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The sun rises behind buildings in Bangkok's Sam Yan area.
Thailand's economy is starting to show some positive signs thanks to higher
farm and oil prices but concerns remain over drought and late
rainfall. THANARAK KHUNTON
- +
The business sector is feeling upbeat about economic
prospects and predicts the economy is likely to gain recovery pace in the
second half of the year, based on improving automotive and motorcycle sales as
well as higher farm prices.
Isara Vongkusolkit, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
(TCC), said farmers' purchasing power had improved following a rise in key farm
prices and oil prices in recent months. The price of paddy with 15% moisture, for instance, rose 3.87%
in May to 8,074 baht a tonne from 7,773 baht in March, with third-grade rubber
sheet up 36% in May to 54.12 baht per kilogramme from 39.78 baht, and fresh
palm nuts up 16.4% to 5.24 baht per kg from 4.50 baht. The price of raw sugar increased 15.9% to 17.79 US cents per
pound from 15.35 cents. However, the price of tapioca remained low largely due to a
flood of output from neighbouring countries. Mr Isara said a recent online survey of the chamber's members in
the provinces found farmers' income had improved, reflected by higher
motorcycle and car sales in May, while global crude oil prices were unlikely to
see any further drop and stay stable at US$50-60 per barrel. "We strongly believe that the economy will recover in the
second half," he said. "Every increase of 1,000 baht per tonne in the rice price
is estimated to help generate about 30 billion baht, while every 10-baht
increase in the rubber price will raise about 40 billion baht more for the
country's economic system. "We estimate about 100 billion baht will be generated once
higher prices of other farm products are included. This will be another key
factor to boost the economic recovery in the second half." The government's investment in infrastructure products and
accelerated budget disbursement were other key drivers, Mr Isara said. The TCC forecasts the economy will grow by 3.3% in the second
half from about 3.2% in the first half, boosting economic growth to 3.2-3.5%
for the whole year. Nonetheless, Mr Isara said the business sector remained
concerned about delayed credit line extensions by financial institutions,
China's fragile economy and the impact of drought and late rainfall that might
affect productivity in the farm sector. The sector is also worried about the impact of the termination
of the Generalised System of Preferences in European countries, plus the issue
of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Mr Isara believes exports will also improve in the second half
in line with higher oil and farm prices. Exports are predicted to increase 2.6% in the second half,
leading shipments for the whole year to bounce back to growth of 0.8% after
falling continuously over the last three years. Wallop Vitanakorn, vice-chairman of the Federation of Thai
Industries, said exports were projected to contract by 2% in the first half
after shrinking 1.24% in the first four months of the year to $69.4 billion. "I think the situation remains very cloudy, as all major
importers such as the United States, European Union, Japan and China remain in
economic trouble," he said.
Monsoon
advances to Kashmir, likely to cover entire country much before July 15
schedule
Monsoon advances to Kashmir, likely to cover
entire country much before July 15 schedule
PUNE:
Monsoon has
galloped to Kashmir,
covering a vast stretch of the country in just three days, and is poised to
extend to the rest of India well before the normal mid-July date.
However, rainfall so far has been relatively weak. Weather scientists said the
effect of El Nino,
which disrupted last year's monsoon, has lingered for a few weeks even though
the adverse phenomenon is now reversing, setting the stage for much heavier
rainfall in the weeks ahead.
"Monsoon is likely to cover the entire country much before its normal date
of July 15. Currently, it is lacking in rainfall in parts like interior
Maharashtra, Telangana, etc.," said Sunitha Devi, director (weather
forecast) at the India Meteorological Department
in Pune. Rainfall is deficient in the Gangetic West Bengal as well.
On Tuesday, monsoon covered all of Maharashtra, most parts of west and east
Madhya Pradesh, east Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and the
entire Jammu and Kashmir. While Uttarakhand and Himachal were getting
widespread to fairly widespread rainfall, there was not much rain in Jammu and
Kashmir. Delhi has been getting good pre-monsoon showers, which are likely to
decrease.
"It is a 'weak advance' of the monsoon. Rainfall is sporadic," said
an IMD scientist, who did not want to be named.
Though sowing operations have started with one or two rains, including the
nursery sowing of paddy, the key kharif
foodgrain crop, July rains will play the crucial role in the prospect of the
crops. Paddy transplanting, which will happen in July, needs standing water in
the fields.
El Nino, which had adversely impacted previous two consecutive monsoon seasons
of India, has become neutral. However, meteorologists said it has become
neutral only in terms of the sea surface temperatures. The atmospheric features
will still take some time to fall back to their normal flows.
"Currently, there is no organised flow pattern as the lower and upper
level flow features are not coupled," said Sunitha Devi. As the IMD had
forecast, June rainfall is expected to be below normal. In a normal monsoon
year, at least one low pressure system or a depression is formed, which gives
good rainfall. However, this year, not a single low pressure or depression has
formed and the next circulation in the making is also a feeble one.
