120th RMA Convention Looks Forward
By Michael Klein
WAIMEA, HI -- The USA Rice Millers Association (RMA), one of
the oldest agri-business organizations in the U.S., held their 120th annual
convention here last week, and despite the long history of the group, the focus
was definitely the future. The
convention brings together millers, end users, and businesses aligned with rice
milling to discuss critical issues impacting the rice milling sector.
Ilan Weiss, principal of Kadima Food Labs, focused his remarks
on "the bright future for rice," citing many examples of how food
manufacturers are turning to rice to be able to stay on trend and connect with
consumers. From marketing and packaging
call outs for "plant-based," "gluten free," "GMO
free," and more, to nutritional data that positions rice positively
against competing ingredients, Weiss said it was a great time to be in rice.
Attendees then turned west to discuss China.
Lingtong Zhang, international trading director from Xiamen
Mingsui Group, a grain and oil specialty agency, provided analysis of the
massive Chinese rice market and explained what he thought were the United
States' quickest ways into the market - one of which was to start small.
"Two to five kilogram packages of high-end rice will
help the U.S. break into the high-end rice market in China and build the U.S.
brand over time," Zhang said.
Eric Chan, director and founder of Asian Rice House, a
marketing company, shared with attendees just how daunting it can be to connect
with more than one billion Chinese consumers.
"With dozens of dialects spoken in China it means even
we can't understand each other," he joked.
"One of the first challenges is in finding a Chinese name for your
product that means something and connects with consumers."
Chan also shared insights into the labyrinthine regulatory
framework that dictates importation procedures, including a recent
reorganization of government agencies overseeing the process.
Other speakers included the 82nd International Rice Festival
Queen Victoria Callahan who thanked attendees for providing a livelihood to so
many people in her home state of Louisiana and around the country; and
adventure photographer and journalist, Tom Clynes, who shared incredible
stories of ordinary people he has written about who make extraordinary
differences in the world, from researchers fighting ebola outbreaks to
naturalists working to preserve wild and untouched places.
Following a long-standing tradition of the RMA, the group
took a few moments out to honor members who passed away in the last year. The somber ceremony was led by Bobby Hanks,
CEO of Supreme Rice Mill, and John Creed, Jr.; Frank Godchaux III, Faburn
Murray, Craig Anthony Gladen, and Mark Wimpy were remembered.
For many years, the ceremony had been conducted by Carl
Brothers of Riceland Foods. Carl retired
last year, handing the duties off to Hanks.
Brothers was in the audience, however, to receive the RMA Distinguished
Service Award presented by Riceland CEO Danny Kennedy. The award is the organization's highest honor
and it is not presented every year.
"So many of the past recipients are people I worked
with closely over the years, it is really nice to join this club,"
Brothers said to a standing ovation.
As in years past, RMA business meetings preceded the
convention, with the organization's Board of Directors charting a path forward
on a variety of trade and domestic issues.
"The annual convention is one of the most important
parts of the year for us," said RMA Chairman Keith Gray. "We are able to come together as an
industry to learn, celebrate excellence, and identify the challenges and
opportunities that lay ahead. I want to
thank all the attendees and presenters, and the sponsors and exhibitors who
make the entire event possible."
Great programming keeps the crowd inside even in Hawaii
A
program for Filipino rice farmers, consumers
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Published June 20, 2019, 12:50 AM
Many
have long wondered why we cannot meet the rice needs of our
own people, why we have to import from Vietnam and Thailand hundreds of
thousands of metric tons a year.
The
answer is that it costs an average of P12 to produce a kilo of palay in
the Philippines; it only costs half that much, P6, in Vietnam. The big
difference is largely due to mechanization, which has drastically reduced
labor costs in Vietnam and Thailand.
Sen.
Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, told a forum of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry last Friday that another reason for low Philippine rice production
is the continuing reliance of Filipino farmers on low-yielding
traditional rice varieties.
Our
scientists in the Philippine Rice Research Institute have developed
new rice varieties that are resistant to diseases, to drought, and to
flooding, and produce greater harvests, but their findings have not
reached down to the level of most Filipino farmers.
Some
years ago, Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Pinol said his
department’s efforts to modernize Philippine agriculture were held back by
inadequate government funding.
Rice is
at the center of life among Filipinos. When prices started
shooting up last year, with inflation reaching 6.7 percent in September,
the government stopped the rise in market prices by ensuring
adequate supplies of rice at low prices through the Rice
Tariffication Law. Former import restrictions were abolished
and all importations, mostly from Vietnam and Thailand, were allowed as
long as they paid proper tariffs.
Unfortunately,
however, while that law ensured an adequate supply of
imported rice for consumers, it was at the expense of local farmers.
In
the remaining years of the Duterte administration, we urge that the
Philippine rice production be given the full support it needs
– widespread distribution of high-yielding rice varieties to
our farmers, increased mechanization to bring down labor costs, wider use
of irrigation to reduce dependence on rain water, and organizing
the farmers and giving them the needed financial support and
helping them in their marketing.
Senator
Villar can play a big role in this total effort by getting the
Senate to enact more laws to provide more funding for agriculture. The
administration itself should see that while “Build, Build, Build” will
push the overall national economic development program, a “Plant,
Plant, Plant” program focused on rice will benefit Filipino farmers and
the masses of rice-eating Filipinos.
Dr Oscar Ortiz, director International Potato Centre, Peru
Scientists to develop 'super spud'
in a bid to tackle malnutrition
In a bid to tackle malnutrition
in developing countries, scientists are creating a “super potato”, fortified
with iron and zinc. As millions of people around the world suffer micronutrient
deficiencies, a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, this leads to stunting
in children, who then go on to suffer cognitive delays, weakened immunity and
disease. Pregnant women who lack micronutrients are more likely to have babies
with defects or low birth weight.
Third most consumed food
in the world
Potato is a staple crop in many parts of the world and researchers at the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Peru believe that a biofortified variety could have an important role to play in improving diets. After rice and maize, the potato is the th
ird most consumed food in the
world, so increasing its micronutrient content would make a significant
difference to people’s health around the globe, said Dr Oscar Ortiz, director
of the CIP.
Potato is a staple crop in many parts of the world and researchers at the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Peru believe that a biofortified variety could have an important role to play in improving diets. After rice and maize, the potato is the th
ird most consumed food in the
world, so increasing its micronutrient content would make a significant
difference to people’s health around the globe, said Dr Oscar Ortiz, director
of the CIP.
“Potato already has proteins,
iron, zinc and vitamin C and it is also an extremely good source of fibre. It’s
a well-balanced food if consumed boiled or baked. But we can make it even
better,” he said.
Potatoes may have developed an
image problem in recent years with the move to “low carb” diets but Dr Ortiz
believes this is mainly because of the way they are consumed as chips or fries.
Work on biofortification of the
potato began in 2004 as researchers looked through a gene bank of around 200
varieties from countries around the Andes - where the potato originated.
Researchers identified 16 native
varieties with high levels of iron, zinc and vitamin C and then spent more than
a decade crossing these types with each other to produce varieties with even
higher levels of micronutrients. These were then crossed with other types of
potato with high yields and good resistance to disease such as blight. These
varieties have 40 to 80 per cent more iron than types currently grown in the
Andes.
Now these potatoes are being
tested to see if they grow in other parts of the world: clones are being grown
in Rwanda and Kenya and will soon be introduced to Bhutan, Bangladesh and
Nepal.
Bioavailability testing
Researchers are also conducting bioavailability testing to see whether the increased iron content of the potato is absorbed by the human body. Once this is confirmed Dr Ortiz believes that the new varieties will be available within the next two years.
Researchers are also conducting bioavailability testing to see whether the increased iron content of the potato is absorbed by the human body. Once this is confirmed Dr Ortiz believes that the new varieties will be available within the next two years.
“If we can confirm this, which is
a critical milestone, the potato will be available in 2021,” he said.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Nesting Shorebirds and Waterbirds
By Luke Matthews
When most people think about bird nests they think of trees;
however, it is important to remember that there are a large number of species
that nest on the ground or build mounds over water. In addition to waterfowl
American Avocets, American Bitterns, Black-necked Stilts, Black Terns, and
Killdeer are common ground nesting birds in the Sacramento Valley. While all of
these species nest on the ground they use different nesting methods to protect
and camouflage their nests.
American Bitterns and Black Terns build their nests in dense
vegetation usually over water or on ground but in close proximity to water.
Bittern nests are typically made from a pile of branches and vegetation while
Tern nests are typically built on floating mats of vegetation or mud mounds.
Both species rely heavily on camouflage from vegetation to protect and hide the
nests and chicks after hatching. Chicks develop rapidly but remain in the nest
or hidden in near-by vegetation and are fed by the parents until they are able
to fly or fend for themselves. This period typically lasts for about 4 weeks.
American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt build nests on bare
ground in close proximity to water, black-necked stilts will often build their
nests on mounds over water. Their nests are typically no more than an indent in
the mud and can be lined with pebbles or grass. Adults of both species distract
predators with elaborate displays and calling to draw any potential threats way
from the nest. Chick are fully precocial meaning they can leave the nest and
feed themselves shortly after hatching. Despite the fact that chicks are able
to feed themselves adults still tend to young until they are able to fly.
Killdeer build nests directly on the ground without any
vegetative cover. Nests are not always near water and are no more than a
shallow depression in the dirt but are often lined with pebbles. Killdeer use
similar displays to distract predators as Avocets and Stilts. Chicks are
similar to other precocial shorebirds leaving the nest and feed themselves
immediately after hatching.
Driving through rice county in the summer is something I look
forward to every year. As the rice begins to sprout through the water, you will
notice nesting shorebirds, waterbirds, and their young taking advantage of the
fresh emergent vegetation.
Luke Matthews is the
Wildlife Programs Manager for the California Rice Commission
SACRAMENTO, CA
(PH) 916.387.2264
(FAX) 916.387.2265
(PH) 916.387.2264
(FAX) 916.387.2265
CONTACT US
Mekong
Delta should shift towards adapting to climate change: PM
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 08:59
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a conference
reviewing two-year implementation of the Government’s Resolution 120/NQ-CP on
climate resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan
Phuc speaks at the conference (Photo: VNA)
Speaking at
the conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18, PM Phuc said a large number
of locals and businesses are not ready for natural disasters and climate change
despite increasing phenomena of climate change. As such, they have yet to take
specific actions for green agricultural and industrial development.
He noted climate change not only is a challenge to the growth of a nation but also contains opportunities for changing the direction of development.
The PM cited as an example the case of the Mekong Delta, where saltwater intrusion as a climate change impact poses challenges to rice cultivation in the delta but create favourable conditions to develop shrimp farming and processing, which brings much higher economic benefits and added value compared to rice production.
Therefore, the goal is not to fight against climate change but to conquer and adapt to it, turning challenges into opportunities for restructuring toward sustainable production, the government leader said.
Reviewing the implementation of Resolution 120 in the past two years, Phuc lauded proactive work by relevant ministries, sectors and localities that have resulted in initial positive outcomes.
He said there is a need for measures to improve public awareness on climate change and spread effective models that are run under the motto of ‘The Government advocates, businesses act, and people respond’.
Accordingly, the Government allocates resources, enterprises invest in specific projects to build valuable trademark, while the people respond by raising their awareness and joining production restructuring activities to adapt to climate change.
The PM requested that ministries and sectors work with Mekong Delta localities to study suitable planning for rice and fruit cultivation and aquatic farming areas that help build a production ecosystem and cut costs for businesses.
The lack of capital in the Mekong Delta is the “bottleneck” in the implementation of infrastructure building and climate change adaptation projects, according to the PM.
He ordered the State Bank to study a mechanism to mobilise capital from various sources and use it effectively for development, prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve business environment, reduce production costs, and facilitate goods circulation.
The PM urged localities in the region to boost cooperation to cope with climate change. Ho Chi Minh City should be the “conductor” in coordinating regional connectivity and pioneer in the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with collecting solutions and ideas of ministries, departments and experts, then submit them to him for the promulgation of a directive for the implementation of the resolution on climate resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.
The Mekong Delta makes up 19 percent of the country’s population and contributes up to 50 percent of the national rice output, 65 percent of aquaculture products, 70 percent of fruits, 95 percent of exported rice, and 60 percent of exported fish.
It has a favourable location in trade with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
However, the delta is facing a number of challenges posed by climate change, especially rising sea level.
High-speed economic development in localities has caused environmental pollution, ecological imbalance, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and coastal erosion.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said over the two years of implementing Resolution 120/NQ-CP issued by the Prime Minister in 2017, the delta recorded an impressive GDP growth rate of 7.8 percent in 2018, the highest level in the past four years and higher than the average level of the country (7.08 percent).
The export turnover of the whole region hit US$15.7 billion for the first time in 2018.
As of June 2019, the delta had 528 communes recognised as new rural areas, fulfilling 41.06 percent of the yearly target.
To push ahead with the implementation of the resolution, Ha stressed the urgent need to study suitable institutions for the Mekong Delta, which will have power to identify development priorities, propose specific mechanisms and policies and build investment projects that generate inter-regional benefits.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked the Government to instruct ministries, agencies and localities to focus on some key tasks like building and deploying major projects, and developing multi-purpose infrastructure.
It also suggested building a master plan on land, water resources and maritime space, which will serve as the foundation for ministries, agencies and localities to review and adjust socio-economic development plans and sectors’ development plans, while attracting investments and enhancing inter-regional connectivity.
