Government urged to set up Rice Development Company
June 01, 2016
President Pakistan Businessmen and
Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), Mian Zahid Hussain has suggested that the
government immediately establish Rice Development Company to cater for the
basmati and non-basmati sectors, give rice mills status of industry with zero
rating, reduce loadshedding and announce tax relaxations in the upcoming
budget. Expressing concern over falling rice exports, he said that if the
government paid attention, the exports could boost from the current level of
over two billion dollars to four billion dollars within three years.
He said that the repayment of export refinance
should be increased from 180 days to 360 days and fine on late repayment should
be waived off. Withholdings tax on rice exports should be reduced from one
percent to 0.25 percent while 3.5 percent tax on local purchase be abolished,
he said.
He
further said that duty should be waived on import of dryers and other equipment
while import should be allowed through Wagah border so that local exporters
should re-export the commodity. Hussain called upon the government to take
notice of falling exports to China, Iran and Kenya while Utility Stores
Corporation should be asked to buy rice for the holy month of Ramadan. He said
that a little attention can transform Pakistan into a regional hub for rice
trading catering for the needs of China, Afghanistan, Middle East and Central
Asian markets
Ancient rice seeds help explain settlement of Madagascar
"The origins of Southeast Asian settlers
in Africa has long puzzled historians and archaeologists," archaeologist
Mark Horton said.
By Brooks Hays
| June 1, 2016 at 10:25 AM
Archaeologists collected ancient seeds from
soil deposits on Madagascar. Photo by Mark Horton/University of Bristol
BRISTOL, England, June 1 (UPI) --
Researchers in England believe the remnants of ancient crops in East Africa and
on Madagascar hold clues to the settlement of the island by people of Southeast
Asian origins.How Southeast Asian peoples came to settle the remote island of
Madagascar is one of the enduring mysteries of Indo-Pacific prehistory.Analysis of ancient crops has offered archaeologists a better sense of when the ancient settlers first arrived. Scientists from the University of Bristol, Oxford University and the University of Queensland collected thousands of seed samples from 18 dig sites in Madagascar, Comoros and along the coast of East Africa.
In soil deposits dated to the 8th and 10th centuries, evidence of rice and mung bean cultivation was found exclusively on the distant islands of Madagascar and Comoros, while indigenous African crops were found only on the mainland coast and nearby islands.
Scientists were able to radiocarbon date individual seed samples, which confirmed the arrival of Asian crops several thousand years ago.
Previous genetic studies proved the people of Madagascar and Comoros share a unique heritage with Malaysians and Polynesians, but the latest analysis is the first archaeological evidence of Austronesian migration westward.
"The origins of Southeast Asian settlers in Africa has long puzzled historians and archaeologists," Mark Horton, an archaeologist at the University of Bristol, said in a news release. "This is the first really clear archaeological evidence that they did indeed make extraordinary journeys across 4,000 miles of the Indian Ocean during the first millennium A.D."
Horton and his colleagues published their latest findings in the journal PNAS.
"We've been able to not only to show for the first time an archaeological signature of Austronesians, we've also shown that it seems to extend beyond Madagascar," added project leader Nicole Boivin, an archaeologist at Oxford. "This is really exciting, and highlights how much we still have to learn about this fascinating migration.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2016/06/01/Ancient-rice-seeds-help-explain-settlement-of-Madagascar/7951464786265/
Updates to Nutrition Facts Panel
Could Spell Rice Rewrites
WASHINGTON, DC -- Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) unveiled updates to the iconic nutrition facts panel
that appears on the back of food packages. These changes are the first
in more than 20 years and aim to provide consumers with access to more recent
and accurate nutrition information about the foods and beverages they're
consuming.
At first glance, the most noticeable changes to the panel are the calorie count and serving size which appear in a bolder, larger font. Another significant change includes a newly introduced requirement for manufacturers to provide "Total Sugars" and "Added Sugars" in place of the current "Sugars."
Other key updates based on newer scientific evidence
include: the removal of "Calories from Fat;" a modified list
of required nutrients that must be declared on the label; and updated Daily
Values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D.
The new regulations will also require "dual-column"
labels to indicate both "per-serving" and "per-package"
calorie and nutrition information for certain food products that could be
reasonably consumed in their entirety or divided into smaller servings.
"This new requirement may have some implications for rice products that appear to be single-serve items but in fact are between one and two servings, such as quick heat rice packages," said Katie Maher, USA Rice director of domestic promotion. "It is likely that products fitting this description will need to display the 'dual-column' labels so consumers understand how many calories and nutrients they are getting if they eat the entire package instead of the defined serving size."
USA Rice Retail Subcommittee Chairman and Senior Vice President
of Marketing for Riviana Foods Paul Galvani says the FDA's nutrition facts
panel updates are very timely, stating that, "today's consumers are
hungry for information and looking for transparency when it comes to the
foods they eat and these new requirements will provide more clarity so people
can make informed choices for themselves and their families."
Manufacturers will have until July 26, 2018 to
comply with the final requirements, and those with less than $10 million in
annual food sales will have an additional year to make the changes.
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Eid: Where fasting ends, feasting begins
Fried chicken, stuffed grape leaves, spicy fruit salads, couscous studded with meat and vegetables, savory and sweet rice dishes, barbecue ribs, fried plantains, rotisserie chicken, steak off the grill with vegetables, potato or pasta salad, stews made with lamb or beef, puddings made from chickpea flour or vermicelli and cookies are all part of an Eid al-Fitr feast.Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, ends with Eid that begins with the sighting of the new moon, and is celebrated for three days. It's forbidden to fast on Eid, which is on July 7, and friends and families congregate and celebrate with food all through the day.
"After 30 days of fasting, it's eat, eat, eat on Eid," said Sadia Sabir, who was born in Pakistan and lives in Ross, Pa. "We celebrate the blessed month."
Alia Schindler, who is the program director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Pittsburgh chapter, has sampled the different accents of an Eid feast when she taught English in the Middle East and Malaysia. In Lebanon, maamoul is commonly served to the well-wishers along with thick, strong coffee. The round or oblong cookie has a semolina crust flavored with rose water or cardamom, and filled with mashed dates and dusted with confectioner's sugar.
"Everybody would be dressed so nicely and will be trying to eat this messy cookie neatly as the powdered sugar will be flying everywhere when they take a bite," she said.
Wara anib (grape leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice), mansef (rice with chunks of lamb meat) and tabbouleh salad are also Eid specialties in Lebanon.
In Malaysia, nasi lemak, which is a rice-and-chicken dish with dried anchovies and red pepper flakes, is a favorite Eid preparation. It tastes something between barbecue and a curry, Schindler said, and is served with thinly sliced cucumbers in vinegar.
