Why robots are pioneers in future of
agriculture
Agriculture in Japan is gravely
suffering because of an aging population and a shortage of experienced leaders.
On a global level, there are also concerns about food shortages as the
population explodes on the planet. In response, scientists are seeking ways to
solve these social problems by utilizing the technology of robotic farming.
What does Professor Noboru Noguchi, one of the world’s leading experts of
robotic agriculture, have to say about the future of agriculture?
Professor Noboru Noguchi from the
Research Faculty of Agriculture in front of an unmanned tractor
“Our vehicle robotics lab is
developing robots that perform unmanned agricultural work, for example, running
tractors, rice planters, harvesters, boats that sprinkle chemicals in paddy
fields and drones that observe farmlands from the sky,” said Professor Noguchi
from the Research Faculty of Agriculture. From 2018, three major companies
started selling the unmanned tractors. They enabled automatic driving with an
error of 5 cm or less by utilizing high-accuracy GPS and the Quasi-Zenith
Satellite or “MICHIBIKI,” which allows highly precise navigation.
“The underlying technology was
developed in our laboratory. To implement our machinery to farmers, we
publicized our research results without acquiring patents. Because of this,
many manufacturers became interested in commercializing products based on our
technology,” elaborated Professor Noguchi. The Japanese government is also
enthusiastic about supporting “smart agriculture” utilizing robotics and
information and communication technologies.
Multiple unmanned tractors working in cooperation as a unit
Professor Noguchi’s lab is now
developing new technologies to allow unmanned tractors to work together, to
select and harvest ripe pumpkins, or to evaluate the growth state of crops. In
the future, Professor Noguchi plans to make a small agricultural robot that can
navigate narrow hills and mountainous areas. “In the times to come, my dream is
to develop a robot that works on rice terraces, an agricultural landscape
unique to Japan. I would also like to make smarter agricultural robots that can
make correct judgments through artificial intelligence based on various
collected spatial information as if they were skilled farmers,” said Professor
Noguchi. “I am very particular about developing technology for the people who
can make use of it.”
Equipment to harvest pumpkins
attached to an unmanned tractor
In the implementation of smart
agriculture, Professor Noguchi believes that its incorporation into social
systems is as important as achieving technological development. His team is
conducting tests on both Hokkaido University’s experimental farms and farmlands
in Hokkaido Prefecture. They listen to the opinions of farmers and request
feedback on their needs and problems. Further, it is necessary to collaborate
with researchers, as well as businesses in the private sector which already
have a management strategy in place, to disseminate technology that leads to
industrialization and regional revitalization. They also discuss the
deregulation of related laws with the relevant authorities.
“Hokkaido is known for its
accessibility to agricultural sites, and it is blessed with an environment that
is more than suitable for pursuing agricultural research. There are challenges
right before our eyes, many farmers are cooperative in our research, and local
governments are also interested. So, I advise young people to have great
ambitions! Make the best use of the large fields and go heart and soul into
this dynamic research,” commented Professor Noguchi.
Professor Noboru Noguchi
Originally published in the Hokkaido University 2019 Guide
Book in Japanese
Rearranged by Seyedehparmida
Meraji (Science Writing Intern)
Photos and video provided by the
Vehicle Robotics Laboratory
/Public Release. View
in full here.
Tags:artificial
intelligence, business, Government, GPS, Hokkaido University, import, intelligence, Japan, Japanese, planet, Professor, research, robot, satellite, Scientists, university
Using science
to improve the taste of frozen lobster
Tuesday, 14 January, 2020
Researchers from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia,
Canada, have examined how to keep lobster tasting fresh after it has been
frozen. Dr Shah Razul, an Assistant Professor in the university’s department of
Chemistry, has studied the effects of freezing on food products, and how to
prevent the damage caused by water freezing on biological materials.
Researchers began the
investigation at the molecular level, with the focus of the research on
compounds called Cryoprotectants (CPAS) that protect biological structures from
damage when ice forms. After receiving a grant from the Canadian
Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund, and from Research Nova Scotia (RNS), Razul examined the
freezing processes and stability of frozen lobster during storage, using a
differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), a UV-VIS spectrophotometer and
ultra-low-temperature freezers.
“Cryoprotectants are all-natural
compounds, some of them are already found in lobster. I’m researching how they
can be tuned to better preserve frozen lobster and create a higher-quality
product for consumers,” Razul said.
Razul’s team of researchers has
since tuned CPAS for cooked frozen lobster, with positive results. The next
phase of the study will involve attempting to produce high-quality
cryopreserved raw lobster meat, and eventually whole lobster. In future, the
research findings could apply to more species of seafood, and possibly other
types of food.
“Imagine if we were able to take
a raw lobster and cryopreserve it so you don’t have to ship the lobster with
the water. The savings for companies would be huge,” Razul said.
Prairie Doc® Perspectives: The science behind understanding
epidemics
It was in London, England, 1854,
when a severe diarrhea illness caused the deaths of 500 adults and children
over a ten-day period and proved the value of scientific thinking.
Physician-scientist John Snow mapped out the locations of those sick, and his
work pointed to water from a hand pump well on Broad Street as a possible cause
of the illness. He persuaded authorities to shut down the source by removing
the pump handle from that well. Shortly thereafter, deaths from the illness
abruptly slowed and scientists became convinced of the danger of this
contaminated water.
Over the next years, scientists
identified Vibrio cholerae bacteria as the cause of that illness in London. The
original pump is still there on what is now Broadwick Street, commemorating
what is thought to be the founding event in the history of epidemiology, the
science of understanding epidemics, infections, and patterns of illnesses in
populations.
The word cholera comes from the
Greek word which means “yellow bile,” from an ancient and misinformed idea that
all illnesses are from an imbalance of yellow bile, phlegm, black bile or
blood. We know today there are many causes for infectious diarrhea including
viral, bacterial, and parasitic. In the mid-1800s with the aid of the newly
discovered microscope, we came to realize how to categorize bacteria, and that
cholera was likely responsible for many of the pandemics throughout history.
Sadly, despite all our present accumulated knowledge, human diarrhea from
cholera persists today in developing countries, mostly the result of polluted
water.
Cholera can kill within hours if
left untreated. It causes severe vomiting along with three to five gallons of
“rice-water” diarrhea per day resulting in severe dehydration. Unfortunately,
highly infectious fecal material can too easily get into the water supply
spreading the infection, especially to the very young, old and
immunocompromised. More challenging is that 75 percent of people infected with
cholera may not have symptoms but can still carry and spread the infection for
two weeks after exposure.
Boiling all water before drinking
would prevent the spread of all water-born illnesses. Rehydration and
antibiotics are initial interventional therapy for cholera. However, too often,
these preventions and treatments are not easily available in developing
countries. The World Health Organization, an arm of the United Nations,
estimates that, each year, three to five million cases of diarrhea and more
than 130,000 deaths are still due to cholera.
The science of epidemiology began
by discovering the water-source of a dangerous diarrhea illness and we learned
how, by simply removing a pump handle, we could prevent illness.
— Richard P. Holm, MD is founder of The Prairie Doc® and author
of “Life’s Final Season, A Guide for Aging and Dying with Grace” available on
Amazon. For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow Prairie Doc®
on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show
streamed most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.
