Rice growers to get subsidy
SIALKOT: A five-year project under Agriculture Emergency, a
national programme for higher profitability through increased rice produce, has
been launched in 15 rice growing districts of Punjab costing Rs 6.63 billion.
Under the programme the government will provide subsidy to paddy
growers belonging to rice growing districts for obtaining authenticated paddy
seed.
Rice growers have been advised to contact local agriculture
department for registration, sources in Agriculture department told reporters.
It was learnt that special attention would be focused on promoting
mechanized farming in these districts. Under national agriculture emergency
efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecologically best
varieties by promoting direct seedling of rice drill in these districts. The
mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries will replace the outdated manual
transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala,
Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnagar, Jhang, Narowal,
Kasur, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore, and Faisalabad districts.
Area sown to kharif rice up 37.70% so far: Agri
Min
Press Trust of India | New Delhi Last Updated at April
24, 2020 20:34 IST
Area sown to rice increased by 37.70 per cent to 34.73 lakh
hectare so far in the kharif (summer) season of the 2020-21 crop year,
according to Agriculture Ministry data released on Friday.
Farmers had planted rice in 25.22 lakh hectare area in the
year-ago period in the same season.
Rice iain rain-fed kharif crop besides maize, bajra greengram
blackgram, groundnut and sesame seeds in the category of foodgrains basket.
The Met Department has forecast a normal southwest monsoon during
June-September period.
With regard to rice planting, the ministry has advised states to
promote Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) which require less labour and tend to mature
faster than transplanted crops. It has also asked them to promote cultivation
of hybrid rice.
Currently, 8 per cent farmers use this method especially in states
like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, it said.
The government is targeting 102.6 million tonne of rice production
in the kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year (July-June).
As per the ministry's data, area sown to pulses has increased to
5.07 lakh hectare so far in the kharif season this year from 3.82 lakh hectare
in the year-ago.
In case of pulses, the ministry has advised states to promote
intercropping of pulses with oilseeds, sugarcane, maize and cotton. It has also
asked to use bunds for cultivation of arhar or tur dal besides weed management
and application of fertilizers based on soil head card.
Similarly, area sown to coarse cereals has increased to 8.55 lakh
hectare from 5.47 lakh hectare, while that of oilseeds acreage increased to
8.73 lakh hectare from 6.80 lakh hectare in the said period, the data showed.
The ministry has asked to give priority to oileeds and promote
improved variety of soybean, groundnut sesame and sunflower seeds.
States have been asked to replace upland or low yielding paddy
areas with oilseeds besides promoting intercropping with pulses, cotton, maize
and millets.
Farming activities have been exempted from the ongoing COVID-19
lockdown. Farmers have been asked to take safety precautions and maintain
social distancing while planting kharif crops.
The government has set a foodgrain production target of 149.92
million tonne for the kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is
auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/area-sown-to-kharif-rice-up-37-70-so-far-agri-min-120042401368_1.html
Rice worth $1.95 billion exported in nine months
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 26th Apr, 2020 )
:Rice exports from the
country during first three quarters of current financial year registered an
increase of 7.13 % as compared to the exports of
the corresponding period of last year.
During the period from July to March 2019-20,
the country earned $1.594 billion by
exporting over 3.146 million tons
of rice, according the data released by the Pakistan Bureau
of Statistics.
The exports of
rice in first three quarters of last financial year were recorded at
2.987 million tons
valuing $1.487 billion, the data
revealed.
During the period under review, about 657,280 metric tons of
Basmati rice worth of $573.196 million were
also exported as compared to the exports of
433, 097 metric tons valuing $ 428.796 million of same period
of last year.
68% growth during the period under review as compared the exports of same period
last year, it added.
In last nine months over 2.488 million tons
of rice other then Basmati worth $1.020 billion exported
as compared to the exports of
2.553 million tons
valuing $ 1.059 billion of same period
last year.
However, during the period under review the exports of
rice other then Basmati remained on down track as it decreased by 3.62%, the
data revealed.
It may be
recalled here that food group exports from the
country during first nine months of current financial year grew by 1.43% as
different food commodities worth $3.396 billion exported
as against $3.348 billion of
the corresponding period of last year.
Meanwhile, food group exports during
the month of March 2020 decreased
by 23.23% as compared to the same month of
last year.
Rice Prices
as on : 27-04-2020 12:13:57 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
Rice
|
||||||
Shahjahanpur(UP)
|
615.00
|
2.5
|
3240.00
|
2650
|
2665
|
7.72
|
Lucknow(UP)
|
85.00
|
6.25
|
3268.00
|
2400
|
2425
|
-9.09
|
Barhaj(UP)
|
80.00
|
-11.11
|
7065.00
|
2520
|
2510
|
9.09
|
Ghaziabad(UP)
|
60.00
|
140
|
896.00
|
2700
|
5600
|
NC
|
Firozabad(UP)
|
42.50
|
-1.16
|
719.60
|
2620
|
2590
|
-
|
Jaunpur(UP)
|
40.00
|
300
|
878.70
|
2450
|
2460
|
4.70
|
Naugarh(UP)
|
35.00
|
16.67
|
2838.50
|
2500
|
2500
|
4.17
|
Hanagal(Kar)
|
34.00
|
-40.35
|
304.00
|
1900
|
1910
|
NC
|
Fatehpur(UP)
|
31.00
|
355.88
|
1652.90
|
2400
|
2385
|
4.35
|
Khalilabad(UP)
|
25.00
|
-16.67
|
1045.00
|
2535
|
2540
|
12.67
|
Teliamura(Tri)
|
24.00
|
-20
|
209.00
|
3200
|
2800
|
10.34
|
Asansol(WB)
|
20.50
|
2.5
|
595.59
|
3000
|
3000
|
-1.64
|
Durgapur(WB)
|
20.00
|
-9.09
|
539.25
|
2950
|
2850
|
1.72
|
Balrampur(UP)
|
19.00
|
5.56
|
470.00
|
2400
|
2400
|
4.35
|
Ajuha(UP)
|
8.00
|
NC
|
168.00
|
2600
|
2550
|
9.47
|
Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB)
|
4.00
|
81.82
|
173.50
|
2700
|
2650
|
1.89
|
Bishalgarh(Tri)
|
1.60
|
14.29
|
16.50
|
3600
|
3700
|
-
|
Kaliaganj(WB)
|
1.50
|
NC
|
124.90
|
3300
|
3350
|
-
|
Khatra(WB)
|
1.50
|
-31.82
|
90.50
|
2680
|
2650
|
1.13
|
Anandnagar(UP)
|
1.20
|
-25
|
170.90
|
2485
|
2525
|
5.74
|
Soharatgarh(UP)
|
1.20
|
-85.88
|
1280.70
|
5800
|
2500
|
141.67
|
Alibagh(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
58.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
NC
|
Murud(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
57.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
NC
|
Achnera(UP)
|
0.70
|
NC
|
22.30
|
2560
|
2580
|
0.79
|
Published on April 27, 2020
TOPICS
Weather: Kalbaisakhi brings lightning, high
winds, rain to East India
Vinson Kurian Thiruvananthapuram
| Updated on April 27, 2020 Published
on April 27, 2020
A barrage of phenomenal lightning
strikes associated with dangerous thunderstorms during the ongoing Kalbaisakhi
(pre-monsoon) season have claimed 59 lives, during the week ending April 24,
across the familiar stretch in East India - Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West
Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh.
An extended period from February
21 to April 25 (64 days) has seen more than 200 deaths due to lightning in
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand , Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh, according to a
Kalbaisakhi bulletin issued jointly by the Climate Resilient Observing Systems
Promotion Council, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and World Vision
India.
Thunderstorm raids East Coast
In fact, Saturday and Sunday saw
a rare but dangerous thunderstorm raiding the East Coast from Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in a South-South-West direction producing
massive lightning strikes and moderate to heavy rainfall across the region.
From South-Central Tamil Nadu and adjoining Karnataka, the thunderstorms
crossed the Western Ghats and entered Kerala lighting up the evening skies on
Sunday and generating a wet spell before dissipating over the Arabian Sea.
Kalbaisakhi extends from March
till the South-West monsoon establishes over North- East India. Based on event
descriptions and the meteorological environments involved, it appears that the
causative dry north-westerly winds (also called "nor'westers")
boosted by passing western disturbances, may have packed progressive
‘derechos,’ the bulletin said.
Beneficial rain for crops
Derecho is a Spanish word which
literally means ‘straight’ and is taken here to mean a widespread, long-lived,
straight-line wind storm associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms.
Derechos can cause hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, heavy rain, and flash
floods. In many cases, convection-induced winds take on a bow echo (backward
‘C’) form of squall line, often forming in a region abounding in rich low-level
moisture (from the Bay of Bengal) and warm-air advection (horizontal movement).
On extremely rare occasions,
tornadoes may accompany the thunderstorms, lightning, and hail. Flying through
these winds can be extremely dangerous. Circumnavigating or penetrating them
may be disastrous and pilots avoid them. However, the rainfall from these
storms is beneficial for the tea cultivated in Assam and for the jute and rice
and tea cultivated in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The associated thunderstorms
move generally from West to East.
The CROPC and the IMD have been
monitoring the season and initiated comprehensive lightning safety programme in
the form of a Lightning Resilient India Campaign. The campaign offers a series
of services to states all through its network of government and non-government
agencies, volunteers and academia.
Government to provide subsidy to paddy growers
By RECORDER REPORT on April 27, 2020
A five-year programme under Agriculture Emergency, a national
programme for enhancing profitability through increasing productivity of rice
has been launched in 15 rice growing districts of the Punjab costing Rs 6.63
billion.
Under the programme the government will provide subsidy to the
paddy growers belonging to these districts for obtaining authenticated paddy
seed and interested paddy growers are directed to contact with their local
Agriculture department for registration.
Sources in Agriculture department told Business Recorder on Sunday
that under the programme special attention would be focused on promoting
mechanized farming in these districts. Under national agriculture emergency
efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecological best verities
through the promotion of direct seedling of rice drill in these districts.
Under the programme government will provide riding type rice
transplanter, walk-after type rice transplanter, nursery raising machine,
Direct Seedling drill, rice straw chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack
power sprayer.
The government will also provide subsidy to the rice grower for the
purchase of tested paddy seeds and pesticides. The government will also provide
subsidy amounting Rs 1500 per acres to the growers for encouraging combined
harvesting. The concept of the programme was to promote mechanized farming
aimed at enhancing per acre yield, In this regard government will provide
agricultural machinery to the growers on reduce rates for encouraging
mechanized agriculture and ensure economic benefits of the growers.
What to cook when there's (almost) nothing in the house
April 27, 2020
© MargJohnsonVA
via Twenty20
Making do with limited ingredients has taken on new urgency in
pandemic times.
I thought I was decent at making meals out of limited
ingredients before the coronavirus pandemic hit, but you should see me now! I
do everything to avoid going the grocery store, which means that, day after
day, I make meals for five hungry people using what appears to be a mostly
empty fridge and pantry. Of course it isn't truly empty, but the ingredients
are not necessarily the easiest to assemble and require a bit more forethought
than the standard veg-carb-protein trio that most Americans define as a proper
meal.
Not surprisingly, I've become obsessed with reading lists of
what other people are cooking in quarantine – and not the descriptions of fancy
culinary experiments. I want to know how people are scraping by, making do, and
stretching their pantries to the max, without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
So now I figured it was time to share my own list of go-to meals when it feels
like there's almost nothing in the house.
If there's rice:
1. Risotto: It is delicious and easy,
especially now that I've discovered the almost-hands-off version in "The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen. It may not be entirely
authentic, but that's the last thing I'm worried about as I scoop spoonfuls of
risotto into my mouth. All it takes is a batch of homemade stock and a pile of
asparagus, spring peas, or mushrooms (even better if I have a packet of dried
porcini).
2. Fried rice: Whenever I make rice, I
make extra so that I can fry it up the next day. Cold rice is best for
stir-frying. I keep it simple at lunchtime, starting with onions and garlic in
plenty of vegetable oil, adding the rice, then fish sauce, oyster sauce, and
sesame oil. At dinners, it gets fancier with shredded carrot, tofu, frozen
peas, parsley, and whatever else I have.
If there are beans and legumes:
3. Black bean soup: Black bean soup with smoky
chipotle flavoring is a popular dish in our family. I start soaking dried beans
first thing in the morning and simmer them in the afternoon. All I need is
onions, garlic, homemade stock, beans, and canned chipotles in adobo sauce. I
serve with homemade cornmeal muffins and a salad.
4. Red lentil dal: Supremely easy and
delicious, dal comes together with just red lentils, onions, and a basic
collection of spices. It cooks up quickly and is served over hot basmati rice.
I serve whatever vegetables I have on the side – stir-fried carrots or
zucchini, spinach salad, or steamed broccoli.
If there are eggs:
5. Spanish tortilla: Potatoes and eggs transform
into a magical combination when you cook them like this. It forms into a soft
cake that you cut into wedges and can eat for any meal of the day, at any
temperature.
6. Huevos rancheros: My version is probably not
what's served in Mexico, but it's still tasty. I start with a quick homemade
tomato sauce (made with onions and green peppers), poach eggs in it, and top
with shredded cheese and scallions. We eat it with toast and green salad.
