Posted on September 21st, 2020
KAMALIKA
PIERIS
JVP
was out to create a failed state. Firstly, it set out to weaken
government authority at village level. In 1971 insurgency, JVP killed
government representatives in the village, such as GA postmaster, station
master, and co-op manager. The first killing took place in Tangalle.
In
1987 insurgency, even Grama sevakas were not welcomed in the villages. JVP
issued threats to government officials, followed by killing of such officials
and their families. In April 1989 unprecedented number of government officials,
grama sevaka, and security forces were killed. It did not matter whether they
were UNP or SLFP.
We had
a small family estate at Mawaramandiya, near Kadawatha, said
Garvin Karunaratne. the community leader of the area was one Wijesinghe. He was
the President of the Cooperative society and was helpful to anyone that wanted
anything done. He happened to be close to the leaders of the United
National Party but he helped everyone irrespective of political party
affiliations. I too visited his home when anyone known to me in the area had to
face a problem with the government.
He
was hacked to pieces one night. The JVP had held him guilty of attending
the funeral of a victim of its violence. Wijesinghe had arranged for a
proper funeral to take place. The JVP order was that no funeral be held and the
body be carried below the knee level and buried incognito. Wijesinghe’s murder
sent creeps through everyone in the area. His brothers too left the village and
his death left a power vacuum never to be filled ever again.
JVP
also embarked on a comprehensive agenda to destroy the economy. JVP was
instructed by its handlers, obviously, to create difficult economic conditions
that would make the public rise against the state. A senior academic had
designed the blueprint for this economic destruction to be implemented by JVP.
JVP
succeeded in doing this, and by October 1989 the economy had been crippled. JVP
and its handlers hoped that the resulting hardship would turn the public
against the government. However, this did not happen. Instead the
academic who had designed the plan fled the country with his
family when the insurgency failed.
A
group wishing to take over and run a country does not start by ruining its
economic infrastructure as JVP did. The JVP burnt down 245 out of 545 agrarian
service centers in the country along with paddy stocks and storage facilities
in 1987-89.
Garvin
Karunaratne, former GA Matara elaborated on this aspect. The JVP insurrection
of 1986 to 1987 too took a toll of the rural areas, he said. Thanks to the JVP,
the well to do people in the rural areas, the estate owners, the rice millers,
lorry owners and traders all left the rural areas for the cities.
In my
subsequent visits to Matara I met many a rice miller and many a merchant who
were the live wire in their rural habitat in Kamburupitiya, Hakmana etc. They
had got rid of their rural possessions and migrated to the Matara town.
Many
people who had been living happily on their estates left for good. Some have
never stepped into their estates since the JVP uprising of 1987-1989. They have
allowed their workers to manage the estates are satisfied with whatever returns
they got.
The
development of the rural areas requires the services of every entrepreneur and
entrepreneurs come from the rich families with enough money to invest. They are
not in the rural areas now. That was the legacy left by JVP with their two
insurrections concluded Karunaratne.
JVP
carefully and methodically hit the key sectors in the economy. Tea estates in
the Uva Badulla areas and coconut and rubber estates in the south were badly
hit. Over 2,09,000 kilograms of tea were destroyed by the JVP in the central
provinces. The JVP targeted the transport sector and this paralyzed
the country and brought it to a standstill. Public and private transport
was reduced to such low levels that food shortages threatened.
The
two tactics used by JVP to hit the economy were orders to close
factories and work places and secondly, order to workers to strike. In 1987
Ramya Weerakoon’s apparel business was contacted by the JVP. Little notes were
delivered to the security guard in the factory by JVP errand boys, she said.
Close the factory today with full pay for workers the notes said. A slip
usually came on Friday or Monday, Ramya recalled.
If the
two adjoining factories were also losing, she also closed her factory. The days
of lost production hit them hard but they had to obey. A factory owner had
defied the JVP order and they ordered him to shut down for a week. Another
factory in Horana was burned down.
Between
1987 and 1989, JVP called many strikes. In September 1988, JVP ordered
nationwide strikes with widespread compliance. Shops, transport, hospitals and
government services were shut. Bank, Postal and telecommunications virtually
halted. On 15 August 1989, the JVP called for a total island wide general
strike on Indian Independence Day.
Some
90,000 tea plantation workers in the southern Ratnapura district went on a
week-long strike from 7 September 1989 in response to a JVP call. Neither the
imposition of emergency nor the threat of dismissal had any effect on the
workers, possibly because of the terror the JVP inspired. The striking workers
also could not be dismissed as that might have resulted in a wave of sympathy
strikes in other sectors.
Employees
of the government road transport service went on strike, demanding higher
wages. They were later joined by the private run mini-buses and railways
crippling the public transport.
