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پانی کے ذخائرہائیڈروالیکٹریسٹی بنانے میں مددگارثابت ہوں
گے۔یہ ایک نسبتا سستے ذرائع سے بجلی بنانے کاایک ذریعہ ہے
پاکستان میںحکومتیں 1960 کی دہائی کے اوائل سے ہی کسانوں
کو غذائی پیداوار میں اضافے کے لئے زرعی آلات کی خریداری پر سبسڈی دے رہی ہے۔تاکہ
فوڈکی پیداوارکوبڑھاسکیں ۔وفاقی حکومت نےکرونا وائرس کے اکانومی پر اثرات کومدنظررکھتے ہوئے جاری مالی سالکے دوران کاشتکار حضرات کے لئے کھاداوردیگرزرعی
آلات پر ۳۷ بلین روپے کی سبسڈی کااعلان کیاہے
زرعیضروریات اوردیگرمقاصد
کوپوراکرنے لئے ٹیوب ویل لگانے کے لئے بھی مالی امداد دی گئی ہے ۔اسکے علاوہ
آبپاشی کے لئے بجلی کی فراہمی پررعایت دی جائے گی۔
سبسڈی پیکج دینے کاایک
مقصد تویہ ہے کہ بڑی اجناس جیساکہ گندم اورکاٹن کی فی ایکڑپیداوار بڑھایا جائے۔اس
مقصدکے لئے کاشتکارحضرات کورعایتی نرخوں پرذیادہ پیداوار کی اقسام والے بیج کی
فراہمی کی کوششبھی جاری ہے۔حکومت نے نہری
نظام کوبہتربنانے کے لئے بھی منصوبہ بندی کی ہے۔
پانی کی تحفظ وزخائر کے لئے
مذید کوششیں کی جائیں گی ۔بارش کاساراپانی سمندرمیں چلاجاتاہے اور ضائع جاتاہے ۔
اس امرکی سخت ضرورت ہے اس حوالے سے کہ بڑے اورچھوٹے ڈیم کی تعمیرکی منصوبہ کی جانی
چاہئے۔دیامربھاشا ڈیم پانی کی کمی پر قابو پانے کی حکمت عملی کا ایک اہم جزو ہے۔
حکام چینمیںتعمیرہوئےبڑے اورچھوٹے ڈیموں جیسے
ملک میںتعمیر ہوئے بڑے اور چھوٹے ڈیموںضرورت پر زور دے رہے ہیں
حُکام اس بات پرزرو دے رہے
ہیں کہ جیسے چین میں چھوٹے اوربڑے ڈیموں کی تعمیرہوئ ہے ویسے ہی یہاں بھی
ہونےڈیم بننے چاہئیں اوراس حوالے سے چین
کی بہترین مثالیں موجودہیں ۔
پانی کےیہ ذخائرنہ صرف پانی کی فراہمی کوبہترکریں گے
بلکہ اس سےپانی سے بجلی بنانے میں بھی
مددملے گیجوکہ بجلی بنانے کاایک سستا
موثر ذریعہ بھی ہے۔ حکومت کینال سسٹم کی بہتری کے لئے تمام ترکوشش کررہی ہے
اوردوسری طرف کاشتکاروں کوبھی اس طرف راغب کررہی ہے کہ وہ پانی کے استعمالکابہترطریقے سے انتظام بھی کرے
اور دیگر
ترقی یافتہ ممالک کی نسبت بہت کم ہےپاکستان
میں کپاس کی فی ہیکٹر پیداوارمحض 2.5 ٹن ہے ،جبکہ چین میں یہ تناسب ۵۲ فیصد ہے
۔پاکستان میںگندم کی فی ہیکٹر 3.1 ٹن
پیداوار ہے جبکہ فرانس کوفی ہیکٹر 8.1 ٹن کی پیداوار ملتی ہے۔اسی طرح مصرکی گنے کی
فی ہیکٹرپیداوارپاکستان کے مقابلے میں ۶۳ فیصدسے ذیادہ ہے۔
اعدادوشمارکے
یہ حقائق بتاتے ہیں کہ پاکستان میں فصلوں کی فی ایکڑ پیداوارکوبڑھانے کی اشدضروت
ہے جس کے لئے تحقیق اورٹیکنالوجی کواپنانےپرزوردیا جانا چاہئے اورکسانوں کے رویوں
کوبھی بدلنے کی ضرورت ہے۔
یہ آرٹیکل
ایکسپریس ٹرائ بیون میں ۲۰ جولائ ۲۰۲۰ کوشائع ہوا
مذیدسیاق
وسیاق اوربہترطورپرسمجھنے کے لئے درج ذیل لنک کوکلک کریں
حکومت
پاکستان کوچاہئے کہ وہ بیجنگ میں کمرشل اتاشی کے قیام کو فوراعمل میں لائے۔
چائنہ اورپاکستان کے درمیان تجارت کے وسیع مواقع
موجود ہیں چین پاکستانی پراڈکٹ کی درآمدکے حوالے سے دوسرابڑامُلک ہے
جسکا مارکیٹ شئیر ۷ فیصدہے۔جبکہ امریکہ کاکل ایکسپورٹ کا سولہ اشاریہ سات فیصد حصہ
ہے۔چائنہ امپورٹ کے حوالے سے بھی دوسرابڑاذریعہ ہے۔.آزدانہ تجارتی معاہدے (ایف ٹی اے)کی وجہ سے چین کی طرف ایکسپورٹ کے حوال سے
اضافہ ہواہے۔اس آزادنہ تجارت کی وجہ سے ۱۹ فیصدسےبڑھ کر۲۶ فیصد تک جاپہنچی ہے
چائنہ کی حکومت نے پاکستان کے ساتھ تجارت
کوبڑھانے میں گہری دلچسپی کااظہارکیا ہے۔یہ توقع کی جاتی ہے کہ پاکستان سے مذیداشیاء کی درآمد کی جائے گی ۔چائنہ
پاکستان سے سبزیاں اورپھل درآمد کرسکتاہے ۔پاکستان مشینری کودرآمدکرتاہے لیکن
پھربھی صنعتی ڈھانچہکوبہتربنانے کی ضرورت ہے تاکہ کم قیمت
پرپروڈکشن ہوسکے۔چائنہ میں پاکستانی آم ،آلو گندم چاول اورترش پھلوں وبیری کی ایک
وسیع طلب ہےدونوں ممالک جینیاتی چاول کی بڑھوتری کے لئے بھی کام کررہے ہیں۔
چائنہ میں پاکستانیوں کے لئے زرعی شعبہ میں خاص
مواقع موجود ہیں ہیں جیساک چائنہ کو زمین کی
سیرابی جیسے مسائل کاسامنابھی درپیش ہے۔ پانی کی کمی بڑھ رہی ہے۔کچھ فصلوں کے
حوالے سے حالات بہت گھمبیربھی ہیں ۔چائنہ اپنی زرعی ضروریات کوپوراکرنے کے لئے
ایشائی ممالک جیسا کہ پاکستان ،انڈیا،تھائی
لینڈ اورویت نام کوترجیح دیتاہے۔تھائی لینڈاورچائنہ کے مابین ٹیرٖف کی وجہ سے
تجارت مشکل دکھائی دیتی ہے۔یہ پاکستان کی کامیابی تھی کہ اس نے مواقع
سےبھرپورفائدہ اٹھایا اورمارکیٹ کے خلاکوکامیابی سے پُرکرلیا۔
مشیرکامرس اینڈ ٹریڈ عبدل رزاق داود چین کے ساتھتجارت
کے وسیع امکانات ومواقعکو دیکھ رہے ہیں۔وہ اس بات کومحسوس کرتے ہیں کہ
مستقبل میں کن مصنوعات کی تجارت میں اضافہ ہوسکتاہے ۔جس سے چائنہ اورپاکستان کے
جغرافیائیتعلقات مذیدبہترہوں گے ۔چینی
جیسی جنس کی تجارت رزاق داوکے لئے پہلی ترجیح ہے
پاکستان اورچین کے مابین تجارت کے مواقع
کادوسراعنصر معدنیات اورقیمتی پتھربھی ہے ۔پاکستان چائنہ کے مابین اقتصادی راہداری
معاہدہ کے تحت ٹیرف کی شرح ۳۵ فیصدسے ہوکرصفرتک آگئی ہے۔اب چائنہ کی انجینئرز کی
توجہ ریکوڈیک سے دریافت ہوئے سونے اورچاندی کے ذخائرپرمرکوزہوچکی ہے۔
چائنہ نے اقتصادی راہداری کے تحت زرعی اورہارٹی
کلچرکی شعبہ میں تیارکردہ اشیاء کے ی درآمد کرنے میں دلچسپی کا اظہارکیا ہے
تجارتی رکاوٹیں اورفوائد
رزاق داودنے اس اس خیال کااظہارکیاہے کہ پاکستان
چین کے ساتھ تجارت بڑھانے کے لئے اپنی کوششیں جاری رکھےگا۔لیکن ان رکاوٹوں
کوعبورکرنے میں کچھ رکاوٹیں بھی حائل درپیش ہیں ۔.پاکستان ذیادہ ترایکسپورٹ یورپ اورامریکہ کوایکسپورٹ کرتاہے ہیں
لیکن چائنہ پاکستان کا سب سے بڑابرآمدی اشیاء کامرکزہے ۔پاکستان چائنہ کوذیادہ
ترخام مال برآمدکرتاہے۔پاکستان چائنہ کو تقریبا ۶۶ فیصد خام کاٹن اورکرومیم کی شکل
میں برآمد کرتاہے۔یہ تناسب اورشرح کافی
عرصے سے تبدیل بھی نہیں ہوئی ہے۔
پاکستان کودوسری اقوام کی بنسبت چائنہ کے ساتھ
تجارت کرنے میں نمایاں فوائد ٓحاصل ہیں ۔یہ پاکستانی پراڈکٹ کی ترقی کے لئے مواقع
فراہم کرتاہے۔
چائنہ
کے ساتھ ایف ٹی اے معاہدہ کے تحت پاکستان کو دوسرے ممالک پر فوقیت حاصل ہے کہ وہ
ذیادہ منافع والی مصنوعات جیسا کہ ٹیکسٹائل اورکھیلوں کے سامان کو ایکسپورٹ کرسکتاہے۔ لیکن نان ٹیرف مشکلات کی
وجہ سے وسیع مارکیٹ سے بھرپورفائدہ اٹھانے سے محروم ہے۔
چین میں پاکستانی مصنوعات کوبرآمدکرنے کے حوالے
سے وسیع مواقع موجودہیں لیکن پاکستانی
برآمد کنندگان نان ٹیرف مشکلات کی وجہ سےپیش قدمی نہ کرسکے۔ ورلڈٹریڈ
آرگنائزیشن(ڈبلیو ٹی او) نے اس حوالے سے حائل رکاوٹوں کی نشاندہی کی ہے جن میں بہت
ذیادہ وقت کاضیاع اورصرف ہونا ، اعلی لاگت اعلی لاگت نوکرشاہی کے کاطریقہ کار،تجارتی
عدلیہ ،شفافیت کی کمی، غیرمعیاری ٹینڈرکاہونا
مذیدبرآں دونوں ملکوں کے مابین رابطے
کافقدان ہے جیسامزید برآں پاکستان کے
دیگر تجارتی شراکت داروں کے ساتھ تعلق کے
برعکس دونوں ممالک کے درمیان رابطے کافقدان ہے موجود ہے ۔ یہ معاملات دونوں ممالک
کے تاجروں کے درمیان ہچکچاہٹ کاباعث بنتے ہیں ۔ جس کی وجہ سے وہ ایک دوسرے کی
توقعات کوسمجھ نہیں پاتے جس سے اعتمادکی کمی واقع ہوجاتی ہے ۔
جب ایک معاہدہ ختم ہوجاتاہے یا
پھرکوئی ناخوشگوارتجربہ رُونما واقع ہوجاتاہے توپارٹیکے لئے دوبارہ سے اعتماد کرنا مشکل ہوجا تاہے ۔
چائنہ تجارتی مواقع کے حوالے سے
بہت بڑی مارکیٹ ہے بعض اوقات یہ دیکھا گیا ہے کہ پاکستان کی جانب سے ناکافی رسد کی
فراہمی ایک مسلہ ہے۔
چائنہ کے ہاں درآمدی اشیاء کی بہت
ذیادہ طلب ہے اسکی وجہ وہاں لیبرمارکیٹ کی کمی ہے۔ پیداواری لاگت کی وجہ سے
بیرونی کاروباری حلیفوں سے مقابلہ کرنا
مشکل ہوجاتاہے۔دوسری طرف مارکیٹنگ کابھی مسلہ ہے۔پاکستان کوچاہئے کہ اقتصادی
راہداری پراجیکٹ میں تجارتی مواقعوں کی نشاندہی کی جائےاوراس میں تجارتی مواقع کو
اجاگر کرنے کی ضرورت ہے کیونکہ دونوں ممالک کے بہت سارے تاجر اس کے بارے میں کافی
حد تک نہیں جانتے ہیں
متعدد اطلاعات ہیں کہ پاکستانی تاجروں کو ان کی مصنوعات کے
حوالے گہری چھان بین سے تکلیف کا سامنا ہے
۔ جس کی وجہ سے بعض اوقات ان کی پراڈکٹ خراب ہوجاتی ہیں۔ یہ محض اس وجہ سے ہے کہ پاکستانی
چائنہ میں پاکستانی پراڈکٹ کی کوئی وقعت نہیں ہے۔
کچھ مثبت تجاویز
پاکستان کواس بات کی اشدضرورت ہے
کہ وہ اب خام مال ایکسپورٹ کرنے کی عادت ترک کردے اور عام سادہ پراڈکٹ کی بجائے ویلیوایڈڈ پراڈکٹ کی تیاری کرے ، اس سے لیبرمارکیٹ
کوبھی فائدہ ہوگا ۔ جس سے ملکی ترقی ہوگی اورمارکیٹ کا حجم بھی بڑھ سکتاہے ۔
پاکستان کومشورہ دیاجاتاہے کہ چائنہ
میں سفارت سے ہٹ کرایک کمرشل قونصلیٹ کی تشکیل کرے ۔ یہ چائننر کی مانگ اورپسند
ناپسند کوسمجھنے میں مددگار ثابت ہوگا ۔یہ سب کچھ اداروں کی جانب سے تحقیق
پرمشتمل ہوگا۔اورپاکستانی ہم منصبوں کے ساتھ چینی تاجروں کو مربوط کریں گے۔یہ بھی
تجویزکیاجاتاہے کہ ٹریڈاتھارٹی آف پاکستان (ٹی ڈیپ) پاکستانیمصنوعاتکی برانڈنگ کوبہترکرنے
اورپراڈکٹ کی مارکیٹنگ کوبہتربنانے کے لئے کچھ رقم مختص کرے ۔
امید کی جاتی ہے کہ حکومت پاکستان
تاجروں کو موثر خریداری اور تقسیم کار کے نیٹ ورک بنانے میں مدد کرے گی۔تاکہ
پاکستانی مصنوعات کے معیارکوچائنہ کے صارف کی پسندناپسند کی بناپربہترکیاجاسکے۔
اصل آرٹیکل
چائنہ اکانومسٹ نیٹ پرشائع ہوا بعدمیں ایکسپریس ٹرائی بیون میں۲۰ جولائی ۲۰۲۰ میں شائع ہوا۔مذید سیاق وسباق
کے لئے درج ذیل لنک کوکلک کریں !
