In Nueva Ecija, farmers keep their chill even as El Niño scorches
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:14 AM April 29, 2019
Rice farming in Nueva Ecija remains in business despite a
report from the state weather bureau that the province and 48 others are
suffering from a dry spell as the El Niño phenomenon continues to bite.
Going around the province, one might think the place was
spared from the havoc of climate change. While the weather was dry and humid,
there were neither dry taps nor parched lands. Newly harvested palay were displayed
along side roads, ready to be put in sacks and stored.
What separates the province from most agricultural areas
in the Philippines, aside from its rich lands, is no secret—the availability of
efficient irrigation systems and technology.
“It’s not because there is no El Niño here, it is that we
have the best irrigation system in the country,” said Roger Barroga, Future
Rice Program head of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). “We are
used to the arrival of dry season, even when it is hot as this, we’ve always
been prepared.”
The province owns the first and biggest solar-powered
irrigation system in the country. It also benefits from other irrigation
projects, including the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System.
The city of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija, where PhilRice’s main
office is located, is not called “the science city” for no reason. Here,
farmers are introduced to affordable innovations. It’s common to see farmers
manning tractors and combine harvesters instead of carabaos. Others tend and
monitor their farms through apps. They use high-yield hybrid seeds that can
withstand drought or flooding.
Nueva Ecija remains the largest producer of the staple in
the country without having to cough up unnecessary expenses. But the province
is an exception rather than the rule.
Only 30 percent of the country’s farm lands benefit from
communal irrigation while the rest still rely on rainwater, according to the
National Irrigation Administration. A majority of rice-producing provinces are
still dependent on traditional farming, which is more laborious, expensive, and
above all, less productive.
Traversing outside the province, the importance of
government support in sustaining agriculture is magnified. A three-hour drive
from Muñoz to Pangasinan—where irrigation systems and government support in
agriculture are subpar—reveals an entirely different scenario where lands have
become arid and crops cry for water.
In Bulacan, Dagupan and certain parts of Cotabato,
farmers cannot just shift to planting drought-resistant crops to survive the
dry spell even if they want to, as this would require a constant water
resource.
Farmer leader Jhun Pascua of the National Movement for
Food Sovereignty said some farmers in Mindanao were already forced to sell their
livestock animals with no grass for them to feed on.
William Dar, a former DA chief and former director of the
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, said the
wrath of El Niño and other natural disasters could be avoided if there were
enough infrastructure in place, and if machinery were utilized to fit specific
needs.
According to the Philippine Institute for Development
Studies, what’s bogging down the adoption of modern technology may be partly
due to the government’s lack of spending for infrastructure and science and
technology geared toward agriculture. Economic managers have admitted the
sector remained the “weakest link” in the country’s growth story.
It would be difficult to replicate Nueva Ecija, but
former International Rice Research Institute director and current Monetary
Board member Bruce Tolentino said it was only a matter of priorities.
“The government is not providing adequate support for the
agriculture sector as a whole—not only for rice, but especially for other
crops. And whatever support has been provided has been going to expenditures
that do not result in the most important aspect of agriculture—the improvement
of sector productivity and the lowering of production costs,” he said.
If the economic managers prove to be right, the Rice
Import Liberalization Law may just be the sector’s saving grace.
In an interview, Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary
Rosemarie Edillon said “the assistance that would be given to farmers [under
the law] was designed to lower the cost of producing rice,” noting that “one of
the biggest cost differences is the labor cost because of the lack of
mechanization.”
The measure would provide a P10-billion annual subsidy
for the distribution of seeds and machinery and the provision of credit for the
country’s local rice producers.
It may take two to three years before Filipino rice
farmers reap the benefits of the rice fund, economic managers said. For now,
producers of the staple in rural and far-flung areas do not have any choice but
to wait for the next rainfall.
Local
frog a ‘hero’ for farmers – study
Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star) -
April 29, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines — Not all frogs are created equal – at least in terms of managing
pests in farms.
A
recent study conducted at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in
Los Baños, Laguna found that a local species of frog, the endemic Luzon
Fejevarya vittigera or wart frog, was more effective in consuming rice pests
than a non-native species introduced in the Philippines in the 1930s.
The
study also found initial evidence that the non-native species, the toxic
cane toad, may have a negative impact on rice crops as it eats more
beneficial insects than pests.
The
research, led by Molly Goodier from Northern Arizona University, was
recently published in the Agriculture, Ecosystems &
Environment journal.
The
study investigated the functional roles of frogs in the rice ecosystem by
looking into the diet of the two most abundant species of frogs in the rice
fields of IRRI.
The
field surveys were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2015 and 2017.
The
surveys found that despite smaller body sizes, the Luzon wart frog
consumed the same total mass of prey as the cane toad and that pests made up
the largest proportion of its total diet.
Pests
that Luzon wart frogs eat include leafhoppers, black bugs, rice
leaf-folders, grasshoppers, golden apple snails and brown plant-hoppers.
In
contrast, the majority of the cane toad’s diet consisted of beneficial
arthropods, such as fire ants that consume brown plant hopper nymphs and the
eggs of golden apple snails.
“Although
cane toads also consumed some herbivore species that are known rice pests, our
data suggest that cane toads could significantly reduce the abundance of
natural predators in rice fields,” read the paper.
“Our
results suggest that (wart frog adults in Luzon) are more effective consumers
of pests than cane toads and may provide an important ecosystem service in
lowland rice agro-ecosystems. Furthermore, the diet of the cane toad suggests
that they could be indirect pests to rice production due to their
disproportionate consumption of beneficial predators,” it added.
The
researchers suggested that rice agro-ecosystems in the Philippines should be
managed to promote native species such as the Luzon wart frog and to reduce
populations of the cane toad in order to safeguard native biodiversity, while
simultaneously improving yields and reducing insecticide input.
According
to IRRI, the cane toad is a non-native species that was introduced in the
Philippines in the 1930s to control pests in sugarcane. It is not for human
consumption as it is toxic and can cause nausea and paralysis.
Meanwhile,
aside from its positive impact on rice fields, the Luzon wart frog is also
harvested for human consumption and provides income to farmers.
The
new study was co-authored by Mildred Diaz and Catherine Propper of the
Northern Arizona University; Maria Liberty Almazan and Buyung Hadi of IRRI; and
Grant Singleton of IRRI and the University of Greenwich in the UK.
The
study was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through
the Closing the Rice Gaps in Asia project.
Farmers expect
fair price as record Boro rice production likely
Agriculture 
Desk
Desk
The farmers are expecting an all-time record production of Boro
rice and fair price as harvest of the major cereal crop just began this season
everywhere in Rangpur agriculture region.
A number of farmers today expressed happiness over the
government announcement of official procurement of Boro paddy at Taka 26 per kg
and clean Boro rice at Taka 36 per kg from April 25 across the country.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said
a bumper production of Boro rice is expected as farmers already started its
harvest and are getting excellent yield rate after exceeding the fixed
cultivation target in the region.
“The farmers have already harvested Boro rice on over 2,000
hectares ofland and the process will get momentum from next month,”
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md. Mesbahul
Islam told BSS today.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing over 20.88-lakh tonnes
of clean Boro rice (31.32-lakh tonnes of paddy) from 4.97-lakh hectares of land
for all five districts in the region this season.
“However, farmers have finally brought over 5.09-lakh hectares
of land under Boro rice farming, higher by 12,319 hectares or 2.48 percent than
the fixed cultivation target and the crop is growing superbly amid favourable
climatic condition,” Islam said.