If there's bread:
7. Pizza: You can make pizza out of
many kinds of bread – naan, pita, English muffins, even bagels. As long as I
have tomato sauce (sometimes I just whirl a can of tomatoes in the blender and
add a splash of olive oil and dried herbs) and mozzarella, the kids will be
occupied with making their own and happy with the result. On their own, these
make a great lunch; served with soup or salad, they're a satisfying dinner.
8. Wraps: As long as I have
tortillas, I feel equipped to make a meal. It could be black bean burritos,
cheese quesadillas, a felafel wrap, or a roll-up with peanut butter and jam,
banana slices, or a thin egg omelet with shredded cheese.
If there are vegetables:
9. Grain bowl: If I have sturdy vegetables
like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and fennel, I like to roast
them at high heat and stash in the fridge to make grain bowls. I use whatever
grains I have (rice, quinoa, barley, couscous), top with the vegetables, some
crumbled cheese, herbs, seeds, and vinaigrette.
10. Cream soups: Almost any vegetable can be
turned into a cream-of-something soup – cauliflower, broccoli, butternut
squash, beets, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, etc. Start with onions, add the
chopped vegetable and stock, simmer till soft, puree, and add cream or coconut
milk. Curry powder or dried herbs make it tastier.
Pakistan's economy in deep trouble
By HARIS AHMED
Published:
April 27, 2020
A Reuters representational image.
KARACHI: The World
Bank has warned that Pakistan’s economy can shrink 1.3% to 2.2% in the current
fiscal year whereas the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the economy may
contract 1.5%.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also
believes all growth indicators will have to be revised downwards.
These are really very troubling times for
the nation of 220 million already suffering from a range of structural macroeconomic
issues. But there is a silver lining.
International creditors are willing to roll
over Pakistan’s external debt. This means the country will have to set aside a
much lesser amount of foreign exchange for debt servicing than before.
The SBP will be able to manage foreign
exchange reserves with relative ease of mind. The rupee may not witness a free
fall, even if exports and remittances don’t grow, foreign direct investment
doesn’t pick up pace and outflows of hot money or investments made by foreigners
in liquid assets continue.
Exports and remittances will not grow during
the final quarter of the current fiscal year is almost certain. Foreign direct
investment will not pour in is also almost certain. The country is already
witnessing evaporation of foreign investment from once high-yielding treasury
bills and once booming stocks.
These things are certain. What is uncertain
though and to date only a ray of hope, is the possibility of external debt
rollovers. So, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government must not lower its
guards. It must not!
That is why the government angst is visible.
Perhaps, the government has realised that it now has no room to further
procrastinate and must develop a perfectly coordinated approach towards fixing
the economic ills.
Such an approach requires taking all
stakeholders on board, identifying with their assistance all problem areas of
the economy and working on them diligently with focus on immediate results.
Impact on
exports
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FPCCI) President Mian Anjum Nisar says he is most perturbed by
the cancellation of export orders by many countries. He hopes that with the
recent easing of lockdown, exports of some sectors will start returning to
normal levels and can even show an increasing trend.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
President Agha Shahab is not that optimistic. “Since lockdown still remains in
place except for some exempted sectors, almost 90% business activities have
come to a halt, wreaking havoc everywhere across the industrial spectrum and
hitting SMEs very badly,” he says.
It is beyond doubt that Pakistan’s export
earnings would decline sharply in the last quarter (Apr-Jun) of FY20 as many
large-scale manufacturing (LSM) industries have still not started operating due
to the restrictions.
This sadly coincides with an already
declining trend in LSM output. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has reported about
3.4% year-on-year decline in LSM production for Jul-Jan 2019-20. For full
fiscal year, the negative growth will obviously be much higher due to the
lockdown effect.
In Jul-Mar FY20, Pakistan’s exports
increased just 2.23% to $17.45 billion and imports declined 14.4% to $34.81
billion. Even this nominal growth in exports may not continue, though imports
may continue to slide both due to depressed demand and global oil price crash
to multi-year lows.
Businessmen say exports of Basmati rice,
horticulture, meat and meat products may show an increasing trend, though. “We
expect additional earnings of $200 to $300 million this year not because of
increase in rice production but due to ascending prices in the international
market, taking exports towards $2.2 to $2.3 billion,” says Shahjahan Malik,
Chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan.
When asked about exports during the
lockdown, All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters and Importers Association
Patron-in-Chief Abdul Waheed says in the early days of the lockdown exporters
faced some difficulties regarding documentation in Indonesia and Russia.
However, he acknowledges the role of
Pakistani embassies there that managed to get the scanned copies of documents
accepted, resulting in restart of shipments with a lag of about 90 days in
payments.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector, which has
been spared of lockdown restrictions, offers prospects for modest growth. If
agriculture grows even modestly, the economic woes unleashed by Covid-19 and
the ensuing lockdowns will be somewhat addressed.
Policymakers need to chalk out a proper plan
to absorb more jobless people in agriculture and livestock sectors, and to some
extent in construction. The blanket amnesty scheme introduced for investment in
the construction sector may boost activity in the sector even in the midst of
lockdown.
As services and manufacturing sectors have
been terribly impacted, short-term export enhancement measures launched by the
SBP and the government can be expected to compensate for their output loss, but
only marginally.
Remittances
The decline in international oil prices to
multi-year lows is a blessing in disguise for Pakistan. It may bring some
relief to the balance of payments. But reasons behind these plummeting prices
and economic slowdown will be damaging for remittances from overseas
Pakistanis.
Massive layoffs of workers in Gulf countries
were being reported even before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and now
joblessness at historic highs in the United States have made the inflow of
remittances all the more vulnerable for Pakistan.
Since 54% of remittances come from Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries where more than 4 million Pakistanis live,
the layoff of workers in GCC states in the post-pandemic period will deal a big
blow to remittances.
Media reports say over 10,000 people have
already lost their jobs only in the UAE. Probably, Saudi Arabia and four other
GCC countries too will resort to massive layoffs, as their transport,
construction and services sectors have been hit hard.
In case of the US from where 15.6% of
remittances come to Pakistan, the prospects are quite bleak. Some independent
US policy institutes are projecting up to 16% unemployment and more than 15
million job losses this year. This will definitely reduce Pakistan’s
remittances from there.
Same is the case for European countries.
Although remittances from the EU in March showed a modest 3.8% increase, in the
current quarter the country must be prepared to see a big plunge as Covid-19
has devastated major European economies.
The writer is a mechanical engineer and is
doing masters
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th,
2020.
Rice Worth $1.95 Billion Exported
In Nine Months
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint /
Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2020 ) :Rice exports from the country during first
three quarters of current financial year registered an increase of 7.13 % as
compared to the exports of the corresponding period
of last year.
During the period from July to March 2019-20, the country earned
$1.594 billion by exporting over 3.146 million tons of rice, according the
data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The exports of rice in first three
quarters of last financial year were recorded at 2.987 million tons valuing $1.487 billion, the data revealed.
During the period under review,
about 657,280 metric tons of Basmati rice worth of $573.196 million were also exported as compared
to the exports of 433, 097 metric tons
valuing $ 428.796 million of same period of last year.
68% growth during the period under
review as compared the exports of same period last year, it added.
In last nine months over
2.488 million tons of rice other then
Basmati worth $1.020 billion exported as compared to
the exports of 2.553 million tons valuing $ 1.059 billion of same period last year.
However, during the period under
review the exports of rice other then Basmati
remained on down track as it decreased by 3.62%, the data revealed.
It may be recalled here that food group exports from the country during first nine
months of current financial year grew by 1.43% as different food commodities
worth $3.396 billion exported as against
$3.348 billion of the corresponding period
of last year.
Meanwhile, food group exports during the month of March 2020 decreased by 23.23% as
compared to the same month of last year.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/rice-worth-195-billion-exported-in-nine-mon-904302.html
CPIC launches relief efforts in Islamabad,
Gwadar and Karachi
BY STAFF REPORT ,
ISLAMABAD: With the advent of holy
month of Ramazan, CPIC, one of the largest developer and real estate companies,
has launched a food ration distribution campaign to help the most vulnerable
families in Islamabad, Karachi and Gwadar.
Each ration pack includes three-month food supplies including
wheat flour, rice, sugar, lentils, ghee, dates, Rooh Afza and tea.
In addition, 50,000 surgical masks are also being distributed to
Doctors, Nurses, key workers & those most at risk.
Talking to media, CPIC board member Lt. General (R) Syed Sabahat
Husain said that as a leading developer and key stakeholder in Gwadar, we take
it as our responsibility to support the city’s most vulnerable segments.
“On behalf of the group and our valued clients, we have started
an initiative to provide ration packs that include three-month essential
supplies including rice, flour, wheat, lentils, ghee, and tea,” he said.
He said that distribution commenced earlier this week with CPIC
project International Port City acting as the distribution centre however now
we will be going door to door distrusting the ration packs to those who didn’t
have the means of transport to come to us.
“We would like to thank DG Gwadar Development Authority Shazeb
Kakar, the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing support and the
Pakistan Armed forces for their support. As a responsible organisation involved
in the cohesive development of Pakistan, we are here to assist all institutions
across the country regardless of geographic location,” he added.
He said now the campaign was also being replicated to Islamabad
and Karachi. He said that the officials in Gwadar had requested protective
masks from the CPIC and in the coming days we will be delivering 50,000 masks
to Gwadar Management.
Govt to provide subsidy to rice growers
By News
desk
-
April 27, 2020
Sialkot
A five year project under
Agriculture Emergency, a national programme for higher profitability through
increased rice produce ,has been launched in 15 rice growing districts of
Punjab costing Rs. 6.63 billion.
Under this programme the government will provide subsidy to paddy growers belonging to rice growing districts for obtaining authenticated paddy seed. Rice growers have been advised to contact local agriculture department for registration,sources in Agriculture department told APP here .
It was learnt that special attention would be focused on promoting mechanized farming in these districts. Under national agriculture emergency efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecologically best varieties
by promoting direct seedling of rice drill in these districts.
The mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries will replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura,Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi B.Din, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore, and Faisalabad districts. In these area rice—Basmati and course varieties would be cultivated on 70,000 acres of land.
Under the programme government will provide riding type rice transplanter, walk-after type rice transplanter, nursery raising machine, direct seedling drill, rice straw chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack power sprayer.
The government will provide subsidy to rice grower for the purchase of tested paddy seeds and pesticides. The government will also provide subsidy of Rs.1500 per acre to growers for encouraging combined harvesting. The underline aim of the programme is to promote mechanized farming for higher per acre yield,sources said. —APP
Under this programme the government will provide subsidy to paddy growers belonging to rice growing districts for obtaining authenticated paddy seed. Rice growers have been advised to contact local agriculture department for registration,sources in Agriculture department told APP here .
It was learnt that special attention would be focused on promoting mechanized farming in these districts. Under national agriculture emergency efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecologically best varieties
by promoting direct seedling of rice drill in these districts.
The mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries will replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura,Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi B.Din, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore, and Faisalabad districts. In these area rice—Basmati and course varieties would be cultivated on 70,000 acres of land.
Under the programme government will provide riding type rice transplanter, walk-after type rice transplanter, nursery raising machine, direct seedling drill, rice straw chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack power sprayer.
The government will provide subsidy to rice grower for the purchase of tested paddy seeds and pesticides. The government will also provide subsidy of Rs.1500 per acre to growers for encouraging combined harvesting. The underline aim of the programme is to promote mechanized farming for higher per acre yield,sources said. —APP
New Arkansas long-grain rice variety offers high yields, UA says
Jewel, a new mid-season,
long-grain rice variety from the University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture, offers high yields and resistance to most known blast races,
according to a news release.
Foundation seed for Jewel will be
maintained by the Division of Agriculture’s Foundation Seed Program at the Rice
Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart. Certified seed will be available
to growers in 2021.
In 14 Arkansas Rice Performance
Trials conducted over three years, Jewel averaged 187 bushels per acre, said
Karen Moldenhauer, professor and rice breeder for the Arkansas Agricultural
Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
In Uniform Regional Rice Nursery
trials in Arkansas during that same period, Jewel yielded an average of 229
bushels per acre.
Those yields compare favorably to
LaKast and Roy J rice varieties, and in some cases even with the high-yielding
Diamond rice variety, she said.
Maturing about three to four days
earlier than Roy J, Jewel reaches 50 percent heading in 87 days, Moldenhauer
said. Jewel stands about 37 inches tall and has straw strength similar to
Diamond and approaching Roy J, indicating lodging resistance.
Moldenhauer said Jewel has
excellent milling yields of 59 percent whole kernels and 71 percent total
milled rice, based on three years of Arkansas Rice Performance Trial data.
Jewel contains the Pi-ta and
Pi-ks genes for resistance to most of the common races of blast, Moldenhauer
said. It is moderately susceptible to sheath blight as well as bacterial
panicle blight, much like Roy J.
Moldenhauer said Jewel has good
food quality and cooks up in a manner desired by consumers. Jewel was developed
using Rice Grower Checkoff funds administered by the Arkansas Rice Research and
Promotion Board.
To learn more about Division of
Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and
Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and
services without discrimination.
