Greenpeace urged to end GMO opposition
Saturday, 02 July 2016
It is claimed a
new GMO rice has the potential to reduce disease in third-world countries.
Photo / Getty
By Isaac
Davison
Some New
Zealand scientists are backing an open letter by more than 100 Nobel laureates
which urges environmental group Greenpeace to end its opposition to
genetically-modified food, in particular a new rice which has the potential to
reduce disease in third-world countries.It comes as farmers lobby for more
relaxed rules for GMOs in New Zealand, following significant changes to
labelling of gene-edited products in the United States.
In an open
letter released yesterday, the Nobel Prize winners said environmental groups,
led by Greenpeace, had opposed biotechnological innovation in agriculture and
misrepresented the risks, benefits and impacts.
"We urge
Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and
consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology,
recognise the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory
agencies, and abandon their campaign against GMOs in general and Golden Rice in
particular."
Golden Rice has
been genetically modified to provide Vitamin A to counter blindness and other
diseases in children in the developing world. It was first developed in the
1990s but it was not introduced until 2013 due to regulatory hurdles and
protests by Greenpeace and other environmental groups.
Director of
Genetics Otago Professor Peter Dearden said he agreed with the letter's
authors.
"It is
time for us to stop believing that all GM is bad and to see that the benefits
can far outweigh the risks," he said.
"This is
not to say we should have no regulation, but that such regulation should be
evidence-based and not coloured by the view that GM is necessarily bad."
In May, the US
National Academies of Sciences published a report on GM crops, which found no
substantiated evidence of risks to human health.
Professor Barry
Scott, of Massey University's Institute of Fundamental Sciences, said the
endorsement of that report by more than 100 Nobel laureates added
"considerable weight" to its evidence. It also challenged the
"extreme" view of Greenpeace.
Rather than
invest in this overpriced public relations exercise, we need to address
malnutrition through a more diverse diet, equitable access to food and
eco-agriculture.
Greenpeace
"The new
technologies associated with gene and genome editing further challenges the
irrationality of such an extreme view given changes can now be made to the
genome that are similar to those made by non-GM methods such as radiation
treatment."
Greenpeace New
Zealand could not be reached for comment. But an international representative
said any claim that it was blocking the distribution of Golden Rice was false.
"Golden'
rice has failed as a solution and isn't currently available for sale, even
after more than 20 years of research," said Wilhelmina Pelegrina,
campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Corporations
were "overhyping" Golden Rice to pave the way for other more
profitable GMO crops, she said.
"Rather
than invest in this overpriced public relations exercise, we need to address
malnutrition through a more diverse diet, equitable access to food and
eco-agriculture."
The open letter
comes as Federated Farmers dairy chairman called for the anti-GM movement in
New Zealand to "give some ground".
In his speech
at the organisation's annual meeting on Monday, Andrew Hoggard said New Zealand
had some "damn strict" rules around genetically modified organisms.
He pointed to legislation in the United States which would not require
gene-edited products to be labelled as genetically modified.
"We should
ensure that our laws are in sync with those countries we aim to trade with and
extract a product premium from," Mr Hoggard said.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11667284
Piñol to department of agriculture: Rice self-sufficiency ‘a must, not a choice’
July 1, 2016 9:15 pm
Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Friday exhorted top officials of the Department of
Agriculture to ensure vigorous implementation of programs to achieve rice
self-sufficiency in the Philippines.“We should hit rice self-sufficient within
the next two years… It’s a must not a choice,” Piñol said in press conference
after the department’s turnover ceremony in Quezon City.The new DA chief said that he ready to provide all DA regional offices with the necessary inputs and assistance, including irrigation facilities and seed requirements, for them to achieve self-sufficiency in their respective regions.
“This administration is results-oriented. Any director that can’t do that will be asked to resign,” he added.
Piñol said that the Philippines should strive for rice self-sufficiency at the regional level to mitigate the effects of climate change, noting that the latest El Niño episode clearly shows the need for government to continue pursuing the program.
“It depend on how much is the rice requirement of each region. If all regions are rice sufficient, ergo, the whole country is rice sufficient,” he added.
Obstacles to self-sufficiency
Rice is a thinly traded, highly concentrated commodity with only 7 percent of total global production sold outside national borders. The top five exporters account for 80 percent of total exports, which makes importing countries vulnerable to export bans or restrictions.
The drought that began last year and has continued into 2016 has negatively impacted agricultural production in several countries. It has also caused a decline in rice supply and stockpiles in many parts of the world, particularly in the world’s three largest rice exporters in the—India, Thailand and Vietnam.
