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May 1 & 2, 2019
Vol 10 ,Issue 4
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Japan looks to drones, self-driving tractors to lift
rice exports
Farm ministry eyes 40% cost
reduction using new tech and fast-growing varieties
Nikkei
staff writersMAY
02, 2019 16:52 JST
Japan’s
agriculture ministry plans to dramatically reduce rice production costs by
developing technology like autonomous tractors. (Courtesy of the National
Agriculture and Food Research Organization)
TOKYO
-- Japan has fought long and hard in trade talks to protect its rice growers
from foreign competition. Now the government wants to help them go global.
The agriculture ministry plans to develop new technology to
lower cultivation costs in a push to boost exports. It aims to slash production
costs by more than 40% by using new crop varieties with greater yields, autonomous
tractors and other smart agricultural machinery.
Sales of Japanese rice are growing in Asia, but they are
currently limited to expensive restaurants due to high prices. With domestic
rice demand continuing to decline, the government wants to develop overseas
markets using new technology to lower costs.
Farmers and local governments will test the technology for two
years starting this spring in four prefectures -- Miyagi, Ibaraki, Fukui and
Gifu. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, a national
research and development agency, will summarize the results.
One way to cut costs is to reduce farmers' workload. New
varieties with higher yields and direct seeding will both help in that.
Rice yield per are (0.01 hectare) is usually around 544kg. But
recent years have seen new varieties with yields of 720 kg per are. Research on
cultivation by sowing seeds directly in rice paddies, rather than planting rice
seedlings, is also progressing.
The ministry also plans to lower costs through greater use of
information technology.
Drones can spray fertilizer and chemicals on crops, reducing
waste and labor. Other machines, like autonomous tractors, will more
efficiently plow large areas of farm land.
Japan's rice exports in 2018 rose 16% from the previous year to
13,794 tons, according to the farm ministry. That is a sevenfold increase from
10 years ago.
Hong Kong and Singapore are the two biggest export markets for
Japanese rice, and China-bound shipments are also expanding.
Japan's rice exports still account for a tiny fraction of its
total production. The country exported less than 1% of the 7.33 million tons
grown in 2018.
But the importance of overseas markets is growing. Japan's
declining population means the market is shrinking, and people are shifting
away from rice. Demand is falling by 100,000 tons annually.
Japanese rice exports currently cost 600 yen ($5.36) or more per
kilogram, and is consumed primarily by people with high incomes, according to
the farm ministry.
The ministry thinks that if prices are lowered to somewhere
between 300 and 600 yen per kilogram, more people will buy the grain, like
Japanese restaurant chains in China.
Government bodies in Japan have had a hard time using new
technology to increase rice production at lower costs. Until recently
production volume was regulated to deal with supply gluts. Those regulations
ended in 2018.
As a result, researchers have focused on improving the quality
of rice varieties until now.
But overseas markets have become more attractive as Japanese
food has gained popularity.
"To increase rice exports, it's necessary to both lower
production costs and maintain high quality," said Hiroaki Muto, chief
economist at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. "It's important for both the
public and private sector to work to further improve its brand image."
Plant studies show where Africa’s early farmers tamed
some of the continent’s key crops
Wheat and other plants that feed much of the
world today were likely first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of the
Middle East. But another early cradle of agriculture lay thousands of
kilometers away, around West Africa's Niger River Basin, a flurry of plant genomic
studies is showing. Several of the continent's traditional food crops got their
start there: a cereal called pearl millet and Africa's own version of rice.
Now, a report out this week in Science Advances adds yams
to the list of African crops domesticated thousands of years ago in that same
area. A drying climate may have spurred the move to farming, says Yves
Vigouroux, a population geneticist at the French Research Institute for
Development (IRD) in Montpellier who led some of the new work.
The
recent findings pinpoint the wild ancestors of some of Africa's most important
crops, highlighting reservoirs of genes that could be exploited to boost the
productivity and disease resistance of the domesticated varieties, he adds.
Such improvements could be life savers on a continent where population is
expanding, and climate change threatens crop yields. "When we study
evolution of crops across time, it helps us to see varieties [that] are more
resilient," says Alemseged Beldados, an archaeobotanist at Addis Ababa
University. "It will help us single out better breeds."
Generations
of archaeologists have studied plant domestication in the Middle East as well
as in Asia and the Americas. "But Africa has very much lagged
behind," says Dorian Fuller, an archaeobotanist at University College
London. Plant fossils and farming artifacts are less likely to be preserved in
Africa's warm, moist environments, funding is scarce, and field research often
faces political and logistical challenges.
Genetic
studies, however, bypass some of these difficulties. In 2002, Nora Scarcelli, a
population geneticist colleague of Vigouroux's at IRD, took an interest in
yams, the most important root crop in Africa before the introduction of cassava
in the 1500s and still more important than maize in parts of Africa.
The
vines of the African yam (Dioscorea rotundata) produce large
tubers that look a bit like American sweet potatoes (sometimes mistakenly
called yams), but the plant is a different species that is also distinct from
Asian yams. But whether the modern African crop was derived from D.
abyssinica, a wild yam that grows in the savanna, or D.
praehensilis, which thrives in the wetter rainforests, was not
known. Hoping to resolve the issue, Scarcelli and colleagues recently sequenced
and compared 167 genomes of wild and domesticated yams gathered from Ghana,
Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The DNA of savanna wild yams was fairly similar,
but the forest wild yams split into two groups, one centered in Cameroon and another
much farther west.
Wild yams such as these were cultivated into an
African crop.
NORA SCARCELLI/IRD
A
similar study of pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus), the most
important cereal for arid areas of Africa and Asia with poor soils, also
pointed to a West African origin. When Vigouroux and his colleagues sequenced
and compared the genomes of 221 wild (Pennisetum glaucum monodii) and
domesticated millets, they concluded that all domesticated pearl millet
varieties came from a single ancestor growing north of the Niger River in part
of the western Sahara Desert that today includes northern Mali and Mauritania.
The genetic work, reported last year in Nature Ecology & Evolution,
dovetails nicely with a 2011 discovery of 4500-year-old pearl millet remains in
an archaeological site in southeastern Mali, Fuller adds.
Previous
studies had shown that about 6000 years ago, probably before millet was
domesticated, a moist climate created a network of lakes in the region, yielding
abundant wild food. As the climate dried and those lakes vanished, Vigouroux
hypothesizes, the local people began to cultivate plants.
And over
more time, people and plants shifted southward, with cultivated plants
intermittently interbreeding with wild plants. The mingling slowed full
domestication but added genetic variation to the millet. "Our findings
stressed the importance of wild-to-crop gene flow during and after crop
domestication," Vigouroux and his colleagues wrote.
African
rice (Oryza
glaberrima) is less important today than the other traditional
crops, having been mostly replaced with Asian rice. But it, too, got a West
African start. Last year in Current Biology, Vigouroux and his
colleagues analyzed 163 varieties of the domesticated African rice and 83
samples of wild rice collected from west and east Africa. Their analysis showed
the cultivated species has about half as much genetic diversity as the wild
species, and that it arose from wild relatives in northern Mali. They also
found that some of the same genetic changes central to the taming of Asian
rice, such as a gene deletion that made the plant grow more erect, also played
a part in the domestication of African rice.
Other
researchers have tracked down additional genes that aided African rice
domestication. In the March issue of PLOS Genetics, they described the
evolution of genes that make rice seeds less likely to fall off the stalks.
Such a detailed history is easier to piece together for African rice than Asian
rice because so many wild populations are still intact, says evolutionary
geneticist Michael Purugganan of New York University in New York City, who led
the work. Studies in Africa "may tell us more about crop domestication
than what people have learned about other crops elsewhere," he adds.
While
Vigouroux focuses on climate to explain why agriculture arose in this part of
Africa, archaeologist Sylvain Ozainne from the University of Geneva in
Switzerland suggests movements of Saharan pastoralists called Nok helped
initiate and spread a culture of crop growing, particularly of pearl millet.
"Rather than a direct response to abrupt climatic change, the expansion of
African agriculture may be better explained through a more complex process,
which involved socioeconomic transformations," he says.
In
Africa, as elsewhere, crop domestication was a long, drawn-out process.
It happened outside the Niger River Basin as well. Sorghum was likely tamed in
East Africa. Last month, Nature Plants published a
genetic analysis of wild and domesticated sorghum samples excavated from an
archaeological site in Egypt that spans several thousands years. It showed that
early farmers either deliberately crossed this crop—now the sixth most widely
grown in the world—with wild relatives and with domesticates from other places,
or cultivated varieties that naturally interbred.
All this
genetic exchange ultimately helped improve the final crop, says Emuobosa Akpo
Orijemie, an archaeobotanist at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. The new
findings, he adds, "speak about how intelligent our ancestors were in
terms of selecting and managing crops for a variety of uses."
Eating more
rice could help fight obesity, study suggests
· By
Bloomberg News
· April
30, 2019
· Updated
11:37 a.m.
STAR-ADVERTISER / 2017
Experts found that people
following a Japanese or Asian-style diet based on rice were less likely to be
obese than those living in countries where rice consumption was low.
Eating rice may help prevent
obesity, research suggests.
Experts found that people following
a Japanese or Asian-style diet based on rice were less likely to be obese than
those living in countries where rice consumption was low.
Researchers said low-carbohydrate
diets — which limit rice — are a popular weight-loss strategy in developed countries
but the effect of rice on obesity has been unclear.
They looked at rice consumption
in terms of grams per day per person and calorie intake in 136 countries.
They also looked at data on body
mass index (BMI).
In the UK, people were found to
consume just 19g of rice a day, below dozens of other countries including
Canada, Spain and the US.
The researchers calculated that
even a modest increase in rice consumption of 50g per day per person could
reduce the worldwide prevalence of obesity by 1% (from 650 million adults to
643.5 million).
Professor Tomoko Imai, from
Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan, who led the research,
said: “The observed associations suggest that the obesity rate is low in
countries that eat rice as a staple food.
“Therefore, a Japanese food or an
Asian-food-style diet based on rice may help prevent obesity.
“Given the rising levels of
obesity worldwide, eating more rice should be recommended to protect against
obesity even in western countries.”
Giving possible reasons why rice
can help, Prof Imai said rice was low fat, adding: “It’s possible that the
fibre, nutrients and plant compounds found in whole grains may increase
feelings of fullness and prevent overeating.”
The authors concluded: “The
prevalence of obesity was significantly lower in the countries with higher rice
supply even after controlling for lifestyle and socioeconomic indicators.”
Tam Fry, chairman of the National
Obesity Forum, said: “We have known for centuries that far eastern populations
tend to be slimmer than in the west because rice is a staple food, but few
obesity specialists may have appreciated why.
“This novel research is the first
to hypothesise that we could nail obesity by eating a modest amount more.”
The study was presented at the European
Congress on Obesity in Glasgow.
Eating more rice
may help fight obesity: Study
PUBLISHED
MAY 2, 2019, 5:00 AM SGT
TOKYO • Eating rice may help
prevent obesity, research suggests.
Experts found that people
following a Japanese or Asian-style diet based on rice were less likely to be
obese than those living in countries where rice consumption was low.
Researchers said low-carbohydrate
diets - which limit rice - are a popular weight-loss strategy in developed
countries but the effect of rice on obesity has been unclear.
They looked at rice consumption
in terms of grams per day per person and calorie intake in 136 countries. They
also looked at data on body mass index.
In the United Kingdom, people
were found to consume just 19g of rice a day, below dozens of other countries
including Canada, Spain and the United States.
The researchers calculated that
even a modest increase in rice consumption of 50g per day per person could
reduce the worldwide prevalence of obesity by 1 per cent - from 650 million
adults to 643.5 million.
Professor Tomoko Imai, from
Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts in Kyoto, Japan, who led the research,
said: "The observed associations suggest that the obesity rate is low in
countries that eat rice as a staple food.
"Therefore, a Japanese food
or an Asian-food-style diet based on rice may help prevent obesity."
Prof Imai added: "Given the
rising levels of obesity worldwide, eating more rice should be recommended to
protect against obesity even in Western countries."
Giving possible reasons why rice
can help, Prof Imai said rice was low-fat, adding: "It's possible that the
fibre, nutrients and plant compounds found in whole grains may increase
feelings of fullness and prevent overeating."
The authors concluded: "The
prevalence of obesity was significantly lower in the countries with higher rice
supply even after controlling for lifestyle and socioeconomic indicators."
Health expert Tam Fry, chairman
of the National Obesity Forum, said: "We have known for centuries that Far
Eastern populations tend to be slimmer than in the West because rice is a
staple food, but few obesity specialists may have appreciated why.
"This novel research is the
first to hypothesise that we could nail obesity by eating a modest amount
more."
The study was presented at the
European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow.
BLOOMBERG
Scientists in Pakistan and Sri Lanka bet their
futures on China
Researchers are turning to China for
support and collaboration as their countries take centre stage in the Belt and
Road Initiative.
By Ehsan Masood
1 MAY 2019
It’s nearly 10 p.m. and a shopping mall called
‘Lucky One’ is buzzing in the heart of Karachi. In the ground-floor food court,
throngs of extended families enjoy a night out before the start of the weekend,
while a boisterous group nearby plots the future of science in Pakistan. Seated
at a long table, a dozen Chinese and Pakistani researchers are talking about
how they will collaborate on everything from studies of medicinal plants to the
impacts of mountain tourism.
“I like
it here. I’m excited,” proclaims Di Liu, a principal investigator who is
visiting Pakistan from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Yan Wang, an
early-career Chinese biochemist, nods vigorously. She likes it so much in the
country that she decided last year to move there and set up a lab. Even a few
years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine seeing international
visitors at a public restaurant in a country laid waste by the international
war on terror. But today’s Pakistan is relatively peaceful. And although
European and US visitors are warned by their governments that this is a
dangerous country to travel to, China’s scientists are flocking there.Three thousand kilometres southeast of Karachi, Sri Lanka is also seeing a growing stream of Chinese researchers. Oceanographer Tilak Priyadarshana is taking a group of visitors around a newly built ocean and climate research facility that he heads with Wang Dongxiao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) South China Sea Institute of Oceanology in Guangzhou. The facility, so new that office chairs are still carefully wrapped in protective plastic, is based at the University of Ruhuna in Matara, less than a pebble’s throw from the blue waters of the Indian Ocean.
The facility is part of a partnership with, among others, the CAS oceanology institute. Joint teams are planning to take to the ocean on board a Chinese research vessel to investigate the meteorology of the Indian Ocean and the geology of the sea bed — neither of which Sri Lanka has been able to do before now, Priyadarshana says.
Nearly forty students from Ruhuna have gone to China to study for master’s degrees. “Our biggest problem is human resources,” Priyadarshana says. “I couldn’t just put up a building, as we are a poor nation and lack a scientific culture. That is what we are getting from China.”
New markets
Sri
Lanka and Pakistan are two of 126 countries that have officially signed up to
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the world’s largest
infrastructure-building project since the US Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe
after the Second World War. China is providing more than US$1 trillion in loans
for motorways, high-speed rail, power plants, sea and airports in at least 100
participating countries. Chinese companies are even constructing new cities,
such as Port City Colombo, which is slated to become a South Asian maritime
financial hub next to Sri Lanka’s capital. The participating countries stand to
benefit from gleaming new infrastructure and China, in turn, is finding new
markets for its goods and services, as well as new roads and railways to transport
them.Pakistan is the single-largest recipient of Chinese grants and loans for big infrastructure — thought to total around $40 billion. This funding is for power stations, motorways and, eventually, high-speed rail that will be used to transport manufactured goods from China’s mountain border near Kashgar, 2,500 kilometres south to the Arabian Sea (see ‘Western gateway’). China Overseas Port Holding Company has also built and is now operating a seaport at Gwadar to transport its wares to the world’s markets. At the end of March, construction also began on a $230-million airport there, which will become one of Pakistan’s largest by area when it opens in three years.
This has triggered a range of concerns, particularly in India, where the government is watching its neighbours pivot towards China. Economists warn that Pakistan and especially Sri Lanka might not be able to repay some of the massive loans, and environmental groups worry that the construction boom is racing ahead without thoroughly assessing the ecological and social consequences.
But as the BRI building boom ramps up in South Asia, China’s researchers and universities are starting to get involved, and the activity is taking place on a scale never before seen.
In Pakistan, China has far surpassed Saudi Arabia and the United States as the leading partner in scientific collaborations, according to an analysis of co-authored papers from Elsevier’s Scopus database. For collaborations with Sri Lanka, China has caught up with India in terms of co-authored papers, but remains behind the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, research collaborations are being planned — or are under way — in fields from rice genomics to geophysics, and meteorology to medicinal chemistry. As in other BRI projects, there are opportunities for China’s companies to commercialize their research products; and exciting potential for China’s scientists too.
Take Wang, who quit her job researching the biochemistry of traditional medicines at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Institute of Food Science and Technology in Beijing to take an academic post at the University of Karachi. She misses her friends and family and it’s a wrench not to be able to play competitive table tennis. But Wang sees the Karachi move as a way to secure her future. “In China, there’s too much competition for promotions, and even as an assistant professor, I had to book flights and be the secretary for my boss. Here, I have autonomy to set my agenda and apply for my own funding,” she says. Wang is looking to work with Pakistan’s herbal-medicines industry. The medicinal plants used in formulations are mostly picked from the wild and “I want to explore whether Pakistani medicinal plants can be cultivated, as they are in China”, she says. “I also want to compare the ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine with those used in Pakistani herbal medicine. I have too many things I want to do.”
Liu is using his virology background to look into a different type of medicine. “I want to explore joint research in areas such as avian influenza or dengue,” he says. China is seeing a spike in infectious diseases in the large numbers of Chinese workers who participate on BRI projects, and Liu thinks this could be the basis for a China–Pakistan project in genomics and disease epidemiology.
Student surge
The
academic contacts with China are growing quickly. Every year, China offers
Pakistani students around 7,000 fully funded scholarships to master’s and PhD
courses. In February, its ambassador to Islamabad, Yao Jing, pledged to nearly
treble these, up to 20,000 annually. Some 28,000 Pakistani students are already
studying in China, and around 6,000 are doing PhDs.And back in Pakistan, Mandarin is being rolled out as an optional language choice (after English) in schools and universities. Most public universities already have some degree of cooperation with Chinese counterparts. The latest will be Islamabad National University, which is moving into the former official residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who vacated it on taking office a year ago. The university has partnered with China to build a joint centre that will focus on the environment, climate change, terrestrial and marine hazards and the ocean economy, says Safdar Ali Shah, who heads the China team at Pakistan’s university regulatory body, the Higher Education Commission.
“My generation of scientists did our PhDs mostly in the UK and the USA and that is where many of us still have collaborations,” says geologist Qasim Jan, president of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and an alumnus of King’s College London. “The next generation will be different. After we are gone, most of their links will be with China,” he predicts.
Iqbal Choudhary, director of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi, is in that pioneer generation of Sinophile Pakistani scientists. Choudhary’s centre is one of the oldest — it celebrated its 50th birthday just a few years ago — and largest institutes in Asia dedicated to the chemistry and biology of natural products. Choudhary sits in a narrow open-plan office. The wall by his desk is decorated with framed appointment letters for the many visiting professorships he has accumulated at Chinese universities. “My office alone receives two or three visiting delegations from Chinese universities every month,” he says.
In January, Choudhary was hosting the Wuhan virology team and researchers from other universities in China. Two months earlier, he had been in Hangzhou at a ceremony to inaugurate the Chinese branch of the Sino-Pakistan Hybrid Rice Research Center (the Karachi branch opened in 2017). The centre, a collaboration with the China National Rice Research Institute, is testing rice varieties that could be grown in some of Pakistan’s more arid regions.
The pace of collaboration between China and Pakistan has picked up measurably in the past five years, Choudhary says (see ‘Research relationships’). “I have been coming and going to China for 30 years, and even I have never seen anything like what is happening now.”
Security concerns
Despite
that growth, China’s presence on Pakistan’s campuses is not easy to spot.
