Rs 10 billion subsidy for basmati growers being announced in
Punjab: minister
November
27, 2014
Punjab Agriculture Minister Dr Farrukh Javed has said that 10
billion rupees subsidy is being announced for Basmati rice growers keeping in
view the downward trend in its prices. Growers will be given 5000 rupees per
acre subsidy to help them meeting their losses. Dr Farrukh Javed disclosed this while talking
to a delegation of growers here on Wednesday. He said that the government is
continuing its pro-farmer policies. He said that growers had already been given
a subsidy of 22 billion rupees in electricity prices and it would be continued.
He said growers would get subsidised rates of electricity at the
rate of Rs 10.35 per unit. The
Punjab government has also finalised an agreement with a German company to
convert tube wells in the province on biogas and a pilot project will soon be
initiated. The government will be bearing a subsidy of 200,000 rupees per tube
well, the Minister added. The Minister claimed that present government had
introduced farmer friendly policies and historic subsidy packages. He said that
the province had a production of over 19.5 million tons last year owing to hard
work of growers and co-operation of the government extended to them. He said some progressive growers
achieved production up to 98 maund per acre establishing a new national record.
He said the government had fixed new support price for wheat at Rs 1300 per
maund to help the growers and shed the bad impact of low international wheat
prices on local market.
He said government had fixed urea fertilizer bag at Rs 1765 per
bag and its availability on this rate is being ensured. He said that the
government had also increased the research funds for agricultural sector by 200
percent and it would continue to introduce more lucrative packages as per
available resources to facilitate the farmers.
Filipino farmers protest government research on genetically
modified rice
Jon Sarmiento, a farmer in the Cavite province in southern
Manila, plants a variety of fruits and vegetables, but his main crop, rice, is
under threat. He claims that approval by the Philippine government of the
genetically modified ‘golden rice’ that is fortified with beta-carotene, which the
body converts into vitamin A, could ruin his livelihood.Sarmiento, who is
also the sustainable agriculture programme officer of PAKISAMA, a national
movement of farmers’ organisations, told IPS, “Genetically modified rice will
not address the lack of vitamin A, as there are already many other sources of
this nutrient. It will worsen hunger. It will also kill diversification and
contaminate other crops.”Sarmiento aired his sentiments during a protest
activity last week in front of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), an office
under the Department of Agriculture, during which farmers unfurled a huge
canvas depicting a three-dimensional illustration of the Banaue Rice Terraces
in Ifugao province in the northern part of the Philippines.
Considered by Filipinos as the eighth wonder of the world, the
2,000-year-old Ifugao Rice Terraces represent the country’s rich rice heritage,
which some say will be at stake once the golden rice is approved.The
protesting farmers also delivered to the BPI, which is responsible for the
development of plant industries and crop production and protection, an
‘extraordinary opposition’ petition against any extension, renewal or issuance
of a new bio-safety permit for further field testing, feeding trials or
commercialisation of golden rice.“We challenge the government to walk the
talk and ‘Be RICEponsible’,” Sarmiento said, echoing the theme of a national
advocacy campaign aimed at cultivating rice self-sufficiency in
the Philippines.
Currently, this Southeast Asian nation of 100 million people is
the eighth largest rice producer in the world, accounting for 2.8 percent of
global rice production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of
the United Nations (FAO).But it was also the world’s largest rice importer
in 2010, largely because the Philippines’ area of harvested rice is very small
compared with other major rice-producing countries in Asia.In addition to
lacking sufficient land resources to produce its total rice requirement, the
Philippines is devastated by at least 20 typhoons every year that destroy
crops, the FAO said.However, insufficient output is not the only thing
driving research and development on rice.
A far greater concern for scientists and policy-makers is
turning the staple food into a greater source of nutrition for the population.
The government and independent research institutes are particularly concerned
about nutrition deficiencies that cause malnutrition, especially among
poorer communities.According to the Philippines-based International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), “Vitamin A deficiency remains a public health
problem in the country, affecting more than 1.7 million children under the age
of five and 500,000 pregnant and nursing women.”The vast majority of those
affected live in remote areas, cut off from access to government nutrition
programmes.
The IRRI estimates that guaranteeing these isolated communities
sufficient doses of vitamin A could reduce child mortality here by
23-34 percent.Such thinking has provided the impetus for continued research
and development on genetically modified rice, despite numerous protests
including a highly publicised incident in August last year in which hundreds of
activists entered a government test field and uprooted saplings of the
controversial golden rice crop.While scientists forge ahead with their
tests, protests appear to be heating up, spurred on by a growing
global movement against GMOs.
