Pakistan to export 500,000 MT additional rice to China
JANUARY 8, 2020
ISLAMABAD: After successfully completing
the export quota of 250,000 MT of rice to China, Pakistan will now export additional 500,000
MT of rice to the country, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Investment
and Industries Abdul Razak Dawood said on Wednesday.
In his tweet, the Advisor said
that after completing the export quota, the government of Pakistan approached
government of China for an additional 500,000 MT of rice which was accepted by
the Chinese government.
He also requested all members of
Rice Exports Association of Pakistan (REAP) to take advantage of this golden
opportunity.
US-Iran crisis hits rice exporters,
hundreds of containers struck at Gujarat port
The rice exporters, a sizeable chunk of whom are from Haryana, have
stopped second shipment to Iran after the first shipment containing hundreds of
containers was stopped at the Mundra port in Gujarat.
Manjeet Sehgal
Chandigarh
January
8, 2020
UPDATED: January 8, 2020 16:36 IST
Representative image
(PTI)
Indian rice exports to Iran have been hit hard by the growing
tensions between the United States and Iran after the killing of Iranian
General Qasem Soleimani.
The rice exporters, a sizeable chunk of whom are from Haryana,
have stopped the second shipment to Iran after the first shipment containing
hundreds of containers was stopped at the Mundra port in Gujarat.
One of the leading rice exporters based in Kaithal, Narinder
Miglani told India Today TV that most of the exporters had initiated their
first shipment of this season which has now been withheld.
"I had sent more than 100 containers to Mundra which were
about to be shipped to the Bandar-Abbas and Chabahar ports of Iran. We have
withheld further shipment until the situation improves. We are not packing the
rice now as the fate of the shipments is uncertain," Narendra Miglani
said.
Miglani said that the rice exports normally start in the first
week of January every year and continue till June. This is a six-month
business.
In 2019, India exported basmati rice worth Rs 32,800 crore, out of
which rice worth Rs 10,800 crore was imported by Iran. However, the exporters
are yet to receive payments amounting to more than Rs 500 crore from Iran.
"Iran had withheld the payments following some currency
issue. We have received up to 80 per cent of the payments and 20 per cent have
still not been released. However, we trusted the buyers and started sending the
shipments to Iran this year," says Narinder Miglani.
Rice exporters now fear that the US-Iran crisis will have a
depressing impact on rice sales in India. Prices of Pusa 1121, a popular
basmati rice variety in India and abroad, has seen a drop of Rs 150 per quintal
within a couple of days. This variety of basmati rice was being sold at Rs
3,050 (per quintal) which dropped to Rs 2,900 per quintal.
The crisis has also impacted the rice prices in the international
markets. The prices of this variety, according to Surinder Miglani, at the
international level were Rs 5,500 per quintal which have dropped to Rs 5,200
per quintal.
Indian exporters now are estimating that if the situation did not
improve it will badly impact rice farmers and exporters both.
WFP India Country Brief, September 2019
REPORT
Highlights
In the State of Odisha, WFP is entering into an agreement with
Mission Shakti, the State Government’s Directorate for Women’s Self-Help Groups
(WSHGs). WFP will support in strengthening the capacities of WSHGs on
livelihoods, empowerment and nutrition. There are 600,000 WSHGs, covering about
7 million women across the State.
On 25 September, in a joint
ceremony with Ericsson India, WFP and Government of Odisha representatives, WFP
handed over the completed report for the project ‘Proving ICT based solutions
for improving food security to Government of Odisha’ to its key stakeholders.
Funded by Ericsson India, the project was initiated in 2018 to enhance and
integrate the Targeted Public Distribution System’s supply chain in Odisha
using ICT solutions. Two days earlier, on 23 September, Ericsson India won the
6th CSR impact award for the use of ICT for the same project. The ceremony was
attended by WFP Representative and Country Director, Mr. Bishow Parajuli.
Operational Updates
Protecting Access to Food
• The Ministry of Agriculture has
requested WFP to provide technical support in enhancing food security of women
smallholder farmers, through better access to credit, technology, markets and
value addition. WFP has submitted a project proposal to the ministry for a
gender assessment of rural markets, which is now awaiting approval and funding.
• WFP has initiated a
collaboration with the Department of Women and Child Development and Mission
Shakti, Government of Odisha, to enhance the food security, livelihoods and
market linkages of women smallholder farmers and women microenterprises. A
Memorandum of Understanding is undergoing the approval process of the
Government of Odisha. Funding for the project has been secured through the
private sector.
• WFP received a request from the
State Government of Uttarakhand to provide technical assistance to optimise the
supply chain of its Targeted Public Distribution Supply Chain. The funding for
the project has been approved, and WFP is preparing a formal Letter of
Agreement.
• A few months ago, a proposal
for supporting improvements in the supply chain and warehousing operations of
the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Central Warehousing Corporation was
submitted to the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) which has
now been provisionally approved for funding by the Ministry.
India-Iran trade dips 79.4 per cent in
April-Nov; may fall further
Amiti
Sen New Delhi | Updated on January
07, 2020 Published on January 07, 2020
Iran is an important trade partner for India - MicroStockHub
Escalating
tensions could deplete balance in rupee-rial account, fear exporters
India-Iran trade declined a sharp
79.4 per cent in the first eight months of the current fiscal to $3.5 billion
from $17 billion in the comparable period last year after the lapse of the oil
sanction waiver extended by the US to India.
Escalating tension between Iran
and the US after the recent killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US
drone attack could hurt trade further as India’s exports to Iran, which have
sustained despite the economic sanctions, could now take a hit. This is true
especially with the balance in the rupee-rial account running out, fear
exporters.
“The threats and counter-threats
exchanged by Iran and the US after the killing of the Iranian general has
created an atmosphere of uncertainty for Indian exporters. Exporters are
cautious about their long-term orders. This is especially because the balance
in the rupee-rial account is drying up. Once the amount in the balance is over,
there is no clarity about how exporters would be paid,” said Ajay Sahai,
Director-General, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
Iran has been an important trade
partner for India with bilateral trade in 2018-19 posting a 23.7 per cent
growth to $17.03 billion. Of this, mineral oil and fuel imports were key,
accounting for $12.3 billion.
While imports from Iran declined
by 90.3 per cent in the April-November 2019-20 period to $1.29 billion because
of reduction of petroleum imports to zero, the fall in exports was lower at 36
per cent to $2.23 billion.
Exporters face
uncertainty
Exports of cereals, including
basmati, in the first eight months of the current fiscal, were valued at $648
million compared to $1.58 billion in the same period last year, while tea,
coffee and spices exports were worth $164 million compared to $189 million in
the same period of the previous fiscal.
Tea exporters, so far, have been
optimistic about their trade with Iran as the country bought a record 50
million kg of tea in the January-December 2019 period but are uncertain about
the future. “We are very happy with the Iranian market so far but the recent
war-like situation has us worried. We were planning a delegation to Iran in
February this year, but are now not sure if that would be possible. We have
written to the Commerce Ministry about it and are waiting for directions,” said
Sujit Patra, Secretary, Indian Tea Association.
Basmati exporters, too, are
cautious about what the future holds. “We are managing to export basmati to
Iran despite some payment problems. But once the balance in the rupee-rial
account gets exhausted, payments may stop. We are apprehensive that the increase
in tension between Iran and the US could also affect transportation of
shipments,” said a Delhi-based rice exporter.
The rupee-rial payment mechanism
is a barter-like arrangement by the two countries to carry out trade without
using international currencies like the dollar. Through this mechanism, payment
for Iranian goods is deposited in an account in the UCO Bank in rupees and this
money is used to pay exporters who supply goods to Iran.
Payment
mechanism
With India forced by the US to
stop purchase of oil from Iran since April this year, the balance in the
rupee-rial account is drying up as oil was the chief item of import from the
country.
“The balance in the rupee-rial
account is not likely to pay for Indian exports to Iran beyond 3-4 months. The two
governments have to look for alternative mechanisms to sustain trade and
exports,” said Sahai.
Published on January 07, 2020
Myanmar
signs new contract to export rice to China
PUBLISHED 8
JANUARY 2020
MIN LATT
A rice wholesale center in Mandalay
MANDALAY- Mandalay Rice Development
Company signed a new MoU aiming to export 50,000 tons of rice to China, according
to the Mandalay Rice Development Company.
The Mandalay Rice Development
Company had an agreement with Shwe Charnt Company from China to export 100,000
tons of rice to China in 2019.
However, the company will be
exporting the rice to China via the new Chin Shwe Haw road.
In the past, rice exports to China
mainly go from Muse Road.
“There have been two companies
namely Mandalay Rice Development Company and Muse Rice Development Company. The
two companies were exporting rice to China via Muse road. We are now
concentrating on border trade. We had signed MoU with the company exporting
100,000 tons of rice. However, we already exported 5,000 tons of rice out of
100,000 because we faced many difficulties. The first difficulty is the company
that signed MoU with us wasn’t rice traders and they didn’t understand the rice
dealings. However, we were getting much more familiar with the rice dealings.
It is inconvenient. So, we would like to urge the government to connect the
rice dealing company with us. Now, we sing a new contract with the rice dealing
company exporting 50,000 tons of rice. But, we are going to export the rice to
China via new route Chin Shwe Haw road. We are trying to export the rice to
China in the coming week,” said Managing Director Sai Kyaw from Mandalay Rice
Development Company.
Myanmar earned over US$650 million
from more than 2.16 million tons of rice and broken rice in 11 months in this
FY and it is less than over 780,000 tons of rice and broken rice exported in
the same period in last year. Myanmar earned US$1.003 billion in the same
period in last FY, said an official from the Ministry of Commerce.
Myanmar found new markets for its
rice export in 2017-18 FY and about 3.6 million tons of rice are exported which
broke the record in 50 years’ time.
The rice export is declined in this
FY as rice demand from EU and China is reduced.
Myanmar is exporting rice through
maritime trade to EU and Africa markets and to China via Muse border trade
route.
Cheap Rice Imports Choke Sh.13 Billion Economy In Mwe
Rice traders idling
on Tuesday January 7, 2020 at Ngurubani town in Mwea as they wait
for prospective buyers of pishori rice at the Nice Rice Millers. Photo by
Irungu Mwangi/KNA.
Massive
rice imports from the Far East have choked the economy of Ngurubani town
in Mwea, Kirinyaga County that is the biggest grower and supplier of rice in
Kenya.
Data
from the Kenya Economic Survey 2019 shows Mwea region produces about 90,000
tonnes of rice, which translates to 80% of what Kenya produces.
Kenya
requires about 400,000 tonnes of rice every year meaning that it has to import
about 300,000 tonnes, or three times what is produced locally.
A
Senior Agricultural Officer at the ministry of Agriculture headquarters in
charge of the Rice Crop, Jane Ndung’u recently said the reality of importation
of rice has existed for many years and the traders in the town in the past
adjusted to the same.
“What
has changed is that the importers are increasingly bringing in very low quality
rice, blamed on smuggling through the Kenya Somali border,” she said.
The
cheaper rice, Ndung’u said, is then sold at low prices and then blended with
Mwea aromatic pishori rice to be sold as pishori variety, at a cheaper price,
knocking off demand for the original variety that Mwea is known for.
The
Agriculture ministry Rice Promotion Programme Unit says the practice is illegal
and should be stopped; while those found engaging in the illicit business
should be arrested and prosecuted.
