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Researchers have engineered a potato in a lab that has the potential to reduce malnutrition and diseases in developing nations. The potatoes contain a higher amount of vitamins A and E than regular potatoes, and are yellow in colour, because of which they are referred to as "golden potatoes". A 150 gram serving of the golden potato to a child can deliver up to 45 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A and 34 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin E. The same amount can deliver 15 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A and 17 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin E to women of reproductive age.
Image: Ohio State University
Study author Mark Failla says, "More than 800,000 people depend on the potato as their main source of energy and many of these individuals are not consuming adequate amounts of these vital nutrients. These golden tubers have far more vitamin A and vitamin E than white potatoes, and that could make a significant difference in certain populations where deficiencies – and related diseases – are common."
The researchers were trying to engineer a potato that primarily provided more vitamin A, but were pleasantly surprised when the resulting vegetable also contained a high amount of vitamin E. The study has been published in PLOS ONE.
Potato is the most consumed plant food worldwide after rice, wheat and corn. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, and vitamin E protects the nerves, muscles and the immune system. As a staple part of the diet in developing nations, where residents depend on starchy foodstuff for sustenance, the golden potato has the potential to prevent death and diseases.
Published Date: Nov 18, 2017 11:03 am | Updated Date: Nov 18, 2017 11:03 am tech2 News Staff
UK commerce delegation visits Pakistan; expresses desire for more
investment
NOVEMBER 16, 2017
ISLAMABAD: A 10-member delegation of UK Pakistan Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (UKPCCI) led by its President Ch Muhammad Sadeeq visited Islamabad
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and informed that they were planning to
organise a “Made in Pakistan” Expo in UK in October 2018 to promote Pakistani
products in the British market. The delegation was representing various sectors
including chain of hotels and restaurants, real estate, furniture, health,
education, importers of rice and food products, livestock and halal meat.
Speaking at the occasion, UKPCCI President Ch Muhammad Sadeeq
said that Pakistani community in UK wanted to see a progressive and prosperous
Pakistan as they had utmost love for it. He said a 25-member delegation of
UKPCCI was visiting Pakistan to attend Karachi Expo and study its market as
overseas Pakistani investors in the UK were keen to explore opportunities of
joint ventures and investment in various sectors of Pakistan’s economy. He said
the delegation had already held fruitful meetings at Karachi and Lahore many
delegation members had also finalised business deals in Pakistan.
UKPCCI General Secretary Kamran Khan said that the purpose of
their chamber was to promote bilateral trade between Pakistan and UK and UKPCCI
would also strive to bring more British investors to Pakistan. He stressed that
Pakistani media should highlight positives of Pakistan as projection of
negatives was creating misperception among the youth of overseas Pakistanis. He
said the ICCI and UKPCCI should set up helpdesks to facilitate members of both
chambers for doing business in Pakistan and UK.
Speaking at the occasion, ICCI President Sheikh Amir Waheed said
that Pakistan and UK have great potential to enhance bilateral trade from
current £2.5 billion to £3 billion and both countries should facilitate
frequent exchange of trade delegations to explore untapped areas of mutual
cooperation. He said Pakistan was emerging as a potential market for business
and investment due to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other rising
sectors and stressed that UKPCCI should convince maximum Pakistani investors in
the UK to bring technology and investment to Pakistan in areas of interest.
ICCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Naveed and Vice President
Nisar Mirza stressed that both chambers should develop strong liaisons to
enhance connectivity between private sectors of Pakistan and UK that would help
in promoting bilateral trade between both countries. They said both chambers
should extend reciprocal facilitation services to each other’s members so that
businessmen of Pakistan and UK could easily visit each other’s countries to
explore new business opportunities. The business community of both sides was of
the view that big companies were coming to invest in CPEC and both chambers
should work together to explore business opportunities for SMEs in CPEC
projects. The members of both chambers also held B2B meetings to explore
business collaborations with each other in areas of mutual interest.
BANGKOK — Thousands of urban refugees and asylum seekers live in Bangkok,
where they are not allowed to work and risk being detained and sent to languish
in immigration detention centers at any time.Meet some of them next week at a
studio-arts venue in the On Nut area which will host an evening of music, food
and crafts to support women refugees.
The Intercultural Bazaar will
highlight international music performances and traditional cooking from five
countries – Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Check out and learn how to make traditional crafts including
embroidery and cool henna designs inspired by refugees from Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Somalia and Vietnam.
Local brand Chamaliin will host the workshops and show some of
its handmade products made by members of the refugee community.
Asylum seekers from several nations will prepare dishes from
their homelands for sale at low cost. Expect samosas, pakora and biryani rice
from Pakistan alongside Syrian kebab, fatayer, hummus and ma’amoul (date
biscuits).
Sri Lankan dishes will include savory nuts, watalappam (cardamom
spiced coconut custard) and sweet Laddu balls. Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches,
spring rolls and loklak (Khmer beef stew) will also be served.
Admission is free. Food and craft sales go to the individuals
involved in making them.
The event runs 5pm to 11pm on Nov. 25 at Brownstone
Studio. The studio-gallery-cafe is located in Soi Sukhumvit 77 near Soi On
Nut 25, which can be reached by motorbike or taxi from BTS On Nut.