The
transport strike was followed by several token and one-day strikes. On 26 June
1989 the JVP called for a 24 hour general strike to sympathize with the 52,000
striking transport workers. Telecommunications and postal workers had walked
out of their posts in support of the bus workers demands. Port workers and
state sector workers staged a wildcat strike. Oil refineries remained closed
due to JVP instigated strikes.
Twelve
key trade unions had announced that they would launch agitations to seek Sri
Lankan Rs. 2,500 as basic minimum wages, the amount which was being offered to
the Jan Saviya families under the poverty line. The JVP had instigated these
strikes.
JVP
also took an anti India stance. Wijeweera, set a deadline of
14 June 1989 for a complete boycott of Indian goods, departure of all Indians
of Sri Lankan and Indian origin.
This
call had a devastating effect on the economy and bring the country to a
standstill. Not only is Sri Lanka dependent on India for certain essential
goods, there were eighteen private and public sector Indian companies operating
in Sri Lanka, including state Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian
Airlines Air India, Pugoda Textiles, Bombay Dyeing and the Taj
group of hotels. Over 70 per cent of the state Transport Board buses were of
Indian make and the Sinhala drivers could not defy the JVP boycott call.
(Continued)
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/09/21/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-17-c-10/
UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches integrated portal
to combat coronavirus pandemic
TNN | Updated: Sep 21, 2020, 11:18 IST
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LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
on Sunday launched an integrated Covid-19 portal
and application to set up a digital mechanism that can help the state
government combat the pandemic while controlling community transmission of the
virus.
The facility will also save people from multiple visits to testing labs as
their reports will be available online which can be downloaded with the help of
a one-time password (OTP).
The portal comes at a time when the number
of Covid-19 cases have touched 3.5 lakh with more than 5,000 deaths. “The
portal will help people in getting information about the result of their
Covid-19 tests. To reach the integrated portal & application, one will have
to log on to any of the two websites dgmhup.gov.in or
www.labreports.upcovid19tracks.in,” additional chief secretary, medical and
health, Amit Mohan Prasad said.
“The user will get an OTP on his registered mobile number which can be used to
download test report from the website,” he added.
'Suspension of
RS MPs reflective of govt's autocratic mindset'
Covid-19
recovery rate in India crosses 80 per cent mark
The portal will be assisted by various
platforms like Covid-19 helpline, surveillance, labs and facility. It will also
be supported through integration with central government application, a mobile
application to track cases, domestic travel platform and state Covid dashboard.
While Covid helpline call centre offers automated answers to queries related to
coronavirus, surveillance platform will track new cases and help in capturing
data, besides helping in physical
verification by regional level employees and rapid response teams
(RRTs). The portal will also assist in preparing the check list of patients who
are under home isolation.
Under lab platform, the portal will help in monitoring of samples at testing
labs and their routing. The website will also aggregate the number of positive
cases and accordingly route the cases to various hospitals while keeping track
of cases under home isolation. It will also analyse documents of death audit
committee.
The portal will integrate the results of laboratories with the website of the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The website will also be linked to an Android-based mobile application which
has been developed to track cases for RRTs. The mobile application has also
been developed for patients who are in home isolation. It will also help in
sero-epidemiological surveys in 11 selected districts.
The portal will also be assisted by domestic travel platform which will help in
capturing domestic travel data from all airports of the state. The state Covid
dashboard which has been developed to keep track of new cases will also be
integrated with the website.
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Mandatory
fortification in India: Regulation set to compel firms to fortify edible oil
and milk - FSSAI exclusive
- Last updated on GMT
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revealed plans to make fortification mandatory for edible oil and milk over the next few months, in addition to intensifying its focus on local staples such as rice, wheat and salt.
According to FSSAI Director (Food Fortification Resource Centre/FFRC) Inoshi Sharma, the mandatory regulations will apply to all food and beverage companies dealing in edible oil and milk within India’s organised food sector.
“At present it is not
mandatory to fortify these foods, but we will be issuing regulations in about
three or four months that will make it compulsory for all edible oil and milk
from any manufacturer in the open market to be fortified,” Sharma told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“This applies to all
companies within the relevant organized sectors in India, so the big food firms
and SMEs alike – but of course if the producer is not part of the organized
sector and is just selling milk from the two cows in his backyard, then this
will not apply.
The new FSSAI new
regulations will allow for higher levels of fortification to be achieved by
permitting fortificants to be added up till amounts that will translate to
provide between 30% to 50% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).
“Previously there were
concerns that eating too much of fortified foods could lead to toxicity, hence
it was limited, but we have found that this range will be safe for consumers as
even eating the foods through the day won’t make them cross their RDA levels,” she said.
When queried if any
resistance or challenges were expected towards these mandates, Sharma was very
optimistic that the industry would be receptive.