"As the effects of the strong El Nino reduce, we expect the normal pattern
of monsoon, in which rains happen every seven to 10 days, to establish,"
said B Mukhopadhyay, head of the weather office in Pune.
Pakistan calls for aid for
its millions of Afghan refugees
Pakistan, home for decades to millions of
Afghan refugees, calls for the support of the international community as it
warns that without help, the flow of those fleeing Afghanistan's decades-long war
to Europe could increase
Published 1:46 PM, June 23, 2016
Updated 1:47 PM, June 23, 2016
A Pakistani man distributes rice to Afghan
refugees gathered outside a food distribution center before breaking their fast
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Islamabad on June 20, 2016. Farooq
Naeem/AFP
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan, home for
decades to millions of Afghan refugees, called for the support of the
international community as it warned that without help, the flow of those
fleeing Afghanistan's decades-long war to Europe could increase.After the
Soviet invasion in 1979, "5 million Afghan refugees came to
Pakistan," then with the support of the international community, said
minister for border areas Abdul Qadir Baloch at a meeting devoted to Afghan
refugees in the capital Islamabad Wednesday, June 22.
Thirty-seven years later, there are 1.5 million
registered and about as many undocumented refugees, with growing insecurity in
Afghanistan impeding voluntary return programs.
Over the last decade, international support has
vanished, the minister said.Pakistan receives just $5.20 per refugee per year
in international aid to provide the displaced with healthcare and education –
and that is only for those who are registered.He denounced the meagerness of
this aid compared to that provided to Turkey, which officially hosts 2.5
million refugees, including many Syrians.
However Western countries are now beginning to
recognize the problem, he said, "because refugees are pouring into Europe
and 30 percent of them are Afghans"."This percentage could
increase," he warned, stressing that there was a limit to Pakistani
tolerance for the problem."The issue of Afghan displacement has been
overlooked," agreed high UN commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi at
the same event. "We must strengthen the support to host countries."The
refugee crisis in Europe, which is struggling to cope as millions try to reach
its shores while fleeing war and poverty, "is a tragedy but also an eye
opener: if you don't solve problems which appear to be far away from you, these
problems will come to you," he warned.
Afghan refugees living mainly in camps in the
poorest rural areas of Pakistan exist in administrative uncertainty because of
the short duration of residence permits issued by the Pakistani authorities,
who regularly threaten to deport them
UNISAME urges govt to save
rice sector from collapse
SLAMABAD: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises
(UNISAME) has urged Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan to take appropriate
and timely steps to regain the Pakistani basmati rice share in global markets
and save the basmati rice from collapse.UNISAME President Zulfikar Thaver urged
the commerce minister to first get the zero rating for the rice sector to
provide it instant relief from the burden of multiple taxes on the entire
supply chain from farms to markets. The farm inputs have become very costly and
the promised relief, though insufficient, has not yet become available, he
added.
Thaver
said rice is the second largest sector after textiles and deserves the support
of government to overcome its downslide in global commodities’ markets.“This is
the best time for support as the new crop is on the threshold,” he said, adding
that the white and parboiled rice sector both need support to get back on their
feet.He urged to get the Geographical Indication (GI) of basmati rice approved
by the Intellectual Property Organisation and simultaneously get basmati
trademark approved by the Registrar of Trade Marks in favour of the Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to enable all stakeholders to use it
as a national property ownership. He also suggested the Commerce Ministry to
co-ordinate with the other ministries for research in seeds to develop other
varieties.
He said it was very important to improve the
entire supply chain from farm to markets while all the sectors from primary to
tertiary sectors need to be upgraded.“Other issues that are faced by the
exporters include exports to third world countries, as the commercial banks are
not inclined to discount documents and bills drawn on buyers or their banks
since most banks are of low rating,” he added.
To
overcome this impediment, Thaver said, other countries have state owned export
credit guarantee insurance companies, which work on low premiums to facilitate
and promote exports to third world countries. “The bank charges have also
increased, making the transactions costly.”The UNISAME president emphasised the
need for Commerce Ministry to act promptly and save the rice sector from big
losses.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta
- Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman has claimed that the prices of a
number of commodities were lower in June 2016 than what these were in the same
month of 2015.
The minister told the House Commission IV on
agriculture affairs on Wednesday that commodities whose prices were lower this
year included RI 42 rice, red curly chili, large red chili, red cayenne pepper,
green chili and wheat."The lowest prices are recorded in case of red
cayenne pepper that went down 28.44 percent, red curly chili 26.88 percent and
IR 42 rice 15.8 percent," the minister informed.
However, at the same time, prices of other
commodities increased, such as IR I, II rice types, Muncul I rice, rice of
equivalent premium quality, cooking oil, shallots, garlic, chickens, chicken
eggs, sugar and beef.