KARACHI- A Pakistani trade delegation is scheduled to
visit Tehran on November 21 and 22 for finalizing a free trade agreement (FTA)
with Iran, according to the commercial counselor of Pakistan to Tehran.
Nazar Muhammad Ranjha, leading a
delegation of Iranian businessmen from different sectors to visit Expo Pakistan
2017 (held from November 9 to 12 at Karachi Expo Center), made the announcement
in an interview with the Tehran Times on the sidelines of the exhibit.
Elaborating on the measures and targets for the expansion of trade between Iran
and Pakistan, the Pakistani counselor said: “We have already achieved some
targets. Last year the trade between the two countries crossed the level of $1
billion and this year during April-September total trade between the two
countries was $660 million which is a very good one. We hope that this will
increase a lot.”
“The $5 billion bilateral target
was set last year to bring this trade to level of $5 billion by 2021. We hope
that within the next four years by 2021 when we have free trade agreement and
all the things in place this target is achievable and even we can achieve more
than this”, he added.
Referring to his government’s
measures for facilitation of trade with Iran, the counselor said: “We have
brought this delegation here and we have today meetings with Federation of
Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Karachi Chamber to have direct contact with
the business community and to get the direct input what sort of facilitation is
required by them [Iranian businessmen] and what kind of facilitation Pakistani
business community can offer. So we can remove the problems and facilitate in
any way.”
“And we have also pointed out
many things to our Ministry of Commerce and also other trade authorities to
provide different facilitations and this will be provided”, he added.
Pakistan sees Iran one of its
main business partners
Elsewhere in his remarks, Nazar
Muhammad said: “Pakistan considers Iran its one of the most important business
partners and we are doing all of the best to improve the business relations.”
“I am thankful to you [Iranian
delegation] and all of the delegations that are here on our invitation and we
are very honored to have all you here and your participation is a very positive
sign”, he noted.
“All the business community here
have lot of demand that Iranian businessmen should come here”, the counselor
highlighted.
“And as you know this is one of the biggest exhibitions that Pakistan has
arranged. The last exhibition took place in 2015 and there are delegations from
almost 50-55 countries from all over the world. The participation is very
impressive. There are almost 900-1000 delegates that have come from foreign
countries”, he further explained.
Absence of banking channel main
barrier for trade
Nazar Muhammad mentioned absence
of banking channel as the major barrier for bilateral trade and said: “There is
no banking channel and we are trying our best to resume this banking channel,
because without this it is not easy with the businessmen to conduct their
trade. When there will be banking channel it will easily increase trade many
folds.”
He went on to say: “Then the
tariffs are very high. Pakistani business community says that tariffs are very
high in Tehran, lots of certifications like certification from health ministry
are required and they have to get those certifications.”
Mutual recognition agreement
expected
“And we are also now trying to
sign an agreement which is called mutual recognition agreement. It means
that if there is some certification granted by Pakistani authorities to its
businessmen it will be accepted by Iran and similarly if Iranian authorities
have given some certifications it will be accepted by Pakistan. We are also
negotiating this agreement during the meeting of free trade agreement. So this
will also facilitate trade”, he further announced.
He also said: “We have already
signed an agreement that is preferential trade agreement (PTA). It was signed
in 2006 and under this agreement we have included 338 items from Iran and 309
items from Pakistan. So there are almost 650 items which can take place in
preferential trade agreement which means tariffs will be reduced by both
countries to each other but actually from last year we see from data there are
only few number of items that are taking place.”
“In last six months we had only
eight items that have gone to Iran and maximum is rice. Rice is almost 65
percent of our total export, similarly Iran’s exports are considered in only
10-15 items, so we have to look into expand it to diversify it”, he added.
“With this diversification we
need to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers and then trade increases not only
in volume but also in diversification and it can be done”, he concluded
Many Pakistani delegations visit
Iran last year
Many different delegations from
Pakistan including trade delegations have visited Iran during the past year
period, Nazar Muhammad said, adding: “One delegation was from Lahore Chamber of
Commerce, one from Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REP), and
delegations from Pakistan-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce that visited twice in
the last year. Then the joint economic committee meeting was also held in April
2017 in Tehran.”
In the end, the Pakistani counselor
said: “Once again thank you for coming here and also from our delegation from
Iran. They are very much encouraged with this very much positive gesture and we
hope that such delegations will be visiting both countries again.”
ISLAMABAD: UK-Pakistan Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (UKPCCI) will organise "Made in Pakistan Expo"
in Britain in October 2018 in order to promote Pakistani products in the local
market.
This was stated by UK-Pakistan CCI
president Chaudhry Muhammad Sadeeq, who along with a 10-member delegation
visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday. The delegation
was representing various sectors, including chain of hospitality and
restaurants, real estate, furniture, health, education, importers of rice and
food products, livestock and halal meat.
The UKPCCI president said Pakistani
community in UK wanted to see a progressive and prosperous Pakistan, as they
had utmost love for it. A 25-member delegation of UKPCCI is visiting Pakistan
to attend Karachi Expo and study its market as Overseas Pakistani investors in
the UK are keen to explore opportunities of joint ventures and investment in
various sectors.
The delegation had already held
fruitful meetings in Karachi and Lahore and many delegation members have also
finalised business deals in Pakistan, he added.
