Govt issues guidelines for farmers
GK
News Network
Jammu, May
23, 2020, 3:30 AM
UPDATED: May
22, 2020, 11:44 PM
Government has
issued detailed guidelines for the elimination of intermediary brokers and ease
down certain other problems faced by the farmers.
An official statement said the Agriculture Production
Department, in view of COVID-19 situation, has allowed Deputy Commissioners to
notify the places in their respective jurisdictions, where farmers can bring
their produce for marketing without any intermediary interference.
The guidelines said that collection or aggregation centre
in the proximity of production areas may be set up by a person after
getting it registered by the concerned Market Administrative
Committees. The person will have to comply with a set of guidelines,
particularly refraining from any kind of hoarding, under Essential Commodities
Act.
All the Market Administrative Committees of the UT have
been asked to allow and facilitate functioning of such Collection and Sale
Centres without any hindrance.
Similarly, the principal agriculture product of the UT,
Jammu, Basmati rice has been certified as Safe for Pesticides Residual Limits
by Quality Control & Quality Assurance Division of Indian Institute Of
Integrative e-Medicine (CSIR). The CSIR collected 184 samples of Basmati Rice
from Basmati growers of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and confirmed the
purity of prestigious Jammu Basmati Rice.
A report issued by IIIM in this regard will be shared
with Agriculture and Processed Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
and other relevant forums for promoting and popularizing the Jammu Basmati and
further removing the bottlenecks in trouble-free export of Basmati-370.
In another major move to reduce Covid-19 pandemic
distress among the farmers, JK Industries is going to procure 60,000 Kg of
Grade A and B grade Cocoon from Jammu division and 50,000 kg from Kashmir
division.
Meanwhile, concerted efforts are underway to develop
horticulture and related activities in Jammu region by way of several ongoing
government interventions.
The potential taping High Density and Ultra High Density
plantation for Apple, Kiwi, Peach, Grapes and Walnut is main focus of the
government. These fruits have huge potential in hilly areas like Kishtwar,
Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and hilly areas of Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban and Kathua.
The services of Centre for Excellence for Horticulture
are being utilized to promote the fruit growing in all types of regions of
Jammu division.
Upgrading of the infrastructure of Fruit and Vegetable
Market, for developing it on modern lines replete with all the necessary
facilities has been prioritized.
The State Level Project Screening Committee (SLPSC) on
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAR), has recently approved the Annual
Action Plan envisaging mobilization of Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs)
and promotion of local specialty crops, value addition, organic farming, farm
mechanization and promoting agri-business entrepreneurship. Aadhar seeding and
100% assistance transfer through DBT for all beneficiary oriented schemes has
also been stressed upon.
Weekly inflation up 0.66pc
May
22, 2020
ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator
(SPI)-based weekly inflation for the week ended on May 21 witnessed an increase
of 0.66 per cent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
The
SPI for the week under review for the combined consumption group was recorded
at 128.15 points, as against 127.31 points registered in the previous week.
The
weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 covers 17 urban centers and 51 essential
items for all expenditure groups.
The
SPI for the lowest consumption group, up to Rs17,732, also witnessed 0.57pc
increase, from 133.30 points last week to 134.06 points during the week under
review.
Weekly
inflation for consumption groups from Rs17,733-Rs22,888; Rs22,889-Rs29,517;
Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 per month increased by 0.65pc, 0.65pc,
0.69pc and 0.65pc, respectively.
During
the week, prices of five items decreased, 17 items increased while that of 29
items remained unchanged.
The
items that recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions, LPG
cylinder, pulse (gram, masoor) and gur.
The
commodities which recorded increase in their average prices included chicken,
tomatoes, wheat, bananas, garlic, potatoes, moong pulse, mustard oil, curd,
cigarettes, pulse (mash), mutton, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, milk, rice
(basmati).
Similarly,
the prices of the commodities that observed no change in their price during the
week under review included rice (Irri-6/9), bread, beef, milk (powdered),
vegetable ghee, vegetable ghee, salt, chilies, tea (packet), cooked beef, tea
(prepared), long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge
chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, firewoodk, energy saver, washing
soap, matchbox, petrol, diesel, telephone call, and toiled soap.
According
to the PBS analysis, the increase in inflation was mainly due to a rise in
prices of food items i.e. chicken (10.47pc), tomatoes (9.60pc), wheat flour
(2.35pc), bananas (2.34pc), garlic (1.69pc) and potatoes (1.21pc).
Weekly inflation up 0.66pc
By
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May
22, 2020
98
IMF says
committed to supporting Pakistan amid corona crisis
By ppi
May 22, 2020
WASHINGTON: The International Monitory Fund (IMF) stated on Friday the
extended fund facility, which was signed with Pakistan before the coronavirus
crisis, remains in effect.
“Discussions were currently paused due to the pandemic outbreak,
and [instead] there was a focus on the rapid financing instrument to help
Pakistan combat Covid-19. And in this regard, our Executive Board [last month]
approved $1.4 billion for Pakistan,” said Gerry Rice of the IMF’s Communication
Department in a press briefing.
