پاکستانی طلبا نے چاول کی کوالٹی جانچنے والا جدید سافٹ ویئر تیار
کرلیا
این ای ڈی کے طلبا و اساتذہ نے ’رائس کوالٹی اینالائزر‘ نامی سافٹ
ویئر تیار کیا ہے(فوٹو، اسٹاف)
کراچی: پاکستانی طلبا نے چاول کا معیار جانچنے کے لیے پاکستان کا پہلا
آرٹیفیشل انٹیلی جنس سافٹ ویئر تیار کرلیا۔
پاکستان چاول پیدا کرنے والا دنیا کا دسواں بڑا ملک ہے اور چاول کی
فصل غذائی ضروررت پوری کرنے کے ساتھ برآمدات کے ذریعے زرمبادلہ کے حصول کا بھی اہم
ذریعہ ہے۔ چاول کی قیمت کا تعین اس کی درجہ بندی اور معیار کی بنیاد پر کیاجاتا
ہے۔
چاول کے معیار کا درست تعین چاول کی بہترین قیمت کے حصول کا اہم
ذریعہ ہے۔ پاکستان میں اب تک چاول کے معیار کا تعین اور درجہ بندی روایتی
مینوئل طریقوں سے کی جاتی رہی جو ایک وقت طلب اور مشکل کام ہے لیکن پاکستان کے
باصلاحیت نوجوانوں نے چاول کے کاشتکاروں، ملرز، ٹریڈرز اور ایکسپورٹرز کی یہ مشکل
جدید کمپوٹر ٹیکنالوجی کے ذریعے آسان بنادی ہے۔
این ای ڈی یونیورسٹی میں قائم قومی مرکز برائے مصنوعی ذہانت کے
اساتذہ اور طلباء نے پاکستان کا پہلا آرٹیفیشل انٹلی جنس کمپیوٹر سافٹ ویئر تیار
کرلیا ہے جو چاول کے دانوں کا سیکنڈوں میں مشین لرننگ کے ذریعے تجزیہ کرکے اس کے
معیار کا تعین کرتا ہے۔
سافٹ ویئر کو رائس کوالٹی اینالائرز کا نام دیا گیا ہے جو ایک منٹ
میں چاول کے دانوں کا تجزیہ کرکے چاول کی لمبائی، موٹائی، ٹوٹے ہوئے دانوں کا
تناسب، اوسط وزن اور دیگر اہم خصوصیات کا تجزیہ کرنے کی صلاحیت رکھتا ہے۔ اس سافٹ
ویئر نے اب تک کی آزمائش میں 99فیصد نتائج دیے ہیں۔پاکستانی سافٹ ویئر کا موازنہ
جاپان کے جدید سافٹ ویئر سے بھی کیا گیا اور پاکستان میں تیار کیے گئے سافٹ ویئر
کے نتائج کو جاپانی سافٹ ویئر کے ہم پلہ پایا گیا۔
سافٹ ویئر تیار کرنے والی ٹیم کے رکن اورنیشنل سینٹر فار آرٹیفشل
انٹلی جنس کے ریسرچ ایسوسی ایٹ حافظ احسن الرحمان کے مطابق چاول کے معیار کا تعین
اور درجہ بندی کے لیے مصنوعی ذہانت کا استعمال پاکستان کی رائس انڈسٹری کی ترقی
میں ایک سنگ میل ہے۔
چاول کے معیار کے تعین کے روایتی دستی طریقے میں 2.5ٹن چاول کی لاٹ
میں سے 8کلو گرام چاول کے نمونے جمع کیے جاتے ہیں جن میں سے مزید نمونے منتخب کرکے
انسانی آنکھ،تجربہ اور مینوئل آلات کی مدد سے چاول کے نمونوں کا جائزہ لیا جاتا ہے
ایک نمونے کی جانچ میں کم سے کم ایک گھنٹہ لگتا ہے اور ہر نمونے کی جانچ پر ہزاروں
روپے کے چارجز لگتے ہیں۔
پاکستان میں چاول کی مقامی طلب اور ایکسپورٹ کے حجم میں اضافہ کے
لحاظ سے کمپیوٹر سافٹ ویئر کی مدد سے چاول کی جانچ کی ضرورت عرصہ سے محسوس کی
جارہی تھی تاکہ کم سے کم وقت اور لاگت سے زیادہ سے زیادہ نمونوں کی جانچ کی جاسکے۔
مقامی سطح پر اس جدید سافٹ ویئر کی تیاری سے چاول کی درجہ بندی کی لاگت کم اور
جانچ کی صلاحیت میں اضافہ ہوگا اور ایکسپورٹ کے آرڈرز کم سے کم وقت میں مکمل
ہوسکیں گے۔ سافٹ ویئر کی تیاری میں پاکستان میں چاول کی جانچ کے لیے خدمات فراہم
کرنے والے نجی ادارے رائس لیب پاکستان نے تکنیکی تعاون فراہم کیا ہے۔
چاول کے تجزیے کا سافٹ ویئر کسی بھی اچھے معیار کے فلیٹ بیٹ
اسکینر سے اسکین کردہ چاول کے دانوں کی تصاویر سے کیا جاتا ہے۔ چاول کے معیار کی
جانچ کروانے والے ٹریڈرز یا ملرز دفتری استعمال کے اچھے معیار کے اسکینر سے چاول
کے دانے اسکین کرکے اسمارٹ سٹی لیب کی ٹیم کو ارسال کرسکتے ہیں جس کا فوری تجزیہ
کرکے نتائج بذریعہ ای میل فراہم کیے جاتے ہیں۔اسمارٹ سٹی لیب ملک میں اس تجزیہ کے
جدید طریقے کو عام کرنے کے لیے فی الوقت جانچ کی سہولت آزمائشی بنیادوں پر مفت
فراہم کررہی ہے۔
حافظ احسن الرحمان کے مطابق اس وقت یہ سافٹ ویئر چاول کی 7اہم
خصوصیات کا تجزیہ کرنے کی صلاحیت رکھتا ہے اگلے مرحلے میں چاو ل کی رنگت، پیلاہٹ،
سرخ نشانات وغیرہ کا بھی تجزیہ اور نشاندہی کی صلاحیت شامل کی جائے گی۔ انہوں نے
بتایا کہ چاول کے معیار کا تجزیہ کرنیو الے امریکی کمپنی کے تیار کردہ
خودکار اسکینر اور سافٹ ویئر کی قیمت پاکستانی 6لاکھ روپے ہے جس کی مدت ایک سال
ہے۔
این ای ڈی یونیورسٹی کے سینٹر فار آرٹی فیشل انٹلی جنس کا تیار
کردہ سافٹ ویئر اس کے مقابلے میں کہیں زیادہ سستا اور کارگر ہے اور پاکستان کے
حالات اور رائس انڈسٹری کے تقاضوں کے عین مطابق ہے۔
سافٹ ویئر تیار کرنے والی ٹیم اس سافٹ ویئر کی سہولت دو طرح سے
فراہم کرنے پر غور کررہی ہے پہلے طریقے میں ٹریڈرز، ایکسپورٹرز یا ملرز کی ارسال
کردہ چاول کے دانوں کی تصاویر کی بنیاد پر تجزیہ کرکے نتائج مہیا کیے جائیں گے۔
دوسری صورت میں سافٹ ویئر کے استعمال کے حقوق کسی مخصوص مدت کے لیے فروخت کیے
جائیں گے۔
پاکستانی سافٹ ویئر کی سوشل میڈیا کے ذریعے تشہیر شروع کردی گئی ہے
جس میں پاکستانی رائس کمپنیوں کے علاوہ، انڈونیشیا، انڈیا، سری لنکا اور دیگر
ممالک کی رائس انڈسٹری سے بھی بھرپور رسپانس موصول ہورہا ہے۔
اس کے علاوہ اس نظام کی مدد سے چاول کے معیارکی بنیاد پر چاول کی پیداوار والے اچھے علاقوں کی نشاندہی ہوسکتی ہے اور مقامی و
بین الاقوامی مارکیٹ میں چاول کے کاشتکاروں کی محنت کا بہترین معاوضہ حاصل
کیا جاسکتا ہے
#ShesMyHero:
Rice Farmer Jennifer James
NEWPORT, AR -- In 2019, Arkansas rice farmer
Jennifer James was elected to the Board of Directors at Riceland Foods,
becoming the first woman in the cooperative's 98-year history to hold that
position. The story of how James became a role model in the ag industry
is being showcased in the new #ShesMyHero campaign, a global digital event
featuring inspiring stories of 60 women, told in 60 seconds, to empower girls
around the world to find the one hero that inspires them.
The campaign launches this Sunday, October 11,
in celebration of the International Day of the Girl, and is the brainchild of
the World Woman Foundation, a U.S.-based public charity that believes in the
power of role models to help inspire, motivate, and influence girls from around
the world to overcome gender gaps in leadership and, through mentorship, attain
greater success. 
"The goal of each minute is for women to
tell their personal stories that include wisdom, advice, confidence boosters,
real-life learning, and lessons about...their experiences [that] will make a
difference for the younger generation," said Rupa Dash, CEO of World Woman
Foundation.
James acknowledges the effect mentoring can
have. "Being on the board of Riceland Foods was always a goal in the
back of my mind," said James. "And then a few years ago, I
attended a women's leadership conference and heard one of the speakers suggest
taking note of the board of directors in whatever industry we worked in.
She said if we didn't see anyone who looked like us, then it was our job to
fill that seat. Her words really struck a chord in me."
That little push was all the incentive James
needed to become the leader she is today. "Well, that plus a lot of
education, hard work, personal development, many failures, and lots of
listening!" said James. "And now it's time for me to be the
role model who gives that push to young women and encourages them to follow
their hearts and ambition."
The #ShesMyHero event premieres on Facebook LIVE
and on the World Woman Foundation YouTube page starting this Sunday, at 4 p.m.
EST. Go here for more information on the digital series, and follow
World Woman Hour on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Be sure to share this with all the sisters,
daughters, and granddaughters in your life, and have them acknowledge their
hero using the #ShesMyHero hashtag.