Rice exporters demand the government to provide them relief
package so that they could not only become competitive in the world market but
also increase the quantum of exports of the commodity.
If financially facilitated, the rice export sector may respond with 20 percent
increase in export earnings during the first year, Rice Exporters Association
Pakistan president Samiullah Chaudhry said in a media interaction here on
Monday.
He regretted that various sectors earning much less than rice in exports like
leather, surgical and sports goods were being offered rebate while rice sector
was ignored which is securing around $2 billion foreign exchange each year. He
feared that the sector could face closure if no package was announced for it in
the near future. He said they are initiating a proposal that export rebate
should be clubbed with growth rate i.e. the firm showing 10 percent plus growth
in exports than the previous year should be offered the financial support.
Under the proposed formula the branded exports should get 7 percent, white rice
5 and brown rice 3 percent rebate, he added.
He said the government won’t have to allocate extra revenue for the proposed
rebate rather it would issue vouchers against the export consignments which
would be adjustable against withholding tax and the banks markup the financial
institutions would charge on the credit facility for the rice exports. The
proposal would not cost the government more than Rs10 billion per year but it
would yield Rs25 billion more export revenue, he claimed.
Relief package for rice exporters demanded
Salim Ahmed
Lahore
Rice exporters demand the
government to provide them relief package so that they could not only become
competitive in the world market but also increase the quantum of exports of the
commodity.
If financially facilitated, the rice export sector may respond with 20 percent
increase in export earnings during the first year, Rice Exporters Association
Pakistan president Samiullah Chaudhry said in a media interaction here on
Monday.
He regretted that various sectors earning much less than rice in exports like
leather, surgical and sports goods were being offered rebate while rice sector
was ignored which is securing around $2 billion foreign exchange each year. He
feared that the sector could face closure if no package was announced for it in
the near future. He said they are initiating a proposal that export rebate
should be clubbed with growth rate i.e. the firm showing 10 percent plus growth
in exports than the previous year should be offered the financial support.
Under the proposed formula the branded exports should get 7 percent, white rice
5 and brown rice 3 percent rebate, he added.
He said the government won’t have to allocate extra revenue for the proposed
rebate rather it would issue vouchers against the export consignments which
would be adjustable against withholding tax and the banks markup the financial
institutions would charge on the credit facility for the rice exports. The
proposal would not cost the government more than Rs10 billion per year but it
would yield Rs25 billion more export revenue, he claimed.
Pakobserver
Iraq
Makes Huge Purchase of U.S. Rice Under the U.S.-Iraq Memorandum of
Understanding
By Michael Klein
ARLINGTON, VA -- Six
months after the first U.S. rice purchase by Iraq under the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between the two countries, Iraq has awarded a new 90,000
metric ton order for long grain milled rice to Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).
As with other
successful tenders, it came down to the last minute and even the Iraqi Minister
of Planning got involved in final deliberations. The Minister and a delegation had visited the
U.S. this summer to get a better understanding of the U.S. rice industry and to
make sure U.S. industry understood his agency's needs and standards.
"We greatly
appreciate Minister Salman al-Jumaili taking such an active role in the
tender," said USA Rice vice president international Sarah Moran. "It's a testament to the transparent
process we hoped to achieve with the MOU.
Ambassador Silliman and staff at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad should also
be commended for their work on behalf of U.S. agriculture."
"This will make
120,000 metric tons of U.S. rice going into Iraq since the MOU was signed in
2016," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward, who's group helped
draft the MOU. "This sale comes at an
excellent time and will give the entire industry a welcome boost as we head
into the holiday season."
Ward also thanked
allies in Congress who have helped keep U.S. rice front and center with the
U.S. State Department and the government of Iraq, specifically Congressman
Ralph Abraham (R-LA) who reached out directly to Ambassador Silliman during
this latest tender process.
MOCI Warns
Rice Importers Against Unscrupulous Behavior
Sample
of the Bella Lona rice being re-bagged by some dubious business people.As part
of efforts to protect consumers in Liberia, the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry (MOCI) has rubbished allegations of contaminated Bella Lona rice on
the Liberian market.
The MOCI in its press release indicated
that they have received separate complaints from marketers and rice importer
Supplying West Africa Traders Incorporated (SWAT) about re-bagging of ‘spoiled
rice’ into Bella Lona bags by some major rice importers and their sales agents
in the field.
This unscrupulous behavior by
those competing importers of rice is causing serious problems for the consuming
public of Bella Lona rice in Liberia, which has claimed the attention of the
ministry.
“We like to call on those
importers and agents who are involved into such act to immediately desist or
risk closure, because the MOCI will not hesitate to name and shame them
publicly,” the ministry said.
The Bella Lona rice has been on
the Liberian market for several years and it has been tested from its country
of origin, certified by the International Standards Laboratory (ISL) and tested
by Liberia’s Standard Laboratory, and proven to be consumable for human.
The MOCI investigation has also
discovered that some of the major importers of Liberia’s staple food – rice –
have provided re-bagging equipment to their sales agents in the field in order
to sabotage SWAT’s importation of rice.
“We feel this act by some rice
importers is completely wrong and has the propensity of putting other business
entities out of business,” the release said.
The ministry has instructed its
inspectorate division to keep surveillance on sales agents of rice importers in
the country.