Thailand announced earlier this year that it will not increase rice exports, while Vietnam is expecting a slight drop in paddy rice production this year. The Philippines, according to various forecasts, is expected to fail again to achieve self-sufficiency this year due to drought and palay production falling below full-year targets.
Critics have said that rice sufficiency in the Philippines is unlikely within the next 10 years, citing geographical conditions, lack of agriculture infrastructure, and failed implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
According to the International Rice Research Institute, self-sufficiency is achieved when production exceeds consumption, so lower rice consumption should give a country a head start in achieving rice self-sufficiency. However, people in the traditional rice-importing countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia) already eat less rice than rice exporters.
On the supply side, IRRI said that each exporting country in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Lao PDR) has more production per person than each of the three rice-importing countries.
“But, surprisingly, the reason for higher per capita production in the exporters is not higher yield. In fact, the importing countries have higher overall yield than do the exporting countries, because a higher percentage of rice land is irrigated in the importing countries,” IRRI said.
“Rather, the exporting countries have much more rice area per person,” it said.
In theory, the reasons why the exporting countries might have more rice area per person could be that their land is more suited to growing rice (as opposed to other crops), cropping intensity (the number of crops planted per unit of agricultural area) is greater, more land is used for agriculture, or more land is available per person (low population density).
A common feature of the five rice-exporting countries is that they are all on the Southeast Asian mainland, while the importing countries are islands or peninsulas. The countries on the mainland have dominant river deltas that provide ample water and flat lands, which make it easier to control the water. Such an environment is suitable for cultivating rice.
The importance of geography can also be seen at subnational levels: southern Thailand, a narrow peninsula, produces insufficient rice to feed its population and must “import” from the rest of Thailand, while Central Luzon in the Philippines, fed by the Pampanga River, produces more than enough rice for its own needs and “exports” rice to Manila.
Other key rice importers in Asia are also islands or peninsulas: Japan, Korea, and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh is an exception, in that it is located on the mainland and devotes a large share of its crop area to rice, but the country is a small net rice importer because of its extraordinarily high population density, more than triple that of the Philippines (which has the highest density of the eight countries studied here).
Thus, in terms of achieving rice self-sufficiency, island countries like the Philippines have a natural disadvantage. Less of the land is suited to growing rice, including Ilocos region, CAR, Calabarzon, ARMM, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen.
“As a result, they cannot compete at the margin with the mainland rice exporters. On the best land, operating with the best technology, farmers in different countries are similar. But, the importing countries simply have less of that land than do the exporting countries,” IRRI added.
From world’s biggest importer to rice exporter
As of 2013, the Philippines was already at 97 percent self-sufficiency based on a study considering the interplay of rice production, per capita consumption and population. This was a significant improvement compared with the 82-percent sufficiency level in 2010.
Piñol said that under his leadership, the Philippines, which has been a net rice importer for the last 50 years, will be able to export rice again.
This objective is in spite of the fact that the Philippines is disadvantaged in rice production compared to major rice exporters like India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – all of which are countries drained by large rivers.
The country is also considered one of the most calamity prone nations with an average of 20 typhoons hitting the country annually. Rice production costs in the Philippines are also higher than in Thailand, Vietnam and India.
By end of the Duterte Administration, Piñol also said that the National Food Authority should have a buffer stock of at least six months at any given time, which would be more than 600 percent higher than what is required by law.
The state-run grains agency is required by law to have at least a 15-day buffer stock at any given time, and a 30-day buffer stock during lean months.
Piñol said he would ask for at least P30 billion additional budget for the DA for this year to be used as an immediate assistance and rehabilitation fund for the agriculture and fishery sectors, which were badly hit by El Niño.
He said that he already discussed the matter with incoming Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and that the additional funding would allow the farm sector to recover faster from the worst drought to hit the country in decades.
Piñol earlier said that at least 1 million hectares of new land planted with rice would be opened during his term. This would translate to an additional 4.8 million metric tons of rice, more than enough to cover the 1.8 million MT rice shortage annually.
Palay production is forecast to reach 18.15 million MT for 2016.
http://www.manilatimes.net/pinol-to-department-of-agriculture-rice-self-sufficiency-a-must-not-a-choice/271168/
07/01/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
Soybeans|
High
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Low
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Cash Bids
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1205
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1180
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New Crop
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1181
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1108
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Riceland Foods
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Cash Bids
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Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
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New Crop
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Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
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Futures:
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Soybean Comment
Soybeans gave back some of earlier gains today but still managed to
close up 59-cents on the week. Soybeans continue to move higher as strong
demand is providing most of the support for prices. While yesterday's report
showed larger acres and stocks strong demand continues to be the focus of the
soybean market. From a longer term perspective soybeans were again unable to
break through resistance near $11.65 and retest highs near 11.86; these levels
will remain the objective for soybeans moving forward.
|
High
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Low
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Cash Bids
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441
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411
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New Crop
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--
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--
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Futures:
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Wheat Comment
Wheat prices posted new contract lows today after a major selloff.