Of them, farmers have cultivated hybrid variety Boro rice on
over 1.98- lakh hectares of land, high yielding variety on over 3.12-lakh
hectares and local variety on 2,085 hectares of land this time in the region.
Regional Additional Director of DAE Mohammad Ali said the
government has taken adequate steps to ensure smooth irrigation, supply of
fuels, fertilisers and electricity and other facilities to farmers to make the
Boro rice farming programme successful.
“Smooth irrigation to Boro rice fields have been ensured by
putting over m 2.37-lakh irrigation pumps, including 2,810 deep
tube-wells, over 2.33-lakh shallow tube-wells, 570 low-lift pumps and 512 other
pumps into operation in the region,” Ali added.
Besides, filed level sub-assistant agriculture officials, scientists,
researchers and experts are assisting farmers and providing them with latest
technologies to make the intensive Boro rice cultivation programme a success,
he added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Helal Mian, Ekramul Haque, Zaved Ali and
Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar and Manik Mian of village Darshona in
Rangpur Sadar said they have cultivated Boro rice on two to five acres of land
each this season.
They will begin harvesting of their cultivated Boro rice from
the next week and are expecting to get a bumper production of the crop with
better market price.
“I have cultivated Boro rice on five acres of my lands using my
electricity-run own irrigation pump,” said Haque hoping that he would get a
super bumper production of the crop this season.
“The total farming costs of Boro rice, including labour-cost for
harvesting of the crop, on my five acres of land may be around Taka 45,000 to
50,000 with Taka 9,000 to 10,000 per acre of land on an average for high wages
of the farm-labourers,” he said.
If the climatic condition remains favourable during next five to
six weeks, Haque hoped to harvest 85 to 90 mounds of Boro crop in terms of
paddy per acre of land.
“Though current market price of paddy stands at Taka 600 per
mound, I
hope to earn better profit if I could sell my newly harvested Boro paddy to
purchasing centres at the government fixed rate of Taka 26 per kg (Taka 1,040
per mound),” Haque added.
hope to earn better profit if I could sell my newly harvested Boro paddy to
purchasing centres at the government fixed rate of Taka 26 per kg (Taka 1,040
per mound),” Haque added.
Similarly, farmers Abdul Kuddus, Mostaq Chowdhury, Abdul Kadir,
Mohsin
Ali, Lutfar Rahman, Echhahaq Ali and Khalequzzaman of different villages
expressed firm hope of getting bumper Boro rice production with better price
this year.
Ali, Lutfar Rahman, Echhahaq Ali and Khalequzzaman of different villages
expressed firm hope of getting bumper Boro rice production with better price
this year.
Processing of rice imports to take maximum of 28 days
Published April 29, 2019 3:15pm
By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News
Rice importation is set to take a month — with the processing of
permits to be shortened to a maximum of 28 days — under the Rice Liberalization
Act, government officials said Monday.
In a press conference in Manila City, Finance Assistance
Secretary Antonio "Tony" Joselito Lambino II said securing permits to
import rice will only take a maximum of 28 days.
As of the April 28 draft guidelines of the Rice Liberalization
Act, the milled rice importation process will take a maximum of 28 days, with
several government agencies involved.
Securing permits from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) will
take a maximum of 14 days — six days for registration, and another seven days
for the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC).
It will take six to seven working days to secure permits from
the Bureau of Customs (BOC), six to seven days from the Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA), three days from the registration with the Philippine
International Trading Corporation (PITC), and another eight days for the PITC
import consolidation.
"Kung tutuusin, maybe all in all, three weeks, four weeks,
nandiyan na 'yung bigas," Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
"As long as wala nang kinuhang NFA (National Food
Authority) permit, it's really just the quality and then the actual procedure
of importation, nandiyan na 'yung bigas in less than one month," he
addeed.
Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo noted, however, that the
actual process could be shortened given the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007.
"Binibigyan lang namin ng allowance para masigurado na
maka-comply pa rin sila," she said.
"With ARTA Law, maximum of three days for simple
applications, mami-minimize pa po itong 28 days na binigay natin," Castelo
added. —KBK, GMA News
Basmati feels heat of Iran oil
curbs
Published : Apr 29, 2019, 2:35 am IST
Updated : Apr 29, 2019, 2:35 am IST
Iran has remained a major export destination for Indian Basmati
rice and the industry's concentration on Iran has only magnified in FY2019.
Given the scale of Basmati rice exports to Iran, a
disruption in sales to this market can have a severe adverse impact on the
Basmati rice industry.
Kolkata: India has been continuing to import crude oil from Iran
despite imposition of trade sanctions on Iran. However, the Trump
administration has recently withdrawn that waiver. As a result, there has been
a great degree of uncertainties over India importing crude from Iran. It's not
just import of crude from Iran that will be affected, but the move is likely to
have wide ranging impacts.
For instance, analysts feel that
the recent move by the US government can, skittle the exports of commodities,
including Basmati rice. Given the scale of Basmati rice exports to Iran, a
disruption in sales to this market can have a severe adverse impact on the
Basmati rice industry.
The Modi government had been
pushing for an extension of the waiver. However that has been to no avail. And
the US government has recently announced that the waiver extended earlier will
be withdrawn in the first week of May. In the eventuality of discontinuation of
crude imports from Iran, payment recovery for exports of commodities like
Basmati rice is bound to face high uncertainty. Interestingly, Indian crude oil
imports from Iran were to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore in FY2018 against which
total exports were around Rs 17,000 crore.
"Iran has remained a major
export destination for Indian Basmati rice and the industry's concentration on
Iran has only magnified in FY2019. Discontinuation of crude oil imports from
Iran can lead to issues on recovery of outstanding dues for the Basmati rice
shipments already made, hampering the financial position of such exporters.
Moreover, this issue can impact the industry as a whole and even the players
who do not export to Iran. Given the share of Basmati rice exports to Iran, any
moderation in sales to this market can have a depressing impact on the Basmati
rice prices globally," said Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President,
ICRA.
Jotwani said that this can
severely impact the industry performance, especially considering that prices of
the raw material, that is, Basmati paddy have firmed up in recent times,
resulting in industry participants carrying high cost inventory. Additionally,
the government's policy stance on trade with Iran, post withdrawal of the
waiver, will have a strong bearing on the prospects of the Basmati rice
industry in the current fiscal, he said.
Tags: iran
oil, basmati rice, modi government
The coffee you buy could produce more birds at
your feeder
ByFINN O’KEEFE April 26, 2019
By FINN
O’KEEFE
Capital News Service
Capital News Service
LANSING
— Blackpoll warblers are on a 12,400-mile trip to their breeding grounds in
Canada and Alaska from the Amazon Basin and northern South America — with tiny
backpacks.
What
sort of luggage did they take? Tiny backpacks with geolocators given to them by
researchers hoping to understand their migration paths and the pit stops they
make to refuel.
They’ll
be here in the Great Lakes Basin, a crucial stop, around mid-May, according to
a recent study, “A
Boreal Songbird’s 20,000 km Migration across North America and the Atlantic
Ocean,” published
March 19 in “Ecology.”
Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Ontario are the only substantial stopover points
that blackpoll warblers make during their spring migration, according to
William DeLuca, one of the researchers on this study and an assistant professor
at the University of Massachusetts. The warbler stops here in early and mid-May
to indulge in insects before making the final push to Alaska and northern
Canada, DeLuca said.