Last week’s public action – which received support from
Greenpeace Southeast Asia and included farmers’ groups, organic traders and
consumers, mothers and environmentalists – denounced the government’s
continuing research on golden rice and field testing, as well as the
distribution and cropping of genetically-modified corn and eggplant.Monica
Geaga, another protesting farmer who is from the group SARILAYA, an
organisation of female organic farmers from the rice-producing provinces in the
main island of Luzon, said women suffer multiple burdens when crops are subjected
to genetic modification.“It is a form of harassment and violence against
women who are not just farmers but are also consumers and mothers who manage
households and the health and nutrition of their families,” she
told IPS.Geaga said she believes that if plants are altered from their
natural state, they release toxins that are harmful to human health.
Protestors urged the government to shield the country’s rice
varieties from contamination by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and
instead channel the money for rice research into protecting the country’s
biodiversity and rich cultural heritage while ensuring ecological
agricultural balance.Though there is a dearth of hard data on how much the
Philippine government has spent on GMO research, the Biotechnology Coalition of
the Philippines estimates that the government and its multinational partner
companies have spent an estimated 2.6 million dollars developing GM
corn alone.
Furthermore, activists and scientists say GMOs violate the National Organic Law that
supports the propagation of rice varieties that already possess multi-nutrients
such as carbohydrates, minerals, fibre, and potassium, according to the
Philippines’ National Nutrition Council (NNC).The NNC also said other rice
varieties traditionally produced in the Philippines such as brown, red, and
purple rice contain these nutrients.
Danilo Ocampo, ecological agriculture campaigner for Greenpeace
Philippines, said the “flawed regulatory system” in the BPI, the sole
government agency in charge of GMO approvals, “has led to approvals of all GMO
applications without regard to their long-term impact on the environment and
human health.
”“The problem with the current regulatory system is that there
is no administrative remedy available to farmers once contamination happens. It
is also frustrating that consumers and the larger populace are not given the
chance to participate in GM regulation,” said Ocampo.“It is high time that
we exercise our right to participate and be part of a regulatory system that
affects our food, our health and our future,” he asserted.
Greenpeace explained in statements released to the media that
aside from the lack of scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs on human
health and the environment, they also threaten the country’s
rich biodiversity.Greenpeace Philippines said genetically modified crops
such as corn or rice contain built-in pesticides that can be toxic, and their
ability to cross-breed and cross-pollinate other natural crops can happen in an
open environment, which cannot be contained.Last week saw farmer activists
in other cities in the Philippines stage protest actions that called on the
government to protect the country’s diverse varieties of rice and crops and
stop GMO research and field-testing.
In Davao City south of Manila, stakeholders held the 11th
National Organic Agriculture Congress. In Cebu City, also south of Manila,
farmers protested the contamination of corn, their second staple food, and
gathered petitions supporting the call against the commercial approval of
golden rice.
Consumer Reports: Why rice &
kids might not mix
Jim Niedelman Published: Nov 26, 2014 at 1:22 PM PST Last Updated: Nov 26, 2014 at 5:49 PM PST
CONSUMER REPORTS -- Consumer Reports issued new guidelines for limits on how much rice you and your children should
eat. Consumer Reports analyzed Food and Drug Administration data on more than
600 foods that contain rice and found some with worrisome levels of inorganic
arsenic, which is linked to several types of cancer. The Food and Drug
Administration recommends parents consider other options rather than rice
cereal for their children’s first solid food.
Consumer Reports’ analysis found that hot rice cereal and rice
pasta can have much more arsenic than its lab saw in previous tests. Consumer
Reports now recommends that children rarely eat these foods, which means not
more than twice a month. And Consumer Reports recommends children under five
limit rice drinks, rice cakes and ready-to-eat rice cereals. Levels of arsenic
vary. Consumer Reports based its recommendations on the higher levels in each
food group to offer consumers the best protection.
As for rice itself, Consumer Reports’ lab tests in 2012 found high levels of inorganic arsenic in white rice and even higher levels in brown rice. Consumer Reports tested other types of rice and other grains and found several alternatives with much lower levels of inorganic arsenic. Some good choices — sushi rice from the U.S. and white basmati rice from California, India and Pakistan. On average they had half the amount of arsenic as most other types of rice. And brown basmati rice from California, India and Pakistan has about one third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rice. Other good options — bulgur, barley and faro, as well as gluten-free grains like amaranth, buckwheat, millet and quinoa.