Besides, the Mekong Delta region needs to step up economic restructuring, improve farm produce quality, devise mechanisms to lure investments in high technologies in aquaculture and agriculture and sea-based eco-tourism, and prevent landslides.
Other tasks include stepping up vocation training, developing high-quality human resources and raising public awareness of sustainable development and climate change adaptation.Speaking at the conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18, PM Phuc said a large number of locals and businesses are not ready for natural disasters and climate change despite increasing phenomena of climate change. As such, they have yet to take specific actions for green agricultural and industrial development.
He noted climate change not only is a challenge to the growth of a nation but also contains opportunities for changing the direction of development.
The PM cited as an example the case of the Mekong Delta, where saltwater intrusion as a climate change impact poses challenges to rice cultivation in the delta but create favourable conditions to develop shrimp farming and processing, which brings much higher economic benefits and added value compared to rice production.
Therefore, the goal is not to fight against climate change but to conquer and adapt to it, turning challenges into opportunities for restructuring toward sustainable production, the government leader said.
Reviewing the implementation of Resolution 120 in the past two years, Phuc lauded proactive work by relevant ministries, sectors and localities that have resulted in initial positive outcomes.
He said there is a need for measures to improve public awareness on climate change and spread effective models that are run under the motto of ‘The Government advocates, businesses act, and people respond’.
Accordingly, the Government allocates resources, enterprises invest in specific projects to build valuable trademark, while the people respond by raising their awareness and joining production restructuring activities to adapt to climate change.
The PM requested that ministries and sectors work with Mekong Delta localities to study suitable planning for rice and fruit cultivation and aquatic farming areas that help build a production ecosystem and cut costs for businesses.
The lack of capital in the Mekong Delta is the “bottleneck” in the implementation of infrastructure building and climate change adaptation projects, according to the PM.
He ordered the State Bank to study a mechanism to mobilise capital from various sources and use it effectively for development, prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve business environment, reduce production costs, and facilitate goods circulation.
The PM urged localities in the region to boost cooperation to cope with climate change. Ho Chi Minh City should be the “conductor” in coordinating regional connectivity and pioneer in the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with collecting solutions and ideas of ministries, departments and experts, then submit them to him for the promulgation of a directive for the implementation of the resolution on climate resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.
The Mekong Delta makes up 19 percent of the country’s population and contributes up to 50 percent of the national rice output, 65 percent of aquaculture products, 70 percent of fruits, 95 percent of exported rice, and 60 percent of exported fish.
It has a favourable location in trade with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
However, the delta is facing a number of challenges posed by climate change, especially rising sea level.
High-speed economic development in localities has caused environmental pollution, ecological imbalance, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and coastal erosion.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said over the two years of implementing Resolution 120/NQ-CP issued by the Prime Minister in 2017, the delta recorded an impressive GDP growth rate of 7.8 percent in 2018, the highest level in the past four years and higher than the average level of the country (7.08 percent).
The export turnover of the whole region hit $15.7 billion for the first time in 2018.
As of June 2019, the delta had 528 communes recognised as new rural areas, fulfilling 41.06 percent of the yearly target.
To push ahead with the implementation of the resolution, Ha stressed the urgent need to study suitable institutions for the Mekong Delta, which will have power to identify development priorities, propose specific mechanisms and policies and build investment projects that generate inter-regional benefits.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked the Government to instruct ministries, agencies and localities to focus on some key tasks like building and deploying major projects, and developing multi-purpose infrastructure.
It also suggested building a master plan on land, water resources and maritime space, which will serve as the foundation for ministries, agencies and localities to review and adjust socio-economic development plans and sectors’ development plans, while attracting investments and enhancing inter-regional connectivity.
Besides, the Mekong Delta region needs to step up economic restructuring, improve farm produce quality, devise mechanisms to lure investments in high technologies in aquaculture and agriculture and sea-based eco-tourism, and prevent landslides.
Other tasks include stepping up vocation training, developing high-quality human resources and raising public awareness of sustainable development and climate change adaptation.
He noted climate change not only is a challenge to the growth of a nation but also contains opportunities for changing the direction of development.
The PM cited as an example the case of the Mekong Delta, where saltwater intrusion as a climate change impact poses challenges to rice cultivation in the delta but create favourable conditions to develop shrimp farming and processing, which brings much higher economic benefits and added value compared to rice production.
Therefore, the goal is not to fight against climate change but to conquer and adapt to it, turning challenges into opportunities for restructuring toward sustainable production, the government leader said.
Reviewing the implementation of Resolution 120 in the past two years, Phuc lauded proactive work by relevant ministries, sectors and localities that have resulted in initial positive outcomes.
He said there is a need for measures to improve public awareness on climate change and spread effective models that are run under the motto of ‘The Government advocates, businesses act, and people respond’.
Accordingly, the Government allocates resources, enterprises invest in specific projects to build valuable trademark, while the people respond by raising their awareness and joining production restructuring activities to adapt to climate change.
The PM requested that ministries and sectors work with Mekong Delta localities to study suitable planning for rice and fruit cultivation and aquatic farming areas that help build a production ecosystem and cut costs for businesses.
The lack of capital in the Mekong Delta is the “bottleneck” in the implementation of infrastructure building and climate change adaptation projects, according to the PM.
He ordered the State Bank to study a mechanism to mobilise capital from various sources and use it effectively for development, prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve business environment, reduce production costs, and facilitate goods circulation.
The PM urged localities in the region to boost cooperation to cope with climate change. Ho Chi Minh City should be the “conductor” in coordinating regional connectivity and pioneer in the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with collecting solutions and ideas of ministries, departments and experts, then submit them to him for the promulgation of a directive for the implementation of the resolution on climate resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.
The Mekong Delta makes up 19 percent of the country’s population and contributes up to 50 percent of the national rice output, 65 percent of aquaculture products, 70 percent of fruits, 95 percent of exported rice, and 60 percent of exported fish.
It has a favourable location in trade with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
However, the delta is facing a number of challenges posed by climate change, especially rising sea level.
High-speed economic development in localities has caused environmental pollution, ecological imbalance, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and coastal erosion.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said over the two years of implementing Resolution 120/NQ-CP issued by the Prime Minister in 2017, the delta recorded an impressive GDP growth rate of 7.8 percent in 2018, the highest level in the past four years and higher than the average level of the country (7.08 percent).
The export turnover of the whole region hit US$15.7 billion for the first time in 2018.
As of June 2019, the delta had 528 communes recognised as new rural areas, fulfilling 41.06 percent of the yearly target.
To push ahead with the implementation of the resolution, Ha stressed the urgent need to study suitable institutions for the Mekong Delta, which will have power to identify development priorities, propose specific mechanisms and policies and build investment projects that generate inter-regional benefits.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked the Government to instruct ministries, agencies and localities to focus on some key tasks like building and deploying major projects, and developing multi-purpose infrastructure.
It also suggested building a master plan on land, water resources and maritime space, which will serve as the foundation for ministries, agencies and localities to review and adjust socio-economic development plans and sectors’ development plans, while attracting investments and enhancing inter-regional connectivity.
Besides, the Mekong Delta region needs to step up economic restructuring, improve farm produce quality, devise mechanisms to lure investments in high technologies in aquaculture and agriculture and sea-based eco-tourism, and prevent landslides.
Other tasks include stepping up vocation training, developing high-quality human resources and raising public awareness of sustainable development and climate change adaptation.Speaking at the conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18, PM Phuc said a large number of locals and businesses are not ready for natural disasters and climate change despite increasing phenomena of climate change. As such, they have yet to take specific actions for green agricultural and industrial development.
He noted climate change not only is a challenge to the growth of a nation but also contains opportunities for changing the direction of development.
The PM cited as an example the case of the Mekong Delta, where saltwater intrusion as a climate change impact poses challenges to rice cultivation in the delta but create favourable conditions to develop shrimp farming and processing, which brings much higher economic benefits and added value compared to rice production.
Therefore, the goal is not to fight against climate change but to conquer and adapt to it, turning challenges into opportunities for restructuring toward sustainable production, the government leader said.
Reviewing the implementation of Resolution 120 in the past two years, Phuc lauded proactive work by relevant ministries, sectors and localities that have resulted in initial positive outcomes.
He said there is a need for measures to improve public awareness on climate change and spread effective models that are run under the motto of ‘The Government advocates, businesses act, and people respond’.
Accordingly, the Government allocates resources, enterprises invest in specific projects to build valuable trademark, while the people respond by raising their awareness and joining production restructuring activities to adapt to climate change.
The PM requested that ministries and sectors work with Mekong Delta localities to study suitable planning for rice and fruit cultivation and aquatic farming areas that help build a production ecosystem and cut costs for businesses.
The lack of capital in the Mekong Delta is the “bottleneck” in the implementation of infrastructure building and climate change adaptation projects, according to the PM.
He ordered the State Bank to study a mechanism to mobilise capital from various sources and use it effectively for development, prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve business environment, reduce production costs, and facilitate goods circulation.
The PM urged localities in the region to boost cooperation to cope with climate change. Ho Chi Minh City should be the “conductor” in coordinating regional connectivity and pioneer in the implementation of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with collecting solutions and ideas of ministries, departments and experts, then submit them to him for the promulgation of a directive for the implementation of the resolution on climate resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region.
The Mekong Delta makes up 19 percent of the country’s population and contributes up to 50 percent of the national rice output, 65 percent of aquaculture products, 70 percent of fruits, 95 percent of exported rice, and 60 percent of exported fish.
It has a favourable location in trade with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
However, the delta is facing a number of challenges posed by climate change, especially rising sea level.
High-speed economic development in localities has caused environmental pollution, ecological imbalance, land subsidence, groundwater depletion, and coastal erosion.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said over the two years of implementing Resolution 120/NQ-CP issued by the Prime Minister in 2017, the delta recorded an impressive GDP growth rate of 7.8 percent in 2018, the highest level in the past four years and higher than the average level of the country (7.08 percent).
The export turnover of the whole region hit $15.7 billion for the first time in 2018.
As of June 2019, the delta had 528 communes recognised as new rural areas, fulfilling 41.06 percent of the yearly target.
To push ahead with the implementation of the resolution, Ha stressed the urgent need to study suitable institutions for the Mekong Delta, which will have power to identify development priorities, propose specific mechanisms and policies and build investment projects that generate inter-regional benefits.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked the Government to instruct ministries, agencies and localities to focus on some key tasks like building and deploying major projects, and developing multi-purpose infrastructure.
It also suggested building a master plan on land, water resources and maritime space, which will serve as the foundation for ministries, agencies and localities to review and adjust socio-economic development plans and sectors’ development plans, while attracting investments and enhancing inter-regional connectivity.
Besides, the Mekong Delta region needs to step up economic restructuring, improve farm produce quality, devise mechanisms to lure investments in high technologies in aquaculture and agriculture and sea-based eco-tourism, and prevent landslides.
Other tasks include stepping up vocation training, developing high-quality human resources and raising public awareness of sustainable development and climate change adaptation.
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Pakistan, Iran agree
to enhance trade ties, remove bottlenecks
By
-
June 18, 2019
550
🔊 Listen to Article
ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the
Iranian parliamentarians, led by Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group
Chairman Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, called on Adviser to Prime Minister on
Commerce Abdul Razzaq Dawood on Tuesday.
The adviser apprised the delegation of Pakistan’s intention to
increase bilateral trade and economic ties with Iran. He underlined important
trade-related issues that were discussed during the prime minister’s visit to
Iran and expected a positive response from the Iranian side.
These issues included operationalisation of Pak-Iran
Preferential Trade Agreement (signed in 2006) and working out a barter trade
mechanism in order to increase the bilateral trade volume between the two
countries.
Dawood emphasised upon the removal of all the Barriers to Trade
(TBTs) in order to materialise the trade potential of the two countries. “To
start the barter trade, in the first instance, both the countries should select
a few items having a competitive advantage,” he asserted.
In this regard, he said, Pakistan can enhance the export of
wheat, sugar, rice and fruit to Iran and the later can export products of its
interest to Pakistan.
The Iranian side acknowledged the fact that Pak-Iran trade
relations were not matching the real potential. They stressed upon the
requirement of constituting a committee for barter trade.
“Both countries have huge potential in the agriculture sector,
which is not yet exploited,” the Iranian parliamentarians highlighted, adding
that Iran showed interest in the import of animals but it was not possible
under the import policy in vogue.
The Iranian delegation also touched upon the Iran-Pakistan gas
pipeline issue and emphasised upon developing a mechanism to move forward on
the venture, as “the project was imperative to the economic security of both
Iran and Pakistan”.
The parliamentarians extended full support for the removal of
potential bottlenecks in the gas pipeline project and called for joint efforts
in this regard. They also requested the Pakistani government to open more
border points between Pakistan and Iran, mainly at Ramdan, Pishin and Korak, to
facilitate trade activities.
The adviser suggested removing various forms of taxation such as
road and load taxes on vehicles/trucks that cross the borders.
The Iranian commerce minister would visit Pakistan on July 4-5
for trade talks.
Pakistan intends to increase trade ties with
Iran: Dawood
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OUR
STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD
- Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood on
Tuesday said that Pakistan intends to increase the bilateral trade and economic
ties with Iran. He made these remarks in a meeting with delegation of the
Iranian parliamentarians. The delegation was led by Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani,
Chairman of Iran Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group and Member of the
Iranian Parliament.