Pakistan must have
same level of market access with UK after BREXIT which Pakistan is enjoying
with EU, this was stated by Sheikh Sultan Rehman Vice President of the
Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
He was speaking to a
webinar on “Impact of BREXIT on Trade and Economy of Pakistan” organised by
FPCCI Head Office Karachi, Regional Office Lahore and Capital Office Islamabad
via Zoom Video Conference.
Sheikh Sultan Rehman
stated that there was a historical referendum in UK in 2016 wherein the people
of UK voted against remaining in EU which created a wave of shock and caused
loss of US$ 2 trillion in a day.
He added that UK
plays a key role in economic and social development of Pakistan. At present,
the balance of trade between Pakistan and UK is in favor of Pakistan.
Pakistan’s exports to UK stood at US$ 1.7 billion and Pakistan is mainly
exporting textiles cotton fabrics, knitwear, readymade garments, bed wear and
rice to UK.
He stated that
currently the trade between Pakistan and UK is going on under EU GSP Plus
scheme which will end for UK from January 01, 2021. He also urged Pakistani
Government to sign Bilateral Investment Treaty with UK.
TDAP GSP Plus Advisor
Kamal Shahryar stated that the negotiation between Pakistan and UK is
continuing for getting the similar facility which Pakistan is enjoying under EU
GSP Plus. He stated that UK has not shared conditionality’s’ of new trade
agreement but in principle agreed for similar level of facilities. He added
that after BREXIT the border trade with EU will not take place for moving goods
in EU member countries. UK has started revision of its MFN tariff for all
countries which will also benefit Pakistan.
Zakaria Usman, Former
President FPCCI emphasized to finalize the agreement with UK as Pakistani
exporters have made huge investment in textile sector in accordance to EU GSP
plus requirements which should not be affected with BREXIT.
Asim Yousuf, Vice
President Pakistan UK Chamber of Commerce and Industry added that there are
huge opportunities for Pakistan’s export in agriculture, textile and food items
to UK. In this context, there is a need of early formulation of Pakistan’s
trade delegation to UK for getting new orders from UK. Moreover, Pakistani
community in UK also plays a crucial role in Pak-UK Trade and at present, 80%
of our trade with UK is conducted by Pakistani companies.
Sheikh Muhammad
Tariq, Chairman Pakistan UK Business Council of FPCCI informed about the
registration of his company for filing of custom declaration service from
January 2021. After completion of BREXIT transition period, additional more
than 250 million custom declarations will be filed and processed.
He also urged
Pakistan to comply with standards and SPS measures as UK is importing 1.2
million ton of meat. He also underlined the need of developing Pakistani
business center in UK as UK is establishing business hub wherein all the
countries are establishing their offices.
Shariq Vohra
underscored the need of research for enhancing exports to potentials market as
our Pakistan export is stagnant for 10 years.
Qaisra Sheikh
Coordination Women Enterpreneurs emphasized on the development of mechanism for
transformation of informal trade into formal trade as most of the women are
exporting to UK informally. She also suggested expanding the list of product
mix for enhancement of exports.
The participants also
stated that SBP should sign agreement with central bank of England for trading
in property of UK on collateral basis as like India has signed. This agreement
will also facilitate transfer of remittances from UK to Pakistan. Moreover UK
should also follow REX system after BREXIT which is convenient to Pakistani
exporters.
Saudi Arabia is building its first grain
terminal at the port of Yanbu.
The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) and the
Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) will develop the
313,000 square-metre terminal, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday (July
23).
“The Yanbu grain project aims to build the
first regional centre and logistic platform for importing, processing and
exporting grains in KSA,” said MAWANI chairperson and Saudi minister of
transport, Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser.
The terminal will have a capacity of 5
million tons annually.
SALIC is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign
wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. Details of the investment were not
disclosed.
SALIC chairperson Abdul Rahman bin Abdul
Mohsen Al Fadhli said the company relies on the geographical location of the
Kingdom and the port infrastructure for overall food distribution solutions in
the region by linking Saudi Arabia to global grain sources, especially
countries where SALIC is currently investing.
Yanbu Commercial Port lies on the Red Sea
coast, facing the northeastern and eastern coasts of Africa. It is considered
the nearest major Saudi port to Europe and North America.
SALIC’s priority investment destinations for
key grains are: rice - Pakistan and Australia; corn - Brazil, Argentina,
Uruguay, USA, and Romania; and for barley - Canada, Australia France, the Black
Sea region and the Balkans, it says on its website.
Saudi Arabia imported $2.81 billion in grains
in 2019, according to data from the United Nations’ ITC Trade Map. Most of
these were rice ($1.415 billion), maize or corn ($715,322), and barley
($541,762).
Its top trading partner for rice was India,
followed by Pakistan, USA, Thailand, and Australia. Its maize or corn mainly
came from Argentina, Brazil, USA, Paraguay, and Yemen, and it imported most of
its barley from Argentina, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Estonia, and
Romania.
Yanbu Commercial Port currently handles
imports that include general cargo, containers, bulk and bagged fertilisers,
bulk feed, and petroleum coal, according to its website. It houses two silos
for bulk material storage with a capacity of 20,000 tons per unit.
Saudi Arabia’s total 2019-20 grains imports
is estimated at 14.2 million tons,
up from 13.5 million tons the year before, according to the International
Grains Council. The IGC forecasts the same level of imports for 2020-21. Its
data point to 14.8 million tons in grain consumption in the Kingdom in 2019-20
and it sees this number rising to 15.2 million tons for 2020-21.
An
aerial view of mangroves reclaiming khazan lands because of breaching bunds.
Photo: Jason Taylor
The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is
Goa’s smallest protected area — it comprises barely two square kilometres of
lush mangrove forests. The sanctuary is located on Chorão, one of Goa’s
estuarine islands in the Mandovi river approximately five kilometres from
capital Panaji. This little gem of a mangrove park receives its fair share of
visitors, primarily birds.
But this ecosystem supports much
more. The sanctuary and its surrounds is home to marsh crocodiles,
smooth-coated otter, the unique glossy-marsh snake that feeds on crabs, mud
lobsters, sap-sucking sea slugs, among others.
A walk on its nature trail will
take one through an almost meditative patch of Indian mangroves (Avicennia
officinalis) characterised by their thick, white trunks. All one hears is
the clicking sounds of the pistol shrimp and the hum of the ferry boats that
bring passengers to Chorão, and whose raucous jetty is near the sanctuary’s
entrance.
It may come as a bit of surprise
to know that the sanctuary’s “primeval” forest until the 1970s was still
largely privately owned rice fields. The sanctuary represents a conservation
success in many ways, demonstrating that even degraded spaces (in ecological
terms), if given sufficient time, can restore themselves to their former glory.
In fact, the sanctuary, like most
other low-lying floodplains of Goa, was characterised by an estuarine
agricultural system called Khazan farming. This system is a carefully designed
topo-hydro-engineered agro-aquacultural ecosystem mainly based on the regulation
salinity and tides.
Centuries ago, people in this
region reclaimed low-lying brackish coastal floodplains and mangrove forests.
They constructed bunds using locally available material to prevent the ingress
of salt water, which killed the halophilic mangroves.
To control the flow of tidal
waters, they built openings in bunds fitted with sluice gates. These gates
acted as one way valves, allowing water from the main backwaters to enter the
specially dug channels (poiems) around the fields. These channels would
fill in with the oncoming tide and bring with them fish, crab and shrimp, and
the gates would automatically shut when the water level was equal on both
sides.
This prevented the water from
overflowing into the fields used to grow paddy and which has a low tolerance to
salt. When the tide receded, the sluice gates would open outwards
automatically, allowing the water from the poiems to drain
out. During this time, a bag net was set at the sluice gate to catch fish that
had entered in earlier.
Everything has a place in the
system — while well-managed khazan lands would not have mangroves growing
within them, they were allowed to continue to flourish along the outer banks of
the bund and the banks of the backwater or the estuary, because their
significance for artisanal fisheries as fish nurseries was well understood.
Every bit of space was precious
and used efficiently — the bunds were used to grow a variety of vegetables. The
Khazan system allowed for the farmer and the fisher to harmoniously coexist and
was the key to sustaining what is considered Goa’s staple — fish, curry and
rice.
Today, for various reasons, but
primarily due to post-independence agrarian reforms of 1961, these lands
largely lie fallow and are in a state of decay. Lack of cultivation and
maintenance of the bunds and sluice gates is leading to their breaching and the
natural reclamation of these fallow lands by mangroves.
While several regions around the
world have witnessed precipitous decline in their mangroves, their decline is
witnessing an increase in Goa, according to data published by the Forest Survey of India.
Moreover, mangroves are protected
by law and it is illegal to cut them. Areas that have these trees growing on
them also come under the purview of coastal regulation zone (CRZ); according to
the 2011 notification, the mangrove areas are classified as CRZ I and cannot
be developed upon.
Many of Goa’s communities look at
this as a threat to the future of food production. This has led to the illegal
and, often unnecessary, destruction of mangroves, with patched often being
cleared under the metaphorical cover of darkness.
In a bid to restore Goa’s
agriculture, the water resource department took up the job of repairing the
breached embankments. A far cry from the indigenous materials and methods
employed, the previous mud-laterite-straw bunds were replaced by concrete ones,
building them much higher and wider than they were earlier.
However, it is the failure to
understand that it is not new technology, rather well-organised communities
that keep this system thriving, has not resulted in any change in the status
quo. While these concrete bunds were successful in preventing salt ingress and
killing the mangroves, many fields that were intended to be restored continue
to remain inundated with dead and leafless mangrove stumps.
Lack of community land use and
bund maintenance has led to these concrete bunds being misused. Built to
withstand the test of time, they are now falling apart in many areas and the
mangroves are making inroads into the fields once again.
The fields, which once fed entire
communities, are languishing as salty waste lands. The concrete bunds lying in
a state of misuse have led to a whole range of other collateral impacts.
Many of them are broad enough for vehicles to drive on them, allowing anglers
and revellers access pristine spots they could not access earlier.
Many of these areas are now
littered with beers bottles and garbage that is usually a sad by-product of the
modern consumer. Another issue is that the fields have been lying fallow for
too long, and are being treated as waste lands.
Some recommendations include
converting Khazans to other forms of land use, bringing them under more
profitable intensive aquaculture that threatened these lands in the 80’s and
90’s, but was later brought under some
control.
Some Khazan areas are being filled with earth and concrete debris illegally in
a bid to prep them up for construction works.
With the ongoing novel
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Goa is witnessing a spate of
community-led farming initiatives. People who have never farmed before are
getting their hands and feet dirty and many fallow lands are being cultivated.
It would make sense acquainting
ourselves with this unique system developed and fine-tuned over the centuries
by our ancestors through continuous tinkering. We really have a whole wealth of
knowledge to fall back on. Building up from here rather than reinventing the
wheel would be the way to go
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Lowered demand
and coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions decrease Indonesia’s wheat and rice
imports, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the
US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Following the COVID-19 outbreak in
March, Indonesia implemented social distancing measures. It affected
restaurants, hotels and the foodservice sector across the country, slowing
overall consumption, including wheat flour.
The USDA estimates Indonesia’s
2019-20 marketing year wheat imports to fall to 10.6 million tonnes and wheat
for feed use to decrease to 1.8 million tonnes. Imports are expected to recover
in the 2020-21 marketing year.
A prolonged dry season delayed
Indonesia from planting rice but the dryness has led to less pest and disease
issues boosting production. Rice production for the country is projected to
jump to 34 million tonnes in the 2019-20 marketing year while imports lowered
due to increased domestic corn production.
Indonesian corn yields are
rebounding after recovering from the Fall Army Worm. The USDA forecasts 2019-20
marketing year corn production to increase to 12 million tonnes. The country’s
corn production has almost doubled since 2010 as feed mills raise demand and
better pest and disease management has improved yields.