WASDE
Report Released
WASHINGTON,
DC -- The outlook for 2020/21 U.S. rice this month is for increased supplies,
unchanged domestic use and exports, and higher ending stocks. Supplies
are raised as NASS increased the all rice production forecast by 1.3 million
cwt to 226.3 million, on higher harvested area and yields. The all rice
yield is forecast at 7,567 pounds per acre, up 38 pounds from the previous
forecast. Supplies are also increased on higher projected imports, which
are raised by 500,000 cwt to 37.3 million, with all the increase for long
grain. This nearly matches last year's record imports as strong demand
for Asian aromatics is expected to continue for 2020/21. Projected 2020/21
all rice ending stocks are raised 1.8 million cwt to 47.7 million, up 66
percent from last year. The projected 2020/21 all rice season-average
farm price is raised $0.20 per cwt to $12.80.
The 2020/21 global outlook is for smaller supplies, greater consumption, lower
trade, and reduced stocks. Rice supplies are lowered 2.7 million tons to
678.6 million, primarily on reduced beginning stocks for India as its combined
2019/20 consumption and exports are raised 5 million tons. India's
consumption is increased on the introduction of government food assistance
programs to address economic disruptions caused by COVID-19. India's
exports are raised on its recent robust monthly shipment pace. World
production for 2020/21 is raised 1.9 million tons to a record 501.5 million,
mainly on higher projected output for India and the Philippines. 
Global
2020/21 consumption is raised by 3 million tons to a record 499.4 million,
primarily on increases for India and Thailand. World trade is decreased
200,000 tons to 44.3 million tons as higher exports for India are more than
offset by reductions for Thailand and Pakistan. Projected 2020/21 world
ending stocks are lowered 5.7 million tons to 179.2 million, still a record,
with China and India accounting for 65 and 18 percent of the total,
respectively.
Go here to read the full report.
Pakistan accelerates efforts to
protect basmati exports’ rights in EU
KARACHI: Pakistan is determined to
protect rights to continue exporting basmati rice to the European Union (EU), a
senior official said on Thursday, as the battle with India on the brand
ownership in the 27-member bloc has intensified.
The executive director of
state-owned Intellectual Property Organisation Meesaq Arif assured the
exporters that the matter is in control of the government.
“The TM (trade mark) and GI
(geographical indication) tag will be given to our basmati which it fully
deserves,” he said during a meeting with the traders. “All steps are being
taken as per GI law and the IPO is fully aware of all legal formalities and
action to be taken.”
In 2006, the EU approved basmati as
the joint product of Pakistan and India. However, India applied with the EU in
September to certify its basmati as its exclusive brand. Pakistan exports
500,000 to 700,000 tons of basmati rice to different parts of the world and out
of which 200,000 to 250,000 tons are shipped to EU countries, according to the
commerce ministry’s data.
Pakistan earned $2.2 billion from
rice exports during the last fiscal year and 40 percent of them were from
basmati, an aromatic grain that is much popular in international market. India
has been trying to get exclusive rights of supplying this variety to foreign
markets for years.
Exporters, while addressing the
central standing committee on rice of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and
industry, urged the government to leave no stone unturned to get an
international trademark for its basmati as India’s ambition for this might
cause almost one billion dollars in annual export losses to Pakistan.
The government was advised to take
prompt steps to register the basmati trademark internationally. Certain steps
have to be taken without loss of time and before applying to the EU for
geographical indication – a global certification to authenticate a brand
ownership.
Traders said the government should
file an application for the inclusion of GI tag for its basmati to the EU.
“Pakistan’s application will be
considered on merit,” said Zulfikar Thaver, president of Union of Small and
Medium Enterprises.
Thaver said exporters said the
certification of basmati rice as mentioned in the GI law needs to be given to
an independent authority like Trading Corporation of Pakistan or Pakistan
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research alternatively to accredit private
pre-shipment inspection companies.
“Under no circumstances it should
be entrusted to the association of growers or exporters as it would give rise
to conflict of interest,” he said.
Rice exporter Rafique Suleman said
a task force has been formed in Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap)
to bring the matter up and involve bureaucracy and ministries. His views were
endorsed by other exporters.
The meeting was informed that
protection and promotion of basmati is a collective responsibility of all
stakeholders and every effort must be made to grow more and export more.
It was advised that the matter
pending in Sindh High Court also needs to be studied and pursued diligently.
The stakeholders must not show complacency and remain proactive and alert in
this matter.
The matter of trade with Kenya was
also taken up during the meeting and it was suggested that a free trade
agreement with Kenya could resolve the issues of duties on rice and tea and
trade can be promoted fairly by both the countries.
Delhi's air quality 'poor' due to
spike in farm fires, likely to deteriorate further
Delhi's air
quality was recorded in the "poor" category on Thursday and is likely
to deteriorate further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and a
spike in farm fires.
PTI
Published on: October 08, 2020 22:47 IST
Delhi's air quality 'poor' due to spike in farm fires, likely to
deteriorate further
Delhi's air quality was recorded
in the "poor" category on Thursday and is likely to deteriorate
further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and a spike in farm
fires. The city recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 208,
which falls in the "poor" category.
The national capital's air quality turned poor on Wednesday, the
first time since June 29, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
recording a 24-hour average AQI of 215. The AQI was 230 on June 29.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and
100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300
"poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500
"severe".
The Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, said
the AQI is likely to be recorded in the "poor" category on Friday as
well. However, it is expected to improve to the "moderate" category
thereafter.
A gradual increase was observed in farm fires around Punjab,
Haryana and the border regions of the national capital on Wednesday. The fire
count was 399, the SAFAR said.
"The boundary layer wind direction and speed are favourable
for the transport of pollutants towards Delhi at present, but a shift in the
wind direction is predicted," it said.
On Thursday morning, Delhi's minimum temperature settled at 19.1
degrees Celsius. The wind speed was 12 kilometres per hour and the direction
was northwesterly.
Low temperatures and stagnant winds help in the accumulation of
pollutants near the ground, affecting the air quality.
High levels of air pollution is a year-round problem in Delhi,
which can be attributed to unfavourable meteorological conditions, farm fires
in the neighbouring regions and local sources of pollution.
According to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment
and Water, a Delhi-based think tank, transportation contributes the most -- 18
to 39 per cent -- to Delhi's air pollution.
Road dust is the second-largest source of air pollution in the
city (18 to 38 per cent), followed by industries (two to 29 per cent), thermal
power plants (three to 11 per cent) and construction (eight per cent).
The Delhi government launched a massive anti-air pollution
campaign on Monday.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he himself will review the
situation on a daily basis.
A "green" war room was also inaugurated at the Delhi
Secretariat by Environment Minister Gopal Rai to monitor the steps being taken
to deal with the high levels of air pollution in winters.
The government will also start spraying the "Pusa bio-decomposer"
solution in the non-basmati rice fields of the national capital from October
11.
The solution, experts say, can turn the stubble into manure in
15 to 20 days and therefore, can prevent stubble burning.
Starting October 15, stricter measures to fight air pollution
will also come into force in Delhi and its neighbouring areas as part of the
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which was first implemented in Delhi-NCR in
2017.
These measures include increasing the frequency of bus and metro
services, hiking parking fees and stopping the use of diesel generator sets
when the air quality turns poor.
When the situation turns "severe", the GRAP recommends
a closure of brick kilns, stone crushers and hot-mix plants, sprinkling of
water, frequent mechanised cleaning of roads and maximising power generation
from natural gas.
The measures to be followed in the "emergency"
situation include stopping the entry of trucks in Delhi, a ban on construction
activities and introduction of the odd-even car-rationing scheme.
Basmati: what is at stake?
Last week, BR Research covered the gaps in local Geographical
Indications framework and its implementation that ...
BR Research Updated 08 Oct 2020
Last week, BR Research covered the
gaps in Pakistan’s Geographical Indications framework and its stalled
implementation. These gaps risk weakening Pakistan’s case at EU against India’s
exclusive rights claim as the only country of basmati origin. (For
more, read: “Basmati exports under threat” published on October 01, 2020). But it might help to take into account what is at stake
for the two competing nations.
Compared to Pakistan, India is
pretty much a giant when it comes to global basmati trade. Out of the total
basmati exports from the sub-continent, Pakistan’s share has been a puny 15
percent over the past decade. In fact, during 2018, India’s basmati exports
alone exceeded Pakistan’s total food group exports, which include all agri
commodities such as dairy, fish, fruits, and even red meat!
But that makes sense, given the
sheer size of our hostile neighbour and swathes of irrigated land available to
its farmers. Indian basmati edges over Pakistan in most respects, even though
the varieties cultivated are similar (often exchanged through grey market
channels). For example, average yield per hectare in Indian regions of Punjab,
Haryana, and J&K ranges between 3 – 3.5 tons, against 1.97 tons this side
of the border.
Similarly, Indian traders have
historically fetched a better price for their produce in international market.
Consider that in 2019, Pakistani exporters sold local basmati at an average
$880 per ton against total volume of 0.9 million tons of basmati – compared to
a tad higher $1,110 per ton fetched by Indian traders on export of whopping 4.1
million tons.
Yet, basmati export from both
countries is still largely commoditized, though to varying degrees. Pakistani
exporters have struggled more to build brands, onus of which largely falls on
lack of investment in marketing and building brand equity – a
fact acknowledged by chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan in an interview
with BR Research earlier this year.
Thus, the current conflict appears
to be one of market access rather than brand recognition. Of course, that is a
far easier battle to pick, as even the most fervent patriots on this side of
the border would admit that nation branding is a stronger suit of the hegemonic
neighbour, given its greater diplomatic currency and soft power.
But this raises an obvious problem.
If the conflict is over exclusive market access, why have daggers been drawn
over a market that buys just 5 percent of total global basmati trade?
Consider that more than 80 percent
of Indian basmati exports – in value terms – are to Gulf countries, where Iran
is its biggest buyer with import of $1.2 billion worth basmati rice every year.
This is embarrassing on two accounts: one, Pakistani exporters have land access
to Iran as the two countries share a nearly thousand kilometres long border.
And two, unlike UAE – which serves as a re-packaging/re-branding stopover for
basmati from both India and Pakistan – Iran makes little re-exports to EU.