The
adviser informed the delegation that Pakistan intends to increase the bilateral
trade and economic ties. He underlined the importance of issues, pertaining to
bilateral trade, which were discussed during Prime Minister’s last visit to
Iran and expected positive response from Iranian side. These issues include
operationalization of Pak-Iran PTA (signed in 2006) and working out barter
trade mechanism in order to increase bilateral trade for economic development
of both the countries. He also emphasised upon the removal of all the
Barriers to Trade (TBTs) which are hampering bilateral trade of both the
countries. To start the barter trade, at the first instance both the countries
should select few items having competitive advantage, he asserted. In this
regard, Pakistan can enhance export of wheat, sugar and rice and fruit to Iran
and the later can export products of its interest to Pakistan.
Iranian
side acknowledged the fact that Pak-Iran trade relations are not matching the
real potential. They emphasised the requirement of the constitution of a
committee for barter trade. Both the countries have huge potential in
agriculture which is not yet exploited, they highlighted. Iran showed interest
in import of live animal which is not possible under the import policy in vogue
and meat can be exported to Iran. The Iranian delegation, furthermore, touched
upon the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline issue and emphasized upon developing a
mechanism to move forward on that venture as it is imperative to the economic
security of both Iran and Pakistan. The Iranian parliament extended its full
support to work on removal of potential bottlenecks in this project and jointly
develop a way forward. Further, they also requested the Pakistani government to
open more border points between Pakistan and Iran mainly at Ramdan, Pishin and
Korak, which will enhance the bilateral trade.
PM aide for barter trade between
Pakistan, Iran
Published: June 19, 2019
Abdul Razak Dawood. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan intends to increase bilateral trade and economic ties with Iran,
said Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and
Investment Abdul Razak Dawood.
He was talking to an Iranian delegation, led by Iran-Pakistan
Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman and Iranian parliament member Ahmad
Amirabadi Farahani, which called on him on Tuesday.
The adviser underlined the importance of bilateral trade and related
issues, which were discussed during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s last visit to
Iran and expected positive response from the Iranian side. These issues
included implementation of the Pakistan-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement
(signed in 2006) and efforts to introduce a barter trade mechanism in order to
enhance bilateral trade for economic development of both countries.
He called for removing all barriers to trade, which hampered commerce
between the two countries.
“To begin barter trade, first both countries should select few items
having competitive advantage,” he suggested. “In this regard, Pakistan can
enhance export of wheat, sugar, rice and fruits to Iran and the latter can
export products of its own interest to Pakistan.”
The Iranian side acknowledged that trade
relations between the two neighbours did not match the actual potential and
requested for constituting a committee for barter trade.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th,
2019.
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on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in
the conversation.
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South Korea To Send 50,000 Tonnes Of Rice
To North
South Korea said Wednesday it will send
50,000 tonnes of rice to North Korea via the World Food Programme to help the
country cope with a severe food shortage
Seoul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 19th Jun, 2019 ) :South Korea said Wednesday it will send 50,000
tonnes of rice to North Korea via the World Food Programme to help the country cope with
a severe food shortage.
The isolated, impoverished North -- which is under several sets of
sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes -- has
long struggled to feed itself and suffers chronic food shortages.
"The government cannot ignore the plight among North
Korean people," said Seoul's unification ministry, which handles
inter-Korean relations.
It will be the first time the South has provided food aid to the
North since 2010, when it sent 5,000 tonnes of rice across the border.
It comes after a joint report last month by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and WFP that said about
10.1 million North Koreans -- 40 percent of the population --
were suffering from severe food shortages and that conditions
could be exacerbated in the absence of aid.
The North's state media also reported in May that the country was experiencing the
worst drought since 1917.
After "close consultation" with the WFP, Seoul decided to send domestic rice "without
delay," Seoul's unification ministry said.
"The time and scale for additional food aid to the North will
be decided at a later date, after reviewing the results of this round of support."The WFP and
the North will consult on the distribution of the aid, which will be monitored
by the UN agency, said unification minister Kim
Yeon-chul.
Pyongyang has been
frequently condemned by the international community for decades of prioritising
the military and its nuclear weapons programme over adequately
providing for its people -- an imbalance some critics say the UN's aid programme encourages
South Korea to send 50,000 tons
of rice to North Korea
· ByKIM TONG-HYUNG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
·
·
·
The Associated Press
WATCHReport
claims Kim Jong Un's brother was CIA source
South Korea said Wednesday it plans
to send 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea through the World Food Program, in its
second aid package announced in past weeks as it seeks to help with North Korean food shortages and improve bilateral
relations.
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South
Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, Seoul's point man for North Korea,
said his government will work with the U.N. agency to ensure that the food
reaches North Korean people without delay. South Korea last week sent $8
million to the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund for
programs providing medical and nutritional aid for North Korean children and
pregnant women.
U.N.
agencies last month said that about 10 million people were facing "severe
food shortages" after one of North Korea's worst harvests in a decade. Kim
said South Korea will decide whether to provide more food aid after reviewing
the outcome of the current assistance.
Kim
said South Korea and WFP are reviewing how to send the South Korean-produced
rice to North Korea, but that a delivery by sea would be more effective than
air transport.
"Considering
previous cases, it would take about two months to send 50,000 tons of rice (to
North Korea)," Kim said in a news conference. "The government will do
its best so that (the rice arrives in the North) possibly within September."
Seoul's
announcement came a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping was to travel to
Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a visit experts
say will likely be accompanied by Chinese assistance in food, fertilizer and
medicine.
North Korea has significantly reduced
its dialogue and engagement with South Korea since February, when a nuclear
summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump collapsed over disagreements on sanctions
relief and disarmament.
While
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed hope that South Korean aid
will help thaw bilateral relations, it remains to be seen whether Seoul's
packages would facilitate diplomacy when the North has been demanding much
bigger things from the South, such as the resumption of inter-Korean economic
projects held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North.
The $8
million sent to the WFP and UNICEF was the first time the South provided
humanitarian aid to the North through an international agency since 2015, when
it gave $800,000 to a U.N. Population Fund project to evaluate North Korean
public health conditions.
Moon's
government first proposed to provide the money in 2017, but the plans were
halted amid a series of North Korean weapons tests before Seoul reaffirmed its
commitment to the plans in May. An abrupt turn toward diplomacy in 2018 saw Kim
meet with Trump twice and three times with Moon.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-korea-send-50000-tons-rice-north-korea-63802841
Customs seize 13 vehicles, 8,304 bags of
rice, generate N2.6bn in 3 months
Tuesday, June 18, 2019 4:19 pm
Seizures
The Customs Service, Seme
Area Command, Lagos says it has seized 13 assorted vehicles, 8,304 bags of
foreign rice and generated N2.6 billion in three months.
The Customs Area Controller
(CAC) of the command, Comptroller Mohammed Garba, disclosed this at a press
briefing in Seme, Lagos, on Tuesday.
According to him, the 8,304
bags of foreign parboiled rice is equivalent to 14 trailer load with Duty Paid
Value (DPV) of N88.7 million.
“The 11 vehicles include
Toyota Highlander 2005 model, Range-Rover Toyota RAV4, Toyota Venxa and others.
“The combine DPV stand at
N48.1 million while other items seized including 336 cartons of alcoholic
drinks, 138 kegs of 25 liters of petrol, 28 cartons of medicament valued at
N1.1 million.
“A total of 1, 682 parcels of
cannabis valued over N30 million, 410 sacks of school bags and 2, 000 cartons
of expired biscuits valued at N7.7 million.
“A truck loaded with 493
packs of baby diaper valued at N4.1 million and 35 bags of sugar with DPV
N444,785.
“Among intercepted goods are
six yards of 175 textiles valued at N2.2 million and 15 sack of second hand
clothes valued at N677,486,” Garba said.
The comptroller said that six
suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure under view.
He reiterated the command’s
determination to detect, arrest and prosecute those who failed to comply with
the extant regulations.
Garba however, called on
patriotic citizens as well as the media to support the command by reporting any
illegal activities or any relevant information that would assist the command in
discharging its statutory obligations.
He added that the command
aimed at leveraging on modern communication tools to improve cross border
efficiency for the promotion of regional integration.
Garba commended the
Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali for his continuous
support and encouragement.
He attributed the
achievements recorded so far to the support of all sister security agencies
both local and international.
Share this:
From Awadhi Murgh Biryani to Mutton Yakhni Shorba: Delicious recipes
you can try today
Having a boring day? Try these recipes and add some flavours to it!
By Lifestyle Desk |New Delhi |
Published: June 19, 2019 1:00:32 pm
RELATED NEWS
From Fresh Garden Pizza to Mahi Achari Tikka: Which recipe would you
like to try this weekend?
Watermelon Gazpacho or Curried Chicken & Mango Salad: Which recipe
would you like to try this weekend?
Add some flavour to your day with these delicious dishes
easy to make recipes, delicious recipes, mutton recipe, biryani recipe,
indian express
Which recipe would you like to try today? (Designed by Rajan Sharma/The
Indian Express)
Good food is always welcome, especially if it is mid-week! So why not
make your day special by adding some delicious flavours to it and indulging in
dishes like ‘Murgh Kali Mirch Ka Tikka’, ‘Awadhi Murgh Biryani’, ‘Mutton Yakhni
Shorba’, and finish the meal with mouthwatering Gulab Jamuns?
Look no further as these recipes by Biryani Central are sure to make
your day! Go ahead and try them today; trust us, you will love them.
Mutton Yakhni Shorba
mutton recipe, delicious mutton recipe, easy to make recipe, indian
express recipe
You will love this lamb extract flavoured with coriander, cloves and
cardamom spiced with yellow chillies and laced with yogurt.
For the shorba:
5g – Bay leaf
5g – Peppercorns
5g – Cinnamon
5g – Green cardamom whole
5g – Cloves
40g – Desi ghee
25g – Ginger garlic paste
Salt (to taste)
10g – White pepper powder
125g – Almonds paste
75g – Yoghurt
1.2l – Mutton stock
For the kofta:
250g – Boneless mutton
10g – Green cardamom powder
25g – Chopped coriander
15g – Green chillies
Oil (for frying)
Method:
For shorba:
*Heat ghee in a wok and add whole spices into it. Once they crackle,
add ginger garlic paste to it and then mix beaten yogurt.
*Add almond paste into it and fry until the ghee separates.
*Add the mutton stock followed by salt (according to taste) and all the
powdered spices.
For the kofta:
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*Mince mutton and add ginger garlic paste, fresh coriander, green
chillies, salt, white pepper powder and green cardamom powder.
*Make small round balls and deep fry in oil. Keep aside.
*Strain the shorba through muslin cloth and add the meat balls.
*Serve hot.
Murgh Kali Mirch Ka Tikka
chicken tikka, chicken tikka recipe, delicious chicken tikka recipe,
indian express, indian express news
Would you like to try this chicken tikka dipped in aromatic black
peppercorn marinade, grilled in the tandoor before being finished on dum.
For marinade:
MORE EXPLAINED
How India & world are ageing
2kg – Chicken tikka
Salt (to taste)
150g – Hung curd
15g – Red chilli powder
15g – Black pepper whole.
150g – Processed cheese
25g – Green cardamom powder
50g – Corn flour
50g – Kebab masala
100ml – Cream
For sauce:
100ml – Cream
50g – Chopped coriander
25g – Chopped green chillies
Silver leaf (for garnish)
Method:
*Marinate the chicken with cheese, hung curd, salt, red chili powder,
half of the cream, corn flour and all powdered spices.
*Keep aside for an hour to let the chicken absorb the flavours of the
ingredients.
*Skewer the chicken tikka in 8 mm skewers and cook in tandoor.
*Dum cook the chicken in oven; sprinkle kebab masala and lemon juice.
*Serve garnished with freshly chopped coriander.
Awadhi Murgh Biryani
easy to make recipes, delicious recipes, mutton recipe, biryani recipe,
indian express
Impress your friends by preparing this delicious biryani.
Ingredients:
400g – Chicken leg boneless (50g)
250g – Basmati rice
25g – Brown onions
50g – Desi ghee
4 – Cloves
2 – Cinnamon sticks
1 – Bayleaf
4-6 – Green cardamom
25ml – Cream
75g – Beaten curd
Salt ( to taste)
10g – Yellow chilli powder
15g – Mace cardamom pwd.
25g – Ginger garlic paste
5ml – Rose water
5ml – Kevda water (screwpine)
1 drop – Sweet ittar
25g – Slit green chillies
25g – Mint leaves
10g – Ginger julienne
2g – Royal cumin seeds
20ml – Lemon juice
1/l – Water
100g – Whole wheat flour dough (for lining the lid)
Method:
To cook chicken:
*Marinate chicken with elaichi powder, hung curd, gulab jal, red chilly
powder and cook in tandoor. Also add yellow chilly powder, saffron, ittar,
kewra and gulab jal.
Prepare the rice:
*Wash, and the soak rice for 10 minutes.
*Boil water in a pan and add the whole spices, salt and lemon juice.
*Add the rice and cook till 2/3rd done.
Cooking on dum:
*Layer the chicken, and add a mixture of ghee and cream.
*Garnish with mint leaves, ginger julienne, brown onions and saffron
dissolved in water.
*Line the lid with dough and seal the vessel.
*Put the vessel on an iron griddle and cook for 15 minutes.
Gulab Jamun
easy to make recipes, delicious recipes, mutton recipe, biryani recipe,
indian express
This gulab jamun is filled with pistachios, almond and dipped in a
saffron honey syrup.
