Sunday, December 01, 2019

2nd December,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


SDD Contributor on December 1, 2019 at 2:46 am
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — They had walked that once innocuous stretch of sidewalk side-by-side so many times. Every Friday, Yasir Amin and his dad had ambled along the path toward the mosque where they prayed together in peace, a routine so serene and so ordinary that Amin was nearly blinded by confusion when the man drove up with the gun.
Amin and his father, Muhammad Amin Nasir, were just 200 meters from the Al Noor mosque on Friday when everything went wrong. They had no idea that a white supremacist had just slaughtered at least 41 people inside the mosque‘s hallowed halls, or that more people would be killed at a second mosque soon after. All they knew was that a car that had been driving by had suddenly stopped. And a man was leaning out the car‘s window, pointing a gun at them.
“RUN!” Amin screamed.
The bullets began to fly. The men began to run. But at 67, Nasir couldn‘t keep up with his 35-year-old son. And so he fell behind, by two or three fateful steps.
Amid the blasts, Amin turned to scream at his father to get down on the ground. But his father was already falling.
The gunman drove away. A pool of blood poured from Nasir‘s body.
“Daddy!” Amin screamed. “Daddy! DADDY!”
Yasir Amin, 35-year-old, describes his run-in with the gunman in Friday‘s mass shootings Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Christchurch, New Zealand. (AP Photo/Kristen Gelineau)
Amin had never seen anyone shot before. He left Pakistan for Christchurch five years ago, and was embraced by a multicultural city that felt like the safest place on earth. His father, who farms vegetables, wheat and rice back in Pakistan, also fell for the leafy green city at the bottom of the world.
And so Nasir began making routine visits to see his son, sometimes spending up to six months in New Zealand before returning to Pakistan to tend to his crops. Nasir had been in town only three weeks for his most recent visit when he was shot three times on the street of the city he had adopted as a second home.
From the ground, Nasir stared up at his son, unable to speak, tears running down his face. Amin ran to his car to grab his phone and called the police. Officers quickly arrived, and soon the father and son were in an ambulance racing to the hospital.
Nasir had always been more than just a dad to Amin. When Amin was just 6, his mother died, leaving Nasir to raise him along with his four siblings. Nasir became both a father and a mother, a reliable source of laughter with a huge heart. He embraced Amin‘s new community of New Zealand friends as if they were his own family. And in turn, the community embraced Nasir — so much so, that it initially confused him.
The elder man was baffled by the constant chipper greetings of “Hello!” he received whenever he dropped Amin‘s children off at school. Why do they keep saying that to me? he asked his son. Amused, Amin explained that the locals were simply trying to welcome him, their own version of the Arabic peace greeting, “As-Salaam-Alaikum.”
Amin chuckled at the memory on Saturday, one day after he brought his father to the hospital. Nasir remains in an induced coma with critical injuries, though his condition has stabilized. The bullets pierced his shoulder, chest and back.
Like many other victims struggling to cope with the horrific events of Friday that left 49 dead, Amin made his way to Hagley College near the hospital. The college was serving as a community center for the grieving, and members of the public poured in with meals and drinks, doling out hugs and words of support to those in need.
Outside the college, Javed Dadabhai mourned for his gentle cousin, 35-year-old Junaid Mortara, who is believed to have died in the first mosque attack. As of Saturday, many families were still waiting to find out if their loved ones were alive.
“He‘s very punctual, so he would‘ve been there at a dime. He would‘ve been there at 1:30,” Dadabhai said, a reference to the time of the attack, which began soon after.
Mourners pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Saturday, March 16, 2019. New Zealand‘s stricken residents reached out to Muslims in their neighborhoods and around the country on Saturday, in a fierce determination to show kindness to a community in pain as a 28-year-old white supremacist stood silently before a judge, accused in mass shootings at two mosques that left dozens of people dead.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
His cousin was the breadwinner of the family, supporting his mother, his wife and their three children, ages 1 to 5. Mortara had inherited his father’s convenience store, which was covered in flowers on Saturday.
Mortara was an avid cricket fan, and would always send a sparring text with relatives over cricket matches when Canterbury was facing Auckland.
“The sad thing is he was actually due to come up to Auckland next weekend for a family wedding,” Dadabhai said. “We were due to have a catch-up. But I never knew a more shy, soft-spoken kind of person. … As cousins, you‘d kind of make fun of the fact when someone‘s so gentle like that, but he‘s leaving a huge void.”
The long wait for information on the status of the dead was particularly painful because Muslim tradition calls for burials within 24 hours of a person‘s death.
Dadabhai said the community was trying to be patient, because they understood there was a crime scene involved. “But it‘s hard, because until that happens, the grieving process doesn‘t really begin,” he said.
For some families, patience had worn thin by Saturday, and frustration erupted as they waited to find out the status of their relatives.
Ash Mohammed, 32, of Christchurch, pushed through a police barricade outside the Al Noor mosque Saturday morning, desperate for information, before police held him back.
“We just want to know if they are alive or dead,” he could be heard telling an officer at the barricade.
In an interview later, Mohammed said he was desperate for information about his brothers, Farhaj Ashashan, 30, and Ramazvora Ashashan, 31, and his father, Asif Vora, 56, who were all at the mosque on Friday.
“We just want to know, are they alive or not alive so we can start the funerals,” he said. “The hospital‘s not helping, cops not helping. Somebody has to help get the answers.”
As Amin waited and worried over the fate of his father, he was also focused on trying to protect the youngest members of his family. He and his wife have so far tried to shield their children from hearing about the attack. But on Friday, Amin‘s wife briefly turned on the news and an image of an ambulance popped onto the screen. Their 5-year-old son immediately dove under a table, assuming there was an earthquake. Christchurch, no stranger to disaster, suffered a devastating quake in 2011 that left 185 dead.
Though his relatives back in Pakistan now fret that New Zealand is too dangerous, Amin believes Christchurch is the safest place in the world. And he hopes that his funny, fiercely loving father will pull through, so they can immerse themselves once again in the friendly hellos and the peaceful Friday prayers they have long cherished.
Farid Ahmed, center, a 59-year-old survivor of the Friday mosque attacks, talks with other relatives outside an information center for families, Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Christchurch, New Zealand. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Like Amin, Farid Ahmed refuses to turn his back on his adopted home. Ahmed lost his 45-year-old wife, Husna Ahmed, in the Al Noor mosque attack, when they split up to go to the bathroom. The gunman livestreamed the massacre on the internet, and Ahmed later saw a video of his wife being shot dead. A police officer confirmed she had passed away.
Despite the horror, Ahmed — originally from Bangladesh — still considers New Zealand a great country.
“I believe that some people, purposely, they are trying to break down the harmony we have in New Zealand with the diversity,” he said. “But they are not going to win. They are not going to win. We will be harmonious.”

AIADMK demands judicial probe into SI’s death in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY , NOVEMBER 30, 2019 23:02 IST

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PM Imran announces measures to curb smog, improve air quality

Dawn.comUpdated November 30, 2019
Description: Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing a press conference in Lahore on Saturday. — DawnNewsTV
Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing a press conference in Lahore on Saturday. — DawnNewsTV
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced the government's decision to take concrete measures to curb air pollution in the country.
The announcement came after a meeting was chaired earlier in the day by the prime minister and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on smog and environmental issues in Lahore.
Addressing a press conference in the evening, the premier expressed regret that over the past 10 years, a 70 per cent decline had been witnessed in the number of trees in the city.
"A 70 per cent drop in tree cover has meant far-reaching consequences," he said.
He said that with a dense tree cover, pollution particles are absorbed by the leaves. And with them being cut, the city had faced a great loss.

The government's anti air pollution measures at a glance:
1.    Oil that meets EU's Euro-4 emission standard will now be imported. By the end of 2020, a shift will be made to oil that meets the Euro-5 emission standard.
2.    Oil refineries will be given a three-year warning period to improve the quality of oil produced. If they fail, they will be shut down.
3.    The auto industry will be asked to shift towards electric vehicles. All buses will either be hybrid, electric or CNG-based.
4.    Imported machinery will assist farmers to make use of the post-harvest rice crop, rather than burn it.
5.    Brick kilns will be given financial aid to use zigzag technology which is environmentally friendly.
6.    Import duties on scrubbers will be removed so air pollution from steel factories can be curbed.
7.    An urban forestry initiative in Lahore will see tree plantation over 60,000 kanals of land.

The premier noted that while crop burning in India and Pakistan as well as smoke from factories and brick kilns are all contributing factors to air pollution, the biggest contributor is vehicular smoke.
"What adds the most to air pollution is transport. [To combat] this, we have made certain decisions," he said.
He said that Pakistan relies on 50-60 per cent of imports for oil and currently imports oil that meets the European Union's Euro 2 emission standard. "We have decided we will import a more clean (environmental friendly) oil, [which will meet] the Euro 4 standard."
"[This Euro 4 compliant oil] has fewer chemicals which pollute the air. By the end of 2020, we will shift to the Euro 5 emission standard. We feel this will have a 90 per cent impact on the quality of air."
He said that the decisions had been made after a detailed meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on petroleum division, Nadeem Babar.
Announcing other measures, the prime minister said that oil refineries will be given a period of three years to improve the quality of oil produced. "The quality they are producing has a lot of pollutants."
"If they do not move towards producing cleaner oil in this time, we will shut them down," warned the premier.
He also announced that the government had decided to shift the focus of the auto industry towards electric vehicles. "We are holding talks with the car industries, because they have certain reservations."
The prime minister said that an incentive policy will be introduced in 2020. He said the new government policy will lay special emphasis on buses.
"The buses that run across our cities will either be hybrid vehicles or electric. Or, we may insist on CNG, like in Delhi, where they run buses only on CNG."
Speaking of the practice whereby farmers burn rice crop after its harvest, the premier said that imported machinery will be brought in which will facilitate the farmers to make use of the post-harvest crop, making it possible for it to be sold. This will ensure that there is no need to burn the crop, drastically reducing the air pollution caused otherwise.
He then spoke of steel factories and brick kilns, "which are the main sources of the hazardous, fine air particles known as PM2.5".
The prime minister said that import duties on scrubbers will be removed, so that the steel factories can purchase them. Scrubbers are systems that use liquid (typically water) to remove particulates from industrial exhaust streams.
He said that similarly, brick kilns, will be financially aided by the government to use zigzag technology which will reduce air pollution.
Turning to Lahore, he said that an urban forestry initiative will be undertaken in the city. "We have identified 60,000 kanals of land where we will grow trees so they can clean the city's air."
"The impact will be slow. These are steps which should have been taken 20 years ago but no one bothered," said the prime minister, adding: "We feel that every year people should see an improvement (in air quality). And in three years a significant difference will be seen."
The prime minister recognised that Lahore is not the only city suffering from high levels of pollution. "It is an issue in Karachi, in Peshawar, in Pindi. This issue (of pollution) will greatly affect our future generations if we do not take steps to combat it today."
"Pollution is a silent killer, unlike when you witness an accident or a murder. And it is very dangerous," he said, regretting that Pakistan has now reached the top in the list of most polluted cities.

Flour price up and fuel, others stable in Kabul

Description: img


(MENAFN - Pajhwok Afghan News) KABUL ok): The price of four increased while that of other items stayed stable in capital Kabul during the outgoing week, markets sources said Saturday.
Mohammad Samim, a wholesaler in Kabul's Mandavi Market, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the price of a 49-kilogram bag of Kazakhstani flour increased from 1,650 afghanis to 1,670 afghanis during the week.
Factors behind growing flour price
Samim cited ban and high tax on flour imports from  Pakistan by the Afghan government and hike in flour price in Kazakhstan as reasons behind the surge in rates.
However, the prices of other items remained steady.
Samim said 49kg of Pakistani sugar cost 1,920afs, 24kg of Pakistani rice 2,200afs, 16 liters of Khurshid ghee 1,130 afs, a kilogram of Indonesian green tea 300afs and the same quantity of African black tea 320afs, the same rates of last week's.
Ahmad Mustafa, who owns a grocery store in Taimani area of Kabul, sold a 50-kg sack of Kazakhstani flour for 1,750afs, a 49-kg bag of sugar for 2,000afs, 24-kg of Pakistani rice 2,500afs a 16-litre tin of ghee for 1,200afs, one-kg of Indonesian green tea for 320afs and the same amount of black African tea for 360afs—higher than wholesale rates.
Fuel rates also remained unchanged
Abdul Hadi, a worker at Wazirabad Fuel Station in Kabul, said that the price of a liter of petrol was 51afs and the same quantity of diesel 48afs.
Mohammad Akram, a liquefied gas seller in Taimani area of Kabul city, said that the price of a kilogram of the commodity was 50afs.
Haji Fawad Ahmad Salehzada, a jeweler in Timor Shahee area of Kabul, told Pajhwok that the price of one gram of Arabian gold was 30,50afs and the same quantity of Russian variety 2,450afs, the same rates of last week's.
US dollar and Pakistani rupee pick up slightly against afghani
Haji Mir Hussian Sadaqat, a moneychanger at the Money Exchange Service in Sara-i-Shahzada, said one US dollar was accounted for 78.75afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees for 499afs against last week's 78.10afs and 493afs.
Pk/ma
MENAFN3011201901740000ID1099349702

AMRI Set To Work On Four Machines For Rice Crop

 

