January 08 ,2019 Vol 10 ,Issue 1
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SAU grad Dr. Bernie Daniels will join Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame Dr. L.B. ―Bernie‖ Daniels of Fayetteville is among five people who will be inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. A Southern Arkansas University graduate, Dr. L.B. ―Bernie‖ Daniels of Fayetteville, is among five people who will be inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. The newest class also includes Ed Fryar of Rogers, the founder of Ozark Mountain Poultry; UA professor Dr. Donna Graham of Fayetteville; UA distinguished professor Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen of Fayetteville; and David Walt of Dumas, a retired soybean farmer. The group will be honored with an induction luncheon at 11:30 a.m. March 1 at Little Rock‘s Embassy Suites Hotel. ―This class of inductees includes entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and agricultural leaders,‖ said Butch Calhoun of Des Arc, chairman of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame committee. ―The broad reach of these five individuals has been felt in every corner of Arkansas, from the delta flatlands to the pastures of western Arkansas.‖ The new selections will bring to 169 the number of honorees in the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, encompassing 32 classes of inductees. Daniels retired in 2001 from the University of Arkansas, having first joined as a faculty member in 1969. He bracketed his tenure as a faculty member with a decade of service as associate director of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Fayetteville. A native of Thornton (Calhoun County), Daniels began his collegiate experience at Southern State College (now Southern Arkansas University) in Magnolia, and earned his undergraduate and master‘s degrees at the University of Arkansas. He earned a PhD at the University of
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Missouri. As a faculty member, he taught more than 5,000 students in classes ranging from Introduction to Animal Sciences to Neonatal Physiology and Bio-Energetics. He published more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles and helped advance the understanding of ruminant nutrition for both dairy and beef cattle. He was instrumental in fundraising for several UA projects, including the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, the UA Center for Advanced Spatial Technology, and the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center. He also aided in the development of the Food Safety Consortium between the UA, Iowa State University and Kansas State University. He was named Distinguished Alumni from SAU in 2014. Dr. Ed Fryar started Ozark Mountain Poultry in 2000, after working 13 years as a professor of agricultural economics at the UA. He grew the business to more than 1,800 employees and processing more than 1.2 million chickens per week. Fryar has served on the Council of Economic Advisors for Arkansas governors since 1983. He is also a member of the Agribusiness Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Before starting OMP, Fryar was a tenured professor at the UA, focusing his research on grain and poultry marketing and price risk management. He also worked for the United States Department of Agriculture. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Donna L. Graham has spent almost 50 years with the University of Arkansas System, starting in 1970 with the Cooperative Extension Service in Jefferson County. In 1985, she moved to the Fayetteville campus as a faculty member in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and served 10 years as associate dean for Academic Programs. As a faculty member, Dr. Graham created curriculum to effectively train future extension agents and strengthen the college core. A recent effort led to the creation of Ag-Idea, a consortium of 12 universities to share agriculture courses online. She has secured approximately $1.5 million in funding to support educational programs.
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Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen is an international leader in rice research, particularly in processing and drying of the cereal grain. He serves as Distinguished Professor and director of the University of Arkansas Rice Processing Program, which he started in 1994. The ARPP is an industryinteractive, multidisciplinary effort focusing on rice processing operations and has sponsors from across the United States, South America, Europe and Japan. Siebenmorgen began his faculty career at the UA in 1984 as a food engineer, working in several areas of food processing. Since the late ‗80s, he has focused on rice processing in response to the strong need for research from the food industry. A native of Scranton (Logan County), Siebenmorgen holds an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from the UA, a master‘s degree from Purdue and a PhD in engineering from the University of Nebraska. David Walt is owner of Camp David Farms in Dumas and a longtime leader in row-crop agriculture, raising soybeans, cotton and rice. He is known best as an aggressive and unyielding advocate for the soybean industry. Walt began farming in 1962, after returning home from the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. While he retired from ―full time‖ farm work in 2007, Walt remains active (especially at harvest time) on the family farm, where the fifth generation of the Walt family carries on. Walt was especially keen on agricultural research, and was an active participant in numerous land improvement, soil conservation and seed variety projects. He is a past president of the Arkansas Soybean Association (and spend 33 years on its board), was fund-raising chair for the Tri-State Soybean Forum, and a longtime board member for the Desha County Farm Bureau. He served as a founding member of the Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture. Walt is a past member of the Dumas School Board, Merchants and Farmers Bank board of directors and was named Man of the Year by the Dumas Chamber of Commerce in 1983. The
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Walt family was named Desha County Farm Family of the Year and Southeast District Farm Family of the Year in 1993. Luncheon tickets are $35 each. Individual tickets and tables of 10 are available by calling (501) 228-1609 or emailing aghalloffame@arfb.com .
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Direct Seeded Rice: A Promising Solution Talha Javed January 7, 2019 Direct Seeded Rice: A Promising Solution2019-0107T15:34:16+00:00 Talha Javed I am working as Research Associate at University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. My research directions are Seed Enhancement, Storage and Seed longevity. View all posts by Talha Javed → The 2016 El Niùo-Southern Oscillation brought extreme dry spell and saltiness interruption, which are presently influencing the rice creation area in the Mekong River Delta (MRD). The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Vietnam perceived that this emergency and its ensuing impacts will repeat later; subsequently, the improvement of reasonable adjustment answers for atmosphere related dangers is an earnest and imperative concern. Endeavors to enhance rice generation in MRD have been actualized by MARD in the most recent decade, including halfway automation. In any case, as per Dr Nguyen Hong Son, Director General of the Department of Crop Production of MARD, with the present creation challenges, including the effects of environmental change,
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―The time has come to execute synchronous automation (in land readiness, wet/dry direct seeding/sowing, gathering). This will decrease generation costs and abbreviate gathering time, which will result in expanded pay among our ranchers in MRD. It will likewise be imperative in effectively executing the criteria for Building New Rural Areas‖. As a help to the adjustment endeavours of Vietnam, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia (CCAFS SEA) composed a joint report visit in Thailand last April 2018. It was gone to by Vietnamese rice analysts, expansion laborers, and neighbourhood chiefs from the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), Cu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, and the Department of Crop Production of Soc Trang Province. The examination visit expected to present the experience of Thai ranchers on the vast scale appropriation procedure of dry-coordinate seeding rice (DDSR), a suitable choice to address provincial shortage of new water in water system caused by the dry spell and saltiness interruption in MRD. More generally connected in rained and upland zones, DDSR is a harvest foundation practice wherein seeds are sown specifically into the dirt. Besides helping ranchers address the high work cost in rice creation, DDSR has demonstrated to lessen water utilization as no rice seedling is being transplanted into standing water.