In response to Consumer Reports’ investigation, the USA Rice
Federation issued this statement: “Research conducted by the Food and Drug
Administration and U.S. rice industry shows arsenic levels found in U.S.-grown
rice are below safe maximum levels established this year by the World Health
Organization. Studies show that including white or brown rice in the diet
provides measureable health benefits that outweigh the potential risks
associated with exposure to trace levels of arsenic. The U.S. rice industry is
committed to growing a safe and healthy product; we continuously test our crop,
and research ways of reducing the already low levels of arsenic found in rice
even further.
The Food & Drug Administration issued this statement: The
FDA’s ongoing assessment of arsenic in rice remains a priority for the agency.
Last year, the FDA released what we believe to be the largest set of test
results to date on the presence of arsenic in rice and rice products, and we
are planning to release a draft assessment of the potential health risks
associated with the consumption of arsenic in these same foods. Until that
review is completed, the agency continues to recommend that consumers,
including pregnant women, eat a well-balanced diet containing a variety of
grains.
Parents should feed infants and toddlers a variety of grains as
well, and consider options other
than rice cereal for a child’s first solid food. Published studies and ongoing
FDA research indicate that cooking rice in excess volumes of water – five to
six times that of the rice – and draining the water can reduce the arsenic
content, though it may also reduce the nutritional value of the rice.
KIMA News
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week was also The Most Exotic Thing I
Ate Last Week
Nepal native Lama Salam Singh brings out a platter at Yak: The
Kathmandu Kitchen restaurant in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Brantley/mbrantley@al.com)
on November 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM
He liked it so much he decided to say and open a restaurant that
featured cuisine of Nepal and India."I come from a very, very large family
and food is a big part of our culture,'' he said. "I wanted to bring some
of the taste of my country to Mobile," he added.The cuisine is reminiscent
of Chinese, only different. The flavor patterns are different and Nepali
cuisine, Singh explained, doesn't use sweet or soy sauce. The dipping sauces
are rich and piquant; my favorite was a tomato-based sauce that went really
well with steamed dumplings.My best advice is to go and enjoy the daily buffet
that offers a large cross-section of Nepali cuisine. If you have any questions,
the friendly wait staff is delighted to offer assistance and answer any
questions you have.Take my word for it, a visit to Yak: The Kathmandu Kitchen
will be The Best Thing You Ate Last Week.
Yak: The Kathmandu Kitchen
Owner: Lama Salam Singh
Menu: It is dedicated to serving the
authentic cuisine native to Nepal and India. The dishes are very fresh and much
lighter than you would think. The dishes have exotic names like MoMo Chicken
(which is really dumplings) and Nepalese Non-Veg Thali (an arrangement of
dishes highlighted by chicken curry, salad, piquant fermented mustard greens,
mixed, lentils, basmati rice and some tasty rice pudding for dessert.)
Atmosphere: Small and intimate. The
decorations are authentic Nepali and Indian and are guaranteed to start many a
conversation.
Cost:Very reasonable. The MoMo Chicken
is $6.95 for eight dumplings and the Nepalese Non-Veg Thali is $12.95, but it's
plenty big enough to share.
Owner Lama Salam Singh's parting words: "Sharing food is part of our culture. It makes me happy to
see people eating authentic Nepali food."
David's parting words: Yak: The Kathmandu Kitchen is a truly unique culinary
experience. It's not like anything else you'll find anywhere in Coastal
Alabama. The staff is very friendly and helpful; trust me, I had a lot of
questions. I encourage you to drop by for lunch or dinner and see what I'm
talking about. And I encourage you to sample a lot of the cuisine by sampling
the goods laid out at the large buffet. And like I said, don't be afraid to ask
questions; you won't be sorry.
Source with thanks: al.com
Procurement
Begins on Dull Note
By
Published: 27th November 2014 06:06 AM
Last Updated: 27th November 2014 06:06 AM
Agencies like FCI, Markfed and Nafed besides,
46 primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACs) are participating in the
procurement process.Sources said the agreement with rice millers who are to be
roped in for custom milling of paddy, is yet to be finalised, which has kept
the millers away from the market yards on the first and the second day. The
Collector said 20 more rice millers will be roped in to expedite the
procurement. Besides, unlike last year when procurement was done for 60 days,
it has been extended to 90 days this year. The administration has prepared a
database of farmers who will have to produce their identity card to sell
their stock. The procurement target too has been enhanced.