Consider also that India’s annual basmati export to Iran is 1.4 times
Pakistan’s total basmati export to the rest of the globe. Seen from the lens of
market access, Iran, and not EU, is the one who got away!
What makes India’s obsession to
getting Pakistan’s basmati banned from EU all the more frustrating is that
until last year, UK was the largest buyer of Indian basmati in the single
market, with its share of 37 percent. Minus UK, basmati exports from India and
Pakistan to continental European countries are very much on equal footing – at
$130 million per annum. For India, that’s less than 5 percent of its annual
basmati exports, but for Pakistan, that is nearly 17 percent of its total
global basmati market. Pakistan’s prospective loss thus is more substantial,
especially in relative terms.
It is tough to predict which way
the camel might land. But its consequences are already obvious. First, an
exclusive right in EU could create a precedent under TRIPs for other markets as
well, beginning from North America, APAC, Mediterranean, and eventually Gulf
nations. On the other hand, all hope should not be lost for Pakistan, as it may
continue to have its foot in the European door through UK. The Great Britain is
all set to exit the single market and may refuse to follow EU’s definition in
bilateral trade with countries such as Pakistan.
What is clear, however, is that
Pakistani exporters will now have to try even harder to capture the Gulf
market, which imports almost 80 percent of all internationally traded basmati.
Transit ports such as Dubai will become even more crucial as they may serve as
sites to repackage goods under Indian brands. As the Eastern hegemon continues
to invest in building brand India, that means further commoditization for
Pakistan’s basmati, as the gap between per unit prices fetched by traders in
both countries will widen.
The MoC then should be far more
concerned with the lack of recognition for brand Pakistan, which has allowed
basmati to become synonymous with brand India. Yes, Pakistan should worry about
market access to EU, but worry even more about the precedent Indian move has
created for other trading partners. Meanwhile, some introspection might also be
in order for losing the other next-door neighbour, Iran, which - given its
one-quarter share in global trade - is a five times bigger market than EU-27.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40024317/basmati-what-is-at-stake
KP govt fails
to control food inflation despite tall claims
The recent price hikes have impacted the salaried class, who are
now indebted to traders
By
-
October 8, 2020
PESHAWAR: Rising food prices have reduced
the purchasing power of the common man in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), as household
budgets have been disrupted due to daily hike in the prices of essential
commodities.
Mohammad Imran, a school teacher in Peshawar, told Profit that
the incompetence of the government and district administrations across the
province has forced the people to go on a ‘forced hunger strike’, adding that
the government authorities have complete failed to control inflation.
“The recent price hikes have impacted the salaried class, who
are now indebted to traders,” he stated.
Meanwhile, sources informed flour prices are rising on a daily
basis across the province despite its availability in the market. “In the past,
its price was increased due to shortage, but strangely, prices still remain out
of control despite ample stock this time around,” an insider stated.
Talking to this scribe, Rehan Khan, a daily wager, said he
barely earned Rs500 by working all day, which makes it difficult to buy
one-time meal for the house. “A 20kg bag of flour costs more than Rs1,400 while
sugar is being sold at Rs110 per kg.”
He said if the prevalent trend continues, the labour class will
find it difficult to feed their children and be forced to commit suicides.
The district administration in KP, however, has kept a mum on
the entire process to check the food inflation in the markets. It also refutes
the claims of the provincial government that officers will be made accountable
for non-implementation of government’s directives issued to control inflation.
In Peshawar, besides the increase in flour prices along with
other food items, milk has crossed Rs130 per kg, while the price of common rice
has increased to Rs140 and spices by Rs30 to Rs40.
In the provincial capital, tomatoes have gone up to Rs120 while
potatoes to Rs100 per kg; old red potatoes are being sold at Rs80 per kg and
old yellow potatoes at Rs70 per kg.
The increase in prices of edible items has also led to a decline
in the purchasing power of common man, creating problems for small traders and
shopkeepers.
Pakistan Should Engage With African Countries!
DO MUSLIM LIVES MATTER?
India’s Aggressive Attitude Towards Her Neighbors!
Pakistan Should Engage With African Countries!
On Oct 8, 2020 48 0
In our daily discourse when we
talk or think about the foreign relations of Pakistan with other countries we
usually think about India, China, U.S.A, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
Relations with other states normally have been considered as less important for
us and least of those are the African countries. African continent consists of
at least 54 countries and yet we do not show any concern about our relations
with those countries. This depicts our sheer carelessness and ignorance.
African continent does has image problem. African countries have been
traditionally been considered as unstable, warn torn and not important enough
to see them as diplomatic and trade wise important. This scenario has changed
and is changing continuously. Countries have grown very much and have
established a kind internal stability with varying degrees. African countries
have grown economically now the combined economic size of top 10 African
countries is up to 2 trillion US Dollars with Nigeria and South Africa on top.
Countries of this continent are usually rich in oil, gas and minerals.
This situation has compelled many
powers to look toward them from investment and trade perspective. Big powers
like America, China UK, and France are now the biggest investors in the
continent with USA and China on top. Bilateral trade has increased. China’s
bilateral trade with African countries now stood at 200 billion US Dollars.
China is now the biggest importer of the African oil which has struck deals
with many African countries as favorable rates in return for investment and
good bilateral relation. Nigeria and Angola are the biggest exporter of African
oil. There are number of countries in Africa whose economic size is bigger than
Pakistan’s economic size. These countries include Nigeria South Africa and
Egypt. African countries are the exporters of oil, gas, minerals and some
agricultural products such as tea olives cotton and some dry fruits. Their
international profile and presence on diplomatic horizon is increasing. These
countries are the big importers of cars, electrical devices, basic food items
such as wheat , rice and dairy products, pharmaceuticals and machinery. India
has made good relations with these countries and now taking benefit by
exporting different products specially pharmaceuticals and food items.
Pakistan should come out of its
long slumber. India is increasing its diplomatic presence there. We currently
have embassies/ high commission in only up to 14 countries. We should overcome
our deficiency in this regard. Currently Pakistan has very low diplomatic
presence there. It does not even have embassies or high commission even in half
of the African countries. Pakistan has good potential/ chance to form good
relations with African countries . Pakistan should increase its number of
embassies. We have to improve our bilateral relations with African countries
and form new bilateral relations with those countries with which we do not have
any working relationship. For this Pakistan should increase its number of
higher state level visits to African countries and invite them to Pakistan and
have continuous bilateral engagement with them. Foreign office had announced
its “Look Africa initiative” but that has large remained on paper and very less
practical steps on ground. 54 countries are not less and if we have good
bilateral relations with them, it could be useful to us at different forums to
get diplomatic support at international forums i.e U.N. African continent has
large number of important Muslims countries with good enough Muslim population.
North Africa consists up of almost all Muslim countries. Egypt, Sudan, Algeria,
Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mauritania, Ghana are the biggest countries in the
continent. Major non-Muslim countries are Congo, Kenya, Angola, Zimbabwe,
Ethiopia etc. So we can use the similarity of religion (Pan Islamism) to ease
our way to form good relations with Islamic countries. Other diplomatic tools
can be employed to form good relations with other countries especially with
non-Muslim majority countries. Cultural soft power can be used in this regard.
African countries are good export destination for us specially to export our
agricultural, dairy, textile products and other services (especially I.T
related). Secondly we should also look for cheaper sources of oil from African
countries. We should also work toward s making a good trade deals with African
countries. Pakistan’s trade with Africa has remained stagnant at $3
billion/year from 2012-13 to 2016 -17, which has increased to $4.6 billion in
2018-19. Pakistan’s share in total trade of African countries is 0.4 percent.
So it’s time for Pakistan to consolidate and diversify its footprint in Africa
and make up for its previous negligence in this regard.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are the author’s
own and do not necessarily reflect Dunya News’ editorial stance.
http://blogs.dunyanews.tv/27540/
Pakistan to
challenge India’s application for exclusive GI tag to Basmati rice in EU – TV9
(Video)
Pakistan to challenge India's application for exclusive GI tag to Basmati rice in EU - TV9IPL 2020 Live Score Update :
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Govt Plans To Strengthen 8,264 Agriculture Farms Under PM
Agriculture Emergency Program
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has
chalked out a comprehensive plan to strengthen 8,264 agriculture farms under
the Prime Minister Agriculture Emergency Program worth Rs903 billion to
alleviate poverty and generate employment opportunities for people of rural
areas
PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint /
Pakistan Point News - 9th Oct, 2020 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to strengthen
8,264 agriculture farms under the Prime Minister Agriculture Emergency Program worth Rs903 billion to alleviate poverty and generate employment opportunities for people of rural areas.
Officials in Agriculture and Livestock Department told APP on Friday that
water-channels leading to these agriculture farms would be improved and soils would be leveled
under range management techniques to bolster per acre production of all edible corps.
Pakistan is blessed with small,
medium and big size agriculture farms both in public and private sectors
producing wheat, maize, sugarcane, rice and others seasonal crops in
substantial quantity.
As many as 8264.48 agriculture farms on 52910.41 acres in Pakistan including 1539.83 on 5569.70 acres the province with
18pc KP's share were developed and efforts would be made to
strengthen it under PM's Agriculture Emergency Program.
Focus would be paid on development of small farms upto 50 acres
because of its increased number, easy accessibilities and required less
investment.
Out of 1254.72 farms of less than
one-acre area in the country, 476.33 were found in KP besides
2342.23 farms including 497.08 in KP are
of one to 2.5 acres, 1754 farms including 271.16 in KP are
of 2.5 to five acres, 1132 including 129.01 in KP of
5 to 7.1 acres and 917.01 including 91.85 in KP are
under 7.5 to 12.5 acres.
Similarly, 560.75 farms in Pakistan including 49.22 in KP are
of 12.5 to 25 acres, 210.91 farms in country including 18.18 in KP are
25 to 50 acres area, 66.87 farms including 5.22 in KP of
50 to 100 acres area, 12.61 including 1.03 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 100 to 150 acres and 13.55 including 0.76 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are above 150 acres areas.
The official said Pakistan has vast integrated area with land utilization on
over 20.