Rice said technical discussions are in process with the
Pakistani authorities on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which is another
instrument through which the Fund is supporting Pakistan. “This will be the
second review. We hope to bring it to a positive conclusion as soon as
possible.”
Rice stated, “What else can I say on the G20 initiative and
developing countries, including Pakistan? Again, you know, going back to what I
said earlier, on this Debt Relief Initiative, it’s important to recognize that
developing countries include some very poor and indebted nations, but they also
include many countries that have been developing successfully. It’s a broad
spectrum, and I know many of you know that, but it’s important to keep that in
mind. So, for many of these countries, you know, that have been developing
successfully, for many of them, attaining creditworthiness, the ability and the
willingness to repay their debts, constitutes a hard-fought success.”
The IMF official continued, “So, that’s why I said earlier that
a few developing countries have said, publicly, that they’re not inclined to
take up the G20 Debt Suspension Initiative, you know, partly, because of that
reason. What they want is a level playing field, in the form of stable access
to finance on affordable terms, and, so, for this reason, the Fund’s priority
is to ensure that these countries continue to have that access to appropriate
external financing, as they go forward, and we try to contribute to that
through our own lending and through initiatives, such as the G20 Debt Service
Suspension, but let me be clear. As I said earlier, we also support all
developing countries whose debts are unsustainable.”
Rice said the Fund would support its member countries, even
whose debts are unsustainable, and, again, whilst a few countries had indicated
that they would not be participating in the initiative, the vast majority have
either expressed a formal request to participate, or expressed interest, and
IMF expects many more official requests in the coming days.
Spring Quarter Snapshot: Rice Research Continues
C Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative
Extension rice and wild rice advisor Whitney Brim-DeForest takes a look at
plants growing on campus. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)
While much of the world has
stopped, the plants keep on growing.
Whitney Brim-DeForest, the UC
Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension rice and wild rice
advisor, has been conducting research on weeds found in rice fields around the
Sacramento Valley, with her current study ongoing since January.
“Obviously, due to the
coronavirus, it has been more difficult to focus on research, and the way that
we have to interact with each other — colleagues, employees, students — is a
little different than normal,” Brim-DeForest said.
Yet she does see some upsides to
working in her near-empty greenhouse on the UC Davis campus. She finds that
“spending time with the plants, both in the greenhouse and in the field, is a
source of stress relief.”
Brim-DeForest said her survey
aims “to get a better idea of the weed species found in California rice fields,
both native and non-native, as well as the distribution through the nine
rice-growing counties.”
The study, which involves
collecting 200 soil samples from rice grower fields in the Sacramento Valley,
is the first in decades.
“The last published survey was in
the 1980s, so it has been 40 years, and a lot has changed,” Brim-DeForest said.
About the author(s)
Kate Armstrong Kate Armstrong is a communication major working as a
fellow in the Office of Strategic Communications.
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.
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
Scientists
have warned about the dangers of drinking spring water
Experts told why drinking spring
water can be dangerous to human health. The study was conducted by researchers
from the Swiss Institute of aquatic science and technology.
Groundwater has become one of the
key sources of drinking water for hundreds of millions of inhabitants of the
planet. In addition, in some regions of Asia and America they are used for
irrigation of crops, which is associated with arid climate. The new work shows
that in some countries, the use of such water threatens a number of health
effects due to high concentrations of arsenic. Moreover, you can get poisoned
not only by eating the liquid, but during ingestion, for example of rice, if it
is watered with such water. In the work the authors conducted more than 200
thousand tests of water quality in a number of States, including China, the US,
Mexico, etc.
The who standards suggest that
the permissible contents of arsenic should not exceed 10 mg per liter. However,
in some areas the concentration reaches 50 mg in this volume. Mainly this is
true for South Asia, but there are pockets in the USA and Argentina. The map
was compiled by scientists by means of mathematical modeling.
The results demonstrate that in
Europe and Russia there is no cause for concern, as there is with high
probability the arsenic content in the water is not so significant to cause
concern. It is in Russia in the Western part of the country of a hazardous
substance in groundwater is much less and closer to Asia, the figure is
growing. Risk assessment implies that the probability of exposure to dangerous
doses of arsenic persisted for 220 million inhabitants of the Earth.
The specified chemical element is
characterized by a toxicity, and even small amounts can provoke skin diseases
or problems with the nervous system. At elevated levels of arsenic becomes a
cause of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
If you want to live long, then say no to
processed foods
BY PARMESH DHERA
ON MAY 23, 2020
Improper eating has a bad effect on
health. All health experts state that more than half of serious illnesses are
caused by the wrong lifestyle and wrong eating. The diseases that have
increased the fastest in the world in the last century are diabetes, heart attack,
and cancer. More than 80% of people worldwide die due to diseases like
diabetes, heart attack, and cancer. The number of patients who have died due to
the coronavirus is very high in these 3 diseases. According to scientists,
processed food is the biggest cause of all these three diseases.
