Govt procures 520 specialised rice tractors to boost production
Ghana’s quest to reduce the importation of rice by increasing local production has received a major boost, following the purchase of 520 specialised rice tractors by government for onward distribution to rice farmers in the country.The tractors, comprising 220 Cabrio Compat tractors and 300 Global Multipurpose mini tractors, were made in the Czech Republic and procured by government with a €10million interest-free facility from the Czech Export Bank, arranged by Knights A.S. of the Czech Republic for the government of Ghana.
An agreement to that effect was signed in April 2018, when a delegation from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture led by Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akoto Afriyie, visited the Czech Republic.
The Cabrio Compact Tractor and Global Multipurpose Mini Tractor are designed and conditioned to help triple rice production by allowing rice farmers to harvest and thresh their ripened rice on the field. They also adapt to wet and muddy areas of rice fields.
Throwing more light on the tractors, he said: “Most of tractors are of higher horsepower, expensive and useful only for large-scale farmers. The farmers from these developing countries, however, are of small or medium scale and cannot afford such large-energy tractors.
“There was therefore a need to solve this problem by importing into these countries Cabrio Compact Tractors and Global Mini Tractors, which are simple, effective and affordable – and can help alleviate ordeals small or medium scale farmers go through in their daily farming activities/operations,” Mr. Deyang said.
He added that village infrastructure projects and agricultural mechanisation can only succeed in developing countries “when peasant farmers are introduced to smaller machinery rather than nurtured to handle bigger machinery”.
“With these tractors, which are easier to maintain and service, a gradual transformation and nurturing of machine maintenance culture will be created as an introductory stage for larger machinery and extensive agricultural mechanization,” Mr. Deyang said.
Capabilities of the tractor
Explaining the tractor’s effectiveness, the Chief Executive Officer of Knights A.S, Dr. Karl Laryea, said two types of the tractor – CABRIO and GLOBAL – are highly multipurpose with a very wide range of active and passive accessories. With the CABRIO Compact Tractor, he said, it is intended for medium-scale farmers or small-scale farmer associations/cooperatives with a cultivated area of about 20 hectares.
“The GLOBAL Multipurpose Mini Tractor is a simple technology, and the first step to agricultural mechanisation for small scale farmers with a cultivated area of 2 to 3 hectares,” Dr. Laryea added.
According to Dr. Laryea, a market survey conducted in sub-Saharan African countries revealed there was a great demand for the Compact and Mini Tractors, and “this is attributed to the fact that there are only few companies in the region engaged in solving existing problems of the small and medium scale farming industry”.
Major milestones
In terms of achievements made so far, Dr. Laryea informed that Knights, A.S. of the Czech Republic can boast of the excellent results from test trials of the technology in many sub-Saharan African countries apart from Ghana. He mentioned Oyo State of Nigeria; Taraba State of Nigeria; Guinea Conakry; Liberia; Republic of Benin; Burkina Faso; Uganda; Angola; D.R. Congo; Zambia and many more. Most importantly, the Republics of Ghana, Benin and Liberia have ordered over €35 million worth of the technology from the year 2005 to date. The technologies are mainly widely used also in Central and Eastern European countries, but have been modified and conditioned to meet the challenges of Africa’s hard terrain.
Knights A.S. of the Czech Republic has technical experts who train local technicians on how to use and maintain the technologies, in both the Czech Republic and the country of delivery. Before delivery take place, the experts are dispatched to the delivery site to assist in transferring the know-how on the technologies; as well as setting up a network system to enable future supply, maintenance and supply of spare-parts for after-sales services.
Local Content
Knights A.S. is represented in Ghana by BIGA International Limited, located at Kaneshie Estates, Accra. BIGA International Limited is responsible for servicing and the supply of spare parts for after-sales services of the CABRIO and GLOBAL Multipurpose Tractors supplied from the Czech Republic. BIGA International Limited also has a Tractor Training School at Aburi, where they teach operators and farmers how best to use and maintain the tractors in order to achieve maximum life span as given by their manufacturers in the Czech Republic.
Flavor of the Week: Black rice, a brown rice that turns deep purple
Black rice is actually a type of brown rice, which is to say rice without the bran and germ removed. It gets its deep color, ranging from dark purple to black, from high levels of the antioxidant pigment anthocyanin. There are many different varieties of rice marketed under different brands, but when cooked they all take on a showstopping deep purple color that is social media-ready.Black rice can be more bitter than other rice varieties, but in East Asia and Southeast Asia it’s often sweetened, particularly with palm sugar and coconut milk, and used in desserts. In the United States it’s used as an attractive, nutrient-dense substitute for other rice varieties in bowls, salads, sides and elsewhere.
According to market research firm Datassential, black rice is found on only 1% of American restaurant menus but has jumped more than 100% in the past four years.
Learn more about this Flavor of the Week by clicking through the slideshow.
https://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/food-trends/flavor-week-black-rice-brown-rice-turns-deep-purple
Rice futures slice year-to-date gain in half over the
course of a week
Published:
June 12, 2020 at 3:19 p.m. ET
By
Prices
down 22% this week, but still trade 21% year to date
Rice futures shave year-to-date
gain by more than 20% this week.
AFP/
Rice
has outperformed most major commodities so far this year, touching their
highest level since 2008 earlier this month, as consumer demand for the food
staple spiked in the midst of pandemic-related hoarding.
Trading
has been volatile, however, and futures prices look to end the week down nearly
22%, for their biggest weekly loss since March 1994, according to FactSet data.
The
rice market has seen a couple of years of tighter stocks “with Mother Nature
delaying or outright stopping planting,” said Ted Nelson, risk management
consultant for INTL FCStone, with heavy rains affecting the 2019-20 crop
throughout the U.S. Delta region, which includes the top rice-producing state
of Arkansas.
So
far in 2020, most-active rough rice futures have climbed 21%, with the July
contract RRN20, -0.18% settled at $16.065 per
hundredweight on Friday. Most-active rice futures settled at $22.065 on June 4,
the highest finish since April 25, 2008.
Carryout
stocks for the 2019-20 crop year, which is defined as the amount of supply
minus demand, has dropped throughout the year on the back of early export
demand, said Nelson. Then came an “unexpected spike in domestic use and export
interest” as the COVID-19 pandemic brought “food security” to the fore.
The
tighter stocks and higher demand situation “pushed an already illiquid futures
market into levels we have not seen since 2008,” said Nelson.
“Currently,
there is a very tight, almost nonexistent supply in the U.S. interior markets,”
said Nelson, adding that domestic mills and rice buyers are trying to ration
demand, with new crop rice only a couple of months away from harvest.
Shawn
Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors Inc., however, doesn’t see a
shortage. Instead, it’s “access” to rice that may be a problem because of
COVID-19 hoarding. There “could be regional shortages stemming from logistical
problems,” he said.
If
those pandemic fears subside, and the U.S. ends up with a large crop, that may
cause prices to collapse, said Hackett.
Upcoming
supplies in the U.S., however, are expected to rise. They should be “much more
plentiful” for the 2020-21 crop year, Nelson said.
Total
acres planted in the U.S. are forecast to rise to 2.85 million acres this year,
from 2.54 million acres in 2019, according to a U.S.
Department of Agriculture report released in late March.
The
USDA also forecasts the 2020-21 U.S. rice crop at 216.2 million hundredweight
(cwt), up 17% from a year earlier, according to a report released in May.
Nelson
expects rice prices to weaken as harvest starts in Louisiana and the southern
Delta and “works its way north starting in the coming weeks.”
Globally,
however, supply and demand may remain tight.
The International Grains
Council estimates global rice demand of 500 million metric tons for the
2020-21 crop year, with production at an estimated 506 million metric tons.
So
globally, “this year’s weather in key growing areas will be watched closely and
any adverse weather could result in reduced global production,” said Blake
Robben, senior market strategist at Archer Financial Services.
On
a short-term basis, Robben expects rice prices to remain within a $16 to $13
range, “unless the market undergoes another supply shock.
v https://www.marketwatch.com/story/rice-futures-slice-year-to-date-gain-in-half-over-the-course-of-a-week-2020-06-12
SLRF to open Louisiana rice mill in September
Photos: South Louisiana Rail Facility
06.15.2020
LACASSINE, LA. — South Louisiana
Rail Facility (SLRF) has announced plans to develop an $11.6 million rice mill
in Jefferson Davis Parish, La. The mill is expected to add 7 new direct jobs
and 28 indirect jobs.
SLRF said it will invest $10
million to equip the new facility, with construction slated to begin in
September. SLRF was launched in 2010 to receive, preserve and distribute paddy
rice to international markets. The company has four tanks that provide 156,000
bus of pre-positioned cargo to load 40 rail cars, with trucks able to unload in
four minutes through elevators that can handle up to 25,000 bus per hour.
As part of the project, SLRF is
partnering with India-based Agreeta Farmer Network to optimize the facility’s
logistics and to prepare local farm products for international markets. The
SLRF rice mill will have an expected life span of several decades and will
serve hundreds of rice farmers and investors in Southwest Louisiana, the
company said.
“Rice cultivation and distribution
has been a bedrock agribusiness for our state since its earliest days, and
today I join the South Louisiana Rail Facility in announcing a new chapter in
its history,” said Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana. “The South Louisiana
Rail Facility’s new rice mill will reward the hard work of more than 200
Louisiana rice farmers with added value for their operations and diversified
products for international markets. This new facility will be built to last and
to provide opportunities for Louisiana farmers for decades to come.”
Mark Pousson, manager of SLRF,
added, “The South Louisiana Rail Facility is excited to partner with Agreeta to
continue to provide new marketing avenues to the region’s rice growers. This
collaboration will ensure that sustainably sourced Louisiana rice is available
to consumers in Southwest Louisiana and beyond.”