Analysis shows
benefits of conservation agriculture in South Asia
Amin Ahmed April 27, 2020
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
completes 60 years of research partnership with Pakistan. — Dawn/File
ISLAMABAD: A new analysis carried out by a team of scientists at
the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) has shown
benefits of conservation agriculture for crop performance, water use
efficiency, farmers’ incomes and climate action across a variety of cropping
systems and environments in South Asia.
The analysis, published in ‘Nature Sustainability’, is the first of
its kind to synthesise existing studies on conservation agriculture in South
Asia and allows policy makers to prioritise where and which cropping systems to
deploy conservation agriculture techniques. The ‘Nature Sustainability’
publishes the best research about sustainability from the natural and social
sciences.
The analysis used data from over 9,500 site-year comparisons across
South Asia. Scientists looked at a variety of agricultural, economic and
environmental performance indicators — including crop yields, water use
efficiency, economic return, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming
potential — and compared how they correlated with conservation agriculture
conditions in smallholder farms and field stations across South Asia.
Researchers found that many conservation agriculture practices had
significant benefits for agricultural, economic and environmental performance
indicators, whether implemented separately or together.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre completes 60 years
of research partnership with Pakistan
Zero tillage with residue retention, for example, had a mean yield
advantage of around 6 per cent, provided farmers almost 25 per cent more
income, and increased water use efficiency by about 13pc compared to
conventional agricultural practices. This combination of practices also was
shown to cut global warming potential by up to 33pc.
This comes as good news for national governments in South Asia,
which have been actively promoting conservation agriculture to increase crop
productivity while conserving natural resources. South Asian agriculture is
known as a global “hotspots’ for climate vulnerability, according to the
analysis.
With the region’s population expected to rise to 2.4 billion,
demand for cereals is expected to grow by about 43pc between 2010 and 2050.
This presents a major challenge for food producers who need to produce more
while minimising greenhouse gas emissions and damage to the environment and
other natural resources.
“The collaborative effort behind this study epitomises how
researchers, policy-makers, and development practitioners can and should work
together to find solutions to the many challenges facing agricultural
development, not only in South Asia but worldwide also,” said Jon Hellin,
leader of the Sustainable Impact Platform at the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI).
Meanwhile, CIMMYT has completed in 2020 its 60 years of research
partnership with Pakistan, playing a vital role in improving food security for
Pakistanis and for the global spread of improved crop varieties and farming
practices.
Dr Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace laureate and first director of
CIMMYT wheat research, kept a close relationship with Pakistan’s researchers
and policymakers. The high-yielding, white-grain wheat variety “Mexi-Pak” from
CIMMYT addressed the national food security crisis when Pakistan imported 50
tons of Mexi-Pak seed in 1966, the largest seed purchase of its time, and two
years later became the first Asian country to achieve self-sufficiency in
wheat, with a national production of 6.7 million tons.
In 2019, Pakistan harvested 26m tons of wheat, which roughly
matches its annual consumption of the crop, CIMMYT says.
Since 1965, Pakistan has released 140 improved wheat varieties for
use by farmers. Each year, CIMMYT provides approximately 25,000 new wheat lines
to strengthen national wheat breeding for disease resistance, drought and heat
tolerance, higher yields, and bio-fortification. More than 70pc of all wheat
varieties grown in Pakistan come from collaborations with CIMMYT.
Almost 36 high-yielding, heat and disease resistant varieties
released over the last six years have contributed to a 20pc gain in farmers’
wheat yields. A 200pc increase in the number of wheat crosses has led to more
varietal releases. Bio-fortified wheat varieties that carry enhanced levels of
zinc in the grain are now grown on half a million hectares, contributing to
better nutrition among those who cannot afford diverse diets.
In maize, a network of partners has tested and deployed more than
3,000 improved varieties and hybrids across 300 environments. Using CIMMYT
parental lines, Pakistan took the lead in South Asia in releasing two new
hybrids of quality protein maize, whose grain features enhanced levels of the
essential protein-building amino acids, lysine and tryptophan.
Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2020
Confusion over FG’s rice palliative
for South West
By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South West State), Seun
Akingboye (Akure), Ayodele Afolabi (Ekiti), Rotimi Agboluaje (Ibadan),Timothy
Agbor (Osun),Tunji Omofoye (Osogbo), Chukwuma Muanya,Seye Olumide, Femi
Ibirogba (Head, Agro-Economy)and Gbenga Salau (Lagos)
27 April 2020 | 4:10 am
Whether the bags of rice the Federal Government
donated to states in the South West are fit for human consumption, partially
fit, or totally unfit depends on who takes the question.
In an attempt to cushion the pains of lockdowns
across the country due to COVID-19, the Federal Government had instructed the
Nigeria Customs Service to distribute bags of rice to states. But the rejection
of the commodity by the Oyo State government on the grounds of poor quality has
continued to stir political undercurrents.
Fresh facts emerged yesterday that only Oyo,
and not all the South-West states, would return the allegedly contaminated
bags. Investigations by The Guardian revealed that Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and the
Ondo States did not see anything wrong with the product.
They, however, declined to comment on how to
fit the rice is for consumption, fueling speculations that the matter has gone
political.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) controls most states in the region, the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) holds sway in Oyo.
A source said: “If Oyo, Osun and Ekiti took
delivery of the rice from the same source at the customs store in Ibadan, why
would only Oyo State allege that the rice is contaminated and other states
decline to comment?”
Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to Oyo
State Governor Seyi Makinde told The Guardian via telephone yesterday that the
rice was not only bad for human consumption but “a letter has gone to Nigeria
Customs that we are returning the rice. So, it is not conjectured any more. The
process of returning it will be finalised. The people who were there saw
weevils all over the rice. They saw the ones that were very bad and black.”
But the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State
Government, Kunle Somorin, said the state was not considering returning the
bags. He also did not confirm if the product had been tested and found good for
human consumption.
Osun State said it sent a sample of the rice
for quality test and was waiting for the result. The governor, who spoke
through his media aide, Ismail Omipidan, said a decision would be taken after
the result had been received.
The Ekiti State government said it had no plan
to return the bags. Commissioner of Information Muyiwa Olomilua said the bags
were already in the state’s food bank. He declined further comments on quality.
The Ondo State government admitted it took
delivery of 1,800 bags of rice and other items. But several attempts to speak
with Commissioner for Information Donald Ojogo were unsuccessful, as he did not
pick his calls or reply to messages sent to his phone. Special Adviser to the
Governor on Agriculture Akin Olotu also did not pick his calls.
But a source within the Ondo Government House,
who pleaded anonymity, said the state government was subjecting the bags of
rice to a quality test.
Refuting the allegation that the bags of rice
were spoilt, Abdullahi-Lagos Abiola, public relations officer of the Oyo/Osun
Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service, said: “As a responsible agency of
government whose function includes ensuring that nothing that could compromise
the security, economy and general well being of Nigerians is allowed into the
country, we cannot turn round and be associated with giving anything that will
negatively affect our people.
“On the 21st of April 2020, the Oyo State
government team came with their vehicles under the supervision of Mr. Jacob
Ojekunle, Mrs. Saidat Oloko, Mrs. M.O. Lasisi and other top officials, in the
presence of the Customs Area Controller, other officers and members of the
press to witness the loading and exiting of the 1800 bags of parboiled rice
allocated to their state.
“Incidentally, in the process of loading, few
bags fell at different times and burst open in the presence of Mr. Ojekunle and
Mrs. Lasisi, and there was no time any of the burst bags of rice had weevils in
them. The warehouse had no signs of weevils, neither were their signs of
weevils on the loaders or on the trucks under the scorching sun.
“Oyo, Osun and Ekiti States took delivery of
the bags of rice allocated to them, returned their landing certificates to show
delivery to the final destinations. Contrary to allegations by the Oyo State
government, Osun and Ekiti States have not complained about their allocations.
“The command is therefore surprised, even
embarrassed to hear three days later that the rice allocated to them was
infested with weevils and unfit for human consumption.”
Lagos State Commissioner for Information Gbenga
Omotosho said: “Lagos State government has not said it was going to return the
rice. The truth of the matter is that the rice in the majority of the bags
could be eaten; the authorities certified it to be good.”
Lagos is controlled by the APC.
Omotosho said: “Actually some are bad. But
there is no plan by the Lagos State government to return the rice or throw it
in the lagoon as some people are claiming. We are appreciative of what the
Federal Government has done. We had been distributing rice procured by the
state government even before the ones donated by the Federal Government came.
“You have to realise that even before the help
from the Federal Government came, Lagos had spent a lot of money on
palliatives, and we are not going to relent, bad rice or no bad rice.”
The commissioner said about a week after the
rice arrived, the state government invited the National Agency for Food and
Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to look at the bags of rice. “This was
because some members of the state executive raised the issue that the rice
might have stayed long in the store and it (NAFDAC) certified that the majority
was good.”
In different reactions, Secretary-General of
the Yoruba Council of Elders Kunle Olajide said: “I will not blame Makinde if
truly the rice is bad because he cannot afford to risk the life of Oyo people
by giving them bad items to consume. His claim calls for a thorough
investigation.” He added: “There have been complaints that the palliatives
favour the North against the South and also that there is inequality in the
handling of the Social Intervention Fund (SIF). If this is the case, then we
shouldn’t dismiss Makinde’s allegation.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere Yinka
Odumakin said it was doubtful if the Oyo State government would falsely say the
bags of rice delivered to the state were bad. “It is Afenifere’s opinion that a
necessary investigation be carried out to determine the true position of
things,” he said.
APC National Vice Chairman (South West) Bankole
Oluwajana, who hails from Ondo, said: “The rice we received is good, and
justice has been done to it without party sentiment.”
He cautioned against politicising efforts by
government at containing the pandemic. He said if Governor Makinde was not
playing politics, he would have complained that over 600 bags were bad and the
customs would have replaced them.
APC South-West Publicity Secretary Dapo
Karounwi said: “Ekiti State did not receive any bad rice as palliative from the
Federal Government. Where Oyo got it, I wouldn’t know. It would be recalled
that this same Makinde endangered the life of his people when the pandemic
initially started by inviting all PDP members to hold a rally in the state
where he even said coronavirus was not in the party but rather in APC. A week
later he (Makinde) tested positive for the virus. Who knows if he is playing
another politics with the rice?” Karounwi nevertheless called for an
investigation into the claim.
The president of Yoruba Ronu, Akin Malaolu,
warned that President Buhari should not be tagged in the matter since he only
gave a directive to the customs to distribute the rice. According to him, the
president would not know whether the rice delivered to Oyo was bad or not. “I
will suggest that the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ibrahim Ali and
the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 be questioned over Makinde’s claim,” he
said.
But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) condemned the Federal Government for donating the bags of rice. Claiming
they were part of seizures by the Nigeria Customs Service several years ago, it
said the government should have instead bought food for the citizens using the
donations it received.
The party, in a statement by Deputy National
Publicity Secretary Prince Diran Odeyemi, said: “It is irreconcilable if, in
the name of saving the lives of Nigerians against the coronavirus pandemic, the
same Federal Government is giving Nigerians poisonous rice as palliative. We
wonder how a government that claims to value the lives of its people will
openly toy with the idea of feeding them with expired food items.”
Meanwhile, scientists have associated colour
changes in stored rice and other grains with expiration and contamination by
mycotoxins, warning that consumption could lead to cancers, liver and kidney
damage, birth defects, and suppression of the immune system.
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic
secondary metabolites produced by fungal species of the genera Aspergillus,
Alternaria, Penicillium, Fusarium, Claviceps, and several others.
Botanically called Oryza sativa, rice is a key
source of human calorie intake and is a staple food in many countries.
Studies have shown that rice, cultivated in
flooded irrigation conditions and high moisture levels, is susceptible to
infection by moulds and subsequent mycotoxin contamination. The situation is
aggravated by inappropriate storage and climatic conditions such as floods and
heavy rainfall at harvest time. Sun drying, usually practiced by most farmers,
is insufficient to reduce the moisture content, making rice more prone to
fungal attack.
According to a study, ‘Occurrence of major
mycotoxins and their dietary exposure in North-Central Nigeria staples’,
published March 2020 in the Scientific African, mycotoxins could be nephrotoxic
(harmful to the kidney), immunosuppressive (suppress the immune system),
carcinogenic (cause cancer), and teratogenic (causes birth defects in
children).
The researchers were from the Department of
Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State and
Department of Biochemistry, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi.
Also, a grain specialist and Vice Chancellor of
Al-Qalam University, Katsina, Prof. Shehu Garki Ado, said many factors could be
responsible for the deterioration of grains in storage.
He said if the grains had been kept in
strategic reserves, they would have remained intact and wholesome even without
chemical preservation. Storage in silos could last for a very long time, he
said, though there is a limit in the timeline before consumption.
Ado said leased strategic grain reserves should
be returned to the Federal Government and government should construct silos in
each local government and ward, given the importance of food to national
security.
Supporting the view, Prof. Samuel Olakojo, a
specialist in grain breeding, production and post-harvest management, said
because the Nigeria Customs Service is not trained to store grains, it should
have moved the seized rice to the strategic grain reserves.
One of the conditions for proper storage of
grains, he noted, includes less-than-12 humidity level. If humidity is higher,
moulds would form on the grains and dangerous microorganisms like bacteria,
fungi would grow.
Olakojo added: “Leasing out the majority of the
strategic grain reserves is like leasing the armoury of the Nigerian armed
forces to private security firms. Food is a national security matter.
