Army-run farms produce
ample stocks of rice for sale to troops at subsidized prices
Published
October 18,
2020
In
an effort to contribute towards promoting self-sufficiency in rice and ensuring
food security in the country, troops have produced an ample stock of paddy
through Army-run farms of the Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock for
distribution among military personnel at subsidized prices.
Under
the multifaceted ‘Thuru Mithuru-Nawa Ratak’ crop cultivation and afforestation
project initiated by the Army Commander, paddy harvests of the Maha-2019 and
Yala-2020 seasons were collected from newly cultivated Sri Jayewardenepura
paddy fields adjoining Army HQ and from other Army farms elsewhere, including
organically-produced local varieties of ‘suwandel’, ‘kaluheeneti’ etc.
The
species were grown with minimal use of harmful pesticides and chemicals. The
stocks of rice free of toxic chemicals produced in the farms were, as
instructed by the Army Commander, delivered for sale to Army welfare stalls
managed by the Security Force HQ-East, Regimental HQs at Panagoda Army
Cantonment and Army Seva Vanitha Unit-managed welfare shops at Kendalanda,
Manning Town, Rukmalgama, Panaluwa, Jawatte and Wattala.
On
the eve of Army Day on Friday (9), Brigadier Indrajith Kandanaarachchi,
Director, Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock, delivered a stock of 25,000
kgs of Army-produced rice to the Army Seva Vanitha Unit (ASVU) at the HQ for
distribution among ASVU-run Army welfare shops under the supervision of Mrs
Sujeewa Nelson, President, ASVU.
Lieutenant
Colonel Nishantha Muttanthirige, Commanding Officer, 6 (V) Sri Lanka Army
General Service Corps at Kandakadu, on behalf of the Director Agriculture and
Livestock, handed over the stock to Colonel Sumeda Balasuriya and Colonel Aruna
Wijekoon of the ASVU office for sale to troops at subsidized prices at welfare
shops.
Easter Sunday probe in tatters: Director CID
transferred following internal inquiry into Riyaj release
October
19, 2020
AG
wants report within one month
By
Shamindra Ferdinando
Close
on the heels of Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, alleging serious lapses
on the part of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in respect of the
probe on Riyaj Bathiudeen’s alleged involvement with those responsible for the
Easter Sunday attacks, the premier investigating agency’s Director SSP Prasanna
de Alwis has been moved out.
The
transfer took place consequent to an unprecedented meeting the AG had with the
new Director CID Prasad Ranasinghe and three other officers, including SSP
Alwis. The AG found fault with the CID over the way the police had released
Riyaj arrested last April on the basis of irrefutable evidence of direct links
with at least one Easter Sunday suicide bomber.
The
National Police Commission (NPC) has cleared the CID Director’s transfer as
Director, Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) whereas SSP G.N. de Zoysa
received the CID Director’s post. Zoysa had been the Director of the recently
formed unit responsible for inquiring into ill-gotten wealth. At the time, SSP
de Alwis received appointment as
Explained:
How Punjab mandis procure more paddy than state produces; the UP-Bihar link
According to Punjab govt
officials, a large amount of paddy from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is illegally
brought to the state, to be sold at the higher price it would fetch in the
mandis here.
·
Written By Anju Agnihotri
Chaba , Edited By Explained Desk | Jalandhar |
·
Updated: October 20, 2020 8:25:16
am
A grain market
in Ludhiana. Government agencies bought 163.82 lakh tonnes of paddy in Punjab
mandis in 2019-20. (Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
For
the past few years, mandis in Punjab have been procuring at Minimum Support
Price (MSP) more paddy (non-Basmati) than the state produces. This is because a
large amount of paddy from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is illegally brought to
Punjab, to be sold at the higher price it would fetch in the mandis here.
Several
cases have been registered in the recent past, including during the current
procurement season, against this practice. The government’s action generally
ends at confiscating some trucks, carrying a few thousand tonnes of paddy, and
registering some cases.
The
illegal trade, however, is of far more than a few thousand tonnes of paddy. If
the total production and total purchase of paddy in Punjab in the past three
years are taken into account, the figure of illegally sold paddy arrived at is
in millions of tonnes. How? The Indian Express explains.
How
much paddy was purchased by the government in these years?
Almost
all the crop brought to mandis by the farmers is purchased by the government.
In Punjab, government agencies bought 163.82 lakh tonnes (LT), 170.46 LT and
179.56 LT paddy in 2019-20, 2018-19 and 2017-18 respectively, as per data from
the Food Corporation of India (FCI), which purchases it for the central pool.
How
much area was under paddy cultivation in Punjab in these three years?
Punjab
agriculture department’s records show that 22.91 lakh hectares were under paddy
cultivation in 2019-20, 25.94 lakh hectares in 2018-19 and 25.19 lakh hectares
in 2017-18.
What
was the average paddy yield of the state?
According
to the state agriculture department, the total average yield of paddy in Punjab
was recorded at 6,635 kg (6.6 tonnes) per hectare in 2019-20, 6,532 kg (6.5
tonnes) in 2018-19 and 6,516 kg (6.5 tonnes) in 2017-18.
Don’t
miss from Explained | What is MSP and how is it determined?
What
should be the total production of paddy in Punjab in this period?
As
per the crop cutting experiments across Punjab by the state agriculture
department, the total production should be 152 Lakh tonnes (15.2 million
tonnes) in 2019-20, 169.44 LTs (16.9 Million tonnes) 2018-19 and 164.14 LTs
(16.4 million tonnes) in 2017-18. Thus, in all the three years, government
agencies purchased more paddy than Punjab’s total production, as per the
average yield.
Experts
said that even if we take 1% or 2% more than the actual average yield (though
the government’s estimates are more or less equal to the actual), the amount of
the paddy coming to mandis is still much higher.
Moreover,
farmers don’t bring their entire crop to mandis –– they keep some for self-consumption
and for seeds.
A
senior officer in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) said: “Even if they keep
2-3 million tonnes of the crop for self- consumption, one can well imagine how
much extra paddy is being transported to Punjab, from Bihar and UP.”
Difference
in total production and total purchase
In
2019-20, 11.82 lakh tonnes (1.2 million tonnes) more paddy was sold in Punjab’s
mandis than produced in the state. In 2018-19, the figure around 1.02 lakh
tonnes, and in 2017-18, it was nearly 15.42 lakh tonnes (1.5 million tonnes).
“If
the amount of paddy Punjab farmers consumed themselves is also factored in, the
transportation from other states is not less than 4-5 million tonnes (40 to 50
lakh tonnes) every year,” said a senior officer in the state agriculture
department.
Who
is getting this profit?
In
UP and Bihar, paddy is hardly procured by the government, and is sold much
below the MSP to traders.
According
to officials, several rice millers and a large number of rice exporters, with
the connivance of some procurement agencies officials, are involved in the
Punjab racket.
They
get paddy in UP and Bihar at the rate of Rs 900 to Rs 1,200 per quintal,
depending upon quality. Adding milling and transportation charges, it costs
them around Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per quintal. In Punjab, they sell at a far
higher rate of the MSP, Rs 1,888 per quintal, illegally in the name of state’s
farmers.
An
official said traders sitting in Delhi are controlling the markets of UP and
Bihar and facilitating the millers of Punjab. And such millers in Punjab are
earning Rs 400 to 600 per quintal by selling the paddy to the government.
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Gourmet Food Service Delivers U.S.-Grown Rice
By Sarah Moran
ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- U.S.-grown rice is being delivered directly to
consumers' doorsteps here thanks to a partnership with Meal Box, the leading
food delivery company in Turkey.
"Meal Box has experienced remarkable growth since the COVID-19
pandemic began this past spring, and now caters to more than 2,000 individuals daily,
a hundred-fold increase in their clientele," said Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice
director for Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
"Most Meal Box customers are white-collar workers who appreciate
the company's emphasis on high-quality ingredients like U.S.-grown rice."
USA Rice joined efforts with Meal Box to develop branded delivery
boxes, as well as promotional packaging featuring the USA Rice logo on each
dish containing U.S.-grown rice. A
recipe leaflet with creative USA Rice recipes and giveaways rounded out the
special rice-centric offer.
Cooking outside the box
with U.S. rice
"More than 8,000 servings of U.S. rice have been distributed
to subscribers in these eye-catching, single-serve USA Rice boxes, utilizing
close to 1 MT of U.S. rice in total," said Somogyi. "USA Rice messaging is reaching a large,
prosperous audience through social media, both on the @mealboxtr Instagram
channel, and the reposting and sharing of content by Meal Box subscribers."
The U.S. has exported 27,000 tons ($14 million) of rice to Turkey
in the first half of 2020 compared with 1,220 tons ($1.1 million) in the first
six months of 2019.
USA Rice Daily
Paddy purchasing mechanism : Small and
medium-scale millers protected
State Minister of Samurdhi,
Household Economy, Microfinance, Self-employment, Business Development, and
Underutilised State Resources Development Shehan Semasinghe said that the
Government will take all necessary measures to encourage small and medium-scale
paddy mill owners.
The Minister said that there is a
process in place to protect farmers, small and medium-scale mill owners, as
well as consumers in the Government’s programme to purchase paddy. He was
speaking at a meeting organised by small and medium-scale mill owners in the
Anuradhapura District.
Anuradhapura Chief Government
Agent Attorney-at-Law R.M. Wanninayake, who was present at the occasion, said
that in the early days of the spread of the Covid-19 disease in the country,
the Government’s programme to purchase paddy was carried out more actively than
ever through the district secretariats.
During the 2019/20 Maha season,
the Government launched a programme to convert paddy stocks purchased from the
Anuradhapura District into rice using small and medium-scale mill owners and
then supply them to the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE), with the
aim of alleviating the situation when there was a countrywide shortage of rice.
Anuradhapura Additional District
Secretary Ruwan Bandara Navaratne, an official who spearheaded the programme,
stated that small and medium-scale mill owners in Anuradhapura have been
instrumental in this endeavour.
Experts: Study well curbs on rice
importation
October
20, 2020
File
photo: Workers unload tons of rice to be distributed to Quezon City barangays
affected by the COVID-19 lockdown. (NONOY LACZA)
more from
author
PROPOSALS to limit rice imports to stabilize farmgate price,
especially during harvest, require careful study, according to economists.
Economists said proposals such as barring rice cooperatives from
importing the commodity, as well as banning importation of commodities during
their main harvest, could affect the rice market and eventually hurt consumers.
Last week, the Department of Agriculture proposed to bar
cooperatives from importing rice while on Monday, senators suggested
disallowing importation during the main harvest of commodities.
“These proposed policies are going to hurt the consumers. While
producers are supposedly supported by imposing these restrictions, these can in
the long run cause inefficiencies in the market. The goal should be to make
producers competitive without causing a burden to the consumers,” Ateneo Eagle
Watch Senior Fellow Leonardo A. Lanzona Jr. told the BusinessMirror.
With the passage of the Rice Trade Liberalization (RTL) Law, any
entity with proper papers can import rice, Philippine Institute of Development
Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano M. Briones pointed out.
Briones added that implementing seasonal import bans does not
really work given that “someone can pre-purchase rice during open season.”
Non-tariff barrier
Moreover, barring cooperatives from importing could be a form of
non-tariff barrier (NTB), said Briones.
Former University of the Philippines School of Economics Dean
Ramon L. Clarete explained that there is a difference between NTBs and
Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs).
“You distinguish between NTMs and NTBs. Former may be allowed
like SPS [Sanitary Phytosanitary] or TBT [Technical Barriers to Trade].
Generally NTMs have valid reasons for using them. But NTBs may just be
disguised protection. They appear to be NTMs but without valid reason for using
them,” Clarete told the BusinessMirror.
These are important qualifications that need to be understood
when making trade policy. These kinds of qualifications include, Clarete said,
on the proposal on barring cooperatives from importing as well as the meaning
of harvest.
Clarete said before barring cooperatives, the government should
make a qualification that the policy covers “co-ops which allow themselves to
be used by big importers.”
He added that if the government can define well the meaning of
harvest, imposing a seasonal ban could be an NTM more than an NTB.
“A seasonal ban may be defensible under the development
criterion of supporting economically depressed rural areas whose residents
derive their main income from, say, rice. But if the harvest is arbitrary like
growing livestock and poultry then it becomes an NTB,” Clarete explained.
University of Asia and the Pacific Center for Food and Agri
Business Executive Director Rolando T. Dy said Agriculture Secretary William
Dar should have a basis for not allowing cooperatives to import.
Dy told the BusinessMirror this means
determining whether they are legitimate farmers cooperatives or trader-financed
farmers’ cooperatives.
He added that before a seasonal ban on importation is enforced,
the government should determine whether the country would be compliant with the
rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Such barriers may have implications on the labor market as well
since these maintain existing inefficiencies,” Lanzona stressed.
On Monday, certain senators suggested halting importation of
commodities during their main harvest season of local output. This includes
rice, corn, feed wheat, and whole chicken.
Last week, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar declared in a
hearing presided by Sen. Cynthia A. Villar that he will bar farmers’
cooperatives and associations from importing rice.
(Related story:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/10/16/agri-chief-dar-to-bar-farmer-co-ops-from-importing-rice-amid-dummy-for-traders-issues/)
The BusinessMirror broke the story
last year that unscrupulous traders continue to use farmers’ cooperatives and
associations as their fronts and dummies even after the rice industry was
liberalized.
(Read the award-winning story here
(https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/10/31/pre-and-post-rice-trade-liberalization-law-big-traders-gaming-farmer-groups/).