95 million hectares including 0.87 million hectares in KP with
overall 4.15 percent share, adding 22.06 million hectares are cultivated including 1.62 million hectares in KP and
35.80 uncultivated area including 4.55 million hectare in KP besides
4.55 hectares are under forests including 1.18 million hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As many as 25,492 tons wheat including 1,155 tons in KP were
produced during 2017-18 besides rice 7,422 tons including 104 in KP,
sugarcane 811.02 tons including 5080 in KP and
maize 5702 including 866ton in KP during
the said period.
The official said promotion
of agriculture is a cornerstone of KP Government's policy and Rs 8.22 billion would be spent on 133 mega agriculture and livestock projects during current fiscal years.
Special attention is being made on
development of agriculture and livestock in merged areas under accelerated
implementation programme (AIP) in line with ten years tribal decade strategy
(TDS) where mega projects like PM's poultry program and calves fattening were
started for socioeconomic development of tribesmen. KP Government is spending huge financial resources on purchase
of agriculture machinery and equipment to increase per acre yields.
The number of tractors, which were
23,193 in 2016-17, has increased in 2018-19 to 27,334, thrashers from 7,965 to 9,013, tube-wells from 17,201 to 20,856 whereas cultivated area per
tractor's services was recorded from 69.88 to 68.01 hectares besides load per tube-well
has been decreased from 94.88 to 89.14 hectares.
The KP Government would launch special projects for water-conservation
and management, increasing meat production and research on adoptability of new
varieties including potatoes besides strengthening of vaccination services in
merged areas.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/agriculture/govt-plans-to-strengthen-8264-agriculture-fa-1052170.html
Indian Basmati Rice Exporters Renegotiating Terms &
Conditions with the US, Canada and Australia Importers
Chintu
Das 9
October, 2020 11:00 AM IST
Indian Basmati rice exporters are
renegotiating the terms and conditions with the importers from the US, Canada,
Australia and western Europe. The new agreements are to be signed by the mid of
October after the abroad cargo rates moved about 50% in the course of the last
one month. Freight rates have also risen by $1200 to $1800 per ton.
Nonetheless, exporters stated
that regardless of whether they renegotiate with importers or not, they won't
have the option to recoup the whole value climb in cargo. Additionally, the
prices of the regular variety of basmati rice i.e. Pusa 1121, have fallen about
a fifth in comparison to the previous year, after shipments to Iran were
stopped as a result of non payment of levy by the importers concerned.
"Prior, compartments were originating from China and we were confronting
no problem. But since imports from China have descended, accessibility of
containers has diminished and we need to pay immense amounts of money to
transportation lines for exports," said Gautam Miglani, proprietor of
LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter.
"In spite of the fact that
we will be attempting to renegotiate the agreements with foreign purchasers in
the scenery of this increasing cargo rates, there is no assurance that we will
get higher rates." India yearly fares 4.4 - 4.5 million tons of basmati
rice to the worldwide business sectors. Miglani included that due to oversupply
of basmati rice in the country, the exporters are not in a great situation to
request more prices from other importing countries. "In addition, the
pandemic has seriously affected the financial state of the majority of the
nations on the planet. So we are dubious of getting greater prices," he
said. A major basmati rice exporter from Amritsar who wanted to remain
anonymous said that "Freight rates have been increasing since the lockdown
was pulled back. However, over the most recent one month, they have gone up
forcefully. We had losses in the prior agreements because of high cargo rates.
In any case, in the forthcoming overseas arrangements, we should incorporate
the excessive cost of cargo."
The business players are likewise
stressed over Pakistan's transition to begin trading their basmati rice to Iran
under the barter framework. "Payment issue with Iran is not sorted in the
near future, we won't be having the option to export to the nation and hence
lose the market there. It is the greatest export destination for Indian basmati
rice," said Miglani. BV Krishna Rao, leader of Rice Exporters Association,
said that the non-basmati rice exporters are additionally feeling the warmth of
rising cargo costs.
Crop
Monitor for AMIS | No. 77 – October 2020
Format
Analysis
Source
Posted
9
Oct 2020
Originally
published
9
Oct 2020
Origin
Attachments
Overview:
As of the end
of September, conditions are favourable for rice and soybeans while mixed for
wheat and maize. In the northern hemisphere, spring wheat harvesting is
wrapping up under favourable conditions while winter wheat sowing is beginning
under mixed conditions. In the southern hemisphere, winter wheat conditions are
mixed due to dry conditions. For maize, conditions are mixed in the has harvest
draws near a close in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere,
sowing has begun in Argentina. Rice conditions are favourable in all major
growing areas. Soybean conditions are generally favourable except for some
areas in Canada and Ukraine.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/crop-monitor-amis-no-77-october-2020
Crop
Monitor for Early Warning | No. 54 – October 2020
Format
Analysis
Source
Posted
8
Oct 2020
Originally
published
8
Oct 2020
Origin
Attachments
Overview:
In East
Africa, harvesting of main season cereals is underway in the north with mixed
conditions due to recent flooding, desert locust concerns, ongoing conflict,
and socio-economic challenges. Planting of second season cereals is underway in
the equatorial sector under favourable conditions. In West Africa, harvesting
of main season cereal crops and second season maize crops finalized in parts of
the south while harvesting of main season cereal crops continues across the
Sahel, and overall conditions are favourable except in areas affected by
flooding and conflict. In the Middle East and North Africa, harvesting of
summer-planted maize and rice crops in Egypt continued under favourable
conditions. Planting of winter wheat crops is expected to start in October
throughout the subregion. In Southern Africa, harvesting of winter wheat is
underway and will finalize in November, and overall conditions are favourable.
Land preparation and planting of main season crops is expected to start in
October to November. In Central and South Asia, harvesting of spring wheat will
finalize in October while planting of winter wheat began in September, and
overall conditions are favourable. In Southeast Asia, aboveaverage rainfall in
the north benefitted development of wet-season rice crops while dry conditions
in Indonesia have affected dry-season rice yields. In Central America and the
Caribbean, harvesting of Primera season crops finalized in September under
favourable conditions except in Haiti, and above-average rainfall was
beneficial for Postrera/Segunda season crop planting and development.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/crop-monitor-early-warning-no-54-october-2020
RPT-Asia Rice-Thai rates dip for
6th week as top hubs grapple with weak demand
OCTOBER 9, 20206:31 (Repeats story first published
on Thursday, no changes to text)
* India rates steady as demand softens
* Prices for Vietnamese rice quoted at $470 a tonne
* India’s rice exports could jump to record this year -
officials
Oct 8 (Reuters) - Rice export prices fell for a sixth straight week
in Thailand, with fresh supply expected to bring down rates further this month,
as subdued global demand crimped exports from most Asian hubs.
Thailand's benchmark 5 percent broken
rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices eased slightly to $470-$475 per tonne from
$472-$477 last week, with traders attributing the slight dip to fluctuation in
the currency exchange amid relatively flat demand.
“There is still room for prices to go lower because the harvest
volume should be bigger around the end of the month,” a trader in Bangkok said.
In top exporter India, prices remained steady due to softening
demand after a surge in exports in the last few months.
Prices of the 5 percent broken parboiled
variety RI-INBKN5-P1 were unchanged from last week, around $376-$382
per tonne.
“We could not lower prices despite ample crop due to the
appreciating rupee,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state
of Andhra Pradesh.
However, India’s rice exports in 2020 may rise by nearly 42%from
a year ago to a record 14 million tonnes because of reduced shipments from
rival exporters, industry officials said this week.
In Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken
rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 were quoted at $470 a tonne versus $460-$480 last
week, as demand from Philippines remained weak.
“We have seen some buyers from the Philippines having shown
interest, but most of them ended up only checking for prices,” a trader based
in Ho Chi Minh City said.
Meanwhile, domestic prices of rice kept rising in Bangladesh
which officials blamed on hoarding by middlemen, despite the government’s move
to fix wholesale prices of the staple grain for the nation.
Stern action will be taken against those who are hoarding rice
to create artificial crisis to make windfall profits, Food Minister Sadhan
Chandra Majumder said. (Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru, Khanh Vu in
Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, and Patpicha
Tanakasempipat in Bangkok; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
https://www.reuters.com/article/asia-rice-idINL4N2GZ2RP
New pact to develop rice sector in Ivory Coast
The
Minister in charge of the promotion of Rice Growing, Gaoussou Touré, and the
Managing Director of SOLEVO Côte d’Ivoire, Marc Desenfans signed in Abidjan, a
memorandum of understanding aimed at developing the Ivorian rice sector, by
providing rice farmers with the necessary fertilizers, crop protection
products, and technical support to increase their productivity and revenues.
This
agreement is part of the National Rice Development Strategy (SNDR) for the
period 2020 – 2030, the objective of which is to ensure self-sufficiency for
the country in high-quality rice before 2025 and to turn the Ivory Coast into
one of the largest African producers and exporters of rice by 2030.
This
agreement signed in the presence of the major players in the rice sector, the
National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA), AfricaRice, ADERIZ, OIA-RIZ
confirms the will of the government to improve each level of the value chain by
relying on the expertise of each of its partners.
“The
development of rice growing is a priority for the government,” said Minister
Gaoussou Touré. “I thank my partners including SOLEVO for their significant
contribution to the practical implementation of the National Rice Development
Strategy. This agreement signed with SOLEVO Côte d´Ivoire will allow the
delivery of suitable quality fertilizers at a lower cost to the cluster
leaders. It will also make it possible to cover the specific needs of rice growers
in crop protection products”.
Marc
Desenfans for his part stated that: “We are happy to sign such a partnership
with the Ministry for the Promotion of Rice Growing. Indeed, at SOLEVO, we
share the conviction that agricultural self-sufficiency is the key to the
development of Africa.
Through
this agreement, we are committed to providing Ivorian rice farmers with
complete solutions in order to increase their yields: the development of
innovative fertilizer formulas adapted to the needs of the crop and to the
specificities of the soils in different cultivation areas, the best proposal.
of fertilizers and phytosanitary products meeting the trilogy:
cost-effectiveness-sustainable agriculture, training and raising awareness
about sound agricultural practices.”
A
second agreement was signed during this ceremony between the Minister for the
promotion of rice growing, the CNRA and AfricaRice for the supply of high-yield
and quality seeds.
http://africasciencenews.org/new-pact-to-develop-rice-sector-in-ivory-coast/
Gov’t placates poor farmers: Wait for rice
law benefits
By: Karl R. Ocampo - Reporter / @kocampoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:20 AM October 09, 2020
Four
government agencies on Thursday called on the consuming public to give the rice
tariffication law a chance, stressing that the benefits of the new policy would
not be felt entirely in its first year of implementation.
