Major agribusiness conference kicks off in Taipei

Wednesday, July-17-2013

The Asian Productivity Organization’s food and agribusiness conference got underway July 15 in Taipei City, further underscoring Taiwan’s growing role in global agriculture biotechnology.

Close to 100 industry participants, government officials and academics from 13 APO member countries are attending the four-day gathering, billed by the ROC Council of Agriculture as the largest major international agricultural research event hosted by Taiwan in recent years.

Other attendees include representatives from India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as experts from the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions.

A total of 16 international and domestic specialists have been invited to share their insights into emerging trends, experiences in strategy formulation and knowledge of agribiotech application to food production. Discussion topics include the risks and management of applying biotechnology to food production and the ecosystem, as well as fostering the application of biotechnology by small and medium producers, the COA said.

On the final day of the conference, participants will visit the Bio Taiwan 2013. Kicking off July 18 at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei City, the biotechnology show offers an added opportunity for specialists from abroad to better understand Taiwan’s strength in this field, the COA added.

Established in 1961, Japan-based APO aims to contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Asia-Pacific through enhancing productivity. The ROC was a founding member of the organization, which has grown to include 20 countries. (SDH)

Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw

Source: Taiwan Today

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Rice varieties of Irri 6, 9 washed away

The districts on right canal known as the rice belt in Sindh has suffered the most due to flood, as the rice varieties of Irri 6 and 9 have been washed away.
This was stated by the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) in a statement issued on Friday. It said in spite of this damage the country is in a position to export limited quantities of non basmati rice and as such Ministry should not ban export of non basmati rice. Rather it should allow export of value-added non-basmati rice in consumer packing only to encourage value addition, it added.
Thawer invited the attention of Amin Fahim to the fact that exporters have obtained export refinance against export orders and any hasty decision of the govt without consulting the SME rice processors and exporters would cause setback to rice industry and huge amounts of banks would be blocked.

Source: The Nation

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PARC scientists role for agri development lauded

Saturday, July-13-2013

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) Sikandar Hayat Bosan said Friday that scientists of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) were playing a pivotal role for the promotion and development of agriculture sector in Pakistan.

“Research results and advance knowledge should reach at farmers’ door-step in order to boost up agricultural production and to ensure food security in the country,” the federal minister remarked during a meeting with the newly promoted scientists.

He urged the scientists to acquaint the farming community about advance knowledge and introduce new varieties at their farm to achieve maximum per acre production.

The PARC promoted its seventeen (17) senior management scientists in grade 20 and 21. The promotion of the PARC scientists was pending for the last one-and-a-half year and had created fear and apprehensions among the scientists community about their promotions, said PARC press statement issued here Thursday.

Source: The Nation

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Paddy plantation in full swing in Punjab

Friday, July-12-2013

The paddy plantation is in full swing in the rice growing districts of the province after recent rains in the central Punjab, Director General Punjab Agriculture Extension Services Dr Anjum Ali told Business Recorder.

He said climate was conducive, water supplies were adequate and there were positive indications that rice crop would be sown over the target area of 4.2 million acres well in time and Punjab would achieve production target of 4.3 million tons of various varieties of rice this season.

Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, and Hafizabad districts produce best varieties of rice including Basmati 370, Super Basmati, Super Kernal, Basmati 386, Basmati 385 and Basmati 198. Pakistan earns around two billion dollars in foreign exchange by export of rice every year.

About the impact of recent rains on other crops, Dr Ali said the timely rains had been very beneficial to the sugarcane, vegetables and fodder crops in the rain-fed Barani areas and canal irrigated Central Punjab. He further said since there had been no rains in the cotton growing belt of South Punjab, therefore cotton crop was safe from the rain-related pest / virus attacks. 

News Source: Business Recorder

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A case of mediocre mangoes

Friday, July-12-2013

Climate changes have continuously taken their toll on Pakistan over the last few years – whether it’s an increase in flooding or a change in weather patterns.

As a result, mango lovers are still waiting for the arrival of this year’s full-fledged mango crop in the market, which has been delayed because of changes in weather patterns.

Stakeholders believe that Sindh would have come up with a larger mango crop had weather conditions not been erratic. An overall 20 percent drop in production is likely due to the late maturation of the fruit and hailstorms.

Early varieties of mango like Almas, Saroli and Daseri are slowly reaching the market but mango afficiniados are still anxiously waiting for the seasonal favourite ‘Sindhri’ –according to market players they will have to wait for another one week or so.

Southern winds that usually visit orchards in early March didn’t come on time, and when they finally did the fruit’s size had already been affected. Hailstorms caused damage to the crop particularly in Mirpurkhas region, which was the main path of the storm.

