Girls
outperform boys at OUAT
BHUBANESWAR: More than 70 per cent of the gold
medalists at the 34th convocation of Orissa University of Agriculture and
Technology ( OUAT) were girls. Job security and scope for research in the field
of agriculture and technology and wide range of opportunities are attracting
more women into the sector."I am really happy that there are more girls
among the gold medalists of the university. This is a positive sign. It also
proves that girls worked harder than boys and should get accolades," said
vice-chancellor of the university Manoranjan Kar.Girls topped the university in
postgraduate studies in most departments while most of the top scorers in
undergraduate studies are also women students.
The highest number of awards and medals for a single student went
to Sheuli Chaterjee, who received 11 medals for scoring the highest marks in
different subjects.There is no particular reason but, of course, girls are more
serious than boys about studies. More girls are coming to the agriculture
sector because of job security and wider opportunity for diversification,"
said Sheuli. She added, "If you study agriculture you can go for banking,
insurance, seed selection, chemical and fertilizers and so on."A total 211
medals were given away for students who graduated in 2013 and 2014 of whom 147
were women.
"It's not that girls are excelling in agriculture only,
they are doing well in all examinations. More women achieving success in the
higher education sector will have a direct and indirect impact on our society,"
said honorary professor of the university S R Das.Arnapurna Moharana, who won
seven gold medals said, "In agriculture there is ample scope for research.
I will continue my higher education and do my research in this field.
"Vice chancellor also informed that this year 26 students
from College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology under the university
qualified for GATE examination in 2015, which is a record of highest number of
students being qualified from any single institute of 54 colleges of agricultural
engineering and Technology in India.Former chairman of Agricultural Scientists
Recruitment Board Prof Madappa Mahadevappa and director general and CEO of
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines Dr Robert Stewart
Zeigler were conferred honoris causa on the occasion.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Girls-outperform-boys-at-OUAT/articleshow/47200870.cms
Cambodia: Cambodia exports more
rice in first four months
5/8/2015
Thai News Service
Cambodia exported over 200,000 tonnes of rice in the
January-April period, up 67.2 percent from the same period last year.According
to the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export, China was the largest importer, buying more than
66,000 tonnes of Cambodia rice. It was followed by France with 23,000
tonnes.Besides traditional customers, Cambodia is looking for new markets with
the aim of increasing rice export.Farm
produce, particularly rice, is a priority in Cambodia'sexport policy. However, the country is facing
difficulties in processing equipment to enhance rice quality. Cambodia also has
to compete with other major exporters such as Thailand and Vietnam./.
Vietnam: Rice exports likely to
rise from July
5/8/2015
Thai News Service
Vietnam is implementing a contract on exporting rice to the Philippines while
negotiating with Malaysia on the same issue.In the first four months of the
year, the country exported2.04
million tonnes of rice, earning US$889 million, down in 0.5% in quantity and 5%
in value, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).The MoIT said
the decrease is attributed to an abundant supply source of rice exporters which leads to a fierce competition in
the market. Big rice exporters like Thailand and India have high
stockpiles of rice.
Especially, Thailand is taking drastic measures to export more rice to key markets.Huynh The
Nang, general director of the Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2)
hoped that from late June to early July this year, Vietnam's rice exporters might gain more markets.He added that
from the beginning of the year, the Philippines has imported 300,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam
and is expected to buy an additional 500,000 tonnes. - VOV
http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2359359157
Rice planting proceeds
as water availability varies
Capital Press
Published:May 7,
2015 3:19PM
Tim
Hearden/Capital Press Russel Maben stabilizes the edge of a field to be flooded
for rice planting on his family’s farm near Willows, Calif. Some water
districts have imposed strict rules against runoff from rice planting, which is
underway in the Sacramento Valley.
Rice
planting is nearing its halfway point in California's middle Sacramento Valley.
Crop advisers are expecting more fields to be fallowed this year because of a
lack of water, although how much more acreage is idled remains to be seen.
WILLOWS, Calif. — For rice
growers in California’s Sacramento Valley, this season has been all about
working and waiting.Balmy spring afternoons were perfect for getting fields
ready for this year’s anticipated 408,000-acre rice crop, but water
uncertainties amid a fourth year of drought forced many to wait and wonder
about deliveries.But planting finally commenced in the last week of April and
is nearly halfway finished, with some fields already showing rice emerging from
the water.“Planting is going full swing right now,” said Luis Espino, a
University of California Cooperative Extension rice crop adviser in Colusa.
“With the water situation early on, everyone was expecting water deliveries to
be a little late — the first week of May.
Then it was actually
delivered a little earlier than that.”In Butte County, planting is about two
weeks ahead of what would be a normal timeframe, said Cass Mutters, a UCCE rice
farm adviser.“This spring was unfortunately so dry and so warm that growers were
out working their fields,” Mutters said. “As a result, the planting schedule is
accelerated this year.”Water availability varies widely this spring, depending
on where a farm is. Growers in districts along the Sacramento River that have
senior rights have been told to expect 75 percent of normal deliveries,
although U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials have hedged a bit on whether
they’d be able to deliver even that much.
Meanwhile, those who divert
from the Feather River have had their water cut in half, while farmers on the
east side of the valley face cuts of 30 percent to 60 percent, the California
Farm Bureau Federation reported. Junior right holders who rely on Central
Valley Project water will get none for a second straight year.“There’s going to
be a lot of fallowing,” Espino said. “It’s hard to say how much, but my guess
is it’s going to be maybe 10 or 15 percent more than last year. Growers might
not get surface water but might be able to pump here and there or get water
from somewhere else. We’ll see at the end what the actual acreage is.”
An anticipated 408,000-acre
crop would be 6 percent below the acreage seeded in 2014 and well below the
550,000 acres planted in 2013, according to the National Agricultural
Statistics Service. As a result of the drop in acreage, the fall yield of 36.8
million hundredweight was down 23 percent from 2013, NASS estimated.Some water
transfers are taking place to facilitate this year’s crop, but the early-season
hype about the prospect of growers selling water to cities has died down
because of a lack of available water and because of districts’ restrictions on
fallowing fields to send water elsewhere.Some districts have instituted
“no-spill policies” during field flooding to maximize the acreage that can be
planted, Mutters said.Rice is typically planted between mid-April and mid-May,
with harvests coming six months later. Growers who plant later than that risk
running into rains during harvest, which happened in 2014 with a late October
storm that stopped work.
Among other field crops,
according to NASS:
• Cotton planting in Fresno
County is nearly complete, and fields were progressing nicely.
• Oats and alfalfa fields
are being cut, windrowed and baled.