Directed evolution of endogenous genes opens door to rapid agronomic
trait improvement
IMAGE: (A) STEME-MEDIATED C >T AND A
>G BASE-EDITING STRATEGY. (B) DISTRIBUTION OF EDITED DNA SEQUENCING READS IN
RICE PROTOPLASTS FOR STEME-1. (C) PROCEDURE FOR MUTATING THE OSACC CT DOMAIN
VIA... view more
CREDIT: IGDB
Heredity and variation are the basis of organismic evolution.
Random mutagenesis by physical or chemical methods has long been applied to
improve traits in plants, but it is labor-intensive and time-consuming.
In higher organisms, especially in plants, a target gene is
usually transferred into a bacterial or yeast cell to generate the required
diversity for selection, but once a target gene is no longer in situ, the
functional consequences of such a change may not be the same as in the native
context. Moreover, most important agronomic traits cannot be selected in
bacteria or yeast.
"To establish powerful tools for directly inducing
saturated targeted mutations and selection in plants will accelerate the
development of agronomic traits and important functional genes," said
Prof. GAO Caixia.
The researchers fused cytidine deaminase with adenosine
deaminase to obtain four STEMEs. All four STEMEs efficiently produced
simultaneous C>T and A>G conversions using only a sgRNA.
They also produced the fifth dual cytosine and adenine base
editor - STEME-NG - to expand the targeting scope. With only 20 sgRNAs in rice
protoplasts, STEME-NG can produce near-saturated mutagenesis for a
56-amino-acid portion of the rice acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase gene (OsACC).
In a proof-of-concept experiment, the researchers used STEMEs to
direct the evolution of OsACC gene in rice plants. They sprayed the regenerated
rice seedlings with haloxyfop as the selection pressure. The scientists then
identified three novel (P1927F, W2125C, and S1866F) and one known (W2125C)
amino acid substitutions for herbicide resistance. These mutations were found
to affect the haloxyfop-binding pocket directly or indirectly, based on the
homology model of the CT domain of yeast ACC.
The development of STEME paves the way for directed evolution of
endogenous plant genes in situ, which is important for breeding via molecular
design.
Moreover, this STEME process might also be applicable beyond
plants. For example, it may be useful for screening drug resistance mutations,
altering cis elements on noncoding regions and correcting pathogenic SNVs in
cell lines, yeast or animals.
###
The study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research
Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation
of China, and the National Key Research and Development Program of China.
Rice Creek winter lineup invites public to
‘Celebrate Snow!’
·
SUNY
Oswego / Tim Nekritz photo
SUNY-aligned nature center to hold frosty festival this Saturday
OSWEGO — One of Oswego County’s premier outdoors destinations is
gearing up for another year of showcasing the beauty and grandeur of local
nature.
Officials for SUNY Oswego’s Rice Creek Field Station say the
renowned facility has planned a full lineup of free and low-cost nature events
this January through March. Highlighting the season is “Celebrate Snow!,” a
snow-themed, family-friendly festival this Saturday, Jan 18 from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Activities include hands-on projects and crafts, snow animal
sculpting, mammal tracking on snowshoes, a presentation on the science of snow
and more as “Celebrate Snow” will provide different perspectives on snow and
winter, from history and literature to science and recreation. Tickets are just
a dollar through the campus box office online (tickets.oswego.edu) and also
available at the event, officials said. For full event details, visit calendar.oswego.edu/event/celebratesnow.
On the evening of Saturday, Feb. 8, visitors are invited for a
guided Full Moon Owl Prowl on snowshoes beginning at 7 p.m.. Adult-sized
snowshoes are available to participants. Space is limited, so those interested
are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.
The Rice Creek Ramble, a free guided nature walk, will be
offered at 11 a.m. on the following Saturdays: Jan. 4, 11 and 25; Feb. 1, 8, 22
and 29; and Mar. 7, 21 and 28. Winter topics include mammal tracks, winter
birds and winter tree identification. Adult-sized snowshoes are available to
participants.
Rice Creek also offers special Saturday indoor events, including
two special Story Hours for children: one with a Valentine’s Day theme (Feb. 15
at 11 a.m.) and one with a maple syrup theme (Mar. 14 at 11 a.m.). A naturalist
will read a nature storybook related to the theme and lead a craft or activity
for participants. Participants should call 315-312-6677 to sign up for these
free events.
A third indoor event invites all board game lovers to drop by for
nature-themed board gaming between 1 and 3 p.m. on Feb. 22. Games appropriate
for younger and older children will be available.
Visitors are also invited to be citizen scientists through
Project Feederwatch. Nature lovers can drop in Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 3
p.m. and spend a few minutes watching birds and recording what they see. A
naturalist can help with bird identification.
Rice Creek’s five miles of hiking trails are open daily dawn
until dusk. Building hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Located on nearly 400 acres of mixed terrain accessible from
Thompson Road, Rice Creek Field Station has served as a living and working
laboratory and educational facility for more than 50 years. In 2013, the
facility opened a 7,700-square-foot, state-of-the-art visitor center.
For more information, visit oswego.edu/rice-creek or call 315-312-6677.
Detecting rice
labelling fraud with smartphone photos
Tuesday, 14 January, 2020
An investigation conducted by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the Scintillon Institute of San Diego has revealed
that a photograph taken with a mobile phone can detect irregularities in the
labelling of rice. Scientists developed an algorithm based on deep learning — a
field of artificial intelligence — that uses the images taken with the smartphone
to determine whether that rice is really the one described.
“What we contribute compared to
other detection methods is simplicity and we show the consumer that you do not
need large sums of money to verify whether a certain type of rice is the one
mentioned on the label,” said José Santiago Torrecilla, Professor and
researcher from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials of the
UCM.
Researchers used five types of
rice that were ground to distinguish the type of rice not only when it is in
grain form, but also when it is ground into flour. Algorithms based on
convolutional neural networks were designed and optimised to process the
information contained in the images for classification based on the type of
rice, with final precision models between 93% and 99%. This technology can also
be extrapolated to other types of cereals or food, with many potential
applications in the food industry.
PHL
ends decade as world’s top rice importer
By
January 14, 2020
THE Philippines started and ended the previous decade as the
world’s top rice importer, with the country formally overtaking China as the
top buyer of the staple last year, based on data from the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Data from the USDA showed that the Philippines’s rice imports in
2019 rose to an all-time high of 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), making the
country the top buyer of imported rice last year.
In its first monthly forecast report, the USDA revealed that the
Philippines has “soared to become the top global importer” of rice as its total
purchases last year surpassed China’s 2.4 MMT. China has been the world’s top
rice importer since 2013.
With the USDA’s latest report, the Philippines has officially
surpassed its previous record of 2.5 MMT in 2008, the height of the global rice
price crisis. The Philippines was also the top rice importer that same year.
The last time the Philippines was regarded as the world’s top
buyer of rice was in 2010, when it imported 2.4 MMT, historical USDA data
showed.
The latest USDA figures showed the Philippines may still be the
world’s top importer of rice this year, as total volume is projected to reach
2.7 MMT, higher than China’s estimated imports of 2.3 MMT.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier said the country’s
total rice imports last year reached 3 MMT following the enactment of the rice
trade liberalization (RTL) law, which eased the requirements for importing
rice.
The surge in imports last year resulted in the decline of the
country’s rice self-sufficiency rate, or adequacy level, to its lowest in 10
years to 85 percent, according to the DA.