Ingredients:
700g – Khoya
70g – Chenna
95g – Maida
1/2tsp – Baking powder
1kg – Sugar
750ml – Water
For Stuffing:
30g – Badam
30g – Pista
30g – Kaju
1/3g – Saffron
1/2tsp – Green cardamom powder
For Garnish:
10 – Silver leaf
75 ml – Honey
25g – Chopped pistachio
1/3g – Saffron (dissolved in water)
Method:
*Mash the khoya and mix it with chenna, maida and baking powder.
*Make a tight dough of above mixture and make dumplings by adding the
stuffing prepared.
*Deep fry these dumplings.
*Heat some water and add sugar in it to make sugar syrup.
*Soak stuffed dumplings in the sugar syrup.
*Garnish with silver leaf, chopped pistachio, honey and drizzle with
saffron.
Exporters call for long-term rice vision
Action urged to help various
stakeholders
The new government is being urged
to set a clear direction on Thai rice development, covering not just the short
term but also the medium term and the long run to sustain the country's cash
crop. According to Charoen Laothamatas, the president of the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, the government should take into account the overall Thai
rice industry, not just the price of paddy. "The best solutions should
serve the overall industry," Mr Charoen said. "Rice prices are mainly
reliant on demand. Thailand should promote rice production that matches
consumer demand." He called on the government to be open to opinions from
all stakeholders, be they farmers, exporters, millers or rice packers. The
stakeholders will offer proposals for the country's rice development policies
to benefit both upstream and downstream players.
The new government is being urged
to set a clear direction on Thai rice development, covering not just the short
term but also the medium term and the long run to sustain the country's cash
crop. According to Charoen Laothamatas, the president of the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, the government should take into account the overall Thai
rice industry, not just the price of paddy. "The best solutions should
serve the overall industry," Mr Charoen said. "Rice prices are mainly
reliant on demand. Thailand should promote rice production that matches
consumer demand." He called on the government to be open to opinions from
all stakeholders, be they farmers, exporters, millers or rice packers. The
stakeholders will offer proposals for the country's rice development policies
to benefit both upstream and downstream players.
In the short term, exporters agree on
an income guarantee policy to help farmers because it's considered a good
method that uses less budget and causes minimal damage compared with the
ill-fated rice-pledging scheme of the Yingluck Shinawatra government. But the
income guarantee should be offered at the appropriate rate to prevent farmers
from making losses, Mr Charoen said, while the farmer registration process
should be stringent to avoid corruption. The guaranteed price should not be too
much higher than the market price, as such practices will motivate farmers to
step up rice planting and eventually lead to oversupply, he said. The
government should also help tackle existing management costs such as packaging,
handling and logistical expenses that exceed those of competitors. In the
medium term, rice policies should focus on rice seed development to reduce
production costs and serve market demand, Mr Charoen said. The government
should hold talks and team up with all stakeholders to develop rice varieties,
while megafarm projects should be continued but overseen by knowledgeable
people and rice experts, not by kamnans (subdistrict headmen) or village
headmen, he said. In the long run, the country should have a 20-year rice
development plan to set the broad direction for industry development. The
long-term plan should cover production, rice zoning, irrigation systems
development and rice seed development, Mr Charoen said. "A clear direction
is important for rice industry development," he said. "Currently, Thailand's
rice milling capacity is as high as 120 million tonnes a year, while rice paddy
output averages only 32 million tonnes. This is considered a waste of
resources." The rice exporters themselves now trade mainly with a
speculative approach, while the global rice trade is full of risk factors such
as foreign exchange fluctuations and fiercer competition. "We [all
parties] need to discuss the annual quantity of rice production and varieties
that the country should produce and export in the world market," Mr
Charoen said. "Once we find our rice production is more than demand, we
should decrease production and change to producing other crops."
Date: 20-Jun-2019
More farmers interested in rice farming
Nothing will stop Fiji Rice Limited
in investing in new mills if more farmers show interest in rice farming.
This was highlighted by the General
Manager for the Fiji Rice Limited Ashrit Pratap who has admitted many farmers
in Viti Levu would like to switch to rice farming. With farmers being paid the
world market price, Pratap believes this will entice more farmers to take up rice
farming and achieve the target of reducing the imports and be self-sufficient.“Our
price per ton of paddy is around 800 dollars and comparing with overseas the
one ton of paddy costs comes to around $500 so we are above the world market
price –and this is done through government subsidy and farmers are getting good
paid out of it and I believe there’s lots of potential in the rice industry.” Meanwhile
Fiji Rice Limited was allocated the sum of $800,000 for a paddy grant for
farmers plus their own initiative for a farming project together with the
Ministry of Agriculture.
Date: 20-Jun-2019
S.Korea buys 20,000 T of rice for July-Aug arrival
SEOUL, June 20 (Reuters)
- South Korea bought 20,000 tonnes
of non-glutinous brown
rice for arrival between July and August
via a tender that closed
on Monday, state-run Korea
Agro-Fisheries &
Food Trade Corp said on its website (www.at.or.kr).
Details of the purchase are as follows:
TONNES(M/T) SUPPLIER ORIGIN PRICE($/T)
20,000 Posco International China
$759.68
*Note: The rice produces will arrive at the
port of Gunsan.
(Reporting By Jane Chung; Editing by
Subhranshu Sahu)
Date: 20-Jun-2019
Scientists Issue Warning To Humanity: Climate Change
Depends On Microbes
By Roni Dengler | June 19, 2019 1:08 pm
The
real impact of climate change depends on tiny organisms we can’t even see,
argues an international panel of more than 30 microbiologists in a consensus
statement published Tuesday.
Microbes, or microorganisms, are any organism or virus invisible
to the naked eye. Numbering in the nonillions (in the U.S., that’s
10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or a 10 followed by 30 zeros), they
make up the “unseen majority” of life on Earth, according to the scientists.
Microbes not only contribute to how fast the climate changes, but to our
ability to mitigate and adapt to it.
“[Microbes] support the existence of all higher lifeforms and
are critically important in regulating climate change,” Ricardo Cavicchioli, a
University of New South Wales environmental microbiologist and co-author on the
paper, said in a press release. “However, they are rarely the focus of climate
change studies and not considered in policy development.”
Now, Cavicchioli and his co-authors hope that their statement,
published in the journal Nature
Reviews Microbiology, “puts humanity on notice,” they write in the
abstract.
Climate
Contributions
The world’s dirt holds on to some 2.2 trillion tons of carbon.
That’s more than the combined amount of carbon in the atmosphere and in
vegetation. And what controls how much carbon soil can hang on to and how much
it releases? Microbes. Their carbon gatekeeping is critical, because the
element is one of the key components of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which is currently at record
levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
Although plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere during
food-making photosynthesis, they also release the greenhouse gas back into the
atmosphere during respiration, i.e., when they break down that food. And
temperature changes influence how much carbon plants take up or let go of.
The same is true of soil microbes. “In terrestrial
environments, microbes release a range of important greenhouse gases to
the atmosphere (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide), and climate change
is causing these emissions to increase,” Cavicchioli said. That’s because,
as with plants, hotter temperatures cause soil microbes to release more carbon.
And since climate-change-induced warming is
only getting worse, scientists expect more carbon from vegetation
and soils will go into the atmosphere.
But there are microbes other than the ones in soil that impact
climate change. Cows, sheep, goats and other similar animals have microbes in
their guts that help the animals digest their food. However, as a by-product of
this digestion, these microbes produce methane — a potent greenhouse gas whose levels in the atmosphere
have ballooned in the last five years.
Rice fields, too, release methane into the atmosphere. To grow
the crop, farmers flood the fields, which are home to many microbes. These
microorganisms produce methane in anaerobic environments where little to no
oxygen is freely available. Since rice fields are flooded with water, where
oxygen is chemically bound to hydrogen and unusable to the microbes, the
conditions are ripe for the little organisms to pump out methane.
Rice is a major staple food for half the world’s population, so
these methane emissions add up: Rice fields currently contribute about 20
percent of agriculture’s emissions of the greenhouse gas. As the population
continues to grow, scientists anticipate those numbers will grow, too.
Mighty
Mitigators
While microorganisms contribute substantially to climate change,
the authors point out that these invisible creatures can also do the
opposite.
Agricultural fertilizers release nitrous oxide (N2O, more
commonly known as laughing gas), another powerful greenhouse gas. But some
bacteria that live in plant roots produce an enzyme that can convert N2O into
nitrogen, a non-greenhouse gas that makes up nearly 80 percent of the air we
breathe. Researchers say using bacteria that have higher levels of this enzyme
can lower N2O emissions.
The authors also note breeding programs for cows that change
their gut microbes to produce less methane could reduce emissions.
Understanding more about how microorganisms influence climate
change could have further impacts on mitigation strategies, the researchers
say.
“The statement emphasizes the need to investigate microbial
responses to climate change and to include microbe-based research during the
development of policy and management decisions,” Cavicchioli said.
A
program for Filipino rice farmers, consumers
EDITORIAL
0
SHARES
Many
have long wondered why we cannot meet the rice needs of our
own people, why we have to import from Vietnam and Thailand hundreds of
thousands of metric tons a year.
The
answer is that it costs an average of P12 to produce a kilo of palay in
the Philippines; it only costs half that much, P6, in Vietnam. The big
difference is largely due to mechanization, which has drastically reduced
labor costs in Vietnam and Thailand.
Sen.
Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, told a forum of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry last Friday that another reason for low Philippine rice production
is the continuing reliance of Filipino farmers on low-yielding
traditional rice varieties.
Our
scientists in the Philippine Rice Research Institute have developed
new rice varieties that are resistant to diseases, to drought, and to
flooding, and produce greater harvests, but their findings have not
reached down to the level of most Filipino farmers.
Some
years ago, Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Pinol said his
department’s efforts to modernize Philippine agriculture were held back by
inadequate government funding.
Rice
is at the center of life among Filipinos. When prices started
shooting up last year, with inflation reaching 6.7 percent in September,
the government stopped the rise in market prices by ensuring
adequate supplies of rice at low prices through the Rice
Tariffication Law. Former import restrictions were abolished
and all importations, mostly from Vietnam and Thailand, were allowed as
long as they paid proper tariffs.
Unfortunately,
however, while that law ensured an adequate supply of
imported rice for consumers, it was at the expense of local farmers.
In
the remaining years of the Duterte administration, we urge that the
Philippine rice production be given the full support it needs
– widespread distribution of high-yielding rice varieties to
our farmers, increased mechanization to bring down labor costs, wider use
of irrigation to reduce dependence on rain water, and organizing
the farmers and giving them the needed financial support and
helping them in their marketing.
Senator
Villar can play a big role in this total effort by getting the
Senate to enact more laws to provide more funding for agriculture. The
administration itself should see that while “Build, Build, Build” will
push the overall national economic development program, a “Plant,
Plant, Plant” program focused on rice will benefit Filipino farmers and
the masses of rice-eating Filipinos.
Shifting crop-burn timing reduces air pollution
Moves
in India to change farming practice are paying big dividends. Biplab Das
reports.
In India, crop residue burning significantly contributes to air
pollution.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Groundwater conservation policies designed
to delay planting and harvesting of rice may reduce air pollution caused by
crop residue burning in India, researchers have revealed.
In a paper published
in the journal Nature Sustainability,
scientists led by Andrew McDonald from Cornell University, US, show that
delayed planting and harvesting also shift residue burning from the last week
of October to the first fortnight of November, a period during which prevailing
winds are weaker and the dispersion of pollutants slows.
Agricultural burning is a
global problem that affects air quality and human health. Recent studies have
estimated that around 18 to 30% of crop residue is burned while the material is
still in fields. One study found
that in India more than 100 million tonnes of crop residue was put to flame.
The fine particles, with
diameters of 2.5 micrometres and smaller, then travel to neighbouring regions
such as New Delhi, contributing significantly to air pollution, and consequent
cases of respiratory diseases.
Against this bleak
backdrop, McDonald and colleagues demonstrated a solution. They showed that
groundwater conservation policies, including specific legislation, improved air
quality in northwest India through changing patterns of rice production and
agricultural burning.
Groundwater laws – in
particular the Punjab Preservation of
Subsoil Water Act and the Haryana
Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, both promulgated in March 2009 –
prohibit transplanting rice before 20 June in any year.
The influence of the acts
is clear, the researchers say, with less than 40% of the total rice area
planted on or before 28 June since 2009. Rice harvest has shifted accordingly.
Before 2009, approximately 40% of the rice crop in Punjab was harvested by 26 October.
Today it has declined to 14%.
Using time-series satellite
data, McDonald and colleagues showed that residue burning declined within the
last fortnight of October but significantly increased in the first three weeks
of November.
Since 2009, the period of
maximum burning has shifted to the first fortnight of November, when
temperatures in New Delhi are three degrees Celsius lower and winds are weaker.
These conditions favour atmospheric stability and discourage the dispersion of
pollutants.
The researchers say that
resorting to various agronomic technologies may also help further reduce crop
residue burning.
One such technology, they
note, is a seeder that permits crop planting into residues without prior
burning.
Scientists Develop Wheat Plants that Can Survive Drought
Conditions
Developing wheat that uses
water more efficiently will help feed growing population while using fewer
natural resources — making food systems more resilient in the face of climate
breakdown.