The increase was highest in case of garlic
whose price rose 61.24 percent, while sugar prices went up by 36.9 percent and
chicken by 34.62 percent.Compared with commodity prices during the fasting
month in 2015, food commodity prices fell, with the maximum 49.92 percent fall
being in case of cayenne pepper, while red chili prices came down by 24.12
percent and cooking oil by 16.56 percent.
"Prices rose in case of rice, sugar, eggs,
shallots and garlic. The highest increase was recorded for garlic at 78.25
percent, shallots at 57.32 percent while sugar prices rose by 14.67
percent," he said.
In order to bring down prices, the agriculture
ministry took a number of steps, including launching bazaars at Jakarta markets
and organizing market operations through farming shops (TTI) where food
commodities were offered at low prices.During market operations, the TTI shops
offered beef at Rp80,000 per kilogram (kg), shallots at Rp23,000, cooking oil
at Rp9,500 per kg, chicken at Rp30,000 per kg, sugar at Rp12,000 per kg, garlic
at Rp22,000 per kg, rice 7,900 per kg, and red chili at Rp16,000 per kg.
China
tightens control over rice imports from Vietnam
VietNamNet
Bridge - Vietnam and China have signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements
on Vietnamese rice and rice bran exports to China. The protocol sets stricter
sterilization inspection of exports.
From May
30, 2016, when the protocol takes effect, all the rice export consignments to
China must satisfy the phytosanitary requirements and they must be sterilized
to be sure that nine harmful biological objects are eliminated.
Le Van Banh, former head of the Mekong River Delta Rice Institute, commented
that in principle, farm exports to China or any other countries, must be
quarantined and disinfected.
Vietnam
and China have signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements on Vietnamese
rice and rice bran exports to China. The protocol sets stricter sterilization
inspection of exports.
In the
past, since there was no such a protocol, Vietnam’s rice exports found it hard
to enter the Chinese market because of complicated phytosanitary procedures.
This stalled Vietnam’s rice exports and Vietnamese exporters had to export rice
through unofficial channels – across border gates.
Therefore, the newly signed protocol is beneficial for Vietnam. “The protocol
is what Vietnam has wanted for a long time. Quarantine is a must. And once the
two sides can reach an agreement on the issue, this will help boost Vietnam’s
rice exports.”
The Vietnam Plant Protection Agency has provided a list of nine sterilizing
units to China for approval.
Under the protocol, instead of carrying out the inspection over Vietnam’s rice
in China, Chinese agencies will send their officials to Vietnam to supervise
production, processing and sterilization in Vietnam, before rice is shipped to
China.
Duong Van Chin from Loc Troi Group, a rice exporter, said Vietnamese exporters
must satisfy the requirements set by import countries.Loc Troi now has 100,000
hectares of safe rice growing area which can satisfy requirements to export to
China. If each of the Vietnam Food Association’s members can develop a growing
area of 10,000 hectares, Vietnam would have 1.4 million hectares which allows
Vietnam to export its rice to any country in the world.Developing material
areas is not what many rice exporters do. They simply collect rice from
domestic sources and export to other countries.
In many cases, the exports are rejected by importers as they discover high
plant protection residues in rice. This causes a loss of billions of dong to
every container of refused rice.“Once China tightens inspection over imports
from Vietnam, Vietnamese companies will have to change to satisfy the
requirements of the partners,” he said.An analyst said that the protocol has
been signed in the context of Thailand, the biggest rice exporter, planning to
sell 11.4 million tons of rice in stockpile to earn $2.8 billion.However, Chin
said there was no need to worry because Thailand is selling old products, and
Vietnam offers new rice.
USA Rice, the Cuban Embassy, and the Cuban
Ministry of Agriculture are developing a detailed plan for regular technical
exchanges between the U.S. and Cuba to address rice growing, processing
capacity, and infrastructure in Cuba and the U.S.During the meeting Ramos
Arrieta said, "I have been able to see the shift in Members of Congress
over the last few months from not supporting our efforts to supporting and it's
because of the work you [USA Rice] are doing here in Washington."
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said
she's "looking forward to continuing to grow this productive relationship
both here in Washington with the Embassy and on-the-ground in Cuba during our
future technical exchanges.I think the
leg work we're doing now is going to pay off tenfold when the embargo is lifted
and we are able to very quickly gain market share through our relationships
built in advance and the open lines of communications between our industry and
Cuba."Efforts to normalize trade with Cuba were thwarted this week by
political gridlock in Congress that derailed a crucial vote on pro-Cuba
amendments that would have removed financing and trade restrictions for
agricultural commodities as well as withdrawn the travel ban.The House will likely consider the
legislation following their return to session after the Fourth of July holiday.