Despite this, President Duterte personally appealed to farmers
to give the RTL a chance, citing its long-term economic benefits. The law took
effect on March 5, 2019.
Domestic Usage Report Gets a Makeover
ARLINGTON,
VA -- USA Rice released the annual U.S. Rice Domestic Usage Report (DUR) today,
tracking shipments and consumption of U.S. milled rice from August 2017 to July
2018. According to the report, U.S. rice mills shipped 106.7 million cwt
of rice to domestic and foreign markets, a decrease in shipments of 11 percent
from one year earlier.
"This year's report represents a significant departure from those in years past," said Gary Reifeiss with Producers Rice Mill who is chair of the USA Rice DUR Subcommittee. "The survey questionnaire distributed to mills was reformulated to make it easier to gather more representative and relevant industry data. For example, for the first time value-added products and rice imported for resale are reported as separate categories."
Graphics and data tables also were redesigned to create a more comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing document.
Overall, the report captures 64.6 million cwt or 60.5 percent of rice shipped domestically. Of that, 60 percent is for direct food use, and 40 percent for processed foods such as pet food, beer, saké, and snacks.
"We're excited about the revamped DUR and its important function as an industry resource," added Reifeiss.
The report is free for USA Rice members who participated in data collection. All others can go here to purchase a report for the reduced fee this year of $250 ($500 for non-members).
For more information, please contact Jesica Kincaid
"This year's report represents a significant departure from those in years past," said Gary Reifeiss with Producers Rice Mill who is chair of the USA Rice DUR Subcommittee. "The survey questionnaire distributed to mills was reformulated to make it easier to gather more representative and relevant industry data. For example, for the first time value-added products and rice imported for resale are reported as separate categories."
Graphics and data tables also were redesigned to create a more comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing document.
Overall, the report captures 64.6 million cwt or 60.5 percent of rice shipped domestically. Of that, 60 percent is for direct food use, and 40 percent for processed foods such as pet food, beer, saké, and snacks.
"We're excited about the revamped DUR and its important function as an industry resource," added Reifeiss.
The report is free for USA Rice members who participated in data collection. All others can go here to purchase a report for the reduced fee this year of $250 ($500 for non-members).
For more information, please contact Jesica Kincaid
USA Rice Daily
Updated: 7:04 PM PST Jan
10, 2020
KCRA Staff
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California’s rice crop is a
critical stop for migratory birds along the Pacific flyway.
About 97% of the state’s rice is
grown in and around Sacramento, drawing more than 230 different species of
birds.
The birds fly in from as far as
Northern Alaska and stop in Northern California to eat and rest before
continuing south.
·
Where you 'bean' all my life? Rainbow board
dishing up pulses Jan. 16
Rainbow board holds monthly 'Go Green' challenges in all of its
schools to encourage environmental stewardship
2 d By:
(File)
Rainbow District School Board
invites staff and students to eat pulses and share recipes Jan. 16.Secondary
school cafeterias, which are operated by Chartwells, will feature a special
Asian rice bowl with tofu, basmati rice, onions, peppers, black beans, corn and
mushrooms.
This Go Green initiative is part
of the Environmental Committee’s ongoing efforts to encourage sustainable
practices, increase awareness about global food security, and promote
well-being.
Pulses include a variety of
lentils, beans and peas, and can be added to soups, casseroles, salads and
sauces for an extra dose of protein, iron and fibre.
“Pulses contain a variety of
essential vitamins and minerals needed to sustain a healthy diet,” says
director of education Norm Blaseg. “Increasing our pulses intake is good for us
and the planet.”
This low-fat, low-cost food
source is drought-tolerant and frost-hardy. Pulse crops enrich the earth where
they are grown, improving the health and long-term fertility of soils.
“Pulses are water efficient and
have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any food group,” said Blaseg. “The
Eat Pulses challenge will present the opportunity to reflect on how our eating
practices directly impact the environment. Everyone is encouraged to
participate.”
Rainbow District School Board’s
Environmental Committee is issuing monthly challenges to staff and students
throughout the school year.
Last month, students researched
Indigenous perspectives on caring for Mother Earth, and learned about
Noojmowin, an Anishnaabe term for the holistic health and well-being of people,
families, communities and the planet.
Philippines approves genetically
modified rice
Critics say ‘Golden Rice’ hasn’t received
adequate scrutiny on safety and nutrition
By
Published: January
13, 2020
Golden Rice grain compared to white
rice grain in screenhouse of Golden Rice plants. Photo: Wikimedia
Commons/International Rice Research Institute
The Philippines has approved genetically
modified “Golden Rice” for human consumption, but its approval may be
premature, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network said in a news release
Dec. 20.
The country hasn’t approved the crop for cultivation, but if it
does, the grain could be the first genetically modified rice grown in the
world, the release said. The Philippines is also the first country to approve
Golden Rice where it will also be distributed.
Golden Rice is rice genetically
engineered to produce beta carotene, which the body can convert
to vitamin A. Beta carotene also gives the grain its yellow colour.
The International Rice Research Institute developed the rice as
a tool to fight vitamin A deficiency, particularly in south and southeast Asia
where two-thirds or more of daily caloric intake can come from rice.
According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency
is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases risk of
disease and death from severe infections.
However, no regulatory authority has assessed Golden Rice’s
ability to address vitamin A deficiency, CBAN said.
“This is a safety approval for a product that is not yet
demonstrated to work as promised,” said CBAN researcher Taarini Chopra. “This
approval sounds like a step forward for Golden Rice but it doesn’t make the
product any more effective.”
CBAN released a report in November that found Golden Rice has
low and variable levels of beta carotene, the beta carotene degrades
significantly during storage and cooking, and has not been adequately tested
for bioavailability.
“Up to now, proponents have failed to address concerns on the
Golden Rice’s negligible beta carotene content, its fast degradation and the
possible toxicity associated with the beta carotene degradation,” said Cris
Panerio, national co-ordinator of MASIPAG, a farmers’ network in the Philippines
which is part of a pan-Asian network called the Stop Golden Rice! Network.
Golden Rice has received three positive food safety evaluations,
the IRRI website says, including from Health Canada in 2018.
“No potential public health and safety concerns were identified
in the assessment of GR2E Golden Rice,” IRRI said.
PH’s largest rice suppliers see lower production
Philippines, the world’s top rice importer, may soon have to pay
more for imported rice as its two biggest suppliers for the staple, Vietnam and
Thailand, will both see lower production this year. Two separate reports
prepared by United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS) showed that Vietnam’s paddy production will go down
during the current market year (MY), while Thai rice exports are “forecast to
tumble further in 2020, dropping to the lowest level in seven years” due to
production decline and stiffer global competition. This is bad news for the
Philippines, said Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul
Montemayor. As prices of imported rice increase, the country may eventually
succumb to higher prices amid insufficient local palay production.
“International prices could inch up due to lower hectarage and
output from major exporters,” Montemayor said in a text exchange. “And we have
no choice. We can’t produce enough rice, more so now that farmers are
downscaling their production due to the low prices. We have no choice but to
import. We can negotiate prices but in the end we have to pay what the sellers
are demanding otherwise they won’t supply us,” he added. For this year, the
Philippines is expected to produce 19.6 million metric tons (MT) of palay and
import around 2.7 million MT of rice. Last year, the country imported a record
amount of 3 million MT, officially making it the world’s top rice importer,
beating China. Based on the USDA report, Vietnam, which sold 2.15 million MT of
rice to the Philippines last year, will see lower production due to unfavorable
weather conditions and crop restructuring.