The
growth and development of Ngurubani town and allied activities in Kirinyaga
County are associated with rice production and marketing.
The
Management of Rice Promotion programme says five million tonnes of pure Pishori
is lying in Mwea rice stores because the market is flooded with cheap poor
quality rice.
Ndung’u
said the Rice Promotion programme unit will be visiting the area with the Kenya
Bureau of Standards officials to assess the situation and those carrying out
the illegal business have been warned to prepare for the worst.
Traders
at Wang’uru town say the imported rice varieties sell for as low as Sh80 per
kilogram whereas pure pishori Mwea rice which has a distinctive aroma retails
at Sh.130 a kilo.
A
visit to the busy town reveals that milling factories are operating at half
capacity because of the diminishing demand, slowing down the rice value chain
that has starved the town of the much needed cash flow.
“The
cheap imported rice poses stiff competition and for customers seeking to save a
shilling in these hard economic times, many opt for the cheaper rice,” says
Lisa Gitonga a rice trader in Mwea.
“Our
biggest challenges are the unscrupulous traders who use devious means to pass
off the imported rice as pure pishori,” adds Gitonga.
She
said many customers are not wise enough and cannot differentiate between the
pure pishori and a blend of cheap rice.
Strangely,
traders raise concerns that pishori sells at about Sh.120 in some dealers
outlets in Nairobi and Mombasa where ordinarily it would be higher than Mwea
due to transport costs.
Traders
and millers said they are disturbed by reports that some dishonest merchants
had gone to the extent of spraying the cheaper imports with perfumes to cheat
buyers that the product is pure pishori.
At
many of the rice shops in Mwea, business is not brisk like before, a situation
the traders link to market disruption by the cheap imports.
Jennifer
Wanja said their sales have been on the decline as compared to previous years.
“When
I started trading in rice here five years ago, business was booming, but
nowadays the trade has slumped as customers opt for cheaper varieties sold
elsewhere,” she said.
A
visit to some of the major rice mills, including Nice Rice millers reveals that
traders mostly women sit idle looking forward to the tiny trickle of customers
coming in.
As
a customer walks in, the traders scramble for his attention promising that
their rice is pure and grade one.
“All
we ask is why would the imported rice, sourced all the way from Pakistan sell
cheaper than the locally produced one?” wondered Wawira Karimi who is also a
rice trader at Mwea.
“That
tells you the farm inputs, that includes fertilizer, chemicals for sprays and
labour here is high and adds up to the cost of production. This makes our
produce more expensive and unable to compete with the imported variety,” Karimi
said.
She
said rice farmers and traders were hopeful when the county government said they
were to introduce an Italian technology of rice farming aimed at boosting
production and earning more for farmers.
Governor
Anne Waiguru had said the new farming technology was set to be introduced in
selected areas of the vast Mwea irrigation scheme
The
technology according to Waiguru is more efficient in water utilization as
compared to canal-irrigated agriculture.
The
governor after a tour of Italy came back and said some investors from Italy
were much interested with the potential of rice farming in Mwea in that the
area produces the largest amount of rice in the country.
Waiguru
had noted that the cost of production was a big challenge to farmers and hence
the great need to address the matter.
She
said the new Italian technology, which is also highly mechanized when fully
operationalized, would equip farmers with cost effective farming methods, lower
the cost of production from the current Sh.50 per kilogram to about Sh.20.
“We
may not be able to determine the price of our produce, but we can definitely
reduce the cost of production, and thus up scaling the farmer’s total
earnings,” she said.
The
governor said some Italian investors, Pierluigi Bartoloni, Ventura De Lauretis
and Prof. Giuseppe Lepore have shown interest in supporting rice farming and
vegetable farming in the county.
“The
county government in collaboration with the national government has taken to
the control of the destructive Quelea birds which previously forced farmers to
hire labour to fight them thus reducing the cost of production,” Waiguru said.
Established
in 1954, the Mwea Irrigation Scheme has a gazetted area of 30, 350 acres with
the area under irrigation being 26,000 acres in the main scheme and 4,000 acres
in the out growers.
WFP India Country Brief, November 2019
REPORT
from World Food Programme
Published on 30 Nov
2019 —View Original
Highlights
•
With funding from the 2030 Fund, WFP carried out a scoping study on SouthSouth
and Triangular Cooperation opportunities in the country, with support from
WFP’s regional office and headquarters.
•
WFP facilitated a study tour for a highlevel delegation from the Government of
India to Costa Rica to learn about different ways to address gaps in India’s
food fortification programme.
•
WFP hosted an informal consultation with various policy makers, practitioners,
academics and think tanks on how to adjust programming to help the Government
accelerate progress towards achieving SDG targets before 2030.
Operational
Updates Protecting
Access
to Food
•
WFP has partnered with Mission Shakti, Department of Women and Child
Development, Government of Odisha for enhancing the food security, livelihoods
and market linkages of women smallholder farmers and women micro-enterprises in
the state. WFP’s funding portion for the project has been secured through the
private sector while the Government of Odisha will cover its own costs.
•
The Government of Uttarakhand (GoUK) has requested for WFP to provide technical
support in optimizing the supply chain of the Targeted Public Distribution
System.
The funding for the project has been approved and WFP has shared a formal Letter of Agreement with GoUK for approval. WFP will complete an assessment mission for situation mapping in Uttarakhand in December with support from WFP’s Asia regional bureau and Headquarters.
The funding for the project has been approved and WFP has shared a formal Letter of Agreement with GoUK for approval. WFP will complete an assessment mission for situation mapping in Uttarakhand in December with support from WFP’s Asia regional bureau and Headquarters.
• The Department of Food and
Public Distribution has approved a proposal to support improvements in the
supply chain and warehousing operations of the Food Corporation of India (FCI)
and Central Warehousing Corporation. Funding has been secured through the
private sector.Improved Nutrition
•
WFP has been supporting rice fortification for mid-day meals in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh, with 2,700 mt of rice fortified so far in 2019. In November, WFP
reached 54,800 people with nutrition and health education sessions and games at
the community level.
•
A technology-based capacity strengthening tool is being developed for
cooks-cum-helpers working under the Mid-Day Meal scheme in Uttar Pradesh and
Orissa. The content focuses on food safety and hygiene and is developed in
accordance with Mid-Day Meal guidelines of the Government of India.
Evidence
and Research
•
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has approved
the 2019 National Food and Nutrition Security Analysis report, which was
launched jointly with WFP in June. The report is available on their website.
•
WFP has finalized the report on the end-line evaluation on the fortification of
mid-day meals in Dhenkanal District, Odisha and has now shared it with the
State Government.
South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)
South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)
•
WFP facilitated a study tour of a high-level delegation from the Government of
India to Costa Rica to learn more about their national food fortification
programme. They found the following best practices would be worthy of
replication after contextualization:
(i)
Formation of a National Commission of Micronutrients representing a
cross-sector of stakeholders; (ii) Food fortification standards in Costa Rica
propose higher required levels of micronutrients as well as some additional
micronutrients not included in standards in India; (iii) Setting up of a
command and control centre for monitoring the roll out of fortified foods; and
(iv) Working with representatives of associations of the rice millers.
•
WFP also facilitated a visit for a delegation of government officials from the
Department of Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti, in Orissa to the
state of Kerala to observe the implementation of state-wide take-home ration
fortification. Kerala’s takehome ration programme was initiated and supported
by WFP.
Paddy now to be transported to rice mills by Haryana's
food dept
PTI8 January 2020
Chandigarh,
Jan 8 (PTI) The transportation of paddy from grain markets to the rice mills in
Haryana will now be done by the state's food and civil supplies department and
procurement agencies instead of rice millers, said a senior official here.
The
step was taken to avoid 'diversion or 'bogus paddy purchase' and strengthen the
procurement mechanism, said Additional Chief Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies P
K Das in a statement here on Wednesday.
'To
avoid diversion or ghost purchase of paddy, from now onwards the transportation
of the paddy from mandis to rice mills will be done by the Haryana food and
civil supplies department and other procurement agencies instead of leaving it
to the millers,” Das said.
He
further said the trucks deployed for transportation of paddy will be GPS-fitted
so that their movement can be monitored.
He
further said that the physical verification of the paddy stock of 1,304 rice
mills in the state was done, following which a shortfall of 42,589 metric
tonnes (MT) of crop was detected in 1,207 rice mills.
The
Additional Chief Secretary further said that show-cause notices would be issued
to the rice millers for stock shortage and after receiving replies,
strict action will be taken against the wrongdoers. The ACS said
during the verification, it was found that 205 mills had a shortfall of below 5
tonnes, 134 mills had a shortfall of 5 to 10 tonnes, 248 mills had a shortfall
of 10-25 tonnes, in 325 mills a shortage of 25-50 tonnes and 295 mills had a
shortage of more than 50 tonnes.
He
said the highest mismatch in paddy stock in 284 mills was recorded in Karnal,
followed by Kurukshetra where the shortfall was found in 236 mills.
Das
said about 300 teams were deputed for physical verification, adding that the
department took into account factors of total paddy allotted, milling capacity
of rice mills, custom milled rice available and delivered to the Food
Corporation of India and paddy stock left with the mills.
Notably, the opposition Congress
had last year alleged that there were irregularities in the purchase of
non-basmati paddy. PTI CHS VSD MKJ
THE NEWS SCROLL08 JANUARY 2020 Last Updated at 10:34
PM | SOURCE: PTI
Paddy now to be transported to rice mills by
Haryana''s food dept
Chandigarh, Jan 8 (PTI) The transportation of paddy from grain
markets to the rice mills in Haryana will now be done by the state''s food and
civil supplies department and procurement agencies instead of rice millers,
said a senior official here.
The step was taken to avoid
"diversion or "bogus paddy purchase" and strengthen the
procurement mechanism, said Additional Chief Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies P
K Das in a statement here on Wednesday.
"To avoid diversion or ghost
purchase of paddy, from now onwards the transportation of the paddy from mandis
to rice mills will be done by the Haryana food and civil supplies department
and other procurement agencies instead of leaving it to the millers,” Das said.
He further said the trucks
deployed for transportation of paddy will be GPS-fitted so that their movement
can be monitored.
He further said that the physical
verification of the paddy stock of 1,304 rice mills in the state was done,
following which a shortfall of 42,589 metric tonnes (MT) of crop was detected
in 1,207 rice mills.
The Additional Chief Secretary
further said that show-cause notices would be issued to the rice millers for
stock shortage and after receiving replies, strict action will be
taken against the wrongdoers.
The ACS said during the
verification, it was found that 205 mills had a shortfall of below 5 tonnes,
134 mills had a shortfall of 5 to 10 tonnes, 248 mills had a shortfall of 10-25
tonnes, in 325 mills a shortage of 25-50 tonnes and 295 mills had a shortage of
more than 50 tonnes.
He said the highest mismatch in
paddy stock in 284 mills was recorded in Karnal, followed by Kurukshetra where
the shortfall was found in 236 mills.
Das said about 300 teams were
deputed for physical verification, adding that the department took into account
factors of total paddy allotted, milling capacity of rice mills, custom milled
rice available and delivered to the Food Corporation of India and paddy stock
left with the mills.