In addition to the economy of scale advantage
U.S. growers have, Flores and Barón also commented on the high interest rates
Colombian farmers face - as much as three percent per month - and the lack of a
government-sponsored safety net for farmers."I shared with them about my
trip to Colombia earlier this month, and told them that USA Rice looks forward
to working with them on the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for rice, and in particular
to help them meet what appear to be significant domestic demands that are
outside of the TRQ," Brantley said.The delegation also met with officials
at the USDA NASS offices in Little Rock during the trip and will return to
Colombia later this week.
Rice area to be expanded to make up for
drought-induced losses
Thursday, 06/23/2016, 09:02
The
Mekong Delta’s rice area in the autumn-winter crop this year needs to be
expanded to make up for losses in the recent crops triggered by drought and
saltwater intrusion, agriculture officials said.
Both rice area and output of the last
winter-spring and summer-autumn crops declined. Hence, the rice area in the
autumn-winter crop should be increased to compensate for the output, Deputy
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said at a meeting
in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on June 22.
He promised financial support for the regional provinces to cultivate the
autumn-winter crop. He also told local officials to pay special attention to
reinforcing dykes and not be subjective though the Mekong Delta hasn’t recorded
floods for many years. Rice seeds should be sown in late July and early
August, while high-quality varieties and safe pesticides are necessary for rice
to meet export standards, he added. Doanh requested the localities to
comply with the cultivation schedule so that the following winter-spring crop
will not be affected.
Duong Quang Xo from the Institute of Water Resources Planning asked the Mekong
Delta provinces to store water to prepare for the winter-spring crop between
2016 and 2017. Nguyen Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the agriculture
ministry’s Crop Production Department, said the prolonged drought and saltwater
intrusion in the south of Vietnam have heavily influenced the summer-autumn
crop. Over 1.6 million ha of rice were grown in the Mekong Delta this
crop, generating nearly 9.2 million tonnes of unhusked rice, down some 5,300
tonnes from the same crop of 2015, he added.
In the autumn-winter crop, the delta is expected to cultivate 867,300 ha of
rice and yield over 4.8 million tonnes of unhusked rice, rising by 24,100 ha
and 220,300 tonnes, respectively, from the previous crop, according to the Crop
Production Department.
U of T Mississauga professor
discovers new origins for farmed rice
University of Toronto
Chew on this: rice farming is
a far older practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest evidence of domesticated
rice has just been found in China, and it's about 9,000 years old. The
discovery, made by a team of archaeologists that includes University of Toronto
Mississauga professor Gary Crawford, sheds new light on the origins of rice
domestication and on the history of human agricultural practices.
"Today, rice is one of most important
grains in the world's economy, yet at one time, it was a wild plant...how did
people bring rice into their world? This gives us another clue about how humans
became farmers," says Crawford, an anthropological archaeologist who
studies the relationships between people and plants in prehistory.
Working with three researchers from the
Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Zhejiang Province,
China, Crawford found the ancient domesticated rice fragments in a probable
ditch in the lower Yangtze valley. They observed that about 30 per cent of the
rice plant material - primarily bases, husks and leaf epidermis - were not
wild, but showed signs of being purposely cultivated to produce rice plants
that were durable and suitable for human consumption. Crawford says this
finding indicates that the domestication of rice has been going on for much
longer than originally thought. The rice plant remains also had characteristics
of japonica rice, the short grain rice used in sushi that today is cultivated
in Japan and Korea. Crawford says this finding clarifies the lineage of this
specific rice crop, and confirms for the first time that it grew in this region
of China.
Crawford and his colleagues spent about three
years exploring the five-hectare archaeological dig site, called Huxi, which is
situated in a flat basin about 100 metres above sea level. Their investigations
were supported by other U of T Mississauga participants - anthropology
professor David Smith and graduate students Danial Kwan and Nattha
Cheunwattana. They worked primarily in early spring, fall and winter in order
to avoid the late-spring wet season and excruciatingly hot summer months.
Digging 1.5 metres below the ground, the team also unearthed artifacts such as
sophisticated pottery and stone tools, as well as animal bones, charcoal and other
plant seeds.
This study builds on Crawford's previous
research into early agriculture in China, in which he has examined the ancient
settlements, tools, and plant and animal management efforts that occurred in
different regions of the country. He is interested in better understanding the
forces that compelled our human ancestors to transition from hunters and
gatherers to farmers.
"The question I ultimately want to answer
is, what pushed them to move wholeheartedly into the farming regime? Why did
they reduce their emphasis on hunting and expand into crop production?"
Crawford says. "People did what they needed to do to make their lives more
manageable and sustainable, and the unintended consequence was farming. With
this rice discovery, we're seeing the first stages of that shift."