“Many big manufacturers
are already producing fortified products, and it’s mostly smaller players who
are left, so we don’t really anticipate too much of a challenge for
implementation,”
she added.
“We have a wide network of partners in place as well as a lot of resource material out there to help all companies who want to make this change, so it should be relatively straightforward.
“What’s important is we
want to align the supply chain - So on the supply side, we’ve got producers,
distributors and retailers fortifying products and pushing these in the market,
and if such fortified foods are made easily available in the market, it will be
easier to gain consumer acceptance of these as well; whereas on the demand
side, we create consumer awareness [to drive demand].”
+F for Fortification
Sharma also told us that
the fortification of rice, wheat and salt has been mandated in the food given
out via India’s public food distribution systems, such as to schools, lactating
mothers or children under six years of age, although this has not made it to
the open market as of yet.
“Since 2018,
regulations have mandated this in the public systems – the government will
procure the rice or wheat from farmers and producers, and fortify this during
the milling and processing stage,” Sharma said.
“As of now, these are
not yet mandated in the open market, although quite a few products do already
exist, and we are working with the big manufacturers to try and get them to do
this – for example we’ve spoken to some big rice millers in August, and will be
doing the same for wheat next month.
Some of the major brands
that are already pushing out fortified products include Annapurna and Pillsbury
for wheat flour, Daawat for rice, Britannia and Mother Dairy for milk, TATA for
salt and Freedom for oil.
All products that are
fortified as per the standards laid out by FSSAI will be able to get a license
and what is called the ‘+F’ endorsement.
“The +F endorsement is
essentially a logo and brand to help consumers recognized certified fortified
foods, and hopefully choose to include these in their diets,” Sharma explained.
“We also support
products under the +F endorsement by putting these on our website, and local
states going through the fortification process do look at our website and refer
to these. So if any manufacturer has a fortified product, please do contact us
about this so we can put it up there too.”
The major nutrient
deficiencies being targeted via fortified edible oil and milk are Vitamins A
and D, whereas fortified wheat flour and rice looks to tackle iron, folic acid
and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and fortified salt targets iodine. A new type of
double-fortified salt looks to target both iron and iodine simultaneously.
“Previous studies have
found a significant population, especially of women and children below five
years old, to be anaemic, so there’s iron deficiency there, and we also saw
vitamin deficiencies steadily increasing,” said Sharma.
“Many foods in the West
are fortified, so they suffer less of these issues, but in India we have an
issue of consumer choice in addition to the accessibility and availability of
such foods.
“This is why we looked
to staples such as rice, wheat and so on, as fortifying these makes it much
easier to get these nutrients to the population.”
We’ll be shining the
spotlight on Reformulation and Fortification in our Growth Asia 2020
interactive broadcast series. Register for free here.
Japanese
scientists develop salt-resistant rice variety
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A Japan-based
team of biological scientists has developed a new rice variety that is
salt-resistant. | BLOOMBERG
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Sep 20, 2020
A
Japan-based team of biology scientists has developed a new rice variety through
genetic improvement in an attempt to increase crop yields in a salty paddy
field.
The
team, led by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, has said
it succeeded in finding a gene that determines the angle of root growth, hoping
the discovery will lead to more new rice varieties amid the growing risk of
salt damage as a result of frequent high tides and typhoons due to global
warming.
Salt
damage is predicted to affect about half the world’s existing arable land by
2050, with coastal areas in Japan and some other countries, including
Bangladesh and Vietnam, already facing challenges, according to the team.
“By
using this gene it may be possible to design how rice roots grow to suit
farmland conditions,” said Yusaku Uga, a principal scientist at the
organization.
The
gene was found in one type of Indonesian rice, whose roots grow along the
surface of the ground.
Just
as in a drought, soil with high levels of salinity prevents plants from taking
in water. Moreover, the soil becomes too firm, making them depleted of oxygen.
Presuming
that rice would also be more resilient if its roots can grow along the surface
of the soil, the team spent four years from 2015 monitoring how the Japanese
rice Sasanishiki crossbred with the Indonesian variety produces grains in a
salty paddy field, compared to ordinary Sasanishiki.
The
scientists said the genetically improved rice saw a 15 percent increase in
harvest in salty water. Meanwhile, it showed no difference in growth
performance in a normal paddy field.
Shallower
roots are also said to be advantageous for plants to take in phosphorus, an
essential nutrient, suggesting the method could be beneficial for farmers in
poverty-stricken countries and regions where fertilizers are not easily
available, Uga said.
The
45-year-old scientist said the findings hold promise for other crops including
corn and soybeans as they have similar genes that determine the angle of root growth.