MULTAN, Dec 1 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Dec, 2019 ) ::Agriculture Mechanization Research Institute (AMRI) in collaboration with Punjab Agriculture (Extension) Department is working for preparing cost effective four different machines for rice crop.
According to AMRI officer Abdul Aaleem, Federal and Provincial governments were working to enhance wheat, rice, sugarcane and oil seed production. In line with a project, four different machines for rice crop would be prepared at AMRI.
The machines includes rice planters of two different types, rice raising nursery machine, rice remains shredder machine.
The agriculture department would import these machines soon and hand over these machines to AMRI department. The AMRI, through its reverse engineering, would make cost effective machines. The farming community is faced with severe shortage of labour. The machines would help address the issue of labour shortage. The agriculture department completed file work for importing the machines.
About AMRI achievements in past, Abdul Aaleem said the institute was undertaking Research & Development for low cost and appropriate agricultural machinery and farm mechanization technologies which consist of different sections i.e. design & development, fabrication, test & field research, agronomy and instrumentation.
The institute is providing industrial extension service to the local agricultural machinery manufactures for production of standardized and quality machinery. It also imparts technical guidance to farmers for proper selection, operation and maintenance of agricultural machinery and equipment.
He maintained that AMRI said that AMRI had developed over 120 cost effective agriculture machines so far since its inception from 1978.
Out of locally developed over 120 machines, nearly 49 machines had become commercial, he said and added that developed machines were identified as Seed Cleaner/Grader, Rabi Drill, Cultivator Drill, Dry sowing/Runner Drill, Rota Drill, Thresher, Wheat straw Chopper Drill, Rota Drill, Thresher, mobile Bhoosa Baler, Seed Delinter, Seed Treater, Kharif Drill, Precision Planter, Cotton Ridge with Fertilizer, Bed and Furrow shaper planter, Rotary Slasher, Root Digger, Intercultural Toolbar, Sugarcane Ridger, Sugarcane planter, Stubble Shaver, Axial Flow Pump, Sprinkle Gun, Vegetable Ridger, Potato Planter, Rotary Potato Digger, Post hole digger, Fruit Picker, Potato Digger Shaker, Mango Hot water treatment plant, Vegetable nursery transplanter, Maize Sheller, Self Leveling Boom Sprayer, Orchard Sprayer, Fertilizer Broadcaster, Fodder Cutter, Fodder Chopper, Mango pruner and some others.

Lahore looks for answers amid ‘air apocalypse’

LAHORE: When black smoke from burning rice stubble in nearby India swept into Lahore – one of Pakistan’s largest and wealthiest cities – earlier this month, outraged residents declared an “air apocalypse” and the provincial government shut down schools. But even the city’s own thick autumn smog – driven in large part by emissions from polluting vehicles – is becoming a significant threat to health and basic rights, residents and human rights groups warn.

“Air pollution … claims tens of thousands of lives, devastates the health of millions, and denies other rights, like the right to education, when children cannot go to school,” said Omar Waraich, South Asia campaigns director for Amnesty International. “This is a human rights crisis,” he said. This autumn, Lahore’s worsening air quality has led it to overtaking New Delhi on some days as the most polluted city in the world, according to the community-led Pakistan Air Quality Initiative.

“Both Lahore and Delhi now have a similar number of days of very unhealthy or hazardous air pollution” said Abid Omar, a founder of the non-profit initiative. Since October, the city of more than 10 million has been engulfed most days by a smoky, chemical haze that is relieved only briefly when it rains. Warmer air layers above the cooler air at ground level act like a lid that keeps the pollutants close to the ground, according to Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.
Across the city, many residents now wear disposable anti-pollution masks – but they are a poor fit for the faces of vulnerable young children, residents say. Air quality is so bad that it exceeds even the worst ratings of the World Health Organization, said Attiya Noon, an air quality activist in Lahore and the mother of three young children. Pollution “is now beyond the index” – which means serious consequences for the city’s health, said Noon, a member of the Punjab government’s newly set up Smog Committee.

The committee was hurriedly established earlier this month when air quality levels became so hazardous in Punjab’s capital that schools had to be shut down three times, and social media channels erupted with outrage. The smog group now aims to find both immediate and longer-term ways to reduce pollution. Mahbina Waheed, a Lahore entrepreneur and another member of the committee, said the creation of the group was one sign the provincial government was taking the problem seriously. “With the last government we felt we were helpless and were spiraling into this abyss with all the focus on building new roads. Now with this new government we can raise our voices and they are heard,” she said.

More monitoring
One of the quick fixes the activists are proposing is to require students to ride buses to school, rather than arriving in many more individual cars. Countries such as China and Iran have used school closures as a way of curbing smog emergencies, Noon noted. Malik Amin Aslam, an advisor to the country’s prime minister on climate change, attended early meetings of the Smog Committee and said Lahore needed “more high-quality air monitoring stations and actionable data.”

New Delhi, he said, has 37 official air monitoring stations, while Lahore has just four. The World Bank plans to provide 30 new monitors in Pakistan, including 10 in Lahore, with the aim of having them in place within six months, he said. The biggest driver of the city’s pollution, Aslam said, is vehicles, which contribute 43 percent of the smog. Burning of crop stubble, steel manufacturing furnaces and brick kilns are other major sources, he said.

Omar, of the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, said mandating the use of cleaner fuels should be a top priority. “While closing schools or low weekend traffic have a marginal impact, our transportation and industrial sectors never sleep,” he said. Aslam said he would take up fuel standards with the country’s oil ministry and urge them to import higher quality diesel. He said he also planned to introduce vehicle inspection systems in Punjab province in coming months to keep a check on polluting vehicles.

As well, Pakistan’s cabinet recently passed a new electric transport policy, which aims to shift 30 percent of vehicles on the country’s roads to electric power by 2030. Aslam said the World Bank also plans to provide $55 million to help Punjab steel and brick plants shift to cleaner technologies, and to help farmers find alternatives to burning crop residues by next year.

‘Unlivable’ cities?
Effectively cutting emissions, however, will also require better city planning, said Mome Saleem, executive director of the new Islamabad-based Institute of Urbanism. The most densely populated and least well-planned cities are the ones with the most serious smog problems, she said – and as people flock to already congested cities Pakistan will see more of air pollution threats. “We need a proper urban policy or else our cities will become unlivable,” she warned.
Waraich, of Amnesty International, said governments in too many smog-hit South Asian cities “seem content to ride out of the months of the smog season” rather than “enforce clear limits on pollutants and punish those responsible for poisoning the air”. “The failure to take these steps is a human rights violation,” he said.

Waheed, the Smog Committee member, said she had installed an air quality monitor in her home, connected to the Air Visual mobile phone app. The app gives residents an indication of air quality around the city – and has helped back the campaign to clean up Lahore’s air. “Clean air was something we took for granted and now it has become the most cherished commodity,” she said. – Reuters


Stanford University Research finds Rice Yields may fall by 40% in 2100 Due to Climate Change



research conducted by Stanford University revealed that climate change will lead to increased levels of arsenic in rice and the rice yield may fall by 40% in 2100.
The Study on Rice Yields and Arsenic
Stanford University Research derived the results by growing a medium-sized variety of rice in the California rice-growing region (Sacramento Valley). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse. The researchers set carbon dioxide levels twice as the present levels and increased the temperature by five degrees Celsius. The researchers selected these conditions as projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Description: https://www.grainmart.in/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Stanford-University-1024x316.png Rice Arsenic Level and Rice Yields in Year 2100 – Stanford University Research
Result
Stanford University Research found that increased temperature makes the crop to take up more than required arsenic levels from the soil. The problem worsens with irrigation as plants take up more of this semi metal. Besides, the over-pumping of groundwater (arsenic-contaminated) in the future will lead to destabilization of the microorganism that decides whether the arsenic will remain in the soil or taken up by the plant. As a result, the rice will uptake a greater amount of toxic arsenic from soil. It will come in the nutrient absorption of rice thus constraining its growth. Hence the prediction of a 40% decline in rice production.
Increased consumption of arsenic poses several health concerns to humans. It can aggravate lung diseases, skin contusion, cancer, and even death. Many crops have a certain amount of arsenic but increased levels can cause the above-mentioned problems.
Future
Rice is the staple diet for almost half of the world’s population. It is fed as the first food to infants as it is low on allergens. The fact that this grain can become dangerous for consumption is worrisome. The scientists consider this result as a sign of early warning. They expect that the advancement in seed technology will bring a variety of rice that will fight this problem. They also revealed that the society must adopt measures that would decrease the chances of increased temperature and carbon dioxide levels in the future.
Description: https://www.grainmart.in/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Stanford-University-Research.pngStanford University Research on Climate Change Year 2100
To conclude, the Stanford University Research made us aware of what waits for us in the future and the need to take immediate steps.

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HKU Plant Scientists Identify New Strategy to Enhance Rice Grain Yield

OsACBP2-overexpressing (OE) rice plants produce bigger grains (A) and higher biomass (B). OE-1, OE-3, OE17 and OE-21 are four independent OsACBP2-OE transgenic rice lines. VC, vector-transformed control. ZH11, Zhonghua11 wild type. Scale bar = 1 cm.
(*statistically different from the control)
Rice provides a daily subsistence for about three billion people worldwide and its output must keep pace with a growing global population. In light of this, the identification of genes that enhance grain yield and composition is much desired. Findings from a research project led by Professor Mee-Len Chye, Wilson and Amelia Wong Professor in Plant Biotechnology from the School of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), with postdoctoral fellows Dr Guo Zehua and Dr Shiu-Cheung Lung, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary and Rothamsted Research (UK), have provided a new strategy to enhance grain yield in rice by increasing grain size and weight. The research results have been published in The Plant Journal and an international patent has been filed (Patent Application No. WO 2019/104509).
In this technology, the research group led by Professor Chye has identified a protein, ACYL-COA-BINDING PROTEIN2 (OsACBP2) from rice (Oryza sativa), that when overexpressed in transgenic rice, will enhance grain size and weight by 10% and elevate grain yield (Image 1). The biomass of the OsACBP2-overexpressing transgenic rice grains exceeded the control by over 10%. OsACBP2 is a lipid-binding protein that binds lipids such as acyl-CoA esters, the major precursors in seed oil production. Oil was observed to accumulate in the transgenic rice grains (Image 2). OsACBP2 is promising not only in enhancing grain size and weight, but also in improving nutritional value with a 10% increase in lipid content of rice bran and whole seeds (Image 3).
As OsACBP2 contributes to boosting oil content as well as size and weight in transgenic rice grains, an application of this technology in rice is expected to benefit agriculture by increasing grain yield and composition to satisfy the need for more food. Professor Chye said: “Increasing grain size and yield, besides rice bran and seed lipid content, in crops such as rice is an important research area that aligns with the aspirations of Dr Wilson and Mrs Amelia Wong on the use of plant biotechnology for a sustainable future. Furthermore, as rice bran oil is considered highly valuable because it contains bioactive components that have been reported to lower serum cholesterol and possess anti-oxidation, anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergic inflammation activities, this technology, if applied to other food crops, would not only help address food security but also elevate nutritional properties in grains.”
This research project was funded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong and the Wilson and Amelia Wong Endowment Fund.
The paper:
‘The overexpression of rice ACYL-CoA-BINDING PROTEIN2 increases grain size and bran oil content in transgenic rice’ by Zehua Guo, Richard P Haslam, Louise V Michaelson, Edward C Yeung, Shiu-Cheung Lung, Johnathan A Napier, Mee-Len Chye in The Plant Journal.
Link to journal paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14503
/Public Release. View in full here.


Staples, nutrition and bureaucratic red-tape

Description: https://assetsds.cdnedge.bluemix.net/sites/default/files/styles/very_big_1/public/feature/images/ed_2_207.jpg?itok=msHrSGpL
Regular rice next to Golden Rice. PHOTO: IRRI
Bangladesh is on the verge of making one of the most important decisions in the history of GM crops: it may become the first country to commercialise and grow golden rice.
This miracle crop promises to save lives and prevent blindness in children. Packed with beta carotene in the yellow grains that inspire its name, golden rice holds the potential to wipe out the Vitamin-A deficiencies that have caused so much suffering in the developing world.
The toll is enormous: an estimated one million people die each year because they don’t have enough Vitamin A in their food. Most of them are children. An additional half million people go blind.
I have observed poverty, malnutrition and disease up close here in the Philippines, where I am a farmer who grows corn and rice. More than one in five of my fellow Filipinos live in dire poverty. The situation is even worse in Bangladesh. Its per-capita GDP is about half of what we enjoy in the Philippines.
Poverty is a root cause of malnutrition and malnutrition gives rise to any number of severe problems with long-term consequences. It can stunt growth in every nightmarish way, from physical stature to mental capacity. In the worst cases, it kills.
The good news is that golden rice would fuel the consumption of Vitamin A in poor countries where rice is a staple food. Its regulatory approval would keep people alive and their vision intact. All they would have to do is keep eating the rice-based meals just like they do today.
Science shows that golden rice is safe. We have studied it for two decades. Regulators in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States have accepted it—but hardly anybody in those countries needs golden rice. They get enough Vitamin A in their diet so there is no commercial market.
The situation is different in Asia. Here, golden rice would help hundreds of millions of people in countries such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Bangladesh and the Philippines would also benefit, which is why scientists in our two countries have studied golden rice and pushed for its commercialisation.
Several weeks ago, word got out that Bangladesh would make an important announcement about golden rice on November 15. Anticipating its regulatory approval, media around the world prepared for its coverage. Would Bangladesh indeed become the first developing nation to accept this GMO? Would other countries then follow its example, approving the crop for their own farmers to grow and consumers to eat?
Yet November 15 came and went without an announcement. Perhaps a decision will arrive next week, or maybe next month. We just don’t know. We remain right where we have been, stuck in the maddening limbo of recognising a bad problem, knowing a specific solution, and doing nothing.
The reasons behind Bangladesh’s delay are unclear, but it’s easy to speculate about the political pressures its policymakers face. Here in the Philippines, poorly informed environmental activists destroyed a golden rice testing site in 2013. Beholden to an ideology that refuses to tolerate scientific inquiry, they launched a violent attack on a tool that can fight malnutrition—and their extreme tactics unfortunately have succeeded in delaying the approval of golden rice.
I have planted GM corn on my farm for years. I prefer these crops because they have protected my crops from pests that would have destroyed it, allowing me to grow more food on less land. It is good for the environment, as well as the food security situation of my country. It is also good for me as a farmer. The extra income has helped me pay for the education of my children.
I would love to have the opportunity to plant golden rice—and I am hoping that an approval in Bangladesh would lead to an approval in the Philippines.
A new book by Ed Regis—a science writer with a doctorate in philosophy—makes a persuasive case for this innovative crop. “The effects of withholding, delaying, or retarding golden rice development through overcautious regulation has imposed unconscionable costs in terms of sight and lives lost,” he writes in “Golden Rice: The Imperilled Birth of a GMO Superfood,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
It’s time to stop the suffering of our peoples and grow golden rice. I am hopeful that Bangladesh would do the right thing and show us the way.
Rosalie Ellasus is a first-generation farmer and public servant, growing corn and rice in San Jacinto, Philippines.