Sindhri, which is an exportable variety like ‘Chaunsa’, has an edge over other varieties because of its look and taste. Chaunsa has similar characteristics too but it follows Sindhri towards the end of the mango season in Sindh. Sindhri is widely used as a ‘gift’ in different circles extending from the civil bureaucracy, to the police, politicians and the ‘common man’.

“Such weather conditions are not conducive for the mango’s development. Mangoes need the summer season to have a rapid growth in all respects,” says Atta Soomro, Director General Agriculture Research. He adds that not only the flushing of trees at the wrong time also negatively impacted the fruit’s production.

Officials in the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) say that it was due to a delay in crop’s arrival that its export began on May 25 this year, although it usually begins by May 20.

But exporters remain optimistic. According to PHDEB General Manager South Abdul Razaq Malkana, given the size of crop the PHDEB is optimistic to export around 120,000 tons of mango or so against last year’s 107,000 tons as around 400 to 500 tons alone will be exported to Korea.

He added that the production of medium sized mangoes is likely to dominate the market and such medium sized fruit is the most sought after abroad.

Pakistan’s total mango production reaches 1.7 to 1.8 million tons annually with the lion’s share coming from Punjab and 30 percent from Sindh. According to 2011-12 statistics of the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute (SHRI), Mirpurkhas is considered home to mango farming, although it takes place in Tando Allahyar and Sanghar as well.

The orchards which are mostly located in the lower Sindh region on the left bank of River Indus were badly affected during heavy monsoon rains. Since rainwater accumulated in orchards it raised the water table substantially, badly affecting the texture of land. Such changes in the soil’s texture are considered one of the reasons for the belated flowering of the plant.

According to traders – who get orchards on contracts from actual farm owners – currently varieties of Saroli and Daseri are being brought to the market. According to one such trader, Aslam, “Although the unripe Sindhri is reaching the market, it lacks taste and wholesalers use calcium carbide to ripen it.” He believes that if production of mangoes drops substantially, then price margins will increase – but in case of a large number of exports because of oversupply, prices will fall.

Inferior farming methods

Few farmers are interested in exporting to European countries, and using sophisticated procedures to take care of their orchards – most farmers outsource their farms to contractors for two to five years under an agreement. After that, it’s the contractor’s headache to look after orchards. Some estimates obtained through farmers and contractors indicate that millions are invested in this business. If a 200 acre orchard is let out for Rs100,000 per acre, then it means an amount of Rs20 million will change hands. A single contractor handles a multiple numbers of farms.

“Growers do not manage mango orchards on their own. They are not ready to wait for one year and handle the crop properly. This is the general mindset among our mango growers,” says Imdad Nizamani, a farmer from Tando Allahyar. He believes that farm owners also feel that since there are certain varieties which give fruit on a rotational basis, they’re better off outsourcing the farms to earn money. Nizamani says he will not be surprised if production drops by 25 to 30 per cent this year.

A trend, however, seems to be slowly emerging among farmers who are showing an inclination towards progressive farming and are keen to export the fruit to high-end supermarkets in Europe and other regions themselves instead of relying on conventional exporters. They are being encouraged to opt for ‘progressive’ mango farming if they want to fetch a better price for their crop. More technical methods for farming are being used as a result, such as ‘high density mango farming’ which controls the space between and height of mango trees. Perhaps a focus on such methods could help counter the fears of a declining mango crop in the long run.

Source: The Dawn

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Shifting of Mingora-Swat vegetable market demanded

July 11, 2013

Vegetable merchant and wholesalers have demanded the All Pakistan Agriculture Produce Traders Federation to acquire a piece of land for shifting of Mingora-Swat vegetable market from the present location. The Itahad Union Sabzi Mandi Mingora-Swat, President Sahib Jamal said that there was dire need to shift vegetable market Mingora-Swat in a proper location, because of overcrowded population surrounding the market.
He was speaking at a meeting of Itehad Union Sabzi Mandi Mingora-Swat on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by the union senior Vice President, Haji Akbar Khan, Syed Nawab and Fazal Ghaffar, Khan Gul, Haji Khurshid, Rahmat Khan, Haji Mukhtar and other leaders of trade unions. Sahib Jamal said that the Mingora-Swat vegetable market had established in 1983, but the population was growing with passage of time. He said that vegetable dealers and shoppers are facing numerous difficulties in the present situation.