Market continues to feel pressure from yesterday's USTA reports which forecast
increased acreage and slightly larger than expected supplies. Demand remains a
major issue also with this market as exports and domestic demand remain
relatively weak. Wheat prices will need additional support from outside markets
before prices can sustain any significant rally.
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High
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Low
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Cash Bids
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--
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--
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New Crop
|
336
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243
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||
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High
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Low
|
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Cash Bids
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379
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354
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New Crop
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383
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336
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Futures:
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Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower again today as yesterday's bearish USDA
reports continue to weigh on prices. In addition to the bearish fundamentals
improving weather forecast had the market worried about the size of this year's
crop. Next weeks export inspections and sales will help set the near term tone
for the market, as trader wait to see if lower prices help spur additional
demand.
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Futures:
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Cotton Comment
Cotton futures recovered a bit from the initial reaction to the
production report. US acreage was reported at 10.023 million acres. That is up
from the March 1 Planting Intentions total of 9.562
million and last year's total of 8.85 million. The uptrend drawn off the
February low remains intact, with support currently around 63.64 cents. Better
exports last week gave the market a boost Thursday,
thanks to some weakness in the dollar. Weekly export sales were 58,700 bales
for 2015-2016 delivery and 138,300 for 2016-2017 delivery.
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High
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Low
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Long Grain
Cash Bids
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- - -
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- - -
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Long Grain
New Crop
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- - -
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- - -
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice futures are still absorbing the production estimate. USDA says
3.212 million acres of rice were planted nationwide. In Arkansas, the total is
a whopping 1.581 million acres: 1.43 million acres of long grain and 150,000
acres of medium grain. Crop conditions remain generally favorable, with 68% of
the crop rated good to excellent for the second week in a row. September
violated support at $10.70, and there is little technical support above $9.90.
Weekly export sales this week totalled 84,100 metric tons for 15-16 delivery.
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Futures:
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Feeders:
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Cattle Comment
Cattle prices ended lower today thanks in large part to profit
taking ahead of the long holiday. For the week live cattle ended up $2, while
feeders ended the week up $3. Since putting in lows on June 20th live cattle
are up $3, and feeders are up $8.
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Futures:
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Hog Comment
Rice
Leadership Class Completes Session II
By Chuck Wilson
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DU
President George Dunklin Jr. (far left) with members of the class
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MOLINE,
ILLINOIS - The 2016/18 Rice Leadership Development Program class began their
week of training in Chicago at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), where they
met with Fred Seamon, Senior Director, Commodity Research & Product
Development. Seamon provided an overview on using the CBOT as a tool to
reduce risk.
The
class also visited the world headquarters here of program sponsor John Deere
where they met with company executives and toured the combine factory.
"Seeing the planning and preparation that goes into the manufacturing of
the combines we use each fall to harvest our rice was awe-inspiring," said
Brandon Truax, a rice farmer from Gillett, Arkansas. "Everyone we met with
seemed genuinely interested in our opinions about the equipment we are now
using and prompted us to provide input and share our thoughts and experiences
as growers about the features and functions that are important to us in the
field."
This
is the second of four week-long sessions in the two-year leadership
program. It includes personal development workshops on presentation
skills, media training, and business etiquette. "Etiquette is not taught
in school any longer and I know I needed a refresher course. This review was
very beneficial for all of us," said Kristopher Riggs of Jonesboro,
Arkansas.
After
leaving the great mid-west area of the country, the class traveled to Arkansas
to study the state's rice farming practices and processing industries.
The itinerary included meetings with executives at Producers Rice Mill and
Riceland Foods, and a tour of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in
Stuttgart.
For
Sidney Robnett who farms in Stuttgart, the Research Center tour was a major
highlight. Robnett said, "I farm very close to the Research Station so it
was important to me to be able to finally tour the facility I've passed so many
times. Getting to spend time with Dr. Chuck Wilson was extremely valuable and I
appreciated being able to ask him questions about different varieties as well
as pick his brain about growing practices."
"I
really enjoyed the media communications training session that we had in Little
Rock," said Olivehurst, California farmer Michael Bosworth.
"Each member of the class chose a topic that they would be
interviewed about and Steve Powell, who put on the training, really grilled
each of us during the interview, as we were bring filmed. I think that
everyone in the class really learned a lot about how to handle an interview and
we saw the value of reinforcing the positive work we all do in the rice
industry."