Key
officials from the departments of agriculture, finance and trade and industry
and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said that while they
recognized the shocks brought by the reform, “this is not an indication of the
impact of the law.”
The
collective statement seemed to have been prompted by reports of palay prices
drastically sliding to P12 a kilo as farmers struggled to compete with the
arrival of more affordable imported rice.
Concerned
Filipinos have even started the “itaas ang presyo ng palay (increase the price
of palay)” challenge on social media. The online movement has already garnered
thousands of responses.
Acting
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua countered reports of low
palay prices, saying price trends showed the farm-gate price of the staple
would not fall below the production cost of P12 per kilo.
He added
since the passage of the law, rice was no longer among the top 10 contributors
to the country’s inflation uptick. It also led to rice prices declining and
rice inflation turning negative.
Agriculture
Secretary William Dar and Assistant Trade Secretary Ruth Castelo added that the
government has put in place several interventions to help palay farmers
transition to the new rice regime.
The law
funnels P10 billion annually to the rice industry for seeds and machinery
provisions, extension services and credit to farmers. On top of that, both the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry have
instituted reforms to ease the buying and selling of local palay and rice.
The new rice
law also minimized smuggling, Assistant Finance Secretary Tony Lambino said.
https://business.inquirer.net/309117/govt-placates-poor-farmers-wait-for-rice-law-benefits#ixzz6aS1kk3yN
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Rice Tariffication Law to boost GDP — NEDA
(Philippine Star)
Oct
9, 2020
Philippine
Star published an article stating that The
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has urged the public to give
the Rice Tariffication Law a chance to take effect in the structural
transformation of the economy and contribute to the growth of the agriculture
sector.
Citing a
2019 IFPRI study, NEDA said the law
could boost economic growth by at least 0.13 percentage point in 2025 by
accelerating growth in the agriculture sector.
Sharp
increase in imports from Asia boosted U.S. 2019/20 rice imports to record high,
with little decline projected for 2020/21
U.S.
rice imports hit record highs in the second quarter of calendar year 2020,
driving up total U.S. rice imports to a record high in marketing year 2019/20
and up 29 percent from the previous year. Imports now account for more than
one-quarter of all rice that is used domestically. Growing consumer demand for
Asian aromatic varieties of rice drive this development. Although the United States
itself produces several aromatic varieties of rice, the consumer qualities are
not the same as those for the Asian varieties. The bulk of the increase in U.S.
rice imports in 2019/20 came from Thailand, up almost 29 percent from a year
earlier. In recent years, 80-85 percent of Thailand’s shipments to the United
States has been its jasmine rice, a premium aromatic variety.
Combined
U.S. imports from India and Pakistan increased 24 percent in 2019/20 to a
record 262,000 tons, with most of this rice being basmati rice, also a premium
aromatic. Imports of non-aromatic rice have increased as well. China has
recently been shipping 66,000-86,000 tons of rice annually, with the U.S.
territory of Puerto Rico buying almost all this amount; this market was previously
supplied with U.S. rice. The Government of China has been selling its stocks of
older rice at substantially discounted prices. Finally, Brazil’s shipments have
increased considerably since 2017/18, shipping both regular long-grain milled
rice for food use and broken kernel rice for use in processed products. Rice
imports in 2020/21 are expected to continue at a strong clip, falling only
slightly from the 2019/20 record high with the United States remaining the
largest importer in the Western Hemisphere. This chart is drawn from Economic
Research Service’s Rice Outlook, September 2020.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=99514
Basmati rice exporters from India are
renegotiating with importers from Australia, Canada and the US
SECTIONS
Basmati
rice exporters from India are renegotiating with importers from Australia,
Canada and the US
By
Sutanuka Ghosal, ET BureauLast Updated:
Oct 08, 2020, 05:25 PM IST
Share
Synopsis
The industry players are also worried about
Pakistan’s move to start exporting their basmati rice to Iran under the barter
system.
India
annually exports 4.4 -4.5 million tonnes of basmati rice to the global markets.
Basmati rice exporters from India are
renegotiating with importers from Australia, Canada, the US and
western Europe the new
contracts to be signed by mid-October after a overseas cargo rates climbed
about 50% over the past one month. Freight rates have gone up from $1200 to $1800 per tonne.
However, exporters say that even if they renegotiate with importers, they will
not be able to recover the entire price hike in cargo. Also, the prices of the
common variety of basmati rice, Pusa 1121, have fallen about a fifth compared to last
year after shipments to Iran were halted because of non-payment of dues by the
importers concerned. “Earlier, containers were coming from China and we were
facing no problem. But since imports from China have come down, availability of
containers has dwindled and we have to pay huge sums to shipping lines for
exports," said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice
exporter.
"Although we will be trying to renegotiate the contracts with foreign
buyers in the backdrop of this rising cargo rates, there is no guarantee that
we will be getting higher rates.” India annually exports 4.4 -4.5 million
tonnes of basmati rice to the global markets. Miglani added that since there is
an oversupply of basmati rice in the Indian market, the exporters are not in a
favourable position to ask for higher prices from other importing nations.
“Moreover, the pandemic has badly impacted the economic condition of most of
the countries in the world. So we are doubtful of getting higher prices,” he
said. A leading basmati rice exporter from Amritsar who did not want to be
named said: “Cargo rates have been rising since the lockdown was withdrawn. But
in the last one month, they have gone up sharply. We have made losses in the
earlier contracts due to high cargo rates. But in the upcoming overseas deals,
we will have to include the high price of cargo.”
The industry players are also worried about Pakistan’s move to start exporting
their basmati rice to Iran under the barter system. “If the payment issue is
not sorted out with Iran, we will not be able to export to the country and
subsequently lose the market there. It is the biggest export destination for
Indian basmati rice,” said Miglani. BV Krishna Rao, president of Rice Exporters Association, said that the
non-basmati rice exporters are also feeling the heat of rising cargo prices.
“Our product price is much less than the basmati rice exporters. We are in real
trouble. One of the leading shipping companies has informed us that from
October 15, it will increase cargo rate by another $500,” said Rao.
Sharp
increase in imports from Asia boosted U.S. 2019/20 rice imports to record high,
with little decline projected for 2020/21
U.S.
rice imports hit record highs in the second quarter of calendar year 2020,
driving up total U.S. rice imports to a record high in marketing year 2019/20
and up 29 percent from the previous year. Imports now account for more than
one-quarter of all rice that is used domestically. Growing consumer demand for
Asian aromatic varieties of rice drive this development. Although the United
States itself produces several aromatic varieties of rice, the consumer
qualities are not the same as those for the Asian varieties. The bulk of the
increase in U.S. rice imports in 2019/20 came from Thailand, up almost 29
percent from a year earlier. In recent years, 80-85 percent of Thailand’s
shipments to the United States has been its jasmine rice, a premium aromatic
variety. Combined U.S. imports from India and Pakistan increased 24 percent in
2019/20 to a record 262,000 tons, with most of this rice being basmati rice,
also a premium aromatic. Imports of non-aromatic rice have increased as well.
China has recently been shipping 66,000-86,000 tons of rice annually, with the
U.S. territory of Puerto Rico buying almost all this amount; this market was
previously supplied with U.S. rice. The Government of China has been selling
its stocks of older rice at substantially discounted prices. Finally, Brazil’s
shipments have increased considerably since 2017/18, shipping both regular
long-grain milled rice for food use and broken kernel rice for use in processed
products. Rice imports in 2020/21 are expected to continue at a strong clip,
falling only slightly from the 2019/20 record high with the United States remaining
the largest importer in the Western Hemisphere. This chart is drawn from
Economic Research Service’s Rice Outlook, September 2020.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=99514
New tech
needed to boost rice growing water productivity by 75%
AgriFutures
Rice Program Open Innovation Challenge closes midnight 13 October 2020
AgriFutures Rice Program is reaching out to innovators across
the country in search of new technologies to boost water productivity in rice
growing by 75 percent within five years.
With sustained drought and reduced water allocations leading to
one of Australia’s smallest annual rice harvests on record, the AgriFutures Rice Program Open
Innovation Challenge presents a novel opportunity for creative
thinkers to contribute their ideas, wherever they are based and regardless of
their industry.
The Challenge is hosted on the Brightidea platform, an online
system popular with many of the world’s most innovative companies, such as
Bayer, Cisco, Dell and MasterCard.
Impact Innovation, as the premier partner for Brightidea in the
APAC region, has enabled AgriFutures Rice Program to open up the Challenge to
anyone with an existing or emerging technologies that will help the rice
industry significantly increase its dollar return per megalitre ($/ML) of
water.
“The Australian rice industry needs transformative yet
competitive and sustainable solutions, so the Challenge welcomes input not just
from the rice industry but also from other industries, like remote sensing
technologies, water management strategies and plant genetics,” said Impact
Innovation’s managing director, Brian Ruddle.
“Crowdsourcing ideas using Brightidea’s online engagement tools
means tapping into the brain power of researchers, R&D practitioners,
engineers, environmental entrepreneurs and farmers all over the country and
across many different industries,” Mr Ruddle said.
Selected technologies or solutions may attract funding through
the rice research, development and extension program, with the ultimate
objective being industry-wide adoption.
The Challenge is open until midnight (AEDT)
Tuesday, 13 October 2020, with a shortlist of solutions to be presented
to the AgriFutures Rice Program Advisory Panel in November.
To register for the Challenge and submit innovative ideas, visit https://agrifutures.brightidea.com/WaterProductivityChallenge.
Ends.
Media enquiries:
Brian Ruddle, Impact Innovation Group & chair of the
AgriFutures Australia Emerging Industries Panel b.ruddle@impactinnovation.com tel. +61
1300 299 505
RICE FACTS & FIGURES
- Rice is grown in more than 100 countries and
sustains two-thirds of the world’s population.
- Australian rice growing regions are concentrated in
the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys of southern New South Wales, with smaller
areas in Northern Victoria and Far North Queensland.