Notably, the opposition Congress had
last year alleged that there were irregularities in the purchase of non-basmati
paddy. PTI CHS VSD MKJ
Extremely low concentrations of
acetic acid could alter cellular processes in rice blast fungus
All living organisms respond and
adapt to changes in their environment. These responses are sometimes so
significant that they cause alterations in the internal metabolic cycles of the
organism--a process called "metabolic switching." For example, rice
blast fungus--a pathogenic fungal species that causes the "rice
blast" infection in rice crops--switches to the "glyoxylate
cycle" when the nutrient source starts to deplete. Another response to
environmental change is called "cell differentiation", where cells
switch to another type altogether. In rice blast fungus, for example, the
fungal cells differentiate and generate a large amount of pressure on the cell
wall, causing the fungus to develop a specialized structure called
"appressorium," which ultimately facilitates the infection. Such
methods of adaptation have been seen across various organisms, but exactly how
they occur is not very clear yet.
In a recent study published
in iScience,
a team of researchers at Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Takashi
Kamakura, found for the first time that extremely low concentrations of acetic
acid alter cellular processes in rice blast fungus. Their research was based on
the fact that Cbp1--a protein that can remove acetyl groups from chitin (the
main component of the cell wall of fungi)--plays a huge role in appressorium
formation by converting chitin into chitosan and releasing acetic acid.
Explaining the objective of the
study, Prof Kamakura says:
Metabolic switching in nutrient-deficient environments depends
on changes in the nutrient source, but its mechanism has remained poorly
understood until now. Since chitin was known to induce a subsequent resistance
response (immune response), we speculated that Cbp1 functions to escape
recognition from plants. Also, because the enzymatic activity of Cbp1 affects
cell differentiation, we hypothesized that the reaction product of chitin
deacetylation by Cbp1 may be a signal for cell differentiation.
For their study, the scientists
used a mutant form of the fungus that did not produce Cbp1 and thus could not
form appressorium as it was unable to produce acetic acid from chitin. The
scientists observed that when minuscule concentrations of acetic acid, even as
low as a hundred molecules per fungal spore, were added, appressorium formation
was restored in the mutants. This implied that acetic acid could act as a
chemical signal to trigger cell differentiation. Then, to better understand the
role of acetic acid in the glyoxylate cycle, the researchers focused on an
enzyme unique to this metabolic pathway: isocitrate lyase. They found that the
mutant forms of the fungus had much lower levels of this enzyme, meaning that
they could not switch to the glyoxylate cycle. But, as seen before, the
addition of acetic acid at an extremely low concentration was enough to restore
normal levels of the enzyme and thus induce appressorium formation. "Our
study is the first to reveal the novel role of acetic acid in metabolic
switching and cell differentiation in eukaryotic cells," remarks Prof
Kamakura.
Interestingly, these findings
indicate that using chitin molecules from their own cell wall could be a
survival strategy used by several types of bacteria and fungi. This would allow
them to thrive in environments deprived of nutrients--such as on the surface of
a host leaf--and avoid host defense/immune mechanisms. Acetic acid could then
be used both as a carbon source and as a signal to trigger metabolic switching
and cell differentiation. Prof Kamakura explains, "The use of acetic acid
obtained from a pathogen's own cell wall for the activation of the glyoxylate
cycle is perhaps a general mechanism in various infection processes."
The finding that extremely low
concentrations of a small, simple molecule like acetic acid could induce
significant changes in cellular processes is unprecedented and was only known
before for certain hormones in animals. Understanding this type of inter-species
chemical interactions could prove to be immensely valuable in agriculture,
bioengineering, and medicine, to name a few areas. Prof Kamakura concludes,
"It is yet to be found whether this phenomenon is common to other
organisms. But, since metabolites such as butyric acid derived from human
intestinal bacteria are involved in immune cell activation and cancer
progression, our findings have implications in a wide variety of fields,
including medicine and agriculture."
Source:
Journal reference:
Kuroki, M. et al. (2019) Extremely Low
Concentrations of Acetic Acid Stimulate Cell Differentiation in Rice Blast
Fungus. iScience. doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2019.100786
How the rice blast fungus 'eats' its own cell wall to launch an
attack
JANUARY 8, 2020
During infection in rice blast fungus, chitin from its cell wall
breaks down into chitosan and acetic acid. This process stimulates cell
differentiation in the host plant, leading to appressorium formation, which
then facilitates the infection process. Credit: Dr. Takashi Kamakura
All living organisms respond and
adapt to changes in their environment. These responses are sometimes so
significant that they cause alterations in the internal metabolic cycles of the
organism—a process called "metabolic switching." For example, rice
blast fungus—a pathogenic fungal species that causes the "rice blast"
infection in rice crops—switches to the "glyoxylate cycle" when the
nutrient source starts to deplete. Another response to environmental change is
called "cell differentiation," where cells switch to another type
altogether. In rice blast fungus, for example, the fungal cells differentiate
and generate a large amount of pressure on the cell wall, causing the fungus to
develop a specialized structure called "appressorium," which
ultimately facilitates the infection. Such methods of adaptation have been seen
across various organisms, but exactly how they occur is not very clear yet.
In a recent study published
in iScience, a team of researchers at Tokyo University of Science,
led by Prof. Takashi Kamakura, found for the first time that extremely low
concentrations of acetic acid alter
cellular processes in rice blast fungus.
Their research was based on the fact that Cbp1—a protein that can remove acetyl
groups from chitin (the main component of the cell wall of fungi)—plays a huge
role in appressorium formation by converting chitin into chitosan and releasing
acetic acid. Explaining the objective of the study, Prof. Kamakura says,
"Metabolic switching in nutrient-deficient environments depends on changes
in the nutrient source, but its mechanism has remained poorly understood until
now. Since chitin was known to induce a subsequent resistance response (immune response), we speculated that
Cbp1 functions to escape recognition from plants. Also, because the enzymatic activity
of Cbp1 affects cell differentiation,
we hypothesized that the reaction product of chitin deacetylation by Cbp1 may
be a signal for cell differentiation."
For their study, the scientists used
a mutant form of the fungus that did not produce Cbp1 and thus could not form
appressorium as it was unable to produce acetic acid from chitin. The
scientists observed that when minuscule concentrations of acetic acid, even as
low as a hundred molecules per fungal spore, were added, appressorium formation
was restored in the mutants. This implied that acetic acid could act as a
chemical signal to trigger cell differentiation. Then, to better understand the
role of acetic acid in the glyoxylate cycle, the researchers focused on an
enzyme unique to this metabolic pathway: isocitrate lyase. They found that the
mutant forms of the fungus had much lower levels of this enzyme, meaning that
they could not switch to the glyoxylate cycle. But, as seen before, the
addition of acetic acid at an extremely low concentration was enough to restore
normal levels of the enzyme and thus induce appressorium formation. "Our
study is the first to reveal the novel role of acetic acid in metabolic
switching and cell differentiation in eukaryotic cells," remarks Prof. Kamakura.
Interestingly, these findings
indicate that using chitin molecules from their own cell wall could be a
survival strategy used by several types of bacteria and fungi. This would allow
them to thrive in environments deprived of nutrients—such as on the surface of
a host leaf—and avoid host defense/immune mechanisms. Acetic acid could then be
used both as a carbon source and as a signal to trigger metabolic switching and
cell differentiation. Prof. Kamakura explains, "The use of acetic acid
obtained from a pathogen's own cell wall for the activation of the glyoxylate
cycle is perhaps a general mechanism in various infection processes."
The finding that extremely low
concentrations of a small, simple molecule like acetic acid could induce
significant changes in cellular processes is unprecedented and was only known
before for certain hormones in animals. Understanding this type of
inter-species chemical interactions could prove to be immensely valuable in
agriculture, bioengineering, and medicine, to name a few areas. Prof. Kamakura
concludes, "It is yet to be found whether this phenomenon is common to
other organisms. But, since metabolites such as butyric acid derived from human
intestinal bacteria are involved in immune cell activation and cancer
progression, our findings have implications in a wide variety of fields,
including medicine and agriculture."
Government provides solar-powered rice mills for farming areas
Date: Jan 09 , 2020 , 08:27
BY: Severious Kale-Dery
Category:
The government has dispatched
solar-powered rice mills to four strategic rice farming areas to address the
problem of inadequate capacity for milling paddy rice.
The mills, which have been dispatched
to New Edubiase and Ejura, both in the Ashanti Region, Yamoransa in the Central
Region and Fumbisi in the Upper East Region, are part of efforts by the
government to boost the cultivation and consumption of rice locally.
Rice mills
Speaking with the Daily Graphic,
the Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel
Asante-Krobea, explained that the mills were currently being installed in the
areas where the production of rice was high.
The inability of rice farmers to
mill their paddy rice, especially those in the Fumbisi Valley came up strongly
late last year when the farmers appealed to the government to intervene by
buying their rice for the School Feeding Programme to prevent losses.
Currently, there is no rice milling
facility in the Upper East Region and the farmers believe that with the
increased interest in rice farming in the region, there is the need to get a
mill in the region.
More milling machineries
Mr Asante-Krobea gave an assurance
that “come next season, this problem the farmers faced this year will be a
thing of the past because we are increasing the national milling capacity”.
He indicated that the government
was negotiating with two companies to import rice milling machines into the
country to help farmers access and use them to mill their rice, adding: “We
expect about 500 additional milling machines from China and Brazil to increase
the milling capacity by the next harvesting season.”
He further assured the farmers,
especially those in the Fumbisi Valley, that the mills the government had
brought in were solar-powered and would, therefore, not require any electricity
to operate.
“W hope that between now and
September all these measures will be in place to make the farmers comfortable ”
he said.
Mr Asante-Krobea admitted that rice
processing capacity of the country was low, “because in the past, demand for
local rice was low and so people did not invest so much in local rice
processing”.
High technology
He gave an assurance that the mills
that were being imported were of high technological capacity and could remove
all stones, making rice milled in the country comparable to rice anywhere in
the world.
He added that the Ministry of
Agriculture was in talks with the millers to improve their packaging to attract
the needed market, adding that “with this, we think rice production in Ghana
will catch up well”.
Harvesters
Mr Asante-Krobea admitted the lack
of adequate harvesters in the country and said it was one of the challenges the
ministry was tackling.
He said by the next farming season
the government would have imported combine harvesters for commercial farmers,
adding that currently the ministry was taking delivery of 1,000 hand-held
harvesters for smallholder farmers.
He indicated that the sector
Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, had set up a rice technical team made up of
importers, millers, processors and representatives from the Ministry of Finance
to discuss the ministry’s drive towards self-sufficiency in rice production by
2022.
Livestock
standouts amid weakening agricultural exports
Export of livestock products was a standout while shipments of
key farming products dropped further last year, according to the Agro
Processing and Market Development Authority.
Wednesday, January 08, 2020 18:48
Hanoi (VNA) – Export of livestock products was a standout while shipments of key farming products dropped further last year, according to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority.
Vietnam exported 65 million USD worth of livestock products last month, bringing the total livestock exports in 2019 to 710 million USD, up 10.6 percent from a year earlier. Livestock products were among the handful agricultural items experiencing growth last year.
Rice exports dipped further in 2019. Though the exported rice volume rose by 3.9 percent year-on-year to 6.34 million tonnes, the revenue plunged 9.7 percent to 2.97 billion USD.
The Philippines replaced China as Vietnam’s top rice buyers as the island nation’s imports of Vietnamese rice jumped 2.55 times in volume and 2.34 times in value to 2.15 million tonnes and nearly 900 million USD, respectively.
Similar trends were seen in the export of pepper and cashew nut which both witnessed an increase in volume but a decrease in value.