Muslims in Ghana celebrate with fried chicken, beef and chicken stews and rice dishes made with chicken or vegetables while in Nigeria they feature fried plantains. During a Ramadan dinner at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh recently, the chicken dishes and stews were served, and were expected to be made on Eid, too.
For Mona Ramadan, who was raised in Libya, Eid is not so much about having a special meal, but it's more about desserts.
Nagrood, a rectangular dessert that looks like baklava, is Ramadan's favorite. "You make it only that one time of the year as it is difficult to make, and so I crave for it," she said. It is made with semolina flour, stuffed with ground dates and then soaked in sugar syrup. To pretty it up, it gets a little decoration on top.
Gourayba is more like a shortbread cookie that crumbles in your mouth, said Ramadan, who is getting a doctorate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. It is made with flour and clarified butter and is crowned with almonds.
"It's becoming trendy to bake 10 types of cookies these days," Ramadan said. So everything from sugar cookies to baklava makes an appearance. Much as she loves nagrood, Ramadan won't be making it because "the semolina flour in Pittsburgh is not like the one in Libya."
"Honestly, I will be baking chocolate-chip cookies," she said, with a laugh.
Nur Orak, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University, was looking forward to visit her family in Istanbul and her mother's home-cooked specialties this Eid. "My mom is a great chef and she cooks traditional recipes like sarma and dolma (stuffed eggplants and grape leaves), several meat dishes (it is an important part of the southeastern culture) and perde pilavi (chicken, rice and mixed nuts are covered with dough and baked)," Orak said.
"When I think of Eid, I think first of desserts," said Farah Khalifa, who is attending nursing school at Duquesne University.
Khalifa grew up in Pittsburgh but her parents are from Aleppo in northern Syria, which is known for its kibbeh. Made with cracked wheat and lean meat, it is served on Eid but it's the assortment of baklavas and cookies such as pistachio baklava, ghraybeh (a butter cookie that is similar to the Libyan gourayba) and maamoul that are the topic of conversations.
Families clean the house, and bake and stock up on the sweets the night before to be prepped for the unexpected guests they receive on Eid, Khalifa said. "It's a family bonding experience, and many times this is how recipes are passed on through generations," she added.
Every household makes at least one or two types of halwa for Eid, said Tabassum Baig, who was born and raised in Bangladesh and lives in Allison Park, Pa. The sticky, dense sweet can be made with yellow split peas (booster daal halwa), cream of wheat or vermicelli. "Growing up in Dhaka, I used to be tired of eating booster daal halwa, but now I crave for it as I don't get enough of it," Baig said. Haleem, a stew made with different types of lentils, whole wheat, a little rice and goat meat, is the most popular nonsweet dish, she added.
Tara Bailey of Sheraden, Pa., is known for throwing a serious barbecue for Eid. After the prayers in the morning, the kids get gifts and then there's a massive meal, she says. And she's not kidding. It usually entails two or three whole rotisserie chickens; a creamy baked mac and cheese made with white cheddar cheese and panko breadcrumbs; pasta or potato salad; grilled or fried salmon, cod or catfish; barbecue short beef ribs; grilled chicken wings; hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids; crab legs; and a sheet cake that says Eid Mubarak.
"It's nice to bring everyone together for a nice feast," Bailey said. "My parents are agnostic, and I have both Muslim and Christian friends, and we all come together and bond as one."
---
CHICKEN BIRYANI
(From Pakistan)
PG tested
3 cups basmati rice
6 cups water
Salt for seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon yellow food color
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup yogurt
1 small, whole chicken, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup canola oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 large tomatoes, sliced
1/2 box of Bombay Biryani Mix (found in Indian stores)
2/3 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped finely
2/3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped finely
Wash the rice and soak in water to cover by an inch for about 30 minutes.
Add water and salt to rice and cook it in a large pot or rice cooker. In a medium-size pan, place half the cooked rice and add yellow food color. Gently mix.
Combine ginger and garlic pastes, salt, lemon juice and yogurt. Marinate chicken in yogurt mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight.
In a large pot, add oil and saute onions until slightly golden brown. Add tomatoes and saute for 5 more minutes. Add biryani mix and marinated chicken and saute for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked. Add salt if needed.
Layer rice and chicken in large platter. Sprinkle with mint and cilantro. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings.
- Sadia Sabir
BOOTER DAAL HALWA
(From Bangladesh)
1 cup yellow split peas (channa daal; found in Indian stores)
1 can evaporated milk, divided
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter) or butter
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup almonds, sliced for garnish
Wash split peas thoroughly, then boil them until tender. After they cool a little, blend lentils in a food processor with 1/2 of the evaporated milk to make a paste.
In a nonstick pan, heat the ghee (or butter); add cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Add lentil paste, sugar, and the rest of the milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly so that the paste does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Almonds could be added at this point or added later as a garnish.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the paste (halwa) pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Grease serving dish with ghee or butter before adding halwa. Garnish with almonds.
Serve it slightly warm. The halwa can also be cooled down completely, then cut into diamond shapes and served.
- Kamrun Munir (Tabassum Baig's mother)
WARA ANIB (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)
(From Lebanon)
PG tested
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1/4 pound lean ground lamb
3/4 cup white long-grain rice
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice, divided
2 cups water
1 pound preserved grape leaves
Heat oil in large saucepan; cook onion until softened. Add lamb; cook stirring, until browned. Stir in rice and pine nuts. Add herbs, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and half the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is partially cooked. Cool.
Rinse grape leaves in cold water. Drop leaves into large pot of boiling water, in batches, for a few seconds. Transfer to colander; rinse under cold water, drain well.
Place a grape leaf, smooth side down on cutting board, trim large stem.
Add heaped teaspoon of rice mixture in the center. Fold stem end and sides over filling; roll firmly.
Repeat with other grape leaves.
Line medium saucepan with a few grape leaves; place rolls close together, seam-side down on leaves.
Pour remaining water; cover rolls with any remaining leaves. Place a plate on top of leaves to weigh down rolls. Cover pan tightly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer over very low heat for about 2 hours. Remove from heat; leave covered for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Serve with yogurt sauce and/or lemon wedge.
Serves 10.
- Adapted from "Mediterranean Cooking"
PISTACHIO BAKLAVA
(From Turkey)
1 pound baklava phyllo dough
2 cups clarified butter
4 cups of pistachio, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pistachio, finely chopped for decoration.
For simple syrup
2 tablespoons rose water.
2 tablespoons orange blossom water.
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
Few drops lemon juice
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan or tray with melted butter.
Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the bottom of the tray and brush with butter. Be gentle as the phyllo dough is fairly thin.
Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first and again brush with butter. Continue to layer phyllo dough (each with a brush of butter) for about 10 sheets.
In a bowl, mix 4 cups of pistachios and 1/2 cup of sugar. Place nut mixture on top of 10 buttered phyllo sheets.
Place another set of 10 buttered phyllo sheets on top of the nut mixture. Make sure to butter the top phyllo dough.
Cut baklava in desired shape (traditionally it's diamond).
Place baklava in oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until phyllo dough is a light golden color. Let it cool for at least 1 hour.
While baklava is baking, boil all ingredients for a simple syrup. Cook until it's of a thin syrupy consistency.
Pour simple syrup over baklava. Decorate with pistachio on top before serving.
Note: For a thicker baklava, double the filling and use 15 to 20 sheets instead of 10. You could also add cinnamon to the sugar if desired. Have a clean kitchen towel handy to cover the phyllo dough while you work with it. As the phyllo dough is very thin, it easily dries out, and so covering with a kitchen towel will help prevent breakage and drying.
- Farah Khalifa
FRUIT CHAAT
(From Pakistan)
PG tested
1/2 cup pomegranate
1 apple, cubed
2 peaches, cubed
8 ounces strawberries, sliced
1 cup red grapes
1 pear, cubed
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tablespoon fruit chaat (can be found in Indian stores)
Combine all the fruits in a large bowl, gently mix.
In a separate bowl, add sugar to orange juice. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Then add fruit chaat powder; mix well..
Add orange juice to the fruits and gently mix.
Makes 8-10 servings.
- Sadia Sabir
TARA'S WHITE CHEDDAR MAC AND CHEESE
(From Pittsburgh)
2 pounds of pasta shells (small)
1 stick butter
2 to 3 cups 2 percent low-fat milk or soy milk
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (32 ounces) extra sharp white cheddar cheese, chopped
2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plain
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, add milk and then flour, while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour pasta into a large aluminum pan (turkey roaster) while hot. Add the chopped cheese to the pasta and mix together.
Add white sauce to pasta, combine well.
In a separate bowl, combine panko crumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over pasta.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Serves 10.
- Tara Bailey
MAGROOD
(From Libya)
For the pastry
6 cups fine semolina flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Add the oils and mix well. Let the flour and oil mixture soak for at least an hour.
Then add the water mixture and mix well.
For the filling
1 pound dates paste
2 tablespoons sesame
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix all the ingredients together.
Roll filling into approximately 20-inch long and 1/2-inch diameter cylindrical segments.
Place rolls on a greased baking tray; set aside.
For the syrup
3 cups water
6 cups sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Boil water and sugar for 10 minutes.
Add lemon juice and let it boil for one more minute. Turn off the heat and add the blossom water. Let it cool.
Take parts of the dough and roll it to long cylinders (approximately 20 inches long and 2 inches in diameter). Then make indents with your fingers in the center of the cylinders and place the rolled filling in it.
Wrap dough around the filing sealing the two ends. Then roll the dough with the filling in it into a cylinder again making sure that the seal faces down.
Cut dough (diagonally) into 1 1/2 inch-wide pieces. Take each piece and roll it again to smooth the edges. Press a fork on top of cookie for decoration.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place magroods on a baking sheet on middle rack. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Drizzle sugar syrup on hot magroods and let the syrup soak for at least 24 hours. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Mona Ramadan
KHEER
(From Pakistan)
PG tested
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup rice
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup almonds and pistachios, finely chopped
Soak rice for 2 to 3 hours. Drain water and keep rice aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, boil milk over low heavy, until it slightly thickens, stirring constantly.
Add rice and cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes, until rice is well cooked.
Stir in sugar and cardamom.
Serve warm or chilled, garnished with nuts.
Makes 6 servings.
- Sadia Sabir
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article81067517.html#storylink=cpy
Quesadilla
is easy: Tortilla, cheese, filling, imagination
By Chicago Tribune (TNS)
Posted: June 1, 2016 at 1:53 a.m.
In case you've just arrived from, I don't know,
the sun, and you haven't had a quesadilla before, it's a Mexican item made by
heating a tortilla on a griddle or pan. (In Mexico they use a flat griddle pan
called a "comal.") Cheese or other fillings are placed on top, then
it's either folded in half or another tortilla is placed on top and the whole
thing is flipped. They're great on their own, but even better with salsa and
sour cream.
There are plenty of quesadilla recipes out
there, but a recipe isn't really necessary.
As long as you have tortillas (corn or flour,
although flour is the most popular) or other flatbread, some cheese (any kind
that melts) and some toothsome fillings, you're good to go. The amounts of
cheese and fillings largely depend on the size of the tortillas and appetites.
Here are a few ideas for interesting
quesadillas:
Bean and bacon: Mashed white beans (or black beans or pintos
or kidneys or whatever), bacon and shredded melty cheese (cheddar, pepper jack,
etc.).
Indian style: Cooked
basmati rice, dal (cooked Indian-style lentils) and grilled, sliced chicken
breast.
Breakfast quesadilla: Scrambled egg, cooked greens and more
shredded cheese.
Pizza quesadilla: Like a Mexican calzone; just spread some red
or white sauce and add your favorite topping.
Dessert quesadilla: Mascarpone cheese mixed with a little vanilla
or a drop of brandy and slices of fresh or grilled fruit like peaches or
strawberries. (Allow the tortilla to cool somewhat so that the mascarpone won't
melt.)
This girl is going to grow vegetables after a PhD
Last updated on: June 02, 2016 09:37 IST
'We
Indians have forgotten what is good for us. Foreigners say oats are good, so we
say the same, arrey, we
have oats since ages!''When I tell my mother we eat ragi biscuits, she says, "big deal, we used to eat it like sattu or porridge".'
On the second leg of their 2,148 km journey from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea, Archana Masih and photographer Rajesh Karkera met Preeti Virkar on an organic farm in the Doon Valley. A believer of a different kind, her enthusiasm is infectious.
IMAGE: Preeti Virkar may not be strong enough
to till the land with a plough and bullocks, but is going to work on her land
in a few months.
Day 2: Navdanya Organic Farm. Ramgarh village, Doon Valley
"I am thin, but don't I look healthy and happy?" asks Preeti Virkar with a heartful laugh, standing on the farm opposite a mango-laden orchard called 'Amrapali'.
"After I finish my PhD, I am going home to do farming. In my region they only grow rice, but I want to grow vegetables."
On the outskirts of Dehradun is Ramgarh, a small village in the Doon Valley, home to a farm called Navdanya or 'Nine seeds.' A narrow kuccha road with a hand-made board that you may easily miss, ribbons past trees covered with mangoes that touch the ground.