From
Arkansas, the class traveled to Mississippi to tour Farmers Grain Terminal,
Inc. in Greenville, a regional grain marketing company serving over 2,900
producers/owners in the Mississippi delta, southeast Arkansas, and northeast
Louisiana.
The
seven class members are rice producers Michael Bosworth, Imran Khan, Allen
McLain, Sidney Robnett, Brandon Truax, and rice industry representatives are
Sunny Bottoms, with Horizon Ag, LLC, and Kristopher Riggs, with Anheuser-Busch.
The
Rice Leadership Development Program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec
Inc. and American Commodity Company through The Rice Foundation and is managed
by USA Rice.
USA Rice Daily, Friday, July 1, 2016
Nobel Lareates Hammer Greenpeace Over Golden Rice, GMO Opposition
July 1, 2016 4:58 PM
Golden Rice, pictured in the right hand, is
genetically modified to contain beta-carotene, the source of vitamin A. (Photo:
Golden Rice Project)
BERKELEY
(CBS SF) — A University of California, Berkeley scientist is among
the 100-plus Nobel laureates urging Greenpeace to halt its campaign against the
use of genetically engineered Golden Rice to address Vitamin A deficiencies in
developing nations.Randy Schekman, a professor of cell and developmental biology at the UC Berkeley and 2013 Nobel laureate, signed the laureates’ open letter to Greenpeace, the United Nations and international governments, released on Wednesday.
Schekman told CBS San Francisco via email Thursday that Greenpeace is “responsible in large measure for delays in the development and distribution of Golden Rice, through their concerted effort to challenge the application of biotechnology to any use in the agricultural sector.”
The laureates who signed the letter maintain that genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as genetically engineered foods, could help solve world hunger and malnutrition.
According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Program, global production of food, feed and fiber will need to more than double by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing global population.
But Greenpeace maintains that it is not blocking Golden Rice and claims even the International Rice Research Institute – a nonprofit group which has develop Golden Rice – has not found it to sufficiently address Vitamin A deficiency.
The letter, signed by 110 Nobel laureates argues that Greenpeace is leading the opposition campaign to “modern plant breeding” and went on to “urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against ‘GMOs’ in general and Golden Rice in particular.”
The laureates say genetically engineered foods are safe and that there isn’t a single confirmed case of a negative health outcome from consumption of GMO foods.
“Opposition based on emotion and dogma contradicted by data must be stopped. How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a “crime against humanity”? the laureates write in the letter.
In a rebuttal, Greenpeace said in a statement: “Accusations that anyone is blocking genetically engineered ‘Golden’ rice are false. ‘Golden’ rice has failed as a solution and isn’t currently available for sale, even after more than 20 years of research.”
March 24, 2014: Greenpeace, Organic farmers,
and consumer groups rally to urge the Philippines’ Agriculture Secretary
Proceso Alcala not to approve genetically modified Golden Rice for commercial
consumption. (Luis liwanag/Greenpeace)
Schekman
said one reason for the letter to Greenpeace was to counter the
organization’s claims that scientists are divided on the benefits and potential
dangers of GMO foods. Schekman maintains that the “vast majority of
professional life scientists … actively support this work and its use in
solving the world’s pressing needs.”According to the World Health Organization, around 250 million people suffer from Vitamin A deficiency globally and about 40 percent of those people are children under five years old in the developing world. Vitamin A deficiency is also the leading cause of childhood blindness, from which between 250,000 and 500,000 children suffer globally each year, WHO reports.
Stanford University professor and 2014 Nobel laureate William Moerner was among the laureates who signed the letter. He discussed Golden Rice and GMOs with young scientists last year, saying the use of Golden Rice “really could have an impact” on the global demand for food.
But skeptics of GMO agriculture, such as Prof. Marcello Buiatti with the Department of Genetics at the University of Florence cite concerns about the unknown long-term effects of using GMOs, such as the unknown implications of GMOs leaking into the environment through cross-pollination.
Other critics say the International Rice Research Institute may be heavily influenced by the private funding they have accepted from agricultural biotechnology corporations, including Bayer, Monsanto and Syngenta.
In addition, the International Rice Research Institute’s Golden Rice program was run from 2003 to 2013 by former Monsanto executive of 20 years, Gerard Barry.
The laureates’ letter came just two days before Vermont became the first U.S. state to require all GMOs be labeled as such.
While Vermont’s 2014 law took effect on Friday, federal legislation pending in Congress, if passed, could override Vermont’s labeling requirement with a more lenient national labeling standard.