Meanwhile, the MOCI further
called on the Liberia National Police (LNP) to help track down those involved
in this ugly act.
As we approach the transitional
period of another democratically elected Government, MOCI called on all
business entities to respect the trademark of others and uphold the principle
of good business practice, said the release.
MOCI further appealed to
consumers and marketers to report anybody who is found re-bagging rice from one
brand’s bag to another, saying this act is criminal and against Liberia’s
business law.
LAHORE - Pakistan can capture India’s
$260 million rice business with the European Union
following the EU’s zero tolerance on Tricyclazole chemical found in Indian
grains.
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan Chairman
Chaudhry Samee Ullah said that Pakistan can target India’s basmati riceshare in
the EU market,
following the stringent policies placed by the European Union on the presence
of hazardous pesticides in the commodity. From January 1, 2018, all countries
that export basmati rice to the EU must
bring down the maximum residue limit (MRL) level for Tricyclazole to 0.01 mg
per kg. Up till now, the EU was accepting 1mg per kg from different
countries, including India .
Samee said that Pakistan can
enhance its rice export to EU from
150,000 ton to 350,000 ton, grabbing the share of
200,000 tons of Indian rice export to EU which
may be stopped due to strict regulations. Tricyclazole is a fungicide used by
Indian farmers in more than 70 percent of basmati crops. He said that
Pakistan’s farmers do not use such chemicals to protect their crops. “Basmati
varieties grown in Pakistan do not require use of the fungicide
and stand to gain from the de-facto ban on Indian exports,” he added.
India had exported rice of
around 350,000 tons worth $260 million to the European Union countries in last
fiscal year, 70 percent of which has tricyclazole limit of 1mg/1kg. Samee
demanded the government to announce matching grant to shelve Pakistani product
at the international store chains. Pakistan’s brand can get space by replacing
Indian basmati rice in European countries’ renowned mega
stores with the financial support of the government.
“This presents an opportunity to grab India’s
market share ,
because it will at least take two cycles to reduce the consumption of
Tricyclazole in India .” He said that Basmati rice export
had been facing severe competition from India .
He regretted that lack of research and non-availability of new seeds has caused
low yields, adding that the high input costs have made Pakistani Basmati rice totally
uncompetitive. He urged the government to extend financial support to the
second biggest exporting sector in line with other export-oriented industries
enabling them to be price competitive in the international market to bridge the
ever increasing gap of trade deficit of the country. He said rice is
the second biggest exporting sector after textile but it was always ignored by
the government.
Meanwhile, the Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan organised an awareness for its
members which was also addressed by REAP Chairman Samee Ullah Naeem. Thomas
Unger of Eurofins Global Control GmbH was the guest speaker of the seminar,
aimed at discussing the challenges being faced by the rice exporters
to European market.
Unger said Pakistan has
a huge potential of rice export but its exporters should pay
attention towards meeting the specifications of their importers. He said
that rice export
to European countries was picking up but the exporters should pay attention towards
issues like aflatoxins, pesticide residue and also new regulations being made
by these markets. However, he said that complaints of aflatoxins in rice consignments
from Pakistan had
reduced to almost negligible level.
KARACHI: Sacks of rice being uploaded on a cargo ship at the
port in this file photo.
LAHORE: Pakistan has a huge potential for rice exports
to European Union but the exporters must pay attention towards meeting import
specifications, said Thomas Unger of Eurofins Global Control GmbH.
He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) on Thursday to discuss the challenges
faced by Pakistani rice exporters in the European market.
Rice exports to European countries are picking up but
exporters should pay attention towards issues like aflatoxins, pesticide
residue and new regulations being made by these markets, Mr Unger said.
However, he said, complaints of aflatoxins in rice consignments from Pakistan
have reduced to almost negligible levels.
On the occasion, rice exporters sought government
support to capture India’s $260 million rice business with the European Union,
following the EU’s zero tolerance policy on tricyclazole chemical found in
Indian grains.
Reap Chairman Chaudhry Sameeullah Naeem said Pakistan
can target India’s Basmati rice share in the EU market following stringent
policies placed by the European Union on the presence of hazardous pesticides
in the commodity.
He asserted that Pakistan can enhance its rice export
to EU from 150,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes, grabbing the share of 200,000
tonnes of Indian rice exports to the EU which may be stopped due to strict
regulations.
“This presents an opportunity to grab India’s market
share, because it will at least take two cycles to reduce the consumption of
Tricyclazole in India,” he added.
From Jan 1, 2018, all countries that export Basmati
rice to the EU must bring down the maximum residue limit (MRL) level for Tricyclazole
to 0.01mg per kg. Up till now, the EU was accepting 1mg per kg from different
countries including India.
Tricyclazole is a fungicide used by Indian farmers in
more than 70 per cent of Basmati crops.
The Reap chief stressed that Pakistani farmers do not
use such chemicals to protect their crops. “Basmati varieties grown in Pakistan
do not require use of the fungicide and stand to gain from the de facto ban on
Indian exports,” he said.India exported around 350,000 tonnes of rice worth
$260 million to the European Union countries during the last financial year,
70pc of which has tricyclazole limit of 1mg per 1kg.
Mr Naeem demanded the government to announce matching
grant to display Pakistani product at international chains.