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Atmosphere related dangers may impact sly affect crops relying upon event and force, and product assortment and advancement arrange. There is a requirement for various administration levels to give momentary cautions and suitable activities to react to the dangers through an incorporated checking framework. To address this need, the CS MAP framework is being created utilizing a Web-based Geographical Information System stage (WebGIS). It incorporates modules for continuous checking of rice creation advance and gives cautions to atmosphere dangers, vermin and illnesses at various improvement phases of the yield advancement. It is good with the present observing and detailing arrangement of the DCP and its common units. The incorporated framework incorporates three checking segments: atmosphere related dangers, rice development, and bug and illnesses. The framework utilizes a week after week time interim for refreshing perception information and, therefore, it can give week by week hazard alarms and stock report. Ready dimensions and fast warnings will be related with helpless rice zones, in view of participatory hazard maps to be created. Amid the gathering, the members consented to utilize the surge secured zone, a gathering of fields that is encompassed by dykes, as the littlest administration unit for observing and revealing rice generation and dangers. The measure of the zone changes from 50 ha to 250 ha relying upon territory and hydrological organize. Different subtleties, for example, configuration of information and yield information, announcing strategies and the board chain of importance were additionally dictated by the members. Amid the field visits, the Vietnamese group was acquainted with existing strategies and hardware of DDSR being utilized by Thai agriculturists and neighborhood associations. The group was likewise refreshed on the advancement of the across the country execution of DDSR by the commonplace rice explore offices and their focuses in Thailand. Together, they talked about the
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arrangement systems and financing support from partners (i.e., government, private division) who support the utilization of DDSR.
The group brought home a few exercises from the visit:
Rising shortage as far as water supply and work compel triggers the move from puddled transplanting or wet sowing to DDSR. Since it is a water-and work proficient practice, DDSR is a potential choice to address the quick developing water and work emergencies emerging in flooded rice zones as well as in rainfed territories.
The accomplishment of DDSR practice relies upon exact land levelling, appropriate cultivars, great harvest foundation, exact water the board, and compelling and proficient weed and supplement the executives.
Research and advancement activities must be directed, particularly in potential embracing zones, to encourage a feasible DDSR practice.
Corresponding author: talhajaved54321@gmail.com Seed Physiology Lab, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan https://www.technologytimes.pk/direct-seeded-rice-promising-solution/ https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/arkansas-agriculture-hall-of-fame-to-add-fivenew-members/
"Show Me" the New Focus on the Farmer Series By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA -- This month's "Focus on the Farmer" Facebook series features Zach Worrell, a third generation farmer from Rives, Missouri. Zach has a degree in Accounting from Arkansas State University and worked at his local electric cooperative for a couple years before joining his grandfather, father, and uncle at Worrell Farms in 2014. "I farmed on and off with my family during the summer and school breaks," said Zach. "Tromping cotton with my grandma when I got off the school bus in the afternoon is
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something I did as a child. Memories like that stuck with me and made me realize how special farming really is." Follow along with Zach all week, and look, "like," and, most importantly, share the posts to help spread the U.S. rice story! USA Rice Daily
Scientists question govt policies responsible for rising area under water-intensive rice crop They questioned the government over potato is being thrown on roads, and onions being sold at Rs 2 per kg in wholesale market and Rs 20 per kg in retail.
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Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba |Phagwara |Published: January 7, 2019 5:45:39 am Concluding the session, senior scientist of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Darshan Singh Barar said the government needs to give better price for every crop and have processing units like for making chips from potato and ketchup from tomato. (Representational Image) Reducing area under paddy crop in Punjab has been a big issue for every successive government for over past two decades as water table is depleting 90 cm every year. In the ongoing Indian Science Congress, the agricultural scientists questioned the policies, which are responsible for growing rice on 3 million hectares in Punjab, besides the reason of providing water subsidy on paddy, a highly water-intensive crop resulting in depleting water table. They questioned the government over potato is being thrown on roads, and onions being sold at Rs 2 per kg in wholesale market and Rs 20 per kg in retail. ―I have been hearing about diversification of crop in Punjab for the past two decades, but just the opposite has happened when the area under rice has increased from 21 lakh hectares in 2001 to over 30 lakh hectares in 2017-18,‖ said senior scientists Dr Rajbir Singh, Agriculture Technology Application Research Institute, under Government of India. He adding that rice is sustainable crop in Punjab and cannot be replaced by any other, but definitely the area under it can be reduced if the government helps farmers by providing better price for other crops. He was speaking at a session on Rice Production System in India. H S Sidhu, a senior Research Engineer with Borlaug Institute of South Asia centre at Ladhowal in Ludhiana, said that rice and wheat have no replacement and are the most sustainable crops in Punjab. ―But, we need to change farm practices for it so that our land and water can be protected from degradation, for which government support is highly essential.‖ Sujay Rakshit, Director of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Institute of Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR, IIMR), Ludhiana, said that when the government is providing free power to irrigate rice and procuring at a minimum support price, why farmers will go for other crops, which do not have any support price. ―Sometimes farmers face huge market problem. It is up to the government to make such policies so that other crops can get fair price.‖ Concluding the session, senior scientist of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Darshan Singh Barar said the government needs to give better price for every crop and have processing units like for making chips from potato and ketchup from tomato. Prior to this Japanese scientist Kazuyuki Inubushi, Chiba University, Japan, informed the session that how they are working on reducing water usage in rice cultivation by adopting various techniques. Engineer Sasi Elumali suggested ways to manage paddy stubble. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/scientists-question-govt-policies-responsible-for-rising-area-underwater-intensive-rice-crop-5526079/
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Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame to add five new members AGRICULTURE
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net) 11 hours ago 303 views
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame will induct five individuals whose leadership and service have brought distinction to the state‘s largest business sector. The newest class includes retired University of Arkansas educator Dr. L.B. (Bernie) Daniels of Fayetteville; Ed Fryar of Rogers, the founder of Ozark Mountain Poultry; UA professor Dr. Donna Graham of Fayetteville; UA distinguished professor Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen of Fayetteville; and David Walt of Dumas, a retired soybean farmer. The group will be honored with an induction luncheon set for 11:30 a.m. on March 1 at Little Rock‘s Embassy Suites Hotel. The new selections will bring to 169 the number of honorees in the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, encompassing 32 classes of inductees. ―This class of inductees includes entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and agricultural leaders,‖ Butch Calhoun, chairman of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame committee said. ―The broad
