reducing its carbon footprint, maximizing efficiencies, reducing consumption of
natural resources and optimizing the safety and well-being for all people
associated with the cooperative.
“As demand for sustainably produced food increases across the
food supply chain, the need to ‘tell our story’ through data rings louder than
ever before,” said Adam Shea, Riceland’s director of sustainability. “As a
farmer owned cooperative, we believe we are uniquely positioned to capitalize
on the growing needs and demands of the supply chain to share our story.”
For the past several years, Riceland has been actively involved
in the agriculture industry’s sustainability efforts, working alongside groups
like Field to Market, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and USA Rice
Federation.
The Ingrain Good initiative will combine Riceland’s operational
data with farm level data to help USA Rice meet and exceed the goals outlined
in its 2030 Sustainability Goals.
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UPDATE 1-Vietnam aims to export 7 million tonnes of rice this year - govt
JUNE 2, 2020 / 6:36 PM
By Khanh Vu
HANOI, June 2 (Reuters) - Vietnam, the world’s third-largest
rice exporter, aims to ship 7 million tonnes of the grain this year, greater
than last year’s volume, the government said on Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian country fully resumed rice exports in May
after it briefly banned shipment of the grain in March and limited April
shipments to 500,000 tonnes.Those measures were taken to ensure it had
sufficient food during the coronavirus pandemic.
“This will be 400,000-500,000 tonnes higher than last year,” Mai
Tien Dung, chief of the government office, said at a news conference.Dung said
the country had bumpy rice harvests this year from dry weather conditions and
the intrusion of salty water in the Mekong Delta.He said Vietnam had put aside
enough rice for domestic use, stockpiling 270,000 tonnes of rice, including
80,000 tonnes of unhusked paddy, to ensure food security.Vietnam’s rice exports
in the first five months of this year rose 3.7% from a year earlier to 2.86
million tonnes, according to the government’s customs data. (Reporting by Khanh
Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)
Our
Standards:The Thomson
Reuters Trust Principles.
MORE FROM REUTERS
Drought in Thailand good news for Australian barley growers
Grain Brokers Australia, June 2, 2020
Subsurface moisture levels
between 1 January and 7 February 2020. which show the impact of drought in
South-east Asia. Image: NASA Earth Observatory
SEVERE DROUGHT in Thailand in the first five months of 2020 has
adversely affected the production of off-season (dry season) rice and corn,
primarily due to a lack of irrigation water as reservoirs are critically low.
This will decrease the country’s exportable surplus of rice and
potentially increase demand for imported wheat and barley in the 2020/21
marketing year.
Most of Thailand’s rice and corn production occurs during their
wet season with planting commencing in May and running through to the end of
June for rice and the end of August for corn.
The corn harvest commences in September and runs to the end of
the year while the rice harvest is concentrated into the last two months of the
year.
The dry season production cycle is heavily reliant on the
availability of irrigation water. Most of the planting occurs in November and
December, and harvest is generally completed by the end of April.
The area planted to dry-season crops fell 36 per cent to 1.4
million hectares relative to the 2018/19 crop year, after historically low
precipitation during the 2019 monsoon led to record low water storage inflows
late last year. Consequently, production of off-season rice and corn are
forecast to decline by 41pc and 25pc respectively compared to the previous
season.
Total 2019/20 rice production is forecast at 18 million tonnes
(Mt), 14.8Mt in the wet-season production cycle and 3.2Mt in the dry-season
window. This is the second-lowest level of production in the last ten years
after a severe drought in the 2015/16 season slashed output to 15.8Mt.
Thailand’s corn production in the current marketing year is
expected be around 4.5Mt, a fall of 20pc on 2018/19 levels. This was mainly due
to an infestation of fall armyworm in the wet-season crop and a dry spell in
June and July last year, seriously slowing early crop development.
Demand for feed grain in Thailand in 2020/21 is forecast to
remain relatively static at around 20.3 Mt as shrinking swine production, a
result of African swine fever, is offset by growing production in the poultry,
dairy cattle, and fishery sectors. Nevertheless, this is contingent upon a
recovery in animal protein consumption to pre-COVID-19 levels by early 2021 at
the latest.