The rice mill will be located on
land owned by the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority, which will retain
ownership of the mill. The state of Louisiana is providing $1.6 million to SLRF
through the state’s performance-based Economic Development Award Program, which
is designated for infrastructure needs on site and at the mill.
Rice tariff collections hit P7.96B in end-May
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:44 AM June 13, 2020
Collections from the import duty slapped on
rice reached P7.96 billion as of May, almost four-fifths of the yearly target.
In a statement, the Bureau of Customs (BOC)
maintained that it was “adopting measures and corrective actions to ensure
correct valuation of rice importations” following allegations of undervaluation
that, in turn, reportedly led to losses worth P890 million among local farmers
from January to April.
ADVERTISEMENT
The BOC said it remained “committed to its
mandate of collecting and protecting revenues due to the government.”
Of the duties being collected from the
implementation of Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, P10
billion would be automatically earmarked for the annual Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) aimed at modernizing the rice sector, while excess
amounts would be allocated to farmers whose livelihood were badly hit by the
import surge due to liberalized trade.
RA 11203 slapped the following levy on
imported rice: 35 percent, if the shipment is from Asean; 40 percent, if within
the minimum access volume of 350,000 metric tons and from countries outside
Asean, and 180 percent, if above the MAV and coming from a non-Asean country.
After it became law in February last year,
rice tariffication generated P12.3 billion in import duties in 2019 after the
private sector imported 2.03 million MT of the Filipino staple.
In turn, retail prices of rice became
cheaper by about P10 a kilo to date compared to their peak in 2018, after the
law removed the import quota that had protected the domestic industry while
stripping off the state-run National Food Authority its import and regulatory
functions.
Read more: https://business.inquirer.net/299840/rice-tariff-collections-hit-p7-96b-in-end-may#ixzz6PWJ0JWqJ
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Vietnam set to supply 60,000 tonnes of rice to Philippines
Asia News Network |
Publication date 14 June 2020 | 21:52 ICT
Vietnam has won a tender offered by the Philippines to export
60,000 tonnes of rice to the country. VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY/VIET NAM NEWS
Vietnam has won a tender offered
by the Philippines to export 60,000 tonnes of rice to the partner country at a
higher price than that of countries which won the bids, said Vietnam’s Ministry
of Industry and Trade.
Accordingly, 45,000 tonnes out of
the total would be delivered to Manila while the remaining 15,000 tonnes would
be sent to Davao.
The Philippines invited tenders
for a project to purchase 300,000 tonnes of rice under government-to-government
(G2G) auction.
This is the first auction in the
form of G2G since the Philippines’ rice industry was liberalised. The country’s
import under the G2G mechanism is due to the fact that many businesses have yet
to deliver rice in private contracts signed earlier with the Philippines’
counterpart, while the G2G contracts have faster delivery times.
The Philippine International
Trading Corp (PITC) was given $149 million by the government to buy the rice.
In particular, the Philippines
needs 25 per cent broken rice at the reference price of $497.62 per tonne,
delivered at the ports of Manila, Cebu, Tacloban, Zamboanga and Davao.
The rice would be for national
reserves to ensure national food security amid the impact of the novel
coronavirus.
India, Thailand, Myanmar and
Vietnam submitted their bids, and only Thailand failed to win the contract.
India is set to supply 96,000
tonnes with prices of $484.70 and $486.70 per tonne while Vietnam is projected
to ship 60,000 tonnes priced at $497.30 per tonne. Myanmar is to sell 33,000
tonnes for $489.30 per tonne.
It is expected that the first
150,000 tonnes of rice would be delivered before July 14. The remaining amount
would be before August 14.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of
Industry and Trade said Vietnam’s rice exports surged after the government
allowed the resumption of exports from May 1.
The General Statistics Office
said in the first five months of the year, rice export turnover reached $1.4
billion, posting 17.2 per cent and 3.7 per cent year-on-year increase
respectively.
It was estimated that rice
exports in May sharply increased by 47 per cent and 55.3 per cent in terms of
quantity and value over the previous month to reach 750,000 tonnes with value
of $395 million.
Notably, Vietnam’s rice export
prices last month was at an average of $527 per tonne, representing 21.4 per
cent year-on-year increase. This has been the highest hike in years.
In total, the average rice export
price in the first five months of the year was $485 per tonne.
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Trade
minister fields questions about rice export management
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https://english.thesaigontimes.vn/77200/trade-minister-fields-questions-about-rice-export-management.html
Quality rice seed promoted for wet-season planting
June 15, 2020 | 12:02 am
PHILSTAR
THE Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) recommended that farmers use high-quality seed to ensure
good yields during the wet season.
In a statement, PhilRice Plant
Breeding and Biotechnology head Dr. Oliver E. Manangkil said that crops from
high-quality seed grow, mature, and ripen uniformly, resulting in a 10% or more
increase in yield.
To prevent yield loss, Mr.
Manangkil called for the use of high-quality seed, ‘relatively pure’ and free
from visible seed-borne diseases.
PhilRice said that field pests
and diseases are prevalent during the wet season.
Mr. Manangkil said that
high-quality seed also has at least an 85% germination rate and lower content
of weed seed.
“Seeds play a huge role in
achieving good harvest and income, as they are basically the foundation of any
crop. Using high-quality seeds is one of the most fundamental strategies for
farmers to be competitive,” Mr. Manangkil said.
Mr. Manangkil encouraged farmers
to buy seed from accredited growers to ensure quality.
However, if there are no
accredited growers in an area, PhilRice said that farmers may source their seed
from fellow farmers whose fields have demonstrated uniform crop growth.
“Farmers can also produce their
own high-quality seeds by following proper procedures in rouging and removing
off-types,” Mr. Manangkil said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
Myanmar, Thai firms bag contracts for PH rice imports
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:05 AM June 15, 2020
State-owned Philippine International
Trading Corp. (PITC) last week started awarding contract bids for the
importation of 300,000 metric tons (MT) of rice as part of the government’s
contingency plan to ensure food security.
However, only 105,000 MT of rice were
awarded as some bidders either failed to meet PITC’s requirements or did not
participate in some lots.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bidding was divided into five lots, but
only three lots were successfully bid out.
In all, four participated in the
government-to-government scheme last week, which included Thailand’s Department
of Foreign Trade, Vietnam’s Vinafood I, Myanmar Rice Federation and the
National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.The first
lot was given to Myanmar Rice Federation with a bid price of $489.25 a MT. The
contract indicated the delivery of 10,000 MT of rice not later than July 14 and
23,000 MT of rice not later than Aug. 14—both to be delivered via the port of
Manila.
For the second lot, two batches of 21,000
MT of rice are set to be delivered not later than July 14 and Aug. 14,
respectively, through the Cebu port. This was bid out to Myanmar Rice
Federation for $494.25 a MT.The bidding for the third and fourth lots were
unsuccessful, which was supposed to be coursed through Tacloban and Zamboanga.
The governments of Thailand and Myanmar did not participate in the bidding
while Vietnam and India failed to meet PITC’s requirements.The last lot was
awarded to Vinafood I with a bid price of $497.30 a MT. Two tranches of 15,000
MT of rice are expected to arrive not later than July 14 and Aug. 14 via the
port of Davao.The remaining 195,000 MT of rice will have to be rebid, although
the National Food Authority has yet to decide when.
Total amount for the bidding was at P2.02
billion, or 27 percent of the P7.45-billion allocated for the government
contract. INQ
07:47
PM, June 15, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 08:24 PM, June 15, 2020
Ratoon rice: not much cared for but a blessing for marginalised farmers
Harvesting
of Ratoon rice, commonly known as 'muri dhan' is an age-old farming practice.
This photo was taken in Derai upazila of Sunamganj. Photo: Collected
Only about a month after harvesting
85 maunds of Boro paddy from around five bighas of land, farmer Suresh Debnath
of Sunamganj's Korchar haor area was able to gather
another 25 maunds of paddy from the same field.
Locally known as Muri
Dhan or Demi Dhan, the crop grows without
human intervention from the stems of freshly cut rice plants by a natural
process called ratooning.
This paddy is considered a
blessing, meant only for the poor and marginalised farmers. As an age-old
custom, solvent farmers refrain from gathering this crop.
Photo:
Collected
"I have been harvesting Boro
for around 25 years and gathering Muri dhan for the last five or
six years," Suresh (50) of Bishwambarpur upazila said.
Ratooning does not cost anything if
the weather remains favourable.
But most times after Boro harvest,
flash floods hit the area or the water development board opens the dykes to
inundate the haors for fishing. Meaning
farmers do not get a chance to harvest the ratoon rice.
According to International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI)'s 1988 publication 'Rice Ratooning', which defines
the process as an ability of the rice plant to regenerate new panicle-bearing
tillers after harvest, could be a practical way to increase rice production per
unit area, in a short period of time.
It takes about 140 to 160 days for
Boro production and ratoon rice takes about a month to grow but the yield is
usually one-third of the initial harvest, said experts.
Professor Dr Mohammad Noor Hossain
Miah of the Department of Agronomy and Haor Agriculture at Sylhet Agriculture
University noted that ratoon rice grows at medium to medium-high elevation in
the haor region during the Boro season, given favourable weather.
"As the yield is minimal, only
the marginal farmers and poorer people harvest it. The haor land is very
fertile and provides good yield without fertiliser," he said, asserting
that the ratoon production can be increased with additional care.
Md Anwar Hossain, deputy director
(cereal crops) of the crops wing of the Department of Agriculture Extension,
said, "Most of the time, flood occurs in the haor region right after Boro
harvest, leaving no opportunity for ratooning. Farmers at some higher elevation
prepare for other crops and then Aman [paddy], leave no room for
ratooning."