Updated:June 20, 2019, 11:28 AM IST
Representative
Image. (Image: Reuters)
Scientists
have engineered wheat plants that utilise water more efficiently, and may be
able to better survive drought conditions arising due to climate change.
Scientists
at the University of Sheffield in the UK found that engineering wheat to have
fewer stomata helps the crop to use water more efficiently, while maintaining
yields.
Agriculture
accounts for 80-90 per cent of freshwater use around the world, and on average
it takes more than 1,800 litres of water to produce a single kilogramme of
wheat.
Yet as
water supplies become scarce and more variable in the face of climate
breakdown, farmers will need to produce more food than ever to feed a growing
population.
Like most
plants, wheat uses stomata to regulate its intake of carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis, as well as the release of water vapour.
When water
is plentiful, stomatal opening helps plants to regulate temperature by
evaporative cooling — similar to sweating.
In drought
conditions, wheat plants normally close their stomata to slow down water loss —
but wheat with fewer stomata has been found to conserve water even better, and
can use that water to cool itself.
During the
study, published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, the scientists grew
wheat in conditions similar to those expected under climate breakdown — with
higher levels of carbon dioxide and less water.
Compared to
conventional wheat, the engineered plants used less water while maintaining
photosynthesis and yield.The research builds on the team's work to develop
climate-ready rice, which found that rice with fewer stomata used 40 per cent
less water than conventional breeds and was able to survive drought and
temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius.
"Wheat
is a staple food for millions of people around the world — but as extreme
droughts become more frequent, farmers face the prospect of dwindling
yields," Julie Gray, professor at the Institute for Sustainable Food.
"Developing
wheat that uses water more efficiently will help us to feed our growing
population while using fewer natural resources — making our food systems more
resilient in the face of climate breakdown," said Gray.
In a
separate study published in Plant, Cell and Environment, scientists at the
Institute also found that plants engineered to have fewer stomata are less
susceptible to diseases. They hope to be able to replicate these findings in
crops such as wheat and rice.
First Published: June 20, 2019, 11:28 AM
IST
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Scientists develop climate-ready wheat that can survive
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19-Jun-2019 9:20 AM EDT
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- Wheat plants
with fewer pores on their leaves make more efficient use of water
- Study grew crops
in climate breakdown conditions with more CO2 and less water
- Findings could
help farmers facing more frequent droughts and increased demand for staple
foods from a growing population
Wheat plants engineered to have fewer microscopic pores – called
stomata – on their leaves are better able to survive drought conditions
associated with climate breakdown, according to a new study.
Scientists
at the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable
Food found that engineering bread wheat to have fewer stomata
helps the crop to use water more efficiently, while maintaining yields.
Agriculture
accounts for 80-90 per cent of freshwater use around the world, and on average
it takes more than 1,800 litres of water to
produce a single kilogram of wheat. Yet as water supplies become scarce and
more variable in the face of climate breakdown, farmers will need to produce
more food than ever to feed a growing population.
Like
most plants, wheat uses stomata to regulate its intake of carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis, as well as the release of water vapour. When water is
plentiful, stomatal opening helps plants to regulate temperature by evaporative
cooling – similar to sweating.
In
drought conditions, wheat plants normally close their stomata to slow down
water loss – but wheat with fewer stomata has been found to conserve water even
better, and can use that water to cool itself.
During
the study, published in the Journal of Experimental
Botany, the scientists grew wheat in conditions similar to
those expected under climate breakdown – with higher levels of carbon dioxide
and less water. Compared to conventional wheat, the
engineered
plants used less water while maintaining photosynthesis and yield.
The
research builds on the Institute for Sustainable Food’s work to develop
climate-ready rice, which found that rice with fewer stomata used 40
per cent less water than conventional breeds and was able to survive drought
and temperatures of 40C.
Julie
Gray, Professor of Plant Molecular Biology at the Institute for Sustainable
Food, said: “Wheat is a staple food for millions of people around the world –
but as extreme droughts become more frequent, farmers face the prospect of
dwindling yields.
“Developing
wheat that uses water more efficiently will help us to feed our growing
population while using fewer natural resources – making our food systems more
resilient in the face of climate breakdown.”
In a
separate study published in Plant, Cell and Environment, scientists at
the Institute alsofound that plants engineered to have fewer stomata are less
susceptible to diseases. They hope to be able to replicate these findings in
crops such as wheat and rice.
The
Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield brings together
multidisciplinary expertise and world-class research facilities to help achieve
food security and protect the natural resources we all depend on.
Media contact:
For further information please contact: Sophie Armour, Media and
PR Assistant, University of Sheffield, 0114 222 3687,sophie.armour@sheffield.ac.uk
Full study available here: https://academic.oup.com
The University of Sheffield
With
almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning
alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the
University of Sheffield is one of the world’s leading universities.
A
member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions,
Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide
range of disciplines.
Unified
by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the
university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.
Sheffield
is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit
Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in
the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher
Education.
Sheffield
has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go
on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world,
making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
Global
research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever,
AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and
overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
New
two-step method improves bioethanol production efficiency
An
international group of researchers has developed a two-step method to more
efficiently break down carbohydrates into single sugar components, an essential
process in the production of green fuel.
Led by
scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) in Japan,
the researchers published their results in April in the American Chemical
Society Journey, Industrial
& Engineering Chemical Research.
The
process, known as saccharification, results in the production of single sugar
components – monosaccharides – which can then be fermented into bioethanol or
biobutanol.
"For
a long time, considerable attention has been focused on the utilisation of
homogenous acids and enzymes for saccharification," said Eika W. Qian,
paper author and professor in the Graduate School of Bio-Applications and
Systems Engineering at TUAT. "Enzymatic saccharification is seen to be a
reasonable prospect since it offers the potential for higher yields, lower
energy costs, and it's more environmentally friendly."
The use
of enzymes to break down carbohydrates, however, can be hindered – particularly
in biomass materials such as rice straw.
Rice
straw comprises three carbohydrates: starch, hemicellulose and cellulose; the
latter two carbohydrates cannot be broken down by enzymes due to their cell
wall structure and surface area, so must be pre-treated, which can be
expensive.
Another
option is to use solid acid catalysts, according to the researchers, which can
be recovered after saccharification and reused.
However,
as Qian explains, it’s not as simple as switching the enzymes for acids, as the
carbohydrates are not uniform.
Hemicellulose
and starch, for example, degrade at 180 degrees Celsius and below, whereas
cellulose only degrades at temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius and above.
Consequently,
to maximise the resulting yield of sugar from the rice straw, the researchers
have developed a two-step process: one for the hemicellulose and a second for
the cellulose.
The
first step requires a gentle solid acid at low temperatures (150 degrees
Celsius and below), while the second requires a stronger solid acid and higher
temperatures (210 degrees Celsius and above).
This
new process has proved effective in testing, producing approximately 30% more
sugars than traditional one-step processes.
"We
are now looking for a partner to evaluate the feasibility of our two-step
saccharification process in rice straw and other various materials such as
wheat straw and corn stoke etc. in a pilot unit," Qian said. "Our
ultimate goal is to commercialise our process to manufacture monosaccharides
from this type of material in the future."
Kerala
Scientists Use Mushrooms & Coconuts to Boost Incomes of 1600 Farmers!
Using their decades of
experience, 75-year-old Rohini and her 84-year-old husband have dedicated their
retired years to the welfare of Kollam’s farmers. The kind of heroes India
truly needs!
About a decade ago, RD and Rohini Iyer, both
agricultural scientists, retired from their respective jobs.
RD had built his career on botanical genetics, while Rohini, had
worked on the integrated control of fungicide on ginger and coconut.
While the couple might have left their jobs, their passion to
better the agricultural sector still burned bright.
After having worked in various parts of India, they decided to
make the Thazhava village in Kollam, Kerala, their home and work for the
welfare of farmers here.
Rohini had inherited a plot of land from her mother in this part
of Kerala, and the duo built a small home on it. Their three daughters had
already established their careers, and so, the couple could focus solely on
their ‘second-innings.’
They established an NGO and christened it the NavaSakti Trust,
to empower hundreds of farmers with innovative agricultural techniques and
value-added initiatives that could earn them big profits.
84-year-old
RD spoke to The Better India (TBI) about why their sole focus is on small
farmers who toil endlessly to earn a marginal profit at the end of the
agricultural cycle.
“The costs of cultivation have increased in the past few years,
and so, it is the small farmers, who rely on their family members for labour
and cannot afford to hire farm labourers, who suffer the most. We wanted to
help them secure higher profits in their fields, so their succeeding
generations keep up the legacy and continue farming, rather than moving
abroad,” he said.
Agriculture constitutes 13 per cent of
Kerala’s GDP, and rice plays a major part in this sector. Although the state
grows about 600 varieties of rice, it experiences steady growth in the price of
the staple.
This is not because its farmers are profiting from the hiked
prices but because about 91 per cent of
the rice in the state has to be imported from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana. And while the game of imports and exports within states and from
India to other countries keeps advancing, it is the ordinary farmer who suffers
through it all.
Investing the entirety of his field to the variety of crop that
gives him only a meagre profit, the farmer in Kerala gets more impoverished by
the year.
The couple’s efforts are directed to change this trend in
Thazhava whose population stands at a little over 23,000.
Rice was one among the several examples of crops that cannot
incur substantial profits. But what they observed was that one farmer would
focus all his efforts and resources on one crop itself. So, if the year was
good for the particular crop, it would yield a marvellous profit. But if the
markets were low, the farmer would suffer terrible losses.
One farm,
several crops
“Our ideas were tried and tested,” Rohini begins. “That’s why we
were confident in implementing them. One farm, however small, can be utilised
to grow multiple crops. This way, the family farm can earn a steady income
irrespective of the market values and clashes. Tapioca, coconuts, jackfruits
are very popular in this part of the country, and they will never go out of
demand. So, if a conventional farmer starts growing these trees in their farms,
they could soon incur substantial profits,” she adds.
Through NavaSakti, the couple reached out to local farmers and
began taking classes where they would explain the details of intercropping to
them so that they could reap benefits.
This move proved to be highly beneficial. In certain instances,
the income of some farmers grew by over 10 per cent.
Along with knowledge about intercropping, the Iyers also
advertised another crop, which needs minimal resources to grow and is hugely
beneficial.
In fact, this highly profitable fungus, the edible mushroom,
needs very few resources to grow and is highly beneficial to the farmers’
family as a nutrition supplement.
Boosting
the growth of mushrooms
Kerala cuisine features a lot of fish-based items. Blessed with
endless miles of coastline, fresh fish is enjoyed in Kerala in many forms and
flavours, and is a staple that accompanies every meal.
But, purchasing fish has become expensive. The rising prices are
not only taking away a staple food item, but also a popular source of protein
from a Malayali’s plate.
“Mushrooms can compensate in this regard,” says Rohini. “Oyster
and milky mushrooms are inexpensive to grow and are nutritious. We started classes
for mushroom cultivation on a national level. Those farmers who wish to scale
the production commercially are free to do so, but our main aim was to secure
the protein intake of the farming family.”
She adds that Kerala is blessed with very fertile soil, and the
farmers need to make the most of this resource. This has to be done in a way
that is beneficial not just in monetary terms but also on a personal level. Diet
is one aspect of this.
If the farmer is not well fed, is it fair that he is responsible
to feed the country?
Value-added
products from raw materials
Another gap in the market chewing away at the farmer’s potential
income is the fact that they sell raw material at low rates, but final products
are sold in the market at high prices.
Take the example of coconut. Once it is harvested, the farmer
sells it either in the market or to companies who make say, oil from it.
There’s a vast difference in the market price of the ready product and that of
the coconut.
While the farmers already make value-added products from raw
materials for their personal use—oil from coconut, for example—the Iyers,
through the NavaSakti Trust are trying to encourage farmers to increase the
production and sell the products in the market.
Over the past 12 years, since the organisation was founded, the
Iyers have led about 80 courses in agricultural development in Thazhava.
Mushroom cultivation, production of value-added products and methods of
intercropping are some examples of their courses.
Each course has about 20-25 “student” farmers from various parts
of Kollam. And although their team strength is just four—the couple and two
more women who are working with NavaSakti—they have managed to help about 1600
farmers optimise their produce and techniques.
“We need to show the younger generation that agriculture is
profitable. That is the only way of keeping them from going abroad for jobs.
Farming is a noble occupation, but it comes with a huge set of investments,
risks and unpredictability. We are just trying to show them that if innovative
techniques are used, farming can be as stable and profitable as any other
occupation,” says RD.
If you wish to reach out to the Iyers for further details, send
them an email on navasakti@gmail.com.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Darma
plans rice mill in Nigeria to ease imports
06.20.2019
By Susan Reidy
The mill will process
600,000 tonnes of rice per year and will be built in two phases. The first will
have a 300,000 tonne per year capacity with two 16-tph rice mill lines. It will
be ready to start operation in the second quarter of 2020, said Fahad Mangal,
executive director of the company.
Work will then immediately
begin on the second phase, which will include another 300,000 tonnes of annual
capacity.
Mangal said the region has
a large amount of agricultural land and farmers are already a part of their
growers’ scheme, receiving loans to produce paddy rice.
He said the Katsina plant
would support government in achieving self-sufficiency in rice production, meet
local demand and also export to neighboring countries in the future.