Chinese nationals — as with researchers from other countries — live and work
inside walled communities, and some Chinese workers have been targeted by
terror groups opposed to China’s involvement in Pakistan. Pakistan’s army has
nearly 15,000 personnel that help to protect the country’s Chinese communities.Security is also of paramount importance for one of the largest collaborations taking shape near the capital. At the edge of a small dam in Haripur, and surrounded by mountains to one side, buildings are rapidly going up for four separate centres of excellence. These are being funded jointly by Austria, China and Pakistan, and will host Pakistani students and a mixed Chinese–Pakistani faculty working in artificial intelligence, food technology, mineral resources and railways. They will also offer undergraduate, master’s and PhD programmes so that BRI projects across Pakistan have access to trained personnel, says Atta-ur-Rahman, one of the prime minister’s science advisers. The campus will be protected, as are all Pakistani universities, by 24-hour armed security patrolling entry and exit points.
On the research side, the centres will focus on issues related to the BRI. The railways facility, for example, will explore how high-speed train networks can continue to provide the types of job that often become redundant through automation, such as signal operators and train guards. “We need the latest technology,” says project director Nasser Ali Khan, “but we also don’t want people to become unemployed.” The minerals centre, meanwhile, plans to investigate the extent of illegal mining. The first staff members and students were expected to start in October, but their arrival might be delayed over funding issues. Under its agreement with China, the local government of the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must pay an estimated $65 million for its part of the centres’ costs. And because that money will come out of the province’s total universities’ budget, the local government will have to either make cuts to accommodate the China project or find new money.
That’s a problem, “because it could feed resentment among academics”, says a source in a public funding agency. “The prime minister and our Chinese friends should really find extra funds for their new universities, not take money away from existing ones.”
Don’t ask
It’s a
feature of Pakistan’s relationship with China that even relatively benign
questions, such as over university funding, are not easily answered. One reason
is that Pakistan’s military — and especially its Inter-Services Intelligence
agency — retains an outsized influence on both government and on society,
explains Ayesha Siddiqa, author of the book Military Inc, which
reveals the scale of military involvement in the economy, and who is based at
SOAS University of London.The military is hugely invested in the relationship, because China’s support strengthens Pakistan’s position against arch-rival India. That forces researchers and journalists in the country to moderate the questions they ask and the stories they write.
For this reason, some of the sources for this story were unable to go on the record. However, the situation is different for international scientific organizations, especially those backed jointly by Western powers and by China. One such group is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose scientists are beginning to sound warnings of the need for more environmental due diligence in the BRI. China’s leadership is listening, although it is too early to say what will happen.
The IUCN is running a major policy study on the environmental impacts of the BRI in both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The study was commissioned by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, which advises China’s government and was launched after ecologists from CAS and from the environmental group WWF warned that many of the new or upgraded BRI transport routes will disrupt ecologically fragile regions from Asia to Europe.
At the same time, Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning and Development has estimated that greenhouse-gas emissions will quadruple, to the equivalent of around 1,600 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, between 2015 and 2030. BRI projects are expected to contribute nearly one-third of the increase.
Pervez Hoodbhoy, a physicist at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan, says that more light needs to be shed on the BRI’s environmental costs. For example, he says, a planned BRI-funded coal-fired power station in the desert region of central Pakistan will both add to greenhouse-gas emissions and worsen water shortages by depleting aquifers. “There will be migration of people out of the area,” he predicts.
But Aban Marker Kabraji, Asia director at the IUCN in Bangkok, says that China’s leaders are well aware of potential environmental problems. “China is thoughtful. It accepts international criticism. They know there are risks to the Belt and Road and they are open to learning better models,” she says.
Sri Lanka’s science plans
Standing
next to the azure blue waters of the Indian Ocean, oceanographer Priyadarshana
sees more benefits than worries in the future relationship with China. He
explains how China’s investments in Sri Lanka are benefiting both countries — a
prime example of the win–win philosophy that runs throughout the BRI
investments.Chinese scientific investments are also helping to address crucial issues in central Sri Lanka, says Sujithra Weragoda, director of the China–Sri Lanka Research Grant Project in Peradeniya, pointing to coloured pins on a large wall-mounted map of the country. Weragoda is working closely with scientists from CAS to investigate a mysterious chronic kidney disease that afflicts mostly rural Sri Lankans. Each pin represents a disease hotspot.
Despite two decades of research, a precise cause still isn’t known, although contaminated well water is a strong candidate. “There are around 35 published hypotheses,” Weragoda laments. And that’s where China can help. Its commerce ministry is contributing $12 million in aid towards research and technologies so that CAS researchers can work with Sri Lankan colleagues to whittle down the causes, and provide water-purification technologies and dialysis services.
But the terms of that aid have raised concerns. Chinese companies are building the main water lab building at Sri Lanka’s University of Peradeniya and supplying the water-purification technologies that are in use at several pilot sites as well as the home dialysis kits that Sri Lanka’s primary health-care workers are being trained to use. China will also eventually help Sri Lanka to establish a nationwide system for clean water and sanitation, which will provide the potential for more commercial income.
The decision to allow China’s private companies into Sri Lanka’s largely publicly funded health-care system worries some scientists. Among them is Kamini Mendis, an independent malariologist and joint architect of Sri Lanka’s successful efforts to keep the country malaria-free. “If China’s scientists are looking for win–win, the problem is that this compromises the mission,” she says. “If you have to buy this or that machine; or if you have to use this or that technology, even if it is not in the best interests of your people, then you are compromised,” she adds.
There are also concerns about lack of transparency. Channa Jayasumana, who studies chronic kidney disease at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka in Mihintale, would like to work on the China–Sri Lanka project but neither he nor his collaborators have been invited, even though he says his university is the only one based in the larger areas affected by the disease.
But Weragoda argues that involving Chinese companies will help to raise Sri Lanka’s product standards and will reduce what he says is an epidemic of rogue product suppliers that is endangering public health. Priyadarshana, too, is upbeat about the future. Yes, CAS is collecting large quantities of data. But no one will invest money without return, he says. And that is no different from Western private companies that use public data for commercial return, in Sri Lanka or elsewhere.
Despite all the questions that surround the BRI, researchers in China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka say that the overriding win for all sides is in the scientific benefits. Whatever happens next, the BRI’s lasting scientific legacy to Sri Lanka and Pakistan is likely to be a large number of highly skilled scientists — something that Western aid has not achieved. “China delivered where the West failed,” says Weragoda emphatically.
In Sri Lanka, Priyadarshana is bowled over by the changes he sees in his students who are studying in China. “Their exposure to China’s academic system and to Chinese culture has made them so much more confident, to the extent that I could no longer challenge them. Now, thanks to China, we have the next generation of scientists who will be our scientific leaders for many more generations to come.”
Parboiling husked rice reduces
arsenic content significantly
Parboiling of rice. Copyright: Chukwukajustice/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0]. This image has been cropped.
Speed read
·
Harvested
rice grains are traditionally parboiled with the husk on in some countries
·
But
rice husk contains significant amounts of arsenic compounds
·
Risk
from arsenic can be reduced by parboiling rice after husking
By: Biplab Das
[NEW DELHI] Husking rice before parboiling significantly
removes arsenic content, researchers from Bangladesh and Northern Ireland find
in a new study.
Parboiling rice in-the-husk is the traditional method by which rough rice is soaked in water and then partially cooked to nutritionally improve it and make it easier to process or store. About half of the 700 million tons of rice harvested annually across the world is subjected to parboiling.
Parboiling rice in-the-husk is the traditional method by which rough rice is soaked in water and then partially cooked to nutritionally improve it and make it easier to process or store. About half of the 700 million tons of rice harvested annually across the world is subjected to parboiling.
“Our aim was to remove inorganic
arsenic because it is much more toxic than organic arsenic”
Mahmud Hossain
Suman, Bangladesh Agricultural University
However, according to the study published April in Environmental
Science and Technology, the traditional method of parboiling
does not remove inorganic arsenic which naturally occurs in groundwater and
contaminates the husk.
Parboiling husked whole grain, on the other hand, not only reduces arsenic by 25 per cent, but also increases its calcium content significantly, according to the researchers.
Arsenic is found in two forms: inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic, in which the arsenic atoms remain attached to carbon atoms. “Our aim was to remove inorganic arsenic because it is much more toxic than organic arsenic,” says Mahmud Hossain Suman, study co-author and researcher at the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.
Arsenic causes cancers of skin, the urinary bladder, kidneys and lungs. Besides drinking water, rice is another route to arsenic exposure in countries such as Bangladesh, China, India and Vietnam, where rice is a staple. Rice readily takes up arsenic from soil and groundwater.
Parboiling husked whole grain, on the other hand, not only reduces arsenic by 25 per cent, but also increases its calcium content significantly, according to the researchers.
Arsenic is found in two forms: inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic, in which the arsenic atoms remain attached to carbon atoms. “Our aim was to remove inorganic arsenic because it is much more toxic than organic arsenic,” says Mahmud Hossain Suman, study co-author and researcher at the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.
Arsenic causes cancers of skin, the urinary bladder, kidneys and lungs. Besides drinking water, rice is another route to arsenic exposure in countries such as Bangladesh, China, India and Vietnam, where rice is a staple. Rice readily takes up arsenic from soil and groundwater.
Codex Alimentarius Commission, the UN body responsible for setting food safety standards and jointly run by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, has set a maximum limit of 0.2 milligrams of arsenic per kilogram of polished rice.
Husked whole grain parboiling lets inorganic arsenic escape, the researchers explained. On the other hand, when parboiling unhusked rice, the high levels of arsenic in the husk can get transferred to the grain during the parboiling process.
The scientists, led by Andrew Meharg from Queen’s
University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, tested the efficiency of the
modified parboiling process at 13 locations across Bangladesh and found that it
removed 25 per cent of arsenic in whole grain rice across all sites.
Parboiling whole grain also fortifies polished rice grain with calcium by 213 per cent. This is thought to be due to migration of calcium from the outer layer of rice to inner layers during parboiling.
Parboiling of both whole grain and rough rice also significantly enhanced copper, iron and phosphorus, while potassium content decreased significantly.
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, senior research fellow at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, said while parboiling whole grain rice reduces risks from arsenic, the process has the drawback that it can lead to significant loss of nutrients like potassium, molybdenum (an essential mineral) and vitamins.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Asia & Pacific desk.
Parboiling whole grain also fortifies polished rice grain with calcium by 213 per cent. This is thought to be due to migration of calcium from the outer layer of rice to inner layers during parboiling.
Parboiling of both whole grain and rough rice also significantly enhanced copper, iron and phosphorus, while potassium content decreased significantly.
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, senior research fellow at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, said while parboiling whole grain rice reduces risks from arsenic, the process has the drawback that it can lead to significant loss of nutrients like potassium, molybdenum (an essential mineral) and vitamins.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Asia & Pacific desk.
Scientists reveal the relationship between root microbiome and
nitrogen use efficiency in rice
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A collaborative team led by Prof.
Bai Yang and Prof. Chu Chengcai from the Institute of Genetics and
Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), recently examined the
variation in root microbiota within 68 indica and 27 japonica rice varieties
grown in field conditions. They revealed that the indica and japonica varieties
recruited distinct root microbiota.
Indica and japonica are
the two major subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza
sativa L.). Indica varieties show better nitrogen use
efficiency (NUE) compared with japonica varieties in the field; NRT1.1B
contributes to this natural variation in rice. However, the effect of root
microbiota on the NUE variation observed between the indica and japonica
varieties is not yet clear.
The researchers established a
model using a random-forest machine-learning approach. They found this model
could accurately predict indica and japonica varieties in tested fields,
suggesting that the root microbes can serve as a biomarker to distinguish
indica and japonica varieties.
It is interesting that indica
varieties had more bacteria associated with the function of nitrogen metabolism
compared with japonica varieties, indicating that nitrogen transformation is
more active in the root environment of indica rather than japonica varieties.
By comparing root-associated
microbiota of wild-type varieties and the the nrt1.1b mutant, they found that
NRT1.1B was associated with the recruitment of approximately half of the
indica-enriched bacterial taxa.
Notably, wild-type varieties
showed relative abundance of root bacteria that harbor key genes for the
ammonification process; however, there was no such abundance in the root
microbiome of the nrt1.1b mutant. This indicates that such root microbes may catalyze
the formation of ammonium in the root environment.
Using an improved high-throughput
protocol to cultivate and identify bacteria, the researchers successfully
cultivated more than 70 percent of the bacterial
species that were reproducibly detectable in the rice roots,
and established the first systematic collection of rice root bacterial
cultures.
They then used gnotobiotic
experimental systems with a reconstructed synthetic community (SynCom) and
found that indica-enriched SynCom showed a stronger ability to promote rice
growth under a supply of organic nitrogen than japonica-enriched SynCom. This
further suggests that indica-enriched bacteria may contribute to higher
nitrogen-use efficiency in indica rice.
These results not only reveal the
relationship between the root microbiome and NUE in rice subspecies, but
demonstrate the role of NRT1.1B in the establishment of root microbiota. The
bacterial culture collections provide a resource for functional research of
root microbiota.
The research on the interaction
between root microbes and rice has laid an important foundation for the
application of beneficial microbes to the process of nitrogen utilization and
provides a theoretical basis for reducing nitrogen fertilizer in sustainable
agriculture.
This study, entitled
"NRT1.1B is associated with root microbiota composition and nitrogen
use in field-grown rice," was published online in Nature
Biotechnology on April 29, 2019.
Is PH agriculture
ready for Industry 4.0?
DR. WILLIAM DAR
In the first installment of this two-part series, I suggested four approaches in “technologizing” agriculture under the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 (ID4).
These are producing differently
using new techniques, using new technologies to bring food production to
consumers, increasing efficiencies in the food chain, and incorporating
cross-industry technologies and applications.
To recap, I identified adopting
hydroponics, producing feedstock from algae, taking on desert-based
agriculture, using seawater for irrigation, scaling up bioplastic use and
adopting genetic modification as solutions under the approach of producing
differently using new techniques.
Under using new technologies
to bring food production to consumers, I discussed genetic modification and
cultured meats. Also under that is applying 3D printing technology to food
production. Let me explain.
3D printing is becoming an
important part in the manufacturing industry and is finding gradual application
in food production. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing is a
process whereby layers of material are formed to create objects such as
familiar dishes.
Also, according to experts, 3D
printing using hydrocolloids (substances that form gels with water) could be
used to replace the base ingredients of foods with renewables like algae,
duckweed and grass. The result is food with less synthetic ingredients and sourcing
of natural materials from farmers.
Now, let us go to the third
approach: increasing efficiencies in the food chain. Simply put, various
technologies like cold storage, GPS and internet connectivity can eliminate
post-harvest losses.
For the fourth approach, or
incorporating cross-industry technologies and applications, among the solutions
from 4ID include drone technology, food sharing and crowd farming, block chain,
and nanotechnology and precision agriculture.
Drone technology is giving
agriculture a high-tech makeover. In the country, the Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) is among the government agencies conducting trials on the
application of drones in rice cultivation. According to initial trials by
PhilRice, using drones in rice farming can result in a 90-percent reduction in
pesticide application by volume compared to using a knapsack sprayer. This
looks very promising!
Besides applying farm inputs,
here are five ways drones could be used throughout a crop cycle: soil and field
analysis, planting monitoring, crop progression monitoring, irrigation and
health assessment.
For food sharing and crowd
farming, technology has enabled communities to share their goods and services,
resulting in minimum or zero food wastage. Ride-sharing and house-sharing are
already industry norms, and the application of technology in farming can result
in food-sharing and crowd-farming.
As for blockchain, it could
reduce inefficiencies and fraud, and improve food safety, farmer’s pay and
transaction times. Blockchain can thereby improve traceability in supply
chains, enabling regulators to quickly identify the source of contaminated
foods and determine the scope of affected products during contamination
incidents.
Also, blockchain can reduce waste
by detecting bottlenecks in the supply chain that contribute to food spoilage,
reducing food losses and wastage.
The last solution we can include
in incorporating cross-industry technologies and applications is nanotechnology
and precision agriculture.
Under nanotechnology,
nanoparticles could be delivered to plants and advanced biosensors could be
utilized for precision farming. For example, nanofertilizers allow for the slow
sustained release of agrochemicals, resulting in precise dosages for plants.
Furthermore, biosensors can detect pesticide level in crops, leading to more
informed decision-making in raising crops.
An institution needed
While there are efforts to
“technologize” agriculture in the Philippines, I still see the need for an
institution that would synchronize, converge and rationalize the introduction
of 4ID and “disruptive” technologies into the country’s agriculture sector.
One good example is India’s
Consortium of Researchers for Disruptive Technologies in Agriculture (CDTA)
made up of academicians, researchers and scientists from the Indian
Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala; Thiruvananthapuram
(a local government unit); GB Pant University of Agricultural Sciences and
Technology, Pant Nagar (Uttarkhand); and the Indian Institute Space Technology.
It was early last year that the
creation of the CDTA was made public, with a press statement on the matter
saying the consortium would advocate and push for the application of disruptive
technologies in agriculture, with the aim of making farming an “assured”
activity.
Among the technologies CDTA would
advocate are artificial intelligence, data analytics, Internet of Things, cloud
computing, aerospace observation and miniaturized sensors.
From the looks if it, the
aforementioned 4ID technologies can really disrupt traditional farming. Most
farmers, however, may not be ready for these, so the need for an agency like
CDTA.
Of course, making 4ID take root
in the agriculture sector does not mean research institutions and smallholder
farmers overlook the basics of increasing crop yields like using high-yielding
cultivars, healthy soil and mechanization and making water available.
Instead, 4ID should perfectly
complement those basics that should result in a significant increase in farm
yields and, more importantly, higher incomes for both smallholder farmers and
agribusiness companies.
The government of India is
definitely not satisfied with the gains India’s agriculture sector has made so
far. India can boast today of being a rice exporter, one of the top producers
of coconut in the world, and an exporter of various farm products like spices,
cotton and refined sugar, among others. And India’s annual rainfall is only 650
to 700 millimeters (mm) or a third of the Philippines’ 2,100 mm. It is also worth
mentioning that India’s rainwater harvesting effort is 60 percent, while it is
less than 5 percent for the Philippines.
So, while it is laudable that
more farms in the Philippines are using high-yielding seeds and adopting
mechanization, and government is keen on addressing issues related to
irrigation, the opportunities presented by 4ID to level up the country’s
agriculture sector must never be overlooked.
India’s setting up of the CDTA
should also serve as a model on how to introduce more 4ID technologies into the
Philippine agriculture sector.
Now, let me ask the question: Is
Philippine agriculture ready for 4ID? My answer is this — the country must make
itself ready for Agriculture 4.0. We have no choice given the numerous
challenges our agriculture sector is facing, particularly from climate change
and globalization.
So, as more countries in
Southeast Asia and other parts of the world make way for Agriculture 4.0, we
should make sure we are not left behind — unless we want to ferment a food
crisis. For sure, nobody wants that.
Piñol urges rice
traders to do ‘business with social conscience’
May 1, 2019
MANILA — While importing rice is now liberalized with the
enactment of Republic Act No. 11203, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is
urging rice traders and importers to be conscious of the supply situation in
the market so that there will be no oversupply of the staple food.
In his speech, which was read by
Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cunanan during the Rice Traders Forum held
Monday at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, the DA chief said
oversupply will result in “depressed prices of rice in the market which will
hurt our local farmers whose lives our government is concerned with now”.
He noted that a poor farming
sector “could give this country serious problems as the farmers could be
vulnerable to the enticement of radical groups who would like to destabilize
(the) government”.
Piñol stressed that rice
importers play a vital role in attaining rice sufficiency in the country.
While efforts and progress have
been made in increasing rice production in the country, the DA chief said “we
will have a shortfall of about 1.6 to 2.0 million metric tons (MT) every year
to sufficiently feed our country”.
“This is where the rice importers
and traders come in so that the gap could be filled up,” he added.
For 2019, the DA is targeting 20
million MT rice production, which is equivalent to 93-percent rice sufficiency
despite the occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon that affected rice-producing
provinces.
DA Assistant Secretary Andrew
Villacorta, during Tuesday’s press conference on rice importation under Rice
Liberalization Act, said the expected damage and losses on rice due to El Niño
would only be at 0.96 percent, or about 190,000 MT of palay (unmilled rice).
“Last week, we met with regional
directors and surprisingly, there were three regions who reported they
increased their rice production. Central Luzon is forecasting a 22-percent
increase, Ilocos region is forecasting 14 percent, and Cagayan Valley at 3
percent,” he said.