Paddy-laden vehicles at a market yard in Sambalpur I Express
Photo
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2014/11/27/Procurement-Begins-on-Dull-Note/article2543325.ece
Burirum
kicks off rice grain market weekly
Date
: 27 พฤศจิกายน 2557
BURIRUM,
27 Nov 2014, (NNT), - The Internal Trade Office in Burirum Province has
organized a weekly market buying paddy at higher prices than those currently
offered in the market, with an aim to help ease the burden of local farmers.
The project is a joint efforts of the province’s Internal Trade Office, Krasang
Agriculture Cooperatives Ltd., and a group of rice millers in the Central
region.
The
weekly market is paying up to 13,400 baht for a ton of paddy, depending on the
moisture content and quality of the grains. The price is considerably higher
than that currently offered in the general market, which is in the range of
10-11 baht per kg., or between 11,000 and 11,000 baht a ton. The market is
meant to be an alternative for local farmers, as unscrupulous middlemen and
rice millers have reportedly been taking advantage of them by offering to buy
grains at much lower prices. More than 100 rice farmers so far have expressed
their interests in selling their crops to the market. According to the
Provincial Internal Trade Office, the project provides a fair distribution
channel for the farmers, adding that it plans to hold the market in 5
districts, which are Krasang, Kumuang, Nong Hong, Calermphrakiate and Muang
Districts.
Pakistan exports Rs 201b goods in October
LAHORE: Pakistan has exported items worth Rs 201.076 billion in
October that is 1.58 percent more than the corresponding period of last fiscal
year, while imports into Pakistan during October 2014 remained Rs 438.369
billion that is 25.80 percent than the same period of last year.According to
available data, Pakistan’s exports during October of the current fiscal year
remained Rs 201.076 billion that is 9.90 percent less than the exports of
September worth 223.172 billion. On the other hand, exports from Pakistan grew
1.58 percent as compared to Rs 197.940 billion exports in the same period of
previous fiscal year.Exports during July-October 2014 totalled Rs 804.356 billion
against Rs 888.025 billion during the corresponding period of last year showing
a decrease of 9.42 percent.
Main exported goods during October were knitwear, cotton cloth,
garments, bed wear, cotton yarn, rice, towels, made-up articles and cement.Knit
wear export showed 5.44 percent decline during October 2014 as compared to
September 2014, cotton cloth downed 9.56 percent, bed wear 13.07 percent,
basmati rice declined 11.24 percent and cement export decreased 21.17
percent.Exports of garments and rice increased 10.66 percent and 35.48 percent
respectively in October 2014 as compared to the exports of September
2014.Imports into Pakistan during October 2014 remained Rs 438.36 billion
against Rs 466.77 billion in September 2014 and Rs 348.471 billion during
October 2013 showing a decrease of 6.09% over September 2014 but an increase of
25.80 over October 2013.
On the other hand, imports during July-October 2014 totalled Rs
1.69 trillion against Rs 1.49 trillion during the corresponding period of last year
showing an increase of 13.08%.Main imported commodities during October 2014
were petroleum products, palm oil, medical products, plastic materials, iron
and steel, aircraft, ships and boats, electrical machinery, power generating
machinery and fertilisers.
The increase recorded in main commodities imported during
October 2014 over September 2014 are medical products that showed 126.82
percent growth, plastic material 0.43 percent, aircraft, ships and boats 26.58
percent, electrical machinery 19.34 percent and fertilisers grew 0.22
percent.Import of petroleum products decreased 7.93 percent, petroleum crude
9.01 percent, palm oil 11.54 percent, iron and steel 18.53 percent and power
generating machinery 14.31 percent during October 2014 as compared to September
2014.
Farmers get relief from rice diseases in
2014
11/26/2014 02:57 PM
Disease in rice was not as big of a problem in 2014
for most growers as in previous years. LSU
AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth said, “With as much rain as we had, sheath
blight wasn’t as bad as it could have been," The cold winter of 2013-14 could have
played a role in the low incidence of disease, Groth said, but the mild disease
year can also be attributed to the direct result of breeding efforts that
have selected for disease resistance.That selection took place through several
years.
Groth said, “We have a
lot fewer very susceptible and susceptible lines in our nurseries, and
resistance is being increased in the breeding process." He siad
current high yields would not be possible without disease resistance.Bacterial
panicle blight wasn’t bad in 2014, Groth said, because temperatures were
moderate, and blast was not found until late in the growing season. Blast resistance in variety
development was increased with the bad outbreak of the disease in 2012, and
that eliminated many blast-susceptible lines.Out of the almost 800
advanced lines he evaluated for the disease in 2014, Groth said, only four or
five showed signs of severe blast.
