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Top 10 scientific-technological events in Vietnam in
2019
Friday, December 27, 2019 14:36
The Vietnamese Science & Technology
Journalists’ Club yesterday announced the result of the voting for the 10 most
significant scientific-technological events in 2019. These events happen in
various aspects of state policies, social science, natural science, research
implementation, globalization.
Representatives
of scientific researchers, teams, and individuals received the certificate of
honor in the event to announced the top 10 scientific-technological events in
Vietnam
This
is the 14th year that the voting has been held, attracting the
participation of nearly 60 journalists and reporters in the
scientific-technological field coming from 30 news agencies, newspapers. The
following list ranges from the first position to the tenth.
1.
Resolution No.52 about the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), issued
by the Politburo
General
Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam cum President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu
Trong represented the Politburo to approve Resolution No.52-NQ/TW on
‘Guidelines and Policies for Active Participation in the 4th Industrial
Revolution’ (Resolution No.52) on September 27, 2019.
This
Resolution clearly states that Industry 4.0 brings about both opportunities and
challenges for each nation, organization, and individual. It has powerful
effects on all aspects of the economy and society.
Therefore,
it is essential that Vietnam actively participate in the revolution. This is a
strategic mission, both short-term and long-term, of the whole community,
especially the political system as it closely connects with the globalization
process. Vietnam must be fully aware of the nature of Industry 4.0 to make
crucial breakthroughs in its socio-economic development.
2.
National scientific conference ‘Sino-Vietnamese War – 40th Anniversary’
On
February 15, 2019, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences cooperated with the
Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences to organize a national conference
‘Sino-Vietnamese War – 40th Anniversary’, attracting the
participation of several renowned scientists and lecturers from prestigious
universities and research institutes nationwide, veterans of the War.
The
conference honored all citizens who bravely fought and died for the war against
China to protect the Vietnamese border. It also served to boost patriotism in
the society, especially the young. It mentioned the valuable lesson of
solidarity and its implementation in today’s community in order for Vietnam to
grow sustainably, of caution against all kinds of harmful plots to destroy
peace in the country.
3.
Successful manufacturing and launch of MicroDragon satellite
On
January 18, 2019, the made-in-Vietnam satellite MicroDragon was successfully
launched into the orbit in Japan. This is a historic moment of the Vietnamese
space industry, signaling the ability to master observation satellite and
telecommunications technologies of the country (from the design, data
collection, part assembling, ground system installation stages) in order to
serve commercial purposes.
The
MicroDragon satellite was designed and created by Vietnamese engineers, with
the support of Japanese experts. Its goals are to capture pictures of seawater
colors in coastal areas to evaluate quality and components there in order to
timely inform Vietnam’s aquaculture sector.
With
the maturity of the space industry, Vietnam will become more active in
preparation for potential natural disasters.
4.
Grand opening of Vietnam Data Exchange Platform (VDXP) and National Public
Service Portal (NPSP)
On
March 12, 2019, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and leaders of ministries,
state organizations pressed the button to formally launch VDXP.
VDXP
is the foundation for the digitalization process of the government, aiming at
becoming a paperless and efficient government in the future. VNPT is
responsible for component installation, and the Government Office hires the
hardware in a long term.
On
December 9, 2019, NPSP at the address dichvucong.gov.vn was launched to support
citizens and businesses to perform administrative procedures more conveniently.
It
had 6 main sections of the national database on administrative procedures;
one-time sign-in for all procedures; online payment; feedback and suggestion
submission; integration of administrative services among ministries,
industries, and local authorities; online support.
At
the moment, NPSP offers 8 public services at 63 areas.
5.
Rice type ST25 selected as the best in the world
In
the 2019 World Rice Conference held in Manila of the Philippines from November
10 to 13, 2019, the rice type ST25 won the title ‘World Best Rice’.
ST25
is cross-bred using the improved back crossing technique by a research team
from the southern province of Soc Trang, namely Ho Quang Cua, Dr. Tran Tan
Phuong, and Nguyen Thu Huong.
The
ST rice types, with the latest version of ST25, are high-yield
climate-resilient ones that can adapt to saline, alum soil and resist pest. It
is long-grain white rice with an aroma of pineapple. It can provide 2-3 crops
per year.
6.
First successful mobile call in Vietnam using 5G network
On
May 10, 2019, Viettel successfully made the first call on its 5G mobile network
with an Ericsson device. This event belongs to the piloting program of Viettel
to evaluate possibilities of applying technology in the Vietnamese reality.
Viettel
aims at being the pioneer in developing and implementing cutting edge
technologies, including 5G technology, in the nation to keep up with the world
in order to serve the digitalization process and be well prepared for Industry
4.0.
Viettel’s
engineers are now researching for more innovative methods to conveniently
install 5G stations.
This
event marks Vietnam as one of the first countries in the world to successfully
pilot 5G technology.
7.
Grand opening of DNA Analysis Center for skeletons of martyrs
On
July 25, 2019, the DNA Analysis Center under the Vietnam Academy of Science and
Technology formally operated, right in the event of the 72th anniversary of
Viet Nam's War Invalids and Martyrs Day. It aims at finding the identification
of martyrs via their skeletons.
At
the moment, the center is closely cooperating with large organizations from the
US like the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the Armed Force
DNA Identification Lab (AFDIL) and QIAGEN from Germany in projects such as
Project USAID to help improve technological capability and precision in
detecting the identity of dead people.
Since
this August, the Center has processed more than 200 samples per month, with an
impressive success.
8.
Formal introduction of IVACFLU-S to protect people from influenza
On
January 15, 2019, the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC)
officially announced the use of IVACFLU-S, produced by this Institute. This is
the first made-in-Vietnam vaccine to protect users from the three most common
flu viruses of A/H1N1/09; A/H3N2 and B.
From
2003, when the A/H5N1 epidemic spread widely in the world including Vietnam,
the Ministry of Health asked that all vaccine manufacturing institutes concentrated
on the research and development of an effective domestic vaccine.
In
May 2018, IVACFLU-S has been proved to satisfy the safety and immune demands at
the rate of 60.3 – 86.6 percent (equal to the one from Europe). This vaccine is
produced under the form of injection solution for people 18 – 60 years old.
Around 1.5 doses can be manufactured per year.
9.
Ramanujan Awards presented to Prof. Pham Hoang Hiep
In
October 2019, the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) delivered
the 2019 Ramanujan Award to Prof. Pham Hoang Hiep from the Mathematics
Institute under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
Prof.
Pham Hoang Hiep is honored because of his valuable contribution to the field of
complex analysis, and in particular to pluripotential theory, where he obtained
an important result on the singularities of plurisubharmonic functions; complex
Monge-Ampère equations and log canonical thresholds, which have important
applications in algebraic and complex Kähler geometry. The prize is also in
recognition of Dr. Pham's important organizational role in the advancement of
mathematics in his home country, Vietnam.
The
professor had nearly 40 articles printed in international mathematics journals,
2 textbooks for graduate and post-graduate programs.
10.
First time Techfest Vietnam introduced to the world
Techfest
Vietnam 2019, a festival for innovative startup in the country, happened from
December 4-6, themed ‘Vietnam: Globalise’. It was able to collect the best
startup ideas in the whole nation via several contests. It could attract the
interest of investors through the process of sending domestic businesses to
developed nations for training sessions.
2019
is the first year that the Ministry of Science and Technology has held Techfest
in other countries like the US (from September 7-14), the Republilc of Korea
(from November 3-9), and Singapore (from November 10-14) to introduce potential
startups and the Vietnamese innovative startup ecosystems.
In
the event, several discussions, seminars with practical topics were held
simultaneously. Many investors, managers, successful startup entrepreneurs,
experts took part to discuss matters and shared experience, boosting the strong
connections between the Vietnamese and the global community.
It
aims at helping Vietnam to achieve sustainable development.
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Top ten outstanding
scientific and technological events of Vietnam in 2019
Friday, 2019-12-27
18:19:03
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 Representatives of several prominent scientific and technological events in 2019 at the announcement ceremony on December 26.
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NDO – The top 10 outstanding scientific and technological
(S&T) events in 2019 were announced by the Vietnam Science and Technology
Journalists’ Club (under the Vietnam Journalists’ Association) on December
26. |
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The events were selected in the following areas: policies and
mechanisms, social sciences, natural sciences, applied research,
international integration and honouring prominent scientists. The following are 10 of the most notable scientific and technological events to happen in Vietnam in 2019. The area of policies and mechanisms Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW on actively participating in the Fourth Industrial Revolution issued On September 27, 2019, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong signed and issued Resolution No. 52-NQ / TW regarding a number of guidelines and policies to actively participate in the fourth Industrial Revolution (also known as Industry 4.0). Resolution No. 52 stated that the Industry 4.0 opens up many opportunities, and also posed challenges for each nation, organisation and individuals; it has been increasingly strongly affecting all sectors of the national socio-economic outlook. The guiding viewpoint of the Politburo is to be proactive and actively participate in Industry 4.0 as an indispensable requirement; that is a particularly important strategic task, an urgent and long-term task of both the political system and the entirety of society, closely linked to the process of extensive international integration. At the same time, fully and properly be aware of the content and nature of Industry 4.0 to resolve to innovate thinking and action, considering it a breakthrough solution with appropriate steps and roadmaps, aiming to make full use of opportunities brought about by Industry 4.0. The area of social sciences National conference spotlights northern border defence war  The conference featured the participation of scientists and lecturers from prestigious research institutes and universities throughout the country, and veterans who fought for the safeguarding of the nation’s border land 40 years ago. The conference is a chance to honour soldiers and those who fought and sacrificed for the safeguarding of the nation’s border land, while popularising patriotic traditions and promoting gratitude towards older generations. Sixty reports submitted to the conference affirmed the historical truth and the justice of Vietnam during the northern border defence war. Many reports provided theoretical and practical foundations, as well as lessons learnt from the war, contributing to educating on the unity and determination necessary to build a strong country, especially amidst the complicated regional and global situation at present with unexpected changes. The area of natural sciences Vietnam’s Micro Dragon satellite launched into orbit  Vietnamese experts participated directly in the process from research and design tomanufacturing, assembly and testing of the MicroDragon. The main purpose of the entire manufacturing process taking place in Japan was for training. So it is safe to say that this is a satellite manufactured by Vietnamese people. It is tasked with observing coastal areas to assess water quality, locate fishery resources and monitor changes in coastal waters to serve Việt Nam’s aquaculture industry. The successful launch of the MicroDragon satellite has shown that our team of experts has gradually mastered the technology at all stages, from satellite requirements analysis, collecting the requirements of related industries, to requirements on design, component and assembly, integrated to complete satellite functions, ground system manufacturing. With MicroDragon, Vietnam can improve its capacity in natural disaster prevention and climate change mitigation. The area of applied research National E-Document Exchange Platform and National public service portal launched .jpg) The National E-Document Exchange Platform is the first basic step for the digital transformation process of the Government. The platform contributes to reducing time and costs for sending and receiving documents among State administrative bodies while improving the bodies’ effectiveness and quality. The National E-Document Exchange Platform has been invested in by VNPT Group with advanced technology and leased by the Government Office. The national public service portal can be found at the web address https//dichvucong.gov.vn, which is an electronic platform to connect the Government with people and enterprises, officially opened on December 9, 2019. The portal consists of six components namely the national database on administrative procedures and the frequently asked questions and answers related to the procedures, on-time login and verification system to connect with ministerial and provincial-level public service portals, an e-payment system, an opinion section for citizens and enterprises, integrated public services of ministries, agencies and localities, and online supporting services. The portal provides online public services in all 63 provinces and cities including the issuance of driving licences, announcements of promotion activities, reissuance of health insurance cards, provision of electricity services to citizens/enterprises, payment of electricity bills, the issuance international driving licenses, registration for promotion activities, grant of certificates of origin of goods, and e-tax payment for businesses. The national public service portal has been directed by the Government since 2019, built by VNPT Group. ST25 - “the best rice in the world”  ST25 rice belongs to the ST aromatic rice line with many different rice varieties, constantly being researched over 20 years. With long grains of pure white coloured rice, a beautiful rice surface, and an especially fragrant scent, thanks to a hybrid of pineapple aroma of the south and nuggets of the northe, ST 25 rice has surpassed rice from countries like Thailand and Cambodia to receive the first prize of the World's Best Rice 2019 contest for the first time after participating in the contest 10 times in the past 10 years. This is a high-yield rice variety that can provide 2-3 crops per year. Currently the application file for recognition of ST25 as a new rice variety has been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Scientists - the creator of ST25 hope that after being recognized by the Ministry as a new variety, besides expanding the area, building specialized cultivation areas, the localities and farmers should properly cultivate the technical process to keep the quality of this precious rice in order to produce good rice at a high price. Viettel makes first 5G call in Vietnam Military-run telecom giant Viettel on May 10, 2019 successfully conducted the first call in Vietnam to use fifth generation (5G) with Ericsson's mobile phone device. The call was part of Viettel’s 5G technical testing programme to evaluate the application of the technology in Vietnam. Viettel aims to be a pioneer in developing and deploying the latest technologies, including 5G technology synchronized with the world's leading carriers to serve Vietnam's digital transformation strategy, ready for the Industry 4.0. Viettel's 5G research and development engineers are also in the process of researching, mastering technology, creating and developing products of Viettel’s 5G base station. The fifth generation mobile network technology (5G) is the backbone of the fourth Industrial Revolution. This event marked Vietnam as one of the earliest countries to successfully test a 5G network. The 5G technology deployed by Viettel is in line with the standardization road-map of the 3GPP organisation. This is the first time Vietnam can go along with the world in deploying the latest technology, affirming the maturity of Viettel's technical force. DNA identification centre for martyrs opens  Currently, the centre is working closely with large organizations in the US such as USAID project, which has provided support and improved the technical capacity to use DNA information, aiming to analyze and identify the remains of Vietnamese war martyrs. Foreign organizations such as the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the US’s Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) and the Germany’s QIAGEN Group supported the centre to modernize inspection technology with difficult samples in Vietnam. From August 2019 to now, the centre has identified more than 200 remains of martyrs per month, the rate of successful sampled inspections increased to partly meet the people's and Government’s expectations. Made-in-Vietnam seasonal influenza vaccines available from January, 2019 The IVACFLU-S vaccines, which have been produced in Vietnam to protect against seasonal flu such as A/H1N1/09, A/H3N2, and B, are now available on the market from January, 2019, the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals under the Ministry of Health announced at a press conference on January 15, 2019. From 2003 when avian influenza A / H5N1 appeared and showed signs of spreading throughout Vietnam, with a potential risk of an epidemic, the Ministry of Health directed domestic vaccine production units, including IVAC, to focus resources on research and development of vaccines against influenza. In May, 2018, the vaccines have been shown as safe measure to improve the immune systems of people aged between 18 and 60. The IVACFLU-S vaccines are contraindicated for people with a history of hypersensitivity to the ingredients in the vaccine or allergic to proteins in chicken eggs and chicken. The Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals is capable of manufacturing 1.5 million doses of vaccines per year. The area of honouring scientists Professor Pham Hoang Hiep honoured with Ramanujan Prize  The prize was awarded in recognition of Professor, Dr. Pham Hoang Hiep’s outstanding contributions to the field of complex analysis, and in particular to pluripotential theory, where he obtained an important result on the singularities of plurisubharmonic functions, as well as solving complex Monge-Ampère equations and log canonical thresholds, which have important applications in algebraic and complex Kahler geometry. It is also in recognition of Dr. Hiep’s important organisational role in the advancement of mathematics in Vietnam. He has been teaching and researching mathematics at the Institute of Mathematics (under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) and the Hanoi National University of Education for about 15 years. In 2017, Hiep was the youngest Vietnamese scientist to be ordained with the title of Professor. He has published 40 articles in international math journals and is also the first Vietnam-based mathematician to have an article published in Acta Mathematica, one of the most prestigious mathematics research journals from around the world. The area of international integration First Techfest Vietnam introduced abroad  e enterprises and start-up support organisations. Earlier, the International Techfest Vietnam was organised in the US (from November 7 to 14), the Republic of Korea (from November 3 to 9), and Singapore (November 7 to 14), aiming to promote Vietnam’s national start-up and innovation ecosystem to the world. During the event, seminars were organised with practical contents, sharing and discussion of managers, investors and businesses, who successfully run start-ups, overseas Vietnamese, experts and international organisations, with the aim to connect investment for Vietnamese startups in many countries. |
Outstanding
agricultural scientists honoured
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Saturday, 2019-12-28 12:24:25
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 At the ceremony to honour 62 agricultural scientists (Photo: NDO)
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NDO – Sixty-two outstanding
scientists within the agricultural sector from across the country were
honoured for the second time at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 27.
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The event was attended by
Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.
More than seven months after
launching the second “Scientists of Farmers” programme, the organising board
selected 62 outstanding scientists, including nine women and 53 men, who have
made great and valuable contributions to the development of the country’s
agricultural sector.
Notable names included Labour
Hero and People’s Teacher, Prof., Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, who received many
international and national awards in the field of agriculture; and Prof.Dr.
Le Dinh Kha, who joined in creation of 35 national and advanced varieties.
In addition, engineer Ho Quang
Cua, father of the “World’s Best Rice’ ST25, was also honoured on the
occasion. He was awarded the first-class Labour Order and Labour Hero title.
The 'Scientists of Farmers’
programme was held by the Vietnam Farmers' Union (VFU), in collaboration with
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Science
and Technology and the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.
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Officer agitated for perhaps not
giving rice from rice mills of main fee to FCI godowns
Bareilly. In-charge of federal government paddy
procurement facilities haven’t however provided a huge selection of quintals of
federal government rice to your Food Corporation of India, as they had
currently provided paddy rice millers for mowing. Where may be the a huge
selection of quintals of federal government rice and exactly why has actually
it perhaps not already been provided to FCI thus far? Concerns are raised about
meals division officials. Deputy RMO Sunil Bharti has actually released sees a
number of center in-charge for non-supply of CMR (Custom Milling Rice).
Paddy procurement through federal government companies happens to be finished. The Center in-charge needs to provide you with the rice to rice mills after offering it to your rice mills while the Food Corporation of India (FCI), however, many center in-charges haven’t however provided rice. In Fatehganj East, Paddy Procurement Incharge Shail Saxena purchased 3458.10 MT of paddy and provided it to Rice Mill for littering. They had been expected to provide 2315.58 MT of rice to FCI but till today just 1026 MT was provided. Similarly, Pramod Johri, in-charge of Rupapur, gave 945 metric tonnes of rice to FCI as opposed to 2356 MT. Kartar Singh, center in-charge of Nagaria Kalan, just 45.57 percent, Mukesh Verma of Dinra Mirzapur 35.65 %, Mirganj center in-charge Rajni Singh 41.35 %, Kundaria Ikhalaspur center in-charge Rajesh Kumar Pal 44.45 %, Delapir Mandi's in-charge Gyan Chandra Verma Rajesh Kumar has actually supplied just 5.89 % and Amla mandi lawn center responsible for 46.78 percent rice. As such, a huge selection of quintals of rice have actually nevertheless perhaps not achieved the FCI godown. In this respect, Deputy RMO Sunil Bharti gave notice to your worried center in-charge to direct the instant availability of rice.
Paddy procurement through federal government companies happens to be finished. The Center in-charge needs to provide you with the rice to rice mills after offering it to your rice mills while the Food Corporation of India (FCI), however, many center in-charges haven’t however provided rice. In Fatehganj East, Paddy Procurement Incharge Shail Saxena purchased 3458.10 MT of paddy and provided it to Rice Mill for littering. They had been expected to provide 2315.58 MT of rice to FCI but till today just 1026 MT was provided. Similarly, Pramod Johri, in-charge of Rupapur, gave 945 metric tonnes of rice to FCI as opposed to 2356 MT. Kartar Singh, center in-charge of Nagaria Kalan, just 45.57 percent, Mukesh Verma of Dinra Mirzapur 35.65 %, Mirganj center in-charge Rajni Singh 41.35 %, Kundaria Ikhalaspur center in-charge Rajesh Kumar Pal 44.45 %, Delapir Mandi's in-charge Gyan Chandra Verma Rajesh Kumar has actually supplied just 5.89 % and Amla mandi lawn center responsible for 46.78 percent rice. As such, a huge selection of quintals of rice have actually nevertheless perhaps not achieved the FCI godown. In this respect, Deputy RMO Sunil Bharti gave notice to your worried center in-charge to direct the instant availability of rice.
75 thousand metric a great deal of paddy still
caught with Miller
The administration has actually fulfilled the mark of 1.57 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procurement. 70 procurement centers in outlying places have already been shut with authorization from DM. While officials for the Food and Marketing Department say that only 50 percent of this rice has now reached the Food Corporation of India warehouses. The remaining portion of the rice is within rice mills just. Whereas the center in-charge should provide you with the rice to FCI within 20 days of paddy milling for milling. Officials say that 50 % for the rice is however in the future. In any instance, the goal is to withdraw it by 31 January. Last 12 months also, Rice Miller sat down because of the federal government rice. The administration needed to struggle difficult to have it right back.
The administration has actually fulfilled the mark of 1.57 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procurement. 70 procurement centers in outlying places have already been shut with authorization from DM. While officials for the Food and Marketing Department say that only 50 percent of this rice has now reached the Food Corporation of India warehouses. The remaining portion of the rice is within rice mills just. Whereas the center in-charge should provide you with the rice to FCI within 20 days of paddy milling for milling. Officials say that 50 % for the rice is however in the future. In any instance, the goal is to withdraw it by 31 January. Last 12 months also, Rice Miller sat down because of the federal government rice. The administration needed to struggle difficult to have it right back.
Unusual play in bad rice
– Delay in availability of rice after paddy milling provided for the mills can also be delayed since most mills have actually a casino game to restore bad rice. Paddy is acquired at federal government facilities by testing it with complete requirements. Later it really is provided for mills for mowing. Since just the whole volume of rice is examined through the mills. In such a predicament, millers blend substandard rice in sacks and deliver all of them to federal government warehouses. There can also be a casino game of setting all the way through. Progressive farmer Anil Sahni states it should really be examined, to ensure that there is absolutely no disruption into the high quality of rice provided through the mills to quota stores.
– Delay in availability of rice after paddy milling provided for the mills can also be delayed since most mills have actually a casino game to restore bad rice. Paddy is acquired at federal government facilities by testing it with complete requirements. Later it really is provided for mills for mowing. Since just the whole volume of rice is examined through the mills. In such a predicament, millers blend substandard rice in sacks and deliver all of them to federal government warehouses. There can also be a casino game of setting all the way through. Progressive farmer Anil Sahni states it should really be examined, to ensure that there is absolutely no disruption into the high quality of rice provided through the mills to quota stores.
The rice is provided in 20 times following the
paddy gathered through the federal government facilities. All the Center
Incharges have already been reckless about any of it. Therefore, strictness has
been done with this. -Sunil Bharti, Deputy RMO
About Post Author
Abigale
Lormen
Abigale is a Masters in Business Administration
by education. After completing her post-graduation, Abigale jumped the
journalism bandwagon as a freelance journalist. Soon after that she landed a
job of reporter and has been climbing the news industry ladder ever since to
reach the post of editor at Our Bitcoin News.
Plant engineering research breakthrough could boost
productivity
Photosynthesis
research from the University of Illinois and U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service has been gaining global attention. The work of
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) has been featured by
Reuters, BBC, Science Daily, The Japan Times and many others. The study
is part of an international project to boost global food production
sustainably.
Changing
the way crops like soybeans, rice and wheat process sunlight has the potential
to increase yields by 40 percent, according to the researchers’ report
published in the journal Science.
These
crops, along with fruits and vegetables, use the C3 photosynthesis process,
which has a natural “glitch” or inefficiency in the use of energy as resources.
“We
could feed up to 200 million additional people with the calories lost to
photorespiration in the Midwestern U.S. each year,” said principal investigator
Donald Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Science and Crop Sciences at
Illinois’ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in a press release.
“Reclaiming even a portion of these calories across the world would go a long
way to meeting the 21st Century’s rapidly expanding food demands—driven by
population growth and more affluent high-calorie diets.”
Researchers
inserted genes from bacteria, green algae and other plants into tobacco plants,
shortcutting the C3 photosynthesis process. Two years of replicated field
trials found that these engineered plants developed faster, grew taller, and
saved enough energy to increase productivity by 40 percent in real-world
conditions.
According
to Paul South, lead author and a research molecular biologist with the
Agricultural Research Service, “Photosynthesis is nearly identical in plants,
so we expect that benefits observed in tobacco will result in changes to food
crops.”
The
team is now translating these findings to boost the yield of soybeans, rice,
potatoes, and other crops.
“It
takes 10 to 15 years for technologies like this to undergo rigorous regulatory
approval process, which examines engineered crops for health and environmental
impacts. Thus, it is all the more urgent to invest in these types of
technologies today,” said South.
According
to Timothy Searchinger, lecturer at Princeton University and senior fellow at
the World Resources Institute who authored a recent report on sustainable food
systems, the latest findings provide “important, promising work as it may open
up new ways to expand crop yields.”
CBSE Class 12 Biology sample
question paper
CBSE class 12 Board exams 2020: For those appearing for bords as well
as NEET, here is a sample question paper to access their preparedness.
By: Education Desk | New Delhi | Updated: December 27, 2019 4:37:02 pm
CBSE board exams to begin from February 15 (Representational
image)
CBSE class 12 exams 2020: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct
the Biology exam for class 12
students on March 14. Not only is this one of the major
subjects for candidates having Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics
(PCMB) subjects; but is also a preparation for aspirants of National
Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) which is based on class 11 and
12 level syllabus.
NEET will be conducted on
May 3, 2020 from 2 pm to 5 pm by National Testing Agency
(NTA) for admission to undergraduate programmes in medicine and dentistry.
For those appearing for boards as well as NEET, here is a sample
question paper to access their preparedness. This question paper is prepared by
Shalini Almadi- Biology Teacher, VidyaGyan School. Students need to map their
timing for three hours. The test is for 80 marks, as per CBSE pattern, as rest
will be marked in internals. To pass the exam, candidates need to score at least 33 per
cent marks in both written and practical exam separately, as per CBSE norms.
SECTION A
Q1. Earthworms, sponges, tapeworm and leech are examples of: [1]
(a) Bisexual animals (b) Unisexual animals
(c) Annelida (d) Porifera
OR
In a heterothallic flowering plant, male and female flowers are
called:
(a) Staminate and dioecious (b) Staminate and
pistillate
(c) Staminode and pistillate (d) Staminode and
dioecious
Q2. The scientists who were awarded the Nobel Prize for the
discovery of antibiotics were:
[1]
(a) Fleming and Waksman (b) Fleming and Salk
(c) Waksman and Florey (d) Fleming and Florey
Q3. At which stage does the crossing over occurs for the formation
of recombinants: [1]
(a) Metaphase I (b) Anaphase I
(c) Prophase I (d) Telophase I
Q4. ‘Restriction’ in Restriction enzyme refers to: [1]
(a) Cleaving of phosphodiester bond in DNA by the enzyme
(b) Cutting of DNA at specific position only
(c) Prevention of the multiplication of bacteriophage in bacteria
(d) all of the above
(b) Cutting of DNA at specific position only
(c) Prevention of the multiplication of bacteriophage in bacteria
(d) all of the above
Q5. Define mycorrhizae. [1]
(a) Association between algae and roots of higher plants
(b) Association between fungi and algae
(c) Association between fungi and thallophytes
(d) Association between fungi and roots of higher plants
OR
The reservoir for the gaseous type of biogeochemical cycle exists
in:
(a) stratosphere (b) atmosphere
(c) ionosphere (d) lithosphere
(a) stratosphere (b) atmosphere
(c) ionosphere (d) lithosphere
SECTION B
Q6. The diagram below represents location of few lymphoid organs in
human body: [2]
(i) Label A and B shown in the diagram shown.
(ii) Which of the two organs shown is primary lymphoid
organ? Why is it termed as primary lymphoid organ?
OR
Conventional breeding is often constrained by the availability of
limited number of disease resistance genes that are present and identified in
various crop varieties or wild relatives. By changing the sequence of genes we
can achieve desirable traits. What we call this method of creating genetic
variations and how is it achieved?
Q7. Why DNA is the predominant genetic material, whereas RNA
performs dynamic functions of messenger? [2]
Q8. Name two genes which make pBR322 a good cloning vector. Which
of the two genes, do you think, is more important for a cloning vector and why? [2]
Q9. Draw a well-labeled diagram of an antibody molecule. [2]
OR
Fisheries has an important place in the Indian economy. Comment.
Q10. What type of pollutants can be removed by using scrubber?
What kind of pollutants cannot be removed by using precipitators? [2]
Q11. (a) What was the significance of using characters with
opposite traits in pea plants by Mendel? [2].
(b) How did Mendel conclude that there is no blending of genes
without having actual information about the behavior of genes?
Q12. Comment on the pollination relationships of Amorphophallus and Yucca. [2]
SECTION C
Q13. Habitat loss and fragmentation is the most important cause of driving animals
and plants to extinction. Substantiate this statement with suitable example. [3]
OR
Explain the structure of a typical biogas plant.
Q14. A mature pollen grain is a two-celled structure in many
species of angiosperms. Justify the statement with the help of a labelled
diagram. [3]
In video| How to prepare for Board
exams
OR
In the flowering plants male and female gamete fuse to form
zygote. Write down the changes that occur in the zygote to form a mature
embryo.
Q15. Give two entirely different evidences of convergent
evolution, stating one example for each. [3]
Q16. Explain the action of a named restriction enzyme,
highlighting the significance of sticky ends. [3]
Q17. Apart from IVF, which other ART can be used to treat an
infertile female? Explain how it is different from IVF. [3]
Q18. Following is the discontinuous stand of DNA. [3]
A-T-G-C-G-T-A-G-C-A-C-A
a) Draw complete parental DNA strand from which this discontinuous
strand is formed.
b) What will be the RNA sequence if continuous strand will
function as template strand for transcription?
c) What will be the initiating codon and its amino acid if the
above RNA is translated?
OR
What were the two major approaches towards Human Genome Project
and name the methods used to complete the assignment?
Q19. Was patenting of Basmati rice by American company a case of
biopiracy? Why/ why not? [3]
Q20. Name a diagnostic test for AIDS. What is the underlying
principle for the test? When does the patient show up the symptoms like bouts
of fever, diarrhea and weight loss? [3]
Q21. Study the given pedigree chart and answer the question that
follows: [3]
(i) Is the trait dominant or recessive and sex-linked or
autosomal?
(ii) Write the possible genotypes of the parents of first
generation, second offspring of second generation and sibling of the third
generation daughter of third couple of second generation.
(iii) Give one example of such a trait and write its cause.
OR
Color blindness is a sex-linked disease. Following is the pedigree
chart showing inheritance of color blindness in two families. Study the given
chart and answer the questions that follow:
(i) What are the possible genotypes of 1 and 4?
(ii) What is the probability of member 12 passing the
disease to the next generation of sons if she is married to a normal male? Draw
a cross for the same.
(iii) Draw a Punnett square to depict the cross between 8
and 9 and based on the results write genotypes of 13, 14, 15 and 16.
[3]
SECTION D
Q22. Knowingly or unknowingly we are benefitted by microbes in our
household. Describe any three such occurrence from our daily life. [3]
Q23. A farmer is rearing and breeding his cattle within to
increase the profit and production. What we call such type of breeding. Give
one advantage and one disadvantage of this method. [3]
Q24. The census of a population of a country reveals that the
number of births per 1000 population in a particular year is 19.3 and number of
deaths per 1000 population is 7.3. Calculate intrinsic rate of natural
increase. What does it reflect about the socio-economic conditions of the country?
SECTION E
Q25. “Everest is no longer a wilderness
experience,” During the high season, the human waste, abandon
mountaineering gears (e.g. empty oxygen cylinders, food wrapper, broken tents,
battery, etc.) and other trash become the hazardous by-product of relentless
commercial Everest expedition. A series of environmental issues started to
surface due to these things. State the possible problems which would arise
due to this and suggest measures that could be taken to reduce the pollution. [5]
OR
In the recent years, during Deepawali, Delhi and NCR face problem
of clouds of dark coloured smog. Many steps were taken but the problem still
persists. Analyse the possible reasons due to which the rules implemented were
not successful. Suggest measures that can be taken to make next Deepawali
morning clear and blue.
Q26. Blood group inheritance in human beings is different from
plant height inheritance in pea plant. Compare and contrast the patterns of
inheritance of the two given traits. [5]
OR
(i) How is XO type of sex determination different from XY type?
What is the similarity between the two?
(ii) What kind of abnormality, at the time of cell division,
can lead to monosomy and trisomy of chromosomes? Give one example of each
stating their respective symptoms.
Q27. (a) What are the different phases of menstrual cycle? What
are the respective roles of different hormones? What will happen if oestrogen
is not secreted in right amount? [5]
OR
How is oogenesis different from spermatogenesis? Explain the role
of gonadotropin releasing hormone in both the processes. How will the two
processes be affected if FSH is hyposecreted?
Lower palay output seen this year
Louise Maureen
Simeon (The Philippine Star) - December 26, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines — The country’s production of palay (unhusked rice) is expected to
decline this year due to the string of typhoons and the liberalization of the
industry.
In
the latest report of the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS), palay output was forecast to contract to two
percent to 18.29 million metric tons.
FAS
attributed the decline to the damage caused by Typhoon Tisoy to the sector, as
well as farmers’shift to other crops following the decline in palay
prices.
“Rice
production and area harvested were pared down due to damage caused by Typhoon
Kammuri. An estimated 105,000 MT of paddy in 78,000 hectares of rice were
affected due to the typhoon,” USDA said.
“The
downward revisions are steeper as a result of the continued decline in paddy
prices, which will force some farmers to shift away from rice cultivation,”
USDA said.
Following
the lower output, USDA said the country’s rice import forecast has been hiked
by eight percent.
Imports
may reach 2.7 million MT by 2020 from the earlier projection of 2.5 million MT.
However,
this is still lower than the estimated rice import volume of three million MT
for 2019.
“Imports
during the year, however, are likely to ease from the previous year’s level due
to the stricter enforcement of memorandum 28 and the other GPH interventions,”
USDA said.
The
Department of Agriculture- Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Operation
Center reported that damage and losses in the farm sector reached P3.67
billion.
This covers 132,166 hectares of agricultural lands with production losses at 195,046 metric tons, affecting some 92,701 farmers in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western and Eastern Visayas, and Ilocos Region.
Losses in the rice sector reached P1.32 billion with 77,683 hectares of rice fields with production at 104,928 MT.
This covers 132,166 hectares of agricultural lands with production losses at 195,046 metric tons, affecting some 92,701 farmers in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western and Eastern Visayas, and Ilocos Region.
Losses in the rice sector reached P1.32 billion with 77,683 hectares of rice fields with production at 104,928 MT.
Shortage
Of Made In Ghana Rice On The Local Market
26.12.2019 FEATURE
ARTICLE
Market men and women are worried
following the great demand for the locally produced rice but cannot supply
them. Customers are filled with sadness as they get disappointed going to the
market to buy made in Ghana rice but find none.. Shops owners are calling on
producers to make available the locally produced rice. Shops owners are asking
producers to produce them in larger quantities. Following the street interview
done by Alberta on joy news on the Accra market, sellers expressed that there
is high patronage of the locally produced rice, however, some shops keepers
expressed their fear of losing their customers since sometimes they do not have
the locally produced riced to supply.
Transportation problems may be a
reason for the low supply of locally produced rice. Citing the transportation
difficulties in the northern part of Ghana, some sellers urged that government
should help with transportation systems to facilitate supply.
The good news, all the same, is
that some Ghanaians have developed the taste for made in Ghana goods. Their
only cry is that made in Ghana goods should be improved, as well as packaged
well.
Ghana rice! The perfect rice for
perfect homes.
From the pen of Emmanuel Graham
Nyameke.
Company,
research institute to develop new rice varieties
The Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI)
and agricultural company Loc Troi Group on December 24 signed a five-year agreement to jointly develop new
rice varieties.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 17:54
Mekong Delta to have quality breed sources for fishery,
fruit and rice
Friday, June 21, 2019 21:39
Barriers hinders agriculture’s growth
Saturday, March 02, 2019 08:33
No degree, no problem for this rice innovator
Wednesday, February 06, 2019 14:13
Hau Giang, RoK foundation work to apply high tech in
agriculture
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 21:18
Hau Giang expands certified rice cultivation
Sunday, October 09, 2016 16:22
The Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute and
Loc Troi Group sign an agreement to jointly develop new rice varieties on
December 24. ( Photo courtesy of Loc Troi Group)Can Tho (VNA) - The Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) and agricultural company Loc Troi Group on December 24 signed a five-year agreement to jointly develop new rice varieties.
Experts from the two organisations would work together to research and create at least one new rice variety for production and providing seeds.
The cooperation will make an important contribution to the sustainable development of national rice varieties and brands, CLRRI Director Tran Ngoc Thach said.
They also planned to regularly organise training courses in rice seed selection, maintaining the purity of seeds and producing seeds, he said.
Huynh Van Thon, chairman and general director of Loc Troi Group, said the group had collaborated effectively with the institute to build value chain models for sustainable rice production for many years.
The institute had transferred many high-quality rice varieties such as OM 5451, OM 9577 and OM 18 to the company to grow crops and supply seeds for farmers, he said.
With more than 1,000 agricultural professionals, the company has developed many new varieties of rice.
Loc Troi 28 won the first prize among fragrant rice varieties at an international rice convention in China in 2018./.
Over
110,700 tonnes of rice from reserve allocated to localities
Over 110,700 tonnes of rice worth
more than 1 trillion VND from the national reserve have been allocated to
localities to support people after natural disasters, ahead of the upcoming
Lunar New Year festival and in forest plantation projects, and students living
in especially disadvantaged areas, since the beginning of this year.
During a press conference in Hanoi on December 26, Deputy General Director of the State Reserves Le Van Thoi said the rice aid came promptly and safely, contributing to easing difficulties in poor localities.
Pham Viet Ha, deputy head of the General Department of State Reserves’ Goods Management Department, said the general department provided equipment for the National Committee on Disaster Response, Search and Rescue, with a total value of nearly 59 billion VND in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision.
The general department and the committee are working to submit a plan to the Finance Ministry and PM to provide more disaster-response equipment for ministries, agencies and localities.
Ministries, agencies also allocated items from reserves for national defence-security, disaster and epidemics control, social welfares with a total value of over 294 billion VND (12.7 million USD)./.
During a press conference in Hanoi on December 26, Deputy General Director of the State Reserves Le Van Thoi said the rice aid came promptly and safely, contributing to easing difficulties in poor localities.
Pham Viet Ha, deputy head of the General Department of State Reserves’ Goods Management Department, said the general department provided equipment for the National Committee on Disaster Response, Search and Rescue, with a total value of nearly 59 billion VND in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision.
The general department and the committee are working to submit a plan to the Finance Ministry and PM to provide more disaster-response equipment for ministries, agencies and localities.
Ministries, agencies also allocated items from reserves for national defence-security, disaster and epidemics control, social welfares with a total value of over 294 billion VND (12.7 million USD)./.
As palay price falls, farmers get cash aid
By: Yolanda Sotelo - Correspondent / @yzsoteloINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:17 AM December 26,
2019
LINGAYEN,
Pangasinan, Philippines — More than 87,000 farmers affected by the low buying
price of palay (unhusked rice) in Pangasinan province will receive P5,000-cash
aid each under the rice farmer financial assistance (RFFA) program of the
Department of Agriculture (DA).
On Monday,
Agriculture Secretary William Dar led the distribution of cash cards to the initial
500 beneficiaries at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center here.
The province
is one of the pilot areas for the program, which allows beneficiaries to
withdraw the money from automated teller machines of Land Bank of the
Philippines.Worth P435 million
“This is a
financial aid and not a loan [program] so the farmers don’t need to pay it
back,” he said, adding that the unconditional cash transfer is available to
farmers tilling 0.5 to 2 hectares of farmland.
In
Pangasinan, 87,175 rice farmers will receive the cash aid worth P435 million.
Dar said the
DA would distribute a total of P3 billion to the first 33 rice-producing
provinces and qualified farmers nationwide.
Intervention
program
“[The
farmers] are selected based on a comparative price analysis that considered the
average marketable surplus and profit gains/losses in those provinces,” he
said.Dar said the RFFA is among the intervention programs of the DA to “ease
the burden of rice farmers” during the transition phase of the implementation of
the rice tariffication law (Republic Act No. 112030).
Tariff
collection
Under the
law, rice farmers will be given financial aid from the tariff collection of the
P10-billion rice competitiveness enhancement fund.
Local farmers have been seeking help from
the government as the price of palay continues to fall. The average farm-gate
price of freshly harvested palay in the province has dropped to P13 per
kilogram.—With a report from Willie Lomibao
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1205876/as-palay-price-falls-farmers-get-cash-aid#ixzz69OcVmUJi
Cambodian PM defends stance on rice pricing
Cambodian PM defends stance on rice pricing
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended his stance on letting
the free market determine prices of rice, saying that appeal for the
government’s intervention in rice prices is unreasonable.
Friday, December 27, 2019 19:53
Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended his stance
on letting the free market determine prices of rice, saying that appeal for the
government’s intervention in rice prices is
unreasonable.
Hun Sen said the country has a free market economic system and the private sector has the right to determine prices of goods, adding that the government could only appeal to people to set an affordable price.
President of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmers Community Theng Savoeun said farmers want the government to set a fixed price for rice so as to sustain their lives.
He suggested that the government should consider providing low-interest loans for farmers, build the needed infrastructure, and offer technical assistance to improve rice quality and find markets.
Cambodia is harvesting over 2 million ha of rice out of the total 2.7 million ha this year, with an output of over 3 tonnes per ha. The country plans to ship 600,000 tonnes of rice and over 2 million tonnes of unhusked rice to Vietnam.
One day after the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the 2019 – 2023 agriculture development strategy, Hun Sen called on foreign firms to invest in farm produce processing in Cambodia./.
Hun Sen said the country has a free market economic system and the private sector has the right to determine prices of goods, adding that the government could only appeal to people to set an affordable price.
President of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmers Community Theng Savoeun said farmers want the government to set a fixed price for rice so as to sustain their lives.
He suggested that the government should consider providing low-interest loans for farmers, build the needed infrastructure, and offer technical assistance to improve rice quality and find markets.
Cambodia is harvesting over 2 million ha of rice out of the total 2.7 million ha this year, with an output of over 3 tonnes per ha. The country plans to ship 600,000 tonnes of rice and over 2 million tonnes of unhusked rice to Vietnam.
One day after the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the 2019 – 2023 agriculture development strategy, Hun Sen called on foreign firms to invest in farm produce processing in Cambodia./.
PM urges
farmers to diversify crops amid shortage of water
May Kunmakara | Publication date 26 December 2019
| 21:22 ICT
Share
Farmers grow rice in a field in Kampong Speu province. Prime
Minister Hun Sen urges farmers to switch to crops resilient to a shortage of
water, such as sugar cane, to shield themselves from price drops and
fluctuating yields during the dry season. TANG CHHIN SOTHY/afp
Prime Minister Hun Sen on
Thursday called for farmers to diversify beyond rice during the dry season,
amid meteorologists’ warnings that a decline in water levels due to drought
will adversely impact output and prices.
The prime minister urged farmers
to switch to crops resilient to a shortage of water, such as sugarcane, to
shield themselves from price drops and fluctuating yields during the dry
season.
“According to a report from the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, we are approaching the
harvests at the end of the rainy season. So far, we have harvested two million
hectares of paddy fields out of a total of 2.7 million hectares.
“I hope that rice yields in the
rainy season will not be affected by a shortage of water. However, paddy fields
will face a shortage of water during the dry season – that’s why I issued a
directive to farmers last week to grow rice only once during the dry season and
then switch to another crop,” Hun Sen said.
In a statement released last
week, the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) said the poor condition of paddy
fields due to water shortages in some areas had affected prices.
It added that certain parts of
Pursat province that produced phkma malis (jasmine) and somali rice had grown
tough grains lacking aroma “that consumers cannot accept”.
Rice crops in Banteay Meanchey
and Siem Reap provinces, the statement said, had also struggled due to poor
quality paddies and disease.
However, some areas in Kampong
Speu, Takeo, Kampot and Kandal provinces yielded quality crops that demanded
high prices.
CRF secretary-general Lun Yeng
told The Post on Wednesday that the drop in quality was due to drought.
“The price of the good quality
crops – phkma malis and phka romduol – is the same as last year, around 1,200
riel ($0.30) per kilogramme, while sen kra op rice costs 1,000 riel ($0.24).
“Rice millers did not want to
lower the price of rice, but [they had no choice] because of the poor quality
of the crop,” Yeng said.
Hun Sen said that while the
government had called on millers not to lower the price of rice, it did not set
prices as Cambodia is a free-market economy.
The prime minister advised
farmers in areas suffering from water shortages to switch from rice to crops
that would ensure better yields and bring higher prices.
A Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries report showed that in the first 11 months of this year,
rice exports to the international market totalled 514,149 tonnes – an increase
of 3.4 per cent on the same period last year.
ASIA
RICE-THAI RICE EXPORT PRICES RISE AS DROUGHT TRIGGERS FUTURE SUPPLY CONCERNS
12/26/2019
(Repeats item that first ran on Thursday)
* Speculative buying, stockpiling lift Thai export prices- analyst
* Indian demand steady amid high paddy rates
* Vietnam rice exports sold at $355-$360/tonne
* Bangladesh struggles to notch oversees deals
By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
BENGALURU, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Thailand's rice export prices rose
this week on concerns that a drought hitting the country may harm future supplies
of the crop, while the festive season led to thin trade in India and Vietnam.
Thailand's benchmark 5 percent broken rice <RI-THBKN5-P1>
prices were quoted at $424-$435 on Thursday, an increase from $395-$420 the
week before.
"There are concerns that the ongoing drought could hurt
future supply so there is speculative buying and stockpiling by some mills and
exporters, which has driven up the prices," a Bangkok-based rice trader
said.
The government introduced emergency measures last week in 11
provinces around the country, many of them rice-growing areas.
Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter, will not have
enough water to grow the crop in some 960,000 hectares of rice fields around
the Chao Phraya River basin, authorities said in early November.
The dry season is expected to last through to April 30 next year.
Rice export rates notched up in Vietnam as well, with 5 percent
broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> quoted at $355-$360 a tonne, slightly higher
from last week's $350-$352.
"The market is just quiet during this Christmas and New Year
holiday," said a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City. "I think it won't
pick up until at least February, when supply of the winter-spring crop is
available."
Despite domestic inventory being nearly empty, prices would likely
not go up in the short term due to weak demand, another trader based in the
Mekong Delta province of An Giang said.
In top exporter India, weak demand amid a rise in paddy rates in
the local market kept export prices steady.
The 5 percent broken parboiled variety <RI-INBKN5-P1> was
quoted around $360-$365 per tonne.
"Most of the traders are on Christmas vacation. Demand is
negligible," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh.
New Delhi earlier this year raised paddy rice purchase price by
3.7% to 1,815 rupees per 100 kg for the 2019/20 crop.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has failed to secure any overseas deals
since a long-standing export ban on common variety was lifted in May, with its
rice more expensive than supplies from India or Thailand.
"There is no good news. We are still looking for a market to
export common rice variety," a Dhaka-based trader told Reuters.
"We could fetch some deals on aromatic rice. But for common
variety of parboiled rice, we can offer at least $500 per tonne while our
competitors can offer much lower rates." (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in
Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi and Panu Wongcha-um in
Bangkok; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Rice prices skid in wholesale
market as output surges
|
Date :27-Dec-2019
|
Business Bureau :
The prices of
rice in the market have skidded by 10 to 15 per cent as compared to the year
ago period (YoY). Sources attributes the drop in the prices to the rise in 25
per cent production as compared to last year. The prices at the rice millers
have descended by Rs 300 to Rs 400 per quintal. The new rice have just arrived
in the market. Last year, the prices of rice at the mill were quoted at Rs 4500
per quintal which this year have tumbled to Rs 4100 per quintal.
Sources said
that in the market there was rumour that State Government will give a subsidy
of Rs 500 per quintal to the farmer. However, traders in the market are
wondering how it would be possible for the State Government to give the subsidy
when there is paucity of funds. There is cloudy weather. Taking cue of both
these factors, farmers have increased the prices by Rs 100 to Rs 150 per
quintal. Rice in grown in places like Mul, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Sakoli, Tiroda,
Chimur, Chandrapur, Bramhapuri etc. Mills operating in this area are directly
selling to places like Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Solapur, Satara and Sangli.
When contacted, Pratap Motwani, Secretary of The Wholesale Grain and Seeds
Merchants Association said, in 2018, rice was cultivated on 10.01 lakh hectares
of land. In 2019, the area covering rice cultivation was 12.55 lakh hectares.
The production
this year will increase by 20 to 25 per cent as compared to last year. He said,
“The month of January is good for stocking rice in households as the prices
will inflate after Mahashivratri when the marriage season will commence.” In the
local wholesale market, the prices of rice per kg quoted as against the
year-ago period were Chinnor- Rs 55 to Rs 56 per kg (Rs 60 to Rs 65 per kg),
Jaishriram- Rs 26 to Rs 46/kg (Rs 45 to Rs 50/kg), Jaishriram old- Rs 50 to Rs
55/kg (Rs 55 to Rs 60), Basmati- Rs 50 to Rs 90/kg (Rs 60 to Rs 110), Basmati
branded- Rs 70 to Rs 110/kg (Rs 90 to Rs 130), Suvarna - Rs 23 to Rs 25/kg (Rs
28), Suvarna old- Rs 27 to Rs 28/kg (Rs 29 to Rs 31).
Over 1.601 million tons rice worth $835.686 million
exported
8:24 AM | December 28, 2019 UN General Assembly adopts Russian resolution on fighting cybercrime
8:24 AM | December 28, 2019 UN General Assembly adopts Russian resolution on fighting cybercrime
APP
ISLAMABAD
- Rice exports from
the country during first five months of current financial year increased by
38.58% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
Over 1.601 million tons of rice
valuing $835.686 million was exported from July-November, 2019 as against the
exports of 1.115 million tons worth of $ 603.149 million of same period of last
year, according the trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Meanwhile, country earned
$313.017 million by exporting about 343,885 metric tons of basmati rice during
the period under review as compared the exports of 190,997 metric tons valuing
$193.855 million of same period of last year.
The exports of basmati rice from
the country grew by 61.47% during last five months as compared to the exports
of the same period of last year, the data revealed.
On month on month basis, the
exports of rice form the country grew by 24.49% in November, 2019 as about
440,488 metric tons of rice worth $202.069 million tons rice exported as compared
to exports of 355,488 metric tons valuing $162.321 million of same month of
last year, it added.
In November, 2019 exports of
basmati rice also grew by 24.49% as 58,421 metric tons of basmati rice worth of
54.522 million exported as against exports of 29,185 metric tons costing $
28.504 million of same month of last year.
It may be recalled that food
group exports from the country during first five months of current financial
year increased by 16.20% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of
last year. Food commodities worth $1.757 billion exported from July-November,
2019-20 as against the exports of $ 1.512 billion of same period of last year.
On the other hand, import of the
food commodities into the country during the period under review decreased by
15.36% as it was recorded at $2.088 billion as compared to imports of $ 2.467
billion of same period of last year, it added.
Meanwhile, on month on month
basis, the exports of food commodities registered growth of 16.30% as food
products worth $397.708 million exported in November, this year which was stood
at US $ 341.975 million of same month of last year.
However, the imports into the
country during the month under review increased by 5.14% as it went up to
$505.5
https://nation.com.pk/27-Dec-2019/over-1-601-million-tons-rice-worth-dollar-835-686-million-exported
SEARCA experts share Rice Tariffication perspective
Los
Baños, Laguna―Diverse perspectives on the Rice Tariffication Law emerged at the
session on regional implication of the Philippine RTL.
The
session was convened by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study
and Research in Agriculture during the recently held Inaugural Rice Research
Symposium of the World Rice Conference organized by The Rice Trader.
Republic
Act 11203 or RTL was recently passed with the purpose of lifting existing
quantitative import restrictions on rice. It has amassed mixed reactions from
various stakeholders of the local rice industry, raising the question as to
whether it is indeed beneficial for the Philippine rice industry.
According
to Searca, this is so because of the current influx of imported rice and the
consequent plunge in domestic farmgate prices, nonetheless, the current push
for the establishment of an ASEAN common market has steered regional strategies
toward promoting and strengthening intra-ASEAN trade and market integration.
The
SEARCA forum sought to assess the policy implications on regional trade, rice
reserves, food security, agriculture and rural development, and rice farmers’
income and competitiveness in relation to the implementation of the RTL.
Dr.
Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA director, said that the medium by which people
are informed about the RTL is also of crucial importance to ensure that
stakeholders are given the proper information about the law.
“[Thus]
there is that need to discuss and determine the right price and the right
rice,” Dr. Gregorio said.
The
Philippine Institute for Development Studies has provided an overview of the
immediate aftermath and potential long-term impact of rice industry
liberalization in the Philippines.
Dr.
Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow at the PIDS, said that despite the
immediate decline in farmgate and retail prices of rice, the implementation of
the RTL or liberalization of the industry, in the long-term, can benefit the
society as a whole.
In
terms of regional trade, the UP School of Economics said: “With the
liberalization of rice import policies in the Philippines, we can possibly
experience an increase of around 10% in rice imports for local consumption.”
Dr.
Ramon L. Clarete, UPSE Professor, explained that the expected boost in
productivity and efficiency in rice farming (i.e., milling and logistics) will
encourage modernization and farm aggregation as part of the productivity effect
of import liberalization.
“We
raise the average productivity of the industry and its value chain by getting
rid of the marginal producers on which for a long time the quantitative
restrictions has been designed to protect,” Dr. Clarete said.
Nonetheless,
Dr. Clarete clarified that the marginal producers can still be part of the
industry as the farm can actually boost its productivity if it joins an
alliance of several others and get their aggregated farm managed
professionally.
An
associate research fellow from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore
claimed that climate change and the failure of rice production systems to
upgrade or adapt has caused a sudden reversal of the state of undernourishment
in the region.
Describing
food security in Southeast Asia as a U-shaped “love-hate relationship, Jose Ma.
Luis P. Montesclaros of NTU cited that the lack of exposure to trade
competition in markets, caused by quantitative restrictions such as the import
quotas, has prevented rice production systems to upgrade and adapt.
He
explained that for the rest of the region, the Philippines’ opening up to more
rice imports may cause international demand to expand faster than supply (short
or medium-run), harming the growing number of urban consumers in rice-importing
and -exporting countries.
Plant engineering research breakthrough could boost
productivity
Photosynthesis
research from the University of Illinois and U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service has been gaining global attention. The work of
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) has been featured by
Reuters, BBC, Science Daily, The Japan Times and many others. The study
is part of an international project to boost global food production
sustainably.
Changing
the way crops like soybeans, rice and wheat process sunlight has the potential
to increase yields by 40 percent, according to the researchers’ report
published in the journal Science.
These
crops, along with fruits and vegetables, use the C3 photosynthesis process,
which has a natural “glitch” or inefficiency in the use of energy as resources.
“We
could feed up to 200 million additional people with the calories lost to
photorespiration in the Midwestern U.S. each year,” said principal investigator
Donald Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Science and Crop Sciences at
Illinois’ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in a press release.
“Reclaiming even a portion of these calories across the world would go a long
way to meeting the 21st Century’s rapidly expanding food demands—driven by
population growth and more affluent high-calorie diets.”
Researchers
inserted genes from bacteria, green algae and other plants into tobacco plants,
shortcutting the C3 photosynthesis process. Two years of replicated field
trials found that these engineered plants developed faster, grew taller, and
saved enough energy to increase productivity by 40 percent in real-world
conditions.
According
to Paul South, lead author and a research molecular biologist with the
Agricultural Research Service, “Photosynthesis is nearly identical in plants,
so we expect that benefits observed in tobacco will result in changes to food
crops.”
The
team is now translating these findings to boost the yield of soybeans, rice,
potatoes, and other crops.
“It
takes 10 to 15 years for technologies like this to undergo rigorous regulatory
approval process, which examines engineered crops for health and environmental
impacts. Thus, it is all the more urgent to invest in these types of
technologies today,” said South.
According
to Timothy Searchinger, lecturer at Princeton University and senior fellow at
the World Resources Institute who authored a recent report on sustainable food
systems, the latest findings provide “important, promising work as it may open
up new ways to expand crop yields.”
Many
innovations in agriculture, come with costly intellectual property rights, but
RIPE and its sponsors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are
committed to ensuring that smallholder farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan
Africa and Southeast Asia, will have royalty-free access to all of the
project’s breakthroughs. According to the United Nations’ Food and
Agriculture Organization, smallholder farmers provide up to 80 percent of the
food supply in those regions.
DA taps TESDA for mechanization training
Published December 27, 2019, 10:00 PM
By Madelaine B. Miraflor
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) has forged a deal with Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) and other groups in order to step up efforts in training
Filipino farmers how to use farm machinery and equipment, a move that could
boost the country’s agricultural productivity.
A statement showed that DA,
TESDA, Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers (PSABE), and
the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association (AMMDA)
recently inked a partnership for a mechanization skills enhancement program.
Right now, the Philippines
currently lags behind in farm productivity with agriculture mechanization level
of only 2.1 horsepower per hectare. This means that more than 16 percent of the
farmers’ total production go to waste due to post-harvest losses.
For rice alone, the cost of palay
production here currently stands at ₱12.72 per kilo, which is higher than the
production cost of ₱6.22 per kilo in Vietnam and ₱8.86 per kilo in Thailand.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar
said that the joint program to be implemented with TESDA and the aforementioned
associations is in line with the goal of the DA to increase production and
income of the farmers and fishers.
“We have a big role to play to
make our farmers more productive, competitive, and prosperous,” Dar said.
Dubbed as “Train to Mechanize
Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries,” the collaborative program aims to
enhance the skills of agri-fishery machinery operators and technicians, as well
as agricultural and biosystems engineers.
The program includes the
development and roll-out of training regulations on agri-fishery mechanization
and agricultural and biosystems engineering; crafting of qualification map;
establishment of agricultural and biosystems engineering career progression and
specialization; and support the implementation of training and extension under
the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Through the program, DA is
expected to sustain and strengthen the implementation of training programs for
agricultural and biosystems engineers.
This will be carried out through
the Department’s bureaus and attached agencies, which include the Agricultural
Training Institute (ATI) and the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries
Engineering, among others.
RCEF is where all the tariff from
rice imports will go and is supposed to be injected with ₱10 billion annually
from 2019 to 2024 or a period of six years as part of the implementation of
Rice Tariffication Law.
Out of the ₱10 billion, 10
percent or ₱1 billion is allotted to skills training in developing new
education modules, and other related extension efforts alone, while ₱5 billion
is allotted to mechanization.
It will be utilized by
implementing agencies like ATI, TESDA, and and Philippine Center for
Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech).
Right now, RCEF is also funding
the training for farmers through the Rice Extension Services Program (RESP). So
far, 99 training have already been extended to regional focals, agricultural
extension workers, farmers and farm workers including members of cooperatives
and associations. 22 of these training are still ongoing.
Among the topics covered for the
training include high-quality inbred rice production, farm mechanization,
high-quality rice seed production, seed certification and analysis, rice
machinery operation and maintenance, and management of agri-machinery pool
We’re at the mercy of kidnappers – Plateau rice farmers
By Ado Abubakar Musa | Published
Date Dec 28, 2019 3:51 AM Alhaji Ibrahim Kano, a rice farmer kidnapped at Isimi
village bordering Plateau. Rice farmers in Plateau State, especially those on
the boundary with Taraba State, are at the mercy of kidnappers, Daily Trust
Saturday learnt. Although the recent record of kidnapping in the area is not
restricted to rice farmers, they are the most affected.
Our correspondent learnt that rice
farming thrives in Wase, Shendam, Qua’anpan, Latantang South and North, as well
as Mikang local government areas, but unfortunately, the rate of kidnapping
there has become alarming. The situation has also posed a serious threat to
other businesses in the area. ADVERTISEMENT At Kuka, a community in Shendam
Local Government Area, which shares border with the southern part of Taraba
State, the situation is said to be horrible.
Alhaji Ibrahim Kano and Alhaji
Haruna Umar, residents of Yelwa town, were kidnapped on December 13, 2019 in
their farms located at Isimi village. Both relatives were said to have been
taken away by a group of 10 armed men at 1am to a thick bush far from their
farmland. Narrating their ordeal, Kano said, “They took us to the bush and
insisted we would pay N50million as ransom to regain freedom. I pleaded that
they should allow us pay N500, 000 but they refused. The kidnappers later
demanded N10m, threatening to kill us if we didn’t pay. Their threat forced us
to agree on N2.5m. After that, we agreed on a place and time to hand over the
ransom to them.” Kano said that, surprisingly, the place where the money was
paid to the kidnappers was not up to a kilometer away from a military
checkpoint, located in Sarkim Kudu town of Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba
State.
Also speaking, Murtala Yusuf, a rice farmer
and the chairman of Yelwa Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (YRMAN),
described the situation as ungodly. He appealed for government’s intervention.
Yusuf alleged that the kidnappers have informants in communities, who have knowledge
of those who invested heavily in rice farming. Albert Nkwap, the chairman of
Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RFMAN) in Shendam Local Government Area,
also told our correspondent that the situation was worrisome, and called on
government to quickly intervene. “The increasing rate of kidnapping in these places
is sending great fears to rice farmers and residents of the area. It is
unfortunate because if there is no farming there will be hunger in the country.
However, I urge people to be patient as the calamity will not last forever.” In
Wase Local Government Area, another rice farmer, Abdullahi Wase, told our
correspondent that Bangalala, Zira, Aduwa and Kampani communities were the most
hit in kidnapping activities. Apart from rice farmers, Fatima Ladan, a roadside
food seller narrated how kidnappers invaded her compound in Kuka village at
midnight on September 27 and took her away. According to her, at first the
kidnappers demanded N2m from her brother, Sani Ladan before she would be
released, saying the fact that he just returned from pilgrimage was an indication
that he had enough money to secure the release of his sister.
After much negotiation, they agreed
to collect N200,000 as ransom. Safiyanu Kwatoe. a serving councillor
representing Kuka ward in Shedam Local
Government Area, was also kidnapped and forced to pay N2m. “The
kidnappers said I was building a house and a mosque, and that I had just
returned from Saudi Arabia, where I performed Hajj, which, according to them,
was an indication that I was rich. Eventually, I was released after paying N2m,”
Kwatoe said. In Qua’anpan Local Government, kidnapping has added to the
incessant robbery operations in the area. Businessmen and rice farmers are
targets of attacks. Sources told our correspondent that on different occasions,
kidnappers would place calls to businessmen, instructing them to send money to
them or face dire consequences. As a result of such threats, many people
relocated to other states across the country. Reacting to the spate of
kidnapping in Plateau recently, Governor Simon Bako Lalong said anybody caught
would be made to face the full wrath of the law. When contacted, the
commissioner of police, Plateau State command, Isaac Akinmoyede, said they were
doing everything possible to bring the perpetrators of such crime to book.
“There is no crime-free society. We enjoin citizens to provide the command with
vital information that would help crack down the perpetrators of this crime,”
Akinmoyede
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/were-at-the-mercy-of-kidnappers-plateau-rice-farmers.html
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