“With
further research and experiment, non-Japanese varieties resilient to salt
damage could be developed, which will likely help farmers in different parts of
the world who are threatened by natural disasters,” he said.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/20/national/japanese-scientists-salt-resistant-rice/
Dr Onkar Nath Singh takes charge
as BAU VC
Monday, 21
September 2020 | PNS | Ranchi
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Dr Onkar Nath Singh on Saturday took charge as the Vice
Chancellor (VC) of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) of the State Capital.
Just after taking over the charge, Singh paid floral tributes to
the statues of Lord Birsa Munda and Kartik Oraon in the University campus,
addressed the senior officers of the university in the BAU board room and also
took stock of the important issues of the institution from them.
The VC asked the Deans and Directors to prepare a powerpoint
presentation about the activities, achievements, problems and future plans of
their respective units after discussion with their colleagues. Presentations
will be held after 7 to 10 days as per the pre circulated schedule.
Punctuality, discipline and productivity will receive his attention.
With the help and cooperation of the University officials, the
State Government and Governor’s Secretariat Singh would try to address the
issues like seventh pay package and career advancement scheme benefits to
teachers, speedy appointment on the vacant posts of teachers, scientists,
staff, contractual engagement and extension of teachers and ACP and MACP
to non teaching staff, said Singh. He will remain available from 7 AM to
10 PM for institutional works, the VC said.
Originally a principal scientist of ICAR, Singh was working as
Technical Member, Plant Variety Protection Appellate Tribunal of Intellectual
Property Appellate Board under Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of
India. He also worked as Director (Acting.), Head, Division of Crop
Improvement, Principal Scientist (Plant Breeding) at ICAR, National Rice
Research Institute, Cuttack, Senior Scientist at ICAR, Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi
Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, Uttarakhand, Assistant and Associate Professor at
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad, Assistant
Professor at Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar,
Lecturer, Genetics and Plant Breeding, BNV PG College, Rath, Hamirpur, Uttar
Pradesh.
Singh has been involved in developing more than 30 rice
varieties with special reference to Aerobic rice in areas where there is acute
shortage of water.
Singh has led several projects funded nationally and
internationally and guided several Post Graduate students.
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/state-editions/dr-onkar-nath-singh-takes-charge-as-bau-vc.html
Recipe for
New U.S. Rice Trade Opportunities in 2020 and 2021
By Sarah
Moran
WORLDWIDE -- Global weather issues and panic-buying induced
by COVID-19 have exhausted local supplies of rice throughout many heavy
rice-consuming countries in 2020. This environment has presented unique
export opportunities for U.S. rice, just as America's new crop is ready to hit
the market. Export powerhouses like India and Viet Nam have dropped pandemic-related
export restrictions and maintain supply surpluses, so U.S. rice will still face
competition in key export markets but changing global dynamics could benefit
the U.S. rice industry this year and next.
In recent weeks, drought in South America has
led Brazil to open a temporary duty-free quota (see USA Rice Daily, September 10, 2020) for 400,000 MT of rice. While it remains
to be seen whether Brazil will be more than a short-term market, their
aggressive interest in U.S. rice indicates the great need for rice there,
typically satisfied by their MERCOSUR neighbors. As it stands, 120,000 MT
of U.S. rice is slated to head to Brazil over the coming weeks, and there is
already unofficial talk of a new quota being opened for 2021.
Weather hasn't only affected the Western
Hemisphere. An ongoing drought in Australia means that domestic rice
supplies there will not last through the end of 2020. Annual U.S. exports
to Australia are typically around 10,000 MT but Australian producers are strong
U.S. competitors in markets such as Taiwan, South Korea, and Israel.
Their reduced exports or absence in these markets will be notable, particularly
in the West Bank/Israel where USA Rice began promotional activities in 2019 and
has already seen significantly increased market share from 5 percent ($9.8
million) in 2018 to 24 percent ($23.7 million) in the first six months of this
calendar year. Israel is now the tenth largest export market for U.S. rice
based on value.
Iraq, which imports 1.2 million MT of rice
annually, manages a public distribution system which provides the population
access to a variety of staple commodities, including three kilograms of rice
every two months. They, too, are facing a massive rice shortage.
Economic challenges due to the low global price of oil have restrained the
government's ability to purchase strategic supplies of wheat and rice;
approximately 90 percent of the government's revenue comes from oil revenue.
The recent ExIm insurance coverage on lines of credit will help with Iraq's
ability to purchase U.S. rice (see USA Rice Daily, August 17, 2020).
On the international food aid front, the U.S.
has shipped 110,000 MT of U.S. rice (nearly $64 million) in FY20 to help
countries provide nutritious food to those in need. A Food for Progress
program, which is utilizing rice in Burkina Faso, will be tendering for an
additional 30,000 MT of U.S. rice later this Fall.