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/10/20/experts-study-well-curbs-on-rice-importation/
Dharani
Portal Registration Will Meet Transparency: Kamareddy Collector
Oct
19 2020 04:21 PM
The Telangana government
announced on Sunday that it would launch a Dharani portal on Dasarto to be
transparent in property registrations. Kamareddy Collector Dr. Sarath has
examined the process of registration of non-agricultural property on Dharani
web portal.
Collector Sarath examined the
registration process in the Kamareddy Tahsildar's office and said that people
should protect their property through the Dharani process. Telangana Chief
Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao Dharani portal will be launched, he said.
Through this portal, transparency and intervention of intermediaries in
non-agricultural assets registration will be removed.
Dr. Sarath has instructed the
authorities to upload at least 10 properties registration details on an
experimental basis and the authorities will prepare it till Thesaurus for
registrations. He said that the Tahsildar would work as the Joint Sub-Registrar
in the Dharani process. Later, the collector inspected the rice mills and
ordered the millers to complete the milling process and achieve the targets
this year. Additional Collector P Yadireddy, Tahsildar Amin Singh and others
participated.
Itik production and management,
part 1: Benefits of integrated rice-duck farming
Published October 19, 2020, 10:00 AM
Although
chicken is commonly used in cuisines all around the world because of the
versatility of its meat, another bird that’s worth giving attention to is the
duck, or itik in Filipino.
Not only
does it have tender and flavorful meat, its eggs can also be used to make local
favorites like balut and salted egg. Moreover, ducks are easy to care for and
have various benefits to farmers.
One of these
benefits include the ability of ducks to be integrated in rice farming known as
the rice-duck farming model, which is what James P. Longcob, the owner of JPL
Farms in Purok 4, Abaga, Lala, Lanao del Norte, practices.
He has
various poultry like turkeys and geese, a small fish pond, and vegetables on
the farm. But out of all these, he finds the rice-duck farming technology to be
the most profitable and practical.
“In an
integrated rice-duck farming system, I save a lot from what used to be for rice
inputs. I don’t have to spray chemicals like pesticides or herbicides, and I
don’t even have to add fertilizer,” Longcob said in a webinar broadcasted by
the Agricultural Training Institute in Northern Mindanao on their Facebook
page.
Because of
this, Longcob manages to harvest naturally-grown rice and contributes to the
preservation of the environment.
This is due
to the presence of the ducks in the rice fields. They serve as natural
de-weeders due to their tendency to munch on the wild grass, keep pests away,
and fertilize the rice with their droppings.
Different
kinds of ducks
According to
Longcob, there are different kinds of ducks to choose from. Some of these
include the Campbell duck, the Muscovy duck, and a local breed known as Itik
Pinas. Each of them have different characteristics that make them good for duck
farming.
For example,
the Campbell duck, or Khaki Campbell duck, is known for its egg laying and
active foraging ability. This breed is distinguished by its khaki-color and
modestly long features.
In the meantime,
Muscovy ducks are good for meat production. These are easily recognized by the
red, fleshy bumps located around their beaks and eyes. Because these are
originally wild birds, Muscovy ducks are also good in terms of hunting and
foraging.
Last but not
the least is the Itik Pinas which is a breed of the Philippine native mallard
layer duck developed by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine
Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and
Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and the National Swine and Poultry Research and
Development Center (NSPRDC) of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). This breed
has an improved egg laying ability and can adapt to local environments.
The owner of
JPL Farms shares that he cares for the Itik Pinas breed which was given to him
by the Agricultural Training Institute when they conducted a seminar on
rice-duck farming on his farm. He then raised the ducks until he had a large
number of them.
Basic duck
management for the first week and securing the perimeter
“When
venturing into rice-duck farming, there has to be a group of ducklings ready
when the rice gets planted. But they are not to be released into the field for
one week for the purpose of acclimatizing,” Longcob said.
In doing so,
this would give the ducklings a higher resistance against illnesses once
they’ve been released to the field. 170 to 200 ducks can be released per
hectare.
Longcob
added that with the ducks growing alongside the rice, these would provide a
bigger income for the farmer because not only will the rice be able to grow
free from pests like snails and weeds, but the ducks can also be sold either
for meat or its eggs.
As for the
rice field, the area should be netted prior to the release of the ducklings.
This is to keep the ducks from getting out while also keeping predators or
larger animals from getting inside.
Securing the
perimeter can be done using a net that measures 90 meters by 100 meters.
“This is to
ensure the safety of the ducks so they don’t wander far or get in harm’s way,”
Longcob said.
He added
that this also mitigates any losses in terms of duck population while also
being practical because the net can be used for the next cropping season.
Part 2 of the article will
discuss the proper housing and feeding requirements for ducks.
Plant Pathologist Pamela Ronald Named GCHERA World Agriculture
Prize Laureate
Award Recognizes Exceptional Lifetime
Achievement in Agriculture
By Amy Quinton on October 19, 2020 in Food
& Agriculture
Pamela Ronald becomes the first woman whose work is recognized
with the GCHERA World Agriculture Prize. (UC Davis)
Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Department
of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis,
and with the UC Davis Genome Center, has been named the
2020 World Agriculture Prize laureate by the Global Confederation of Higher
Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences, or GCHERA.
She becomes the first woman whose work is recognized by the award.
“This award is a really special honor and I’m very grateful,”
said Ronald. “I’m happy to be part of a global community of agricultural
scientists that has been able to make a huge difference in the lives of
farmers.”
The award ceremony will be virtually held at 5 p.m. on Nov. 30
from Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu Province, China.
Ronald is recognized for her history of major discoveries in
plant molecular genetics. In 1995, she isolated a key immune receptor that
revealed a new mechanism with which plants and animals detect and respond to
infection. Her discovery in 2006, with UC Davis plant scientist David Mackill,
of a rice submergence tolerance gene facilitated the development of
high-yielding, flood-tolerant rice varieties that have benefited millions of
farmers in South and Southeast Asia.
Ronald also directs the Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy at
UC Davis, which she established to provide the next generation of scientists
with the training, support, and tools they need to become effective
communicators and infuse scientifically sound information into the public
discourse.
“Professor Ronald is extremely deserving of this high honor,”
said Dean Helene Dillard of the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. “Pam’s molecular discoveries and educational efforts have
revolutionized our understanding of the role biotechnology can play in feeding
the world while protecting the environment.”
“Pamela was elected a member of the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences and is becoming one of the leaders and thinkers in modern
agriculture,” said UC Berkeley professor David Zilberman in his nomination
letter. “She has made major breakthroughs in developing solutions to major agricultural
challenges and her work on public attitudes towards agricultural technology
expanded our knowledge and influenced the real world.”
Ronald is also a key scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy
Joint Bioenergy Institute, an affiliated scholar with the Center on Food
Security and the Environment at Stanford University, and a member of the
Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley.
She was named a National Geographic Innovator and one of the
world’s 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American.
With her collaborators, she received the 2012 Tech Award for the innovative use
of technology to benefit humanity. Ronald co-authored Tomorrow’s
Table with her husband, Raoul Adamchak, organic farmer and
former manager at the UC Davis Student Farm. In it, they speak of the need to
nourish a growing population without further destroying the environment. Her
2015 TED talk has been viewed by more than 1.8 million people. In 2019, she
received the ASPB Leadership Award, an honorary doctorate from the Swedish
Agricultural University, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
In 2015, R. Paul Singh, distinguished professor emeritus in the
departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Food Science and
Technology at UC Davis, was named GCHERA World Agriculture Prize laureate for
his work as a food engineer.
Rice crop, market likely up for Texas producers
·
Oct 18, 2020
It’s
beginning to look like Mother Nature and market forces could make 2020 a good
crop year for Texas rice producers. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
photo.)
Early
indications show Texas rice farmers produced a bumper crop amid a market that
could experience a price increase due to crop losses in other rice-producing
states, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Research expert.
Ted
Wilson, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director,
Beaumont, said high yields and lower-than-expected supplies elsewhere could be
good news for Texas rice growers.
“I’m
hearing about extremely high yields in the main crop, but I haven’t seen enough
data on quality or yields for an assessment,” he said. “From the way growers
are talking, it looks like we’ll be closer to 2018 production numbers than
2019.”
Rice
crop numbers
Producers
yielded 1,300 pounds more per acre in 2018 compared to 2019, Wilson said.
Rice
acres were also up this year—184,400 acres—compared to 2019—154,100 acres, he
said.
Wilson
said rice acres in Texas typically fluctuate based on global market prices.
“The
U.S. is a minuscule producer but a major exporter of rice,” he said. “The U.S.
typically ranks third to fifth in global rice exports, so the Texas acreage
goes up and down based on the supply and demand.”
Wilson
suspects U.S. supplies, including growers in Arkansas and northern Louisiana,
were negatively impacted by a series of hurricane and tropical storm systems
this growing season. The losses could greatly impact the U.S. export market and
rice prices.
Arkansas
produces half of the nation’s rice, Wilson said. Losses in Louisiana also likely
reduced the U.S. production of long-grain rice, which is the primary rice crop
for Texas growers.
“In
Texas that’s mostly good news for growers,” he said. “But it’s not good for
growers in those other states. They just got too much rain at the wrong time.
Losses in Arkansas and northern Louisiana may affect global supplies.”
Wilson
said a 5%-10% reduction in overall U.S. production due to those crop losses
will likely mean rice acres in Texas remain static next year rather than fall.
Wilson
said dry conditions early in the growing season weren’t ideal for other Texas
crops but they were good for rice growers. Producers were able to follow
planting with a flush of shallow water that is drained and followed by a
subsequent flush as plants grow.
“Drought
can mean more flushes are necessary, and that can push water costs up, but they
had timely rains,” he said. “Too much rain can cause problems too, but there
was little impact to the Texas crop from the storms.”
Wilson
said disease and pest pressure were low in 2020 as well. The ratoon crop could
face heavier infestations because a Caribbean plant hopper reemerged several
years ago and caused some black mold development in late-season fields last
year.
It
is too early to estimate how well the ratoon crop in Texas will perform, Wilson
said. Ratoon crops west of Houston typically perform better during the season
because the region has lighter soils, receives less rain and ultimately enjoys
an extended growing window.
Around
50% to 75% of the acres planted for the main crop have been ratooned in recent
years, he said. But grower surveys are not far enough along to provide a
glimpse of what the ratoon crop expectations are this year. There also was some
concern about late-season tropical storms or hurricanes negatively impacting
the ratoon crop.
The Chopped Leaf reveals unexpected classics.
Introducing limited time chef-designed features
/EIN News/ -- Oakville, ON, Oct. 19, 2020
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forget cinnamon, spice and everything nice. Leading
restaurant brand, The Chopped Leaf, turns things up-a-notch while we head into
the cooler, shorter days of fall. Focusing on innovating seasonal trends, their
new chef-inspired limited time menu uses cozy classics as a method of
inspiration for these diverse and unexpected flavours.
The introduction of these offerings is in line with the brand’s
mission of helping people choose better-for-you options that leave you feeling
good. As the temperature continues to drop, it is no doubt that people tend to
seek satisfaction through comfort foods. The Chopped Leaf leads this
experience, and without changing consumer behaviours, provides revolutionized
options that present the best of both worlds.
Chef Derek Easton, The Chopped Leaf’s Product and Development
Manager, explains “the brand has been a leader in the fresh food space for
years with the offering of our bowls, salads and wraps. As people look for
dishes they can warm up with and feel a sense of comfort in during the cooler
months, taking a classic and giving it a twist was key. The introduction of
this menu focuses on responding to consumer demands while being true to our
roots.”
The chef-inspired, limited time menu is available at all
restaurant locations across Canada and the U.S. The menu has been built with
the Chopped Leaf customer in mind, to enhance the experience, and utilize new
and existing ingredients they recognize and love.
Introducing The Chopped Leaf’s newest additions:
Lemon Dill-icious: A tangy dish with crushed
pita chips, chopped mix, chickpeas, grape tomatoes, red onions, brown basmati
rice, feta and our signature lemon dill dressing.
Spicy Caesar: A nostalgic dish turned up a
notch with romaine, real bacon bits, parmesan, croutons, red onions, and a spicy
twist to our signature Caesar dressing. Bacon
Pesto Sandwich: A choice of multigrain or
sourdough bread, pesto, bacon strips, grape tomatoes, romaine and mozzarella.
For more information on this and other fabulous, fresh menu
offerings, visit our menu.
-30-
About The Chopped Leaf Proudly Canadian, The Chopped Leaf has over
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Are We
Ready For A World Without Roundup?
Oct 19, 2020,08:40am
Aidan ConnollyForbes Councils Member
COUNCIL
POST|
Paid Program
Aidan
Connolly is CEO of start-up Cainthus, President of AgriTech Capital (investing
& advising), an author and a food / farm futurologist.
GETTY
Roundup
(glyphosate) is a popular weedkiller for a reason. The North Carolina State Extension points out that
glyphosate is extremely effective — a "systemic (translocated) herbicide
that moves from the treated foliage to other parts, including the roots,"
killing both annual and perennial weeds. It is nonselective, so it can be used
to control most weeds — including grasses, sedges and broadleaves — while
leaving little or no soil residual because it is inactivated by soil
components. This makes it possible to spray weeds without damaging desirable
plants and trees. The NC State Extension explains that it is relatively
inexpensive compared to other herbicides, and is considered one of the least
toxic herbicides in use.
So
why are some cities banning it? It's a good
question, and not one with any easy answers. It is true that Roundup persists, which means it could
affect the environment far beyond where it is applied and has the potential to
degrade the soil microbiome. Glyphosate has generated huge
media controversy, especially when Monsanto marketed patented, genetically
modified Roundup Ready corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, sugar beet and alfalfa.
These crops have been engineered to be resistant to the herbicide.