- 80% of rice produced in Australia is exported to
the Middle East, Papua New Guinea, Japan and other Asian and Pacific countries.
- Australian-grown rice uses 50% less water than the
global average.
@AgriFuturesAU, @Impactinnov, @Brightidea, #rice, #innovation,
#waterproductivity
https://prwire.com.au/pr/92397/new-tech-needed-to-boost-rice-growing-water-productivity-by-75
CRF, IRRR vow to continue rice
research and development cooperation
Khmer
Times
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) and the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) have agreed to cooperate on rice research and
development aiming to promote and improve Cambodian rice sector.
The agreement was made in a meeting between Mr. Song Saran,
President of CRF and Mr. Yurdi Yasmi, Regional Representative of IRRI for
Southeast Asia.
In the meeting, Mr. Saran warmly welcomed IRRI’s collaboration
on rice research and development with the CRF in the seed production
partnership, technical cooperation and support, which is very supportive of
improving Cambodia’s rice sector to be more competitive in markets.
For his part, Mr. Yasmi said that the collaboration between IRRI
and CRF will improve the rice sector by increasing the analysis of the
productivity and resilience of the value chain. Chea
Vannak – AKP
Why We Oppose Golden Rice
Agrochemical companies are using concerns over food
security heightened by the pandemic to promote GM product, tighten grip over
agriculture.
October 9, 2020
A grand
push is on for corporate-led solutions to hunger and malnutrition. On the GMO
front this manifests as Golden Rice being pressed into service as a solution to
the hunger and malnutrition worsened by the pandemic. In this way, global
agrochemical transnational corporations (TNCs) and collaborating institutions
such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are using concerns
over food security heightened by the pandemic to promote an industrialized
agricultural model that many think is already discredited.
As IRRI’s head of Agri-Food Policy, Jean Balié,
told a webinar sponsored by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (“The future of food systems in Southeast Asia post-COVID19”), IRRI is “looking
to increase the mineral and vitamin content in rice grains” in
response to the pandemic.
Golden
Rice projects and applications for its approval are currently underway in three
countries. On December 10, 2019, the Philippines issued a Golden Rice permit
for Direct Use for Food, Feed, and Processing. This was despite the standing challenge by farmers, scientists,
and civil society groups regarding Golden Rice’s unresolved safety and efficacy
issues.
In
Indonesia, it was confirmed in August 2019 that the rice research center (BB
Padi) had grown Golden Rice in their testing fields in Sukamandi, West Java.
However, BB Padi is still waiting for permission from Indonesia’s biosafety
clearing house for confined field testing in selected areas.
In
Bangladesh, rumors have been circulating since November 2019
that Golden Rice would be approved by the Biosafety Core Committee. Despite the
delay, proponents are optimistic that approval in Bangladesh will still occur.
At the
Stop Golden Rice Network (SGRN) we believe that Golden Rice is an unnecessary
and unwanted technology. It is being peddled by
corporations purely for profit-making agendas and will only strengthen the grip
of corporations over rice and agriculture. Moreover, we believe it will
endanger agrobiodiversity and peoples’ health as well. In consequence, farmers,
consumers and others have been campaigning against its use and
commercialization since the mid-2000s, including through the uprooting of Golden Rice field trials back
in 2013.
Why is there intense opposition towards Golden
Rice?
The
importance of rice in Asian countries cannot be understated; 90 percent of rice
is produced and consumed in Asia. Rice is at the center of the social,
cultural, and economic activities of peoples all across Asia.
And as
the staple food for a majority of the Asian population, it is also a political
commodity. As well, Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and
India are the centers of origin of more than 100,000 varieties of rice. Also
considered as among the most biodiverse countries in the world, a wide array of
vegetables, fruits, root crops, and cereals abound in the farms and forests of
these countries, ensuring a dependable source of nutrition for the families and
the communities.
Yet
malnutrition is prevalent in Asia, particularly among children and women. This
is not simply because of the absence of specific important nutrients or
vitamins. It is caused by the “lack of access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food” due
to poverty and changing food production and consumption patterns.
The
impact of these changes is seen in IRRI’s Green Revolution in which many
farmers across Asia have become bound to the expensive inputs and seeds peddled
by huge agrochemical TNCs who promote a single-crop diet. As a result of the
green revolution, white rice now dominates once very diverse Asian diets. White
rice has a high glycemic index which causes diabetes and 60 percent of global
diabetes cases are in Asia. Packing more nutrients, like Vitamin A, in rice,
which requires more rice consumption would make this worse. Especially in the
context of the Covid-19 pandemic, for which diabetes is considered a risk
factor for disease severity.
The
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) identifies the dominance of
large corporations over food systems as among the factors that
contribute to food insecurity and malnutrition. In developing countries, large
tracts of agricultural lands are being converted either to industrial and
commercial land uses, or to large-scale mono-cropped plantations of cash crops
such as pineapples, palm oil, and bananas — crops that hardly serve the
nutrition needs of the people. FAO further acknowledges that the changes in
food systems and diets, such as the prevalence of highly processed foods and
displacement of traditional foods and eating habits, also contribute to the
worsening trend of food insecurity and malnutrition.
Given
this context, Golden Rice is simply a ‘band-aid’ solution to the wide, gaping
wound of hunger and poverty.
More
specifically, Golden Rice has a series of highly problematic aspects
- Negligible
beta carotene content — The current version of the Golden
Rice is called GR2E. It contains a negligible amount of beta-carotene
(from 3.57 ug/g to 22 ug/g), which the United States Food and Drug Administration (US
FDA) also acknowledged, making the product useless in
addressing Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in contrast to existing and readily
available food sources. Already minimal, Golden Rice’s beta-carotene was
also found to degrade quickly after
harvesting, storing, and processing, such as milling and even cooking,
unless the farmers vacuum-pack and refrigerate the GM rice. Farmers from
developing countries however, do not seal or store paddy rice in vacuum
packs, which will make the product more expensive. Electricity also
remains scarce in remote farming communities so refrigerating the harvest
is unrealistic bordering on the absurd.
- No meaningful safety tests have been
done — Even as the Golden Rice has been
approved in the Philippines, there has been no testing to ascertain if it
is safe for human consumption. Meanwhile, the aforementioned beta-carotene
degradation may result in toxic compounds causing
oxidative stress damage–which might lead to cancer. Dr. David Schubert of
the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA and Dr. Michael Antoniou of
King’s College London, state that “there have never been short nor, more
importantly, long-term safety testing in laboratory animals (of Golden
Rice) and this must be done for several generations in rats to determine
if it causes birth defects, which we consider a serious possibility.”
- Contamination
of other rice varieties and wild relatives of rice —
Field trials conducted so far have only looked at the agronomic traits of
Golden Rice, and not its long-term effects on the environment, including
its possible effects on the genetic diversity of the thousands of rice
varieties being cared for by small scale farmers and Indigenous peoples.
Although rice is a self-pollinating crop, cross-contamination is
inevitable. Contamination can also occur through seed mixing. Such
contamination has already happened in the US with the Liberty Link rice scandal back
in 2006 that caused US farmers millions of dollars in losses because of
the inadvertent contamination of the yet unapproved GM rice.
- Safer
sources of beta-carotene — Being some of the mega-diverse
countries, vegetables and fruits that are high in beta-carotene are found
in abundance in the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and other
target countries for Golden Rice. These foods are available and accessible
for the people and contain much higher levels of beta-carotene than Golden
Rice. Worsening land-grabbing and land conversion, liberalization of
agricultural commodities, and increasing control of corporations over
agriculture and food, however, are preventing farmers and their
communities from having access to these safe and nutritious foods.
In
developing countries the challenges described above remain the main culprit of
food insecurity and malnutrition. Both the development of biofortified crops
like Golden Rice for solving health issues and corporate led projects in
agriculture as ways to ensure food security represent a worrisome push for
top-down and anti-diversity approaches to food and health that will ultimately
undermine people’s capacities to strengthen their local food systems. By
emphasizing dependence on just a few market-based crops biofortification
actually promotes a poor diet with little nutritional diversity
Golden
Rice is a failed and useless product, and that is why we continue to resist and
oppose it. Time and again, huge agrochemical companies, philanthrocapitalists,
and pseudo-public agencies have attempted to deny the people’s right to
participate in decisions about their food and agriculture. Already, zinc and
iron GM rice and thirty other GM rice products are in the
pipeline, with Golden Rice serving as the Trojan Horse to lure the people into
social acceptance and false security.
More
than resisting the release of Golden Rice however, we are pushing for safer,
better and healthier alternatives to address VAD and other malnutrition issues.
Malnutrition can be mitigated and addressed by having a diverse diet. Nutrition does not need to
be an expensive commodity, nor rely on advanced technology. We believe that
instead of pushing Golden Rice and biofortifying crops through genetic
modification, governments should promote biodiversity in farms and
on tables by supporting safe, healthy and sustainable food production.
We are
also calling on governments to pay attention to the needs of our food
producers, including facilitating access to lands to till, appropriate
technologies, and an agriculture policy that will promote and uphold the
people’s right to food and the nations’ food sovereignty.
https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/why-we-oppose-golden-rice/
Updates on the implementation of
Rice Tariffication Law
Published October 10, 2020, 10:00 AM
“Rice remains as the staple food of
Filipinos. And there is no food that is used as widely as rice,” says
Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo on the
Philippines being the sixth largest rice-consuming countries in the
world.
After over a year of enactment of the Rice
Tariffication Law (RTL), updates on government efforts have been discussed in a
webinar entitled ‘Sa Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), Sambayanang Pilipino, Tuloy
ang Panalo,’ headed by the concerned agencies: Department of Agriculture (DA),
Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
RTL as a boost to farmers’ productivity
Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or Rice
Tariffication Law, passed last February 2019, aims to modernize the
agricultural sector as a way of making the sector globally competitive. Under
this law, it permits the entry of imported rice while imposing a tariff, which
varies depending on the volume of imported goods.
Although this hugely affects our farmers
due to the higher supply and competition in the market, RTL supports rice
farmers by increasing their productivity and income through the P10 billion
annual budget from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). RCEF comes
from the tariff revenues of rice imports. The said P10 billion is allotted to
farm machinery and equipment (P5 million), high-quality rice seed development,
propagation, and promotion (P3 million), training for skills enhancement (P1
million), and expanded rice credit assistance to the farmers (P1 million).