Source: Business Recorder

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Agricultural sector promotes biotechnology

Wednesday, July-10-2013

National Food Security and Research Federal Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, discussed the need to promote biotechnology at the launch ceremony of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Report-44 on the global status of commercialised biotech crops.

The minister said Pakistan is an agricultural country and 70% of its population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. In order to meet the needs of the growing population, modern agricultural technologies must be used to increase crop yields.

Bosan said biotech crops can significantly increase productivity and can fuel rural economic growth that helps reduce poverty in the country. He also said that the use of biotech crops can help ensure food security. The minister said that a farmer oriented national strategy was needed to promote understanding of biotechnology amongst farmers, and develop biotechnology at the grassroots level.

“In the future, our country needs to work out plans for drought control, use nitrogen efficiently, increase nutrition value of food crops by employing modern farming methods and also develop a chain for sustainable and quality supply of food and feed in the country”, said Bosan.

According to the minister, Pakistan was amongst the first few countries to realize the potential of biotechnology in the early 1970s but over time the implementation process slowed down.

Source: The Express Tribune

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Low flood in river Kabul

Wednesday, July-10-2013

The Irrigation Department Flood Forecasting Cell (FFC) reported low flood in River Kabul at Warsak and River Sindh at Khairabad in Nowshera district on Tuesday.

According to spokesman of FFC, Peshawar, low flood in River Kabul at Warsak and Nowshera was recorded this morning where total water flow remained 39,810 and 58,700 cusecs respectively.

Similarly, 240,200 cusec water has been recorded in River Sindh at Khairabad Nowshera. He said River Sindh at Khairabad is in low flood. Low flood was also reported in River Punjkora at Dir and River Swat at Charsadda Road while others rivers in KPK are flowing normal.

The spokesman urged people not to pay attention on floods rumours and contact the cell of Deputy Commissioners Offices for confirmation of flood reports.

Source: Business Recorder

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Argentine envoy, IT Minister discuss cooperation in S&T

Wednesday, July-10-2013

Ambassador of Argentine to Pakistan Rodolfo J. Martin Saravia called on Federal Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid here on Tuesday and discussed new avenues of cooperation in the field of science and technology, health and agriculture sector.

Both the sides agreed on the proposal that a joint workshop in the field of biotechnology and material science would be held for future collaboration.

The Ambassador assured that his government would fully support and facilitate the Pakistani scientists in their participation in international conference on expedition of Southern Antarctica.

Both the sides agreed that a Pak-Argentine joint workshop on estuarine and coastal studies would be held for further collaboration in the filed of oceanography.

The minister thanked the Ambassador for the assistance in the field of science and technology, health and agricultural sectors in Pakistan.

He said that government to government contacts would be increased to strengthen relations between the two countries.

He said that the present democratic government was business friendly and would facilitate and protect the interest of foreign investors in Pakistan, which would be fruitful for boosting up economic activities and projecting a soft image of the country.

Federal Secretary for Science and Technology Akhlaq Ahmad Tarar was also present in the meeting.

Source: Pakistan Observer

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Water, energy issues of concern for Pakistan

Wednesday, July-10-2013

Food security, water, energy and climate change issues are the main areas of concerns, which need to be addressed with collaborated efforts, said USAID Pakistan Director Jo Lesser.

Addressing a meeting of the Centre for Advanced Studies held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad videoconference room on Tuesday, she said that the USAID was setting up three centres for advanced studies, including the Food Security Centre at the UAF, the Centre on Energy at the NUST and the Centre on Water at the UET, Jamshoro. She said the US was committed to uplift the country and the projects were aimed at addressing the issues at the national level.

Speaking on occasion, UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that four chairs would be set up under the Food Security/Agriculture Centre at the UAF, including Climate Changes Chair, Biodiversity Chair, Agriculture Policy Chair and Precision Agriculture Chair.

Higher Education Commission Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that the setting up of the centres was a hallmark step, which would help the country fight water, food security and climate change challenges. He called for collaborated efforts to tackle the issues in the shape of quality researches and producing trained manpower.

Prof Dr Iqbal called for using the alternative methods of energy to meet the demand of electricity. The methods, included bio-energy and solar energy, he added. Dr Qamaruzzaman said that the precision agriculture must be promoted in the country to increase the per acre production with the usage of satellite system. Water Research Centre Management Director Dr Allah Bakhsh stressed the need of enhancing water productivity by using feasible efficient irrigation techniques.

Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Chattha said that climate change chair would focus on ensuring food security by adapting and mitigating climate change through research, capacity building and creating awareness among stakeholders. UET Peshawar Vice-Chancellor Dr Imtiaz Hussain Gilani and others also spoke on the occasion.

Source: The News

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