"While world food stocks and production
levels for the most widely consumed staples, such as rice, are near all-time
highs, the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on jobs and income has increased the
number of food insecure people worldwide, so the demand is strong throughout
our commercial and international food aid channels," said USA Rice
President & CEO Betsy Ward. "USDA's most recent figures for
global rice trade for 2021 continue to project increased trade tonnage, looking
at 44.4 million MT, which equates to a 2 percent bump from 2019 trade
levels."
Ward added: "While we continue to
supply our traditional global customers with high quality rice, USA Rice will
work to capitalize on these new market opportunities and will operate
promotional activities dynamically so we can adapt to the changing market
opportunities both domestically and abroad."
SEPTEMBER 21, 20206:06 PMUPDATED 18 HOURS AGO
Why many Indian farmers and politicians
oppose Modi's farm laws
4 MIN READ
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s
parliament has approved new farm bills that the government says will unshackle
farmers from having to sell their produce only at regulated wholesale markets
and make contract farming easier.
A supporter of India's main opposition Congress
party wearing a mask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands in a police vehicle
after he was detained by police during a protest against farm bills passed by
India's parliament, in Kolkata, India, September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De
Chowdhuri
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet
had issued emergency executive orders in June to change the longstanding rules
that govern the vast agriculture sector, which contributes nearly 15% of the
output of the $2.9 trillion economy and employs around half of India’s 1.3
billion people.
Opposition parties and farmers’
organisations have criticised the government for rushing through the
legislation by issuing the emergency orders and accused Modi’s administration
of getting parliamentary approval without proper debate, scrutiny and
consultation.
WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FARM LAW AND
KEY POINT OF CONTENTION?
Under the Farmers’ Produce Trade and
Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 - one of the laws approved by
parliament - growers can directly sell their produce to institutional buyers
such as big traders and retailers.
Many farmer organisations oppose this,
saying it will leave small growers with little bargaining power.
Nearly 85% of India’s poor farmers own
less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land, and they find it difficult to directly
negotiate with large buyers of farm goods.
Farmer leaders have said that wholesale
markets, which play a crucial role in ensuring timely payments to small
farmers, would lose their relevance and even gradually disappear if large
buyers were allowed to buy directly from growers.
Without offering an alternative arrangement
to small growers, such as private markets or direct-purchase centres, the new
rule does not make any sense, growers have said.
India’s grain bowl states of Punjab and
neighbouring Haryana also fear that if big institutions start purchasing
directly from farmers, the state governments will lose out on the tax that
these buyers have to pay at wholesale markets.
BEFORE THE NEW LEGISLATION, WHAT
PROHIBITED FARMERS FROM SELLING DIRECTLY TO LARGE BUYERS?
Under the Agriculture Produce Marketing
Committee (APMC) Act, a law that dates back more than 55 years, it was
compulsory for farmers to bring their products to more than 7,000 regulated
wholesale markets where middlemen, or commission agents, helped growers sell
harvests to either the state-run food procurement agency or private traders.
This was to protect farmers from being
exploited by big institutional buyers.
The government now argues, however, that
the middlemen of wholesale markets form an extra layer in the supply chain, and
that their commission pushes up prices for consumers.
HOW DO REGULATED FOOD
WHOLESALE MARKETS WORK?
Theses markets are run by local bodies
which ensure the price of farmers’ produce, including fruit and vegetables, is
determined by auctions.
For rice and wheat, however, there is no
auction as the government buys at guaranteed prices.
Every year, the government raises the
price at which the Food Corporation of India (FCI) - India’s state grain
stockpiler and top buyer - buys rice and wheat from growers. Most farmers in
Punjab and Haryana sell their rice and wheat to the FCI.
Some growers believe that, should
wholesale markets start to lose relevance, private buyers could arm-twist
farmers to sell at lower rates.
Commission agents help farmers grade,
weigh, pack and sell their harvests to buyers. They also ensure timely payments
to farmers.
For millions of rice and wheat farmers,
the agents are also often a source of credit in hard times after drought, crop
failure or even a daughter’s wedding.
Many experts argue that agents, who form
the backbone of wholesale markets, would lose their income if large buyers
start buying directly from farmers.
Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav; Editing
by Pravin Char
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-india-farms-explainer-idUKKCN26C1WX
No rice cultivation ban despite
lower water in Thailand
By Pattaya Mail
September 19,
2020
349
Reports that the ministry
prohibits farmers from growing rice were denied but on the other hand farmers
were urged to save water due to low supplies.
The agriculture and cooperatives minister confirmed he did not
prohibit farmers from growing rice but urged them to save water due to low
supplies.
Please Support Pattaya Mail
Minister Chalermchai Sri-on dismissed the report that his
ministry was banning rice cultivation. He said the ministry advised farmers to
minimize water consumption because the amount of water at nationwide reservoirs
were low as the rainy season was about to end.