Best small cities to relocate to in the world


Time for a change? One of these lesser known cities could be the perfect place for you. 
Many of us dream of relocating. The promise of new opportunities, the adventure of a new place, the charms of experiencing a new culture – it all sounds pretty dreamy, doesn’t it?
And its benefits are backed up by science, too. A team of social scientists from Rice University, Columbia University and the University of North Carolina conducted six studies with 1,874 participants that involved a mixture of online panels and asking individuals from international MBA programs to complete surveys about living abroad, and found multiple benefits from living abroad.
If their study is anything to go by then making a move abroad could be one of the kindest things you ever do for yourself. From decreased levels of stress, improved job performance, greater life satisfaction, and a greater relationship with yourself, living away from home offers a lot of rewards.
But where to move? Of course, there’s the obvious choices like capital cities such as Paris, New York or Berlin – but for some people these might feel a little overwhelming and, well, touristy. 
Sunrise in Salzburg doesn't look to bad, does it?
Monocle is famous for its expertly researched city guides which manage to sniff out the coolest places, usually known only to locals. So, when the brand announced it had come up with a list of the best small cities in the world to move to, we were intrigued.
After noting how technology has encouraged more people to work remotely and that the soaring price of living in a capital city has meant the millennial generation is being priced out and forced to look for other options, Monocle enlisted correspondents, editors and researchers to analyse elements such as the quality of public transport, rail and air connections and progressive local government.
“We kept noticing that our readers were moving to the likes of Porto and Boulder and creating busy, better lives for themselves. This survey shows why people are voting with their feet and ambitions,” says Monocle Editor, Andrew Tuck.
The list features spots from all over the world including France, Canada and Japan. The UK also features, with the Monocle team heralding Bath as the spot to move to over London, but the winner is Lausanne in Switzerland thanks to its diversity, fantastic nightlife and its beautiful architecture (think stone buildings with shutters in soft green, chalky blue and dove grey).
Scroll down to find out 12 smaller cities that are better to move to than a capital.
1. Lausanne, Switzerland
2. Boulder, USA
3. Bergen, Norway
4. Hobart, Australia
5. Chigasaki, Japan
6. Bolzano, Italy
7. Bordeaux, France
8. Innsbruck, Austria
9. Porto, Portugal
10. Aachen, Germany
11. Reykjavik, Iceland
12. Savannah, USA

CRISPR used to edit rice DNA as defense against pathogen

November 30, 2019
Bacterial blight attacks rice crops in Southeast Asia and West Africa. It is a very well-studied crop disease, and it often serves as a model system to examine the interactions between microbes and their host plants. The pathogen is called Xoo, for Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae, and it makes its living by hijacking a number of rice genes that export sugars.
Now, researchers have figured out how to edit the rice‘s genome to block this hijacking.

A TALe of sugars

Xoo secretes TALes (transcription activator-like effector molecules) that bind to the DNA near the rice‘s SWEET genes, activating them. These SWEET genes (Sugars Will Eventually Be Exported Transporters) are ubiquitous in plants. As their name indicates, the SWEET proteins transport sucrose across the cell membrane. Their expression is required for susceptibility to Xoo.
Researchers thought that modifying the rice SWEET genes would confer resistance to Xoo, especially since natural-occurring resistance has arisen this way. But thus far, only a few Xoo strains have been characterized genetically, so it wasn‘t clear whether it had additional ways of attacking its host.
In order to see how to most efficiently render the rice resistant to Xoo—which of the rice‘s SWEET genes to change, and how—an international team of scientists first examined 63 strains of Xoo, 33 from Asia and 30 from Africa. All of them were found to use TALes to induce the expression of SWEET genes.
As a proof of concept, the scientists then used CRISPR to edit the DNA near three SWEET genes in Kitaake rice. This editing specifically targeted the DNA sequences that the TALe proteins stick to but left the surrounding DNA intact. It‘s far more specific than could be expected to occur simply by selecting for naturally occurring variants.
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The engineered rice was resistant to all known Xoo strains. The Kitaake cultivar is a variety of japonica rice that is optimal for such studies since it has a quick flowering cycle and high regeneration. In the future, this new resistant line can serve as a diagnostic test to assess the virulence of any new Xoo strains that crop up.

Testing on crops

Since it is a variety of japonica, it can also be harnessed to breed the resistant trait into Japanese and Chinese rice. But it is not ideal for breeding with the indica varieties that are grown in most of Southeast Asia and Africa.
So next the team used CRISPR to modify two rice mega varieties—those grown over a million hectares. In paddy experiments, the edited rice grew normally and performed much like its unmodified parents in terms of plant height and other agriculturally relevant metrics. Critically, it was resistant to three representative strains of Xoo. Although encouraging, the researchers note that these results hardly provide a sound base for going out and planting fields of the stuff; much more extensive field trials are required, along with complete sequencing to ensure that CRISPR did not generate any off-target DNA edits.
Rice has over 20 SWEET genes, and only three are naturally targeted by Xoo. “Broad resistance to bacterial blight at the SWEET promoters will not prevent adaptation of the pathogen, and the durability of this approach will depend on the ability of Xoo populations to adapt to recessive resistance alleles,” the authors sagely note. They suggest that making large changes in the SWEET gene promoters might delay Xoo‘s ability to overcome the engineered resistance.
Nature Biotechnology, 2019. DOI: ().


How the grain processor is boosting farmers

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30 2019
    
Description: A catalogue of bread on display after value
A catalogue of bread on display after value addition in Kawanda. Photos by Lominda Afedraru. 

In Summary

·       Grain farmers from Masindi, Oyam and Jinja will be the first beneficiaries to use the multi-million value addition processor plant. At a pocket friendly fee, farmers will be able to bake cakes, cornflakes, bread and flour among others, writes Lominda Afedraru.
By Lominda Afedraru
It is no longer business as usual where agricultural scientists at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) stop at developing products at the research station to be disseminated to farmers by other stakeholders but they have taken it to agro food processing level.
One such initiative is where scientists at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) in Kawanda have gone ahead to process food products at the incubation centre ready for distribution in the market. They are teaming up with the Korean Food Research Institute (KFRI) and Korean International Agricultural Development Institute who donated to the incubation centre equipment worth Shs2.4b. The initiative is under a two year project implemented jointly with NaRL and the Ministry of Agriculture where the scientists are training incubatees as well as processing agro food products from maize mill, soy mill and rice flour ready for marketing.
The head of the food biosciences laboratory at NaRL, Dr Kephas Nuwakunda, explains that the initiative is to improve food and nutritional security through transferring technology advancement knowledge to food processors.
The director of KFRI, Dr Kum Jum explains that food processing is now a key essential for food security because there is value added to what is consumed and it is the reason the Korean government is investing in such a project.
To him in Uganda agriculture research work is not yet industrialised and so the need for scientists to engage in processing high quality nutritious food for the local market through using advanced technology. The team has embarked on profiling agribusiness farmers and actors growing rice maize and soy bean in the districts of Jinja, Oyam and Masindi and are encouraging them to participate in processing the crops they are growing in order to earn increased income.
The plant
Dr Nuwakunda explains that the processing plant contains a set of machinery ranging from grainer cleaner, rice destoner to remove unwanted gravels, milling machine, mixer which is used to mix the processed flour of soy mill, rice and maize as well as mixing granules of maize with soy to come up with extruded cornflakes and other snacks.
In the production room there is humidifying mixer, extruder, cooling conveyors, harmer mill, ribbon mixer and roaster machine. There is also the packaging machine which is used to measure and package the processed food items.
The major machinery in the plant is the extrusion machine where the mixed ingredients are forced through and opening in a perforated plate through the extruder.
Description: A machine operator picks bread from the slicing
A machine operator picks bread from the slicing section
The extruder consists a rotating screw tightly fitted within a stationery barrel.
The ingredients for this case are the mixture of granule maize with soy mill which is taken through a conditioner where water and other ingredients such as sugar and potassium are added.
The mixture is then passed through the extruder which puffs and produces cornflakes. This means the cooking takes place within the extruder while moulding the mixture which is cut in the desired blades.
Products
The scientists are so far processing precooked porridge flour from soy, maize and rice which is used for making porridge. Already they have entered a Memorandum of Understanding with an NGO Good neighbours that have ordered for 5.2 tonnes of the product to be supplied to refugees across the country.
The product is sold at Shs4,200 per kilogramme. Other products extruded include cornflakes granules and snacks.
There is the component of the bakery section where the scientists are baking a range of confectionaries ranging from cookies, bread, cakes among others.
Incubation
According to Dr Nuwakunda so far they have trained people from five different food processing companies and there are other six companies that have sent in their workers for training. If individuals wishing to train come in, they are encouraged to form a food processing company where they will continue to carry out product development from the knowledge acquired.
Incubatee experience
Baisilio Twikirize is the proprietor for Equator Food Processing who attained knowledge from the institute incubation centre. He is now processing pumpkin flour for instant porridge making, maize flour mixed with pumpkin and soy flour.
He also processes cornflakes from maize granules mixed with soy mill and pumpkin flour. The flour products are packaged in 500grammes and sold at Shs10,000 while the flakes are sold at Shs5,000.
    
December 1, 2019
India pollution: How a farming revolution could solve stubble burning
Pollution in Delhi has hit record-breaking levels and a farming method, known as stubble burning, was a major contributor. DW‘s Catherine Davison went to the countryside to check out what‘s being done to stop this trend.
As a cloud of pollution enveloped Delhi earlier this week, closing schools and prompting the announcement of a public health emergency, new hope in mitigating the capital‘s annual pollution crisis might be found in a government plan to transform the agricultural sector.
Delhi has seen the worst pollution since 2016 this month, with some parts of the city experiencing over 150 times the concentration of toxic particles recommended by the World Health Organization.
Although a variety of measures – such as and halting construction in the city – have been implemented in an attempt to curb the pollution, blame has largely been apportioned to stubble burning in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.
As farmers set fire to their fields to clear excess crop residue in time for the wheat sowing season, Delhi‘s Chief Minister tweeted that the fumes were transforming the capital into a “gas chamber.” 
“If you take an average of the whole year, the contribution of agricultural burning [to Delhi‘s air pollution] is only 5%,” says Dr Sumit Sharma, an Associate Director at TERI, a New Delhi-based research institute. 
“But if you talk about specific days when the fires are peaking, then it can go up to 40%.” 
Despite an order on Monday from the highest court in India for an immediate halt to the practice, satellite data showed over 5,000 fires that day in Punjab alone. 
Record-breaking pollution left Delhi gasping for air
A big contributor has been stubble burning, a cheap and quick method of clearing land
India‘s unsustainable demand for crops
The states surrounding Delhi are known collectively as the “grain bowl” of India after the agricultural sector underwent a green revolution in the 1960s, leading to a dramatic increase in rice and wheat productivity. In Haryana alone, 80% of the almost 5 million hectares of land is now under cultivation, producing over 13 million tons of grain per year. 
But as production grew, the sector could not keep up with an increasing demand for labor, with farmers eventually abandoning hand harvesting in favor of less labor-intensive methods such as the combine harvester. 
Unlike manual harvesting techniques however, combine harvesters leave behind rice stubble, which prevents machines from sowing wheat seeds. With as little as 10 days between rice harvesting season and the sowing of wheat, farmers often turn to stubble burning to quickly remove the remaining rice crop residue. 
“To hire laborers in a 5 million hectare area at one time within 10 days is not possible,” explains Dr ML Jat, Principal Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), which has a research center in Karnal, Haryana.
“So when you cannot move the loose residue, when you cannot spread it on the surface there is no option except burning.”
A woman hand harvests basmati rice in a field near Karnal, Haryana
The result: basmati rice
Bottom of Form
With one ton of residue containing 4-6 kg of nitrogen, 1-2 kg of phosphorus, and 15-20 kg of potassium, CIMMYT‘s research has shown that residue burning not only releases toxic gases into the air, but also reduces soil nutrition and therefore crop yields. 
Burning the residue “means you are burning a lot of nutrients, basically,” says Dr Jat.
He argues that India now needs to undergo a second, “evergreen” revolution, driven by technology such as the happy seeder, a machine which allows wheat to be sown on top of rice stubble, and the super sms (straw management system), a machine which attaches to the rear of a combine harvester to cut and spread loose residue across the field.
CIMMYT studies show that agricultural productivity can be improved with the use of happy seeders and super sms machines by between 10 and 15%, by reducing labor costs and time and allowing nutrients from the crop residue to be recycled back into the soil. Dr Jat sees it as a win-win situation: “On one side you are increasing your productivity with the happy seeder,” he says, “And on the other you are saving your resources.”
Government subsidy helps farmers
Although the technology itself is not new, it was up until recently prohibitively expensive, with a happy seeder costing around 150,000 INR (almost €2,000). With around 80% of farmers in Haryana owning under 5 acres of land, the majority cannot afford to invest. 
Now, however, a central government scheme is investing over 11b INR (€140 million) in three states over a two-year period, with the aim of reducing crop residue burning by providing subsidies to farmers buying the machines. Organizations like CIMMYT are working alongside state governments to train farmers and promote the new technology, in an attempt to both increase grain productivity and reduce economic and labor inputs required by the farmers. 
Saptal Ram, 67, operates a happy seeder machine used to sow wheat in Karnal
Farmer Vikas Chaudray examines wheat growing through the rice stubble residue
Vikas Chaudhary, 39, a beneficiary of the plan who owns 14 hectares of land just outside Karnal, Haryana, says that his input cost has decreased from 3-4 thousand rupees per acre to just over 1,000 since he started using the happy seeder.
“Everyone said I was a mad farmer, I will never get a good yield with the field full of straw,” Chaudhary says. “But I am very happy. I am saving time and energy.”
‘Without the machines, you cannot stop it‘
Although the number of happy seeders has increased from just 100 to around 10,000 within the past decade, the machines are still only used on 20% of the land cultivated each year. In the rest of the region, stubble burning persists. 
“We are trying to stop the stubble burning, but it takes time,” Dr Jat explains. ”In two years, we cannot stop this residue burning in a 5m hectare area.”
He worries about what will happen when the government funding ends next year, and farmers are left without subsidies to buy the new machinery. 
With the pollution crisis increasing year-on-year however, investment in agricultural technology is becoming more of a priority for governments and NGOs. 
“If the funding comes again, then we can reduce the stubble burning in a significant area,” Dr Jat says. “Because you need the machines. Without the machines you cannot stop it.”