By Hannah Albarazi – Follow her on Twitter: @hannahalbarazi.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/07/01/nobel-laureates-hammer-greenpeace-over-golden-rice-gmo-opposition/
LSU Rice Research Station enjoys good weather, crowds for field day
They start the tours early at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station’s annual field day. (You can see the shadows of tour participants from the early morning sun in the photo of Drs. Steve Linscombe and Adam Famoso that accompanies this article.)That’s because by mid-day it gets rather warm in the rice fields at the station near Crowley in Southwest Louisiana. Temperatures have been known to climb above 100 degrees with the relative humidity not far behind.
Heat wasn’t a factor at least for the early portion of this year’s event, and whether it was the cool northerly breeze for the first hour or so or the “hot-off-the-press” information being provided by LSU AgCenter researchers, the field day drew more than 500 farmers and industry members to the station on Wednesday (June 29).
“This is probably the largest crowd we’ve had for a number of years,” said Dr. Linscombe, who is resident director at the station and rice breeder for the LSU AgCenter. “We had more people that went on the field tour this year than we’ve had in a long time.
“That’s encouraging because it tells us people have an appreciation for the research that’s being done here at the station. We think we had a very good program out on the field tour. You know here at the station we have several what I’ll call ‘veteran scientists’ that have been around a while. But we also have a good mix of new young scientists that have brought a breath of fresh air. They’re very dedicated and doing a good job for us.”
Linscombe also cited the speakers for the indoor program at the field day as another draw for the field day. They included representatives of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, the LSU AgCenter, the USA Rice Federation, the Louisiana Farm Bureau and Cornell University.
‘Always an inspiration’
The presentation by Dr. Susan McCouch, professor in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell, was especially meaningful to Linscombe.“Dr. Susan McCouch is always an inspiration to me,” he said. “She traveled a long way to be with us, but she really does articulate what is coming down the road in the future efforts in rice variety development.”
Dr. McCouch, who published the first molecular map of the rice genome in 1988, said genomic research conducted during the past 25 years is just now having practical applications in plant breeding. The challenge now is to manage the huge amount of information being generated from the genetic work.
“There’s too much information for a single individual to make sense of it,” she said, adding researchers should consider the “Walmart approach” of using massive computer capacity to analyze and collect data. “I think the things that are coming will be exciting for all of you.”
She said she believes the Rice Research Station, which she called one of the “premier rice research facilities in the world,” will continue to play a major role in the future of rice production.
Dr. Linscombe said rice acres are up slightly in Southwest Louisiana, although rice prices are not where farmers would like them to be.
Price ‘bump’ needed
“The outlook is not real rosy on price,” he said. “We certainly could use a little bump in the price. The thing I tell our producers – and I’ve seen evidence of it several times in my career – it doesn’t take much for something to happen to cause rice prices to go up.“You don’t wish misfortune on anybody anywhere, but we live in such a dynamic world price-driven situation with rice that things can change pretty dramatically.” (Long-grain rice prices currently are projected at $11 per hundredweight and medium-grain rice is projected at $11.30, making both eligible for Price Loss Coverage under the 2014 farm bill.
(Michael Deliberto, agricultural economist with the LSU AgCenter, said the 440,000 acres of rice in Louisiana shows a significant decrease of medium-grain acreage by 54 percent and a 36 percent increase in long-grain acreage. Nationwide, rice acreage is 3.1 million acres this year, with the smallest medium-grain crop since 1986.)
“Our rice producers are a dedicated group,” said Linscombe. “Our rice acreage through good years and bad has remained relatively stable in Louisiana. I can’t overstate how important our checkoff funds are for us here. Our Rice Research Board that administers those funds does a great job on a volunteer basis, and we’re extremely appreciative of the support we have from our Louisiana rice industry.”
During his stop, Dr. Linscombe discussed the herbicide-resistant Provisia project he’s been working on for less than four years. Provisia seed from two lines that were selected during the breeding process at the Rice Research Station could be available for commercial production by 2018. The technology will be a good complement for Clearfield rice to manage red rice and other wild, weedy rice, he said.
Tank mix partners
Dr. Eric Webster, a LSU AgCenter weed scientist, is working to see how the Provisia herbicide reacts when tank mixed with other herbicides. “Every herbicide you could spray on a rice crop, we have mixed it with Provisia,” he said.Herbicides such as propanil, RiceBeaux, Grasp and Grasp Xtra, can become ineffective when they are mixed with Provisia.
Dr. Jim Oard, the LSU AgCenter hybrid rice breeder, said his hybrid rice program includes a Provisia line. “So far the material looks quite good,” he said
Another researcher, Dr. Dustin Harrell, AgCenter rice research agronomist and Extension rice specialist, is trying to determine the optimum amount of fertilizer and the seeding rate to use with the prospective Provisia lines.
For more information on the LSU AgCenter and its research efforts, visit www.LSUAgCenter.com.