As such, Villacorta said “we’re
expecting more than 400,000 MT increase in palay output, which will be enough
to compensate the loss of 190,000 MT. This is why, we’re confident to maintain
our target at 20 million MT this year.”
With RA 11203 or the rice
liberalization law, getting permit to import rice is now made easy as traders
just need to get a sanitary and phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant
Industry (BPI) and pay the tariff rate.
However, while things are made
easy for traders and importers to do business, Piñol told the traders that “the
government expects you to be aware of your moral obligation” and “to embrace
the philosophy of business with social conscience”.
“This is not just about
importation of rice so that you will earn profit. It is also about ensuring
that the people who produce food for this country are also lifted out of poverty,”
he added.
For the latest updates about this
story, visit the Philippine News Agency website
Burkina Faso Ambassador visits Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan office in Karachi
Muhammad RizwanApril
30, 2019
KARACHI: His Excellency,
Souleymane Kone, Ambassador of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta, a landlocked
country in West Africa) along with Bassirou Zoma, Second Consul General of
Burkina Faso and Saifur Rehman, Honorary Consul of Burkina Faso in Karachi have
paid a visit to Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan Karachi Office.
During this meeting, Safder
Mehkri, Chairman REAP, Abdul Rahim Janoo and Rafique Suleman Former
Chairmen REAP, Ashfaq Ghaffar, Abdul Qayum Paracha, Members of Managing
Committee, Chela Ram Former Senior Vice Chairman REAP as well as a large number
of Rice exporters were present.
H.E. Ambassador of Burkina Faso
thanked REAP leadership for giving them opportunity to meet with the Pakistani
rice exporters.
He said that Pakistani rice is
liked by the people of Burkina Faso, however, there is no direct import of
Pakistani rice. He requested Chairman REAP to send a trade delegation of rice
exporters to Burkina Faso to explore the market. In this regard, he and his
Embassy will provide all necessary assistance.
Safder Mehkri, Chairman REAP
thanked H.E. Ambassador of Burkina Faso to visit REAP House Karachi and hold
meetings with rice exporters. He said that there is no direct banking channel
for payment for exports to Burkina Faso.
He requested Ambassador to play
his role to resolve this issue by coordinating with the concerned ministries of
both the countries. He added that Pakistani rice exporters are ready to visit
Burkina Faso.
Abdul Rahim Janoo, Former
Chairman REAP thanked Ambassador of Burkina Faso and his team for meeting with
Pakistani rice exporters.
He added that REAP trade
delegation can tentative visit Burkina Faso in the month of August 2019. He was
hopeful that after the visit of REAP trade delegation to Burkina Faso,
bilateral trade will be increased and particularly rice exports to Burkina Faso
will also get a boast which will be instrumental for fetching valuable foreign
exchange to our beloved country.
News Analysis: Free trade agreement with China to
help revive Pakistani economy
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-04-30 20:18:22|Editor: Li Xia
By Misbah Saba Malik
ISLAMABAD, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The second phase of Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and China will give a boom to Pakistan's agriculture
besides supporting its industry as more Pakistani products are expected to have
access to the Chinese market with zero tariff.
China is already investing dozens billion U.S. dollars through
the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, and local observers
believe that the second phase of the bilateral FTA signed during Prime Minister
Imran Khan's recent visit to China will be a step forward by China to support
the Pakistani economy.
Under the FTA, China would offer Pakistan 90 percent of its
market access and in return asked for only 65 percent of Pakistan's market
access for its products. By doing so China will provide a huge opportunity to
Pakistan to improve its overall trade performance, Chinese Ambassador to
Pakistan Yao Jing said recently in a press conference.
Pakistani Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce and Textile Abdul
Razak Dawood also said recently that a list of 313 items is included in the FTA
including commodities from agriculture, textile goods, leather and other wide range
of goods.
The advisor added that China has provided a great business
opportunity to Pakistan through the FTA as it offered an opportunity to the
country to increase its export by 500 million U.S. dollars.
"We look towards the West but factually speaking, the 21st
century belongs to Asia. Great business window has been open for Pakistanis in
CPEC and the FTA with China," said the advisor.
Echoing Dawood's stance, Adnan Khan, a research associate with
the CPEC Center of Excellence (COE), an Islamabad-based think tank under
Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, said that China has
provided an opportunity to Pakistan to maintain a balance of trade with it.
Though there is still a long way for Pakistan to go, the recently signed FTA
has started the process, said Khan.
Muhammad Muzammil Zia, policy head of the Job Growth and Human
Resource Development in the COE, told Xinhua that over 60 percent of the
Pakistani population is associated with the agriculture sector and the FTA will
benefit the farmers, as their surplus products are likely to be exported to
China, giving them good amount of money in return and providing them an
opportunity to improve their methods of cultivation.
Pakistan previously exported only up to 600,000 tons of rice to
China, whereas the country produced about 5 million tons of surplus rice every
year, and under the new FTA Pakistan is in a position to export more rice to
China, said Zobair Tufail, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber
of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI).
"Similar is the case of sugar and other commodities, and
textiles and fisheries, all these products can find a new duty-free market in
China," said Tufail.
As agriculture is the lifeline of the Pakistani economy, local
observers believe that its tariff-free access to the Chinese market will not
only increase the revenue generation from exports, but also encourage local
farmers to acquire modern methods to increase production.
The prime minister's commercial advisor recently directed the
FPCCI to establish a think tank on the Pakistan-China FTA to conduct extensive
research and come up with capacity building initiatives for its member
organizations, according to local reports.
Besides, local watchers hope that the recently signed FTA will
also provide an opportunity to strengthen local industry by encouraging local
investors to increase their production, and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in
Pakistan to tap the potential of the market.
Tufail said they are in talks with industrialists who will visit
China to have a better understanding of the market and develop their products
accordingly, adding that the country's agriculture sector has already got
access to the world's largest food market, and the industrial sector will also
get a boom under the FTA.
He said the agreement would also be beneficial for Pakistani
industrialists as they will be able to import machines and other production
materials from China on zero-tariff, decreasing the cost of production.
Muhammad Ashraf, spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce
told Xinhua that by giving more market access, China is going to cover more
than 80 percent of Pakistan's export basket.
"The market access does not mean anything, unless you have
the production capability to supply to the market. We are going to hold a
series of awareness sessions with potential businessmen to tell them what kind
of opportunities they have, and what products they can produce to tap the
Chinese market," said the official.
To tap the maximum potential of the FTA, Pakistan needs a long
term and sustainable solution to capture the Chinese market, and CPEC is
playing a vital role in this regard in the form of Pak-China industrial
cooperation, which is going to be formed in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
proposed under CPEC.
Free trade agreement with China to
help revive Pakistani economy
Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/5/1 9:11:44
The second phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan
and China will give a boom to Pakistan's agriculture besides supporting its
industry as more Pakistani products are expected to have access to the Chinese
market with zero tariff.
China is already investing dozens billion US dollars through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, and local observers believe that the second phase of the bilateral FTA signed during Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to China will be a step forward by China to support the Pakistani economy.
Under the FTA, China would offer Pakistan 90 percent of its market access and in return asked for only 65 percent of Pakistan's market access for its products. By doing so China will provide a huge opportunity to Pakistan to improve its overall trade performance, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said recently in a press conference.
Pakistani Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce and Textile Abdul Razak Dawood also said recently that a list of 313 items is included in the FTA including commodities from agriculture, textile goods, leather and other wide range of goods.
The advisor added that China has provided a great business opportunity to Pakistan through the FTA as it offered an opportunity to the country to increase its export by 500 million US dollars.
"We look towards the West but factually speaking, the 21st century belongs to Asia. Great business window has been open for Pakistanis in CPEC and the FTA with China," said the advisor.
Echoing Dawood's stance, Adnan Khan, a research associate with the CPEC Center of Excellence (COE), an Islamabad-based think tank under Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, said that China has provided an opportunity to Pakistan to maintain a balance of trade with it. Though there is still a long way for Pakistan to go, the recently signed FTA has started the process, said Khan.
Muhammad Muzammil Zia, policy head of the Job Growth and Human Resource Development in the COE, told Xinhua that over 60 percent of the Pakistani population is associated with the agriculture sector and the FTA will benefit the farmers, as their surplus products are likely to be exported to China, giving them good amount of money in return and providing them an opportunity to improve their methods of cultivation.
Pakistan previously exported only up to 600,000 tons of rice to China, whereas the country produced about 5 million tons of surplus rice every year, and under the new FTA Pakistan is in a position to export more rice to China, said Zobair Tufail, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI).
"Similar is the case of sugar and other commodities, and textiles and fisheries, all these products can find a new duty-free market in China," said Tufail.
As agriculture is the lifeline of the Pakistani economy, local observers believe that its tariff-free access to the Chinese market will not only increase the revenue generation from exports, but also encourage local farmers to acquire modern methods to increase production.
The prime minister's commercial advisor recently directed the FPCCI to establish a think tank on the Pakistan-China FTA to conduct extensive research and come up with capacity building initiatives for its member organizations, according to local reports.
Besides, local watchers hope that the recently signed FTA will also provide an opportunity to strengthen local industry by encouraging local investors to increase their production, and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan to tap the potential of the market.
Tufail said they are in talks with industrialists who will visit China to have a better understanding of the market and develop their products accordingly, adding that the country's agriculture sector has already got access to the world's largest food market, and the industrial sector will also get a boom under the FTA.
He said the agreement would also be beneficial for Pakistani industrialists as they will be able to import machines and other production materials from China on zero-tariff, decreasing the cost of production.
Muhammad Ashraf, spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua that by giving more market access, China is going to cover more than 80 percent of Pakistan's export basket.
"The market access does not mean anything, unless you have the production capability to supply to the market. We are going to hold a series of awareness sessions with potential businessmen to tell them what kind of opportunities they have, and what products they can produce to tap the Chinese market," said the official.
To tap the maximum potential of the FTA, Pakistan needs a long term and sustainable solution to capture the Chinese market, and CPEC is playing a vital role in this regard in the form of Pak-China industrial cooperation, which is going to be formed in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) proposed under CPEC.
China is already investing dozens billion US dollars through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, and local observers believe that the second phase of the bilateral FTA signed during Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to China will be a step forward by China to support the Pakistani economy.
Under the FTA, China would offer Pakistan 90 percent of its market access and in return asked for only 65 percent of Pakistan's market access for its products. By doing so China will provide a huge opportunity to Pakistan to improve its overall trade performance, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said recently in a press conference.
Pakistani Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce and Textile Abdul Razak Dawood also said recently that a list of 313 items is included in the FTA including commodities from agriculture, textile goods, leather and other wide range of goods.
The advisor added that China has provided a great business opportunity to Pakistan through the FTA as it offered an opportunity to the country to increase its export by 500 million US dollars.
"We look towards the West but factually speaking, the 21st century belongs to Asia. Great business window has been open for Pakistanis in CPEC and the FTA with China," said the advisor.
Echoing Dawood's stance, Adnan Khan, a research associate with the CPEC Center of Excellence (COE), an Islamabad-based think tank under Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, said that China has provided an opportunity to Pakistan to maintain a balance of trade with it. Though there is still a long way for Pakistan to go, the recently signed FTA has started the process, said Khan.
Muhammad Muzammil Zia, policy head of the Job Growth and Human Resource Development in the COE, told Xinhua that over 60 percent of the Pakistani population is associated with the agriculture sector and the FTA will benefit the farmers, as their surplus products are likely to be exported to China, giving them good amount of money in return and providing them an opportunity to improve their methods of cultivation.
Pakistan previously exported only up to 600,000 tons of rice to China, whereas the country produced about 5 million tons of surplus rice every year, and under the new FTA Pakistan is in a position to export more rice to China, said Zobair Tufail, vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI).
"Similar is the case of sugar and other commodities, and textiles and fisheries, all these products can find a new duty-free market in China," said Tufail.
As agriculture is the lifeline of the Pakistani economy, local observers believe that its tariff-free access to the Chinese market will not only increase the revenue generation from exports, but also encourage local farmers to acquire modern methods to increase production.
The prime minister's commercial advisor recently directed the FPCCI to establish a think tank on the Pakistan-China FTA to conduct extensive research and come up with capacity building initiatives for its member organizations, according to local reports.
Besides, local watchers hope that the recently signed FTA will also provide an opportunity to strengthen local industry by encouraging local investors to increase their production, and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan to tap the potential of the market.
Tufail said they are in talks with industrialists who will visit China to have a better understanding of the market and develop their products accordingly, adding that the country's agriculture sector has already got access to the world's largest food market, and the industrial sector will also get a boom under the FTA.
He said the agreement would also be beneficial for Pakistani industrialists as they will be able to import machines and other production materials from China on zero-tariff, decreasing the cost of production.
Muhammad Ashraf, spokesperson of Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua that by giving more market access, China is going to cover more than 80 percent of Pakistan's export basket.
"The market access does not mean anything, unless you have the production capability to supply to the market. We are going to hold a series of awareness sessions with potential businessmen to tell them what kind of opportunities they have, and what products they can produce to tap the Chinese market," said the official.
To tap the maximum potential of the FTA, Pakistan needs a long term and sustainable solution to capture the Chinese market, and CPEC is playing a vital role in this regard in the form of Pak-China industrial cooperation, which is going to be formed in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) proposed under CPEC.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1148130.shtml
Rice Farmers
Appeal For Help To Boost Production
Kwaku
Anane
APR
30, 2019 ECONOMY & INVESTMENTS
Rice
farmers in Abrotre Yie in the Mpoho District of the Western Region have
appealed to the government to subsidise the cost of planting materials to
enable them to produce more for local consumption.
They
explained that many rice farmers were unable to afford the cost of certified
seeds, farming tools and pesticides to kill pests that damage crops, and as
such used unapproved and low yielding seeds for planting.
That,
they said, usually resulted in low quality yields which the market often
rejected.According to the farmers who spoke to thepressradio.com said
if they received the government’s assistance in the form of subsidies they
would be able to step up production of their quality natural rice known as
'Western Deedew' and contribute to a reduction in rice importation.
“Our
rice is one of the best natural rice produce ever within the region and beyond
and yet we don't get farming tools such as mail machine, tramater etc we need
to make the natural rice farming production increase so that we can also make
money for our livelihood”. They stated.
"We
are torn between two district Mpoho and shama and they all depends on us for
rice so if we get the needed support from the government, it will helps grow
more quality rice for local consumption to reduce rice importation as a means
of promoting the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda” one farmer added.
the
Executive Director of Western Deedew Rice, Mr Kwabena Amofa toldthepressradio.com that,
the planting of rice nursing and fertilizing of the rice takes a period of 4
months for it absorb the all the nutrients needed from the soil to grow and be
able to harvest it.
We
have 750 acres of land currently for the rice production and we are able to cultivate
400 acres of rice from the land every month." This tells how well we can
do if we get all the necessary support from the government, he added.
Our
rice is natural, quality and makes its attractive for the market too.
We
collaborate with Efia Nkwanta Regional hospital for the purchasing and
distribution to various schools and the market as well.
Now
following the campaign promises of Nana Akuffo Addo said that, the planting of
food and agriculture is one his greatest agenda he will do to ensure that farmers
in the country would get all the necessary support under his government which
includes farming tools and equipment and right farm medicines to improve crops
production in the country and also curb unemployment in the system.
The
pledge is the use of rudimentary tools, which were hampering growth, to the use
of appropriate machinery.
Therefore
government is commitment to ensure that farmers used the right tools was
because rudimentary tools made farming a drudgery and unattractive for the
youth.
The
agricultural mechanization contributed effectively to efficiency and
productivity of all other inputs such as seeds, water, labour and time.
“We
have the entire necessary green plantation and our land is rich in good
nutrients that can help progress in agriculture so that foreigners will come
and buy from us”
"Our
production in rice farming in the olden days was very poor because we use man
power in everything that's and it's comes lots of stress that's why extending
our plea to the government to provide as with modern tools to work." he
pleaded.
He
therefore entreated Ghanaians to take delight in farming.
Relationship between root microbiome and
nitrogen use efficiency revealed in rice
A collaborative team led by Prof.
BAI Yang and Prof. CHU Chengcai from the Institute of Genetics and
Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), recently examined the
variation in root microbiota within 68 indica and 27 japonica rice varieties
grown in field conditions. They revealed that the indica and japonica varieties
recruited distinct root microbiota.
In natural soil, plant roots
provide an ecological niche for multiple soil microorganisms known as root
microbiota. These microbes develop an intimate association with plants,
enhancing plants' nutrient uptake, growth and tolerance to pathogens.
Indica and japonica are the two
major subspecies of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.). Indica varieties show
better nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) compared with japonica varieties in the
field; NRT1.1B contributes to this natural variation in rice. However, the
effect of root microbiota on the NUE variation observed between the indica and
japonica varieties is not yet clear.
The researchers established a
model using a random-forest machine-learning approach. They found this model
could accurately predict indica and japonica varieties in tested fields,
suggesting that the root microbes can serve as a biomarker to distinguish
indica and japonica varieties.
It is interesting that indica
varieties had more bacteria associated with the function of nitrogen metabolism
compared with japonica varieties, indicating that nitrogen transformation is
more active in the root environment of indica rather than japonica varieties.
By comparing root-associated
microbiota of wild-type varieties and the the nrt1.1b mutant, they found that
NRT1.1B was associated with the recruitment of approximately half of the
indica-enriched bacterial taxa.
Notably, wild-type varieties
showed relative abundance of root bacteria that harbor key genes for the
ammonification process; however, there was no such abundance in the root
microbiome of the nrt1.1b mutant. This indicates that such root microbes may
catalyze the formation of ammonium in the root environment.
Using an improved high-throughput
protocol to cultivate and identify bacteria, the researchers successfully
cultivated more than 70 percent of the bacterial species that were reproducibly
detectable in the rice roots, and established the first systematic collection
of rice root bacterial cultures.
They then used gnotobiotic
experimental systems with a reconstructed synthetic community (SynCom) and
found that indica-enriched SynCom showed a stronger ability to promote rice
growth under a supply of organic nitrogen than japonica-enriched SynCom. This
further suggests that indica-enriched bacteria may contribute to higher
nitrogen-use efficiency in indica rice.
These results not only reveal the
relationship between the root microbiome and NUE in rice subspecies, but
demonstrate the role of NRT1.1B in the establishment of root microbiota. The
bacterial culture collections provide a resource for functional research of
root microbiota.
The research on the interaction
between root microbes and rice has laid an important foundation for the
application of beneficial microbes to the process of nitrogen utilization and
provides a theoretical basis for reducing nitrogen fertilizer in sustainable
agriculture.
###
This study, entitled
"NRT1.1B is associated with root microbiota composition and nitrogen use
in field-grown rice," was published online in Nature
Biotechnology on April 29, 2019.
This research is supported by the
Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Key
Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and
the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Weedy Rice is A
Pesky Rice Variety in Production Rice Fields
By Mikenzi Meyers, Associate
Editor
Contrary to its name, weedy rice
is not in fact weeds in rice—but it is presenting several challenges to
California rice growers. To help farmers combat the pesky variety, UC Davis PhD
student Liberty Galvin and the horticulture and agronomy graduate group have
conducted extensive research.
According to Galvin, the genetic
and physiological properties of weedy rice are the same as the cultivated
varieties consumers typically eat. So what’s the issue? Galvin said that
besides the fact that weedy rice is off in its coloring, it’s nearly impossible
to harvest.
“The issue is that the seed
shatters, or basically falls to the ground. So when you go through and try to
harvest it, the grain does not get collected in the harvester,” Galvin
explained.
Although right now it seems that
commercially growing weedy rice is not an option, there are ways to prevent it.
Galvin’s research found that drilling the seeds at least two inches into the
soil will eliminate seed germination or emergence in the field. This is
especially useful in California, where tillage is done only to prepare the
field, not plant the rice itself.
Galvin also highly recommends
that growers reduce their amount of saved seed, and stick to purchasing
certified seed so there is no opportunity for traces of weedy rice to enter the
soil.
“That is why tillage depth is so
important, because that’s how you reduce your seed bank,” she said.