Sohn: Today's climate records are our new norms - Part 1

November 30th, 2019 | by Pam Sohn
Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith / Fallen leDescription: https://stash.timesfreepress.com/sites/cocagne/ctfp-logo-light.svgaves lie along the trail at Chattanooga's Enterprise South Nature Park. The dying leaves were victims of September's dry and record-hot temperatures, not our usual cool fall rains that normally bring on this region's autumn color.
On Nov. 21, the Times Free Press reported that Chattanooga has broken 17 weather-related records in 2019.
That's not normal. In 2018, Chattanooga saw only five such record-setting days.
Especially not normal, according to the story reported and written by Times Free Press reporter Mark Pace, was the autumn weather that precipitated his report: a long fall heat wave that set 13 record high temperatures between Sept. 12 and Oct. 4 — including the last two days of that streak when the mercury topped out at 100 degrees.
Think about that: 100 degrees. In October. In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
"Basically, it seems like whatever pattern we got into this year, we just stayed stuck in it longer," meteorologist Derek Eisentrout of the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tennessee, told the Times Free Press. "So we had prolonged periods of rain and long periods of dry, which is not the most common."
But "not the most common" is becoming the new normal.
On Tuesday, a new United Nations report offered a grim assessment of just how much the world — and especially America — has squandered the time we had to stave off the worst effects of climate change. We're now so off-track that global temperatures are on pace to rise as much as 3.9 degrees Celsius — that's 7 degrees Fahrenheit — by the end of the century, according to the annual U.N. "emissions gap" report, which assesses the difference between the world's current path and the changes needed to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Under the Paris accord, which President Donald Trump recently officially signaled he's pulling us out of, world leaders had agreed to hold warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels.
The bottom line now is that our current trajectory is nearly twice the Paris pact's lofty but once-achievable goal.
"Bleak" was the word in most headlines for the new report. Disgusting is a better descriptor.
Chattanooga's 2019-to-date record-setting weather is not a singular trend. And we can wager our futures that it is just the beginning of more extreme years like it. (Spoiler alert: More on wagered futures on Monday.)
This year's national weather records got an early jolt in January with a severe cold wave caused by a weakened jet stream that brought the U.S. an Arctic polar vortex. The cold mostly hit the Midwest and eastern Canada, killing at least 22 people as it made its way west and locked over the Canadian and American West. The end result was the coldest temperatures in more than 20 years to most locations. Here, we got rain. Lots of it.
Fast forward 11 months to November, when many headlines looked like this one in The Washington Post: "Cold snap of historic proportions hits East Coast, over 300 records fall." That was when we shivered out of short sleeves and dragged out our winter coats. Meteorologists said this was the most severe early November cold snap in more than a century, setting record lows that were 20 to 30 degrees below normal over the eastern third of the nation. Memphis saw its coldest fall temperature ever when the mercury there plunged into the upper teens. Chattanooga registered three nights of hard freeze in the 20s.
Climate change is not just about global "warming," though nine of 11 months this year in Chattanooga have been warmer than average, according to National Weather Service data collected at the Chattanooga airport.
But the more operative word for climate change may be "extremes," and those extremes — heat waves, cold spells, droughts and deadly downpours — are often the result of stalled weather patterns, like what the Morristown National Weather Service's Eisentrout described as what brought Chattanooga a string of overheated September and October days.
Thus it seemed quite timely on Nov. 13 that Science Daily reported on a new study from Rice University: "Stalled weather patterns will get bigger due to climate change."
The Rice research indicates that climate change will increase the size — not just the frequency — of stalled high-pressure weather systems called "blocking events." Those blocking events already have produced some of the 21st century's deadliest heat waves, the study notes. What's more, the study extrapolates that the size of blocking events in the northern hemisphere will increase by as much as 17% due to climate change.
The message from Trump and most Republicans — certainly those who won't brook any difference with the doddering leader of their party — is much like what they say to everything else: We can't hear you. Get over it.
Well, we won't. In mid-September, a poll conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly four in 10 Americans described climate change as a crisis, and two-thirds said President Trump is doing too little to tackle the problem. Moreover, about eight in 10 said they believe human activity is fueling climate change, and roughly half believe action is urgently needed within the next decade.
There are solutions. We'll examine some of the market solutions Monday. For today, we'll close with one really important political fix. Vote Trump and other Republicans out of office next November.
  

AMRI Set To Work On Four Machines For Rice Crop


MULTAN, Dec 1 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Dec, 2019 ) ::Agriculture Mechanization Research Institute (AMRI) in collaboration with Punjab Agriculture (Extension) Department is working for preparing cost effective four different machines for rice crop.
According to AMRI officer Abdul Aaleem, Federal and Provincial governments were working to enhance wheat, rice, sugarcane and oil seed production. In line with a project, four different machines for rice crop would be prepared at AMRI.
The machines includes rice planters of two different types, rice raising nursery machine, rice remains shredder machine.
The agriculture department would import these machines soon and hand over these machines to AMRI department. The AMRI, through its reverse engineering, would make cost effective machines. The farming community is faced with severe shortage of labour. The machines would help address the issue of labour shortage. The agriculture department completed file work for importing the machines.
About AMRI achievements in past, Abdul Aaleem said the institute was undertaking Research & Development for low cost and appropriate agricultural machinery and farm mechanization technologies which consist of different sections i.e. design & development, fabrication, test & field research, agronomy and instrumentation.
The institute is providing industrial extension service to the local agricultural machinery manufactures for production of standardized and quality machinery. It also imparts technical guidance to farmers for proper selection, operation and maintenance of agricultural machinery and equipment.
He maintained that AMRI said that AMRI had developed over 120 cost effective agriculture machines so far since its inception from 1978.
Out of locally developed over 120 machines, nearly 49 machines had become commercial, he said and added that developed machines were identified as Seed Cleaner/Grader, Rabi Drill, Cultivator Drill, Dry sowing/Runner Drill, Rota Drill, Thresher, Wheat straw Chopper Drill, Rota Drill, Thresher, mobile Bhoosa Baler, Seed Delinter, Seed Treater, Kharif Drill, Precision Planter, Cotton Ridge with Fertilizer, Bed and Furrow shaper planter, Rotary Slasher, Root Digger, Intercultural Toolbar, Sugarcane Ridger, Sugarcane planter, Stubble Shaver, Axial Flow Pump, Sprinkle Gun, Vegetable Ridger, Potato Planter, Rotary Potato Digger, Post hole digger, Fruit Picker, Potato Digger Shaker, Mango Hot water treatment plant, Vegetable nursery transplanter, Maize Sheller, Self Leveling Boom Sprayer, Orchard Sprayer, Fertilizer Broadcaster, Fodder Cutter, Fodder Chopper, Mango pruner and some others.

FG Hands Over 6 Completed Border Projects To Kebbi

 

The federal government, through the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), has handed over six completed border community projects to the Kebbi State Government at a symbolic presentation ceremony in Kamba, Dandi Local Government area of the state.
   In his address at the handing over ceremony, the executive secretary of the agency, Alhaji Junaid Abdullahi said the projects were aimed at boosting trade and other economic activities of border communities in the state.
  According to him, the six projects comprised construction of transnational border market with open and lock-up shops and solar powered borehole with elevated steel tank in Kamba town and Bachaka area in Arewa Local Government, respectively.
  He said, “We constructed four units of two bedroom detached bungalow and units of semi detached bungalow of one bedroom at Tsamiya in Bagudo Local Government Area.
  “We also constructed skill acquisition centre and solar powered borehole with elevated tank at Dole Kaina in Kamba town, and rice processing mill and solar powered borehole with elevated tank at Lolo in Bagudo local government, “ he said.
  Abdullahi added that the agency, also constructed drainage of 1.4 kilometres at Lolo, in Bagudo LGA and two blocks of six classrooms each with solar powered borehole at Kamba in the 2019 capital projects.
The Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, thanked President  Muhammadu Buhari for the keen interest he had been showing to people in the border communities.
The intervention, like these, are necessary to complement the silent issues that are happening in the border communities, he said, even as he noted that Kamba town is an important border and commercial area in Nigeria which serves as a gateway to countries like Niger and Benin republic.
He expressed delight that the projects will go along way in supporting farming and trade activities of border communities in the area.
  ‘’The market and rice processing mills will go a long way in supporting our trading activities in West and North African countries, especially by our women, as our communities are bordering Benin and Niger Republics,” he said.
Bagudu also commended the federal government for the border closure, saying it was meant to curb smuggling and encourage farming communities to produce more rice for millers.