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reach of these five individuals has been felt in every corner of Arkansas, from the Delta flatlands to the pastures of western Arkansas.‖ Dr. L.B. (Bernie) Daniels retired in 2001 from the University of Arkansas, having first joined as a faculty member in 1969. He bracketed his tenure as a faculty member with a decade of service as Associate Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Fayetteville. A native of Thornton (Calhoun County), Daniels attended Southern State College (now Southern Arkansas University) in Magnolia, and earned his undergraduate and master‘s degrees at the University of Arkansas. He earned a PhD at the University of Missouri. As a faculty member, he taught more than 5,000 students in classes ranging from introduction to animal sciences to Neonatal Physiology and Bio-Energetics. He published more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles and helped advance the understanding of ruminant nutrition for both dairy and beef cattle. He was instrumental in fund-raising for several UA projects, including the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, the UA Center for Advanced Spatial Technology, and the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center. He also aided in the development of the Food Safety Consortium between the UA, Iowa State University and Kansas State University. He was named Distinguished Alumni from SAU in 2014. Dr. Ed Fryar started Ozark Mountain Poultry in 2000, after working 13 years as a professor of agricultural economics at the UA. He grew the business to more than 1,800 employees and processing more than 1.2 million chickens per week. OMP focused on antibiotic free and nonGMO chicken products, servicing the retail and food service channels with its Forester Farmers Market brand. In just over a decade, OMP had significant growth in its customer base and our product offerings, with sales reaching more than $280 million. Fryar worked to establish direct buying channels with Arkansas grain producers. The company was also known for its RFID tracking of poultry during production and an incentive-based pay system that results in higher output and higher yields. Arkansas-based George‘s Inc., acquired the OMP business in 2018. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Donna L. Graham has spent almost 50 years with the University of Arkansas System, starting in 1970 with the Cooperative Extension Service in Jefferson County. In 1985, she moved to the Fayetteville campus as a faculty member in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and served 10 years as Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Graham has received numerous teaching and advising awards including the Spitze Land Grant Faculty Award for Excellence as well as recognition as a Distinguished Alumna from the UA Alumni Society. As a faculty member, Dr. Graham created curriculum to effectively train future extension agents
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and strengthen the college core. A recent effort led to the creation of Ag*Idea, a consortium of 12 universities to share agriculture courses online. She has secured approximately $1.5 million in funding to support educational programs. Graham‘s career has been a progression of leadership beginning in the 1970s as the Southern Regional Director of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. More recent roles include serving on the National Entomological Board, the Academic Program Section of the Board of Agriculture Assembly, American Public and Land-Grant Universities, and as president of the American Association for Agricultural Education, where she is a Senior Fellow. A native of Damascus (Faulkner County), Graham earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Arkansas and a PhD from the University of Maryland. Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen is an international leader in rice research, particularly in processing and drying of the cereal grain. He serves as Distinguished Professor and Director of the University of Arkansas Rice Processing Program, which he started in 1994. The ARPP is an industryinteractive, multidisciplinary effort focusing on rice processing operations and has sponsors from across the United States, South America, Europe and Japan. Siebenmorgen began his faculty career at the UA in 1984 as a food engineer, working in several areas of food processing. Since the late ‗80s, he has focused on rice processing in response to the strong need for research from the food industry. Among his many industry awards are being selected as Riceland Foods‘ Friend of the Farmer in 2012 and receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Rice Technical Working Group in 2016. He also received designation as a Fellow with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and received the ASABE Distinguished Food Engineer Award in 2007. He was twice selected for the Texas Instruments Outstanding Research Award and earned the Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award for Excellence. A native of Scranton (Logan County), Siebenmorgen holds an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from the UA, a master‘s degree from Purdue and a PhD in engineering from the University of Nebraska. David Walt owns Camp David Farms in Dumas and is a longtime leader in row-crop agriculture, raising soybeans, cotton and rice. He is known best as an aggressive and unyielding advocate for the soybean industry. Walt began farming in 1962, after returning home from the University of Arkansas. He farmed for many years with his brother, Martin. Walt spent five years (1962-67) in the Arkansas Air National Guard and a year (1968) on active duty with the U.S. Air Force. While he retired from ―full time‖ farm work in 2007, Walt remains active on the family farm, where the fifth generation of the Walt family carries on. Walt was especially keen on agricultural research, and was an active participant in numerous land improvement, soil conservation and seed variety
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projects. Walt was appointed to serve on the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board in 1987 and served for 16 years on that committee. He is a past president of the Arkansas Soybean Association was fund-raising chair for the Tri-State Soybean Forum, and a longtime board member for the Desha County Farm Bureau. He served as a founding member of the Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture. He is also a Lifetime Board Member of Economics Arkansas, which promotes economic literacy throughout the state. Walt is a past member of the Dumas School Board, Merchants and Farmers Bank board of directors and was named Man of the Year by the Dumas Chamber of Commerce in 1983. The Walt family was named Desha County Farm Family of the Year and Southeast District Farm Family of the Year in 1993. https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/arkansas-agriculture-hall-of-fame-to-add-five-new-members/
Bangladesh fifth largest wheat importer Iftekhar Mahmud . Dhaka | Update: 13:54, Jan 06, 2019
Bangladesh has emerged as the fifth largest wheat importer in the world, with its import of the grain increasing by 36 per cent over the past five years, according to a report of the United Nation‘s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Among the fastest growing importing countries, Bangladesh imported 5.5 million tonnes of wheat in the last fiscal. FAO predicts this is likely to increase to 6 million tonnes in the current fiscal year. Even just five years ago, Bangladesh was not among the top 10 wheat importing countries of the world. Changing in food habits and increased health awareness has made people to turn more to wheat, consequently raising the demand of the grain, said former director of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science Nazma Shahin told Prothom Alo. ―People nowadays eat less rice as wheat contains more protein and provides more energy. On the other hand, rice contains starch that may cause diabetes. Also, wheat is cheaper than rice,‖ Shahin explained. The top four countries ahead of Bangladesh in importing wheat are Egypt, Indonesia, Algeria and Brazil. These countries imported 507 million tonnes wheat in the previous fiscal year. The top exporting countries are the United States, Russia, Canada, Australia and Ukraine. According to the FAO report, overall wheat production increased by 20 per cent over the past five years. The production increased from 900,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes in 10 years.