Of the total feed demand, the derived demand for corn is estimated
at around 8.5Mt. But even with an expected rebound in domestic corn production
in 2020/21, local corn producers will still only be able to supply around 6Mt.
It is this gap, between domestic animal feed requirements and
corn production, that will drive import demand for corn, particularly from
neighbouring countries like Myanmar, and other livestock feeds such as feed
wheat, barley and dried distillers’ grain.
Thai wheat imports are forecast to decrease by 2pc in 2020/21,
to 3.2Mt. Milling wheat is expected to make up just over one-third of these
imports at 1.1Mt, down from 1.4Mt in 2019/20. The current season imports were
higher than normal after flour millers built stocks when the government
announced plans to ban the agricultural pesticides glyphosate, paraquat, and
chlorpyrifos.
The 2020/21 milling wheat demand could fall even further if the
tourism sector doesn’t recover quickly from the effects of COVID-19. Tourist
arrivals in March fell by more than 76pc compared to a year earlier, having a
devastating impact on street vendors and noodle stalls.
Feed wheat for the intensive livestock production sector makes
up the 2.1Mt import balance. The government retains import limits on feed
wheat that have been in place since January 2017 to protect domestic corn
farmers from cheaper feed wheat imports.
Under these restrictions, importers are required to purchase
domestic corn before being permitted to import feed wheat at a 3-to-1
absorption ratio. In other words, to import a tonne of feed wheat, a mill must
use three tonnes of domestic corn. The government also set the minimum purchase
price for 2019/20 season domestic corn at 8 baht per kilogram, approximately
US$252/t, for feed mills.
With lower domestic corn production, these constraints seriously
hamper the ability of stockfeed merchants to fill the demand void with imported
wheat. This is where imported feed barley comes into the equation.
Last week the Thai Feed Millers Association (TFMA) passed on its
wheat tender which had called for up to 227,500t of feed wheat for August to
October delivery. It was said the offers were considered too high. The lowest
was reported around US$215/t cost & freight (C&F), $10/t higher than
expectations.
Maybe this opens the door for more purchases of Australian feed
barley. Australian barley prices have recovered somewhat from the sharp drop
after the draconian Chinese tariffs were imposed, but at around $195/t C&F
Thailand, it is significantly cheaper than the latest feed wheat tender prices.
While not in the same league as China, Thailand has been an
increasingly active buyer of Australian barley in recent years. Purchases of
250,000t in the 2017/18 Australian crop season (October to September) increased
to almost 400,000t in 2018/19, making them Australia’s third-largest barley
customer. At more than 430,000t, purchases in the first six months of this
season have already exceeded last year’s total, with almost all of it being
feed barley.
South-East Asian countries such as Thailand will not
individually replace China as a destination for Australian barley. However,
with a significant freight advantage over Black Sea origins, the region can
play a critical role in shifting the focus away from China and avoid competing
head to head with Black Sea exporters into Saudi Arabia.
This article was written by Grain Brokers Australia.
Cambodia's rice export to China up 25 per cent in 5 months
·
Tuesday, 02 Jun 2020
12:11 PM MYT
·
·
PHNOM
PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia exported 136,825 metric tonnes of milled rice to China
during the first five months of 2020, up 25 per cent over the same period last
year, according to an official report released on Monday (June 1).
China
remained the biggest buyer of Cambodian rice during the January-May period this
year, said the report of the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export,
adding that export to China accounted for 38 per cent of the country's total
rice export.
It
also showed that Cambodia exported 122,010 tonnes of milled rice to the
European markets during the period, up 51 per cent.
According
to the report, the kingdom shipped a total of 356,097 tonnes of milled rice to
54 countries and regions during the first five months of this year, up 42 per
cent over the same period last year.
Cambodia
produced approximately 10 million tonnes of paddy rice year, according to the
ministry of agriculture. With this amount, the country saw paddy rice surplus
of about 5.6 million tonnes in equivalent to 3.5 million tonnes of milled rice.