CHINA’S
H1 GRAIN IMPORTS SPIKE, ON PATH TO USE UP ANNUAL QUOTAS
7/24/2020
By Hallie Gu and Tony Munroe
BEIJING, July 24 (Reuters) - China has accelerated grains buying
from abroad in the first half of 2020 and may fully use up its annual quotas
for corn and wheat imports for the first time ever, traders and analysts said
this week. China, the world’s top agricultural market, imported 3.66 million
tonnes of corn from January to June, 51% of its annual quota for the grain set
at 7.2 million tonnes, according to customs data released on Thursday. Wheat imports
came at 3.35 million tonnes, 35% of its yearly quota at 9.64 million tonnes,
the data showed.
Last year, China only used 67% of its annual quota for corn and
one-third of its yearly wheat quota.
The import surge has increased expectations that China will fully
use up its corn and wheat quotas for the year for the first time, said a source
with knowledge of China’s agricultural buying.
“The market is expecting China to import close to 10 million
tonnes of corn this calendar year,” said the source, who declined to be named
because of the sensitivity of the matter. “Mainly to fulfil the phase 1 trade
deal with U.S.”
China has stepped up purchases of U.S. farm goods in recent weeks,
including booking record volumes of corn, for delivery in both the 2019/20 and
2020/21 crop year.
The move also follows gains in Chinese corn prices because of
tightening domestic supplies and falling stockpiles.
“Not all of that (U.S. corn) necessarily will get shipped in 2020,
but given the volumes, it seems like China can fill the tariff quota for corn,”
said Darin Friedrichs, senior analyst at StoneX.
Importers have also been actively buying wheat from U.S. and
Australia lately, said two Chinese grain traders.
“Chances are high that China will be close to using up all the
annual TRQs for wheat this year,” said one of the traders, based at a
state-owned firm.
China allows a certain volume of imports of rice, corn, and wheat
through a tariff rate quota (TRQ) system, under which importers can buy
specified volumes with duties as low as 1%, compared with 65% without the
quotas.
(Reporting by Hallie Gu and Tony Munroe. Editing by Shivani Singh
and Christian Schmollinger.)
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A
foreign, invasive species of snail has infested a handful of fields in
southwestern Louisiana, forcing some farmers to reseed entire rice crops and
scale back crawfish production.
The Apple Snail eats at young
rice plants and thrives in moist environments. Farmers say the snails are
clogging their crawfish traps, forcing workers to sort through their catches so
snails are not sold with the mudbugs.
“They’ve cost us quite a bit of
money and a lot of extra effort over time,” Kaplan farmer Christian Richard
said. “Our guys do a good job. It just takes them twice as long to run traps.
So if a guy is half is productive, that definitely affects the bottom line as
well.”
In just two days, Snails
decimated a 100-acre crop of rice on Richard’s farm. He had to start the crop
over, reseeding at roughly $150 per acre.
“There’s not much of a way to
combat them that doesn’t adversely affect the crop that we’re growing,” Richard
said. “They seem to love water and if you’re growing rice and you’re growing
crawfish - these fields are flooded.”
The Louisiana Department of
Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) says the apple snail first appeared in a bayou
in Gretna in 2006 and quickly infested ponds, bayous, and streams in about 30
parishes across the state. The LSU AgCenter says the snail has impacted
crawfish farms in Vermilion, Acadia, and Jefferson Davis parishes.
“People would buy these snails
for their fish tanks and once they got too big, they would dump them in a local
body of water where they’d become established and spread,” LSU AgCenter pest
researcher Blake Wilson said.
Wilson said 2016 floodwaters
probably carried the snails to farms from the infested Vermillion River.
A single female apple snail can
produce up to 10,000 offspring each year. They lay their eggs in bright pink
clusters on the stalks of the rice plants they eat.
“The eggs are laid at night so
you can knock them all off and come back in the morning and there will be more
eggs to replace,” Wilson said.
The eggs contain a neurotoxin
that irritates the eyes and skin. The snails host the Rat Lungworm parasite
that can inflame the tissue around the human brain if consumed.
Farmers can take precautionary
measures to prevent infestation by using a dry seeding method. Experts are also
checking irrigation systems that farmers often share to ensure the mollusks are
not sprayed into new fields during watering.
Once the snails infest a farm,
they’re almost impossible to get rid of. Pesticides that kill the snails would
also kill the crawfish.
“From what I can see, where
they’ve already become established, it’s not going to be a problem that can be
eliminated,” Wilson said. “These farmers are going to have to learn to live
with it. But we want to limit the number of farms and acres in the state that
are impacted.”
LDAF says back in March, the
snails reportedly wiped out a 50-acre field of rice, marking the first reported
case of the species damaging the crop in Louisiana.
“It is imperative that each of us
works diligently to protect Louisiana from these pests. Pests often find their
way into the ecosystem by people releasing aquatic animals and ornamental
plants in areas they should not,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, DVM. “I
urge everyone to be mindful of the damage that can be done when non-native
pests and plants are introduced into the environment. Take the giant salvinia,
for example. It is an exotic fern from South America that is fast-growing and
has wreaked havoc on lakes and ponds by destroying native plants that provide
food for animals and also clogs the waterways.”
For more information about
invasive species, click here, or call 225-952-8100.
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) said
it breached its annual P10-billion rice tariff collection target seven months
into the year despite weak imports.
In a statement Friday, the BoC
reported rice tariff collections of P10.728 billion between January and July
17, exceeding its annual goal for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF), which supports governmen efforts to make rice farmers more competitive.
The total exceeds the P9.936
billion collected a year earlier. It noted that the collections were
accompanied by lower rice import volumes, which fell 24.6% year-on-year to
1,651.267 metric tons (MT).
“The BoC consistently conducts
close monitoring of the declared value on rice importations in view of its
strict adherence to global published prices for rice which serve as a guide
when the veracity of the declared values is under dispute,” it said in the
statement.
In 2019, the BoC collected P12.3
billion from 2.03 million MT of rice imports.
Signed into law in February 2019,
Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or the Rice Import Tariffication Law allowed
unrestricted imports by private parties, who need to pay 35% tariffs on Southast
Asian grain. The tariffs fund the RCEF budget of P10 billion a year.
The BoC has an overall collection
target of P541.7billion this year, reduced from the P730-billion set earlier
due to the weak outlook for the economy. — Beatrice M. Laforga
Rice is a staple in the diets of
fitness-minded (and non-fitness-minded) individuals all over the world. Why?
It’s budget-friendly, versatile, and an amazing source of carbohydrates.
Whether you’re about to nail an intense workout and need enough energy to
sustain your efforts or if you just need an easy nutrition source that’s even
easier to prepare, you can’t go wrong with rice.
It can be prepared a million
different ways and different countries have historically added their own twist
on how they make it. Well today, we’re going to discuss black rice vs. brown
rice, which
are two popular variations of this cereal grain.
You’ll
be surprised to know that each one provides health benefits but not entirely in
the same way.
Here’s
some information we think you’d find useful when considering which rice to
include in your diet…
Think tank emphasises on State’s role in post-production
processing and marketing intervention in the farm sector.
Development Research Institute
(DRI), the research wing of the Odisha Gabeshana Chakra, a think tank, has
urged the State government to work on employment creation in villages to check
distress migration.
In its study, ‘Rights of migrant
workers in pandemic context and building a post-COVID economy in Odisha’, the
DRI said the problem with out-migration from Odisha is that much of it is
distress-induced. Public policy should work towards reducing the vulnerability
of migrants who migrate under duress. The best guarantee against such distress
migration is employment creation at the origin, it said.
It emphasized on the State’s role
in post-production processing and marketing intervention in the farm sector.
“Farmers typically face
difficulties in getting remunerative prices for their products. The paddy
procurement process should be expanded. Cotton should also be procured and
processed by the State agencies. For vegetables, a localised value chain
approach linking farmers to markets should be designed and implemented,” it
recommended.
Advocating inclusion of tenant
farmers in the State-supported programmes, the think-tank said a flexible
approach towards the identification of such farmers, such as
self-certification, rather than a written contract or consent from the
landowner should be followed to include tenant farmers.
The DRI warned that land
alienation is likely to increase during the pandemic because of loss of income,
rise in the catastrophic health expenditure, deaths and lack of employment.
“Specific measures to
redistribute land and safeguard the rights of vulnerable groups, such as
Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and women, over land and forests will help
reduce the livelihood shock induced by the pandemic,” it said.
Emphasising on the need to
organise migrant workers and other vulnerable workers to strengthen their
workplace and citizenship rights, the DRI said there should be coordination
between trade unions, peasants organisations, and civil society organisations.
The pandemic should not be used as an opportunity to dilute labour rights and
democratic rights of the citizens, it said.
As part of immediate measures
suggested by the DRI, a universal public distribution system with a minimum of
10 kg wheat or rice per person per month and other essential food items, such
as pulses, oil, soaps and sugar should be provided to avoid food insecurity.
Before addressing the issues of
migrant labourers, the State should focus on collecting, processing and
analysing disaggregated information on migrant workers, the DRI said.
The government should considering
setting up a special centre for migration research to develop an adequate
policy response to the problems faced by migrant workers. Universities should
also be encouraged and funded, researchers said.
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) said
it breached its annual P10-billion rice tariff collection target seven months
into the year despite weak imports.
In a statement Friday, the BoC
reported rice tariff collections of P10.728 billion between January and July 17,
exceeding its annual goal for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF),
which supports governmen efforts to make rice farmers more competitive.
The total exceeds the P9.936
billion collected a year earlier. It noted that the collections were accompanied
by lower rice import volumes, which fell 24.6% year-on-year to 1,651.267 metric
tons (MT).
“The BoC consistently conducts
close monitoring of the declared value on rice importations in view of its
strict adherence to global published prices for rice which serve as a guide
when the veracity of the declared values is under dispute,” it said in the
statement.
In 2019, the BoC collected P12.3
billion from 2.03 million MT of rice imports.
Signed into law in February 2019,
Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or the Rice Import Tariffication Law allowed
unrestricted imports by private parties, who need to pay 35% tariffs on
Southast Asian grain. The tariffs fund the RCEF budget of P10 billion a year.
The BoC has an overall collection
target of P541.7billion this year, reduced from the P730-billion set earlier
due to the weak outlook for the economy. — Beatrice M. Laforga
Rs 38-cr paddy missing from millsPosted:Jul 25, 2020 06:52 AM (IST)
State agencies procure more paddy
than what is produced by farmers.
Bhartesh
Singh Thakur Tribune
News Service
Chandigarh, July 24
The
physical verification of rice mills in Haryana has detected a shortfall of
18,883.90 MT paddy worth around Rs 38 crore, drawing attention once again to
ghost purchase in the state.
As
many as 208 rice mills in the state delivered less than 90 per cent custom
milled rice (CMR). This week, physical verification was completed in these
mills, and 98 mills were found to have paddy shortfall.
Ghost purchase
·State agencies procure more paddy
than what is produced by farmers
·It is purchased only on paper in
connivance with millers, arhtiyas and govt agencies.
·Millers cover shortfall of custom
milled rice by taking PDS rice from other states
In
Kurukshetra, 11,960 MT paddy was found short in 39 mills, while the shortfall
was 4,046 MT in 47 Karnal mills and 2,863 MT in seven Kaithal mills. In three
mills of Ambala, 8.65 MT paddy was found short, while it was 6.25 MT in two
mills of Yamunanagar.
Earlier,
close to 42,589 MT was found short during physical verification in
December-January and a penalty of Rs 80-85 crore was collected from rice
millers.
Rice millers need not visit any
office for online registration: Ashu
Online
registration has been facilitated on anaajkharid.in to avert the possibility of
spread of covid 19, says Punjab minister
CITIESUpdated: Jul 24, 2020 20:32 IST
HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
Chandigarh Punjab food and civil
supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Friday appealed all rice millers of
the state not to visit any district and field office for any work related with
registration.
He added elaborate arrangement had
been made for online registration of rice mills on https://anaajkharid.in to
avert the possibility of spread of covid 19 and to bring about transparency. He
added no office was to be visited for works regarding Registration of New Rice
Mills; Capacity Enhancement of existing Rice Mills; De novo Registration in
case of change of Partnership/Constitution of Rice Mills; Registration of
Lessee Rice Mills; Submission of CMR Security; Submission of Levy Security;
Application to issue Release Order and Online deposit of Non-refundable RO fee,
and others.
Middlemen
earn crores by diverting PDS rice PV Satyanarayana Hans News Service |
24
July 2020 11:00 PM IST x PDS rice seized by Task Force police in Khammam (File
Photo) HIGHLIGHTS Public Distribution System (PDS) rice, meant to be
distributed to the people living below poverty line, is taking sidetrack and
earning crores of rupees for middlemen Khammam: Public Distribution System (PDS)
rice, meant to be distributed to the people living below poverty line, is
taking sidetrack and earning crores of rupees for middlemen. Thanks to the
officials, who supposed to prevent the illegal transportation of PDS rice, are
turning a blind eye to these illegal activities. It is learnt that middlemen
are transporting the PDS rice to rice millers and to some beer manufacturing
units and earning huge profits. A middleman, who don't want to disclose his
name, said that they purchase rice from ration shop dealers and beneficiaries
for Rs 5 per kg and sell the same for Rs 14 to Rs 15 per kg. The middlemen have
been transporting the rice to Andhra Pradesh through vehicles and some rice is
being shifted to port in Kakinada of Andhra Pradesh. Illegal transportation of
PDS rice to other States became a big business and more middle people are
entering into this trade, which is giving huge profits. Of late, illegal rice
transportation was slowed down due to police checking, but earlier it was a
very profitable business. It was said that middlemen will visit colonies and
small hamlets and collect rice from poor people by paying Rs 3 to Rs 5 per kg
and shift the rice to a stock point. Later, this rice will be transported to
another State in bulk quantities. The illegal business is rampant during ration
distribution period. A Raju, resident of Khammam, said that PDS rice is not
edible, which is thick, hence they will sell it to middlemen, who come to their
doorsteps to purchase. "We will buy fine rice in the market to consume,"
he added. It's learnt most of the people, who are getting PDS rice, are not
eating it and prefer to sell it to either ration shop dealers or middlemen. The
State government had introduced a biometric system to control bogus cards but
ration shop dealers are taking fingerprints of the beneficiaries by paying Rs 3
to Rs 5 per kg and selling it to middlemen for Rs 7 to Rs 10 per kg. Police
task force registered as many as 37 cases and seized PDS rice worth Rs 42 lakh
in recent days. Task Force Assistant Commissioner of Police Ganta Venkata Rao
said, "We are keeping an eye on middlemen and nabbing them while shifting
the rice". We will increase vigil on illegal rice transportation and nab
the culprits, he added.