If you
want to see them while they rest up around here, check out Shiawassee National
Wildlife Refuge in Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Magee Marsh in Ohio
and Thunder Cape Bird Observatory in Ontario.
But look
fast.
Until
recently the lives of blackpoll warblers have remained a mystery as they only
spend two to three months of the year in North America, DeLuca said. This lack
of knowledge made it difficult to conserve the bird, one of the fastest
declining songbird species in North America.
“Once we
understand where and what it is they’re doing then we can start to figure out
where those populations are limited,” DeLuca said. “Then you can start to
target your conservation efforts.”
DeLuca
suspects them to be most limited in South America. The birds are threatened
there because palm oil corporations destroy many ecosystems for their
plantations, he said. Palm oil is found in many processed foods.
If you
want to preserve birds, avoid palm oil, DeLuca said “It’s a direct connection
between the choices we make as consumers and what’s happening with our biodiversity.”
Choosing
which coffee to drink also impacts many migratory bird species, DeLuca said. In
the 1960s during the Green Revolution many countries in South America began to
use chemicals in agricultural management and reducing shade trees on their
coffee farms.
The
removal of shade trees makes the farm less suitable for bird habitat, according
to Robert Rice, a researcher at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Research
in Peru has demonstrated this. Coffee grown in the sun with very few or no
shade trees provides habitat for about 60 bird species, Rice said.
That may
sound like a lot, but many birders flock to Peru in pursuit of seeing more than
1,800 species that spend at least some of their lives there, according to Field Guides.
Just a
small number of shade trees on coffee farms increases the number of bird
species present to 170, Rice said. But it’s when you put in a great number of
diverse trees that you start finding a lot of birds.
“When
you put in a diverse system that would qualify as bird friendly, you get
upwards of 240 species of birds,” Rice said.
Encouraging
coffee producers in South America to provide adequate shade and shade tree
diversity for bird habitat on their farms is the goal of the Bird
Friendly® coffee certification created
by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Coffee
grown under that certification not only protects bird habitat but also allows
for the shade trees to sequester carbon and fight climate change, according to
the center.
Regardless
of other benefits, such as a certification increasing their profits by as much
as 50 cents per pound, it’s difficult to get larger coffee farms to manage for
bird habitat, Rice said.
The
trees on many larger farms are often only one to three species and uniform in
height, Rice said. Even if these trees provide a lot of shade they do not
provide good habitat for a diversity of birds and other wildlife.
“Some
birds like to hang out way up top, high in the canopy,” Rice said. “Others like
to run up and down the trunk. Others like to hang out closer to the ground.”
Different
species of trees will attract different types of insects and grow different fruit
that birds feed on.
“Any
given tree has its own little micro ecosystem,” Rice said.
Conserving
bird habitat in South America doesn’t mean we can ignore the land here. One way
homeowners can provide habitat for birds like the blackpoll warbler is by planting
native plants, DeLuca said. Much of what these birds prefer to eat can be found
on native plants, whether that be berries or insects.
“Insect
diversity and abundance is highest on native plants,” DeLuca said. “Those
native plants are also the ones providing food in the form of berries and fruit
in the fall.”
People
can also provide data to scientists by putting their observations oneBird. The
project headed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is currently looking forward
to the Global Big Day on May 4 when organizers hope to set a new record for the
number of bird species reported in one day. Last year, users of the site
reported 7,025 species. This count occurs within the range of dates when
blackpoll warblers could be making their stopovers across the Great Lakes
Basin.
This May
4 sitting back with a cup of environmentally minded coffee and watching the
birds flock around your bird feeder could be both the most relaxing and
scientifically significant thing you could do.
If
you’re lucky you might just see a warbler returning from South America with
some luggage.
State struggles
with eldercare worker shortage
By ZARIA PHILLIPS
Capital News Service
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan doesn’t have
enough personal care workers for the growing population of elderly residents
and more aren’t coming, experts say. The state will need 32,000 more elder care
aides next year, said Clare Luz, an assistant professor at Michigan State
University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine who has studied the need for the
past 10 years.
Capital News Services articles may be reprinted exclusively by
subscribing media organizations. CNS correspondents cover all aspects of
Michigan state government. They come in contact with the important newsmakers
of the day, from the Supreme Court justices and the governor to members of the
Legislature and the people who run the state government departments, to
lobbyists and public-interest organizations. Then they also talk with “real
people” — the individual citizens and businesses in communities to get their reactions
to what’s happening in Lansing.
Experts creating drones that could repair buildings in the future
by Robie de Guzman | Posted on Monday, April 29th, 2019
Courtesy
: Reuters
Experts in Britain and
Switzerland are building drones which they say will one day autonomously fly
around buildings, assessing them and even conducting repairs free of human
interference.
Researchers in Britain and
Switzerland say future soft, flexible drones will be able to reach areas
dangerous for humans such as tunnels, mines or pipelines.
The drones will be able to ‘see’
using computer vision technology, building 3D maps of their surroundings.
Once they spot where a repair is
required, they could even summon other drones to fix it.
The project is part of a
partnership between Imperial College London and Swiss Federal Laboratories for
materials science and technology, EMPA.
EMPA’s next evolution in
sustainable building technologies aerial robotics hub and imperial’s aerial
robotics lab are being used as hubs for the drones’ development.
Director of the aerial robotics
lab and head of EMPA’s materials and technology center of robotics, Dr. Mirko
Kovac, said he envisages the drones would be like a building’s immune system,
monitoring and repairing it.
But he also looks to nature,
saying creepy crawly insects can provide good examples to follow.
“So, we don’t have to build a
robot that looks like a spider. We can really just take inspiration of the way
how spiders approach manufacturing tasks and this is really what we translated
here today,” Kovac said.
A demonstration at the aerial
robotics lab in London showed one of the development drones using a magnet to
latch onto a metal walkway before descending to hang from a wire.
By moving up and down the wire, the hope is the drone can assess
a wall while saving energy. (REUTERS)
PhilRice
promotes agricultural drones to farmers
by UNTV News | Posted on Monday, February 25th, 2019
A
drone operator demonstrates the uses of drone in the rice field
NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines — The
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), together with Davao-based drone
firm New Hope Corp, conducted a drone seminar for 60 seed growers from various
regions in the country as part of its promotion to use multi-purpose drone
spreaders to expedite work in the rice field.
The said seminar took place at
the Philrice compound in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija last Thursday.
Farmers were introduced to the
benefits of drone usage in agriculture which include the quick and efficient spreading
of seeds and fertilizers; easy application of chemicals on rice fields and
automation of feeding tasks in fishponds.
“It can take snap shots at the
farm and then i-analyze natin yan to gauge the plant health through full band
five camera. Marami tayong bands na hindi nakikita with our own eyes,” New Hope
Corp chief executive officer, Anthony Tan said.
A multi-purpose drone spreader takes off
The multi-purpose drone is
capable of spraying seeds onto 30 hectares of farmland in just a day. In
turn, farmers are spared from getting sick due to chemical exposure.
The seed growers who attended the
PhilRice seminar are convinced by the convenience that drone technology offers.
They are particularly drawn to the guarantee of fast production which they find
imperative amid looming stiff competition with the entry of imported rice and
other agricultural products.
The cost of the device itself is
quite hefty at P850,000. But this can be rented from a service provider at P850
per hectare of farmland.