Agricultural scientists urged to utilise govermnent schemes
Agriculture scientists and researchers must utilise various schemes initiated by the AIADMK government to take the state to greater heights in the agriculture sector, Agriculture Minister R Duraikannu said today.
Considering
this,scientists and researchers should work to develop new rice varieties with
increased productivity, yield and income, since paddy is mainly cultivated in
the state. (Reuters)
Agriculture
scientists and researchers must utilise various schemes initiated by
the AIADMK government to take the state to greater heights in
the agriculture sector, Agriculture Minister R Duraikannu said today.Speaking at the 46th Foundation day celebrations of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here,he said the government was taking all efforts to increase farmers’ income and come out with various technology-based schemes for their benefit.
Considering this,scientists and researchers should work to develop new rice varieties with increased productivity, yield and income, since paddy is mainly cultivated in the state.
With 2016 being the international year of pulses, agriculture scientists should also concentrate on bringing out high yield varieties, particularly Urad, which were in short supply, he noted.
Since farmers use oil seeds brought out by neighbouring states, TNAU should take steps to make available adequate seeds produced by it to the state’s farmers, he added.
Stating that Chief Miniser Jayalalithaa had waived farm loans worth Rs 5,800 crore after she assumed power for the second consecutive term, he said TNAU was allotted Rs 1,430 crore during 2011-16 for research and other activities.
Tamil Nadu Assembly deputy speaker, Pollachi V Jayaraman also participated in the function.
http://www.financialexpress.com/article/india-news/agricultural-scientists-urged-to-utilise-govermnent-schemes/303726/
All Roads Lead To… Krisjans Bistro
Curious Kitchen | 2016-07-01
by Martha Mukaiwa
All Roads Lead To… Krisjans Bistro
Love is
naming your bistro after your black and white Boston terrier. It's even truer when your establishment's statement wall boasts a series of black and white photographs of the playful pooch while its silhouette adorns the menu.
Canine crazy and named for the hallowed hound, thankfully the food at Krisjans Bistro looks nothing like the dog's breakfast.
Instead, the cuisine mimics the elegance of the AstroTurf shining bright green and drought damning in the centre of Wasserberg Park courtyard where a line of white chairs and wooden tables sit pretty under the shade of a sprawling tree.
Perfectly charming and hushed by the surrounding offices, Krisjans is a sweet spot for a quiet lunch, a solo Sauvignon Blanc or a giggling bite with your mother and sister.
The latter was the situation last Monday when we finally made our way to the place after much drooling at Krisjans' images on Facebook.
Though a kiwi and apple craft soda caught my eye from a jolly pink and white menu, alas, they were out of apples and my sense of adventure was relegated to a pull of cappuccino (N$20).
To eat, considering the appetite diminishing warmth of the winter sun, my order of the day was a chicken Caesar salad (N$60).
A satisfying recasting of the classic combo of romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, croutons and Parmesan cheese minus the eggs and anchovies and with a few slivers of radish and red onion.
This ordered not without inquiry as to their special for the day which was a chicken vindaloo curry with basmati rice and flatbread but has previously been such stirring suggestions as spinach pasta sheets, lamb ragu, feta and pasta and spicy Shakshouka eggs.
Serving breakfast from 07h30, light lunches until 17h00 as well as assorted cakes, bottomless rusks, sandwiches and a soup of the day, Krisjans presents delicious, fresh and wholesome eats with flair but could do with a smidge more training of their staff.
Slow on switch points and a little caught off guard by questions about the menu, Krisjans loses a point or two not because their staff isn't as sweet as the place in its entirety but because, when it comes to service, knowledge and efficiency is the charm.
Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a prettier and more polite place in the city.
Head here if you like your food wonderfully plated, fresh and affordable and your ambience sunny, quaint and quiet.
Krisjans Bistro is situated at '1 Jan Jonker Road within Wasserberg Office Park (opposite St Paul's) in Klein Windhoek. Follow them on Facebook or call 061 239107 for more information.
- martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on
Twitter and Instagram
Wheat rises on tight supply, increased offtake
Press Trust of India | New Delhi
July 1, 2016 Last Updated at 14:48 IST
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Wheat prices rose by up to Rs 25 per quintal at the wholesale
grains market today on increased offtake by flour mills against tight supplies
from producing belts.
However, maize met with resistance and ended lower. Traders said
increased offtake by flour mills against fall in arrivals from producing
regions mainly led to the rise in wheat prices. In the national capital, wheat
MP (Desi) and wheat dara (for Mills) edged up to Rs 2,300-2,850 and Rs
1,790-1,795 from previous levels of Rs 2,285-2,835 and Rs 1,765-1,770 per
quintal, respectively. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded higher at
Rs 1,795-1,800 against last close of Rs 1,770-1,775 per 90 kg.