Kano — The Kano chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of
Nigeria (RIFAN) on Thursday commenced the sale of paddy rice funded under the
federal government's agricultural intervention Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP)
at a price lower to Kano rice millers.
Speaking during the sale, the RIFAN Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar
Haruna Aliyu, disclosed that the association had, under its recovery processes
of the anchor borrower programme in the state recovered over 60, 000 bags of
paddy adding that, the association has since commenced sales of the paddy to
rice mills across the state.
"Today we are witnessing sales of the recovered paddy to
small and medium scale rice mills in the state. The good news here is that,
this is coming at a point when the federal government under the CBN has issued
guidelines on non-interest loans to SMEs and this will enable the rice mills to
strengthen their capacity as we are selling the paddy below the open market
price," said the chairman.
According to him, the process will be an ongoing proceeding as
the association keeps making recovery.
He charged beneficiaries of the ABP in the state that have not
started making repayment to do so with immediate effect as the association has
begun prosecuting defaulters.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has told Parliament on Thursday July 23 that the
government will expand procurement from local producers for its goods and
services.
Presenting the mid year budget statement to the House, he said : “Government
will inject liquidity into the system to ease cash flow difficulties of
businesses and protect workers by honouring obligations to contractors and
suppliers in a timely manner.
“Building on recent good experience of sourcing from the pharmaceuticals and
textile & garment sectors, Government will expand procurement from local
producers for its goods and services.”
Government will intensify support for farmers through the Planting for Food and
Jobs and Rearing for Food and Jobs programmes,
He further stated that : “We will aggressively facilitate access to financing
for rice millers to enable them to purchase paddy from rice farmers.
“In addition, we will provide financial support to the National Buffer Stock
Company and Ghana Commodity Exchange to enable them store and trade stocks as
needed to smoothen out supplies on the market.”
Several factors such as
improvements in the agricultural sector, seed production, trade, and
international agreements, along with the developments in seed technology that
have increased the momentum of the industry’s growth.
New York, July 23, 2020 (GLOBE
NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "South
and South-East Asia Seed Market - Growth, Forecasts and Trends (2020 -
2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05934744/?utm_source=GNW
Six countries, namely India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and
Bangladesh are considered as the seed hubs, based on the concentration of
production, breeding and processing activities by index companies in these
countries, among the Southeast Asian region. The Non-GM/Hybrid Seeds? segment
has been witnessed to dominate the market owing to the increased demand for
food over the past years. To meet this growing demand, the enhancement of crop
yield has become a necessity.
The major players in the market are Bayer Crop Science SE, Syngenta
International AG, Corteva AgriScience, BASF SE, and Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd among
others.
Key Market Trends
Increasing Adoption of Hybrid Seed and Government Support
The willingness and interest to grow hybrid crops are, to a large extent,
governed by government legislation and policy in many of the countries studied.
Pakistan is both a producer and importer of hybrid crops and products. The
Pakistani seed sector is dependent on two key regulations, the Seed Amendment
Act 2015 and the Plant Breeders Rights Act 2018. In 2016, the Pakistan National
Assembly adopted a Plant Breeders’ Rights Act to encourage the development of
new plant varieties and to protect the rights of breeders of such varieties.
The Act provides protection for new plant varieties while at the same time
respecting the right of farmers to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved
seeds. This ensures farmers get access to high-quality hybrid seeds alongside
being able to use ingeniously produced ones. The rising import of hybrid seeds
is a direct impact of these measures. The National Assembly Standing Committee
on National Food Security and Research banned the import of genetically modified
(GM) seeds of maize, owing to health and environmental issues, in 2019. This
may act as a driver for the use of hybrid seeds as an alternative to these GM
seeds for keeping the yield constant.
The Non-GM/Hybrid Seeds? Segment Dominate the Market
In the South and Southeast Asian region, the demand for food has increased
exponentially over the past years. For the purpose of meeting this demand,
enhancement of crop yield has become a necessity by maintaining the safety
standards by governments. The Philippines is home to the International Rice
Research Institute and is one the most prolific users of hybrid rice seed in
the region to meet rising demands. Green Revolution in India has promoted the
use of hybrid seeds in India. The fast-growing population in the country has
increased the demand for domestically produced hybrid seeds compatible with the
climate conditions.
Hybrid rice seeds imported to Pakistan are expensive than that produced
locally. The limited landholdings of farmers reduce their ability to purchase
these hybrid seeds. The Agricultural Innovation Program launched by the
government is expected to increase the adoption of hybrid maize seeds by
farmers. This is expected to further increase the domestic hybrid seed
production in the country. The use of hybrid seeds has been increasing over the
years in the south and southeast Asian region with the increasing global demand
for organic products and the need for enhanced crop yield in the region. This
continued trend is expected to increase the market for hybrid-non-GMO seeds in
the region.
Competitive Landscape
South and South-East Asia seed market is fragmented, because of the presence of
a large number of local players marketing certified seeds. However, there are
segments within the market, which are consolidated such as in maize and
vegetables. The major players in the market are Bayer Crop Science SE, Syngenta
International AG, Corteva AgriScience, BASF SE, and Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd among
others.
Furthermore, increasing investments in the seed market by prominent companies,
are further intensifying the growth of the seed market. For instance, in 2016,
Sakata Seed Corporation, a Japan-based company, invested USD 138 million in
India, to expand its business operations, which helped in escalating the market
share in India.
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ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy
Jauhar Saleem on Thursday said that the Italian government has decided to
temporarily regularise undocumented Pakistani migrants working as agricultural
and domestic helpers in the country.
The ambassador of Pakistan to Italy talking to Pakistani and
Italian media said that the Italian government has decided to temporarily
regularize all undocumented migrants working in Italy’s agricultural sector or
as domestic helpers. The workers will also be allowed for health coverage.
Pakistani undocumented workers residing in Italy are set to be
among the main beneficiaries of the scheme.
The ambassador said that the Pakistani embassy in Italy is
facilitating Pakistani workers to complete their required documentation so that
they can benefit from the scheme. He added that the embassy has stayed
functional even during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The ambassador further said that Pakistan has registered a
visible growth in the Italian market during FY20 despite Covid-19 propelled
lockdowns disrupting the global supply chain.
Italy is currently the eighth largest economy in the world and
the third-largest economy in the European Union (EU) with a Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) of $2 trillion. The country is home to the largest Pakistani
diaspora in the EU and is Pakistan’s ninth-largest export destination.
He said that Italy’s economy has been badly affected by the
Covid-19 pandemic. The IMF has projected a 9 to 11 per cent contraction in the
Italian economy whereas the Italian Central Bank has projected a 9 to 13 per
cent decline in Italy’s GDP this year, he added.
The ambassador stated that in FY19 Pakistan had a trade deficit
of $164 million with Italy. However, during FY20, despite Covid-19 Pakistan
reported a trade surplus with Italy of $210 million. For FY20, Pakistan’s
exports to Italy stood at $731 million while imports from Italy stood at $521
million.
Pakistan’s major exports to Italy include textile, leather, rice
and ethanol. Pakistan currently holds a 38 per cent share in the Italian rice
market. The ambassador further stressed on the need to promote Pakistani
products in the Italian market.
The ambassador further mentioned that Italy’s investment in
Pakistan increased to $56.4 million in FY20, compared to $51.9 million in the
previous year. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Italy was primarily aimed
at the energy, pharmaceutical, chemical and Information Technology sectors. He
further informed that Italy plans to invest in Pakistan’s renewable energy
sector.
Jauhar Saleem said that Italy is the largest contributor of home
remittances to Pakistan from the EU. Remittances from Italy registered a 29 per
cent growth in 2019-20. In total Pakistani workers contributed $142.9 million
in home remittances during FY20.
Despite the Covid-19-fuelled lockdown and
supply chain disruption, Pakistan has fared quite well by registering a visible
growth in the Italian market in FY20, said Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy
Jauhar Saleem.
Speaking to the Pakistani and Italian media,
Saleem said Italy was the eighth largest economy of the world with gross
domestic product (GDP) of $2 trillion. It is the third largest economy in the
European Union (EU) after Germany and France and the ninth top export
destination for Pakistan as it hosts the largest Pakistani diaspora in the EU.
Italy is facing tough times due to the
widespread impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its economy and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a 9-11% contraction in the
Italian economy whereas the Italian central bank is anticipating a decline of
9-13% in its GDP this year.
The ambassador pointed out that in FY19
Pakistan had a trade deficit of $164 million with Italy. However, in fiscal
year 2019-20, despite the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown in the country,
Pakistan managed to record a trade surplus of $210 million.
“So, the balance of trade is in Pakistan’s
favour now. In FY20, Pakistan’s exports to Italy were $731 million and imports
stood at $521 million.”
Pakistan mainly exported textile, leather,
rice and ethanol to Italy. “Pakistan is a market leader in rice and it holds
38% share in the Italian market as the country exports rice worth $62 million,”
the envoy added.
Thailand has a share of 12% with $19 million
worth of export to the Italian market whereas India ranks at number three with
a 10% share and $17 million worth of exports. Saleem also shared the strategy
to promote Pakistani goods in the Italian market.
Talking about Italian investment in Pakistan
during 2020, the ambassador said it had increased by 45% compared to the previous
year. The investment jumped to $56.4 million in FY20.
Foreign direct investment from Italy was
mostly concentrated in energy, pharma, chemical and IT sectors. A major
investment went to the energy sector.
“Italy has planned to invest in renewable energy
in Pakistan. Pakistan’s embassy in Rome is facilitating these new investment
projects.”
The ambassador said Italy had become the
largest contributor from the EU to home remittances to Pakistan. In FY20, the
remittances grew 29%, which was far higher than the growth in overall
remittances.
The envoy revealed that the embassy had
undertaken a number of initiatives so that Pakistani labour force could stay in
Italy even during the lockdown instead of returning back to their home country.
“This strategy has delivered and with the
improving market conditions, Pakistanis are back to work and worker remittances
have registered 77% growth in June 2020.”
Responding to a question, Saleem said the
Italian government had decided to temporarily regularise the migrants working
in the agriculture sector and as domestic helpers to fill the gap in key jobs,
and allow health coverage to the workers.
Pakistan’s undocumented workers are among the
main beneficiaries of this scheme.
The ambassador stressed that Pakistan was enhancing
areas of cooperation with Italy. Currently, Italy is providing technical
assistance in textile, leather and marble sectors. Pakistan is working to
expand it to dairy and livestock, olives and olive products, plastics,
processed food and construction sector.
India Needs To Attract More
Investments If Economy Further Needs Sustainable Reforms And Inclusive Growth:
IMF
International
Monetary Fund has said that though India is improving in business rankings,
further economic reforms are necessary to attract investments.
New
Delhi: As India gears up to reopen its economy completely, the International
Monetary Fund’s Chief Spokesperson Gerry Rice said that India requires further
economic reforms for sustainable and inclusive growth. His comments come at a
time when companies such as Facebook and Google have pledged USD 20 billion FDI
in India.
“Concerted efforts have been made in recent years, in India, to strengthen the
business climate and encourage investment in trade, and these have helped to
attract investment and improve the current account financing mix and also help
to contain external vulnerabilities,” said Rice in a report by PTI.
According to him reforms such as the National Goods and Services Tax have
helped improve India’s ranking for ease of business. But he feels that there
are several more areas which require further work to attract investments.
.“Relevant reforms have included the new bankruptcy code, the National Goods
and Services Tax. These have helped to gain in India’s doing business ranking,
moving up rapidly in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index, up to 63 in
2020, from 100 in 2018, significant progress there, indeed,” said Rice.
He added, “And, nonetheless, further economic reforms, including labour,
product mixed land, and others, and additional infrastructure investment are
necessary, in our view, to attract even more investment, and to ensure
sustainable and more inclusive growth in India,” he said in response to the
question.
The pandemic has severely impacted the global economy. Many countries including
India were under months or lockdown which has hampered economic growth.
Countries are trying to revive their economy by gradually opening up markets.
The IMF had recently projected India’s growth rate at -4 in an update
to the World Economic Outlook.
"Our projection for fiscal year ’20-2021 was revised down, as was the case
for most countries driven by the impact of the pandemic. Further outbreaks
could require additional lockdowns, and concerns about the virus could also
dampen consumer confidence and delay the economic recovery. Again, this is the
case not just in India, but in many countries," said Rice in the report.
A research team from Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), in Niger state, has
commenced a study into improved production and processing technologies on
profitability and productivity of smallholder paddy farmers and rice
processors.
The exercise will be carried out in
some selected states in the north-central geo-political zone, as part of
efforts to boost food security in the country.