At present, New Hope Corp is considering other measures to
further improve their product for the benefit of farmers. — Freema
Salonga with reports from Danny Munar
File
Angat Dam dips below critical
level
86SHARES32
Louise Maureen
Simeon (The Philippine Star) - April 29, 2019 - 12:00am
The National Water Resources Board
(NWRB) said it is expecting the water level to go down to 178 meters in the
next two days.
MANILA,
Philippines — The water level in Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s water source, has
dipped to critical as El Niño continues to persist in the country.
The
latest update from state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) showed Angat Dam elevation at
179.97 meters, which is below the 180-meter minimum operating water level.
The
National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said it is expecting the water level to
go down to 178 meters in the next two days.
The
lowest water elevation this year is expected at 173.13 meters by the end of
May, but it will gradually return to normal in June at the onset of the rainy
season.
Metro
Manila residents are advised to conserve water to reduce the demand from Angat,
prevent the rapid decline of the water level and contribute to its recovery.
The
NWRB has decided to reduce the allocation for irrigation to ensure that the 48
cubic meters per second (CMS) or 1,450 million liters per day needed by Metro
Manila will be provided.
Last
month, allocation for the National Irrigation Administration was at 40 CMS.
This was reduced to 35 CMS for April. Starting this May, The research,
led by Molly Goodier from Northern Arizona University, was recently
published in the Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment journal.
The
study investigated the functional roles of frogs in the rice ecosystem by
looking into the diet of the two most abundant species of frogs in the rice
fields of IRRI.
The
field surveys were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2015 and 2017.
The
surveys found that despite smaller body sizes, the Luzon wart frog consumed
the same total mass of prey as the cane toad and that pests made up the largest
proportion of its total diet.
Pests
that Luzon wart frogs eat include leafhoppers, black bugs, rice
leaf-folders, grasshoppers, golden apple snails and brown plant-hoppers.
In
contrast, the majority of the cane toad’s diet consisted of beneficial
arthropods, such as fire ants that consume brown plant hopper nymphs and the
eggs of golden apple snails.
“Although
cane toads also consumed some herbivore species that are known rice pests, our
data suggest that cane toads could significantly reduce the abundance of
natural predators in rice fields,” read the paper.
“Our
results suggest that (wart frog adults in Luzon) are more effective consumers
of pests than cane toads and may provide an important ecosystem service in
lowland rice agro-ecosystems. Furthermore, the diet of the cane toad suggests
that they could be indirect pests to rice production due to their
disproportionate consumption of beneficial predators,” it added.
The
researchers suggested that rice agro-ecosystems in the Philippines should be
managed to promote native species such as the Luzon wart frog and to reduce
populations of the cane toad in order to safeguard native biodiversity, while
simultaneously improving yields and reducing insecticide input.
According
to IRRI, the cane toad is a non-native species that was introduced in the
Philippines in the 1930s to control pests in sugarcane. It is not for human
consumption as it is toxic and can cause nausea and paralysis.
Meanwhile,
aside from its positive impact on rice fields, the Luzon wart frog is also
harvested for human consumption and provides income to farmers.
The
new study was co-authored by Mildred Diaz and Catherine Propper of the
Northern Arizona University; Maria Liberty Almazan and Buyung Hadi of IRRI; and
Grant Singleton of IRRI and the University of Greenwich in the UK.
The
study was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through
the Closing the Rice Gaps in Asia project.
Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/04/29/1913472/angat-dam-dips-below-critical-level#ai2HYKECvqRtuxFp.99
‘Imams can play role in disseminating agricultural innovations’
·
Published at 09:14 pm April 27th, 2019
An imam participates at a daylong capacity
building workshop on socially mobilizing sustainable food security in
Bangladesh, at Dhaka on Wednesday Courtesy
The program aimed to strengthen capacity of
religious leaders for information sharing on agriculture, food and nutrition
through the applications of modern agricultural technology
“Imams can play
significant role in disseminating agricultural innovations. They should be
inspired to learn about modern technology of agriculture so that they can
educate and engage the community to avail the benefits of agricultural
innovations for sustainable food security”, said Kazi Nurul Islam, secretary
and director general (additional charge) of Islamic Foundation, at a workshop
on Wednesday.
He said this at
a capacity building workshop held at the Imam Training Academy (ITA) Auditorium
in Dhaka. Framing Future Bangladesh (FFB) with technical assistant of Islamic
Foundation, organized the day long Training of Trainers (ToT) session, titled
“Agricultural Innovation and Applications of Agri-biotechnology for Sustainable
Food Security in Bangladesh” for Imams and Imam trainers and officials of Imam
Training Academy.
The program
aimed to strengthen capacity of religious leaders for information sharing on
agriculture, food and nutrition through the applications of modern agricultural
technology in particular applications of agri-biotechnology for sustainable
food security in Bangladesh.
A total of 80
participants including Imams, ITA Trainers, Scientists, officials of Bangladesh
Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute
(BARI), Cornell Alliance for Science and Farming Future Bangladesh attended the
program.
Participants
learned the status and prospect of agricultural innovations, effectiveness and
access to innovation to address the challenges and how effectively they can
disseminate evidence based information for social awareness on the acceptance
of safer and nutritious food.
The program
also focused on religious views specially aligned with the Islamic references.
In addition,
they learned skills and best practices for science communication and community
engagement for ensuring sustainable food security in Bangladesh.
Kazi Nurul
Islam addressed the training as a great opportunity for Imams to enhance their
knowledge and perception on modern science and innovations regarding food,
agriculture and nutrition.
Muhammad Jalal
Ahmed, Director, ITA, said that religious leaders are the most powerful and
reliable influencers for social mobilization.
FFB is a
comprehensive communications initiative to help improve awareness on modern
agricultural innovations including crop biotechnology in Bangladesh.
Based in Dhaka,
it operates under the auspices of Cornell Alliance for Science of the Cornell
University with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
LEAVE A COMMENT
CSR support for farmers’ cooperatives
Published April 27, 2019, 10:00 PM
Dr. Emil Q. Javier
This is the third of the series
how to remake our agriculture to make it more productive, more competitive, and
most importantly, more profitable to small farmers. Undoubtedly we need more
farm-to-market roads, more irrigation systems, more post-harvest facilities,
more processing and value-adding, better extension and stronger research
support. But ultimately we need to organize our small farms into effective
business units, which they are not due to their smallness and fragmentation.
Hence the proffered solutions of
1) broader adoption of contract growing as a business model, and 2)
strengthening farmers cooperatives through corporate social responsibility
(CSR) support.
Last week’s column elaborated on
the pros and cons of contract growing. With contract growing, the farmers are
assured of credit, inputs, improved technology and markets which are provided
by the corporate integrators. The integrators for their part are assured of
dependable supply of quality raw materials, are spared of labor and land tenure
social problems and with less capital expenditures to boot. The downsides to
the business model were described and how they have been dealt with elsewhere.
Philosophically contract growing
should be the preferred route since this is business-driven and not dependent
on charity, and should be more sustainable in the long run.
However, many of our larger
corporations are not engaged in agri-business and therefore cannot incorporate
contract farming in their business portfolios. Nevertheless, they can still
significantly help address the national challenge of eliminating poverty by
devoting a great part of their corporate giving to agriculture and rural
development.
Much have been written on the
advantages of organizing farmers into cooperatives which are in essence larger
more efficient production and marketing units. In fact, in Europe and Northeast
Asia some of them have been so successful they now own their own banks.
