Fiji Rice credits farmers for success
FIJI RICE LIMITED HAS ATTRIBUTED ITS HIGHEST PRODUCTION RECEIVED AFTER SEVEN YEARS TO FARMERS’ HARD WORK.
ISLAMABAD: Farmers in Punjab have lost earnings during the pandemic and may not be able to buy inputs for rice production due to higher prices, according to survey carried out by the Asian Development Bank on ‘Covid-19 Impact on Farm Households in Punjab’. Rice is a major staple crop and an important export product, and increased input prices may cause significant problems for the country’s economy. ADB conducted a computer-assisted telephonic survey of 668 farmers across 10 districts of Punjab and interviewed over 400 farmers. About 62 per cent of total respondents reported financial difficulties in recent months because of the Covid-19. Nearly 89pc of respondents who did so indicated the purchase of inputs as their primary concern, while a minority cited liabilities, including loans from banks and non-bank lenders. Moreover, 33pc of respondents indicated that their households experienced losses in wages and non-farm earnings because of Covid-19, and 22pc reported that at least one family member had returned home from urban and other areas.Overall, 52.2pc of the farmers reported an increase in the cost of farm inputs due to Covid-19. Majority stated that the cost of seed had increased, while a sizable share noted higher prices for fertilisers and pesticides. Regarding labour availability, most responding farmers stated they did not have problems in finding workers for the next crop cycle. Most reported not having any trouble finding machines for preparing land or sowing crops.Traders of non-basmati rice optimistic about exports as demand from countries increase to maintain food security. Rice export from India increases by more than 50%.
Increase in Non-Basmati Exports
The exports of non-basmati rice have registered a growth of 52% in the first two months of the current fiscal year. The quantity of exports has increased to 11.13 lakh tonnes in the April-May period of FY21 from 7.3 lakh tonnes in the same period of FY20. The export of non-basmati rice was declining from the last two years.
Growth in Demand From Several Countries
The Rice Exporters Association President, BV Krishna Rao, said that the non-basmati exports have rebounded. He attributed to demand from traditional buyers in the African region owing to a surge in Thai rice prices for such an increase. Apart from this, the non-basmati rice shipments have picked up in Malaysia, Philippines, and Russia for food security reasons. Further, he said that competitive prices, abundant production, and favourable currency have contributed to the jump in exports. The country touched an all-time high in rice production to 117.94 mt in 2019-20 from 96 mt in 2010-11. Moreover, the current Kharif season has registered a 17% higher plantation, which will further aid the exports.Drop in Exports of Non-Basmati Exports in 2018
Explaining the downward trend in non-basmati exports after 2018, Rao said that the drop was due to increased MSP provided by the government. Also, farmers lost interest in exports as the government procured huge quantities form them. However, he is optimistic that this year the exports will touch FY18 levels of 8.64 million tonnes.Increase in Demand From Bangladesh
Rao also mentioned prospects for an increase in demand from Bangladesh. Suraj Agarwal, CEO, Tirupati Agri Trade explained rice consumption in the country has risen as people are staying indoors owing to the pandemic. The Bangladesh government is considering imports amid the slow procurement. In all, the export association is hoping a high volume of non-basmati exports this year.
WUHAN: Academic institutes of Pakistan and China are working to jointly launch a research centre for hybrid rice. The Wuhan University-University of Punjab Joint Research Centre for Honglian Hybrid Rice is going to become operational this year, revealed official website of China Association for Science and Technology. This move will boost development of high-yield hybrid rice in Pakistan to improve domestic food security, in addition to supplementing rice export. Honglian hybrid rice is one of the three major types of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) of rice (Oryza sativa L) that has been commercially used in hybrid rice seed production. The production of Honglian hybrid rice in Pakistan can reach around 7,500kg per hectare, nearly three times as much as that of many other rice varieties, said Zhu Renshan, professor-level senior engineer of Wuhan University who is in charge of the international cooperation on this type of rice. "A lot of hybrid rice varieties' high-yield performance is only confined to a specific area. In contrast, Honglian hybrid rice can create bumper harvest not only in China but also in many other countries like Pakistan," Zhu Renshan said. Honglian hybrid rice adapts well to Pakistan's climate. Even under extreme high temperature or changeable weather, the seed setting rate is still stable, much higher than that of other hybrid rice varieties. Moreover, Honglian rice seed production costs less therefore farmers can get higher income at the same investment. Punjab Agriculture Extension Director Shahzad Sabir and professors from the University of Punjab praised Honglian hybrid rice's feature of heat-tolerance and adaptability, which suits Pakistan's climate. Having seen Honglian hybrid rice do well in the six experimental plots in Pakistan, professionals of the two countries are confident in its future performance when sowed at a large scale. Next, besides lifting local cultivation, the research centre is planning a series of technical cooperation and scientific research. Seed production technologies will be gradually transferred to Pakistan. Furthermore, they will also provide technical support on pest control. Though the Covid-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc in the world, Pak-Sino cooperation related to Honglian hybrid rice keeps progressing. Earlier this year, the research team of Wuhan University delivered seeds from China to Pakistan via international logistics, and the rice will be harvested in October. THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2020.RCCI holds
webinar on ‘Pakistan-Hong Kong Trade’
APP
RAWALPINDI
- Consul General of Pakistan in
Hong Kong Bilal Ahmed Butt has said that Hong Kong was the 7th largest trading
economy with free trade policy and easy licensing for international trade.
Pakistan has huge potential to increase its exports to Hong Kong in the sectors
of Leather, Denim and Cottons, Swim and track suits, Rice, meat, seafood, gems
& jewellery and surgical equipment.
Addressing
a webinar on ‘Pakistan-Hong Kong Trade’ organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber of
Commerce & Industry (RCCI), he suggested that more virtual trade forums
should be conducted on frequent intervals to get connected with the business
community for the rapid exchange of trade insights. He lauded RCCI’s efforts in
launching the virtual edition of Rawal Expo and added that these webinars could
play as business to business meetings among the exporters, counsellor office
and the importers. Malik M Asim – Consul of Pakistan in Hong Kong in his address
said that Hong Kong was the 2nd largest exporter of IT products in Asia and 7th
largest in the world. He highlighted the scope of export of IT and ICT products
of Pakistan to Hong Kong. Earlier, RCCI President Saboor Malik provided an
update on RCCI current activities and shared key economic indicators with the
participants. He said no doubt COVID- 19 had halted the trade activities in the
region but also provided us an opportunity to think out of the box solutions.
High level
meeting of National Command and Operation Centre
Chairman
Rawal Expo, Nasir Mirza gave a detailed briefing about the Virtual
International Rawal Expo-2020. He also briefed about the VIRE 2020, which had
provided an opportunity to connect the business community across the world.
Moreover, the series of Virtual Trade Forums have provided a unique opportunity
to get a detailed insight of trade potentials of Pakistani products in
different countries.
https://nation.com.pk/17-Aug-2020/rcci-holds-webinar-on-pakistan-hong-kong-trade
Envoy stresses
potential of Hong Kong as export destination for Pakistan
By
August 16, 2020
RAWALPINDI: Consul General of Pakistan
in Hong Kong Bilal Ahmed Butt on Sunday said that Hong Kong has a huge
potential as an export destination for Pakistan due to its free trade policy
and easy licensing procedures for international trade.
The envoy said that Pakistani
leather, denim and cottons, swim and track suits, rice, meat, seafood, gems and
jewelry and surgical equipment sectors have a great potential of increasing
their exports to Hong Kong.
He said this while addressing a
webinar related to Pakistan-Hong Kong trade organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
He lauded RCCI’s efforts in
launching the virtual edition of Rawal Expo and added that virtual trade forums
should be conducted frequently to connect business communities of both the
countries.
Consul of Pakistan in Hong Kong
Malik Asim said that Hong Kong is the second largest exporter of Information
Technology (IT) products in Asia and the seventh largest in the world. He
highlighted that Pakistan has a good scope of exporting IT products to Hong
Kong.
Earlier, RCCI President Saboor
Malik provided an update on RCCI’s activities and shared key economic
indicators with the participants.
He said that the spread of
Covid-19 has halted trade activities in the region which provides an
opportunity to look for out of the box solutions.
https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/08/16/envoy-stresses-potential-of-hong-kong-as-export-destination-for-pakistan/
Why pinning hopes on US election is wrong
Ehsan
Malik 17 Aug 2020
Joe Biden is leading President Trump in
popularity polls. There is a growing likelihood that there will be a change in
the White House on Jan 20, 2021. With that comes a misplaced expectation of
radical change in US policy towards Pakistan.
The hope is that the United States will adopt
an aggressive stance to outdo the Chinese influence through trade and
investment.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the most vocal
candidate on trade during the Democratic primaries, outlined nine principles
that aspirants for trade deals with the United States needed to meet. These
covered labour and human rights, child labour, religious freedom, curbing
bribery and corruption, climate change, transparency in taxation and currency
movement (read the Financial Action Task Force. Given the country’s own record
on some of these principles, the list indicated that for her trade deals per se
were not a particularly high priority.
Unlike China’s, the US private sector is
independent of the government. Only Pakistan’s investment fundamentals will
influence the decision
Mr Biden believes that prior to entering into
further trade deals, the United States needs to improve its ability to compete.
He has spoken about creating 10 million new jobs in environment-friendly
sectors.