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Usually the wheat available in the local market is mixed with corn. Corn production has also increased to 39 million tonnes last year. Most of the corn is mixed with wheat to prepare poultry and fish feed. Meanwhile, government statistics show, the risk of diabetes is increasing among the adults of the country. The government‘s 2006 survey on non-communicable diseases (Steps 2006) showed about 5.5 per cent of adults were suffering from diabetes while another similar survey (steps 2018) showed 6.4 per cent of adults suffer from this disease in Bangladesh. That means more than 7.6 million people are suffering from diabetes. Physicians advise eating roti (flat bread) instead of rice to control blood sugar levels. Apart from this, many people eat rice once a day and bread in the two meals other meals, out of health awareness. There is thus an increased consumption of roti, bread and wheat products in the country. With growing urbanisation and increased per capita income, the consumption of roti, fish, meat and dairy products will increase, says country representative Akhter Ahmed of Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (IFPRI). ―A large number of working people eat out nowadays in Bangladesh. This is positive, but the quality of food in the outside eateries should be ensured,‖ he added. *This piece originally published in Prothom Alo print edition has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/189251/Bangladesh-fifth-largest-wheat-importer
Bulacan airport ready to take off HIDDEN AGENDA - Mary Ann LL. Reyes (The Philippine Star) - January 6, 2019 - 12:00am Just recently, several overseas Filipino worker groups have asked both the Office of the President and the Department of Transportation to fasttrack negotiations for a new international airport in Bulacan. These OFW groups are of course referring to the P735-billion proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) which has already been approved by the NEDA Board and will be subject to a Swiss Challenge in 2019. These groups, according to their letter, are longing for a world-class airport that can unlock the country‘s growth potential. Susan Ople, who heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center which also signed the petition, said her group wrote the letter as an expression of support not just to the building of a new airport in
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Bulacan but also for other major infrastructure projects that would lead to job creation and OFW reintegration. She said that optimism is high that once these critical projects begin, the floodgates for more jobs and potential investments will be flung wide open and that hopefully, more OFWs would be enticed to return and reunite with their families because more local jobs would be open to them. Other groups that signed the petition are the Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines, OFW Watch, OFW Chamber of Commerce, OFW Council of Leaders-KSA, Kabalikat ng Migranteng Pilipino, Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino, LBS Recruitment Solutions Corp., Philippine Association of Migrant Workers & Advocates, Kaibigan ng OCWs, OFW Committee, Zonta Club of Quezon City, United Filipino Seafarers, Ang Kaagapay ng Bawat OFW, Filipino Malaysian Cultural Sports and Workforce Training Program, and Bulacan Federation of OFW Family Circle Officers. They said that Bulacan province is fast becoming the next growth area. It is adjacent to Metro Manila and a strategic neighbor of Pampanga, thus accelerating and strengthening the growth corridor for investments and tourism for the Central Luzon-Northern Luzon corridor. Their clamor is truly understandable. Airport development is linked to economic development and having a world-class airport at no expense to our government should be a priority. The NEDA Board chaired by President Duterte earlier gave the green light to the concession agreement with SMC for the proposed Bulacan airport, paving the way for a Swiss Challenge to the unsolicited proposal early this year. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that during the NEDA Board meeting held before Christmas, the Cabinet-level, interagency body approved the concession agreements for the proposed airport. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Ernesto Pernia said the Swiss Challenge is scheduled this month. A new world-class airport financed solely by the private sector but benefitting the whole nation is one infrastructure project that should receive the full support of the Duterte administration. NFA to buy locally Sen. Cynthia Villar has reminded Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel PiĂąol that the National Food Authority (NFA) will not be able to sell cheap rice to the public under the Rice Tariffication Bill, which was approved on third and final reading by both Congress. Villar told PiĂąol that the NFA is no longer allowed to import rice under the new law but only allowed to buy from local farmers.