Vietnam earned 3.74 billion USD from the exports of vegetables and fruits, down 1.9 percent from 2018. Though exports to China declined 13.2 percent year-on-year, the neighbouring country remained Vietnam’s largest importer, accounting for 65.7 percent of the total vegetable and fruit exports. It was followed by the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the Netherlands.
Some 1.59 million tonnes of coffee were exported for 2.75 billion USD, down 15.2 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively. Last year, the coffee export prices averaged 1,724 USD per tonne, a year-on-year decrease of 8.9 percent, while the domestic prices slid 2,200 – 2,300 VND per kg from the end of 2018.
The coffee price in the world market decreased because Brazilian coffee growers enhanced selling in the wake of a drop in Brazil’s currency, leading to growing coffee reserves in major markets like the US.
Rubber was one of a few farming items with a positive growth with 1.68 million tonnes exported, worth 2.26 billion USD, up 7.7 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. China remained Vietnam’s biggest buyer, purchasing 66.5 percent of the total exports, followed by India (8.3 percent) and the RoK (3 percent)./.
U.S.
Rice Exports Up in 2019, Likely to Increase Again in 2020
WASHINGTON, DC -- Trade policy in 2019 felt like
a roller coaster, but the numbers show that U.S. rice exports coasted to an
increase over 2018 sales. While 2019 census data is one month short of
completion, data though 11 months shows a boost over the 12-month total for
2018.
2019 trade successes came in all shapes and sizes, including:
* Mexico: USA Rice executed a quality samples trip to Mexico in early 2019 and a trade mission in fall 2019, and hundreds of promotions throughout the year that have helped boost U.S. sales 15 percent over 2018 levels - this includes a 20 percent increase in rough rice sales to Mexico.
* Nicaragua: Nearly 14 years since the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) was ratified, Nicaragua began purchasing significant quantities of rice from the U.S. American export sales to Nicaragua increased tenfold in 2019 over 2018 and nearly hundredfold since 2016.
* Korea: After five years of advocacy and negotiations, the U.S. reached a deal for a guaranteed country specific quota for rice with Korea, ensuring competitors do not erode this important market. The deal was signed on December 30, 2019, and will ensure USA Rice and the U.S. government coordinate closely with the Korean government on tender schedules and any technical issues that may arise.
* Iraq: Since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017, there have been starts and stops to trade with Iraq, however, Iraq purchased more rice in 2019 than in any year since 2010.
* China: After more than a decade of negotiating a phytosanitary protocol and several years of developing an inspection regimen for U.S. mills, 2019 saw the certification of 32 U.S. milling facilities for export to China. USA Rice hosted three trade seminars, attracting more than 100 interested rice importers, participated in two trade shows in China, organized a reverse trade mission of Chinese rice importers to the U.S., and registered the first private sale of U.S. rice in history. In December, the Administration announced that China would begin purchasing U.S. agricultural products, such as rice, and come into compliance with World Trade Organization requirements around domestic subsidies and their tariff rate quota administration.
In December 2019, USDA revised their 2020 export projections for U.S. rice to 3.125 million tons, up from 2.78 million tons in 2018.
"USA Rice is ramping up efforts for another year of aggressive promotional activities through our USDA Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development, and Agricultural Trade Promotion Program funding," said USA Rice vice president of international Sarah Moran. "We are looking forward to investments in new markets and exciting opportunities for additional access in 2020 through the combined efforts of the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and USA Rice."
2019 trade successes came in all shapes and sizes, including:
* Mexico: USA Rice executed a quality samples trip to Mexico in early 2019 and a trade mission in fall 2019, and hundreds of promotions throughout the year that have helped boost U.S. sales 15 percent over 2018 levels - this includes a 20 percent increase in rough rice sales to Mexico.
* Nicaragua: Nearly 14 years since the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) was ratified, Nicaragua began purchasing significant quantities of rice from the U.S. American export sales to Nicaragua increased tenfold in 2019 over 2018 and nearly hundredfold since 2016.
* Korea: After five years of advocacy and negotiations, the U.S. reached a deal for a guaranteed country specific quota for rice with Korea, ensuring competitors do not erode this important market. The deal was signed on December 30, 2019, and will ensure USA Rice and the U.S. government coordinate closely with the Korean government on tender schedules and any technical issues that may arise.
* Iraq: Since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017, there have been starts and stops to trade with Iraq, however, Iraq purchased more rice in 2019 than in any year since 2010.
* China: After more than a decade of negotiating a phytosanitary protocol and several years of developing an inspection regimen for U.S. mills, 2019 saw the certification of 32 U.S. milling facilities for export to China. USA Rice hosted three trade seminars, attracting more than 100 interested rice importers, participated in two trade shows in China, organized a reverse trade mission of Chinese rice importers to the U.S., and registered the first private sale of U.S. rice in history. In December, the Administration announced that China would begin purchasing U.S. agricultural products, such as rice, and come into compliance with World Trade Organization requirements around domestic subsidies and their tariff rate quota administration.
In December 2019, USDA revised their 2020 export projections for U.S. rice to 3.125 million tons, up from 2.78 million tons in 2018.
"USA Rice is ramping up efforts for another year of aggressive promotional activities through our USDA Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development, and Agricultural Trade Promotion Program funding," said USA Rice vice president of international Sarah Moran. "We are looking forward to investments in new markets and exciting opportunities for additional access in 2020 through the combined efforts of the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and USA Rice."
Restaurant review: Start 2020 with a sumie at sunny, satisfying
Surya Cafe
·
The sushi bowl at Surya Cafe is forbidden black rice,
shredded carrot, cucumber, hummus, avocado, picked slaw, nori, shiitake bacon,
sesame seeds, edamame and miso-ginger dressing.
·
A collection of mirrors hangs above a seating area at Surya Cafe
in Garver Feed Mill in Madison.
·
To describe Surya Café as
indulgent in the context of a restaurant review seems to misunderstand the
idea. There are no plates of pasta here, no pork belly mac and cheese or fried
ice cream.
Yet that’s the word I kept coming
back to as I scribbled my 2020 intentions in a quiet corner of the revived Garver Feed Mill,
sipping a smoothie that tasted like an Orange Julius. I’d just come from a
challenging noon yoga class at Surya’s sister business, Perennial. I felt warm
all the way to my toes.
What a treat, I thought. Do some
people feel this good all the time?
Surya, owned by Perennial’s Meg
Sirchio and run by chef Lauren Montelbano, opened in Fitchburg in spring 2017
and walked gently onto
the east side of Madison last fall.
Inside Surya Cafe at Garver Feed Mill, a sign near the door says
"Walk Gently."
Surya means “sun” in Sanskrit.
The menu at both cafés is vegan and gluten-free though they don’t use those
words, describing the cuisine as “conscious” and “plant-based.”
Surya’s opening brought the
number of vegetarian restaurants in Madison to two. Isthmus reported in
December that The Green Owl, open since 2009 on Atwood Avenue,
was recently purchased by
longtime staffer Erick Fruehling.
The challenge of running an
all-veggies-all-the-time restaurant in a smallish Midwestern city is mostly
mental. Will I feel full? What about protein? What’s in tempeh, and why are
they calling cashews “cheese?” I love nutritional yeast and grew up with wheat
germ in my cookies, but I get squirrelly when I see “wings” and “meatballs” on
a vegetarian menu with no further clarification.
The chef's choice curry at Surya Cafe changes constantly. This
one, made with chickpeas, was on the menu the second week of January.
Surya backs away from meat
substitutes, relying on cuisines that are already more vegetable-centric. The
kitchen builds flavor with spice blends, herbs and nuts, with the occasional
boost from miso and liquid smoke.
Montelbano studied cooking in
India and Thailand, and a pan-Asian element runs through Surya’s menu. There’s
a warming, seasonal Thai-style curry ($13), recently with chickpeas and squash,
and kitchari, a traditional Ayurvedic stew ($10) made with mung beans and
basmati rice. These can be a little bland, but they’re hearty and the portions
are generous.
Surya roots through its
Midwestern identity with maple syrup to sweeten a wonderful little bowl of
brussels sprouts ($7.50). Microgreens from Vitruvian Farms in McFarland dot
snack-sized toasts ($7.50) in surprising, creative combinations. Try the “wild
card” — spicy peanut butter is a little sweet and salty, with pickled red
onions and bok choy as well as thinly sliced apples for crunch.
The "wild card" toast includes spicy peanut butter,
house-pickled vegetables, apple and cilantro (when available) on seed-and-nut
toast.
The toasts are in competition for
my favorite thing at Surya, like an after-school snack for adults. After a few
bites of Christian’s toast, a savory variation with herbed cashew spread, I
flipped the bread over. Dark and dense as Irish soda bread, the seeds and nuts
appeared held together by force of will. (The magic ingredients? Chia seeds,
flax seeds and psyllium husks.)
There’s a lot of love in this
menu, and a lot to love. Roasted red pepper sauce — flavors of which were
echoed in a bell pepper/carrot soup ($3.50/cup) — lifted the earthy notes in
quinoa. King oyster mushrooms, sliced horizontally and seared, looked and
tasted like vegan scallops ($14.50). I hunted for thin strips of shiitakes,
plumped with liquid smoke, tamari and maple, in a sushi bowl of forbidden rice
($13.50).
It was rare for dishes at Surya
to trigger that “health food” response in my lizard brain, but when it
happened, texture did it. Sweet potato/chickpea tartlets ($7.50) in a cornmeal
cauliflower crust mimicked the flavors of an Indian samosa without the flaky
pastry edges, making the texture very samey. A cowgirl cookie ($3) was dry, too
crumbly to dunk into a lovely housemade chai with oat milk ($4.50/12 ounces).
The entrance to Surya Cafe in Garver Feed Mill in Madison.
About a dozen folks recently
wrapped Surya’s start-the-new-year juice
fast, a three- to five-day regimen of juices, many of which are on
the daily menu. That’s where health claims come in, about immune support
(hello, flu season) and metabolism (don't we yoga for this?) and
anti-inflammation.
I cannot say with certainty if
the bright red-purple “immunity” juice ($8.50) with beets, kale, fennel and
citrus helped me fend off my partner’s post-holiday cold. I can say it was
complex, chewy in a not-unpleasant way, and satisfyingly sweet.
I would never have known there
were hemp hearts or turmeric in the “anti-carcinogenic” Surya sumie ($9, a
smoothie/juice hybrid, the internet says). It tasted like the Orange
Juliuses of my childhood, with a teensy bit of nuttiness from almond milk.
After the new year, I picked up
a two-week class pass to Perennial ($39)
and paired vinyasa with veggies. This chilled me out enough that if service at
Surya was slow or the water pitcher was empty, I didn’t really mind. Surya has
the feel of a neighborhood place, a sunny spot for a refreshing weekend brunch
or a cozy chat over an almond milk cortado ($3.25).
Every time I left Surya, I felt
better than when I came in. It’s a place I wanted to linger, to indulge, not in
calories but in time. I felt grateful. May we all feel a little better this
year.
LT Foods looks to expand into packaged snacking biz
·
LT Foods to roll out its rice
snacking brand Kari Kari nationally
·
The company will launch a ₹20 price point for the snack
NEW DELHI : LT Foods Ltd on Wednesday
said it plans to move beyond selling packaged rice in India to launch more
branded foods and snacks that will see the maker of Daawat and Heritage rice
introduce savoury snacks, sauces, rice meals and cookies.