From plows to tractors,
rice farms to be mechanized under tariffs law
ABS-CBN News
·
·
·
·
MANILA - Rice farmers will benefit from
the Rice Tariffication Act by getting modern mechanized equipment that is
expected to improve farm yields, an agency attached to the Department of
Agriculture said on Wednesday.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization, or Philmech, said it has already identified an
initial 1,200 major rice-producing municipalities in the Philippines that will
receive farm machinery once funds from rice tariffs are collected.
Philmech is set to get P30 billion from
2019 to 2024 for distribution of mechanized farming equipment such as tractors,
transplanters, harvesters, threshers, mechanical dryers and other machinery.
"Depende sa needs noong mga farmers
associations or organzations at ito yung basehan ng pagbibigay o
pagdi-distribute ng mga machinery," said Dr. Rod Estigoy, chief science
research specialist of Philmech.
Tariffs collected from imported rice are
supposed to be channeled to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to help
local farmers compete with cheaper imports.
Local farmers had opposed the rice
tariffs law, fearing it would flood the market with cheaper rice from abroad,
and kill the local rice industry.
Estigoy noted that a kilo of palay, or
unmilled rice, costs just P6 per kilo in Vietnam, and P8 in Thailand.
While a kilo of palay in the Philippines
currently costs around P12 per kilo, farm mechanization is expected to reduce
this to at least P10 per kilo, Estigoy said.
He added that modern equipment will also
minimize postharvest losses from inefficient drying and milling methods.
The Philmech official added that the
machinery will be given for free to farmers' associations, who will also be
asked to maintain them.
Estigoy however, also said introducing
modern farm equipment faced challenges in the Philippines because the country's
small landholdings needed to be "consolidated" to allow them to
benefit from the efficiency of mechanization.
- READ: Rice
tariffication 'good thing' if gov't helps local farmers: analyst
- OPINION: Rice
Tariffication, Good Governance, and Real Food Security
- Implementing
rules for rice tariffs law 'adopted for implementation,' says NEDA
·
·
·
·
Read More: rice farmers mechanization rice
tariffs Philmech agriculture Rod Estigoy ANC ANC Top ANC
Exclusives Future
Perfect
Poultry sector wants advance tax
on raw material imports scrapped
·
Published
at 10:02 pm June 19th, 2019
Feed Industries Association Bangladesh
(FIAB) and Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB) urge the government to
withdraw 5% advance tax on imports of all kinds raw materials at a media
briefing on Wednesday Courtesy
The sector people have
expressed deep concern as the budget proposed to impose 2% to 5% source tax on
purchase of raw materials such as maize and rice bran from the domestic source
Feed Industries Association
Bangladesh (FIAB) and Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB) on Wednesday
urged the government to withdraw 5% advance tax (AT) on imports of all kinds
raw materials including maize, soybean oil cake as it would increases the
production costs.
FIAB and BAB leaders came
with the call at a post-budget joint press conference in the capital on
Wednesday.
“For the fiscal year
2019-20, our key demand was withdrawal of 5% regulatory duty on import of
soybean oil cake, 5% advance tax and customs duty on cotton seeds and palm nut
and 5% AT on import of maize,” said FIAB President Ihtesham B Shahjahan.
"If the government did
so, it would decrease the production cost of poultry feed, eggs and
broiler," Ihtesham pointed out.
"But the proposed
budget did not withdraw taxes on the aforesaid goods, rather it imposed
advance tax on import of all kinds of goods, which frustrated us as the
production cost would go up," said the leader,
In addition, the sector
people have expressed deep concern as the budget proposed to impose 2% to 5%
source tax on purchase of raw materials such as maize and rice bran from the
domestic source.
"The proposed budget is
again going to include tax at source on collection of raw materials for the
manufacturing industry to bring parity in tax policy, and to implement this,
the sector will need to pay 5% source tax on purchase of raw materials from
local source," said Ihtesham.
It would be very tough to
execute the tax at source on purchase as the farmers would be the ultimate
sufferers, he added.
BAB President Rakibur Rahman
Tutul said: “We urged the government to withdraw 5% advance tax on import parent
stock and grandparent stock which produce fertilized eggs, imported
maize and soybean oil cake and also withdraw 5% AT from capital
machinery."
FIAB General Secretary
Ahasanuzzaman, however, expressed his satisfaction over continuation of the
existing facilities and rice bran export duty.
LEAVE A COMMENT
July/August 2019
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D-brief
« This Robot Fish Has ‘Blood’
That Doubles As Its MusclesAstronauts
Test a Moon Stretcher on the Seafloor »
Scientists Issue Warning To
Humanity: Climate Change Depends On Microbes
By Roni Dengler | June 19, 2019 1:08 pm
The
real impact of climate change depends on tiny organisms we can’t even see,
argues an international panel of more than 30 microbiologists in a consensus
statement published Tuesday.
Microbes,
or microorganisms, are any organism or virus invisible to the naked eye.
Numbering in the nonillions (in the U.S., that’s
10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or a 10 followed by 30 zeros), they
make up the “unseen majority” of life on Earth, according to the scientists.
Microbes not only contribute to how fast the climate changes, but to our
ability to mitigate and adapt to it.
“[Microbes]
support the existence of all higher lifeforms and are critically important in
regulating climate change,” Ricardo Cavicchioli, a University of New South
Wales environmental microbiologist and co-author on the paper, said in a press
release. “However, they are rarely the focus of climate change studies and not
considered in policy development.”
Now,
Cavicchioli and his co-authors hope that their statement, published in the
journal Nature Reviews
Microbiology, “puts humanity on notice,” they write in the abstract.
Climate Contributions
The
world’s dirt holds on to some 2.2 trillion tons of carbon. That’s more than the
combined amount of carbon in the atmosphere and in vegetation. And what
controls how much carbon soil can hang on to and how much it
releases? Microbes. Their carbon gatekeeping is critical, because the
element is one of the key components of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which is currently at record
levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
Although
plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere during food-making photosynthesis, they
also release the greenhouse gas back into the atmosphere during respiration,
i.e., when they break down that food. And temperature changes influence
how much carbon plants take up or let go of.
The
same is true of soil microbes. “In terrestrial environments, microbes
release a range of important greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide), and climate change is causing these emissions to
increase,” Cavicchioli said. That’s because, as with plants, hotter
temperatures cause soil microbes to release more carbon. And since climate-change-induced warming
is only getting worse, scientists expect more carbon from vegetation
and soils will go into the atmosphere.
But
there are microbes other than the ones in soil that impact climate change.
Cows, sheep, goats and other similar animals have microbes in their guts that
help the animals digest their food. However, as a by-product of this digestion,
these microbes produce methane — a potent greenhouse gas whose levels in the atmosphere
have ballooned in the last five years.
Rice
fields, too, release methane into the atmosphere. To grow the crop, farmers
flood the fields, which are home to many microbes. These microorganisms produce
methane in anaerobic environments where little to no oxygen is freely available.
Since rice fields are flooded with water, where oxygen is chemically bound to
hydrogen and unusable to the microbes, the conditions are ripe for the little
organisms to pump out methane.
Rice
is a major staple food for half the world’s population, so these methane
emissions add up: Rice fields currently contribute about 20 percent of
agriculture’s emissions of the greenhouse gas. As the population continues to
grow, scientists anticipate those numbers will grow, too.
Mighty Mitigators
While
microorganisms contribute substantially to climate change, the authors point
out that these invisible creatures can also do the opposite.
Agricultural
fertilizers release nitrous oxide (N2O, more commonly known as laughing gas),
another powerful greenhouse gas. But some bacteria that live in plant roots
produce an enzyme that can convert N2O into nitrogen, a non-greenhouse gas that
makes up nearly 80 percent of the air we breathe. Researchers say using
bacteria that have higher levels of this enzyme can lower N2O emissions.
The
authors also note breeding programs for cows that change their gut microbes to
produce less methane could reduce emissions.
Understanding
more about how microorganisms influence climate change could have further
impacts on mitigation strategies, the researchers say.
“The
statement emphasizes the need to investigate microbial responses to climate
change and to include microbe-based research during the development of policy
and management decisions,” Cavicchioli said.
Ex-MLA to
meet CM on SC funds
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in this section
Chandigarh: Over 1,600 unaided colleges
of Punjab have decided not to admit SC students from 2019-20 session due to
non-payment of post-matric scholarship funds for SC students either from the
Centre or state government. Dr Anshu Kataria, spokesperson for Joint Action
Committee (JAC), said till now the funds of 2015-16 had been disbursed to the
colleges. The funds for 2016-17 had not been fully disbursed, while the funds
for 2017-18 and 2018-19 were pending. Kataria said JAC chairman and ex-MLA
Ashwani Sekhri would raise the issue with the Chief Minister on June 20. TNS
Millers
seek security refund
Fatehgarh Sahib: The Punjab Rice Miller
Association has demanded immediate release of milling charges as per the custom
milling agreement made by millers with the procurement agencies for 2018-19.
Besides, Rs 5 lakh each security deposited by 3,700 rice millers is also
pending with the Director, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Punjab.
Nakesh Jindal of the association said many millers had delivered rice to the
FCI and many agencies were not making payments. OC
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Directed evolution
comes to plants
CREDIT: 2019 KAUST
Previously,
this type of directed evolution system was only possible in viruses, bacteria,
yeast and mammalian cell lines. The Saudi research--part of KAUST's Desert
Agriculture Initiative--has now expanded the technique to rice and other food
plants. It means that plant breeders now have an easy way to rapidly engineer
new crop varieties capable of withstanding weeds, diseases, pests and other
agricultural stresses.
"We
expect that our platform will be used for crop bioengineering to improve key
traits that impact yield and immunity to pathogens," says group leader
Magdy Mahfouz. "This technology should help improve plant resilience under
climate change conditions."
To
experimentally build their directed evolution platform, Mahfouz and his
colleagues used a combination of targeted mutagenesis and artificial selection
in the rice plant, Oryza sativa. They took advantage of the gene-editing tool
known as CRISPR to generate DNA breaks at more than 100 sites throughout the
SF3B1 gene, which encodes a protein involved in the processing of other gene
transcripts. After manipulating the DNA of small bundles of rice cells in this
way, the researchers then grew the mutated seedlings in the presence of
herboxidiene, a herbicide that normally targets the SF3B1 protein to inhibit
plant growth and development.
This
strategy ultimately yielded more than 20 new rice variants with mutations that
conferred resistance to herboxidiene to varying degrees. In collaboration with
Stefan Arold's group at the KAUST Computational Bioscience Research Center,
Mahfouz and his colleagues then characterized the structural basis of the
resistance--showing, for example, how particular mutations helped destabilize
herbicide binding to the SF3B1 protein.
Herboxidiene
is not widely used in industrial agriculture, but the same basic directed
evolution strategy could now be used to design crops resistant to more common
weed-killers. The herbicides would then eliminate unwanted surrounding plants
while leaving the desired cultivated crop intact.
Breeders
could also begin to evolve practically any trait of interest, notes Haroon
Butt, a postdoctoral fellow in Mahfouz's lab. "This is a
proof-of-principle study with wide applicability," says Butt, the first
author of the paper that outlines the technology. "Our platform mimics
Darwinism, and the selection pressure involved helps enforce the development of
new gene variants and traits that would not be possible by any other known
method."
Rice
Prices
as on : 20-06-2019
12:09:45 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal
in domestic market.
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Price
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cumulative |
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Rice
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Gauripur(ASM)
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46.00
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5.75
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1020.50
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4500
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4500
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NC
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Gazipur(UP)
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41.00
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7.89
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4702.50
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3280
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3280
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-
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Lakhimpur(UP)
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30.00
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-6.25
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1303.50
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2320
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2310
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-0.43
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Mugrabaadshahpur(UP)
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25.00
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-28.57
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85.00
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2240
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2240
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-
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Tulsipur(UP)
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18.00
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-10
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57.00
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1875
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1850
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-
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Vilthararoad(UP)
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10.00
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NC
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631.00
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2150
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2150
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2.87
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Paliakala(UP)
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10.00
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-13.04
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473.30
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2310
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2290
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1.32
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Chitwadagaon(UP)
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9.00
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NC
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59.00
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2100
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2100
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-
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Utraula(UP)
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7.00
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-66.67
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162.00
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1870
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1760
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14.72
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Tundla(UP)
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7.00
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-10.26
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202.60
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2550
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2560
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0.39
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Puwaha(UP)
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4.20
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-40
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271.70
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2300
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2400
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2.22
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Kishunpur(UP)
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4.00
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-80.95
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176.00
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1800
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1800
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NC
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Ruperdeeha(UP)
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4.00
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-33.33
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232.00
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2150
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2150
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-
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Badda(UP)
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4.00
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NC
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92.20
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2300
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2400
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-
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Chandoli(UP)
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3.60
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-34.55
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331.80
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2350
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2310
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3.52
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Nautnava(UP)
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2.50
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150
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244.10
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2240
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2300
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-
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Jambusar(Kaavi)(Guj)
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1.00
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NC
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46.00
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3100
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3000
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-
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Published on June
20, 2019
TOPICS
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17
JUN
2019
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Top-end rice prices on the boil
Vishwanath Kulkarni Bengaluru |
Updated on June 17, 2019 Published onJune 17, 2019
Prices
of preferred non-basmati rice varieties such as Sona Masuri and Kolam have
risen by up to a fifth over the past few weeks on supply squeeze. This is
mainly on account of reduced output in the previous cropping season in the
drought-affected regions of eastern Karnataka and Vidarbha, where these
varieties are mostly grown.