However, the deputy director agrees
that ratoon rice as a chance crop can increase production if flooding is
delayed such as this year.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
(BRRI) has been researching this topic since 1987 and published a paper in 2017
saying that ratoon rice can play a vital role in food security.
According to the publication, while
harvesting the initial batch of Boro paddy, farmers should leave 20-35
centimetres of tillers. Irrigation and application of five kilograms of urea
and potash fertilisers around five to seven days from the primary harvest can
boost the ratoon production.
Md Shahjahan Kabir, director
general of BRRI and also the key author of the article, said different types of
paddy including BRRI-28, BRRI-81, BR-26 and hybrid varieties that can preserve
carbohydrate are suitable for ratooning.
He, however, warned that ratoon
paddy often retains the pests and diseases of the preceding Boro paddy which
can later affect Aman production.
Low production of Ratoon rice does
not make it profitable enough for farmers to use pesticides and fertilisers, he
said.
Rice Prices
as on : 16-06-2020 10:50:23 AM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
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Arrivals
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Price
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Current
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%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
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Prev.
Modal |
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%change |
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Rice
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Durgapur(WB)
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23.00
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NC
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946.25
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2760
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2760
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-3.16
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Asansol(WB)
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21.00
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-4.55
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1014.89
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3070
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3070
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2.33
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Gazipur(UP)
|
19.00
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5.56
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1910.00
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3210
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3210
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-1.53
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Jayas(UP)
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17.70
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-1.67
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662.90
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2350
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2350
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17.50
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Muzzafarnagar(UP)
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17.00
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-43.33
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4121.00
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2670
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2665
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-7.13
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Pukhrayan(UP)
|
15.00
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50
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469.00
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2550
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2540
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15.38
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Rampur(UP)
|
15.00
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25
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441.00
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2610
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2590
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2.76
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Alibagh(Mah)
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1.00
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NC
|
73.00
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4200
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4200
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NC
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Murud(Mah)
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1.00
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NC
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72.00
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4200
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4200
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NC
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Published
on June 16, 2020
TOPICS
Kharif sowing 13 per cent higher due to better weather conditions
Our Bureau New Delhi | Updated on June
13, 2020 Published on June 13, 2020
Defying Covid scare, farmers
across the country have planted kharif crops in 13 per cent more area till
Friday as compared to corresponding period last year.
The total area under kharif crops
till now is nearly 93 lakh hectares (lh) as compared to 82 lh in the same
period in 2019-20, according to data released by Agriculture Ministry.
Farmers in many parts of the
country commenced kharif cultivation early this year taking advantage of
increased soil moisture from higher than usual summer rains and better
reservoir levels.
Even though these are early days,
there is substantial increase in planting of groundnut in Rajasthan, pulses and
coarse cereals in Karnataka and in sowing of early cotton variety in Haryana,
Punjab and Rajasthan. Similarly, bajra sowing is off to a good start in
Rajasthan and Haryana, even though other major bajra growing States Uttar
Pradesh and Maharashtra are yet to start planting.
Similarly, planting of rice and
sugarcane too is marginally higher than what was done in the corresponding week
last year.
Also helping farmers is the early
advancing of the south-west monsoon and a couple of pre-monsoon cyclones that
brought in a lot of rains. Besides, water levels in reservoirs monitored by the
Central Water Commission (CWC) remain much higher than that in the same period
last year.
According to CWC, total live
storage in 123 reservoirs on Thursday was on Thursday was 53.64 billion cubic
metre (BCM) as against 31.57 BCM in the same week last year. The current year’s
storage is nearly 73 per cent more than that in the same period in 2019-20, it
said.
Similarly, the country as a whole
received 32 per cent more pre-monsoon rains this year and aided by a low
pressure monsoon is advancing well making its onset early in different parts of
the country, said met department in its weekly bulletin.
Published
on June 13, 2020
A letter from the Editor
Tropical Storm Cristobal had little effect on Louisiana rice crop
Roadways across St.Bernard
Parish, Louisiana, were flooded on Sunday, June 7, as Tropical Storm Cristobal
neared landfall. Lafayette Daily Advertiser
MAMOU — This year’s rice crop is progressing well, and the recent Tropical Storm
Cristobal had little effect, an LSU AgCenter rice expert said at the Evangeline
Parish rice field day on June 11.AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said
March temperatures were warmer than normal and were ideal for young rice, but
April brought three cold fronts that stressed the plants.“If that’s the worst
thing we see, then we’re going to have a great year,” he said.The rice plants
also benefitted from warm May temperatures, although hail damaged fields in a
few instances.
Rice in the flowering stage may
have been damaged by Cristobal, “but for the most part, we had very little
impact from that storm,” Harrell said.The south Louisiana crop is about 10 days
ahead of usual.“Don’t be surprised if you hear reports of rice being harvested
in the first part of July,” he said.Farmers who anticipate growing a second
rice crop should start planning. Applying gibberellic acid at the soft dough
stage of development can give improve second-crop yields.“Sixty percent of the
time, we have seen an increase with gibberellic acid,” he said.
Mowing rice stubble after harvest
of the first crop can improve second crop yields by 5 barrels.
AgCenter weed scientist Eric
Webster said recent cloudy weather could cause rice sprayed with the Provisia
herbicide to have signs of injury. Leaves could appear to be misshapen, but the
plants will recover in two to three weeks.
“It’s just something we’re going
to have to live with,” he said.
The second version of Provisia,
PVL02, has improved yield potential from PVL01. He said AgCenter rice breeder
Adam Famoso has three lines of Provisia that could have even better yields.
Webster said the herbicide Loyant
can be applied with fertilizer, but the best results are obtained when it is
sprayed.
Loyant controls ducksalad for
more than five weeks because of its impressive residual strength.
A new product, a mixture of
Loyant and Grasp, will be available from Corteva.
AgCenter entomologist Blake
Wilson said the Dermacor seed treatment is providing 80% control against rice
water weevils, compared to 50% control from Cruiser and Nipsit.
Rice planting for 2020 is nearing
completion in southwest Louisiana. Alan Lawson is drill seeding his rice fields
in Acadia Parish on April 3, 2019. (Photo: Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter)
Good results against the weevil
can be obtained with a new product, Fortenza, if it is used with Cruiser.
The Mexican rice borer is
becoming more of a consistent threat to rice in south Louisiana.
The apple snail, an invasive
species, is expanding its range, Wilson said. The snails interfere with
crawfish operations, but one farmer lost a stand of rice to the pest, and the
farmer resorted to treating the field with copper sulfate and replanting.
Stem borers can cause losses of
15% to 20%, and currently only pyrethroids are labeled for control of the
insects. But FMC has applied for a label to use Prevathon on rice for stem
borers.
Stink bugs in Louisiana fields
have not shown resistance to pyrethroids, but they have developed resistance in
Texas, Wilson said.
Farmers may have to spray up to
three times for stinkbugs because the available chemicals have little residual
capability. A new product, Tenchu, may only require one application, he said.
AgCenter plant pathologist Don
Groth said farmers should be ready for false smut and kernel smut. The diseases
showed up last year in the worst outbreak he’s ever seen.
Propiconazole and difenoconazole
have the best action against both smuts, he said, but they have to be applied
at the boot stage even though it’s a disease that shows up in the heading
stage. Boot fungicide applications also will control sheath blight and
Cercospora. However, blast disease is controlled by applications at heading.
The current cool spell will help
suppress sheath blight and bacterial panicle blight.
“This weather is coming at a
perfect time. It’s beneficial to fill the grain by delaying disease development,”
Groth said.
Groth announced he will probably
be retiring in the winter after 37 years with the AgCenter. He said the
Evangeline Parish field day may be his last, and he expressed his gratitude.
“I can’t imagine another industry
I’d rather work with,” he told farmers and ag consultants.
The Evangeline Parish field day
was the first for the new AgCenter soybean specialist, David Moseley.
The current projection for the
state’s soybean crop is about 900,000 acres, roughly the same as last year, he
said.
“Most of our crop is looking
pretty good right now,” Moseley said.
The crop is ahead of last year’s
progress, and 99% of the crop is in the fair-to-excellent range.
Replanting has been needed for
some fields that flooded. The southern part of the state has been dry, Moseley
said, while the northern parishes have been wet, the opposite of the usual
spring pattern.
Moseley said his research at the
Dean Lee Research and Extension Center at Alexandria is being conducted as
usual, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a tornado.
IIT Madras researchers
use agri waste, plastic to make biofuel
CHENNAI, June
15, 2020 16:47 IST
Updated: June
15, 2020 16:47 IST
Team develops microwave-assisted pyrolysis
process to achieve the goal
Researchers at
the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed a microwave process to
produce biofuel from plastic waste, rice straw and sugarcane bagasse.
A team of three
researchers led by R. Vinu, associate professor in Chemical engineering
department, published its research work in peer-reviewed journal ‘Bioresource
Technology and Fuel Processing Technology’.
Biomass, as a
renewable source of carbon with immense potential, leaves no carbon footprint.
“Agricultural waste products such as rice straw, sugarcane bagasse and wood
chips can potentially serve as bio-oil producing biomass,” he said.
To make
bio-oils competitive with fossil fuels, their oxygenate content must be reduced
and hydrogen content increased. “Mixing biomass with hydrogen-rich materials
during pyrolysis can conceivably make biomass derived bio-oil comparable to
fossil-derived fuels in calorific value and chemical/physical properties,” Mr.
Vinu explained.
When plastics,
rich in hydrogen, are added to biomass they enable conversion to low-oxygenate
bio-oils. Plastics also help to produce bio-oils with better properties besides
tackling the waste. Bio-oils not only yield high energy and fuel but also
reduce char formation.