Bayer,
which recently acquired Monsanto, is facing multibillion-dollar legal suits (paywall)
in California and elsewhere, as well as recommended or planned bans by EU legislators and other
jurisdictions, based on claims of a link to cancer in humans and damage to
insect populations. Deeper consumer doubts question the use of all synthetic
chemicals to support mono-cropping agriculture systems, "big
agriculture" in general, and Monsanto specifically.
While
I'm not attempting to defend or justify these opposing views, it is critical to
point out that many believe glyphosate has helped enable us to feed a population of 7.6 billion (as of
2018), and without it, we may need to find equally effective technological
alternatives. As always, however, "necessity will be the mother of
invention," and three areas point to where inventors and startups are
making a difference.
Precision
Spraying, Less Waste
Can
we make alternative herbicides more effective? Alternatives to Roundup such as
Liberty (glufosinate-ammonium) may be less effective than Roundup in certain situations, but what if we could
spray them better? Irish company MagGrow has created a patented technology that
reduces pesticide waste associated with conventional spraying technology. It
creates optimum droplet sizes to improve drift control and coverage. Another
possibility is computer-vision-aided drones with technology that creates
precise spot spraying rather than "spray and pray." These same
technologies could make natural alternatives such as bio-herbicides more
effective as they arrive on the market.
Weeding
By Machine
Robotic
weeding is already a reality and can remove the backbreaking demands of weeding
by hand or the need for a universal application of herbicides. Weed bots such
as FarmWise can physically remove the weed. Blue River Technology’s "see
and spray" herbicides use machine learning. Jati’s weedkiller uses lasers,
and Brazil’s Zasso electrically disrupts the plant. More startups include
Ecorobotix and Small Robot Company, which are working on the micro-application
of chemicals and nonchemical weeding, respectively. Drones today focus on
delivering herbicides and pesticides within fields, but in the future they
could also incorporate similar technology to scan and destroy unwanted weeds
without a vehicle to enter the fields and avoid compacting the soils, which
could result in better soil health.
Natural
Herbicides
I've
seen consumers embrace bio-herbicides based on vinegar, vinegar plus salt,
bleach and a range of plant extracts including citrus, but these may be
unspecific, ineffective or expensive, especially in commercial crops. One
startup, TerMir (which I've served as a commercial advisor for) and its
offshoot, Harpe, combines multiple modes of action into a single natural
product. I learned from the founders that it uses a blend of essential oils,
plant extracts and natural surfactants. Trials like these demonstrate the
potential to replace Roundup in situations when a bio-herbicide is required or
to use alternatives in combination with traditional herbicides to address
resistance and make them more effective.
The
world is entering a phase where the monoculture crop systems involving the
industrial-scale production of corn, soybeans, wheat and barley that are
supported by the extensive use of chemicals are being questioned by consumers
and governments alike. A key aquatic crop such as rice is even more challenging
because the risk of contamination of groundwater may
be much greater.
Perhaps
the answer won’t be a single silver bullet, but the combined use of machine
vision, AI and robots to create smarter systems that allow us to grow multiple
crops in the same fields at the same time, all while meeting the requirements
to feed a growing population sustainably. In the meantime, to be ready for a
world without glyphosate, dicamba and other chemicals, we will need startups to
succeed and feed our need for alternative solutions. Only then can we really be
ready for a world without Roundup.
Forbes Technology Council is an
invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology
executives. Do I qualify?
Follow
me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.
Aidan
Connolly is CEO of start-up Cainthus, President of AgriTech Capital (investing & advising), an author
and a food / farm futurologist. Read Aidan Connolly's fu
Loans disbursed for rice millers
Thou Vireak | Publication date 18 October 2020 |
21:51 ICT
Share
Soldiers in Mongkol Borei district are helping to
harvest over 20ha of rice in Rahat Teuk commune after flooding from the Bavel
river, in Battambang on September, 30. Photo supplied
The state-owned Agricultural and Rural Development Bank of
Cambodia (ARDB) will disburse an additional $30 million in loans to help rice
millers purchase paddy during the upcoming harvest season at the end of the
year.
ARDB director-general Kao Thach told The Post on Sunday that the
added funding aims to assuage concerns among millers stemming from a lack of
capital as they gear up to buy the crop in November-December.
“As per the plan, we will release the loans in November to
coincide with the harvest season of the Sen Kra’op and Phka Romduol paddy
varieties. We hope the funds will help rice millers buy more paddy from
farmers,” he said.
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) secretary-general Lun Yeng
welcomed the move, which he noted comes following the CRF’s petition to the
ARDB earlier this year.
“We appreciate the government for releasing more loans, which
will enable rice millers to buy more paddy.
“With nearly everyone [rice millers] suffering from capital
shortages, we are merely borrowing supplementary capital in response to the
rice export market situation. If the market is weak, we won’t take a gamble
applying for more loans,” he said.
Khy Chhaiwatt, the general manager at the Battambang
province-based Amru Rice Mill, noted that the additional funding comes at a
time when rice millers need capital the most, but called for audits to be
conducted on the loans to root out potential abuse.
He said the recent flash floods had led to severely diminished
rice harvests in Pursat, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces in the
Kingdom’s northwest corridor.
“Some rice mills are facing flooding in Banteay Meanchey
province, and if much more paddy is damaged, it will seriously jeopardise the
agricultural sector during this period,” he said.
Data from the National Committee for Disaster Management show
that flash floods have affected nearly 65,657ha of rice crop as of Thursday,
predominantly in Pursat.
According to Thach, the government has so far disbursed nearly
$200 million in loans to help address capital shortages in the Kingdom’s rice
sector.
“I would like to call on rice millers to continue to help buy
paddy from farmers affected by the flash floods at reasonable prices, even if
some of the paddy is damaged. They need the income to pay for day-to-day living
expenses and for agricultural fertilisers,” he said.
The Kingdom earned more than $328 million from milled-rice
exports in the first nine months of this year, surging 10.43 per cent from the
$297 million raked in last year, the CRF reported.
Shipments of the crop reached 488,785 tonnes during the period
from January-September, gaining 22.62 per cent from the 398,586 tonnes exported
in the same period last year, it said.
Cox’s
Bazar, Bangladesh: Market Monitor (September 2020)
Format
Situation Report
Source
Posted
19 Oct 2020
Originally published
19 Oct 2020
Attachments
Key Messages
·
Mixed price trends observed across most commodities, but significantly so
for rice and onions, due to a combination of impacts from the recent monsoon
rains and import disruptions.
·
Prices of all rice varieties have risen across all markets by 13 percent on
average compared to the 4th week of July, when many parts of the country
started experiencing flooding conditions. The mill-gate price of a 50 kg sack
of rice rose by 250 – 270 BDT, resulting in a 4 – 6 BDT/kg increase in the
wholesale and retail prices.
·
Traders anticipate that rice prices are likely to continue gradually
increasing through end of the year, with price stabilization only expected from
early next year when harvesting of the Aman season starts or import inflows
pick-up.
·
Onion prices increased due to import disruptions from India, the main
source. However, imports have since been rerouted to Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan
and Myanmar in an attempt to stabilize prices.
·
Oil, vegetables, garlic and red lentil prices also continue to be unstable
across many markets and have remained consistently above pre-Covid-19 levels.
·
Wage rates remain unpredictable in the aftermath of the pandemic lockdowns,
varying based on supply and demand of labour across different markets.
·
Overall trade levels in wholesale markets are reportedly significantly
lower than usual. According to traders, the Chaktai/Khatunganj market in
Chittagong which is a major trade-hub is operating at less than 50 percent
capacity.
·
Despite minimal supply side disruptions, consumer demand continues to be
lower than usual, driving sales down due to lower purchasing behaviour, limited
operations within the service sector (food and hospitality), and absence of
cultural gatherings.
·
In camp markets, despite gradual resumption of self-reliance opportunities
purchasing power for many households remain atypically lower than pre-pandemic
periods.
https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/cox-s-bazar-bangladesh-market-monitor-september-2020
Rice
exports drop in volume but still rise in value
·
·
Harvesting rice in Song An commune of Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province
(Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s rice exports by
mid-September had declined 0.8 percent in volume but still grown 11.8 percent
in value compared to the same period last year.
More than 4.8 million tonnes of
rice had been shipped abroad by September 15 bringing home 2.4 billion USD,
according to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority under
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The revenue increase was partly
attributed to higher export prices which averaged 489.2 USD per tonne in the
first nine months, up 12.4 percent year on year.
Besides, the country also recorded
stronger shipments of high-quality rice , with white rice
making up 40.7 percent of the total value, Jasmine and fragrant rice 37.6
percent, glutinous rice 17.4 percent, and Japonica rice and others of Japanese
varieties 4.2 percent.
The Philippines, the largest buyer,
imported 172 million tonnes of Vietnamese rice worth 797.6 million USD in the
January-August period, down 2.4 percent in volume but up 10.9 percent in value
year on year, accounting for 35.4 percent of total exports during the
period.
Growth was also seen in rice
shipments to other markets, including Senegal (up 355 times), Indonesia (2.9
times), and China (82.5 percent), statistics showed./.
https://vietreader.com/business/19767-rice-exports-drop-in-volume-but-still-rise-in-value.html
Rice and agricultural crop harvests and impact of flash floods
Veng Sakhon with
local agri produce at Siem Reap. Photo supplied
Nationwide rice cultivation reaches over 2.75 million hectares,
equivalent to 106.42 percent of what was planned, and the harvests have been
completed in 20 provinces, before the flooding.
Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
shared the update during the World Food Day 2020 held in Sotr Nikum district,
Siem Reap province Friday, adding that the harvest in the remaining five provinces
will be done soon.
Nearly 800,000 hectares of land, or about 92.11 percent of the
planning, are being used for industrial crops, including corn, cassava, bean,
sesame, sugar cane, tobacco, etc., he pointed out.
According to the minister, on-going flash floods are inundating
agricultural crops in 14 provinces – including 190,017 hectares of rice and
59,515 hectares of short-term industrial crops.
A total of 14,214 hectares of crops, including 6,514 hectares of
rice and 7,624 hectares of short-term industrial crops, were damaged, he said.
As of the third quarter of 2020, Cambodia exported nearly 6
million tonnes of agricultural products formally, including 488,775 tonnes of
milled rice (an increase of 22.6 percent compared to the same period in 2019),
and over 2.6 million tonnes informally to international markets. Chea
Vannak – AKP
Gold season in
Bac Ha rice paddies
19/10/2020 09:42 GMT+7
Paddies in Bac Ha District in the
northern province of Lao Cai is entering rice harvesting season, making it an
attractive destination for visitors.
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A house facing golden rice
fields in Bac Ha.
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Entering the harvesting season,
one can hear the sound of rice threshing machines and laughter of local
people across the rice fields.
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After being harvested, rice is
covered with a canvas before transported to their house.
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Vang Binh and his wife in Ban
Lien Commune, Bac Ha District harvesting rice in their rice paddies.
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A rice field after finishing
harvesting.
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This is only a small part of
rice need harvesting in her field.
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Stilt houses nestled at the
food of tea and cinnamon hills.
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NDO/ Photo credit: Tuyet Loan
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/travel/gold-season-in-bac-ha-rice-paddies-681722.html
Rice farmers call for safeguard
measures probe, extra tariffs
October
19, 2020 | 12:03 am
PHILSTAR
THE
Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) called for a safeguard measures investigation
into imported rice, rejecting proposals to provide cash aid to farmers from
rice tariffs as outlined in a Senate resolution.
In
a statement Sunday, FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said that
temporarily imposing safeguard duties or additional tariffs on imported rice
would be a more cost-effective approach than designating rice tariffs for
farmer aid.
The
Senate Committees on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Finance and Ways
and Means on Oct. 16 passed Joint Resolution No. 12 calling for the aid to
farmers funded by excess tariffs collected on imported rice.
The
Rice Tariffication Law or Republic Act 11203 authorizes the collection of
tariffs on rice imports and allots P10 billion a year for five years to the
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). The P10 billion total has been
exceeded for the year, according to the Bureau of Customs, raising the question
of where to send the excess collections.
“If
it had instead imposed additional duties on imports, palay prices would not
have dropped too much; there would have been no need for cash aid to farmers,
and the government might have even earned extra revenue from the safeguard
duties,” Mr. Montemayor said.
RA
8800, or the Safeguard Measures Act, authorizes temporary duties on imports
after a regulator determines in an investigation that they have been excessive,
to the point of doing harm to a domestic industry.
According
to FFF, the proposed cash aid would amount to P5,000 per farmer if distributed
to some 600,000 farmers tilling one hectare or less.
However,
the aid will drop to P2,700 if the number of qualified farmers is 1.1 million,
in the reckoning of Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar.
“In
comparison, farmers have lost an average of P10,000 per hectare in the ongoing
cropping season due to severely depressed palay prices. Either proposal will be
unfair to equally affected rice farmers tilling larger areas,” Mr. Montemayor
said.
Senator
Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the committee, said that based on preliminary
data from the Bureau of Customs, around P13.681 billion has been collected in
the nine months to September.
The
FFF also contends that tariff collections have been artificially depressed by
undervation, which constitutes technical smuggling.
It
said P4 billion more could have been collected in tariffs since March 2019 had
tariffs been assessed on accurate values.
“These
importers will simply look for other proxy groups. What is needed is to tighten
the accreditation of importers and make it difficult and costly for them to
undervalue their shipments,” Mr. Montemayor said.
“Safeguard
duties will not be inflationary as claimed by the Department of Agriculture
(DA), because they will be applied only when there is already a proven
oversupply in the market. They can be removed once the situation
stabilizes,” Mr. Montemayor said.