- Xinhua
GIEWS Country Brief: Guyana 01-June-2020
Source
Posted
2
Jun 2020
Originally
published
2
Jun 2020
Origin
Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
·
Rice production forecast well above‑average level in 2020
·
Rice exports forecast to continue rising trend in 2020
marketing year
Rice production forecast well above‑average level in 2020
Harvesting of the 2020
first season paddy crop, which accounts for half of the annual production, is
virtually complete and yields of the harvested crops are similar to the record
high yields obtained in 2019. The improvement of extension services of the Guyana
Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the expanding of public agricultural
investments supported crop yields.
Planting of the 2020
second season paddy crop is ongoing under slightly dry weather conditions.
Sowings are expected to increase compared to the record level in 2019 due to
improved financial gains for farmers, prompted by strong demand for exports.
Precipitation amounts are forecast to increase in the June‑August period across
the main producing coastal areas, which are likely to support crop germination
and development.
The 2020 paddy production
is forecast to increase for the fourth consecutive year and reach 1.1 million
tonnes, about 15 percent higher than the five‑year average.
Rice exports forecast to continue rising trend in 2020
marketing year
Rice is the country’s
third most important export commodity, after gold and cargo containers, with
about half of the annual production being exported. Rice exports have been on
the rise over the past three years due to increasing production and are forecast
to continue rising in the 2020 marketing year (January/December). Rice exports
in 2020 are forecast at 530 000 tonnes, more than 20 percent above the last
five‑year average.
COVID‑19 and measures adopted by the Government
The COVID‑19 emergency
measures were adopted on 3 April 2020 for a two‑month period, which included
the curfew from 18:00 to 06:00 hours and the temporary closure of the borders
and non‑essential business activities. The Government is also distributing food
packages to support the vulnerable population affected by the COVID‑19 pandemic
and has recently announced cash transfer measures for small farmers.
Primary country
Source
Format
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Related Content
Centre hikes support prices of kharif crops
·
But the marginal increase is
unlikely to cheer farmers hit by falling prices
·
The increase in MSP ensures that
farmers will receive a price between 50% to 83% over their production costs,
agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar says
Topics
NEW
DELHI :
The central government on Monday announced minimum support prices (MSPs) of 14
kharif crops, planting for which will begin shortly with the progress of the
annual monsoon.
MSPs
of major rain-fed crops such as paddy, maize, arhar, moong, urad, groundnut,
soybean and cotton for the 2020-21 marketing season were raised by a modest
2-5% compared to a year earlier.
This
marginal increase is unlikely to cheer farmers who have been battered by a
steep fall in prices of perishables in the past few months because of a
coronavirus lockdown-induced fall in demand and repeated supply disruptions.
MSP
is the price at which government agencies purchase crops from farmers. India’s
kharif season starts with the onset of the monsoon in June and harvesting
begins in October.
For
rice, the main kharif crop, the Centre has fixed MSP at ₹1,868 per quintal, an increase
of ₹53 over last year.
However,
the 2.9% hike in rice MSP this year is lower than the 3.6% increase announced
in 2019. It is also the lowest increase in the past five years.
In
2018, rice MSP was raised by a huge 12.9% year-on-year (y-o-y), ahead of the
general elections held the following year.
Support
price for maize was raised by 5.1% y-o-y to ₹1,850
per quintal. Among pulses, MSP of arhar or pigeon pea was fixed at ₹6,000 per quintal, an increase of
3.4%.
Similarly,
MSPs of moong (green gram) and urad (black gram) were raised to ₹7,196 per quintal (an increase of
2.1%) and ₹6,000 per quintal (an increase of
5.3%), respectively.
Among
major oilseeds, MSP of soybean was raised by 4.6% to ₹3,880 per quintal. MSP of long
staple cotton was hiked by 5% to ₹5,825
per quintal.
The
hike in MSP ensures that farmers will receive a price between 50% to 83% over
their production costs, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said while
announcing the decisions. The decision to fix MSP at 50% over production costs,
which include all input costs plus a notional value of family labour, has been
in place since 2018.
However,
farmers’ rights groups have repeatedly pointed out that the cost matrix taken
by the government does not include components such as the rental value of land
and interest on value of owned capital assets.
This
inflates the returns accrued to farmers compared to what they actually receive
in cases where they can sell their produce at the support prices.