“At best, those strategic grain reserves should
be in the hands of a commission or agency if the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture cannot handle them. The Federal Government should encourage private
firms to construct their grain reserves and use for industrial purposes while
the national ones should be used for food security.”
THE
GENERAL ELECTION OF 1956 Part 4
Posted on April 25th, 2020
Posted on April 25th, 2020
KAMALIKA PIERIS
This essay contains the work done by Philip Gunawardana and
P.H.William Silva during the MEP government of 1956. In the MEP government of
1956, Philip Gunawardena was given the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The
portfolio included the plantation sector as well as animal husbandry.
Philip had got down to work immediately, after taking up the
portfolio, perusing files, talking to officials, visiting state farms, research
and experimental stations, talking to farmers, and visiting Pettah to inquire
into prices of rice and other foodstuffs.
Philip maintained that it was more profitable to invest money in
the plantation crops and the existing paddy lands than invest in massive
irrigation and land settlement schemes, which needed enormous capital.
‘Vast sums of money are spent as capital expenditure on schemes which will only
begin to pay in 10 or 15 years. We need a quicker return. That can
be obtained by providing irrigation and drainage in areas where the schemes are
already in operation,’ Philip said.
Philip took a deep interest in paddy production and studied it
from all angles. He complained repeatedly about the paucity of statistics on
paddy cultivation. There was no information on the size of holdings, yield,
ownership, and so on. Thanks to Philip, in 1962, the Department of Census and
Statistics started an agricultural census.
Philip contested the existing notion that it was cheaper to
import rice than produce it. He said that it was not necessary to open up more
and more land for paddy cultivation. It was better to increase production in
the existing paddy fields in Purana villages and colonization schemes. He
strongly urged investment in already asweddumised land through higher use of
fertilizer, high yielding seed, use of mechanization for ploughing and sowing,
would give greater returns.
Philip said that mechanization would take the drudgery out of
agriculture and make it more attractive. It may also stop the exodus from
the village. We must think of tractors not buffaloes, he
said. The Department of Agriculture will take over all available tractors
in the public sector and operate a tractor service.
Philip wanted to create an Agricultural Implements Factory which
will also produce mammoties, pick axes etc. Paddy milling industry had to be
reorganized said Philip. Most mills are ramshackle and there is
wastage in the milling process.
There was the problem of low paddy yields. The basic principles
of land use in ancient Ceylon were sound and in accordance with modern
principles of land utilization, said Philip, quoting Ernest Abeyratne.
Therefore all what was needed now was the introduction of modern techniques
adapted to the Dry Zone environment.
The soil conditions and fertilizer needed In the Dry Zone, was
known from ancient times, said Philip. But knowledge of soil conditions and
fertilizer needs for paddy production in the Wet Zone was lacking. Philip
found that experimental plots and private individual farms in the Wet Zone had
shown good yields where soil had been analyzed and correct fertilizer used.
‘They have obtained as high as 60 to 110 bushels per acres.’ In Kegalle, the
Food Production Department had managed to increase yields by providing
fertilizer, credit, high yielding seeds and adopting transplanting instead of
the traditional method of sowing.
Philip was deeply concerned with the plight of the farmer. The
rural sector needed a body which would give them medium and long term credit.
There were no credit facilities in the country for the small traders
also. The two available banks, Agricultural and Industrial Credit
Corporation and the Cooperative Federal Bank were of no use. Bank of Ceylon was
not operating in rural Sri Lanka, either. The main source for credit were the
private loan agencies.
Philip wanted to set up a Cooperative Credit Bank, which would
provide credit to the ‘small man’ in industry, trade or agriculture, as the
existing commercial banks did not support him. The Cooperative Credit Bank
would grant loans to the rural sector, for financing small agricultural
industries and businesses, and also give loans for building. It would also act
as a pawn broker. The Bank would have branches in the principal towns and
rural centers. The plan was to open 100 branches in the first year.
The Bill had received the support of the Central Bank. Amendment
suggested by Central Bank were incorporated. Governor of the Central Bank
Arthur Ranasinghe had in a personal letter to Philip, praised the idea and
offered the services of his staff to help the take over the Cooperative Federal
Bank into the new Bank.
The Cooperative Credit Bank Bill was put to the Cabinet in
1958. It received the unanimous approval of Cabinet. Then the Bill was
opposed by Minister for Lands and Land development, CP de Silva and Minister of
Finance, Stanley de Soyza. CP de Silva said they would give Rs. 10 million to
the Cooperative Federal Bank, instead. Stanley de Soyza attacked the Bill
when the draft was published in Daily News. He protested that
this Bank was to be set up under its own Act, and would have the powers of a
normal commercial bank, not a cooperative bank.
Philip explained that the Cooperative Credit Bank which was a
pioneer venture had to be liquid if it was to provide credit into the rural
sector. It had to first make that money. ‘We have combined the function of a
commercial bank with the functions of a development bank. The commercial side
was to earn the money and lending was to be done by the development side, he
said.
Philip thought that foreign banking interests were behind the
opposition. The Finance Minister is expected to see that banking
facilities were provided to the rural sector. Instead he took the side of the
foreign vested interests and opposed the setting up of this bank. SWRD took
over the Bill from Philip, promising that he would see it through. That did to
happen. His opponents forced Philip to resign from the Cabinet and the
Bill was forgotten.
Philip was also preparing in 1958, a Crop Insurance Bill. It was
necessary to protect the farmer from crop failure, through crop insurance. This
would be tried out first in two pilot projects, one where risk is high and one
where risk is low. The pilot projects will not be experimental ones, they will
be fact finding. At present we do not compensate when there is loss of crops.
We wait till they are destitute and then give relief.
Philip brought a revised Paddy Lands Bill before
Parliament. The first Paddy Lands Bill was passed in 1953 under the UNP.
It was a limited attempt at tenancy reform and was focused on Hambantota and
Batticaloa alone. Under this Bill, tenant and owner should sign an agreement,
valid for 5 years. Philip found that in Hambantota, only two such agreements
had been signed. Landlords avoided written leases. Without clear tenancy
agreements, the benefit was for the money lender, said Philip.
Philip prepared a comprehensive Bill dealing with the whole
question of tenancy, security of tenure, rights of landlords and tenants. It
was to ensure long term security for the tenant and limited very strictly the
rights of the land lord. The new act gave the ande goviya tenure without a time
limit. The number of tenant farmers affected were around 300,000. Philip
said the Bill would also free the tenant from his traditional servitude to the
landlord. The tenant’s children had to work in the landlord’s house as
servants, often without pay.
Philip introduced his Paddy Lands Bill in 1957. Meegama
said that this Bill was perhaps the most important Bill presented in Parliament
since 1947. This Bill will benefit the Kandyan peasantry more than any other
worker. The Kandyan peasant is the most down trodden, said Philip. Nanda
Wanasundera recalls, there was one tenant on the paddy land in Peradeniya,
owned by her mother, who insisted she must get three fourths with Mother
getting only one fourth.
Paddy Lands Bill was passed on Dec 19, 1957, 61 for and 7
against. The Paddy Lands Bill gave security to the tenant farmer. There were a
lot of objections to the Bill, including tremendous opposition from the SLFP in
the MEP, especially CP de Silva. The paddy owners objected strongly. Nothing
should be done to disturb to these ancient hallowed practices, they said.
Crippling amendments were made to the Bill. Philip said he had
wanted to implement the Paddy Lands Act in the entire island within three
years, but under pressure from landed interests and capitalist interests, he
had to make it five years. The number of landlords in the Cultivation Committee
was increased to 25%. They could refuse to attend. They did and the
committee could not function.
The enforcement of the Act depended on its proper
administration. But Philip could administer the Paddy Lands Bill for only one
year. The Act needed certain changes. 50 amendments had been prepared.
Philip pointed out that the necessary amendments to the Act were ready
when he was asked to resign. But they were not introduced and many tenants were
evicted from their lands. They blamed it on Philip.
Meegama said the Paddy Lands Act , even without amendments could
have been successfully implemented under a supportive minister and dedicated
officers in the Agrarian Service Department .
One of Philip’s great success stories was potato farming in
Nuwara Eliya. This had been tried before and failed. The MEP government
wrote off the debt on this failed attempt and tried again with better seed
potatoes. The trial was a complete success, and a potato research station
was established in Rahangala.
In 1957 Philip reported that sugar cane production was begun on
a large scale in Kantalai. This was the first time that lift irrigation on a
large scale was being used in Sri Lanka. In 1958 Philip reported that the
sugar factory was also coming up.
Philip also started pineapple, coffee, cocoa, tobacco and cotton
plantations. Pineapple was tried in Gampaha area, where the soil is suitable.
Cocoa in Matale, Badulla and Koslanda, tobacco in Jaffna and Uva. Philip said
that a citrus specialist from Australia had been surprised that we were not
using the local varieties which will be more resistant to disease, unlike the
imported varieties.
A large cotton farm was planned for Hambantota, in the
area between Walawe and Kirindi oya. We have developed a variety of cotton
suitable for the area. It is purchased at a good price by Wellawatte
Spinning and Weaving Mills. Area under cotton was expanding as the villagers
earned more by cultivating cotton. We propose to open a fairly large cotton
farm in Ridiyagama area with Russian assistance, said Philip .
In dairy farming, Philip reported that they had experimented
with crossing the Sinhala Cow with the Jersey and Frisian cows. The most
successful match was with Jersey. The animal is larger than the Sinahla cow but
not as large as Jersey. Milk yield was fairly satisfactory.
Philip improved the distribution of milk. Most of the milk went
waste since the producing areas were so far from the towns and in a tropical
climate milk soon goes bad. Therefore Philip set up two pasteurization plants
in Gampola and Nattandiya where 10,000 pints of milk were collected daily, from
producers. Milk Board planned to set up two more plants at Polgahawela
and Kotagala.
The Milk Board in 1958 launched a programme to popularize milk
drinking, and to increase the supply to those areas which were ready to drink
milk. The Board planned a chain of six feeder units for collection, processing
and storage at Nattandiya, Gampola and Welikanda, with Kotagala, Polgahawela
and Galle to follow. The Board also up the Colombo Central Dairy with Colombo
Plan aid, to serve the Greater Colombo district.
An American NGO, CARE, had been invited by the UNP government to
distribute milk powder. CARE was an acronym for Cooperative for American Relief
Everywhere’. Philip objected to CARE distributing milk powder. It could be done
by local agencies. Also what was the need for CARE to set up an office here,
for the mere supervision of the distribution. Why did the previous
government allow a voluntary organization to set up a branch office in
Ceylon. Philip was suspicious. ‘I fear the Greeks even when they offer
gifts ‘ Philip tried to change the agreement ,but found that was
not possible. ‘I looked,’ he said. ‘
In July 1958 Philip Gunawardene published an
Agriculture Plan prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture Planning Committee.
This was a substantial document. It was prepared with the support of a
group of dedicated public servants. It had an overview of the Agriculture
sector, crop by crop, with information on each, and what was
needed. It covered food and plantation crops, animal husbandry, distribution,
credit, crop insurance, multipurpose co-ops. It examined all the problems. It
was a good starting point for anyone starting work on an agriculture plan, said
Meegama. The plan was criticized by his opponents within the MEP.
Philip encouraged agricultural research. He wanted the research
scientists in the Department of Agriculture and elsewhere to concentrate on
research and not administration. He appointed administration officers for the
24 districts and relived the scientific officers of this work. Technical
officers should be left to do technical work, not promoted to do
administrative work, such as petitions, he said.
Philip said that J.R. Jayawardene had in 1953 and 1954 disposed
of very valuable state farms. If JR had waited for a year or two most of
these farms would have paid. Some of these farms were for research not to make
a profit, observed Philip. Philip wanted Gannoruwa to do research on
rice. He set up other research units. Rahangala for potato
and citrus, Hambantota for cotton, sugar in
Kantalai, and paddy at Batalegoda. Under him, the Department of
Agriculture started a soil survey.
There are five big firms which import fertilizer. The main ones
are, Colombo Commercial , Baur, Shaw Wallace and Moosajee. They have a
virtual monopoly. CCC, Baur and Shaw Wallace work together. Government pays out
enormous amounts for fertilizer for coconut, rubber and paddy. The government
subsidizes 50% of the cost to the paddy cultivator. This too goes to the
importing firms. We are their mercy said Philip.
Philip wanted to make the CWE the sole importer of fertilizer.
The idea was opposed, by many including the Minister for Commerce. Cabinet
refused to give approval for CWE to import fertilizer.Even the Prime Minister
had objected to the state importing fertilizers.
Philip then suggested creating a separate state organization for
the purpose. It would be able to sell fertilizer cheaper. And eliminate the
high profits the three foreign firms were making since
they had a monopoly on it. Nothing came of this either.
Until 1956, the cooperatives had been single purpose ones. There
were about 10,500 of cooperatives and they were of 70
different types. MEP decided to weld them into one organization, the
Multipurpose Cooperative Society. By 1958 a fair number of Multipurpose
Cooperatives were formed, other were converted. There was terrific enthusiasm
on the part of the public said Philip.
The MEP had taken over the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment.
Before 1956, CWE was selling a bare minimum of items. So that the public had to
go to the private trader for the rest. MEP gave it a new board of
directors and they had shown a profit in 1956 itself. MEP gave CWE trading
rights and monopolies in respect of several items of food stuffs.