Trees lie on either side of the road. There is no one in sight except a foreigner picking mangoes that have fallen on the ground, collecting them in his t-shirt. The wide branches hang tantalisingly low that you feel like climbing onto them.
It is a sight that brings alive memories of the summer holidays of childhood and what we are about to encounter is almost as simple and untouched.
IMAGE: A road through the mango orchard leads
to the farm. The Navdanya farm has a mango festival every summer.
Pretty bunches of dried ladies finger, millet,
bottle brush hang artistically outside a thatched roof, that one would find at
the entrance of rural homes in Kumaon and Garhwal.Two newly born calves neck their mothers, a bunch of farmers are getting a course in farming, a group of foreigners is immersed in morning meditation under a thatched gazebo.
A man ploughs the field with two bullocks...
And then there's a room that stores perhaps the famer's most precious jewels -- seeds.
Preeti, who is about to finish a PhD in Entomology, tells me that if a small farmer has one cow, a patch of land and saves his own seeds he can cultivate his own land and sustain his family.
The Navdanya seed bank has 2,000 varieties of seeds. Farmers that come for training here are shown how to store them in cane baskets lined with a mixture of cow urine, dung and soil.
"It's simple, once you store seeds that way they will never get infected by pathogens. You don't need all those harmful chemicals," she says, taking us around the farm, in a weathered pair of sneakers.
IMAGE: The gazebo where interns and farm
residents gather to meditate, discuss or chat.
"We lost
our traditional methods of farming to the Green Revolution. The thought was
that you can't do farming without chemicals if you have to feed the masses, but
what we were growing traditionally was so much healthier," explains
Preeti.Studying for a degree in wildlife science at Dehradun's Wildlife Institute, Preeti, a resident of Pune, first came to Navdanya as part of a study project. She then started giving sessions to interns here and joined full-time last June.
"The Green Revolution brought in mono culture. Organic farming on the other hand, has everything to do with diversity. Look around -- nature is so diverse -- have you seen a jungle with a single variety of trees?"
IMAGE: Farmers from Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya
Pradesh attend a 5-day workshop on organic farming.
A group
of farmers from Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, men and women, have just
arrived for a five-day course in organic farming. It is still not 10 am and
they are at work with cloth wrapped around their heads to protect them from the
scorching sun.Farmers and interns share and learn from each other. They live on the farm where they clean their rooms, wash their dishes and eat simple vegetarian food. The solution to wash dishes is made of reetha (soap nut), that is soaked in water to make a shampoo-like liquid that generations of Indian women have used for their hair.
The dining room has mementos left by farmers and visiting interns -- sculptures, paintings, baskets, lamp shades made of dried grass and leaves. Navdanya offers courses to interns/volunteers from around the world.
IMAGE: The group comprises representatives from
food NGOs. Those who come for training live and eat on the premises, sharing
their farming experiences.
Sushil Urao, a farmer from Gumla in Jharkhand,
is among the group of farmers that has arrived to learn about organic farming.
"Chemical fertillisers and seeds are very expensive and scarcity of water
is our biggest problem," he says. "We have many rivers, but no
water.""The government's Krishi Vikas Yojana seems to have ignored farmers who don't have any land of their own," he adds.
The group consists of marginalised farmers who say something I had heard from farmers in Bihar last year while covering the state's assembly election.
"The subsidy that the government provides farmers does not directly reach us," says Saumya, echoing what farmers reeling under another drought in Bihar had said last October.
IMAGE: There are 37 varieties of cows in India.
Cow urine is used for many purposes on the farm.
I walk away after gently being told that it is
time for their shram daan and make my way past the
family of pahadi
cows.I am told there are 37 varieties of cows in India. "And we are stuck with the Jersey (not native to India) cow because it gives more milk. These cows may produce less milk, but are drug resistant and provide good labour," says Preeti, caressing the vermi compost, with tiny earthworms wriggling in between her fingers.
The natural manure made from kitchen and farm waste looks like used tea leaves and is a wonderful nutrient for the soil.
Everything that comes from the 60 acre farm is recycled. Most of the food served comes from the farm itself. Navdanya has a staff of over 35, has 122 seed banks in 18 states and has a large community of farmer members.
The organic farm also serves as a model for small farmers -- so that a farmer with a tiny patch of land can see how to make best use of it.
IMAGE: The Navdanya Organic Farm has 2,000
varieties of seeds, the most treasured asset of the farm.
Isn't organic farming harder and more expensive,
I ask and I am told that it is at almost zero cost input as what a farmer doing
chemical or intensive farming would incur, provided the organic farmer uses his
own farm resources well.Organic products are more expensive because they need a lot of hard work, cannot be grown out of season, but the flip side is that they have long term health benefits.
"Large companies have alienated us from what we actually grew. We have been doing organic farming since our civilisation began," says Preeti with passionate zeal, speaking with the infectious enthusiasm of a believer.
Indians are not eating a proper diet because we have forgotten what is good and that is resulting in either malnutrition or obesity, she feels.
"Foreigners say oats are good, so we say the same, arrey, we have oats since ages! When I tell my mother we have ragi biscuits, she says, 'big deal, we used to eat it like sattu or porridge'."
IMAGE: These are what jugnus or
fire flies look like! And that's a shahtoot
(mulberry) tree.
Dehradun's famous Basmati rice fields and litchi
orchards have made way for jungles of concrete. Memories of its trees, flowers
and birds can be found in Ruskin Bond's stories, and
we owe it to that chronicler of the hills for preserving snatches of what life
used to be in these parts at another time.Just then we cross a mulberry tree with insects crawling on its branches. "See, see, these are male jugnus (fire flies). They are roosting together," exclaims Preeti, pulling down a fire fly to give us a closer look.
And I wonder what a brilliant cluster of light it would have been if it was night.