We too have tried the cooperative
approach but with largely indifferent results. Most of our rural cooperatives
have failed although a number of outstanding ones continue to flourish. But
among the greater number which have failed, the recurring problems had been
poor business management and loose financial controls.
This is where the intervention by
the private sector could be strategically inserted to complement what had been
historically, albeit ineffectively, government-led initiative. What the rural
cooperatives need is not more regulation but better business development and
management.
Priority for existing
rural cooperatives
rural cooperatives
Cooperatives development is
necessarily a long-term social education and mobilization process. But we need
not start from scratch all over again.
True that most rural cooperatives
have completely folded up. But many numbering in the thousands continue to
survive and struggle. Evidently they still enjoy the basic goodwill, patronage
and support of their members. Turning them around should therefore be less
problematic. And tactically should be the immediate target for corporate CSR
support.
A good example are the irrigators
associations whose members are linked by their common need for working water
systems. They continue to receive agronomic support from the National
Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management
(BSWM-DA). The water beneficiaries will be much better off if they can
diversify into higher value crops. What they lack are new business plans and
assured markets.
Immediate opportunities for
cooperatives business development
cooperatives business development
Following are three concrete
examples of immediate opportunities for CSR support to cooperatives. Sizeable
public funds are now being allocated for agriculture and rural development.
Better organization and supervision of the recipient cooperatives will
guarantee/facilitate the productive uses of these funds.
1. Organizing farm service providers
The recent Rice Tariffication Act
provided P5 billion each year for the procurement and free distribution of farm
machines and equipment to registered cooperatives and irrigators associations.
If the previous mechanization programs of government were to be indicators,
simply giving away these equipment to the cooperatives without any business
plan and proper supervision will likely end up in disaster. In order to assure
full and sustained utilization of the machines, the cooperatives need to
organize business units with trained operators and mechanics who will provide
farm operations/services to their members for a fee (to make the services
self-sustaining).
The task was entrusted to
Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), a
research unit under the Department of Agriculture (DA). PhilMech has never
handled this amount of funding, is short of experienced managers and is not
organized for business. Thus, the agency will most likely be overwhelmed. The
challenge of organizing the service provider business units could be assumed by
the corporate foundations.
2. Organizing rice seed companies
The Rice Tariffication Act
likewise provided P3 billion each year to provide seeds of high-yielding inbred
varieties to rice farmers. Unlike with the farm machines, it was not stipulated
whether the seeds will be given away free to farmers. What was clear through is
for Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the research institute
dedicated for rice improvement, to provide research support and the initial
BREEDER and FOUNDATION seed stocks to the selected farmers who are supposed to
produce the seeds in commercial quantities.
Thus in addition to its regular
scientific and technology support role, PhilRice is obliged to train the
selected rice farmers to become into seed growers and eventually pool their
efforts into seed companies. PhilRice is staffed with well-trained plant,
soils, water and biotechnology scientists. But it has no business managers who
will help organize the rice growers into seed companies which will process,
distribute and market seeds in competition with other private seed producers.
The corporate foundations especially with many of their retired operations, finance and personnel managers, are in a much better position than PhilRice to help guide in the establishment of seed companies not only for rice, but also for other commodities.
The corporate foundations especially with many of their retired operations, finance and personnel managers, are in a much better position than PhilRice to help guide in the establishment of seed companies not only for rice, but also for other commodities.
3. Organizing village-level coconut processing enterprises
Coconut farmers are among the
poorest of the poor. They are impoverished by their traditional exclusive
reliance on dried copra. The solution is to switch to wet processing in order to fully utilize both
the water and meat parts of the nut. The coconut water instead of being thrown away will be
processed into healthy, fruit drinks which have huge export potential. The meat
can be processed into virgin coconut oil, coconut milk drinks and smoothies,
desiccated coconut and/or high protein coconut flour.
The husks will be converted into
various native handicrafts, fiber boards, geotextiles or rooting materials for
plant propagation (substitute for peat moss). The coconut shells can be
processed into activated carbon which have many food, environment and
industrial uses.
However, the processing
facilities should be organized at the community level to reduce transport costs
but more importantly to create more employment and value-added in the
countryside.
Funds for these purposes will be
available soon from the Coconut Levy Funds (CLF) as soon as Congress drafts a
new coco levy fund bill to replace the previous one vetoed by the President.
When finally approved the coconut levy funds are easily good for P5 billion
each year for the next 25 years. For sure a good part of the CLF will have to
go into the organization of small-to-medium scale enterprises at the village
level, owned and operated by the coconut farmers themselves and their
cooperatives.
The mandate of organizing the
coconut village-level processing enterprises will reside in the Philippine
Coconut Authority which like NIA, BSWM and PhilRice will not have the business
expertise to manage these enterprises. This is another great opportunity for
corporate foundations to help government attain our national social development
and food security needs.
There are many other
opportunities like commodity cooperatives for growing coffee, cacao, rubber,
oil palm and mango and raising poultry, swine and dairy. Fish cooperatives in
joint ventures with successful fishpond operators to manage/operate 50-hectare
fishponds in Laguna de Bay is another.
*****
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
For any feedback, email
eqjavier@yahoo.com
Related Posts
N Chandrababu Naidu keen to hold
reviews, says Kakani Govardhan Reddy
DECCAN CHRONICLE.
PublishedApr 28, 2019, 4:01 am IST
UpdatedApr 28, 2019, 4:01 am IST
He said he would subscribe for development theory if
Chandramohan Reddy wins the seat.
CM N Chandrababu Naidu
Nellore: Sarvepalli legislator and YSRC district unit convener
Kakani Govardhan Reddy has alleged that AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu
is keen on holding official reviews on projects, despite EC restrictions, in a
bid to release the pending bills with an eye on the commission from the
contractors.
Speaking to mediapersons, he took
a dig on Mr Naidu for attacking the EC over official reviews, while advising
him to remember that he is only a caretaker CM.
Pointing to Mr Naidu’s outburst
against the EC for not questioning about official reviews of KCR, Kakani
defended the TRS chief by stating that he is an elected Chief Minister.
He said that there is nothing
wrong in KCR conducting review on utility of funds allotted to various
departments before the election code came in to force. Kakani observed that Mr
Naidu is losing his balance due to frustration over impending defeat.
He also found fault with AP
agriculture minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy for his decision to conduct
reviews on the issue of difficulties in supplying harvested paddy to the rice
millers.
Kakani advised Somireddy to
discuss with the officials on the supply of gunny bags to the farmers through
Paddy Purchase Centres, before holding any reviews.
Complaining about large-scale
corruption in Sarvepalli constituency and Chandramohan Reddy’s claims about
development in the segment, he dared the Agriculture Minister to admit the
election results as a referendum for large-scale corruption if he is defeated.
He said he would subscribe for
development theory if Chandramohan Reddy wins the seat.
Akun Sabarwal directs
officials to provide remunerative price for paddy ryots
The Civil
Supplies Commissioner directed the officials concerned to use proper
measurements while purchasing paddy and told them to immediately shift paddy
from the procurement centres to the rice mills
By Author | Published: 27th Apr 2019 8:48 pm
Civil Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabharwal inspects paddy at
procurement centre in Kamareddy
Nizamabad: Civil Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabarwal directed the
officials to purchase paddy from farmers and credit the amount within 48 hours
into their accounts. He inspected paddy procurement and purchase centres at
Nizamabad market yard, civil supplies and FCI godowns in Nizamabad and
Kamareddy district and distributed Iris scanners to FP shop dealers on Saturday.