Also
the tardy progress of southwest monsoon and concerns over projection of
rainfall this year has aided the upward price trend with farmers and millers
holding back their stocks, sources said.
Water crisis
Scanty
rainfall last year coupled with lack of canal water for irrigation had impacted
the paddy cultivation in districts such as Bellary, Koppal, Raichur and Yadgir
in Eastern Karnataka.
“While
the kharif transplantation was hit by the delay in release of water last year,
farmers could not take up paddy cultivation during the rabi season as there was
hardly any water in the canals,” said Chamras Malipatil, President of Karnataka
Rajya Raitha Sangha - Hasiru Sene.
However,
there’s no dearth of paddy stocks, he said. “Large farmers, stockists and
millers are holding the stocks from previous crops,” Malipatil said, adding
that newer storage techniques, including improved fumigation, are helping them
hold the stocks.
Traditionally,
the prices of the preferred varieties go up during this time of the year by about ₹2 per kg as the supply
slows down. However, the extent of increase has more than doubled to
around ₹5 per
kg this year, says RC Lahoti, President, Bengaluru Wholesale Food Grain &
Pulses Merchants’ Association.
Interestingly,
the prices of other varieties such as Salem Idly has also gone up this year.
“Prices may come down when the farmers start releasing the stocks in
October-November,” Lahoti said.
Srikar
Nag of Raichur Rice Mills Association, blamed the unplanned release of water
for irrigation from the dams on the Tungabhadra and the Krishna rivers in the
region for the shortfall in the crop. “Though the Tungabhadra dam got filled
up, farmers could hardly take advantage of it due to the unplanned release of
waters by the government,” said Nag.
Abysmal water levels
Water
levels have reached the dead storage levels in Tungabhadra reservoir, where
accumulation of silt has reduced the storage capacity. While the shortfall in
last year’s kharif crop was estimated at 30-40 per cent, farmers could hardly harvest
a tenth of the rabi crop, he said.
As a
result, the supplies to the rice mills in Raichur have drastically reduced,
forcing some mills to fetch paddy from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Nag said.
Consecutive droughts in Nagpur region, where the Kolam variety is grown, has
also hit the supplies of the premium variety, he added.
Vikram
Shreeram of Shriya Rice Mills in Raichur said the price correction ranged
between ₹2-6 per
kg at the mill, depending on the varieties. The shortage of paddy has hit the
processing of 70-odd rice mills in Raichur, which have reduced their production
by half. “The 70-odd mills used to load about 400-500 tonnes of processed rice
every day. Presently, we are not even loading 150-200 tonnes a day,” he added.
Srinivas
Jayanthi, a trader in Bengaluru said the price fluctuation continues on a daily
basis.
The
steamed variety of sona masuri has seen the highest increase from around ₹33 a kg a month ago to
aound ₹41-42
per kg now. “Prices could ease depending on the progress of monsoon,” he added.
India’s
rice production for 2018-19 is seen at a record 115.63 million tonnes. Bulk of
the paddy produced in India is that of common variety, which is used for supply
of rice through the public distribution system. Trade sources estimate that
about a fourth of rice produced in India is of premium variety including
basmati. However, the production figures for preferred varieties like sona
masuri and kolam were not readily available
Economist sees favorable rice price
outlook
·
BRUCE SCHULZ | LSU
AGCENTER
·
19 hrs ago
·
LSU AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell, far left, tells
farmers at the Vermilion Parish rice field day on June 11 about fertilizer
strategies they should consider for their rice crop.
· Bruce Schultz / LSU AgCenter
At stop on the field tour during the Acadia Parish rice field
day on June 12, LSU AgCenter weed scientist Eric Webster talks about a study of
herbicide effectiveness on aquatic weeds.
· Bruce Schultz / LSU AgCenter
·
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LAKE
ARTHUR — An LSU AgCenter economist had good news for rice farmers at the
Vermilion Parish rice field day on June 11.
“Optimism
is high that with recaptured market share in core markets, the outlook for rice
is positive from a price standpoint,” Michael Deliberto said.
He told
farmers American rice has become more competitive, which could allow the U.S.
to regain market share in Latin America.
The
improved trade outlook combined with decreased U.S. rice acreage has led the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase its projected long-grain price to
$10.50 per hundredweight and the medium-grain price to $11 cwt., a 50-cent
increase from the previous USDA estimate, Deliberto said.
Iraq
has agreed to buy 120,000 metric tons of U.S. rice, but it’s unclear if that
country will consistently be an American customer.
The
prospect of selling rice to China remains viable, but no deals have been
reached yet, Deliberto said.
China
has been selling rice in Puerto Rico, and China has become taking away U.S.
market share in the Mediterranean.
At the
Acadia Parish rice field day on June 12, farmers heard about extensive weed
research being conducted at the South Farm of the AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice
Research Station. AgCenter weed scientist Eric Webster showed farmers several
herbicide studies he is conducting with his graduate students.
Graduate
student Sam Rustom has a study of mixing Loyant with Provisia.
One
study is looking at the rates of Loyant that can damage soybeans from drift.
Small droplets of Loyant, 2,4-D and dicamba can damage nearby crops. “If you’re
putting Loyant out next to a soybean field, be very careful. It takes only a
small amount to get activity,” Webster said.
Another
study is being conducted to see if rice seed germination is affected by
late-season herbicide applications.
Testing
also is being conducted on herbicide timing and rates for a wide range of
products, said graduate student Connor Webster.
AgCenter
rice breeder Adam Famoso said two Clearfield lines are possible candidates for
release as varieties.
The
line 2097 has a yield increase over CL153 by 5%, but the grain quality is an
issue with a higher amount of chalk. Another line, 2195, has 3% to 5% less
yield than CL153 but with better grain quality than 2097, he said.
Foundation
seed is being grown for both lines, Famoso said, so if either is released at
the end of this year, seed production could start in 2020. “At the end of the
season, we’ll make a final decision,” he said.
A new
Provisia variety was approved this year, but work continues on more
possibilities with the Provisia technology. “We’ve got plenty of other lines in
the Provisia pipeline,” Famoso said.
AgCenter
plant pathologist Don Groth said he has received sheath blight disease reports.
“It’s actually getting a later start compared to previous years,” he said.
Fungicide-resistant
sheath blight can be controlled with Elegia. Amistar Top didn’t work as well as
expected last year, but more research is being done to see if its effectiveness
can be improved, Groth said.
It
appears this won’t be a bad year for Cercospora. But Cercospora will become
apparent earlier on late-planted rice, he said.
AgCenter
rice specialist Dustin Harrell said heavy rainfall this spring has created more
challenges for growing rice. Most of it was planted the third week of March.
“We were fighting the weather from the get-go,” he said.
The
last big rain probably claimed 200 acres of rice, and one farmer has had his
crop submerged three times after heavy rains this year.
“It’s
all been about fighting the water,” said Andrew Granger, AgCenter agent in
Vermilion Parish.
Some
uneven emergence of rice plants has occurred on some fields, probably from cool
soil temperatures, Harrell said.
AgCenter
entomologist Blake Wilson said the seed treatment Fortenza used with Cruiser
Maxx has been as effective as Dermacor against rice water weevils, but it has
no activity on stem borers.
Stem
borers can take away as much as 5% to 10% of crop yield.
Dermacor
can even be effective on stem borers in the ratoon crop, Wilson said.
AgCenter
plant pathologist and soybean specialist Boyd Padgett said research is being
done to find flood-tolerant soybean varieties.
Soybeans
can survive flooding for 48 to 96 hours, depending on conditions.
Padgett
recommended farmers wait four to five days before deciding whether they will
replant a soybean field that has flooded.
Consolidated Grain and Barge to lease nine elevators from
Agspring
06.19.2019
The agreement includes
seven facilities in Louisiana — in Crowville, Dunn, Hollybrook, Lake
Providence, Mer Rouge, Monticello and Pioneer — and two facilities in Arkansas
— in Eudora and Parkdale.
“We are pleased that area
producers will directly benefit from this transaction with CGB through their
direct ties to the export markets,” said Mark Beemer, chief executive officer
of Agspring. “This transaction allows Agspring to focus on our value-added
businesses, including Thresher Artisan Wheat, Firebird Artisan Mills and
Agforce Transport Services.”
Consolidated Grain and
Barge is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CGB Enterprises, Inc. The company
operates 95 grain facilities across the U.S. Midwest.
Big River Rice and Grain
provides origination, storage and handling, logistics, marketing and risk
management for corn, soybeans, wheat, rice and milo.
Seoul to send 50,000 tons of rice to Pyongyang
Posted
: 2019-06-19 18:34
Updated
: 2019-06-20 09:56
71
 |
|
South Korean Unification Minister
Kim Yeon-chul announces about the government's latest food aid to the North
at the Government Complex Seoul in the city's Jongno District, Wednesday.
Yonhap
|
South Korea said Wednesday it will send 50,000 tons of rice in aid to North Korea via a U.N. agency as part of efforts to help the impoverished state cope with its worsening food shortages.
The aid will be transported by the World Food Programme (WFP), which will also be in charge of its distribution and necessary monitoring in North Korea, according to the unification ministry.
It marks the first time for South Korea to provide rice to North Korea since 2010, when it sent 5,000 tons to support its efforts to recover from flood damage. It will also be the first time Seoul has sent locally harvested rice to the North through an international agency.
"In close cooperation with the WFP, the government decided to provide 50,000 tons of domestically grown rice to the North Korean people in need," Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told reporters during a press briefing. "We expect the food assistance to be delivered to the North Korean people as soon as possible."
"The timing and scale of additional food assistance to North Korea will be determined in consideration of the outcome of the aid provision this time," Kim added.
The minister noted that the government will do its best to deliver the aid by the end of September.
The decision will be finalized after a government committee overseeing inter-Korean exchange approves it. Once approved, the necessary rice will be purchased from the local market and transferred to the WFP, which will spearhead its shipment to the North.
The government expects to spend around 127 billion won (US$107.9 million) to secure the rice.
North Korea has been faced with worsening food shortages apparently caused by crushing global sanctions and years of unfavorable weather conditions.
In February, North Korea's top envoy to the U.N. requested emergency food assistance, saying that his country will suffer a food shortage estimated at around 1.5 million tons this year.
The WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization recently reported, based on a visit to North Korea, that the country's crop output last year hit the lowest level since 2008, adding that an estimated 10 million people, about 40 percent of the population, are in urgent need of food.
The decision on the provision of rice came after Seoul recently donated $8 million to the WFP and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for their projects in North Korea to support the nutrition of children and pregnant women and address their health problems.
Critics objected to Seoul's push for food assistance to North Korea, citing its short-range missile tests in May. The Seoul government said politics should not play a role in dealing with such humanitarian issues.
The government expects that food assistance to North Korea could boost the cross-border reconciliatory mood and help advance inter-Korean relations, which have been in limbo apparently affected by a lack of progress in denuclearization talks.
Denuclearization negotiations have been stalled since February's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal as they failed to find common ground over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's sanctions relief.
Since the breakdown of the summit, North Korea has not been responsive to South Korea's push for cooperative cross-border projects, demanding Seoul stay independent of external intervention and have more say in its pursuit of inter-Korean cooperation.
President Moon Jae-in earlier expressed hope of meeting Kim before Moon's planned summit with Trump slated for later this month and emphasized that he is ready to meet him regardless of timing, venue and formality. North Korea has yet to react Seoul's offer of a summit. (Yonhap)
The United States and North Korea are preparing for a new
denuclearization agreement, according to Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul,
Wednesday. “The North and the United States a...
S.Korea to provide 50,000 tons of rice to DPRK via WFP
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-19
17:13:01|Editor: Yamei
SEOUL,
June 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, the
country's top policymaker in charge of inter-Korean affairs, told a televised
press briefing Wednesday that his country will provide 50,000 tons of rice to
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) through the World Food Program
(WFP).
Kim
said it would take around two months to deliver the country's homegrown rice to
the DPRK through the WFP, noting that Seoul will make efforts to provide the
rice as rapidly as possible.
The
rice provision announcement came after Seoul approved a plan earlier this month
to donate 8 million U.S. dollars to the WFP and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) for humanitarian food aid to the DPRK.
VFrom plows to tractors,
rice farms to be mechanized under tariffs law
ABS-CBN News
·
·
·
·
MANILA - Rice farmers will benefit from
the Rice Tariffication Act by getting modern mechanized equipment that is
expected to improve farm yields, an agency attached to the Department of
Agriculture said on Wednesday.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization, or Philmech, said it has already identified an
initial 1,200 major rice-producing municipalities in the Philippines that will
receive farm machinery once funds from rice tariffs are collected.
Philmech is set to get P30 billion from
2019 to 2024 for distribution of mechanized farming equipment such as tractors,
transplanters, harvesters, threshers, mechanical dryers and other machinery.
"Depende sa needs noong mga farmers
associations or organzations at ito yung basehan ng pagbibigay o
pagdi-distribute ng mga machinery," said Dr. Rod Estigoy, chief science
research specialist of Philmech.
Tariffs collected from imported rice are
supposed to be channeled to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to help
local farmers compete with cheaper imports.
Local farmers had opposed the rice
tariffs law, fearing it would flood the market with cheaper rice from abroad,
and kill the local rice industry.
Estigoy noted that a kilo of palay, or
unmilled rice, costs just P6 per kilo in Vietnam, and P8 in Thailand.