Stakeholders, experts chart economic path for rice, sugar, dairy products
 By Christiana T. Alabi, Lagos | Published Date Dec 1, 2019 4:34 AM TwitterFacebookWhatsAppTelegram From left: Dairy Development Manager, Friedland Campina WAMCO Nigeria, Adekunle Olayiwola John; Vice President, Sahel Capital and Director, L and Z Integrated Dairy Ltd, Mr. Deji Adebusoye; General Manager, Business and Strategy, Daily Trust, Ahmed Shekarau; Chief Executive Officer, Integrity Organisation Ltd, (GTE), Mr. Soji Apampa; Program Director, Lagos Business School Agribusiness Programme, Mr. Kelikume Ikechukwu; and, Prof. Peter Barje of NAPRI, Zaria during the just concluded Daily Trust Agric conference 2019, held at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
 Photos: Benedict Uwalaka Stakeholders and experts from different states of Nigeria converged on the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos from November 26 to 27, 2019 to brainstorm on how to re-position rice, sugar and dairy products for optimal yields so that Nigeria can harness its potentials to not only feed its citizens but also export to other countries and generate jobs. The two-day event, titled, Re-positioning Rice, Sugar and Dairy Production for Optimal Yield, took place at a period when the Nigerian government shut the nation’s borders along the sub-regional lines due to illicit trade, particularly, imports of agricultural produce that can be grown locally and even exported out of the country. ADVERTISEMENT It also presented an opportunity for stakeholders to review, evaluate and exchange views on strategies that would bring the best out of the nation’s agricultural sector. The annual event is gradually growing to become an important forum for Nigeria’s agriculture and its value chain, as well as a platform that brings farmers, investors, financiers, and small and medium enterprises together. ADVERTISEMENT HOW OVER 5000 NIGERIA MEN HAVE PERMANENTLY OVERCOME TERRIBLE BEDROOM PERFORMANCE DUE TO THIS RECENT BRILLIANT DISCOVERY BY MEDICAL CONSULTANTS All discussions at the conference tilted towards achieving self-sufficiency, food security, job and wealth creation from agricultural production, poverty alleviation and rural development in the country. The chairman of the conference, a renowned chattered accountant and co-chair of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, said Nigeria’s agricultural system had almost collapsed and is currently in an intensive care unit where it can be saved as a matter of urgency. He lauded the closure of the nation’s borders by the Federal Government, noting, “Some felt the border closure was premature while some felt it shouldn’t have been done. The fact remains that our agricultural system has almost collapsed and the best way is to let it go through the intensive care unit. “As a policy, what we have is what we should be proud of. Let us have Nigerian rice. Now, some Nigerians are beginning to realise the freshness of Nigerian rice. I am not saying the sector should be at the unit for too long, but let us be patient, endure the suffering for a short period and then re-position rice in Nigeria,” he said. The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) at the conference described the nation’s agriculture as a major and very important sector of the economy that employs about 38 per cent of the total working population and accounts for a large share of the country’s gross domestic product. The national president of the association, Hajiya Saratu IyaAliyu, noted that recent success in the sector had demonstrated that with the right policies, Nigeria could scale up productive activities, improve food production and food security, as well as make impact within the agricultural value chain. Hajiya Saratu, who was represented by the chairman, NACCIMA Agric Trade Group, Chief Ade Adefeko, lamented that about $35 billion was spent on food imports annually across the continent despite the fact that Africa is home to two-third of the world’s most arable uncultivated land. “Rice is a staple in Nigeria and the country consumes about 7 million tonnes of it annually. Despite Nigeria’s potential in producing sugar for local consumption, the country has been under the stranglehold of sugar importation for the confectionary and beverage industry. “With reference to the diary sector, it is one of the drivers of American economy, according to 2018 report of the International Dairy Food Association; the dairy industry supports nearly three million workers, generates more than $39 billion in direct wages and has an overall economic impact of more than $628 billion. The dairy sector where we are yet to tap its potentials has an extensive value chain and we must take full steps to fully harness the potentials of the sector,” she said. While she commended the efforts of the federal and state governments towards finding a lasting solution through different programmes and initiatives to improve the productive capacity within the dairy sector; she stressed that much more need to be done regarding the policy thrust of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s policy on milk importation. Sugar Sugar is a strategic commodity that is essential in the daily life of any nation. It is consumed as a food item and also used as an industrial raw material in virtually all foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. The executive secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, Dr. Latif D. Busari, in his paper presentation titled, Nigeria Sugar Economy, stated that Nigeria’s sugar consumption had been on the increase since independence, with an annual average growth rate of 8per cent. He attributed some of the reasons for the increase in demand for sugar to growth in population, increase in per capital income, urbanisation, change in taste and increased industrial usage of the commodity. However, he stated that only about 5per cent of the national demand for the commodity is produced locally, while the balance is imported with a huge foreign exchange on an annual basis. “For every cube of sugar imported into the country, one is bringing poverty, unemployment and insecurity, among others,” he said. He chronicled that the unacceptable situation informed the establishment of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) by Decree 88, 1993 (now Act Cap No.78 LFN 2004) as a focal agency responsible for coordinating the available national resources in the sugar sub-sector in order to ensure that Nigeria achieve self-sufficiency in the shortest possible time. “In spite of the vast potential land for the commercial sugarcane cultivation, the sugar industry did not come into existence until the early 1960s. The early post-independence government industrial policies were basically import substitution- oriented. This was aimed at producing local goods that consumed foreign exchange, and that informed the establishment of the nation’s premier sugar company, Nigerian Sugar Company (NISUCO), in Bacita, Kwara State. The Savannah Sugar Company Limited (SSCL), Numan, Adamawa State and later, other mini plants of 100tcd and 250tcd at Lafiagi and Sunti respectively. All these sugar companies were owned and managed by government,” he said; stressing that in spite of government’s efforts to develop a virile sugar industry in Nigeria it had to halt the ever increasing gap between demand for and domestic supply of sugar, Nigeria is still a long way to self-sufficiency. Rice All states in Nigeria are said to have the capacity to produce rice if they prioritise with less dissipation of energy on wheat. Due to the closure of borders, most Nigerians are forced to patronise the locally grown rice, but the challenge remains the high price, which has been a cause of concern. Alhaji Muhammad Auwal Hadejia, the president of Paddy Rice Dealers Association in Nigeria, said the increase in price was a response to the law of demand and supply; noting that almost all the integrated mills in the country are over-stretched because of the high demand for local rice. “That is why there is competition. Most of these mills now don’t keep paddy; once they process, it is going into a truck and taken to one dealer or another. Some of the dealers are even in the habit of bribing mill operators to get produce ahead of those who deposited their money earlier. So, along the value chain, after processing, some sell it, some add money. If the cost of milled rice in an integrated mill cost about N15,500, before it reaches the end customers, it may have increased to over N20,000 per bag. The rice is within the reach of Nigerians, but activities of the numerous agents increase the final price,” he said. The president of NABG, Alhaji Sani Dangote, while presenting a lead paper on ‘The Rice Economy and Value Chain Issues,’ said rice economy was estimated at $5.2billion and projected to hit $6.3billion by 2025. Large scale processors, such as Olam and WACOT, are said to be developing out-grower schemes in conjunction with government, commercial banks, technical and financial partners and input providers. Olam Nigeria Limited has also announced a total investment of $111million to introduce mechanised rice farming in Nasarawa State, while investors have committed additional N250 billion into Nigeria’s rice production and plan to set up additional 14 rice mills. This is in addition to the current N300 billion already invested by processors. Also, Dangote is projecting to invest $1b in the rice value chain over the next five years. In spite of efforts by development partners to support the development of the value chain, some core challenges around scalability and sustainability of interventions still remain, as he put it, the combined improved seed production capacity at 100,000 tons satisfying less than 8per cent of national demand. He also put the mechanisation rate at 0.3hp per ha compared to up to 8hp in China due to challenges in accessing finance, while an estimated 1million tons of rice is being smuggled and sold to local millers and retailers due to restrictive trade policies. Dangote, who was represented by the director-general of NABG, Dr. Manzo Daniel Maigari, further said that poor branding and packaging limit off take from large scale retailers and high end consumers. Dairy products The executive secretary/chief executive officer of the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Professor Clarence Lakpini, is of the opinion that traditional methods are employed in raw milk preservation, sanitation and transport. He noted that more than 80per cent of the milk produced by pastoral herds is not pasteurised. Lakpini, who presented a paper titled, Re-positioning Dairy Production in Nigeria:  Opportunities for Job Creation in the Dairy Value Chain, stated that lack of accessibility to low-cost or accessibility to pasteurisation technologies increased the rate of spoilage, decreases the distance producers can travel, thereby shrinking market access, as well as increases the frequency of sales at less than optimal prices. Lakpini, who was represented by Professor Peter Barje, also said that over 80per cent of the raw milk produced was processed and packaged using traditional methods. He said that about 63 modern milk processing plants were established by governments across the country but noted that most of them have closed down while those that are still operating do so at less than 20per cent of their full capacity. Commenting on agricultural financing, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL), said it is currently structuring four million hectares of land into 16,000 geo-coops, covering 8million smallholder farmers for the production of the chosen commodities across the different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. It stated that a systematic collaboration between agriculture and finance was required for the realisation of the agricultural fortunes of Nigeria.

Experts deliberate on rice, maize improvement programmes


Nov 29, 2019, 7:17 AM; last updated: Nov 29, 2019, 7:17 AM (IST)
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, November 28
A special meeting was held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to review and re-orient rice and maize improvement programmes in light of paddy straw management, crop diversification and water saving.
The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice Chancellor, PAU, was attended by Navtej Bains, director of research; JS Mahal, director of extension education; KS Thind, additional director of research (crop improvement); GS Mangat, head, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; and faculty of rice and maize sections of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics.
It was decided during the meeting that the rice breeding programme would stop working on the varieties of long duration and would rather focus on medium maturity duration (110 days) (post-transplanting duration). Also, the seed production of PR 122 (which takes 117 days to mature) would be stopped from 2020. More emphasis would be laid on breeding varieties suitable for direct seeding (DSR).
In view of spread of basmati cultivation from the traditional zone to new areas, where manual harvesting is not practiced, it was decided to promote cultivation of shorter duration Pusa basmati 1509 rather than long duration Pusa basmati 1121. PAU is in the process of developing new strains of basmati which matures a week earlier than Pusa basmati 1121. These are at the final stage of testing and if found suitable, multiplication and release will be accelerated. PAU will also actively pursue the deregisteration of Pusa 44, the longest duration variety of rice (130 days, post transplanting).
Diversification away from rice is urgently required in the present situation, for which important steps that need to be taken for strengthening maize were discussed during the meeting. The maize breeding work at PAU was sought to be strengthened by provision of two additional posts (Maize Breeding) for strengthening research on long duration hybrids and speciality (pop, sweet, baby, waxy, high oil) maize each, and one post for research on precision agronomy at main campus at Ludhiana by diverting positions from other crops.
The maize research team will also associate scientists from Farm Engineering departments to provide improved farm mechanisation and processing technologies. Likewise, one scientist each at Regional Research Stations at Gurdaspur and Ballowal Saunkhri will be associated with maize as their priority area of research.
During the meeting, it was also decided to work with farmers for implementation of improved package of maize cultivation practices aimed at narrowing the gap in economic returns vis-à-vis rice. Interventions will include quality seeds and precise sowing with pneumatic planters) to ensure optimal plant followed by effective pest management to ensure higher yield.


Why sustainable rice is an overlooked challenge for climate action

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With rice the main staple for half the planet, green bonds to inventivise 150 million smallholder rice farmers to adopt climate-smart practices may help avoid social unrest as well as global warming, argues Earth Security Group’s Alejandro Litovsky
If you were asked to list the agricultural commodities where sustainable business models and finance are a key priority in the climate agenda, you will probably think of soy, cattle, and palm oil – all key drivers of deforestation and emissions. It is not likely you would think of rice.
Rice is an important commodity in a different way. It is the main staple on which 3.5 billion people on the planet depend for food security – half of the world’s population. Rice uses 40% of the world’s irrigation water and is acutely sensitive to changes in the climate.
A climate-driven failure in global production and trade would trigger the type of social unrest that we saw during the uprisings that swept through North Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere during the food crisis of 2007-08 – some of these, as in the case of Haiti, connected to a spike in the price of rice. This year, Chile’s cancellation of the annual UN Climate Conference (UNFCCC) due to civil unrest threatened to undermine urgent climate action but also served as a stark reminder of the need to address poverty and social inequality as part of the low-carbon transition.
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Rice uses 40% of the world’s irrigation water and emits 10% of global methane emissions. (Credit: Jason KS Leung)

Rice farming is an enormous contributor to climate change, emitting 10% of global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). In Southeast Asia, rice cultivation accounts for up to 25-33% of the region’s methane emissions and 10-20% of its overall GHGs. “Climate-smart” rice farming practices have been shown to be a tremendous impact opportunity, and could transform global value chains. Simple changes, such as removing rice straw from a field instead of burning it, or alternating wet and dry field conditions instead of flooding, could radically reduce methane emissions by up to 70%, and slash water use by 50%.
However, the challenge is that rice is grown by 150 million smallholder farmers, a number far higher than for any other crop, most of them poor and outside the formal financial system. A handful of companies, such as Mars Food, Phoenix Group, Olam International and Ebro Foods among others, have led efforts to incorporate these practices within their value chains, working closely with farmers as part of the UN-supported Sustainable Rice Platform.
Aligning corporate finance to reward companies that are putting farmer livelihoods and resource efficiency at the heart of their business models is an urgent task for banks and investment funds.
Among our proposals is the design of a “rice bond” to unlock upfront capital for sustainable rice value chains
Deploying finance to scale-up sustainable rice production practices will not be easy. With few exceptions, the rice value chain is extraordinarily fragmented. This forces us to rethink public-private collaboration and finance partnerships. Earth Security Group’s new report Financing Sustainable Rice for a Secure Future puts forward the analysis, the business case and three innovative finance blueprints to help scale up sustainable rice production in line with the Paris Agreement and measurable contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Among our proposals is the design of a “rice bond” to unlock upfront capital for sustainable rice value chains. Such a bond would enable a global rice processor, trader, or retailer to provide farmers with capital to transition to sustainable production, improve farming practices, increase yields and revenue, and become more resilient to climate risks.
Last year, a bond to incentivise Brazil farmers to grow soy sustainably on degraded land was launched on the London Stock Exchange (see How investors can help prevent Brazil’s soy farmers from cutting down forests), and next year is expected to be a milestone for agricultural green bonds. To catalyse the growth of green bond issuance in agriculture, the Climate Bonds Initiative, a standards-setting body, is developing the taxonomy to guide issuers, banks and investors in developing agriculture-related green bonds. We are recommending that this incorporate the indicators for climate-smart rice production that have been already developed by the Sustainable Rice Platform.
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Most of the world's 150 million smallholder rice farmers are poor and outside the formal financial system. (Credit: Oliver S)

Another underutilised pool of capital sits in international climate finance. Given the GHG emissions of rice production, public climate finance could be used strategically to attract private investments in climate-smart agriculture. Country pledges that include rice in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) would be the first place to start. At present, 48 countries include in their NDCs the commitment to reduce GHG emissions from rice paddies, but have not yet outlined how they plan to incentivise the private sector to achieve these targets.
The biggest challenge is ensuring that sustainable finance can reach the farmers. This is complex. Most rice is grown on farms of less than one hectare, by farmers with little or no access to credit and training. In the report, we outline how the further development of digital finance platforms could give rice smallholders access to bundled financial services and market linkages to sustainable value chains. Currently, there are 400 digital solutions for agriculture in Africa alone and promising signs that the sector is maturing. Around 33 million smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa are now registered with a digital solution provider, and as many as 200 million are expected to register by 2030. These platforms must play a stronger role in supporting sustainable production and value chains.
The global rice sector offers impact investors a tremendous opportunity to invest in solutions that address poverty and put food systems on a sustainable track
Across much of Asia and Africa, rice accounts for a substantial share of poor households’ expenditure. Price shocks quickly impact poverty and food insecurity. After skyrocketing rice prices during the 2007-08 food crisis, a study showed that a 50% increase in the price of rice would on average increase poverty by 2.2 percentage points in the poverty headcount across Central and West Africa.
The global rice sector offers impact investors a tremendous opportunity to invest in solutions that address poverty and put food systems on a sustainable and resilient track. We have brought together a coalition of partners to develop such solutions. These include the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP); the leading commodities trader Phoenix Group; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD); and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with whom we are working to design the partnerships and investment programmes to implement these ideas.
The investment profile of sustainable rice has so far been over-shadowed by other high-profile commodities that are large-scale drivers of deforestation. Rice is instead key to food security, and food security is key to social stability in the turbulent times that lie ahead. The challenge of putting rice on a sustainable footing is undoubtedly large, but the price of inaction is significantly larger.
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Alejandro Litovsky is CEO of Earth Security Group. Earth Security’s report Financing Sustainable Rice for a Secure Future Earth Security Group’s can be found here.