Making a presentation at a one-day
workshop organised by the Centre for Applied Sciences and Technology Research
(CASTER) of the university, winner of the national research fund grant,
Professor Alimi Foloronso Lawal, disclosed that the research was in line with
the federal government’s policy on increased food production to fight hunger
and poverty in the country.
Lawal, who is the Principal
Investigator on the study, further explained that Nigeria is endowed with rich
ecological resources that when fully utilised could make herself sufficient and
feed other nations.
According to the don who is also
the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, the study was aimed at improving rice value
chain in Nigeria, that would in turn increase the income of farmers, ensure
food sufficiency and reduce poverty.
The research project leader,
further pointed out that the study would cover Niger and Nasarawa states, and
would be expected to be completed by the next three months.
Lawal thanked the university
management for according the research team unwavering support and cooperation.
In his remarks, the vice
chancellor, Adamu, stated that if there is any study worth undergoing at this
critical period of ravaging hunger and poverty caused by COVID-19, it should be
the one being embarked on by Lawal-led team.
He assured the research team of
management’s full support for the success of the project, urging them to work
assiduously towards ensuring that results of the study would greatly improve
the quality of rice production and processing in Nigeria.
Adamu, expressed delight with the
spirit of teamwork demonstrated by the scientists on the study, and charged
them to maintain the tempo.
Earlier, Director of CASTER,
Professor Nuhu George Obaje, reiterated the determination of the centre to
stimulate viable research projects that would be beneficial to the state and
the country at large.
He pointed out that concerted
efforts were on top gear to facilitate other research initiatives that would
make IBBUL rub shoulders with high-ranking universities on the globe.
The director, adjudged the research
project on improved rice production and technology process initiated by Lawal
as timely.
He equally lauded the determination
demonstrated by the members of team on the study.
The
main constituent of natural gas - methane - is one of the most harmful
greenhouse gases. By trapping heat, this short-lived pollutant significantly
contributes to the global climate crisis. Scientists have discovered the first
active seepage of methane into the atmosphere from the ocean floor and it is a
matter of grave concern.
Map
of Antarctica that shows the Ross sea. image credit: Wikipedia
Methane
can leak into the atmosphere from various natural and man-made
sources like
fossil fuels, wetlands, gas hydrates under the sea bed and rice paddy fields. A
large amount of the gas remains stored under the oceans and Antarctica is
estimated to contain nearly a quarter of the total marine methane.
Researchers
have found the active methane leak seeping from the floor of Ross Sea in
Antarctica.
Although there exist certain microbes which can consume the gas before it reaches
the atmosphere, only a small number had arrived at the spot, especially after
five years.
The
seepage of the methane was first discovered in 2011 by a team of divers but
studies on the site began only in 2016. The seepage of the methane, as
well as the cause of it, is a mystery
Dr
Andrew Thurber, an oceanographer at Oregon State University, US, led the study
and spoke to The Guardian on the discovery. He said “It
is not good news. It took more than five years for the microbes to begin to
show up and even then there was still methane rapidly escaping from the
seafloor.”
“The
methane cycle is absolutely something that we as a society need to be concerned
about,” he added. “I find it incredibly concerning.”
The
release of methane from frozen underwater pockets can mean that the impact of
global heating has become “unstoppable”. There is a chance that the gas had
started leaking due to the ocean getting heated. But the mystery lies in the
fact that the Ross Sea is yet to “warm significantly”.
ARLINGTON, VA -- In recent years, the medical and
scientific communities have come to recognize that farming is one of the most
high-stress vocations in the country, with suicide rates alarmingly higher than
most other industries. A new online course called "Rural Resilience:
Farm Stress Training" is combating this serious problem in the agriculture
community by teaching participants stress management, suicide awareness, and
how to communicate with farmers suffering from stress.
It is completely free, self-paced, and
accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, even on a busy
schedule.
The course is sponsored by Farm Credit, the
American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension System, and features content
created by Extension professionals at Michigan State University, the University
of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, Montana State University, and South
Dakota State University. "Rural Resilience: Farm Stress
Training" teaches participants to recognize the signs and symptoms of
stress and suicide as well as ways to support and effectively communicate with
farmers and farm workers who may be under stress. The course also seeks
to reduce the stigma related to mental health issues, bringing together the
specific needs and concerns of the agriculture world with evidence-based
approaches in behavioral health. The goal of the course is to give farmers, their
families, and their communities the mental health tools and resources they need
during stressful times. Affordable and accessible online courses like
this are especially important in rural areas, where many residents lack ready
access to hospitals, much less mental health services. "The health and well-being of our rice
farmers is a top priority of USA Rice, and it's encouraging to see so many new
resources becoming available to those who do the hard work of feeding our
country and the world every day," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy
Ward. In March of 2019, USA Rice joined a coalition of
dozens of agriculture organizations in signing a letter calling for Congress to
fully fund the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) included in the
2018 Farm Bill. At the 2019 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock,
Arkansas, Dr. Shimi Kang, an award-winning Harvard-trained physician,
researcher, and author, gave the keynote speech on the public health crisis of
stress and stress-related illness. "Rural Resilience: Farm Stress Training" is available for free through DL2 Open Courses, and
takes approximately two hours and 45 minutes to complete.
Farm
laborers planting rice in paddies in rural Tamil Nadu. Image credit:
CherylRamalho/Shutterstock.com
China, India, and Indonesia are
the top three rice producing countries in the world.
In 2018 and 2019, China
produced over 148 million metric tons of milled rice.
During the years 2015-2016, the
total rice production of India exceeded 104 million tons. West Bengal is
the largest rice producing state in India.
Rice is grown in all provinces
in Thailand. In 2016, the Chaopraya basin produced approximately 3.78
million tonnes of rice.
Rice is the seed of two grass
species: Oryza sativa (Asian rice) and Oryza
glaberrima (African rice). Although there are two species, there are
over 40,000 varieties found across the world. Long grain, Basmati, wild, and
jasmine are just some of the popular types of rice. 95% of the world’s rice is eaten
by humans and over half of the world’s population is dependent on rice as a
staple food. Rice is cooked by boiling and can be eaten on its own, but it is
typically eaten alongside main dishes. The countries that consume the most rice are China, India, Indonesia,
and Bangladesh. To find out the countries that are the largest producers of
rice, read on below:
6. Thailand
Rice
is grown in all provinces in Thailand. In 2016, the Chaopraya basin produced
approximately 3.78 million tonnes of rice. Thailand is famous for growing
jasmine rice, which is popular across the world for its stickiness and its
popcorn aroma. The country exports around 100,000 tons of its rice to Japan who
use it to make crackers and wine. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand expects to
export between 7-8 million tonnes of rice in 2020. The production of rice
contributed to around 15% of Thailand’s agricultural GDP.
5. Vietnam
Green Terraced Rice Field in Sapa, Vietnam.
Image credit: Gnomeandi/Shutterstock.com
Vietnam
is one of the largest rice producers in the world. The crop is grown in the
rich deltas of the Mekong and Red River in the north
and south of the country. 80% of the people who live in the provinces around
the Mekong Delta are involved in rice cultivation. Around 82% of Vietnam’s
arable land is used to cultivate rice, and in 2010, Vietnam produced 38.7
million metric tons of rice and exported 6.6 million metric tons to the Philippines, China and some countries in
Africa.
4. Bangladesh
Bangladesh's
milled rice production from 2019 to 2020 was estimated at 35.2 million tonnes.
The grain is the staple food for approximately 135 million people across the
country and the rice sector contributes to half of the country's agricultural
GDP and one-sixth of Bangladesh's national income. Bangladesh exports its rice
to countries all around the world; in 2017, Sri Lanka purchased 50,000 tonnes.
The regions of Aman, Boro and Aus is where the majority of Bangladesh's rice is
grown.
3. Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s third-largest
producer of rice. The production of the seed mostly takes place on the islands
of Java and Sumatra, with nearly 60% of the production coming from Sumatra
alone. Rice is grown by approximately 77% of all farmers, who typically use a
sickle or knife to harvest the crops. In 2018/19, Indonesia produced 37.1
million metric tons of rice. Rice is produced by smallholder farmers rather
than state-owned enterprises - 90% of Indonesia’s rice production comes from
smallholder farms.
2. India
Indian paddy farmer cleaning the dry husks from
the paddy by the air movement. Image credit: MTD/Shutterstock.com
During
the years 2015-2016, the total rice production of India exceeded 104 million tons.
West Bengal is the largest rice producing state in India. In 2016, the state
produced 15.75 million tons of rice over a cultivable area of 5.46 million
hectares. India is the world’s leading exporter of Basmati rice, with 4.4
million tons exported in 2018-19. It is also the second-largest rice consuming
country, with an estimated 100 million metric tons of rice consumed each year.
Over 65% of the Indian population eat rice and rice production is the main
source of income and employment for over 50 million people.
1. China
Worker in a flooded rice field on January 18,
2008 in Hainan. Image credit: TonyV3112/Shutterstock.com
China is the world’s largest
producer of rice. It is also the first country in the world to successfully
produce hybrid rice, bred from two different types of plants. In 2018 and 2019,
China produced over 148 million metric tons of milled rice. The crop primarily
grows in provinces such as Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, and Sichuan by the
Yangtze River, where almost 95% of China’s rice is grown using traditional
methods. Due to a number of factors such as climate change, scarcity of
labor, and the overuse of chemicals and fertilizers, the Chinese government and officials will need to
establish more sustainable and productive methods for rice farming.
Approximately 65% of China’s population consumes rice as a staple food.
The University of California Cooperative Extension Rice Team is
out in the fields surveying for weedy rice. The team will be using the
opportunity to collect samples and provide an update on the extent of
infestation. The California Rice Commission has played a significant part in
making the survey possible. Rice Farm Advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer and
Sacramento Counties Whitney Brim-Deforest explained that they are taking a
different approach to this year’s weedy rice survey.
For hot curry lovers, the lamb or chicken madras is an all-time
favourite. Why not make your own with this amazing Friday Fakeaway that can be
cooked or your hob, oven or in your slow cooker?
Just hot enough so you can enjoy the flavours of the spices used
to create it, but still with that pleasant heat that hot curry lovers want,
there is no denying the madras is a classic.
If I want something hot and only a curry will do it is what I
turn to – and it is really easy to make it home.
Unlike some of our other fakeaways which can be cooked in a flash, this one
will take you slightly longer as the flavours need time to combine to create
that authentic taste.
But I promise you, it won’t be a disappointment.
The madras is believed to have originated in the south of India,
being named after the city Madras (now Chennai), but bizarrely it is not a
curry name used or eaten in India itself.
Although the spices and flavours definitely hail from what is
used in the Indian sub-continent, the name is more than likely to have been
invented in a British restaurant before coming into common usage.
Remember you can use less spice for a milder dish.
This is also a great way of introducing your children to curry
and lamb. I cooked this for my 14-year-old by reducing the amount of chilli and
it made a delicious aromatic curry which she loved. It was the first time she
had tried lamb and really enjoyed it.
Top tip: When buying fresh ginger you always tend to have too much.
Remove the skin with a teaspoon and place what you don’t need in a small bag or
cling film in the freezer and use as you require in the future.
Lamb
Madras
This is my interpretation and how I like to make it, whether it
is authentic enough is for you to decide. Adapt as you see fit. Dry spices can
be substituted for the fresh ones, but it simply will not taste the same.
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
·1
tbsp oil
·300g
lamb, cubed
·2
onions, sliced
·2
cloves of garlic
·1
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
·2
chillies
·1
tsp of cumin seeds
·1
tsp coriander seeds
·1
tsp turmeric
·3
cloves
·3
cardamom pods
·1
tsp sugar
·1
tsp garam masala
·100ml
water
·1
x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
·Salt
and pepper to taste
Try this with chicken too.
Method
1.Using
a pestle and mortar, spice grinder or grater, mash your ginger, garlic,
chillies, cumin seeds and coriander seeds with some salt until they form a
rough paste.
2.Heat
the oil in a frying pan and fry off your cubes of lamb until nicely browned on
all sides and remove with a slotted spoon.
3.Add
the onions to the pan (if there isn’t enough oil after cooking the lamb add a
little more) and cook on a medium heat until they begin to brown and caramelise
(around eight minutes).
4.Add
your garlic, ginger and chilli mix and cook for around two to three minutes.
Then add your dry spices and cook for another minute.
5.Add
your water to the pan and deglaze it getting all the amazing flavours off the
bottom.
6.Either
transfer to slow cooker or casserole dish if you are cooking in the oven. Add
the lamb, the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and sugar, mix together and pop
on the lid.
7.Set
your slow cooker to the low setting and cook for a minimum of eight hours (I
did mine overnight for 12). If in oven set the temperature for about 160-170c
and cook for three to four hours. What you want to achieve is the tomatoes and
spices having developed from a red colour into a darkish brown sauce that will
taste amazing.
8.Serve
with boiled or basmati rice and a basic fresh salad of tomato and cucumber as a
refresher.
If you want chicken madras
simply substitute the lamb for chicken and reduce the cooking time by an hour
if cooking in oven (for slow cooker gauge by how your own appliance works, mine
would be about six hours). If you like it hotter, add some dry chilli powder
when you are frying off the dry spices.
Rain
surplus at 6% as monsoon enters last week of July
Vinson
Kurian Thiruvananthapuram
| Updated on July 24, 2020 Published on July 24, 2020
Many parts of Chennai received
heavy rains during the total lockdown on Sunday, July 19, 2020. -
Bijoy Ghosh
East
and North-East parts of India to see heavy rainfall
Satellite pictures this (Friday)
noon showed a huge bank of clouds over Maldives and adjoining Lakshadweep along
with a band of strong south-westerly winds and looking to hit the Kerala and
Karnataka coasts.