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Earlier, President Duterte said that even with rice tariffication and liberalization of the rice industry, the NFA shall continue to provide the public, particularly the less fortunate, with rice that is affordable and safe. Once the bill is signed into law by the President, the NFA will be directed to buy palay from local farmers and together with DA, will focus on developing a cost-efficient system that will help reduce the production cost of locally-produced rice and stabilize rice prices. Villar, the principal author of the bill, added that the rice subsidy of the Department of Social Welfare and Development amounting to P28 billion should be bought from the local farmers. The quantitative restriction on importation of rice by the Philippines allowed by the World Trade Organization expired on June 30, 2017. The Philippines has to liberalize the importation of rice so Congress passed the law on rice tariffication to protect Filipino farmers from imported rice. The tariff will be 30 percent on rice imports from ASEAN countries as per agreement and 50 percent from the rest of the world. Proceeds from the tariff will be given to the farmers in the amount of P10 billion a year for the next six years to make the farmers competitive by mechanization (P5 billion), better seed production (P3 billion), and cheaper credit from Landbank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines (P1 billion). Ten percent shall be made available for extension services provided by PhilMech, PhilRice, Agricultural Training Institute, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for teaching skills on rice crop production, modern rice farming techniques, seed production, farm mechanization and knowledge/technology transfer through farm schools nationwide. Seventy percent will go to TESDA, and 10 percent each to ATI, PhilRice and PhilMech. Villar, chair of the committee on food and agriculture, also informed Pinol that the NFA will not be abolished with the implementation of the rice tariffication bill. She said that only the regulatory and importation functions of the NFA will be removed, but the agency will remain, to solely focus on buffer-stocking with its inventory acquired from domestic farmers. Villar explained that NFA will now be required to buy from local farmers for buffer-stocking purposes, instead of importing rice. According to the senator, the budget for the NFA should be pegged at around P7 billion, strictly for the maintenance of a buffer stock to stabilize the rice supply and allow it to sell subsidized rice to the poor and to release emergency supplies during periods of calamity.
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She added that with the NFA committed to buying domestically at P17 per kilo, with an additional P3 incentive, the price of NFA rice might be P33 per kilo, a level seen sufficient to achieve break-even levels. Contrary to misconceptions, she said the bill includes a package of support programs that will help farmers adjust to competition under a tariffied regime. Under the bill, Filipino farmers will have a fighting chance against farmers from neighboring ASEAN countries as cheaper rice will start flooding the market. According to Villar, the bill creates the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund or Rice Fund consisting of an annual appropriation of P10 billion for the next six years following the approval of this act.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/06/1882567/bulacan-airport-ready-take-
Relax delivery norms, rice millers urge state govt Jan 7, 2019, 8:58 AM; last updated: Jan 7, 2019, 8:58 AM (IST) Nitish Sharma Tribune News Service Ambala, January 6 With the elections just three months away, the millers in the state have again started building pressure on the government to relax the norms for custom milling of rice. Unhappy with the quality of grain, the rice millers have been seeking relaxation in the permissible limits of discoloured, broken and damaged yield while delivering it to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Raj Kumar Singla, president, Rice Millers‘ Association, Ambala, said: ―Untimely rainfall badly affected the quality of the grain. The millers who procure paddy have to return 67-kg per quintal rice to the FCI, in which 3 per cent damaged, 3 per cent discoloured and 25 per cent broken grain is allowed. However, as per the loss this year, there is a need to increase the permissible limits to 5 per cent damaged and discoloured each and 30 per cent broken.‖ ―Even the yield has been on the lower side this time. So, we demand that the millers should be allowed to return 64-kg per quintal rice instead of 67 kg,‖ he added.
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Singla further said: ―The Uttar Pradesh Government has recently relaxed the norms and reduced it to 64-kg per quintal rice and a similar step must be taken by the state. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has written a demi-official letter to the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution requesting him to relax the norms, but we are yet to hear anything from him.‖ Sources, however, said: ―Millers have 58.5-lakh million tonnes (MT) of rice belonging to the state procurement agencies, against which they have to deliver 39.2 lakh MT to the government. If the demand of the rice millers is accepted, it will amount to a financial burden of over Rs 580 crore to the state government." They said there were about 1,100 rice millers in Haryana, of which 200 were big ones. ―If their demand is accepted, each of them is set to get an additional benefit between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore. Also, the UP example given by the millers is also irrelevant as the total procurement of paddy there is hardly 3 lakh MT.‖ https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/relax-delivery-norms-rice-millers-urge-stategovt/709749.html
How to get rid of visceral fat: Five foods to avoid to cut down on the harmful belly fat HOW TO get rid of visceral fat: This type of body fat is deemed the most dangerous because of where it’s stored in the body. But what can you do to get rid of it? Simple changes to your diet can lead to a fast and effective result - in particular avoiding five foods.
By KATRINA TURRILL PUBLISHED: 13:41, Mon, Jan 7, 2019 | UPDATED: 14:06, Mon, Jan 7, 2019 can pose a serious health risk. Too much visceral fat can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. So what can you do to get rid of it? While it‘s considered the most dangerous body fat it‘s also the easiest to lose and simple diet changes, such as avoiding certain foods, can help.One eight-week-long study looked at 69 overweight men and women. Researchers discovered people who followed a low-carb diet lost 10 per cent more visceral fat and 4.4 per cent more total fat than those on a low-fat diet.
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How to get rid of visceral fat: There are five foods you should avoid (Image: GETTY) While it‘s recommended you cut down on your carbohydrates intake they shouldn‘t be cut out completely. Bupa recommends healthy food swaps for these five foods, for example brown pasta and rice instead of white pasta and rice.White bread can be swapped for wholemeal or granary bread, pitta or tortilla wraps. Instead of peeling potatoes leave the skin on boiled potatoes or cook wedges with the skin on, or swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes and yams.
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Finally swap sugary cereals for unsweetened wholegrain cereals such as porridge, but make sure to check the label.