Eating White Rice Daily Increases the
Risk of Diabetes
Apr 30, 2019 07:00 AM EDT
While most westerners are known
to eat more food that causes the disease, statistics show Asians have a higher
chance of getting diabetes and research has found just what the shocking
culprit is: white rice. A normal part of the Asian daily diet, white rice is
brimming with starch that can overload the body with blood sugar. As a result,
diabetes risk increases.Chief executive of Health Promotion
Board, Zee Yoong Kang, shared his plan to minimize the instances of diabetes
around the world, particularly in Asia where it seems to be very rampant
nowadays. Zee revealed a meta-analysis which tells that white rice when eaten
on a daily basis can increase diabetes risk by up to 11 percent worldwide. But
why is white rice so dangerous? Based on a 20-year-old study from the Harvard
School of Public Health, white rice is not as safe to consume as many people
think.
A single bowl of rice has at least twice the carbs in one can of
soft drink. Carbs turn into sugar. Our pancreases create insulin, so that the
body can utilize sugar. However, there are foods such as white rice, in which
sugar is easily absorbed into the blood. This causes a sugar spike, making the
pancreas work more than they should.
It's not good to have sugar spikes. Since the pancreases work
harder on the regular, they become less efficient in making insulin. As a
result, the body absorbs more sugar. Everything in excess is bad, including
sugar. Eating white rice every day can cause kidney damage because there is an
overabundance of sugar in the body. This is where diabetes starts.
A lot of Asians consume refined carbs like noodles and rice. These
foods come with considerable amounts of sugar. What's worse is that if you have
a high body mass index, your diabetes risk increases the more you eat white
rice.Luckily, there are methods to combat this risk increase. Among them is to
replace 20 percent of white rice consumption with brown rice. By doing so, you
cut your risk by up to 16 percent
Dehusk Before Parboiling To Reduce Arsenic Levels
In Rice
An international team of scientists showed that
parboiling wholegrain rice reduced inorganic arsenic levels by 25 percent while
more than doubling calcium content of the grains. SHARE SHARE TWEET SHARE
AsianScientist (Apr. 30, 2019) – In a study published in the journal
Environmental Science & Technology, researchers in Bangladesh and Northern
Ireland found that parboiling removes inorganic arsenic from rice while
increasing the grains’ calcium content. Contamination of rice with arsenic is a
major problem in some regions of the world with high rice consumption. People
in Bangladesh eat about a pound of rice per person per day, according to
statistics from the International Rice Research Institute, placing Bangladeshis
at risk for elevated exposure to inorganic arsenic. Researchers in Bangladesh
and Northern Ireland wondered whether the method of post-harvest processing of
rice would affect the levels of inorganic arsenic in the grains. Typically,
most rice in the country is parboiled, a process that involves soaking the
rough rice (with husk intact) in water and then boiling it. The researchers
hypothesized that parboiling wholegrain rice (with the husk removed) would
reduce the levels of different forms of arsenic compared with parboiling rough
rice. The researchers tested their new processing method in 13 traditional,
small-scale parboiling plants throughout Bangladesh. The team used ion
chromatography interfaced with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to
analyze arsenic species in rice. They found that in untreated rough rice,
inorganic arsenic is highly elevated in the bran compared with the husk, even
after parboiling. On the other hand, parboiling wholegrain rice reduced levels
of inorganic arsenic by about 25 percent in the final polished grains, while
increasing calcium content of the grains by 213 percent. However, the new
method reduced potassium content of the grains by 40 percent. The researchers
say that the potassium loss must be balanced against the advantages of reduced
arsenic and increased calcium. The article can be found at: Rahman et al.
(2019) Modifying the Parboiling of Rice to Remove Inorganic Arsenic, While
Fortifying with Calcium. ——— Source: American Chemical Society; Photo: Pexels.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of
AsianScientist or its staff. #Agricultural Sciences #Arsenic #Bangladesh #Food
Security #International Rice Research Institute #
Rice
Asian Scientist Newsroom Related Stories from Asian Scientist Global Debate Grows
Over Arsenic Levels In Rice Following alarming reports about the discovery of
high arsenic levels in rice sold in the US market, experts have reassured
consumers that rice is safe to eat. Vietnam Eyes Water-Saving Tech For Rice
Farms Although alternate wetting and drying technology can reduce water usage
and greenhouse gas emissions, getting rice farmers to adopt this practice could
be difficult. Drought-Tolerant Rice Varieties To Provide Food Security For
Farmers In Bangladesh Farmers in Bangladesh, a country with a record of drought
spells, now have two new drought-tolerant rice varieties to choose from: BRRI
dhan56 and BRRI dhan57.
Planting The Seeds Of Food Security In Asia In
Asia, the humble rice grain has far-reaching impacts on lives and economies.
Dr. Bruce Tolentino of the International Rice
Research Institute shares his insights. Flood-Tolerant Rice Shows Improved
Yields In India A flood-tolerant hybrid rice that improves yields in India by
almost half has been found to benefit marginalized people living in flood-prone
areas. Rice Consumption In Bangladesh Linked To High Arsenic Exposure &
Toxicity A study of more than 18,000 people in Bangladesh has established a
link between rice consumption and arsenic exposure and toxicity. EDITOR’S PICK
Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/04/in-the-lab/bangladesh-rice-arsenic-contamination/
Haiti Price
Bulletin, April 2019
What the lower self rated hunger
means
THE media release of the social
weather stations explains their survey taken at the end of the first quarter of
this year.
It says that the 9.5% hunger rate
in March 2019 is one percentage point lower than the 10.5% (est. 2.4 million
families) in December 2018.
According to the release, it “also
marks the second consecutive quarter where there has been a decrease in Hunger
from the one prior.
The quarterly Hunger in March 2019
is the sum of 8.1% (est. 2 million families) who experienced Moderate Hunger
and 1.3% (est. 327,000 families) who experienced Severe Hunger.
Moderate Hunger refers to those who
experienced hunger “Only Once” or “A Few Times” in the last three months, while
Severe Hunger refers to those who experienced it “Often” or “Always” in the
last three months.
Those who did not state their
frequency of hunger (0.4% or est. 98,000 families) were classified under
Moderate Hunger.”
These results taken from surveys
may mean that government efforts to boost rice supply by recent imports are not
only filling warehouses, but lowering food costs and enabling more families to
buy food.
Not surprisingly, new rice stocks
are available at almost half the price of local well milled rice. They are
already bought at our supermarkets and are used as an extender to mix with well
milled, more expensive local rice. Friends say that the result is ok.
Note that lower income families,
even those living slightly above the poverty lines spend almost half of their
food costs for rice alone. Lower rice costs means more food to eat.
Cheaper food also means lower
inflation, something we have achieved as well in the last quarter.
These lower hunger numbers may also
mean that the recent rice tarrification law that liberalizes rice imports may
increase supply further, and lower prices even more.
In the end, as i have written
before, supplying sufficient food rests not solely in assuring that storehouses
are full or that local farmers are happy, but that the people can buy and
partake of the food.
If we will need to import cheaper
food to make sure that people have enough to eat, then that should be the case.
This is because eradicating hunger is, and should be a continuing, and clear
goal of every government.
We cannot talk of agricultural
policy or protecting local food suppliers and farmers while millions remain
under some form of hunger.
Eradicating hunger is consistent
with every measure and approach to measure the people’s well being, from
minimum basic needs to millennium development goals.
Let us not forget that.
Ivory Coast
bans Olam rice imports for one year after spoilt shipment
· APRIL 30, 2019 / 4:53 PM / ABIDJAN, April 30 (Reuters) -
Ivory Coast banned rice imports from Singapore-based commodity trader Olam
International for one year after destroying an 18,000-tonne shipment of
“spoilt” rice, the commerce ministry said.
Olam
said in a statement on Tuesday that it was disappointed by the ministry’s
decision, which was first announced last Friday.
“The
unique circumstances relating to the recent rejection of a cargo of rice were
unfortunate and not representative of the shipments of rice into Ivory Coast,”
Olam said.
Reporting
by Ange Aboa; Additional reporting and Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro in Dakar;
Editing by Aaron Ross and Louise Heavens
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
From Apples to Popcorn, Climate
Change Is Altering the Foods America Grows
In every
region, farmers and scientists are trying to adapt an array of crops to warmer
temperatures, invasive pests, erratic weather and earlier growing seasons.
By Kim Severson
·
April 30, 2019
o
The impact may not yet be obvious in grocery
stores and greenmarkets, but behind the organic apples and bags of rice and
cans of cherry pie filling are hundreds of thousands of farmers, plant breeders
and others in agriculture who are scrambling to keep up with climate change.
Drop a pin anywhere on a map of the United
States and you’ll find disruption in the fields. Warmer temperatures are
extending growing seasons in some areas and sending a host of new pests into
others. Some fields are parched with drought, others so flooded that they
swallow tractors.
Decades-long patterns of frost, heat and rain —
never entirely predictable but once reliable enough — have broken down. In
regions where the term climate change still meets with skepticism, some simply
call the weather extreme or erratic. But most agree that something unusual is
happening.
“Farming
is no different than gambling,” said Sarah Frey, whose collection of farms throughout
the South and the Midwest grows much of the nation’s crop of watermelons and
pumpkins. “You’re putting thousands if not millions of dollars into the earth
and hoping nothing catastrophic happens, but it’s so much more of a gamble now.
You have all of these consequences that farmers weren’t expecting.”
Because the system required to feed the country
is complex and intertwined, a two- or three-week shift in a growing season can
upset supply chains, labor schedules and even the hidden mechanics of
agriculture, like the routes that honeybees travel to pollinate fields. Higher
temperatures and altered growing seasons are making new crops possible in places
where they weren’t before, but that same heat is also hurting traditional
crops. Early rains, unexpected droughts and late freezes leave farmers
uncertain over what comes next.
Here are
11 everyday foods, from all over the country, that are facing big changes:
Montmorency
tart cherries waiting to be harvested in Leelanau County in northern Michigan.CreditJohn L Russell/Associated Press
Tart cherries
Michigan
Weather has always been a challenge in northern
Michigan, but never — at least as far back as tart-cherry growers can remember
— has it been this frustrating. Tart cherries are a small, delicate crop that
bakers prefer to use fresh for pies, although most are frozen, dried or
processed into juice or canned filling. Growers rely on a long, cold winter and
a slow, cool spring so trees won’t bud and bloom before the threat of a final
freeze is over. But lately, Grand Traverse Bay hasn’t been freezing over
reliably, so warmer temperatures arrive too soon. There have been two total
crop failures in a decade; the last one before that was in 1945. Spring weather
has become more violent, too, pummeling trees with hail and winds.
The spotted wing Drosophila, an invasive fruit fly,
showed up in 2010, and many farmers believe it is spreading quickly as a result
of shifting climate patterns. It lays eggs in the fruit, and its larvae feed
inside, ruining the cherry; so far it seems impossible to control. A team of
researchers is trying to develop a cherry tree that blooms 20 days later, but
with fruit that ripens at the same time as it does now. Still, a solution is
years away. That may be too late for some of the 425 families who grow tart
cherries. Already, there is talk among some families of abandoning
the cherry business altogether, said Nikki Rothwell, coordinator of the Northwest Michigan
Horticultural Research Center. “The stress is becoming too much for many of the
growers,” she said.
Some
farmers in upstate New York have given up on raspberries after uncontrollable
waves of the spotted wing Drosophila, a fruit fly whose larvae can turn berries
to mush.CreditJessica Ebelhar/The New York
Some
farmers in upstate New York have given up on raspberries after uncontrollable
waves of the spotted wing Drosophila, a fruit fly whose larvae can turn berries
to mush.CreditJessica Ebelhar/The New York Times
Organic raspberries
New York
The
fruit fly that is vexing cherry growers in Michigan is also attacking the
raspberry crop in New York State. Winters haven’t been as long or as cold, so
the flies are appearing earlier; organic fruit are especially at risk
because farmers are limited in using pesticides. Unlike other flies that feed
on rotting fruit, the spotted wing Drosophila, which by 2011 had arrived in
significant numbers in upstate New York, has a tiny saw near its abdomen that
allows it to cut into fruit that is just ready to be picked. The raspberries,
already delicate, can end up infested with larvae, and turn to goo by the time a
customer gets them home.
Couple
that with mild winters that don’t kill off pests, and unusual weather patterns
that don’t bring rain when they should — or bring so much that farmers can’t
get into the fields to work or have to battle fungus — and organic berries
aren’t such a good bet anymore. “People have really given up on raspberries on
a lot of farms,” said Alissa White, a researcher at the University of Vermont
who tracks the impact of climate change on Northeastern farms. “Farmers are the
kings of risk management. Once every 10 or 20 years we could lose a crop. But
if once every three or four, that’s a lot.”
The
watermelon season is starting weeks earlier than in past years, from South
Florida to the Midwest.CreditEve
Edelheit for The New York Times
The
watermelon season is starting weeks earlier than in past years, from South
Florida to the Midwest. CreditEve
Edelheit for The New York Times
Watermelons
Florida
Warmer weather and an increasingly earlier
growing season have, in many ways, been good for farmers like Sarah Frey.
She used to start harvesting her South Florida watermelons in mid-April. This
year, crews were picking in March. She’ll be picking earlier in South Georgia,
and expects to pull watermelons from fields in Missouri by the Fourth of July,
which she said was rare when she was growing up in the 1990s.
But
earlier and longer growing seasons have consequences. For Ms. Frey, harvesting
watermelons earlier than usual puts her into competition with the late-winter
crop from Mexico. And new, more restrictive immigration policies could mean she
won’t have enough workers from Mexico to work the fields when she needs them —
especially because many American produce growers are starting or expanding
operations in Mexico. “Having it earlier is good for customers and good for
business, but if it’s overlapping with the import business and I can’t get
enough workers to harvest, that’s a problem,” she said.
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In
Montana, some farmers are planting more chickpeas as a hedge against heat and
drought that have hampered grains.CreditTodd
Klassy
In
Montana, some farmers are planting more chickpeas as a hedge against heat and
drought that have hampered grains.CreditTodd
Klassy
Chickpeas
Montana
The
chickpea is enjoying an unexpected assist from extreme weather. Farmers in
Montana, who grow about 60 percent of the chickpeas produced in the United
States, are being encouraged to plant more as a hedge against heat and drought.
The average annual temperature in Montana has increased by 2.4 degrees over
the last century, but the amount of rain hasn’t changed much.
Chickpeas,
which need less water to grow than wheat and other cereal grains that are the
mainstay of Montana agriculture, provide an antidote. They improve soil and
help reduce the need for fertilizer; rotating in a spring crop of chickpeas
before a wheat crop can help break disease and pest cycles, said Kevin McPhee,
a professor at Montana State University. It also doesn’t hurt that hummus is so
popular, opening up new markets. Still, all the new chickpea growers face tough
competition globally. India, which imports huge amounts of American chickpeas,
protected its own producers with stiff tariffs in 2018,
and China and the European Union have responded to recent United States trade
tariffs with their own.
Erratic
weather is a threat to the wild blueberry crop in Maine, where some fields are
a century old.CreditRobert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
Erratic
weather is a threat to the wild blueberry crop in Maine, where some fields are
a century old. CreditRobert
F. Bukaty/Associated Press
Wild Blueberries
Maine
The wild blueberry has long been an essential
player in Maine agriculture, but unpredictable weather is challenging the
44,000 acres where the commercial low-bush berries grow. The season has
stretched out four weeks longer, and summers are becoming warmer. Temperatures
last year reached an unprecedented 95 degrees, said Lily Calderwood, an extension wild
blueberry specialist at the University of Maine.
Frosts
are becoming erratic, too. A frost in the spring can kill blossoms that would
have become fruit. “We didn’t used to have these unpredictable events,” Dr.
Calderwood said. “We could rely on gradual and reliable growing seasons. Now
it’s all starting to skip around, and these frost events come out of the blue.”
Drought isn’t helping. Many smaller growers, some tending fields that are 100
years old, don’t irrigate, but that expensive step may become necessary. And
the same fruit fly troubling cherry and raspberry growers in Northern states is
also a concern in Maine.
In
Shellsburg, Iowa, Gene Mealhow grows ears of heirloom popcorn that reach
maturity at about three or four inches.CreditDennis
Chamberlin for The New York Times
In
Shellsburg, Iowa, Gene Mealhow grows ears of heirloom popcorn that reach
maturity at about three or four inches.CreditDennis
Chamberlin for The New York Times
Organic Heirloom Popcorn
Iowa
Gene Mealhow comes from a family that lost its
farmland in the 1980s. Now he grows pearly flint popcorn, whose genetics he can
trace back to the 1840s, on about 300 acres in Illinois and Iowa. When he was
growing up, predictable spring rains led to even summer heat and a reliable
crop of corn. “Now when it rains, it comes down four of five inches at a pop,
or we’ve got tornado warnings,” he said. “Believe me, the weather is so
extreme.”
This
season, some of Iowa’s big corn producers face land so soaked with rain that
they have to leave crops in the field; recent floods turned the Missouri River
into a monster. But not all of Iowa is in trouble, Mr. Mealhow said. Some parts
of the state produced bumper crops last year. His little pocket of land near
Shellsburg in eastern Iowa hasn’t been hit as hard, either. Still, he’s doing what
many small farmers are: diversifying. He’ll work through his existing inventory
of popcorn, which he sells under the Tiny But Mighty brand to
stores like Whole Foods Market, and just grow some for seed. The rest of his
energy will go into growing onions, sweet corn and tomatoes for restaurants in
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Next year, perhaps, there will be more popcorn.
“Everybody is still optimistic,” he said.
Peaches
are a particularly delicate fruit to grow, requiring the right amount of cold
weather at just the right time to produce good fruit.CreditMaura Friedman for The New York Times
Peaches
are a particularly delicate fruit to grow, requiring the right amount of cold
weather at just the right time to produce good fruit. CreditMaura Friedman for The New York Times
Peaches
Georgia and
South Carolina
The symbol of Georgia and the mainstay of a
Southern kitchen, peaches could be devastated by climate change. They need a
certain amount of consistent cold weather — what growers call chill hours —
followed by dependably warm weather. Without enough chill hours, peach buds are
weak, and weak buds make poor fruit.
In addition,
trees are blooming too early and then being hit by unusual frosts, which result
in less sellable fruit. In 2017, a warm winter destroyed almost
85 percent of the state’s $30 million peach crop. It’s part of a
pattern noted last year in the federally mandated National Climate Assessment, which predicted that it
would continue. In response, researchers at places like Clemson University are
trying to find new peach strains that can handle the shift, but new cultivars
are still years away.
Apple
growers in Washington are starting to install netting, like this system being
tested at Washington State University, to prevent fruit from sunburn.CreditTJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower
Apple
growers in Washington are starting to install netting, like this system being
tested at Washington State University, to prevent fruit from sunburn. CreditTJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower
Organic Apples
Washington
Most organic apples in the American grocery
store come from Washington State, which grows about 230,000 tons a year. Apples
don’t have the same worries about chill hours that softer fruits like peaches
do, but they are being threatened by climate change in their own way. One
problem that comes with hotter spring weather is an increase in diseases
like fire blight, which
can be especially hard to prevent in organic orchards where antibiotics can’t
be used, said Kate Prengaman, associate editor of Good Fruit Grower, a Washington-based magazine for tree
fruit and grape farmers.
Hotter
temperatures can subject both organic and conventionally grown apples to
sunburn, which causes defects on the fruit’s skin. Some growers have taken to
installing large nets over orchards to reduce the intensity of the sunlight,
but the process is expensive. Unlike many row crops, which can be replanted
from year to year, orchards can take a decade or two to regrow, and farmers
expect them to produce for at least a generation.
Golden
kiwi fruit from the 2018 harvest in Nacogdoches, Tex. Researchers believe the
fruit could be a new opportunity for Texas growers as warmer weather threatens
crops like peaches and pears.Credit
Golden
kiwi fruit from the 2018 harvest in Nacogdoches, Tex. Researchers believe the
fruit could be a new opportunity for Texas growers as warmer weather threatens
crops like peaches and pears.Credit
Golden Kiwi Fruit
Texas
As warmer weather endangers traditional Texas
crops like peaches and pears, some growers have been enticed by exotic fruit
like the golden kiwi fruit, a less fuzzy, sweeter and more nutritious cousin of
the more common green species. The first golden kiwi crop was harvested in East
Texas in 2014 using cultivars from Auburn University in Alabama, and
enthusiastic researchers like David Creech have been growing increasingly
larger crops every year. The humidity and acidic soil of East Texas seem like a
perfect match for this potentially lucrative crop.