Rice Prices
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
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Price
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Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
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Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
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Rice
|
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Chitwadagaon(UP)
|
420.00
|
-30
|
1330.00
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2015
|
1940
|
1.26
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Bangarpet(Kar)
|
312.00
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-23.9
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7493.00
|
1850
|
1850
|
NC
|
Bindki(UP)
|
150.00
|
100
|
3340.00
|
2290
|
2280
|
8.02
|
Goalpara(ASM)
|
108.10
|
11.79
|
1018.50
|
2050
|
1900
|
-
|
Azamgarh(UP)
|
105.00
|
16.67
|
4945.50
|
2200
|
2135
|
10.55
|
Mathabhanga(WB)
|
100.00
|
-9.09
|
4450.00
|
2150
|
2150
|
4.88
|
Kalipur(WB)
|
95.00
|
5.56
|
5521.00
|
2250
|
2200
|
15.38
|
Bareilly(UP)
|
88.00
|
-25.42
|
7687.60
|
2350
|
2300
|
13.53
|
Rampurhat(WB)
|
85.00
|
6.25
|
744.00
|
2120
|
2200
|
-
|
Pilibhit(UP)
|
84.00
|
-16
|
19182.00
|
2195
|
2190
|
0.92
|
Shahjahanpur(UP)
|
83.00
|
29.08
|
40732.20
|
2320
|
2240
|
15.42
|
Aligarh(UP)
|
80.00
|
-11.11
|
3540.00
|
2250
|
2240
|
19.68
|
Barabanki(UP)
|
78.00
|
-1.27
|
354.00
|
2080
|
2070
|
2.97
|
Coochbehar(WB)
|
76.00
|
-1.3
|
1617.00
|
2150
|
2150
|
4.88
|
Thodupuzha(Ker)
|
70.00
|
NC
|
2800.00
|
2650
|
2650
|
-8.62
|
Ballia(UP)
|
70.00
|
-12.5
|
7360.00
|
2010
|
1985
|
NC
|
Silapathar(ASM)
|
56.00
|
900
|
538.70
|
3000
|
3000
|
NC
|
Saharanpur(UP)
|
56.00
|
-17.65
|
5195.00
|
2230
|
2225
|
4.45
|
Mainpuri(UP)
|
55.00
|
-15.38
|
120.00
|
2060
|
2075
|
-
|
Partaval(UP)
|
50.00
|
42.86
|
1427.00
|
2110
|
2100
|
8.48
|
Balrampur(UP)
|
50.00
|
-14.53
|
1408.50
|
2110
|
2110
|
5.50
|
Rampur(UP)
|
46.00
|
15
|
570.50
|
2280
|
2270
|
9.09
|
Jorhat(ASM)
|
45.00
|
-18.18
|
1644.00
|
2700
|
2700
|
-3.57
|
Pandua(WB)
|
45.00
|
-10
|
2059.00
|
2650
|
2650
|
-1.85
|
Cachar(ASM)
|
40.00
|
NC
|
1870.00
|
2700
|
2700
|
NC
|
Lanka(ASM)
|
40.00
|
NC
|
2560.00
|
1750
|
1750
|
-1.41
|
Dadri(UP)
|
40.00
|
33.33
|
2034.00
|
2190
|
2200
|
2.34
|
Beldanga(WB)
|
40.00
|
-5.88
|
1942.50
|
2310
|
2310
|
0.43
|
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
|
30.00
|
20
|
1803.00
|
3900
|
3900
|
-
|
Robertsganj(UP)
|
26.00
|
20.93
|
315.00
|
1840
|
1840
|
-1.08
|
Dhekiajuli(ASM)
|
25.60
|
-20
|
1001.60
|
1800
|
1960
|
-4.76
|
Mekhliganj(WB)
|
21.00
|
-8.7
|
708.00
|
2075
|
2075
|
12.16
|
Lakhimpur(UP)
|
20.00
|
33.33
|
499.50
|
2215
|
2150
|
3.50
|
Lohardaga(Jha)
|
17.00
|
-34.62
|
964.00
|
1700
|
1850
|
-15.00
|
Kaliaganj(WB)
|
15.00
|
7.14
|
689.00
|
2200
|
2150
|
-6.38
|
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
|
13.80
|
56.82
|
1447.80
|
1900
|
1900
|
-
|
Pundibari(WB)
|
13.00
|
4
|
227.00
|
2100
|
2075
|
3.70
|
Raiganj(WB)
|
12.00
|
-7.69
|
851.50
|
2250
|
2200
|
-6.25
|
Bampada(Ori)
|
10.00
|
NC
|
200.00
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
Barikpur(Ori)
|
10.00
|
100
|
155.00
|
2500
|
2400
|
NC
|
Kasganj(UP)
|
10.00
|
66.67
|
608.00
|
2120
|
2080
|
3.67
|
Champadanga(WB)
|
10.00
|
-37.5
|
860.00
|
2550
|
2500
|
NC
|
Deogarh(Ori)
|
9.00
|
NC
|
435.00
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
Jeypore(Kotpad)(Ori)
|
8.60
|
28.36
|
79.60
|
5100
|
5100
|
24.39
|
Bolangir(Ori)
|
7.50
|
-11.76
|
266.70
|
2400
|
2200
|
NC
|
Tusura(Ori)
|
6.50
|
-18.75
|
298.00
|
2400
|
2200
|
NC
|
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB)
|
6.50
|
18.18
|
123.70
|
2600
|
2600
|
-
|
Khairagarh(UP)
|
6.00
|
-25
|
401.00
|
2150
|
2150
|
6.97
|
Jeypore(Ori)
|
5.30
|
-63.7
|
310.80
|
610
|
325
|
-
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
4.50
|
-10
|
1306.10
|
1975
|
1970
|
NC
|
Hailakandi(ASM)
|
4.00
|
NC
|
135.00
|
2700
|
2700
|
NC
|
Melaghar(Tri)
|
3.00
|
50
|
112.80
|
2100
|
2250
|
-10.64
|
Islampur(WB)
|
3.00
|
NC
|
282.90
|
2400
|
2450
|
14.29
|
Darjeeling(WB)
|
2.80
|
-6.67
|
76.80
|
2800
|
2800
|
3.70
|
Tileibani(Ori)
|
2.50
|
-16.67
|
21.50
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
Fatehpur(UP)
|
2.50
|
-16.67
|
284.20
|
2210
|
2200
|
1.14
|
Balarampur(WB)
|
2.50
|
NC
|
70.80
|
2260
|
2270
|
-2.59
|
Khatauli(UP)
|
1.00
|
-50
|
31.00
|
2170
|
2150
|
3.33
|
Kasipur(WB)
|
1.00
|
-9.09
|
33.30
|
2200
|
2150
|
-4.35
|
Shillong(Meh)
|
0.80
|
NC
|
54.60
|
3500
|
3500
|
NC
|
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8672003.ece
06/01/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
Soybeans
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
--
|
--
|
New
Crop
|
1075
|
1026
|
Riceland Foods
Cash
Bids
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
New
Crop
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soybean Comment
Soybeans closed higher today on support from
continued strong meal demand. After markets closed soybeans received more
bullish news as April crush came in above expectations. The market continues to
trade near $11, and could see old crop gains above resistance tomorrow.
Soybeans like corn continue to face pressure from expectations for large
production this year, but for now strong demand remains the driver for prices.