The United States is Pakistan’s largest export
destination. Nearly 80 per cent of its exports are textile products. Yet we
rank seventh, with a mere 2.8pc share in the total textile imports of the
United States. Thirty-two of the top 50 textile items that the United States
imports are made from man-made fibres in which Pakistan has less than 1pc
share. Also, most countries ahead of Pakistan in the US textile import league
do not enjoy more favourable market access than Islamabad.
Thus, Pakistan needs to address productivity
and product range. Of course, a limited preferential trade agreement covering
(mainly) textiles and rice from Pakistan in exchange for cotton and soybean
from the United States will help close the productivity gap but reduce the
incentive to address it. A wider free trade agreement is not in Pakistan’s
interest owing to its weak agriculture sector.
There are a number of reasons why the United
States is unlikely to get into an investment race with China. Unlike China’s,
the US private sector is independent of the government and will not take
direction. Government guarantees can facilitate investment, but it is
Pakistan’s investment fundamentals that will influence the decision.
Issues such as the ease and cost of doing
business and enforcement of intellectual property rights are major determinants
in the investment decision, which Pakistan needs to address. A country that is
unable to attract local investment (other than in guaranteed-return or
protected sectors) cannot realistically hope to attract foreign investment. Not
surprisingly, there is hardly any Chinese private-sector investment here.
Secondly, Pakistan’s foreign direct investment
(FDI) policy has failed to guide foreign investment in sectors other than
fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) that leverage the country’s demographic
dividend. It has brought limited new technology and led to no meaningful
exports. There are several US, UK, Dutch and other FMCG investors operating
here already. However, Pakistan needs policies to attract investment in
agriculture, horticulture, cold chain, tourism and fisheries. There isn’t even
a single foreign investor of note in Pakistan’s major export sector — textiles.
If the customer is (nearly) always right, the United States is our largest
customer of textiles and can surely invest and help improve our range and
sophisticate our offerings.
One of the core impediments to competitiveness
of Pakistan’s industry is productivity which, in turn, is a function of
education and training. The energy cost, other than for some export sectors, is
also higher than that in the region. Per-acre productivity of all major crops
is well below the global best. The cost of moving goods is high. Provinces
don’t compete for investment. Special economic zones exist on paper only. The
tax base is narrow. Industry carries a disproportionate fiscal burden. Pakistan
has been de-industrialising. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB),
established to check public-sector corruption, keeps ‘nabbing’ private-sector
investors. This is hardly an investment-friendly environment.
Whilst the United States and others can guide
in improving the investment climate, we — the government, parliament and the
private sector — need to address key issues. Let’s stop dreaming. Santa Claus
isn’t coming anytime soon. Let’s fix our house.
The writer is the CEO of Pakistan Business
Council
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance
Weekly, August 17th, 2020
https://www.dawn.com/news/15747636 good foods that blur
differences between India & Pakistan
TIMESOFINDIA.COM
| Last updated on - Aug 15, 2020, 21:46 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshareComments (2)
01/8Foods that
blur difference between Indian and Pakistani cuisine
If you have just had a serving
of steaming hot and spicy biryani, gulab jamun and a glass of chilled lassi,
could you tell whether it was an Indian lunch or Pakistani? The two countries
share a lot of commonalities ranging from history, culture, language and
cuisine. Good food has the power to blur the differences between India and
Pakistan and bring everyone together. In the spirit of unity in diversity, here
are 6 foods that are made and loved by both countries.
02/8Samosa
Indian or Pakistani, nobody can
resist the temptation of these yummy packets of flavours! Stuffed with spicy
mashed potatoes with peas, crushed peanuts and sometimes even cottage cheese,
samosa is loved equally in both the countries. Just like varieties of samosa
exist in India, Pakistanis also experiment with different types of savoury
fillings ranging from veggies to meat.
03/8Gol Gappe
Gol gappe! Even the mention of
these tangy balls of deliciousness makes the mouth water, no matter the
nationality. Gol gappe filled with tasty mashed potatoes, zesty chutneys,
tamarind or mint water, chickpeas and yoghurt are popular in both the
countries. No matter where you are in India or Pakistan, you will have the
choice to enjoy your gol gappe with sweet or tangy chutney (or both!).
04/8Kulfi
Falooda
The bowl of sinfully sweet
kulfi falooda made with kulfi, fresh milk and silky noodles appeal equally to
both Indian and Pakistani people. Varieties of the heavenly falooda are popular
in Lahore just as it is in north Indian regions like Delhi or Lucknow and south
Indian cities of Hyderabad or Bangalore. (And the entire country, for that
matter!).
05/8Biryani
How can this list be complete
without Biryani? From the online ordering trend of the last three years, we
already know about India’s everlasting love for Biryani. A variety of this
flavoursome dish made with aromatic rice, spices and juicy pieces of meat is
also equally loved in Pakistan. Just like we experiment with the kinds of
spices, vegetables and meats we use in our biryanis, they do too, and now
countless versions of it exist in both the countries!
06/8Kebabs
Seekh kebabs, shami kebabs,
chapli kebabs and so many others succulent and spicy kebabs cause an explosion
of flavours in the mouth. Who doesn’t want such a treat, no matter where they
come from? Numerous varieties of soft and juicy kebabs are relished in both
countries, even though they might look a little different from each other.
07/8Gushtaba
If you have not tasted this
rich Pakistani dish made with balls of minced meat dipped in a tangy gravy of
spices and yoghurt, you are missing out on a lot! Gushtaba is known as ‘dish of
the kings’ and is famous especially in the Indian region of Kashmir. It melts
in the mouth and washes the taste buds will pure deliciousness!
08/8Let
cooking techniques be the only difference!
There are countless other
dishes that are shared by both Indian and Pakistani cuisine such as Nahari,
Haleem, Korma, Lassi, Dahi Bhalley, Pulao, Sheemal, and so many more!
Variations remain, of course, in the choice of ingredients, meats, vegetables,
spices and cooking style.
Harmful bacteria lurk in Istanbul street food, says research
ISTANBUL
Many popular
snacks sold by street vendors in Istanbul failed to clear safety tests, with
lab reports of samples that showed the presence of harmful bacteria.
Pathogenic
bacteria were detected in most of the foods sold on the street such as rice,
chicken döner, sandwich and kokoreç (lamb
intestine), reported in year-long research by a group of academics and
scientists from Istanbul Gelişim University.
“Staphylococcus
aureus” was found in 65 percent of the foods tested, while “e.coli” was
detected in 25 percent of those products.
These bacteria
are known to cause food poisoning, infections or serious illnesses.
Street foods
were examined in a laboratory environment to measure their microbiological
quality, then a survey was conducted to measure the food safety knowledge of
street vendors, and finally, hand samples were taken from them in three stages
of the research.
“We found
salmonella in 10 percent of the foods tested. It is also a bacterium that
causes typhoid,” said Murat Doğan from the research group.
“Since
salmonella is a very risky bacterium, it may cause major problems in the human
body when ingested. Millions of people died in the past from typhoid fever,”
Doğan added.
Noting that the
study was the first comprehensive research conducted in the country for the
evaluation of street foods in terms of food safety, he pointed out the
potential damage of microorganisms found in food.
Underlining
that “staphylococcus aureus,” also known as staph, causes food poisoning in
particular, the researcher noted that the biggest threat to public health is
“e.coli.”
“This bacterium
is fecal-borne, a major threat to public health. There is a major problem in
terms of food safety in street foods. This situation should be taken under
control as soon as possible,” Doğan stressed.
Among the list
of street foods that contain bacteria of e.coli include chicken döner, rice
with chicken, Albanian style fried diced liver, sandwich, and toast, according
to the research.
Problematic
results were obtained in terms of hygiene in nine out of 10 hand samples
received from vendors within the scope of the research.
The research
pointed out that sellers should wash their hands frequently rather than wear
gloves, while the environment where the products are stored should also be
disinfected.
Speaking to
Demirören News Agency, many street vendors claimed that the results of the
research are not correct and do not reflect the truth.
“We do not sell
something that our customers wouldn’t like to eat. We must always give the best
to get customers,” said Halil Ece, a kokoreç seller.
“We are careful
to not work without wearing our masks and gloves,” he added.
Another rice
seller noted he was careful not to work without his mask and gloves even before
the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Whenever a
customer comes, I disinfect the tables with a washcloth,” he said.
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/harmful-bacteria-lurk-in-istanbul-street-food-says-research-157452
DOST-PNRI
scientists bag awards on NCRP scientific conference
Philippine Information Agency
17 Aug 2020, 00:38 GMT+10
QUEZON CITY, August 16 (PIA) -- The Department of Science
and Technology- Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) scientists
and researchers received several awards at the Annual Scientific Conference and
87th General Membership Assembly of the National Research Council of the
Philippines (DOST-NRCP) held virtual last June 30.
Awardees were recognized for their significant
contributions to their respective fields and research advancements that
benefited the different sectors of the economy.
Dr. Lucille Abad (left) and Dr. Custer Deocaris (right)
from DOST-PNRI were among the 10 awardees for Outstanding Filipino Researchers
under the DOST-NRCP Achievement Awards.
Dr. Lucille Abad and Dr. Custer Deocaris of DOST-PNRI
Atomic Research Division were among the awardees for Outstanding Filipino
Researchers under the DOST-NRCP Achievement Awards.
Dr. Abad was awarded for her major research and
development projects which are the Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter that increases
the yield of rice and other crops and the Hydrogel Wound Dressing for burns,
wounds, and bedsores. On the other hand, Dr. Deocaris is a multi-awarded
science and technology broadcast journalist and also a DOST Balik Scientist
with a wide range of postdoctoral work in neuroscience, sports science, and
embryology.