What are processed foods?
Processed foods mean diets that
have to be resorted to at high temperatures, heavy pressures, machines, etc. to
make them tasty. The most popular processed foods are bread, chips, breakfast
cereals (corn flakes, muesli, choco chips), cheese, butter, maida, microwaved
foods, packaged items (chips, snacks, puffs, other snacks with salt), pizza,
burgers, cold drinks, etc. Even though they are made from grains or pulses such
as wheat, rice, oats, corn, gram, lentils, all the nutrients are released
during processing.
Scientists claim
Research at the University of Otago
found that processed foods do not contain fiber at all. Whereas fiber is very
important for our body. This controls blood sugar in our bodies. According to
scientists, by consuming fiber-rich foods, you can live longer. While the
consumption of processed foods makes a person at risk of many diseases.
19 grams of fiber required every
day
A healthy person must eat at least
19 grams of fiber every day. Those who eat more than 35 grams of fiber daily
reduce the risk of premature death by 35%. For more fiber, eat whole grains,
legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, beans, etc.), vegetables, and raw fruits.
Change eating habitsIf you eat white bread or eat things made with fine flour, then
stop it now. Buy Holmgren bread instead of white bread and use flour instead of
flour. Eat brown rice and brown pasta instead of white rice. Include at least 1
bowl of legumes (dal, rajma, gram, beans), etc. in the diet every day. Also,
use fresh vegetables instead of frozen.
About Post Author
Parmesh Dhera
Born to a PIO businessman, Parmesh
loves travelling and writing about everything related to technology,
entertainment, sports and business. He is from Istanbul and loves his Falafels
and Hummus. Parmesh also has an expensive taste in wine and writes for various
food magazines in Europe.
Pursat province to strengthen
agriculture sector
Pech Sotheary / Khmer Times
The Pursat provincial
administration is encouraged to continue strengthening the management and
improving the quality of agricultural products, businesses, trade and tourism
sector to better improve the living conditions of people, especially disabled
people.
Pursat provincial governor Mao
Thonin outlined the progress and direction of the administration during a press
conference at the Council of Ministers.
He said there are more than
490,000 people in the province, of which 75 percent are farmers and another 25
percent are businessmen, traders and civil servants.
Mr Thonin added that due to the
large population, agriculture is a major sector to support the development,
enhancing the livelihoods of the people, which needs to be strengthened
further.
“People have been very active in
the agriculture sector with harvesting and cultivation efforts, with most of
the rice in the province being grown without using chemical fertilisers which
increases the quality and taste of the rice,” he said.
According to Mr Thonin, the province
currently has about 150,000 hectares of agricultural land, with an annual rice
yield of between 380,000 tonnes and 420,000 tonnes. In addition to rice crops,
he said people in the province also grow oranges on 12,000 hectares.
He added in addition to the
agriculture sector, there is also a huge potential for the tourism industry to
improve people’s living conditions.
He said the province currently
has a total of 34 tourist destinations, such as the Tonle Sap Lake, covering 86
kilometres, tourist attractions in the district, city and mountainous areas
which attracted about 610,000 local and international tourists last year.
Commerce department director in
Pursat province, Chhun Sereyrath, also said in the press conference the yield
of rice, a priority in the province, which has exported an average of about
23,500 tonnes per year.
In addition, the province also
has some other products such as oranges, cassava, corn, mango, marble sculpture
handicrafts and products made from palm trees and palm sugar.
“The provincial administration
will continue to strengthen the agricultural sector and promote these
agricultural products in local and international markets by participating in
trade fairs,” she said.
According to the provincial
authorities, in addition to strengthening agriculture and tourism as the
priority sectors, it will also strengthen other sectors such as water
resources, energy, trade, rural development, health and road infrastructure to
further fulfill the needs of the people.
TS distributed
7608 tons rice, Rs 31.61 lakh cash to migrant workers
Minister
explained various issues related with the Civil Supplies department to the
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan in a video-conference
Minister
Gangula Kamalakar along with officials attending video conference held by Union
Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday.
Hyderabad: Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar has said that the
State has identified 6.47 lakh migrant workers and distributed 7608.012 metric
tons of rice and Rs 31.61 lakh financial assistance among other facilities
during the ongoing lockdown period.
The Minister explained various
issues related with the Civil Supplies department to the Union Minister for
Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan who was on a nationwide video conference with
civil supplies ministers of all the States on Friday.
The Minister informed that the
State has so far linked 96.40 percent ration cards of beneficiaries with Aadhar
under One Nation-One Ration programme. He further said that Telangana is in the
forefront in linking the cards with Aadhar.
Kamalakar also urged the Union
Minister to increase Rs 500 financial assistance to Rs 2000 and also to extend
the free ration scheme to May and June months also. Civil Supplies Commissioner
Anil Kumar also participated in the meeting.