Minister Chalermchai Sri-on
dismissed the report that his ministry was banning rice cultivation.
Farmers should use water from natural sources as the country
needed to save water for the next dry season, the minister said.
He ordered the Royal Irrigation Department to reserve as much water as possible
while Tropical Storm Noul was bringing in heavy rain. Meanwhile, the Department
of Agricultural Extension will promote the cultivation of the plants that
consume less water including vegetables, soybean, corn and sunn hemp. The
department will also find markets for growers.
Thongplew Kongjun, director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said it
would be raining on Sept 18-20 and more water would flow into reservoirs. At
present, water at main reservoirs nationwide amounts to 34.56 billion cubic
meters, accounting for 49% of their combined capacity. (TNA)
Amendment
to rice law, increase in DA’s 2021 budget eyed
By: Karl R. Ocampo -
Reporter / @kocampoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:36 AM September 19,
2020
Palay
farmers have remained the biggest losers of the rice tariffication law (RTL)
despite the several assistance offered by the government, according to an
industry and economic group.
Hence,
Senator Risa Hontiveros said she would lobby for a higher annual budget for the
Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2021 to bring immediate relief to the
producers of the staple.
In a
webinar on Thursday titled “Unmasking the Hidden Costs of the Rice
Tariffication Law,” Hontiveros said that while she was open to amending the
much debated rice policy, the immediate solution would be to increase the DA’s
annual budget to provide more interventions to palay farmers.
“I am open
to amend the rice tariffication law to fill in the gaps [in the policy]. It is
worrisome that based on studies, big importers and traders benefited from RTL
and there are allegations that rice funds (are being lost) because of
miscalculated tariffs,” she said.
“[There
must be] additional financial assistance and support programs for farmers by
beefing up the regular DA budget,” she added.
Under the
proposed national budget for 2021, the agency’s funding was cut by 17 percent
from its current budget of P79.9 billion to P66.4 billion. This has caused
concerns in both chambers of Congress given that ensuring food security is
paramount in times of crisis.
Separate
studies presented by the Federation of Free Farmers and the Action for Economic
Reform (AER) showed that the deregulation of rice trade led to the decline in
palay prices.
Political
economist Fermin Adriano, who represented the DA in the webinar, said farm gate
prices of palay had stabilized at P18 a kilo. However, Mindanao Development
Authority chair Emmanuel Piñol said prices in Mindanao remained low at between
P11 and P12 a kilo.
Adriano
argued that the current evaluation of the rice law, which took effect only in
March last year, could not be used as basis for changing or repealing the law.
Industry groups, however, said the government must not wait for years before
institutionalizing new reforms.
AER
representative AJ Montesa said the RTL’s implementation could still be
improved, especially in terms of distributing interventions under the rice
competitiveness enhancement program. The DA must also update its farmers
registry to ensure that rightful stakeholders would benefit from the policy.
The rice
tariffication deregulated rice trade, allowing increased importation which made
the country the world’s biggest importer of the staple.
Read more: https://business.inquirer.net/307665/amendment-to-rice-law-increase-in-das-2021-budget-eyed#ixzz6Ykf4pz2u
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South Korea donates more 5000 tonnes of rice, USD300,000
cash to refugees in Uganda
JAVIRA SSEBWAMI | PML DAILY STAFF WRITER
108
Right, Mr Anderson receives the
rice and cash contribution at the WFP office in Kampala today from the
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Ha Byung-Kyoo (PHOTO/WFP/Lydia Wamala)
KAMPALA
— South Korea has donated 5000 metric tons of rice and USD300,000 in cash to
Uganda to help provide food assistance to more than 781, 000 refugees.
The
donation, received by World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday, will also be
allocated to Ugandan nationals threatened by desert locusts.
“WFP
is extremely grateful for the continued generosity of the Republic of Korea
since 2018 and its appreciation of the immense humanitarian needs in Uganda,
which were suddenly made even more complicated by COVID-19,” said WFP Officer
in Charge Ryan Anderson.
”This
contribution of 5,000 metric tons of rice found us at a crossroads when we were
considering whether to make deeper ration cuts for refugees because of a
shortage of funding, even as we have evidence that they already face high food
insecurity,” he added.
Combined
with other contributions, the rice may allow WFP to maintain rations for 1.26
million refugees at the current 70 percent of a full ration for a while. Valued
at US$4.3 million, it will also meet cereal needs of 614,000 refugees in seven
settlements towards the end of the year.
The
additional US$300,000 in cash will enable WFP to meet the relief needs of
167,000 people in the northeastern region of Karamoja, which is the most
food-insecure region in the country and is threatened by a combination of
malnutrition among its residents, locusts, floods and animal diseases.
“The
Republic of Korea is committed to supporting vulnerable groups of people in
Uganda, especially refugees fleeing conflict and nationals faced by chronic
food shortages and malnutrition,” said Ambassador Ha Byung-Kyoo.