How to get rid of visceral fat: If you eat potatoes leave the skin on or opt for sweet potatoes (Image: GETTY)
How to get rid of visceral fat: Avoid sugary cereals and always check food labels (Image: GETTY)
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Oils fall under the food group fats, but in order to get rid of visceral fat you should always opt for healthy fats. A study undertaken by the American Diabetes Association found a higher intake of monounsaturated fats can benefit your waist size, as well as lead to lower central fat distribution. Trans-fats, which are known as bad fats, can have a negative impact on your body. Wake Forest University researchers found a diet high in trans-fats doesn‘t just contribute to overall belly fat, but also helps to shift fat from other areas to the belly. Oils that contain trans-fat, for example some vegetable oils heated to a very high temperature for frying, should be avoided. Instead opt for oils that fall under monounsaturated fats, such as avocado, olive and sunflower oil. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1068406/how-to-get-rid-of-visceral-fat-diet-foods-toavoid-rice-bread-pasta-potatoes-cereal
Chinese scientists succeed in developing clonal seeds from hybrid rice Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/1/6 7:41:14
Chinese scientists have succeeded in developing clonal seeds from hybrid rice, said an online paper published in Nature Biotechnology Friday night. The team, led by Wang Kejian, from the China National Rice Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, conducted simultaneous genome engineering of meiosis and fertilization genes in developing the clonal seeds. Usually, beneficial phenotypes are lost in subsequent generations owing to genetic segregation. But with the clonal seeds, the heterosis, or hybrid vigor of the hybrid rice, can be passed on to produce high-yielding crops. "The success has proved the feasibility of apomixis for hybrid rice, which is significant theoretically. I hope that with their further research, the seeds will be put into production soon," said Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice."
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Statistics show that China has planted 16 million hectares of hybrid rice, about 57 percent of the total planting area of rice across the country. The annual output of hybrid rice is about 2.5 million tonnes.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:T4BqmdHgqMMJ:www.globaltimes.cn/content/ 1134686.shtml+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Agriculture: Food trade deficit rising again Mohiuddin AazimUpdated January 07, 2019
Pakistan‘s food trade deficit shrank to $1.4 billion in the last fiscal year from $2.43bn a year ago. ─ File photo Pakistan’s food trade deficit shrank to $1.4 billion in the last fiscal year from $2.43bn a year ago. But a reversal of the trend is clearly in sight during the current fiscal year. In the first five months of 2018-19, the food trade deficit stands at $954 million. If no major initiatives are taken to boost food exports and contain imports, the full-year deficit may again end up close to $2bn. Even exports of 0.5m tonnes of wheat and wheat products, as suggested by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, cannot enhance food export earnings to a level to avert this possibility. In the past, we have seen the food trade deficit growing even in the midst of record wheat and sugar exports.
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Import volumes of pulses in July-November went up about 65pc, which shows little attention is being paid to minor crops A delay in the acceptance of some demands of the millers for sugar exports, availability of a smaller surplus of non-basmati rice and an extended ban on deep-sea fishing during this fiscal year, which reduced fish hauling in the first quarter, have diluted the gains in food exports. As a result, our food export earnings totalled just $1.51bn in five months to November, up only 1.27pc from the year-ago earnings of $1.49bn, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Against this, food imports totalled $2.47bn, down 9.28pc mainly due to the imposition of higher tariffs from $2.72bn in the year-ago period, leaving a gap of $954m. If sugar exports had begun earlier, production of non-basmati rice varieties in Sindh had not been affected by water scarcity and the authorities had resolved a controversy over the ban on deepsea fishing on time, total food exports could have been higher. These factors have actually belittled some gains in food exports so far this fiscal year, like larger basmati shipments and an increase in export earnings of fruits and vegetables. The main problem with Pakistan‘s food exports is that their growth rate is inconsistent. There are many reasons for it, but one of them relates to politics. In the absence of a peaceful political atmosphere, agriculture and food trade suffer a lot. Take the example of sugar. Towards the end of the PML-N government, the traditional tiff between sugar cane growers and sugar mills acquired a new dimension and continued even after the installation of the new PTI government. A proactive judiciary also entered the scene — and for quite right reasons. But the end result is that the millers‘ stubborn attitude across Pakistan and too much politicising of the sugar mills‘ affairs in Sindh led to delayed cane crushing. Then the millers‘ demand that they should be allowed to export sugar regardless of whether they had previously defaulted on bank loans led to an impasse. The PTI government at the centre was not in a mood to accept it. But finally it had to, and sugar exports began picking up pace quite late. As a result, sugar export earnings suffered. Export earnings of non-basmati rice in five months of this fiscal year fell chiefly owing to fewer shipments. In most rice-growing areas of Sindh and in some areas of Punjab, paddy cultivation suffered in the previous year, reducing the exportable surplus. That Sindh continues to suffer from an acute water shortage this year too and rice growers say the output here can decline as much as 30 per cent mean that there is little scope for boosting non-basmati rice in coming months. Seafood export volumes have declined in July-November mainly because of a controversial ban on deep-sea fishing on the issue of seaworthiness of fishing trawlers.
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Government officials say that the issue has been resolved and hope that seafood exports will pick up now. But no one can say if overall seafood exports in the current year will surpass that of the last year.
Traditionally, we see a food trade deficit every year, thanks to unsustainable growth in exports and rising imports of food items, including palm and soybean oils, pulses, dry milk and tea — and a large number of finished food products ranging from formula milk and power diet to expensive brands of coffee, honey, confectionary products and whatnot. At a time when the overall foreign trade deficit remains a big headache for foreign exchange– starved Pakistan, we can hardly afford such a large food trade deficit. Clearly, there is a need to slash it. But that is not possible if the federal and provincial authorities and the private sector involved in agriculture and agro-based food exports sit together with a single-point agenda of boosting agricultural productivity and promoting food exports. On the import side, further revision in non-essential food items can also be considered keeping in view that the tariff hikes made so far have started making a dent in imports. In addition, import substitution efforts must also be accelerated. Higher local output of oilseed crops has already started reducing its imports. The provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been working on olive plantation for several years. There is a need to expedite those projects along with continuing regular oilseed crops. The production of dried milk can be boosted with a little effort. The cultivation of pulses on the fringes of major crop farm fields should be promoted to meet growing domestic needs and save foreign exchange. In the first five months of this fiscal year,
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import volumes of pulses have gone up by about 65pc, which shows how little attention is being paid to minor crops in general and pulses in particular. Pakistan and China will soon finalise details of a plan on how Chinese public- and private-sector companies will help us enhance our agricultural output and food exports under the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Some other countries, including the United States, Germany and Japan, are already working closely with our provincial governments and helping us improve agricultural output. There is a need to integrate all these efforts, take all stakeholders on board and launch a big three-pronged strategy, officials and people associated with the food industry say. Such a strategy should aim at improving per-hectare yields of food crops and promoting import substitutions with greater financial and knowledge investment, discouraging imports of finished food imports and encouraging more high-end, value-added food products. https://www.dawn.com/news/1455876
2019 Grain Market Outlook Webinar set Jan 10 Jan. 10 webinar features grain market outlook. Bobby Coats | Jan 07, 2019 After a tumultuous grain markets start, crucial trade with China could return in 2019. Questions remain about the size of 2018 corn and soybean crops and what farmers will plant this spring. While USDA delayed release of its Jan. 11 reports, Farm Futures grain market analyst Bryce Knorr, in a Thursday, Jan. 10, webinar, presents results from his latest grower survey to provide an up-to-date look at what to expect in the year ahead. Webinar begins at 1 P.M. Central Time. Knorr, Senior Grain Market Analyst, Farm Futures, Farm Progress, will discuss "2019 Grain Market Outlook" in an ongoing University of Arkansas Extension Food & Agribusiness webinar series.