DOST-NRCP is a collegial body of scientists and
researchers that provides policy recommendations and invaluable support for the
country's ever-growing R&D efforts which contribute to national development.
(JLB/PIA-IDPD)
The expert explained how to get rid of arsenic in rice
Popular
cereal can cause serious harm, if do not follow the rules of its preparation.
British
scientists recently were shocked by the message about elevated levels of
arsenic in popular among the population cereal — rice. They even have
established a link between increased mortality from cardiovascular disease and
the amount of rice eaten. The poison contained in the product, enters the body
and accumulates there, it is gradually poisoning and leading to premature
death.
Famous
Russian nutritionist Elena Solomatina did not deny the findings of foreign
researchers.
British
scientists at this time are largely correct, — quotes the words of an expert
“KP”. The rice culture is hygroscopic, it grows in water and absorbs water from
all sorts of toxins. By the way, on this property based rice and various
cleansing programs that need fasting eat rice, boiled in seven waters. It acts
like a sponge and absorbs toxins from our intestines. But just as the rice
absorbs all the toxic substances from water, in which grows.
Infected
with various salts of heavy metals and arsenic in ground water really saturate
poisons plants, and then they deliver it to the body. Thus in brown rice that
are considered diet, toxins even more than processed white.
Dietitian
gave advice on how to best protect themselves from poisoning by poison
contained in the rice, without abandoning its use.
It is
best before cooking the rice soak for 12 hours. Moreover, after 6 hours drain
the water and pour a new batch.
You can
also double the amount of liquid in which cooked rice. Not take three parts
water to one part rice, and pour one part rice to six parts water. After
completely cooked, drain the water in the sink. Solomatin says that a large
part of the toxins will go together with the liquid. Really and vitamins with
trace elements too.
https://thesaxon.org/the-expert-explained-how-to-get-rid-of-arsenic-in-rice/25669/
Rice Export from India Increases by More Than
50%
Traders of non-basmati rice optimistic about
exports as demand from countries increase to maintain food security. Rice
export from India increases by more than 50%.
Increase in Non-Basmati Exports
The exports of non-basmati rice have registered
a growth of 52% in the first two months of the current fiscal year. The
quantity of exports has increased to 11.13 lakh tonnes in
the April-May period of FY21 from 7.3 lakh tonnes in the same period of FY20. The export of non-basmati rice was declining
from the last two years.
Non-Basmati and Basmati Rice Exports to Increase in India by Over
50%
Growth in Demand From Several Countries
The Rice Exporters Association President, BV
Krishna Rao, said that the non-basmati exports have rebounded. He attributed to
demand from traditional buyers in the African region owing to a surge in Thai
rice prices for such an increase. Apart from this, the non-basmati rice
shipments have picked up in Malaysia, Philippines, and Russia for food security reasons. Further, he said
that competitive prices, abundant production, and favourable currency have
contributed to the jump in exports. The country touched an all-time high in
rice production to 117.94 mt in 2019-20 from 96 mt in 2010-11. Moreover, the
current Kharif season has registered a 17% higher
plantation, which will further aid the exports.
Drop in Exports of Non-Basmati Exports in 2018
Explaining the downward trend in non-basmati
exports after 2018, Rao said that the drop was due to increased MSP provided by
the government. Also, farmers lost interest in exports as the
government procured huge quantities form them. However, he is optimistic that
this year the exports will touch FY18 levels of 8.64 million tonnes.
Increase in Demand From Bangladesh
Rao also mentioned prospects for an increase in
demand from Bangladesh. Suraj Agarwal, CEO, Tirupati Agri Trade explained rice
consumption in the country has risen as people are staying indoors owing to
the pandemic. The Bangladesh government is considering
imports amid the slow procurement.
In all, the export association is hoping a high
volume of non-basmati exports this year.
Tags: Africa, bangladesh, basmati exports, farmers, Food security, Fy18, FY20, kharif, malayasia, malaysia, non-basmati exports, non-basmati rice, pandemic, philippines, plantation, Rao, Rice Exporters
Association, rice production, Russia, slow procurement, tirupati Agri trade, traditional buyers
https://www.grainmart.in/news/rice-export-from-india-increases-by-more-than-50/
Border
closure should be reviewed
ONE year
after Nigeria’s land borders were closed to its West African neighbours, the
President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ought to undertake a
critical review of the policy. Citing economic losses and illegal arms/drugs
trade, Nigeria abruptly shut its borders with Benin Republic in August 2019.
Not satisfied with the outcome, it extended the ban to the land trade with all
its neighbours in October, a tactic that has reverberated around the
sub-region. Additionally, it prohibited fuel supply to petrol filling stations
within 20-kilometre radius of its borders. These decisions were rightly taken
to protect the economy from the nefarious consequences of smuggling. Given
however that no robust economy can be an island unto itself, the first
anniversary of the closure is appropriate to accomplish a comprehensive
re-evaluation of the painful closure.
Without
doubt, Nigeria has strong reasons for its drastic action. Chief among them are
the unchecked smuggling of petroleum products it pays a premium for and the
persistent violation of the ECOWAS protocol on goods in transit. Neighbouring
countries route goods destined for Nigeria through their ports, tamper with the
seals of the containers and re-export such products to Nigeria through
smuggling, making huge profits. Rice, palm oil, frozen poultry products, used
vehicles and several other products under partial or outright ban in Nigeria,
are widely smuggled into the country with tacit approval by neighbouring
governments.
An
obvious case is Benin Republic: its imports per capita are far too large for
its 11 million population. After Nigeria raised its tariff on rice imports to
70 per cent in 2013, Benin crashed its own from 35 per cent to five per cent in
2014. A 2018 study found that Benin was the sixth largest importer of rice in
the world from Thailand. The rice ends up mainly in Nigeria. This undermines
the economy and efforts to revive domestic agriculture.
Nigeria
also suffers hugely from fuel smuggling. Going by records from the Major Oil
Marketers Association of Nigeria, between 10 and 20 per cent of Nigeria’s fuel,
which it imports at the expense of its economy, is smuggled across the borders.
It loses revenue from import duties on smuggled vehicles. Cattle-rustling is
rampant in the northern outposts. Worst of all is the illicit arms trade. In
this, terrorists and bandits exploit the loose and undermanned border routes to
flood Nigeria with arms being deployed for their nefarious activities. Thus,
Nigeria acted to end the subversion of its territorial integrity and security.
In
retrospect, Nigeria has recorded some gains in the past 12 months. In
particular, customs revenue jumped by 30 per cent to N8 billion daily, the
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, stated. The poultry industry
rose in value by N50 billion. Buhari said, “Nigeria saved millions of dollars from
rice imports.” Temporarily, smuggling of goods and arms reduced. In turn,
genuine importers diverted their goods and raw materials to the congested
seaports.
The
measures have taken a dystopian turn as there are strong indications that
Nigeria is losing more than the income it is gaining, particularly in export
trade and jobs. Take inflation, it has climbed upward steadily since the border
closure. The inflation rate, which was 11.2 per cent at the beginning of the
partial border closure, climbed to 11.85 per cent in November, the highest rate
since May 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics said. In January, it was
12.13 per cent and 12.40 per cent by May.
Although
the NCS said it has seized rice consignments worth N3.5 billion during the
closure, SBM Intelligence, an economic research firm, says that export-oriented
firms are closing down. Beverage manufacturers, among others, reportedly lost
trillions of naira of raw materials that have been stuck at the borders.
“Nigerian authorities assume that a border closure works only one way – on the
import side. But it bears reiterating that the country is actually a net
exporter via the land borders and this closure affects these exporters,” SBM
noted. “There is a net loss to the economy in terms of export revenue,” the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria added. This is not good enough.
It is
just as hard on domestic jobs. The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs
Agents estimated that 1,000 customs brokers and 200,000 industry employees have
lost their jobs to the ban. A study calculated that in the past 10 months,
about three million Nigerians whose businesses depend on the cross-border
trade, are jobless. As the borders in the North remained porous, not much was
gained. Arms infiltration is evident, leading to the unusually high resurgence
in banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and terrorism, mainly in the North.
Although Nigeria claimed the moral high ground at the beginning of the closure,
the table is turning: ECOWAS countries are now outraged. Having precipitately
signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement deal three months before
the closure, other African countries might soon follow suit.
Unfortunately,
as Brookings Institution argues, “the region’s artificial and often porous
borders, a long history of regional trade, weak border enforcement, corruption,
and, perhaps most importantly, lack of coordination of economic policies among
neighbouring countries” pose serious problems. It is argued that border closure
should only be for a brief period to solve a particular problem. As
cross-border trade is vital to the economic wellbeing of contiguous countries,
lengthy border closures do not solve any real economic problems. Therefore, the
Buhari regime should change tack and get down to the hard work of reviewing the
effects of the closure in the past year. Partially, smuggling is thriving
because Nigeria’s borders are porous and containment efforts inefficient. It
has about 80 legal border outposts, but over 1,400 illegal crossings. This is
overwhelming for the security agencies to guard, but by introducing technology,
much can be achieved. Chips and tracking devices on containers are very
effective. Modern scanners, which quicken the clearing of goods, are ready
tools.
To
revive exports, Nigeria could involve the multilateral organisations to oversee
the implementation of the tripartite committee of Nigeria, Benin and Niger to
curb the smuggling of goods, arms and illicit drugs.