“We
also are very pleased to continue making contributions of rice, which we have
heard is appreciated by the refugees and contributes to much needed dietary
diversity,” he added.
WFP
was forced to reduce rations for refugees in April to 70 percent of a full
ration because of funding shortages. The economic pressures that COVID-19 has
brought on donor capitals has further complicated funding to feed refugees. WFP
is putting in place safety measures in 13 refugee settlements to prevent the
spread of COVID-19 during food and cash distributions.
The
Republic of Korea has contributed rice to WFP in Uganda annually since 2018 in
support of 1.43 million refugees – the highest number of refugees hosted by any
country in Africa.
The
US$300,000 contribution will also contribute to supporting WFP assistance in
Karamoja. Even though families in the region were able to harvest some crops in
August, despite repeated sightings of locusts between February and July, the
very presence of the pests in the region threatens both agriculture and
vegetation needed for animals. Relief food helps to cushion families as the
government and UN partners work to control the impact of locusts.
N.K. paper urges efforts to maximize rice production
despite typhoon damage
All News 08:48
September 21, 2020
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SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's
official newspaper called Monday for efforts to maximize harvests despite
damage from recent typhoons, saying that securing sufficient rice is a key to
building a strong socialist country.
North Korea was hit by three
consecutive typhoons in recent weeks that devastated its rice-producing areas
in its western and eastern provinces, raising worries that a decrease in
harvests could aggravate its chronic food shortage.
"Rice is our power and
dignity," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling
party, said. "To successfully build a powerful socialist country on its
own requires none other than a sufficient amount of food.
"At a time when recent natural
disasters caused not a little damage to crops, all-out efforts should be
focused on harvesting and threshing in a short period of time to minimize
damage and a decline in production," the paper added.
The recent typhoons hit North Korea
as it was struggling to stave off an outbreak of the coronavirus. Border
closures put in place since early this year as part of antivirus efforts have
reportedly been taking a toll on the North's imports of key materials,
including food.
A U.S. government report earlier
said about 60 percent of North Korea's population is facing food insecurity as
the global coronavirus pandemic appears to be affecting the country's food
supplies.
State media have urged stepped-up
efforts to minimize damage to crops and harvests, saying a sufficient stockpile
of rice and food could help the push for self-reliance and self-prosperity
against its enemies.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200921001400325
apanese scientists
develop salt-resistant rice variety for ocean farming
·
Published
at 06:40 pm September 21st, 2020
A farmer drives a combine harvester to harvest the rice in a paddy field
field surrounding the City of Toyota Stadium in Toyota City on September 27, 2019 AFP
Less than 1% of
fresh water is available for human use, and 70% of that is used for agriculture
worldwide
Growing rice in the salty water sounds a
little whacky, but salt-resistant agriculture is an emerging form of food
production that could have some real potential.
Less than 1% of fresh water is available for
human use, and 70% of that is used for agriculture worldwide.
Increased demand for food and exploding
population levels are pushing innovators to explore areas where agriculture has
never gone before. One crop taking to the sea is rice.
A Japan-based team of biology scientists has
developed a new rice variety through genetic improvement in an attempt to
increase crop yields in a salty paddy field, The Japan Times reported.
The team, led by the National Agriculture and
Food Research Organization, has said it succeeded in finding a gene that
determines the angle of root growth, hoping the discovery will lead to more new
rice varieties amid the growing risk of salt damage as a result of frequent
high tides and typhoons due to global warming.
Salt damage is predicted to affect about half
the world’s existing arable land by 2050, with coastal areas in Japan and some
other countries, including Bangladesh and Vietnam, already facing challenges,
according to the team.
“By using this gene it may be possible to
design how rice roots grow to suit farmland conditions,” said Yusaku Uga, a
principal scientist at the organization.
The gene was found in one type of Indonesian
rice, whose roots grow along the surface of the ground.
Just as in a drought, soil with high levels of
salinity prevents plants from taking in water. Moreover, the soil becomes too
firm, making them depleted of oxygen.
Presuming that rice would also be more
resilient if its roots can grow along the surface of the soil, the team spent
four years from 2015 monitoring how the Japanese rice Sasanishiki crossbred
with the Indonesian variety produces grains in a salty paddy field, compared to
ordinary Sasanishiki.
The scientists said the genetically improved
rice saw a 15% increase in harvest in salty water. Meanwhile, it showed no
difference in growth performance in a normal paddy field.
Shallower roots are also said to be
advantageous for plants to take in phosphorus, an essential nutrient, suggesting
the method could be beneficial for farmers in poverty-stricken countries and
regions where fertilizers are not easily available, Uga said.