Many of the lines susceptible to Cercospora have also
been eliminated. Groth suspects many farmers are spraying for that disease, even
though it may be unnecessary.Groth said, "It’s likely that
fungicide-resistant sheath blight is continuing its spread in south Louisiana
But we have the tools to manage it.” The main line of defense, Sercadis,
should be applied at 6.8 ounces an acre because the lower rate of 4.5 ounces
does not last long enough, Groth said. Convoy fungicide also had good
activity against both the wild and resistant sheath blight fungi.Groth tested
six new fungicides in 2014, and he expects that two could be available by 2015
or 2016. Groth said, "Some
of them look really good but the new fungicides only have activity against
sheath blight. We really don’t have any new products for blast, and that has me
worried.
" A
generic version of Quadris Equation will be available in 2015 because the
patent on azoxystrobin, the active ingredient, has expired.Groth will start a
study in 2015 to look at the benefit of fungicide use on currently available,
moderately susceptible varieties compared with not spraying any of the
products.Groth said, “There is a question if early-planted
moderately-susceptible rice varieties need to be sprayed. Somewhere along the
line, we need to cut costs in rice production, and fungicide use is one
possible area.”Research on rice diseases is supported by funds provided through
the rice checkoff program.Director of the Rice Research Station Steve Linscombe
said, “This program has paid excellent dividends for 40 plus years and will
continue to help the rice industry in the future."
Copyright 2014 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.
Bangladesh
farmers turn back the clock to combat climate stresses
BY SYFUL ISLAM
DHAKA, Bangladesh,
Nov 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - I ndigenous varieties of rice are making
a comeback in Bangladesh as farmers abandon high-yielding hybrid rice in favour
of more resilient varieties that can cope with more extreme climate conditions,
researchers say.
About 20 percent
of the rice fields planted in the low-lying South Asian nation now contain
indigenous varieties that can stand up to drought, flooding or other stresses,
said Jiban Krishna, director general of the Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute.At its peak, high yielding varieties of rice are accounted for 90
percent of total rice grown in Bangladesh."In places where newly invented
varieties fail to cope with stresses, farmers cultivate local varieties,"
Krishna told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.Bangladesh's
government first introduced high-yielding rice in the 1960s, in an effort to
promote food security and meet rising demand, Krishna said. Over time, most
farmers adopted the new varieties, which brought in higher incomes.But in recent
years, as climate change has brought more irregular rainfall - including
worsening floods and droughts - farmers have had more difficulty producing
consistent crops of high-yielding varieties.
That has led to a
growing share of farmers returning to more resilient varieties capable of
coping with the extreme conditions, or planting both old and new varieties side
by side.The switch back to traditional varieties has happened with the help of
non-governmental organisations that have reintroduced the varieties in an
effort to protect "heritage" species and help farmers cope with
adverse weather conditions , Krishna said.In C'Nababaganj district, for
instance, the Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge has helped
farmers return to planting varieties that had almost vanished.'Saika' rice, for
instance, ripens in just 60 days - well short of the 90 to 110 days needed by
hybrid varieties used in the area - and 'Sashi Mohon' needs hugely less water,
said Pavel Partha, coordinator of the centre's food security programme.
CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT POLICY
The government previously never promoted such
varieties, considering them too low-yielding, he said. But in the face of
growing climate impacts, it is now actively encouraging their cultivation as
part of efforts to help farmers adapt to climate change, Partha said.Farmers
say returning to the old varieties has been a big help in ensuring they get a
harvest each season.
"Cultivation in this area is facing immense
trouble due to low and irregular rainfall. Even cultivation of rain-fed Aman
(rice) is now totally dependent on irrigation which raises production
costs," said Hasan Ali, a farmer in Barandra village."In this
situation we have brought in these indigenous aromatic varieties which are
tolerant to many stresses," he said.Another farmer, Anisur Rahman, said
cultivation of the old varieties is expanding in part because they need almost
no chemical fertiliser or pesticides - which makes them cheaper and easier to
grow - and because their yields are good in tough conditions.Abdus Sattar Hiru,
a farmer in Traltalia village in Tangail district agreed that the 'Afsara'
traditional rice he is now cultivating has brought in consistently good crops.
"The variety (grows over a) short duration
and can be cultivated once the rainy season is over and water starts receding.
In that period, modern or high yielding varieties can't be cultivated but this
local variety can," he said.Returning to 'Afsara' rice has also allowed
him to bring back into production land previously left barren because
high-yielding rice varieties did not grow there, he said.
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