He said Basmati rice export have been facing severe
competition from India, regretting the lack of research and non-availability of
new seeds which caused low yields. High input costs have made Pakistani Basmati
rice totally uncompetitive, he added.
Govt nod to paddy buying by
commission agents, farmers feel cheated
The government has again approved
the kacha arhati system in Uttarakhand, under which kacha arhatis or commission
agents procure paddy from farmers on behalf of the government
The government had promised to ’review and remove’ the kacha
arhati system after a ₹600-crore rice scam hit the state last year.(HT File)
The government has again approved
the kacha arhati system in Uttarakhand, under which kacha arhatis or commission
agents procure paddy from farmers on behalf of the government.
The government had promised to
“review and remove” the kacha arhati system after a ₹600-crore rice scam hit the state
last year.
Farmers suspect role of rice
millers behind the continuation of the kacha arhati system. Purushottam Sharma,
the general Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Kissan Mahasabha, said that the
commission agents exploit the farmers. “We have been demanding that the
government should directly buy produce from the farmers, which would reduce
corruption. There were talks that the farmers would dry their produce at the
mandis and sell them directly, but the government is promoting commission
agents for benefitting the rice millers and commission agents,” he alleged.
Farmers also alleged that many
rice mill owners themselves function as commission agents.
The special investigative team
(SIT), which probed the rice scam, had pointed out that the kacha arhatis
bought rice from the farmers at rates below the minimum support price (MSP) —
the minimum rate of a crop fixed by the government — and sold it to the
government at the MSP, due to which the farmers were deprived of their actual
dues. Besides, the rice millers had allegedly bought low quality rice from
other states and supplied it to the government.
This year, only 28,000 metric
tonne (MT) rice has been procured by the government in the Kumaon region
against the set target of 74,000 MT.
Farmers alleged that the
commission agents have already purchased the rice at low prices and stocked it.
They would sell the purchased rice to the government at the MSP, thus making a
killing, they alleged.
Lalit Mohan Rayal, the regional
food controller of Kumaon, said that on November 13, some paras of the previous
commission agent policy have been included in the new policy, which means the
system will stay.
He said there are different ways
for paddy procurement, which includes involvement of the marketing division,
Uttarakhand cooperative federation and cooperative societies. Besides, the
commission agents also play a big role in the procurement. “These persons are
registered with the mandi and sales tax department. They purchase grains from
farmers in mandi yard, sell it to the government and get 1% commission,” he
said.
Rayal said the number of
commission agents is more because there are less numbers of government weighing
centres. He said a close watch would be kept on the rice procurement by the
commission agents so that they do not indulge in malpractises and buy grains
from farmers at lower rates than MSP.
It’s time to dip into the plant
file, and I found a couple of items about what could be just the most important
plant in the world. At least to us humans. And what is it? Rice.
One of the problems that global
warming brings is extended periods of drought all over the planet. And
unfortunately, rice takes an incredible amount of water to grow which makes it
very susceptible to drought. Now, scientists at the RIKEN Center for
Sustainable Resource Science in collaboration with researchers from other
countries have developed strains of rice that are resistant to drought in
real-world situations. They tackled this issue by developing transgenic strains
of rice.
Normally, plants adapt to
drought-related stress by producing molecules like soluble sugars that help
prevent water from leaving cells. So the researchers took the genes that produce
galactinol, one of these sugars, from a plant called Arabidopsis and grafted it
into a rice plant.
Drought-related stress
The genomic addition improved the
rice’s resistance to drought-related stress, and increased its grain yield in
dry field conditions. The researchers say it’s one of the best examples where
basic research knowledge has been successfully applied toward a resolution to a
food-related problem.
For this study, they created
several lines of transgenic Brazilian and African rice that overexpress this
gene, and with their collaborators, tested how well the rice grew in different
conditions in different years.
First, they grew different rice
lines in greenhouse conditions and showed that the modified Brazilian and
African rice did indeed show higher production levels of galactinol than the
unmodified control rice. Next, they tested tolerance to drought during the
seedling growth period because this period often overlaps with seasonal
drought. In order to precisely control this part of the experiment, it was
conducted in a shelter that allowed them to artificially create drought-like
conditions. After three weeks, the modified strains had grown taller and showed
less leaf-rolling, a common response to drought stress.
After several other trials, they
tested the transgenic rice over a three-year period in different natural
environments and several of the transgenic strains showed higher grain yield
under mild and severe natural drought.
Although the researchers say that
it may take five to 10 years before the drought-resistant rice reaches the
marketplace, our rapidly changing climate sure makes it a good idea.
Weedy rice
Climate change isn’t the only
threat to the rice crop. A new study in Nature Genetics describes an ancestry.com-type
adventure that reveals the deep history of a family, including some
disreputable relatives. The family is Asian rice (Oryza sativa), and the
disreputable relatives are the weedy cousins of domesticated rice.
Weedy rice is neither wild rice
nor crop rice but rather formerly domesticated rice that’s "gone
rogue" and shed some traits that are important to people. Although it
grows only in rice paddies, it’s not easily harvested and produces inedible
seeds.
In some places, these weeds can
cause a 90 percent reduction in rice crops and even in the U.S., weedy rice is
estimated to be present in 30 percent of rice fields and causes crop losses of
more than $50 million annually.