• Wheat is maturing quickly
and is being cut for silage. The wheat crop is rated as 90 percent good to
excellent
http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20150507/rice-planting-proceeds-as-water-availability-varies
Spring Brings Stable Rice Prices
[As Heard in North Korea]
Unification Media Group | 2015-05-08 13:15
"As
Heard in North Korea" articles contain the content of Unification Media
Group [UMG] broadcasts into North Korea. UMG is a consortium created by Radio
Free Chosun [RFC] and Open Radio for North Korea [ONK], shortwave radio
stations targeting North Korea; The Daily NK, an internet periodical reporting
on all aspects of North Korea; and OTV, an NGO-based internet television
channel.
It's time for our
weekly series "Market Roundup" with special correspondent and
economic specialist Kang Mi Jin. Today we'll discuss the latest trends and news
from the North Korean economy. First, I'll ask Ms. Kang to give us a general
overview of what has been happening in the past week.
The market price
for rice varied by regions. One kilogram of rice was sold for 5,000 KPW in
Pyongyang, Sinuiju, and Hyesan. The Korean People’s Won against the U.S. dollar
traded for 8,100 KPW, 8,200 KPW, and 8,400 KPW in Pyongyang, Sinuiju, and
Hyesan, respectively, posting a slightly higher exchange rate from the previous
week. One kilogram of corn fetched 1,600 KPW in Pyongyang and Sinuiju, and
1,700 KPW in Hyesan. In terms of pork, one kilogram stood at 12,500 KPW in
Pyongyang, 12,000 KPW in Sinuiju, and 13,500 KPW in Hyesan. Next is the price
of oil. In Pyongyang and Sinuiju, one kilogram of gasoline traded for 10,500
KPW and 11,000 KPW in Hyesan. Diesel fetched 8,000 KPW per kilogram in
Pyongyang, 8,500 KPW in Sinuiju, and 9,000 KPW in Hyesan.
Spring in the North means most
residents are looking forward to the weather warming up so they can go pick
wild greens. Reflecting some of those positive sentiments, we’re also hearing
that prices in markets have been on a decline, and we’re joined by reporter
Kang Mi Jin who will tell us more about it.
1. We’ve heard that prices for some
goods in the market have been on a downward trend. Tell us more about it.
According to sources within North Korea, the prices of soybean
oil from China, school uniforms, eggs, and spring vegetables in some markets
have been falling. Market prices usually rise at this time of the year, but
this year, prices for the most part have remained stable. Although limited to
certain goods, some prices have even been falling.
2. Soybean oil and spring vegetables
are some of the most commonly purchased items in the North, do we know why the
prices have been dipping?
According to a source from Yangkang Province in North Korea,
most markets including those in Hyesan and Wiyon are seeing a drop in prices of
soybean oil, school uniforms, eggs, and spring vegetables. If we first look at
why the price of cooking oil would be falling, some say it may be because of a
rumor that has been spreading among the public. The rumor says that there are
many ‘yojae’ in the oil, which can lead to stomachaches. ‘Yojae’ refer to counterfeit
ingredients in North Korea, so people are not only afraid of consuming such bad
oil themselves, they’re also worried about the effects it could have on others
around them.
There have not yet been any accidents resulting from consumption
of Chinese soybean oil, but the rumor has made food vendors reluctant to use
the oil. A lot of food vendors use oil in large amounts, but as their demand
drops, the prices have naturally gone down as well.
3. You mentioned people being worried
about others as well when using this oil. Could you elaborate on that, please.
People in general are worried about their own consumption of bad
oil, but food vendors are more worried than others. They worry that cooking
food with bad oil could harm their customers, which would then hurt their
business. In the case of merchants who sell apparel or other goods, they can
somehow convince the customers that they were merely passed on the (bad) goods.
However, it is different for food vendors who directly make the very goods that
they sell. So it would be harder to win back trust from customers once a
problem arises. Food vendors avoid purchasing oil for this reason, and this has
naturally led to the fall in prices of Chinese oil.
4. You also mentioned earlier that the
price of school uniforms has dropped. The new semester started in April in
North Korea, correct? Has the price of school uniforms dropped because the
semester is now underway?
No. The drop in the price of school uniforms and the start of a
new semester have no correlation. Last fall, North Korea introduced new
uniforms for middle school and university students nationwide, and all students
now need to wear these new uniforms from this semester. The previous uniforms
have now become outdated, which is why their prices are on the downward
trend.
Old uniforms used to be quite popular that even second-hand ones
still sold well. But nobody buys them anymore. Merchants are trying to make at
least a paltry sum of money off of the uniforms by selling them at prices below
the original cost. However, even these attempts have failed to draw in
customers, causing a lot of concern for the merchants.
Some complain that all of this trouble is ultimately because of
the new uniforms. Unlike other clothing, North Korean uniforms are very
particular in the sense that they’re hard to wear in any other capacity. The
color is blue, so even if vendors want to sell them as regular pants for women,
the color doesn’t work well, and the upper garments are even worse, so no one
will buy them.
5. I can see why the vendors would be
unhappy. How about some of the other goods? If you could tell us what’s causing
their prices to drop?
Sure. As I mentioned earlier, the price of eggs and spring
vegetables have also dropped. Most of the spring vegetables planted last year
such as spinach will be edible past April 15th, and people will also start
seeing wild greens growing on hillsides nearby. As a result, the prices for
vegetables such as cabbages and cucumbers, which were extremely expensive in
February and March, are starting to gradually decline.
But sources say, there are a lot of vendors who run restaurants
in the marketplace or individually and they consume a large portion of
vegetables. Also, it will still be a while until full heads of cabbage and
cucumbers hit the markets, so they say prices probably won’t go down any
further.
In Hyesan City in Yangkang Province, cabbage is said to be going
for roughly 2,200 KPW per kilogram, and that’s a significant 800 KPW dip from
the recent price of 3,000 KPW.
6. So these were some of the reasons
behind the sliding prices of some goods. How about the price of eggs?
Winter is when chickens are least likely to lay eggs. I actually
used to raise chickens in North Korea, and when you hit mid-April or so they
sometimes lay eggs every day. They start wandering out in the spring and eating
things from nature, so unlike when they’re given feed at home, they start
producing eggs each day. You can then understand what would happen to the price
of eggs.
If more eggs are selling in the markets, naturally, the price of
eggs drops. People who come from farming communities with large quantities of
eggs, sell them for very cheap prices. This is because everyone knows the
prices will dip during spring. Also, unlike in the winter, it’s hard to keep
the eggs fresh for a long time, so vendors are more eager to sell their eggs
quickly while they’re good. That weighs in as another factor.
7. Does any of this have to do with
the stability in rice prices these days?
Yes, that’s right. Many defectors will tell you that most prices
are determined by the cost of rice. When the price of rice goes up, so will
other prices.