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Knorr first joined Farm Futures Magazine in 1987. In addition to analyzing and writing about the commodity markets, he is a former futures introducing broker and is a registered Commodity Trading Advisor. He conducts Farm Futures exclusive surveys on acreage, production and management issues and is one of the analysts regularly contracted by business wire services before major USDA crop reports. Besides the Morning Call on http://www.FarmFutures.com he writes outlooks for corn, soybeans, and wheat that include selling price targets, charts and seasonal trends. He provides outlooks on basis, energy, fertilizer, financial markets and feature price forecasts for key crop inputs. A journalist with 45 years of experience, Knorr received the Master Writers Award from the American Agricultural Editors Association. Link to register: http://http://bit.ly/UAEX-Market-Outlook-Knorr-FarmFutures https://www.farmprogress.com/crops/2019-grain-market-outlook-webinar-set-jan-10
Unlimited rice imports to bring in over 1 million tons Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - January 5, 2019 - 12:00am 166 private traders apply for out-quota shipments MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines moves toward the unlimited importation of rice, 166 firms have applied to bring in one million metric tons of the commodity under the out-quota scheme, based on the updated list released by the National Food Authority. The rice will be sourced from Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Taiwan. The interagency National Food Authority Council (NFAC) allowed the unlimited importation of rice to further stabilize market prices. Out-quota allocation means that traders can apply for any volume of imported rice they want to bring into the country. Of the initial volume, the imports will be discharged in Manila, Subic, Cebu, Zamboanga City, Davao, La Union, Tacloban and Cagayan de Oro. The NFA will continuously process and approve applications of private traders.
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Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said importers could only bring in 25 percent brokens but the latest terms of reference for the out-quota scheme allows traders to import 25 percent brokens or better.
All rice to be imported will be levied with a 35 percent tariff for ASEAN countries and 50 percent for non-ASEAN. Rice import allocation of eligible importers must be loaded upon the approval of the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance by the Bureau of Plant Industry and payment of the required tentative advance Customs duty. The out-quota imports will add to the recently bid out 500,000 MT via open tender and the 203,000 MT government-to-government scheme.The agri chief had allayed possible fears of flooding of imported rice in the market.―I don‘t think that‘s going to happen because when the importers feel there is so much rice stocks in the market and prices go down to a level where they cannot make money anymore then they will not import,‖ Piñol earlier said. ―It will be the absorptive capacity of the market that will set the cap. And no businessman in his right mind will import rice if there is no market,‖ he added.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/05/1882337/unlimited-rice-imports-bringover-1-million-tons
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Vietnamese rice makes name in world market In 2018, Vietnam’s total rice exports reached 6.15 million tonnes, with export turnover of 3.15 billion USD. The industry saw a 5.7% increase in volume and 19.6% increase in value compared to 2017.
Loc Troi 28 is a short term rice variety and the final product between the hybrid of Loc Troi 1 and Basmati rice variety of India. High-yielding, fragrant and nutritious compared to other varieties, Loc Troi 28 was well received at an international rice convention held in China. Vietnamese rice producers now focus on production value, not just increasing volume. Furthermore, Vietnam has become a member of the global sustainable rice production programme, and for the first time in years, Vietnam rice price is higher than Thailand‘s. In recent years, Vietnam‘s rice industry has paid more attention to promotional activities. The launch of Vietnam‘s national rice logo has reiterated the efforts to bring more rice to the world market. However, in the context of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as limitation in value chains and farmers‘ struggle to make a living from growing rice, there is much needed to be done. The global market is changing at a rapid pace and it requires Vietnam‘s rice industry to heighten the production volume, improve the quality and deliver more diverse rice products.-VNA https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/what-s-on/215514/vietnamese-rice-makes-name-in-world-market.html
Stronger baht ‘will hurt exporters and farmers’ | Publication date 07 January 2019 | 14:33 ICT Workers sort rice sacks at a warehouse in Pathum Thani. BANGKOK POST
Most Thai exporters are worried about the baht appreciating against the US dollar, fearing it will hit exports and farm incomes amid the slowing of both local and global economies. ―A stronger baht will hurt our rice price competitiveness amid weaker currencies in the region, such as India,‖ Thai Rice Exporters Association president Charoen Laothammatas told The Nation on Thursday. This will then be passed on to the price of paddy rice, thus adversely affecting farmers, he warned. Asked whether rice exporters will discuss the issue with the Bank of Thailand (BOT), Charoen said exporters have raised this issue with the central bank many times, but the baht remains stronger compared to other competitors‘ currencies, such as India‘s rupee and China‘s yuan.