There are two major strains of
weedy rice in the U.S.: strawhull and blackhull awned. Analysis shows that the
two weeds evolved from two different crop varieties. They evolved at different
stages in the domestication process, and the genetic basis for weediness
differs between the strains. It also revealed that relatively few changes were
needed to turn the crop plant into a weed. Unfortunately, rice seems to tend
toward weediness.
When rice is planted by hand,
each seedling is looked at and the weedy ones are thrown away. But the adoption
of mechanized farming has changed the equation. The weedy relatives look so
much like the crop, they blend in and farmers don't realize they have a problem
until they have a real infestation.
The weeds have shattering seeds
which helps them disperse at a higher rate but makes them impossible to
harvest. They also have a higher rate of dormancy which means that there’s a
reservoir of weed seeds in crop fields that come up year after year and
out-compete the crop.
What the researchers found
fascinating is the way the weeds have co-opted the agricultural system. They
take advantage of this wonderful environment we create by tilling and providing
nutrients, and way out-compete the plants that have desirable traits.
Of course, desirability is
subjective. What’s desirable for us may not be desirable for the rice!
It’s no surprise that the Telangana State has been ranked number
one in the latest English news fortnightly India Today’s Best Economy State
rankings and this speaks about the buoyant economy of the state. There has been
a distinct upward shift in the growth path of the economy of Telangana since
its formation in June 2014.
The average annual growth of State Domestic Product (GSDP)
increased from 4.2% in the two years preceding the formation of the state
(2012-14) to an impressive growth of 9.5% during the three years following the
formation of the State (2014-17).
While the average annual growth of Telangana GSDP at 4.2% was
lower than the all-India average of 6% prior to formation, it achieved an
average annual growth of 9.5% in the three-year period after formation which is
much higher than the national average of 7.4%.
Telangana stood at 6th place in the rankings of the States by
average GSDP growth in the three-year period 2014-17. It is matter of great
pride that Telangana achieved double-digit growth of 10.1 % in 2016-17. The
higher growth in Telangana was the result of an improvement in the growth of
manufacturing and the pickup in the services sector.
There has also been an impressive growth in the per capita income
of Telangana. In the three years since its formation (2014-17), the average
annual growth of the per capita income of Telangana has been 11.5% which is
higher than the national average annual growth of 9.3 % in the same period. The
per capita income of State increased from Rs 1,12,162 in 2013-14 to Rs 1,55,162
in 2016-17.
Thus, it is higher by Rs 52,393 as compared with the All-India per
capita income of Rs 1,03,219. Telangana is among the top ten States in India in
terms of per capita income. This apart, Telangana State stood first among all
the States by clocking a growth of 21.10% in its own tax revenue in 2016-17
over 2015-16. As per the pre-actuals for 2016-17, own tax revenue in Telangana
amounted to Rs 48,408 crore that year as compared with Rs 39,975 crore in the
previous year.
Similarly, the state own tax revenue growth rate in 7 months this
year compared to the same period last year is (from Rs 27,082 crore to Rs
31,285 crore) 17.5%. The overall state’s own revenue growth rate as of now
stands at (from Rs. 28,587 crores to Rs. 34,473 crores) 20.58%.
The significant pick-up in the growth of the Telangana economy is
entirely due to the proactive steps taken by the Government of Telangana. The
first major problem that the Chief Minister and his government addressed after
assuming charge was the acute power shortage in the State that was adversely
upsetting both the industrial and agricultural production.
To tackle the problem once and for all, the State government added
power generating capacity of 4,190 MW in the first two years as compared with
the installed capacity of only 6,574 MW at the time of the formation of the State.
The installed power generation capacity later reached 14,555 MW. New
plants construction is going on for another 13,752 MW of power generation.
The government is now supplying power to the industries
uninterruptedly and has decided to supply 24-hour power to the farm sector. For
this CM has assured to allocate Rs 5,384 crores in the budget next
year. The single-window system of industrial approvals known as “Telangana
State Industrial Project Approval and Self Certification System (TS-I PASS)”
contributed a lot to the growth of economy.
This policy together with uninterrupted power supply paved the way
for faster industrial development of the State. Approvals were given within 15
days to 5,289 companies with an investment of Rs 1,11,688 crore and employment
potential of nearly 2.4 lakhs. Out of these, 3,477 units have already
commenced operations. There has been a global applause contributing further to
the investments in the State. Telangana has been ranked number one in rankings
of States in Ease of Doing Business.
The government has the wisdom of economy and is fully conscious of
the sectors where benefits from the investments are the highest. However, the
government is also spending funds to satisfy the basic needs for the welfare of
poor and vulnerable. Thus, some money goes to sectors where benefits are not
directly visible but contribute to the development of human resources and make
them more productive. The government’s decision to go for land records
rectification and updating also will add up to 2% growth rate.
Maintaining momentum of economic growth, fiscal prudence and
maintaining debt sustainability are the three important factors that contribute
for a better economy and the state adheres to them. The broad fiscal policy in
India lies with the union government and states are to be alike but cannot be
unlike. Telangana is among few select states to become eligible for availing
the additional borrowing limit of 0.5% of GSDP taking the total eligibility of
the state to 3.5% of GSDP on maintaining all the fiscal parameters within the
limits laid down under the FRBM legislation and those laid down by the 14th
Finance Commission.