Most
importantly, the regime should do more to diversify the economy; bridge the
wide gap between the official and black-market rates of the naira; end fuel
subsidy and improve ports operations immediately.
.
Contact: theeditor@punchng.com
https://punchng.com/border-closure-should-be-reviewed/
Rice
tariff collections top P11 billion — BoC
August 16, 2020 | 7:31 pm
PHILSTAR
RICE TARIFF collections totaled P11.036 billion
in the seven months to July, up 4% year on year despite lower import volume,
according to Customs data obtained by BusinessWorld.
The volume of imported rice dropped 26.2% from
a year earlier to 1.705 million metric tons.
In mid-July, the Bureau of Customs (BoC)
exceeded the P10 billion worth of tariffs that must by law go to the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which will support farm mechanization
and other measures to allow farmers to better compete against imports.
The RCEF is authorized by Republic Act (RA) No.
11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.
The BoC collected P12.1 billion from rice
tariffs last year. Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar has asked the Budget
department to release the P2 billion worth of excess revenue.
The Agriculture department wants to use the
excess as follows: P1 billion for the crop diversification program and P1.1
billion to expand crop insurance.
RA 11203 was signed into law in February 2019,
allowing unrestricted imports by private parties, who need to pay 35% tariffs
on Southeast Asian grain. The tariffs fund the RCEF budget of P10 billion a
year. — Beatrice M. Laforga
https://www.bworldonline.com/rice-tariff-collections-top-p11-billion-boc/
The
reverent relationship of man and beast
In a
bygone era, peasant farmers and their buffaloes tilled the fields and fed the
world
PUBLISHED : 17 AUG 2020 AT 04:30
NEWSPAPER SECTION: LIFE
WRITER: SUTHON SUKPHISIT
photo: PRASIT TANGPRASERT
In the old days, farmers considered buffaloes
their best friends and they were deeply bonded. The animals were not just
powerful, but were also very reliable helpers in rice fields. Nowadays, we
rarely see the beasts working in the fields because they have been replaced by
machines.
Peasants in the Central Plains were tightly
connected to their buffaloes due to environmental and natural factors.
Regretfully, the virtue of the peasants and their mighty yet obedient beasts
belong to a bygone era.
Years ago, there were neither irrigation
systems nor water gates to break the runoffs from rivers during rainy season.
Rainwater flooded the fields, making the condition favourable to rice farming,
the main occupation of people living in the region.
A cycle starts at the end of summer when
farmers start tilling the ground. They would set off from their homes with buffaloes
and start working before dawn. A plough is tied over the buffalo's shoulder and
the beast drags it through the hard soil while its owner follows closely
behind. When the Sun gets high, both farmer and buffalo take a break. The
farmer eats the breakfast his wife had delivered to him while the buffaloes are
released to feed themselves with weeds and grass. The chore restarts in the
afternoon for a short period. Then the buffaloes are released again for resting
and feeding.
In late afternoon, the owner herds the
buffaloes back home to let them wallow in the swamp in front of the house. Some
farmers even bath the ruminants before putting them in the pen under the house,
pilled with freshly cut grass. The surrounding area is kept clean. Leaves and
trash are burned to thwart mosquitos from disturbing the animals. More
importantly, the smoke that seeps through the space between floor planks helps
At the onset of monsoon season, water runoff
fills the rice fields. The peasants together with their beasts continue their
work in the field doing the second tillage to make the soil friable and smooth,
ready for sowing rice seeds. During breakfast and lunch breaks, buffaloes are
released to munch the grass. Most often, the animals take to mud bathing to
keep their bodies cool.
The same routine is followed in the evening.
The farmer herds his buffaloes back home; lets them soak and wash in the canal
before entering the pen; and burns the weeds and wood to create a smoke to
drive the insects away.
Prior to the peak of rainy season, the pen is
relocated to higher ground to avoid being flooded. Buffaloes are kept in the
pen and eat straw their owner provides.
When water slowly floods rice fields, the Kor
Khor rice adapts, growing higher above the water. Grass and morning glory also
sprout in the rice field. The peasants have to row a boat to get rid of the
weeds so they don't swarm over the rice plants. As a bonus, the removed weed
becomes ideal fresh foliage for the buffaloes.
At the end of rainy season, the water begins to
flow from the rice fields to rivers and canals. This is what the peasants have
been waiting for. They cast fishing nets to trap the fish swimming out of the
rice field. There are varieties of fish that can be preserved and kept for a long
time.
When the cool season comes, water in the field
dries up while rice seeds are ripe and ready for harvest. The peasants in the
Central Plains would help each other harvest their crops, the tradition
commonly known as long khak.
The harvested rice is loaded in the cart and
pulled back by the buffaloes to the threshing area near the house. The smooth
and soft threshing ground is called laan nuad khao in
Thai. The animal is then made to walk in a circle on the piles of rice to
remove the grains from the stalks.
The paddy grains are collected in a barn of
which the inside of the wall is coated with a mixture of clay and buffalo
droppings. This primitive technique effectively insulates the barn against
volatile temperature and keeps the grain safe from insects.
Most of the grain is loaded into the boats to
sell to rice millers, with some portion kept for consumption. After rice
growing activities have wound down, tending the buffaloes will continue. The
animals will be released to eat grass and rice stalks left over in the field or
remaining straw after harvest.
The timing coincides with summer school
holidays and the kids are usually assigned to tend the buffaloes. They would
let the animals graze in the field while they play with friends in the huts or
shelters nearby. Late in the afternoon, the kids bring their animals back home
and allow them to wallow in the dock in front of their homes as usual.
The peasants typically keep both male and
female buffaloes. The newborn calves are raised to work on the farm, with some
male calves sold.
When the buffaloes get very old and die the
owner would ask their neighbours to dissect the meat and give to those who want
some. Normally the owners do not eat the meat of their own buffaloes as they
feel too attached to the animals that had tended their fields for a long time.
But they would keep the skin to use as a leather thong and keep the skull with
horns as a fond memory. No matter how long the time passes, the owner will
always remember the name of each one of them.
This cycle of life is closely connected between
a peasant and his buffalo. It is a natural bond so profound that is hard to put
into words. Sadly, such sweet old days no longer exist and will never return.
lean chit gives Haryana
liquor scam political twist
Is the
state’s coalition government heading for major showdown in the high-profile
liquor scam? wonders Rajesh Moudgil
By
-
August
15, 2020
The
first-time Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party (BJP-JJP) coalition
government in Haryana is heading for a major showdown with the deputy chief
minister (Dy CM) and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala giving a clean chit to a
senior excise and taxation department officer whose role has been questioned by
the state government’s special enquiry team (SET) in the high profile liquor
scam case.
It was
about four months ago that the chief minister Manohar Lal had set up the SET
findings of which were recently shared with media by home minister Anil Vij. He
recommended action against excise and taxation commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi —
an IAS officer — on the basis of SET’ observations. Within a day after Vij
recommended the action, Dushyant gave Vidyarthi a clean chit.
The SET
which was formed in May this year following reports of large-scale smuggling
and sale of liquor across the state during lockdown period due to Covid-19 – in
its report has pointedly observed that Vidyarthi only gave verbal instructions
to order the closure of liquor vends during the lockdown, delayed information
to SET and also hampered the visit of the SET to a distillery.
Dushyant
who also holds the excise and taxation portfolio, differed with the SET’s
observations and defended Vidyarthi and said he was a senior officer who had
done a good job. He went on to say that the SET did not take into account many
aspects before making such observations.
Taking a
swipe at SET and the police department functioning he added that SET talks
about 14 FIRs majority of which were registered before he took over the excise
department. Asking what action was taken in these FIRs, he categorically said
that was it not the police’s inefficiency that they could not investigate
beyond the driver of the vehicles carrying liquor. He further tore into the
police department functioning and said it was more of the police which failed
to perform. “The SET has not examined several issues properly’’, he held.
The SET
was formed on May 11 which gave its report on July 30. Headed by additional
chief secretary T C Gupta, it had another IAS officer Vijay Singh and IPS
officer Subhash Yadav as its members, though after Yadav’s retirement, another
IPS officer Muhammad Akil was included in the team.
The SET
has observed that the excise and taxation commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi
attempted to block SET’s visit to a distillery that it wanted to visit. The SET
also mentioned that despite instructions given by Dushyant Chautala on March 26
to shut down all the liquor vends in the state due to Covid lockdown, Vidyarthi
did not issue any written instructions in this regard.
Govt for
action
The
chief minister Manohar Lal on being asked for his take on Dushyant’s reaction on
SET findings, has held that “while one could agree or disagree with SET’s
observations, the government would go ahead with its (SET’s) findings as per
the law’’.
Aside
from departmental action against Vidyarthi, Vij has also recommended transfer
of the case to state vigilance bureau and written to the chief minister in the
context. He has recommended a comprehensive probe into the role of all the
officers and employees of both the department — excise and taxation and police
in the said case, by the vigilance bureau.
Of the
total 90 assembly seats the BJP could win only 40 seats and struck a
post-election alliance with JJP which won 10 seats to form the coalition
government. While Dushyant became the deputy chief minister another JJP MLA,
was made a minister. The JJP is a splinter group of Indian National Lok Dal
(INLD).
The case
The case
pertains to smuggling of over one crore liquor bottles from distilleries and
sale of the same on high premiums during the lockdown period in Haryana and
other states. It was also alleged that some influential people having political
connections were also involved.
The
state police and SET have arrested among a few others, Satwinder Singh Rana, a
former two-time MLA and JJP candidate from Kalayat assembly constituency in last
assembly election. He was said to have been arrested in connection with liquor
theft from a sealed godown in Panipat district’s Samalkha area. According to
police, Rana was one of the partners in the godown and the excise department
had sealed the liquor stock in the godown in 2016 for illegal liquor. Aside
from Rana, a liquor trader Bhupinder Singh, who was also said to have political
connections, was also already in police net.
Opposition’s
stance
Meanwhile,
leaders of the Congress, the main opposition party in Haryana have reacted
sharply on the ongoing case.
Party
state president Kumari Selja and AICC media incharge Randeep Surjewala have
alleged a collusion between liquor mafia and the state government. Demanding a
high court judge monitored investigation to fix the real kingpin of the liquor
scam, they said the SET has given a half cooked investigation putting only the
small fries in the dock.
The
Congress which had sought probe by special investigation team (SIT) had also
objected the formation of SET as the SET was neither empowered to hold
investigation nor had any legal validity.
The INLD
leader Abhay Chautala also alleged involvement of home minister and excise
minister in the case and sought a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI).
It is
not the first instance when the differences between BJP and JJP leaders have
come to the fore.
About a
fortnight ago only, taking a note of alleged large scale corruption in revenue
department and unscrupulous registration of property in the state especially in
Gurugram, the chief minister’s flying squad had lodged several police cases.
Subsequently one tehsildar and six naib tehsildars were suspended in
Gurugram.
Khattar
who admitted that irregularities had been detected, immediately ordered to stop
registration of property pan Haryana. He held that the registration of property
would be done only after improving the system in which plans are afoot to
integrate all the concerned departments such as revenue, urban local bodies,
town and country, police and litigation.
Dushyant,
who also holds revenue portfolio, however, on the other hand, later briefed
media and said that there was no corruption in the department and that the
registration of property was stopped so as the entire system for the same could
be further improved.
Earlier
also, while the government acted sternly against some of the rice millers in
the dubious procurement case in the state, Dushyant held there were no
irregularities. The government, has, however, slapped fines of 90 crore on some
of the millers.
http://tehelka.com/clean-chit-gives-haryana-liquor-scam-political-twist/
ODDS AND ENDS: Vampire tongues and other
offbeat offerings
Author of the article:
Publishing date:
Aug 15, 2020 • Last Updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
You could say these fishes’ tongues had minds
of their own.
GIVE ME
SHELTER: Reported spike in crime frustrates Yonge-Eg residents
Photos have surfaced online of a vampire
parasite living in the mouth of a fish after it ate the animal’s tongue.
Scientist Kori Evans posted pictures of X-ray
scans that show a tongue-eating louse known as an isopod living in the skull of
a wrasse fish. This four-centimetre-long parasite invades a fish through its
gills and attaches itself inside of the mouth via claws.
The isopod then drains the tongue of blood, so
much so that the organ dies and falls off. In its place is the parasite.
“I found a tongue-eating isopod in one of our
wrasse scans this morning while digitizing it,” Evans, a fish scientist at Rice
University, said in a tweet.
Advertisement
Article content continued
“These parasites attach themselves to the
tongues of fishes and effectively become the new tongue … horrifying.”
The vampire parasite makes its home in the Gulf
of California as well as in parts of the Atlantic Ocean, according to the U.K.
Sun. While the parasite doesn’t kill the fish, the animal does use it as a
substitute tongue.
It’s not known whether if the isopod is harmful
to humans.
Backsides of organic beef cows standing in a row. FILE
PHOTO/Getty Images
PAINTED EYES ON CATTLE BUTTS PROVIDES
PROTECTION FROM LIONS
Eyes on your booty will keep the lions away.
In a study published in Communications Biology,
researchers believe painting a pair of eyes on the backsides of livestock will
scare off preying animals such as lions. The study — entitled “Artificial
eyespots on cattle reduce predation by large carnivores” — noted many large
cats such as lions and tigers are ambush predators that rely on stalking their
prey while having the element of surprise.
Researchers noted the cats will abandon the
hunt if they are seen by their prey. According to website Science Alert, the experts tested this theory by
painting eyes on the butts of cattle located in the Okavango delta region in
Botswana.
Researchers determined lions were largely
responsible for killing cattle in the area. After painting the eyes on the
rears of cattle, they found lions were less likely to attack the animals.
The paint is a simple and low-cost initiative
farmers can use to protect their livestock from ambush predators, stated the
study’s authors.
Advertisement
Article content continued
The researchers studied 2,061 cattle over a
four-year period. The animals were kept within a predator-roof enclosure where
one-third of the animals had eyes painted on their butts, one-third with
painted cross-marks and the remaining were unmarked.
Of all the cows, researchers concluded none of
the eye-painted cows were killed by predators while 13 of the unpainted and
four of the cross-painted cattle were killed.
The Google Maps app is seen on an Apple iPhone 4S on December 13,
2012 in Fairfax, California. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/Getty Images
MAN DISCOVERS WIFE’S AFFAIR ON GOOGLE MAPS
If you’re going to participate in extra-marital
affairs, try not to do it in plain view of Google cameras.
A heartbroken Peruvian man found out his wife
was cheating on him after discovering an image of her and her new lover on
Google Maps.
In images that went viral on social media, a
Google Maps 360-degree camera had captured the image of the man’s wife with
another man as they lounged on a bench along a pedestrian path in Lima, Peru.
Advertisement
Article content continued
The image shows a woman wearing a black top and
white shirt sitting on the bench and a man stretched out on the bench with his
head on her lap.
While both of the lovers’ faces were blurred,
the sleuthing man was able to recognize his wife by the clothes she was
wearing, the Daily Express reported.
The brokenhearted man reportedly confronted his
cheating wife, who admitted to the affair. The couple later divorced.
WOMAN STRIPPED OF PANTS BY OVER-PROTECTIVE
BISON
Those attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in
South Dakota last week likely got an eyeful of a woman’s backside after she was
attacked by a bison.
An unnamed 54-year-old Iowa woman was dragged
and trashed by a bison after she reportedly got too close to a calf on Wednesday.
In a video posted on Facebook by witness Jo Reed, the large animal can be seen
grabbing the woman and dragging her across the street into a grassy area.
As people looked on, the bison then violently
shook the woman, ripping her pants off in the process.
According to the Custer County Chronicle, about 500 bison blocked
the roadway in Custer State Park when the incident occurred.
Advertisement
Article content continued
Reed stated herds of bison appeared “everywhere
we went,” noting they were frisky and “punchy with each other.”
“We came around a curve just behind a group of
motorcyclists and there was a herd standing in the middle of the road, most
noticeably a cow and her calf which was nursing,” Reed stated. “Initially one
woman got off her bike and approached the herd and then more followed. It was a
tense moment.”
The woman was flown to a nearby hospital but
her injuries were not serious, the Chronicle reported.
https://torontosun.com/news/weird/odds-and-ends-vampire-tongues-and-other-offbeat-offerings
Japan Focus: Tea focus, Chupa Chups drinks,
bottled water radiation and more feature in our round-up
14-Aug-2020 - Last updated
on 14-Aug-2020 at 13:56 GMT
Tea focus, Chupa Chups drinks, bottle water radiation and more
feature in this edition of Japan Focus. ©Getty Images
Tea focus, Chupa Chups drinks, bottled water radiation and more
feature in this edition of Japan Focus.
Negativi-tea: Decline in Japan’s
domestic tea leaf consumption continues as RTD and coffee grow
Japan’s
domestic tea leaf consumption shows no sign of reversing its
longstanding decline with ready-to-drink beverages and coffee
continuing to gain popularity at its expense across the nation.
According
to the latest data from the National Tea Producing Federation, domestic tea
consumption fell from 811g per person in 2000 to 680g in 2018.
Founder
and president of Kyoto-based Global Japanese Tea Association (GJTA), Simona
Zavadckyte told FoodNavigator-Asia the traditional
way of preparing and consuming Japanese tea in a teapot may be perceived as
old-fashioned, especially among younger consumers.
Ayurvedic tea in Japan:
Start-up adds two new blends as sales reach the boil
Japanese
start-up eatreat.tea has formulated two Ayurvedic tea blends,
touted for its relaxation and refreshing functions.
The
first new blend is a chai-based tea (Japanese name: karada ga pokapoka) which
claims to relieve anxiety, warm the body, and help consumers feel calmer. It
contains cassia, roasted Japanese green tea, ginger roots, cardamom, cloves,
and licorice.
The
second blend (Japanese name: kibun ga sawayaka) is a tea said to provide
refreshing functions.
‘Fun and nostalgic’: Chupa
Chups launches first milk-based beverages in Japan market
Confectionery
giant Perfetti Van Melle has collaborated with Toyo Beverage to introduce
its first range of drinks in
Japan under the Chupa Chups brand.
The
products include a strawberry cream milk drink launched in July, and a cola
jelly drink scheduled to release in August.
Global parity: Radiation
levels in Japanese bottled water assessed nine years after nuclear accident
Radiation
levels in Japan’s bottled water – which soared in popularity following the 2011
Fukushima nuclear accident – have been found to be in line with levels
across the world.
According
to the Mineral Water Association of Japan, bottled water consumption increased
from 19.7 L/y per capita in 2010 to 31.7 L/y per capita in 2019.
On
average, people typically ingest 0.3 mSv/y of radiation from bottled water due
to naturally occurring radionuclides such as 238U, 232Th, 40K in
their diet. Drinking water contributes about 0.01 mSv/y.
Go fast or go home: Why food
and beverage firms need to innovate quickly to meet consumer needs amid
COVID-19
Brands
and suppliers need to innovate with speed and
agility to meet the meet changing demands from APAC’s consumers
amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert panel featuring a raft of top firms has
concluded.
The
discussion was held during the second FoodNavigator-Asia Unlocking Innovation
Online Series webinar, on the topic of ‘New Product Development and the
Evolving Consumer Landscape’.
The
five-person panel consisted of Lars Bredmose, senior director of dairy health
at Chr. Hansen, Eric Weisser, senior director of growth platforms at Ingredion
APAC, Dr Ana San Gabriel, associate general manager at Ajinomoto, Brad Burgess,
consultant and former head of international corporate affairs at JD.com and
Sarah Maddock, marketing transformation director at Heineken APAC.
Copyright
- Unless otherwise stated all contents of this web site are © 2020 - William
Reed Business Media Ltd - All Rights Reserved - Full details for the use of
materials on this site can be found in the Terms & Conditions
Major supermarkets in the UK are recalling
several popular household products over safety and contamination fears.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a
series of alerts for food and other consumables available at Waitrose,
Sainsbury's and Iceland.
Semi-skimmed UHT milk, scallops, rice, chicken
and dog food are among the new products being taken off the shelves.
Some have undeclared ingredients with others
may have possible microbiological contamination, salmonella or pieces of glass.
Anyone who has bought the items listed below
should not eat or use them.
They should instead return them to their local
supermarket or online provider as part of their next shop in exchange for a
full refund.
Here are the details of all the items being
recalled and still active on the FSA website:
Waitrose
Waitrose is recalling Waitrose and Partners
chicken satay with sweet chilli sauce.
This is because an incorrect dip has been
packed in the product resulting in fish and peanuts not being mentioned on the
label.
The presence of fish and peanuts has posed a
possible health risk of anyone with these allergies.
Pack
size: 85g
Best
before: August 17, 2020
Waitrose & Partners Slow Cooked Beef and
Ale Pie is being recalled because it contains hazelnuts and milk which are not
mentioned on the label.
This means the product is a possible health
risk for anyone with an allergy to nuts (hazelnuts) and/or an allergy or
intolerance to milk or milk constituents.
Product
details
Pack
size: 400g
Batch
code: L0125
Best
before: November 2021
Sainsbury's
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/tesco-asda-waitrose-iceland-aldi-18775493
Food
review: Curries rule supreme at The Vine
Andy
Richardson visits a restaurant that serves up pleasing mix of Indian, Chinese
and pub grub as well as an efficient ordering service.
Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka Massala, Chicken Balti, Chicken
Dopiaza. From The grill Chicken Tikka, Methi Tikka and Sheesh Kebab
It used to be a pub. The Vine would have been
like so many backstreet Black Country boozers back in the day.
It is tucked away in a heavily industrialised
area where a motorway junction, factories and terraced housing collide, mixing
commerce and community. Workers would have gathered to drink away their
troubles.
Covid-secure bar
The death of the pub, however, led to a change
and The Vine has long been a popular, casual restaurant in this bustling part
of West Brom.
Not far from the town’s Premiership Football
Stadium, it’s a hub for good times, mid-week sustenance and a place of
celebration after Chris Brunt has scored the winning goal against a team of
also-rans.
Run as a family business since 1978, it has
weathered all manner of storms; the desolation of Thatcher’s 1980s, the hard
times brought about by the financial crash and a decade of austerity. And then
came Covid-19.
Covid-secure
The Vine, however, is resilient.
Like so many well-run businesses that embed
themselves in a community, it has that most important of ingredients on its
daily menu: trust.
Locals know they’re not going to get ripped
off, that standards are high, staff are friendly and they can relax and switch
off as though they were at home.
It keeps up appearances, too. The Vine is
nicely furnished, a mix of modernity and tradition.
Covid secure dining at The Vine
A neat website and fresh branding give it a
contemporary edge but inside there are plenty of nooks and crannies in which to
hide.
Once upon a backstreet boozer, drinkers would
have gathered there for mild and scratchings. Not it’s sheesh kebab and rice.
The Vine is smart enough to avoid slavishly
attaching itself to a particular type of food.
Lunch time mixed platter
Though it markets itself as an Indian grill and
curry pub, the menu is the acme of diversity. There are few things as stolid
and English as fish and chips or jacket potatoes.
Both feature in a tucked-away corner labelled
Pub Grub.
Then there’s a Chinese menu, though The Vine
calls it fusion. Assorted stir fry dishes, honey-chilli numbers and variations
on a sweet and sour theme are given an Indian twist as the venue positions
itself as an everyman, catering to all people and all tastes.
Chicken Methi Curry with Boiled Rice
Curry, however is the dominant theme and a
nicely designed, no frills menu provides a list of classics, from saag, korma,
dopiaza and bhuna, to madras, jalfrezi, balti and rogan josh.
You pick a sauce, decided on a protein –
chicken, paneer, goat, lamb or prawn – and Robert is your mother’s brother.
The onset of Covid-19 has changed the way restaurants
operate – and diners dine. So while eating at home might once have been a last
resort, in the summer of 2020, it’s been normalised.
Chicken Madras and Bullet Naan Bread (spicy)
The smartest operators have adapted to that
paradigm shift by making it easy for people to click and collect, providing
efficient, utilitarian web pages that allow you to browse, click and buy with
consummate ease.
The Vine scores top marks for the way it
engages with people online. Ordering a takeaway is easier than picking up a box
of chicken from Nando’s.
A neat time-keeper tells you how long you’ll
have to wait – in my case, 18 minutes – so you can judge your journey and
literally arrive as the food comes from the kitchen.
Hydrabadi Biryani
There is one slight problem, of course, and
it’s this.
If you place an order and the kitchen gets it
wrong, as happened when I bought a midweek blow-out, it’s hard to make amends
later on.
So when I endeavoured to sample The Vine’s
much-trumpeted BBQ Grill by buying a chicken tikka, I ended up with a half-full
plastic tub of tikka sauce – and no chicken.
Mixed Wrap – Chicken Tikka and Sheesh Kebab
Gremlins, I’m sure, were to blame. The sauce,
incidentally, was fine, though the flame-grilled pieces of tikka has become an
itch that remains unscratched.
Covid-19 is neatly tucked away in The Vine
experience.
While there are plastic screens, address cards
for customers to fill out and plenty of hand sanitisers, visiting this
particular corner of West Bromwich doesn’t feel like a visit to A&E.
Kashmiri Tikka
The precautions necessary to maintain social
distancing and prevent the spread of the disease are all in place without ever
being overwhelming or interfering with the enjoyment of the restaurant.
The food was decent-to-good – with the exception
of the missing chunks of chicken tikka.
A claypot chicken was the highlight. A spicy,
slow-cooked dish was a flavour bomb primed to explode. Subtle and with pleasant
heat – like a warm day at the beach, rather than a day to get sun burned – it
comprised gently cooked pieces of moist and tender chicken with a fabulous
coriander chutney.
Chicken Rogan Josh with Pilau Rice
Aromatic and light, it was served with fluffy
basmati rice and was a stand-out dish. A peshwari naan was fine, filled with
sweetness and fluffy like a pillow, it acted as a scoop for the claypot dish.
A king prawn biryani was equally fabulous.
Generously filled with prawns, the rice was lightly spiced and seasoned while
the curry was a treat.
We finished with a taste of The Vine’s fusion
menu: chicken Manchurian.
Sheesh Kebab & Chips
By any other name, it was sweet and sour
chicken balls with a slightly hot finish; the much-vaunted Indian twist. They
were delicious, crisp on the outer and with bags full of flavour, they made for
a pleasant ending to dinner.
Service was good – and very, very quick. I’d
used their booking system to arrive dead on time and the food had literally
just arrived from the kitchen to the counter.
Having sanitised hands, filled out an address
form and already made pre-payment, there was nothing left to do but acknowledge
the smiles of the front of house staff and take it home.
Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka Massala, Chicken Balti, Chicken
Dopiaza. From The grill Chicken Tikka, Methi Tikka and Sheesh Kebab
The Vine impressed on pretty much all counts.
Competitively-priced, generously-proportioned
food that’s easy to order from a warm and helpful team help to explain why it’s
been a fixture for so many years.
The Baggies are back in the Premiership next
year and business should be booming. Boing Boing.
Sample menu
Starters
Chicken wings, £4.25
Spare ribs, £5.75
Methi tikka, £4.95
Mains
Claypot chicken curry, £7.95
Goat curry, £8.50
Lamb dhansak, £8.50
Sides
Boiled rice, £2
Cheese naan, £2.95
Chips, £2.50
http://agriculture.einnews.com/article/524115574/soadXeIK--wY86PW
Govt must first intervene in
market to keep rice prices stable
Published:
00:00, Aug 16,2020
THERE has been an increase in rice prices on
the city market although government authorities think that there would be more
than 5.5 million tonnes of surplus rice after meeting the domestic demand after
November. Rice prices went up in June after a bumper production of the boro
crop, which grows in March–May, and have remained high since then. The
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute says, as New Age reported on Saturday, that
there is no chance for rice shortage as the harvest of the aus crop, which
grows in July–August, is going on and the aman crop, which grows in
November–December, would arrive at the market in time. In such a situation, a
further increase in rice prices would be a burden for all, but especially for
poor, and middle- and fixed-income people, when a large number of them are
reported to have lost their income because of a growing joblessness and spent
their savings because of restricted economic activities so far for about five
months caused by COVID-19. A situation like this leaves the government to shore
up a couple of issues.