But Tim Hartmann,
an extension horticulturalist at Texas A&M University, said kiwi fruit are
sensitive to cold weather. Finding the right amount of chill hours — the cold
weather that kiwis need to produce — and dodging freezes make the task
difficult. “You would think that with temperatures warming up, a subtropical
place like Texas would predispose it as a suitable area for subtropical crops,”
he said. “But we’ve noticed that as the climate changes and the weather is
getting erratic, the freezes we get are more unpredictable.”
The
cool marine air layer that once made Castroville, Calif., an ideal place to
grow artichokes has become less reliable.CreditJustin
Kaneps for The New York Times
The
cool marine air layer that once made Castroville, Calif., an ideal place to
grow artichokes has become less reliable.CreditJustin
Kaneps for The New York Times
Artichokes
California
When the chef Mary Sue Milliken started noticing artichokes in
her favorite Los Angeles farmers’ market in December, all she could think about
was climate change. The weather in Castroville, long the epicenter of California
artichoke country, has shifted in a state where agriculture is feeling the
impact of climate change more than any other.
The
classic California artichoke, with its spring growing season, likes cool,
overcast weather that comes when heat from the Central Valley pulls in cool
marine air from the Pacific Ocean. But the ocean has been warming, and the
marine layer has been less reliable, said Pat Hopper, manager of the California
Artichoke Advisory Board. And warmer weather has improved conditions for pests
like the artichoke plume moth. As a result, artichoke growers have developed
new seed that grows well in the desert heat of Coachella, 450
miles south, which puts California artichokes in the market almost
year-round. “We’re in a time of change,” Ms. Hopper said. “The biggest thing
consumers are going to see are higher prices. It’s just a result of higher
costs all the way around to make things grow.”
The
current rice industry in Arkansas is unsustainable, say researchers who are
trying to find new breeds that can handle increased heat and drought.CreditClint Spencer / Getty Images
The
current rice industry in Arkansas is unsustainable, say researchers who are
trying to find new breeds that can handle increased heat and drought. CreditClint Spencer / Getty Images
Rice
Arkansas
About
1.2 million acres of farmland are planted with rice in Arkansas, which grows
about half of the country’s supply. And that rice needs a lot of water. But
changing weather patterns produce less rain during the growing season, and the
underground aquifers that feed the state’s crop are drying out. “The rice
industry as we’ve known it is not sustainable,” said Anna Myers McClung of
the Dale Bumpers National Rice
Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark.
Higher
temperatures are another culprit. Too much heat alters the starch that the
plants produce. Long-grain rice that should look translucent becomes chalky and
cooks up stickier. It breaks apart more easily at the mill, causing waste. In
response, some farmers are building reservoirs or experimenting with new, less
water-intensive growing methods. Researchers like Dr. McClung are working with
genetics to find strains of rice that are better adapted to the changing
climate and more drought-tolerant. But developing a new variety, she said,
could take five to 10 years.
More on Food and
Climate Change
Volunteers Needed for Study; Easy,
Free Baby Food, and $100
May 01, 2019
Volunteers are needed for an Infant feeding study. Infants need
to be around 5 months old, to prepare to start on their 6-month mark. This
study should be their first interaction with solid foods, outside of rice
cereal. The researchers are measuring the impact first foods have on the gut
microbiome via diaper collection. Participants will receive free baby food for
the intervention week, and $100 for participation.
CONTACTS
Kaleigh Beane, study coordinator
THES
479-575-3623, broccoli@uark.edu
THES
479-575-3623, broccoli@uark.edu
Agencies divided
on P10-B agri fund
As
farmers anticipate the prompt release of assistance in transition to a new rice
regime, misunderstanding hounds government agencies on the proper allocation
and utilization of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)
of the Rice Tariffication Law.
Speaking
at the Rice Traders Forum’s press conference on Monday, National Economic
Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said a
portion of the RCEF amounting to P5 billion has already been released to the
Department of Agriculture (DA) in December last year.
“Actually
in RCEF, there has been an initial P5 billion released. The P1 billion out of
that has already been covered with a memorandum of agreement with the ACPC
(Agricultural Credit Policy Council), Landbank and DBP (Development Bank
of the Philippines) so that this could already be given to the farmers.
The rest of the money for that P5 billion, I think DA now is coming to allocate
some portions already to the different agencies who are supposed to be involved
in the [utilization] of RCEF,” Sombilla said.
Her
statement was a total contrast to what the Department of Budget and Management
(DBM) and the DA accounted the P5 billion for–the National Rice Program, which
was considered as a “complementary” fund that will help farmers transition to a
new rice regime.
Sombilla,
however, said “the P5 billion is already there [while] the
additional P5 billion will come in the third quarter [this year].” The P5
billion originally intended for the RCEF was allocated in 2018, Sombilla
earlier said. However, the funds were channeled instead to the National Rice
Program when the Rice Tariffication bill failed to be enacted last year.
Earlier
this month, DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol clarified that the P5 billion channeled
to the National Rice Program “could not be part of RCEF as it did not follow
RCEF guidelines allocation.” “We will insist in getting the whole P10 billion
(RCEF). That is the law. There is no way that it will have no funding, that’s
part of the law,” he said.
However,
Sombilla said: “It’s true that’s why we’re already discussing this with the DA,
as much as possible, to find some measures to allocate some money to
PhilMech (Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
Mechanization), PhilRice (Philippine Rice Research Institute) and to
the training institutes which should be receiving the money from the P5
billion.”
“We’re
trying to settle out and hopefully we’ll be able to come up with that. In the
meantime, the guidelines in using these funds are now being prepared by the
agencies that are supposed to be implementing this so hopefully when the
guidelines are completed…the money for the [RCEF] components will already be
available,” Sombilla added.
With P10
billion, the DA through the PhilMech will provide farmers with machinery and
equipment worth P5 billion, free high-yielding seeds worth P3 billion from
PhilRice, P1 billion for credit and P1 billion in training through the Agricultural
Training Institute.
The Rice
Tariffication Law was signed and approved by President Duterte last February
14. The new law, which seeks to liberalize the importation of rice, is expected
to lower retail prices of rice by up to P7 per kilo, help lower inflation by
0.5 to 0.7 percentage points this year, and improve farmers’ incomes,
productivity and competitiveness.
20-MMT rice target
for 2019 doable – DA
20-MMT RICE TARGET FOR 2019 DOABLE – DA
THE Department of Agriculture
(DA) stayed bullish to achieve its national rice production target of 20
million metric tons (MMT) despite the impact of El Niño, citing latest reports
of rice output increases in major rice-producing provinces.
At the Rice Traders Forum’s press
conference on Monday, DA Assistant Secretary Andrew Villacorta said the
expected damage and losses on rice due to El Niño would only be at 0.96 percent
or about 190,000 metric tons of palay (unmilled rice).
“Last week, we met with regional
directors and surprisingly, there were three regions who reported they
increased their rice production. Central Luzon is forecasting a 22-percent
increase, Ilocos region is forecasting 14 percent and Cagayan Valley at 3
percent,” Villacorta said.
“If we will [compute] their
forecast, we’re expecting more than 400,000 metric tons increase in palay
output, which will be enough to compensate the loss of 190,000 metric tons.
This is why we’re confident to maintain our target at 20 million metric tons
this year,” he added.
Latest data from the DA’s
Disaster Risk Reduction Operations Center showed El Niño damage to the rice
sector was P4.04 billion or 191,761 MT over 144,202 hectares of agricultural
land. The drought also affected 140,387 rice farmers nationwide.
Last year, the country’s total
rice output reached 19.07 million MT, 1.1 percent down from 19.28 million MT in
2017 due to monthly tropical disturbances. The Philippines recorded its highest
rice production in 2017 at 19.28 MMT, up 9.5 percent from 17.6 MMT in 2016.
Last year, total rice output fell
to 19.05 due to the onslaught of over 20 typhoons, including Super Typhoon
Ompong in September. The national average yield was pegged at 4 MT per hectare.
DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol
earlier said increased utilization of good quality seeds to 60 percent from 48
percent has helped raise the national rice production in the past years. By
2022, the DA is targeting to further boost utilization of good seeds at about
70 to 80 percent.
He also noted that free seeds,
mechanization, irrigation and fertilization would further boost the country’s
rice output by 2020.
Palace can intervene over drastic changes in rice prices – DTI
Published April 29, 2019, 10:00 PM
By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
President Rodrigo Duterte can
intervene on drastic changes in prices of rice to ensure the interest of
farmers and consumers as government implements a free-for-all rice importation
on efforts to stabilize supply and bring down prices to P30 per kilo.rade and
Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopezlopez
This was stressed by Trade and
Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez during a press conference to discuss the
streamlined importation procedures and benefits of the liberalized regime under
the Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Act.
Lopez explained that there is no
trigger price or volume level in the Implementing Rules and Regulation, but
said that the IRR provides for the President to intervene if there are drastic
movements in the price of rice, whether the change is on the low or the high
side. The intervention is to protect either the farmers or consumers.
But, he said, this will still
undergo monitoring of prices, but if there is doubt in the mechanism then that
is the time that Malacanang can intervene. For instance, he said, if imported
rice has reached P40 per kilo while prices before have already settled at P38
or lower. Higher prices could be due to possible collusion.
He explained that the
intervention provision is there because the objective of the law is to bring in
cheaper priced rice. The DTI sees rice to reach P30 a kilo or lower. At
present, prices of rice hover around P32 and P34 up to P38 a kilo already.
“If prices have gone too low,
that is another point of intervention because that could be a signal that
farmers are already losing,” he said. He, however, said that the current set up
has already removed the role of the National Food Authority over rice
importation so it would be the importers who would decide if it is still viable
to import or not.
There is no amount as to the
amount of rice importation, he said. But the trade chief noted that local rice
production already accounts for 95 percent of rice supply in the market and
with lower cost of production this means farmers can sell more, easing out
imports. If local supply improves to 97 percent, then supply from imports would
be limited to only 3 percent. This is the basis that importers have to watch
out for to ensure that it is still viable to import.
Deputy Commissioner Fixes Prices Of Daily Use Items For Ramazan
The Deputy Commissioner Captain (R)
Bilal Shahid Rao has said that to give relief to the people during holy month
of Ramazan was the responsibility of the government
NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -
APP - 29th Apr, 2019 ) :The Deputy Commissioner Captain (R) Bilal Shahid Rao
has said that to give relief to the people during holy month of Ramazan was the
responsibility of the government.
According to a handout issued by the District Information Office
here on Monday, The deputy commissioner said that fines would be imposed on the
hoarders and profiteers while those shopkeepers would be brought to book who
failed to display retail rate lists at their shops during Ramazan.
The deputy commissioner was
addressing a meeting to review price control and fixing of rates of items of
daily use.
The DC stated that up to Rs10,000 fines would be imposed on
shopkeepers for not displaying the rate lists while assistant commissioners and
mukhtiarkars would take action against the hoarders.
He further said that complaints
centres would be set up at the offices of market committee and assistant commissioner
offices during the holy month.
He also directed all the assistant commissioners to check the
quality of edible items.
The meeting also fixed the prices of the following commodities items. Masoor
Dall Rs 84 per kilogram, Dall Channa Rs110, Dall Mong (washed) Rs148, Dall Mong
(without washed) Rs105, Dall Mash (Washed) Rs 120, Chana white (Sindhi) Rs 85,
Channa (Turkey 9MM) Rs117, Sugar Rs64, Basin Rs110, Rice
86-Punjab Rs70, Rice Super Kainat Rs127, Rice Super Kernal sella (Sindh) Rs75, Rice kernel (Punjab) Rs 115, Rice Johi Rs92, Rice Basmati Rs65, Rice
Basmati Adhwar Rs55, Rice Eri Rs40, Atta Special Rs38, Atta Chaki Rs36, Meda
Rs44, Soji Rs46, Red Chilli Sabit Rs290, Red Chili powder Rs275, Dhanya powder
Rs240, Haldi Rs.240, Zeera Rs50, grams Rs25,Ghee Canola Rs167, Oil Pakwan (super) Rs118, Ghee Rs130, Cow and
buffalos meat Rs250, Bachhra meat Rs400. Goat meet Rs750, Milk Rs80, Dahi
Rs100, Fish less than kilo Rs300, fish more than kilo Rs350, Fish more than 2
kilo Rs400, Gurr Rs80 per kilo have been fixed.
District Price Committee Fixes Rates Of 20 Edibles
Deputy Commissioner Salwat Saeed
has directed the price control magistrates to take strict action against people
involved in storage of edibles, adulteration, overcharging and artificial
inflation
SARGODHA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 29th Apr, 2019
) :Deputy Commissioner Salwat Saeed has directed the price control magistrates to take strict action
against people involved in storage of edibles, adulteration, overcharging and
artificial inflation.
She said that provision of basic facilities at government rates was a responsibility of the government and the officials concerned should play
their role in this regard.
She chaired a price control committee meeting which fixed rates
of 20 edibles. According to new rates, 20-kg bag of flour and ghee would be
provided under the government policy.
Rate of rice (Super Curnial new)
will be Rs 110, rice old Rs 115 per kg, Rice-386 at the rate of Rs 60 per kg.
Daal Chana Rs 95 and 93, Daal Masoor (Moti) Rs 86, Daal Masoor (Bareek) Rs 100
per kg.
The price of Daal Mash (washed) Rs 130 per kg, Daal
Moong Rs 134 per kg, mutton Rs 700 per kg, Meat Rs 350 per kg, Baisan Rs 103
per kg, Tandoori roti 100-gram Rs 6 and Simple Naan Rs 8.
The price of White Channa Rs 90 per kg, Black Channa
Rs 95, Milk Rs 70 per litre, yogurt Rs 80 per kg, red chili Rs 300, Irani date Rs 163 and Iraqi Date Rs 145 kg
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Hosts Workshop On Food
Technology
The workshop was held with the collaboration of Rice technology Asia, Agri Technology Asia and Plastic Packaging and Print Asia, said a statement on Monday.
on the occasion, experts from PARC Sub-Station Karachi introduced the participants with the theme
of this workshop.
Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Tahir Anwar briefed about the
desert agriculture of AZRI Umerkot.
He also shared the knowledgeable
views regarding pest management of food items.
The participants of the workshop
were awarded shields.
Growers Advised To Start Cultivation Of Rice From May 20
Growers have been advised to start
the cultivation of rice crop from May 20 and complete it by the end of June for
getting bumper yield
He said that from June 01 to 20 is the best time for cultivation of Basmati-370,
Basmati-385, Basmati Pak, Basmati-2000 and Basmati-515.
Similarly, Basmati-198 can be
cultivated in the areas of Sahiwal and Okara from June 01 to June 15 while the suitable time for cultivation of
Shaheen Basmati is June 15 to 30, the spokesman added.
Mechanizing farm operation increases profitability
By DA CaragaPublished on April 30, 2019
Manual
harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the planting season. When
the period comes rice farmers relied on labor-contract arrangements. This had
been a practice for most of the farmers in the country including the Caraga
region.
But
with the advent of new technology, significant changes on farmers customary
farming operations can now be observed when you go to rice production areas.
Such
is the case on one of the farmers’ associations in the province of Surigao del
Sur. Gamut Farmers Irrigators Group Inc. (GFIGI) from Brgy. Gamut, in the
Municipality of Tago is not your ordinary federated rice farmers but an
accredited Farm Service Provider - a group of modern-day farm workers armed
with the necessary skills and knowledge for farm machinery operation and
maintenance.
"Before,
we were entangled with debts because we don't have enough finances to support
our farm operations. When calamity hits us we struggle to recover due to
limited resources that we have," Chairman Gilberto Plazanarrates.
In
2015, with the group's interest, the DA capacitated the members of the group to
become an effective agent in providing farm services. They were provided with
various farm machinery to facilitate efficient land preparation, lower cost of
production, reduce postharvest losses, and to satisfy the farmers availing the
services.
The
group has so far received 4 floating tillers, 2 pumps and engine set, 1 rice
planter, 2 threshers, 5 collapsible drier and a rice combine harvester which is
worth ₱2.3 million.
"We
spend a total of ₱5,000 to ₱6,000 for labor per hectare in manual harvesting
plus for every 100 sacks of palay harvested an additional payment of 8 sacks
will be given to the hired laborers. It will take 2-3 days to harvest a hectare
which poses the problem of unpredictable rains that could affect the quality of
palay," said Plaza.
According
to Plaza, manual harvesting requires 40-80 hours per hectare and it takes
8-10-person to manually reap, collect and haul the harvested crop. While the
rice combine harvester makes the harvesting process easier by combining
important operations such as reaping, threshing, cleaning and bagging into one
machine.
It
is a modern and efficient way of harvesting rice that provides the farmers
comfort in operation and give them the power to harvest at their own time of
choosing –no need to wait for available labor and no need to worry about
approaching typhoons.
The
74 members of GFIGI are the direct patrons of the FSP servicing 112 hectares
irrigated rice area. The members were able to breathe a sigh of relief from the
usual tiresome farming and time-consuming practice while reducing labor cost.
"Our
group has improved in these last few years. We can now generate additional
income through servicing of other farmers. Our members now are enjoying our
affordable farm machinery service fee," Plaza said.
Before,
private farm service providers as far as Cotabato would come and some of them
would take advantage to ask for the 11% of the total harvested palay as payment
for their tendered service. To help their fellow farmers, GFIGI lowered their
service fee to 7%. The proceeds will pay for the laborers who run the machine and
then to the group's savings account.
"We
are grateful for the assistance of the DA to our group. As a way of giving
back, we commit to provide efficient service to our fellow farmers,"
Chairman Plaza added.
Gamut
Farmers Irrigators Group Inc. is now an active partner of the DA as it
continues to provide the needed support to empower the farmers in Surigao del
Sur. (Rhea C. Abao, RAFIS-DA Caraga/PIA Caraga)
Modern-day farmers in Caraga increase profitability
April 30, 2019, 3:29 PM
By Mike Crismundo
TAGO, Surigao del Sur – Manual
harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the planting season. When
this period comes, rice farmers rely on labor-contract arrangements, and this
had been a practice for most of the farmers in Northeastern Mindanao or Caraga
region for ages.
But with the advent of new
technology, significant changes in customary farming operations could now be
made in rice production areas.
Such was the case of one of the
farmers’ associations in the province of Surigao del Sur, the Gamut Farmers
Irrigators Group Inc. (GFIGI) from Barangay Gamut, in the municipality of Tago.
It is not your ordinary federated
group of rice farmers, but an accredited Farm Service Provider – a group of
modern-day farm workers armed with the necessary skills and knowledge for farm
machinery operation and maintenance.
“Before, we were entangled with
debts because we don’t have enough finances to support our farm operations.
When calamity hits us we struggle to recover due to limited resources that we have,”
GFIGI Chairman Gilberto Plaza narrates.
In 2015, with the group’s
interest, the DA capacitated the members of the group to become an effective
agent in providing farm services.
They were provided with various
farm machineries to facilitate efficient land preparation, lower the cost of
production, reduce postharvest losses, and satisfy the farmers availing of
their services.
The group has so far received
four floating tillers, two sets of pumps and engines, a rice planter, two
threshers, five collapsible driers and a rice combine harvester, which is worth
P2.3 million.
“We spend a total of P5,000 to
P6,000 for labor per hectare in manual harvesting, plus for every 100 sacks of
palay harvested, an additional payment of eight sacks will be given to the hired
laborers. It will take two to three days to harvest a hectare which poses the
problem of unpredictable rains that could affect the quality of palay,” said
Plaza.
According to Plaza, manual
harvesting requires 40-80 hours per hectare and it takes 8-10-person to
manually reap, collect and haul the harvested crop.
With the rice combine harvester,
the harvesting process is made easier by combining important operations such as
reaping, threshing, cleaning and bagging into one machine.
It is a modern and efficient way
of harvesting rice that provides the farmers comfort in operation and give them
the power to harvest at their own time of choosing –no need to wait for
available labor and no need to worry about approaching typhoons.
The 74 members of GFIGI are the
direct patrons of the Farmers Service Provider (FSP) servicing 112 hectares
irrigated rice area. The members were able to breathe a sigh of relief from the
usual tiresome farming and time-consuming practice while reducing labor cost.
“Our group has improved in these
last few years. We can now generate additional income through servicing of
other farmers. Our members now are enjoying our affordable farm machinery
service fee,” Plaza said.
Before, private farm service
providers as far as Cotabato would come and some of them would take advantage
to ask for the 11 percent of the total harvested palay as payment for their
tendered service.To help their fellow farmers, GFIGI lowered their service fee
to 7 percent. The proceeds will pay for the laborers who run the machine, and
the remaining amount goes to the group’s savings account.
“We are grateful for the
assistance of the DA to our group. As a way of giving back, we commit to
provide efficient service to our fellow farmers,” Chairman Plaza added.GFIGI is
now an active partner of the DA Caraga Region 13 as it continues to provide the
needed support to empower the farmers in Surigao del Sur, said DA 13 Regional
spokesperson Emmylou T. Presilda, in an exclusive interview with The Manila
Bulletin on Monday.
CDR shares results
of plant and dairy protein study
·
Apr 29, 2019
MADISON — According to K.J. Burrington of the Center for Dairy
Research, farmers and others in the industry have been asking about how
dairy-based and plant-based products compare for a while now, making it a
timely topic for the recent Dairy Exchange, a dairy-centered forum held four
times annually in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection building, hosted by DATCP and partner organizations from the dairy
industry.
Burrington presented on a recent
study conducted at the center that compared dairy protein ingredients to plant
protein ingredients in two products: a beverage and a nutrition bar. It was a
research study that the center wouldn’t typically do since they are
farmer-funded through checkoff dollars, Burrington said, but researchers
carefully outlined their intentions: to be objective and see how the different proteins
compare.
Thirty different commercial
proteins were used in the study, with Burrington commenting that at times, it
was quite difficult to obtain certain proteins because companies, specifically
plant-based product companies, were hesitant to offer their ingredients,
thinking that research spearheaded by a dairy entity would negatively impact
their company and products.
Milk and whey proteins were used
on the dairy side while potato, pea, soy and rice proteins were used on the
plant-based side.
“We looked at a lot of different
attributes,” Burrington said, including water binding capacity, viscosity, heat
stability and gel strength of the proteins, to name a few.
Researchers noted flavor
differences between plant and dairy proteins, noting that plant proteins had
more bitter tastes as compared to the dairy proteins. Some words used by
Burrington to describe the plant proteins were “beany,: earthy and sour, while
dairy proteins were described as milky, “soapy” and having a sweet aromatic.
Both proteins were also described as brothy, herbal or grassy at times and
having a salty taste, depending on the application.
It’s led Burrington to believe
it’s much, much more challenging to make a product with only plant-based
proteins, suggesting that companies that want to make a good tasting product
combine plant-based and dairy.
When it came to appearance,
researchers studied the beverages and nutrition bars created especially for the
study. All of the beverages looked different when lined up as a group, with noticeable
differences in thickness and color. When left overnight, beverages with pea and
rice proteins separated in the refrigerator; Burrington also noted strong
astringency and bitter flavors in the plant protein beverages.
For the nutrition bars, researchers
studied the hardness of the bars made using different proteins. The bars were
differently colored as well, with milk protein bars generally exhibiting a more
white color and whey proteins being more tan in color; plant-based proteins
were all over the board in terms of color. Changes to the color were noticed
within 90 days at room temperature in appropriate packaging as researchers
tested the shelf life of these products.
“The results weren’t surprising
to me,” Burrington said. “I think plant proteins actually need us. Dairy needs
to be included to make a better tasting product. We have the benefit of two
very unique proteins with dairy. It’s our strong point; they don’t always work
together but we can use one or the other, depending on the application.”
Dairy proteins don’t have the
flavor challenges plant proteins have, and from a nutritional standpoint, dairy
will always be better, Burrington said. She believes dairy producers and
industry professionals need to better communicate the nutritional aspects of
dairy proteins compared to plant proteins. It’s one of her biggest concerns —
that growing and developing children are missing that nutritional value when
their parents switch to plant-based because it’s “trendy” and “cool.”
“The nutritional value is a
message we could do a better job with,” she said.
For more on the research being
done at the Center for Dairy Research, visit www.cdr.wisc.edu.
HC quashes Centre's decision
restricting Basmati crop area
IANS | New Delhi Last Updated at April
30, 2019 17:30 IST
The
Delhi High Court has quashed the Central government's decision that production
of Basmati variety would not be taken outside the Indo-Gangetic plain including
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh,
and Jammu and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Allowing
the plea of Madhya Pradesh to set aside two Office Memorandums, dated May 29,
2008 and February 7, 2014 of the Union Agriculture Ministry, the court has held
that the two office memorandums were outside the scope of the Seeds Act, 1966.
The first
office memorandum had set forth standards of the "Basmati" variety of
rice and to ensure the linkage between the variety and the Geographical
Indication (GI), that only Basmati varieties with prescribed characteristic
grown the in Indo-Gangetic region would qualify for such description.
By the
second, the Ministry had issued a direction to ensure that the registration of
Basmati varieties for certified and foundation seeds is not undertaken outside
area detailed under the Geographical Indication for Basmati rice as listed.
The
court held that the second memorandum is "plainly alien to the scope and
object to the Seeds Act, which is to ensure that the quality seeds are
available to farmers".
It also
noted that to restrict the area of production of seeds is wholly outside the
scheme of the Seeds Act.
"The
question whether rice grown outside the specified regions of Indo-Gangetic
plain can be termed as Basmati, is a matter which squarely falls within the
scope of the GI Act and does not have any bearing on the quality of the
seeds," Justice Vibhu Bakhru said in his April 25 order.
The
court added that the contention that the impugned OMs are well within the scope
of the power of the Central Government was "unpersuasive" and
"this contention is, clearly, an afterthought and there is no averment to
this effect in the counter-affidavit".
"The
clear object is to ensure that the crop of Basmati rice is only grown in
specified areas. This would not only be outside the scope of the Seeds Act but,
as rightly pointed out by the learned counsel for the petitioner, relates to
the field of agriculture, which is a state subject," the court held in its
order.
"The
contention is also not persuasive for the reason that the import of the
impugned OMs does not fall within the object of the scope of the Seeds
Act," the order said, noting that the objective of the Seeds Act is to
regulate the quality of certain seeds.
"The
Seeds Act is not concerned with where and how the seeds are used. Once a person
dealing with notified variety of seeds conforms to the requirement of Section 7
of the Seeds Act, there is no restriction as to where and how the crop is to be
grown.
"The
Seeds Act is limited to ensuring that the seeds available to farmers conform to
the minimum limits of germination and purity and the marks or label affixed
thereon correctly indicate so," the court said, holding that the
memorandums draw no authority from the Seeds Act.
Madhya
Pradesh has contended that the two memorandums fell outside the scope of the
act as they encroached upon the power of the state to pass laws in relation to
agriculture, which is a state subject.
Countering
the state's submission, the Centre said that and memorandums were passed in
pursuance of provisions of the Seeds Act which empowered it to declare the
features of the Basmati variety seed and the trade, quality and restrictions
with respect to its geographical region.
Canada
'Goes' for Ready-to-Eat U.S. Rice Meals
TORONTO, CANADA --
USA Rice is expanding its repertoire in the Canadian market with affordable and
healthy ready-to-eat food options for people on the go. After months of
preparation, the Gourmet & Go Express Selection meal line was launched in
late November 2018 in select Shopper's Drug Mart locations in Toronto,
Montreal, and Vancouver.
The inaugural meal featured butter chicken with long grain U.S. rice. Each meal proudly displays the specially-designed, bilingual Think Rice label. This label, which features the Think Rice logo and complements the product packaging, is exclusively available in the Canadian market. The label was a key element that further motivated the manufacturer to switch to U.S. origin rice.
"Quality assurances are paramount as food safety continues to be a serious industry concern facing Canada's foodservice sector," said Pereina Choudhury, USA Rice's Canadian contractor.
"Consumers
want to know where their food is from; in fact, origin trumps price
point. This presents a great opportunity for U.S.-grown rice as it offers
consistent quality and peace of mind to those who procure it and those who
reach for products made with it."
Gourmet & Go meals are popular among consumers. Since the launch of the product 15,501 units have been sold, equivalent to more than two thousand pounds of U.S.-grown rice. A Toronto Shopper's Drug Mart that stocks the ready-to-eat meals reported that the product is replenished frequently due to solid demand. The promotion is expected to run until October 2019. Continued success in units sold and the overall positive reception of the product may incentivize retailers to extend the promotion throughout more Shopper's locations and potentially offer it as a permanent store staple.
The inaugural meal featured butter chicken with long grain U.S. rice. Each meal proudly displays the specially-designed, bilingual Think Rice label. This label, which features the Think Rice logo and complements the product packaging, is exclusively available in the Canadian market. The label was a key element that further motivated the manufacturer to switch to U.S. origin rice.
"Quality assurances are paramount as food safety continues to be a serious industry concern facing Canada's foodservice sector," said Pereina Choudhury, USA Rice's Canadian contractor.
Gourmet & Go meals are popular among consumers. Since the launch of the product 15,501 units have been sold, equivalent to more than two thousand pounds of U.S.-grown rice. A Toronto Shopper's Drug Mart that stocks the ready-to-eat meals reported that the product is replenished frequently due to solid demand. The promotion is expected to run until October 2019. Continued success in units sold and the overall positive reception of the product may incentivize retailers to extend the promotion throughout more Shopper's locations and potentially offer it as a permanent store staple.
Canada has no domestic rice production and considers the United States the closest option for "locally" grown. It is the number two U.S. export market for long grain milled rice behind Haiti. Last year Canada imported 234,270 MT of U.S.-grown rice, capturing 57 percent of the market.
Navy hands over contraband rice, suspects to Customs
Published May 1, 2019
Patrick Odey, Uyo
The Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating
Base, Ibaka, Captain Toritseju Vincent, on Monday handed 416 bags of 50kg
contraband rice and six suspects to the Nigeria Customs Service.
The suspects were arrested by the Nigerian Navy during two
different operations.
It was gathered that the wooden boat carrying the first set of
223 bags of 50kg rice was intercepted in the early hours of April, 28, 2019, by
officials of the Navy, but no arrest was made as the driver of the boat
escaped.
The second boat, carrying 193 bags of 50kg rice, was intercepted
and six suspects were reportedly arrested.
Other items seized were two pumping machines and two outboard
engines.
Speaking in Ibaka while handing over the items, Captain Vincent
said smuggling of rice was inimical to the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
He promised that the Nigerian Navy would leave no stone unturned
to stop smuggling and promote government’s drive towards the production of
local rice.
“On behalf of the Flag Officer Commanding of the Eastern Naval
Command, I hereby hand over 223 bags of Habiba rice seized in the early hours
of April 28, 2019.
“It was unaccompanied because the suspects abandoned the boat
and the products, the pumping machine and an outboard engine. On the same day,
we also intercepted another boat with six suspects.
“I am officially handing over the suspects, the boat, pumping
machine and outboard engine to you, the Nigeria Customs, along with 193 bags of
Marori Benze rice, which we believe was brought in from the Republic of
Cameroon.
“We thank you for your cooperation, diligence and interaction in
assisting us with these anti-smuggling operations. We would continue to do our
best to promote the Federal Government’s drive in promoting our local rice
production.
“These anti-smuggling activities are inimical to the growth of
our own rice industry. So, we will continue to do our duty to make sure we nip
it in the bud and bring it to a complete halt.
The Zonal Commander, Nigeria Customs Service, Kolade Iloyode,
who received the suspects and bags of rice, promised that the suspects would be
handed over for prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.
Suspected rice
smuggler kill customs official in Jigawa
A Customs officer on Monday was
reportedly killed by a suspected rice smuggler in Gumel Local Government Area
of Jigawa State.A witness said the suspected smuggler ran his vehicle over the
Customs official at Emir’s Palace road in Gumel town in a desperate move to
escape arrest.
The Customs’ spokesperson for Kano/Jigawa area command, Isa Dan-Baba,
confirmed the report to journalists on Tuesday. He identified the deceased as
Azeez Tunde-Wasiu. He said the officer died while receiving treatment in Gumel,
Jigawa State.
Mr Dan-Baba said the suspected smuggler also hit two other
victims at Gidan Gawo quarters. They are identified as Usman Abdu, 32, and
Adda’u Dahiru, 29, who were on a motorcycle.
They are currently receiving treatment at Gumel hospital.
The Customs officials were said to be in private car, Peugeot
406, without a registration number. They were pursuing the suspect, who was
said to be in a Volkswagen Golf, from Sule Tankarkar road towards Gumel town.
After the Customs vehicle overtook the smuggler’s vehicle, an
official hastily dropped off with an attempt to shoot. However, the suspect
confronted the official, knocked him down and ran over him with the vehicle.
The vehicle was suspected to be loaded with smuggled rice.
The witness told PREMIUM TIMES that the smuggled parboiled rice
was allegedly coming from Niger Republic and was being conveyed to Kano State.
“The incident occurred at Gumel town around 11 a.m.,” he said.
“Many residents on motorcycles helped the officials, in an
attempt to arrest the fleeing smuggler after they learnt that he hit and killed
an official. However, the suspect escaped through a bushy Gagarawa road, after
he generated cloudy dust, and ran through it.”
Rice smugglers are using Jigawa land borders with Niger Republic
to smuggle parboiled rice into Nigeria.
The federal government had attributed the spate of smuggling
into the country to the protocol of ECOWAS, being abused by neighbouring
countries.
Telangana:
Niranjan Reddy allays fears of rice millers
The Minister
said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was ready to purchase the CMR from
rice millers in the State and in case of the former refusing, the State
government was taking alternate measures.
By Author | Published: 30th Apr 2019 10:45 pm
Hyderabad: Agriculture and Civil Supplies Minister S Niranjan Reddy on
Tuesday said the State government would resolve the pending issues of rice
millers, including procurement of three lakh tonnes of raw rice under custom
milled rice (CMR) quota.
The Minister said the Food
Corporation of India (FCI) was ready to purchase the CMR from rice millers in
the State and in case of the former refusing, the State government was taking
alternate measures.
The Civil Supplies Department
procured about 40.42 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers during kharif this year
and handed it over to rice millers. About three lakh tonnes of raw rice was yet
to be supplied by the rice millers to the State government. Though the FCI
expressed reservations over the quality of raw rice, the Minister said the
corporation was ready to procure the rice and even if it refuses, the State
government will ensure that millers do not suffer losses.
“A committee of four senior
officials in the department has been constituted to suggest alternative
measures to obtain the milled rice. After the committee submits its report, the
issues will be discussed with the Chief Minister and resolved shortly. The rice
millers must ensure supply of quality rice to the FCI as per norms,” he added,
asking millers not to panic and take hasty decisions in this regard.
In addition to the kharif
production, another 40 lakh tonnes of paddy was produced during yasangi and
about 3,663 paddy procurement centres were established across the State.
Around 10.38 lakh tonnes of paddy worth Rs 1,836 crore was procured from about 1.51 lakh farmers during this season, and 9.44 lakh tonnes of paddy was sent to rice mills for milling.
Around 10.38 lakh tonnes of paddy worth Rs 1,836 crore was procured from about 1.51 lakh farmers during this season, and 9.44 lakh tonnes of paddy was sent to rice mills for milling.
Rice millers need not worry:
Agri
Minister S Niranjan Reddy Hans News Service
|
1
May 2019 2:18 AM HIGHLIGHTS
Custom
milling rice will be purchased by the FCI The government appointed a four-man
committee to find out alternatives The report expected in one or two days
Hyderabad: State Agriculture, Marketing and Civil Supplies Minister S Niranjan
Reddy said the custom milling (CMR) rice stocks with the rice millers will be
purchased by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Allying the fears of rice
millers in the State, the Minister clarified here on Tuesday that the State
government is sympathetic to the problems being faced by the rice millers, he
asked them not to resort to any hasty decision. Niranjan Reddy said that the
FCI has already expressed its readiness to lift three lakh tonnes of rice lying
with millers in the State. Advertise With Us That apart, the State government
has appointed a four-member committee to figure out the alternative measures if
the FCI fails to purchase the stocks, he added.
Terming that the State government is
sympathetic to the problems being faced by the rice millers, the Minister said
that the committee is expected to give its report within next one or two days.
Steps will be taken to address the issues of the rice millers after discussion
and directions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, he said. Advertise With
Us During the current Kharif season, the State has witnessed paddy production
beyond the expectations and the State Civil Supplies Department (SCSD) had
purchased about 40.42 lakh metric tonnes of paddy.
In
turn, the stocks were given to the rice millers for custom milling. That apart,
three lakh metric tonnes of rice stocks are expected to come from the rice
millers under CMR. The Minister said that the rice millers are ready to hand
over the CMR to the FCI and appealed to the central procurement agency to lift
the stocks. Advertise With Us He also asked the millers to ensure the quality
of the rice intended to be supplied to the FCI under CMR. During the current
Rabi season, the State government has fixed a target to procure 40 lakh metric
tonnes of paddy.
For
this, 3,663 procure centres have been established. The Minister said 10.33 lakh
metric tonnes of paddy has been purchased from 1.51 lakh farmers though 2,830
procurement centres in the month of April incurring Rs 1,836 crore. So far 9.44
lakh metric tonnes from the paddy procured has been handed over to the rice
millers.
$5bn ozone-related wheat loss: Study
Apr 30, 2019, 6:56 AM; last updated: Apr 30, 2019, 1:58 PM
(IST)
A joint study carried out by scientists from India and Germany has called for an urgent need to conduct strategic ozone observations over agricultural fields.
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 29
Pegging crop yield loss due to surface ozone at
$5 billion for wheat and $1.5 billion for rice, a joint study carried out by
scientists from India and Germany has called for an urgent need to conduct
strategic ozone observations over agricultural fields and develop a regional
emission database to support policy-making in India.
“Our estimates
reveal a nationwide relative yield loss of about 21 per cent for wheat and 6
per cent for rice. We also estimate loss of about 16 per cent for wheat and 11
per cent for rice in the states of Punjab and Haryana,” the study states. Their
findings, the study’s authors claim, are “substantially higher” than earlier
such researches.
Elevated ozone concentrations near the surface
significantly reduce crop yields, which is crucial as the country’s economy and
the food security for over a billion people depends strongly on the
agricultural productivity. The wheat production in India is expected to cross
100 million tonnes in 2019.
Titled
Revisiting the Crop Yield Loss in India Attributable to Ozone, the study,
undertaken by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, ISRO’s
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology, Pune, and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany, has been
published in the recent issue of Atmospheric Environment, a Netherland-based
scientific journal.The authors say the total crop production losses are
estimated to be 22 million tonnes for wheat and 6.5 million tonnes for
rice.
USA
Rice Welcomes New Government Affairs Director
|
ARLINGTON, VA -- Jeff
Sands has joined USA Rice as Director of Government Affairs managing key
policy issues affecting the rice industry as well as facilitating the
day-to-day operations of the USA Rice Political Action Committee.
Originally from northeastern Pennsylvania, Jeff moved to south Georgia to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he earned a degree in Environmental Horticulture, and then Valdosta State University where he received a Master's in Public Administration. Jeff is an avid golfer and Georgia Bulldog fan. He and his wife, Alex, are expecting their first child at the end of June. Prior to joining USA Rice, Jeff held government affairs roles at both the Agricultural Retailers Association and Syngenta. Additionally, Jeff was a Senior Agriculture Advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the current administration, and worked as a policy and communications advisor for two members of the U.S. House of Representatives. "I've known Jeff for years from his work in the ag community here in Washington," said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely. "We are happy to have him on board and will no doubt benefit from his expertise and experience in the field and on Capitol Hill." |
|
New
Foodservice Microsite is a 'Rice Idea'
ARLINGTON, VA -- Under
the theme of "Rice Ideas to Re-Shape Your Menu," USA Rice launched
its new foodservice promotional landing page for chefs and foodservice
professionals with the goal of having them add more U.S.-grown rice dishes to
their menus and in particular the Federation's "rice hash brown"
recipes.
"Drawing inspiration from tots and hash browns (which have grown 98 percent and 19 percent, respectively, on U.S. menus over the last four years), we developed a series of rice hash brown recipes to showcase the versatility of U.S.-grown rice," said USA Rice Domestic Promotion Manager Cameron Jacobs. "By pressing and slightly overcooking medium or long grain white rice, chefs can create trendy tot or hash brown recipes that closely mimic their potato-based counterparts in flavor and texture, while adding a unique take on a staple food to their menu." The theme of the promotion aims to inspire foodservice operators to see the need and value for adding new menu applications of rice to their operations. The interactive microsite shows operators how to take advantage of this new rice preparation method and features recipe inspiration ranging from breakfast to dessert, best-practices for utilizing the technique, a downloadable menu matrix to create signature rice-based skillets, hash browns, and tots, and even a function that allows operators to ask questions and communicate directly with a USA Rice chef. The landing page is linked to USA Rice's digital foodservice ads that will run ten times throughout the summer in leading digital foodservice publications. The publications which include C&U Spotlight Newsletter, the RB Daily Newsletter, and getflavor.comwill promote the new microsite and garner a minimum of 85,000 impressions. In addition, USA Rice will conduct a targeted e-blast to reach even more operators. The ad and associated social media posts highlight the versatility of rice through the rice hash brown concept with appetizing photography and eye-catching colors and directs operators to the foodservice microsite to learn more. "By strategically promoting the microsite in various industry publications, we will raise awareness of this versatile new rice cooking method and encourage operators to menu more U.S-grown rice," said Jacobs. "This new resource should prove to be a great asset for USA Rice and the culinary community at large." |
||||
|
USA
Rice Welcomes New Government Affairs Director
ARLINGTON, VA -- Jeff
Sands has joined USA Rice as Director of Government Affairs managing key
policy issues affecting the rice industry as well as facilitating the
day-to-day operations of the USA Rice Political Action Committee.
Originally from northeastern Pennsylvania, Jeff moved to south Georgia to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he earned a degree in Environmental Horticulture, and then Valdosta State University where he received a Master's in Public Administration. Jeff is an avid golfer and Georgia Bulldog fan. He and his wife, Alex, are expecting their first child at the end of June. Prior to joining USA Rice, Jeff held government affairs roles at both the Agricultural Retailers Association and Syngenta. Additionally, Jeff was a Senior Agriculture Advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the current administration, and worked as a policy and communications advisor for two members of the U.S. House of Representatives. "I've known Jeff for years from his work in the ag community here in Washington," said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely. "We are happy to have him on board and will no doubt benefit from his expertise and experience in the field and on Capitol Hill." |
|
New
Foodservice Microsite is a 'Rice Idea'
ARLINGTON,
VA -- Under the theme of "Rice Ideas to Re-Shape Your Menu," USA
Rice launched its new foodservice promotional landing page for chefs and
foodservice professionals with the goal of having them add more U.S.-grown
rice dishes to their menus and in particular the Federation's "rice hash
brown" recipes.
"Drawing inspiration from tots and hash browns (which have grown 98 percent and 19 percent, respectively, on U.S. menus over the last four years), we developed a series of rice hash brown recipes to showcase the versatility of U.S.-grown rice," said USA Rice Domestic Promotion Manager Cameron Jacobs. "By pressing and slightly overcooking medium or long grain white rice, chefs can create trendy tot or hash brown recipes that closely mimic their potato-based counterparts in flavor and texture, while adding a unique take on a staple food to their menu." The theme of the promotion aims to inspire foodservice operators to see the need and value for adding new menu applications of rice to their operations. The interactive microsite shows operators how to take advantage of this new rice preparation method and features recipe inspiration ranging from breakfast to dessert, best-practices for utilizing the technique, a downloadable menu matrix to create signature rice-based skillets, hash browns, and tots, and even a function that allows operators to ask questions and communicate directly with a USA Rice chef. The landing page is linked to USA Rice's digital foodservice ads that will run ten times throughout the summer in leading digital foodservice publications. The publications which include C&U Spotlight Newsletter, the RB Daily Newsletter, and getflavor.comwill promote the new microsite and garner a minimum of 85,000 impressions. In addition, USA Rice will conduct a targeted e-blast to reach even more operators. The ad and associated social media posts highlight the versatility of rice through the rice hash brown concept with appetizing photography and eye-catching colors and directs operators to the foodservice microsite to learn more. "By strategically promoting the microsite in various industry publications, we will raise awareness of this versatile new rice cooking method and encourage operators to menu more U.S-grown rice," said Jacobs. "This new resource should prove to be a great asset for USA Rice and the culinary community at large." |
HC quashes Centre's decision restricting
Basmati crop area
IANS | New Delhi Last Updated at April
30, 2019 17:30 IST
The
Delhi High Court has quashed the Central government's decision that production
of Basmati variety would not be taken outside the Indo-Gangetic plain including
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh,
and Jammu and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Allowing
the plea of Madhya Pradesh to set aside two Office Memorandums, dated May 29,
2008 and February 7, 2014 of the Union Agriculture Ministry, the court has held
that the two office memorandums were outside the scope of the Seeds Act, 1966.
The
first office memorandum had set forth standards of the "Basmati"
variety of rice and to ensure the linkage between the variety and the
Geographical Indication (GI), that only Basmati varieties with prescribed
characteristic grown the in Indo-Gangetic region would qualify for such
description.
By the
second, the Ministry had issued a direction to ensure that the registration of
Basmati varieties for certified and foundation seeds is not undertaken outside
area detailed under the Geographical Indication for Basmati rice as listed.
The
court held that the second memorandum is "plainly alien to the scope and
object to the Seeds Act, which is to ensure that the quality seeds are
available to farmers".
It also
noted that to restrict the area of production of seeds is wholly outside the
scheme of the Seeds Act.
"The
question whether rice grown outside the specified regions of Indo-Gangetic
plain can be termed as Basmati, is a matter which squarely falls within the
scope of the GI Act and does not have any bearing on the quality of the
seeds," Justice Vibhu Bakhru said in his April 25 order.
The
court added that the contention that the impugned OMs are well within the scope
of the power of the Central Government was "unpersuasive" and
"this contention is, clearly, an afterthought and there is no averment to
this effect in the counter-affidavit"."The clear object is to ensure
that the crop of Basmati rice is only grown in specified areas. This would not
only be outside the scope of the Seeds Act but, as rightly pointed out by the
learned counsel for the petitioner, relates to the field of agriculture, which
is a state subject," the court held in its order.
"The
contention is also not persuasive for the reason that the import of the
impugned OMs does not fall within the object of the scope of the Seeds
Act," the order said, noting that the objective of the Seeds Act is to
regulate the quality of certain seeds."The Seeds Act is not concerned with
where and how the seeds are used. Once a person dealing with notified variety
of seeds conforms to the requirement of Section 7 of the Seeds Act, there is no
restriction as to where and how the crop is to be grown.
"The
Seeds Act is limited to ensuring that the seeds available to farmers conform to
the minimum limits of germination and purity and the marks or label affixed
thereon correctly indicate so," the court said, holding that the
memorandums draw no authority from the Seeds Act.
Madhya
Pradesh has contended that the two memorandums fell outside the scope of the
act as they encroached upon the power of the state to pass laws in relation to
agriculture, which is a state subject.
Countering
the state's submission, the Centre said that and memorandums were passed in
pursuance of provisions of the Seeds Act which empowered it to declare the
features of the Basmati variety seed and the trade, quality and restrictions
with respect to its geographical region.
/ UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- MAY 02, 2019
• MAY 2, 2019 /
1:20 PM
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market- May 2, 2018 Nagpur, May 2 (Reuters) – Gram
and tuar prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) on lack of demand from local millers amid increased supply
from producing regions. Easy condition on NCDEX in gram, downward trend in
Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also affected prices in
limited deals. About 3,000 bags of gram and 1,050 bags of tuar reported for
auction, according to sources.
GRAM
*
Desi gram quoted weak in open market on lack of demand from local traders.
TUAR
*
Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
*
Major new rice varieties reported weak in open market on poor buying support from
local
traders.
*
In Akola, Tuar New – 5,400-5,550, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,000-8,200, Udid Mogar
(clean)
–
6,900-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,000-8,600, Gram – 4,400-4,550, Gram Super
best
–
5,600-5,900 * Wheat and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered
deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity.
Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram
Auction 3,900-4,240 3,950-4,290
Gram
Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar
Auction 4,600-5,480 4,700-5,510
Moong
Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid
Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor
Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat
Lokwan Auction 1,750-1,890 1,700-1,900
Wheat
Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram
Super Best Bold 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Gram
Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram
Medium Best 5,200-5,600 5,200-5,600
Gram
Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram
Mill Quality 4,350-4,450 4,350-4,450
Desi
gram Raw 4,250-4,350 4,300-4,400
Gram
Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar
Fataka Best-New 8,400-8,500 8,400-8,500
Tuar
Fataka Medium-New 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200
Tuar
Dal Best Phod-New 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800
Tuar
Dal Medium phod-New 7,200-7,500 7,200-7,500
Tuar
Gavarani New 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700
Tuar
Karnataka 5,800-5,900 5,800-5,900
Masoor
dal best 5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700
Masoor
dal medium 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong
Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,800 8,000-8,800
Moong
Mogar Medium 6,800-7,500 6,800-7,500
Moong
dal Chilka New 6,800-7,800 6,800-7,800
Moong
Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong
Chamki best 8,100-9,000 8,000-9,000
Udid
Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,800-8,500 7,800-8,500
Udid
Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,300 6,000-7,300
Udid
Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,700 4,500-4,700
Mot
(100 INR/KG) 5,550-7,050 5,550-7,050
Lakhodi
dal (100 INR/kg) 4,850-5,050 4,850-5,050
Watana
Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Watana
Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,700-6,900 6,700-6,900
Wheat
308 (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat
Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,050 2,000-2,050
Wheat
Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat
Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat
Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
Lokwan
Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP
Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,000
MP
Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice
Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice
BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,800 3,300-3,800
Rice
BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice
BPT new (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 3,000-3,300
Rice
Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice
Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,600-2,800
Rice
Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,400-2,500
Rice
HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,600 4,300-4,800
Rice
HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,600-3,900 3,800-4,100
Rice
HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,800-4,200
Rice
Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,500 5,500-5,800
Rice
Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,800-5,200
Rice
Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
Rice
Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,000-14,000 9,000-14,000
Rice
Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice
Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,500 6,500-7,200
Rice
Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,400-6,600 6,200-6,400
Rice
Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar
CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 44.6
degree Celsius, minimum temp. 28.6 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Heat
wave likely. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 45 degree
Celsius and 29 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport
costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices) https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-may-02-2019-idINL3N22E1KM
Ivory Coast
bans Olam rice imports for one year after spoilt shipment
ABIDJAN, April
30 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast banned rice imports from Singapore-based commodity
trader Olam International for one year after destroying an 18,000-tonne
shipment of “spoilt” rice, the commerce ministry said.
Olam said in a
statement on Tuesday that it was disappointed by the ministry’s decision, which
was first announced last Friday.
“The
unique circumstances relating to the recent rejection of a cargo of rice were
unfortunate and not representative of the shipments of rice into Ivory Coast,”
Olam said.https://www.reuters.com/article/rice-ivorycoast/ivory-coast-bans-olam-rice-imports-for-one-year-after-spoilt-shipment-idUSL5N22C5L7
by AFIQ AZIZ / pic by BERNAMA
In 2008, food prices spiked to unprecedented
levels, sending shivers throughout the globe — especially in the poor and
underdeveloped countries. Prices of grains rose multifold, putting the world on
a brink of another food crisis last witnessed in 1973 to 1975.
According to figures, the cereal price index
reached a peak of 2.8 times higher in 2008 compared to 2000. Prices of food
commodities like rice, corn, wheat and soybeans shot through the roof as the
world also witnessed the global financial crisis unfolding in developed
countries.
As rice, corn, wheat and soybeans were the
staple food for billions of people and accounted for a substantial amount of
expenditures among the poor, the food crisis of 2008 triggered riots, social
tensions and unrests in over 30 countries, especially in poor and
underdeveloped nations.
It was estimated that about 150 million of
people were left on the brink of hunger. Rice, which is the staple food for
billions of people in Asia, was not spared from the crisis.
The price of rice jumped to about US$1,000
(RM4,130) a tonne in May 2008 compared to about US$220 in early 2004, more than
a 450% increase.
Countries in Asia were the main producers of
rice, however, they too struggled to ensure sufficient supplies for their
people. Rice export restrictions were imposed to protect supplies to domestic
markets.
The move further fuelled the price hike of
rice. Food-importing countries scrambled to find supplies to prevent social
unrests. Major rice exporters like India and Vietnam had banned exports.
Panic-buying by countries like the Philippines, one of the world’s largest rice
importers, had exacerbated the situation, driving the price higher.
Panic swept across Asia after the dire
situation in the Philippines and consumers scrambled to empty shelves and
stocks at rice retailers in many countries.
But a majority of Malaysians did not realise
that the world was facing a food crisis.
“Malaysians just went to any shop and continued
to purchase rice at a subsidised price. They didn’t even realise that there was
a food crisis and rice shortage globally,” said an industry insider.
Malaysia is among the few countries that had
circumvented the full impact of the price hike and supply shortage, despite it
was an importer of the staple food. Consumers were paying no more than RM3 for
1kg of rice, although the price of the staple food had tripled.
The “Single Gatekeeping Mechanism” (SGM), which
has Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) as the guardian of the country’s rice
management, prevented the food crisis in Malaysia.
According to reports, the rice concession
company incurred losses of more than RM70 million during the 20082009 crisis
due to higher import prices, while keeping transacted prices at the lower end.
Bernas was the evolution of Lembaga Padi dan
Beras Negara (LPN) which was established in 1971.
The setting up of LPN was to ensure the
availability of rice at an affordable price and guarantee the wellbeing of
farmers. There are almost 200,000 local farmers who depend on the crop for
their livelihood.
LPN was given the sole right to manage the
country’s rice supply after the 1973 rice crisis. The crisis which was triggered
by a large-scale El Nino event sharply reduced the dry season crop throughout
South-East Asia, especially in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Thailand, the world’s leading rice exporter, at
that time banned rice export altogether, triggering a panic across the region.
On the other hand, local rice importers
declined to import the staple commodity due to high prices, leading to a
rice shortage in the country.
Following the incident, the government
entrusted LPN to be the sole guardian of the country’s rice sector.
In return, LPN must ensure that the farmer’s
wellbeing is taken care of, the prices of imported rice are not lower than
local rice and ensure market stability.
Under the SGM, Bernas will have to import rice
regardless of international price volatility and complement the shortage of
local production which is short by 30% to 40%.
Bernas today plays many roles in the
post-harvest chain from the procurement and processing of paddy, importation,
warehousing, and to the distribution and marketing of rice in Malaysia.
It is also the buyer of last resort (BOLR)
where the company has no choice but to purchase paddy irrespective of the
quality at a guaranteed price.
A recent research report warned about the
implications of liberalising the import of rice in a fragile midstream
ecosystem, the absence of a social net to help paddy growers and the
ramifications to the country’s stockpile.
In the report by Khazanah Research
Institute (KRI) titled “The Status of the Paddy and Rice Industry in Malaysia”,
Malaysia consumed 80kg of rice per person in 2016, which is about 26% of the
total caloric intake per day, costing an average of RM44/month per household.
Households in Sabah spent the most on rice at
RM73/ month, while households in Perlis spent the least at just RM13/month, the
report said.
The report said Malaysians consumed 2.7 million
metric tonnes of rice, whereby 67% was produced locally and the rest imported
primarily from Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.
In the last few months, Bernas’ monopoly of the
rice and paddy sector has been under scrutiny. There are suggestions that the
government should abolish monopolies in Malaysia, including Bernas’ role as the
caretaker of the country’s rice imports.
Bernas denied the claims, saying that it has
both national and social responsibilities to ensure prices are kept low and the
produce of 200,000 paddy growers are protected under the BOLR.
The KRI report said Bernas is responsible to
take in any excess of paddy produced under the BOLR at the guaranteed minimum
price of RM1,200 per tonne.
Bernas operates 28 mills from a total of about
180 mills across the country, with purchases of over 500,000 tonnes of local
harvest including under the BOLR. The other 152 private mills purchase around
1.2 million tonnes of yields, largely quality grain.
Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Minister
Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said the government will try to convince Bernas to accept
its “soft landing” proposal by appointing a few rice importers before 2021.
However, the viability of the new system in
safeguarding the Malaysian staple food is still unclear. Salahuddin is also
mulling the re-establishment of LPN, where all the industry stakeholders will
be put under one umbrella.
Based on the LPN financial report, on average,
the government subsidised the body around RM54.8 million per annum or a total
of RM1.26 billion from 1972 to 1994.
It is not known if the government will be
willing to spend the millions of ringgit to form the new LPN.
Presently, paddy farmers are already subsidised
to the tune of about RM1.7 billion in 2017 and any additional expenses will
weigh on the government’s already thin budget.
There are also arguments that surrendering the
SGM will open the country’s risk to a food security issue again, similar to the
event in the 1970s where importers declined to import the grain in the event of
high prices.
“It somehow would be challenging for the
government to strike a balance between the 200,000 rice growers’ wellbeing,
while maintaining the low prices of rice and its availability across the state
in the country,” said an industry player.
The KRI report also suggested that a high
market share does not automatically constitute a monopoly or abuse of dominant
power.
“Bernas does not have the power to set the
prices for rice, which are determined by the government through ceiling
prices,” said the research institute. Bernas, said KRI, is also tasked to
managing the national rice stockpile, which now stands at 150,000 tonnes
compared to only 92,000 tonnes prior to the 2008 crisis.
“Understanding Bernas’ operations,
effectiveness, relevance and effects on the industry is a complex exercise and
care is needed when determining policies affecting this company,” the report
said.
“The issue goes beyond the monopoly and
commercial value.
“Other companies can seek Approval Permits to
import, but they must share the social responsibilities like the BOLR, ensuring
food security, assis-ting paddy growers and importing at a loss when prices are
high,” said the industry insider.
SMEs seen to fast-track rice imports, cut prices
April 30, 2019
A
worker at the National Food Authority (NFA) sweeps the rice grains at their
warehouse in FTI, Taguig City.
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
& Elijah Felice E. Rosales
SMALL enterprises will play a
crucial role in pulling down the retail prices of rice under the new trade
regime, as the government wants them to heavily import through the state-run
Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC).
PITC President and CEO Dave M.
Almarinez said the government intends to involve more small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in the importation of rice under the liberalized regime.
With more players involved in the shipment of the staple, consumers will be
provided with more options, which is one of the objectives of the rice trade
liberalization law, he explained.
“Under this [law], we will be
acting for and behalf of small players in leveling their playing field with
large players. They will be able to compete. What we want in the end is to
reduce the prices of rice, and we see this possible if we accommodate the small
players in the importation,” Almarinez said in an interview with the
BusinessMirror on Monday.
He explained that small
enterprises can apply for accreditation to import from the PITC. The PITC, in
turn, will evaluate them and inspect their offices and storage facilities.
The state-run trading firm will then
consolidate the volume of imports of all requesting parties, and will sign a
contract with importers once the agreement is finalized.
Aside from the cost of goods,
importers will pay for shipping expenses, tariffs and taxes, and the PITC
service fee of P25 per 50-kilogram bag of rice. The PITC will shoulder the
majority of the logistical requirements, such as loading, shipment and
discharge of imports.
As the government’s trading arm,
the PITC is tasked to engage in both export and import of traditional and
nontraditional products not normally pursued by the private sector.
“It is one of our functions and
mandate, as an international trading corporation, to do importation and export
of commodities, including rice and other goods, to bridge the gap should there
be a shortage in local supply. However, this does not limit us from actually
helping the small and medium enterprises,” Almarinez said.
“Part of our function, too, is to
provide small players with an avenue to compete with large enterprises in the importation
and distribution of products in the market,” he added.
The PITC chief said the largest
volume of rice that his agency procured was in 2010, when it imported for the
National Food Authority (NFA) 1.4 million metric tons (MMT) of rice. According
to Almarinez, the PITC’s usual rice import volume is between 200,000 metric
tons and 300,000 MT per shipment.
Streamlined import process
National Economic and Development
Authority (Neda) Assistant Secretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said traders could
now bring rice into the country in less than a month after the government
streamlined the importation process under the new trade regime.
Sombilla said the removal of the
requirement for an import permit or license from the NFA hastened the process
for the private sector.
In the previous trade regime, it
would take two to three months for rice imported by the government or the
private sector to arrive in the Philippines.
“So [this new importation process
is] very, very much faster than what we experienced when NFA issued the
clearances and licenses to importers,” Sombilla told reporters in a press
briefing in Manila on April 29.