9 experts receive Faces of Biotechnology award


Description: https://businessmirror.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/science01-120119-696x294.jpg
The Filipino Faces of Biotechnology award is bestowed on nine scientists, educators and science communicators during its fourth annual event held by the Department of Agriculture at a hotel in Makati on November 26.
The event is part of the weeklong National Biotechnology Week celebration. This year’s awardees are: Dr. Nathaniel Dugos, Outstanding researcher in bioengineering; Dr. Ernelea Cao, Outstanding educator, researcher and advocate on biotechnology; Dr. Candida Adalla, Outstanding leader in pioneering developmental initiatives for biotechnology; Dr. Gisela Concepcion, Outstanding researcher on medical and cosmetics through biotechnology; Dr. Milagros Greif, Outstanding researcher on urban pest control through biotechnology; Dr. Cynthia Hedreyda, Outstanding advocate for biotechnology education; Dr. Gabriel Romero, Outstanding researcher on rice genetics and crop biotechnology; the late Dr. Monina Villena, Outstanding science communicator for biotechnology (her husband, Nathaniel Villena, receives the award); and Dr. Claro Mingala, Outstanding livestock biotechnologist. They are joined by DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research Assistant Director Digna Sandoval (left), Agriculture Undersecretary Rodolfo Vicerra (second from right) and DA Biotechnology Program Office Director Dr. Dionisio Alvindia. 

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/01/9-experts-receive-faces-of-biotechnology-award/

HKU Plant Scientists Identify New Strategy to Enhance Rice Grain Yield

OsACBP2-overexpressing (OE) rice plants produce bigger grains (A) and higher biomass (B). OE-1, OE-3, OE17 and OE-21 are four independent OsACBP2-OE transgenic rice lines. VC, vector-transformed control. ZH11, Zhonghua11 wild type. Scale bar = 1 cm.
(*statistically different from the control)
Rice provides a daily subsistence for about three billion people worldwide and its output must keep pace with a growing global population. In light of this, the identification of genes that enhance grain yield and composition is much desired. Findings from a research project led by Professor Mee-Len Chye, Wilson and Amelia Wong Professor in Plant Biotechnology from the School of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), with postdoctoral fellows Dr Guo Zehua and Dr Shiu-Cheung Lung, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary and Rothamsted Research (UK), have provided a new strategy to enhance grain yield in rice by increasing grain size and weight. The research results have been published in The Plant Journal and an international patent has been filed (Patent Application No. WO 2019/104509).
In this technology, the research group led by Professor Chye has identified a protein, ACYL-COA-BINDING PROTEIN2 (OsACBP2) from rice (Oryza sativa), that when overexpressed in transgenic rice, will enhance grain size and weight by 10% and elevate grain yield (Image 1). The biomass of the OsACBP2-overexpressing transgenic rice grains exceeded the control by over 10%. OsACBP2 is a lipid-binding protein that binds lipids such as acyl-CoA esters, the major precursors in seed oil production. Oil was observed to accumulate in the transgenic rice grains (Image 2). OsACBP2 is promising not only in enhancing grain size and weight, but also in improving nutritional value with a 10% increase in lipid content of rice bran and whole seeds (Image 3).
As OsACBP2 contributes to boosting oil content as well as size and weight in transgenic rice grains, an application of this technology in rice is expected to benefit agriculture by increasing grain yield and composition to satisfy the need for more food. Professor Chye said: “Increasing grain size and yield, besides rice bran and seed lipid content, in crops such as rice is an important research area that aligns with the aspirations of Dr Wilson and Mrs Amelia Wong on the use of plant biotechnology for a sustainable future. Furthermore, as rice bran oil is considered highly valuable because it contains bioactive components that have been reported to lower serum cholesterol and possess anti-oxidation, anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergic inflammation activities, this technology, if applied to other food crops, would not only help address food security but also elevate nutritional properties in grains.”
This research project was funded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong and the Wilson and Amelia Wong Endowment Fund.
The paper:
‘The overexpression of rice ACYL-CoA-BINDING PROTEIN2 increases grain size and bran oil content in transgenic rice’ by Zehua Guo, Richard P Haslam, Louise V Michaelson, Edward C Yeung, Shiu-Cheung Lung, Johnathan A Napier, Mee-Len Chye in The Plant Journal.
Link to journal paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14503
/Public Release. View in full here.
November 29, 2019
TORONTO — Health Canada has said that levels of toxic heavy metals found in baby food “do not pose a safety concern” after a U.S. investigation found nearly all infant foods tested contain lead.
Tests of 168 baby products from major manufacturers in the U.S. found 95 per cent contained lead, 73 per cent contained arsenic, 75 per cent contained cadmium and 32 per cent contained mercury.
A quarter of the foods contained all four heavy metals.
Health Canada confirmed that “the levels of metals…being reported are likely applicable to infant foods sold in Canada, as many of the same products are available in Canada.”
“The available monitoring data indicate that levels of cadmium, lead, total mercury and perchlorate in foods sold in Canada, including those consumed by infants, do not pose a safety concern,” the department told CTVNews.ca in an emailed statement.
Foods with the highest risk for neurotoxic harm were rice-based products, sweet potatoes and fruit juices, the analysis found.
The tests and analysis were commissioned by Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which calls itself an alliance of scientists, nonprofit organizations and donors trying to reduce exposures to neurotoxic chemicals during the first months of life, according to CNN. The report was released Oct.17.
“Health Canada’s view, like that of other international authorities, is that concentrations of certain metals, such as arsenic and lead, in foods should be as low as possible,” the department said.
“The department is working to ensure this. If Health Canada identifies a potential health concern, the Government of Canada will take immediate and appropriate action to protect the health and safety of all Canadians, including infants and young children.”
The report said even trace amounts of these contaminants can “alter the developing brain and erode a child‘s IQ. The impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats.”
Rice-based foods, such as puffed rice snacks and rice cereal, topped the list of most toxic foods for babies. Because rice is grown in water, it is especially good at absorbing arsenic and, , has the highest concentration of any food.
“Unfortunately, the findings from this thorough study were to be expected,” Prof. Andy Meharg from Queen’s University Belfast told CTVNews.ca.
Bottom of Form
“The findings reinforce three things. We should not be giving infants rice products because of rice’s arsenic and cadmium content, baby food needs to be routinely screened to check for toxins as they may arise from unexpected sources and standards need to be set at stricter levels for infants than for the general populace.”
Urgent action is needed by major baby food companies and the FDA, the report said.
"These popular baby foods are not only high in inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form of arsenic, but also are nearly always contaminated with all four toxic metals," the report said.
If parents choose to cook rice for their toddler, Healthy Babies recommends cooking it in extra water and pouring it off before eating. That will cut arsenic levels by 60 per cent, the report said, based on FDA studies.
"For the lowest levels, buy basmati rice grown in California, India, and Pakistan. White rice has less arsenic than brown rice," the report said.
Teething biscuits can also contain arsenic, lead and cadmium, the report said. Instead, it suggests soothing teething pain with frozen bananas or a peeled and chilled cucumber.
Tap water is also preferable over juice because it contains 63 per cent less heavy metals, the report said.
Health Canada said it was working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to gather more information on arsenic in rice-containing foods for babies.
“The report advocates a 1 ppb (parts per billion) limit for metals in infant foods,” Health Canada said.
“This is more conservative than limits that have been established by food standard setting bodies and regulatory authorities. For example, both the European Union and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) have established a maximum level of 10 ppb of lead in infant formula.
“The Department is systematically working to lower existing maximum levels and to establish new ones, as necessary, for arsenic and lead in foods sold in Canada.”
In the U.S., the Senate‘s top Democrat Chuck Schumer has called on the FDA to take more action to regulate the baby food industry.
The New York senator told The Associated Press that consumers "rightfully expect those foods to be undeniably safe, appropriately regulated and nutritiously sustaining."
He says federal regulators should examine the study and release a public statement of their findings.
—- With files from CNN and The Associated Press


Amid 'air apocalypse', mask-clad Lahore looks for answers
LAHORE, Pakistan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When black smoke from burning rice stubble in nearby India swept into Lahore - one of Pakistan’s largest and wealthiest cities - earlier this month, outraged residents declared an “air apocalypse” and the provincial government shut down schools.
FILE PHOTO: Men wearing protective masks wait for a bus in Lahore, Pakistan November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza
But even the city’s own thick autumn smog - driven in large part by emissions from polluting vehicles - is becoming a significant threat to health and basic rights, residents and human rights groups warn.
“Air pollution ... claims tens of thousands of lives, devastates the health of millions, and denies other rights, like the right to education, when children cannot go to school,” said Omar Waraich, South Asia campaigns director for Amnesty International.
“This is a human rights crisis,” he said.
This autumn, Lahore’s worsening air quality has led it to overtaking New Delhi on some days as the most polluted city in the world, according to the community-led Pakistan Air Quality Initiative.
“Both Lahore and Delhi now have a similar number of days of very unhealthy or hazardous air pollution” said Abid Omar, a founder of the non-profit initiative.
Since October, the city of more than 10 million has been engulfed most days by a smoky, chemical haze that is relieved only briefly when it rains.
Warmer air layers above the cooler air at ground level act like a lid that keeps the pollutants close to the ground, according to Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.
Across the city, many residents now wear disposable anti-pollution masks - but they are a poor fit for the faces of vulnerable young children, residents say.
Air quality is so bad that it exceeds even the worst ratings of the World Health Organization, said Attiya Noon, an air quality activist in Lahore and the mother of three young children.
Pollution “is now beyond the index” - which means serious consequences for the city’s health, said Noon, a member of the Punjab government’s newly set up Smog Committee.
The committee was hurriedly established earlier this month when air quality levels became so hazardous in Punjab’s capital that schools had to be shut down three times, and social media channels erupted with outrage.
The smog group now aims to find both immediate and longer-term ways to reduce pollution.
Mahbina Waheed, a Lahore entrepreneur and another member of the committee, said the creation of the group was one sign the provincial government was taking the problem seriously.
“With the last government we felt we were helpless and were spiraling into this abyss with all the focus on building new roads. Now with this new government we can raise our voices and they are heard,” she said.
MORE MONITORING
One of the quick fixes the activists are proposing is to require students to ride buses to school, rather than arriving in many more individual cars.
Countries such as China and Iran have used school closures as a way of curbing smog emergencies, Noon noted.
Malik Amin Aslam, an advisor to the country’s prime minister on climate change, attended early meetings of the Smog Committee and said Lahore needed “more high-quality air monitoring stations and actionable data.”
New Delhi, he said, has 37 official air monitoring stations, while Lahore has just four.
The World Bank plans to provide 30 new monitors in Pakistan, including 10 in Lahore, with the aim of having them in place within six months, he said.
The biggest driver of the city’s pollution, Aslam said, is vehicles, which contribute 43% of the smog. Burning of crop stubble, steel manufacturing furnaces and brick kilns are other major sources, he said.
Omar, of the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, said mandating the use of cleaner fuels should be a top priority.
“While closing schools or low weekend traffic have a marginal impact, our transportation and industrial sectors never sleep,” he said.
Aslam said he would take up fuel standards with the country’s oil ministry and urge them to import higher quality diesel.
He said he also planned to introduce vehicle inspection systems in Punjab province in coming months to keep a check on polluting vehicles.
As well, Pakistan’s cabinet recently passed a new electric transport policy, which aims to shift 30% of vehicles on the country’s roads to electric power by 2030.
Aslam said the World Bank also plans to provide $55 million to help Punjab steel and brick plants shift to cleaner technologies, and to help farmers find alternatives to burning crop residues by next year.
‘UNLIVEABLE’ CITIES?
Effectively cutting emissions, however, will also require better city planning, said Mome Saleem, executive director of the new Islamabad-based Institute of Urbanism.
The most densely populated and least well-planned cities are the ones with the most serious smog problems, she said - and as people flock to already congested cities Pakistan will see more of air pollution threats.
“We need a proper urban policy or else our cities will become unliveable,” she warned.
Waraich, of Amnesty International, said governments in too many smog-hit South Asian cities “seem content to ride out of the months of the smog season” rather than “enforce clear limits on pollutants and punish those responsible for poisoning the air”.
“The failure to take these steps is a human rights violation,” he said.
Waheed, the Smog Committee member, said she had installed an air quality monitor in her home, connected to the Air Visual mobile phone app.
The app gives residents an indication of air quality around the city - and has helped back the campaign to clean up Lahore’s air.
“Clean air was something we took for granted and now it has become the most cherished commodity,” she said.
Reporting by Rina Saeed Khan ; editing by Laurie Goering : Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate









Amid 'air apocalypse', mask-clad Lahore looks for answers

 last updated: 
Description: Amid 'air apocalypse', mask-clad Lahore looks for answers
FILE PHOTO: Men wearing protective masks wait for a bus in Lahore, Pakistan November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza -
MOHSIN RAZA(Reuters)
By Rina Saeed Khan
LAHORE, Pakistan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When black smoke from burning rice stubble in nearby India swept into Lahore – one of Pakistan’s largest and wealthiest cities – earlier this month, outraged residents declared an “air apocalypse” and the provincial government shut down schools.
But even the city’s own thick autumn smog – driven in large part by emissions from polluting vehicles – is becoming a significant threat to health and basic rights, residents and human rights groups warn.
“Air pollution … claims tens of thousands of lives, devastates the health of millions, and denies other rights, like the right to education, when children cannot go to school,” said Omar Waraich, South Asia campaigns director for Amnesty International.
“This is a human rights crisis,” he said.
This autumn, Lahore’s worsening air quality has led it to overtaking New Delhi on some days as the most polluted city in the world, according to the community-led Pakistan Air Quality Initiative.
“Both Lahore and Delhi now have a similar number of days of very unhealthy or hazardous air pollution” said Abid Omar, a founder of the non-profit initiative.
Since October, the city of more than 10 million has been engulfed most days by a smoky, chemical haze that is relieved only briefly when it rains.
Warmer air layers above the cooler air at ground level act like a lid that keeps the pollutants close to the ground, according to Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.
Across the city, many residents now wear disposable anti-pollution masks – but they are a poor fit for the faces of vulnerable young children, residents say.
Air quality is so bad that it exceeds even the worst ratings of the World Health Organization, said Attiya Noon, an air quality activist in Lahore and the mother of three young children.
Pollution “is now beyond the index” – which means serious consequences for the city’s health, said Noon, a member of the Punjab government’s newly set up Smog Committee.
The committee was hurriedly established earlier this month when air quality levels became so hazardous in Punjab’s capital that schools had to be shut down three times, and social media channels erupted with outrage.
The smog group now aims to find both immediate and longer-term ways to reduce pollution.
Mahbina Waheed, a Lahore entrepreneur and another member of the committee, said the creation of the group was one sign the provincial government was taking the problem seriously.
“With the last government we felt we were helpless and were spiralling into this abyss with all the focus on building new roads. Now with this new government we can raise our voices and they are heard,” she said.
MOREMONITORING
One of the quick fixes the activists are proposing is to require students to ride buses to school, rather than arriving in many more individual cars.
Countries such as China and Iran have used school closures as a way of curbing smog emergencies, Noon noted.
Malik Amin Aslam, an advisor to the country’s prime minister on climate change, attended early meetings of the Smog Committee and said Lahore needed “more high-quality air monitoring stations and actionable data.”
New Delhi, he said, has 37 official air monitoring stations, while Lahore has just four.
The World Bank plans to provide 30 new monitors in Pakistan, including 10 in Lahore, with the aim of having them in place within six months, he said.
The biggest driver of the city’s pollution, Aslam said, is vehicles, which contribute 43% of the smog. Burning of crop stubble, steel manufacturing furnaces and brick kilns are other major sources, he said.
Omar, of the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, said mandating the use of cleaner fuels should be a top priority.
“While closing schools or low weekend traffic have a marginal impact, our transportation and industrial sectors never sleep,” he said.
Aslam said he would take up fuel standards with the country’s oil ministry and urge them to import higher quality diesel.
He said he also planned to introduce vehicle inspection systems in Punjab province in coming months to keep a check on polluting vehicles.
As well, Pakistan’s cabinet recently passed a new electric transport policy, which aims to shift 30% of vehicles on the country’s roads to electric power by 2030.
Aslam said the World Bank also plans to provide $55 million to help Punjab steel and brick plants shift to cleaner technologies, and to help farmers find alternatives to burning crop residues by next year.
UNLIVEABLE’ CITIES?
Effectively cutting emissions, however, will also require better city planning, said Mome Saleem, executive director of the new Islamabad-based Institute of Urbanism.
The most densely populated and least well-planned cities are the ones with the most serious smog problems, she said – and as people flock to already congested cities Pakistan will see more of air pollution threats.
“We need a proper urban policy or else our cities will become unliveable,” she warned.
Waraich, of Amnesty International, said governments in too many smog-hit South Asian cities “seem content to ride out of the months of the smog season” rather than “enforce clear limits on pollutants and punish those responsible for poisoning the air”.
“The failure to take these steps is a human rights violation,” he said.
Waheed, the Smog Committee member, said she had installed an air quality monitor in her home, connected to the Air Visual mobile phone app.
The app gives residents an indication of air quality around the city – and has helped back the campaign to clean up Lahore’s air.
“Clean air was something we took for granted and now it has become the most cherished commodity,” she said.
(Reporting by Rina Saeed Khan ; editing by Laurie Goering : (Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women’s rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
euronews provides breaking news articles from reuters as a service to its readers, but does not edit the articles it publishes. Articles appear on euronews.com for a limited time.
Hasan Ali’s wife receives a fairytale welcome in Pakistan

Description: https://d1ouwe0zp93mt3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Arhama-Altaf.jpg
By Arhama Altaf - Web Editor
30th November, 2019
Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali reaches Pakistan along with his wife, Samiya Arzoo after they both tied knot in Dubai on August 20 this year.
According to media reports, the newlyweds reached their hometown in Pakistan with a wholehearted welcome.
Sweet fragranced rose petals were all their way from entrance to the couples’ room with a memorable photo frame from their wedding shoot on the wall.
Earlier on August 20, Pakistan’s pacer Hasan Ali has tied the nuptial knot with Samiya Arzoo at a seven star hotel in Dubai.
Description: hasan-ali
The wedding ceremony, which was held at one of the most expensive hotels, was attended by Hassan’s close friends and relatives.
The Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine, including steamed mutton, basmati rice, vegetable Peshawari, achari masalah, aalu methi, Punjabi gosht, and Arabic mixed grill, was served to the guests.
Samiya belongs to Hariana, India. Hassan met her a year ago through a close friend in Dubai. She studied engineering from England.
The bride lived with her parents in Dubai. She worked for a private airline.
Hasan Ali’s pictures from his pre-wedding shoot entourage in orange kurta had gone viral from the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
The pre-wedding pictures of the new couple had made rounds on different social media platforms.

Government to ban rice imports by 2022

Mr Kennedy Osei Nyarko

A Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kennedy Osei Nyarko, says rice importers have welcomed the government’s intention to ban rice importation by 2022.
“When we communicated plans to ban the rice importation by 2022, the importers were happy. Their main challenge however is whether our current production capacity can meet demand to avoid going back,” he said.

Tour
Mr Nyarko made this known during a working visit to the rice processing unit of the Global Agricultural Development Company (GADCO), producers of Aduahene and Copa Jasmine brands of rice at Fievie, near Sogakope in the Volta Region.

The deputy minister visited last Tuesday to acquaint himself with the operations of the company.
The visit also took him to Wheta in the Anlo District in the Volta Region where he assured rice farmers of the government’s commitment to promote the production and marketing of Ghana rice.   
Ban on importation of rice
After inspecting the facilities of GADCO, Mr Nyarko said the intention of the government to ban rice importation was to support local rice farmers to gain access to a market for their produce.

He said it would become a mirage if efforts were not made to scale up the production capacity of rice farmers in the country to meet the high demand for the commodity.

According to him, the country consumed about 940,000 tonnes of rice every month as against the country’s production capacity of about 400,000 tonnes.

Increase in paddy production

Mr Nyarko said the country had witnessed an increase in the production of paddy rice over the past two years.

“In 2018, we recorded a total rice production level of about 769,400 tonnes. We are inching this year to about 900,000 tonnes and we have given ourselves up to about 2022 to meet the average per capita consumption rate of rice in the country to about 1,135 tonnes,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture added that the rice consumption rate kept going high so “we should be able to produce enough to meet consumption before we can say we want to ban rice importation.”

Rice mill cottages
He disclosed that as part of efforts to increase rice production in the country, the government intended setting up rice mill cottages in rice growing areas where the farmers would mill their rice.

“When this is done, the farmer would not be worried about his paddy rice getting rotten,” he said.

Subsidy

After the deputy minister’s address to the Copa Connect Farmers in Wheta, the Chairman of the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body (GRIB), Mr Anthony Yaw Anyidoho, appealed to the government to further lower subsidies on farming inputs.

According to him, the cost of production of rice in the country was higher than the cost of importing rice.

“It is a challenge to sell our produce at a competitive price compared to the price of imported rice. If we want to eat rice that we grow in our country, then we need subsidy that is lower than the normal farming subsidy,” he said.

Sustainability of agricultural ventures

For his part, the Commodities and Procurement Manager of Wienco and fertiliser dealer, Mr Abdul Razak Sania, reiterated the company’s commitment to ensure that agricultural ventures in the country were sustainable.

Indian-origin researcher turns banana plant into packaging material

By
 IANS


Indian-origin researcher turns banana plant into packaging material
 
Sydney:  An Indian-origin researcher-led team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on Friday announced it has discovered a novel way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that is not only biodegradable but also recyclable.
Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot and Professor Martina Stenzel looked at ways to convert agricultural waste into something that could value-add to the industry it came from, while potentially solving problems for another.
“What makes the banana growing business particularly wasteful compared to other fruit crops is the fact that the plant dies after each harvest,” Arcot from UNSW School of Chemical Engineering, said in a statement.
“We were particularly interested in the pseudostems – basically the layered, fleshy trunk of the plant which is cut down after each harvest and mostly discarded on the field. Some of it is used for textiles, some as compost, but other than that, it’s a huge waste,” she added.
According to Arcot, banana growing industry produces large amounts of organic waste, with only 12 per cent of the plant being used (the fruit) while the rest is discarded after harvest.
Using a reliable supply of pseudostem material from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the duo set to work in extracting cellulose to test its suitability as a packaging alternative.
“The pseudostem is 90 per cent water, so the solid material ends up reducing down to about 10 per cent,” Arcot noted.
The team brought the pseudostem into the lab and chopped it into pieces, dried it at very low temperatures in a drying oven, and then milled it into a very fine powder.
The team then took this powder and washed it with a very soft chemical treatment.
“This isolates what we call nano-cellulose which is a material of high value with a whole range of applications. One of those applications that interested us greatly was packaging, particularly single-use food packaging where so much ends up in landfill,” informed Stenzel.
When processed, the material has a consistency similar to baking paper.
Depending on the intended thickness, the material could be used in a number of different formats in food packaging.
“There are some options at this point, we could make a shopping bag, for example,” said Arcot.
The material is also recyclable.
“One of our PhD students proved that we can recycle this for three times without any change in properties,” Arcot added.
Tests with food have proved that it poses no contamination risks.
Other uses of agricultural waste that the duo have looked at are in the cotton industry and rice growing industry – they have extracted cellulose from both waste cotton gathered from cotton gins and rice paddy husks.
“What makes bananas so attractive in addition to the quality of the cellulose content is the fact that they are an annual plant,” said Arcot who has been at UNSW since 1990 after completing her education from Bachelor’s and Master’s from the University of Madras and PhD from AP Agricultural University, Hyderabad.
“If the banana industry can come on board, and they say to their farmers or growers that there’s a lot of value in using those pseudostems to make into a powder which you could then sell, that’s a much better option for them as well as for us,” said the researchers..
The UNSW has more than 52,000 students from nearly 130 countries, and highest are from India.

Delhi choking: Cheaper options available to deal with paddy stubble

December 01, 2019 08:30 IST
One way would be to encourage farmers to come out of the long-standing paddy-wheat cycle. But for that to happen, farmers want income assurances akin to what they get for paddy and wheat, writes Sanjeeb Mukherjee.