On the other hand, maize fell further by Rs 25 to Rs 1,650-1,660
per quintal.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,300-2,850, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,790-1,795, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,795-1,800, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs
275, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 275, Roller flour mill Rs 930-960 (50 kg), Maida Rs
990-1,000 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super
Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,800-6,000, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs
4,700-5,650, Permal raw Rs 2,000-2,050, Permal wand Rs 2,175-2,250, Sela Rs
3,000-3,050 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,870-1,880, Bajra Rs 1,660-1,670, Jowar yellow Rs
1,900-2,000, white Rs 3,500-3,600, Maize Rs 1,650-1,660, Barley Rs
1,680-1,685http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/wheat-rises-on-tight-supply-increased-offtake-116070100507_1.html
Philippines could become rice exporter within 6 yrs -minister
"Rice could be a potential export commodity provided we lower the cost of production and increase productivity," Emmanuel Piñol told reporters.
The Southeast Asian nation is the world's No.3 importer of the grain, with rice accounting for about a quarter of the expenditure of its poor.
Frequent typhoons usually hit the country's rice production, forcing it to import any shortfall to feed its 100 million people.
Piñol also said the government aimed to boost its stocks of grains, including rice, to six months' worth of consumption at the end of President Rodrigo Duterte's six-year term that began on Thursday.
The current rice inventory buffer is 30 days during the lean harvest season from July to October.
The Philippines imports more than a million tonnes of rice a year, mostly from Thailand and Vietnam, although the new administration is aiming to make the country self-sufficient within two years.
Piñol reiterated that there is no need to import rice for now given ample supply.
Some 500,000 tonnes of rice which the state's National Food Authority bought from Vietnam and Thailand arrived in the first quarter.
Former President Benigno Aquino has given the agency standby authority to import an additional 500,000 tonnes if needed, although the current administration has said it will review those plans.
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Writing by Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Joseph Radford)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3669227/Philippines-rice-exporter-6-yrs-minister.html
Philippines
Could Become Rice Exporter Within 6 Years
Manila. The Philippines, one of the world's biggest
rice buyers, could start exporting the grain within the next six years, the
country's agriculture minister said on Friday (01/07).
"Rice
could be a potential export commodity provided we lower the cost of production
and increase productivity," Emmanuel Piñol told reporters. The Southeast
Asian nation is the world's No.3 importer of the grain, with rice accounting
for about a quarter of the expenditure of its poor
http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/se-asia/philippines-become-rice-exporter-within-6-years/
PM meets with
National Rice Policy Commission ahead of new planting season
BANGKOK, 1 July 2016 (NNT) – The Prime Minister
has convened a meeting of all relevant officials in preparation for the new
rice planting season as well as to discuss the large plot farm project coming
in under target.
Prime Minister
Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha has chaired a meeting of the National Rice Policy
Commission, which he stated was to discuss management matters ahead of the new
rice planting season as well as the world rice situation. At the gathering, the premier ordered that all
issues to do with rice and farming be gathered in line with the nation’s
economic policy, which he elaborated seeks to deal with the economic issues at
their source, mid-way point and end point. He noted that international factors
must also be considered to ensure sustainable development, adding that social
improvements are also key to enhancing the economy. He stated he wants to see
concrete results by 2017.
On the
government’s large plot farm project, authorities pointed out that rice growers
began planting their crops 1 month earlier than usual and many are still
experiencing a variety of hindrances making it difficult for several farm plots
to be assembled. At present, the project has only brought together 800,000 Rai
of rice farms out of a targeted 1 million Rai.
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/pm-prayut-meets-with-national-rice-policy-commission-ahead-of-new-planting-season/147248/
Indonesia 2015 rice output at 75.4 mln T, up from 2014
Fri Jul 1, 2016 3:05am GMT
JAKARTA, July 1 (Reuters)
- Indonesia's unmilled rice production in 2015 was 75.40 million tonnes, up
from 70.85 million tonnes in 2014, the statistics bureau said on Friday.
Corn
production last year was 19.61 million tonnes, up from 19.01 million tonnes in
2014.Soybean, output was around 983,180 tonnes in 2015, compared with 955,00 tonnes a year before.
The bureau, which is scheduled to give an estimate for this year's output on Friday, said it has yet to complete its survey for the size of Indonesia's plantation area in 2016. (Reporting by Nilufar Rizki and Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Joseph Radford
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFJ9N15X01K
Basmati rice to lose acreage due to fluctuation in price
The expected fluctuation in the price of Basmati rice is likely to
see the aromatic long-grain variety lose acreage this kharif season to the
common paddy, for which the government offers a minimum support price.