The 45-year-old scientist said the findings
hold promise for other crops including corn and soybeans as they have similar
genes that determine the angle of root growth.
Riceland Foods to reduce water usage by 250 billion gallons by 2025
September 18, 2020
STUTTGART, Ark. –
Through the Ingrain Good initiative, Riceland Foods and its farmer members aim
to reduce water usage in rice production by 250 billion gallons by 2025 across
its grower footprint in Arkansas and Missouri. As the world’s largest
farmer-owned rice milling and marketing cooperative, Riceland Foods and its
members plan to achieve this sustainability goal through the promotion,
adoption and implementation of efficient irrigation tools and techniques.
Water usage efficiency has
been a focal point of the U.S. rice industry for years. According to the USA
Rice Federation’s sustainability report, U.S. rice farmers were able to reduce
their irrigation water utilization by 52 percent from 1980 to 2015. With
Arkansas and Missouri accounting for over half of the U.S. rice crop, Riceland
members played a significant role in these reductions. With the data and technology
available today, Riceland members will be able to take irrigation efficiency to
a whole new level.
Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Ben Noble said Riceland is committed to creating
lasting sustainable changes as a cooperative.
“Our rice farmers depend on
water. We, as a cooperative, depend on large volumes of rice. We see this as an
opportunity to work with our members, not only to achieve our collective goal,
but to work with our valued customers to help them achieve their goals, too,”
he said. “Setting a water utilization reduction goal offers the unique ability
to impact multiple sustainability metrics through various management practices
including greenhouse gas emissions, land usage, biodiversity, and more.”
In January 2020, Riceland
announced Irrigation Water Management as its inaugural sustainability theme.
Over the past eight months, Riceland has partnered with the University of
Arkansas, Arkansas Natural Resources Conservation Service and Delta Plastics to
promote sustainable irrigation water management throughout the cooperative’s
membership, as well as the supply chain.
Liver Cancer Drugs Market In-depth Analysis Report
Published:
Sept. 20, 2020 at 10:15 p.m. ET
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The MarketWatch News Department
was not involved in the creation of this content.
Sep 20,
2020 (AmericaNewsHour) -- Latest market research report on Global Liver Cancer
Drugs Market published by Global Market Monitor, offers updated COVID-19
Impacts on global or regional Liver Cancer Drugs market.
Liver cancer resists most chemo drugs. The liver cancer drugs that have been
most effective as systemic chemo in liver cancer are doxorubicin (Adriamycin),
5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin. But even these drugs shrink only a small portion
of tumors, and the responses often do not last long.
Get the complete sample, please
click:
https://www.globalmarketmonitor.com/request.php?type=1&rid=592187
Competitive Companies
The Liver Cancer Drugs market
report covers the leading players in the market and analyzes their key
strategies. Leading players in this market include:
Exelixis
Merck
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bayer
Eisai
The prominent market players maintain the competitive edge in the global market
by making investments in the mergers and acquisitions and by increasing their
product portfolio.
On the basis of application, the Liver Cancer Drugs market is
segmented into:
Hospital
Home
Research
Type Segmentation
Targeted Therapy
Immunotherapy
Table of Content
1 Report Overview
1.1 Product Definition and Scope
1.2 PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) Analysis of Liver
Cancer Drugs Market
...
2 Market Trends and Competitive Landscape
3 Segmentation of Liver Cancer Drugs Market by Types
4 Segmentation of Liver Cancer Drugs Market by End-Users
5 Market Analysis by Major Regions
6 Product Commodity of Liver Cancer Drugs Market in Major Countries
7 North America Liver Cancer Drugs Landscape Analysis
8 Europe Liver Cancer Drugs Landscape Analysis
9 Asia Pacific Liver Cancer Drugs Landscape Analysis
10 Latin America, Middle East & Africa Liver Cancer Drugs Landscape
Analysis
11 Major Players Profile
...
Ask for a Report Sample at:
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Major countries of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the rest of the
world are all exhaustive analyzed in the report. Apart from this, policy
mobilization, social dynamics, development trends, and economic development in
these countries are also taken into consideration.
Audience:
? Liver Cancer Drugs manufacturers
? Liver Cancer Drugs traders, distributors, and suppliers
? Liver Cancer Drugs industry associations
? Product managers, Liver Cancer Drugs industry administrator, C-level
executives of the industries
? Market Research and consulting firms
Key Questions Answered by
Global Market Monitor Research Report:
What is the size and CAGR of the global Liver Cancer Drugs
Market?
Which are the leading segments of the global market?
Which region may hit the highest market share in the coming era?
What are the main strategies adopted in the global market?
What growth impetus or acceleration market carries during the forecast period?
What are the key driving factors of the most profitable regional market?
What trends, challenges, and barriers will impact the development and sizing of
the Global Liver Cancer Drugs Market?
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