The Civil Supplies Commissioner
directed the officials concerned to use proper measurements while purchasing
paddy and told them to immediately shift paddy from the procurement centres to
the rice mills. Nizamabad Joint Collector Venkateswarlu said that they are
expecting three lakhs tonnes of paddy in this Yasangi season. DCSO Krishna
Prasad, Civil Supplies Manager Harikrishna, District Co-operative Officer
Simhachalam, DRDO PD Ramesh Rathod, RTO D V Reddy, MEPMA PD Ramulu, Agriculture
AD Wajid Hussain, Marketing Officer Riyaz, District Rice Millers Association
Representatives and others were also present.
Meanwhile, Akun Sabarwal also
conducted a review meeting with Kamareddy District Collector Dr N Satyanarayana
at Kamareddy Collectorate. On the occasion, the commissioner asked the
Collector to take action to provide remunerative price to the paddy farmers and
asked them to consider the moisture percentage. Later, the Commissioner visited
the agriculture market committee godowns where paddy bags were stored and also
visited the paddy procurement centre at Gargula village and inspected the
moisture percentage in paddy procured from farmers.
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from Telangana Today on WhatsApp /Telegram everyday. Click this link to subscribe and save this number
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Nizamabad: Millers pulled
up for reporting underweight figures, delaying supplies to FCI
Rice millers association members said they would begin supply from
April 29
AddThis Sharing Buttons
| Published: 28th Apr 2019 12:55 am
Nizamabad: Civil
Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabharwal on Saturday warned rice mill owners and
weighbridge operators not to cheat farmers by resorting to reporting
underweight figures.
Speaking at a meeting with representatives of
the local Rice Millers Association, Sabharwal said a large number of complaints
were being received from farmers that millers and owners of weighbridges were
resorting to reducing the weight of paddy resulting in losses to farmers.
The government, he warned, will take action
against those resorting to such practices, he said.
He said Nizamabad rice millers will give
another 35,000 tonnes of rice to the Civil Supplies Corporation and formed a
three-member committee to oversee this process.
He said that in the 2018-19 kharif season, rice
millers received 2.48 lakh tonnes of paddy and in return, they should give 1.66
lakh tonnes of rice. But till now, they issued only 1,31,516 tonnes to the
Civil Supplies Corporation. Another 35,000 tonnes of rice should be given to
the FCI and rice millers should ensure that this is done immediately, he said.
Rice millers association members said they
would begin supply from April 29.
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Today on WhatsApp /Telegram everyday.
Click this link to subscribe and save this number 9182563636 on your contacts.
Chinese expert helps increase rice
production
Lahore - A
Chinese hybrid rice breeder namely Shande Liu has greatly helped the local
farmers increase the production of rice in Pakistan.
The famous hybrid rice breeder, who joined the
Seed Group in China’s Province Hubei in 1994, helped the farmers to increase
the rice production from 60 to 130 maund per acre. He started breeding
programme in Pakistan in 2004. After that, the hybrid rice varieties HR 40
(Purkhraj), HR14 and Y26 have been released in Pakistan. These varieties have
been getting more sales from 2007 to 2012. Annual Orientation of 2,500 metric
tons of seed is being sold by Auriga Seed Company. Those have got 40pc shares
of the market and increased farmers income hugely.
In 2012, he set up his own seed company Wuhan
Comega Seed Company Ltd, in collaboration with a Chinese seed company, which
holds a renowned position in hybrid rice breeding and seed production in China.
He continued the collaboration with Auriga Seed
Company in Pakistan. A new two-line rice hybrid CR58 was released by Pakistan
government. It is a super rice hybrid with high yield and good stress
tolerance. In an exclusive interview with The Nation at Nawa-i-Waqt Media Group
office in Lahore, he talked about the hybrid rice cultivation and seed
production in Pakistan. He said that the land and the farmers in Pakistan are
capable of boosting the agriculture sector.
Better
trading with Rice Tariffication Law
DAVAO.
Neda-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said the regulation of rice trading will
address the problems such as rice production shortages in the region. (File
Photo)
April 26, 2019
NATIONAL
Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Davao expects regularization of rice
trading, competitive rice production, and other developments of the sector in
the region with the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law.
Neda-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said in a news conference on Thursday, April 25, that the regulation will address the problems such as rice production shortage in the region.
Lim discussed their outlook in 2019 to surpass the 8.6 percent Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth in 2018, which includes improvement of rice productivity through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) of the rice tariffication law.
“In terms of RCEF appropriations to the region, we have to get our fair share in terms of this financial support to rice farmers and rice farmer associations and cooperatives,” Lim said.
“The modernization of this sub-sector shall be underway with the provision of farm machineries and tractors. Post and pre-harvest equipment for rice farming will also be provided. This will be spearheaded by Department of Agriculture 11,” she added.
Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law is “the policy of the State to ensure food security and to make the country’s agricultural sector viable, effective and globally competitive. The State adopts the use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products.”
A data presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority-Davao on Thursday, April 25, showed that the agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing sector contributed 0.3 percent in the region’s economic growth in 2018. Its sub-sectors, the agriculture and forestry, shared 3.5 percent.
Neda-Davao Director Maria Lourdes Lim said in a news conference on Thursday, April 25, that the regulation will address the problems such as rice production shortage in the region.
Lim discussed their outlook in 2019 to surpass the 8.6 percent Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth in 2018, which includes improvement of rice productivity through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) of the rice tariffication law.
“In terms of RCEF appropriations to the region, we have to get our fair share in terms of this financial support to rice farmers and rice farmer associations and cooperatives,” Lim said.
“The modernization of this sub-sector shall be underway with the provision of farm machineries and tractors. Post and pre-harvest equipment for rice farming will also be provided. This will be spearheaded by Department of Agriculture 11,” she added.
Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law is “the policy of the State to ensure food security and to make the country’s agricultural sector viable, effective and globally competitive. The State adopts the use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products.”
A data presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority-Davao on Thursday, April 25, showed that the agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing sector contributed 0.3 percent in the region’s economic growth in 2018. Its sub-sectors, the agriculture and forestry, shared 3.5 percent.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/463393-murad-orders-ban-on-rice-cultivation-in-command-areas-canals
Pakistan,
Malaysia agree to strengthen bilateral ties
BEIJING: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
met with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah on the sidelines of
Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday.
Matters of mutual interests, regional
situation, bilateral ties, trade, economy and other issues were came under
discussion, said the sources.
Both the leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral
ties between the two countries and decided to maintain close contact in all
areas including political, economic, cultural and people to people exchanges.
Both sides reaffirmed the commitment to
continue the momentum built by the leadership of the two countries, said the
sources.
Earlier, former finance minister Asad Umar, on
March 22, had said that Pakistan and Malaysia had signed five memorandums of
understanding in various sectors.
In his informal talk with the reporters in the
federal capital, the former minister had said Malaysia had expressed interest
in buying meat and rice from Pakistan.
The Malaysian delegation had also shown their
interest in buying Pakistani made JF-17 Thunder fighter jets. In this regard,
Umar had maintained that the Malaysian authorities had invited Pakistan to
attend defence exhibition, to display its JF-17 jets.