Instead
of providing cash aid, Mr. Montemayor said the RCEF funding as well as
additional tariff collections should be used to address the current problems
affecting farmers.
“The
P5-billion annual fund for mechanization is not moving well, and it might be
more practical at this time to preserve jobs for farm laborers instead of
displacing them with machines,” Mr. Montemayor said.
“The
P1-billion budget for extension and training could be realigned, considering
that farmers cannot attend training activities due to coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) -related restrictions,” he added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
https://www.bworldonline.com/rice-farmers-call-for-safeguard-measures-probe-extra-tariffs/
Villar urges DA agencies not to
allow importation of rice, other agri products during harvest season
Published October 19, 2020, 12:13 PM
Sen. Cynthia
Villar urged agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Monday not to
allow importation of rice, corn, and other agricultural products during harvest
season to avoid oversupply and the excessive decline in farm gate prices.
Sen. Cynthia
Villar
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
At the
continuation of the Senate Committee on Finance subcommittee deliberation of
the DA’s P86.3-billion proposed 2021 budget, Villar asked support from her
colleagues to back her motion to halt rice importation amid the plummeting
prices of palay.
Villar said
the DA Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) is in charge of issuing the permits
for rice importation.
“They should
promise us that ‘pag harvest, huwag magbigay ng import permit (during harvest
season, they would not release import permit). Common sense naman ‘yon na
pagmaghaharvest, huwag magbigay ng import permit (It’s common sense that when
farmers are harvesting, you don’t issue import permits),” Villar, a vice
chairperson of the panel, said.
“Mag-gawa ng
schedule na ‘pag tatamaan ‘yung pagdating ng importation sa harvest time, eh
huwag nang ibigay ‘yon (Come up with a schedule that when the importation will
arrive during harvest time, we will not allow it). Para wala tayong problema sa
(So that we will not anymore have a problem about the) plummeting palay
prices,” she added.
“I want
senators to support this para makinig naman sa atin ang DA (so that DA will
finally listen). Kasi akala nila (Because they thought) we are not united in
this.”Senators seconded Villar’s call, adding that the suspension of
importation should also apply to other basic commodities, such as corn, feed
wheat, garlic, fish, and poultry products.
“So we’ll
make a general request to BPI, BAI (Bureau of Animal Industry) and BFAR (Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources),” Villar said.
DA
Undersecretary Arie Cayanan explained to senators later that there were “more
safeguards” in their issuance of permits to control the entry of imported
products, especially rice.
He said they
have also been appealing to traders and millers to support local produce and
discouraging them from importing.
“Because the
only way para hindi po talaga tayo mag-issue is for them not to apply,” Cayanan
said.
But Villar
disputed this, saying the DA could have stopped importation by rejecting the
application of the importers.
“Huwag niyo
sabihin hindi niyo makokontrol, kung ikaw ay DA na desidido kang ikontrol, kaya
mong ikontrol. Kung ikaw ang Secretary ng DA at ayaw sumunod ng BPI, eh ‘di
tanggalin mo. Tama ba ‘yon? Huwag niyong sabihin sa akin na hindi mo kayang
kontrolin ang BPI ninyo,” Villar said.
Agriculture
Secretary William Dar said the DA will heed the senators’ request, but
suggested to the panel to formalize the call thru a Senate
resolution but Villar said that Congress is currently on
break and resolutions will not be passed until next month.
Dar also
said the Bureau of Customs (BoC) should also be made to act on the persistent
problem of smuggling of agricultural products.
Rice enters harvest season in north China's
Hebei
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-18 21:48:33|Editor:
huaxia
A farmer drives a harvester at a
rice field in Jiangzhuang Village in Luanzhou, north China's Hebei Province,
Oct. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-10/18/c_139449584_2.htm
Rice farmers seek bigger financial
aid
Published October 19, 2020, 12:26 PM
The one-time
financial assistance that the Senate directed the Department of Agriculture
(DA) to provide to rice farmers amid the declining prices of palay would not be
enough, a group of rice farmers said.
(MB file, Keith Bacongco)
Federation
of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Montemayor said rice farmers have
lost an average of P10,000 per hectare in the ongoing cropping season due to
severely depressed palay prices.
This was his
response to the joint resolution recently passed by the Senate Committees on
Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, which ordered the DA to appropriate some P3
billion in tariffs from rice imports through the 2021 national budget for cash
aid to rice farmers.
Under the
Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which allowed unlimited rice importation in the
Philippines, tariff collections in excess of P10 billion per year can be used
for additional support to farmers, including cash transfers.
FFF,
however, noted that the proposed appropriation would only provide P5,000 per
farmer if distributed to some 600,000 farmers tilling one hectare or less.
If the
actual number of qualified farmers is raised to 1.1 million, the subsidy would
only amount to about P2,700 per farmer.
Either
proposal will be unfair to equally affected rice farmers tilling larger areas,
the farmers’ group said.
Instead,
Montemayor said the government could keep palay prices stable by temporarily
imposing safeguard duties or additional tariffs on imported rice.
“The
government allowed unlimited rice imports, resulting in low palay prices.
Now, it will spend P3 billion to partially offset farmers’ losses. If it had
instead imposed additional duties on imports, palay prices would not have
dropped too much, there would have been no need for cash aid to farmers, and
the government might have even earned extra revenues from the safeguard
duties,” said Montemayor.
Under the
Section 10 of RTL or Republic Act (RA) 11203, in order to protect the
Philippine rice industry from sudden or extreme price fluctuations, a special
safeguard duty on rice shall be imposed in accordance with Safeguard Measures
Act.
R.A. 8800 or
the Safeguard Measures Act, on the other hand, allows additional safeguard
duties on top of regular tariffs in case an import surge is shown to be harmful
to local farmers.
“Safeguard
duties will not be inflationary as claimed by the DA, because they will be
applied only when there is already a proven oversupply in the market.
They can be removed once the situation stabilizes,” said Montemayor.
Agriculture
Secretary William Dar is not keen on slapping additional tariff on rice
imports, and has repeatedly appealed for public understanding about the
“short-term” effects of RTL to palay prices.
However, he
promised to look for other solutions to the plea of the farmers like asking the
National Food Authority (NFA), which buys palay at P19 per kilogram (/kg) to
boost the government’s buffer stock, to intensify its palay procurement.
Instead of
cash aid, the FFF proposed that existing funds from the Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) and extra tariff collections be re-focused to address
current problems of farmers.
It noted
that half of farmers receiving free seeds under the RCEF had already been using
certified seeds in the past, and that many were seeking other types of support
that were not available under RCEF.
Numerous
farmers have also questioned the DA’s promotion of seed varieties like NSIC
Rc222, which is of poor quality and are being shunned by traders.
“Also, the
P5 billion annual fund for mechanization is not moving well, and it might be
more practical at this time to preserve job opportunities for farm laborers
instead of displacing them with machines,” Montemayor said.
“Moreover,
the P1 billion budget for extension and training could be realigned,
considering that farmers cannot attend training activities due to COVID-related
restrictions. The P1 billion for credit could be better used for interest rate
subsidies or loan guarantee programs, instead of direct loans which will
benefit only 20,000 farmers,” he added.
DA asked to control imports of
rice, other produce during harvest time
Posted by Liza Almonte on October 20, 20200
Sacks of rice | Image by chitsu san from Pixabay
The Senate called on the
Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies to stop issuing
phytosanitary permits for importation of rice and other food commodities before
or during the harvest season to curb continued drop in farmgate prices
nationwide.
“Kailangan natin ng mga agarang aksyon upang
masolusyunan ang patuloy na pagbaba ng presyo ng palay at iba pang produktong
pang-agrikultura [We need immediate action to address the
continued fall in the price of rice and other agricultural products]. We
support this manifestation and we believe that it is a good first step,”
Senator Francis Pangilinan said after the October 19 deliberation on the DA’s
P63.96 billion budget for 2021.
The price of palay has
dropped by as much as P12 per kilo in some provinces even though the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the average price of palay (unhusked
rice) is P17 to P19 per kilogram.
The Senate also called the DA’s
attention to the lowered farmgate prices of other agricultural commodities such
as corn and poultry, as well as the over-importation and smuggling of fish.
PSA reported that the price of
corn went down by 4.6% during the first week of September.
Importation of whole chicken and
chicken parts should be paused as well, Pangilinan said.
“Kailangang mabawasan na ang ating pag-asa sa
pag-aangkat. Para tayo maging food sufficient,
kailangan lokal ang ating mindset. Kailangan ding mayroong sapat na suporta
upang kayanin ng lokal na mabigyan ng suplay ang buong bansa,”
Pangilinan said. Translation: “We need to reduce our reliance on importation.
To be food sufficient we need a local-oriented mindset. There should also be
enough support to capacitate local production to provide enough supply for the
whole country.”
All senators at the hearing
seconded the manifestation.
Farmers and fisherfolk, as well
as leaders in agriculture and even in local government, have complained about
the low prices of their products due to massive importation. Rice farmers, in
particular, have called on Congress to review and amend Republic Act No. 11203,
or the Rice Tariffication Law, blaming it for the steep drop in palay prices.
Pangilinan, a member of the
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, in previous DA
budget hearings also expressed alarm over the sudden spike in food prices over
the last month, and called for a government revisit of the food supply chain,
with focus on logistics and transport bottlenecks.
READ: Solon slams food
price surge, calls for supply chain review
The lawmaker suggested bridging
the distance between consumer and producer, especially during this pandemic
when going out of the house is still dangerous.
He noted some local government
units (LGU) are already organizing community or mobile markets and markets on
wheels, with LGUs themselves fetching from the farmers the food products and
selling or making these available to their constituents.
Under Republic Act No. 11494 or
the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, LGUs are allowed to procure agricultural
products directly from farmers and fisherfolk or agricultural cooperatives and
associations.
Bayanihan 2 also directs the
adoption of measures to facilitate and improve supply chain movement and
minimize disruptions to ensure essential goods, particularly food and medicine,
are available.
Aside from improving the national
end-to-end supply chain, it also calls for measures to reduce logistics costs
“to the maximum extent possible,” especially for basic commodities and
services.
Tags: Department of Agriculture, Francis Pangilinan, Rice Tariffication Law, Senate
Rice crop, market likely up for Texas producers
·
Oct 18, 2020
It’s
beginning to look like Mother Nature and market forces could make 2020 a good
crop year for Texas rice producers. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
photo.)
Early
indications show Texas rice farmers produced a bumper crop amid a market that
could experience a price increase due to crop losses in other rice-producing
states, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Research expert.
Ted
Wilson, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director,
Beaumont, said high yields and lower-than-expected supplies elsewhere could be
good news for Texas rice growers.
“I’m
hearing about extremely high yields in the main crop, but I haven’t seen enough
data on quality or yields for an assessment,” he said. “From the way growers
are talking, it looks like we’ll be closer to 2018 production numbers than
2019.”
Rice
crop numbers
Producers
yielded 1,300 pounds more per acre in 2018 compared to 2019, Wilson said.
Rice
acres were also up this year—184,400 acres—compared to 2019—154,100 acres, he
said.
Wilson
said rice acres in Texas typically fluctuate based on global market prices.
“The
U.S. is a minuscule producer but a major exporter of rice,” he said. “The U.S.
typically ranks third to fifth in global rice exports, so the Texas acreage
goes up and down based on the supply and demand.”
Wilson
suspects U.S. supplies, including growers in Arkansas and northern Louisiana,
were negatively impacted by a series of hurricane and tropical storm systems
this growing season. The losses could greatly impact the U.S. export market and
rice prices.
Arkansas
produces half of the nation’s rice, Wilson said. Losses in Louisiana also
likely reduced the U.S. production of long-grain rice, which is the primary
rice crop for Texas growers.
“In
Texas that’s mostly good news for growers,” he said. “But it’s not good for
growers in those other states. They just got too much rain at the wrong time.
Losses in Arkansas and northern Louisiana may affect global supplies.”
Wilson
said a 5%-10% reduction in overall U.S. production due to those crop losses
will likely mean rice acres in Texas remain static next year rather than fall.
Wilson
said dry conditions early in the growing season weren’t ideal for other Texas
crops but they were good for rice growers. Producers were able to follow
planting with a flush of shallow water that is drained and followed by a
subsequent flush as plants grow.
“Drought
can mean more flushes are necessary, and that can push water costs up, but they
had timely rains,” he said. “Too much rain can cause problems too, but there
was little impact to the Texas crop from the storms.”
Wilson
said disease and pest pressure were low in 2020 as well. The ratoon crop could
face heavier infestations because a Caribbean plant hopper reemerged several
years ago and caused some black mold development in late-season fields last
year.
It
is too early to estimate how well the ratoon crop in Texas will perform, Wilson
said. Ratoon crops west of Houston typically perform better during the season
because the region has lighter soils, receives less rain and ultimately enjoys
an extended growing window.
Around
50% to 75% of the acres planted for the main crop have been ratooned in recent
years, he said. But grower surveys are not far enough along to provide a
glimpse of what the ratoon crop expectations are this year. There also was some
concern about late-season tropical storms or hurricanes negatively impacting
the ratoon crop.
Wilson
also said Texas rice production was spared major impacts from COVID-19.
“When
it comes to weather, the timing of the Texas crop was pretty close to perfect
to avoid storm impacts,” he said. “And as far as COVID, there may have been
some shipping disruptions at Texas ports, but I think a lot of that was more
from storm damage, so it really hasn’t been affected so far.”