NEDA Acting Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua
says that several factors hinder the productivity and competitiveness of
farmers in rice production. Some of these limitations include natural disasters
that damage crops, mountainous areas that are not feasible for rice planting,
and limited sources of natural irrigation in the country.
To make up for these challenges, DA
Secretary William Dar shares the efforts that the government has accomplished
under the four components of the RTL including seeds, mechanization, credit,
and extension service.
Seed component
Secretary Dar says, “We hope to see that
after six years of RTL, we have raised the productivity of our farmers from the
current average harvest of four metric tons per hectare to at least six metric
tons per hectare. Secondly, we should have reduced the average cost by 30% from
the current cost ranging from 12 pesos to 14 pesos per kilogram to ensure
bigger profit margins.”
With lower production cost and higher
productivity, Secretary Dar added it will not only allow Filipino farmers to
offer affordable rice to the customers, particularly the poor, but this will
also enable them to compete globally.
From October 2019 up to now, they’ve
distributed over three million bags of certified inbred seeds to more than a
million farmers covering around one million hectares of land.
Mechanization component
In terms of rice farm equipment, 1,108 out
of the 2,938 machines have also given away to 625 farmer cooperatives and
associations.
Credit component
The amount of one billion pesos has also
been loaned out to 5,671 farmers in 2019, while in 2020, they’ve released 102
million to 610 farmers and 15 cooperatives. These credits entail minimal
interest rates and collateral requirements for the farmers.
Extension service component
This last initiative involves training for
farmers, scholarship grants, and the establishment of farm schools around the
country. There have been 53 farm schools built, over 800 different sets of
training conducted, and 20, 231 individuals have received scholarship grants.
There are about three million copies of informational materials given to the
farmers, too.
“Rice is a part of the Filipino culture,”
says, DA Secretary William Dar, “To make rice production profitable and the
staple affordable to consumers, care and production, processing, post-harvest,
and logistic systems must be more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable.”
The implementation of RTL has both positive
and negative impacts, says Dar. The positive side includes the decline of
retail prices of regular milled rice from the previous P45 per kilo in 2018 to
an average of P37 from September to December 2019 that as per Dar, has
benefitted millions of Filipinos.
To watch the webinar, click here.
https://mb.com.ph/2020/10/10/updates-on-the-implementation-of-rice-tariffication-law/
Stubble Burning, Pollution, And Politics
Stubble-burning,
in a nutshell, is an unintended consequence of the technology developed for the
Green Revolution.
Dr. Taradatt10
October 2020
Stubble-burning practiced after harvest of paddy in Punjab,
Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh during the winters, cited among the
principal reasons for pollution in Delhi.
Delhi, our national capital,
draws attention many-a-times for issues that sully its image worldwide.
Career-activists and news-makers, particularly from electronic media, appear
ever ready to indulge in scare-mongering without proper study of root causes
and possible remedial measures, often without realizing that their display of
‘expertise’ on such issues risks causing unwarranted tragedies. Many physical
and mental disorders are psychosomatic; repetitive hourly predictions of doom
are enough to rock even a reasonably stable mind!
Stubble-burning practiced after
harvest of paddy in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh during the
winters, cited among the principal reasons for pollution in Delhi, as if to
pressurize governments for doling out subsidies. The hyper environmental
consciousness that emerges after the harvest of paddy gets lost to oblivion
with the showing of the Kharif crop!
Notwithstanding Corona being the
flavor of the season, the issues related to agriculture including pollution on
account of stubble burning are bound to resurrect sooner or later. A question
seldom examined is why stubble-burning is rarely seen in traditional
paddy-growing areas across India. Without getting digressed to search for
reasons why stubble-burning appears to cause more suffering in the National
Capital Region (NCR) than in areas where it happens, it is necessary to gauge
the factors leading to stubble-burning and measures to arrest it.
Production of rice in large
swathes of areas surrounding the NCR is largely a Green Revolution phenomenon
after the mid-1960s. The Green Revolution, as we know, was intended to somehow
achieve self-sufficiency in food grain production. It was not as important as
to which areas the rice production came from. Research on developing
high-yielding varieties was biased towards plain areas with higher potential
for irrigated agriculture. The technology thus developed was not scale-neutral.
More so, unlike in the traditional paddy-growing areas in eastern, southern,
and central India where rice is the principal staple food, in Punjab, Haryana,
and Western Uttar Pradesh, rice is hardly consumed by the growers. Rice became
a commercial cash crop in the newfound granary giving birth to the recurrent
stubble burning menace.
While the country succeeded in
achieving the desired objective, there were unintended consequences of large
proportions that have persisted over time. Paddy cultivation is water-intensive
and requires flooding for irrigation. The fertile plains of areas with rayati settlement
system received high investment and heavy subsidies for developing irrigation
infrastructure coupled with heavy exploitation of groundwater. Incentivized
progressive farmers in these areas started producing paddy with assured market
intervention by the State unmindful of their non-rice-consuming habits. Paddy
became a commercial crop in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh, and the
direct beneficiaries were the big farmers.
High-yielding paddy developed by
scientists and cultivated in these areas is mostly a dwarf variety, matched
well for mechanized harvesting. With hardly any risk of cyclones and floods in
the new-found granary for rice, productivity soared with more sunny days during
Kharif season and controlled irrigation facilities. Mechanized harvesting left
a higher stubble, which became a burden for farmers who had transformed their
status from tillers to supervisors and did not like to bear the additional
costs of clearing their fields for subsequent sowing during the Rabi season.
The easy option was ‘stubble burning’, a polluting activity.
Eastern, southern and central
India do not suffer from the menace of stubble-burning even when paddy is grown
in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. The reasons are not difficult to glean. Rice
not being their commercial crop, farmers did not necessarily go for dwarf
varieties and excessive farm mechanization. Tall variety paddy not only
withstands excessive rains and longer submergence in floodwaters but also gives
better overall returns. After harvesting, paddy straw is used for animal feed,
besides being the main construction material for thatched houses and roof cover
to cool pucca houses. Indeed the returns from by-products almost equal the
price of rice, thereby compensating for the higher costs of paddy cultivation.
Productivity of paddy crop being low and risks on account of heavy rains and
floods being higher in the traditional paddy-growing coastal and low-lying
plains, farmers would stop growing this crop in case of earnings from
by-products were not there.
Stubble-burning, in a nutshell,
is an unintended consequence of the technology developed for the Green
Revolution. The solution, thus, lies in the development of suitable varieties
of seeds and harvesting technologies. Crop diversification and production
practices are other aspects that require greater attention. At the same time,
research scientists and industry leaders need to work harder to develop
suitable seed varieties and inexpensive tools for farmers to prevent them from
stubble-burning before cheaper Chinese products start flooding our market to
handle the concerns of arm-chair environmental activists and newsmakers from
the electronic media. Unregulated and excessive use of water, which is offered
almost free of cost to farmers, is affecting the soil health by causing
salinity, etc. Indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater, heavy usage of
chemical fertilizers, and pesticides are causing serious health hazards leading
to more deaths than from the Corona pandemic besides polluting and depleting
the underground water.
Polluted ground/river water, as
well as food crops including fruits and vegetables, pose much bigger dangers
today than air pollution caused by stubble-burning. Administrators,
researchers, and farmers need to open their eyes to the pollution building up
under the ground and over it, which is the bigger silent killer. The
exploitation of groundwater requires stringent regulations. Organic agriculture
deserves to be encouraged by offering a higher support price for quality produce.
The role of politicians is critically important– they need to understand that a
healthy environment is important for a healthy popularity contest.
(Dr. Taradatt is a former civil
servant)
For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism to
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/opinion-stubble-burning-pollution-and-politics/361896
New rice
breeder joins Division of Agriculture at Rice Research and Extension Center
STUTTGART, Ark. — Christian De Guzman has joined the University
of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture as an assistant professor and rice
breeder at the Rice Research and Extension Center.
De Guzman was a rice breeder and researcher at Southeast
Missouri State University’s Rice Research Farm in Malden for four years before
joining the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Division of Agriculture
research arm. While there, he focused mostly on long-grain rice, including
making crosses for heat and drought tolerance.
“Arkansas is the number one rice producing state in the nation,
producing about half of the rice grown in the U.S.,” said Nathan Slaton,
associate vice president for agriculture and assistant director of the
experiment station.
Rice contributed $1.021 billion in cash farm receipts to
Arkansas’ agricultural economy in 2018, according to the 2020 Arkansas
Agricultural Profile (http://bit.ly/AAES-AgProfile2020),
published by the Division of Agriculture.
“The Division of Agriculture is committed to supporting
Arkansas’ agricultural economy,” Slaton said. “We have a long tradition of rice
research and breeding to support the state’s growers. I’m confident that Dr. De
Guzman will continue that tradition as we look to develop new, improved rice
cultivars, in long- and medium-grain varieties and advance our work in hybrid
rice.”
De Guzman began working in agricultural research in 2001 as a
technical assistant. Later he was a junior plant breeder for corn at East-West
Seed Company in the Philippines. After that he was a visiting research
associate at the LSU AgCenter before beginning his doctoral studies.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in agriculture at the
University of the Philippines at Los Baños, Laguna, and his Ph.D. in agronomy,
with an emphasis on plant breeding, at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
After completing his Ph.D., De Guzman joined Southeast Missouri
State University before coming to Arkansas.
While focusing primarily on long-grain rice breeding and
genetics, De Guzman will also collaborate with RREC rice breeding colleagues
Xueyan Sha and Ehsan Shakiba to advance medium-grain and hybrid varieties.
De Guzman brings with him a scientific protocol he developed at
Missouri to screen breeding lines for heat tolerance, an essential trait for
improving grain quality during periods of high nighttime air temperatures. He
also began making crosses to develop drought tolerance while at Missouri. He
said such rice would be well-suited to row rice production.
He is already on the job at RREC after moving to Stuttgart with
his wife, Jennifer, and their 7-year-old twins, Dathan and Nasya.