###
Funded
by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Crawford's
study is published today in Scientific Reports, an online
open-access journal from the publishers of Nature. Media
Contact:
Professor Gary Crawford
905-828-3783 g.crawford@utoronto.ca
How Cuba could be an
opportunity for one-time top trade partner Louisiana
BY RICHARD THOMPSON| rthompson@theadvocate.com
More than a half-century ago, ferry-boats
regularly brought tourists from New Orleans to Cuba, separated by only 700
miles.Now, with commercial air
service expected to resume to the isolated island nation amid normalizing U.S.
relations, Louisiana could reap some benefit from ramping up business with its
onetime leading trade partner. That’s according to a range of state leaders and
experts in Cuba’s aging infrastructure, culture and struggling economy, who
spoke at a business summit Wednesday at Gallier Hall.“As we work together, it’s
a two-way street,” said Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike
Strain. “We have to work to rebuild the relationships, and the greatest way to
rebuild the relationships is with trade.”
Potential reforms could help boost U.S.
agricultural exports, including chicken, rice and soybeans, he said. That could
be big news for companies like New Orleans Cold Storage, one of the largest
suppliers of beef, poultry and pork exports in the country.“If you think about
the potential, it’s incredible,” Strain said, “and it’s amazing how fast things
are moving.”Cuba was Louisiana’s top trading partner before Fidel Castro seized
power in 1959.
Now, they remain trading partners in goods
limited to agricultural and humanitarian provisions.“It’s in a unique position
of becoming a major trade partner with the United States,” said Teo Babun, CEO
of BH Consultants, which provides strategic services related to Cuba.The summit
was hosted by the Louisiana Alliance for Cuba, a statewide business group that
promotes trade between Louisiana businesses and Cuba.
Nearly
two centuries after foreign investment began trickling in, Cuba’s government is
appealing for billions of dollars to update specific development sectors,
including agriculture, industrial, tourism, energy and transportation.Investing
in Cuba has advantages, according to Eduardo Bencomo Zurdos, a former president
of the International Finance Bank of Cuba and former president of CIMEX Corp.,
the largest Cuban corporate conglomerate. Those include “wide possibilities in
virtually all productive sectors,” as well as a “privileged geographical
location” and burgeoning tourism destination and a rich, well-known culture. But it’s
going to be costly. “The infrastructure exists, but it needs a lot of work, and
it needs to be perfected for the purposes of what we’re doing,” Babun said.Cuba
has 10 international airports; 38,000 miles of roads; 9,300 miles of railroad;
and 1,000 miles of expressway. For foreign investors, potential opportunities
may include expanding airport facilities and terminals, upgrading
communications and improving rail access to and from Cuba’s ports.But if the
trade embargo is lifted, it’s going to be “slow-going” initially for U.S.
companies to gain market share, said Jamie Warshaw, CEO of Farmers Rice Milling
Co., which operates the largest rice mill in Louisiana. “When
you lose a market, if you’re in the business of selling, not only do you lose
the customer but you lose the momentum,” he said.
A National Task Force to drive the production
of wheat and rice was recently inaugurated in Abuja with Kebbi State Governor
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu as its chairman. His state, Kebbi, is expected to play a
pivotal role in the program along with Kano and Ebonyi states. Other committee
members include Kano State Governor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, Ebonyi State
Governor David Umahi, Minister of State for Agriculture, President of Wheat
Farmers Association of Nigeria and President of Rice Farmers Association of
Nigeria.
At the committee’s inauguration, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo said
that move was necessary to consolidate government’s diversification policy.
He said, “What we are trying to achieve is to
make agriculture our mainstay and we are trying to evolve a strategy for the
economy. A strategy for employment and a strategy for feeding our
people. Rice and wheat is our main focus and we intend to make sure that
in one year we can show the world that we are serious.” The committee is
mandated to fix production targets for rice and wheat among the states taking
part in the programme. It will also determine the scope, markets and
government’s commitments necessary for success. Also listed among the
terms of reference is the removal of deficiencies in the value chain and
facilitating farmers’ access to support facilities such as the Central Bank of
Nigeria’s [CBN] Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
At this time of foreign exchange scarcity, it
is commendable to fashion alternatives to the importation of these two products
that have become some of the biggest consumers of foreign exchange. At a
point, Nigeria was the largest importer of wheat from the United States.
Even when we fell to third position in 2010/2011, we were still the most
consistent customer of American wheat producers when we imported 3.5 million
tons of wheat in the first quarter of that year. We are also one of the
largest importers of rice in the world. Therefore, while we applaud the
government’s goal and its efforts, we cannot but entertain some fears.
There has always been a disconnect in this
country between laudable policies and their implementation. Our archives are
laden with once celebrated but long forgotten policies. Making state governors
the fulcrum of the committee could become a problem because they have more than
enough on their plates already.
In this goal we must take serious note of the
country’s climate. While rice is a tropical crop and almost all states in
Nigeria can produce it, same cannot be said of wheat which needs low
temperature, a lot of water, a lot of fertiliser, a lot of pesticides and many
other difficult requirements. It is well to recall that in the late 1980s,
President Ibrahim Babangida’s military regime introduced the Accelerated Wheat
Production Programme to wean Nigeria off massive wheat imports as part of the
Structural Adjustment Program, SAP. Babangida also banned wheat imports.