Philip’s plan had been to make the CWE eventually the sole importer of
all essential food stuff.
However, Philip was not obsessed with state ventures. He
proposed joint stock companies, state and private, for paddy milling, coconut
oil, and desiccated coconut.
P.H.William Silva was appointed Minister of Industries and
Fisheries in the MEP cabinet. His name is forgotten today, but it
was William Silva who started the industrial sector in Ceylon. There were no
local industries when MEP took power in 1956, everything was imported. The
country was importing everything, from a pin, comb, pencil, biscuit to
mammoties, water pumps, agriculture and industrial machinery, reported
economists.
The main obstacle to the creation of local industry when the
country became independent was the lack of credit. World Bank Survey of 1951
reported that the banks operating in Ceylon did not support local industry. The
Agricultural and Credit Corporation (est. 1943) for the express
purpose of Providing such credit had not done so. Those who went there found it
impossible to arrange acceptable security. The British and Indian commercial
banks present in the country, only lent for short tem import
export transactions.
Bank of Ceylon did not help either. Mortgages had to be secured
by personal assets of borrowers. Bank of Ceylon did not give loans on new
enterprises unless the bank officials knew the person. The local moneyed
class was also not prepared to invest in industry. William Silva observed that
when a local person made money, he preferred to buy an estate and get a quick
return.
William Silva decided that in such a situation, the
state had to step in and provide a lead in developing industry. He
presented a White paper on Industrial policy. He introduced the State
Industrial Corporations Act of 1957. .. Budget 1957-58 included various tax
concessions for industry.
A conscious effort was made towards industrialization in 1956.
Corporations were established under State Industrial Corporations Act 1957, as
well as special legislation. These corporations were provided with startup
capital in form of grants and loans, confirmed economist Saman Kelegama.
William Silva thought that the state should
undertake ‘large’ industry, such as cement, steel and
machinery. He drew up three lists of industries. The first list
consisted of items reserved for the state. They included iron and steel,
cement, chemicals, fertilizer, salt , mineral sands sugar, power alcohol and
rayon.
The second list had industries which were open to both state and
private sectors. They included textiles, tyres and tubes, tiles, asbestos
products, bicycles, industrial alcohol, acetic acid, sugar,
vegetable oil, ceramic ware, glass ware, leather products, plywood, paper,
electric bubs, dry cell batteries, accumulators, barbed wire, lumber,
agricultural implements, wood working, furniture and cabinetry, and
concrete products.
There was a third list of 82 industries ranging from motor car
assembly to activated charcoal, reserved exclusively for the private sector.
Persons embarking on these industries would receive tax concessions and
tariff protection . Meegama observed that this period therefore saw the
beginning of a private sector in industry with government
encouragement . Industrialists promptly asked the government
to stop imports in the goods they are producing.
The first industrial estate was established at Ekala, with a
grant from the US, giving facilities for the small industrialist, so that he
could avoid the expenses for land, building and provision of water and
electricity. Ekala started to operate in 1960.
William Silva needed to find funds for the state
industries. World Bank had refused to finance local industry
when the earlier government had asked them, so this time William turned to
Russia. Russia gave money to start the steel factory at Oruwala,
tyre factory at Kelaniya, cement factory at Puttalam, and the state flour
milling factory. A Ceramic Corporation, Leather corporation, Plywood
corporation and Caustic soda project were set up by the MEP government later
on.
The Mineral Sands Corporation was started by William
Silva. William Silva was aware of the value of these mineral sands. It
contains titanium oxide, rutile, and zircon, he told Parliament .
He was hoping to process them with the limited technical knowledge we possess.
He also took note of the Monazite available. There
is monazite washed up by the tide. It is there on the shore. We can collect
about a thousand tons for nothing, he said. Having collected it,
you separate by magnetic operation, the monazite from the sand. Monazite is
radioactive. We will not sell it. We will stockpile pile it, so that we can use
it someday in an atomic programme for peaceful purposes said William Silva
hopefully.
William Silva set up a National Textiles Corporation and a new
spinning and weaving mill at Veyangoda. He encouraged handloom weaving by
supplying yarn at a reasonable price. He stopped the import of Indian
handlooms to give a boost to the local handloom industry. It was on the
foundation laid by him that the industry forged ahead and tens of thousands of
rural girls found employment or self employment, said Bandu de Silva.
In 1956, Lakshman Rajapaksa, MP for Hambantota and Deputy
Minister for Commerce and Trade set up a cotton processing factory at
Mirijjawila near Hambantota to encourage cotton cultivators in Hambantota and
Monaragala. During this period cotton was a popular crop in the Eastern part of
Hambantota and Monaragala, and cotton was cultivated under rain-fed conditions.
This factory functioned satisfactorily and it started processing their home
grown cotton. It was set on fire by the JVP in 1971.
William Silva was responsible for the mechanisation of the deep
sea fishing industry. This was a far reaching change. Till then deep sea
fishing was done in the traditional 35 foot oruwa. This was realced
in 1958, by a locally built 27 ft, three and half ton mechanized boat
with a 25 horse power engine, built with Japanese aid.
William Silva he not only gave a boost to the industry but also
improved the living conditions of fishermen throughout the island especially by
providing them housing, said Bandu de Silva. William Silva also promoted inland
fisheries by breeding tilapia and gourami.
I wish to acknowledge, with deep appreciation, that this essay
mainly contains information taken from Philip Gunawardena and the 1956
revolution in Sri Lanka”byAnanda Meegama, Godage 2008. (continued)
Customs urges Oyo govt to probe how FG-donated
rice became contaminated
Seyi Makinde: Oyo State Governor
Related News
sThe Nigeria Customs Service
(NCS) has urged the Oyo State government to investigate how 1,800 bags of rice
it delivered to the government became contaminated.
The NCS Oyo/Osun command had on
Tuesday supplied the rice to the state on the order of its comptroller-general,
Hameed Ali, as part of efforts to cushion the effects of Coronavirus on the
people of the state.
Other states that received the
commodity were Osun which also got 1,800 bags, Ekiti, 1,800 bags; and Ondo
which received 800 bags.
However, three days after taking
delivery of the rice, Oyo State government through the special adviser to the
governor, Debo Akande, at a press conference rejected the rice, saying it was not fit
for human consumption.
But, the command on Sunday said
the bags of rice that left its command headquarters were in good condition.
The Public Relations Officer of
Oyo/Osun Command, Abdullahi Lagos, in a statement on Sunday, said the agency
was embarrassed to hear, three days later, that the rice allocated to Oyo state
was infected with weevils.
Mr Lagos, who had earlier spoke
with PREMIUM TIMES on the controversy, urged Governor Seyi Makinde to probe
the case.
He said as a responsible agency
of government, it should not be associated with giving anything that will
negatively affect the people.
“The attention of the Oyo/Osun
Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to some mischievous and
deliberate falsehood being circulated in the media for reasons best known to
their author(s) concerning the Federal Government’s palliative given to Oyo
State among other states.
“As a responsible agency of
Government whose functions include ensuring that nothing that could compromise
the security, economy and general being of Nigerians are allowed into the
Country, we cannot turn round and be associated with giving anything that will
negatively affect our people. We therefore wish to state as follows:
“That in line with the Federal
Government’s effort to cushion the hardship in the nation, the CGC had directed
the distribution of relief items including bags of rice across the nation through
the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management as palliative to the
vulnerable in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
“As instructed, on the 20th of
April 2020, the Oyo/Osun Area Command received high ranking members of the Oyo
State Government in the persons of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural
Development, Mr Jacob Ojekunle; the Permanent Secretary Ministry of
Agriculture, Mrs Saidat Bolatumi Oloko; Executive Adviser to the Governor on
Agribusiness, Mr Debo Akande; The representative of Ministry of Humanitarian
Affairs and Disaster Management and Social Development in Oyo, Mrs MO Lasisi
and other members.
“They visited the command twice
on the same day to inspect the bags of rice that were available for allocation.
“The Customs Area Controller,
Comptroller, HU Ngozi led them to the warehouses where they inspected the bags
of rice, checked expiration dates and expressed satisfaction and readiness to
evacuate their allocation.
“Before leaving the command on
their second visit, they pleaded to be given those from a section of one of the
warehouses they considered “fresher” and this was granted.
“Subsequently, on the 21st of
April 2020, the Oyo State Government team came with their vehicles under the
supervision of Mr Jacob Ojekunle, Mrs Saidat Oloko, Mrs MO Lasisi and other top
officials, in the presence of the Customs Area Controller, other officers and
members of the press to witness the loading and exiting of
the 1800 bags of parboiled rice allocated to their State as palliative to the
vulnerable.
“Incidentally, in the process of loading, few bags fell at
different times and burst open in the presence of Mr Ojekunle and Mrs Lasisi
and there was no time that any of the burst bags of rice had weevils in them.
The warehouse had no signs of weevils, neither were there signs of weevils on
the loaders or on the trucks under the scorching sun.
“The three (3) states; Oyo, Osun and Ekiti States took delivery
of the bags of rice allocated to them, returned their landing certificates to
show delivery to its final destinations. They also showed appreciation to the
CGC for his magnanimity. Contrary to allegations by Oyo State Government, Osun
and Ekiti States have not complained about their allocations.
“The Command is therefore surprised, even embarrassed to hear
three (3) days later, that the rice allocated to them were infested with
weevils and unfit for human consumption.
“The command wishes to reiterate that weevils do not hide and in
the process of loading the vehicles, traces of weevils would have been noticed
on the floor, on the bags, on the loaders or on the trucks bearing in mind that
the entire process was in the presence of the CAC, Oyo State Government’s high
ranking team and men of the press with full video camera coverage.
“The Command is also aware that for whatever reason, some
pictures of bad rice have been circulating the social media.
“We disassociate ourselves from such false images and we suspect
foul play on the part of the handlers of these allocated 1,800 bags of rice.
The State Government may wish to dig deeper.
“It is surprising how bags of rice that exited the Command HQ in
good condition suddenly became so bad after 3 days as being circulated in the
social media”.
Your rice is truly bad, Oyo govt
insist
However, the Oyo State government has said that it rejected the
rice because they were unfit for consumption.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa, noted
that any claim to the contrary was a disservice to humanity and attempt at
endangering the lives of the people in the state.
Mr Adisa urged the Customs Service to desist from misleading the
public.
“No government that is worth its name would agree to serve its
people with food items that are infested with weevils that are clearly visible
to the eyes. On Friday, April 24, members of the Food Security sub-committee of
the Oyo State Covid-19 Task Force embarked on an early morning meeting that
lasted close to three hours.
“The meeting was to review the report of the technical team that
had been conducting tests on the 1,800 bags of 50kg rice presented to the state
government by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in respect of Federal
Government’s Covid-19 palliatives.
“The Committee eventually invited the Media, after coming to a
conclusion that more than a majority of the 1,800 bags were not fit for human
consumption as they had been infested with weevils that freely move about on
every of the bags kept at the storehouse in the Secretariat, Ibadan.
“The weevils were clearly noticeable as each or the warehouses
was opened. Television cameras were allowed to film the bags of rice just to
show the clear reason why the bags were being returned.
“A letter that was co-signed by the Commissioner for Agriculture
and Rural Development, Commissioner for Special Duties and the Executive
Adviser on Agribusiness, was also prepared for onward delivery to the Oyo/Osun
Command of the Customs which supplied the rice in the first instance.
“The state government neither intended to dramatize nor
politicise the development. It was just out to state the facts as they are: we
cannot serve our people expired rice and replace hunger with another disease.
The Executive Adviser to the governor on Agribusiness, Dr. Debo Akande, who
addressed the media clearly stated that if the Customs could muster other bags
of rice in good condition, the state would readily receive such.
“But the immediate reaction from Customs, Oyo/Osun Command was a
bit comforting as it passed a message to the state government that the bad bags
of rice must have been picked from the wrong store. We also got confirmation
that Customs was ready to immediately send in 600 bags to replace the bad ones
and that representatives of the state were free to immediately come for
inspection.
“The state’s team that went for the inspection, however,
returned another sad verdict: at least 30 percent of the 600 bags promised as
replacement were also infested with weevils. To our surprise, statements
started flying to town, detailing confusing messages. We wish to place on
record that the statements credited to the Customs Service were at best a poor
colouration of the truth. Besides, the opposition All Progressives Congress
(APC) in the state, which commented on the matter, was merely dabbling in what
it knows nothing about. This is not about politics and political grandstanding.
“The Customs claimed that the Special Adviser on Security,
Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni (rtd) was part of the team that inspected
the rice. That’s a white lie. The team that inspected the rice while at the
Customs warehouses came from the State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU)
domiciled in the Ministry of Budget and Planning, while the sub-committee on
Food Security principally resides in the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The sub-committee took its time before it came to the
unavoidable conclusion that the bags of rice be returned. It has nothing to do
with political correctness that some could wrongly ascribe. A state that is
trying all it could to secure palliatives for at least 120,000 residents would
not readily reject 1,800 bags of rice if the reasons are not compelling. We
wish to advise the Customs to desist from statements that do not edify the
Service, because it would amount to clear betrayal of public trust for an
elected government to sanction the release of expired and infested food items
to residents of a state.”