The team
microwaved a variety of biomass including rice straw, sugarcane bagasse,
groundnut shells, wood sawdust and wood from Seemai karuvelam tree
(Angaraji babul in Hindi, scientific name Prosopis juliflora) with two
synthetic plastics, polypropylene and polystyrene.
“We believe
that microwave-assisted pyrolysis process is a sustainable and energy efficient
approach for resource recovery from a wide variety of wastes such as biomass
agri residues, plastic wastes including disposed single-use plastics and
non-reusable face masks, and a mixture of these,” Mr. Vinu added. GAIL (India)
funded the research.
IIT-Madras researchers produce bio-oil from agricultural waste
Researchers at the IIT-M have developed a simple microwave process to produce high-energy bio-fuel oils from agricultural waste.
Published: 16th June 2020 07:11
AM | Last Updated: 16th June 2020 11:39 AM | A+A A-
IIT Madras (File photo | EPS)
The project, funded by GAIL (India) Ltd, aims
to produce oil from waste such as rice straw and bagasse, and plastic. Such
oils generated from renewable biological sources are considered to be a
practical and pragmatic replacement for petroleum and petrochemical products,
said the statement.
One of the most common methods to produce
bio-oil as ‘pyrolysis’ or heat-induced breakdown of components. However, the
newly developed method results in lower heating value of bio-oils compared to
fossil fuels, and in addition, increases their acidity and corrosiveness, the
statement added.
However, mixing plastic with biomass would
produce bio-oils with better properties - such as higher energy yields. The
IIT-M team used microwave to breakdown components, ranging from rice straw,
sugarcane bagasse, and groundnut shell, to wood sawdust and wood from ‘Seemai
Karuvelam’ tree with two synthetic plastics.
“We believe usage of microwave is a sustainable
and energy-efficient approach for resource recovery from a wide variety of
wastes, including disposed single-use plastics and non-reusable face masks,”
said R Vinu, Associate Professor with Department of Chemical Engineering. Vinu
was also the lead of the research team, and their results have been published
in the journal, ‘Bioresource Technology and Fuel Processing Technology’, the
statement added. Dadi Suriapparao and Banupriya Boruah from the department were
also part of the research.
IIT-M team
develops microwave process to make biofuel oils
|
Date :16-Jun-2020
|
CHENNAI :
The biofuel oils were produced from two waste products --
agricultural waste such as rice straw and bagasse and discarded plastics
THE Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Monday
said its researchers have developed a simple microwave process to produce
biofuel oils. In a statement issued here the IIT-M said the biofuel oils with
high energy values were produced from two waste products -- agricultural waste
such as rice straw and bagasse and discarded plastics.
The project was funded by GAIL (India) Ltd. The urgency in
search of renewable fuels is driven by the environmental impact of extracting
fossil fuel and volatility in oil prices and the associated political unrest
across the world. Biofuel oils generated from renewable biological sources are
considered a practical and pragmatic replacement for petroleum and
petrochemicals, IIT-M said.
The research team led by Dr R Vinu, Associate Professor,
Department of Chemical Engineering and the other members were Dr Dadi
Suriapparao and Banupriya Boruah. “Biomass is the only renewable source of
carbon on the earth with immense potential for the production of energy,
chemicals and materials with zero carbon footprint on the environment.
Agricultural waste products such as rice straw, sugarcane bagasse and wood
chips, among others, can potentially serve as bio-oil producing biomass,” Vinu
was quoted as saying the statement. One of the common methods to produce
bio-oil from biomass is ‘pyrolysis’ or heat-induced breakdown of the biomass
components into fuel components. However, bio-oil produced by the pyrolysis of
biomass contains large amounts of oxygenated groups or ‘oxygenates’, far
greater than in fossil fuels.
G2G rice imports in
limbo on legal cover, funding
June 16, 2020
By Bernadette
D. Nicolas & Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
THE
Philippines’ s 300,000-metric ton (MT) rice importation via
government-to-government (G2G) transaction is now in limbo as the Philippine
International Trading Corp. (PITC) had no legal authority to conduct the
tender, officials told the BusinessMirror.
Budget
Secretary Wendel E. Avisado said they could not provide the budget requirement
of P7.45 billion as the PITC tender had no legal basis since President Duterte
has not greenlighted the rice importation.
“We already
officially responded to Department of Agriculture/PITC on the matter. We need
the prior approval of PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] because there’s no
legal basis to import rice. They should be the one to seek authority from PRRD.
If they have it, then we will comply on our side,” Avisado said in a message in
a mix of English and Filipino.
The Department
of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority are providing technical
advice to the PITC regarding the G2G importation since they have been involved
with rice importation, especially G2G, prior to deregulation of the rice
industry.
Budget
Undersecretary Tina Canda also questioned the legality of the PITC rice
importation, arguing that the attached agency of the Department of Trade and
Industry and even the DA itself have no mandate to import.
“PITC needs to
have a mandate to import. With RCEF, even DA has no mandate. “The first
question you need to ask is the authority of PITC vs RCEF law,” Canda said, referring
to the Rice Tariffication Law which mandates the government to annually
appropriate P10 billion to fund RCEF, which was meant to support rice farmers.
Even if PITC
has already conducted the bidding, Canda said several issues hound the PITC
importation, including the lack of funding source and the legality of the whole
transaction.
Budget
Undersecretary Laura Pascua said the DBM returned the request of PITC,
“commenting that the Rice Tariffication Law requires an approval by the
President of any importation, and there is no item in the GAA [General
Appropriations Act] which can be augmented to fund the request.”
Pascua said she
was also surprised with this development as she recalled Agriculture Secretary
William D. Dar saying that the 3.3 million metric tons supply deficit from the
estimated production of 17.6 million metric tons can be raised from the P8.5
billion that the DBM released for the rice resiliency project.
The
P8.5-billion fund is part of Covid-19 releases and is on top of the RCEF.
In a June 11
advisory, PITC said it is holding in abeyance the issuance of notice of award
to prospective rice suppliers to the country pending the availability of funds
from DBM. This, even after it already conducted the bidding.
The PITC also
said the “submission of bids shall not be construed as a commitment to purchase
on the part of PITC and shall not be bound to award contract to any entity
based on bids received.”
The PITC has
also published the results of its evaluation of bids submitted by the four Asian
governments.
The PITC
document showed that only 105,000 MT out of the 300,000-MT target importation
had qualified bids. Only three lots—Manila, Cebu and Davao—had ranking bids,
with the remaining lots of Tacloban and Zamboanga having no successful bids.
‘Better scrap it’
Federation of
Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said it would be better
for the government to scrap the G2G transaction given the complications.
The government
could explore other options to procure rice stocks, particularly to replenish
the depleting supply of the National Food Authority, to stabilize market
prices, he added.
Some of the
options Montemayor explained, are buying a certain volume of imports by the
private sector at their declared price and purchasing local rice from millers
or traders through bidding.
“Current rice
supply is quite tight but sufficient. Our only problem is that NFA stocks are
depleting. And imports are quite expensive, so prices might go up in the lean
months and the government has limited stocks to stabilize,” he told the
BusinessMirror.
Montemayor
agreed DBM’s argument in questioning the legality of the PITC importation.
Last month, FFF
questioned this, stressing that there is no declaration of a rice shortage, a
condition required under the law for government importation.
“But I suppose
they can find the legal basis they need. Maybe DBM is more concerned about the
funds given the tight situation now with Covid-19,” Montemayor said.
“If DBM
releases funds, it will be a sunk cost and will be a grant to PITC,” Montemayor
added.
Nonetheless,
Montemayor said it was “shameful” to have conducted the bidding without even
holding the necessary funds for the transaction. “Those who bid spent time and
money to participate, only to be told later that there is no money yet to buy
the rice. Worse, it’s government to government,” he said.
Agriculture
Secretary William D. Dar told the BusinessMirror via SMS that he has yet to
talk with PITC on the issue.
The Department
of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority are providing technical
advice to the PITC regarding the G2G importation since they have been involved
with rice importation, especially G2G, prior to deregulation of the rice
industry.
In April, Dar
said the budget for the P7.45-billion rice importation has been approved and
has been given to the PITC. Dar said the idea for the G2G rice importation came
from the DA and the NFA to ensure the country has sufficient stockpile amid the
Covid-19 pandemic.
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Mobility restrictions
hurt India’s trade basket in May
Among major
items, only exports of rice, spices, iron ore, and drugs and pharmaceuticals
recorded growth in May. Among major imports, iron pyrites and project goods
grew during the month.
- Trade deficit of $3.2 bn after merchandise exports plunged 36.5%, imports fall 51.1%
- Decline in exports is high but there’s an arrest in fall of exports compared to April, say experts
Topics
NEW DELHI : India’s trade basket plummeted in May though
at a slower pace than the preceding month as countries sealed their borders to
arrest the spread of the coronavirus and supply chains broke down because of
mobility restrictions.
Merchandise
exports plunged 36.5% and imports fell 51.1% in May, resulting in a trade
deficit of just $3.2 billion, data released by the commerce ministry on Monday
showed.
In April,
merchandise exports and imports had declined by 60.3% and 58.7%, respectively.
Among major developing economies, India’s exports fell the most in April only
behind a 61% dip in overseas shipments by South Africa, according to
calculations by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
However, trade
minister Piyush Goyal on Monday tweeted that exports in the first week of June
at $4.94 billion have bounced back to almost the same level ($5.03 billion)
during the same period a year ago.
The decline in
exports in May have been high, but there is a drastic arrest in fall of exports
compared to April, said Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO)
president Sharad Kumar Saraf. “This is because of the partial start of
businesses across the country and orders from markets like the US and the
European Union. Revival still seems a very slow process as the global business
sentiments are at their lowest," he said.
The
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development last week said the world economy
may contract by
6% or 7.6% in 2020, depending on a single-hit or a double-hit scenario,
respectively. It expects India’s economy to contract by as much as 7.3% in FY21
if a second wave of coronavirus sweeps the country.
As major
economies try to reopen, demand would be restricted towards the most essential
items, said Ravi Sehgal, chairman , Engineering Export Promotion Council of
India. “Even within engineering exports, we need to rework our strategy.
Sub-sectors such as medical devices would be doing well while core
infrastructure industries may take time to recover," he said. Among major
items, only export of rice, spices, iron ore, and drugs and pharmaceuticals
recorded growth
in May. Among
major imports, iron pyrites, project goods grew during the month.
The World Trade
Organization has projected global merchandise trade to drop by 13% to 32% in
2020 because of the pandemic. “The wide range of possibilities for the
predicted decline is explained by the unprecedented nature of this health
crisis and the uncertainty around its precise economic impact. But WTO
economists believe that the decline will likely exceed the trade slump brought
on by the global financial crisis of 2008-09," it said in April.
India could
report a current account surplus of $12-15 billion in FY21 based on the
expectation of a gradual normalization in trade levels in the coming months, a
stabilization in crude oil prices at a moderate level, a revival in demand for
gold closer to the festive season, and the continued adverse impact of economic
uncertainty on remittances, said Aditi Nayar, principal economist at Icra, a
credit rating agency. “However, if the domestic demand recovers faster than
global demand, the size of India’s current account surplus may be limited below
$10 billion," she said.
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/lockdown-impact-india-s-exports-decline-36-5-in-may-11592225031205.html
Vietnam needs to grab the chance to boost agricultural exports |
|
Tuesday, 2020-06-16 12:37:34
|
|
|
|
|
|
NDO -
Vietnam’s farming exports in the first five months of 2020 fell by 4.1% to
US$15.49 billion due to the coronavirus pandemic. But there are plenty of
signs that such a decline will be halted and exports will recover in the
remaining months of the year. |
|
Growth
amid difficulty Among Vietnam’s agricultural exports that recorded growth during the January-May period, rice was the best performer, having shipped nearly 2.9 million tonnes worth US$1.41 billion, up 5.1% in volume and 18.9% in value over the same period of 2019. In May alone, rice exports surged by 47% in volume and 55.3% in value against the previous month, with average prices soaring to US$527 per tonne. Prices in the first five months also rose to 13%, averaging at US$485. This is a bright spot in Vietnam’s farming export picture with the coronavirus remaining complicated in many countries. For fruits, export revenue plunged by 21.4% to US$1.15 billion as many fresh fruits were unable to reach the Chinese market at the time of the outbreak explosion in the world’s second largest economy. Vietnam’s farming exports continued to face difficulty with the virus having spread widely to Europe and the United States. Although fruit exports have yet to see growth, there are signs of a possible recovery, with the latest good news coming from the export of fresh lychees to the US, Australia, Singapore and Japan, while measures have also been taken to facilitate the shipment of lychees to China, one of the largest markets for the tropical fruit for years. The slump in seafood exports is also slowing down with the decline in May at just 1.6%, significantly lower than the previous months, as exports to China soared by 20%. Total seafood exports to China are forecast to fully recover by the end of June. In the meantime, seafood exports to Japan in April and May grew by 16% and 9%, respectively, which is expected to make the East Asian country the largest buyer of Vietnamese seafood in 2020. According to VASEP, the body of seafood producers and exporters, exports to China and Japan are picking up but recovery is unlikely to be seen in the US and Europe as the virus outbreak has disrupted supply chains and trade activities. In addition, the demand for seafood has fallen as restaurants are closed and consumers have cut their spending. If the outbreak persists, Vietnamese seafoods are expected to face steeper declines in the coming months. Efforts for quick and strong recovery At a recent conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong noted that the demand for food will still grow despite the coronavirus since food is an essential goods. Therefore, Vietnam needs to seize on this opportunity to quickly regain growth by diversifying its exports in order to meet the new consumption demand of each country, such as increasing the share of canned food instead of fresh products. In this situation, rice is one of the candidates for explosive growth in the coming months. It is estimated that the Mekong Delta will produce 2.3-2.5 million tonnes of rice in the upcoming summer-autumn season, with high-quality rice accounting for 1 million tonnes and jasmine rice 580,000 tonnes. The Philippines is forecast to be the largest buyer of Vietnamese rice. China and Indonesia have also been increasing their rice imports from Vietnam after the outbreak has subsided, offering a golden opportunity for Vietnam to boost its rice exports. While rice is looking up, challenges are still gripping the seafood sector. Processors and exporters all agree on the need to focus on markets where the outbreak has been contained to compensate for the continuing downturn in Europe and the US. The export structure is also expected to see a marked shift towards canned products to meet safety requirements in the time of outbreak. In the meantime, it has been predicted that shark catfish exports will not recover until the third quarter, as such it is necessary to develop the domestic market to deal with the surplus. Steady growth has not been seen in fruit exports, but hope is being pinned on the rapid and strong recovery of demand for imported products in China, a major market for many Vietnamese fruits. But it is necessary to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to export through official channels, strictly abide by origin tracing and labelling rules, and meet other quality requirements under the agreements with their partners. After several months of taking a serious hit by the coronavirus, Vietnam’s farming exports are now gradually recovering in some key markets. Challenges will remain in the latter half of 2020 but, as Vietnam has essentially contained the coronavirus outbreak, it is an opportunity for the country to build up importers’ confidence in the quality and safety of Vietnamese farming produce. |
https://en.nhandan.org.vn/business/item/8771502-vietnam-needs-to-grab-the-chance-to-boost-agricultural-exports.html
Farmers welcome KVK’s
advisory services over mobile phones
June 15, 2020
18:45 IST
Updated: June
15, 2020 18:45 IST
The advisory
service conceived and implemented by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Tiruvarur,
to provide solutions to the problems faced by farmers in the field over the
mobile phones during the lockdown period has received a good response.
The KVK
authorities decided to make use of the linkage developed over the years through
mobile phones with farmers in Tiruvarur district to provide solutions to the
problems faced by them in the fields.
Around 200
farmers have utilised the service during the past two months where they have
received the suggestions/methods from KVK scientists to control pest attacks
such as sucking pest attack on cotton, rugose spiraling, whitefly attack on
coconut and other crops and animal husbandry related problems.
Apart from
providing solutions through mobile phones, the KVK scientists have also
analysed the queries raised and the response from the farmers to the
advice/suggestions from KVK to comprehend how e-technology was utilised by the
farmers to get their problems solved. This analysis threw up some interesting
facts about how the farmers have become adept to e-technology.
While nearly 30
% of the farmers have shared the results with the scientists, others remained
content with the reply they received to weed out the problem faced by them.
Most of them have shared the photos or videos of the symptoms of the crop
disease to get their problems solved apart from getting their doubts cleared by
posting messages or through recorded voice messages, KVK sources said.
While the
advisory service has gone down well with the farmers who have been adept to
make use of the technology, the KVK had also taken up another initiative - “KVK
on the move” - to reach out to the farmers to help solve their problems.
The “KVK on the
move” has been designed in such a manner that the scientists would be visiting
the block extension centres once a week on rotational basis to address the
farmers’ problems. This initiative has also been received well by the farmers
who have attended the “KVK on the move” events held at Valangaiman,
Thiruthuraipoondi and Koradachery blocks have brought the affected crop samples
ie. pest attacked rice, cotton and pluses crop and obtained the control
measures recommended by the scientists on the spot. The attendees have also
been advised and enlightened on how to approach the KVK scientists through
mobile phones to get their problems solved, the sources said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/farmers-welcome-kvks-advisory-services-over-mobile-phones/article31834245.ece
Paddy procurement crosses 1 crore mark in Telangana
A bar chart provided by the department shows continuous rise in paddy procurement each year.
Published: 16th June 2020 08:45 AM | Last
Updated: 16th June 2020 08:45 AM | A+A A-
Paddy crop ready for harvest. (Photo | EPS)
Six years into the formation of State, Telangana has witnessed 367 per cent increase in the paddy procurement, said Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Mareddy Srinivas Reddy. Addressing the media, Reddy said, “The State is transforming into the ‘rice bowl of India’ and it has become possible only with the vision of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who rolled out farmer welfare schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Beema, round-the-clock free power supply for agricultural sector, and new irrigation projects, minimum support price (MSP).”
A bar chart provided by the department shows
continuous rise in paddy procurement each year. During 2014-15, the government
procured 24.25 lakh MT, which was doubled in 2016-17 with 53.69 lakh MT. Again
in 2018-19, the procurement increased to 77.41 lakh MT. Despite
Covid crisis, the State has achieved a new record by procuring 1.12 crore MT.
The current Yasangi season has seen an increase of 76 per cent against the
previous Yasangi season.
Pointing out that in a record, paddy was
cultivated in 39 lakh acres, Reddy said, “During the current season, Civil
Supplies Department has procured 65 lakh MT of paddy, and millers procured 12
lakh MT. Another 15 lakh MT was fine rice, which farmers kept to meet their
needs and 6 MT for sowing.”
Talking about the adverse conditions during
lockdown, he said, “We had only 9 crore gunny bags against the requirement of
18 crore bags during lockdown 1. We managed to obtain the bags in time.” During
the current season, the department had set up 6,408 procurement centres across
the State.
‘TS becoming rice bowl of India’
“The State is transforming into the ‘rice
bowl of India’ and it has become possible only with the vision of Chief
Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who rolled out farmer welfare schemes such as
Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Beema, round-the-clock free power supply for agricultural
sector, and new irrigation projects, and MSP,” said Mareddy Srinivas Reddy,
Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2020/jun/16/paddy-procurement-crosses-1-crore-mark-in-state-2157150.html
Telangana emerges as
‘rice bowl’ of India
Achieves record
procurement of 1.12 crore tons of paddy
Share to
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- Posted: Jun 15, 2020 09:02 PM (IST)
- Updated : 19 hours ago
Photo for
representation.
Naveen S
Garewal
Tribune News
Service
Hyderabad, June
15
Telangana has
achieved a record procurement of 1.12 crore tons of paddy, making it the ‘rice
bowl’ of the country. Announcing this on Monday, the Telangana State Civil
Supplies Corporation Chairman Mareddy Srinivas Reddy said a record 47 lakh tons
procurement in Vaanakalam (Kharif crop) and 65 lakh tons in Yasangi (Rabi crop)
during 2019-20 had set new records for the state. He said the state had come a long way from the
mere 24 lakh tons of paddy procurements for both seasons in 2014-15. “Within
six years of the formation of the state, a record 367 per cent increase was
witnessed in the procurement of paddy. Compared to last Yasangi, procurement
this year increased by 76 per cent (24 lakh tons),” he said.
He said the
Yasangi procurement was achieved with the help of 6,408 procurement centres. In
all 65 lakh tons of paddy worth Rs 12,000 crore was procured from 9.68 lakh
farmers. “So far, Rs 11,000 crore has been deposited into the accounts of
farmers and the remaining will be credited into their accounts within a few
days,” Srinivas Reddy said.
Unlike the
past, paddy was taken up in 39 lakh acres in the state and as estimated, 1
crore ton of paddy was produced. Out of this, a total yield of 65 lakh tons was
procured by the civil supplies department, 12 lakh tons purchased by rice
millers. Around 15 lakh tons are of a fine variety and over 6 lakh tons have
been set aside as seed, he said.
The state is
facing a shortage of gunny bags because of the bumper crop. The demand for
gunny bags was estimated at 18 crore. “As on March 24 at the time of imposition
of lockdown, there were only 9 crore gunny bags available with the department.
Supplies from Kolkata stopped because of the lockdown. But we saw to it that
the farmers are not put to trouble because of the shortage. We succeeded in
overcoming this problem too,” he said.
Farmers welcome KVK’s
advisory services over mobile phones
June 15, 2020
18:45 IST
Updated: June
15, 2020 18:45 IST
Share Article
The advisory
service conceived and implemented by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Tiruvarur,
to provide solutions to the problems faced by farmers in the field over the
mobile phones during the lockdown period has received a good response.
The KVK
authorities decided to make use of the linkage developed over the years through
mobile phones with farmers in Tiruvarur district to provide solutions to the
problems faced by them in the fields.
Around 200
farmers have utilised the service during the past two months where they have
received the suggestions/methods from KVK scientists to control pest attacks
such as sucking pest attack on cotton, rugose spiraling, whitefly attack on
coconut and other crops and animal husbandry related problems.
Apart from
providing solutions through mobile phones, the KVK scientists have also
analysed the queries raised and the response from the farmers to the
advice/suggestions from KVK to comprehend how e-technology was utilised by the
farmers to get their problems solved. This analysis threw up some interesting
facts about how the farmers have become adept to e-technology.
While nearly 30
% of the farmers have shared the results with the scientists, others remained
content with the reply they received to weed out the problem faced by them.
Most of them have shared the photos or videos of the symptoms of the crop
disease to get their problems solved apart from getting their doubts cleared by
posting messages or through recorded voice messages, KVK sources said.
While the
advisory service has gone down well with the farmers who have been adept to
make use of the technology, the KVK had also taken up another initiative - “KVK
on the move” - to reach out to the farmers to help solve their problems.
The “KVK on the
move” has been designed in such a manner that the scientists would be visiting
the block extension centres once a week on rotational basis to address the
farmers’ problems. This initiative has also been received well by the farmers
who have attended the “KVK on the move” events held at Valangaiman,
Thiruthuraipoondi and Koradachery blocks have brought the affected crop samples
ie. pest attacked rice, cotton and pluses crop and obtained the control
measures recommended by the scientists on the spot. The attendees have also
been advised and enlightened on how to approach the KVK scientists through
mobile phones to get their problems solved, the sources said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/farmers-welcome-kvks-advisory-services-over-mobile-phones/article31834245.ece
How GMO, gene-edited crops can keep cancer-causing heavy metals out of staple foods
Dibakar
Das | June 15, 2020
This article or
excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically
diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation.
One of
the most pressing issues in public health is the presence of toxic elements in
food, which potentially risk the health of millions of people. The presence of
toxic elements like arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury especially in rice and
rice-based food products is a serious concern, which requires urgent public policy
attention. Arsenic, a class I human carcinogen, is found in substantial amounts in rice grown in South East Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, parts of China and The United States. A recent investigation of baby foods from major manufacturers in The United States found that 95% contained lead, 73% contained arsenic, 75% contained cadmium and 32% contained mercury. About 25% of food tested contained all four toxic elements, though at levels that are unlikely to pose a risk to human health. Nearly 75% of samples tested in Australia contained inorganic arsenic exceeding the EU maximum safe limit for infants and children. These figures are, however, very limited, if not entirely unavailable, for southeast Asian countries, where exposure to heavy metals is thought to be worse and may justify calls for urgent regulations.
While heavy metal-contaminated grains remain a serious global health concern, recent plant breeding advances, both in genetic engineering and gene editing, are allowing scientists to develop crop varieties that contain very low levels of potentially harmful heavy metals. Rice with low amounts of arsenic has already been produced, and other crops such as mustard could reduce consumer exposure to selenium, though strict regulation may keep these improved varieties off the market.
The exposure to arsenic can negatively affect the developing brain and IQ in children. The accumulation of toxic elements like arsenic in the adult body can result in a variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, skin lesions and birth defects in newborns. The concentrations of inorganic arsenic in many Bengal (India) and Bangladeshi rice varieties may often exceed 0.2mg/kg, the safe limit proposed by the Codex Alimentarous Commission, and the total arsenic can be as high as 1.7 mg/kg in a few varieties.
Research suggests that the concentration of inorganic arsenic in rice varieties will increase two fold as climate change continues. Given the magnitude of this problem, it is surprising that no regulations to contain toxic elements, especially arsenic in rice and rice-based foods, exist in countries like India and Bangladesh. Although the US and EU have enacted regulations to control toxic elements in food, and most foods pose minimal risk in this regard, several studies have shown that arsenic and lead can be toxic at very low concentrations. Regulators therefore should ensure that safe limits are gradually brought down to further protect public health.
So how do toxic elements like arsenic end up in our food? What options do we have to minimize them?
It turns out that arsenic and other toxic elements are naturally present in soil and ground water. In some regions of the world, like those mentioned above, they occur in greater concentrations than in others. When crops grown in those soils are irrigated with contaminated ground water, plants end up absorbing these toxic elements from the soil and water. Plants then transport these elements from their roots to their grains, the edible parts. As rice cultivation requires huge volumes of water, it creates an essentially anaerobic environment in which arsenite, the most toxic form of arsenic, becomes more readily available for absorption.
For this reason rice is especially good at absorbing arsenic. Although most of the arsenic from rice grains can be removed by polishing, the growing preference for brown rice among consumers and the wide use of rice flour in baby food preparation mean we must find an alternative and effective solution to arsenic contamination.
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2020/06/15/how-gmo-gene-edited-crops-can-keep-cancer-causing-heavy-metals-out-of-staple-foods/
Choose the Varieties of Paddy According to Your Region & Get Maximum Yield
Rishabh
Bhan 15 June, 2020 5:19 PM IST
Paddy or rice is the most important food crop of India which covers a quarter of the total cropped area. Paddy is the food of about half of the Indian population. It is consumed by a large part of the world's human population, especially in Asia. It is the agricultural food crop with the third highest worldwide production after sugarcane and maize. Paddy is one of the oldest known crops.
It was grown in China in the largest form around 5000 years ago. Paddy in India dates back to 3000 CE. Its discovery was not made by any scientist but by farmers and native people.
Paddy cultivating countries
Paddy is grown successfully in regions with hot climate. Most of the world's paddy is grown in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, India, Indochina, Korea, Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the major rice growing countries. Paddy cultivation is also practiced in a wide area in Italy, Egypt and Spain. Major paddy cultivation states of India are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, & Uttar Pradesh.
Choose the varieties of paddy according to your region
The farmer should choose the varieties of paddy according to their region, while varieties of paddy are developed according to the different region in the state, because the soil, environment of every place is different.
Unirrigated condition: Narendra-118, Narendra-97, Saket-4, Barani Deep, dry emperor, Narendra Lalmani
Irrigated condition: For irrigated areas, early ripening varieties include Pusa-169, Narendra-80, Pant Paddy-12, Malaviya Paddy-3022, Narendra Paddy-2065 and medium ripening varieties Pant Paddy-10, Pant Paddy-4, Sarju-52, Narendra-359, Narendra-2064, Narendra Dhan-2064, Pusa-44, PNR-381 are the major varieties.
Varieties of paddy for the land: Narendra Osar Paddy-3, Narendra Paddy-5050, Narendra Osar Paddy-2008, Narendra Osar Paddy-2009.
Varieties of Rice
There are 3000 varieties of rice in India, of which some varieties of rice are ready in a short time. Short-duration rice varieties are ready in 60 to 75 days. Among the high-yielding rice seeds are IR-5, IR-20, IR-22 and Taichung
Yield
The average rice production in India is around 2000 kg per hectare, which is three times that of 1950-51, but Egypt (6500 kg / ha), United States (6500 kg / ha) and Japan (6400 kg / ha). The main reason for low production per hectare is not to use water, manure etc. properly.
https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/choose-the-varieties-of-paddy-according-to-your-region-get-maximum-yield/
SPI inflation decreases by a nominal 0.05pc
By APP
-June 14, 2020
The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 127.85 points against 127.78 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed a single digit increase of 8.49 percent.
The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16, covers 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs17,732 witnessed a 0.35 percent increase and went up from 134.30 points in last week to 134.77 points during the week under review.
Meanwhile, the SPI for the consumption groups from Rs17,733-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517 and Rs29,518-44,175 also increased by 0.26 percent, 0.19 percent and 0.10 respectively, however for the consumption group above Rs44,175 per month it decreased by 0.05 percent.
The items which recorded a decrease in their average price include chicken, bananas, onions, garlic, gram pulse, potatoes, masoor pulse and gur.
The commodities which recorded an increase in their average price include tomatoes, match boxes, eggs, wheat flour, rice, salt, milk, beef, cigarettes, curd, vegetable ghee, cooking oil, mutton and sugar.
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/06/14/spi-inflation-decreases-by-a-nominal-0-05pc/
Pakistan braces for fresh war on voracious pests
Published: June 15, 2020
If crops are eaten up, prices of flour and
vegetables will skyrocket, warns a leading farmer PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
ISLAMABAD: As the
desert locust situation in the country is fast deteriorating, the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday conducted surveillance of more
areas spread over 604,000 hectares in vulnerable districts.They are entering the country from Afghanistan to damage the crop in Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from where these locust swarms were entering Punjab thereby posing a serious threat to the country’s food basket.
To many farmers in Sindh, an impending locust attack when summer crops of cotton, sugarcane and rice are being sown, and fruit and vegetables are ready to be picked is a much bigger problem than the coronavirus pandemic.
“If the crops are eaten up by the locusts, we will have a dire food security issue on our hands,” said Zahid Bhurgri, a farmer from Mirpurkhas district.
“The price of flour and vegetables will skyrocket,” making staple foods hard for some to afford, added Bhurgri, who is also general secretary of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates losses to agriculture from locusts this year could be as high as Rs353 billion for winter crops like wheat and potatoes and about Rs464 billion for summer crops.
A May update from the FAO warned it would be “imperative” to contain and control the desert locust infestation in the midst of the additional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on health, livelihoods, food security and nutrition for Pakistan’s most poor and vulnerable communities.
Last year, Pakistan suffered its worst attack of locusts since 1993, for which the country was largely unprepared.
Farmers now have little confidence the government will help them fight a new wave of voracious insects threatening their harvests – though officials said extensive measures were being taken.
“Neither the central, nor the provincial government is doing anything about it,” said Bhurgri, who grows vegetables, red chillies, cotton and sugarcane on about 600 acres of land.
Experts say insect populations have found new homes across Pakistan and are now laying eggs in nearly 40% of its territory, including Sindh but mainly in Balochistan.
FAO locust forecaster Keith Cressman said locusts that had unusually stayed in parts of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Indus Valley during the winter would now move southeast to their summer breeding areas in the Cholistan and Tharparkar deserts from May to July.
Swarms breeding in Pakistan’s deserts will likely be joined by others from southern Iran in a few weeks, with more likely to arrive from the Horn of Africa around July, experts predict.
The swarms are expected to be much larger than in 2019, because their numbers increase on average 20-fold with each generation. They travel in swarms of between 30 million to 50 million insects, covering a distance of 150 km (93 miles) and devouring 200 tonnes of crops per day.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2242702/1-pakistan-braces-fresh-war-voracious-pests/
U.S.
Maintains Status as World's Fifth Largest Rice Exporter, According to USDA
Projections
WASHINGTON,
DC -- Just a month ago, 2020 rice trade was all-but-guaranteed to be turned
upside down following the impact of COVID-19 on shipping and the chaotic
procurement of staple commodities. However, the June edition of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) World Agricultural Supply & Demand
Estimates (WASDE) Report only shows modest changes to the balance sheet looking
at logistical delays in China early in the year and ongoing shipping delays in
India.
USDA revised down 2019/20 U.S. rice exports as the marketing year closes out
next month. The roughly 60,000 MT reduction in exports can be attributed
to the tight supply and elevated long grain prices that have reduced shipments
to Central America and Mexico. USDA still expects 2019/20 to reflect a
slight increase in export sales over the 2018/19 marketing year.
Global trade in 2020 is forecast down this month, almost exclusively due to the
short supply in Thailand and uncompetitive, elevated pricing. With the
end of Viet Nam's export ban, they have moved to quickly backfill Thai markets,
drawing down the country's stocks. In addition to revisions for the
2019/20 marketing year, USDA highlighted the larger U.S. and global rice production
projected for the 2020 crop. While 2020/21 is projected to bring another
increase in exports, that figure was revised slightly down in this month's
WASDE due to spillover of elevated U.S. long grain pricing. Global trade
in 2021 is expected to be reduced with decreasing COVID-19-related demand and
production surges in the U.S., Thailand, and Brazil.
Trade negotiations with the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Japan could all present
potential increases for U.S. rice exports through market growth.
"We are optimistic seeing USDA's projections for increased exports next
year but we hope to drive those figures up through our investments in
international marketing and promotion efforts in Asia, Europe, the Middle East,
and throughout the Western Hemisphere," said Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice
president international.
Moran added: "USA Rice has a strong global footprint that allows us
to share the advantages of using U.S.-grown rice, and additionally, having a
larger 2020 crop will allow our exporters to be more competitive and increase
our opportunities to expand and develop new markets."
While the U.S. had a relatively small 2019 rice crop, USDA still anticipates
that total exports will keep the U.S. in fifth place for global exports for
both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 marketing years behind India, Thailand, Viet Nam,
and Pakistan.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHNqJFrTqNFDxFnpfSKdfldZML
La. rice crop off to
good start
- Bruce Schultz LSU AgCenter
LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth speaks at the Evangeline Parish rice field day on June 11. Groth, also the resident coordinator of the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, announced he will probably retire this coming winter after 37 years with the AgCenter. Photo by Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter
LSU AgCenter
MAMOU — This
year’s rice crop is progressing well, and the recent Tropical Storm Cristobal
had little effect, an LSU AgCenter rice expert said at the Evangeline Parish
rice field day on June 11.
AgCenter rice
specialist Dustin Harrell said March temperatures were warmer than normal and
were ideal for young rice, but April brought three cold fronts that stressed
the plants.
“If that’s the
worst thing we see, then we’re going to have a great year,” he said.
The rice plants
also benefitted from warm May temperatures, although hail damaged fields in a
few instances.
Rice in the
flowering stage may have been damaged by Cristobal, “but for the most part, we
had very little impact from that storm,” Harrell said.
The south
Louisiana crop is about 10 days ahead of usual.
“Don’t be
surprised if you hear reports of rice being harvested in the first part of
July,” he said.
Farmers who anticipate
growing a second rice crop should start planning. Applying gibberellic acid at
the soft dough stage of development can give improve second-crop yields.
“Sixty percent
of the time, we have seen an increase with gibberellic acid,” he said.
Mowing rice
stubble after harvest of the first crop can improve second crop yields by 5
barrels.
AgCenter weed
scientist Eric Webster said recent cloudy weather could cause rice sprayed with
the Provisia herbicide to have signs of injury. Leaves could appear to be
misshapen, but the plants will recover in two to three weeks.
“It’s just
something we’re going to have to live with,” he said.
The second
version of Provisia, PVL02, has improved yield potential from PVL01. He said
AgCenter rice breeder Adam Famoso has three lines of Provisia that could have
even better yields.
Webster said
the herbicide Loyant can be applied with fertilizer, but the best results are
obtained when it is sprayed.
Loyant controls
ducksalad for more than five weeks because of its impressive residual strength.
A new product,
a mixture of Loyant and Grasp, will be available from Corteva.
AgCenter
entomologist Blake Wilson said the Dermacor seed treatment is providing 80%
control against rice water weevils, compared to 50% control from Cruiser and
Nipsit.
Good results
against the weevil can be obtained with a new product, Fortenza, if it is used
with Cruiser.
https://www.iberianet.com/etc/la-rice-crop-off-to-good-start/article_37a63938-af06-11ea-bd5e-cb21c0f74bfb.html
Punjab allocates Rs39.6bn for agriculture, food security
Rs4bn allocated for locust control, Rs1.86bn
for farmers' interest-free loan scheme
June 15, 2020
During the budget session held in the Punjab Assembly on Monday, it was announced that out of the total allocation for agriculture and food security, Rs31.7 billion are for non-development expenditure and Rs7.9 billion have been kept for development expenditure.
The provincial government also allocated Rs4 billion to deal with locusts and other natural catastrophes, of which Rs1 billion will be provided to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The government earmarked Rs4 billion as subsidy on agricultural inputs; Rs1.86 billion for interest-free loan scheme for farmers, providing a subsidy of Rs36,000 per farmer; and Rs1.68 billion to enhance crop productivity of wheat, rice, sugarcane and oilseeds. The provincial government has also allocated Rs500.2 million for construction of modern silos, Rs400 million for matching grants under Agricultural Innovation and Development Enterprise (AIDE) fund, Rs50 million for provision of happy seeder and rice straw choppers at 80pc subsidy under mechanised management of rice crop residue programme to combat smog and Rs86.6 million for mobile food sampling and inspection infrastructure.
“This is the same old system which has been in place since the last three or four decades in which figures go up and down. The direction of the government is the same, and that direction is wrong,” said Asif Sharif, an agriculture sector expert, while talking to Profit.