“MARD [Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam]
lowered its estimates for the country’s production for the MY 2018 to 2019
Autumn crop, especially in the Mekong Delta, due to a reduction in cultivated
area,” the report said. “Several factors drove this reduction, including
uncertainty on weather conditions and the water supply and lower paddy prices,
which encouraged farmers in the Mekong Delta to switch to other crops such as
fruits, vegetables, and aquaculture,” it added. Combined with lower production
in the Central region due to droughts that occurred early last year, USDA-FAS
assessed Vietnam’s Autumn crop for MY 2018 to 2019 at 2.8 million hectares (HA)
and 15.2 MMT, down from 2.9 million HA and 15.4 MMT in the previous MY.
Vietnam’s total exports will also be lower than estimates at 6.6 million MT
from 6.7 million MT.
Meanwhile, Thai rice exports for 2020 are forecast down by a third
compared to two years ago as exportable supplies fall and prices remain high.
“Thailand competes with more competitive Indian and Vietnamese rice, which is
priced about 20 percent lower. Thus, even as the Philippines soared to become
the top global importer, Thailand’s share of its trade was marginal, undercut
by Vietnamese prices,” a separate USDA report showed. “At the same time, China
has shifted its trading position from net importer to net exporter, returning
as a major exporter of low-priced rice as it seeks to offload its copious
stocks. Its expansion of market share in African markets has come largely at
the expense of Thailand,” it added. Looking ahead to 2020, Thailand’s export
“prospects are grim,” said the report. This as lower demand from key markets
and uncompetitive pricing, compounded with a severe drought, are expected to
decimate offseason rice production.
Yuan Longping launches plan to expand growth of saline soil rice
Yuan Longping, renowned agronomist known for developing the first
hybrid rice strains, launched a plan Monday to expand the growth of rice in
saline-alkali soil in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Yuan's
team, along with the digital agriculture division of e-commerce giant Alibaba,
will plant 200,000 mu (13333.3 hectares) of saline-alkali soil rice in the next
three years in Hinggan League, according to a press conference held in Sanya in
south China's Hainan Province.
Yuan said it is his dream to improve the environment in
saline-alkali lands and desert areas, secure food for the poverty-stricken
people in these areas and double the income of local farmers. In September
2019, Yuan's team completed an experiment planting rice on 1,000 mu of saline-alkali
soil in Hinggan League. The yield reached 508.8 kg per mu, exceeding the team's
goal of 300 kg per mu. Rice is a staple food in China, as well as many other
Asian countries. China has about 100 million hectares of saline-alkali soil, of
which about one-fifth could be ameliorated to arable soil.
Rice export prices steady in major
Asian hubs
Rice
export prices in major Asian hubs held steady this week but a multi-month
drought drove expectations of a rise in Thai rates, while a cold snap
threatened crops in Bangladesh. Thailand's benchmark 5 percent broken rice
prices were quoted at $425-$435 on Thursday, largely unchanged from two weeks
earlier, but was still the highest level since June 2018. Although demand was
flat, prices for the Thai grade, which were consistently trading higher than
the Vietnamese variety throughout 2019, remained high well into 2020 due to the
drought threatening supply and the continuous appreciation of the baht, traders
said. Thailand's dry season started in November and usually lasts through
April, although authorities said it could go on through June this year. A
drought has been declared in 14 provinces in the central, northern and
northeastern farming regions. In top producer India, rice export prices
remained steady due to weak demand from African countries. Prices of the 5
percent broken parboiled variety were unchanged from last week, around
$362-$366 per tonne. “Exports demand is subdued. Supplies are rising from the
summer-sown crop," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern
state of Andhra Pradesh.
Neighbouring
Bangladesh braced for a cold wave, which could have an impact on crops,
including rice, said Mizanur Rahman, a senior official at the agricultural
ministry. “The seedbeds of rice have dried out due to extreme cold,"
Rahman said, adding a prolonged cold spell would have devastating effects on
the crop. The weather office said the cold snap, accompanied by chilly winds
and drizzling, was likely to continue for a few more days. In Vietnam, rates
for 5% broken rice eased to $355 a tonne on Thursday, from $360 a week earlier.
“Demand remains weak this week and trade has been very slow," a trader
based in Ho Chi Minh City said. Preliminary shipping data showed 138,650 tonnes
of rice is to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City port between Jan. 1 and Jan. 23,
with most of the grain bound for Iraq and West Africa.
The
Ministry of Industry and Trade this week added 47 companies to a list of
eligible rice exporters, raising the number of licensed Vietnamese exporters to
182, a government statement said. The move is aimed at “facilitating rice
exports, promoting rice production in a sustainable manner and enhancing the
competitiveness of Vietnamese rice," the statement added.
Trade starts 2020 sessions in waiting mode
The first full week of trading in
2020 focused on the waiting game. The market waited patiently last week to see
what the U.S. Department of Agriculture had to say in its first Final Crop
Production report.
The report was expected to be
friendly to grains, but it appears that maybe there was too much optimism. We
are deeming this report as the first final as it is likely USDA will have an
asterisk on the production estimate because of the unharvested corn and
soybeans left in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Michigan.
But the trade has not just been
looking at the USDA report, it is also waiting on the China/U.S. Phase One
trade deal details. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Chinese officials, along with
President Donald Trump are expected to be in Washington, D.C., for the signing
of the Phase One trade deal that primarily deals with agriculture.
The talk on the street has China
agreeing to buy between $40 billion and $50 billion in U.S. ag goods per year.
This would be much higher than the $29 billion previous largest amount they
have ever bought from the U.S. To accomplish this task, China will have to look
at importing some of almost every major product the U.S. produces (wheat, corn,
dried distiller's grains, ethanol, soybeans, sorghum, rice, cotton, cattle and
hogs just to name a few). But that idea was somewhat squashed when China made
the comment that they will not increase their quotas of low tariff imports on
U.S. wheat, corn and rice. That takes large amounts of those products off the
import list.
China also made the statement
that they are not going to move forward with their 10% ethanol mandate because
of the shortage of domestic corn supplies. This takes ethanol off that list as
well.
The details of the trade
agreement are expected to be released sometime after the signing. But it is
likely no specific amounts or amounts of products will be mentioned in an
attempt to not distort prices. This will result in a lot more speculation as to
the makeup of the product mix.
Middle East concerns
There had been some selling tied
to tension in the Middle East and the uncertainty as to what will happen. Over
the first weekend of January, tensions flared with Iran threatening retaliation
while Iraq's parliament voted to remove all U.S. military presence from the
country. But cooler heads did prevail, as soybeans were the first market to
firm, followed closely by Minneapolis and Kansas City wheat. Chicago wheat and
corn never traded in the black. Positioning ahead of the Jan. 10 USDA reports
and the Jan. 15 signing of Phase One trade deal with China added support.