An advance streak of the clouds
had reached the Kerala coast between Kannur and Kozhikode and extended into
Mysuru, Bengaluru and adjoining Rayalaseema/Telangana.
To the South, small parcels of
clouds hung over the stretch between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, with
intermittent showers being reported at many places. The build-up is being
attributed to the presence of a helpful cyclonic circulation persisting over
Lakshadweep and the adjoining South-East Arabian Sea off Kerala, with clouds
massing up first over the Maldives to the South-West.
Rains for East,
North-East
Alongside, a cyclonic circulation
has sustained over Bangladesh and adjoining plains of Bengal in India, which is
capable of whipping in moist southerly to south-westerly winds from the Bay of
Bengal. This would trigger fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with
isolated heavy falls over East and North-East India during the next five days,
an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said.
Fairly widespread to widespread
rainfall with isolated heavy falls is also forecast over Odisha, West Bengal,
Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and
Tripura until tomorrow (Saturday) and over Konkan, Goa and Madhya Pradesh
during the next 4-5 days. Light to moderate isolated/scattered rainfall over
North-West India is set to increase from Saturday.
Early advantage
lost
As July, considered the rainiest
of the four monsoon months enters its final week, the monsoon has been able to
sustain a surplus of six per cent (see data visualisation). Its best phase till
date has been in June when the surplus was at a peak around 30 per cent thanks
to rainfall conjured up by Cyclone Nisarga that chose to careen along the West
Coast rather than spin away to the outer seas.
As per IMD data available for
rain till date (June 1-July 23), 27 States have received normal to excess
rainfall while only 10 nurse varying deficits. In the South, Kerala is the lone
State with a deficit (-26 per cent) while in Central India, the Union
Territories of Dada & Nagar Haveli (-40 per cent) and Daman & Diu (-25
per cent) join the list. North-West India too shows some deficit, especially in
the hilly areas.
Deficit
persists in N-W India
So we have the States of Jammu
& Kashmir (-55 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (-34 per cent) and the Union
Territory of Ladakh (-53 per cent) in the deficit category while the desert
Rajasthan (-24 per cent) is the latest to join the list. In the North-East,
Nagaland (-20 per cent), Manipur (-45 per cent) and Mizoram (-33 per cent) have
been in deficit right from the word go, like the States in the North-West.
Extended range outlook by the IMD
for the rest of July said that the South-East Peninsula (States of Tamil Nadu,
most parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) may receive above normal rainfall
while it would be below normal over the West Coast (Kerala, Coastal Karnataka
and West Maharashtra) and East-Central India (Odisha, Chhattisgarh and most of
Madhya Pradesh).
However, North-East India, East
India and adjoining eastern parts of North-West India (the North-Eastern
States, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and East Rajasthan) could witness above
normal rainfall during this phase and normal for West Rajasthan while the below
normal rainfall could continue to hold over the hilly regions across Jammu
& Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh.
The most recent analysis by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Costa Rica
insists that exemptions to free competition rules, such as those granted to the
rice sector, are regressive and inefficient for the country’s economy.
The organization’s
economist, Alberto González, assured that the improvement in
competition in this sector would have a negative impact not only on productivity,
but also on the social outcome.
“If you stick to competition and
move to international prices, particularly lower-income households would be the
most benefited,” he said. “Some estimates suggest that current regulations in
the rice market imply a transfer from consumers to producers, which
represents 8% of their income for the poorest households,”
the study adds.
Likewise, the analysis discussed
by members of the OECD and the Executive Branch establishes that, on
average, Costa Rica’s tariffs are 4% higher than in
other OECD countries.
Precisely, part of the higher
tariffs apply to some agricultural products such as rice, meat and dairy
products.
The Planning Minister, Pilar
Garrido, assured that the Economic Council is taking up the issue of distortions
to specific markets, with the help of reports made by the Commission
to Promote Competition (Coprocom). “It is working hand in hand
with the Ministry of Economy and with the authority that was created for these
purposes,” said Garrido.
Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean has your FoxCast.
Weeks of heavy rainfall that's spawned devastating flooding across parts
of South Asia can be seen
in new imagery from NASA after millions were displaced.
“People in Bangladesh, India and Nepal are sandwiched in a
triple disaster of flooding, the coronavirus and an associated socioeconomic
crisis of loss of livelihoods and jobs," said Jagan Chapagain,
secretary-general of the IFRC. "Flooding of farmlands and destruction of
crops can push millions of people, already badly impacted by COVID-19, further
into poverty.
Chapagain warned that South Asia could face a humanitarian
crisis in the weeks ahead.
In a map released by NASA on Thursday, "excessive"
rainfall totals by satellite estimates emerge over the region using data
from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.
Estimated rainfall amounts since
early June can be seen across South Asia. (NASA)
"The darkest reds indicate
places where GPM detected rainfall totals exceeding 100 centimeters (40 inches)
during this period," NASA notes. "Due to averaging of the satellite data, local
rainfall amounts may be significantly higher when measured from the
ground."
The floods in northeast India
have inundated most of Kaziranga National Park, home to an estimated 2,500 rare
one-horned rhinos. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Some 2.5 million people were affected by floods in Assam and at
least 113 have died, authorities said.
A flood affected family takes
shelter on the roof of their submerged house along river Brahmaputra in
Morigaon district, Assam, India, Thursday, July 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
More than 100 animals, including rare rhinos, have died in floods that have submerged Kaziranga
National Park. More rain is expected in the next few days.
In this photo released by China's
Xinhua News Agency, water flows out from sluiceways at the Three Gorges Dam on
the Yangtze River near Yichang in central China's Hubei Province, Friday, July
17, 2020. (Wang Gang/Xinhua via AP)
In Bangladesh, experts say this year’s monsoon is going to last
longer than usual because more waters are expected to rush in from upstream
India.
More than 9.6 million people
across South Asia have been affected by severe floods, with hundreds of
thousands struggling to get food and medicine, officials and aid organizations
said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
In Kurigram, one of the worst affected districts in northern
Bangladesh, thousands of people have taken shelter at higher ground, leaving
their flooded homes.
In this photograph provided by
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) shows
IFRC volunteers reaching flood affected communities with drinking water and
other support in Kurigram, Bangladesh, July 16, 2020. (IFRC via AP)
“Many people are not having three meals a day," Mizanur
Rahman Soikat, a volunteer for the Bidyanondo Foundation, a local charity, told
the Associated Press. "The government and volunteer groups are trying to
give them food and medicine, but it is getting harder to keep track of the
affected people because of rising waters.”
The monsoon pattern develops annually across the region, but
this year the low-pressure systems have been noted to be "especially
strong," bringing much more moisture from the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Area planted to rice rose 17.33 per cent
to 220.24 lakh hectare so far in the kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year
(July-June) from 187.70 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, the agriculture
ministry said on Friday.
Rice is the main kharif (summer)
crop. Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from
June, while harvesting starts from October onwards.
"Government of India is
taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at
field level during COVID-19 pandemic. There has been satisfactory progress of
sowing area coverage under kharif crops," the ministry said in a
statement.
Of the total rice area covered so
far, higher planting area was reported from Uttar Pradesh where farmers have
sown rice in 6.50 lakh hectare, followed by Jharkhand (6.10 lakh hectare),
Madhya Pradesh (5.98 lakh hectare), Bihar (5.66 lakh hectare), Chhattisgarh
(3.57 lakh hectare), West Bengal (2.80 lakh hectare) and Telangana (2.50 lakh
hectare).
Besides rice, pulses planting has
gone up significantly. Total area covered under various kharif pulses increased
25.74 per cent to 99.71 lakh hectare area so far this kharif season as against
79.30 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.
Similarly, area sown to coarse
cereals has increased by 14 per cent to 137.13 lakh hectare area so far in this
kharif season compared to 120.30 lakh hectare a year ago.
Oilseeds coverage has increased
by 24.56 per cent to 166.36 lakh hectare from 133.56 lakh hectare in the said
period.
Among cash crops, area sown to
sugarcane increased to 51.54 lakh hectare so far this kharif season as compared
to 51.02 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year.
Cotton planting increased by
22.50 per cent to 118.03 lakh hectare area so far this season as compared to
96.35 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year.
Area sown to jute and mesta
increased marginally to 6.94 lakh hectare area from compared to 6.84 lakh
hectare in the said period.
Total area coverage under all
kharif crops increased 18.50 per cent to 799.95 lakh hectare so far this kharif
season from 675.07 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.
The Central Water Commission
(CWC) has reported that the live water storage in 123 reservoirs in different
parts of the country was 155 per cent of the corresponding period of the last
year, the ministry added. PTI LUX MKJ
Flood-affected
people get on a boat to cross a stream in Jamalpur, Bangladesh, July 18, 2020.
REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters
Bangladesh
could be plunged into a humanitarian crisis as it undergoes the most prolonged
monsoon flooding in decades while it is still recovering from the effects
of super-cyclone Amphan.
Despite
the UN has lauding its new initiatives for early intervention aimed at
preparing communities for crisis, 550 people have been killed and 9.6
million affected by the disaster in Bangladesh, Nepal and north-eastern India,
according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Bangladesh’s
ministry for natural disasters has estimated that a third of the country is
already underwater, with heavy rains set to continue until the end of July. The
UN has estimated that this flooding could be the most protracted since 1988.
Rezaul
Karim Chowdhury, executive director of the Bangladeshi NGO Coast, said the
country was far more prepared for flooding than in the past, but that
populations in flooded areas might end up in dire need because of a combination
of existing localised and national crises.
Fighting
cyclones and coronavirus: how we evacuated millions during a pandemic
Sheikh Hasina and Patrick Verkooijen
He said incomes had already been hit by the
government’s closure of 25 state-owned jute mills, mostly in northern areas
that have been flooded, and by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The
country has been locked down for four months and that has had a serious impact.
Forty per cent of rural income was coming from urban areas and then suddenly
labourers and rickshaw pullers weren’t sending money home,” said Chowdhury.
“Almost
a third of the population has dropped under the poverty line. This will have an
impact on food security and purchasing power, this is a critical situation we
have to overcome.”
He said
local organisations had exhausted funds responding to the pandemic so the UN
and international organisations would need to step in, especially to support
farmers whose crops may be damaged before the August rice harvest.
A woman and a young girl sit in their flooded house in Sunamganj,
north-eastern Bangladesh, earlier this month. Photograph: Munir Uz
Zaman/AFP/Getty Images
The UN
said it had been trying to pre-empt damage to livelihoods by predicting where
support needed to be sent ahead of time, using advances in data and forecasting
analytics.
That had
allowed the release of relief worth $5.2m (£4m) from its reserve fund for
humanitarian emergencies to counter severe flooding over the past week in the
form of cash, hygiene and health kits, and equipment to protect farmers’
materials from water damage.
The UN
under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief
coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said the organisation should no longer be taken by
surprise when disasters hit.
“Doing
something before crises hit can save more lives and costs less money. Plus it’s
far more dignified for the people we’re helping,” he said.
“If we
know a flood is about to hit, why wouldn’t we give river communities the means
to get themselves, their livestock and their tools out of harm’s way before the
deluge comes, instead of waiting until they’ve lost everything, then try and
help?”
Sheikh Rokon, founder of the campaign group
Riverine People, said the monsoon was essential to life in Bangladesh,
recharging water levels and giving life to seasonal wetlands, but that
environmental changes were making life harder for communities.
“River
erosion makes the situation worse. They lose everything but hope and have to
struggle for days. This year, riverine communities across the Brahmaputra and
Teesta river basins are facing severe erosion,” he said. “A very small riverine
community, the water Gypsy, live in the rivers, on boats. Floods makes their
life and livelihoods harder.”
Swept away ... flooding from Super-cyclone Amphan in Khulna,
Bangladesh, in May this year. Photograph: Habib/Zeppelin/Sipa/Rex/Shutterstock
Rokon
said communities usually had little time to prepare, which usually involves
moving their belongings to areas protected by embankments.
The
World Food Programme’s executive director, David Beasley, said improving
planning to act on forecasts would help families in the long run.
“Year
after year, floods devastate Bangladesh. The waters not only swallow up homes
and lives but with them progress and hope for the Bangladeshi people,” said
Beasley. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to equip communities to
prepare and protect themselves against such disasters.”
We've never had a better chance ...
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Sri Lanka rough rice forecast for 2020 minor season up 11-pct
Friday July 24, 2020 10:39:32
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s paddy (rough rice) harvest for the
2020 Yala minor cultivation season is expected to rise 11 percent to 1.721
million metric tonnes, the state agricultural office said, while the annual
forecast is 4.772 million metric tonnes, up 3.3 percent.
The final output for the Maha cultivation season for 2020 was
estimated at 3,051 million metric tonnes, around the same level as last year’s
3.073 million tonnes.
The Department of Agriculture said, 430,000 hectares out of a
target of 475,000 hectares or 90 percent, had been sown by May.
The reported extent is 29 percent higher than the average sown
extent for the past three years at the same time.
The final estimate for the 2020 Yala season may be revised on
the crop losses and cultivated area. By June 488 hectares had been damaged by
floods.
The Yala harvest is expected to begin from the end of July from
Batticaloa and Kurunegala districts. (Colombo/July24/202)
Leading Committee for Farmers’
Rights Protection and Promotion on July 23 has set a price floor for 100 tins
(1tin = 46 lbs.) of unhusked rice at K520,000. The rice must be free from dust,
sand, and small stones and moisture content must not be over 14 percent.
The renewed price floor is for
2020 rainy season grown rice and 2021 summer grown rice.
Rice traders must buy the rice at
the price floor rate when the market price is lower than the price floor or buy
at the market price when rice price is lower than the price floor.