While a kilo of palay in the Philippines
currently costs around P12 per kilo, farm mechanization is expected to reduce
this to at least P10 per kilo, Estigoy said.
He added that modern equipment will also
minimize postharvest losses from inefficient drying and milling methods.
The Philmech official added that the
machinery will be given for free to farmers' associations, who will also be
asked to maintain them.
Estigoy however, also said introducing
modern farm equipment faced challenges in the Philippines because the country's
small landholdings needed to be "consolidated" to allow them to
benefit from the efficiency of mechanization.
\UK scientists develop drought-tolerant wheat plants
© Tim Scrivener
Scientists
have developed wheat plants engineered to better survive drought conditions
associated with climate breakdown.
Researchers
at the University of Sheffield found that engineering bread wheat to have fewer
microscopic spores – called stomata – helps the crop to use water more
efficiently, while maintaining yields.
Like
most plants, wheat uses stomata to regulate its intake of carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis, as well as the release of water vapour. When water is
plentiful, stomatal opening helps plants to regulate temperature by evaporative
cooling – similar to sweating.
In
drought conditions, wheat plants normally close their stomata to slow down
water loss – but wheat with fewer stomata has been found to conserve water even
better, and can use that water to cool itself.
During
the study, published in the Journal of Experimental Botany,
the scientists grew wheat in conditions similar to those expected under climate
breakdown – with higher levels of carbon dioxide and less water.
Compared
with conventional wheat, the engineered plants used less water, while
maintaining photosynthesis and yield.
Julie
Gray, professor of plant molecular biology at the University of Sheffield’s
Institute for Sustainable Food, said: “Wheat is a staple food for millions of
people around the world – but as extreme droughts become more frequent, farmers
face the prospect of dwindling yields.
Explore moreKnow How
Visit
our Know
How centre for practical farming advice
· Wheat
“Developing
wheat that uses water more efficiently will help us to feed our growing
population, while using fewer natural resources – making our food systems more
resilient in the face of climate breakdown.”
Water scarcity
Agriculture
accounts for 80-90% of freshwater use around the world, and on average it takes
more than 1,800 litres of water to produce a single kilogramme of wheat.
Yet, as
water supplies become scarce and more variable in the face of climate
breakdown, farmers will need to produce more food than ever to feed a growing
population.
The
discovery raises hopes that drought-prone regions, such as Africa, will be more
capable of feeding themselves in the future.
The
research builds on the institute’s work to develop climate-ready rice,
which found rice with fewer stomata used 40% less water than conventional
breeds and was able to survive drought and temperatures of 40C.
In a
separate study published in Plant, Cell and Environment, scientists
at the institute also found that plants engineered to have fewer stomata are
less susceptible to diseases. They hope to be able to replicate these findings
in crops such as wheat and rice.
Directed evolution
comes to plants
CREDIT: 2019 KAUST
Previously,
this type of directed evolution system was only possible in viruses, bacteria,
yeast and mammalian cell lines. The Saudi research--part of KAUST's Desert
Agriculture Initiative--has now expanded the technique to rice and other food
plants. It means that plant breeders now have an easy way to rapidly engineer
new crop varieties capable of withstanding weeds, diseases, pests and other
agricultural stresses.
"We
expect that our platform will be used for crop bioengineering to improve key
traits that impact yield and immunity to pathogens," says group leader
Magdy Mahfouz. "This technology should help improve plant resilience under
climate change conditions."
To
experimentally build their directed evolution platform, Mahfouz and his
colleagues used a combination of targeted mutagenesis and artificial selection
in the rice plant, Oryza sativa. They took advantage of the gene-editing tool
known as CRISPR to generate DNA breaks at more than 100 sites throughout the
SF3B1 gene, which encodes a protein involved in the processing of other gene
transcripts. After manipulating the DNA of small bundles of rice cells in this
way, the researchers then grew the mutated seedlings in the presence of
herboxidiene, a herbicide that normally targets the SF3B1 protein to inhibit
plant growth and development.
This
strategy ultimately yielded more than 20 new rice variants with mutations that
conferred resistance to herboxidiene to varying degrees. In collaboration with
Stefan Arold's group at the KAUST Computational Bioscience Research Center,
Mahfouz and his colleagues then characterized the structural basis of the
resistance--showing, for example, how particular mutations helped destabilize
herbicide binding to the SF3B1 protein.
Herboxidiene
is not widely used in industrial agriculture, but the same basic directed
evolution strategy could now be used to design crops resistant to more common
weed-killers. The herbicides would then eliminate unwanted surrounding plants
while leaving the desired cultivated crop intact.
Breeders
could also begin to evolve practically any trait of interest, notes Haroon
Butt, a postdoctoral fellow in Mahfouz's lab. "This is a
proof-of-principle study with wide applicability," says Butt, the first
author of the paper that outlines the technology. "Our platform mimics
Darwinism, and the selection pressure involved helps enforce the development of
new gene variants and traits that would not be possible by any other known
method."
###
A
program for Filipino rice farmers, consumers
EDITORIAL
0
SHARES
Many
have long wondered why we cannot meet the rice needs of our
own people, why we have to import from Vietnam and Thailand hundreds of
thousands of metric tons a year.
The
answer is that it costs an average of P12 to produce a kilo of palay in
the Philippines; it only costs half that much, P6, in Vietnam. The big
difference is largely due to mechanization, which has drastically reduced
labor costs in Vietnam and Thailand.
Sen.
Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, told a forum of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry last Friday that another reason for low Philippine rice production
is the continuing reliance of Filipino farmers on low-yielding
traditional rice varieties.
Our
scientists in the Philippine Rice Research Institute have developed
new rice varieties that are resistant to diseases, to drought, and to
flooding, and produce greater harvests, but their findings have not
reached down to the level of most Filipino farmers.
Some
years ago, Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Pinol said his
department’s efforts to modernize Philippine agriculture were held back by
inadequate government funding.
Rice
is at the center of life among Filipinos. When prices started
shooting up last year, with inflation reaching 6.7 percent in September,
the government stopped the rise in market prices by ensuring
adequate supplies of rice at low prices through the Rice
Tariffication Law. Former import restrictions were abolished
and all importations, mostly from Vietnam and Thailand, were allowed as
long as they paid proper tariffs.
Unfortunately,
however, while that law ensured an adequate supply of
imported rice for consumers, it was at the expense of local farmers.
In
the remaining years of the Duterte administration, we urge that the
Philippine rice production be given the full support it needs
– widespread distribution of high-yielding rice varieties to
our farmers, increased mechanization to bring down labor costs, wider use
of irrigation to reduce dependence on rain water, and organizing
the farmers and giving them the needed financial support and
helping them in their marketing.
Senator
Villar can play a big role in this total effort by getting the
Senate to enact more laws to provide more funding for agriculture. The
administration itself should see that while “Build, Build, Build” will
push the overall national economic development program, a “Plant,
Plant, Plant” program focused on rice will benefit Filipino farmers and
the masses of rice-eating Filipinos.
Council renews advocacy vs rice straw burning
AKLAN. Officers and members of the Aklan Provincial Agriculture
and Fisheries Council discussing their concern on the revival of an advocacy
against burning of rice straws in the province. (Jun N. Aguirre)
+
AA
-
June 20, 2019
THE Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council (PAFC) in Aklan
is passing a resolution asking the local government units in the province to
renew their commitment against rice straw burning practice among farmers.
In a PAFC quarterly meeting held Thursday, June 20, at the Aklan Provincial Capitol, Emerlinda R. Dela Cruz, PAFC chairman, said the burning of rice straws has been one of the concerns raised by the council's members.
Incidents of burning rice straws have reportedly been monitors in some barangays in the towns of Lezo, Tangalan and Makato, among others.
Some farmers said the barangay officials should be in the frontline in intensifying the campaign against rice straw burning.
Many of the officials, however, are hesitant to make apprehensions for fear of not supporting them in the barangay elections scheduled in 2020.
"In the province, we are invoking the provincial ordinance enacted for several years already. Violators, when caught, will be penalized will be asked to join a seminar, render community service, or pay a penalty of P500," said Dela Cruz.
But she said that although the provincial ordinance renders light penalties among others, it is not easy for the local government unit to implement it.
"For one, based on the provincial clean air act code, a town should first organize a soil conservation committee. The committee should [be] composed of the Municipal Agriculture Office, a Sanguniang Bayan chair on agriculture and fisheries, a representative of the Municipal Development Council, among others," Dela Cruz said.
According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), burning of rice straws, which is generally practiced during the harvest season, causes air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur dioxide. If continually done, it will decrease soil’s nitrogen, 25 percent of phosphorus, 20 percent of potassium, and 5-60 percent of sulfur.
The practice also damages food resources of beneficial insects in the rice field, said PhilRice.
The Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003) and Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 prohibit open-field burning, including burning of rice straws.
In Aklan, burning of rice straws also affects tourists coming to and from Boracay Island, as several farmers burn their rice straws along the highway.
Some agriculturists in Aklan described the scenario as an inferno-like scenery, when farmers started burning of rice straws simultaneously.
Valerie Briones, a representative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said while provincial ordinance is difficult to implement, local enforcers may face a harder experience if they invoke the national law against rice straw burning.
"The easiest is to urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to apprehend suspects in the actual rice straw burning," she said.
Briones said local enforcers could also use citation tickets, but based on national standard, "citation tickets should be printed at the National Printing Office in order for it to become legally valid."
The council is also eyeing to introduce vermi composting machines to recycle rice straws for fertilizer through the organized cooperatives and the use of shredding machines as an alternative against the rice straw burning problems, she added. (SunStar Philippines)
In a PAFC quarterly meeting held Thursday, June 20, at the Aklan Provincial Capitol, Emerlinda R. Dela Cruz, PAFC chairman, said the burning of rice straws has been one of the concerns raised by the council's members.
Incidents of burning rice straws have reportedly been monitors in some barangays in the towns of Lezo, Tangalan and Makato, among others.
Some farmers said the barangay officials should be in the frontline in intensifying the campaign against rice straw burning.
Many of the officials, however, are hesitant to make apprehensions for fear of not supporting them in the barangay elections scheduled in 2020.
"In the province, we are invoking the provincial ordinance enacted for several years already. Violators, when caught, will be penalized will be asked to join a seminar, render community service, or pay a penalty of P500," said Dela Cruz.
But she said that although the provincial ordinance renders light penalties among others, it is not easy for the local government unit to implement it.
"For one, based on the provincial clean air act code, a town should first organize a soil conservation committee. The committee should [be] composed of the Municipal Agriculture Office, a Sanguniang Bayan chair on agriculture and fisheries, a representative of the Municipal Development Council, among others," Dela Cruz said.
According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), burning of rice straws, which is generally practiced during the harvest season, causes air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur dioxide. If continually done, it will decrease soil’s nitrogen, 25 percent of phosphorus, 20 percent of potassium, and 5-60 percent of sulfur.
The practice also damages food resources of beneficial insects in the rice field, said PhilRice.
The Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003) and Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 prohibit open-field burning, including burning of rice straws.
In Aklan, burning of rice straws also affects tourists coming to and from Boracay Island, as several farmers burn their rice straws along the highway.
Some agriculturists in Aklan described the scenario as an inferno-like scenery, when farmers started burning of rice straws simultaneously.
Valerie Briones, a representative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said while provincial ordinance is difficult to implement, local enforcers may face a harder experience if they invoke the national law against rice straw burning.
"The easiest is to urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to apprehend suspects in the actual rice straw burning," she said.
Briones said local enforcers could also use citation tickets, but based on national standard, "citation tickets should be printed at the National Printing Office in order for it to become legally valid."
The council is also eyeing to introduce vermi composting machines to recycle rice straws for fertilizer through the organized cooperatives and the use of shredding machines as an alternative against the rice straw burning problems, she added. (SunStar Philippines)
From plows to tractors,
rice farms to be mechanized under tariffs law
ABS-CBN News
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MANILA - Rice farmers will benefit from
the Rice Tariffication Act by getting modern mechanized equipment that is
expected to improve farm yields, an agency attached to the Department of
Agriculture said on Wednesday.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization, or Philmech, said it has already identified an
initial 1,200 major rice-producing municipalities in the Philippines that will
receive farm machinery once funds from rice tariffs are collected.
Philmech is set to get P30 billion from
2019 to 2024 for distribution of mechanized farming equipment such as tractors,
transplanters, harvesters, threshers, mechanical dryers and other machinery.
"Depende sa needs noong mga farmers
associations or organzations at ito yung basehan ng pagbibigay o
pagdi-distribute ng mga machinery," said Dr. Rod Estigoy, chief science
research specialist of Philmech.
Tariffs collected from imported rice are
supposed to be channeled to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to help
local farmers compete with cheaper imports.
Local farmers had opposed the rice
tariffs law, fearing it would flood the market with cheaper rice from abroad,
and kill the local rice industry.
Estigoy noted that a kilo of palay, or
unmilled rice, costs just P6 per kilo in Vietnam, and P8 in Thailand.
While a kilo of palay in the Philippines
currently costs around P12 per kilo, farm mechanization is expected to reduce
this to at least P10 per kilo, Estigoy said.
He added that modern equipment will also
minimize postharvest losses from inefficient drying and milling methods.
The Philmech official added that the
machinery will be given for free to farmers' associations, who will also be
asked to maintain them.
Estigoy however, also said introducing
modern farm equipment faced challenges in the Philippines because the country's
small landholdings needed to be "consolidated" to allow them to
benefit from the efficiency of mechanization.
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