AI-based Rice
Quality Analyser to transform Pakistan's Rice sector
- NED
Student has developed Pakistan’s first AI-based Rice Quality Analyser to
test the quality of rice grain in less than 60 seconds.
10
Oct 2020
The first ever Pakistan AI-based ‘Rice Quality Analyser’ is
successfully developed by students at the National Center of Artificial
Intelligence (NCAI) at the NED University, in collaboration with Rice Lab
Pakistan.
This software uses Machine Learning to analyse the quality of rice
grain in less than 60 seconds. The analysis is based on 7 main characteristics
of rice grain: length, thickness, average weight, and percentage of broken
grains.
This Rice Quality Analyser developed in Pakistan has an accuracy
rate of 99%, which is similar to modern Japanese and American rice quality
analysers. However, the Pakistani version is much more effective than the Japanese
ones and much cheaper than the one developed in the United States.
With Pakistan being the world’s 10th largest rice producer in the
world, the quality of rice grain significantly impacts its price and
export-potential. Previously, the quality of rice has been determined through a
traditional process, which takes in a sample of 8 kg rice and assesses its
quality using the human eye. This process costs a lot in terms of time and
money, and is mostly deemed as ineffective.
Instead, this Pakistan-bred Rice Quality Analyser improves the
local rice testing capacity through the use of AI technology. It is also faster
and less expensive. Moreover, this new technology takes into account Pakistan’s
atmospheric conditions and complies with national rice industry standards.
According to Hafiz Ahsan-ur-Rehman, a research associate at the
NCAI and a member of the Rice Quality Analyzer Software Development Team, this
new AI software is a key achievement for Pakistan’s rice sector.
This state-of-the-art software will reduce the time taken to
complete rice export orders by decreasing the cost of rice classification and
increasing testing capacity.
This Rice Quality Analyser will collect scanned images of rice
grains. Traders and millers can use any good quality flat bat scanner to do
that. The images are then sent to the Smart City Lab team, which immediately
analyses the rice grains and then sends back results via email. Currently, the
Smart City Lab Country is offering a free trial to popularize this innovative
software.
Hafiz adds that although the marketing campaign for this new
technology is still in process, they have received positive reactions from
major rice-producing countries like China, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40025127
Hybrid rice
seeds tripple yield in lower Sindh, south Punjab
Iqtidar
Gilani
LAHORE-Hybrid
coarse rice varieties have achieved three times more yields as compared to
traditional varieties in lower Sindh and south Punjab.
Use of
hybrid seed, developed by scientists from Pakistan and China after extensive
research, has helped increasing yield from 39-35 maunds per acre to well over
100 maunds per acre this year. Progressive farmers have even managed to get
more than 135 maunds paddy per acre.
Joint
research for inventing high-yield hybrid coarse rice varieties has enabled
paddy growers to get more earning, thus pushing their living standards upward
besides reducing poverty from the rural areas. “Our per acre average yield with
traditional rice varieties was 30-35 maund. Now hybrid varieties have enabled
us to get 100 maund plus yield. In some cases the progressive farmers achieved
136 maund per acre,” said different growers while talking to a delegation of
the Agriculture Journalists Association (AJA) Lahore during visit to rice
fields in Golarchi in district Badin, lower Sindh.
Success
of the hybrid varieties can be gauged from the fact that it is now being sown
over 1.7 million acres of land in Sindh and south Punjab. Guard Agricultural
Research & Services (Pvt) Ltd, which is pioneer in bringing the hybrid rice
to Pakistan in collaboration with the Yuan Longping Hi-Tech China, is now
working on to introduce such varieties which are heat resistant, salinity
resistant and capable to do away with the negative impacts of climate change in
Sindh and other parts of Pakistan. Talking to journalists, Guard Agricultural
Research & Services (Pvt) Senior Executive Momin Malik said that three heat
resistant varieties such as LP-18, Guard-403 and Guard 53 will soon be
introduced in Sindh. He said that these varieties are lodging free too. He said
that a long period is required for research and development of new varieties
and the government should develop some mechanism for approval of new varieties
at a fast phase. It will help expediting the research and development in
agricultural sector, he said.
Momin
said that Guard is running four research stations in Pakistan out of which two
are in Sindh and two in Punjab. These research stations are in Golarchi,
Larkana, Pakpattan and Sundar area near Lahore. Yuan Longping Hi-Tech
representative in Pakistan Mr Liu said that hybrid rice is playing a very
important role in ensuring food security and eradicating hunger from the world.
He said that founder of his company who is known as ‘Father of Hybrid Rice’ has
a dream to take the per acre yield to 200 maund per acre. He said that their
company has its research stations in Pakistan, India, Philippines, Vietnam and
Bangladesh. He disclosed that Pakistan’s climate and land is so suitable for
hybrid long-grain rice that their seed is giving top performance in this
country and yield is even better than China. He said that his company in
collaboration with Guard will continue research to introduce varieties having
resistance against climate change.
He urged
the progressive growers to educate their fellows on how to get better yield and
what are the good agricultural practices for this seed. Guard General Manager
Agriculture Abdul Karim Marri said that their company in collaboration with
Chinese counterpart is also exporting rice seed to Philippines which once was
considered as the headquarter for coarse variety. A progressive farmer Ali
Mardan Shah proudly said that Golarchi is not only producing higher yield but
is leading the whole of Pakistan.
https://nation.com.pk/10-Oct-2020/hybrid-rice-seeds-tripple-yield-in-lower-sindh-south-punjab
Indian Basmati Rice Exporters
Renegotiating Terms & Conditions with the US, Canada and Australia
Importers
Indian Basmati rice exporters are renegotiating
the terms and conditions with the importers from the US, Canada, Australia and
western Europe. The new agreements are to be signed by the mid of October after
the abroad cargo rates moved about 50% in the course of the last one month.
Freight rates have also risen by $1200 to $1800 per ton.
Nonetheless, exporters stated that regardless
of whether they renegotiate with importers or not, they won't have the option
to recoup the whole value climb in cargo. Additionally, the prices of the
regular variety of basmati rice i.e. Pusa 1121, have fallen about a fifth in
comparison to the previous year, after shipments to Iran were stopped as a
result of non payment of levy by the importers concerned. "Prior,
compartments were originating from China and we were confronting no problem.
But since imports from China have descended, accessibility of containers has
diminished and we need to pay immense amounts of money to transportation lines
for exports," said Gautam Miglani, proprietor of LRNK, a Haryana-based
basmati rice exporter.
"In spite of the fact that we will be
attempting to renegotiate the agreements with foreign purchasers in the scenery
of this increasing cargo rates, there is no assurance that we will get higher
rates." India yearly fares 4.4 - 4.5 million tons of basmati rice to the
worldwide business sectors. Miglani included that due to oversupply of basmati
rice in the country, the exporters are not in a great situation to request more
prices from other importing countries. "In addition, the pandemic has
seriously affected the financial state of the majority of the nations on the
planet. So we are dubious of getting greater prices," he said. A major
basmati rice exporter from Amritsar who wanted to remain anonymous said that
"Freight rates have been increasing since the lockdown was pulled back.
However, over the most recent one month, they have gone up forcefully. We had
losses in the prior agreements because of high cargo rates. In any case, in the
forthcoming overseas arrangements, we should incorporate the excessive cost of
cargo."
The business players are likewise stressed over
Pakistan's transition to begin trading their basmati rice to Iran under the
barter framework. "Payment issue with Iran is not sorted in the near
future, we won't be having the option to export to the nation and hence lose
the market there. It is the greatest export destination for Indian basmati
rice," said Miglani. BV Krishna Rao, leader of Rice Exporters Association,
said that the non-basmati rice exporters are additionally feeling the warmth of
rising cargo costs.
Crop Surveys
Dear colleagues,
The latest Texas Rice Crop Survey reports (updated through
Friday, October 09, 2020) are available through the
Beaumont Center web site at https://beaumont.tamu.edu/C
The crop survey provides detailed data on
rice acreage across the Texas rice belt, including information on varieties
and crop development.
Sincerely,
Ted
Dear colleagues,
The latest Texas Rice Crop Survey reports (updated through
Friday, October 9, 2020) are available through the
Beaumont Center web site at http://beaumont.tamu.edu/Cr
The crop survey provides detailed data on
rice acreage across the Texas rice belt, including information on varieties
and crop development.
Sincerely,
Dear colleagues,
The latest Texas Rice Crop Survey reports (updated through
Friday, October 9, 2020) are available through the
Beaumont Center web site at http://beaumont.tamu.edu/Cr
The crop survey provides detailed data on
rice acreage across the Texas rice belt, including information on varieties
and crop development.
Sincerely,
Religious bodies roped in to feed farmers,
labourers
·
Posted: Oct
10, 2020 07:25
AM (IST)
Farmers and labourers have food at a purchase centre in Karnal
on Friday. Tribune Photo
Karnal, October 9
To ensure two meals and 12-hour
tea facility to farmers and labourers at all 13 paddy purchase centres in the
district, the authorities have roped in various religious organisations,
arhtiyas and rice millers.
They have been assigned duties to
ensure food, tea and water to farmers and labourers there. “Food, tea and water
will be provided free to them,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner.
He said that this step has been
initiated from Thursday and now, at all 13 purchase centres, food and tea facility
is available.
Nirmal Kutiya has been providing
food and tea at Karnal grain market and arhtiyas’ associations in Gharaunda and
Taraori grain markets.
In Nilokheri and Nissing grain
markets, rice millers are providing food, he said, adding that similarly, other
religious organisations, arhtiyas and rice millers’ associations are feeding
farmers and labourers.
Yadav said that they have fixed a
time slot of two hours for food — between 10 am and 12 noon and between 4 pm
and 6 pm. Tea will be served from 6 am to 6 pm daily. At some places, stalls
with tents have been set up to facilitate farmers and labourers, he said.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/religious-bodies-roped-in-to-feed-farmers-labourers-153385
Mt. Meru Millers On Spot Over
Poor Waste Disposal in Lira
Polycarp William Okello, who neighbours the factory, says
he has grown rice in a nearby wetland but he is not expecting any yield after
his crop started drying up due to the waste.
09 Oct 2020 13:15
Locals following the water flowing from the factory
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https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/mt-meru-millers-on-spot-over-poor-waste-disposal-in-lira