The grains started off the Jan. 7
session on the defense with early selling tied to Middle East concerns as well
as from reports that China will not increase the low tariff import quotes for
wheat, corn and rice. That means China will only be importing 9.6 million
metric tons of wheat, 7.2 million metric tons of corn, and 5.32 million metric
tons of rice at low tariff levels and the rest will be at higher levels. That
could limit the total amount of wheat, corn, and rice China will import from
the U.S. Losses were trimmed late in the session because of profit taking and
position squaring ahead of the Jan. 10 Crop Production report. Trading volume
continues to be thin as most traders remain absent from the market while
waiting for Friday's report and the details of the Phase One trade agreement
before coming off the fence.
The grains opened the Jan. 8
overnight session mixed with Minneapolis wheat soft, the winter wheat exchanges
firmer, while corn and soybeans were weaker. Early selling came from Middle
East concerns. Iran staged a retaliation strike overnight, but it appears the
strike was more of a show of force than one of escalation. By mid-session the
markets had disregarded the strike and returned to trade current issues. Corn
was stung by reports China was abandoning their 10% ethanol mandate, which was
expected to kick into play this year. Late session activity returned to
position squaring ahead of Friday's report.
The grains pushed higher in the
Jan. 9 session, but it was only the wheat exchanges that were able to hold onto
gains. Wheat continues to see light at the end of the tunnel from lower planted
winter wheat acreage and from production concerns as all of the six major
exporting wheat countries are seeing some sort of potential production issue.
Corn and soybeans had their eye on USDA's reports and the Jan. 15 signing of
the China trade deal. South America weather is also giving corn and soybeans
fits; although weather forecasts do not appear to be troubling for Brazil and
Argentina, there are regions in both countries that are experiencing growing
concerns. Soybean harvest has started in the northern regions of Brazil and so
far, results have been average to disappointing. This region is also looking at
very disappointing yields in the first corn crop.
Cattle a bright spot
Cattle have been the bright spot
of the commodities this week as each retracement gets met with heavy buying.
Both the live cattle and feeder cattle markets are at the high end of their
ranges, and although most analysts have been calling for a top, cattle keep
rolling forward. Strong domestic demand (due to a strong economy) and firm cash
bids continue to help the live cattle market. Tight supplies of marketable
feeder cattle keep lending support to the feeder cattle market. Abundant feed
supplies of low-quality grain have cow calf operators backgrounding their
calves in an attempt to use up the feed. Cattle still have room to the upside,
but these are very attractive levels to be taking advantage of if you have
cattle ready to market.
OPINION
Erin Ehnle Brown / Grand Vale Creative
Trade starts 2020
sessions in waiting mode
The first full week of trading in
2020 focused on the waiting game. The market waited patiently last week to see
what the U.S. Department of Agriculture had to say in its first Final Crop
Production report.
The report was expected to be
friendly to grains, but it appears that maybe there was too much optimism. We
are deeming this report as the first final as it is likely USDA will have an
asterisk on the production estimate because of the unharvested corn and
soybeans left in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Michigan.
But the trade has not just been
looking at the USDA report, it is also waiting on the China/U.S. Phase One
trade deal details. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Chinese officials, along with
President Donald Trump are expected to be in Washington, D.C., for the signing
of the Phase One trade deal that primarily deals with agriculture.
The talk on the street has China
agreeing to buy between $40 billion and $50 billion in U.S. ag goods per year.
This would be much higher than the $29 billion previous largest amount they
have ever bought from the U.S. To accomplish this task, China will have to look
at importing some of almost every major product the U.S. produces (wheat, corn,
dried distiller's grains, ethanol, soybeans, sorghum, rice, cotton, cattle and
hogs just to name a few). But that idea was somewhat squashed when China made
the comment that they will not increase their quotas of low tariff imports on
U.S. wheat, corn and rice. That takes large amounts of those products off the
import list.
China also made the statement
that they are not going to move forward with their 10% ethanol mandate because
of the shortage of domestic corn supplies. This takes ethanol off that list as
well.
The details of the trade
agreement are expected to be released sometime after the signing. But it is
likely no specific amounts or amounts of products will be mentioned in an
attempt to not distort prices. This will result in a lot more speculation as to
the makeup of the product mix.
Middle East concerns
There had been some selling tied
to tension in the Middle East and the uncertainty as to what will happen. Over
the first weekend of January, tensions flared with Iran threatening retaliation
while Iraq's parliament voted to remove all U.S. military presence from the
country. But cooler heads did prevail, as soybeans were the first market to
firm, followed closely by Minneapolis and Kansas City wheat. Chicago wheat and
corn never traded in the black. Positioning ahead of the Jan. 10 USDA reports
and the Jan. 15 signing of Phase One trade deal with China added support.
The grains started off the Jan. 7
session on the defense with early selling tied to Middle East concerns as well
as from reports that China will not increase the low tariff import quotes for
wheat, corn and rice. That means China will only be importing 9.6 million
metric tons of wheat, 7.2 million metric tons of corn, and 5.32 million metric
tons of rice at low tariff levels and the rest will be at higher levels. That
could limit the total amount of wheat, corn, and rice China will import from
the U.S. Losses were trimmed late in the session because of profit taking and
position squaring ahead of the Jan. 10 Crop Production report. Trading volume continues
to be thin as most traders remain absent from the market while waiting for
Friday's report and the details of the Phase One trade agreement before coming
off the fence.
The grains opened the Jan. 8
overnight session mixed with Minneapolis wheat soft, the winter wheat exchanges
firmer, while corn and soybeans were weaker. Early selling came from Middle
East concerns. Iran staged a retaliation strike overnight, but it appears the
strike was more of a show of force than one of escalation. By mid-session the
markets had disregarded the strike and returned to trade current issues. Corn
was stung by reports China was abandoning their 10% ethanol mandate, which was
expected to kick into play this year. Late session activity returned to
position squaring ahead of Friday's report.
The grains pushed higher in the
Jan. 9 session, but it was only the wheat exchanges that were able to hold onto
gains. Wheat continues to see light at the end of the tunnel from lower planted
winter wheat acreage and from production concerns as all of the six major
exporting wheat countries are seeing some sort of potential production issue.
Corn and soybeans had their eye on USDA's reports and the Jan. 15 signing of
the China trade deal. South America weather is also giving corn and soybeans
fits; although weather forecasts do not appear to be troubling for Brazil and
Argentina, there are regions in both countries that are experiencing growing
concerns. Soybean harvest has started in the northern regions of Brazil and so
far, results have been average to disappointing. This region is also looking at
very disappointing yields in the first corn crop.
Cattle a bright spot
Cattle have been the bright spot
of the commodities this week as each retracement gets met with heavy buying.
Both the live cattle and feeder cattle markets are at the high end of their
ranges, and although most analysts have been calling for a top, cattle keep
rolling forward. Strong domestic demand (due to a strong economy) and firm cash
bids continue to help the live cattle market. Tight supplies of marketable
feeder cattle keep lending support to the feeder cattle market. Abundant feed
supplies of low-quality grain have cow calf operators backgrounding their
calves in an attempt to use up the feed. Cattle still have room to the upside,
but these are very attractive levels to be taking advantage of if you have
cattle ready to market.
Rice inventory up 14% in early Dec. amid surge in NFA stocks
January 13, 2020 | 12:03 am
PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE national rice inventory was
estimated at 3.098 million metric tons (MT) as of Dec. 1, up 14% from a year
earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
According to the PSA’s Rice and
Corn Stocks Inventory report, the inventory rose 4.6% month-on-month. The rice
inventory is sufficient for about 96 days’ consumption based on an average
daily consumption estimate of 32,000 MT.