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/390037-customs-urges-oyo-govt-to-probe-how-fg-donated-rice-became-contaminated.html
Research projects postponed amid COVID-19
pandemic
Matthew Choate, News ReporterApril 26, 2020
Photo by Jordan Johnson
Some research projects were put on hold due to COVID-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic
causing shutdowns and quarantines, research being done by Marquette students
and professors has been postponed.
Stefan Schnitzer is a professor
of advanced ecology, tropical forest ecology and environmental studies at
Marquette. Schnitzer also does research that focuses on understanding the
forces that structure plant communities, maintain species diversity, control
species distribution and allow species to coexist.
Schnitzer is currently in Panama
where he is performing his current research project about tropical ecology.
Panama had implemented a stay at home order which impacted the project.
Schnitzer said his research is
currently shut down. His collection of field data has been put on hold. For a
greenhouse experiment he is conducting, he is only allowed to water the plants
and no large scale research can be performed.
Schnitzer said his research
project has transitioned from collecting new data to just analyzing the data,
and writing research papers. He said the research team holds online meetings to
discuss their research and ideas. The team includes two Marquette grad students
and he originally planned to bring Marquette undergraduate students and
Milwaukee public school teachers, but that was postponed until next year.
Even though they have not been
able to collect more data from plants, Schnitzer said the team has still been
productive. They have used their current data to write papers about their
research and have completed and submitted two papers about their research
findings.
Schnitzer said they are “making
the best of the situation” and are “fortunate to continue their research.”
Schnitzer said the COVID-19
pandemic has had a negative impact on his research, but he hopes the impact
will not be too great.
Michael Schläppi teaches multiple
biology and genetics courses at Marquette. He is currently performing research
in Wisconsin on stress tolerance to cold weather in rice.
Schläppi was the one who brought
rice cultivation or rice agriculture to Wisconsin and received an early
grant to establish it and harvested the first rice paddy crop in Wiscosnin in
2017. This showed rice could grow in the Wisconsin climate. He currently
has two acres of land from the nature preserve in which he conducts research of
the effect of the climate rice plants.
Since Marquette’s campus has been
shut down, Schläppi’s research has been put on hold. He said it is not possible
to move the research online because it would not be productive for his specific
field of research. Still, one graduate student he works with is currently
writing their thesis, and they communicate via Microsoft Teams.
Schläppi said experiments and
research being done in labs must be put on hold and continue in the fall. He
also said he can only do a limited amount of experiments on rice because of
COVID-19.
In addition to the two acres,
Schläppi also grows rice on some of the rooftops at Marquette. Schläppi said he
is forced to plant his rice on the rooftops now or he will “lose a whole year”
or not be able to do data collection since he wasn’t able to grow new plants. He said the fieldwork has to be
done now and he meets with students once a week where he guides the students to
plant the rice. All social distancing guidelines are followed during
these meetings.
Schläppi said that some online
work does take place such as mapping data from last year and working on data
analysis. However, he said online work is “not productive in this field.”
Karaline Black is a senior in the
College of Arts & Sciences. She is studying biological sciences with a
minor in environmental studies, and is currently the teaching assistant for a
field ecology class taught by assistant professor of biological sciences Joe
Lamanna.
Black said the class had been
studying bird feeders, in which they set up bird feeders and conduct data
collection every week. She said the class was able to finish all their data
collection before spring break. Black said they were “lucky to have gotten the
data,” before the COVID-19 pandemic caused stay at home orders.
The class is now transferring
their data to spreadsheets, analyzing the data and writing research papers,
Black said. Black’s class has Teams meetings on Tuesdays, as well as a Teams
call on Wednesdays and Fridays in which they do lab work.
Black said she has not heard
specific instances about research being affected by the pandemic, but she had
heard about Schnitzer’s situation in Panama. She also said Lamanna usually does
data collection for research over the summer, but that might be affected.
Black said she was grateful
because professors in the College of Arts & Sciences have been very
responsive and provide good communication during the current situation.
This story was written by Matthew
Choate. He can be reached at matthew.choate@marquette.edu.
Convergence helps Mahabubnagar stop spread
HYDERABAD, APRIL 26, 2020
18:50 IST
Minister for Excise V. Srinivas Goud distributing bedsheets and
clothes arranged by a Hyderabad based charitable organisation to migrant
workers in Mahabubnagar during the COVID-19 lockdown
Migrant workers provided rice, cash for survival, wage work at
rice mills
A concerted effort with the convergence of all government
departments has helped the administration of Mahabubnagar district in not only
restricting COVID-19 cases to 11 but also in finding solutions, including
managing migrant workers and providing them wage work by involving them in
paddy procurement exercise at rice mills.
Although the district had 327 persons with overseas travel
history and 5,981 inter-State travellers till the lockdown was imposed, the
administration identified all of them and made them complete home quarantine
with the help of community watch teams both in rural and urban areas.
A constant eye on them, including periodic health check-up
conducted by the health machinery, prevented the possibility of communication
of any infection.
“As soon as instructions were received from the government to
gear up the administration to the situation, we have trained all our medical
officers of PHCs and government hospitals and health workers on COVID
prevention and control measures online and with video-conference,” District
Collector S. Venkata Rao said.
Immediately, steps were taken to identify vulnerable groups such
as foreign returnees, inter-State travellers and Markaz attendees.
Together with taking up information education and communication
(IEC) exercise by distributing over 4.42 lakh pamphlets among people and 20,000
folders among health workers, two quarantine centres were arranged with 500
beds at Government Medical College and a private educational institution
complex. Two isolation centres with about 100 beds were also readied at
Government General Hospital and SVS Medical College.
According to medical and health department officials, three of
39 Markaz attendees and five of their 108 primary contacts tested positive for COVID-19.
Nine out of 11 positive cases had been discharged from hospital by April 25.
Migrant workers
As the lockdown was clamped, the district administration has
identified nearly 10,300 migrant workers at 15 places in the district and all
of them were provided 6 kg per-head free rice and ₹1,500 per family as survival assistance.
“We have also been encouraging them to avail wage work at rice
mills and over 3,000 of them were already engaged in the exercise of paddy
procurement,” the District Collector said, adding that about 28,700 tonnes of
paddy had been procured so far at 186 purchase centres.
U.S. Rice Featured at Virtual Food Fair in Hong
Kong
By
Jim Guinn
HONG KONG -- As COVID-19 has curtailed large group gatherings in
most places around the world, USA Rice is getting creative when it comes to
international promotion activities. Here
in Hong Kong, USA Rice is participating in an online food fair promoting U.S.
agricultural products, sponsored by the U.S. Agricultural Trade Service (ATO)
and HKTVMall, the largest online platform in Hong Kong.
The virtual USA Food Fair started on April 14 and runs through
today. The promotion campaign consists
of cooking demonstration videos by Candace Mama, a popular online celebrity,
preparing dishes featuring U.S.-origin rice.
In addition to the online presence, HKTVMall has set up 100
distribution centers throughout Hong Kong where consumers can drive by to pick
up merchandise they have ordered online.
This delivery option has become increasingly popular -- in January 2017,
average daily orders numbered 2,500 growing to 18,700 by December 2019. 
Another big jump in online ordering occurred between December 2019
and February 2020 when the average daily gross merchandise value doubled, going
from HK$8.7 million (US$1.12 million) to HK$16.6 Million (US$2.14 million), due
in large part to the social distancing requirements put in place to combat the
coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. exported 5,629 MT of rice to Hong Kong in 2019, a little
less than 2 percent of total imports of 307,000 MT.
USA
RICE DAILY
We’re all in it together’
For Majidi Jallow, the Islamic
Society of Greater Springfield mosque, 3000 Stanton St., has brought “a sense
of peace and tranquility where as a group you can talk to God.”
Driss El Akrich of Springfield
said evening prayers at the mosque during Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims
which started Thursday evening, sometimes stretched to midnight. There was
socializing, too, with families partaking of iftar dinners and kids playing
hide-and-seek or soccer on the lawn.
The mosque may have been
shuttered during “the COVID-19 Ramadan,” as a friend described it to Jallow,
but the spirit of the holy month, which is marked by an increase in prayer and
charity, in addition to fasting from sunrise to sunset, is alive and well for
area Muslims.
About 400 Muslim families from 30
different countries live in the Springfield area.
Ramadan is observed by Muslims to
commemorate when Allah first revealed the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad. It is
a movable occasion because Muslims follow a lunar calendar.
Previous
2/2
Fatoumata Jallow fixes her son Amadou a bit of food
before she and her family observe evening prayers after breaking their Ramadan
fast in their Springfield, Illl., apartment Sunday, April 25, 2020. Ordinarily
the family would celebrate Ramadan in community at the local mosque but due to
social distancing guidelines and Illinois’ stay-at-home order, they are restricted
to observing the holiday in their apartment. [Ted Schurter/The State
Journal-Register]
1/2
Mukhtaar Jallow looks up at his dad Majidi and his
uncle Ibrahim as the family, including his mom Fatoumata and brother Amadou,
pray after breaking their daily Ramadan fast Sunday, April 25, 2020. Ordinarily
the family would celebrate Ramadan in community at the local mosque but due to
social distancing guidelines and Illinois’ stay-at-home order, they are
restricted to observing the holiday in their Springfield, Ill., apartment. [Ted
Schurter/The State Journal-Register]
Fatoumata Jallow fixes her son Amadou a bit of food
before she and her family observe evening prayers after breaking their Ramadan
fast in their Springfield, Illl., apartment Sunday, April 25, 2020. Ordinarily
the family would celebrate Ramadan in community at the local mosque but due to
social distancing guidelines and Illinois’ stay-at-home order, they are
restricted to observing the holiday in their apartment. [Ted Schurter/The State
Journal-Register]
Mukhtaar Jallow looks up at his dad Majidi and his
uncle Ibrahim as the family, including his mom Fatoumata and brother Amadou,
pray after breaking their daily Ramadan fast Sunday, April 25, 2020. Ordinarily
the family would celebrate Ramadan in community at the local mosque but due to
social distancing guidelines and Illinois’ stay-at-home order, they are
restricted to observing the holiday in their Springfield, Ill., apartment. [Ted
Schurter/The State Journal-Register]
Fatoumata Jallow fixes her son Amadou a bit of food
before she and her family observe evening prayers after breaking their Ramadan
fast in their Springfield, Illl., apartment Sunday, April 25, 2020. Ordinarily
the family would celebrate Ramadan in community at the local mosque but due to
social distancing guidelines and Illinois’ stay-at-home order, they are
restricted to observing the holiday in their apartment. [Ted Schurter/The State
Journal-Register]
Next
Like other church congregations,
Muslim community leaders are employing technology to stay connected with
members while Gov. JB Pritzker’s “stay at home” mandate is enacted. Hassan
Mohamoud, the local imam, provides lectures on Zoom and there are other
reflections through Facebook Live. For younger children, trivia questions about
their faith arrive on a daily basis.
“Ramadan usually is a time where
people gather in large numbers,” said El Akrich. “We’re trying to make the best
of the situation.”
Congregants are especially
keeping an eye on elderly members or those who are shut-in, Springfield’s
Jallow added.
“We’re all in it together,” he
said. “We’re not congregating, but there’s still a sense of community. The
importance is the health and safety of everybody.”
“Social distancing doesn’t mean
we’re socially isolated,” El Akrich added. “We’re looking after each other.”
Mona Ahsan of Springfield said
that Ramadan always means compassion for fellow human beings. She said she’s
been particularly moved by television images of long food lines and the
country’s homeless situation.
“More than ever, it’s important
to take care of everybody else,” said Ahsan. “It’s important not to leave
compassion behind.”
The coronavirus is evidence of
“the power of God that has brought the world to a standstill,” Ahsan said,
though “my God is merciful and compassionate and benevolent.”
The situation should give us
pause, she added, “to sit down and assess what we’ve done to the world. We’ve
been persistently greedy in the exploitation of the world. We need to be better
citizens of the world.”
El Akrich said Muslims’
relationships with God “aren’t contingent on where we are. I can worship God
here at home. It’s a worship of God when you help the needy or poor.”
One of the casualties of the
“stay at home” mandate in the state is an iftar dinner local Muslims shared
with the public. Last year, it attracted about 125 people to the mosque who
were treated to Afghan pulao, a basmati rice dish, beef kabobs, chenwa alloo
palak, a vegetarian dish made from chickpeas and spinach, and falafel.
“It’s sad that we’ll not be able
to have it this year,” El Akrich said. “You would see people from different
faith traditions talking about the things we have in common.”
Export for 17,000 tons of rice jammed at
ports resumed
Saturday,
April 25, 2020 14:56
The General Department of Vietnam Customs has announced the list of
14 enterprises that are allowed to register customs declaration from April 25
to 30 to export around 17,000 tons of rice stuck at border gates and
international ports for having not been able to register customs declaration in
the previous time.
In the evening of April 24, the office of the General
Department of Vietnam Customs informed that this agency had sent an express No.
2638 to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Vietnam Food
Association (VFA) and rice export enterprises on the resumption of rice export
registration in April this year for cargo that has been brought into ports and
border gates but has not been exported.
Based on the response of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the Ministry of Finance on April 24 on how to handle batches of rice sent to international ports and border gates before March 24 this year but have not been able to register customs declaration, the Vietnam Customs has set up on the VNACCS/VCIS system for enterprises to carry out the registration of customs declaration from 0 a.m. on April 25 until the end of April 30 for these shipments.