Milma EKM
region to boost paddy farming
Our Bureau Kochi | Updated on October
19, 2020 Published on October 19, 2020
·
SHARE
Joins hands with State’s Subiksha
Keralam programme
The
Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (Milma) has joined hands
with the State government’s Subiksha Keralam programme by introducing paddy
cultivation so as to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.John
Theruvath, Chairman, Milma, Ernakulam region, said the Poothrikka Primary
Cooperative Milk Producers Union has taken up cultivation of 2.5 acres of paddy
field in its area as part of launching the project by taking over fallow for
rice cultivation.
More
primary milk cooperatives have evinced interest in taking up paddy cultivation
and the initiative would augment income at a time when the diary sector itself
is passing through a critical phase in the pandemic times. The Union is
considering a substantial allocation in the annual budget to promote paddy
cultivation by primary cooperatives, he said.
The
Ernakulam regional cooperative spread over Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam and
Idukki districts has around 930 primary cooperatives. Encouraging these
cooperatives in farming activities would help in bringing substantial areas now
laying empty under paddy and vegetable cultivation. He pointed out that the
milk procurement by regional cooperative is to the tune of 3.35 lakh per day
and sales have touched 3.55 lakh litres per day.
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Published
on October 19, 2020
GIEWS
Country Brief: Panama 19-October-2020
Format
News and Press Release
Source
Posted
19 Oct 2020
Originally published
19 Oct 2020
Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
Paddy production in 2020 forecast at slightly above‑average level
Cereal import requirements anticipated at high levels in 2020/21 marketing
year
Prices of beans stable in September and higher year on year
Paddy production in 2020 forecast at slightly above‑average level
Harvesting of the 2020 predominantly rainfed minor season paddy crop is
nearing completion. Production is expected at an average level due to
favourable rainfall during the second quarter of 2020 that bolstered crop
yields.
Harvesting of the 2020 main season paddy crop will start in November and
production prospects are favourable mainly reflecting above‑average plantings,
instigated by agricultural credits provided to farmers. The Government provided
USD 2.5 million of zero credit loans during the July‑September period in order
to boost production of rice, maize and beans in the major producing provinces
of Los Santos, Coclé and Chiriquí. According to satellite imagery, crop
conditions are reportedly near average.
Cereal import requirements anticipated at high levels in 2020/21 marketing
year
Cereal import requirements in the 2020/21 marketing year (September/August)
are anticipated at an above‑average level of 820 000 tonnes due to the
sustained demand of maize by the domestic feed industry. Maize imports account
for about 70 percent of the total import requirements. In July 2020, the
Government suspended tariffs on imports of yellow maize in order to lower
production costs of poultry and porcine industries.
Prices of beans stable in September and higher year on year
Prices of rice have been stable throughout the year as they are regulated
by the Government. Rice is one of the 14 basic food items whose maximum prices
are fixed since mid‑2014 under the Executive Decree No. 165. Prices of beans
have been stable since July, after the sharp increases during the March‑June
period due to seasonally tight supplies and the upsurge of domestic demand amid
the beginning of the COVID‑19 pandemic. As of September, prices of beans were
about 7 percent higher year on year. Prices of maize were also stable in
September after declining in July and August due to large import flows. In
September, prices of maize were more than 10 percent lower year on year
reflecting abundant market availabilities.
Primary country
Source
Format
Themes
Language
GIEWS
Country Brief: Panama 25-May-2020
Format
News and Press Release
Source
·
FAO
Posted
25 May 2020
Originally published
25 May 2020
https://reliefweb.int/report/panama/giews-country-brief-panama-19-october-2020
Brazil: Brazil Eliminates Soybean and Corn Import Duties
October 19, 2020
On October 16,
Brazil announced that it would suspend the import tariffs on corn, soybeans,
soy meal, and soy oil from countries outside the Mercosur trade bloc. The
tariff on corn and soy imports from outside Mercosur is currently eight
percent, six percent for soy meal, and 10 percent for soy oil. Post anticipates
that the decision will be published in the Brazilian Federal Register in the
next couple of days and will come into force the same day. The import tariff
waiver will apply to soybean and soy products until January 15, 2021, and for
corn imports until March 31, 2021. The waiver will apply to all incoming
imports with no quota. Post sees several hurdles to substantial imports from
the United States due to current price spreads and several regulatory and
logistical challenges.
Brazil: Brazil Eliminates Soybean and Corn Import Duties
Contact
Office of
Agricultural Affairs, Brasilia
(011-55-61)
3312-7101
Recent Attaché Reports (GAIN)
New Zealand: Dairy and Products Annual
October 19,
2020
New Zealand’s
milk production in 2021 is forecast at 22 million metric tons (MMT), down
slightly from the record volume now estimated for 2020 (22.19 MMT).
Philippines: Dairy and Products Annual
October 19,
2020
The Philippines
imports virtually all of its dairy products, especially milk powder, as
domestic production cannot meet the country’s dairy demand of nearly 3.0 MMT
liquid milk...
Government zeroes import tariff for soybeans
and corn
Government zeroes import tariff for soybeans and corn
posted on 10/17/2020 19:19
(credit: José Varella / CB / DA Press – 10/4/08)
To try to contain the increase in food prices,
the Brazilian government decided to reset the import tariff for soybeans and
corn. The measure had already been taken for rice and aims to increase the
supply of products in the country to lower the price.
The decision was taken this Friday (10/16),
during an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Management Committee (Gecex)
of the Chamber of Foreign Trade (Camex), at the request of the ministries of
Agriculture, Livestock and Supply and Economy.
The exemption is valid until January 15, 2021
in the case of soybeans and until March 31, 2021 in the case of corn. And it
doesn’t have a defined quota. It is therefore more flexible than rice. In the
case of rice, the government allowed imports without a tariff of at most 400
thousand tons until the end of this year.
By means of a note, the Ministry of Agriculture
explained that “the objective is to promote an adjustment between the supply
and demand for these products in the period before the harvest of the 2020/2021
harvest”. The Ministry of Economy added that “both measures are motivated to
contain the rise in prices in the food sector”.
High prices
According to official Brazilian inflation,
measured by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), soybean
oil has already risen more than rice this year. The product was 51.3% more
expensive since January and suffered a 27.54% increase in September alone.
Rice, on the other hand, rose 40.69% in the year and 17.98% last month.
The increase is the result of the rise in the
dollar, which raised the prices of these products abroad and led domestic
producers to export more, especially to China, which also reinforced demand for
Brazilian products this year. Soy exports alone rose about 30% between January
and September, reaching 79 million tons. Therefore, the supply decreased and
the price rose in the domestic market.
In the case of corn, the price increase was
more modest – 10.1% in the year and 3.35% in September -, also due to the
increase in exports. However, demand has risen sharply, as the product serves
as food for livestock production and animal protein exports are also on the
rise this year. Meat exports, for example, rose 14% until September. Therefore,
producers have been showing concern about the supply and prices of corn and
consumers have already complained about meat prices, which rose 4.5% in
September.
“Due to these factors, it was convenient to
seek a preventive measure, in order to equalize the import conditions from
third countries with Mercosur, strengthening the supply of the domestic
market,” stated the Director of Marketing and Supply, Sílvio Farnese. He
guaranteed, in turn, that there is no risk of shortages.
Rice
In early September, the government also zeroed
out the import tariff on rice. Since then, Brazilian producers have traded
225,000 tonnes of rice from the United States, India and Guyana, according to
the Ministry of Agriculture.
Most of this product, however, has not yet
arrived in Brazil. As a result, rice prices still rose in September. In
addition, the industry has already warned that there should not be a sharp
reduction in prices when imports take place. For the sector, the measure will
have the effect of preventing prices from continuing to rise.
These were the details of the news Government
zeroes import tariff for soybeans and corn for this day. We hope that we have
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Rice exporters to provide conducive working
environment for agri- children
OCTOBER 19, 2020
The rice
exporters showed commitment for providing a conducive working environment to
agri- children and their families for protecting them from any physical,
emotion and psychological abuses in the workplace.
“we have
organized workshops for educating the 1000 rice transplanters families and
their children on Child Rights and to create awareness for their personal
health, hygiene and Prevention from COVID-19 pandemic, ” the Project Officer
RPL, Rizwan Ali said in a press release issued here on Sunday.
He said that in
the last session of the series of awareness sessions,the Project Officer RPL,
Rizwan Ali highlighted the different aspects of children’ s health and threats
and also delivered a lecture on child rights.
So far more
than 28,000 farmers have been sensitized by RPL,he said. He said that,Rice
Partners (Pvt) Ltd (RPL) organized 20 awareness sessions on “Child Rights and
Personal Health and Hygiene” for rice transplanter’s families in different
regions of the Punjab province.
The Rice
Partners (Pvt) Ltd (RPL) in collaboration with Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss
Solidarity conducted 20 awareness sessions for agriculture families on “Child
Rights and Personal Health and Hygiene “especially for rice trans planter’s
families in 16 remote villages of district Sheikhupura and other districts, he
said.
He threw light
on the rights of children and highlighted the strategies for elimination of
child abuses and child labor.
During the
series of awareness sessions, more than 2000 participants attended these
awareness sessions, he said.
Rizwan ali said
that they try their best to improve the livelihood of the farmers and farm
labour.
While, SOPs
were strictly followed regarding the COVID-19 during these sessions.
He shared the
key points of the document of the United Nations Child Rights Convention
(UNCRC) with the participants.
The UNCRC has
41 articles which tell us about various rights of the child.
He said that
the constitution of Pakistan also grants fundamental rights to the citizens of
Pakistan particularly to women and children.
As per article
25-A of Constitution of Pakistan “The State shall provide free and compulsory
education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as
may be determined by law” he added.
He also said
that RPL is providing books, stationery and uniforms to the deserving children
of the transplanting community free of cost so they should send their children
into schools.
He ended the
session by saying that RPL is also supporting birth registration of children.
The Health
Officer, Punjab Health Department, Ms Zunaira Arooj sensitized the participants
on personal health and hygiene.
She told the
participants what measures should be taken in case of heatstroke, accidents,
bites, chemical exposures etc.
She added to
always use filtered water or boiled water to remain safe from water- borne diseases.
She also spread awareness on prevention from novel coronavirus.
She described
the methods of making hand sanitizers and ORS at home.
While talking
to APP, Muhammad Ali Tariq Chief Operating Officer Rice Partners Pvt Ltd has
said that RPL is working for the betterment of farmers and farm laborers from
past many years through provision of laser land leveling on 50%, cost sharing
basis, trainings on water saving techniques.
“We are
ensuring decent working conditions for rice transplanters and their children by
establishing Community Child Care Centers, first aid kits distribution of food
packs, canopy kits etc.
He also said
that RPL has organized a number of medical camps in Punjab and treated more
than 20,000 patients in the community.
He said that
RPL is the only organization in Pakistan which is working on many aspects of
the rice value chain like Water productivity, Crop management, Gender equality,
Child rights, Vocational training, Women empowerment, human rights and health
issues.