Households accounted for 51.9% of
inventories, commercial warehouses 32.6%, and the National Food Authority (NFA)
15.5%. No breakdown was provided for how much of the stocks were accounted for
by imported rice.
Household inventory grew 5.3%
year-on-year, while stocks held by commercial warehouses fell 7.3%. NFA stocks
rose 370.6% from a year earlier.
All segments reported higher
stocks month-on-month. Inventory held by households increased 5.3%, those of
commercial warehouses grew 2.9%, and NFA holdings increased 5.9%.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) said that it is projecting palay production for 2019 of about 18.4 million
MT, lower than the 19-million MT target, which factored in about P16.07 billion
worth of agricultural damage during the period.
For 2020, it targets 19.6 million
MT with the support of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF), which includes a P3-billion seed component. The DA’s distribution of
inbred seed through the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) started
in late 2019 for dry-season planting in 2019 and 2020.
RCEF aims to reduce cost of
production by about half from the current P12 per kilo, as well as to increase
yield per hectare to 6 MT from 4 MT.
The corn inventory was reported
at 794,870 MT, up 26.2% year-on-year, but down 33.7% month-on-month.
Corn held in commercial
warehouses accounted for 77.1% of the total, while households held 22.9%. The
NFA did not hold corn stocks.
Both sectors increased their
holdings comparing year-on-year. Households raised their stocks 89.7%, while
commercial warehouse inventory increased 14.8%.
Month-on-month, household
inventory fell 18.1%, while holdings of commercial warehouses fell 37.2%.
— Vincent Mariel P. Galang
Government to limit rice importation during harvest season
Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) -
January 13, 2020 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — President
Duterte has assured farmers that the importation of rice during harvest season
would be “limited” and that his administration would buy their produce even at
a loss to the government.
Duterte said he has ordered the
agriculture department to come up with projections to determine how much rice
would be imported.
“For the farmers, I said, I will
ask Agriculture Secretary Dar to make a projection not during the harvest, but
before so that we would have a window to determine how much importation would
be limited,” Duterte said during the distribution of assistance to farmers in
Cotabato last Friday.
“When harvest time is nearing, I
will stop importation. And I will buy your produce. I told the Secretary, even
if we incur losses, even if the people offer a higher price, buy them... We
will allow ourselves to incur losses...Part of that subsidy is really to help,”
he said.
Duterte said the government
should have enough money to buy the harvest of the farmers. He said the rice to
be bought would ensure that the country has enough supply of the staple.
Last November, Duterte said he
would suspend rice importation to help farmers whose incomes were affected by
the influx of imported rice. The Agriculture department later on clarified that
the importation of rice would continue.
After meeting with economic
managers, the President said suspending rice importation would be a “folly”
because there is no assurance that the produce of local farmers would be enough
to meet domestic demand due to typhoons.
Last year, Duterte signed into
law a measure lifting quantitative rice import restrictions and allowing
private firms to import rice as part of the administration’s efforts to ensure
food security.
Some groups are opposed to the
measure, saying it has forced local farmers to sell their produce at lower
prices.
Gov’t raises ₱12 B from tariffs on rice imports
By CHINO S. LEYCO
The rice tariffication law has yielded more than enough to fund
the government’s compensation program for farmers who suffered a reduction or
loss of income arising from the liberalized importation of the Filipino staple
food, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
Since the removal of the quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice
trading was implemented in March last year, the Bureau of Customs already
raised ₱12.3 billion, well above the minimum P10 billion requirement for the
rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF).
In a statement, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said
the ₱2.3-billion excess as of end-December last year gives the government more
funds to immediately extend direct aid to farmers and make the farm production
more efficient.
To recall, the rice tariffication law removed the QRs on rice
trading and imposes a minimum 35 percent tariff on imports of the grain, with
revenues earmarked for farmer productivity and competitiveness programs.
Dominguez said the rice liberalization should be viewed as an
“opportunity to revolutionize the agriculture sector and help farmers become
more competitive in the global economy.”
Under the law, tariffs collected from rice imports will go to
the annual ₱10-billion RCEF, which will be used to finance the modernization of
the agriculture sector.
RCEF is also expected to provide farmers with greater access to
cheap credit, high-quality seeds, agricultural machinery and skills training on
farm mechanization and other modern farming technologies.
Before rice tariffication, the cash-strapped National Food
Authority (NFA) regulated private rice imports and agency was the chief
importer of the grain, incurring a total of ₱187 billion in tax subsidies from
2005 to 2015 or an average of ₱19 billion a year.
Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran estimated that NFA lost
around ₱11 billion annually before the rice tariffication law.
But with the new tax regime on rice, Beltran said the government
has already earned over ₱11 billion in less than a year, a complete reversal of
the average of ₱11 billion it has been losing every year during the pre-RTL
regime.
Aside from the additional revenue, Dominguez also cited the
law’s favorable impact on headline inflation, which bottomed out at 0.8 percent
last October mainly due to lower rice prices.
When the law took effect in March, inflation during the month
immediately decelerated to 3.3 percent, and gradually tapered in the succeeding
month as rice imports began to enter the market and slashed prices by about P8
a kilo on average.
Low rice prices boosted household spending, which helped drive
gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.2 percent in the third quarter of
2019.
According to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the
average retail price of rice in the fourth week of November sunk to its lowest
level in three years to ₱36.67 per kilo since the government eased rules on
importation.
Provinces face water shortage due to
rice cultivation
January
13, 2020
Mom Kunthear / Khmer Times
The Water Resources Ministry and
Meteorology is blaming a shortage of water in several provinces on excess rice
farming.
Chan Youttha, a ministry
spokesman, said that the provinces facing water shortages include Takeo,
Battambang, Svay Rieng, Kampot, Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Thom, Prey Veng and
Koh Kong provinces.
“We can control the situation,
but in some areas, there is a little water because people are farming the dry
season rice surpassing the plan set by provincial administrations,” Mr Youttha
said.
He said that despite the
shortage, water remains available in some reservoirs.
The ministry warned of the water
level at the Mongkul Borey reservoir in Banteay Meanchey province falling due
to drought.
Yesterday, Kun Kim, first vice
president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, visited Serey
Saophorn river as local authorities were pumping water from other rivers to
feed into Mongkul Borey reservoir to help more than 8,000 families who lack
water for use.
“Now, the people have enough
water to use because they can take water from Serey Saophorn river and Mongkul
Borey reservoir,” Mr Kim said.
Mr Kim said that officials
followed up water shortage situations and in case of no water, the local
authority will pump water from Kamping Puoy reservoir in Battambang province.
The ministry announced last week
that Mongkul Borey reservoir only has enough water to supply Mongkul Borey
district for three more days and steps are being taken to top up its level.
It said that the reservoir was
facing a drop in levels because the water was drawn from it for more dry-season
rice cultivation than planned.
Philippines rice inventory
up 14% to 3.09 million MT
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine
Star) - January 13, 2020 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s rice inventory has returned
to its upward momentum, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Latest data from the PSA showed that total rice inventory as of
December last year stood at 3.09 million metric tons (MT), 14 percent higher
than the previous year’s volume stock of 2.72 million MT.