ICCI Concerned Over Upsurge In Food Prices Before Ramazan
Chamber of Commerce & Industry
has shown great concerns over the sharp upsurge in prices of daily food items
before the start of Ramazan and called upon the government to take urgent
remedial measures in order to save the common man from further troubles
Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan
Point News / Online - 27th April, 2019) Chamber of Commerce & Industry has
shown great concerns over the sharp upsurge in prices of
daily food items before
the start of Ramazan and called upon the government to
take urgent remedial measures in order to save the common man from further
troubles.Ahmed
Hassan Moughal, President, (Pakistan Point news / Online -
27th April, 2019) slamabad Chamber of Commerce &
(Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019) ndustry said
that government had
shown commitment to implement its writ for controlling prices, but the prices
of essential food items have increased significantly across the country, which
should be a cause of concern for the rulers.
He stressed that government should
take all required
measures to ensure sufficient supply of all food items
in the market in
order to curb pricehike.
(Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019) CC (Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019) President said
that as per survey of Sensitive Price (Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019) ndex (SP (Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019) ), prices of
20 food items have increased due to which people were facing great
difficulties.
He said prices of many food items including tomatoes, onion,
potatoes, eggs, bananas, pulses, mutton, beef, sugar, rice etc.
have witnessed significant increase
across the country due to which the common man was facing
extreme problems in meeting day to day needs of life.
He was afraid that if government did
not take urgent remedial measures, the prices of food items would further go up
in Ramazan bringing more miseries for people. He urged that government should
activate price committees
and special price magistrates
in markets to
keep the food prices under control and announce for people a special Ramazan
package in order to provide people some
relief.Ends/nlinePr/Nk----------------------------------Naval Chief
visits Chinese shipyards
in Shanghai (Pakistan Point
News / Online - 27th April, 2019)
SLAMABAD, April 27
(Online): Naval Chief Zafar Mahmood Abbasi visited Chinese shipyards
in Shanghai to
review the ships being built for Pakistan Navy.On
the occasion, the Naval Chief was given a detailed briefing on the ship
manufacturing facilities at the shipyards.Later, the Naval Chief also met with
the heads of different Chinese ship
making companies and discussed matters pertaining to mutual cooperation.Naval
chief visited ship yard and different parts of construction base and reviewed
the platform being built for Pakistan Navy
Protein obsession: Deficiency of
protein is rare
DECCAN CHRONICLE.
PublishedApr 28, 2019, 7:19 am IST
UpdatedApr 28, 2019, 7:19 am IST
Professor of nutrition explains the relevance of
protein and dispels notions about it in an email interview.
High intakes of protein from animal sources are linked to a
greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.
Dr Thomas Sanders, the Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at
King’s College, London explains the relevance of protein and dispels certain
notions about it in an email interview with DisCourse: 
Q: “Virtually no one in the UK
is eating too little protein. It might be the case for a bed-ridden older
person who is not eating enough… but in free-living individuals, protein
deficiency is almost unknown”. How does your comment in New Scientist apply to
the third world, where there is a sharp divide between the haves and have-nots?
A: Even in emerging economies
protein deficiency is rare. A lack of food and energy is the major problem in
some poorer areas, not protein deficiency. The only groups at risk are the
under-fives if they are fed to much starchy food.
Q: Would you advice
vegetarians/vegans to mix foods that might be limited in one essential amino acid
with foods that are limited in different ones? Isn’t it easier said than done?
What is a practical suggestion, especially as many people convert to vegans?
A: Vegans can easily meet their requirements for protein by
consuming a mixture of cereals (rice or wheat) with pulses as my own research
has demonstrated. Vegetarians who consume milk are also likely to meet protein
requirements and this is very helpful for people who are consuming a lot of
maize or jowar millet, which are low in tryptophan.
Q: There are indications that excess protein leads to elevated
levels of urea in the blood, impacting on renal function. Also revealed is an
increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Finnish researchers found that men
who reported high protein intake (an average of 109 gm per day) were 33 per
cent more likely to experience heart failure than those who consumed the least
(a daily average of 78 gm). Does this threaten to rise to epidemic proportions?
A: Very high intakes of protein cause also loss of calcium from bones
making bone fractures more likely in old age. High intakes of protein from
animal sources are linked to a greater risk of developing cardiovascular
disease and colorectal cancer. These are, however, only associations that may
not be causal. It is also potentially harmful for people with diabetes because
the elevated production of urea from protein breakdown puts an extra strain on
their kidneys.
Q: There is some evidence that consuming more protein can make
people feel fuller. A 2016 analysis of previous studies found that people
eating high-protein meals reported feeling fuller than those consuming
lower-protein meals. Is this possibly a discrete way to reduce weight and get
back to shape?
A: Any diet that reduces energy intake results in weight loss. Protein-rich
foods can be very satiating (eg fish, chicken breast) but some (cheese,
burgers, sausages and nuts) also be accompanied by a lot of fat which makes
them high in food energy. Most food energy comes from carbohydrate, so if
carbohydrate intake is reduced (eg. eating smaller portions of rice) the
proportion of energy from protein increases without increasing protein intakes.
Eating more protein rich foods does not necessarily promote weight loss.
Q: Nutritional scientist Marion Nestle at New York University
argues in her 2018 book, Unsavory Truth, that the food and drinks industry,
especially those selling protein-heavy products such as meat and dairy, has
distorted nutrition science by, for example, publishing only results that are
useful in marketing their products. Can’t companies that cheat consumers be
reined in by law? Or is it better left to awareness campaigns?
A: I can only comment on the
science. In my view, most of the claims for high protein diets remain
unsupported by good scientific evidence. Small amounts of animal protein food
can make a sparking contribution in improving the overall nutritional quality
of diet but that does not mean to say more is better. High protein diets are
neither balanced nor sustainable.
(Prof Sanders’ clinical academic group endeavours to foster
cross-disciplinary research. It has much experience in the design and execution
of controlled dietary intervention trials. He has a long-term interest in
assessing the risks/benefits associated with food and this is reflected in the
work he has done on British Nutrition Foundation Task Forces... that developed
the methodology for assessing risks and benefits of foods and as well as
participation in expert consultations with the United Nations WHO/FAO).
Delhi HC lifts Centre’s curbs on GI tag for basmati rice
The Delhi High Court has struck down the decision of the Central
government restricting the famously aromatic basmati rice production to only
seven States in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The High Court’s verdict came on the
Madhya Pradesh government's plea to include 13 districts in the State under the
Geographical Indications (GI) category for basmati rice.