With more than 1 million tonnes of rice having
been in government stock, as food ministry data of early August show, and 29
per cent of the boro crop still having been in the stock of growers, as the
Rice Research Institute is reported to have claimed, the government hardly
appears to be in control of the rice market. Experts say that rice prices have
been unusually high for a few months as a group of profit-mongers have
manipulated the rice market on the excuse of flooding. They have also started
blaming the government for lack of an efficient market monitoring, which is
essential in controlling rice prices especially amidst the COVID-19 emergency
so that people do not face further hardship. This having been the case, the
government has had plans to import rice to keep the market stable amidst the
COVID-19 outbreak. The food ministry in July announced the plan and the food
minister on August 13 said that they were working on the import quantity and
the procedure, which could be a government-to-government affair, with reduced
duties and in a process not warranting international tender. Without making any
market intervention to stop the hoarding of rice and any price manipulation, a
decision to import rice could put growers in further jeopardy as growers are
said to get the highest of 40 of the price while the rest goes to traders and
rice mill owners. With a bumper production of the boro crop and almost no
foreseeable problem with the aus and the aman production, rice growers stand
the chance of not getting fair prices if rice is imported without any
stocktaking.
The government will certainly import rice if it
needs to. But it must first look into if the market is manipulated and stop any
profiteering motive of traders on the excuse of flooding and bad weather. It
must also take stock of rice in and out of hand and then make informed decision
on rice import so that growers are not deprived of fair prices.
Checking the country's
fast-shrinking arable land
Shahiduzzaman Khan
| Published: August 15, 2020 22:36:23
There is a need for
working out an effective plan to check the country's fast-shrinking arable land
and thus maintain the momentum in its food grain production.
Such view was expressed by
some agricultural experts at a seminar in the city recently. They say loss of
agricultural land would not help boost production, and we must find out a
proper solution to deal with the problem.
The fact remains that the
government alone can not put an end to unplanned construction of dwelling
houses on arable land. In such a situation, experts say, we have to find out a
way on how more crops could be produced from a small land. In this regard they
opine that non-government organisations (NGOs) operating in the countryside
need to supplement government efforts to develop the agricultural sector as the
country's 16 per cent GDP comes from agriculture.
It is hard to believe that
nearly 69,000 hectares of agricultural land have been shrinking annually due to
rapid industrialisation, unplanned urbanisation and increase in rural
settlements. Such a situation is pushing the country's food security at risk.
A study carried out in
this regard indicated a regular and increasingly declining trend in land
available for agriculture. Between 1976 and 2000, around 13,412 hectares of
agricultural land was lost. In contrast, in the subsequent period from 2000 to
2010 - 10 years - over 30,000 hectares of land was lost. Rapid urbanisation
with new roads and highways is occupying a vast tract of agricultural land
every year.
However, through the
efforts of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh
Agriculture Research Council (BARC), the country' crop production per unit of
land has considerably increased year by year. This has helped to negate the
effect of the continuing decline in availability of arable land all over
country.
As urban areas worldwide
continue to grow, the population spreads to the surrounding rural and suburban
areas. This puts pressure on farmers to give up their croplands and fields so
that houses in the countryside can be 'grown'. The loss of agricultural land to
urbanisation means an increase in environmental problems such as air quality,
transportation problems, loss of critical habitat and green space, and a
degradation of water quality.
Another reason that
agricultural land is lost is because of soil degradation, which is the loss of
a soil's natural fertility. When this occurs, the productivity of the land
decreases, without added use of fertilizers and other chemicals.
Urbanisation affects food
production in two ways - by removing agricultural land from cultivation, as
cities expand, and by reducing the number of family farms, as more farmers move
to cities. The spread of cities alone consumes enormous tracts of farmland in
much of the world.
As for Bangladesh,
long-term outlook appears to be bleak as unplanned growth of population is
complicating the process of meeting the demand for food, basic health
requirements and educational facilities - triggering unemployment and social
unrest.
The prospect is really
discouraging as resources are outrunning habitants. Trees are being chopped
down for fuel. Climatic disruption in recent times, followed by salinity
intrusion, shrinking farmlands and crop losses, has added much to the woes of
the people of the country.
What is alarming is that
the country, with the world's highest density of population, is fast losing
arable land due to growing industrialisation and rapid encroachment of human habitat
on farming areas. The country's fast growing population is now looking for new
land to build homes while entrepreneurs are going to the remote areas of the
countryside to set up factories.
There will be no
cultivable land left in Bangladesh in 50 years if lands are taken away for
non-farm purposes at the current annual rate. If the trend is not reversed now,
the country would permanently lose its food security, making its poor
population more vulnerable to volatile international commodity prices.
In order to reverse this
trend, the government has taken some steps including banning use of arable land
for purposes other than agriculture. This is no doubt a laudable step. A
high-level committee suggested that factories and educational institutions that
have already been built should now go vertical, instead of grabbing more arable
land.
The dwindling size of
farms, rise in landlessness and constant depletion of farmland are posing
formidable threats to Bangladesh's agriculture, increasing poverty and trapping
many ultra-poor people in a vicious circle. The average farm size has been
reduced to less than 0.6 hectares and the percentage of landless people stands
at 58 in a country where nearly 80 per cent of the ultra-poor live in rural
areas.
Worries about farmland
depletion at an alarming rate have fallen into deaf ears, while calls for
ensuring optimum utilisation of arable land and bringing fallow land under
cultivation remain in rhetoric alone. Successive governments concentrated all
their focus on higher production of rice, while import bills for fuel, cooking
oils and pulses continued to inflate.
Agricultural land loss is
a growing problem for Bangladesh with the increase in population. The ironic
thing about agricultural land loss is that the land is going away because of a
growing population that will require more agricultural products to sustain it.
A long-pending suggestion to bring changes in crop pattern for diversifying
agriculture remains unattended by the policymakers.
The causes of agricultural
land loss are often rooted in the growth strategies of urban areas and are
facilitated by politics and economics. The mitigation strategy for the problem
can be found in the same places.
Such decline in arable
land is worrisome. The authorities concerned should go for regular surveys of
arable land to present an accurate figure so that necessary steps can be taken
to save this land. It is quite a gigantic task, but it should be done at
regular intervals with minute attention.
Border
Closure Now Useless, Hurting Economy –Experts
Posted on August 16, 2020Author Comments
Offon
Border closure now useless, hurting economy –Experts
…as
Nigeria loses over N1trn export revenue
On August 20, it will be one year since the
Federal Government ‘partially’ closed the nation’s land borders. Manufacturers,
importers and freight forwarders are calling for its reopening, saying the
seeming indefinite border closure is now hurting more than it has healed the
economy. PAUL OGBUOKIRI reports
Dynamics of border closure
In August last year when the Federal Government
took the drastic step to close the land borders with its neighbours, not only
were the Boko Haram insurgents wrecking havoc in the North East and alleged
Fulani herdsmen killings being reported across the country, another dimension
of criminality, banditry and upsurge in kidnapping was sweeping across the
North West through the North Central towards the Southern Nigeria. All those
were blamed on the nation’s porous borders.
And to nib those in the bud the Federal
Government on August 20, 2019, introduced a joint military operation code named
‘Ex-Swift Response.’
Also, despite government’s ban on rice imports
from the land borders and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s listing of rice as one
of the items it will no longer allocate foreign exchange for its import;
imported rice smuggled into the country through the land borders continued to
flood the country, rubbishing the government’s backward integration programme
on rice.
An attempt to assess the performance of the
border closure which was a technical ban on imports and exports across the land
borders, shows that positive result has been achieved on rice smuggling into
the country with the recent report of a drastic fall in the quantity of rice
the Asian countries were able to export to Benin Republic, Niger, and Cameroon
in the last quarter of 2019 and first half of 2020.
Those three African countries are Nigeria’s
next door neighbours that have over the years acted as transit points for
smuggled foreign goods (including rice) into the continent’s largest economy.
However, not only has the impact of the border
closure yet to been felt on the nation’s security challenges, manufactures,
freight forwarders, imports and economists have called for the reopening of the
borders, saying it is hurting the economy more than it has healed it.
Economic repercussions of border closure
The continued closure of Nigeria’s borders to
neighboring countries will exacerbate the stagnation of the economy, Nigerian
financial experts have warned.
Titus Okunrounmu, a former Director of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said that the closure would stifle economic
growth of the country. Okunrounmu, who served as a Director in the department
of budgetary of the apex bank, said shutting down of borders will further
complicate economic challenges as the nation is still importing a lot of goods
into the country. “Closing the nation’s borders is not the solution to our
economic under-development,” he added.
The economy will continue to be stagnant
because the smugglers would find alternative means of bringing their goods into
the country and warned that the trend would negatively affect revenue
generation, the former banker said.
He urged the government to take steps to
develop the economy by looking inwards to proffer solutions to the immediate
problems affecting the economy. Meanwhile, the Association of Nigeria Licensed
Customs Agents said those 500 trucks loaded with perishable goods that were
stranded at Seme following the partial closure of the border have wasted.