Rice Prices
as on : 19-10-2020 04:34:46 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals |
Price |
|||||
|
Current |
% |
Season |
Modal |
Prev. |
Prev.Yr |
|
|
Rice |
||||||
|
Gangavathi(Kar) |
529.00 |
54.68 |
2800.00 |
1375 |
1400 |
- |
|
Bindki(UP) |
320.00 |
28 |
5118.00 |
2430 |
2430 |
NC |
|
Manjeri(Ker) |
290.00 |
NC |
11020.00 |
3500 |
3500 |
NC |
|
Kanpur(Grain)(UP) |
190.00 |
58.33 |
4945.00 |
2040 |
2125 |
-10.53 |
|
Manvi(Kar) |
115.00 |
360 |
1647.00 |
1580 |
1580 |
- |
|
Gondal(UP) |
112.00 |
-5.08 |
9384.00 |
2350 |
2350 |
-4.47 |
|
Mandya(Kar) |
104.00 |
-55.74 |
20904.00 |
1380 |
1380 |
- |
|
Ballia(UP) |
90.00 |
28.57 |
3338.00 |
2440 |
2460 |
-0.41 |
|
Varanasi(Grain)(UP) |
90.00 |
-5.26 |
3147.00 |
2350 |
2400 |
-1.47 |
|
Dadri(UP) |
85.00 |
-5.56 |
3940.00 |
5900 |
5980 |
- |
|
Choubepur(UP) |
81.50 |
-15.1 |
3106.60 |
2300 |
2300 |
-10.16 |
|
Sindhanur(Kar) |
72.00 |
-28 |
276.00 |
2380 |
2400 |
- |
|
Lakhimpur(UP) |
70.00 |
7.69 |
3377.00 |
2340 |
2330 |
-4.88 |
|
Hardoi(UP) |
70.00 |
-12.5 |
5712.80 |
2350 |
2400 |
-3.69 |
|
Mainpuri(UP) |
62.00 |
74.65 |
2995.50 |
2650 |
2640 |
3.92 |
|
Madhoganj(UP) |
60.50 |
95.16 |
2521.00 |
2330 |
2400 |
-0.85 |
|
Hapur(UP) |
60.00 |
20 |
2062.00 |
2680 |
2700 |
-4.29 |
|
Barhaj(UP) |
60.00 |
9.09 |
8642.00 |
2560 |
2570 |
6.67 |
|
Kopaganj(UP) |
47.00 |
30.56 |
2230.00 |
2545 |
2550 |
3.25 |
|
Aligarh(UP) |
45.00 |
NC |
4307.00 |
2550 |
2550 |
NC |
|
Allahabad(UP) |
45.00 |
NC |
2572.00 |
2300 |
2350 |
-13.21 |
|
Pandua(WB) |
44.00 |
-2.22 |
1018.00 |
3250 |
3250 |
8.33 |
|
Khalilabad(UP) |
40.00 |
60 |
2227.00 |
2450 |
2525 |
2.73 |
|
Shamli(UP) |
40.00 |
263.64 |
1723.90 |
2660 |
2630 |
-4.49 |
|
Dahod(Guj) |
38.10 |
988.57 |
878.30 |
4300 |
4300 |
7.50 |
|
Teliamura(Tri) |
35.00 |
16.67 |
659.00 |
2800 |
2800 |
-3.45 |
|
Sehjanwa(UP) |
35.00 |
16.67 |
3357.50 |
2560 |
2560 |
18.52 |
|
Gorakhpur(UP) |
34.00 |
21.43 |
1917.00 |
2460 |
2580 |
-0.40 |
|
Agra(UP) |
34.00 |
-8.11 |
2481.00 |
2640 |
2630 |
2.72 |
|
Muzzafarnagar(UP) |
33.00 |
22.22 |
2515.00 |
2680 |
2670 |
-3.94 |
|
Saharanpur(UP) |
32.00 |
-15.79 |
2603.50 |
2670 |
2675 |
-4.13 |
|
Beldanga(WB) |
30.00 |
-25 |
1620.00 |
2700 |
2650 |
NC |
|
Firozabad(UP) |
28.00 |
7.69 |
2279.00 |
2600 |
2590 |
1.96 |
|
Faizabad(UP) |
27.00 |
-1.82 |
1848.50 |
2370 |
2380 |
-3.27 |
|
Sahiyapur(UP) |
26.00 |
225 |
2166.50 |
2570 |
2570 |
4.26 |
|
Mathura(UP) |
26.00 |
-7.14 |
2722.50 |
2560 |
2560 |
0.39 |
|
Ghaziabad(UP) |
25.00 |
-37.5 |
3210.00 |
2900 |
2820 |
-0.85 |
|
Muradabad(UP) |
25.00 |
NC |
2027.00 |
2595 |
2600 |
-2.44 |
|
Gazipur(UP) |
24.00 |
-12.73 |
1455.50 |
3100 |
3180 |
-6.34 |
|
Bahraich(UP) |
23.50 |
-6 |
1335.00 |
2380 |
2370 |
-3.25 |
|
Rampur(UP) |
23.00 |
35.29 |
828.50 |
2600 |
2600 |
-3.70 |
|
Utraula(UP) |
21.00 |
-50.59 |
1173.60 |
2360 |
2350 |
- |
|
Paliakala(UP) |
21.00 |
10.53 |
1048.50 |
2330 |
2320 |
-4.12 |
|
Jaunpur(UP) |
20.00 |
-35.48 |
1655.30 |
2350 |
2400 |
-2.08 |
|
Bharthna(UP) |
20.00 |
33.33 |
937.00 |
2340 |
2325 |
-12.03 |
|
Balrampur(UP) |
19.00 |
NC |
1399.00 |
2370 |
2380 |
5.33 |
|
Sirsaganj(UP) |
18.00 |
2.86 |
1351.00 |
2630 |
2650 |
-0.38 |
|
Jafarganj(UP) |
16.00 |
77.78 |
1210.00 |
2350 |
2350 |
-2.08 |
|
Meerut(UP) |
15.00 |
-11.76 |
1236.50 |
2900 |
2870 |
4.32 |
|
Kayamganj(UP) |
15.00 |
NC |
1472.00 |
2420 |
2440 |
-10.37 |
|
Badayoun(UP) |
14.00 |
75 |
882.50 |
2575 |
2575 |
-3.20 |
|
Pratapgarh(UP) |
13.00 |
18.18 |
577.00 |
2410 |
2400 |
-0.21 |
|
Jangipura(UP) |
13.00 |
-13.33 |
608.00 |
2400 |
2500 |
NC |
|
Mahoba(UP) |
12.50 |
30.21 |
475.70 |
2420 |
2410 |
-0.21 |
|
Soharatgarh(UP) |
10.50 |
-16 |
880.20 |
2560 |
2565 |
3.64 |
|
Amroha(UP) |
10.00 |
25 |
216.00 |
2600 |
2580 |
NC |
|
Balarampur(WB) |
10.00 |
233.33 |
62.37 |
3000 |
2800 |
16.28 |
|
Vilthararoad(UP) |
9.00 |
12.5 |
109.00 |
2100 |
2100 |
-2.33 |
|
Etah(UP) |
8.00 |
NC |
513.50 |
2590 |
2620 |
1.57 |
|
Mohamadabad(UP) |
8.00 |
33.33 |
797.00 |
2400 |
2420 |
- |
|
Devariya(UP) |
8.00 |
6.67 |
938.30 |
2560 |
2565 |
2.81 |
|
Karvi(UP) |
8.00 |
6.67 |
611.00 |
2420 |
2460 |
1.68 |
|
Banda(UP) |
7.50 |
7.14 |
447.00 |
2425 |
2450 |
3.19 |
|
Rasda(UP) |
7.50 |
-25 |
788.50 |
2410 |
2520 |
995.45 |
|
Atarra(UP) |
7.00 |
-22.22 |
732.50 |
2430 |
2450 |
2.97 |
|
Mirzapur(UP) |
7.00 |
-6.67 |
310.50 |
2380 |
2465 |
-2.86 |
|
Ajuha(UP) |
7.00 |
-12.5 |
527.00 |
2350 |
2400 |
-9.62 |
|
Milak(UP) |
7.00 |
16.67 |
176.00 |
2520 |
2550 |
-0.40 |
|
Fatehpur(UP) |
6.60 |
37.5 |
1732.90 |
2450 |
2475 |
3.38 |
|
Auraiya(UP) |
6.00 |
100 |
173.80 |
2250 |
2280 |
-16.67 |
|
Mawana(UP) |
6.00 |
-53.85 |
630.20 |
2880 |
2850 |
- |
|
Lucknow(UP) |
6.00 |
66.67 |
3309.20 |
2400 |
2475 |
-11.11 |
|
Raibareilly(UP) |
5.00 |
-28.57 |
1368.50 |
2210 |
2200 |
-5.96 |
|
Nadia(WB) |
5.00 |
NC |
233.00 |
3250 |
3300 |
-13.33 |
|
Tundla(UP) |
4.50 |
-18.18 |
317.50 |
2635 |
2640 |
4.15 |
|
Chitwadagaon(UP) |
4.30 |
22.86 |
299.40 |
2420 |
2540 |
15.24 |
|
Jahangirabad(UP) |
4.00 |
NC |
309.00 |
2600 |
2630 |
-0.95 |
|
Achalda(UP) |
4.00 |
NC |
404.80 |
2250 |
2240 |
-13.46 |
|
Fatehpur Sikri(UP) |
3.20 |
NC |
208.40 |
2560 |
2570 |
-1.54 |
|
Kannauj(UP) |
3.00 |
-45.45 |
341.40 |
2350 |
2400 |
-9.62 |
|
Uluberia(WB) |
3.00 |
NC |
79.60 |
2580 |
2600 |
-11.03 |
|
Perinthalmanna(Ker) |
2.90 |
NC |
40.60 |
3000 |
2800 |
7.14 |
|
Mugrabaadshahpur(UP) |
2.80 |
16.67 |
84.20 |
2460 |
2460 |
7.89 |
|
Kosikalan(UP) |
2.50 |
NC |
229.20 |
2550 |
2560 |
-1.92 |
|
Charra(UP) |
2.30 |
21.05 |
142.70 |
2550 |
2550 |
NC |
|
Kamalghat(Tri) |
2.00 |
-33.33 |
9.00 |
3300 |
3300 |
- |
|
Pilibhit(UP) |
2.00 |
-42.86 |
1454.50 |
2500 |
2560 |
-7.75 |
|
Baberu(UP) |
1.90 |
-13.64 |
82.50 |
2420 |
2430 |
2.98 |
|
Purwa(UP) |
1.50 |
NC |
24.50 |
2375 |
2380 |
- |
|
Maudaha(UP) |
1.40 |
40 |
39.20 |
2420 |
2450 |
2.98 |
|
Sonamura(Tri) |
1.20 |
NC |
60.50 |
2900 |
3800 |
- |
|
Lalganj(UP) |
1.20 |
NC |
195.20 |
2150 |
2150 |
22.86 |
|
Melaghar(Tri) |
1.00 |
NC |
75.60 |
2800 |
2800 |
NC |
|
Anandnagar(UP) |
0.90 |
12.5 |
181.70 |
2475 |
2545 |
1.02 |
|
Gurusarai(UP) |
0.90 |
28.57 |
24.40 |
2450 |
2450 |
-2.00 |
|
Bharuasumerpur(UP) |
0.80 |
-20 |
52.90 |
2400 |
2400 |
-4.00 |
|
Champaknagar(Tri) |
0.70 |
-30 |
9.60 |
3300 |
3100 |
- |
|
Risia(UP) |
0.70 |
NC |
62.30 |
2380 |
2370 |
- |
|
Atrauli(UP) |
0.60 |
-14.29 |
26.10 |
2550 |
2555 |
- |
Kurdistan Region rice farmers harvest bumper crop
32 minutes ago
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HARIR, Kurdistan Region — Rice harvest season has begun
in the Kurdistan Region, and farmers in Erbil’s Harir sub-district say there's
been a boom in production this year.
"We're making a lot of profit," Mawlud Hassan, a farmer in Harir
said.
According to the KRG agriculture ministry, nearly 20,000 dunams of Kurdistan
Region land are planted with rice.
Last year, 10,000 tonnes of rice were produced in the Kurdistan Region, the
ministry said. This year, production is expected to surpass 15,000
tonnes.
"This year’s product is better than ever," farmer Mariwan Abdullah
said. "The quality is also better than ever, because there was more water.
The soil is good too. All the water has come from springs."
There are two types of Kurdish rice: Sadri (long-grain) and round.
The famed quality of the rice makes marketing it easy. Farmers don’t have to
take their rice to market, and some are even able to sell it on the threshing
floor.
"We have our buyers and don’t need the markets. It is not like tomatoes
that you have to take to market in pickups. Every farmer has his own customers.
They call you and order the number of canisters or kilograms they want,"
farmer Karwan Sabah said.
The product is sold in 16-kilogram canisters. One can of Sadri rice sells for
55,000 Iraqi dinars ($45).
Kurdistan Region land produces 6% of the rice sold here.
Telangana faces godown crunch amid
bumper paddy produce
However, as Express finds out, some
districts of Telangana, especially those in the northern parts, are not yet
ready with enough space in their godowns to store the rice derived out of the
paddy.
Published: 19th October 2020 07:44
AM | Last Updated: 19th October 2020 07:44
A family being shifted to a safe location after their house at
Nadeem Colony in Tolichowki got inundated, on Sunday | RVK Rao
HYDERABAD: Telangana is expecting a bumper paddy produce this
year as the crop was sown in over 52,55,607 acres this Vaanakalam, which is 11
lakh acres more than last year. The State government has set a target of
procuring 70 lakh tonnes of paddy this kharif. However, as Express finds out,
some districts of Telangana, especially those in the northern parts, are not
yet ready with enough space in their godowns to store the rice derived out of
the paddy.
The gap between the paddy to be procured and the availability of
space in godowns is quite stark in Mancherial district, where 13 lakh metric
tonnes (MT) of paddy is expected to be procured. After milling, rice of around
half the quantity would be derived but the storage space available in the
district is just one lakh MT. And, even that is nearly full with the Yasangi
produce. There is also a shortage of rice mills in the district; there are only
80.
In Nirmal district, 1.4 lakh MT of paddy is expected to be
procured and the storage available is hardly one lakh MT. In Adilabad and
Asifabad districts, paddy was not cultivated over a large extent. In
Karimnagar, around 4.80 lakh MT is expected to be procured but the godown space
available with the Civil Supplies and State Warehousing Corporation is just
41,700 MT. Under the Agricultural Marketing Committee, only 20 per cent of its
59,943 MT is available for storage, as the remaining space has been occupied.
The godown at Jammikunta is under repair, whereas only 400 MT is
available at the Manakondur godown.District Manager of Civil Supplies
Department M Srikanth said godowns under their control are being gradually
vacated and the existing stock of rice will be sent to Hyderabad, Medchal and
Rangareddy districts. The authorities also hope that the paddy from the State
arrives gradually from October to December, which will give them time to move
around the rice stocks and make space in godowns. However, farmers are
desperate to sell their produce and start focusing on the Yasangi cropping
season.
ADVERTISEMENT
In Nizamabad district, there are 27 godowns with around 40,000 MT
capacity. Among them, 10 have been hired by the FCI, which are partially filled
with rice stocks. However, around 2.5 lakh MT of paddy is expected to be
procured from Nizamabad and Kamareddy. ing space for the fresh stock.
Sangareddy is also expected to face some problems as the paddy
harvest is expected to be three times than the normal, at about 4.5 lakh MT.
While the rice mills in the district can process 4 lakh MT of paddy, these
already have stock of 2 lakh MT. In the Warangal Urban and Rural districts,
there are 20 godowns with a total capacity of 85,000 MT, but all are full
with rice, cotton and maize. The district marketing officials said that
harvesting will start after Dasara. There are 100 rice mills in both districts.
On the other hand, Khammam, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda are well
placed in terms of available storage space. Nalgonda has a storage capacity of
around 5.3 lakh MT tonnes - 1.2 lakh MT in FCI godowns, 2.1 lakh in SWC godowns
and 2 lakh MT in private godowns.
Khammam is expecting 75,000 MT arrivals of rice after processing.
The district has 50,000 MT storage in godowns. District officials said the
extra 25,000 MT can be accommodated in FCI godowns and those in neighbouring
districts.
Bhadradri-Kothagudem district has about 80,000MT storage capacity
in its godowns for a total rice produce from the Vanakalam season of 68,000 MT.