Accordingly, the Vietnam Customs has released the detailed list of enterprises whose cargo has been brought into ports and border gates after the latest count and review and asked these enterprises not to register customs declaration with a quantity exceeding the actual quantity of rice they brought into international seaports and border gates.
Enterprises that have batches of rice kept at international seaports and border gates before March 24 but have not been listed should send their detailed information to the Vietnam Customs enclosing with the confirmation of the customs offices and port enterprises to be updated into the system.
As for customs declarations that have been registered in the quota of 400,000 tons in April but enterprises have not produced goods for customs offices to check after more than 15 days since the registration of customs declarations, the Vietnam Customs said that they will be canceled following the regulations and provincial and municipal customs offices are in charge of reporting to the Vietnam Customs before 9 a.m. on April 27 this year.
Based on the canceled volume, the Vietnam Customs will reinstate the export quota in April this year and will announce publicly on its portal and set up the VNACSS/VCIS system for enterprises to continue to register customs declaration from April 28.
According to the VFA, around 200,000 tons of rice is estimated to be jammed at ports and border gates after the order to suspend the export of rice to ensure food security and the application of an export quota of 400,000 tons of rice in April this year.
The list announced by the Vietnam Customs includes only 14 enterprises that are allowed to register customs declaration from April 25 to export nearly 17,400 tons of rice because they have sent their goods into ports before March 24. The amount of rice is currently at ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho City, An Giang, Long An, and Dong Thap provinces.
If compared with the amount of 100,000 tons of rice in the quota of May this year that are allowed to advance under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung at the Notice No.163 of the Government Office, the amount of rice allowed to export this time merely accounts for 20 percent of the advanced quota and is extremely small compared to the amount of rice congested at ports, the VFA estimated.
By 9 p.m. on April 24, just more than 150,000 tons of rice of the total export quota of rice in April were cleared for customs approval, accounting for around 37.5 percent.
Based on the response of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the Ministry of Finance on April 24 on how to handle batches of rice sent to international ports and border gates before March 24 this year but have not been able to register customs declaration, the Vietnam Customs has set up on the VNACCS/VCIS system for enterprises to carry out the registration of customs declaration from 0 a.m. on April 25 until the end of April 30 for these shipments.
Accordingly, the Vietnam Customs has released the detailed list of enterprises whose cargo has been brought into ports and border gates after the latest count and review and asked these enterprises not to register customs declaration with a quantity exceeding the actual quantity of rice they brought into international seaports and border gates.
Enterprises that have batches of rice kept at international seaports and border gates before March 24 but have not been listed should send their detailed information to the Vietnam Customs enclosing with the confirmation of the customs offices and port enterprises to be updated into the system.
As for customs declarations that have been registered in the quota of 400,000 tons in April but enterprises have not produced goods for customs offices to check after more than 15 days since the registration of customs declarations, the Vietnam Customs said that they will be canceled following the regulations and provincial and municipal customs offices are in charge of reporting to the Vietnam Customs before 9 a.m. on April 27 this year.
Based on the canceled volume, the Vietnam Customs will reinstate the export quota in April this year and will announce publicly on its portal and set up the VNACSS/VCIS system for enterprises to continue to register customs declaration from April 28.
According to the VFA, around 200,000 tons of rice is estimated to be jammed at ports and border gates after the order to suspend the export of rice to ensure food security and the application of an export quota of 400,000 tons of rice in April this year.
The list announced by the Vietnam Customs includes only 14 enterprises that are allowed to register customs declaration from April 25 to export nearly 17,400 tons of rice because they have sent their goods into ports before March 24. The amount of rice is currently at ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho City, An Giang, Long An, and Dong Thap provinces.
If compared with the amount of 100,000 tons of rice in the quota of May this year that are allowed to advance under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung at the Notice No.163 of the Government Office, the amount of rice allowed to export this time merely accounts for 20 percent of the advanced quota and is extremely small compared to the amount of rice congested at ports, the VFA estimated.
By 9 p.m. on April 24, just more than 150,000 tons of rice of the total export quota of rice in April were cleared for customs approval, accounting for around 37.5 percent.
Additional 38,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice to be
exported
27/04/2020 07:56 PM
HANOI, April 27 -- Vietnam will export an additional
38,000 tonnes of rice in April, said General Department of Vietnam
Customs.
According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), this volume is part
of Vietnam’s 400,000-tonne-rice export quota for April.
Earlier this month, the government of Vietnam has limited the
export rice volume to 800,000 tonnes for April and May as a measure to ensure
sufficient domestic supplies amid high global demand caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.
This volume is reduced by 40 percent compared to that in April
and May 2019. It is also 35.7 percent and 21.7 percent lower than the same
period in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Meanwhile, the national rice reserves will increase from 300,000
to 700,000 tonnes.
-- BERNAMA
Customs
department allows exports of over 38,640 tons of rice
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Sunday, Apr 26, 2020,14:45 (GMT+7)
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Govt Assures Plenty of
Rice Stocked for May
Translator: Non Koresponden
Editor: Petir Garda Bhwana
27 April 2020 12:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The
Ministry of Agriculture has ensured the availability of rice throughout May
2020 to remain secure, as 3.5 million tons of rice have been stocked.
The Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin
Limpo, has assured the Indonesian people of food security during the COVID-19
pandemic, thereby guaranteeing food to remain available for 260 million
Indonesians.
Syahrul explained that, based on the
national food balance, the government has prepared three scenarios in
calculating the availability of rice throughout May. With the current stock of
3.5 million tons of rice, the coming harvest period is estimated to yield an
additional 12.4 million tons of rice.
“Plus another 1 million tons stocked by the
State Logistics Agency (Bulog), and with the (rice) still in the milling;
totals to approximately 15 tons,” Syahrul said in the National Disaster
Mitigation Agency’s broadcast, on Sunday, April 26, 2020.
The optimistic scenario sees that public
consumption needs from February to May are estimated to be at 7.6 million tons.
With the 15 million tons of rice stocked, he predicts that the final stock
after May will still reach 8 million tons.
In the moderate scenario, the harvest period
is expected to yield 11 million tons, with public consumption from February to
May reaching 7.9 million tons; 7 million tons of rice will remain stocked by
the end of May.
On the other hand, the pessimistic scenario
estimates the coming harvest to yield 11.2 tons of rice, with public
consumption from February to May reaching 8.3 million tons; leaving 6 tons of
rice stocked by the end of May.
“(Rice) stocked for the fasting month and
Eid al-Fitr remains under control, and we have validated this with the regional
(governments),” Syarul said.
The Ministry of Agriculture has carried out
objective monitoring through satellite, by ensuring the validity of the data
with more than 400 regional government chiefs, through teleconference. “Until
the next three months, we will still have rice available,” he added.
ANTARA | DIO SUHENDA
(INTERN TRANSLATOR)
https://en.tempo.co/read/1335991/govt-assures-plenty-of-rice-stocked-for-may
Rice stock in check despite lower production,
higher demand: Ministry
Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
/ Sat, April 25, 2020 / 05:12 am
Farmers plant rice during their
second planting period of 2020 in Tunggulwulung village, Malang, East Java, on
April 10. (JP/Aman Rochman)
The
Trade Ministry has said that the rice stock from the upcoming harvest season
will last through November despite declining production and surging demand.
The
ministry’s domestic trade director general, Suhanto, estimated rice production
to decline by 10 percent to around 17.8 million tons, citing a report by the
Indonesian Rice Millers and Entrepreneurs Association (Perpadi). Added with the
current stock of 3.3 million tons, the supply would exceed national demand by
6.2 million tons, the ministry estimated.
Perpadi
also recorded a threefold rise in demand recently with government agencies and
private organizations buying more rice for social assistance aimed at helping
those most vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“It
means that milled rice in general has been distributed to the public either via
retail markets or social assistance,” Suhanto said Tuesday in an online hearing
with the House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade and industry.
Rice
farmers and food businesses are facing logistical disruptions on top of price
volatility due to the large-scale social restrictions that were implemented to
contain the fast-spreading coronavirus, which has infected more than 7,700
people nationwide.
The
average price of rice slightly rose by around 0.8 percent to Rp 11,950 (77 US
cents) per kilogram on Wednesday from a month earlier, according to data from
the government’s staple food prices tracker, the Information Center for
Strategic Food Prices (PIHPS).
President
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said Tuesday that rice prices should have fallen instead,
in line with the downward trend in unhusked rice prices. The average price
of unhusked rice declined 4.6 percent to Rp 4,936 per kg between March and
January, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data in February.
With
Ramadan having started Friday, the demand for rice is expected to rise even
more. According to data from the Agriculture Ministry's Food Security Agency
(BKP), rice demand rose 3 percent in the days leading up to Ramadan and is
expected to jump 20 percent ahead of Idul Fitri in late May.
“To
ensure there is a sufficient rice stock and stable prices, the Trade Ministry
has ordered the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to distribute medium quality
rice to the markets,” Suhanto said.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/25/rice-stock-in-check-despite-lower-production-higher-demand-ministry.html
NFA distributes 2.2
million bags of rice for COVID-19 relief efforts
April
27, 2020 | 12:04 am
The National Food Authority
increased its palay procurement and milling volumes to augment the national
rice supply, in response to the extension of the enhanced community quarantine.
-- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE
NATIONAL Food Authority (NFA) said it released around 2.2 million bags of rice
from its inventory for relief operations since the implementation of the
enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Between
March 16 and April 16, around 1.9 million bags of NFA rice were released to
local government units (LGUs), 94,413 bags to the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD), 86,655 bags to legislators, and 90,946 bags to other
institutions involved in relief operations.
About
1.2 million bags were released in Luzon, followed by the Visayas with 631,460
bags, and Mindanao with 350,537 bags.
NFA
Administrator Judy Carol L. Dansal said the agency is operating on weekends and
holidays during the lockdown to ensure continuous buying operations from
farmers as well as a readily-available supply for end-users.
“Starting
March 16, NFA’s market participation had increased from 10% to as high as 17%
as LGUs, the DSWD, legislators and other relief institutions chose to buy our
lower-priced good quality NFA rice for distribution to families affected by the
ECQ,” Ms. Dansal said.
The
NFA increased its palay procurement and milling volumes to augment the national
rice supply, in response to the extension of the ECQ period.
“We
still expect high volumes of NFA rice withdrawals during the duration of ECQ
until April 30 and beyond, as the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) infections continue. That’s why we also continue to replenish our
rice stocks especially in areas with high incidence of infection,” Ms. Dansal
said.
Under
Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, the NFA’s role was modified
to focus it on domestic procurement and maintaining a rice buffer stock, which
will be distributed during calamities and emergencies.
NFA
rice is sold to local government units and relief agencies at P25 per kilogram.
— Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
https://www.bworldonline.com/nfa-distributes-2-2-million-bags-of-rice-for-covid-19-relief-efforts/
Gov’t rice buffer stock
projected at 94 days by end of 2020
April
27, 2020 | 9:34 pm
A worker carrying rice at a
Quezon City NFA warehouse. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE
rice buffer stock held in government warehouses has been projected at the
equivalent of 94 days’ consumption by the end of the year, Agriculture
Secretary William D. Dar said.
“We
would like to inform the public that based on our estimates, the country will
enjoy an ending rice inventory of 3.27 million metric tons (MT) by Dec. 31.
That means we will have rice to feed the entire country for 94 more days or
three months, up to March 2021,” Mr. Dar said in a statement.
The
Department of Agriculture said the overall rice supply by the end of the year,
including those held by households and commercial traders, is projected at
17.99 million MT, 18% higher than overall rice demand of about 14.67 million
MT.
https://www.bworldonline.com/govt-rice-buffer-stock-projected-at-94-days-by-end-of-2020/
PH rice inventory to hit 94 days by end of
2020
The Agriculture Department said the Philippines will end 2020 with
a rice inventory of at least 94 days despite the great demand for the
commodity.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said new estimates showed an
ending rice inventory of 3.27 million metric tons by the end of this year.
“This will settle, once and for all, the misconceptions espoused by
uninformed quarters on the rice supply outlook, as the Department’s estimate is
based on the official data of the Philippine Statistics Authority, and
validated on the ground by the regional field offices,” he said.
The country’s rice supply comes from three sources—from beginning
stock or surplus carried over from the previous year, local production and
imports.
The estimated rice supply by the end of the year is about 17.99
million MT, or 18 percent higher than tota demand of 14.67 million MT.
The computation included the contribution of the Rice Resiliency
Project under the Plant, Plant, Plant Program or the Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat
(ALPAS) kontra Covid-19.
Confusion over FG’s rice palliative for South West
By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head, South West State), Seun
Akingboye (Akure), Ayodele Afolabi (Ekiti), Rotimi Agboluaje (Ibadan),Timothy
Agbor (Osun),Tunji Omofoye (Osogbo), Chukwuma Muanya,Seye Olumide, Femi
Ibirogba (Head, Agro-Economy)and Gbenga Salau (Lagos)
27 April 2020 | 4:10 am
• States acknowledge receipt, silent on quality
• Some bags bad, majority good, says Lagos govt
• Customs absolves self as PDP flays agency
• ‘Spoilt rice may cause cancer, liver damage’
Whether the bags of rice the Federal Government
donated to states in the South West are fit for human consumption, partially
fit, or totally unfit depends on who takes the question.
In an attempt to cushion the pains of lockdowns
across the country due to COVID-19, the Federal Government had instructed the
Nigeria Customs Service to distribute bags of rice to states. But the rejection
of the commodity by the Oyo State government on the grounds of poor quality has
continued to stir political undercurrents.
Fresh facts emerged yesterday that only Oyo,
and not all the South-West states, would return the allegedly contaminated
bags. Investigations by The Guardian revealed that Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and the
Ondo States did not see anything wrong with the product.
They, however, declined to comment on how to
fit the rice is for consumption, fueling speculations that the matter has gone
political.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) controls most states in the region, the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) holds sway in Oyo.
A source said: “If Oyo, Osun and Ekiti took
delivery of the rice from the same source at the customs store in Ibadan, why
would only Oyo State allege that the rice is contaminated and other states
decline to comment?”
Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to Oyo
State Governor Seyi Makinde told The Guardian via telephone yesterday that the
rice was not only bad for human consumption but “a letter has gone to Nigeria
Customs that we are returning the rice. So, it is not conjectured any more. The
process of returning it will be finalised. The people who were there saw
weevils all over the rice. They saw the ones that were very bad and black.”
But the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State
Government, Kunle Somorin, said the state was not considering returning the
bags. He also did not confirm if the product had been tested and found good for
human consumption.
Osun State said it sent a sample of the rice
for quality test and was waiting for the result. The governor, who spoke
through his media aide, Ismail Omipidan, said a decision would be taken after
the result had been received.
The Ekiti State government said it had no plan
to return the bags. Commissioner of Information Muyiwa Olomilua said the bags
were already in the state’s food bank. He declined further comments on quality.
The Ondo State government admitted it took
delivery of 1,800 bags of rice and other items. But several attempts to speak
with Commissioner for Information Donald Ojogo were unsuccessful, as he did not
pick his calls or reply to messages sent to his phone. Special Adviser to the
Governor on Agriculture Akin Olotu also did not pick his calls.
But a source within the Ondo Government House,
who pleaded anonymity, said the state government was subjecting the bags of
rice to a quality test.
Refuting the allegation that the bags of rice
were spoilt, Abdullahi-Lagos Abiola, public relations officer of the Oyo/Osun
Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service, said: “As a responsible agency of
government whose function includes ensuring that nothing that could compromise
the security, economy and general well being of Nigerians is allowed into the
country, we cannot turn round and be associated with giving anything that will
negatively affect our people.
“On the 21st of April 2020, the Oyo State
government team came with their vehicles under the supervision of Mr. Jacob Ojekunle,
Mrs. Saidat Oloko, Mrs. M.O. Lasisi and other top officials, in the presence of
the Customs Area Controller, other officers and members of the press to witness
the loading and exiting of the 1800 bags of parboiled rice allocated to their
state.
“Incidentally, in the process of loading, few
bags fell at different times and burst open in the presence of Mr. Ojekunle and
Mrs. Lasisi, and there was no time any of the burst bags of rice had weevils in
them. The warehouse had no signs of weevils, neither were their signs of
weevils on the loaders or on the trucks under the scorching sun.
“Oyo, Osun and Ekiti States took delivery of
the bags of rice allocated to them, returned their landing certificates to show
delivery to the final destinations. Contrary to allegations by the Oyo State
government, Osun and Ekiti States have not complained about their allocations.
“The command is therefore surprised, even
embarrassed to hear three days later that the rice allocated to them was
infested with weevils and unfit for human consumption.”
Lagos State Commissioner for Information Gbenga
Omotosho said: “Lagos State government has not said it was going to return the
rice. The truth of the matter is that the rice in the majority of the bags
could be eaten; the authorities certified it to be good.”
Lagos is controlled by the APC.
Omotosho said: “Actually some are bad. But
there is no plan by the Lagos State government to return the rice or throw it
in the lagoon as some people are claiming. We are appreciative of what the Federal
Government has done. We had been distributing rice procured by the state
government even before the ones donated by the Federal Government came.
“You have to realise that even before the help
from the Federal Government came, Lagos had spent a lot of money on
palliatives, and we are not going to relent, bad rice or no bad rice.”
The commissioner said about a week after the
rice arrived, the state government invited the National Agency for Food and
Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to look at the bags of rice. “This was
because some members of the state executive raised the issue that the rice
might have stayed long in the store and it (NAFDAC) certified that the majority
was good.”
In different reactions, Secretary-General of
the Yoruba Council of Elders Kunle Olajide said: “I will not blame Makinde if
truly the rice is bad because he cannot afford to risk the life of Oyo people
by giving them bad items to consume. His claim calls for a thorough
investigation.” He added: “There have been complaints that the palliatives
favour the North against the South and also that there is inequality in the
handling of the Social Intervention Fund (SIF). If this is the case, then we
shouldn’t dismiss Makinde’s allegation.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere Yinka
Odumakin said it was doubtful if the Oyo State government would falsely say the
bags of rice delivered to the state were bad. “It is Afenifere’s opinion that a
necessary investigation be carried out to determine the true position of
things,” he said.
APC National Vice Chairman (South West) Bankole
Oluwajana, who hails from Ondo, said: “The rice we received is good, and
justice has been done to it without party sentiment.”
He cautioned against politicising efforts by
government at containing the pandemic. He said if Governor Makinde was not
playing politics, he would have complained that over 600 bags were bad and the
customs would have replaced them.
APC South-West Publicity Secretary Dapo
Karounwi said: “Ekiti State did not receive any bad rice as palliative from the
Federal Government. Where Oyo got it, I wouldn’t know. It would be recalled
that this same Makinde endangered the life of his people when the pandemic
initially started by inviting all PDP members to hold a rally in the state
where he even said coronavirus was not in the party but rather in APC. A week
later he (Makinde) tested positive for the virus. Who knows if he is playing
another politics with the rice?” Karounwi nevertheless called for an
investigation into the claim.
The president of Yoruba Ronu, Akin Malaolu,
warned that President Buhari should not be tagged in the matter since he only
gave a directive to the customs to distribute the rice. According to him, the
president would not know whether the rice delivered to Oyo was bad or not. “I
will suggest that the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ibrahim Ali and
the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 be questioned over Makinde’s claim,” he
said.
But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) condemned the Federal Government for donating the bags of rice. Claiming
they were part of seizures by the Nigeria Customs Service several years ago, it
said the government should have instead bought food for the citizens using the
donations it received.
The party, in a statement by Deputy National
Publicity Secretary Prince Diran Odeyemi, said: “It is irreconcilable if, in
the name of saving the lives of Nigerians against the coronavirus pandemic, the
same Federal Government is giving Nigerians poisonous rice as palliative. We
wonder how a government that claims to value the lives of its people will
openly toy with the idea of feeding them with expired food items.”
Meanwhile, scientists have associated colour
changes in stored rice and other grains with expiration and contamination by
mycotoxins, warning that consumption could lead to cancers, liver and kidney
damage, birth defects, and suppression of the immune system.
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic
secondary metabolites produced by fungal species of the genera Aspergillus,
Alternaria, Penicillium, Fusarium, Claviceps, and several others.
Botanically called Oryza sativa, rice is a key
source of human calorie intake and is a staple food in many countries.
Studies have shown that rice, cultivated in
flooded irrigation conditions and high moisture levels, is susceptible to
infection by moulds and subsequent mycotoxin contamination. The situation is
aggravated by inappropriate storage and climatic conditions such as floods and
heavy rainfall at harvest time. Sun drying, usually practiced by most farmers,
is insufficient to reduce the moisture content, making rice more prone to
fungal attack.
According to a study, ‘Occurrence of major
mycotoxins and their dietary exposure in North-Central Nigeria staples’,
published March 2020 in the Scientific African, mycotoxins could be nephrotoxic
(harmful to the kidney), immunosuppressive (suppress the immune system),
carcinogenic (cause cancer), and teratogenic (causes birth defects in
children).
The researchers were from the Department of
Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State and
Department of Biochemistry, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi.
Also, a grain specialist and Vice Chancellor of
Al-Qalam University, Katsina, Prof. Shehu Garki Ado, said many factors could be
responsible for the deterioration of grains in storage.
He said if the grains had been kept in
strategic reserves, they would have remained intact and wholesome even without
chemical preservation. Storage in silos could last for a very long time, he
said, though there is a limit in the timeline before consumption.
Ado said leased strategic grain reserves should
be returned to the Federal Government and government should construct silos in
each local government and ward, given the importance of food to national
security.
Supporting the view, Prof. Samuel Olakojo, a
specialist in grain breeding, production and post-harvest management, said
because the Nigeria Customs Service is not trained to store grains, it should
have moved the seized rice to the strategic grain reserves.
One of the conditions for proper storage of
grains, he noted, includes less-than-12 humidity level. If humidity is higher,
moulds would form on the grains and dangerous microorganisms like bacteria,
fungi would grow.
Olakojo added: “Leasing out the majority of the
strategic grain reserves is like leasing the armoury of the Nigerian armed
forces to private security firms. Food is a national security matter.
“At best, those strategic grain reserves should
be in the hands of a commission or agency if the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture cannot handle them. The Federal Government should encourage private
firms to construct their grain reserves and use for industrial purposes while
the national ones should be used for food security.”
Don’t
villainize bats: Researchers bust Covid-19 myths
Chethan Kumar | TNN | Apr 26,
2020, 17:11 IST
BENGALURU:
Several researchers of various universities and conservation organisations
spread across nine countries including India, Germany, UK, Australia and the US, while arguing that it is
premature and unfair to blame bats
or any other animal for the Covid-19 pandemic given that the exact origin of
SARS-CoV-2 or its precursor is not known, have urged people not to villainize
bats.
Referring to the increasing unverified social media posts that have led to widespread antipathy and fear in the general public — incidents of the public requesting for removal of bats, destroying bat roosts, have increased in the last month in India — they said that the viruses found in two species of bats in India as per the most recent ICMR study are different from SARS-CoV-2 and that they cannot cause Covid-19.
Referring to the increasing unverified social media posts that have led to widespread antipathy and fear in the general public — incidents of the public requesting for removal of bats, destroying bat roosts, have increased in the last month in India — they said that the viruses found in two species of bats in India as per the most recent ICMR study are different from SARS-CoV-2 and that they cannot cause Covid-19.
“Information
on the current, and past zoonotic disease outbreaks suggest that global
wildlife trade and/or large-scale industrial livestock farming play an
important role in such events. Killing bats and other wild animals, or evicting
them from their roosts in retaliation is counterproductive and will not solve
any problems,” a joint statement by 64 researchers reads.
They argue that bats, in fact, perform vital ecosystem services: They pollinate flowers of some mangroves, and many other commercially and culturally important plants. Insect-eating bats are voracious eaters of pest insects in rice, corn, cotton and potentially, tea farms. Therefore, they say, bats benefit ecological and human health, and provide intangible economic benefits.
They argue that bats, in fact, perform vital ecosystem services: They pollinate flowers of some mangroves, and many other commercially and culturally important plants. Insect-eating bats are voracious eaters of pest insects in rice, corn, cotton and potentially, tea farms. Therefore, they say, bats benefit ecological and human health, and provide intangible economic benefits.
Stating that none of the
South Asian bats are proven to be natural reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2, they said
that scientists strongly suggest that it is highly unlikely for SARS-like
viruses to jump directly from bats to humans. Also, there is no evidence of
humans contracting coronavirus or any such viruses through the excreta of bats .
Recently, a study by ICMR found bat coronaviruses (BtCoV) in the common Indian Flying Fox and Fulvous Fruit Bat. “However, less than 5% of the screened samples contained this BtCoV and, as the study mentions, it is very distantly-related to SARS-CoV-2 and hence cannot cause Covid-19,” they said.
“The society currently needs more awareness about the bats around them in addition to epidemiological facts for a healthy coexistence. “We urge the governments of South Asian countries to strengthen the legal framework to protect bats in view of their ecosystem services and their slow breeding capacity,” the researchers further added.
The actual origin of SARS-CoV-2 is highly debated among scientists. “SARS-CoV-2 appears to be similar to another coronavirus RaTG13 found in a species of bat called the Intermediate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus affinis). However, a recent study has shown that RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2 diverged 40-70 years ago from each other (a long timespan for the evolution of viruses) and hence the direct transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or its precursor from bats to humans is improbable,” the researchers said.
Recently, a study by ICMR found bat coronaviruses (BtCoV) in the common Indian Flying Fox and Fulvous Fruit Bat. “However, less than 5% of the screened samples contained this BtCoV and, as the study mentions, it is very distantly-related to SARS-CoV-2 and hence cannot cause Covid-19,” they said.
“The society currently needs more awareness about the bats around them in addition to epidemiological facts for a healthy coexistence. “We urge the governments of South Asian countries to strengthen the legal framework to protect bats in view of their ecosystem services and their slow breeding capacity,” the researchers further added.
The actual origin of SARS-CoV-2 is highly debated among scientists. “SARS-CoV-2 appears to be similar to another coronavirus RaTG13 found in a species of bat called the Intermediate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus affinis). However, a recent study has shown that RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2 diverged 40-70 years ago from each other (a long timespan for the evolution of viruses) and hence the direct transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or its precursor from bats to humans is improbable,” the researchers said.