CHANDIGARH: The expected fluctuation
in the price of Basmati rice is likely to see the aromatic long-grain variety
lose acreage this kharif season to the common paddy, for which the government
offers a minimum support price.
Although there's stability in the price of Basmati, the high carryover stock of last year is expected to suppress prices in the coming months. With this in view, state agriculture departments are not encouraging sowing of basmati in the current season.
After farmers incurred heavy losses in basmati last year, Punjab's agriculture department is planning to reduce the area under the grain this year by 30-35% to 5 lakh hectares. It was 7.83 lakh hectares in the last season.
"We are not encouraging farmers to grow basmati after they failed to get remunerative price in the last season. We are strictly discouraging the 1509 variety. Less acreage is likely to boost income of farmers, unlike in the last year," Jasbir Singh Bains, director of Punjab agriculture, told ET. "Farmers have learnt that there are other profitable crops if prices are not adequate in basmati."
Experts said the possibility that the higher carryover stock of last season can suppress basmati prices in the current season is prompting most farmers to opt for normal paddy.
Although traders and rice millers are expecting a fall in area under basmati this season, they believe the decline will be nominal.
"We are not expecting a fall in area of more than 5-7% under basmati this year," said Rajen Sudershan, executive director of All-India Rice Exporters Association. "Two years ago, prices had jacked to Rs 3,000-4,500 per quintal due to the global scenario. It has given a wrong impression to farmers," he said. "In the last one year, prices have been affected by low price realisation in basmati exports."
Ashok Sethi, director of Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association, said the decline in area will be nominal. "The area will increase once transplantation picks up. It is too early to predict a major shift in basmati cropping," he said.
Haryana, the country's largest producer of basmati, is also likely to witness a fall in area as farmers look for assured MSP in normal rice. "The area under basmati could drop by 7-10% as farmers look for fixed income in normal rice," said officials in Haryana's agriculture department.
"Farmers barely fetched remunerative prices in basmati last year," said Maninder Singh, a Karnal-based farmer who opted for normal rice instead of basmati. Last season, farmers got about Rs 1600-1800 per quintal for basmati—down by more than half from the Rs 3,500 to 4,500 in 2014-15.
To bailout farmers after prices slumped, Haryana's state-owned agencies had bought the 1509 basmati variety in bulk. Out of 6 lakh metric tonnes of PUSA-1509 variety of paddy that had arrived in the mandis of Haryana, the government agencies procured 1.72 lakh metric tonnes.
Although there's stability in the price of Basmati, the high carryover stock of last year is expected to suppress prices in the coming months. With this in view, state agriculture departments are not encouraging sowing of basmati in the current season.
After farmers incurred heavy losses in basmati last year, Punjab's agriculture department is planning to reduce the area under the grain this year by 30-35% to 5 lakh hectares. It was 7.83 lakh hectares in the last season.
"We are not encouraging farmers to grow basmati after they failed to get remunerative price in the last season. We are strictly discouraging the 1509 variety. Less acreage is likely to boost income of farmers, unlike in the last year," Jasbir Singh Bains, director of Punjab agriculture, told ET. "Farmers have learnt that there are other profitable crops if prices are not adequate in basmati."
Experts said the possibility that the higher carryover stock of last season can suppress basmati prices in the current season is prompting most farmers to opt for normal paddy.
Although traders and rice millers are expecting a fall in area under basmati this season, they believe the decline will be nominal.
"We are not expecting a fall in area of more than 5-7% under basmati this year," said Rajen Sudershan, executive director of All-India Rice Exporters Association. "Two years ago, prices had jacked to Rs 3,000-4,500 per quintal due to the global scenario. It has given a wrong impression to farmers," he said. "In the last one year, prices have been affected by low price realisation in basmati exports."
Ashok Sethi, director of Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association, said the decline in area will be nominal. "The area will increase once transplantation picks up. It is too early to predict a major shift in basmati cropping," he said.
Haryana, the country's largest producer of basmati, is also likely to witness a fall in area as farmers look for assured MSP in normal rice. "The area under basmati could drop by 7-10% as farmers look for fixed income in normal rice," said officials in Haryana's agriculture department.
"Farmers barely fetched remunerative prices in basmati last year," said Maninder Singh, a Karnal-based farmer who opted for normal rice instead of basmati. Last season, farmers got about Rs 1600-1800 per quintal for basmati—down by more than half from the Rs 3,500 to 4,500 in 2014-15.
To bailout farmers after prices slumped, Haryana's state-owned agencies had bought the 1509 basmati variety in bulk. Out of 6 lakh metric tonnes of PUSA-1509 variety of paddy that had arrived in the mandis of Haryana, the government agencies procured 1.72 lakh metric tonnes.