Bisiriyu Fanu, a senior member of the
association, told reporters in Lagos that the stranded goods belonged to
genuine importers who had paid government duties but got stuck by the partial
border closure. According to him, the partial border closure is impacting
negatively on the nation’s economy.
“The impact of the closure is enormous, if you
go to some markets in Lagos like Balogun, Idumagbo, Idumota and Oyingbo, people
from neighboring countries who always patronize them are no more coming,” he
added.
Manufacturers count losses
According to the Acting Director General of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Paul Oruche, his members have in
the last one year lost over N1 trillion in export revenue to the African
countries due to the closure of the land borders. He said the seeming
indefinite border closure has disrupted trade between Nigeria and other
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries with severe
economic impacts as volume of trade within ECOWAS has declined from 12 to seven
per cent.
Oruche explained that the border closure is
severely affecting shipment of Nigerian manufactured goods to the ECOWAS
countries as Nigerian goods are still facing rejections in neighbouring
countries due to acrimony over the Federal Government’s refusal to reopen the
borders.
He said: “Closure of the land borders has
enormous implications for cross border economic activities around the country.
“The indications are now that the closure is indefinite.
While we share the concern of government on
issues of security and smuggling, we believe that the indefinite closure of
land borders is not the solution to the problem.”
Oruche insisted that it was unacceptable for
the Federal Government to shutdown the all the borders in the name of smuggling
of agric produce and ammunitions at the detriment of trade promotion and
facilitation along the ECOWAS trade corridor for one year now without reviewing
the adverse effects on businesses and the country’s economy in general.
He noted that there was no country in the world
where smuggling of products does not take place but that it is the
responsibility of government to control smuggling like other countries are
doing without shutting down the borders in a bid to encourage trading among
states. The border closure has sent danger signals to other ECOWAS countries in
the region as it is taking more than expected.
Oruche said: “What we are saying is to find a
way of encouraging trade among ourselves in sub- Sahara Africa. We are saying
that trade among ECOWAS countries is very low, it’s just 11 per cent or 12 per
cent in terms of volume in the region and the border closure has brought it to
seven per cent.
He further said that the result of a survey of
the impact of the border closure on Nigerian manufacturers indicate that “it
has been a huge challenge to them and many of them are scaling down jobs,
reducing costs because that the aspect of the export market is no longer
feasible, attractive and profitable.”
The Chairman, MAN Export Promotion Group
(MANEG), Ede Dafinone, said due to the current border situation, many companies
are in dire problems, saying that significant losses and many businesses are
about to collapse.
He stressed that there are companies who rely
on the West African market for additional sales to make profits, while some
manufacture locally in Nigeria for export, but have had their warehouse filled
with unsold inventory.
“From the government side, there may have be an
increase in revenue from payable duty but Customs should be trade facilitating
agency rather than a revenue-generating agency.”
Economy of border communities crippled
Meanwhile, the economy of the border communities may have been the most badly
hit by the indefinite border closure as an estimated three million people
formerly engaged in legitimate businesses have lost their jobs with about 90
per cent of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) either grounded or relocated.
Since its launch, those living in the
communities who had relied on border activities for their survival are now
living in abject poverty leaving many with no option than to embrace illegal
businesses (including smuggling) around the border corridors to put food on the
table for families. Ironically, since the closure of the border posts most of
border communities now rely on aiding smugglers who always invade Customs duty.
This is because villagers involved in haulage
of goods from one location to another for traders and importers are now left
with no legitimate means of livelihood than smuggling of petroleum products and
other movable goods.
Investigations revealed that even bank branches
operating around the border corridors have lost both their Nigerians and
neigbouring countries’ customers as no clearing agents go into the banking
halls to do transactions with no imported goods coming into the border for
clearing.
Last line
There are concerns about the continued closure
of the land borders and its possible impact on the implementation of the
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) expected to kick off next year,
having being delayed for implementation in July. Also, unilateral border
closures go against all commercial and freedom of movement treaties signed
under ECOWAS.
Besides, data from the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) showed that the nation’s inflation rate has maintained a
steady rise from 11.98 per cent recorded in December 2019 to 12.56 per cent in
June 2020. Food inflation equally rose to 15.18 per cent.
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/border-closure-now-useless-hurting-economy-experts/
The Philippines remains the world’s largest rice importer
August 15, 2020
A farmer spreads fertilizer granules
as he walks through his rice field in Bambang town, Nueva Vizcaya province.
Rice farmers in the country, many of them still relying on manual labor to
produce the staple, worry about competition from cheaper imported rice flooding
local markets. | Inquirer.net photo by Karlston Lapniten
THE
Philippines will continue to be the world’s largest rice importer until 2021
with the expected decline in local production, the United States Department of
Agriculture projected this week.
In its
latest report entitled “Grain: World Markets and Trade,” the USDA’s Foreign
Agricultural Service said that this year’s imports will decline by 10%,
reaching 2.6 million metric tons (MT).
However,
it will increase by 15% next year, with a projection of three million MT.
The USDA
also said rice imports of the Philippines in 2021 could decline to 3 million
metric tons from its earlier 3.3 million MT projection due to reduced
exportable supplies from Thailand and Vietnam, two of the country’s top sources
for the commodity.
“Global
trade is expected to contract with reduced imports by the Philippines, Nigeria
and Cote d’Ivoire as major exporters Thailand, China and Vietnam face tighter
supplies,” said the agency.
The USDA
projected a 0.5% decrease in global production next year, reaching 500.049
million MT.
However,
it pointed out that the latest projection is still higher than its 2020 rice
imports estimated at 2.6 million MT.
The
Philippines was also seen replacing China as the world’s top importer as China
is expected to buy 2.3 million MT for this year, and 2.2 million MT for next
year.
The
implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law in March made imports more
available in the market, depressing overall milled rice prices.
The USDA
said farmers might shift to other crops amid the trend of converting lands into
other commercial purposes.
Rice
farmers also continue to struggle in competing with affordable imports from
Southeast Asia.
However,
the Philippines’ rice production this year is expected to increase by 1.5%,
improving from 11.7 million MT last year to 11.9 million MT.
Buffalo power reaps record rice harvest at Laguna Golf
Lang Co
Laguna
Golf Lang Co’s world famous family of water buffalo greenskeepers have helped
the club reap a record rice harvest: the fruits of which are going towards
feeding members of the local community in Central Vietnam.
The
bovine brood has been bolstered by the birth of Lulu, a new baby daughter, who
joins fellow recent arrival Luna, eldest calf Bao and father and mother Tu Phat
and Chi Chi in the workforce.
And
the extra sets of hooves have dramatically boosted productivity with the club
gathering 28 tonnes of rice from the seven-hectares of fields right in the
middle of the Sir Nick Faldo Signature layout — a record harvest-time haul.
The
buffalo “bio-mowers” have been vital in helping to maintain the elevated status
of the layout, which winds its way through tropical jungle, ocean sand dunes
and ancient rice paddies and was ranked as the best in Vietnam at the 2019
Vietnam Golf Awards.
They
help to manage the seven-hectares of rice fields located right in the middle of
the course by eating excess weeds, crops while tilling the soil in the area
that would otherwise require machinery and additional manpower to maintain.
The
rice-fields, though, are not just for show. Harvested twice a year, they have
previously yielded up to 20 tons of rice that are used to support the organic
farm at Laguna Lang Co and donated to families and seniors in the area who are
in need of extra support.
This
winter’s record haul, however, surpassed previous harvests by some way.
Additionally, the bumper crop could not have come at a timely juncture, with
Vietnam’s economy taking a hit on tourism as the international borders remain
closed to combat the spread of the global pandemic.
“The
communities that have limited economic means have been hit the hardest by the
economic downturn that has resulted from the global pandemic,” said Adam
Calver, Director of Golf at Laguna Lang Co. “The fact that we are able to
donate even more rice to locals who need it most this year was a really
positive outcome for our edible golf course.”
The
utilization of water buffalo as greenkeepers is part of a wider push by Laguna
Golf Lang Co to be the most sustainable course in Vietnam. It has completely
eradicated the use of single-use plastics in almost all aspects of its operations,
scrapping items made of plastic such as on course garbage bags, locker room
accessories, plastic cups and straws and replacing them with ones made from
materials such as bamboo, paper, steel or natural grass.
Laguna
Lang Co Resort has just finalized the installation of its own water bottling
plant to allow the resort to completely eliminate plastic water bottles and
utilize reusable glass bottles.
The
club is also one of only three golf courses in the world to achieve EarthCheck
Gold certification, a status it earned at the end of 2019.
“Continually
mowing the fields to maintain vast rice terraces can consume a large amount of
labour and fuel,” added Calver. “The water buffalo act as bio-mowers and help
us protect the natural feel of the landscape; they give a true sense of place.
“Since
we introduced the buffalo we have seen a number of birds such as egrets, moving
in as they feast on the insects as the buffalo till the soil. We are currently
building a new home for our family of ducks which will be used next year as
part of our ‘Integrated Rice-Duck Farming Program’.”
As
well as being visually evocative, the seven hectares or rice fields at Laguna
Lang Co serve a practical purpose in feeding the community
Baby
Lulu (right) is the latest addition to the now five-strong family of water
buffalo at Laguna Golf Lang Co
The
expanded family helped harvest a record harvest haul of 28 tonnes of rice this
winter
Buffalo power reaps record rice harvest at Laguna Golf Lang Co added by HEFFX Australia on