According to Sharif, despite Punjab’s environment, temperature and atmosphere that is suitable for crop production, the land and soil of the province is fast losing its ability to absorb water and the province’s water resources are diminishing.
He added that these factors lead to the deteriorating quality of food production in the province and greatly increase the cost of food production.
“Our agricultural exports have declined by 30 to 40pc in the last few years. Unless we do focused and targeted crop production and educate our farmers our agriculture sector will continue to suffer,” he said while further stressing on the need to concentrate on increasing soil fertility in the province.
“All these budgetary proposals are good for nothing. Instead, they will only increase problems instead of mitigating them,” he added.
Abdul Basit, a progressive farmer from Rahim Yar Khan says that instead of announcing subsidies for farmers, the government should allocate money to deal with the problem of locust infestation, which is currently the biggest threat to food security in the country.
“We will not be able to benefit from the Rs1.68 billion allocated for enhancement and productivity of different crops when the crops would have been already damaged by the locust,” he said.
“The government is already late in dealing with the locust problem. We don’t want subsidies, we want the
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/06/15/punjab-allocates-rs39-6bn-for-agriculture-food-security/
IIDC: Ensure early disposal of issues related to industries
TNN | Jun
16, 2020, 04:34 IST
Lucknow:
Infrastructure and industrial development commissioner Alok Tandon on Monday directed
all departments associated with industries to take responsibility for their
action and resolve issues as per guidelines within a fixed timeframe.
He said industrial development was the priority of the government and chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given strict instructions to settle all issues at the earliest.
Addressing a meeting of Udyog Bandhu on Monday, Tandon and other senior officials reviewed 17 cases, including a complaint by Rice Millers Exporters Association of Ghaziabad. The association said it was not getting exemption from mandi fee in import of paddy and export of rice out of the state. The association was informed that as per a notification issued by the state government, mandi fee will not be payable in trade areas outside mandi yards and the scope of the mandi committees has been limited to mandi complexes.
On another issue related to payment of stamp duty on amalgamation of land, it was clarified that stamp duty will be payable on the consideration of additional processing fee deposited in cases of amalgamation of plots. If amalgamation has been done without payment of processing fee, a stamp duty of Rs 100 has to be paid in the supplementary deed.
Hathras industries raised concern regarding high monthly electricity bills as billing was done on KWH and KWA parameters. The IIDC directed the UP Power Corporation Ltd to find technical solution to the issue and make appropriate provision in billing software within a month.
He said industrial development was the priority of the government and chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given strict instructions to settle all issues at the earliest.
Addressing a meeting of Udyog Bandhu on Monday, Tandon and other senior officials reviewed 17 cases, including a complaint by Rice Millers Exporters Association of Ghaziabad. The association said it was not getting exemption from mandi fee in import of paddy and export of rice out of the state. The association was informed that as per a notification issued by the state government, mandi fee will not be payable in trade areas outside mandi yards and the scope of the mandi committees has been limited to mandi complexes.
On another issue related to payment of stamp duty on amalgamation of land, it was clarified that stamp duty will be payable on the consideration of additional processing fee deposited in cases of amalgamation of plots. If amalgamation has been done without payment of processing fee, a stamp duty of Rs 100 has to be paid in the supplementary deed.
Hathras industries raised concern regarding high monthly electricity bills as billing was done on KWH and KWA parameters. The IIDC directed the UP Power Corporation Ltd to find technical solution to the issue and make appropriate provision in billing software within a month.
Labour shortage and scarcity of containers at ports hit India’s rice exports
“Trucks are standing at the Kandla and Mundra ports for a minimum seven days as there is no labour to unload the trucks,” said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter. “Also, since imports of all products have lessened, containers are not coming to the ports. This is creating a lot of problems for basmati rice exporters. Exports are getting delayed.”
By
Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau|
Last
Updated: Jun 13, 2020, 10.02 AM IST
In 2019-20, India had
exported 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice.
KOLKATA: Labour shortage and scarcity of containers at the ports
has hit India’s rice
exports to Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and the United Arab
Emirates. While Africa imports non-basmati rice from India, the Gulf
countries rely on India’s basmati
rice for their domestic consumption.
“Trucks are standing at the Kandla and Mundra ports for a minimum seven days as there is no labour to unload the trucks,” said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter. “Also, since imports of all products have lessened, containers are not coming to the ports. This is creating a lot of problems for basmati rice exporters. Exports are getting delayed.”
Miglani said this year Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as the biggest buyers of basmati rice. “Exports to Iran have gone down as there are payment issues with the country. Exporters from India are yet to get their payments. Nearly 300,000 tonnes of basmati rice is lying at Iranian ports,” he said.
In 2019-20, India had exported 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice.
The problem is not restricted to basmati rice producers. Non-basmati rice producers from West Bengal and Jharkhand are facing a similar problem in shipping cheaper variety rice to Africa.
“As migrant workers have left, there is a huge shortage of labourers. The demand from Africa is very strong, yet shipments are being delayed because of labour shortage,” said Suraj Agarwal, CEO of Tirupati Agri Trade.
“Trucks are standing at the Kandla and Mundra ports for a minimum seven days as there is no labour to unload the trucks,” said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter. “Also, since imports of all products have lessened, containers are not coming to the ports. This is creating a lot of problems for basmati rice exporters. Exports are getting delayed.”
Miglani said this year Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as the biggest buyers of basmati rice. “Exports to Iran have gone down as there are payment issues with the country. Exporters from India are yet to get their payments. Nearly 300,000 tonnes of basmati rice is lying at Iranian ports,” he said.
In 2019-20, India had exported 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice.
The problem is not restricted to basmati rice producers. Non-basmati rice producers from West Bengal and Jharkhand are facing a similar problem in shipping cheaper variety rice to Africa.
“As migrant workers have left, there is a huge shortage of labourers. The demand from Africa is very strong, yet shipments are being delayed because of labour shortage,” said Suraj Agarwal, CEO of Tirupati Agri Trade.
“Availability of containers at the Kolkata port has improved a bit, but it is yet to become fully normal. Also, due to cyclone Amphan, which had badly hit Kolkata, the sheds of clearing and forwarding agents where the goods are stored have been damaged. That too is delaying exports,” he said.
Africa had imported 1.1 million tonnes of rice at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. They generally buy rice which is priced at Rs 24 -25 per kg.
Vinit Agarwal, owner of RK Exim, said his company is facing both labour shortage and non-availability of containers at Vizag port, through which rice exporters from Jharkhand send their produce to Africa.
Pankaj Jaiswal, owner of Kamla Devi Rice Mill in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand, said the offtake of rice from the rice mills by exporters has come down due to the disruption in logistics. “Also, rice mills in the state are not being able to become fully functional as migrant workers from Bihar, who used to work at the mills, have left for their hometown,” he said.
Column | Palakkadan Matta rice and our heritage
Tastes and smells also have the ability to
transport a person mentally to another place or to a past that is filled with
real and imaginary memories.
Some childhood memories tend to be
particularly vivid, like the power of lightning to temporarily brighten a
pitch-dark village night or the sight of ducks descending on a paddy field to
eat insects and weeds. Then there are memories of our elders that have been
passed down to us such as the reading of the Ramayana in oil-lamp light during
the Karkada month. Some memories have been deeply implanted into our
consciousness by literature. It’s hard not to feel nostalgia for the train
that races “toward the mountain pass like a serpent with a flaming jewel on
its forehead,†as the great O V Vijayan put it.
Ironically the very same tech giants that help
Malayalis get indigenous varieties of grains in places that are thousands of kilometres
from Kerala are also part of the global system that looks to replace indigenous
varieties of rice with hybrids.
Indigenous rice varieties such as Black
Njawara, Golden Njawara and Pokkali are full of vital nutrients that are
missing in popular varieties being grown by the farmers in Kerala. A study
conducted by researchers from the Kerala Agricultural University in 2018
revealed that Pokkali rice was among the best varieties when it came to fibre
and protein content. It is also a rich source of antioxidants and contains
minerals, including iron, boron and sulphur. The study also revealed that
Pokkali had the lowest carbohydrate content of the varieties that were tested.
Old timers in Kerala would frown on those who
make Kozhikode Biryani with Basmati instead of Jeerakasala, also known
as Wayanadan Kaima. Jeerakasala, a variety that is indigenous to Wayanad as its
alternative name suggests, is also rich in nutrients and has an unmistakable
fragrance.
Hybrid varieties of paddy made their way to
Kerala from the 1960s. They have affected both yields and the overall health of
the population.
Even after they started to grow hybrid
varieties of rice, for a long time farmers in Palakkad would only personally
consume two varieties of Matta - Thavalakannan (literally frog’s eyes) and
Chemban. They were well aware of the nutritional benefits, something that was
passed down through the generations.
One of the leading proponents for protecting
and preserving India’s traditional agricultural knowledge has been Dr Vandana
Shiva. She has called for India to articulate its own biodiversity to protect
both the ecosystem and the knowledge system.
Rice has been cultivated for thousands of
years in Kerala, but there has been an enormous decline in the traditional
rice-growing areas of the state such as Palakkad and Alappuzha since the 1960s.
The main reasons for this decline, according to a 2016 study by H Athira and N
K Kumar, are biotic stress caused by diseases and weeds, land degradation,
uneven rainfall, groundwater depletion, low levels of productivity, climate
change, and chemical pollution. Not all of these factors are under the control
of farmers, but they are left with a clear choice: adopt high-yielding
varieties, most of which are hybrids, or use traditional ones that are suitable
for marginal lands. It’s the latter that will benefit public health and also
help preserve something that is an integral part of our heritage.
If the global corporations have their way, we
may end up losing the very varieties of rice that link us with our ancestors
and our culture. There has never been a more opportune moment for Kerala to
reassess its agricultural priorities.