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
--
|
--
|
New
Crop
|
475
|
450
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wheat Comment
Wheat prices closed higher today as prices
again bounced off support near recent lows. Wheat continues to face a bearish
fundamental outlook, however continued strength in corn and soybeans is helping
support the wheat market.
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash
Bids
|
--
|
--
|
New
Crop
|
350
|
283
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
--
|
--
|
New
Crop
|
411
|
400
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Corn Comment
Corn prices closed higher today. The market
continues to be supported by dry weather in Brazil that is keeping U.S. Corn
exports competitive. While there was no announcement of new sales today, the
market has shrugged off yesterday's neutral report and Bulls continue to bet on
improved export demand. This combined with another strong increase in soybeans
continues to help prices hold near recent highs.
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cotton Comment
Cotton futures ended lower again today. July
continues to fail at resistance at the recent high of 64.75 cents while
December has been unable to break above 64 cents. Export commitments reached
99% of USDA's projection for the marketing year, and shipments now total 77%.
Of course, USDA projects total exports to be down 20% from the previous
marketing year. Reports indicate that China's daily auctions are slowing down.
Cumulative sales are reportedly over 500,000 metric tons, or about 2.3 million
bales.
High
|
Low
|
|
Long
Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Long
Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice Comment
Rice futures rebounded today. July bounced off
support at $10.76 yesterday, which has provided support for the market for
about 5 weeks. This large crop could limit the upside potential of the market,
however, dry conditions in other rice growing regions of the world could
provide support. The market needs to see better export movement, though. Weekly
export sales of 78,600 tons last week were not enough to inspire any buying
interest.
Futures:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Live Cattle:
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Feeders:
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas Prices
Conway Livestock Auction
Pocahontas Livestock Auction
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City - Weekly Weighted Average Summary Wednesday
Cattle Comment
Cattle prices closed mixed today as the market
may be beginning to loose steam. While beef prices strengthened today, the cash
market saw little action and future saw profit taking after the recent rally.
While cattle prices remain depressed relative to recent record levels, prices
are trying to find a new trading range that will likely be at a historically
high level.
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Growing paddy takes heavy toll on groundwater table
Aman
Sood
Tribune
News Service
Patiala,
May 31
The
failure of the state government to promote crop diversification is taking a
toll on the depleting water table. Two successive deficient monsoons in the
past two years coupled with overexploitation of groundwater to irrigate fields
has added to the problem.A comprehensive data compiled by the Agriculture
Department, available with The Tribune, from 22 districts of the state shows
that the water level is falling every year. The pre-monsoon readings in some
areas are alarmingly low. The Hoshiarpur-2 block has the lowest water level
recorded at 191 feet (58.40 m) followed by Sardulgarh at 182 feet (55.54 m),
166 feet (50.80 m) in Patran and 162 feet (49.40 m) in Ropar.
The data
further highlights how the shallowest water table recorded in Barnala is still
21 m while the water is available at a mere 0.40 m in Ropar’s Anandpur Sahib
block. In Sangrur’s Lehragaga block, the shallowest in the district, water is
19.42-m low.In the waterlogging-affected districts of south Punjab in Muktsar,
the shallowest water depth is 1.40 m in Malout block while the deepest is 6.70
m in Lambi. Further in Faridkot, another waterlogged district, the shallowest
water level is 1.60 m while it is 16.30 m in Kotkapura. In Ferozepur, the
shallowest level is 3 m in Guru Har Sahai while the deepest is 27.65 m in Zira
Block.
“Poor
efforts by the state government in bringing farmers out of the paddy cycle are
now showing their result. In addition, the government policy to release water
tubewell connections for vote-bank politics is sure to deepen the water crisis.
Free power to the farm sector too leads to the misuse of water,” claimed former
chief engineer with the Irrigation Department Jaskaran Sandhu.“A weak monsoon
in the last two years has strained the groundwater more as the power subsidy in
Punjab has grown from Rs 4,778 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 5,484 crore in 2015-16.
Though
the power subsidy is burdening the state exchequer, the state government
continues to give it despite criticism by agriculture experts who have been
advising the government to do away with the subsidy and look for alternative
arrangements to save water,” claimed another senior expert on power.As per the
PSPCL top brass, at present, there are roughly 12.76 lakh tubewell connections
in Punjab and around 1.25 lakh connections more would be added by next year.
However, the only good news at present is the prediction of a normal or heavy
monsoon this year.
Alarming readings
Data
compiled by the Agriculture Department from 22 districts of the state shows
that the water level is falling every year. The pre-monsoon readings in some
areas are alarmingly low. The Hoshiarpur-2 block has the lowest water level
recorded at 191 feet (58.40 m) followed by Sardulgarh at 182 feet (55.54 m),
166 feet (50.80 m) in Patran and 162 feet (49.40 m) in Ropar.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/growing-paddy-takes-heavy-toll-on-groundwater-table/245071.html
Customs, Navy seize two boats of smuggled rice
June 2, 2016
An inter-agency collaboration between the Eastern Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigeria Navy has resulted in the seizure of two boats laden with smuggled rice.
A statement by the group said the seizure was made on the Calabar high sea, Cross Rivers State, by the navy between the Cameroon and Nigerian border.
It read, “The smuggled rice was carefully concealed in two boats conveying 30 passengers among whom were eight Cameroonians and 13 Nigerians.
“The seizure has since been handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service in Calabar, while the passengers of the boats were in the same vein handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation.”
The Customs Area Controller, Eastern Marine Command, Usman Bello, had recently during the 2016 Obangame exercise organised by the Nigerian Navy comprising other law enforcement agencies, had appealed to the navy to assist the NCS in effecting seizures of contraband goods on the high seas.
Bello thanked the navy for their cooperation so far, urging them to continue in this regard.
He lamented the inability of his command to patrol the high seas due to lack of sea going vessels.
“There is a need for continued assistance from the navy in order to reduce smuggling to the barest minimum, especially on the high seas within the Eastern Marine Command.
“I thank the outgoing Flag Officer Commanding of the Eastern Naval Command, Calabar, Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir, for the sustained cooperation and synergy between the Navy and Customs. We wish him well in his new assignment.”
He also extended a warm welcome to the new FOC, Rear Admiral J. Olawale, urging him to sustain the cooperation and collaboration of his predecessor.
In the same vein, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali(retd.) has expressed his profound gratitude to the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Eke Ibas, for the operational commitment and inter agency cooperation exhibited by his officers in the arrest of the two boats.
The CGC urged the Nigerian Navy to continue to assist the NCS in the service of the nation.
In a similar development, the Seme Area Command of the NCS has impounded 12 trucks containing 2,131 bags of 50kg rice with a Duty Paid Value of N23.9m.