Republict Act 11203, or the rice
trade liberalization law, scrapped the power of the NFA to regulate the
country’s supply of the staple, particularly imports, to encourage local
players to go into rice trade.
The move is seen to bring down
the retail prices of rice due to the anticipated influx of cheaper imports,
which is in line with the Duterte administration’s thrust to provide available,
accessible and affordable staple to Filipinos, according to economic managers.
Under the draft milled rice
importation process provided to media on Monday, it would take a maximum of 28
working days for a new player to import rice under the new trade regime.
As for traders and importers who
are already included in the government’s database, it would take a maximum of
21 working days to complete the whole process from application to discharge of
shipments at the port.
Interested rice importers and
traders need only to be registered with the Bureau of Plant Industry which
issues the sanitary and phytosanitary import-clearance (SPS-IC) prior to
importation.
Small players could also tap the
PITC to serve as a consolidator and middleman in undertaking the whole importation
process.
Importation via the PITC for new
players may take a maximum of 25 working days while it would take a maximum of
18 working days for registered parties—from SPS-IC application to shipment
release.
In a separate interview, Sombilla
told the BusinessMirror that small players who will tap the PITC will help cut
the retail price of rice.
She said the PITC would serve as
the government’s rice importation arm in times of emergencies, such as supply
shortages, under the new trade regime.
“The PITC have traders around
them and in case of emergency, in case we really need to import rice, it can
mobilize the traders just like what we did before,” she said.
Lower rice
prices seen
Rice import process now 2 weeks faster than old system
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:24 AM April 30,
2019
Economic
managers and government officials have assured consumers that the deregulation
of rice trade in the country would fast-track the availability of affordable
rice in the market before the year ends.
Officials of
various agencies involved in the implementation of the newly enacted rice
import liberalization law held a rice forum on Monday to explain the guidelines
for would-be traders who would want to enter the rice trade.
Trade
Secretary Ramon Lopez said that following the new importation process and the
implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Act last year, the arrival of rice
imports would be cut to “28 days at the most” or two weeks faster compared to
the old process.
This
involves the application of phytosanitary permits from the Bureau of Plant
Industry, inspection and payment process from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and
berthing applications from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Under the
new law, the National Food Authority (NFA), which originally manages import applications,
would be limited to handling the country’s buffer stocks.
Assistant
Secretary Mercedita Sombilla of the National Economic and Development Authority
said this was a welcome development for traders and consumers who had to endure
longer processes before.
She added
that under NFA’s G2P (government-to-private) importation, shipments arrive
between two and three months while the G2G (government-to-government)
importation—presumed to be faster and should only take a month—has never
followed the timeline due to other factors, including port congestion and
inclement weather.
Asked how
the new law would prevent the same problems that hindered old importation
processes, the official said the BOC and the PPA would prioritize the unloading
of imported rice.
“We have to
help each other,” she said. “A whole government approach is needed to make this
law work.”
An Inquirer
source said the majority of the rice imports entering the country was still
part of NFA’s last issuances of permits, but noted that many importers had
already filed their applications.
Based on
NFA’s estimates, about two million metric tons of imported rice are expected to
enter the local market, which economic managers said would bring down retail
prices of rice.
The
Department of Agriculture, for its part, said it was not worried that the
unimpeded importation of the staple would cut the country’s own production
since 95 percent of the country’s rice requirements still came from local
farmers.
· By
Yoon Hyung-junApril 30, 2019 13:03
North Korea's state media are reduced to
stressing the importance of rice farming as international sanctions strangle
off the supply of hard currency and the food crisis worsens.
The official Rodong Sinmun in an editorial
titled "Let's uphold the party with rice" on Monday said, "The
victorious sound of roaring guns that will mercilessly frustrate hostile
forces' maneuver to choke us off with sanctions will come first from the agricultural
front."
"Rice is more precious than gold," it
added.
North Korean officials welcome leader Kim
Jong-un (right) upon his return from Russia on Sunday in this grab from [North]
Korean Central Television.
The daily encouraged people ahead of the planting
season as the propaganda machine has reverted to promoting nation founder Kim
Il-sung's "juche" or self-reliance doctrine.
"We should have a lot of rice to hold the
banner of the state-first policy higher and to uphold our socialist system more
strenuously," the daily said.
Meanwhile, [North] Korean Central Television
aired a 50-minute clip of leader Kim Jong-un's three-day visit to Russia on
Sunday afternoon, where he wore a fetching fedora and a black overcoat just
like Kim Il-sung did.
© This is copyrighted material owned by Digital Chosun Inc. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/04/30/2019043001337.html
Experts say Arkansas farmers face most challenging
planting season in more than a decade
Tuesday, April 30th 2019
A farmer in Conway County cultivates a field to get the ground
ready for planting rice. (Photo: KATV)
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Weather
conditions so far this spring have created one of the most challenging planting
seasons for Arkansas farmers since 2007. Crop progress reports suggest the
state is well-behind yearly growing averages for late April.
"Planting has been a
struggle, that'd just be the easiest way to put it," said Robert Stobaugh,
a Conway County farmer.
Recent heavy rains have made for
less than desirable growing conditions for Arkansas growers. The National
Weather Service reports that the Mid-South has received more than double the
amount of rainfall normally received during this time of year.
Just Monday, Stobaugh's farm
began the process of planting its rice crop for the year - something that
should have been done weeks ago.
According to the US Department of
Agriculture, only 34-percent of the state's planned rice crop had been planted
as of Sunday. According to USDA five-year averages, nearly 64-percent of the
state's planned rice crop is typically planted by now. Corn is also well-behind
the state's five-year average.
"We got most of our corn up,
but not all of it," said Stobaugh, who says he planted corn during the
first of just three small-window farmers had to do it so far this season."We've
got some that's struggling - we've got some that's not going to make it, so
we'll have to replant that.""We're looking at water conditions still
being heavy after these rainfalls, and the root systems not being able to get
established because they're saturated," said Victor Ford, director of
Agriculture and Natural Resources for the U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
Ford said many farmers have put
off planting due to poor growing conditions. At the same rate, Ford relayed
that late planting can pose other problems."For example, rice as you get
into May - your yields decrease," said Ford. "And corn, as you get
into late April down into May, the later you plant the yield decreases."
Growers are taking a big gamble
this season, according to Ford, with growers faced with either making the
decision to plant now and risk having to replant later - or wait and possible
harvest a smaller crop.
Use of certified
seeds can enhance yield, quality of rice
Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE - Speakers at seminar
advised the rice growers to use only certified seeds to get maximum per acre
yield and improved quality of Basmati rice.
They were speaking at ‘Khushal Kissan’ seminar
organized by the Pakistan Basmati Heritage Association (PBHA).
Speaking at this seminar, Director Punjab Seed
Corporation Malik Imtiaz and Regional Director Federal Seed Certification &
Registration Naeem Yousaf said that use of certified seed every year is the
foundation for a better per acre yield and improving the quality of the crop.
Director Agriculture (Extension) Lahore Sher
Muhammad Sharawat shared the projects and subsidies of Punjab Agriculture
Department for improving yield and income of rice farmers. He appreciated the
mission and efforts of PBHA and assured his full support. While moderating the
seminar, Imran Sheikh, Coordinator PBHA, deliberated the mission of PBHA and
advised the Basmati rice farmers to adopt global rice standard of Sustainable
Rice Platform convened by UNE & IRRI.
The seminar, which was held in Nankana Sahib
district, was participated by a large number of rice farmers and key members of
PBHA Chaudary Muhammad Shahzad, Zulfiqar Ali & Raja Arsallan.
Sheikh Adnan Aslam, Director PBHA, addressed
the rice farmers and shared the mission & objectives of Pakistan Basmati
Heritage Association (PBHA) for mitigating challenges of Basmati Rice
production and action plan for promotion and preservation of basmati in
production and export. He said our country is facing looming water crisis and
improving water productivity in basmati rice is inevitable for sustainable rice
production in Pakistan. Rao Muhammad Tariq, Senior Manager & Head Advisory
Services FFC, shared his views about balanced use of fertilizers and importance
of potash & micronutrients in boosting rice productivity, quality and
profitability.
Tariq Maqbool, Deputy Director On Farm Water
Management, briefed the participants regarding dwindling water resources of
Pakistan and highlighted the importance of precision land leveling for
improving water efficiency, yield &income. Dr Tahir Hussain Awan from Rice
Research Institute KSK shared his experience about direct seeding rice and shared
the set of new technology for weed management in DSR. Zulfiqar Ali, member
PBHA, delivered vote of thanks to the farmers for their overwhelming response
and agriculture input supplier companies for their stalls to educate rice
farmers.
Piñol urges rice
traders to do ‘business with social conscience’
May 1, 2019
MANILA — While importing rice is now liberalized with the enactment
of Republic Act No. 11203, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is urging rice
traders and importers to be conscious of the supply situation in the market so
that there will be no oversupply of the staple food.
In his speech, which was read by
Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cunanan during the Rice Traders Forum held
Monday at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, the DA chief said
oversupply will result in “depressed prices of rice in the market which will
hurt our local farmers whose lives our government is concerned with now”.
He noted that a poor farming
sector “could give this country serious problems as the farmers could be
vulnerable to the enticement of radical groups who would like to destabilize
(the) government”.
Piñol stressed that rice
importers play a vital role in attaining rice sufficiency in the country.
While efforts and progress have
been made in increasing rice production in the country, the DA chief said “we
will have a shortfall of about 1.6 to 2.0 million metric tons (MT) every year
to sufficiently feed our country”.
“This is where the rice importers
and traders come in so that the gap could be filled up,” he added.
For 2019, the DA is targeting 20
million MT rice production, which is equivalent to 93-percent rice sufficiency
despite the occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon that affected rice-producing
provinces.
DA Assistant Secretary Andrew
Villacorta, during Tuesday’s press conference on rice importation under Rice
Liberalization Act, said the expected damage and losses on rice due to El Niño
would only be at 0.96 percent, or about 190,000 MT of palay (unmilled rice).
“Last week, we met with regional
directors and surprisingly, there were three regions who reported they
increased their rice production. Central Luzon is forecasting a 22-percent
increase, Ilocos region is forecasting 14 percent, and Cagayan Valley at 3
percent,” he said.
As such, Villacorta said “we’re
expecting more than 400,000 MT increase in palay output, which will be enough
to compensate the loss of 190,000 MT. This is why, we’re confident to maintain
our target at 20 million MT this year.”
With RA 11203 or the rice
liberalization law, getting permit to import rice is now made easy as traders
just need to get a sanitary and phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant
Industry (BPI) and pay the tariff rate.
However, while things are made
easy for traders and importers to do business, Piñol told the traders that “the
government expects you to be aware of your moral obligation” and “to embrace
the philosophy of business with social conscience”.
“This is not just about
importation of rice so that you will earn profit. It is also about ensuring
that the people who produce food for this country are also lifted out of
poverty,” he added.
Madagascar Food
Security Outlook Update, April 2019
REPORT
Failed maize harvests in the
far south will affect cereal availability
KEY MESSAGES
• An outbreak of Fall Army Worm
(FAW, Spodoptera Frigiperda) is affecting maize production with the MoA and FAO
reporting an estimated 60 percent infestation rate nationwide, based on data
from a small sample (61 sites) collected early in the production season. Yields
are expected to reduce by 47 percent, which will impact cereal availability and
livestock profitability.
• Around 16,000 MT of imported
rice were sold by local authorities at the subsidized price of 1,000 Ariary per
kilo, 40 percent of market price, in March/April 2019 in Antananarivo, which
allowed each household to purchase up to 3 kilos to help to alleviate the
stress of the lean season. Additional imported rice is expected to arrive in
Tulear within the next few months to be sold in the more vulnerable southern
regions.
• Livestock herd sizes are
gradually increasing in southern Madagascar with the current slow improvement
of food availability compared to previous months, and People are starting to
save and to restore their livestock. The availability of green pastures also
encourages pastoralists to return to these areas. At the same time, the price
of livestock is stabilizing. Cattle thefts are resurfacing in southern rural
areas now that livestock body conditions have improved.
• According to the first round of
the VAC Assessment, undertaken in early April, the main sources of income in
the South are currently typical, like sales of agricultural products, sales of
animals and sales of charcoal. Nevertheless, most households still adopt stress
coping strategies to meet their food needs such as harvesting cassava before
maturation.
Haiti Price
Bulletin, April 2019
REPORT
Rice, black beans, maize, and cooking oil are
among the most important food items for poor and middle income households in
Haiti. Roots and tubers are also important, but not currently monitored. All
cooking oil is imported and rice imports account for about 80 percent of
national needs. Large quantities of beans and maize are also imported, but over
half of the national needs are domestically produced. Rice is consumed by even
the poorest households, and imported rice is generally cheaper than locally
produced rice. Croix de Bossales is the largest market in the country and is
located in Port au Prince, where one-third of the country’s population lives.
Hinche, in the center of the country, is located in one of the most vulnerable
areas. Jeremie is the farthest market from Port au Prince and Jacmel is located
in the Southeast department, a department particularly exposed to cyclones and
known for having the highest rates of malnutrition in the country.
Global Price Watch: March 2019 Prices (April 30, 2019)
REPORT
Key Messages
·
In West
Africa, final cereal crop production was estimated at 73.2
million MT, seven percent above last year and 18 percent above the five-year
average. Current market supplies are abundant, and demand is below average in
several countries due to increased household stocks and reduced institutional
purchases. Coarse grain prices in the Sahel are decreasing or stable compared
to last month, and below last year but generally following average trends. In
coastal countries, currency depreciation and inflation sustained above-average
rice prices. Disrupted market activities and atypical trends persist in
insecurity-stricken Greater Lake Chad basin, Tibesti, and Liptako-Gourma
region. Livestock markets remain affected by insecurity and limited export
opportunities to Nigeria. As for the outlook, seasonal demand and price shifts
are expected from April, triggered by Ramadan consumption needs. Nevertheless,
prices will remain near average in most countries.
·
In East
Africa, staple food prices were seasonably stable in Somalia,
Uganda, and Kenya but atypically stable in Tanzania because of ample
availability from the previous harvest. The prices increased earlier than usual
in South Sudan and most of Ethiopia as supplies tightened. In Sudan, prices
continued to increase unseasonably because of worsening civil and economic
conditions. Wheat flour prices were stable in Yemen. Conflict and severe macro-economic
instability continued to disrupt markets and sustain significantly high prices
in Yemen, South Sudan and Sudan.
·
In Southern
Africa, domestic maize supplies continued to seasonally decline
as the peak lean season period progressed. Maize grain prices were stable or
increasing in key reference markets except in South Africa where export parity
prices fell after increasing for three consecutive months. In Zambia,
administrative restrictions on exports have reduced both formal and informal
exports during the marketing year (MY). Elsewhere, maize grain was generally
able to circulate between surplus and deficit areas.
·
In Central
America, maize and bean market supplies remained sufficient but
continued to decline following the conclusion of the recent Postrera and Apante
harvests. Carryover stocks and imports also contributed to supplies. Maize and
bean price trends varied in March. In Nicaragua, the introduction of tax
reforms began to have a direct and indirect impact of market dynamics and
prices. In Haiti, markets were adequately
supplied. Local maize grain and black bean prices were increasing on average
while imported rice prices fell. The Haitian gourde stabilized against the USD
after depreciating significantly in late 2018.
·
Regional availability and price
trends varied considerably across Central Asia with the
progression of the MY. Due to prolonged periods of dryness and below-average
cumulative precipitation, wheat production is expected to be slightly less than
the previous year but near the five-year average. Regional wheat deficits are
expected to be filled through intra-regional trade.
·
International staple food markets are
well supplied. Maize and rice prices were stable or increasing, while wheat
prices were stable or decreasing and soybean prices weakened. Global crude oil
prices increased for a third consecutive month, while global fertilizer prices
decreased. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-price-watch-march-2019-prices-april-30-2019
How the US move on Iran oil could hit
India's basmati rice exports
Sanctions on Iran may not
just hike India's import bill and affect investments plans like Farzad B, but
also see a plunge in basmati exports to a country that absorbs 32% of the
Indian variety
Shine Jacob | New Delhi Last Updated at
May 1, 2019 13:10 IST
A
biryani cooked in crude oil. That is how an industry expert summed up the
energy relationship between the two nations, alluding to India's incessant
hunger for crude and and Iran's magnificent obsession with basmati rice. Having said that, it's a relation often marred by confusion, mistrust, indecisiveness and sanctions. Ane with the decision of the United States to end exemptions on Iran sanctions on May 2, India’s sandwiched oil diplomacy between the US and Iran is once again in the spotlight. The question many have raised is from where will India be able to ...
Burkina Faso shows
interest in direct import of rice from Pakistan
Ambassador of
Burkina Faso has evinced interest in direct import of rice from Pakistan.
Ambassador Souleymane Kone shared his views during a visit to Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP) Karachi Office. Bassirou Zoma, 2nd Consul
General of Burkina Faso and Saifur Rehman, honorary consul of Burkina Faso in
Karachi accompanied him.
Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, a landlocked country in West Africa. During the meeting, Safder Mehkri chairman REAP, Rafique Suleman and Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairmen REAP, Ashfaq Ghaffar, Abdul Qayum Paracha, members of managing committee, Chela Ram, former senior vice chairman REAP and a number of rice exporters were present.
Ambassador of Burkina Faso thanked REAP leadership for giving him and his aides opportunity to meet with the Pakistani rice exporters. He said that Pakistani rice is liked by the people of Burkina Faso but there exists no direct import of Pakistani rice. He requested chairman REAP to send a trade delegation of rice exporters to Burkina Faso to explore the market. In this regard, he and his embassy would provide all necessary assistance.
Safder Mehkri, chairman REAP thanked him for the visit to REAP House Karachi and meetings with rice exporters. "There is no direct banking channel for payment for exports to Burkina Faso, of which Pakistani rice is being exporter via other destinations," he said. He requested the ambassador to play his role to resolve this issue by coordinating with the concerned ministries of both the countries. He said that Pakistani rice exporters are ready to visit Burkina Faso.
Rafique Suleman, former chairman REAP also thanked the ambassador and his team for meeting with Pakistani rice exporters. He said that Pakistan is leading exporter of rice because of quality and testy commodity. He said there is need to establish banking channel to enhance the bilateral trade. "REAP is ready to support all initiatives for establishing banking channel between two countries," he said.
Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairman REAP said that REAP trade delegation could tentatively visit Burkina Faso in the month of August 2019. He expressed optimism that after the visit of REAP, trade delegation to Burkina Faso, bilateral trade would be increased and particularly rice exports would also get a boost which would be instrumental for fetching valuable foreign exchange to Pakistan.
Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, a landlocked country in West Africa. During the meeting, Safder Mehkri chairman REAP, Rafique Suleman and Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairmen REAP, Ashfaq Ghaffar, Abdul Qayum Paracha, members of managing committee, Chela Ram, former senior vice chairman REAP and a number of rice exporters were present.
Ambassador of Burkina Faso thanked REAP leadership for giving him and his aides opportunity to meet with the Pakistani rice exporters. He said that Pakistani rice is liked by the people of Burkina Faso but there exists no direct import of Pakistani rice. He requested chairman REAP to send a trade delegation of rice exporters to Burkina Faso to explore the market. In this regard, he and his embassy would provide all necessary assistance.
Safder Mehkri, chairman REAP thanked him for the visit to REAP House Karachi and meetings with rice exporters. "There is no direct banking channel for payment for exports to Burkina Faso, of which Pakistani rice is being exporter via other destinations," he said. He requested the ambassador to play his role to resolve this issue by coordinating with the concerned ministries of both the countries. He said that Pakistani rice exporters are ready to visit Burkina Faso.
Rafique Suleman, former chairman REAP also thanked the ambassador and his team for meeting with Pakistani rice exporters. He said that Pakistan is leading exporter of rice because of quality and testy commodity. He said there is need to establish banking channel to enhance the bilateral trade. "REAP is ready to support all initiatives for establishing banking channel between two countries," he said.
Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairman REAP said that REAP trade delegation could tentatively visit Burkina Faso in the month of August 2019. He expressed optimism that after the visit of REAP, trade delegation to Burkina Faso, bilateral trade would be increased and particularly rice exports would also get a boost which would be instrumental for fetching valuable foreign exchange to Pakistan.