Why Punjab, Haryana farmers are defying ban on stubble burning


Description: Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR

Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR


Description:
Image: Colombian boxer Dayana Cordero covers her face with a cloth after her practice session ahead of AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
Mahendra Kaur, 75, has been suffering from a recurring respiratory problem for the last few years. Her trouble becomes acute in the winter, especially in the days after Diwali. That's also the time when her husband, Joginder Singh, 80, burns the crop stubble on his 15 acres of farm land in Mohal Gwara village in Nabha Tehsil in Punjab's Patiala.
In other words, Kaur lives slap bang in the middle of the lethal smoke from farm fires that severely pollutes the National Capital Region at this time of the year.
"My wife's dependence on medicines has increased in the last few years and so have her trips to the doctor," rues Singh, who grows wheat and paddy on his farm, alternating between the two every year.
"But do I have any option? I know it is wrong to burn stubble and my own family is suffering, but tell me, what can I do?" he asks.
Singh cannot afford to buy or hire the machines that would cut out the need to burn farm waste.
"In 15 acres I need to run a tractor thrice -- for cutting the stubble, for overhauling them, and then for levelling the land. Assuming that a tractor consumes 65-70 litres of diesel, look at the cost that I already incur. On top of this, how can I purchase another machine that costs not less than Rs 1,50,000?" he exclaims. 
Description:
Image: Smoke rises as a farmer burns paddy stubble at a village on the outskirts of Amritsar. Photographs: PTI Photo
Singh feels that the best option for farmers like him is using a combine harvester and burning the stubble left behind. "We have to rely on combine harvesters for cutting paddy -- there is no way out," Singh says.
That view is echoed by most farmers in the region that this correspondent spoke to. Though they welcome the Supreme Court's order to give an interim relief of Rs 100 per quintal for stubble management, most feel that they cannot stop the practice of stubble burning unless there is a viable and long-term solution to the problem.
According to the Union ministry of agriculture, between October 1 to November 3, there were 31,402 cases of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and western UP, of which, over 80 per cent was in Punjab alone. However, this is almost 12 per cent less than last year.
Pritam Singh of Nabha's Kot Khurd village says that going back to the old method of manual harvesting of paddy, which does not leave crop residue, is out of the question because labour is scarce.
Joginder Singh agrees, adding that even the labour needed to run the combines is hard to get nowadays.
Description:
Incidentally, Nabha is known for its farm machine industry. As many as 200-300 units in the area deal in farm machines in some form or the other.
Combine harvesters from this town are sold across India. But the use of combine harvesters and the resultant burning of stubble continues to take its toll on the health of the people in the region.
Dr Dalbir Kaur, senior medical officer at the Civil Hospital in Nabha, says that since the last few years she has seen a spurt in the number of people coming to the hospital with chest and eye-related complaints during the days when farm fires rage.
"We normally get around 800-900 patients daily in our OPD, but in the last few days, this number has increased by at least 15-20 per cent," Kaur says.
Seated in the clean but crowded civil hospital premises, Kaur says that the ones who suffer most are the old and the infirm as they are the most vulnerable.
"We advise them to stay indoors and take medicines, but very little can be done as pollution is not under our control," says Kaur, who feels that the farmers are to blame for the sharp rise in pollution levels, both in their own areas as well as in the cities that are miles away.
On their part, the farmers point out that they can do little unless the authorities provide alternative solutions which can be implemented efficiently.
Chamkaur Singh of Ghanurki village tried an alternative route to dispose of his stubble, but now rues it.
Two years ago, he sold his stubble for over Rs 11.50 lakh to the Punjab Biomass Power Plant in Patiala. But so far, he has received just about Rs 2.45 lakh.
Chamkaur Singh is now running from pillar to post to recover his dues. "After sowing wheat, I and 40 other farmers from my village will go to Mumbai to meet the company's representatives to try and get our money back," he says. (Media reports claimed that Punjab Biomass Power Plant shut down as it was in the red for the last few years.)
"Even now, I don't burn paddy stubble and look for alternatives. But for how long can I do this?" Chankaur Singh asks.
Description:
The Punjab government has been trying to encourage the setting up of biomass power plants which can put crop stubble to good use.
According to the website of the Punjab Energy Development Authority (PEDA) 13 biomass-based power plant projects have been allocated, of which five have been commissioned.
Crop stubble have a high silica content and biomass power plants need to make additional investments to get it removed so they can be processed.
That is one reason why private players have been reluctant to set up biomass power units that can process stubble.
However, with the state government now trying to offer a more attractive power tariff for investors, many private players have again started showing their interest in these plants.
But there are other, cheaper, options available to deal with paddy stubble. One way would be to encourage farmers to come out of the long-standing paddy-wheat cycle. But for that to happen, farmers want income assurances akin to what they get for paddy and wheat.
"We don't want to grow paddy anymore, but we need viable alternative arrangements for the crops that we will grow instead, and some sort of assured procurement -- either by agro-based industries or by the government," says Omkar Singh Khaira, general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal faction).
Khaira says that farmers in this region can grow basmati rice, which needs less water than other rice varieties and does not give rise to the problem of disposing stubble.
But if farmers are to switch to basmati cultivation, they would need the assurance of a minimum support price of at least Rs 3000 per quintal, he asserts.

White vs brown rice: Which one is better?

Published: November 30, 2019
Description: PHOTO: FILE
PHOTO: FILE
Rice is an important part of desi diets. The grain is a part of almost all meals and you will find its presence on almost every occasion, weddings to dinners and even funerals. Speaking of its variety, it is available in several colours, shapes and sizes. These include white, brown, basmati and jasmine rice among others. In the recent past, however, there has been a constant debate about which one is the healthier choice and should be consumed. With many people adopting a healthier lifestyle now, brown rice has become the rage these days. Compiled from Pinkvilla, here is the truth about whether the ‘diet’ alternative is really the best option or not.
Know the difference
As mentioned, white rice is what is consumed by many. For the unversed, it is refined and processed, and high on carbs. It is milled in almost all cases which is why the bran and germ layer is not present anymore. The rice is left with endosperm which has fewer nutrients. And of course, the processing makes the rice less nutritional. Hence, white rice is the source of empty calories.
Speaking of brown rice, it has bran, germ and endosperm and it is full of dietary fibre, antioxidants, phytic acid, minerals, vitamins and polyphenols among others. The presence of soluble fibre makes the digestion slower and keeps the gut healthy. Brown rice is recommended not because it aids in weight loss but the sugar absorption is slower in the blood and it does not allow the accumulation of fat. However, brown rice has some anti-nutrients that can reduce the body’s ability to absorb some nutrients. Phytic acid and arsenic among others are present in the same which can contribute to nutrient deficiencies.
Bottom-line
If you are suffering from or are at a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, then you can include a small serving of brown rice in your diet and lower the intake of white rice. But make sure you do not overeat either of them.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below. 
Thai rice feels the strain
For second year running, flagship export misses out on top taste prize
published : 1 Dec 2019 at 07:00
newspaper section: News
Description: Farmers has stuck to its old varieties such as Thai Hom Mali and Pathum Thani 1 and has not created any new strains for a long time. (Bangkok Post file photo)Farmers has stuck to its old varieties such as Thai Hom Mali and Pathum Thani 1 and has not created any new strains for a long time. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Failing to win the prize as the world's best fragrant rice for two consecutive years has come as a wake-up call for Thailand to overhaul its research and development into Hom Mali rice varieties to catch up with the changing global demand for fragrant rice.
After winning the contest for five consecutive years, Thailand's Hom Mali (jasmine) rice was beaten last year by Cambodia's fragrant rice and this year by Vietnam's ST25 variety.
"It's about time that both the government and the private sector joined hands in a more serious effort to improve the quality of Thai rice to meet the global market's expectations," said Charoen Laothamatas, president of Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Unlike two decades ago when Thailand was the world's major rice exporter and could sell well whatever rice it produced, the number of competitors is growing, he said.
"The country's reputation for producing quality rice is suffering due to a lack of effective research and development to create better varieties of Thai Hom Mali rice," he said.
·       Hom mali outlook upbeat
Higher costs, lower yield
The strong baht also has exacerbated the rice export situation, he said, adding that it has pushed the price of Thai rice more than US$1,100 higher per tonne than its competitors, he said.
As a result, Vietnam, for instance, is gaining a larger market share in the global rice trade, as it can sell its rice for half the price that Thailand can, he said.
Vietnam won this year's competition because it has continued developing its rice varieties to improve both quality and crop yield, he said, adding the country has been continually upgrading its fragrant rice and is now up to a 25th iteration.
Thailand, on the other hand, has stuck to its old varieties such as Thai Hom Mali and Pathum Thani 1 and has not created any new strains for a long time, he said.
The yield of Thai rice is about 400 kilogrammes per rai, which is fairly low when compared with the 1,000kg-per-rai yield of Vietnam's rice, he said.
And while buyers in the world market are now looking for rice with a soft texture, the Thai rice remains as hard as it was many years ago, he said.
Despite the development of some new softer varieties, the work of promoting these among rice growers has been slow and far from successful, he said.
This has left exporters unable to respond to demand for rice with a soft texture, he said.
Worse still, he said, the stronger baht has crippled exporters' ability to compete with their counterparts in other rice-growing countries.
"If nothing is done to improve this problem, Thai Hom Mali rice will soon become a thing of the past," Mr Charoen said.
When consumers in those countries get used to the taste of cheaper rice from other rice exporting countries, it will become highly difficult for Thailand to regain a foothold, he said.
Seeking a solution
Nipon Poapongsakorn, a distinguished fellow with Thailand Development Research Institute, said one way to help bring the price down is to slash production costs by increasing the yield, he said.
"Thailand may consider developing a rice variety that is less fragrant yet gives a higher yield for the sake of cost-cutting," he said.
The yield of the off-season crop needs to rise to at least 1,000kg per rai, he said, adding that China's hybrid rice variety now yields up to 2,000kg per rai.
The government should also consider giving more incentives for people to study to become researchers, he said.
China, for instance, offers researchers a handsome share of income earned through intellectual property fees, on top of high salaries for researchers in the civil service, he said.
Instead of boasting that Thai rice is better than products from other countries, Thailand should pay more attention to meeting the changing expectations of rice buyers in the world market, he said.
Low incentives
Mr Charoen blamed Thailand's lack of rice variety development on politicians competing to win farmers' support only through price guarantees or other types of price intervention.
"These policies have failed to give any incentive for research and development into new varieties.
"As farmers are satisfied with these price intervention policies, they are no longer interested in improving the quality or yield.
"The priority here is to speed up development a Hom Mali rice variety with a yield of at least 800kg per rai, which will help to lower production costs," he said.
"The problem is that Thailand's rice research centres are using outdated tools and full of old researchers. So, to cope with this problem the government should make rice research a national agenda," he said.
Little support for R&D
The current 200-300 million baht yearly budget for research is far from sufficient to attract capable and talented researchers, according to Mr Nipon.
"Thailand's competitors are spending far more money on their rice research," he said.
"The research budget was only 238.6 million baht last year [2018], yet the gross domestic product generated through rice trade was as much as 140 billion baht," he said.
The director-general of the Rice Department declined to comment on issues surrounding the Thai rice production.
Not just the strains
Tanee Sreewongchai, associate dean for Research and Innovation in the Department of Agronomy at Kasetsart University's Faculty of Agriculture, said Thai Jasmine rice was developed from "Khao Dok Mali 105" and "Kor Khor 15", and resulted in intense fragrance, soft texture and long grains.
But this was in 1959, he said, and since then there has been no effort to improve on it, despite the ever more desirable strains being produced by Thailand's competitors.
However, the Department of Rice is now attempting to develop it further to increase its yield and make it more disease and weather resistant.
This is because, he added, Thai jasmine rice was developed from native rice with an average yield of only 350kg per rai. Another challenging issue is that Thai farmers have high costs of production compared with competitors like Vietnam and Cambodia.
"The problem is not related to the Thai rice strain, but it might be related to harvesting and packing procedures that destroy the quality and fragrance, a report by our department has shown," he said.
He said exporters are aware of the problem and try to keep stored harvested rice at optimal temperatures to maintain the fragrance.
However, he admitted that Vietnam is now a real rival as it can produce better rice at lower prices.
Silver lining
Mr Charoen said that at the moment, Thai Hom Mali rice's popularity in the global market remains high despite its losses in the rice contest in the past two years, which means Thailand still has some time if it intends to accelerate its research and development.
Meanwhile, Boonrue Chantarangsri, coordinator of the Knowledge Management and Farmer School Network Foundation in Nakhon Sawan, prefers to ignore the annual contest, saying that it is down to a subjective judgement in flavour.
He said that his department has collected domestic rice strains, which can be further developed for higher quality in terms of texture and nutrients for consumers who are concerned about health.
He prefers the metric of market share in order to determine the success, or otherwise, of Thai jasmine rice.
And as of August 2019, Thailand was the second-largest exporter of rice in the world, ranked only behind India, but far ahead of all of its Southeast Asian competitors.
AIADMK will picket assembly if free rice not provided for poor people : Anbazhagan
Puducherry, Nov 30 (UNI) AIADMK legislature party leader A Anbazhagan on Saturday cautioned that the party after getting permission from the high command would picket the legislative assembly if the government failed to provide free rice or cash for rice to poor people in another 10 days.

Talking to news persons here, Mr Anbazhagan said that the government should shoulder responsibility for the possible law and order problem during the picketing.

He charged that the government is not interested in implementing any welfare scheme including free rice and the poor people are deliberately being ‘cheated’.
The poor people are suffering a lot in the tussle between Lt.Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on whether rice or cash to be provided, he said, adding that the government had allocated Rs.160 crore towards free rice while, a sum of Rs 271 crore is required per year.
He said either rice or cash were not provided for the 3.44 lakh ration card holders here for the past 19 months.
The Chief Minister and Welfare Minister were blaming the Lt.Governor for the state of affairs, Mr Anbazhagan said.

When the Lt.Governor had directed not to supply free rice, the cabinet should have taken a decision to provide cash for rice.The red colour ration card holders should be provided Rs 4,800 and Yellow color card holders Rs 2,400, he added.

Stating that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami ahd taken steps to provide a ‘Pongal Kit” for Rs 500 along with Rs.1000 in cash, Mr Anbazhagan said and demanded that Mr Narayanasmay should also take steps to provide the same in the Union Territory for Pongal.

The AIADMK leader also demanded a probe by a sitting judge into the alleged suicide by the Sub-Inspector of police Vimal Kumar, attached to the Nettapakkam police station, here recently.
UNI PAB CS 1436