Despite massive Federal subsidies, or perhaps because of them, the program
failed and was later abandoned.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t try again
because of past failures. We must however learn from previous mistakes
and not to commit them again. The Bagudu task force should set realizable
targets and eschew over ambition. Nigeria could establish a competitive
edge in rice production, being a tropical crop but we may have to restrict rice
imports while we pursue our production targets. We must also straighten out
some of the policy ironies of the Jonathan regime, including allowing rice
millers to import husky brown rice at a concessionary duty, only for them to
turn around and import fully polished rice.
The Nigeria Customs Service is still trying to
recover 21 billion naira in unpaid duty from the rice importers that exceeded
their quotas. Governor Bagudu’s task force has one year to prove its worth. This
must not be another failed national program.
Chew on this: rice farming is a far older
practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest evidence of domesticated rice has
just been found in China, and it's about 9,000 years old. The oldest evidence
of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it's about 9,000 years
old. Chew on this: rice farming is a far older practice than we knew. In fact,
the oldest evidence of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it's
about 9,000 years old.The discovery, made by a team of archaeologists that
includes University of Toronto Mississauga professor Gary Crawford, sheds new
light on the origins of rice domestication and on the history of human
agricultural practices.
"Today, rice is one of most important
grains in the world's economy, yet at one time, it was a wild plant...how did
people bring rice into their world? This gives us another clue about how humans
became farmers," says Crawford, an anthropological archaeologist who
studies the relationships between people and plants in prehistory.
Working with three researchers from the
Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Zhejiang Province,
China, Crawford found the ancient domesticated rice fragments in a probable
ditch in the lower Yangtze valley. They observed that about 30 per cent of the
rice plant material -- primarily bases, husks and leaf epidermis -- were not
wild, but showed signs of being purposely cultivated to produce rice plants
that were durable and suitable for human consumption. Crawford says this
finding indicates that the domestication of rice has been going on for much
longer than originally thought. The rice plant remains also had characteristics
of japonica rice, the short grain rice used in sushi that today is cultivated
in Japan and Korea. Crawford says this finding clarifies the lineage of this
specific rice crop, and confirms for the first time that it grew in this region
of China.
Crawford and his colleagues spent about three
years exploring the five-hectare archaeological dig site, called Huxi, which is
situated in a flat basin about 100 metres above sea level. Their investigations
were supported by other U of T Mississauga participants -- anthropology
professor David Smith and graduate students Danial Kwan and Nattha
Cheunwattana. They worked primarily in early spring, fall and winter in order
to avoid the late-spring wet season and excruciatingly hot summer months.
Digging 1.5 metres below the ground, the team also unearthed artifacts such as
sophisticated pottery and stone tools, as well as animal bones, charcoal and
other plant seeds.
This study builds on Crawford's previous
research into early agriculture in China, in which he has examined the ancient
settlements, tools, and plant and animal management efforts that occurred in
different regions of the country. He is interested in better understanding the
forces that compelled our human ancestors to transition from hunters and
gatherers to farmers.
"The question I ultimately want to answer
is, what pushed them to move wholeheartedly into the farming regime? Why did
they reduce their emphasis on hunting and expand into crop production?"
Crawford says. "People did what they needed to do to make their lives more
manageable and sustainable, and the unintended consequence was farming. With
this rice discovery, we're seeing the first stages of that shift.
Chew on
this: rice farming is a far older practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest
evidence of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it’s about
9,000 years old. The discovery, made by a team of archaeologists that includes
University of Toronto Mississauga anthropology professor Gary Crawford, sheds
new light on the origins of rice domestication and on the history of human
agricultural practices.“Today, rice is one of most important grains in the
world’s economy, yet at one time, it was a wild plant…how did people bring rice
into their world? This gives us another clue about how humans became farmers,”
says Crawford, an anthropological archaeologist who studies the relationships
between people and plants in prehistory.
Working with researchers from the Provincial
Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Zhejiang Province, China and
Fudan University in Shanghai, Crawford found the ancient domesticated rice
fragments in a probable ditch in the lower Yangtze valley. They observed that
about 30 per cent of the rice plant material – primarily bases, husks and leaf
epidermis – were not wild, but showed signs of being purposely cultivated to
produce rice plants that were durable and suitable for human consumption.
Crawford
says this finding indicates that the domestication of rice has been going on
for much longer than originally thought. The rice plant remains also had
characteristics of japonica rice, the short grain rice used in sushi that today
is cultivated in Japan and Korea. Crawford says this finding clarifies the
lineage of this specific rice crop, and confirms for the first time that it
grew in this region of China.