For
instance, during 2019-20, at an MSP of ₹1,815
per quintal, paddy farmers got a return of 50.2% over the cost matrix used by
the government (A2 plus FL), but the returns were significantly lower at 12%
going by comprehensive costs (also known as C2).
The
Union cabinet on Monday also approved an extension of the deadline by which
farmers have to repay short-term crop loans. Usually farmers receive a 3%
prompt repayment incentive if they repay their crop loans by March. This was
extended to August because of the lockdown imposed to check the spread of the
coronavirus, which has been in place since 25 March.
Following
the announcements related to the agriculture sector, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said on Twitter that the central government has fulfilled its promise by
fixing MSP at a level which is 1.5 times the cost of production. “Care has also
been taken towards improving the financial situation of our farmers," the
prime minister added.
Kenya: State Agency Buys Sh300 Million Rice From Mwea Farmers
1 JUNE 2020
By George
Munene
The Kenya National Trading
Corporation (KNTC) has bought rice worth Sh300 million from farmers in Mwea,
Kirinyaga County, following the presidential directive issued in March.
A kilogramme of rice is being
bought at Sh85 and farmers have delivered nine million kilos of their produce
to their Mwea Multi-purpose Cooperative Society's stores. Initially,
unprocessed rice sold at Sh45.
KNTC Chief Executive Officer
Timothy Mirugi said the presidential directive must be implemented and urged
the farmers to be patient.
FAIR PRICE
"We are offering a fair price to farmers and we are going
to purchase all the rice delivered because the funds are available," he
said. When President Uhuru Kenyatta visited Kirinyaga recently, he
directed KNTC to buy the rice to protect farmers, who grow the crop at the
giant Mwea Irrigation Scheme, from exploitation by brokers.
He noted that for decades, farmers had been exploited by middlemen,
making it difficult for them to break even.
BROKERS
Brokers normally offer between Sh45 and Sh50 per kilogramme of
rice and farmers had been complaining that the prices were too low.
The farmers lamented that it was difficult to make profits
because the brokers took advantage of lack of markets for their produce to buy
the commodity at a throw away price.
The farmers thanked the government for coming to their rescue.
"We are now smiling all the way to the bank," said Mr
Simon Njogu, one of the farmers.
NOT ENOUGH
The Mwea scheme produces 80 per cent of rice consumed in Kenya.
But the production is not enough and Kenya has to import more
rice to cater for the deficit.
Currently the government is
constructing the Sh20 billion Thiba Dam in Rukenya village, Gichugu
Constituency to boost rice farming so that the country can produce enough for
its rising population and surplus for export.
India
raises 2020/21 common rice purchase price by 2.9%
·
JUNE 1,
2020 / 5:56 PM
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI, June 1
(Reuters) - India has raised the price at which it will buy new-season common
rice varieties from local farmers by 2.9%, the agriculture minister said on
Monday.For common grades of rice, the government has fixed the support price at
1,868 Indian rupees ($24.75) per 100 kg, Narendra Singh Tomar told a news
conference.
Buoyed by the increase in the guaranteed
price, Indian farmers are expected to plant more rice in June and July, when
monsoon rains spur planting of the staple in the world’s biggest exporter of
the grain.Above-average monsoon rains should also boost crop yields.
The higher output will force the
government to buy more from local farmers, bumping up local supplies and adding
extra stocks to brimful granaries.
The government also raised the
purchase price of long staple cotton to 5,825 rupees per 100 kg against 5,550
rupees from the previous year and that of soybean to 3,880 rupees, up from
3,710 in 2019/20.
Higher cotton output will help
India, the world’s biggest producer of the fibre and boost its exports to Asian
buyers such as China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
At the same time, the increase in
soybean production could cut expensive vegetable oil imports by India, the
world’s No. 1 buyer of edible oils. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Mayank
Bhardwaj; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Our Standards:The Thomson
Reuters Trust Principles.
MORE
FROM REUTERS
UAE grows rice in the desert as coronavirus supply chains worries spur innovation
mirati man reads the front of a package of Indian
Basmati rice in a supermarket in Dubai. (File photo: AFP)
BloombergTuesday 02 June 2020
The United Arab Emirates doesn’t spring to mind as an obvious
place to farm rice, but the coronavirus is prodding the arid nation to explore new ways of feeding itself.
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