The price floor for unhusked rice
in 2019 was set at K500,000. The country started imposing a price floor in
2018.
Myanmar, whose staple food is
rice, has over 17 million acres of rice fields.
Written by Tayzar Bhone Myint/
Translated into English by Min Thu Aung
RPT-Asia Rice-Thai rates rise; virus
outbreak raises concerns for Indian exporters
Shreyansi Singh
JULY 24, 2020 / 3:52 PM
(Repeats story published on July 23
with no changes to text)
* Thai rice exporters cut 2020
forecast to lowest in 20 years
* Demand from China expected to rise
- Vietnamese trader
* Floods submerge farm land in
Bangladesh
By Shreyansi Singh
BENGALURU, July 23 (Reuters) - Thai
rice export prices gained this week as inconsistent rainfall stoked supply
concerns, while the worsening coronavirus pandemic posed logistical problems
for exporters in India.
Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent
broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices widened to $450–$482 a tonne, from $440–$455
last week.
“We expect lower supply this year,”
said a Bangkok-based trader, adding that rice millers are holding on to stocks
and hiking prices.
Thailand’s rice exporters
association on Wednesday slashed its forecast for 2020 exports to 6.5 million
tonnes, the lowest in two decades, citing drought and uncompetitive prices.
“But prices might come down if it
rains a lot,” another trader said.
Top exporter India’s 5-percent
broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 was unchanged at $377-$382 per tonne,
while farmers expanded cultivation area under the summer-sown paddy crop.
Rising cases of coronavirus in and
around Kakinada port in southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which handles a
majority of rice shipments from India, could create logistical problems for
exporters, said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association.
“Demand is more or less stable from
African and Asian buyers.”
In Vietnam, rates for 5-percent
broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 narrowed to $440-$450 from $435-$457 per tonne last
week.
“Trading activity has been slow as
demand from traditional buyers remain weak,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based said.
Preliminary shipping data showed
169,100 tonnes of rice will be loaded at the Ho Chi Minh City port between July
1 and July 31, with most of it heading to Africa, Cuba, Timor-Leste and
Malaysia.Another trader in Ho Chi Minh said demand from China could increase
due to the flooding there.
Bangladesh is grappling with a
double whammy of the pandemic and the worst floods in recent years.
The country could be faced with a
huge loss of paddy as vast swathes of land have been submerged, agriculture
ministry officials said. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in
Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Bangkok; editing by
Arpan Varghese and Amy Caren Daniel)
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has
exceeded its P10 billion target in rice tariff collection for the year as
set under Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice Import Tarification Law.
Commissioner Rey Leonardo
Guerrero said on Friday that the bureau was able to collect a total of P10.728
billion in revenues from January to July 17, 2020 despite lower volume of rice
importation compared to the same period last year.
BoC records showed that to date,
only 1,651.267 metric tons of rice were imported, which is 24.6 percent
lower in volume covering the same period last year.
But Guerrero pointed out though
that despite the low volume of imported rice, the bureau still managed to
gain a significant increase of 8 percent in rice tariff collection as compared
to P9.936 billion for the same period in 2019.
Guerrero attributed the
increase in rice tariff collection to the BoC’s continuous effort to protect
government revenue and ensure correct valuation of goods.
MANILA,
Philippines – The year-to-date tariffs collected from imported rice already
breached P10 billion as of mid-July, ensuring next year’s fund for farm
modernization being set aside under the Rice Tariffication Law.
In a
statement Friday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said collections from the import
duties slapped on rice from Jan. 1 to July 17 amounted to P10.7 billion.
The Rice
Tariffication Law or Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 mandated earmarking P10
billion yearly for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) aimed at
modernizing the rice sector, while excess amounts will be allocated to farmers
whose livelihood were badly hit by the import surge due to liberalized trade.
The BOC said
year-to-date collection exceeded by 8 percent the P9.9-billion take a year ago
even as rice import volume slid 24.6 percent year-on-year to 1.65 million
metric tons (MT).
BOC
Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip C. Maronilla explained that the lower
rice importation to date was on the back of “initial hesitation of some
countries that export rice to withhold the volume exported due to possible
[supply] effects of COVID-19 in their respective domestic markets.”
Despite
smaller import volume, rice tariff collections rose due to “the BOC’s
continuous effort to protect government revenue and ensure the correct
valuation of goods,” it said.
“The BOC
consistently conducts close monitoring of the declared value on rice
importations in view of its strict adherence to global published prices for
rice, which serves as a guide when the veracity of the declared values is under
dispute,” it added.
Since last
year, RA 11203 slapped the following levy on imported rice: 35 percent, if from
Asean; 40 percent, if within the minimum access volume (MAV) of 350,000 MT and
from countries outside Asean; and 180 percent, if above the MAV and coming from
a non-Asean country.
In 2019,
rice tariffication raised P12.3 billion in additional revenues, as the private
sector imported 2.03 million MT of the Filipino staple food.
To date,
rice retail prices dropped by about P10 per kilo compared to their peak in
2018, after RA 11203 removed the import quota which had protected the domestic
industry while stripping off the state-run National Food Authority (NFA) its
importation and regulatory functions.
In June,
rice recorded its 14th straight month of deflation or year-on-year drop in
prices, although the month’s 1.9 percent was the slowest so far due to base
effects from last year’s massive price decline. [ac]
The Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) on
Friday said that local rice farmers could be globally competitive if labor
costs are reduced and production yield increased through modern farming.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
In a press briefing, ATI Deputy Director
Dr. Rosana Mula explained that this could be attained through the planting of
quality seeds and proper use of modern machineries.
Explaining further, Mula cited that the
drying and milling process, adapting to rice machinery and use of solar
irrigation are some of the important factors that will propel the farmers to
have increased yields.
Stressing her point, Mula said the rice
production cost will plunge if the Philippines can lower its labor cost to P9
compared to Vietnam’s P12.
“At kung ating mapataas ang production o
yield from 4 tons to 5-6 tons per hectare yan din po ay magiging competitive
ang ating mga farmers (And if we can raise the production yield from four tons
to five to six tons per hectare then our local farmers will be competitive),’’
Mula said.
Mula said that adapting to the use of
quality seeds and proper use of modern farm machineries can be attained through
the rice extension service by the government.
She explained that the rice extension
service is one of the four facets of the “rice competitiveness fund (RCEF).
“Ang layunin nitong extension service na
ito ay itaas ang antas ng kakayahan at kaalaman ng ating rice farmers (The
purpose of this extension service is to upgrade the skill and capability skills
of our rice farmers),’’ she added.
Mula said that the program puts prime
emphasis to low productivity which is included in the various training
sessions.
“Makabagong teknolohiya lalong lalo na sa
paggamit ng dekalidad at mataas na klase ng punla o seeds at ang tamang
paggamit ng machinery o farming mechanization (Modern technology specifically
in the use of quality and top of the line seedlings or seeds and proper use of
machinery or farming mechanization),’’ she added.
Mula said that these are the important
factors that make the farmers highly competitive in the world market.
She clarified that RCEF is being
implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE), Philippine
Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMEC) Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) “and of course’’ the
ATI which leads the extension service.
Mula said that PHILRICE have specialists
who train the trainers while the trainer’s training program is also under the
ATI.
Abia
attains self-sufficiency in rice production — FADAMA III coordinator
ON
JULY 24, 20203:10 AMIN AGRIC
Mrs. Ezinne Otuka, the State Programme
Coordinator (SPC), Abia State FADAMA III, says the state has attained
self-sufficiency in rice production. Otuka who spoke on Thursday in Umuahia,
attributed the success story to the agricultural reform programmes of the Abia
Government. He said that the programmes encouraged the FADAMA User Groups
(FUGs) and others in the state to go into commercial agriculture. READ
ALSO: Customs Kwara area command destroys 927 bags of poisonous rice,
other items She said that there were over 34 clusters of rice fields across the
state, supported by the programme as well as 188 registered FADAMA Community
Associations (FCAs). “In Abia, we have 188 FCAs and 2, 084 FUGs trained and
fully funded by the programme. The Abia Federated FCAs which cuts across
commodity and institutional lines have been duly registered,” she said. She
said that the governor recently opened up an additional 103 hectares of rice
field to be cultivated in 2020, bringing the total hectares of rice field in
the state under FADAMA programme to 1, 360 hectares. Otuka said that the state
government recently inaugurated a rice mill to serve as off-taker for rice
production in Acha community, Isiukwuato Local Government Area of the state.
She said that the rice mill had the capacity to produce 24 tonnes of rice per
day, adding that agricultural activities in the state under the programme had
been very rewarding. READ ALSO: Customs arrests 41 suspected smugglers
with cannabis, rice “Our farmers now produce the rice we use in the state and
even sell to neighbouring states,” she said. The SPC said that FADAMA programme
had helped to boost food security and sufficiency in the state, adding that the
Abia FADAMA Office had received commendations from the national office. “We can
conveniently say that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, has shown uncommon passion
and zeal to ensure that the state achieves food security,” Otuka said.
Signed by
President Duterte in February 2019, the Rice Tariffication Law liberalized rice
imports while imposing a minimum 35-percent tariff in a bid to bring down the
prices of the stable grain in the market, and respond to growing calls from
other countries for the Philippines to abandon its protectionist rice policies.
Michael Varcas,
file
Surge in rice
prices boosts tariff revenues beyond P10 billion
MANILA,
Philippines — A spike in global rice prices countered a drop in the volume of
imported rice, benefiting state coffers with bigger revenues from tariffs on
the main staple, the Bureau of Customs reported on Friday.
A
total of P10.73 billion was raised from rice tariffs as of July 17, up 7.9%
year-on-year from P9.94 billion.
The
amount collected already surpassed the P10 billion mandated to be allocated to
the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), a pooled funding under
Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law earmarked for projects
targeted at improving local rice production.
Under
the law, the government is allowed to redirect in other farm programs any
windfall revenues from rice levies during the first six years of the law
enacted last year. On the measure’s first year, part of the P12.3 billion
generated under RCEF went to fund cash transfers to poor farmers.
Collections
rose despite a 24.6% drop in the volume of imported rice so far this year.
Lockdowns from mid-March to June have crippled trade activity and put imports
almost to a standstill, but the agency said higher global rice prices worked on
its favor.
“The
(Customs) consistently conducts close monitoring of the declared value on rice
importations in view of its strict adherence to global published prices for
rice which serves as a guide when the veracity of the declared values is under
dispute,” Customs said.
Indeed,
data from Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN agency, showed its global
rice price index up 14% year-on-year in June. Broken down, FAO data showed
grain prices have surged in Thailand and Vietnam, where the Philippines secures
the bulk of its imports, since December last year.
With
higher rice prices, the base over which the 35% tariff is collected also
increases, pushing up revenues computed from the levies.
“The
increase in rice tariff collection can be attributed to the (Customs’)
continuous effort to protect government revenue and ensure correct valuation of
goods,” the agency said.
Sought
for comment, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes said by phone the
department would give an update on RCEF was spent so far this year over the
weekend. The last update was in February, before the pandemic struck, when the
agency said P1.52 billion was already disbursed.
By
law, the P10-billion rice fund should be divided to four key farm programs. The
bulk of funding worth P5 billion is allocated to farm machinery, while P3
billion is spent to purchase farm seeds.
The
balance of P2 billion is equally shared between bank credit for agriculture
lending, and so-called “rice extension service” to farmers.
Rice, Climate Change And A Post-COVID Opportunity For Women In
Guyana
According
to the agriculture department website, 57 provinces nationwide benefit from
RCEF.
Rice, the most widely consumed
staple in the world, has been one of the central protagonists in the global
food crisis caused by COVID-19. Three quarters of global rice exports, that
originate in Asian countries such as India and Thailand, have been affected by
supply chain disruptions and export reductions due to concerns around domestic
food security and climate change-fuelled droughts. The resulting volatility has
created market opportunities for smaller producers, such as the South American
country of Guyana, to increase production to meet the growing demand.
With the highest rice
production per capita in the world
(FAOSTAT, 2018), Guyana produces nearly ten times more rice per capita than
India. The Food and
Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO)
2018 data on more than 120 rice producing countries, places Guyana in 21st place
for rice yields (hg/hectare) and number 39 for total production globally, with
half of its annual production being exported to more than 30 countries. Despite
its relatively small size, Guyana is the 13th largest net
exporter of rice in the world. (worldstopexports.com)
Unlike its Asian counterparts,
Guyana’s rice trade has not been set back by COVID-19. The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) reported a 13 per cent increase in rice
exports between January and May 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in
2019.
But the economic promise of rice
to the population of Guyana is neither gender-blind nor environmentally
neutral. Guyana’s high vulnerability to climate change, particularly in its
coastal areas, coupled with limited opportunities for women in agriculture,
create uncertainty, instability and inefficiency in a number of areas. If
rectified, these can fuel a more economically and environmentally resilient
future for the Guyanese rice industry.
Over the years, climate
change-driven variations in rainfall and temperature have caused flooding,
drought, and an increase in pests, diseases and weeds, all of which have
affected output. A 2012 World
Bank report listed flooding as the
most significant risk to Guyana’s rice sector and drought as number 3.
Saltwater intrusion due to rising sea level and stronger storm surges is also a
major problem, which lead to a 16 per cent drop in rice production in 2016.
The gendered division of labour
in the agricultural sector means that female farmers’ experiences with climate
change are drastically different from those of their male counterparts. There
are significant differences in the experiences of female vs. male-headed
households, females in male-headed households and across single parent
households (FAO, 2010).
In 2018, Guyana ranked 123rd out
of 189 countries on the Gender Inequality Index, confirming that there is indeed a “gender gap” between men and
women. But given that most agricultural data is not disaggregated by gender,
there is limited quantitative evidence of how large the discrepancies are in
this sector.