Crawford and his colleagues spent about three
years exploring the five-hectare archaeological dig site, called Huxi, which is
situated in a flat basin about 100 metres above sea level. Their investigations
were supported by other U of T Mississauga participants – anthropology
professor David Smith and graduate
students Daniel Kwan and Nattha
Cheunwattana. They worked primarily in early spring, fall and
winter in order to avoid the late-spring wet season and excruciatingly hot
summer months. Digging 1.5 metres below the ground, the team also unearthed
artifacts such as sophisticated pottery and stone tools, as well as animal
bones, charcoal and other plant seeds.
This study builds on Crawford’s previous
research into early agriculture in China, in which he has examined the ancient
settlements, tools, and plant and animal management efforts that occurred in
different regions of the country. He is interested in better understanding the
forces that compelled our human ancestors to transition from hunters and
gatherers to farmers.
“The question I ultimately want to answer is,
what pushed them to move wholeheartedly into the farming regime? Why did they
reduce their emphasis on hunting and expand into crop production?” Crawford
says. “People did what they needed to do to make their lives more manageable
and sustainable, and the unintended consequence was farming. With this rice
discovery, we’re seeing the first stages of that shift.”Funded by a grant from
the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Crawford’s study is
published today in Scientific
Reports, an online open-access journal from the publishers of Nature.
Monsoon rains in India 7% below average in past
week
The June-September monsoon rains have remained
18 percent low so far, but have covered almost the entire country, and helped
quicken the planting process of summer crops such as paddy rice, soybeans, cotton
and pulses.
Monsoon
rains in India 7% below average in past week The June-September monsoon rains
have remained 18 percent low so far, but have covered almost the entire
country, and helped quicken the planting process of summer crops such as paddy
rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses. | 1 Comments Monsoon rains in India 7% below
average in past week Monsoon rains in India were 7 percent below average in the
week ending June 22, the weather office said on Thursday, narrowing the deficit
since the season started on June 8.
The June-September monsoon rains have remained
18 percent low so far, but have covered almost the entire country, and helped
quicken the planting process of summer crops such as paddy rice, soybeans,
cotton and pulses. Tags Monsoon soybeans paddy rice pulses deficit rains Ads by
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Bulog targets Rp 2 trillion
funds to buy storage facilities for rice, corn, soybean.
Anton Hermansyah
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Thu,
June 23 2016| 07:07
am
People purchase rice during a market operation
in Bulak Banteng subdistrict, Surabaya, East Java, on March 10. The State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) organized the event.(Antara/Bima)
The
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) has proposed a Rp 2 trillion (US$ 150.6 million)
capital injection to create storage-integrated dryers and milling facilities to
increase the quality and quantity of three primary commodities: rice, corn, and
soybean, the agency chief said. "There
is a need for modern-dryer facilities because the harvest time for corn and
rice happens in the rainy season, where the traditional method cannot do the
job properly," Bulog president director Djarot Kusumayakti told the jakartapost.com
on Wednesday at the House of Representative (DPR) complex in Jakarta. The
Bulog, which previously controlled 11 commodities, is expected to allocate Rp
1.4 trillion of the proposed funds to rice milling plants and another Rp 479
billion for corn dryers and soybean, he said. (dan)
USDA
Announces Prevailing World Market Prices and Loan Deficiency Payment Rates
for Rice
Chicken
Curry Dish Melds Thai and Indian Influences
June 22, 2016 By:
Keri White | JE Food Columnist
This menu was born out of a desire to create
Indian dishes that work for the Exponent audience.
Because many meat curries and kebabs are either
marinated in yogurt or finished with ghee (clarified butter), they present a
problem in the dairy/meat realm. I started experimenting with coconut milk and
found the result was pretty terrific in both flavor and texture. Best of all,
it elicited unbridled praise from my teen daughter, a rare commodity indeed.The
fact that the dish veered more toward Thailand than India in the end didn’t
really matter.
The broccolini was a bit of a revelation, too.
I have used this traditionally Indian “Sabzi” preparation many times with
carrots,cauliflower, potatoes and peas, but was unsure about how broccolini, a
vegetable that is not generally associated with that part of the world, would
behave. It may well have been the best version of the dish I’ve ever made, and
now will be a go-to in my side dish arsenal.
For dessert, I would opt for something simple,
yet exotic: sliced mangos garnished with fresh mint leaves, pineapple chunks
sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes, passion fruit sorbet, tamarind or guava
popsicles. The latter can often be found in Latino or Asian markets.
Green Chicken Curry with Coconut
1½ lbs. boneless chicken
1 bunch cilantro
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 can of coconut milk, shaken and divided
Juice of 1 lime
¾ teaspoon salt
Red pepper flakes to taste (or fresh chili
pepper, or hot sauce such as Sriracha)
2 tablespoons canola oil
In a blender or food processor, make the
marinade: Puree cilantro, onion, garlic, ½ can coconut milk, lime juice, salt
and pepper or hot sauce, if using.
Place the chicken in a large Ziploc bag or
Tupperware, and cover with the blended marinade. Refrigerate it anywhere from
an hour to a full day.