Telangana also makes optimum use of funds under the centrally
sponsored schemes and obtains timely release of funds from the center after
submitting utilization certificates. Telangana joined UDAY scheme and has taken
over Rs. 8923 Crores of Loans to make Discoms more financially healthy and to
remove their financial burden.
When Telangana went for selling bonds they were sold overnight.
For infusing and instilling confidence in the industry, 24-hour power was
supplied to them without any power cuts. After uninterrupted supply for over
three months they got confidence. Industries started working in three shifts.
This is how it contributed to the growth of economy. Further,
growth of economy could be understood the way the economy rolls fast. For
instance, due to copious rainfall paddy production in the state reached about
94 lakh metric tonnes. Four states purchased paddy from Telangana. Even small
rice millers were happy.
Restoration of over 45,000 tanks, construction of many major and
medium irrigation projects with an annual outlay of Rs 25,000 crore, plans to
bring one crore acres of land under assured sources of irrigation and immense
potential for the development of fisheries sector in the State added to growth
in economy.
The government has started distribution of 84 lakh sheep to 4 lakh
Yadava and Kuruma families at 75 per cent subsidy in a phased manner which
would create tremendous wealth to them. The government’s commitment to the
welfare of the poor and downtrodden is unwavering. As stated by the Chief
Minister many a time, mere growth has no meaning and even legitimacy, if the
deprived sections of the society are left behind.
Inclusive growth should not only ensure a broad-based flow of
benefits and economic opportunities, but also encompass empowerment and
participation. The initiatives taken by the government have been entirely
guided by these compelling imperatives. Be it a two-bed room scheme or Aasara
pensions or subsidized rice or Kalyan Laxmi and Shad Mubarak or any other
welfare, are all aimed at, empowerment and participation of vulnerable
sections.
The government started its journey slowly but steadily and has
become economically very sound state. For nearly six decades, Telangana
remained neglected despite its significant share in revenue collections and
potential. Telangana is in the process of a major transition from a shackled
economy to that of an economy which is being nurtured back to fulfill the
long-pending just needs of its people.
Therefore, the growth prospects of Telangana cannot be defined by
its past, nor can they be defined by the present. Because of the numerous
initiatives taken by the government, the growth prospects are very bright,
going by the performance of the State economy and the expansion of the growth
possibilities. The reorganisation of the districts will create new growth
centers around the new districts, which will further contribute to the growth
momentum of economy. (Writer is CPRO of Telangana Chief Minister)
Rice Millers Association Vice-President Chunduru Venkat
Rao, giving a Coastal Bank passbook to a customer at Akiveedu on Thursday
Akiveedu: The
Coastal Bank opened its 48th branch in Akiveedu on Thursday. The bank branch
was inaugurated by local eminent person Gottumukkala Srinivasa Raju, West Godavari
District Rice Millers Association Vice President Chunduru Venkatrao and
Srikanth International Prawn Exports chairman Nerella Venkata Rama Mohan Rao.
The Coastal Bank Promoter Director, Dr Jayaram Chigurupati,
speaking at the inaugural meeting, said that the bank would give loans to the
farming community, local traders and professionals, under various schemes. Bank
General Managers D Jagapati Raju, N Sambasiva Rao, Akiveedu Branch Head KL
Naresh participated in the inaugural programme.
The bank’s Promoter Director said that the bank has 47 branches in
Andhra Pradesh in five districts. At present, the bank have 3.22 lakh
customers. It has done a total business of Rs 760 crore. The Bank is
going to open two more branches at Tuni (East Godavari), Duvvada (Visakhapatnam
district), he added.
Commerce Ministry officials and members of the private sector will
fly to Bangladesh next month to discuss a new purchasing agreement for milled
rice, after Bangladesh recently cancelled an order of the commodity.
The purchasing agreements for Cambodian milled rice are part of a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in August between Bangladesh and
Cambodia, according to which the kingdom is to sell about one million tonnes of
rice in the five years leading up to 2022.
Ministry of Commerce (MoC) spokesman Long Kem Vichet told Khmer
Times yesterday that both countries are now negotiating a new rice deal based
on the MoU.
“After running into some stumbling blocks, the negotiations for the
rice deal have not concluded yet,” he said.
“The MoU we signed with Bangladesh is still valid, so we are still
sending rice to Bangladesh, but we are now negotiating a new purchasing
agreement.
“In December, we will go to Bangladesh again to discuss the details
of the deal.”
Reuters has reported that Bangladesh terminated the deal with
Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white rice due to a delay in the shipment.
Badrul Hasan, the head of Bangladesh’s state grain buyer, said the
deal was cancelled after Cambodia failed to supply the rice on time.
Hun Lak, the vice-president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF),
said the deal was cancelled because Bangladesh has high requirements about the
way the export process is conducted.
“Their requirements are difficult for us to meet because we ship
‘Free On Board’ (FOB), using a delivery schedule and payment method that is
convenient for us,” Mr Lak said.
Mr Vichet reiterated that the MoU was still in place and that
Cambodia will supply rice to the South Asian nation once details of the new
purchasing agreement are worked out.
Bangladesh, the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, has emerged
as a major importer of the grain this year after flash floods in April hit
domestic output. As a result, the country is facing dwindling stocks and high
local prices.