The gendered division of labour in the agricultural sector in
Guyana means that female farmers’ ... [+]
NURPHOTO VIA GETTY
IMAGES
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports that 9 per cent of Guyanese women are
employed in agriculture as compared to more than 22 per cent of men (2019).
Women who are involved in agriculture often do so as unpaid family workers who
are simultaneously involved in taking care of children and housework, thus
experiencing greater vulnerability, less access to resources, and lower
productivity than their male counterparts.
In the face of climate change,
women are disadvantaged by differences in access to information surrounding
agricultural best practices and impending inclement weather. This disadvantage
relative to men affects female farmers’ decision-making power, making it
difficult to navigate the uncertainties posed by unpredictable weather
patterns.
Women also have significantly
lower levels of land ownership than men. Even among households that are headed by
female farmers, women typically have no title to their lands. This results in
less access to land-based resources and income, such as water, financing and
technology.
Given that rice is a
water-intensive crop, requiring 3000-5000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of
the staple, the interplay of climate change-driven events such as drought, with
women’s unequal access to water resources, compounds production inefficiencies
and reinforces gender inequalities.
Providing women with equal access
to key assets such as “land, technology, financial services, education and
markets” could raise output on women’s farms by 20 to 30 per cent and increase
total agricultural production by 2.5 to 4 percent, which would have massive
implications for poverty reduction and nutrition. (FAO)
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) upholds that “Gender equality at the
household and community levels leads to superior agricultural and development
outcomes, including increases in farm productivity and improvements in family
nutrition.”
The rice sector is of major
importance to small farmers, with a large number of producers operating on
farms of less than 4.5 hectares, making them particularly vulnerable to climate
change impacts. Most women farmers fall into this group. Technologies to
support resilience and climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers
would be beneficial in sustainably increasing productivity and empowering
women.
Further, “because
gender-differentiated vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change are the
cumulative result of a complex array of socio-cultural, structural and
institutional inequities, climate-smart agriculture and similar efforts should
seek to enhance the resource base of women and ensure that women’s
contributions to productivity and food security are broadly valued, redressing
gendered vulnerabilities and unequal power dynamics in agriculture would help
ensure their efficacy and sustainability.” (UNDP, 2016)
Launched in 2019, the Cooperation
for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean Initiative,
funded by Global Affairs Canada,
is working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to
support CARICOM members via a pre-investment Fund for drafting and negotiating
financing for gender sensitive climate change projects, such as the REACT
project that, if approved for financing, will directly impact 40,000 small
producers in Guyana’s coastal communities by improving their climate
resilience. This project is unique in that it addresses climate change
adaptation through a gender-sensitive lens.
Staff from the Food and Agriculture Organisation's REACT team,
conducting a site visit at a rice ... [+]
TANJA LIEUW
The need to create a level
playing field and make up for gender and climate based inefficiencies is more
critical now than ever before. The United Nations World Food Programme has
projected that the crisis will almost double the amount of people faced with
acute food insecurity by the end of 2020, to an estimated 265 million.
Jean Balié, Research Director of
the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) believes
that within the context of the current global food crisis, rice will play a
critical role in the nutrition of as much as 30 per cent of the world’s
population. According to the FAO, “if women farmers were given the same access
to productive resources as men (e.g., land), the number of malnourished people
could be reduced by 12 to 17 percent.” (FAO)
Herein lies an opportunity for
Guyana to grow its rice supply— but in order to meet the increasing global
demand for rice, it is imperative that climate change vulnerabilities and
gender inequalities are simultaneously addressed.
I’m an environmental writer with a focus on food and
agriculture, and commute between the Southern Caribbean (Barbados) and the
Northern Caribbean (Cayman Islands). I
Most
PH rice farmers want children to work in the city or abroad – study
RAPPLER.COM
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
'The risk associated with rice
farming as a means of livelihood further discourages parent farmers to aspire
for their children to be like them,' says Florencia G. Palis of the University
of the Philippines Los Baños
Most rice farmers in the country want their children to earn
college degrees that will get them jobs in the city or abroad, a study showed.
This is based on the findings of the study, “Aging
Filipino Rice Farmers and Their Aspirations for Their Children,” conducted by
Florencia G. Palis of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
According to the study, around 65% of the farmers want their
children to stay away from rice farming, while 35% want their children to
engage in the same trade.
The Science and Technology Information Institute of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST-STII) said in a press statement that
according to Palis, “the risk associated with rice farming as a means of
livelihood further discourages parent farmers to aspire for their children to
be like them.”
“The uncertainty in yield and income is real to them and they
attribute it to unpredictable weather situations, unstable output price and
input costs, and natural disasters like heavy rains, floods, and drought,
including pest and disease infestations,” Palis added.
Citing the study, DOST-STII said that farmers who want their
children to follow in their footsteps “are more likely the older farmers who
wanted that someone in the family manage the farm and continue the rice farming
tradition.”
Breaking the cycle of poverty
Palis said “there is need to pay attention to rural services for
agricultural extension including hassle free and practical mechanisms of
providing capital to farmers.”
Her research showed that Filipino rice farmers get trapped in a
cycle of poverty since most do not have enough capital for their trade, and
have to seek out informal money lenders who charge high interest rates, or
borrow money from rice traders who require them to sell their harvest to them
at a low price.
“Agricultural extension should not only focus on dissemination
of technological innovations but social innovations as well to achieve impacts
in improving the lives of Filipino farming households and farming communities.
In this manner, farmers and their children may aspire for farming occupation or
business if it has a better pay-off,” DOST-STII said, citing the research
findings.
Respondents
The survey was conducted among 923 farmers randomly selected in
3 provinces representing the 3 major island groups: Isabela for Luzon, Iloilo
for the Visayas, and Agusan del Norte for Mindanao.
“The survey was complemented by in-depth interviews and focus
group discussions to further understand the lives and situations of Filipino
farmers,” DOST-STII said.
A majority of the respondents had elementary education, and on
average spent only 8 years in school, or up to 2nd year high school before
quitting.
Slimy
invaders are attacking Louisiana where it hurts
Updated 12:02 am
EDT, Saturday, July 25, 2020
NEW
ORLEANS (AP) — First it came for your wetlands. Now it’s coming for your
crawfish and your rice.
A
foreign snail that appeared in Louisiana just over 10 years ago and quickly
infested ponds, bayous and streams in about 30 parishes has recently found its
way to the farms that produce two of the state’s favorite foods.
The
invasive apple snail has shut down harvest at some crawfish farms in Vermilion,
Acadia and Jefferson Davis parishes and has made its first devastating
appearance in rice fields. In March, the invasive mollusks wiped out a 50-acre
field of rice, marking the first reported case of the snail damaging the crop
in Louisiana.
“Where
it’s hit ‘em, it’s hit ’em hard,” said David Savoy, a Church Point crawfish
farmer and chairman of the Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board. “In
Vermilion, it’s so bad, you pick up a trap and there’s 5 to 10 pounds of them.
It’s horrible.”
Attracted
by the bait in traps, the snails crowd in, leaving little or no room for
crawfish. At some farms, apple snails are being caught in such high numbers —
sometimes 12 crates per day — that disposal of the thick-shelled snails is
becoming a problem.
Some
farmers have had to halt harvests and drain their ponds early, suffering
revenue reductions of as much as 50%, said Blake Wilson, an LSU AgCenter
researcher.
“The
impact on some of those farms, particularly where snail populations have been
building for years, has been immense,” he said.
Only
about 10 crawfish farms have been affected, but new reports keep coming in.
Louisiana
is by far the nation’s biggest crawfish producer. The industry contributes more
than $300 million to the state economy each year and employs about 7,000
people, according to the research board.
“If
the problem spreads to the whole industry, economic impacts could be tens of
millions of dollars annually without effective control tactics,” Wilson said.
Those
tactics are currently limited to pesticides. But what kills snails will also
likely kill crawfish.
Native
to South America, the apple snail’s first appearance in Louisiana was in a
Gretna drainage canal in 2006.
They’re
popular in the aquarium trade partly because they eat the algae that dirties
tanks. But they get quite big — sometimes growing shells 6 inches in diameter —
and they often have a strong, swampy odor. Their presence in the wild is likely
due to aquarium owners dumping them in ditches and ponds.
The
snails stay below the water’s surface and aren’t often seen, but their
bubblegum pink eggs are hard to miss. In clusters of 200 to 600, the tiny eggs
have become an all-too-common sight on tree trunks and pilings just above the
water line. Destroying the eggs is one of the best ways to reduce their
numbers.
The
state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recommends people scrape the eggs
off with a stick and crush them, or at least knock them into the water. Be
careful not to touch them because the eggs contain a neurotoxin that can
irritate skin and eyes.
The
snails are edible but are known to carry rat lungworm, a parasite that can kill
humans and other mammals.
Rapid
reproducers and voracious eaters, the snail overpopulates waterways and kills
off habitat important to native fish and other wildlife.
The
snail’s appearance in crawfish farms comes at a particularly bad time for the
industry. Crawfish have been hit with white spot syndrome, a deadly virus that
was first discovered in farmed shrimp in Asia in the early 1990s and first
appeared in Louisiana 2007.
The
coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll as well. The AgCenter reported that some
crawfish producers have been able to sell just 15% of their catch due to
pandemic-related restaurant closures and occupancy limits.
Scientists
and farmers are perplexed about how the snail arrived in crawfish farms and why
certain farms are swarming with them.
“It’s
weird,” AgCenter researcher Greg Lutz said. “It pops up in certain regions. You
can have a farm with nothing, and three or four miles down the road they’re
overrun.”
It
could be that the snails benefit from flooding. An Acadia Parish farm started
having a snail problem after its fields were flooded from a bayou linked to the
Mermentau River, which is loaded with apple snails.
The
snail has been identified in just one rice field so far, but the potential for
widespread destruction is strong. It’s a major pest for rice growers in Spain,
Asia and Central America. In the Philippines, the snail is considered a
national menace, infesting about half the nation’s rice fields during the late
1980s.
The
snail left almost nothing at the rice field near Rayne. Wilson estimated the
field had two snails per square foot.
“There
was no trace of rice,” he said. “If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was
a snail production farm.”
Government concludes processes to
purchase livestock and poultry species
Minister of
Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta
Government has concluded the
procurement processes for the purchase of 531,100 improved breeds of livestock
and poultry species including sheep, goats, pigs, cockerels and guinea fowls,
and related products.The delivery of the livestock and the related products are
expected to be effected before the end of December 2020.Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, who announced this at the mid-year
budget review in Parliament on Thursday said, a total of 30,000 cockerels were
distributed to 3,000 farmers in 12 selected regions in 2019 for crossing with
local hens to improve the live weight from 1.2kg to 1.5kg and egg laying rate
from 70 to 110 eggs per year. A total of 7,500 small ruminants were also
distributed to 750 farmers in six selected regions.
He said a total of 15 million seedlings of cashew; coffee, coconut, and oil
palm were distributed to farmers. Parliament also passed the Tree Crop
Development Bill, fashioned along the lines of COCOBOD, into law.
On Greenhouse Capacity Development Module, he said government had established
three greenhouse training centres with commercial components, each on a
five-hectare piece of land, at Dawhenya, Akumadan, and Bawjiase.
He said at the end of December 2019, the three centres had, together; trained
296 graduates in greenhouse vegetable production and a total of 180 graduates
were targeted for training in 2020, of which 61 had been trained as of end-June
2020.
“The remaining 119 graduates are scheduled to receive their training during the
second half of the year,” he said.
In the area of Mechanisation, 6,270 units of agricultural machinery and
equipment were supplied to mechanisation service providers, Metropolitan,
Municipal, and District Assemblies, and farmer-based organisations to improve
access to mechanisation services.
The Minister said this had reduced drudgery in farming and has improved
efficiency in operational activities of farmers to enhance productivity.
He said government, under a Czech Republic Credit facility, took delivery of
farm equipment worth €10,000,000.
These include 300 global multi-purpose mini-tractors with various accessories,
and 220 Cabrio compact tractors with accessories such as rice reapers, rice
threshers, and chemical applicators.
He said this equipment was for sale to small and medium-scale farmers across
the country at 40 percent subsidy.
In addition, government took delivery of 1,000 rice harvesters (rice cutters)
and 700 multifunctional threshers from China for distribution to rice farmers
at 20 per cent subsidy.
These measures are to improve farmers' timely access to mechanised services and
enhance productivity.
He said in the second half of the year, Government would conclude arrangements
for the importation of about US$31 million worth of farm machinery and
equipment, including hand-held equipment, tractors, combines harvesters, and
rice mills, under the third tranche of the Brazil "More Food International
Programme".
In the area of irrigation development, a total of 7,141 hectares of land were
being developed for various irrigation systems.
These include Tamne phases I and II, Mprumem phases I and II, rehabilitation
and expansion of existing schemes at Tono, Kpong Irrigation Schemes, and Kpong
Left Bank Irrigation Project.
In addition, Government had invested in numerous small earth dams in the
Northern, Upper East, Upper West, and the Savannah Regions to provide farmers
with easy access to water.
He said as at June 2020, 11 out of 14 programmed small earth dams had been
completed, an estimated irrigable area of 224 hectares would be developed in
the next phase of construction.
Mr Ofori-Atta said in the second half of the year, government would complete
the resettlement of people in Tamne and Mprumem to pave way for completion of
these projects.
The Tono and Kpong Left Bank Irrigation Projects will be completed by December
2020 with the remaining three small earth dams, which are expected to irrigate
over 80 hectares of crop lands, will also be constructed at the Dawhenya
Greenhouse Village, Kaniago, and Ohawu Agricultural College.