Heat the oil in a large pot. Remove the chicken
pieces from the marinade (save the marinade) and sear them in the oil, about
one minute per side.
Pour the marinade over the seared chicken, and
add the remaining ½ can of coconut milk. Cover the pan and lower the heat to
simmer. Cook for two hours until the chicken falls apart when poked with a
fork.
Using two forks, pull the chicken into shreds,
taste for salt and serve.
This is wonderful over brown or white basmati
rice, or served in a bowl on its own with warm naan.
Serves 4 generously
Curry Pickles
2 cucumbers, skin on, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
¾ cup water
Place the cucumbers in a small bowl and set
aside.
In a small skillet, place the remaining
ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and allow
it to sit for 10 minutes. These can stay in the brine, refrigerated, for
several days. Serve warm, at room temperature or well chilled. The leftovers
are excellent on sandwiches.
Serves 4 generously
Cumin Broccolini
2 bunches broccolini, rinsed and trimmed, if
needed
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
In a large skillet, heat the oil, salt, pepper
and cumin seeds; let it cook until the seeds splutter.
Add the broccolini and stir to coat it with
spices. Cover and cook over medium until just done, about eight minutes. While
cooking, stir several times to ensure the spices remain evenly distributed
Foolproof' weeknight recipe
for salmon rice bowls
By Bonnie S. Benwick, Washington Post June 23, 2016
Salmon Rice Bowls.
Confession:
For most weeknight meals at home, I no longer use a plate. That doesn’t mean
that I’m chewing over the sink — merely that I’ve gone “full bowl.” The ceramic
one I picked up at a craft show in Baltimore has a flat bottom and straight,
two-inch-tall sides, which means I can cut things in it. And it has the magic
ability to turn what I’m eating into comfort food. It also
happens to be just the ticket for this recipe, which blends a few Asian pantry
ingredients with a little citrus, some fresh greens and a zippy ginger-lime
vinaigrette. This is soft food but feels substantial. Regarding this salmon
preparation: The word “foolproof” comes to mind. The
original recipe calls for one full six-ounce skinless fillet per serving, but
we found that was way more than needed; you could get by with just two of them
for four servings. Make a trio, though, as we recommend, and you’ll have the
option of extending the salad into next-day leftovers. SALMON
RICE BOWLS
MAKE AHEAD: You may have leftover vinaigrette, which can be refrigerated for up
to 1 week.
Adapted from “Make It Easy: 120 Mix-and-Match Recipes
to Cook From Scratch – With Smart Store-Bought Shortcuts When You Need Them,”
by Stacie Billis (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2016). three
6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, preferably centre-cut (about 3/4-inch thick) kosher
salt freshly
ground black pepper 1/3 cup
toasted or roasted sesame seeds 1 lb
frozen, cooked brown rice or basmati rice 1/4 cup
mirin 1 medium
clove garlic 1 1/2
tsp pureed ginger or ginger paste 1 tsp
Dijon mustard 3/4 tsp
honey 1/4 cup
plain rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp
low-sodium soy sauce 1 lime 3 tbsp
grapeseed oil or other neutral-flavoured oil 1 bunch
watercress leaves
from 4 stems cilantro (optional) 1 to 2
firm-ripe Hass avocados 1. Preheat
the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 2.
Pat dry the salmon fillets, then season lightly all over with salt and pepper.
Spread the sesame seeds on a plate, then press each fillet into the seeds to
coat all over, including the sides. Place them skinned side down on the baking
sheet; roast for 13 to 15 minutes or until just opaque. 3.
Microwave the rice according to the package directions. Transfer to a mixing
bowl and add the mirin, then season lightly with salt and toss to incorporate.
Cover loosely to keep warm. 4.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: Mince a teaspoon of garlic and place in a
liquid measuring cup, along with the pureed ginger, Dijon mustard, honey, rice
wine vinegar and soy sauce. Grate a teaspoon of lime zest into the mix, then
cut the lime in half and squeeze in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of lime juice.
Whisk in the oil to form an emulsified vinaigrette. The yield is about 3/4 cup. 5.
Coarsely chop watercress and the cilantro, if using. Peel and pit the avocados
(to taste), then cut the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes or 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Squeeze a little bit of lime juice over them. 6.
Divide the rice among individual, wide bowls. Top each portion with equal
amounts of the salmon, breaking the fish up a bit as you go. Scatter some
avocado, watercress and cilantro, if using, over the salmon. Drizzle half of
the vinaigrette over the bowls, and serve; pass the remaining vinaigrette at
the table. makes 4
servings Nutrition
| Per serving (using brown rice, 1 1/2 avocados and half of the vinaigrette):
610 calories, 34 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 33 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 60
mg cholesterol, 390 mg sodium, 10 g dietary fibre, 8 g sugar
Monsoon advances to Kashmir, likely to cover
entire country much before July 15 schedule