As
part of its plans, the company said that it will roll out its rice snacking
brand Kari Kari nationally. The snack is manufactured in India through a joint
venture with Japan’s Kameda Seika which sells rice-based snacks.
LT
Foods set up a JV, Daawat-Kameda India Pvt. Ltd, in 2017 to enter India’s
snacking market; it subsequently started test-marketing Kari Kari in India in
the same year.
The
brand is now set to expand its reach. In the first phase, it will be available
in the top metros, sold largely in modern trade stores, before the company
expands the rice and peanut snack to over 40 cities and general trade stores.
The
company will subsequently launch a ₹20
price point for the snack.
“As
an organization, we started this journey a few years ago where we are looking
at rice value added products, we have launched Daawat sauté sauces in the
Indian market four months ago—under LT Foods, as LT foods we are getting in to
other rice products as well," Ritesh Arora, head-India and far East, LT
Foods Ltd said in an interview.
Arora
added that the company has more products in the pipeline that include
ready-to-heat rice meals (under Daawat brand), and other sweet snacks under the
Kari Kari brand.
LT Foods bets big on Japanese rice-based
snacks to woo millennials
Meenakshi
Verma Ambwani New Delhi | Updated on January 08, 2020 Published on January
08, 2020
The firm is in
JV with Japanese firm Kameda Seika
LT Foods, known for its Daawat
and Royal basmati rice brands, is strengthening its play in the packaged food
business by foraying into the premium snacks segment through its joint-venture
partnership with Japan-based Kameda Seika.
The joint venture company called
Daawat-Kameda (India) Pvt Ltd is set to launch its rice-based gourmet snacks
brand ‘Kari
Kari’ in key cities in the country.
The two companies had announced
their joint venture in 2017 and have since been test marketing the products in
Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The JV company has now set up a manufacturing
facility at Sonipat (Haryana) to manufacture ‘Kari Kari’ range of products
for a full-scale commercial launch in India.
Vijay Kumar Arora, Chairman &
Managing Director, LT Foods, said, “This move is in line with our strategy to
diversify into value-added rice-based products. We see huge potential in the
premium and healthy snacks segment, which is growing in the range of 22-25 per
cent year-on-year.”
Investment details
Arora said that the two partners
have made commitments of about ₹70 crore for the JV venture, out of which investments worth
about ₹25 crore have already been made
on setting up the plant and the balance amount will be invested over the next
five years on future expansion. Jun Kono, Director, Daawat Kameda (India) Pvt
Ltd and Overseas Manager, Kameda Seika, said, “We believe we have the
opportunity to create a new category of roasted rice-based healthy snacks to
appeal to Indian consumer base. We believe India has the potential to become
one of our largest international markets in the long term.”
Distribution strategy
Kari Kari range has been launched in four variants priced at ₹ 99 for 135-gm pack and ₹50 for 60-gm pack.
Ritesh Arora, Head of India, Far
East and New Busines, LT Foods, said that the company will focus on making the
products available in modern trade stores and premium general trade stores in
metros and top cities, besides the e-commerce platform over the next two years.
Published
on January 08, 2020
Golden Rice Approved as Safe for Consumption in the Philippines
The genetically modified crop could
help combat the country’s vitamin A deficiency
Engineered with genes that boost its beta-carotene content,
golden rice (top) comes with a yellowish hue that makes it stand out from
typical white rice (bottom) (International Rice
Research Institute
Nutrient-rich golden rice—a genetically-modified,
amber-hued crop—has passed a rigorous biosafety assessment in the Philippines,
where it may soon be distributed to combat the country’s widespread vitamin A
deficiency. The plant is engineered to be packed with beta-carotene,
an orange pigment that the body converts into the essential nutrient vitamin A.
Declared “as safe as conventional rice” by the Department of
Agriculture in December, golden rice can now be legally consumed and processed.
The stamp of approval makes it the first GMO crop created to combat a public
health issue in a lower-income country, reports Steve Baragona for Voice of America. In a
statement, congressperson Sharon Garin of the Phillipines' House of
Representatives praised the development as “a victory for science, agriculture
and all Filipinos,” according to Charissa Luci-Atienza at the Manila Bulletin. The Philippines is one of several
lower-income countries with widespread vitamin A deficiency, a dietary
condition that can cause blindness and hamstring the immune system. More than half a million children die
from the deficiency each year, in large part because they don’t consume enough
beta-carotene, which is present in only scant amounts in staple grains like
rice. While vitamin A supplements have found their way into many afflicted
countries, roughly 20 percent of children under
the age of five remain deficient in the Philippines. To fill in the gap,
researchers have pushed for the introduction of low-cost crops rich in
beta-carotene. Golden rice, first unveiled as a prototype in 1999, fits the
bill: Adding less than a cup of the grain to a child’s diet could meet up to half of their daily needs. But
by the end of 2018, nearly two decades since the plant’s arrival on the
scientific scene, only a handful of countries—Australia, Canada, New Zealand
and the United States, all high-income nations with few vitamin A issues—had
deemed it safe to grow and eat en masse, reports Michael Le Page
for New Scientist. Much of the resistance in these countries
and others, Le Page writes, has come from groups campaigning against GMOs and
their alleged negative effects on health. That makes the Philippines’ approval
of the crop a huge milestone, especially amidst false rumors that its
beta-carotene would break down into cancer-causing chemicals, Le Page reports.
(As safety assessments continue, Bangladesh may be next in line.) But the recent news has
also been met with pushback: Late last month, environmental organization
Greenpeace appealed the Department of Agriculture to
overturn its decision, citing a lack of data and transparency in the approval
process. In an interview with Louise Maureen Simeon at the Philippine Star, Adrian Dubock, an executive at the
Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, disputed the claims.
“They examined in detail all the evidence submitted by the
Philippine Rice Research Institute and the International Rice Research
Institute and found that there was no potential to cause harm from Golden Rice
consumed as food, or animal feed, including in processed form,” Dubock tells
Simeon. Scientific consensus has long held that golden rice—as well as other
GMOs on the market—are safe to plant, process and eat. The crop’s successful
safety clearance, officials hope, will help quell the controversy. “We are
trying to dispel the notion that commercially-produced biofortified goods are
potentially dangerous,” Garin said in the statement. While useful, golden
rice shouldn’t be considered a panacea, Bill Freese, science policy analyst at
the Center for Food Safety, tells Baragona. Another priority involves
diversifying the diets of people in countries suffering from these deficiencies
with more fruits and vegetables, he says. Such a shift, however, would take
more time and effort, and perhaps a larger cultural change. As a possible
substitute for white rice, golden rice might more seamlessly integrate into the
diet, explains Dubock in an interview with Baragona. But the golden grain won’t
be served to the Filipino public just yet. The crop has yet to get the green
light for commercial propagation—a necessary step for farmers to plant it in
their fields. The International Rice Research Institute, the Philippine-based
organization developing the country’s golden rice, plans to submit its application
for approval early this year.
Cheap Rice
Imports Choke Sh.13 Billion Economy In Mwea
Rice traders idling on Tuesday January 7, 2020
at Ngurubani town in Mwea as they wait for prospective buyers of
pishori rice at the Nice Rice Millers. Photo by Irungu Mwangi/KNA.
Massive rice imports
from the Far East have choked the economy of Ngurubani town in Mwea, Kirinyaga
County that is the biggest grower and supplier of rice in Kenya.
Data from the Kenya Economic
Survey 2019 shows Mwea region produces about 90,000 tonnes of rice, which
translates to 80% of what Kenya produces.
Kenya requires about 400,000
tonnes of rice every year meaning that it has to import about 300,000 tonnes,
or three times what is produced locally.
A Senior Agricultural
Officer at the ministry of Agriculture headquarters in charge of the Rice Crop,
Jane Ndung’u recently said the reality of importation of rice has existed for
many years and the traders in the town in the past adjusted to the same.
“What has changed is that the
importers are increasingly bringing in very low quality rice, blamed on
smuggling through the Kenya Somali border,” she said.
The cheaper rice, Ndung’u said,
is then sold at low prices and then blended with Mwea aromatic pishori rice to
be sold as pishori variety, at a cheaper price, knocking off demand for the
original variety that Mwea is known for.
The Agriculture ministry Rice
Promotion Programme Unit says the practice is illegal and should be stopped; while
those found engaging in the illicit business should be arrested and prosecuted.
The growth and development of
Ngurubani town and allied activities in Kirinyaga County are associated with
rice production and marketing.
The Management of Rice
Promotion programme says five million tonnes of pure Pishori is lying in Mwea
rice stores because the market is flooded with cheap poor quality rice.
Ndung’u said the Rice Promotion
programme unit will be visiting the area with the Kenya Bureau of Standards
officials to assess the situation and those carrying out the illegal business
have been warned to prepare for the worst.
Traders at Wang’uru town say the
imported rice varieties sell for as low as Sh80 per kilogram whereas pure
pishori Mwea rice which has a distinctive aroma retails at Sh.130 a kilo.
A visit to the busy town
reveals that milling factories are operating at half capacity because of the
diminishing demand, slowing down the rice value chain that has starved the town
of the much needed cash flow.
“The cheap imported rice poses
stiff competition and for customers seeking to save a shilling in these hard
economic times, many opt for the cheaper rice,” says Lisa Gitonga a rice trader
in Mwea.
“Our biggest challenges are the
unscrupulous traders who use devious means to pass off the imported rice as
pure pishori,” adds Gitonga.
She said many customers are not
wise enough and cannot differentiate between the pure pishori and a blend of
cheap rice.
Strangely, traders raise concerns
that pishori sells at about Sh.120 in some dealers outlets in Nairobi and
Mombasa where ordinarily it would be higher than Mwea due to transport costs.
Traders and millers said they are
disturbed by reports that some dishonest merchants had gone to the extent of
spraying the cheaper imports with perfumes to cheat buyers that the product is
pure pishori.
At many of the rice shops in
Mwea, business is not brisk like before, a situation the traders link to market
disruption by the cheap imports.
Jennifer Wanja said their
sales have been on the decline as compared to previous years.
“When I started trading in rice
here five years ago, business was booming, but nowadays the trade has slumped
as customers opt for cheaper varieties sold elsewhere,” she said.
A visit to some of the
major rice mills, including Nice Rice millers reveals that traders mostly women
sit idle looking forward to the tiny trickle of customers coming in.
As a customer walks in, the
traders scramble for his attention promising that their rice is pure and grade
one.
“All we ask is why would the
imported rice, sourced all the way from Pakistan sell cheaper than the locally
produced one?” wondered Wawira Karimi who is also a rice trader at Mwea.
“That tells you the farm inputs,
that includes fertilizer, chemicals for sprays and labour here is high and adds
up to the cost of production. This makes our produce more expensive and unable
to compete with the imported variety,” Karimi said.
She said rice farmers and traders
were hopeful when the county government said they were to introduce an Italian
technology of rice farming aimed at boosting production and earning more for
farmers.
Governor Anne Waiguru had
said the new farming technology was set to be introduced in selected areas of
the vast Mwea irrigation scheme
The technology according to
Waiguru is more efficient in water utilization as compared to canal-irrigated
agriculture.
The governor after a tour
of Italy came back and said some investors from Italy were much interested with
the potential of rice farming in Mwea in that the area produces the largest
amount of rice in the country.
Waiguru had noted that the cost
of production was a big challenge to farmers and hence the great need to
address the matter.