In the erstwhile Mahbubnagar, District Civil Supplies Officer K Vanajatha said
1.54 lakh MT of paddy procurement is expected. Rice mills in the district have
nearly the same milling capacity, she said.
In Mahabubabad district, all godowns have been occupied with rice
and cotton. There are a total of five godowns with a capacity of just 20,000
MT. In Jangaon district, the godowns are empty and ready to store rice.
How Can We Get the Best From Biochar?
NEWS Oct 20, 2020
| Original story from Rice University
Credit: Federico Respini/ Unsplash
Read Time: 3 min
The abstract benefits of biochar for long-term storage of carbon
and nitrogen on American farms are clear, and now new research from Rice
University shows a short-term, concrete bonus for farmers as well.
That would be money. To be precise, money not spent on irrigation.
In the best-case scenarios for some regions, extensive use of biochar could
save farmers a little more than 50% of the water they now use to grow crops.
That represents a significant immediate savings to go with the established
environmental benefits of biochar.
The open-access study appears in the journal GCB-Bioenergy.
Biochar is basically charcoal produced through pyrolysis, the high-temperature
decomposition of biomass, including straw, wood, shells, grass and other
materials. It has been the subject of extensive study at Rice and elsewhere as
the agriculture industry seeks ways to enhance productivity, sequester carbon
and preserve soil.
The new model built by Rice researchers explores a different benefit, using
less water.
"There's a lot of biochar research that focuses mostly on its carbon
benefits, but there's fairly little on how it could help stakeholders on a more
commercial level," said lead author and Rice alumna Jennifer Kroeger, now
a fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.
"It's still an emerging field."
The study co-led by Rice biogeochemist Caroline Masiello and economist Kenneth
Medlock provides formulas to help farmers estimate irrigation cost savings from
increased water-holding capacity (WHC) with biochar amendment.
The researchers used their formulas to reveal that regions of the country with
sandy soils would see the most benefit, and thus the most potential irrigation
savings, with biochar amendment, areas primarily in the southeast, far north,
northeast and western United States.
The study analyzes the relationship between biochar properties, application rates
and changes in WHC for various soils detailed in 16 existing studies to judge
their ability to curtail irrigation.
The researchers defined WHC as the amount of water that remains after allowing
saturated soil to drain for a set period, typically 30 minutes. Clay soils have
a higher WHC than sandy soils, but sandy soils combined with biochar open more
pore space for water, making them more efficient.
WHC is also determined by pore space in the biochar particles themselves, with
the best results from grassy feedstocks, according to their analysis.
In one comprehensively studied plot of sandy soil operated by the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln's Agricultural Water Management Network, Kroeger calculated a
specific water savings of 37.9% for soil amended with biochar. Her figures
included average rainfall and irrigation levels for the summer of 2019.
The researchers noted that lab experiments typically pack more biochar into a
soil sample than would be used in the field, so farmers' results may vary. But they
hope their formula will be a worthy guide to those looking to structure future
research or maximize their use of biochar.
More comprehensive data for clay soils, along with better characterization of a
range of biochar types, will help the researchers build models for use in other
parts of the country, they wrote.
"This study draws attention to the value of biochar amendment especially
in sandy soils, but it's important to note that the reason we are calling out
sandy soils here is because of a lack of data on finer-textured soils,"
Masiello said. "It's possible that there are also significant financial
benefits on other soil types as well; the data just weren't available to
constrain our model under those conditions."
"Nature-based solutions are gaining traction at federal, state and
international levels," Medlock added, noting the recently introduced
Growing Climate Solutions Act as one example. "Biochar soil amendment can
enhance soil carbon sequestration while providing significant co-benefits, such
as nitrogen remediation, improved water retention and higher agricultural
productivity. The suite of potential benefits raises the attractiveness for
commercial action in the agriculture sector as well as supportive policy
frameworks."
Reference: Kroeger JE, Pourhashem G, Medlock KB, et al. Water
Cost Savings from Soil Biochar Amendment: A Spatial Analysis. Glob.
Change Biol. Bioenergy. 2020. doi:10.1111/gcbb.12765
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length
and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/how-can-we-get-the-best-from-biochar-341796
Farmers need to be convinced incentivised
PADDY RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
Farmers need to be convinced, incentivised
Though
technology offered to farmers for crop residue management is disruptive in the
sense of being contrary to what they have been practising, the farming
community had rapidly adopted the technology offered to them in the late 1960s
that helped the nation in increasing grain production during the Green
Revolution. Increased and consistent govt support is needed to financially
enable farmers to utilise the technology now.
Oct 19, 2020 06:48 AM (IST)
The Happy Seeder not only cuts
and lifts paddy straw, but also sows wheat into the soil.
Baldev
Singh Dhillon & VS Sohu
PADDY
residue management (PRM) technology is being adopted by farmers at a rate
slower than that expected by policy planners. The incidence of farm fires after
paddy harvesting in 2019 did not decrease significantly in spite of an
appreciable support by the government for popularising farm machinery for the
management of paddy residue. These included machines for retention on surface in
the field (Happy Seeder and Super SMS-fitted combine), incorporation in the
field (chopper, mould board plough and rotavator), and removal from the field
(straw baler) of paddy residue. Punjab’s farmers, though known for their
keenness to adopt new technologies, neither showed the expected positive
response to the advocacy and incentives, nor yielded to other measures adopted
by the government.
There
is no denying the fact that the alternative technology offered to farmers is
disruptive in the sense of being contrary to what they have been practising,
but the same farming community had rapidly adopted the technology offered to
them in the late 1960s that helped the nation in increasing foodgrain
production — the unparalleled feat of the Green Revolution (GR). It would be a
learning experience to compare these technologies.
Productivity
advantage
GR:
The semi-dwarf varieties of wheat and paddy had a distinct (at least 30%) grain
yield advantage over the existing varieties. This made it easier to convince
the farmers to adopt these varieties, even though their grain type and
appearance were not acceptable.
PRM:
Paddy residue management technology has more of ‘ecological’ benefit with no
crop productivity/monetary advantage. Rather, it may have a little productivity
penalty in some initial years. Farmers are very well aware and do understand
the environmental and health consequences of residue burning as well as the
long-term benefit of residue retention/incorporation on soil health and
productivity. However, their immediate concern is to achieve higher
productivity and livelihood.
Investment
issues
GR:
A farmer could start with a few kilos of seed of the high-yielding variety
(HYV); once satisfied, he could scale it up. There were practically no risks
once the technology was refined and adapted. The HYVs were able to achieve
higher productivity in almost all farmers’ fields due to wider adaptability.
Further, the farmer did not have to invest much to shift from one to a better
HYV. The higher grain yield potential of GR varieties led to higher
productivity and profitability, and tempted the farmers to invest more in farm
development and inputs like farm machinery, irrigation facilities, application
of fertilisers, etc.
PRM:
Over the years, farmers have got used to a convenient method of disposal of
paddy residue through burning without any cost. On the other hand, the PRM
machines are costly. Further, most of the machines are large and for their
operation, high-powered tractors are needed, the purchase of which will render
the already available tractors useless. Landholdings of farmers have become
smaller over time and they cannot afford costly machines. Though custom-hiring
is being promoted, there is no surety of getting enough customers, as it
happened during 2019. The purchase of costly machines and the use of
high-powered tractors will add to the input costs and lower the profit margins
of the farmer. Further, most of the machines do not have universal application.
With evolving technology, better machines will become available but it is
costly to shift from one machine to the other. Thus, in spite of subsidies, the
new technology did not embolden the farmer to make heavy investment.
Supporting
role
GR:
The adoption of semi-dwarf varieties of wheat and rice was facilitated by the
availability of matching crop production technology (e.g. herbicide Machete for
weed control in rice) and farm machinery (e.g. drummy threshers for wheat
threshing).
PRM:
Though several farm machines for residue management are available, the
supporting technology to facilitate the operation of these machines (e.g.
microbes for rapid biodegradation) is not yet available.
Government
assistance
GR:
The GR technology was cheaper, yet the government provided very strong policy
support and incentives driven by the concern for national food security. These
included remunerative support price, assured procurement, development of
irrigation facilities, supply of fertilisers at subsidised rates, road and
marketing infrastructure, electrification, input credit, etc.
PRM:
Subsidy is being provided to purchase machines. But multi-pronged policy
support and government interventions are earnestly needed. One should not
expect that only the development of machines will solve residue management
issues.
Technology
refinement
GR:
The PAU developed and released the first semi-dwarf wheat variety PV 18 in
1966. Farmers were convinced of its yielding ability but being red-grained,
they reluctantly adopted it, envisaging problems in the consumption and
disposal of produce. The real breakthrough came when PAU released the first
amber-grained semi-dwarf wheat variety Kalyan in 1967, later named Kalyansona.
This variety was adopted swiftly by farmers due to its amber grain and it
continued to rule for the next more than 10 years.
The
bottlenecks in the cultivation of these varieties were addressed by the
simultaneous refinements in the production technologies. To address poor
germination due to shorter coleoptiles, shallower sowing depth was advocated.
The dates of sowing and scheduling of the first irrigation (coinciding with the
crown root initiation stage) were also modified.
In
the case of paddy, after the initial failure of IR 8, farmers were advised to
sow the nursery one month earlier, in about mid-May, and a system was developed
to provide electricity for early sowing of the nursery since there used to be
power shortage at that time. The results were wonderful: early sown crop
yielded up to 7-8 tonnes/hectare compared to about 3 tonnes/hectare of the
indigenous varieties. Thus began Punjab’s march towards become an important
paddy-growing state.
PRM:
Refinements are being made in various machines to take care of the limitations
and drawbacks noticed in their adoption under different situations. As several
stakeholders are involved in this exercise, there has been a multiplicity of
machines and terminology (Happy Seeder, Turbo Seeder, Super Seeder, King
Seeder, mulcher/chopper/ shredder, etc.). This has added to the confusion and
made it difficult for the farmers to decide which machine to buy. Consequently,
farmers have adopted a wait-and-watch approach till a refined machine becomes
available.
An
overview of the trends in the adoption of GR technology gives us a cue that the
adoption of residue management technology is likely to pick up with their
fine-tuning/refinement but more importantly with increased and consistent
government support to financially enable farmers to adopt the technology.
Farmers need to be convinced, motivated and incentivised.
The
authors are, respectively, Vice Chancellor and Principal Wheat Breeder,
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, PAU, Ludhiana
Tech
choices matter
Paddy
residue management warrants different technologies for different situations,
e.g. different machines are needed for baling, mulching etc. The choice of the
machine is also influenced by other factors, such as the succeeding crop, soil
type (heavy or light), residual soil moisture after paddy harvest, residue
load, etc. In contrast, the Green Revolution technology was a sort of
one-size-fits-all that was relevant to one and all. It could be adopted
irrespective of the farm size, soil type, etc., thereby benefiting all kinds of
farmers — small, medium or large.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/farmers-need-to-be-convinced-incentivised-157850
All RCEF surplus shall be earmarked as cash aid to
rice farmers until 2025 — Villar
Published October 19, 2020 2:29pm
By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News
All rice import tariffs to be
collected in excess of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF) until 2025 shall go directly to small farmers as cash assistance,
Senator Cynthia Villar said Monday.
"We decided na that it
should be given as financial assistance to the rice farmers owning one hectare
and below for the rest of the term of RCEF which is until 2025," Villar
said during the
Senate hearing on the proposed
P86.3 billion budget of the Department of Agriculture and its attached
agencies.
"Kasi palagi na lang bagsak
ang presyo ng palay. We want to soften the blow to the poor rice farmers
especially those owning one hectare and below," added Villar, chairperson
of the Senate agriculture committee.
The senator made the
manifestation after learning that the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation
allocated P1 billion from the RCEF surplus to its proposed budget for 2021.
"No, no, no. You have no
right to get it. It should be passed by Congress. And we have filed a
resolution that we will use it for assistance for rice farmers. You cannot
touch that kasi according to the law, we decide what to do with the excess
tariff," Villar said.
On Friday, the Senate committee
on agriculture approved a joint resolution seeking to distribute direct
cash aid to Filipino rice farmers using the surplus from the RCEF.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar
expressed full support to the resolution and said there are about 1.1 million
rice farmers who till only one hectare of land and below.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law,
which was signed in February 2019, the government should earmark P10 billion
annually for the RCEF for a period of six years following the approval of the
measure.
From the annual RCEF, P5 billion
shall be allocated to rice farm machinery and equipment; P3 billion for rice
seeds; P1 billion for expanded credit assistance; and P1 billion for rice
extension services such as training for farmers. — RSJ, GMA News
Paddy from outside Punjab entering state
mandis
Bharat Khanna | TNN | Updated: Oct 18, 2020, 15:38 IST
Police confiscated 32 trucks loaded with paddy and
recovered 822 MT paddy from outside Punjab
PATIALA: Amid their fight against the farm laws, the
illegal arrival of paddy
from other states has made Punjab farmers apprehensive of procurement blues. A
few days back, a number of agitating farmers at Shambu border had confiscated
two trucks loaded with paddy and informed the district authorities about the
same besides circulating the video of the incident on some social media groups.
Farmers say that as paddy is not being purchased on MSP in some other states,
the private buyers including rice millers in Punjab are buying the produce at
better prices than private buyers of these states. They said this has led to
the arrival of paddy at rice mills in Punjab at a large level which may affect
the paddy procurement of farmers in Punjab.
On Friday night, the farmers and rice millers were
involved in a clash in a village of Samana block in Patiala
district following which rice millers had opened fire to disperse
the protesting farmers. The police said farmers levelled allegations against a
rice miller in Dhakrabba village of Patiala of procuring paddy from outside
states including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The farmers staged a protest near the mill following which rice millers fired a
gunshot, but nobody was injured.