Two memos
The Ministry of Agriculture had through two Office Memorandums
(OM) of May 2008 and February 2014 confined the GI certification for basmati to
rice grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
GI certification gives recognition and several protections to a basmati rice
producer and help in maintaining the specific qualities of the rice grown in
that particular region. The Madhya Pradesh government contended that the
two OMs were outside the scope of the Seeds Act, 1966. It additionally argued
that the OMs encroach upon its power to pass laws in relation to agriculture,
which is a State subject. The 2008 OM of the Ministry set forth the standards
of the ‘basmati’ variety of rice.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/delhi-hc-lifts-centres-curbs-on-gi-tag-for-basmati-rice/article26974290.ece
Author Name: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/delhi-hc-lifts-centres-curbs-on-gi-tag-for-basmati-rice/article26974290.ece
Laos to produce over 5 mln tons
of rice annually by 2025
VIENTIANE,
April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry plans to produce
at least five million tons of paddy rice every year, as the country's latest
five-year agricultural strategy by 2025 states. The report, a five-year
development plan until 2025, states that the Lao ministry's expectation is for
the Gross Domestic Product of the agriculture and forestry sector to grow at an
average rate of 3.4 percent. This would mean the sector would contribute 19
percent to the national economy, local daily Vientiane Times reported on
Monday. By 2025, using good agricultural planning and in cooperation with
industry partners, the Lao ministry says all Lao citizens will have a daily
minimum intake of 2,600 kilocalories. Each year, the Lao ministry plans for a
national yield of at least five million tons of paddy rice, of which 30 percent
is non-glutinous. Commercial production of paddy rice for both domestic
consumption and export should reach at least 1.5 million tons. Maize
production, for use in animal feed, will be more than 1.4 million tons while
coffee will reach 280,000 tons, sugarcane 2.4 million tons, cassava 1.6 million
tons and various beans 52,000 tons. Production of meat and eggs is to rise to
414,000 tons while fish and aquatic animal production will rise to 297,000 tons
a year. Export of meat products is expected to rise to 15,000 tons as
production and processing operations are modernized. Economists have urged the
government to implement policies that will assist the agriculture sector and
rice growers in particular. Productive agriculture is key to the eradication of
poverty and improved livelihoods, the daily report said.
Surplus rice seed available for
2019-20 sowing season
ISLAMABAD: For
the 2019-20 Kharif sowing season, the total amount of available paddy seed is
50,192 metric tons (mt), including 2,757 metric tons of imported seeds, which
is 121.28 per cent of the requirement of 41,385 metric tons. According to
official data, the total availability of paddy seed had been 74,485 metric
tons, 135 per cent of the total demand, for the 2018-19 sowing season. The data
also revealed that Punjab has 41,975 metric tons of paddy seed available which
is 174.83 per cent of its demand, Sindh has 5,290 metric tons, 39.74 per cent
of the provincial demand, while Balochistan has 170 metric tons of seed
available which is just 5.62 per cent of its demand.
For
the sowing of the maize crop in 2019-20, public and private sector seed
agencies procured about 32,599 metric tons of seed, including 7,799 metric tons
of imported seed, which is around 112.83 per cent of the total requirement of
28,892 metric tons. The maize seed availability during the year 2018-19 had
been 32,599 metric tons which was 98 perc ent of the total demand for that
year. The provincial breakdown for the availability of maize seed indicated
that it is 24,567 metric tons in Punjab, 144.77 per cent of its demand,
whereas, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it is 234 metric tons which is just 1.99 per
cent of its provincial demand. The data also tells us that, for the sowing of
the 2019-20 Kharif crop of the ‘mung’ bean, the total seed availability is
1,401 metric tons which is only 32 per cent of the total requirement. In
Punjab, public and private sector seed agencies have procured 1,261metric tons
of the seed, just 32.35 per cent of its requirement, while Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa has 140 metric tons which is 62.25 per cent of its required amount.
APP
Thai black
sticky rice looks highly dramatic but is loaded with nutrients
It follows that whole-grain rice is
more nutritious. It is also far more fl
avorful, with a depth that some
describe as “nutty.”Just as there are many types of white rice, there are many
types of whole-grain rice, in many colours, from golden amber to rusty red to
purplish black.
By New York Times |New York City |Published:
April 27, 2019 6:26:22 pm
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TOP NEWS
This vegetarian bowl, packed
with glutinous black rice, earthy mushrooms and wilted greens, is hearty enough
for a main. (Source: The New York Times)
People have been eating from bowls since the
dawn of civilization, long before “bowl food,” and there is no denying the
age-old pleasure of it. It is a comforting way to dine.
A bowl of rice with vegetables makes a
nutritious, delicious meal, especially if the rice is whole grain. Of course,
there’s nothing wrong with a bowl of white rice. There are dozens of
interesting, delicate varieties of rice that are milled, or polished, to make
them white; Carolina, basmati, jasmine, arborio and sushi rice are all
examples.
But in the milling process, the bran and
germ, which provide fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, are removed
from each rice kernel. It follows that whole-grain rice is more nutritious. It
is also far more flavorful, with a depth that some describe as “nutty.”Just as
there are many types of white rice, there are many types of whole-grain rice,
in many colours, from golden amber to rusty red to purplish black.
Preparing a black rice bowl with bok choy and mushrooms in
New York, April 2019. This vegetarian bowl, packed with glutinous black rice,
earthy mushrooms and wilted greens, is hearty enough for a main. Food styled by
Iah Pinkney. (Andrew Scrivani/The New York Times)
This recipe calls for Thai black sticky rice (also called
sweet or glutinous rice), which I happen to adore. In Thailand, black sticky
rice is most often used to make a sweet rice pudding with coconut milk, but I
find it tastes very good with savoury ingredients. I also love the dramatic
visual contrast of the deep dark-coloured rice and cooked vegetables,
particularly greens.
If sticky rice is not your thing, you could use Chinese
black “forbidden rice,” or any other whole-grain rice. Whole-grain rice can
easily be cooked on the stovetop by the absorption method or in a rice cooker,
and usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. Soaking the rice in cold water for an hour
(or several) speeds the process somewhat.
Though some say a cup of raw rice feeds four people, I never
think so. I always cook two cups to be sure and hope to have leftovers for
fried rice the next day. (I recently discovered that day-old sticky black rice,
pan-fried in a little oil until crispy, is unbelievably good.) Asian greens —
bok choy, gai lan, choy sum, flowering mustard, pea shoots and water spinach,
among many others — are mouthwatering, wonderful and easy to cook. I could eat
stir-fried greens every day and never tire of them.
Here, I paired the greens with shiitake mushrooms for a
vegetarian main course rice bowl that is full of goodness and long on flavor
kissed with ginger, garlic and sesame.
Black Rice Bowl With Bok Choy and Mushroom
Preparing a black rice bowl with bok choy and mushrooms in
New York, April 2019. This vegetarian bowl, packed with glutinous black rice,
earthy mushrooms and wilted greens, is hearty enough for a main. Food styled by
Iah Pinkney. (Andrew Scrivani/The New York Times)
2 cups – Black glutinous (sticky) rice, or other whole-grain
rice (soaked in cold water for 1 hour, if possible)
2 tbsp – Vegetable oil
4 ounces – Shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced (about 3 cups)
Salt to taste
3 – Dried red Chinese peppers or 3 dried chiles de árbol
2 tsp – Minced ginger
1 tsp – Minced garlic
1 tbsp – Soy sauce
Pinch of sugar (optional)
2 pounds – bok choy
1 tsp – Toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup – Thinly sliced scallions
Method
* Rinse rice well and drain. Put rice in a 2-quart saucepan
and cover with 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat
to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice sit,
covered, for 15 minutes, to continue steaming off heat.
* Put 1 tablespoon oil in a wide wok or heavy, deep-sided
skillet, and place over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add mushrooms,
sprinkle with a little salt and stir-fry for about 1 minute, letting mushrooms
brown a bit. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.
* Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. When oil is
hot, add peppers, ginger and garlic, and let them sizzle for 30 seconds or so,
without browning. Add soy sauce, sugar (if using) and 1/2 cup water and turn
heat to high. 
* Add greens and stir-fry, mixing well and allowing greens
to wilt. The greens should be done in about 2 minutes, but still firm and
bright. Add reserved mushrooms and toss to incorporate. Drizzle with sesame oil
and turn off the heat.
* Mound a cup of rice in each serving bowl. Surround rice with the
greens mixture and sprinkle with scallions.
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