She said the new Italian
technology, which is also highly mechanized when fully operationalized, would
equip farmers with cost effective farming methods, lower the cost of production
from the current Sh.50 per kilogram to about Sh.20.
“We may not be able to determine
the price of our produce, but we can definitely reduce the cost of production,
and thus up scaling the farmer’s total earnings,” she said.
The governor said some Italian
investors, Pierluigi Bartoloni, Ventura De Lauretis and Prof. Giuseppe Lepore
have shown interest in supporting rice farming and vegetable farming in the
county.
“The county government in
collaboration with the national government has taken to the control of the
destructive Quelea birds which previously forced farmers to hire labour to
fight them thus reducing the cost of production,” Waiguru said.
Established in 1954, the Mwea
Irrigation Scheme has a gazetted area of 30, 350 acres with the area under
irrigation being 26,000 acres in the main scheme and 4,000 acres in the out
growers.
By Irungu Mwangi
Liberia: Govt Urged to Pay More
Attention to Rice Production
8 JANUARY 2020
By Dennis Lake
Monrovia — The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agriculture and
Infrastructure Investment Company (AIIC) is calling on the Liberian Government
to pay more attention to the production of the country's staple food -- rice.
CEO Mohammed V. Kamara made the call over the week after
returning from Cotonou, Benin, where he represented Liberia at the General
Convention of West African Rice Production.
Kamara narrated that he gave a detail insight of Liberia's rice
sector, including production and land acquisition. He also told the conferees
about the ecology. According to him, he included in his lecture the associated
challenges, too, and they were similar to other countries', not excluding
farm-to-market road connectivity and acquiring land.
"Representing our respective countries, we came up with
some resolutions relating to development and reduction of importation of rice
in West Africa. We also came up some rice planting methodologies, including the
SRI method, which reduces the quantity of rice needed to be planted," he
said.
Kamara stated that the convention came up with a five-year
action plan to aid the region's rice planters as majority don't know much about
planting "less rice."
"We all agreed that we should urge our governments and
their partners to invest in rice production. We realized that if we produce our
own rice, most of the moneys we spend outside of our countries, especially in
Liberia, approximately US$280,000,000 would be circulated in our own countries
base on the kind of rice we export," he stated.
Kamara disclosed that one that they are focusing on homegrown
rice production is because the ones produced at home are more nutritional than
those that are imported into the sub-region because of organic matters.
Close
He used the occasion to urge Liberians to be mindful with eating
imported foods especially rice; adding: "Most of the imported rice do not
go through laboratory processes showing the understanding of production and
expiry dates. Most of the rice coming to African countries are re-bagged."
"Most of our people, who are now suffering from Diabetes
got the sickness from what they had eaten especially imported rice. Here in
Liberia, we want to bring back school feeling program which of course the
government of Liberia is also involved in that direction. Before we do that, we
need to firstly focus on the type of food, especially rice our future leaders
are going to be eating," he added.
Kamara disclosed that he is expected to shortly make an official
presentation to the Ministry of Agriculture on what was agreed in Benin.
"We are hoping to follow the footsteps of Nigeria that have
closed her borders with other neighboring countries that are helping to import
rice into Nigeria market. That country is helping farmers in that country to
produce more rice for local consumption. The steps taken by that government is
really moving the country forward in area of local rice consumption and we hope
to do the same here in Liberia," he cautioned.
He opined that if the Liberia government agrees with their
plans, the country would be divided into four zones of rice producing counties.
He also stated that in their plan, they will also give attention to counties
that are producing less rice so that they will be able to produce more rice in
the future
How the rice
blast fungus “eats” its own cell wall to launch an attack
January 9, 2020
Cells of rice blast fungus
undergo major changes when it infects its host plant, which includes using the
components of its own cell wall
In response to environmental
changes and nutrient starvation, cells are known to undergo extreme
alterations. This includes switching from one type to another
(“differentiation”) and changes in metabolic pathways (“metabolic switching”).
In a new study, a research team from Tokyo University of Science showed for the
first time how rice blast fungus uses its own cell wall to survive in response
to certain stimuli.
All living organisms respond and
adapt to changes in their environment. These responses are sometimes so
significant that they cause alterations in the internal metabolic cycles of the
organism—a process called “metabolic switching.” For example, rice blast
fungus—a pathogenic fungal species that causes the “rice blast” infection in
rice crops—switches to the “glyoxylate cycle” when the nutrient source starts
to deplete. Another response to environmental change is called “cell
differentiation”, where cells switch to another type altogether. In rice blast
fungus, for example, the fungal cells differentiate and generate a large amount
of pressure on the cell wall, causing the fungus to develop a specialized
structure called “appressorium,” which ultimately facilitates the infection.
Such methods of adaptation have been seen across various organisms, but exactly
how they occur is not very clear yet.
In a recent study published
in iScience, a team
of researchers at Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Takashi Kamakura,
found for the first time that extremely low concentrations of acetic acid alter
cellular processes in rice blast fungus. Their research was based on the fact
that Cbp1—a protein that can remove acetyl groups from chitin (the main
component of the cell wall of fungi)—plays a huge role in appressorium
formation by converting chitin into chitosan and releasing acetic acid.
Explaining the objective of the study, Prof Kamakura says, “Metabolic switching
in nutrient-deficient environments depends on changes in the nutrient source,
but its mechanism has remained poorly understood until now. Since chitin was
known to induce a subsequent resistance response (immune response), we
speculated that Cbp1 functions to escape recognition from plants. Also, because
the enzymatic activity of Cbp1 affects cell differentiation, we hypothesized
that the reaction product of chitin deacetylation by Cbp1 may be a signal for
cell differentiation.”
For their study, the scientists
used a mutant form of the fungus that did not produce Cbp1 and thus could not
form appressorium as it was unable to produce acetic acid from chitin. The
scientists observed that when minuscule concentrations of acetic acid, even as
low as a hundred molecules per fungal spore, were added, appressorium formation
was restored in the mutants. This implied that acetic acid could act as a
chemical signal to trigger cell differentiation. Then, to better understand the
role of acetic acid in the glyoxylate cycle, the researchers focused on an
enzyme unique to this metabolic pathway: isocitrate lyase. They found that the
mutant forms of the fungus had much lower levels of this enzyme, meaning that
they could not switch to the glyoxylate cycle. But, as seen before, the
addition of acetic acid at an extremely low concentration was enough to restore
normal levels of the enzyme and thus induce appressorium formation. “Our study
is the first to reveal the novel role of acetic acid in metabolic switching and
cell differentiation in eukaryotic cells,” remarks Prof Kamakura.
Interestingly, these findings
indicate that using chitin molecules from their own cell wall could be a
survival strategy used by several types of bacteria and fungi. This would allow
them to thrive in environments deprived of nutrients—such as on the surface of
a host leaf—and avoid host defense/immune mechanisms. Acetic acid could then be
used both as a carbon source and as a signal to trigger metabolic switching and
cell differentiation. Prof Kamakura explains, “The use of acetic acid obtained
from a pathogen’s own cell wall for the activation of the glyoxylate cycle is perhaps
a general mechanism in various infection processes.”
The finding that extremely low
concentrations of a small, simple molecule like acetic acid could induce
significant changes in cellular processes is unprecedented and was only known
before for certain hormones in animals. Understanding this type of
inter-species chemical interactions could prove to be immensely valuable in
agriculture, bioengineering, and medicine, to name a few areas. Prof Kamakura
concludes, “It is yet to be found whether this phenomenon is common to other
organisms. But, since metabolites such as butyric acid derived from human
intestinal bacteria are involved in immune cell activation and cancer
progression, our findings have implications in a wide variety of fields,
including medicine and agriculture.”
###
Reference
|
Title of original paper:
|
Extremely low concentrations of
acetic acid stimulate cell differentiation in rice blast fungus
|
|
Journal:
|
iScience (Cell Press)
|
|
DOI:
|
Tokyo University of Science (TUS)
is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized
private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and
its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has
continually contributed to Japan’s development in science through inculcating
the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators.
With a mission of “Creating
science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings,
and society”, TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied
science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and
undertaken intensive study in some of today’s most vital fields. TUS is a
meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the
only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the
only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the
natural sciences field.
Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/
Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/
About Professor Takashi Kamakura
from Tokyo University of Science
Prof Kamakura graduated from the
University of Tokyo, where he obtained a PhD in Agriculture. He worked for
RIKEN institute from 1985 to 2003, mainly studying microbial toxicology. Since
1993, his main research involves studying the infection mechanisms of
pathogenic fungi. He joined the Department of Applied Biological science at
Tokyo University of Science as an Associate Professor in 2003 and became a
Professor there in 2009. The corresponding author of this paper, his main
research interest is applied microbiology, more specifically, the molecular
biology of fungi and bacteria.
Funding information
This study was supported by the
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-aid for Scientific
Research (B) (grant number 19H02958).
|
Media
contact
|
Tsutomu Shimizu
Email: mediaoffice@admin.tus.ac.jp
|
Farm
mechanisation gets a shot in the arm
12:00
AM, January 09, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:18 AM, January 09, 2020
Cabinet approves National Farm Mechanisation Policy
Paddy
being harvested by a machine in a farmland of Dinajpur Sadar upazila. Photo:
Banglar Chokh/file
Farmers may get 50 to 70 percent
incentive while buying agricultural machinery and also avail low-cost loans, as
the government looks to pivot to farm mechanisation amid rising costs and
growing labour shortage.
The cabinet yesterday approved the
draft National Farm Mechanisation Policy 2019 to this effect at a meeting held
at the Prime Minister’s Office, which was presided over by the premier.
“Under the policy, farmers would be
able to buy farm machinery at lower prices and will get low cost or
interest-free loans in easy conditions,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul
Islam told reporters during a briefing at the secretariat.
Initially, the incentive would be
given for a fixed period at the farmers’ level in order to get them accustomed
to farm machinery. The support would be applied to quality equipment that are
essential but used for a limited period, according to the draft policy.
Farmers in haor and coastal regions
may get 70 percent subsidy to buy agriculture machinery, while those in other
parts of the country would be entitled to 50 percent, said an official of the
agriculture ministry.
As per the policy, importers would
have to bring in machinery that suits the country’s environment and soil.
The prime minister also told the
meeting to incorporate a provision that allows farmers to form a cooperative
for buying expensive tools since the equipment are used a few times round the
year, the cabinet secretary said.
The policy is expected to
accelerate farm mechanisation in the country.
The use of farm machinery would cut
the necessity of labourers needed to plant and harvest crops, allowing farmers
to: deal with the unavailability of manpower, boost agriculture development and
prevent wastes, according to a media brief of the cabinet division.
This will also drive the
commercialisation of the farming system, it said, adding that the agriculture
ministry would soon publish a notice. Givem the soaring cost of
agricultural labour, the agriculture ministry has already sent a proposal to
the finance ministry under the policy, seeking Tk 415 crore for this fiscal
year in order to give subsidy to farmers for buying agricultural machinery.
Another proposal involving Tk 4,000
crore would be added to the initiative from the next fiscal year.
Under the Tk 415 crore scheme, the
government will offer 3,000 combine harvesters, 2,000 reapers and 300
transplanters to farmers and farm equipment renters at a subsidised rate during
the upcoming Boro season, according to a recent letter sent by the agriculture
ministry to the finance ministry.
The latest move comes in the face
of soaring wages due to a shortage of farm labourers during the peak season of
harvesting and transplanting rice, causing a loss in the yield of rice that is
cultivated on 71 percent of the total 1.54 crore hectares of cropland,
according to official data.
Despite advancement in agriculture
production, costs of farmers are rising owing to high labour wages and
inefficiency at various stages of cultivation.
As a result, farmers fail to make a
profit, the agriculture ministry said in the letter.
Due to high demand and reduced
supply, daily farm wages go as high as Tk 600 during peak harvesting seasons,
up from nearly Tk 300 in slack seasons.
In its letter, the agriculture
ministry said the surging cost of labour has been making farmers helpless
during the harvesting period for the last several years. This has made farmers
reluctant about growing paddy.
According to agriculturalists and
industry operators, currently farmers prepare more than 90 percent of the total
croplands by using power tillers and tractors.
A majority of the grains, mainly
rice, are threshed by threshing machines and the rate of mechanisation is
growing as farmers find the use of agricultural machinery beneficial in terms
of cost-saving and timely cultivation.
Yet, the progress in the
transplanting of paddy and harvesting of the staple crop has been sluggish over
the years owing to the high cost of machines, lack of the machinery suitable
for harvesting all types of soils and the dearth of operators and mechanics,
agriculturalists say.
Nearly one percent of paddy are
transplanted and harvested using machines, said Md Monjurul Alam of the
Department of Farm Power and Machinery of the Bangladesh Agricultural
University, in November.
There is only 1 percent duty on the
import of parts and raw materials needed to produce power tillers, power
thresher, power reaper and power seeder and they are exempted from regulatory
duty, supplementary duty and value-added tax.
But transplanters and combined
harvesters are not included.
The duties would be cut further or
made logical in future, the policy said.
The cabinet also approved the draft
of the Voter Roll Law (Amendment) 2019.
At present, an individual can add
their names to the voter list from January 2 to January 31; but under the
proposed amendment the period has been extended to March 1.
It approved a proposal to observe
March 1 as the National Insurance Day.
Rice Prices
as on :
09-01-2020 03:10:41 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Bangalore(Kar)
|
1391.00
|
-15.08
|
64059.00
|
4350
|
4350
|
1.16
|
|
Siliguri(WB)
|
265.00
|
-90.06
|
2932.00
|
3800
|
3800
|
-
|
|
Gondal(UP)
|
150.00
|
-1.64
|
2679.00
|
2440
|
2440
|
-3.17
|
|
Mainpuri(UP)
|
140.00
|
7.69
|
2364.50
|
2480
|
2500
|
-8.82
|
|
Bindki(UP)
|
140.00
|
-6.67
|
3459.00
|
2370
|
2390
|
-
|
|
Lucknow(UP)
|
108.00
|
9.09
|
2054.00
|
2480
|
2500
|
6.44
|
|
Pilibhit(UP)
|
105.00
|
5
|
45908.00
|
2575
|
2560
|
10.75
|
|
Agra(UP)
|
95.00
|
3.26
|
1889.00
|
2540
|
2545
|
1.20
|
|
Kolar(Kar)
|
89.00
|
-
|
89.00
|
1827
|
-
|
-
|
|
Choubepur(UP)
|
88.00
|
0.57
|
682.15
|
2440
|
2460
|
-5.24
|
|
Aligarh(UP)
|
80.00
|
6.67
|
1770.00
|
2550
|
2550
|
2.00
|
|
Muzzafarnagar(UP)
|
80.00
|
100
|
2851.00
|
2720
|
2700
|
-1.27
|
|
Mathura(UP)
|
72.00
|
2.86
|
1346.00
|
2550
|
2560
|
-10.84
|
|
Thodupuzha(Ker)
|
70.00
|
NC
|
1260.00
|
2900
|
2900
|
-3.33
|
|
Sahiyapur(UP)
|
70.00
|
16.67
|
1272.00
|
2520
|
2520
|
12.75
|
|
Allahabad(UP)
|
65.50
|
9.17
|
966.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
13.04
|
|
Gazipur(UP)
|
61.00
|
10.91
|
1311.00
|
3130
|
3130
|
6.10
|
|
Kalna(WB)
|
59.50
|
17.82
|
793.50
|
2980
|
2980
|
-0.67
|
|
Bahraich(UP)
|
54.00
|
2.27
|
451.60
|
2450
|
2450
|
3.81
|
|
Kayamganj(UP)
|
50.00
|
25
|
1002.00
|
2750
|
2760
|
10.44
|
|
Saharanpur(UP)
|
49.00
|
-7.55
|
1166.00
|
2715
|
2700
|
-1.81
|
|
Jayas(UP)
|
46.50
|
-1.06
|
494.50
|
1950
|
1950
|
-2.50
|
|
Karimpur(WB)
|
45.00
|
-
|
585.00
|
3680
|
-
|
16.83
|
|
Vasai(Mah)
|
44.00
|
22.22
|
782.00
|
3580
|
3460
|
6.55
|
|
Beldanga(WB)
|
40.00
|
-11.11
|
615.00
|
2650
|
2650
|
NC
|
|
Bankura Sadar(WB)
|
38.00
|
8.57
|
1027.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
-
|
|
Kandi(WB)
|
37.50
|
-6.25
|
527.50
|
2610
|
2600
|
6.53
|
|
Lalitpur(UP)
|
36.50
|
4.29
|
793.00
|
2445
|
2450
|
-7.39
|
|
Badayoun(UP)
|
36.00
|
20
|
554.50
|
2610
|
2610
|
9.66
|
|
Jhargram(WB)
|
36.00
|
-
|
489.00
|
2900
|
-
|
7.41
|
|
Bareilly(UP)
|
35.00
|
-10.26
|
915.00
|
2625
|
2600
|
12.18
|
|
Etawah(UP)
|
35.00
|
-12.5
|
1802.50
|
2600
|
2575
|
11.35
|
|
Khalilabad(UP)
|
35.00
|
-12.5
|
545.00
|
2550
|
2525
|
-
|
|
Atarra(UP)
|
32.50
|
30
|
404.00
|
2225
|
2200
|
-
|
|
Mohamadabad(UP)
|
31.50
|
65.79
|
318.00
|
2710
|
2700
|
-
|
|
Kicchha(Utr)
|
30.60
|
-39.64
|
400.50
|
2100
|
2200
|
-
|
|
Muradabad(UP)
|
30.00
|
NC
|
527.00
|
2570
|
2580
|
9.36
|
|
Jangipura(UP)
|
30.00
|
7.14
|
307.00
|
2330
|
2330
|
4.02
|
|
Firozabad(UP)
|
28.00
|
7.69
|
257.10
|
2740
|
2750
|
-
|
|
Rampur(UP)
|
28.00
|
-
|
181.00
|
2570
|
-
|
9.36
|
|
Lakhimpur(UP)
|
28.00
|
12
|
861.00
|
2430
|
2420
|
5.65
|
|
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB)
|
26.80
|
NC
|
312.20
|
4000
|
4000
|
33.33
|
|
Dadri(UP)
|
25.00
|
NC
|
725.00
|
2800
|
2850
|
0.72
|
|
Bazpur(Utr)
|
25.00
|
-72.25
|
1713.00
|
2350
|
2450
|
-2.08
|
|
Ghaziabad(UP)
|
22.00
|
-12
|
452.00
|
2800
|
2825
|
2.75
|
|
Nawabganj(UP)
|
22.00
|
-4.35
|
219.00
|
2430
|
2425
|
-
|
|
Chintamani(Kar)
|
21.00
|
-
|
767.00
|
2200
|
-
|
-
|
|
Falakata(WB)
|
20.00
|
NC
|
360.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
-1.89
|
|
Alipurduar(WB)
|
20.00
|
NC
|
300.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
NC
|
|
Asansol(WB)
|
20.00
|
308.16
|
418.59
|
2820
|
2820
|
-6.00
|
|
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)
|
20.00
|
11.11
|
660.00
|
2800
|
2800
|
1.82
|
|
Naanpara(UP)
|
19.80
|
7.61
|
381.10
|
2210
|
2215
|
-3.91
|
|
Basti(UP)
|
19.00
|
-29.63
|
567.50
|
2520
|
2520
|
13.77
|
|
Soharatgarh(UP)
|
19.00
|
11.76
|
1056.00
|
2500
|
2520
|
10.62
|
|
Shamli(UP)
|
19.00
|
72.73
|
269.50
|
2715
|
2710
|
-
|
|
Durgapur(WB)
|
19.00
|
322.22
|
377.75
|
2720
|
2720
|
-
|
|
Sirsaganj(UP)
|
15.00
|
-6.25
|
317.50
|
2650
|
2640
|
-3.99
|
|
Akbarpur(UP)
|
14.00
|
-
|
273.30
|
2360
|
-
|
7.03
|
|
Paliakala(UP)
|
13.50
|
22.73
|
161.00
|
2340
|
2310
|
4.00
|
|
Farukhabad(UP)
|
13.00
|
8.33
|
480.00
|
2750
|
2780
|
3.77
|
|
Fatehabad(UP)
|
12.70
|
5.83
|
129.00
|
2150
|
2320
|
-3.15
|
|
Jhansi(UP)
|
12.50
|
-
|
49.00
|
2335
|
-
|
-0.64
|
|
Kannauj(UP)
|
12.00
|
9.09
|
255.70
|
2750
|
2720
|
7.84
|
|
Panchpedwa(UP)
|
11.00
|
18.28
|
174.00
|
1925
|
2000
|
-11.49
|
|
Mahoba(UP)
|
9.80
|
-10.91
|
187.00
|
2335
|
2325
|
6.86
|
|
Kasganj(UP)
|
9.00
|
28.57
|
292.50
|
2560
|
2580
|
4.92
|
|
Puwaha(UP)
|
9.00
|
12.5
|
125.70
|
2650
|
2650
|
12.53
|
|
Raibareilly(UP)
|
9.00
|
-65.38
|
766.00
|
2400
|
2400
|
11.11
|
|
Tamkuhi Road(UP)
|
7.50
|
-31.82
|
254.80
|
2150
|
2150
|
NC
|
|
Etah(UP)
|
7.00
|
7.69
|
148.00
|
2560
|
2570
|
1.99
|
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
7.00
|
-
|
110.00
|
2460
|
-
|
7.66
|
|
Ajuha(UP)
|
7.00
|
-12.5
|
76.00
|
2550
|
2550
|
-
|
|
Bharwari(UP)
|
6.50
|
-1.52
|
13.10
|
2530
|
2520
|
-
|
|
Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB)
|
6.00
|
-7.69
|
130.80
|
2600
|
2600
|
-1.89
|
|
Tundla(UP)
|
5.50
|
-8.33
|
92.00
|
2545
|
2540
|
0.59
|
|
Badda(UP)
|
5.50
|
NC
|
25.70
|
2650
|
2650
|
-
|
|
Lalganj(UP)
|
5.00
|
-23.08
|
143.60
|
2010
|
2000
|
-
|
|
Ruperdeeha(UP)
|
5.00
|
-
|
109.00
|
2250
|
-
|
32.35
|
|
Risia(UP)
|
4.70
|
NC
|
30.40
|
2450
|
2450
|
-
|
|
Khurja(UP)
|
4.50
|
-10
|
164.20
|
2645
|
2650
|
1.15
|
|
Baberu(UP)
|
4.20
|
5
|
40.70
|
2300
|
2280
|
6.98
|
|
Jahangirabad(UP)
|
4.00
|
33.33
|
89.50
|
2500
|
2500
|
-4.76
|
|
Achalda(UP)
|
4.00
|
NC
|
79.10
|
2560
|
2550
|
15.84
|
|
Boxonagar(Tri)
|
3.60
|
-
|
3.60
|
2600
|
-
|
-
|
|
Kosikalan(UP)
|
3.40
|
-2.86
|
101.60
|
2595
|
2500
|
-1.70
|
|
Fatehpur Sikri(UP)
|
2.80
|
7.69
|
24.70
|
2500
|
2510
|
-1.57
|
|
Khatra(WB)
|
2.80
|
12
|
63.30
|
2650
|
2650
|
NC
|
|
Anandnagar(UP)
|
2.50
|
-28.57
|
90.40
|
2550
|
2545
|
10.87
|
|
Buland Shahr(UP)
|
2.50
|
NC
|
87.50
|
2650
|
2660
|
1.92
|
|
Tulsipur(UP)
|
2.50
|
-16.67
|
39.20
|
2430
|
2425
|
-
|
|
Sonamura(Tri)
|
1.90
|
-
|
18.80
|
2800
|
-
|
-
|
|
Balarampur(WB)
|
1.83
|
-
|
9.09
|
2580
|
-
|
-3.01
|
|
Khair(UP)
|
1.80
|
-40
|
25.90
|
2560
|
2550
|
1.59
|
|
Gadaura(UP)
|
1.50
|
7.14
|
153.60
|
2300
|
2300
|
9.52
|
|
Muskara(UP)
|
1.40
|
-6.67
|
28.40
|
2400
|
2350
|
6.19
|
|
Alibagh(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
42.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
-41.67
|
|
Murud(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
42.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
-41.67
|
|
Mohanpur(Tri)
|
1.00
|
-
|
3.00
|
3300
|
-
|
-
|
|
Mugrabaadshahpur(UP)
|
1.00
|
-68.75
|
29.70
|
2330
|
2330
|
-
|
|
Wazirganj(UP)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
17.30
|
2590
|
2550
|
-
|
|
Ujhani(UP)
|
0.80
|
-20
|
19.60
|
2600
|
2600
|
15.56
|
Published on January 09, 2020
TOPICS
Flawed Anchor Borrowers’ scheme, RUGA, others marred agric
sector
By Femi
Ibirogba, Head, Agro-Economy
08 January 2020
| 3:32 am
Indications have emerged that lopsided implementation of the Anchor Borrowers’ scheme, the proposed RUGA settlement debacle, very epileptic power supply and appointment of the current minister of agriculture were some of the policies and actions that marred food production and agro-economic development of the country in 2019.
Head,
Commercial Agriculture and Training, Lower Niger River Basin Authority, Ilorin,
Kwara State, Dr Olabisis Awoniyi, while recalling happenings in 2019, said,
“One of the flaws in agricultural policies last year was in the area of Anchor
Borrowers’ programme of the Federal Government. Farmers did not have access to
the funds as of when due. Farmlands were not prepared on time; maize and other
grain farms were affected by Fall Armyworms before funds were available, among
other difficulties.” He explained that farmers were asked to look for resources
to prepare land, buy farm inputs and be reimbursed later, saying, “As good as
the programme may be, agriculture is time-bound, and this failure could reduce
yield.”
The
anchor borrowers’ programme, some other critics said, revolved around only rice
and a few other grains, leaving other farmers out of the scheme.A Lagos-based
consultant and agro-product exporter, Mr John-Bede Antonio, said emphasis
placed on rice production and its value chain prevented development of other sub-sectors
of agriculture in Nigeria, saying total value chain development across various
crops and regions is desirable for food security.
Mr
Antonio said, “I have stopped eating rice. The emphasis on rice is overblown,
irrelevant, irresponsible of the government, impractical and absolutely of no
value.“The moment this government leaves in 2023, the furor will die down
because it is unsustainable.”He argued that other cash crops which were
mainstays of the country’s economy in the past have been neglected despite a
promise of a robust agro-economic policy tagged The Green Alternative. He
called on the government to extend input and financial support to cocoa, palm
oil, coconuts and cashew production because they are real industrial produce
that could revolutionise the economy if industrialised, processed and consumed
in the country and exported to other African countries the continental free
trade agreement.
Other
critics of the policy said resources for the scheme have been concentrated in
the north, with a very few farmers benefitting in the scheme in the south-east,
south-south and the south-west.A commercial rice farmer and processor in Iwo,
Osun State, Mr Ayoade Popoola, said despite several efforts to secure loans and
inputs through the borrowers’ scheme, he and many other farmers could not get
any support in 2019.
From the
angle of agro-chemical and agro-machinery, Dr Akin Oloniruha, a former provost
of the Ahmadu Bello University College of Agriculture, Kabba, Kogi State, said
importation of agro-machinery and chemicals is on the rise, making the country
to lose what it gains through the closure of borders.
He
emphasised that “We are still importing all our machinery and equipment, thus
while import of rice has dropped, that of machinery, equipment and agrochemicals
has correspondingly gone up.”He suggested that the “Government will do well to
create incentives for local assembly plants for machinery and production plants
for agrochemicals to reduce their prices and create more jobs.”
RUGA
settlement initiative as divisive policy, farm invasion
The Federal Government hinged its argument for the RUGA settlement policy on the point that over 95 per cent of the 20 million cattle population in Nigeria is managed under the traditional pastoral system which relies predominantly on mobility in search of pasture and water from natural range resources and crop residues, saying full potential of cattle raised under this system of production are limited in both production and per animal productivity due to poor feeding and watering occasioned by long dry season.
The Federal Government hinged its argument for the RUGA settlement policy on the point that over 95 per cent of the 20 million cattle population in Nigeria is managed under the traditional pastoral system which relies predominantly on mobility in search of pasture and water from natural range resources and crop residues, saying full potential of cattle raised under this system of production are limited in both production and per animal productivity due to poor feeding and watering occasioned by long dry season.
So, the
policy stipulated that fatal clashes arising between farmers and herders were
results of open grazing, therefore, “the need to come up with innovative and
integrated approach that would provide housing infrastructure and security
incentives to enhance settlement of pastoralists and increase productivity of
livestock.”
“One of
such innovations,” the government policy explains, “is the ‘Ruga’ settlement
model comprising 40 units of huts for 10 pastoral families on a minimum 20ha
land with the following facilities: solar powered borehole, water harvesting
infrastructure, sanitary facility, mini ruminant feed mills, dispensary, watch
tower security posts and access road.”The government claimed that the Ruga settlement
model would be spread across 12 states, most of which had persistently
experienced farmer-herder clashes. The states were Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna,
Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara
states.
The
public criticisms that trailed the announcement of the policy nearly burst the
country, and since the suspension, the government policy in the sector has had
no clear direction. Similar to the above were the proposed Radio Fulani and
alleged N100 billion grant to cattle breeders, which Nigerians rejected and
described as sectionalist, ethnic-centric and divisive in a multi-ethnic
country.Appointment of Muhammed Nanono as minister of agriculture climaxed the
directionless agricultural policies. Many Nigerians have described the minister
as too old, and having no adequate knowledge of what to do in the sector.
Rural
underdevelopment
A former minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, once told The Guardian that he was only saddled with the affairs relating to agriculture, not rural development because he was not equipped for such.Rural and food-producing communities have suffered massive infrastructural shortages and dilapidation since the return of democratically elected government in 1999. Audu Ogbeh said this was unconnected with crippling of the local government administration by state governments with the appointment of care taker committees and operation of joint accounts that kept the local government councils stranded financially.
A former minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, once told The Guardian that he was only saddled with the affairs relating to agriculture, not rural development because he was not equipped for such.Rural and food-producing communities have suffered massive infrastructural shortages and dilapidation since the return of democratically elected government in 1999. Audu Ogbeh said this was unconnected with crippling of the local government administration by state governments with the appointment of care taker committees and operation of joint accounts that kept the local government councils stranded financially.
Grading,
reconstruction and construction of farm roads and other infrastructure within
the jurisdiction of the local authorities have been hampered, and President
Muhammadu Buhari-led administration could not effect an immediate shift in
2019.Storage facilities of the Federal Government were also leased out to
private investors, making such unavailable for grain farmers’ use.
Poor
road networks, according to Dr John Okechukwu, a cassava value chain specialist
at IITA and Dr Francis Nwilene, Regional Coordinator of Africa Rice Centre,
escalated post-harvest losses in 2019, and marginally increased the cost of
food items on getting to the final consumer on accounts of higher cost of
transportation.
Moving
crops, either processed or raw, from where they were produced in rural areas
was costly, difficult and time-consuming, they said, and this affected
wholesomeness of foods, profitability to farmers, prices and availability in
2019.Oloniruha, on his part, said “the rural feeder roads to farms remain
deplorable as ever,” suggesting that “states and local government councils
should begin to live up to their responsibilities so that farm produce can be
evacuated to marketplaces with little stress.”
He also
said “the menace of herdsmen on arable farms has remained intractable so much
so that some farmers had to abandon their farmlands. But with some creativity
and innovation, the government can solve this problem. Several farmlands were
flooded last year with farmers incurring huge losses and the government is
under intense pressure to come to farmers’ assistance.”
Oloniruha
said on the loss of crops to flooding and herdsmen, the Nigerian Agricultural
Insurance Corporation (NAIC) should step up its presence, activities,
advocacy and enlightenment to farmers so that they would imbibe the culture of
insuring their farms.
“In the
livestock section, due to increased demand for day-old-chicks by farmers, the
few hatcheries cannot cope. Farmers have to make booking for six months in some
cases before they can procure day-old-chicks.“Setting up hatcheries is
expensive. Some state governments can take this up as it is also lucrative. “By
and by, I think the borders should remain closed until we can devise an
ingenious way to effectively and efficiently policing our borders.”
The
flipside of the flaws
However, policies adjudged to be good by many Nigerians are closure of some land borders, the Anchor Borrowers’ scheme in various crops and emphasis on local production of rice and poultry products. Dr Awoniyi said, “Border closure is a step in the right direction, and farmers should be encouraged more to produce. Inputs such as seeds should be distributed to farmers to prevent mixture of varieties as many of the locally processed brands of rice in the country were mixture of different varieties, which affects processing and cooking time.”
However, policies adjudged to be good by many Nigerians are closure of some land borders, the Anchor Borrowers’ scheme in various crops and emphasis on local production of rice and poultry products. Dr Awoniyi said, “Border closure is a step in the right direction, and farmers should be encouraged more to produce. Inputs such as seeds should be distributed to farmers to prevent mixture of varieties as many of the locally processed brands of rice in the country were mixture of different varieties, which affects processing and cooking time.”
The
government should consider input subsidy that would make inputs get directly to
farmers, he suggested, as was done during the administration of a former
minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adeshina. He also suggested more of
public-private-partnership in all areas of agriculture.
“Farm
produce should be bought off the local farmers to prevent glut and youths
should be involved in farming through the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
farms in all local government areas,” he added.Despite kicks from certain
critics on the scheme, Dr Oloniruha commented that “The Anchor Borrowers’
programme for farmers recorded great success last year,” adding that “Farmers
were also able to obtain fertiliser in good time.”Oloniruha argued that closure
of the borders encouraged more production of rice and poultry production,
saying, “But processing facilities (for rice) are still limited and expensive.
One will like to see more processing facilities installed this year.”