Currently, the price of rice in most markets is holding at 4,000
KPW per kilogram. If the price of rice goes up from here, the fastest to follow
will be beer or other types of alcohol, and then potatoes and bean prices will
follow.
If the price of rice remains stable in the market, it will also
help maintain levels for other goods, so I hope things at least stay as they
are so they don’t make things more difficult for people going through the
hungry season of spring (that comes after people consume most of their food
stored for the winter).
Rice import depends on
the results of harvest evaluation
Friday,
08 May 2015, 17:59 WIB
ROL/Casilda Amilah
Rachmat Gobel (Kanan)
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Ministry of Trade Rachmat Gobel
affirmed that the decision for opening the rice import permit will be considered after the results
of evaluation of rice stock are
reported. Gobel admitted that he was still waiting for a report on the evaluation stocks of
rice after the harvest of the Ministry of Agriculture.“So, related with import or not, we are waiting
evaluation results of ricestock condition.
Yes, now, Mr. Minister of Agriculture has not yet reported it. We should
know soon,” said Gobel after met Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Jakarta, on
Friday, May 8.He explained the import was the last alternative to fulfil the
needs of domestic rice.
He also called the current absorption of rice farmers conducted by
Bulog is currently lacking. Thus, this condition could also affect the high
price of rice in the market. Meanwhile,
Vice President Jusuf Kalla affirmed that rice import will do if rice production
in domestic could not suffice the national reserves.“It
means, the prices are higher than the government’s prices so the national reserves to facing Ramadan are less,
then it opens the possibility to be able to add to the national reserve of imports,” explained Kalla.
Nevertheless, the
steps of rice import permit will be considered after the
calculation of the rice harvest season is finished, which is
around May or June. So the government could calculate whether rice production could
meet the national reserve.“So if after this harvest the national reserve is still less, we will see
this next 1 -2 months. But, the harvest just until May, to see the results then
considered if the national reserves are below 2 million tons. It
will be considered,” he added.However, VP affirmed that the best steps to
fulfil the needs of domestic rice are increasing the production. Though, he
explained, domestic productions are influenced by some factors like weather
condition and seeds. He continued that extent permitted about opening of the riceimport opportunity is also
taken to anticipate the entry of the holy month of Ramadan.
http://www.republika.co.id/berita/en/national-politics/15/05/08/no12jt-rice-import-depends-on-the-results-of-harvest-evaluation
Tap for rice imports always open: VP
Kalla
Antara | Friday, 8 May 2015 18:56
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The tap for
rice imports is always open, especially when we have to deal with a shortage of
the commodity, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla said. "The tap is always
open, in case our production does not meet demand and it is required to make up
for the deficit," he stated in his office here on Friday. Citing an
example, he pointed out that in case there is shortage of rice during the
Islamic fasting month in June, it is possible that the country will import rice
to meet the requirement. However, the vice president added that the government
had yet to study the agricultural reports collected from the fields. "We
will wait and see until after the end of May because a grand harvest usually
lasts until May," he affirmed. After the grand harvest, we will find out
whether there is a shortage in national stock and whether imports will be
needed, Kalla noted.
A researcher from the Trade Policy
Development and Study Agency of the Ministry of Trade, Miftah Farid is of the
opinion that rice imports will not be necessary if national production
increased even minimally by 5 percent from the current total production and
domestic absorption by logistics company Perum Bulog reached 8 percent of the
total production hike. "It (stoppage of imports) will happen when
production rises by 5 percent and absorption by Bulog reaches 8 percent,"
he remarked here on Wednesday. According to Farid, analyses found that when
production increases, imports drop, but to achieve zero imports, production
must increase by a minimum of 5 percent.
This 5 percent hike was calculated based on
the total production in 2014, when the yield of dried unhulled rice reached
70.83 million tons, which was equal to 44.43 million tons of rice. The hike
comes to some 3.54 million tons of unhulled rice, which is 2.22 million tons of
rice, Farid said. Based on these calculations, production in 2015 must reach
78.34 million tons of unhulled rice, or 46.62 million tons of rice. According
to the target set by the Agriculture Ministry, total output in 2015 is expected
to increase by 3.84 million tons, with the production of total unhulled rice
reaching 73.40 million tons, equal to 46.14 million tons of rice. (Reporting by
Muhammad Razi Rahman/Uu.H-YH/INE/R-BSR/F001)
http://indonesianewsstand.com/news/read/138669/Tap-for-rice-imports-always-open-VP-Kalla
Low paddy price irks
Sherpur farmers
Paddy farmers in the district have started harvesting the Boro
crop, but its price remains very low at the growers' level.One maund of Boro
paddy is selling at Tk 300 -Tk 420 at the growers' level, and between Tk 400 -
Tk 600 at the local markets in the district, though the production cost this
season is estimated to be around Tk 800.Although the government declared it would
begin paddy procurement from May 1-- offering Tk 32 per kg for rice and Tk 22
per kg for paddy -- it has failed to create an impact on the paddy price in the
district.Dulal Mian, a farmer of Bhatshala village in Sadar upazila, said he is
selling paddy at Tk 400 per maund, whereas the wage for each of the day
labourers who have been hired for harvesting the paddy is Tk 500.
"I've spent about Tk 32,000 for growing paddy on one acre of
land, and harvested about 70 maunds of paddy that is selling at Tk 400 per
maund. Though the production is good, it is causing me a huge loss," he
said.According to officials at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE),
as more lands in the district were brought under Boro cultivation this season
compared to the previous season, the output is also going to exceed the target
of 3.55 lakh tonnes.DAE deputy director Dr Md Abdus Salam said the price of
paddy at the growers' level is low, but is expected to increase with the start
of the government's procurement drive in the district.Farmers, however,
expressed their doubt over the prospect of increase in the paddy price with the
initiation of the procurement drive because the government will collect the
rice and paddy from the traders, not from the farmers.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country/low-paddy-price-irks-sherpur-farmers-81036
Zero
import tariff hits rice growers below the belt
5/8/2015
The New Nation (Bangladesh)
Dhaka, May 8 -- The farmers are not getting
production cost after a bumper paddy yielding in Boro season as the zero tariff imported rice hover three times higher than
previous years. The current market price of paddy is between Tk 420 and 470 per
maund while the average production cost was around Tk 800 as per the
government's assessment.According to the Food Directorate, though the price of
rice has fallen by 6 per cent in the whole sale market, there is no impact of
it in the retail level. A group of middlemen are making excessive profit from
retail markets, the consumers alleged.
During the last fiscal year, a total of 3.74 lakh
tonnes of rice was imported.But
in the current fiscal 12.91 lakh tonnes rice already beenimport till April 20, according data of the
Ministry of Food.Meanwhile, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said
that yielding Boro this season reached all time high due to good weather and
decrease of fertilizer price. Around 47.8 lakh hectars of land were brought
under Boro cultivation from where an estimated production target of paddy is
about 1.89 crore tonnes, sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension
(DAE) said.
The rice traders are not purchasing paddy for the
rice mills as the cost of imported rice is lower than local rice. Imported rate of rice stood at Tk25 to 30 per
kg while local rice at Tk31 to 32. As a result, about 15 thousand rice mills
out of 18 thousand remained shut though the Boro harvesting period is almost
over, said Niroth Chandra Saha, President of Nator Rice Owners
Association.Bangladesh Bank data shows that rice imports have registered a phenomenal increase,
though the government had contemplated riceexports last year because of inadequate
storage space.Bangladesh saw a bumper paddy harvest last year and the export plan was considered as a means of
ensuring fair price to marginal farmers and dealing with the storage crisis.
The trend of opening Letters of Credit (LCs) to importrice in the first seven
months (July to January) of the current fiscal (2014-2015) was up 1000 per cent
compared to the same period in FY 2013-14.Dr Mahbub Hossain, former Executive
Director of BRAC, said the price of fertilizer decreased by 30 per cent.
Besides, favourable weather and increasing irrigation facility the country
reached a new height in rice production.The government should curb rice import to encourage local paddy grower, he
said.A senior official of the Ministry of Food, on condition of anonymity, told
this reporter that there is no plan to halt rice import. But the government is
considering a proposal to impose 10 per cent tariff on rice import.
Published by HT Syndication with permission from The New
Nation. For any query with respect to this article or any other content
requirement, please contact Editor athtsyndication@hindustantimes.com
http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2359358874
Imported rice by Indians due to expire
A prosecution witness in the case
involving two Indian businessmen and a revenue officer, said the imported bags
of rice in the matter were released without appropriate payment because the
officer claimed they were due to expire. Mr Apana Adadzina, Chief Collecting
Officer of the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority, said when Kate
Kai-Kotey Laryea, the Revenue Officer was queried, she said “l released the
bags of rice for them to pay back later”.Mentouf Khan, the importer and Kate
Kai-Kotey Laryea were in court for various offences.
The
prosecution witness told the court that when the information got to his
attention, he raised a demand notice to the accused persons to pay within
30-days.“Out of an amount of GH? 526,000.00, they only paid GH? 50,000.00 and
since then all efforts to retrieve the rest has proved futile,” he said.Mr
Adadzina said initially, the accused persons were not in agreement with the
30-days saying it was too short a time and brought their own terms of payment
but this was rejected.
Mentouf
was said to have removed 30,074 bags of rice from a customs bonded warehouse,
without payment of the appropriate duties and corrupted a public officer in
respect of her duties by paying her an amount of GH¢500.00 to influence her
conduct.Kate was also said to have abetted Mentouf and one other, Murtaza Khan
to take un-entered goods from a customs bonded warehouse, falsified customs
bonded warehouse register and collected various sums of monies from
Mentouf.They both pleaded not guilty to the charges, before the court presided
over by Mr Francis Obiri.Mentouf was granted bail in the sum of GH¢750,000.00
with three sureties, one to be justified, and one to be a public servant with a
net salary of GH¢1,500.00.Kate was also granted bail in the sum of GH¢20,000.00
with three sureties, one to be justified.The case was adjourned to May 8.
China must overhaul farm support policy,
says think-tank
China must abandon its
policy of paying high prices to farmers for grains if it is to create a
sustainable farm sector, said the director of Washington-based think-tank the
International Food Policy Research Institute.By: Dominique Patton, Reuters
A farmer plants paddy
on a terrace field in Suichuan county, Jiangxi province May 20, 2014.
REUTERS/Stringer
BEIJING
-- China must abandon its policy of paying high prices to farmers for grains if
it is to create a sustainable farm sector, said the director of
Washington-based think-tank the International Food Policy Research
Institute.The world's top producer of wheat and rice, and second biggest corn
grower, buys domestic grain at prices far above the world market for state
stocks.The policy, aimed at supporting farmers and ensuring self-sufficiency in
key grains, has led to a huge financial burden on the country and warehouses
overflowing with surplus grain. Corn stocks are currently estimated at more
than 80 percent of annual domestic consumption.
"China
is in a trap right now. On the one hand, it purchases agricultural products
from farmers at a very high price, but in meantime it cannot sell to the market
[at such high prices] so all the purchases go into stocks, and that's very
costly," said Fan Shenggen, IFPRI director general, in an
interview.Beijing has recently abandoned its stockpiling system for cotton and
soybeans, replacing it with a direct subsidy for farmers based on their output.
Fan, whose institute works closely with Chinese government advisors, said the
new system was also "a mistake"."Many countries use a similar
approach but in the long run it is not sustainable," he told Reuters.China
should gradually shift from a subsidy system to offering income support and
helping farmers expand their scale or exit the sector, he said.
Fan
said there is growing recognition at high levels that China's farm policy needs
to change, with a new emphasis on achieving security in staple foods, rather
than a rigid focus on self-sufficiency in all major crops.The change in
thinking is set to be integrated into China's new five-year plan for 2016-2020,
which is currently being drafted, he said.Fan also warned that attempts to make
Chinese agriculture more environmentally sustainable may be undermined by the
lack of co-ordination between ministries.Increasing grain output in recent
years has been at the cost of the environment, with excessive pumping of
groundwater for farms exacerbating water shortages and overuse of fertilizers
causing severe pollution.Fertilizer prices and water fees will need to increase
to remedy such problems, Fan said.
Tags: livestock, crops,
agribusiness, updates
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/26036/#sthash.8jaCdYma.dpuf
Genetic architecture of variation in heading date among Asian rice
accessions
Heading
date, a crucial factor determining regional and seasonal adaptation in rice
(Oryza sativa L.), has been a major selection target in breeding programs.
Although considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the
molecular regulation of heading date in rice during last two decades, the
previously isolated genes and identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) cannot
fully explain the natural variation for heading date in diverse rice
accessions. Results: To genetically dissect naturally occurring variation in
rice heading date, we collected QTLs in advanced-backcross populations derived
from multiple crosses of the japonica rice accession Koshihikari (as a common
parental line) with 11 diverse rice accessions (5 indica, 3 aus, and 3
japonica) that originate from various regions of Asia.
QTL
analyses of over 14,000 backcrossed individuals revealed 255 QTLs distributed
widely across the rice genome. Among the detected QTLs, 128 QTLs corresponded
to genomic positions of heading date genes identified by previous studies, such
as Hd1, Hd6, Hd3a, Ghd7, DTH8, and RFT1.The other 127 QTLs were detected in
different chromosomal regions than heading date genes. Conclusions: Our results
indicate that advanced-backcross progeny allowed us to detect and confirm QTLs
with relatively small additive effects, and the natural variation in rice
heading date could result from combinations of large- and small-effect QTLs. We
also found differences in the genetic architecture of heading date (flowering
time) among maize, Arabidopsis, and rice.
Author: Kiyosumi
HoriYasunori NonoueNozomi OnoTaeko ShibayaKaworu EbanaKazuki MatsubaraEri
Ogiso-TanakaTakanari TanabataKazuhiko SugimotoFumio Taguchi-ShiobaraJun-ichi
YonemaruRitsuko MizobuchiYusaku UgaAtsunori FukudaTadamasa UedaShin-ichi
YamamotoUtako
http://7thspace.com/headlines/508240/genetic_architecture_of_variation_in_heading_date_among_asian_rice_accessions.html
Punjab govt issues advisory to farmers on paddy sowing
Chandigarh, May 7 (PTI)
Punjab Government today issued advisory for farmers in the state and asked
them not to go for early paddy sowing before June 15. "A strict
instructions in this regard have been issued to all authority concerned to
ensure the strict compliance of advisory with necessary directions to all
field officers across the state," an official spokesman said
here. Punjab government had passed the 'Punjab Preservation of
Sub-Soil Water Act' in 2009 under which for the first time, the date of transplantation
of paddy was fixed as June 10 with a view to saving natural resource of
water in the State.
Pertinently, the Punjab
Government has advised the farmers of the state not to go early sowing of
paddy before June 15, 2015. Early sowing of paddy will not only put
extra pressure on soil but also would lead to consuming of too much of
water as the experts have already predicts to deficit of rain
during this year, he said. He said that in case a farmer sows it before the prescribed
period, he would be liable to pay expenses for uprooting plants incurred
by the agriculture department. He said that the researchers of the Punjab
Agricultural University (PAU) had proved that if paddy was grown after
June 15, it would help in raising the water level.
PTI VJ MKJ
http://www.niticentral.com/2015/05/07/punjab-govt-issues-advisory-to-farmers-on-paddy-sowing-312309.html
Import of Indian rice
affects local production
700
of 850 rice mills in Pabna halt operation
A number of rice mills, like these ones at Joynagar village
in Ishwardi upazila under Pabna district, have remained closed for the last
couple of months as demand for the locally produced rice has fallen due to
large-scale import of cheap Indian rice. Photo: Star
Commercial husking in the famous rice producing district sees
drastic fall for the last couple of months amid large-scale import of cheap
Indian rice. “Over 700 of the 850 rice mills in the district have already
suspended production due to poor sale of local rice. More than 10,000 workers
have become jobless due to the situation,” said Idris Ali Biswas, president of
Pabna rice millers association. “During the first three months of this
year, BNP-led 20 party's non-stop blockade hampered rice production.
Now
relief from the blockade fails to make us happy as import of cheap Indian rice
continues,” he said.Each 50-kg bag of imported Indian rice is selling for Tk
1500 to Tk 1700 while one has to pay Tk 1750 to 2000 for the same variety of
local rice, stakeholders said, adding that at retail level, imported coarse
rice and similar local variety are selling at Tk 28-29 and Tk 35-36 per kg
respectively.“I kept my two mills closed from last February due to the poor
sale of local rice. Still I have to pay Tk 50 thousand per month as rent for
two mills.
Besides,
I am spending Tk 40 to 50 thousand as labour payment and electric bills. To
recover the loss, I am now using the rice mills for corn processing to sell it
as poultry feed,” said Anwar Hossain Nantu, a rice miller of Joynagar village
in Ishwardi upazila. The upazila alone has 650 rice mills, over 500 of
which are now out of production due to poor demand of local rice, said Fazlur
Rahman Malitha, president of Ishwardi Rice Producers' Association.Rice millers have
appealed to the government to stop importing Indian rice to save commercial
rice production industry in the district.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country/import-indian-rice-affects-local-production-80652
Impeach former Thai officials over rice deals, says
NACC
BY
EDITOR ON 2015-05-08 THAILAND
Impeach
former officials over rice deals, says NACC
Kris Bhromsuthi
The Nation
Anti-graft agency says the
evidence against the trio is overwhelming
BANGKOK: — THE
ANTI-GRAFT agency yesterday urged the National Legislative Assembly to impeach
three former government officials under the Pheu Thai administration, saying
that they could not prove the Chinese state enterprises involved in a supposed
government-to-government rice contract represented the central Chinese
government.National Anti-Corruption Commission member Vicha Mahakhun told NLA
members that only state enterprises officially recognised as a delegation
representing the Chinese government could engage in a G2G programme with the
Thai government.
The three
accused former officials are former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom,
former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol and the ex-director of the
Commerce Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department, Manus Soiploy.The two former
ministers yesterday attended the NLA meeting to deliver their closing speeches.
Manus did not show up but produced his closing speech in writing.The NLA is set
to vote on whether to impeach the accused today.Vicha alleged that the Chinese
state enterprises in question – Guangdong Stationery & Sporting Goods
Import & Export Corp and the Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading – had
not received official authorisation from the Chinese central government to
engage in a G2G deal with the Thai government.
He alleged
that the claim there was a G2G deal was a deception created by the three
accused ex-officials.Vicha alleged that bogus G2G deals were part of a plan
that enabled a network of companies “network of alliance business firms” to
make a huge amount of money while doing severe damage to the country’s economy
and the state budget.He said one warehouse rice transaction involving China
showed no G2G programme with that country but instead stated that the rice was
sold at a “friendly price” to a Thai distributor.He alleged that the distributor
consisted of an alliance of firms belonging to members of the Pheu Thai Party
and the transaction resulted in a huge profit.The bogus G2G programme was
approved, administrated and regulated by the accused ex-officials, he alleged,
and as such they should take full responsibility for it and be impeached and
barred from holding public office for five years.
But Boonsong
insisted that it was a real programme because both Chinese companies were state
enterprise and as such had officially represented the Chinese government.He
said there had been no public deception and he accused the NACC of refusing to
interrogate the two Chinese state enterprises, which indicated prejudice
against him and his political faction.“Everyone wants to see justice but the NACC
is deliberately trying to picture us as corrupt,” he said. “This has created a
lot of embarrassment for me and my family.“Such an accusation indicates bias,
prejudice and resentment towards myself.
“Again, I
would like to deny all the accusations and wrongdoings.”Poom said he still
believed that engaging the two Chinese state enterprises was the best course of
action for this country at the time as high stockpiles of rice were rotting.He
said the process was normal practice and had been conducted for a very long
time by the same civil servants who had expertly carried out the task for many
governments.
Source:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Impeach-former-officials-over-rice-deals-says-NACC-30259583.html
Food & Nutrition Bloggers Inspire 1.4 Million to Think Rice
This
Mujadara dish will have you thinking rice at dinner tonight!
ARLINGTON,
VA - Today, USA Rice announced the winners of the "Think Rice for National
Nutrition Month" recipe challenge for food and nutrition bloggers. USA
Rice launched the contest with Recipe Redux, a monthly recipe challenge founded
by registered dietitians and open to a network of nutrition enthusiasts who are
reinventing the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.Participants
were required to create an original recipe using U.S.-grown rice and feature
their recipe in a blog post with information about why their readers should
Think Rice for National Nutrition Month and all year long.
Fifty
bloggers participated in the challenge with a combined blog reach of more than
600,000 unique visitors per month and an additional 870,000 monthly impressions
from Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest posts.
"Recipe Redux enabled us to engage with influential food and
nutrition bloggers, get them cooking with U.S. rice, and educate them on
important U.S.-grown rice messages that they in turn share with their
readers," said Katie Maher, manager of domestic promotion programs.
"We also now own fifty new, on-trend recipes and with beautiful
accompanying photography to add to our database and use throughout our
programs."
The Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000
American Express gift card and an Aroma rice cooker; and two Runners-Up will
each receive a $250 American Express gift card and an Aroma rice cooker. Below
are the winning recipes:
Grand
Prize: Mujadara with Harissa Tomato Sauce, Parsley Pesto & Lemon Tahini
Sauce
Runner-Up:
Rice Frittata with Caramelized Tomatoes, Asparagus & Smoked Gouda
Runner-Up:
Blueberry Rice Milk "Kiribath"
"I
wanted to highlight rice's versatility in regards to different cuisines,"
said Grand Prize winner and registered dietitian, Rachael Hartley. "It is
one of the most widely consumed foods in the world! Think sushi in Japan, arroz
con pollo in South America, risotto in Italy, biryani in India, congee in
China, gallo pinto in Central America, paella in Spain...you get the
point...so, I came up with this gussied up version of mujadara, a traditional
Middle Eastern dish of lentils cooked with brown rice, topped with caramelized
onion. It's an incredibly simple dish.
""Selecting
just three winners was a really tough decision because all of the entries were
so creative and we were impressed with the representation of rice types
included brown, U.S. basmati, U.S. black japonica, and wild, to name just a
few," said Maher. Maher said
another value of the contest and publicity surrounding it is that it helps
raise general awareness about U.S.-grown rice and its
versatility."Consumers are always looking for new recipes, and we know
from our research that they are often unaware of authentic ethnic varieties
grown right here in the U.S. This contest helps us spread the word," she
added.
Contact:
Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
CME Group (Prelim): Closing
Rough Rice Futures for May
8
|
May 2015
|
$9.505
|
+ $0.040
|
|
July 2015
|
$9.740
|
+ $0.045
|
|
September 2015
|
$10.005
|
+ $0.040
|
|
November 2015
|
$10.250
|
+ $0.040
|
|
January 2016
|
$10.495
|
+ $0.040
|
|
March 2016
|
$10.560
|
+ $0.055
|
|
May 2016
|
$10.560
|
+ $0.055
|
|
New Market Research Report: Dried Processed Food in
Cameroon
Recently
published research from Euromonitor International, "Dried Processed Food
in Cameroon", is now available at Fast Market Research
Rice is undoubtedly the
number one food item within many households in Cameroon. An increasing
population coupled with its relatively cheap price are just two of the key
reasons why rice is a very popular food item and why it will likely continue to
be one both in the short and long term. New varieties have also emerged as well
like basmati rice from Asia Pacific for middle-to-high-income consumers.
Euromonitor International's
Dried Processed Food in Cameroon report offers a comprehensive guide to the
size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail
sales data 2010-2014, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It
identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic
analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product
developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2019 illustrate how
the market is set to change.
Product coverage:Dehydrated
Soup, Dessert Mixes, Dried Pasta, Dried Ready Meals, Instant Noodles, Instant
Soup, Plain Noodles, Rice.
Full Report Details at
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/981622_dried_processed_food_in_cameroon.aspx?afid=301
Data coverage:market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares,
brand shares and distribution data.
Reasons to Get this Report
* Get a detailed picture of the Dried Processed Food market;
* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
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Euromonitor International has over 40 years' experience of publishing market
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reliable information resources to help drive informed strategic planning.
About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business
information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we
provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.
Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right
research to fit your requirements and your budget.
For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our
website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156 (1.413.485.7001
Int'l)
You may also be interested in these related reports:
Buffalo meat exports exceed Basmati shipments in FY15
The exports of buffalo
meat from the country have reached an all-time high and surpassed the Basmati
rice shipments...
By: Sandip Das | New
Delhi | May 7, 2015 11:34 pm
Gold weakens on low
demand; Silver gains on fresh buying
Poor grain quality
forces FCI to ditch storage policy
Govt cotton stock sales
at 2-year high
The exports of buffalo meat from
the country have reached an all-time high and surpassed the Basmati rice
shipments in the last fiscal, as per provisional commerce ministry data.The
buffalo meat exports grew by more than 10% to R29,282 crore in 2014-15, against
the Basmati rice shipments of R27, 598 crore, which declined more than 5% from
the previous year.Overall agricultural commodities exports from the
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (Apeda)
basket declined marginally by 4% to R1,30,458 crore during the last fiscal.
However, the exports of non-Basmati rice has seen a sharp increase of more than
14% to R20,336 crore in last fiscal against the shipment of Rs 17,795 crore
achieved in 2013-14. This has pushed the rice shipment from the country to
R47,934 crore in 2014-15 from R47,086 crore achieved in the previous year.
Key-drivers
Sources
told FE that decline in Basmati exports, mainly attributed to Iran imposing ban
on rice import from India, has been largely compensated by sharp rise in
Buffalo meat shipment.However, there has been a sharp fall in realisation from
guargum shipments to the US in the last fiscal. The guargum shipment, mostly
used by the US-based oil exploration company, has declined sharply by close to
20% to R9,479 crore in 2014 – 15 against R11,735 crore shipment achieved in the
previous year.
Officials
said that concerted efforts to eliminate diseases such as rinderpest and foot
and mouth disease among buffalo population have borne fruit with a sharp
increase in exports of meat products from India in the last couple of
years.Countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Thailand and Saudi Arabia are
the key export destinations for the buffalo meat products.The shipments of
fresh fruits and vegetables have seen a decline of more than 14% to R7,759
crore in 2014-15 from R9,030 crore reported in the previous year. The exports
of other commodities which witnessed increase include poultry products,
groundnuts and cocoa products.
The
commodities like wheat, pulses and dairy products saw a sharp fall in the last
fiscal.Apeda monitors shipment of 22 commodities such as rice, wheat, buffalo
meat, fruits and vegetables, pulses and other meat products.The authority has
identified 20- odd clusters located across the country for sustaining growth in
the country’s food products’ exports in the future.These clusters include
Basmati rice (Haryana & Punjab), buffalo meat (western Uttar Pradesh),
grape and grape wine (Nasik region, Maharashtra), pomegranate (Satara and Pune
regions of Maharashtra), dehydrated onions and garlic (Gujarat), poultry or egg
(Namakkal) and mango pulp (Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra).
Rice export title
still proves elusive
Workers load rice
on a truck in Ratchaburi province in June 2014. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Thailand
is unlikely to regain its crown as the world's largest rice exporter this year
due to the slower-than-expected global economic recovery and a dearth of
positive factors.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the
Thai Rice Exporters Association, said Thailand was expected to ship
only 8.5 million tonnes this year, well below the 10-11 million tonnes
projected by the Commerce Ministry."From the private sector's perspective,
barring a serious outbreak of drought in India or China, we don't anticipate a
situation that could drive rice exports to leapfrogging growth," he
said.In the first four months of this year, Thailand managed to export 2.4
million tonnes, a rise of 4% year-on-year.
But
Mr Chookiat said rice shipments were expected to be inactive overall,
particularly in the second and third quarters, due to the persistent global
economic slowdown and lowered competitiveness of Thai rice.Thai rice is now
quoted at US$390-395 a tonne, while Indian grains stand at $360-365 a tonne and
Vietnamese at $355-360.Thailand lost its
No.1 rice exporter status to India in 2012, while
Vietnam rose to second place.Despite a late surge by Thailand, India held onto
the title last year, selling 11.3 million tonnes globally compared with 10.8
million tonnes for Thailand."Thailand's rice shipments should experience
difficulty from now on, given the low demand and high competition," Mr
Chookiat said.
"India
is expected to retain the title again this year, as Vietnam itself is having
trouble with its cross-border trade with China."Chinese authorities have
released more state rice stocks to local traders for domestic sale and
tightened controls on unofficial rice imports from Vietnam through border
checkpoints."As a result of these Chinese controls, Vietnam was able to
export only 1.4 million tonnes in the first four months, a steep decline of 38%
year-on-year.Mr Chookiat said pressure from the government's massive rice
stocks would also act to keep Thai rice prices down.
Trend watch: spice up your life?
Daniel WoolfsonDaniel Woolfson , 08-May-20152015-05-08T00:00:00Z
Jerk chicken may be the public face of
Caribbean food, but dig past it and you’ll find a diverse cooking style steeped
in tradition… and smothered in spice.
Spice is on
the rise. More and more customers are willing to push their culinary boundaries
these days, searching for the next great taste. And whilst Caribbean cooking
has been moderately popular in Britain already, it’s a culinary goldmine when
it comes to unique and delectable recipes.Jerk chicken may be the public face
of Caribbean food, but dig past it and you’ll find a diverse cooking style
steeped in tradition… and smothered in spice.
Top
tips
“Whilst Caribbean people like to season
their food for a full flavour, they do not use fat and salt for this,” says
Trinidadian chef Sabrina Zeif, founder of Kitchen Thyme UK. “They achieve great
taste through adding spices and herbs.According to Zeif, some lesser known
standout dishes include plantain with orange rum sauce; sliced plantain baked
with syrup made from brown sugar, rum and orange rind then sprinkled with
cinnamon, callaloo soup; containing crab or pig tail, okra, callaloo bush and
coconut milk and geera pork; which is marinated in green seasoning and cooked
with extra cumin and pepper.
She says: “For great tasting Caribbean
dishes my biggest advice is: marinate and season meats before cooking –the
longer the marinade time the better the taste.“I also encourage people not to
be afraid of combining spices liberally. Everything must be fresh and in
copious quantities. Remember, chilli peppers are added for flavour and not
always hear. Finally, I would advise people to not hold back on flavour and
when in doubt, add a splash of rum.”
Barbecues
During warmer months, the Scott Arms,
Kingston, near Dorset, puts on outdoor Jamaican barbecue with its own dedicated
menu.Some of the dishes on offer include roast whole bream with spring onion
and thyme, Jamaican curry mutton, Ital vegetable curry with pumpkin, sweet
potatoes, celery and greens and ackee and saltfish with plantain, micro herbs
and lime oil.When the weather isn’t good enough to barbecue, the venue hosts
regular Jamaican food evenings for customers.
Caribbean
nights
At
the Wildmoor Oak, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, head chef Lorenzo Richards puts
on a Caribbean night the last Thursday every month.The nights run from 6pm to
midnight and feature a two course, buffet-style menu, limbo competitions and
dancing with Caribbean music.The site also offers a daily Caribbean menu which
includes dishes such as pan fried salmon cooked down in Caribbean sauce with
rice and peas, jerk chicken, pork or halloumi on a bed of lightly spiced onions
and peppers and curried goat with basmati rice, salad and hardo bread.
Back
and forth: A workshop participant tries their hand at whisking green tea.
Californian flavor conference explores green tea’s
versatility
MAY 8, 2015
Making
the perfect cup of matcha — the frothy green tea served during Japanese tea ceremonies —
requires skill. The trick is to use a bamboo whisk to whip the brew swiftly
with a smooth back-and-forth motion of the wrist.“Work quickly and keep
whisking until the tea reaches the consistency of a meringue,” instructed
master green tea blender Ryozo Taniguchi, speaking at a
Japanese tea workshop that I moderated
recently at the Culinary Institute of America in California’s Napa Valley. The session was
part of the cooking school’s annual Worlds of Flavor conference that took place
in late April and was focused on Asian cuisine.Taniguchi presented four kinds
of tea — matcha, genmaicha (roasted brown rice tea), cold-brewed sencha (green tea) and ice-brewed tencha (a premium variety of green tea) — alongside desserts prepared
by Tokyo chefs Shinobu Namae and Zaiyu Hasegawa.“Are we looking for soft peaks
or hard peaks?” asked a bespectacled woman in the front row.Taniguchi thought
for a moment before answering, “When you see white foam on the surface, you can
stop.
”The
whirring sound of whisking filled the room as the 34 participants concentrated
on preparing their own matcha in large ceramic tea bowls. After a few seconds,
Taniguchi invited the audience to sample the tea, which was paired with a
chocolate bonbon made with blue cheese and cocoa powder from Shinobu Namae. The
astringency of the green tea matched the bitterness of the chocolate and cut
through the savory richness of the blue cheese.Green tea, the chef explained,
could accompany Western-style dishes as well as Japanese cuisine.“There are no
right or wrong answers when it comes to tea pairing,” Hasegawa said, as he
presented a dessert of simmered kuromame (black soybeans) flavored with whisky, which was served with the
refreshing sencha.
The
final pairing combined the umami-dense tencha with an herb-scented mochi(pounded
rice) cake made with kuzu (arrowroot) and wrapped in a bamboo leaf. In contrast to the
French-accented sweets prepared by Namae, Hasegawa had chosen to make
traditional Japanese confections with a modern twist in order to demonstrate
green tea’s versatility.“We want to introduce the possibilities of various
kinds of Japanese tea,” said Takeshi Niinami, president of beverage giant
Suntory Holdings, Ltd., which sponsored the tea workshop and several other
activities at the Worlds of Flavor event.
Although
the company currently has no plans to bring new tea products into the North
American market, Niinami said that Suntory hopes to expand in the future,
musing that the drinks group could one day develop a line of Japanese teas to
suit local tastes. The main reason for participating in the event, he said, was
to deepen the understanding of Japanese food culture abroad.At the end of the
green tea workshop, attendants were encouraged to take home their bamboo
whisks, along with notes on how to steep the different varieties of tea.“I’m
totally going to use this,” one guest declared, stopping to greet tea master
Taniguchi.“Back and forth, not clockwise, right?” he asked, flicking his wrist
in the air.Taniguchi just gave a nod and smiled.
Use of research enhances crop intensification - survey
Publish Date: May 08, 2015
By Julius
Odeke
A socio-economic survey carried by Action for
Sustainable Intensification for Cropping Systems in Uganda (PASIC) has shown
that there is need for Uganda's farmers to use research so as to enhance crop
intensification so as to be able to feed the growing population.The researchers
who carried out the survey have therefore urged farmers and policy makers to
use research work for evidence purposes in order to enhance crop
intensification in the country.Speaking in his office at Makerere University,
the senior researcher at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), Dr Swaibu
Mbowa says, research helps experts to identify constraints that face individual
farmers in their plot, at household levels, community, market, and at
institutional policy levels.
He said PASIC, a
project that operates in our country is here to generate evidence-based
researches that will provide evidence of key characteristics and opportunities
on crop intensification in Uganda, adding that, "PASIC works hand in hand
with various partners like the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and
Fisheries (MAAIF), EPRC, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).The PASIC project
co-coordinator, Dr Pamela Pali says, "One of the main outcome indicators
for crop intensification is productivity, defined as amount of the crop
harvested per unit of land.In our case, we will look at the amount of kilograms
farmers report to have harvested per acre.
Where we need to
disaggregate along two factors:
Crop, which has two
levels (rice and potatoes) and season, which also has two levels (first and
second).
PASIC project was
carried out a socio-economic survey in two regions, the South Western Highlands
(Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu) a zone for Irish potato production, and the Kyoga
plains (Tororo, Bugiri and Butaleja) for rice production."In this study,
we sought to determine the drivers of crop intensification, whether
intensification improves production and productivity, and whether
intensification affects well-being among the rice and Irish potato
farmers," added Dr Pali.She said data collection was conducted using
direct structured interviews with the farmers.A total of 902 farmers
participated in this surveys. Purposive sampling strategy of including only
potatoes and rice farmers was used initially after which and a random sample of
405 households in the Eastern region and 497 households in the Western region
was generated.In total, 172, 103, and 130 farmers participated in the survey
from Tororo, Butaleja, and Bugiri districts respectively.
From South Western
Uganda, 257, 157 and 83 farmers from Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu districts
participated in the survey. In total, 71 enumeration areas were sampled.In a
report, Crop Intensification in Rice and Potato Farming in Uganda:
Description of the
Socio- Economic Data that was carried in December 2014, seen by a local
newspaper jointly produced by PASIC, EPRC, MAAIF, IITA, and International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showed that in the West, parcels are
relatively small, on average 0.6 acres, while they are on average 1.3 acres and
this clearly already suggests much more land fragmentation in the West.While
for rice, land is often rented-in. This suggests a higher degree of
commercialization in the rice growing sector however most farmers do not have a
written statement of their use rights.The report adds that, "Almost 50
percent of parcels in the East have used right restrictions, as opposed to only
16 percent of the parcels reported by potato farmers.
There is high market
participation for both potatoes and rice, where 71 % of households report
selling potato produce and 95 % of households report rice sales."In this,
most of the sales, however, occur immediately after the harvest which is the
worst possible time to obtain favorable prices for produce. This finding
presents substantial scope for policy action.Dr Mbowa said, EPRC contributes a
lot on policy studies, value chain analysis and development in the potato and
rice sector by providing knowledge of the policy environment in the
agricultural sector and in building capacity at MAAIF.
Meanwhile, at the same
time, he added that the research centre expanding its ability to undertake
rigorous evaluation of a number of interventions that involve all facets of the
research work, but particularly on Socio-economic studies of Value chain
studies, Institutional studies, Policy process studies, with the aim that its
researchers will be leading many of these research activities by the end of the
project."Our farmers need to know that they should not stop at producing
these crops alone but should also ensure that they can add value addition to
what they produce. This is because they
lose a lot in terms of finances once they don't add value addition to their
products as consumers buy cheaply," Dr Mbowa said, adding that, "The
output of these research works are made available to farmers so as to enhance
their knowledge on crop production."
"The research that
we collect helps to play an important role in the collective learning
activities, being an active participant, while also ensuring that the evidence
brought into these learning efforts is used in an appropriate manner," he
added.Dr Mbowa said the background information on policy will be used to study
and analyze policies that hinder crop intensification as partners involved that
include; MAAIF will formulate policies after enabling evidence has been
generated to foster collective learning.
The value chain has
gone into many phases such as; it has built a required capacity at the
Ministry, shared information with other partners, and it has had a capacity
building training in February.In our value chain analysis, it has developed
tools for data collection, pretested them, had an internal review of the tools
from partners, finalized with the tools, and we are at the moment having an
on-going training of enumerators on strengthening commodity value chain whereby
in May, enumerators will be in the field to carry out research analysis in the
two zones that include; eastern and western zones that comprise six districts
in total.
The interesting part
about the study is that it started with IFPRI doing social economic studies
then IITA doing the agronomic studies and now EPRC will be doing the community
survey inquiring from a number of farmers on behalf of the bigger part of the
community.Dr Mbowa says Uganda's population is growing and yet the demand of
food too, is increasing, adding that "The only way out for feeding the
growing population is through crop intensification since land is limited and
does not increase or expand,". he added.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/668082-use-of-research-enhances-crop-intensification-
survey.html
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