The current inventory is also five percent higher from the
previous month’s volume stock of 2.96 million MT.
The PSA did not specify the number of days that the stock
inventory of Filipinos’ main staple will be sufficient.
But, based on the average daily consumption of Filipinos of
32,000 MT, the current inventory is sufficient for 97 days.
Households had more than half of total inventories at 51.9
percent, while commercial warehouses held about 32.6 percent. Supplies from the
National Food Authority (NFA) depositories comprise 15.5 percent of the total.
On a monthly basis, rice stocks in households and commercial
warehouses increased by five percent and three percent, respectively. A six
percent increase was also noted in NFA depositories.
Meanwhile, prices of Filipinos’ main staple continued to be on
the downward trend with consumers saving more, but farmers earning less following
the influx of imported rice.
Data showed consistent lower prices for more than 10 months now
after the Philippines opened its rice industry to more private sector imports.
PSA said the average wholesale price of well-milled rice is at
P37.23 per kilogram as of the first week of December.
This is 12 percent lower than the P42.17 per kilo level from the
same period a year ago, but 0.1 percent higher on a weekly basis.
Its average retail price also decreased by nine percent to
P41.44 per kilo.
Meanwhile, the wholesale price of regular-milled rice was P33.09
per kilo, down 15 percent, while its average retail price was at P36.57 a kilo.
While consumers are benefitting from the opening up of the
market, local farmers are suffering from declining palay farmgate prices.
The average farmgate price of palay is nowhere near recovery at
P15.62 per kilo, just 0.4 percent better on a weekly basis.
Vietnam 2019 rice exports up 4.2% y/y at 6.37 mln tonnes - customs
Reuters
·
PMN
Business
HANOI — Rice exports from Vietnam, the world’s third-largest
shipper of the grain, rose 4.2% in 2019 from a year earlier to 6.4 million
tonnes, customs data showed on Monday.
However, revenue from rice exports
last year dropped 8.3% to $2.8 billion, the Customs Department said in a
statement.
West Africa, the Philippines and
Malaysia were among the largest buyers by volume of Vietnamese rice, it added.
In December, Vietnam’s exports
increased 36.7% from the previous month to around 500,000 tonnes, worth $228
million.
The government’s General Statistics
Office late last month forecast 2019 rice exports at $6.259 million tonnes, and
December exports at 390,000 tonnes. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Jan
Harvey)
Govt calls on farmers to stop growing rice in
off-season
REPORT
Published on 12 Jan 2020 —
BANGKOK (NNT) - The government
has called on farmers to stop growing rice in the off-season to save water for
personal consumption. Three million rai of land in the Chao Phraya River basin
has already been used to grow rice in the extra season, but is yet to be
provided with water.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit
Wongsuwon has delivered policy for the steering of the National Water
Directorate, which has been following the overall water situation and
introducing measures to alleviate problems. So far, 18 provinces have been
declared drought-affected zones and 54 others have been declared "at
risk" of lacking sufficient water for consumption and agriculture.
Gen Prawit said there is a
reduced volume of water this year, particularly in the Chao Phraya River basin
where the water supply will only be sufficient for consumption, and should be
used very sparingly for agriculture; plants which consume less water should be
grown instead. The government has taken measures to provide enough water for
the people’s consumption and ordered the drilling of more artesian wells.
Meanwhile, the Office of National
Water Resources has integrated operational plans to prevent drought in the
2019/2020 season by preparing reserves of water for consumption in areas at
risk of being hit by drought. This water will be provided to hospitals and for
cash crops.
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Cooperatives and the Ministry of the Interior will take measures to contain the
adverse effects of drought on rice grown in the extra season while farmers
would receive compensation payments for any damage to their rice farms due to
drought.
Water a worry for Myanmar’s farmers
A
worker moving sacks of rice in a mill in Ayeyarwaddy Region, Myanmar. Photo -
EPA
And their worries are not exactly without foundation.
U Myo Tint Tun, assistant secretary at the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation recently said: “A reduction in water
available for crop irrigation is likely. Right now, the rainfall the country
receives has been lower than in previous rainy seasons. Water flowing into the
county’s dams has been fluctuating over the recent years and the amount cannot
be estimated accurately. What is definitely known is that the country has to be
more effective in saving water.”
Rice is one of Myanmar’s major exports, and if shortages of
irrigation water occur it would negatively impact a revenue source for the
country.
U Myo Tint Tun, says building more dams will not help the
situation as there are already enough and that the problem is solely due to the
climate.
Being an agricultural country, irrigation water is a critical
issue for Myanmar, he added.
“Being an agricultural country, it is very important to have
sufficient irrigation water. As rice is a major crop, Myanmar needs more water.
The crop grows with rain water during the rainy season but in dry areas,
irrigation water has to be supplied. If that insufficiency of irrigated water
persists, it will be a great challenge for the agriculture sector,” said U Myo
Tint Tun.
To address the situation, the Agricultural Development Strategy
was drafted about two years ago under the present government and it features
solutions to uncommon weather conditions, he said.
Myanmar’s 15 states and regions have different weather patterns,
geographical features and water resources so approaches to deal with these are
not the same, said U Myo Tint Tun.
“We are urging farmers to follow certain practices. Among them
are for areas that don’t receive enough irrigation water to make sure of the
timing of water distribution from dams, choosing crops to avoid water wastage
and negotiating to ensure planting schedules are as close as possible,” said U
Khin Maung Nyunt, director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and
Irrigation’s Department of Agricultural Education.
Tha Phan Seik Dam, which is one of Myanmar’s largest, normally
supplies water for some 202,000 hectares of summer rice every year.
The dam has not experienced a water shortage since 1996.
However, this year, U Khin Maung Nyunt, says it will not be able to provide its
usual amount of water.
To deal with the situation, the ministry is suggesting that
farmers in areas expected to receive less irrigation water cultivate
short-lived beans species in areas where moisture still remain, opting for
beans and pulses, oil crops and vegetables that require less water to replace
rice. Other options are furrowing land to grow early monsoon sesame, green
gram, and cotton as soon as the monsson rains begin.
If farmers need technical assistance and other support, they are
to report to respective departments in time, the government has announced via
state-owned media channels.
“In previous years, there was usually more rain in parts of
southern Myanmar but less in the north so, water-reservoir requirements in the
north were unnecessary,” said Department of Meteorology and Hydrology Director
General U Kyaw Moe Oo.
In July and August 2019, Mon State, Kayin State, Tanintharyi
Region and East of Bago Region received adequate rain, he said.
Myanmar has experienced floods and draughts in some places for
nearly every year in the past decade and there will be climate change in future
as well, he added. Although forest fires because of hot weather are not common
in Myanmar, the country is among the highest in fire incidents, he said.
The farmers should also observe climate change and weather
reports, he said. They need to change their traditional farming methods, seeds
and techniques to cope with the climate while listening to agricultural
experts, he said.
If the farmers aren’t notified for this year’s inadequate dam
water distribution, agricultural losses of millions of kyat might occur, said
the farmers.
For areas not having enough water for crops, underground water
is being used and the government is building wells for drinking water, said U
Myo Tint Tun. – Translated
Rice export earnings exceed $250 in three months
PUBLISHED 12 JANUARY 2020
During three months of the
current fiscal year, Myanmar earned over 250 million US dollars from the
exports of around 900,000 tons of rice and broken rice, according to Myanmar
Rice Federation.