Bangladesh Scraps Rice Deal With Cambodia Over Shipment Delay
Dhaka. Bangladesh has
cancelled its first-ever deal with Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white
rice over a delay in shipments, officials at the state grains buyer said on
Tuesday (14/11). The deal was signed in August at $453.00 a tonne as the
Bangladesh government raced to shore up depleted stocks and combat record
domestic prices of the staple grain after floods hit its crop. "We had to
terminate the deal as they failed to supply the rice on time," Badrul
Hasan, the head of Bangladesh's state grain buyer, told Reuters.
Despite deals with several rice exporting countries including
Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, Bangladesh is still battling to build its
reserves, with rice imports are set to hit their highest levels in a decade.
"We don't think this will have an impact on our efforts to build
stocks," he said, adding the state grains buyer was in talks with an
Indian agency. "Tomorrow we are holding talks with India's National
Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED). We hope we will succeed
to finalize a deal with them." Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest
rice producer, Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the grain this
year and helped pushed Asian rice prices to multi-year highs in June. Rice is a
staple food for Bangladesh's 160 million people and high prices pose a problem
for the government, which faces a national election next year. Bangladesh has
also issued a series of tenders as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million
tonnes of rice in the year to June. Rice at government warehouses stood at
411,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1 million tonnes. In
August, Bangladesh cut a duty on rice imports for the second time in two
months. The lower import duty has prompted purchases by private dealers, with
most of the deals being struck with neighboring India. Bangladesh produces
around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to
feed its population. It often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by
floods or droughts.
Cameroon
imports rice worth F CFA 100 Billion yearly
Published on 15.11.2017 Ã 12h25 by Journal du Cameroun
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According to statistics from the
Ministry of the economy, planning and regional development, the country imports
rice worth F CFA 100 Billion yearly to meet up with the population rice needs.
A trend which economic experts have described as a significant
loss of revenue for a public treasury that wants to up it’s game.
With an estimated domestic production of less than 150 000
tonnes and an annual demand of more than 300 000 tonnes, the country rice needs
is estimated as very high.
It is against this backdrop that Cameroon government officials
have embarked on process aimed at boosting local rice production to close the
gap. Reports say, MINEPAT officials are currently on the field conducting operations,
“with the aim of identifying a development and extension program for rice
production”.
The objectives, the experts say, is to reduce imports and boost
local rice production activities which will eventually cover the entire
Cameroonian market and make prices fall.
https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroon-imports-rice-worth-f-cfa-100-billion-yearly/Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- November 17, 2017
Reuters | Nov 17, 2017,
14:45 IST
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices - APMC/Open Market-November 17 Nagpur, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Gram
and tuar prices recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee
(APMC) on increased buying support from local millers amid weak supply from
producing regions. Government move to open gram export and healthy rise in Madhya
Pradesh pulses also helped to push up prices, according to
sources. FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram varieties ruled steady in open
market here on subdued demand from local traders amid ample stock in ready
position. TUAR * Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka varieties firmed up open
market on renewed demand from local traders. * In Akola, Tuar New -
4,000-4,100, Tuar dal (clean) - 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean) - 8,000-8,500,
Moong Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram - 4,500-4,650, Gram Super best -
7,300-7,500 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity. Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 3,700-4,585 3,600-4,500 Gram Pink
Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,750-4,030 3,600-4,000 Moong Auction n.a.
3,900-4,200 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Wheat
Mill quality Auction 1,600-1,675 1,600-1,695 Gram Super Best Bold 7,500-8,000
7,500-8,000 Gram Super Best n.a. n.a. Gram Medium Best 6,600-7,000 6,600-7,000
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a Gram Mill Quality 3,800-3,900 3,800-3,900 Desi gram
Raw 4,800-4,900 4,800-4,900 Gram Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,400-13,000 Tuar Fataka
Best-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400 Tuar Fataka
Medium-New 5,800-6,100 5,800-6,100 Tuar Dal Best Phod-New
5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900 Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,200-5,600 5,200-5,600 Tuar
Gavarani New 4,100-4,200 4,050-4,150 Tuar Karnataka 4,450-4,750 4,400-4,700
Masoor dal best 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400 Masoor dal medium 4,800-5,000
4,800-5,000 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold (New) 7,100-7,500 7,100-7,500
Moong Mogar Medium 6,300-6,700 6,300-6,700 Moong dal Chilka 5,800-6,200
5,800-6,200 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 7,100-7,500 7,100-7,500
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,000-9,000 8,000-8,800 Udid Mogar Medium
(100 INR/KG) 5,700-7,000 5,500-7,000 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,200-6,300
5,100-6,300 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,400 Lakhodi dal (100
INR/kg) 2,750-2,850 2,750-2,850 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000 Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,900 1,750-1,900
Wheat Filter (100
INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450
2,200-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,150 1,900-2,100 Lokwan
Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600
3,100-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,700 2,300-2,700 Rice BPT
best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,500 3,000-3,500 Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)
2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900 Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400 Rice Swarna
best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600 Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000 Rice
HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,600 3,250-3,600 Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)
4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-14,000 10,000-14,000 Rice Basmati Medium
(100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500 Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500
5,000-5,500 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000 Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,100 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 31.1 degree Celsius,
minimum temp. 19.5 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky.
Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 31 and 19 degree Celsius
respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded
from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)