Samana DSP Jaswant Singh Mangat said, “We
have booked the rice mill owner for an attempt to murder under sections of the
IPC and Arms Act. No arrest has been made so far. The farmers suspected that
the rice miller was procuring paddy from other states. Police have involved the
food supply officials to probe the matter.”
Notably, a similar case against a rice miller was registered at Patran police
station on Friday after the farmers confiscated a paddy-loaded truck on October
13. The farmers alleged that the paddy from other states was procured illegally
by the rice millers on cheaper prices. The police said market committee
officials found the bills of paddy with the truck owner and rice miller as fake
following which the rice miller was booked for cheating and forgery.
BKU Ekta Dakaunda general secretary Jagmohan Singh said, “The illegal paddy procurement
by rice millers from other states would affect the farmers in Punjab as the
procurement will slow down when rice millers will run out of space to unload
paddy for thrashing process. Like farmers of UP and Bihar who are forced to
sell out their paddy in far off states like Punjab at much cheaper prices in
the absence of paddy purchase on MSP, the farmers in Punjab will also be ruined
if the new farm laws are implemented.”
7
trucks intercepted at Shambhu border
On Friday, a joint team of Mandi Board officials, food supply officials and the
police launched an operation to curb bogus milling and unauthorized sale of
paddy crop in Punjab from other states. The police said seven truckloads of
paddy being brought to Punjab from UP were intercepted at Shambhu border on
Friday. Meanwhile, the investigation has been started to unearth the motive of shifting of paddy from UP to
Punjab, said district food and civil supplies controller (DFSC) Harsharanjit Singh Brar.
He said following the outcome of the investigation, further action would be
initiated. He said at both inter-state borders of the district Patiala
including Shambhu border near Rajpura and Ramnagar border near Samana, the
teams have been put on alert to check paddy trucks coming from other states to
Punjab.
He said as per the strict instructions of the Punjab food and civil supply
minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a joint team of Punjab Mandi Board, food and
civil supplies department and police was formed to conduct a joint operation on
the interstate borders of Patiala district. These teams would curb the bogus
sale of paddy procured from other states and supplied to Punjab mandis
Koppal district hopes for revival in farm
sector with agri varsity
Sangamesh Menasinakai | Oct 18, 2020, 04:15 IST
TimesPoints
The proposed agriculture university in Koppal will, once
it is set up, help boost farming activities in Kalyan...Read More
Koppal: The agricultural university proposed in Gangavathi
taluk in Koppal
district has raised hopes of better times among the farming community in
Kalyana Karnataka. With agriculture minister BC Patil
striking a positive note of setting up the varsity in Koppal, farmers and
stakeholders in the education sector in Kalyana
Karnataka, a region that has just the one agricultural university in
Raichur district.
Gangavathi, known as the ‘Rice Bowl’
of Karnataka, is an ideal place for the setting up of an agriculture
university, and farmers and other stakeholders are expecting
research into varieties of paddy helping improve harvest and yield. There is
also hope technology playing a larger role in agriculture in the region once
the varsity becomes a reality.
President of Karatagi Rice Millers’ Association N
Srinivasa said that, while there would be no direct benefits that the agrarian
community would derive from the varsity, its presence in the region would have
much impact, albeit tangentially. “For example, the Sona 5204 breed of rice is
original but many other strains of rice have been derived from this particular
type of grain. Consumers, however, do not find these other varieties very
suitable for cooking. Such feedback often results in farmers incurring losses.
If researchers at the varsity can focus on such issues, it would help maintain
uniformity, which will, in turn, help increase demand both nationally and
globally,” Srinivasa said.
Scientist at Agricultural Research Station in Kalaburagi Mallikarjun Kanganal,
who has previously worked in Koppal, said, “The district currently houses a
Krishi Vignan Kendra and Parry Research Station in Gangavathi. But there is no
scope for education in agriculture in the district. Students either have to go
to Raichur or Dharwad, both of which are 180 to 200km far off. An agricultural
university in Koppal will help expand the scope of education for the next
generation. In Koppal, barring Gangavathi, the remaining three taluks are
rain-fed. Once the varsity is set up, it will house 30 to 40 scientists. The
varsity will help boost education, agriculture and economy,” said Kangnagal,
pointing to the need for more agricultural varsities in Kalyana Karnataka.
China's
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short of major power status in Asia: Study
Former gram panchayat member in Danappur Shafi Hebbal
Makandar lamented farmers in the region being taken advantage of by merchants
and representatives from fertiliser companies. “Intervention from experts in
agriculture will help them stay informed. Since most of the region is rain-fed
and only partially irrigated, this is an ideal place for the setting up of an
agriculture university,” he added.
Basavaraj Karishetti, a teacher and farmer in Marali village, rued the
stagnation of the agricultural sector in Kalyana Karnataka. “The quality of
soil in declining. New research and technology will energise the sector and the
eminence of the ‘Rice Bowl’ will grow further,” said Karishetti, hoping that
there would be no delay in the setting up of the varsity since the Koppal district
in-charge minister BC Patil was also the agriculture minister.
Pradhan
hits out at Shashi Tharoor, Congress over remarks at Lahore event
Pradhan also attacked the Congress
for questioning the government over the Ladakh face-off with China.
- PTI, Raipur,
- Oct 19 2020, 18:01 ist
- updated: Oct 19 2020, 18:01 ist
Union Minister
for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan. Credits: PTI
Photo
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday slammed
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over his remarks at a Lahore event, and accused the
Congress leadership of speaking the "language of Pakistan".
Addressing a meeting of the newly-constituted
Chhattisgarh Working Committee of the BJP through video link from Delhi, he
also attacked the Congress for questioning the government over the Ladakh
face-off with China.
The BJP is targeting Tharoor over his comments, made
online, at Lahore Think Fest, where he criticized the Narendra Modi
government's handling of the coronavirus situation and spoke about
"bigotry and prejudice" against Muslims allegedly witnessed during
the pandemic.
Hitting back, the Congress said the BJP has always
responded to substance and facts with "jumlebaazi" (rhetoric).
"While the whole country is engaged in the exercise
of nation-building, what has happened to opposition Congress, which is citing
examples of Pakistan and China? They ask us questions on what happened in
Ladakh," Pradhan said.
"Prime Minister visited Ladakh and cautioned China
that India is capable of giving a befitting reply," the Union Petroleum
and Natural Gas Minister said.
"Those who surrendered Aksai Chin to China are
asking questions on behalf of the Chinese side.
"On the other hand, they see Pakistan in
everything... Congress leadership has been speaking the language of
Pakistan," Pradhan further alleged, referring to Tharoor's statement about
the "prejudice" faced by Muslims.
The BJP leader also said the ruling Congress in
Chhattisgarh cared about only what the "prince of a dynasty"
(apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi) wanted.
"Despite being rich in resources, a country like
the US has been witnessing a third wave of coronavirus outbreak.
"In India, due to collective willpower of the
people and due to the far-sightedness of PM Modi, the situation and economy are
to a great extent under control," Pradhan said.
"Unfortunately those friends who are in power in
Chhattisgarh are unable to understand anything other than their political
interests. The safety and welfare of people of the state are not on their
agenda.
"What is the liking of the `Yuvraj' (prince) of
that dynasty is its political agenda," the Union minister said.
He also claimed that the new farm sector laws will
benefit the farmers of Chhattisgarh.
"Farmers of Chhattisgarh will have access to
international markets. Farm produce of the state will be exported. Farmers will
not have to be dependent on the storage system of the government anymore,"
he said.
The Centre has planned to manufacture ethanol from rice
on a large scale, he said.
"We spend around Rs 8 lakh crore for importing
crude oil. Scientists have said that rice can be used in manufacturing ethanol
which can be used to run vehicles. We will purchase around 100 crore liters of
ethanol in 2021. Old stocks of rice with the Food Corporation India will be
used," he said.
White rice and diabetes: South Asians with
high intake at heightened risk – large prospective study
20-Oct-2020 - Last updated on 20-Oct-2020 at 01:43 GMT
Excess rice consumption
leads to postprandial glucose spikes which overtime, can lead to diabetes
©Getty Images
South Asians have a higher risk for diabetes compared to other ethnic
groups, according to the largest prospective study on rice and incident
diabetes, covering 21 countries from five continents.
In this study,
researchers compared the highest and lowest white rice intake (≥450 vs
<150g/day) between the continents. Findings suggest that consuming ≥450g of
white rice daily among South Asians were 61% at a higher risk for incident
diabetes compared to 20% globally who consumed the same amount of rice.
Researchers said it was
not only the white rice intake, but also due to low protein intake and low
physical activity in South Asia which contributed to the increased diabetes
risk.
Hence consumption of higher
amounts of white rice was linked to a higher risk of diabetes in South Asia,
while in other regions the risk was modest and failed to reach statistical
significance.
This present study
spanned across South Asia, South East Asia, Middle East, South America, North
America, Europe, and Africa.
“Our aim
was to assess the association of white rice consumption with risk of diabetes
in the large multiethnic, multinational Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology
(PURE) study with data on 132,373 individuals, enrolled from 21 countries,
representing different geographies and continents,” researchers
wrote.
The findings were
published in Diabetes Care.
PURE study
The PURE study
consisted participants from 21 countries including Argentina, Bangladesh,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, occupied
Palestine territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia,
Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.
Participants habitual
food intake was recorded using validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQs)
at baseline, and they were followed-up at least once, with a mean period of 9.5
years.
In this study, one cup of cooked white rice was identified as 150g,
and consumption was categorised into <150g/day, ≥150 to <300g/day, ≥300
to <450g/day and ≥450g/day.
The first group
(<150g/day) was used as a reference group.
The main outcome was
incident diabetes determined as physician diagnosis, using antidiabetic agents
or insulin. Hazard ratio (HR) was calculated.
For this study,
researchers examined the association between white rice intake and incident
diabetes in the entire PURE cohort as well as examined separately by
geographical regions in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan) and the rest
of the world and China.
Watch your rice
In the overall PURE
cohort, after adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors, the highest
consumption of white rice (≥450 vs <150g/day) was naturally significantly
associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes (HR=1.2, p=0.003).
Excess rice consumption
leads to postprandial glucose spikes which overtime, can lead to diabetes.
However, a subgroup
analysis by region showed that the association was most pronounced in South
Asia (HR =1.61, p=0.02) followed by the rest of the world (HR=1.41, p=0.01).
This meant that there
was a 61% higher risk for incident diabetes in South Asia compared to 20% in
the entire world.
In China, the effect
was minimal and did not reach statistical significance (HR=1.04, p=0.38).
Among all PURE
participants, the overall median consumption of white rice was 128g/day.
In terms of geographic
regions, South Asia recorded the highest median consumption of white rice at
630g/day, followed by South East Asia at 239g/day and China at 200g/day.
One of the researchers,
Dr Viswanathan Mohan, who is also director of the Madras Diabetes Research
Foundation explained: “With almost three times higher consumption in
South Asia, the risk was also threefold higher. So, it is obvious that the risk
is related to the amount of rice consumed.”
Dr Mohan is also
chairman and chief diabetologist of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre
(India).
Dr Mohan told FoodNavigator-Asia
that the type of rice consumed could also play a role.
“For
example, in China, sticky rice is more frequently consumed compared to South
Asia. It also depends on what else is eaten along with the rice. In China, a
lot of salads and vegetables are consumed along with meat, chicken and other
protein, whereas in South Asia the protein intake is very low. Consumption of protein
along with the carbohydrate can lead to a lower glycaemic load.”
Dr Mohan added that
genetic factors and physical activity cannot be ruled out.
“In South
Asia, physical activity is quite low and we have shown that when we combine the
excess white rice consumption with physical inactivity, the risk for diabetes
further increases.”
For a South Asian
country like India, the prevalence of diabetes has increased from 2% to 25% in
urban areas and from 1% to 14-16% in rural areas between 1970s to 2015.
While diabetes is still
more pronounced in urban areas, Dr Mohan explained that if rice consumption
were to continue at this level, combined with low physical inactivity, then
diabetes rates would also spike in rural areas of South Asia where almost 70%
of the population lives.
Researchers advised
replacing highly polished white rice with other cereals or healthier varieties
of rice or adding adequate legumes and pulses to reduce the GI of the meal, but
also reduce the actual quantity of white rice consumed.
“These
may be important public health strategies to be adopted in South Asian and
other populations with rice as the staple food, which, if combined with
measures to increase physical activity, could help to slow down the rapidly
rising epidemic of type 2 diabetes in these regions.”
There have been many
studies examining consumption of white rice on diabetes risk, but most of these
were conducted in single countries and predominantly in Asia where white rice
consumption is higher than most parts of the world.
This study is the
largest prospective study on rice and incident diabetes, covering 21 countries.
However, it was also
limited by the information on the different types of white rice (e.g. parboiled
rice, raw rice) which would provide different nutritional content. In addition,
data on rice consumption was only assessed at baseline, and did not take into
account changes in diet and lifestyle factors beyond that.
Dr Mohan concluded that
more preventive actions should be taken: “People should be encouraged to do more physical
activities, reduce the carbohydrate intake and also increase the protein intake
as well as that of vegetables, green leafy vegetables, some fruit and healthy
fat.
“This
will help to reduce the rate of not only type 2 diabetes, but also obesity and
cardiovascular disease in areas where white rice is consumed like in South Asia.”
Source: Diabetes Care
https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-2335
“White Rice Intake and Incident Diabetes: A Study of
132,373 Participants in 21 Countries”