Till December 27 of 2019-20 FY,
Myanmar exported 894,889.703 tons of rice and broken rice worth 256.452 million
US dollars.
During this period, Myanmar exported
over 600,000 tons of rice worth over 180 million US dollars to 53 countries and
around 290,000 tons of broken rice worth over 75 million US dollars, to 45
countries.
Myanmar exports rice to the EU and
Africa via sea route and China via Muse border trade.
During three months, Myanmar earned
over 34 million US dollars from exports of over 130,000 tons of rice and broken
rice via border trade. Border trade accounted for 15 per cent of the total rice
export.
Myanmar earned over 220 million US
dollars from exports of over 760,000 tons of rice and broken rice via sea
route. It made up over 85 per cent of the total rice export.
In 2018-19 FY, Myanmar earned
709.693 million US dollars from exports of 2.355 tons of rice and broken rice,
according to the MRF.
In 2017-18 FY, Myanmar’s rice
exports reached a record high within over 50 years, with the exports of nearly
3.6 million tons of rice and broken rice.
According to the statement by the
MRF on May 18, 2019, the MRF is taking necessary measures to deal with the
declining rice price in the summer paddy harvest season and the farmers’
difficulties. It is found that the business is weak due to the difficulties in
warehouse, paddy drying and transport.
In the past, only 11 companies
exported rice to China. Currently, more than 40 rice export companies have been
chosen. They can export rice to China after the list is sent to China.
Excess monsoon
trims kharif rice production by 8%, says NBHC
Rains also hit
pulses, oilseeds and maize
Production of rice in Kharif 2019 season is seen declining by 8
per cent to around 93.74 million tonnes as against last year’s final estimate of
102.13 m t for the season, according to National Bulk Handling Corporation
(NBHC).
According to its latest estimates, NBHC expects production of
pulses and maize among other kharif crops to be lower than that of the previous
year as excess monsoon rains and flooding hurt the cultivation of these crops.
Rice and pulses cultivation has been most hit in West Bengal,
Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Maharashtra, NBHC said..
Monsoon rains during 2019 had been 110 per cent over its (Long
term Average) LPA with maximum in Central India, followed by Southern
Peninsula, Northwest and Northeast respectively. The widespread flooding
witnessed in 13 States between late July and early August 2019, due to
incessant rains impacted the acreage and production of several kharif crops.
Production of kharif maize is expected to be 11 per cent lower
at 16.72 mt as against previous year’s 19.04 mt. Pulses production is projected
to drop significantly. Moong production is expected to be 27.38 per cent lower
at 1.33 million over last kharif’s 1.84 mt.
Urad output is seen lower by 18.38 per cent at 2.08 mt over last
year’s 2.56 mt. Production of tur is seen lower by 10.47 per cent at 3.21 mt
over last year’s 3.59 mt. The dip in pulses output is mainly due to crop damage
in states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, NBHC
said.
Total oilseed output is estimated to be 16.21 mt , about 24 per
cent lower than 21.27 mt in kharif last year. Soyabean output is down by a
third while groundnut production is seen lower by a tenth. Sugar cane output is
down by 22 per cent, while cotton production is seen rising by 3.2 per cent to
29.64 million bales, it said.
Yuan Longping launches plan to
expand growth of saline soil rice
Xinhua, January 14, 2020
Yuan Longping, renowned agronomist
known for developing the first hybrid rice strains, launched a plan Monday to
expand the growth of rice in saline-alkali soil in north China's Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
Yuan's team, along with the digital
agriculture division of e-commerce giant Alibaba, will plant 200,000 mu
(13333.3 hectares) of saline-alkali soil rice in the next three years in
Hinggan League, according to a press conference held in Sanya in south China's
Hainan Province.
Yuan said it is his dream to
improve the environment in saline-alkali lands and desert areas, secure food
for the poverty-stricken people in these areas and double the income of local
farmers.
In September 2019, Yuan's team
completed an experiment planting rice on 1,000 mu of saline-alkali soil in
Hinggan League. The yield reached 508.8 kg per mu, exceeding the team's goal of
300 kg per mu.
Rice is a staple food in China, as
well as many other Asian countries.
China has about 100 million
hectares of saline-alkali soil, of which about one-fifth could be ameliorated
to arable soil.
Soil and water conference slated for
ASU
by
Photo courtesy of UA System Division of Agriculture.
The 22nd annual Arkansas Soil and Water
Education Conference and Expo at Arkansas State University will explore the
industry’s latest issues and trends in conservation. This year’s event will
take place on Jan. 29 at First National Bank Arena on the ASU campus. Producers
from Arkansas and surrounding states are expected to attend.
“Another great line-up of speakers and vendors will present
helpful information on soil and water conservation,” said Joe Massey, steering
committee chair.
A wide array of vendors and agencies will have booths displaying
their products and services at the expo. Also, individuals can get help with
their Pipe Planner designs as Chris DeClerk of Delta Plastics will host a free,
walk-in Pipe Planner clinic at the Expo.
Morning sessions include talks by the Greene County conservation
partnership, the U.S. Geological Survey on their helicopter-based aquifer
studies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on updates to the White River Control
Plan, and the University of Arkansas on the new Northeast Rice Research &
Extension Center.
Opportunities for producers related to peanut acreage expansion,
on-farm solar, and several conservation initiatives will also be presented. The
keynote lunch speaker, Dhu Thompson of Delta Plastics, will share his story of
“Business Success Through Conservation.”
The afternoon session will again feature official announcements
of the 2019 “Most Crop per Drop” irrigation yield contest winners (corn, rice,
soy) and Mike Hamilton will moderate a panel of producers sharing their success
stories in using drones.
A drawing for door prizes provided by P&R Surge Valves will
be held at 3 p.m.
Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the conference begins at 8
a.m. To register online, one may follow the conference link, Astate.edu/ASWEC.
Chinese Scientists Create New Genome Editing Method For Rice
Chinese scientists have invented a new method of genetically
altering rice by applying the ScCas9 protein, which could help develop new gene
functions, molecular breeding and genetic improvement
BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jan, 2020 )
:Chinese scientists have
invented a new method of genetically altering rice by applying the ScCas9
protein, which could help develop new gene functions, molecular breeding and
genetic improvement.
The innovation was made by a research team from the Institute of Plant
Protection of the Chinese academy of
Agricultural Sciences.
The method would enhance the CRISPR/Cas system, which has rapidly
become the preferred tool for genome engineering due to its high efficiency,
specificity, simplicity and versatility.
CRISPR/Cas-mediated base editing, a novel genome editing strategy,
is widely used for generating gain-of-function germplasms in functional
genomics research and genetic crop improvement, said researcher Zhou Huanbin.
However, the lack of recognition of a specific protospacer
adjacent motif (PAM) - a DNA sequence next to the target sequence - for Cas
protein restricts the targeting range of these tools and limits the application
of the CRISPR system in genome editing, Zhou said.
A promising candidate, the ScCas9 protein, has been identified and
characterized.
The research team found that ScCas9 can be used in multiplex
genome editing and base editing in rice plants. ScCas9 nuclease and its derived
editing tools expand the CRISPR toolbox for targeted genome editing in plants,
said Zhou.