The imported rice was reportedly smuggled through Ere-Creeks, bordering Lagos and Ogun states.
A statement from the command said its officers had received intelligence that the rice was stocked in an uncompleted building at Ere Creek-Ikoga.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Victor Dimka, said investigation was ongoing to expose the perpetrators of this act.
He said, “We will continue to work round the clock to suppress all smuggling activities across the frontier to the barest minimum. We will not relent until the needed revenue is generated and legitimate trade is facilitated.”
Dimka commended the efforts of the enforcement unit in suppressing the illegal importation of used vehicles.
“Fairly used vehicles escorted in transit to Seme border, which pay duty contribute about 50 per cent of the command’s revenue,” he added.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
http://punchng.com/customs-navy-seize-two-boats-smuggled-rice/
Scarcity
of foreign rice hits Katsina
Survey
On June 1, 20168:31 pmIn NewsComments 46 0 1 0 Katsina – Following Federal
Government’s ban on importation of rice from foreign countries through land
borders, the commodity has become scarce in Katsina state. A survey revealed
that the scarcity of the product had led to increase in its price in markets
across the state. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has adopted strict measures in
enforcing the ban and in curtailing smuggling of the commodity through the
borders. Alhaji Usman Ibrahim, a rice dealer in Katsina town, confirmed that
sellers of the product were facing difficulty in getting it. Ibrahim said that
the dealers usually got supply from smugglers, who were taking the risk of
getting the rice in the country day and night, adding that Customs officials
had identified smugglers’ routes and had blocked them.
The
survey revealed that foreign rice was only available but in limited quantity in
Katsina metropolis and few local government areas, particularly those that
share boundary with Niger Republic like Jibiya, Daura and Mai’adua. According
to the survey, the price of the rice in those places ranged from N12, 800 to
N13, 000 per 50 kiligramme bag as against former price of 12,000, while it cost
N13, 300 in other local government areas. It was discovered that people in the
southern part of the state, including Funtua, Malumfashi, Dandume, had resorted
to patronizing the local rice due to the high cost and scarcity of the foreign
specie.
Malam Magaji Liman, a farmer in Funtua, told
NAN that it was difficult to see foreign rice in his area. ‘’Since the Federal
Government banned importation of foreign rice, you hardly see it in the
markets; some months back I bought a bag at N10, 000. ‘’I am a rice farmer;
just last week I sold 11 bags of local rice at N10, 000 per bag. ‘’I have been
cultivating rice for long, but I never imagined that I will sell a bag at N10,
000, because in previous years, the highest price of local rice was N6,000, ’’
he said. Liman said that he had been encouraged by the development to cultivate
more rice this year.
He
explained that local rice tasted better than the foreign one, adding that “if
rice farmers can get modern processing machines, our local rice can compete
with the foreign one’’. He, however, lamented the delay in the distribution of
improve seeds, chemicals and fertilizer to rice farmers, saying that could
affect rice production in the country. ‘’I am calling on the government to
hasten distribution of fertilizer and seeds to farmers in good time to enable
them to plant more in this year’s planting season,’’ he said.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/scarcity-foreign-rice-hits-katsina-nan-survey/
Rice import deferred amid ample supply
June 1, 2016 8:57 pm
THE
National Food Authority (NFA) has deferred again its rice importation plans
because there is ample inventory at government- and privately-owned warehouses.As of April 1, more than 3.3 million metric tons of rice in stock—well above the inventory requirement for the lean months —which is sufficient to feed the population for 105 days. The Food Staples Sufficiency Program requires 90-day buffer stock during lean months and 60-day supply at other times.
Traditionally, the lean season is from July to September. It is also the time when the government imports rice that would help stabilize price in retail markets.
The NFA spokesperson Angel Imperial also cited, during a telephone interview, other factors behind delaying a decision on imports.
Among them, the possibility of NFA moving back to the Department of Agriculture, that the grains agency has not so far received formal instructions for importation, particularly the mandated buffer stocking by the government and use of the minimum access volume (MAV) by the private sector, and a show of respect for the incoming President, Rodrigo Duterte. And he pointed out that the decision of the Duterte administration could be expected by the first week of July.
The former NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay had stated prior to his resignation that the agency has already prepared all possible rice importation schemes ready for approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The policymakers of the Aquino were said to be considering utilizing the minimum access volume (MAV) for the buffer stocking. MAV refers to the minimum volume of farm produce allowed to enter into the Philippines at reduced tariff of 35 percent, while shipments outside MAV pay higher rates of 50 percent and would need approval by the National Food Authority.
Another option being considered is through government-led importation using the standby authority about 500,000 MT. At present, Manila limits to 805,000 metric tons the amount of rice allowed to enter the country through the scheme.
http://www.manilatimes.net/rice-import-deferred-amid-ample-supply/265408/
Rice federation to vote for president on July 2
Thu, 2 June 2016
With voting A rice farmer uses a small
mechanical harvester in a Tbong Khmum province rice field earlier this year. Heng Chivoan
set to
take place on July 2 to elect the next president of the Cambodian Rice
Federation (CRF), the organisation has pledged to further strengthen its
mandate, while rice millers and exporters claim they have lost confidence in
the organisation’s ability to achieve necessary reforms. Penn Sovicheat, director of the domestic trade department at the Ministry of Commerce and a member of the CRF election committee, said that the next president would continue to push for the government’s elusive 1 million tonne rice export target.
This will be the second time that the CRF has elected a president since the organisation was formed, and the internal structure has been tweaked to be more inclusive, he said. Now, the sitting president will be accompanied by five vice presidents chosen by the 16 members of the board.
“The new president will follow the plan outlined in the previous mandate,” Sovicheat said, adding that there would be no lag time as the structural reforms were already in place.
However, Kann Kunthy, chief executive officer of Battambang rice miller Brico, said that even though the CRF had been restructured to include more voices, he had little hope for the organisation.
“I have no confidence in the new mandate, since I have already lost confidence in the current mandate,” he said. “With one president and five vice presidents, that structure will not allow for reforms. There will be no efficiency and no action.”
“In order to survive the rice industry, we need the government to take action, not just have plans.”
Moul Sarith, secretary-general of CRF, countered and said that the next president will be more productive and will promote not only short-term interests, but introduce a long-term strategy. “The next mandate will produce results, as long as we have five committees that meet with the five vice presidents to insure there is an action plan,” he said.
Phou Puy, director of Baitong (Kampuchea) PLC, welcomed the revised structure, but still questioned the next presidents ability to lead. “It is good to have a chance to vote, as it is a kind of democracy,” he said. “But I can’t say how it will actually affect the rice industry.”
Song Saran, CEO of AMRU Rice, was more optimistic that the next president could produce tangible results as he addressed the most pressing concerns.