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The association predicts this year‘s rice experts to be around 10 million tonnes, less than the 11 million tonnes forecast last year. According to the BOT, the baht stood at 32.205 against the US dollar on Thursday, the year‘s second day of trading, up from 32.417 to the greenback on December 28 – the last trading day of last year. Weakening dollar The baht rose to 32.032 per dollar in the spot market at about 2pm on Thursday, as the yen rose sharply to 107.08 per dollar, said Kasikornbank capital markets research head Kobsidthi Silpachai. ―It was risk off-mode, selling the dollar against safe havens and low yielding currencies like the Japanese yen and Thai baht,‖ he said. Since Thursday was a Japanese holiday some people suspected that algorithms were behind the US selling, he noted. One factor causing the dollar to weaken is the partial US government shutdown resulting from a political gridlock in Washington, where President Donald Trump and the Democrats, who hold a majority in the lower house, failed to strike a deal, he said. The baht was also mostly flat in trading against the US dollar in January and December last year, but was highly volatile in between. It may be subject to volatile swings this year compared to the Indian rupee, which was down about nine per cent against the dollar last year, he said. The Indian rupee‘s weakness is likely to continue this year as the subcontinent is expected to run a current account deficit at 2.6 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with Thailand‘s
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estimated current account surplus of 6.9 per cent, he said. Currencies of emerging markets facing current account deficits will also weaken against the dollar, he said. However, he added, that since the US dollar/baht trade was very thin over the past few days, it did not truly reflect demand and supply in the market. Currency trading next week should provide a clearer picture as buyers and sellers enter the market again. Also, the upcoming general election could produce split houses, with politicians controlling the Lower House, while the Senate will be controlled by the military. Hence, the next government may find it difficult to function, much like the situation in Washington, and that could weaken the baht, Kobsidthi added. Thai Bond Market Association president Tada Phutthitada said capital inflow into the bond market is low. Over the past few weeks daily inflow has been less than one billion baht ($31.28 million) compared to between two and three billion baht daily previously, he said. This suggests that the baht has not been strengthened by foreign capital inflows, but rather by a weakening dollar, he said. Meanwhile, investors are unsure whether the US Federal Reserve will continue increasing key policy rates as expected earlier. That, combined with Trump‘s threat to fire the Federal Reserve chairman, could weaken the dollar further, Tada said. Separately, CIMB Bank research office head Amornthep Chawla said exporters will face two key challenges – the impact of the US-China trade war and a stronger baht. There is a high possibility that exports could turn negative in the first quarter of this year, partly due to a slowdown in global economy and also last year‘s high base of exports, he warned. THE NATION (THAILAND)/ANN https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/stronger-baht-will-hurt-exporters-and-farmers
Myanmar needs to struggle in rice market if GSP rights are revoked: Rice Federation BUSINESS 7 JANUARY 2019
ZEYAR NYEIN Myanmar will have to struggle to compete with other countries in rice market if the rights of GSP/EBA (generalized scheme of preferences/everything but arms) are revoked again, said Ye Min Aung, general secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation, during a talk on "Democracy, Poverty
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and GSP' held at the office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He added that the lack of facilities is also a challenge the country will face. "Unless we have the GSP/EBA rights, we have to compete more with other countries. But to do so, we have much difficulty. We don't have enough ports and warehouses," said Ye Min Aung.
Currently, Myanmar has increased income from quality rice export thanks to the GSP/EBA rights granted by the European Union.
"We have seen increase income from as we are able to export quality rice to EU market," said the general secretary.
However, the EU is planning to impose a three-year suspension of the GSP rights granted for Myanmar, according to Myanmar Rice Federation.
The species of rice (16 mm) to be exported by Myanmar is also grown in Italy and Spain which are EU member countries. Plans to revoke the GSP rights are reportedly to protect the interests of those countries. https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/myanmar-needs-to-struggle-in-rice-market-if-gsp-rights-are-revokedrice-federation
DA expects to meet 2019 rice production goal January 7, 2019 | 9:53 pm PHILSTAR
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said that rice production target for 2019 is likely to be met as rice farmers are expected to recover from the agricultural damage brought by tropical depression Usman. ―The damage was to low-yielding varieties, and we will try to make up for it with high-yielding varieties. So whatever the target is, we might go higher,‖ DA Undersecretary Ariel T. Cayanan
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told BusinessWorld after a news conference on Monday, when asked about the expected output for rice this year. Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that damaged rice crops are at their vegetative stage, and that the DA was quick to intervene by providing farmers high-yielding variety seed. The DA reported a total of P957.63 million agricultural damage from Usman, with 9,385 metric tons (MT) of lost volume over 47,529 hectares. The department estimates that the storm affected 42,683 farmers and fisherfolk. Rice accounts for 88% of the total storm damage, with the value of lost production at P840.40 million on volume loss of 15,883 MT, affecting 41,143 hectares of land and 35,385 farmers. Mr. Piñol said that he is expecting that the damage to eventually breach P1 billion. ―Our stocks in Bicol will last for about 40 days, that is the P27 National Food Authority (NFA) rice. Also, there is a prepositioned 5,000 bags of rice seed. We lack another 5,000 but we‘ll be able to secure this hopefully this week,‖ Mr. Piñol said.
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―I told the President during the briefing that while there is a huge damage to the rice crop as quantified today, that will not necessarily translate to losses because with the delivery of seed, the farmers will be able to recover because their plants are just in their vegetative stage. They will be able to replant,‖ Mr. Piñol added. Mr. Piñol said that P175 million has been committed by DA for loans to farmers. Meanwhile, the NFA said that it issued 13,730 bags of rice for Usman victims in Regions IV, V and VIII as of Monday. A total of 8,343 bags were released to Region V which suffered the most. ―We will make sure that our accredited rice retailers will continue to sell NFA rice at P27 and P32 per kilogram in the areas affected by the typhoon. The availability of affordable and quality NFA rice will be a great help to all those affected by the calamity,‖ Tomas R. Escarez, NFA Officer-in-Charge Administrator, said in a statement. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio https://www.bworldonline.com/da-expects-to-meet-2019-rice-production-goal/
Afghanistan: Rice production on the rise
Monday, 07 January 2019 05:13
Written by TCA KABUL (TCA) — A new study in Afghanistan shows that there has been a four percent increase in Afghanistan's rice production as 352,000 tons of rice was harvested in the country last year, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. Register to read more ... https://www.timesca.com/index.php/news/20692-afghanistan-rice-production-on-the-rise
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