“If the next president can address farmer’s and rice miller’s concerns, we will be able to compete in the market,” he said. Transportation and production costs should be the biggest concern, he added
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-federation-vote-president-july-2
Ebonyi procures 40 tractors to revolutionise rice
production
David Nweze Umahi
The Ebonyi State Government has procured 40
tractors to rev up its efforts to revolutionise agriculture and turn around its
economic fortune.Governor David Nweze Umahi announced this during Democracy Day
Celebration and one year anniversary of his administration at the Abakaliki
Township Stadium.Umahi used the occasion to highlight the achievements of his
administration, and disclosed that in view of the dwindling allocations to the
state from the Federation account, the state decided to emphasize on rice
production which the state is known for all over the world.
The Governor explained that three tractors
would be allocated to each of the 13 Local Government Areas of the state to
work on about 85 hectares of land mapped out for rice cultivation across the
state this farming season.He stated that government was collaborating with IFAD
to cultivate a six hectare rice farmland and FADAMA III for two hectares.He
informed that as part of the measures to revolutionise rice production in the
state, his administration had taken delivery of the three rice parboiling
machines procured by the previous administration in the state.Umahi added that
the installation of the parboiling machines at the three state-owned modern
rice mills in Ikwo, Izzi and Oso Edda had commenced.
The governor noted that the government was
partnering UNIDO to install another modern rice mill that would be handed over
to the Abakaliki Rice Millers when fully installed.He assured that the N2bn
Federal Government loan for rice production was intact and would be disbursed
to genuine farmers who met the conditions attached to it.Umahi further stated
that the government would give out seeds, fertilizer and chemicals worth over
N400 million to farmers as loan this farming season adding that the government
had signed an agreement with Union Dicon Salt Plc for the establishment of a
cassava farm and a cassava processing factory in the state.
Engr. Umahi hinted that the government had
introduced school agriculture, and is currently working on three schools as
pilot farms in each of the three senatorial zones. The governor stated that all
the available land at the permanent site of the state university had been
converted to tomato farmland for massive production of tomatoes for domestic
and international consumption.
On youth and women empowerment, the governor
informed that empowerment of the youth and women would be the focus of
government in the coming months.
He stated that government had set aside N500m
in addition to the N3bn earlier mapped out for the re-settlement of youths of
the state engaged in street hawking in major cities across the country
https://www.today.ng/news/national/130738/ebonyi-procures-40-tractors-revolutionise-rice-production
Rice and Beans Solve Madagascar Mystery
The native language of Madagascar is Malagasy – which doesn’t seem particularly interesting until you realize that Malagasy is a language unique to the Pacific and Southeast Asia region, 6,000 miles away, and that researchers have never found any evidence that the island of Madagascar had been inhabited by anyone from that region. Now, recently published findings from an international research team finally offer proof that South Asian settlers did in fact colonize the island, thus solving one of the ancient world’s enduring mysteries.Researchers have identified the remains of ancient Asian specific crops such as mung beans and rice, excavated from sites in Madagascar. Evidence, finally, that people from South Asia did inhabit Madagascar at one time.
Human settlements on the island of Madagascar discovered through archaeological research have been dated back to the first millennium and there are additional findings which suggest that the island might have been inhabited by hunter-gatherers that migrated from Africa sometime between the first and second millennium. However, until now there was no archeological evidence of an Austronesian occupation.
Previously completed genetic research confirmed the residents of Madagascar shared a close ancestry with Polynesians, Malaysians, and other cultures which also speak languages from the Austronesian family, which Malagasy is part of.
The team of researchers have identified the species of almost 2,500 individual ancient plant remains recovered from excavations at the sites of 18 different ancient settlements in Madagascar, the east Africa coast and also on neighboring islands. The residues recovered from sediments within the archaeological layers were examined using a complex system of sieves.
The first question regarding the earliest crops planted at the sites was whether they were African crops or crops which had been introduced to Africa from somewhere else. The researchers found examples of both types, but also found a distinct pattern – the African crops were concentrated primarily on the African mainland and the islands closest to it. In contrast, on Madagascar early subsistence was focused primarily on Asian crops. The data suggests these Asian crops were introduced to Madagascar and the nearby Comoros Islands, no later than the eigth to tenth century.
In a statement provided by the University of Oxford, Dr. Nicole Boivin, the senior author with the School of Archaeology, said, “Southeast Asians clearly brought crops from their homeland and grew and subsisted on them when they reached Africa. This means that archaeologists can use crop remains as evidence to provide real material insights into the history of the island. There are a lot of things we still don’t understand about Madagascar’s past; it remains one of our big enigmas. But what is exciting is that we finally have a way of providing a window into the island’s highly mysterious Southeast Asian settlement and distinguishing it from settlements by mainland Africans that we know also happened.”
The research also suggests that the same Southeast Asians colonized the islands of the Comoros which neighbor Madagascar, because the crops grown there were also dominated by the same exact Asian species. By comparison, the crops which were identified on the African coast and coastal islands close to east Africa such as Zanzibar and Mafia were primarily African species like pearl millet, sorghum, and baobab.
The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Agriculture in Sierra Leone: Monty Jones to the rescue
When Professor Patrick Monty
Jones (pictured), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture was appointed last
February, many Sierra Leoneans pinned a lot of hope in him to transform
Agriculture in Sierra Leone, a land with plentiful rain and excellent soil that
still imports most of its food from elsewhere.Monty is a well known
agriculturist with a wealth of experience as a researcher and plant breeder.
His most famous achievement was when he led a team of researchers to produce
the high-yielding hybrid rice NERICA (New Rice for Africa), which is a
combination of African and Asian rice.Now a political administrator, Monty has
been meeting with traditional rulers and civil servants in the rural areas
where most of the country’s farmers are found. The purpose is to involve them
in the various projects of the Ministry geared towards the production of most
of what the country eats (rice, onions, etc) and thereby save foreign exchange
for other purposes.
Another objective of his is to help create employment for young people
in the countryside many of whom, with very little formal education and out of
frustration and despair, have migrated to urban areas where they could find
employment, forcing them into anti-social activities and drug abuse.Sierra
Leone used to be an exporter of rice and other food items in the past and it
seems like Professor Monty Jones, who used to work at the Rokupr Rice research
station in northern Sierra Leone is just the right man to bring back those
days.It’s perhaps too early to expect bumper rice harvests all over the country
when farmers start harvesting their rice between November and December this
year. But at the rate Monty is moving, many Sierra Leoneans are expecting the
country to be flooded by rice, onions and other commodities by December next
year.Here is Professor Monty Jones in an interview with F2A:
