22 October2022 - Rice News Daily

Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, October 22, 2021
October 22, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Maria Contel, director, BCCC-

CURE.
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn College Cancer Center
BROOKLYN COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW CANCER CENTER: Brooklyn

College has formally launched the Brooklyn College Cancer Center — BCCC-CURE,
standing for Community Outreach, Research and Education —and the first education-
based center of its kind in Brooklyn focused on research and community partnerships.
BCCC-CURE’s mission is to enhance the lives of patients affected by cancer with a
special focus on Brooklyn residents who have been traditionally underserved, while
focusing on three main areas: research, education and community service.
As part of BCCC-CURE, 25 faculty members are focused on cancer and cancer-related

research in one of three main areas: the biology and biochemistry of cancer, the
underlying mechanisms of the disease, and drug development and delivery systems.
Director Maria Contel said the center is already developing potential drugs for
different types of cancer or delivery systems for FDA-approved drugs.
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THREE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS JOIN BROOKLYN COLLEGE FOR

SYMPOSIUM: Furthering its mission to engage the community with cancer-
related information and support, the newly-launched Brooklyn College Cancer Center
(BCCC-CURE) will participate in the first Brooklyn Breast Cancer Symposium with
Maimonides Medical Center (MMC), SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) on Friday, October 29, from 8:50
a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Brooklyn College faculty members Maria Contel, director of BCCC-
CURE; Jenny Basil, associate director for community outreach; and Brian Gibney,
associate director of education, will join a dozen physicians, researchers and nurse
practitioners from Maimonides Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences
University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
This four-part symposium will tackle a wide range of topics related to breast health.
Two sessions focus on research including basic science research, preclinical studies
and clinical trials. All events are free, online, and open to the public, and will also be
offered via Zoom. Visit the Brooklyn College Cancer Center’s website for more
information.
Me
dical professionals at the Brooklyn College Cancer Center.
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MTA WINS AWARD FOR ITS TOLLS NY APP: The International Bridge,
Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) honored the Triborough Bridge
and Tunnel Authority (MTA Bridges and Tunnels) with the IBTTA President’s
Award for Excellence last week. MTA Bridges and Tunnels received the award for its
Tolls NY smartphone application, which it developed in collaboration with the New York
State Thruway Authority, the Port Authority and Conduent Transportation. The app
gives tolling customers in the region more self-service options to manage payments for
the toll roads, bridges and tunnels they use, while also giving toll operators a new way to
communicate critical messages directly to their customers.
The award is the highest honor bestowed by IBTTA each year and was presented on
October 11 during IBTTA’s 89th Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, CA.
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PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM TOXINS IN BABY FOOD: New York

Attorney General Letitia James, leading a coalition of 23 attorneys general,
today petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect
the health and well-being of babies by accelerating actions to remove toxic heavy
metals found in infant and toddler foods. The petition responds to rising alarm about
the health hazards posed by dangerous heavy metals in these foods, and the failure of
baby food brands and their suppliers to aggressively reduce these hazards.
Though the FDA does set limits on toxic metals in other consumable products — like
bottled water, juice, and candy — the agency has failed to adequately regulate baby
food, and has, so far, only established just one action level for inorganic arsenic in
infant rice cereal —notwithstanding the FDA’s own studies showing that babies are
more vulnerable to the harmful neurotoxic effects of these metals.
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MORE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FOR DISABLED WORKFORCE:

Governor Kathy Hochul has committed $11.1 million in federal workforce
development funding over the next three years to expand the successful
network of Disability Resource Coordinators to all 33 local workforce
development areas and to better serve individuals with disabilities in New York State
Career Centers. While about half of the 33 local workforce development areas previously
had direct access to a Disability Resource Coordinator. NY SCION will fund the
placement of a Disability Resource Coordinator in more areas including several
positions in New York City. Their role will be to improve and support employment
outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities and to establish and expand
partnerships leveraging resources across multiple service systems.
The coordinators will train both state and partner staff in best practices to ensure
consistent levels of service across the workforce system and in every career center.
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CO-NAMING FOR HAITIAN EARLY PIONEER: Members of Brooklyn’s

Haitian and Caribbean American communities will honor an icon of
Haitian history on Sunday, October 24 with a street co-naming for a part of Flatbush
Avenue at the intersection of Clarendon Rd. City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene and
Council Speaker Corey Johnson will join area Haitian, Black, Latino and Asian groups to
christen Jean Baptiste Point de Sable Boulevard.
Jean Baptiste Point de Sable (1750-1818) is regarded as the first permanent non-

Indigenous settler of what would later become Chicago, Illinois, and is recognized as
the “Founder of Chicago.” The site where he settled near the mouth of the Chicago
River around the 1780s has been named a National Historic Landmark
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/10/22/good-morning-brooklyn-friday-october-22-2021/
New Technology Uses Drones to Measure Acreage of

Damaged Rice
Posted on October 22, 2021 by Korea Bizwire in National, Top News with 0 Comments
A farmer sprays pesticide at a rice paddy in the city of Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, southwestern South Korea,
on Aug. 11, 2020, after Typhoon Jangmi passed over the country the previous day. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — A new technology has been developed that
makes it easier to measure the acreage of rice plants that have been damaged due to rain
or wind.
The Korea Seed and Variety Service on Thursday demonstrated technology
that can automatically measure the acreage of damaged rice plants using a
drone in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.
After a drone took a photo of the area of damaged rice crops, an automatic
decoding program analyzed the image to calculate the acreage of the area.
The program was developed jointly by the Korea Seed and Variety Service and
the Korea Electronics Technology Institute.
Prior to the demonstration, researchers enhanced the accuracy of calculation
by analyzing about 20,000 photos of rice fields that had experienced damaged
rice plants since 2018.
In addition to the damaged rice plants, another technology that can calculate
the ratio of rice with bakanae disease in the crop field is also in its final stages
of completion. This technology will be used for inspection of the disease from
next year.
Another program that can automatically recognize the color of new varieties of
rice is also under development. It will be used for the evaluation of new
varieties from next year.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
https://wwitv.com/tv_channels/b4737.htm
Rice import duties hit P14.3B as of early

Oct
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Govt called to be more 'proactive' in getting 3.4M unvaccinated senior citizens jabbed
Occidental Mindoro scraps mandatory Covid-19 testing for fully vaccinated travelers
Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has reported collections amounting to P14.3

billion in tariffs from rice imports from January 1 to October 8 this year.
Preliminary data from the BoC showed that import duties from January 1 to
October 8 rose by 3.2 percent from P13.84 billion during the same period in
2020.
The average valuation of rice for this period only slightly increased from
P18,867 per MT in 2020 to P18,898 per MT in 2021, Customs Commissioner
Rey Leonardo Guerrero said during a recent Department of Finance
executive committee meeting.
"Due to the continuous decline of the price of rice in the world market since
May 2021, average value of rice per metric ton increased by only 0.2 percent
versus last year," Guerrero said.

360p geselecteerd als afspeelkwaliteit

 https://www.manilatimes.net
He said revenues from rice imports during this period came from shipments
worth a combined amount of P40.81 billion.
Import duties collected from rice imports beginning March 5, 2019 go to the
annual P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) as
provided under Republic Act 11203 or the "Rice Tariffication Law."
The RCEF is used to finance programs that will sharpen the competitiveness
of rice farmers by way of providing them easy access to fertilizer, farm
machinery and equipment, high-yield seeds and cheap credit; and offering
skills training programs on farm mechanization and modern farming
techniques.
With the annual P10-billion RCEF, the Department of Agriculture (DA),

through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
Mechanization will provide farmers with P5 billion worth of machinery and
equipment, free high-yielding seeds worth P3 billion from PhilRice, P1
billion for credit and P1 billion in training through the Agricultural Training
Institute.
Under the law, rice traders are allowed to import as much volume as they
want provided that they will pay the necessary tariffs.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/10/22/business/top-business/rice-import-duties-hit-p143b-as-of-
early-oct/1819243
The 84th International Rice Festival
By Michael Klein
CROWLEY, LA -- We know two things in this world – that rice is a great grain and that the people of
Louisiana know how to throw a party. Both points were proven last week during festivities here
surrounding the 84th International Rice Festival (IRF) – the largest and oldest (and free) agricultural
festival in the state.
Queen Caroline Hardy
After skipping a year because of the pandemic – the only other time IRF missed a year was during World
War II – people were ready to celebrate rice! And celebrate they did, converting downtown Crowley into
festival central.
A rice and gravy cookoff, two formal balls, a rice grading contest, blood drive, and more were the lead in
to three days of partying that included more than 20 musical acts on two enormous stages, two parades,
a rice eating contest, a rice cooking contest, a frog derby, an accordion and fiddle contest, a classic car
show, carnival rides, and the crowning of the 84th International Rice Festival Queen.
Heavy is the head
that wears the crown

“It was a non-stop celebration of this industry that is so important to the region, the state, and the
country,” said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward who attended the event for the first time this year.
“I’ve always heard what a great event this is, but it really needs to be seen to be believed – bravo to the
festival organizers!”
USA Rice staff also lent a hand throughout the event, with Asiha Grigsby, director of international
promotion serving as one of three judges for the International Rice Festival Queen competition, and
yours truly doing what he does best – eat rice – as a judge in the Creole Cookery Contest where I helped
crown the Chef de Riz.
Joining Grigsby was Arkansas Rice Federation Executive Director Kelly Robbins and Victoria Sagrera
Bourque.
The competition was extremely competitive, but in the end, there can be only one IRF Queen, and Miss
Caroline Hardy of Lacassine was crowned on the Supreme Rice Soundstage on Saturday.
Floating along
“All of these young ladies were very impressive,” said Robbins. “While I know Queen Caroline will do a
wonderful job as an ambassador for our industry, we couldn’t have made a poor choice – they were all
wonderful, smart, poised, and very knowledgeable about rice!”
The title of Chef de Riz went to a young man who is quite comfortable with rice. Joshua Dietz was
crowned champion, beating out dozens of other aspiring chefs, including his mother, who was Chef de
Riz in 2019!
Junior Chef de Riz and a tri-color ribbon went to Katherine Richard, the 10-year old daughter of rice
farmers Christian and Julie Richard of Kaplan, representing St. Michael’s School.
Ward also took the opportunity of being in the area to meet with a group of growers to discuss priorities
for the upcoming Farm Bill, rising input costs, and a lackluster trade agenda from the Biden
Administration.
Joshua Dietz (left) gets fitted

for his Chef de Riz jacket
“We were also able to visit with officials at Supreme Rice Mill, see their new facility, and talk about some
trade and quality issues,” said Ward.
Episode 32 of The Rice Stuff podcast, going live on Tuesday, October 26, features interviews with Grigsby
and Robbins, the new and two past IRF Queens, and the 2021 Rice Farmer of the Year, Phillip
Lamartiniere of Avoyelles Parish.
The 85th International Rice Festival will be held October 20-23, 2022.
Farmer of the Year Phillip Lamartinaire
I’m a Climate Scientist Because of My Faith—Not in Spite

of It
To start conversations on climate change, one author says we should begin with
ourselves.
KATHARINE HAYHOE
Image: Markus Spiske / Unsplash
Inever used to talk about why I became a climate scientist. Getting personal about our work is something
we scientists are trained not to do. Leaving our deeper motivations at the door of the lab serves us well as
we analyze data and draw conclusions. But when it comes to explaining to others—and to ourselves—
why it matters, we need more.
Books & Resources

Spiritual First Aid Certificate Course
You Welcomed Me: Loving Refugees and Immigrants Because God First Loved Us
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NOVEMBER 2021 SUBSCRIBE
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 The New Prison Ministry Lies in Bible Education

 Actually, God Is Doing an Old Thing
 My Body Is a Temple, Not a Fighting Machine
When I was nine years old, my family moved to Cali, Colombia, where my parents spent several years
working at a bilingual school and helping out with a local church. We lived in a whitewashed, red-tiled
row house in a lower- to middle-class area. We had electricity and running water most days, and we’d fill
up the kerosene lamp and the bathtub for when we didn’t. But we often spent the weekends visiting far-
flung barrios where houses of mud bricks and tin clung to the side of a mountain, or remote villages that
lay several hours up a rutted, puddle-filled dirt road. There, the toilet was simply a wall to stand behind—
wearing a skirt made it a lot easier—and lunch consisted of rice, plantains, and the guinea pigs that were
slowest to run.
Our vintage 1969 Ford Bronco would be packed with everyone who needed a ride there or back, plus my
dad’s telescope—an avid amateur astronomer, he’d often host impromptu viewings of the moon and
Saturn’s rings. If it had been raining, I’d be propped up in the driver’s seat, one toe barely reaching the
clutch, to steer while everyone else got out to push the truck through the mud.
Disasters hit us hard here in North America, but our recovery is cushioned by private and public services,
from home insurance to disaster relief. In Colombia in the 1980s, life was challenging at the best of times:
poverty, inequality, lack of clean water and health care; corruption and danger from the mafia, the
guerrillas, the paramilitaries; reverberations from the atrocities of “La Violencia” in the 1950s still
echoing through many rural areas. When disaster struck, it could be devastating. When rains came, entire
neighborhoods were swept away. When drought hit, people starved.
The U.S. military calls climate change a threat multiplier.
Inspired by my dad’s love of the night sky, I decided to study astrophysics when I returned home to
attend university in Canada. But a course I serendipitously took on climate science yanked my focus from
the stars to the Earth. I learned how climate change is making many of the risks faced by people in low
income countries worse; that is why the U.S. military calls it a threat multiplier. Climate change affects
our food, our water, even the air we breathe. It accelerates the destructive impacts of human expansion on
natural ecosystems and it impacts our own health, our welfare, even our pocketbooks. And it exacerbates
humanitarian crises: poverty, hunger, diseases, even political instability and the plight of refugees.
I learned how the vulnerabilities I saw in Colombia are reflected around the world and are being
amplified by climate change. Just like the coronavirus pandemic, it’s deepening the chasm between the
haves and the have-nots, pushing many more into poverty. Whoever we are, wherever we live, disasters
take whatever challenges we are already facing and make them worse.
As a Christian, I believe we’re called to love others as we’ve been loved by God, and that means caring
for those who are suffering—their physical needs and their well-being—which today are being
exacerbated by climate impacts. How could I not want to do something about that? That’s why I became a
climate scientist.
The first time I was invited to speak at a local church here in Texas, I decided the time had come to share
more of my personal motivation, as uncomfortable as it might feel. After all, the reason I’m a climate
scientist is because I’m a Christian. Maybe, I thought, just maybe a few of the people there might realize
they cared about climate change for the same reasons I did.
It was a Wednesday night. The meeting was in one of the adult Bible study rooms, down a long hall with
tan carpet. A group of about fifty interested people had gathered. I showed them the data revealing that
yes, the planet is warming, and yes, humans are responsible. As I expanded on the impacts we were
already experiencing in Texas, people listened and nodded along; they felt validated by what I had to say
and it matched what they’d witnessed themselves. But then I took a deep breath, gathered up my courage,
and for the first time ever, nervously launched into why I cared: the biblical mandate for stewardship and
care for creation, the connection between climate change and poverty, and the Bible verses that directed
my concern.
I was half expecting people to laugh; but instead, they seemed surprised. They recognized those Bible
verses I was quoting and they lived by the same principles. And the questions I got afterward shifted: they
were deeper, far more personal than I’d heard before. This audience cared. Why? Because we had
connected over something fundamental and undeniable that we shared.
Excerpted from Saving Us, published by One Signal/Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Copyright © 2021 by Katharine Hayhoe
https://www.christianitytoday.com/better-samaritan/2021/october/im-climate-scientist-because-of-
my-faith-not-in-spite-of-it.html
For Mekong Delta farmers,

diversification is the key to
climate resilience
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Sunrise over clump of dead trees as salt marsh occurred in Mekong Delta
area. Photo: TonyNg/Shutterstock
Extreme floods. Extreme droughts. Saline intrusion. Coastal and riverbank

erosion. Land subsidence.
The Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s vital agricultural and aquaculture hub, has it all.
While the Delta has been hailed as a biological treasure and is home to one of
the most abundant biodiversity systems on Earth, its ecosystems are
experiencing dramatic degradation on many fronts. For farmers and
communities whose livelihoods depend on the health of these rich natural
resources, adaptation will be the key to survival.
The Delta loses about 500 hectares of land per year to erosion, Vietnam’s
agriculture ministry estimates. In addition, unsustainable land and water
management practices are polluting its labyrinths of rivers and canals. Upriver
saltwater intrusion has risen to four grams per liter in places, four times higher
than tolerance thresholds for major crops, triggering a region-wide freshwater
shortage crisis. While climate change and sea level rise are responsible for
some of these changes, direct human impacts such as upstream dam
development and over-exploitation of sand and groundwater are also
stressing the Delta.
This environmental deterioration threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions

of people across 13 provinces. If the Delta is going to continue to thrive and
be a resource for communities around it for generations to come, farmers and
local communities will need to find an approach that allows them to live in
greater harmony with nature.
Since 2016, the World Bank, through the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate
Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Project, has supported the
Government of Vietnam in applying broad policies and operating activities in
the Mekong Delta enabling more than one million farmers transition to more
climate-resilient and resource-efficient ways of living.
The Delta has four hydro-ecological zones that are connected by water flows,
and the project promotes strategies specific to each area. In the upper Delta,
the objective is to encourage flood retention, which is vital to alleviating
droughts and saline intrusion downstream. In the river’s estuary, the goal is to
adapt to increasing salinity. Along the Ca Mau Peninsula, protecting the
extremely exposed coastline and addressing water shortage is the priority.
"I do not want to leave home, I want to grow my family

here, like my grandfather and my father did. That
means I have to be prepared for whatever Mother
Nature throws at me."
Vuong Nguyen
A farmer living in the upstream area of the Mekong Delta
Upstream – Adding Ducks and Fish

The project leverages an extensive network of scientists working hand-in-
hand with farmers to find new production models that best fit the
agroecological and socioeconomic challenges, and scale them up.
For example, farmers in Dong Thap Province were accustomed to growing

three crops of rice a year and relied on high dikes to divert floodwaters
elsewhere. This practice has proven neither economically optimal nor
ecologically sound. Decades of multiple-crop farming systems have depleted
soils and disrupted hydrological balances, resulting in lower agricultural
activity, shrunken floodplains, and heightened flood risk and pollution.
To transition away from this practice, the project helped farmers to grow other
crops or raise other livestock, both reducing their reliance on rice farming and
generating higher incomes.
For farmer Nguyen Van Vuong from Tam Nong District, raising ducks and fish
was challenging and a financial risk. However, the project helped him by
providing 70% of the capital needed to switch to this new model. Vuong also
got regular training and on-site support by technical officers.
“I was worried because this plan was costly and it was something I had never
done before,” Vuong said. “But it sounded promising and there was a lot of
help. So I gave this a try I never thought it would pay off this handsomely.”
It is estimated that growing two crops of rice generate an annual profit in the
range of 25 to 30 million VND per hectare. With the crop-fish-duck model, this
could go up to as much as 81 million VND. Besides providing additional
income, these practices help farmers like Vuong retain floodwater, which
eases saline intrusion downstream during the dry season.
Downstream – Healthier Shrimp, Protected Forests
Farther downstream in the Ca Mau Peninsula, farmers are encouraged to

consider trying nature-based models to offset any tradeoff between sustaining
livelihoods and protecting the environment. The peninsula has been suffering
from serious coastal erosion and land subsidence as farmers cleared
mangrove forests, and as the operation of shrimp ponds over-extracted
groundwater and polluted surface water.
Farmers have been shown how to take advantage of mangrove forests as

ideal breeding grounds for cultivating shrimp, clams or snails. The rich
mangrove ecosystem nurtures this livestock with its food webs and protects
them from disease. Shrimp raised this way are often sold at higher prices in
European Union markets since they meet organic standards.
Elsewhere, farmers have also been taught to grow shrimp in other cleaner
and more resource-efficient ways. For example, in Bac Lieu Province, shrimp
growers have adopted a polyculture system by adding tilapia to their shrimp
ponds. The farmers have found that this practice brings higher returns and
improves water quality.
“Clean water is so important to grow healthy shrimp,” said Le Van Thanh, a

farmer in Dong Hai District. “I used to use chemicals to clean my ponds but in
turn, it killed a lot of shrimp. Tilapias are so great -- they clean the water and
bring extra income.”
Scaling up with dikes, dams, and sluice gates
To support farmers sustain these good practices after the end of the project,
the World Bank has also focused on creating an enabling infrastructure
network and on improving regional co-operation to manage a resource that
knows no boundaries, like water.
The majority of the project’s investment of US$387 million has gone into
building new infrastructure and upgrading outdated facilities. In the upper
floodplains, 61 kms of dikes have been rehabilitated and 15 associated sluice
gates erected to better manage floodwaters, in particular, to capture flood
benefits.
Along the 27km coastline of the peninsula, a combination of sea dikes, wave
breakers, and mangrove belts have been developed to cope with the ever-
shifting coastal dynamics. Sluice gates and other water works have also been
constructed and canal systems dredged to better manage saltwater circulation
and control high tides that come more frequently. In the estuary areas, four
major riverbank and coastal sluice gates have been built to regulate salinity.
The large-scale Nam Mang Thit irrigation system spanning Vinh Long and Tra
Vinh provinces is one of the project’s major highlights. Upgrade work was
completed just before the historic drought of 2020 hit the region. At the height
of the drought in March, the fully functional system helped save crops on
thousands of hectares of land.
“It is the no-regret approach which takes into account the uncertainties of
climate change that makes the infrastructural measures deployed under this
project different from other conventional interventions,” said Nguyen Hoang Ai
Phuong, an environmental specialist and the World Bank’s Task Team Leader
for the project. “In addition, these infrastructure investments are guided by the
growing body of climate science and also by new information from the
integrated data and information system that this project is building.”
As part of this effort, the project is supporting the establishment of a Mekong

Delta Center, which will serve as a one-stop-shop for information about the
Delta’s water, land, resources, and other environmental and climatic
indicators. Across the Delta, the project has established 50 monitoring
stations that provide real-time updates on water resources and developed a
suite of decision-supporting tools to inform the operation of its complex water
network.
Importantly, with this project’s support, climate resilience has been

mainstreamed into top-level policy documents.
Pending approval by the Prime Minister, for the first time, the Mekong Delta
will have a regional master plan that places climate adaptation at the forefront.
The new master plan recognizes the interdependence of soil, water, and
climate, while promoting an integrated Delta-wide approach to development.
“Collaboration and coordination are key to securing a prosperous and climate-

resilient future for the Mekong Delta,” said Phuong. “Everyone at every level--
from farm to boardroom, local to central, one province to a sub-region, or the
whole Delta -- has to go beyond their immediate interest and think about the
Delta in broader terms and perspective.”
For farmers in the Delta, like Vuong, adapting is key to his survival.
“I do not want to leave home, I want to grow my family here, like my

grandfather and my father did,” he said.” That means I have to be prepared for
whatever Mother Nature throws at me.”
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2021/10/21/for-mekong-delta-farmers-diversification-is-
the-key-to-climate-resilience
 Commodities
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IN THIS LIST
AGRICULTURE
Chinese rice imports soar as exports hold steady on year

AGRICULTURE | BIOFUELS | GRAINS | ELECTRICITY | ENERGY | COAL | COKING COAL |

EMISSIONS | THERMAL COAL | ELECTRIC POWER | ENERGY TRANSITION | EMISSIONS |
RENEWABLES | LNG | NATURAL GAS | OIL | CRUDE OIL | REFINED PRODUCTS | FUEL OIL |
METALS | PETROCHEMICALS
China power crisis

ENERGY | ELECTRIC POWER
Platts Forward Curves – Gas and Power

GRAINS | CORONAVIRUS | AGRICULTURE
Grains and Oilseeds Conference (Part of Asia Agriculture Week)

ENERGY | OIL | CRUDE OIL
Kuwait says drilling, facilities work underway to reverse declining oil production
capacity

COMMODITIES | AGRICULTURE | GRAINS | ENERGY | NATURAL GAS | OIL | CRUDE OIL |
SHIPPING | CONTAINERS
Commodity Tracker: 5 charts to watch this week
 AGRICULTURE

 21 Oct 2021 | 11:10 UTC
Chinese rice imports soar

as exports hold steady on
year



 AuthorPeter Storey
 EditorJonathan Fox
 CommodityAgriculture




HIGHLIGHTS
Jan-Aug exports hover at 1.69 mil mt, imports shoot up to 3.2 mil mt:
customs data
Import boom comes on back of rising corn, other feed prices: USDA
NGTC old crop paddy auction sales falter amid domestic supply glut
Chinese rice imports over January-August have more than doubled from 1.52
million mt in 2020 to 3.2 million mt in 2021, according to data from Chinese
customs.
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Over the same period, rice exports -- predominantly comprising old crop sales ---
have remained steady year on year at 1.69 million mt. If this trend continues, the
world's largest producer is on course to become a net rice importer for the first time
since 2018.
The reasons for this shift are numerous, stretching beyond rice and into other
commodities, while the consequences of it are far reaching and likely to bolster
Chinese stocks.
Imports surge
Indian rice has come from representing less than 1% of Chinese rice imports in
2020 to representing 23% so far in 2021, making it the largest supplier of rice to
China, according to the US Department of Agriculture, citing Chinese customs
data. India was closely followed by Vietnam at 22% and Pakistan and Myanmar at
20% and 18%, respectively.
The shift in Indian market share is undeniably remarkable but is partially explained
by the recent focus of Chinese demand. The USDA reported that 97% of rice
imports from India over January-August comprised broken rice and that broken rice
comprised around half of total imports, whereas milled rice historically reigned
supreme.
Indian customs data also shows that 114,581 mt of Indian rice was shipped to
China in August. As this rice is unlikely to have reached China that month, it is
reasonable to suspect that it will only be recorded in Chinese import figures later
this year. It also highlights that there are no immediate signs that China's taste for
Indian broken rice is receding.
This demand for broken rice primarily stems from feed demand as prices of other
feed grains, notably corn, have increased. The differentials speak for themselves.
S&P Global Platts delivered Corn CFR North East Asia assessment reached a
2021 high of $349/mt in May, while Platts origin assessment of Indian 100%
broken white rice was assessed at a 2021 low of $270/mt FOB. While this
differential has narrowed to around $50/mt by October, it is clearly still viable for
buyers.
The USDA also points to the substantial dip in Asian origin pricing for whole kernel
rice as a further reason for the uptick in imports. Taking the benchmark Thai 5%
broken white rice as an example, Platts assessment dipped from a 2021 high of
$542/mt FOB in February to a 2021 low of $370/mt FOB in August, a drop of
almost a third. Similar declines were seen in other origins, notably Vietnam.
Concurrently, because of domestic support, even the price of old crop Chinese
paddy is more expensive than most Asian 5% broken white rice varieties on an
FOB basis. In recent National Grain Trade Center old crop paddy auctions, the
average price has typically been recorded around Yuan 2,500/mt, or $391/mt.
In this context, the Chinese tariff rate quota import tax of 1% allows importers to
make substantial profits. One major Singapore-based trader told Platts earlier this
year that "having [an] import quota equals good local margins... like, huge."
Referencing importers' notorious reputation for demanding high quality at low
prices, another Singapore-based trader remarked that "that's why they make big
money."
However, with broken rice prices so favorable, the USDA reported that some
traders "[do] not bother applying" for a quota, opting for out-of-quota imports from
most favored nations, which still only has a 10% import tariff attached.
Stocks likely to spike

In the context of the surge in imports and a dip in domestic prices due to
competition, attempts by China's National Grain Trade Center to release old crop
paddy stocks have hit a brick wall. In September 2020, the NGTC sold 1.3 million
mt of paddy out of a possible 13 million mt. In contrast, this September the NGTC
was only able to sell 22,827 mt out of a possible 7.2 million mt.
Due to China's Golden Week (Oct. 1-7), only one NGTC paddy auction has been
held so far this month. However, only 52 mt was successfully auctioned out of a
staggering 1.8 million mt.
Not surprisingly, sources have referred to a "slump in prices" and remarked that
"prices are quite soft now" in China, with no signs of this changing as harvesting in
the country peaks. Reports of developments to double-cropping rice varieties have
come thick and fast in recent months, with the USDA also recently projecting
Chinese milled rice output in the 2021-22 marketing year (July-June) at 150 million
mt, up 1.1% year on year.
With these developments, it would appear likely there will be more pressure on the
Chinese government to find a way to reduce China's substantial rice stocks other
than through the domestic market. While one of these methods would be to
facilitate further exports, so far this option does not appear to have been capitalized
on.
Exports falter
By August in both 2020 and 2021, exports totaled 1.69 million mt, according to
Chinese customs. While not slipping year on year, 2021's August total was down
18% from 2019's August total.
The USDA relates this to price: "Chinese rice prices seem to have lost their
competitiveness in the global market as international rice prices dropped
significantly in 2021." However, this does not explain why exports dropped so
significantly in 2020. Additionally, Chinese old crop rice is still competitive in most
markets, according to sources.
In the Mediterranean, the price of Chinese old crop has been reported at around
$515-$525/mt CFR Mediterranean ports in recent weeks, far below competition
from European suppliers, much to their concern. For West Africa, the price was
reported at around $475/mt CFR West African ports. While the spread between
China and Asian origins has undeniably narrowed in recent months, Chinese rice
still has the edge on most Asian origin white rice markets in the region by
approximately $10-$40/mt.
It is possible that some West African buyers have switched back to Thai or Indian
rice due to their preference for long grain compared with the Chinese
short/medium grain that is typically supplied as the price spread narrowed.
However, it is much more likely that the pace of exports so far this year has been
determined by China's annual export quota -- decided early in the year -- which
decrees how much old crop is available for export through third party suppliers.
Sources have consistently reported that the Chinese government has been
conservative in its old crop stock releases in the past two years and it shows. But
with the drop in local prices, the continued build-up of stocks in China and the spike
in imports this year, an increase in China's 2022 export quota is looking
increasingly logical and possibly necessary.
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BPCL expects India's fuel ethanol consumption to rise 1 bil liters on year in 2021-22

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 AGRICULTURE

 21 Oct 2021 | 13:06 UTC
BPCL expects India's fuel

ethanol consumption to
rise 1 bil liters on year in
2021-22



 AuthorSampad Nandy
 EditorHaripriya Banerjee
 CommodityAgriculture




HIGHLIGHTS
Fuel ethanol consumption pegged to reach 3 bil liters in MY 2020-21
India allowed maize, rice to be used for ethanol production in June
India's fuel ethanol consumption is likely to increase by around 1 billion liters year
on year to 4 billion liters in marketing year 2021-22 (December-November),
Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. Arun Kumar
Singh said at the India Energy Forum by CERAWeek on Oct. 21.
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For MY 2020-21, the use of fuel ethanol is pegged to be around 3 billion liters,
Singh said.
According to S&P Global Platts Analytics, India's fuel ethanol consumption is

expected to reach nearly 3 billion liters in 2022 and 3.2 billion liters in 2023. It had
projected India's ethanol consumption at 2.7 billion liters in 2021.
India plans to achieve equal quantity of fuel ethanol production from sugarcane
and food grains and has allowed grain-based distilleries to be set up across the
country, Singh said.
As part of its drive to achieve a blending target of 20% by 2025, the government
had in June this year allowed rice and maize to be used for producing ethanol.
However, it is unlikely that a high volume of ethanol can be derived from grains
during the current MY 2021-22, industry participants said.
In MY 2020-21, India is expected to produce around 2.9 billion liters of ethanol
from sugarcane and 42 million liters from grains, according to a report from the
national thinktank National Institute for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog.
India, which imports around 85% of its fuel needs, has been looking at ways to
raise ethanol blending particularly to reduce its reliance on imports and give its
agricultural sector a boost.
A successful E-20 program can save the country $4 billion annually, according to a
NITI Aayog report.
India is a net importer of ethanol and bought around 722 million liters of the fuel in
2020, mostly from the US, according to latest data from the commerce ministry.
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https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/agriculture/102121-bpcl-expects-
indias-fuel-ethanol-consumption-to-rise-1-bil-liters-on-year-in-2021-22
Next president must reverse worsening food insufficiency, agri groups

say
Dawn Peña October 22, 2021 0 Comment 2022 elections, food sufficiency

By DAWN CECILIA PEÑA
Market Watch
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Farmers and consumer groups called on those aspiring to be
president in the next year’s elections to prioritize addressing the worsening
hunger and food insecurity in their platforms, adding that the policies under
President Duterte that allowed these must be reversed.
“A lot of Filipinos have nothing to eat, as well as food producers. We are
fighting against the intensified importation of rice, fish, vegetables, meat, and
instead develop local production. We are challenging those who will run in
the elections, that if they win, they should make laws and policies for the
benefit of farmers and poor consumers. We will remain vigilant because most
of those who are running come from the elite, bureaucrat capitalists, and
landlords,” said women farmers group Amihan secretary-general Cathy
Estavillo.
Read: Carinderia vendors and workers lean on each other as food crisis
looms
Amihan, consumer group Bantay Bigas, and farmers group Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said in separate statements that those running for
public offices must provide solutions to the ongoing crisis in the food and
agriculture sector.
“Public servants especially at the national level must address the most basic
need of Filipinos – food. Yet, most presidentiables remain silent on food self-
sufficiency. The next president needs to reverse Duterte’s legacy of worse
food importation and hunger,” said KMP national chairperson Danilo Ramos.
Importation
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, KMP said 24.9 percent,
or one out of four, of the country’s food supply in 2020 is imported. This is
three points higher than the 2015 average of 21.56 percent, before the Duterte
presidency.
Read: Agri stakeholders urge gov’t to support Filipino farmers amid massive
smuggling, importation issues
“Duterte favored importers and real estate tycoons, leaving local food
producers to fend for themselves. This regime institutionalized unlimited rice
importation, ramped-up land conversion, and chronically deprived agriculture
of sufficient public funds, among others,” continued Ramos.
He referred to the Rice Liberalization Law implemented in 2018, which
removed quantitative restrictions on imported rice, as well as the Department
of Agrarian Reform’s Administrative Order No. 1 of 2019, which hastened
land conversion into non-agricultural uses.
“Instead of recalibrating and aggressively supporting local food production,
neoliberal economic managers doubled down on its failed policies during the
pandemic and pushed for more and more imports,” Ramos said.
Read: Under Duterte, farmers see staggering decline in rice production
The present range of prices is costly to minimum wage-earning families or
poor consumers, especially when the Duterte government-imposed repeated
lockdowns causing job interruptions and losses of livelihood sources.
Unemployment
Access to food is far more pronounced now, with the massive unemployment
in the middle of a pandemic. As it stands, the Philippines is among the three
Southeast Asian countries that have the sharpest declines in employment
from 2019 to 2020, with the government’s own data stating that
unemployment grew by 1.5 million to a high of 3.9 million in August 2021
from pre-pandemic January 2020.
Read: Small businesses appeal for government support amid pandemic
challenges
Read: #UndoingDuterte | Food remains out of reach for the poor
In a statement, thinktank Ibon Foundation said government data showed that
over 19 million or more Filipinos take in more than one job to make ends
meet. This does not include millions hired by private enterprises. The number
of part-time workers also spiked by a huge 2.7 million to 16.1 million.
“As a result, it projects that less people in the region will escape poverty in
2021, and that more than 90 percent of those who will stay poor will come
from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar,” said Ibon.
Agenda-setting
Estavillo said those running for national office must provide clear solutions
on how to attain self-sufficiency and food security in the country.
“Increasing food importation paves the way for increase food smuggling. All
these lead to more income losses for farmers, leading to less food production
and worse hunger for every Filipino. Food self-sufficiency is in the interest of
the whole nation and 2022 aspirants must dedicate more attention to it,”
Ramos said.
Meanwhile, Ibon maintained that the Duterte administration should
immediately provide emergency assistance to 18 million poor and low-
income families. IBON proposes that each household receive P10,000 ($197)
per month for at least two to three months.
“More ayuda has to be immediately given to millions of poor and vulnerable
families to ensure that everyone has economic access to food. Domestic
agricultural production also has to be supported to strengthen food security,”
Ibon reiterated.
The group also suggested that Congress can approve the Makabayan bloc’s
proposed amendments to the 2022 budget for economic stimulus which
includes P240 billion ($4.7 billion) for P10,000 ($197) cash assistance to
families and P100 billion ($1.9 billion) for unemployment subsidies and
direct financial assistance.
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Books & artsOct 23rd 2021 edition
Endangered foods
Human diets are becoming less diverse, a new book warns
Dan Saladino tells delicious tales of rare foods and the people
trying to save them
Oct 23rd 2021




Eating to Extinction. By Dan Saladino. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 464 pages; $26.99.
Jonathan Cape; £25
The french eat foie gras, the Icelandic devour hakarl (fermented fish with an aroma of urine),
Americans give thanks by baking tinned pumpkin in a pie. The range of human foods is not just
a source of epicurean joy but a reflection of ecological and anthropological variety—the
consequence of tens of thousands of years of parallel yet independent cultural evolution.
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Conservation by eliminating human presence is a
flawed construct: study
by Latoya Abulu on 22 October 2021
 A new study argues that the concept of a “pristine wilderness” that’s free from human
inhabitants is a failing Eurocentric concept that may be used to expand conservation
areas, a concern the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and the environment
reiterates in a policy brief about the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
 Researchers say the concept doesn’t reflect the reality of how high-value biodiversity
hotspots have operated and been shaped by human presence for millennia.
 The displacement of Indigenous peoples and local communities from such landscapes
for conservation purposes may have adverse impacts on the ecosystem’s integrity and
lead to the degradation of biodiversity.
“Pristine wilderness” — a natural zone free of people — as a conservation idea is an

erroneous construct, a new study says. It fails to reflect the reality of how many high-
value biodiverse landscapes have operated for millennia. Contrary to widespread
opinion, enforcing this concept can lead to the environmental degradation of these
areas when their human inhabitants, such as Indigenous peoples and local
communities living sustainably in these zones, are displaced from them, the study
says.
In their paper published October 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences, the authors make the case that a “pristine wilderness” where rich
biodiverse forests continue to thrive without humans present is a Eurocentric
construct. It emerged during the Enlightenment period in the West and was later
imposed on Indigenous peoples and local communities the world over as they were
displaced from their ancestral lands. This idea gained particular traction during
European colonial and conservation efforts in the 19 th and 20th centuries across the
Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific and Australia, and may be experiencing a particular
resurgence today among large international conservation organisations,
philanthropists, foundations, and certain governments.
A high-profile case that may be giving renewed salience to this idea is the Post-2020
Global Biodiversity Framework’s draft target 3, which highlights the importance of
preserving at least 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by the year 2030. Historically
such territorial preservation has been achieved by establishing exclusionary
conservation areas, notably national parks. Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars
and human rights organizations say the creation of such conservation areas will lead
to the continued displacement and abuse of Indigenous peoples and local
communities if it’s framed in the Eurocentric concept of creating a “pristine
wilderness,” a system also dubbed “fortress conservation,” where human inhabitants
are seen as a liability.
“Fortress conservation is motivated by the mistaken belief that successful
conservation outcomes require ‘pristine wilderness’ free from human inhabitants,”
David R. Boyd, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on human rights and the environment,
writes in his policy brief on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
“Mounting evidence confirms that Indigenous Peoples and other rural rights holders
possess the knowledge and ability necessary to successfully conserve and manage
biodiverse ecosystems more effectively than governments and at a fraction of the
cost, particularly where their rights are recognised, respected and supported.”
Bonda Adivasi women in Jalaput, Odisha. “Indigenous Peoples and other rural rights holders
possess the knowledge and ability necessary to successfully conserve and manage biodiverse
ecosystems more effectively than governments and at a fraction of the cost.” Photo by Ganta
Srinivas/Pexels.
Separating humans from nature

The idea that natural wilderness areas should be sanitized of any kind of human
presence stems from the Enlightenment theory that sought to release humankind
from the binds of religion and other subjective cultural influences, and showcase an
objective human isolated from the surrounding world. In doing so, however, this
process created a whole new “religious” idea of human beings as separate from
nature, while its exclusion of other beliefs narrowed the possibilities and solutions
that could be used to address our environmental crises — notably Indigenous
traditional knowledge.
The result is the now familiar binary of humans versus wilderness, with the former
seen as a civilized entity and the latter, an untamed, primitive, wild space. As this
concept evolved over the centuries, it fed the notion that humans could tame and
conquer nature — and, by extension, “uncivilized” Indigenous peoples — without
any adverse impacts on the humans that were tied to it.
For the authors of the new study, the underlining issue is that, at its core, this
construct isn’t in touch with the reality of how many ecosystems operate and how
high-value biodiverse landscapes are continuously preserved by human
stewardship.
Children from the Toda community in the Nilgiris. Photo by Indianature SG/Flickr.
Certain ecosystems as “historical products”

Tropical forests, such as the Amazon, are often showcased as the last key
biodiversity hotspots that were in place prior to human contact. However, more than
half of the spatial landscape of the Amazon has seen and lived along with human
activity over the last 10,000 years, to the extent that the region is shaped by it.
The forests are the center of the domestication of more than 80 crop species, such
as cassava (Manihot esculenta), wild rice (Oryza spp.), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea),
and chili (Capsicum baccatum). Agroforestry and the cultivation of maize began
around 6,300 years ago and intensified more than 1,000 years later. This
domestication and cultivation actively produced human-generated organic soils
called Amazonian dark earth that now extend across a significant part of the
Amazon and support the “distinct human-modified forests” and their diversity.
“This has influenced forest composition to such an extent that much of the forest is
disproportionately rich in domesticated species,” the paper says.
Agroforestry cultivation practices, called chagra by Indigenous communities such as

the Nonuya, Andoque and Ceima Chacivera in the northwestern Colombian
Amazon, have been shown to lead to “diverse and highly dynamic landscapes” that
are largely in line with forest cover thresholds set by the Food and Agriculture
Organization and the Kyoto Protocol.
Maps detail how much of the “wild” hotspots of the Amazon are actually the
ancestral territories of Indigenous communities that have lived, hunted, gathered
and cultivated there for millennia. Most areas that aren’t Indigenous territories are
areas containing either the predicted human-generated soils, domesticated plants,
or earthworks.
In the case of another biodiversity hotspot, Southeast Asia and New Guinea,
humans have been hunting and using horticulture techniques, such as swidden,
for more than 40,000 years. A technique of rotational agriculture used sustainably in
the highlands, it requires clearing a strip of forest by cutting down trees and burning
them to have land to cultivate for a short period. The land is then returned to the
forests as the farmers shift to another strip of land.
Sustainable swidden agriculture is often lumped together with the encroachment of

farms on forests, giving it the name “slash and burn.” Certain large conservation
organizations and the REDD+ program see it as “incompatible with nature and
conservation” or having degraded the “pristine ecology of tropical forests.”
However, today, swidden agriculture supports more than 14 million highlanders in
the Southeast Asia and New Guinea region, and paleo-ecological research has
demonstrated how it may increase landscape-scale biodiversity and forest resilience
to climate change.
“Despite long being cultivated, these highland zones capture some of the most
biologically, linguistically, and culturally diverse zones on earth,” the paper says.
An agroforestry system with trees, crops, horticultural crops, livestock and a farmer’s
home. Photo by World Agroforestry Centre/Devashree Nayak/Flickr.
Swidden in Arunachal Pradesh. Swidden agriculture, also known as shifting cultivation or jhum in
India, is commonly practised in northeast India. Sustainable swidden agriculture i
s ofte lump d together with the encroachment of far
Ecological functions performed by people

Removing humans from these zones that they have co-evolved with and shaped
may degrade the ecosystem’s health by removing the human drivers they have
come to depend on. A case study focuses on what occurred in Australia from the
1960s to the 1980s. After displacing the Aboriginal inhabitants, who consist of the
world’s oldest continuous culture, from the tropical deserts, savanna and forests
around the western deserts, uncontrolled wildfires and an erosion of the region’s
biodiversity ensued.
According to researchers, the culprit was the lack of humans to perform low-intensity
patch burning and hunting. Patch burning diminishes the intensity and destruction of
wildfires on flora and fauna through controlled burns, while hunting balances
species’ populations. The lack of patch burning in the region helped precipitate the
decline and endangerment of many species in the western deserts, including
keystone species such as the sand monitor lizard (Varanus gouldii).
“Long-term, multidisciplinary data from all three biomes indicate the long, continuing
legacies of humans in shaping these supposedly ‘wild’ landscapes, ranging from
food tree manipulation in the Australian Wet Tropics, to the construction of place-
based societies across the Western Deserts,” the paper says.
Aboriginal notions imagine a “pristine wilderness” to be one that is, in fact,

ecologically degraded without the presence of humans. This illustrates how the
concept of “fortress conservation” doesn’t take into account the environmental
necessities of various different ecosystems to maintain their integrity.
The co-evolution between people and place, between managed forests and the
cultural, spiritual and economic needs of Indigenous peoples and local communities,
occurred over millennia. Displacing humans from their lands to create “pristine”
conservation areas not only entails human rights violations and social conflicts over
territory, but may erode the biodiversity of ecosystems that co-exist with human
intervention while impeding conservation efforts by ignoring Indigenous traditional
knowledge of forest management.
Boyd, the U.N. special rapporteur, highlights multiple recommendations for the post-
2020 global biodiversity targets to avoid continuing on the same failing conservation
path of separating humans from nature, and encourages embarking on a
transformative path that puts rights-based approaches at the heart of biodiversity
conservation.
“Accelerated efforts to expand protected areas have proven insufficient to stop or
even slow the tidal wave of environmental destruction sweeping the planet,” Boyd
says. “Indigenous Peoples and other rural rights holders who successfully steward
vast portions of the world’s biodiversity [are] vital conservation partners whose
human, land, and resource rights must be recognized and respected if biodiversity
loss is to be stopped and reversed.”
Read more: Conservation benefits humans and wildlife in Bihar’s

Valmiki Tiger Reserve
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and the shackles of wilderness. Proceedings of the National Academy of
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Oldekop, J. A., Holmes, G., Harris, W. E., & Evans, K. L. (2015). A global

assessment of the social and conservation outcomes of protected
areas. Conservation Biology, 30(1), 133-141. doi:10.1111/cobi.12568
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Handley, J. (2020). The origins of Amazonian landscapes: Plant cultivation,
domestication and the spread of food production in tropical South
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World tropics. Current Anthropology, 52(S4), S453-S470. doi:10.1086/659998
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lowland Amazonia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 141, 52-64.
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Mongeló, G., & Eyjolfsdottir, M. B. (2015). Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of
ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia. Frontiers in Ecology and
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The ‘human revolution’ in lowland tropical Southeast Asia: The antiquity and
behavior of anatomically modern humans at Niah Cave (Sarawak, Borneo). Journal
of Human Evolution, 52(3), 243-261. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.08.011
Mertz, O., Leisz, S. J., Heinimann, A., Rerkasem, K., Thiha, Dressler, W., …

Potter, L. (2009). Who counts? Demography of swidden cultivators in Southeast
Asia. Human Ecology, 37(3), 281-289. doi:10.1007/s10745-009-9249-y
Bliege Bird, R., Bird, D. W., Fernandez, L. E., Taylor, N., Taylor, W., & Nimmo, D.

(2018). Aboriginal burning promotes fine-scale pyrodiversity and native predators in
Australia’s Western Desert. Biological Conservation, 219, 110-118.
doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.008
Crabtree, S. A., Bird, D. W., & Bliege Bird, R. (2019). Subsistence transitions and

the simplification of ecological networks in the Western Desert of Australia. Human
Ecology, 47(2), 165-177. doi:10.1007/s10745-019-0053-z
Bliege Bird, R., Tayor, N., Codding, B. F., & Bird, D. W. (2013). Niche construction

and dreaming logic: Aboriginal patch mosaic burning and varanid lizards (Varanus
gouldii) in Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 280(1772), 20132297. doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2297
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Banner image: People in Sundarbans catching small crabs in mangrove. Photo by

Amit Ghosh/Wikimedia Commons.
Article published by nandithachandraprakash
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Why does India recognize Tibet as China's part? China’s brazen claim on Indian territories from
Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh and time & again pre-planned objections on visits of Indian
dignitaries is not new. By : Sentinel Digital Desk Published : 21 Oct 2021 10:00 AM | Updated :
21 Oct 2021 10:00 AM 2 Er Prabhat Kishore (prabhatkishore65@gmail.com) China's brazen
claim on Indian territories from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh and time & again pre-planned
objections on visits of Indian dignitaries is not new. China's propaganda Cell do this just to keep
the matter alive. Recently, China has objected to Vice President's visit to Arunachal Pradesh
and repeated its previous parrot-type crying comment treating the state as part of South Tibet
although, the world never expects countries like China & Pakistan to respect the territories of
neighbouring countries. But even more surprising is the policy of the Indian Government. If
China has not recognized the existing & integral parts of the Indian territories and openly
claimed them; why has India recognized the illegally invaded Tibet regions? If China is
incorporating Indian territories in its official maps, why is India lagging by not including Tibetan
territories in its map as an independent nation or an associate State? Tibet was an independent
nation with having rich cultural & political relationship with India. Tibetans are the descendants
of Rupati, the Kaurav military general in the Mahabharat era. As Tibet itself is not a part of
China; then how does it claim the Indian territories, which exist across Tibet? India has a
diplomatic mission in Lhasa, which was downgraded into a consulate general in 1952 and
eventually closed after the 1962 war. Tibet's independence from Chinese paunch is in the
interest of Indian border security, territorial peace and saving of huge military expenditures.
Before the year 1950, Indian forces were deputed in Tibet to guard the trade routes. In 1950,
the newly established Chinese Communist regime invaded Tibet to make it a permanent part of
China, which allowed it to militarize the strategically important boundaries with Bharat. It is a
historical fact that one month before his death, Sardar Patel, in his letter from a hospital bed on
7th November 1950, has cautioned Nehru & the nation regarding Chinese intervention in Tibet
and the security of Indo-Tibet borders. His prophetic letter quotes "The Tibetan put faith in us;
they chose to be guided by us, and we have been unable to get them out of the meshes of
Chinese diplomacy and Chinese malevolence. In the north and north-east, Communist China
has definite ambitions & aims, which does not seem friendly disposed towards us. Hence we
have to build military policy regarding Chinese threat to India " But after his death, Nehru and
his Comrades refused to see the writing on the walls for more than one decade until in 1962
Chinese invaders, famous as the People's Liberation Army (PLA), booted sleepy India. In the
1950s, India was a strong advocate for entry of the newly emerged Peoples Republic of China
(PRC) led by Mao in United Nations & on Permanent Seat of Security Council, which was at that
time occupied by the Republic of China (Taiwan) led by Chiang Kai Shek. The United States &
other western countries were instrumental in denying the UN seat to Mao's PRC. Blinded by
dark ideological lenses, the then Indian government refused to see the real face of Mao's
Communist China. On one hand, PLA troops were busy rampaging Tibet, on the other hand, the
Congress Government was supplying thousands of tonnes of rice to Lhasa at the request of the
Chinese government, which was utilized by the invading troops. Initially, to set the foot of China
in Tibet, the political leaderships of Congress and Communists were responsible. It is said that
those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. India's recognition of Chinese sovereignty
over Tibet was the biggest security blunder. A sizable section of Indian Communists was so
mad to march on China's ideology that after the Chinese betrayal attack on India in 1962, they
did not even condemn their spiritual country and later on formed pro-Chinese new political outfit
CPI (Marxist) in 1964. Today's generation is unaware of the fact that there is an Indian territory
"Manesar" near Kailash Parvat and surrounded by Tibetan territories, which has been a part of
Ladakh. After the accession of Tibet, this area has also been grabbed by China; but neither the
Central government nor any political & social organization even raised the issue in the
international forum. The Indian Government must incorporate this historic territory in the official
map. China is a land-grabbing country and has not invaded only India's 38000 sq km territories,
but has either encroached or claimed parts of 18 neighbouring nations. Hence, there should be
foolproof security preparation at every inch of the border and Indian political & social leaders
should have constant touch with their natives. Nothing is going to happen with fruitless unending
talks and China & Pakistan are not going to return to the invaded Indian territories in hospitality
like a cup of tea. An effective policy for all Actual International Border regions is the need of the
hour, which should include some essential military training to the natives as well as settling
down of retired army men. To counter Chinese day-to-day wrongdoings for Indian territories,
India should adopt the tit-for-tat strategy and derecognize Tibet as a Chinese part and treat it as
a buffer State with the name "Chinese Occupied Tibet (COT)" on the tune of "Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir (POK)". Accordingly, the official Indian map should be modified aligning
forgotten "Manesar" too. The root of the problem is that countries like China, Pakistan act, but
India only reacts. It is a historical fact that whenever Indian rulers adopted offensive policy, they
ruled almost all the present-day neighbouring countries; but when they went on the defensive,
internal as well external forces overpowered them. For the sovereignty of the country, India will
have to move forward with Patel's Offensive strategy instead of Nehru's Defensive approach
prevailing.
https://www.sentinelassam.com/editorial/why-does-india-recognize-tibet-as-chinas-part-
559683
Is Brown Rice Healthy, and

Should You Choose It Over
White Rice? Here's What a
Nutritionist Says
These are the top nutritional benefits of brown rice to keep in mind.
By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RDOctober 20, 2021
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you
make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
ADVERTISEMENT
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As a nutritionist, many of my clients tell me they've heard they should choose brown
rice over white rice. Indeed, brown rice is a nutrient-rich source of energizing carbs
that's widely considered the more healthful option. But why is that the case? Here's
what you should know about brown rice, including its nutritional value; health
benefits; and ways to incorporate it into meals, snacks, and even desserts.
Brown rice vs white rice

Brown rice is a whole grain. A grain is considered to be 'whole' if its three original
parts—the bran, germ, and endosperm—stay intact. A grain's bran is its fibrous outer
skin. The germ is its embryo, which has the potential to sprout into a new plant. The
endosperm is the germ's starchy food supply.
Since brown rice keeps all of the original parts, it provides more than twice as much
ﬁber compared to its white counterpart. That's because white rice is not a whole grain;
it's refined, meaning the bran and germ are stripped away, leaving only the
endosperm. As a whole grain, brown rice also packs higher levels of essential
nutrients.
RELATED: Is White Rice Healthy? Here's What a Nutritionist Says

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Brown rice nutrition

One cup of cooked long-grain brown rice contains 248 calories, 5.5 grams of protein,
52 grams of carbohydrate with 3 grams as fiber, and less than 2 grams of fat,
according to the US Department of Agriculture database. Brown rice is also naturally
rich in vitamins and minerals. That same portion, about the size of a tennis ball, packs
88% of the daily need for manganese, a mineral needed for immune function, collagen
production, and strong bones, and over 20% of the daily need for magnesium,
required for muscle and nerve function, DNA production, and regulation of blood
sugar and blood pressure. Cooked brown rice also supplies between 10% and 27% of
the daily goal for selenium, copper, phosphorus, and several B vitamins, other
essential nutrients needed for optimal health.
This hearty whole grain is also bursting with health-protective antioxidants. A
2018 study published in the journal Antioxidants concluded that brown rice contains
many types of phenolic compounds. This common antioxidant group is known to
protect cells against damage linked to a greater risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer,
and heart disease.
Blood sugar regulation

Eating brown rice has been shown to result in better post-meal blood sugar control in
people with diabetes and may even help prevent type 2 diabetes. Several studies have
also found that replacing white rice with brown rice can reduce the risk of type 2
diabetes. The effects are attributed to the grain's fiber, slow-burning starch, nutrients,
and antioxidants, as well as its ability to help feed beneficial bacteria in the gut, such
as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are tied to diabetes and obesity
prevention.
RELATED: 8 Awesome Whole Grains You're Not Eating
Heart health
In one study, scientists looked at the effect of brown rice consumption on
inflammatory markers and heart risk factors in 40 non-menopausal women who were
overweight or obese. The volunteers were asked to consume about 5 ounces of either
cooked brown or white rice for six weeks, with a two-week wash out period before
switching to the other rice type. Researchers found that that the consumption of brown
rice significantly reduced inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, as well
as other heart risk factors. Another study in healthy female university students found
that eating brown rice as a staple for 10 weeks improved general health and prevented
high cholesterol, which reduces overall heart disease risk.
Weight management
In addition to cardiovascular protection, the aforementioned study on inflammatory
markers also found that brown rice consumption improved weight, body mass index,
and waist measurements among the women in the study. Other research has shown
that brown rice may help stave off weight gain. A 2019 study among Japanese
workers concluded that over the course of one year, white rice eaters gained over six
pounds while brown rice eaters did not gain weight. Further studies show that whole
grains, including brown rice, reduce calorie absorption due to their fiber content and
improve calorie burning, two additional factors that positively impact weight
management.
Brown rice and arsenic

One concern about brown rice consumption is levels of arsenic, a contaminant linked
to potential health risks, including adverse pregnancy outcomes and certain cancers.
But arsenic risks due to rice consumption of any kind are difficult to assess, according
to a study published in Current Environmental Health Reports. Researchers point out
that the association between rice consumption and health outcomes is complicated by
several factors. These include populations with differing rice consumption patterns
relative to their total caloric intake and widely varying amounts of arsenic in water
used to cook rice, which makes the risk from rice itself difficult to tease out.
Currently, consuming brown rice in moderation, as one of several sources of whole

food carbohydrates, is one way to reduce possible arsenic exposure. A
2021 study found that partially boiling brown rice can remove up to 54% of unwanted
heavy metals like arsenic. This method outperforming soaking or rinsing and was also
shown to help preserve nutrients such as zinc.
RELATED: Is Chipotle Healthy? Here's What a Nutritionist Says

Healthful ways to eat more brown
rice
Brown rice is incredibly versatile and can be incorporated into nearly any meal. To
make a breakfast porridge, flavor the rice with plant-based milk and a touch of maple
syrup and cinnamon, and then top with nuts. Add veggies and brown rice to omelets
and frittatas. Add brown rice to soups, chili, jambalaya, tacos, and casseroles.
Incorporate it into salads or grain bowls, along with leafy greens, other veggies, and
lean protein, drizzled with sauces like seasoned tahini, vegan pesto, or guacamole.
Serve brown rice with stir fries, and opt for brown rice sushi. Incorporate it into
veggie burgers, stuffed cabbage and bell peppers, and lettuce wraps. Brown rice can
also make its way into desserts, including pudding, toasted brown rice ice cream,
cookies, and bars.
Other forms of the grain are also readily available. Add puffed brown rice to dark
chocolate and other sweet treats, and swap wheat flour for brown rice flour in baking
and cooking. Plain sprouted brown rice protein powder is a great option for smoothies
or to bolster the protein content of pancakes, mashed cauliflower, or blended soups.
Here are a few of the brown rice-based items I enjoy:
 Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice Cereal ($6; amazon.com)

 Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour (11; amazon.com)
 Naked Rice - Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder ($75; amazon.com)
Bottom line
Brown rice is a filling, nutrient-rich whole grain that's naturally gluten-free and
versatile. If you're trying to decide between white and brown rice, consider reaching
for the brown to up your intake of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and to
potentially reduce disease risk. In my experience, many people end up developing a
preference for brown rice over white due to its slightly nutty flavor and hearty texture.
Just keep in mind that, like any food, you can't eat unlimited amounts. Combine
moderate portions of brown rice with other whole foods to take advantage of its
benefits and best optimize your overall nutrient and calorie intake.
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, is Health's contributing nutrition editor, a New York
Times best-selling author, and a private practice performance nutritionist who has
consulted for five professional sports teams.
To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy
Living newsletter
https://www.health.com/nutrition/is-brown-rice-healthy
Plant immunity: Balancing disease resistance with reproduction

Zhu Yuting
20:16 UTC+8, 2021-10-20
After researching for 15 years and analyzing more than 3,000 rice varieties,
Chinese scientists revealed the novel mechanism involved in rice's defense
against pathogens in the leading worldwide journal Cell, said the Center for
Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Rice grain yield and quality are severely affected by various diseases; thus a
major goal of rice breeding is to achieve broad-spectrum disease resistance
without a reduction in yield.
The research team, led by He Zuhua, has made a great breakthrough regarding
the molecular mechanisms that coordinate rice disease resistance and growth
fitness.
They have discovered for the first time a novel calcium sensor, named ROD1
(resistance of rice to diseases 1), that balances rice immune homeostasis and
inflorescence meristem growth. The mutation of ROD1 provides broad-
spectrum resistance to fungal rice blast, sheath blight and bacterial blight. The
identification of ROD1 may provide a possible solution for breeding disease
resistance and protect crop yield in the future.
Their further analysis showed that natural ROD1 variance also exhibits
enhanced resistance to rice sheath blight, one of major rice diseases in China,
suggesting that ROD1 plays a fundamental role in controlling rice immunity.
The study reveals the plant host-pathogen convergence on immune

suppression. ROD1 allows for both disease resistance and reproductive
development, suggesting a new strategy for crop breeding, and it also provides
evidence supporting the co-evolution between pathogen evolution and plant
immune mechanisms.
Ti Gong
A diagram about rice immunity.
Ti Gong
Professor He Zuhua conducts an experiment in a rice paddy.

Source: SHINE Editor: Cai Wenjun
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https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2110206747/
The Logical Indian Crew India More Vulnerable To Heat Extremities: Lancet Study Writer:
Madhusree Goswami India, 21 Oct 2021 4:06 PM Editor : Snehadri Sarkar | Creatives :
Madhusree Goswami The "2021 report on health and climate change: code red for a healthy
future" pointed out that between 2018 and 2019, India and Brazil registered the biggest absolute
increase in heat-related mortality. India has become 15 per cent more vulnerable to extremes of
heat than in 1990, according to the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, a flagship
report of the medical journal The Lancet. The "2021 report on health and climate change: code
red for a healthy future" pointed out that between 2018 and 2019, India and Brazil registered the
biggest absolute increase in heat-related mortality. Almost 3.45 lakh people above 65 years died
of heat-related causes in 2019, more than 80·6 per cent of the 2000-05 average, in an indication
of the health impact of climate change, reported The Indian Express. Among the age groups, in
2020, the elderly (over 65) were affected by 3.1 billion more days of heatwave exposure,
compared to the 1986-2005 baseline average. Chinese, Indian, American, Japanese and
Indonesian senior citizens were the most affected, the report stated. Impact On Productivity The
report noted that 295 billion hours of potential work were lost across the globe in 2020 due to
heat. The three most populous countries in the medium-HDI (Human Development Index) group
(Pakistan, Bangladesh and India) had the greatest losses among this group (2.5-3 times the
world average). Impact On Food Production Climate change is responsible for an increase in the
frequency, intensity and duration of drought events, thereby causing a threat to water security,
sanitation, and food productivity, with 19 per cent of the global land surface in 2020 affected by
extreme drought in any given month, the report added. In 2020, up to 19 per cent of the global
land surface was affected by extreme drought in any given month, a value that had not
exceeded 13 per cent between 1950 and 1999. Rising temperatures shorten the time in which
plants reach maturity, meaning smaller yields and an increased strain on our food systems.
Maize has seen a 6 per cent decrease in crop yield potential, wheat a 3 per cent decrease and
rice a 1.8 per cent decrease, compared to 1981-2010 levels. Also Read: Rape Victim's Sexual
History Not Ground To Absolve The Accused: Why Kerala HC's Recent Verdict Is Important?
#PoweredByYouWe bring you news and stories that are worth your attention! Stories that are
relevant, reliable, contextual and unbiased. If you read us, watch us, and like what we do, then
show us some love! Good journalism is expensive to produce and we have come this far only
with your support. Keep encouraging independent media organisations and independent
journalists. We always want to remain answerable to you and not to anyone else. ₹ 390 ₹ 890 ₹
1290 ContributorsSuggest Correction Writer : Madhusree Goswami , Editor : Snehadri Sarkar ,
Creatives : Madhusree Goswami Write Feedback
https://thelogicalindian.com/trending/india-more-vulnerable-to-heat-extremities-lancet-
study-31382https://thelogicalindian.com/trending/india-more-vulnerable-to-heat-extremities-
lancet-study-31382
Man puts pregnant wife on

‘bland’ diet so she’ll lose weight
after giving birth
todayuknews2 days ago
4 minutes read
A man is being slammed online after confessing he’d put his wife on a bland vegan diet
during her pregnancy so that she’ll ‘lose water weight’ following the birth
The man is facing criticism online for policing his wife’s diet (
Image: Getty Images)

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It’s no secret that how women treat their bodies during pregnancy is incredibly important,
from the foods they consume to the way in which they sleep in bed. It’s all a bit of a
minefield, to be honest.
But, while everyone wants to ensure the pregnant women in their lives are living as healthily
and peacefully as possible, one man has come under fire after revealing he’d put his
expecting wife on a diet.
The man, who works as a nutritionist, said his wife is five months pregnant, and is suffering
with extreme sickness and nausea, so his mum has moved in with them temporarily to care
for his wife.
The mum-to-be has been suffering with horrendous sickness

(
Image:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“She’s being made to eat only green leafy vegetables, other veggies, rice, Indian flatbread,
lentils and curd. My mum makes bland food for her since she’s unable to keep anything
down and she’s also very strict about my wife not eating too much oil, sweets, junk etc,” the
man explained on Reddit’s Am I The A**hole forum.
He went on to say that he still cooks meals containing meat, eggs and spices for himself and
his mum, while his mum takes care of the chores in the household.
However, things recently came to a head when the man’s wife told him she was fed up of
eating plain, bland food and asked if he would join her in her regimental diet so she doesn’t
feel alone during her pregnancy.
For more of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our
daily newsletters here.
Woman with the ‘world’s smallest bump’ was accused of faking pregnancy
‘My wife won’t let me hold our newborn – I’m losing out on precious bonding time’
“I refused because I prefer animal protein over plant protein. I however told her that I’d stop
eating junk foods, sweets, etc,” the man added. “She is now mad at me and is saying that
I’m selfish for not even sacrificing my current food habits for her.”
In the comments section, many people questioned who advised him that his wife should
only be eating bland foods, to which he said the purpose of the diet was to help her lose
water weight following the birth.
“Usually Indians don’t give nursing women very spicy, sweet food as that apparently hinders
water weight loss,” he explained. “They also tie a cloth tightly around the tummy after birth.
Those are just Indian methods of carrying for nursing and pregnant women.”
It’s fair to say that people were not happy to learn the man was forcing his wife to stick to a
bland diet in order to lose weight, with many Indian people commenting to say it’s not part
of their culture.
“I’m literally desi. No one in my family does that. It’s super f***ed up that you police
everything she eats like that,” one Reddit user commented.
Another added: “I’m literally in healthcare in Pakistan. People like you are the bane of every
doctor here’s existence because we’re stuck explaining for hours to know it alls who think
their myths are more correct than our five years of med-school.
“They don’t care how much they’re hurting their pregnant wives because ‘ammi jee ne kaha
tha’ (mummy said so.)”
https://todayuknews.com/uk-news/man-puts-pregnant-wife-on-bland-diet-so-shell-lose-weight-after-
giving-birth/
After COVID-19 shock, mill construction takes off
Coopavel Cooperativa Agroindustrial added a second milling line to its flour mill in Brazil with
equipment supplied by Sangati Berga. Photo courtesy of Sangati Berga.
10.21.2021
By Susan Reidy
After overcoming the initial impacts of COVID-19, the milling industry quickly realized
the importance of food security during a pandemic and started investing again in
expansions and new projects.
“2020 was most certainly an extraordinary year and we have seen investor hesitation
due to COVID-19,” said one supplier who participated in World Grain’s annual survey of
the international milling industry’s equipment and service providers. “The world was in
deep shock but soon we all came to realize the importance of food security. We have
started to discuss the investment opportunities for different regions.”
The food industry, including wheat mills in general, were not as affected as other
sectors by COVID-19, said another supplier.
“In many cases the production and demand for their products actually increased, so
demand for our equipment and services increased to an extent,” the supplier said.
Travel restrictions have impacted project commissioning teams, another supplier said.
But the company still has 50 projects in the pipeline on four continents.
“Amidst lockdowns, travel restrictions, and significant health risks worldwide, we not
only kept our ongoing projects on track but also undertook new projects and ultimately
managed to complete them all as promised,” the supplier said.
More customers, because of the pandemic, wanted remote monitoring and support. The
pandemic also has affected the supply chain, including the availability of semi-
conductors, the skyrocketing price of steel and increasing costs of shipping rates.
Concerns remain over safety, with requirements getting stricter and equipment being
designed to provide the highest safety parameters, eliminate any possible infestation
points and a change in materials.
For example, Sangati Berga constructed its GBF model plansifter frame and sieves with
sheet molding compound. There are no connecting elements, seals, nails or screws.
Construction with rounded edges and smooth surfaces avoids retention of products,
facilitating the cleaning and sanitizing process. The raw material and manufacturing
chosen for the new frames and sieves produces a lower environmental impact, with low
energy consumption along its lifecycle and recyclability.
Expansion and modernization projects are popular as millers look to meet increasing
demand but are somewhat hesitant to make the full investment in a greenfield project,
suppliers said. While demand for flour is rising, the available resources are not.
“The world needs more productivity and efficiency,” one supplier said. “Milling plants are
expected to be more productive to meet this rising demand. This ask will be combined
with maintenance efforts and it will play a key role for reducing operational costs with
predictive maintenance services.”
Suppliers said they are seeing increasing demand from Brazil, where several big
projects are under development as well as North America, West Africa, Australia and
India.
Coopavel adds milling line
Coopavel Cooperativa Agroindustrial will soon complete an expansion of its mill in

Cascavel, Parana, Brazil. Assembly of the project started in June and is expected to be
completed by the fourth quarter of this year.
The original mill has a production capacity of 480 tonnes per day. The expansion will
add an additional line with a 200-tpd capacity. Total flour extraction is 78% based on
first break.
The facility (cleaning, milling and finished products) covers a total area of 3,000 square
meters while the mill itself is six stories tall. There is additional room for expansion.
Coopavel added the line to meet increased demand and also to increase exposure to
potential new markets that require extra clean flour and low ash. Wheat is sourced from
the south region of Brazil, with some from Argentina and Paraguay.
The project was designed to optimize energy efficiency and space, with maximum
flexibility between the existing line and the new one. Automation between the two lines
is fully integrated.
Sangati Berga, based in Fortaleza, Brazil, supplied all the main equipment, mechanical
accessories, electrical and automation for the expansion. The cleaning section was
upgraded to absorb the added capacity from both mills for a total capacity of 36 tph. It
includes magnetics, VIBROBLOCK separator, air separators, SGS-T destoner, optical
sorter and ACQUA RATE automatic dampening system. The second cleaning includes
the TPA intensive scourer.
In the milling section, Sangati Berga supplied PRIME roller mills, FORTRESS
plansifters, CLASS purifiers and all supplementary equipment such as bran finishers,
vibrating turbo-sifters, detachers, pneumatic conveying and aspiration.
Sangati Berga also supplied the system to transport finished flour to storage silos via
pneumatic lines, passing through rebolt plansifters, magnetics, electronic scales and
infestation destroyers.
Flour from the facility is mostly destined for industrial clients for dry and fresh pasta,
biscuits and baked foods.
Molinos Miraflores builds new mill

Molinos Miraflores SA in Ambato, Ecuador, completed in May 2021 a greenfield flour
mill with finished products for domestic distribution. The company has more than 100
years of experience in the industry and is one of the most preferred flour brands in
Ecuador.
The new mill, which took four months to complete, has a capacity of 150 tpd using hard
and semi-hard wheat sourced from Canada. It produces high-quality bakery and cake
flours for domestic use.
Molinos Miraflores worked with Alapala, based in Istanbul, Turkey, to supply and install
the turnkey facility. Alapala provided project design, manufacturing, project
management, installation and commissioning services. This was Alapala’s second
turnkey facility in the country.
The mill includes an advanced automation system combined with Scada software. By
enabling centralized monitoring of the entire process from wheat intake to flour
processing, the system provides integrated process control and traceability advantages.
The system also has an advanced report generation ability for production and yield
efficiency data.
The remote connection feature of the system allows the Alapala after-sales team to
access the mill for technical assistance, including inspection, error diagnosis, calibration
and troubleshooting.
Total grain storage capacity is 4,500 tonnes in steel silos integrated with an intake pit
and pre-cleaning system. The steel structure of the new flour mill also was provided by
Alapala Construction, which specializes in the design, supply and construction of
industrial buildings worldwide.
The mill was designed specifically for further expansion, with space reserved for
additional roller mills.
SMMT builds mill in Togo
This spring, the Socété des Moulins Modernes du Togo (SMMT) completed a flour
milling facility in the West African country of Togo, located in the port area of Lome. The
20,000-square-meter facility produces wheat flour and other wheat-based derivatives,
including byproducts for livestock and poultry.
Imas, based in Konya, Turkey, supplied equipment for the greenfield project, which took
two years to
complete. The mill has a capacity of 250 tonnes per day with an extraction rate of 78%
and storage capacity of 16,000 tonnes.
The facility started operations in March, but SMMT already is planning to double its
production volume with installation of a second automated line soon. All equipment is
modern, featuring the latest milling technology, including a laboratory for quality control.
Fortune Rice builds mill in Nigeria
Despite a delay due to COVID-19, Fortune Rice was able to complete a new mill in
Kano, Nigeria, by the end of last year. The $2.3 million greenfield project took 15
months to complete because of the pandemic.
Fortune Rice embarked on the project partly because of a rice import ban introduced by
the government and the country’s push for self-sufficiency in rice within five years.
The 16-tonne-per-hour Satake rice mill installed over three floors includes a 10,000-
tonne paddy warehouse, with storage in big bags and loose paddy.
Fortune Rice buys paddy on the open market and then parboils and processes the rice
selling to distributors, wholesalers and individuals. The bran is sold for cattle feed and
the rice husk is used to power the parboil plant.
The parboil plant, supplied by SKF Group, feeds into the mill, supplied and installed by
Satake Europe Ltd., based in the UK. Parboiled rice is fed into a SFI milling separator,
which is an all-purpose separator for the cleaning of cereal grains, and on to the SGA
destoner, which separates stones and heavy impurities from the grain using bulk
density differences.
From there, product is transferred to five new-generation HR10 paddy huskers where
the husk is removed from the rice kernel. Satake paddy separators ensure only brown
rice is fed to the milling section while unhusked paddy is returned to the huskers.
The mill also includes four passes of VTA 15 vertical rice whiteners, which incorporate
the modern Satake design of gentle milling to remove bran with low pressure and
minimum rice breakage.
A further two passes of KB80 rice polishers using fine water mist spray, polish and
clean the surface of the grain, enhancing the quality and shine of the finished product.
A combination of Satake length graders and rotary sifters allow the polished rice to be
graded by thickness and length before blending to the customer’s specification. The rice
is then color sorted and finally packed for sale and distribution under Fortune’s
‘Optimum’ brand.
Golchha expands flour mill

Golchha Flour Mills Pvt. Ltd. completed an expansion this May of its flour mill in Bihar,
India. Mill capacity increased to 400 tpd from 275 tpd with equipment supplied by Henry
Simon, based in Manchester, England.
Golchha, founded in 2011, has a strong reputation for product quality. The expansion,
which took four months to complete, was necessary to meet the market needs of rising
demand for high-quality flour.
Henry Simon provided equipment, including scourers, roller mills, plansifters and bran
finishers. The engineering team provided all necessary engineering support in designing
the mill.
It used the latest design software to provide a detailed 3D modeling for machine
installation, spouting and ducting designs with aspiration down to minute details.
https://www.world-grain.com/articles/16000-after-covid-19-shock-mill-construction-takes-off
Afghanistan: The State of Banking Under the Taliban

October 21, 2021
By John Manning, International Banker
In late September, the chief executive officer of the Islamic Bank of Afghanistan, Syed Moosa
Kaleem Al-Falahi, warned of an imminent collapse in Afghanistan’s banking system. “There are
huge withdrawals happening at the moment,” Al-Falahi told the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation). “Only withdrawals are happening, most of the banks are not functioning, and not
providing full services.”
Reports strongly suggest that much of Afghanistan’s banking sector was taken by surprise when
it was revealed that the central bank ran short of dollar reserves following the government’s fall
to the Taliban in mid-August, just two weeks before the United States was due to completely
withdraw its troops and end its 20-year presence. Indeed, the sheer speed of the Taliban’s
victory, which it managed to secure in just a matter of days as its forces easily overpowered the
US-trained Afghan security forces and captured all major Afghan cities, severely compromised
the chances of a smooth transition for the country’s banking system. And according to Ajmal
Ahmadi, the previous central bank governor who fled the country, virtually all of the central
bank’s roughly $10 billion is held abroad.
As such, Afghanistan’s banking sector is quickly running out of dollars, meaning that a number
of local lenders may soon have to close their doors to customers, especially if the new Taliban
regime does not release additional funds. “Although the cash crunch has lasted weeks, the
country’s banks have in recent days repeatedly underlined their concerns to the new government
and central bank, two of the people said,” Reuters reported on September 15. “Banks have
already pared back services and imposed weekly $200 payout limits amid a run on savings, with
long queues outside branches as people try to get hold of dollars.” Afghanistan’s central bank,
Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), is also limiting withdrawals by private companies and
entrepreneurs to $25,000 once a month from their bank accounts, local news media reported in
recent weeks.
Some are even stating that no single bank has enough money to serve its customers. “When it
comes to banking and finance, the ex-government has put some measures to obtain [the] public’s
trust on [the] banking sector, which is damaged these days. There are no new customers to
banks, and the people who line up behind banks are only there to withdraw money. Therefore,
cash withdrawal is the only thing banks are busy with now in the country,” a lawyer in Kabul
noted on September 21 when filing a report with non-profit, online legal news service JURIST.
“I believe that some small banks such as Maiwand Bank, Afghan United Bank, Ghazanfar Bank
and others will become bankrupt very soon.” The capital adequacy of those lenders had already
been under scrutiny for some time, and they are now reportedly failing to comply with the asset-
quality requirements, management-performance conditions, earning principles and liquidity
requirements set forth by the central bank.
Concerns also continue to mount over the Afghan banking sector’s foreign-reserves capacity,
especially in US dollars, should the Western Powers insist on keeping them frozen and cut ties
with Afghan lenders and businesses. Already, the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) have suspended their funding facilities for
Afghanistan-based projects, while the US has frozen $7 billion in Afghan foreign reserves held
in New York. Without access to these crucial funds, the government cannot even pay import
taxes on food containers from Pakistan, according to the country’s Chamber of Commerce and
Industry’s vice chairman, Yonus Momand.
According to a report sent to aid agencies by senior international officials overseeing the Afghan
economy, the outlook remains bleak, and the economy could shrink by a third if this banking
crisis is mishandled. The new government thus faces an enormous challenge to stabilise the
economy, especially given the significant rises in food prices for commodities such as flour, fuel
and rice over the last few months. The current economic situation is so dire that the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) believes only 5 percent of Afghan households have
enough to eat every day.
“The liquidity crisis…has disrupted supply chains and halted [the] flow of money and goods,”
the report stated, as per Reuters. “A lot of businesses…are unable to pay…suppliers, and a lot of
traders are unable to make international payments…to import food. NGOs…are unable to pay
their staff salaries.” It is also unclear how much money the new government has to release. “The
Taliban inherited a central bank with depleted USD and AFN cash reserves,” the report
acknowledged.
Just how long those central-bank reserves will stay out of reach remains uncertain at this stage.
Nonetheless, US officials believe that humanitarian groups can bypass the Taliban government
to deliver much-needed resources to Afghan citizens. “It’s definitely still possible to meet the
basic needs of Afghans without rewarding the government with broader economic assistance and
diplomatic recognition,” Lisa Curtis, former South and Central Asia director of the U.S. National
Security Council, told the Associated Press on September 16.
So, how can the banking sector lift itself out of this mire? Gaining access to international funds
and foreign assistance would seem to be the biggest immediate priority to ensure Afghanistan’s
long-term stability. Foreign aid to the country, which previously amounted to $8.5 billion a year
—or around 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)—has been almost
completely halted as the Western Powers seek to place a tight stranglehold on the Taliban’s
finances in a bid to gain some concessions from the new leadership over how it intends to govern
the country. The US, for instance, has indicated that it is willing to work with the Taliban as long
as it abides by certain pre-conditions, such as its treatment of women and minorities.
“Da Afghanistan Bank assures our countrymen that all commercial banks operating in the
country are under serious supervision and are conducting their operations better than before,”
Haji Mohammad Idris, former acting governor of the Afghanistan central bank, stated in mid-
September. “In view of the economic situation of the country, all banks, FXDs [foreign exchange
desks] and companies including national merchants will soon adjust their operations in a normal
and regular manner and will conduct their business affairs with complete surety.”
Although such a picture seems to be deliriously optimistic, to say the least, one recent glimmer
of hope was the bank’s announcement that it had made some progress in transferring money
through telegraphic transfer (TT), most commonly used by traders when importing commodities.
As such, commercial banks can now execute international money transactions.
And it would seem that the Taliban is also looking for other channels of financial support. “They
are looking forward to China and Russia, and some other countries as well. It seems that sooner
or later, they will be successful in dialogue,” according to Al-Falahi. Pakistan is also mulling
options to help its neighbour. According to a notification from Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic
Affairs, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP’s) governor, Dr. Reza Baqir, presented various
options to support Da Afghanistan Bank.
“Sources maintained that the SBP governor highlighted the areas of cooperation, particularly
where the Taliban government immediately needed the assistance of Pakistan. They said that Dr.
Baqir stated that for the smooth functioning of the banking system under the Taliban regime,
Pakistan could assist to print Afghan currency,” the Pakistani news publication The Express
Tribune reported on September 29, adding that the governor has also reportedly pitched
extending credit lines to the central bank of Afghanistan and providing technical assistance.
“However, Dr. Baqir raised the question about extending the support in [the] absence of formal
recognition of the Afghan government by Pakistan. He was not available to comment on the
development.”
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2bEWM4wiOcAJ:https://
internationalbanker.com/banking/afghanistan-the-state-of-banking-under-the-taliban/
+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
My Father–My Self: Deja Vus to

Jamais Vus (Part I)
ByCentral Desk
October 21, 2021

Share
By Dr. Fozia Kamran Cheema

I have told the story of my father many times, all the realities regarding how he
did live and what impact he had on my life—that is all truth. Not a shred of a lie,
not near truth but only the truth.
Nevertheless, many of you did not know, that I did not get a chance to say final
Goodbye to my father. I was not lucky enough to say the last loving sentence, that
comforting line, the last hug in the presence of both of us. When I reached Pakistan,
he was already in a coma with machines, drips, and wires attached all over his body.
He was there but not present. The moment he did not open his eyes, did not get up and
I did not receive a hug—-I knew my father was departed and there was Anwer
Cheema breathing his last.
Somehow my heart whispered, he waited long enough and then decided to leave
silently. Many of us believe that people lying in coma are listening, many of us
consider those who are in graves are listening too. I, on the other hand, have reasons
to believe, the moment one closes his eyes and chooses to be silent…is the end.
Perhaps those lying on death beds or in graves are hearing, but there is a super fine
line between hearing, listening, and voices and communication. Are they really want
to listen anymore? Maybe they just want to close the door, switch the light off, and
sleep. Maybe their need of listening to us is not present any longer.
I also have reasons to believe, that the remarkable opportunity of being there for each
other is not infinite.
And when somebody chooses not to respond, that person is probably not interested in
that conversation anymore. So, when I saw my father lying in ICU in Kharian C.M.H,
I knew I had already missed the train.
But if only I had managed to come a day before, we could have talked and shared
memories of my childhood. We could have laughed together while remembering his
laughter, while I did something wrong while trying to do something right. What I have
lost forever was a link of my childhood with my own self. If I could have reached on
time, I would have cherished that for the rest of my life.
I could have told him that I am the luckiest daughter on the face of the planet if only I
have made it one day before. I could have possibly offered him a last sip of water,
helped him to change his position one last time, fluffed his pillows, washed his tired
feet, kissed him, or received a kiss, and had seen him smiling while his eyes still were
open. I chose to come late, and he chose to leave. The final cheerio was never passed,
and he disappeared behind the thick mist of death.
After that, every time I lie down on my pillow -my pillow which was also my
counsellor and soother and used to give me the peace of mind and body, has ceased to
do so. It tells me gently I am a liar and a coward. And whenever I am telling the
world, that my father left suddenly without giving me a chance to do something in
return for him, I am dishonest and hiding the happening.
My father always sought my consent before talking to me,” doctor sahiba ap sah time
lena tha, thore bat karne the (I need an appointment doctor, I want to discuss
something)”, and I always got annoyed with his attitude of asking my permission.
Now my pillow keeps on recapping that I did not give an appointment to my own
father. I might heal all the patients around the globe; I might accomplish the finest of
achievements and I might get the fanciest nameplates in the corridors of highly
prestigious hospitals of the world, alas my father did not get an appointment from me.
One of the torture techniques for criminals around the world is to keep them awake
and deny them sleep. And if one argues with one’s pillow and attempts to trick it with
near truths or baked lies – or if one who is a predator in real tries to be a house cat in
front of the pillow, it does the same. Pillow steals the sleep from the pretenders, the
phonies, the liars, the cheaters and not to mention the hypocrites. It does not have a
problem with the sinners, but it doesn’t tolerate frauds and fakers. They get insomnia
for life without the chance of parole and without an opportunity of death sentence
….Unhain kantown ka bistar milta hay (they sleep on the bed of thrones). Dementors
of memories appear every night and ache them in several unique ways.
My father, a month before he got critically sick, was also admitted to hospital. He was
extremely ill, and we were about to lose him.
Now I am finally going to tell the naked truth, the complete truth, and entirely the
Truth.
He got discharged from the hospital and came home. He offered me precious 30 days.
He and Allah gave me once in a lifetime opportunity to visit him, a chance of giving
him an appointment, a chance to make the non-regrettable decision, to be with him–a
whole solid month, Where I could have done a nano fraction of what he did for
me. Mukamal sach to yeah hay kah Mujhay husn o mohabat ke hakayat sunanay ka
moqa dia gaya tha,marham laganay ka ,azar ka chara karnay ka waqt mila tha
mujhay.( complete truth is I got The chance to tell the stories of love, I got the chance
to heal him, to meet him, to see him )
I started at a new job, my first job ever. I did not want to take risk; I did not want to
lose my job. I decided not to go. I chose my career. I thought we both were left with
unlimited time.
Complete truth is that he did not leave early, it was me who reached late.
I kept my job, and I wasted the opportunity of the final verdict, the very last hug in the
warmth of his arms, that fare welling kiss, concluding advice, last gaze, and the final
supper of boiled rice with milk and sugar on it.
Truth is that Fozia did not give an appointment to her father, and he departed. No
plus, no minus, no division, no subtraction -truth, and nothing but the truth.
Fozia was not there when her father was packing for the journey of a hereafter, and
that is the brutal life-changing reality for her.
With his departure upward, my journey downwards began. I hit the bottom and have
ever since been trying to crawl up. Slithering from that dark gliding black hole
without any rope of hope is not easy though.
Living in that hole requires constant energy. That’s why I am turned into a leach in
some facets of my life. I nourish on others parallel experiences. I feel satisfied when
others are also not able to say their last goodbyes. What a selfish, ruthless sadist I am
at times when I find sustenance from other explanations of poor and petty choices.
Every time people told me, that it was what my father must have wished, and he was
definitely happy for my decision of not sacrificing my job, I felt strong and clambered
a centimeter upwards.
I can tell you my experience of living in the limbo of my ill decisions. There is no left
and no right to this crack, depth is the only direction available. And one can never
actively crawl up, passive powers and resources are required for this process.
Therefore, I became a seeker of Deja Vus of similar experiences, of comparable

hidden guilt, of identical filthy excuses, of known encounters and unpleased promises.
Those Deja Vus were my nutrition.
One autumn evening, I got the definitive opportunity to come out of this black hole.
No need for crawling or creeping or being there forever. I found a rope -large, solid,
and tightly knitted. A cable was all I needed, and that was right in front of me.
To be Continued
Note: Dr. Fozia Kamran Cheema is a pain management physiotherapist at

Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen Denmark. She can be reached at
her Twitter @ZayaFo
and her Email at fozia1@live.dk
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B_RnRmpqtD0J:https://dnd.com.pk/my-
father-myself-deja-vus-to-jamais-vus/256076+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Cardinal’s battle
Published
11 hours ago
on
2021/10/22
By
Dilshan Nadeera

 Share
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Friday 22nd October, 2021

His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has once again demanded that the
recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), which
probed the Easter Sunday terror attacks be fully implemented. The PCoI has
not revealed the mastermind behind the carnage; it has only cursorily dealt
with the alleged foreign involvement in the attacks. However, those who are
seeking justice for the families of the terror victims have been left with no
alternative but to call for the implementation of the PCOI recommendations,
while demanding a thorough probe. This is what the Cardinal and others have
been doing.
Two and a half years have elapsed since the Easter Sunday killings, and it
was nine months ago that the PCoI report was handed over to the Attorney
General (AG) for carrying out its recommendations. The Cardinal has said that
in March, the then AG met him and promised to study the PCoI report and
initiate legal action thereafter. But the recommendations have been
implemented only selectively.
One cannot but endorse the Cardinal’s call. Why the government has not had
the PCoI recommendations implemented fully defies comprehension. The
reason may be that the PCoI has recommended that criminal proceedings be
instituted against the then President Maithripala Sirisena, who is now a
government MP. The Commission has said it is of the view that there is
criminal liability on Sirisena’s part. Its report specifically states: “The CoI
recommends that the Attorney General consider instituting criminal
proceedings against President Sirisena under any suitable provisions in the
Penal Code.”
One of the main promises the present-day rulers made before the 2019
presidential election was to conduct a thorough probe into the Easter Sunday
carnage and bring those responsible for it to justice. But this pledge remains
unfulfilled. The Cardinal is asking for access to the entire PCoI report, which
consists of 22 documents including five volumes. Only Volume One has been
released; it may look self-contained, but one has to peruse all documents to
get a better understanding thereof. Why the Cardinal’s request cannot be
granted is the question.
One may recall that initially the government refused to hand over the entire
report even to the AG, citing various reasons, and we had to point out that the
PCoI wanted the whole set of documents handed over to the AG. Its report
says: “The COI recommends that Your Excellency the President transmit a
complete set of the Report to the Attorney General to consider institution of
criminal proceedings against persons alleged to have committed the said
offences.”
It may be politically difficult for the government to implement all PCoI

recommendations, given that former President Sirisena’s SLFP is a coalition
partner of the ruling SLPP. But that is no reason why it should refrain from
allowing legal action to be taken against him. Criminal proceedings have
already been instituted against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando
and former IGP Pujith Jayasundera. Sirisena should not be spared simply
because he is a government MP and his party has 14 members in the SLPP
parliamentary group.
The SLFP is bound to react aggressively if its leader is prosecuted, and the
government might even suffer a split, but that should not be allowed to stand
in the way of the full implementation of the PCoI recommendations. The
government is duty bound to make good on its promise, which helped it
muster a lot of votes at the last presidential election held a few months after
the Easter Sunday attacks, and at the last parliamentary polls.
The Cardinal did not mince his words when he said, at St. Anthony’s Church,
yesterday, that he did not think it was possible to have the PCoI
recommendations fully implemented under the present administration. It is
only natural that the government is seen to be a party to a grand cover-up.
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Editorial
Think of children
Published
1 day ago
on
2021/10/21
By
Dilshan Nadeera
Thursday 21st October, 2021
The ongoing tug of war between protesting teachers and the government has
been at the expense of the hapless student, whose neck has got caught in the
rope they are pulling on madly. What we are witnessing seems to be a
different version of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
The government is determined to reopen schools today although the teachers’

trade unions have refused to report for work until next Monday. It says there is
a plan to ensure that schools will function properly today and tomorrow even if
the protesting teachers do not turn up. One only hopes that the lowest of the
low in politics will not try to run schools.
Now that teachers have agreed to report for work on 25 Oct., instead of today,
the question is why the government could not postpone the reopening of
schools by four days.
It is unfortunate that the success of any state sector trade union struggle is
measured in terms of suffering it causes to the public. We often have the
health sector trade union bosses bragging that their strikes are successful
because they have crippled hospitals, or in other words, they take pride in
hurting the sick who are too poor to afford treatment at private hospitals. The
ongoing teachers’ trade union action has also had a devastating impact on
children’s education. Teachers claim they introduced the online education
programme of their own volition as they felt for their students, and they
deserve praise for that, but sadly they discontinued it as part of their trade
union struggle.
The government has claimed that some Opposition parties are behind the
teacher-principal trade union action. No labour dispute is devoid of politics in
this country. The SLPP leaders also have a history of instigating strikes for
political reasons, and leaving the strikers in the lurch as they did in 1980,
when the J. R. Jayewardene government sacked thousands of strikers. About
one hundred thousand workers lost their jobs, and some of them even
committed suicide. The SLFP did precious little to ameliorate the suffering of
the victims even after capturing state power. Besides, all political parties have
trade union wings and use workers as a cat’s paw to pull political chestnuts
out of the fire. This is the name of the game in dirty Sri Lankan politics.
Labour disputes are like wounds, which should be treated immediately. If they
are neglected, they become breeding grounds for political bacteria, as it were.
Hence the need for governments to take prompt action to address the causes
of strikes and find solutions through discussions. The current dispensation
should not have let the grass grow under its feet. True, the salary anomaly
issue that drove teachers to strike is more than two decades old, and it defies
comprehension why the strikers took to the streets demanding a swift remedy.
But the fact remains that the government could have handled it better and
should have appreciated the initiative teachers took to conduct online classes
for children and defrayed the expenses they incurred on data, equipment, etc.
When current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Labour Minister in

the Chandrika Kumaratunga government, he famously said there were no
winners in industrial actions, for both parties to a labour dispute suffered
losses. As for the ongoing teacher-principal trade union action, too, there will
be only losers.
The pandemic has caused unprecedented interruptions to education the world

over, and its impact is felt in the developing world more than anywhere else.
Hence the need for the strikers and the government to get themselves around
the table and thrash out a compromise formula for the sake of students.
Meanwhile, let the government be warned that the ongoing farmers’ protests,
too, are fraught with the danger of spilling over into the streets. Irate
cultivators, who have suffered unbearable crop losses due to the current
fertiliser shortage are threatening to march on Colombo. Unless the
government makes a serious effort to solve their problems, we may witness,
here, a situation similar to the farmers’ protests in India.
Continue Reading
Editorial
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HOME THE LATEST
Overworked and Underpaid: Inside the Kellogg’s Strike
Workers at Kellogg’s are still on the picket line, fighting against a two-tier wage system that
leaves many stuck with low pay and few benefits.
BY JASON KERZINSKI
OCTOBER 21, 2021

11:46 AM

In 2015, when the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International
Union (BCTGM) was negotiating its contract with Kellogg’s, the company threatened to
close one of its four plants—either the factory in Omaha, Nebraska; Memphis, Tennessee;
Lancaster, Pennsylvania; or Battle Creek, Michigan—if the union didn’t make concessions.
With cereal sales declining, Kellogg’s wanted hourly workers to understand the need for
compromise. Union members reluctantly agreed to the terms of the contract, which featured a
two-tier system, where 30 percent of the workforce was considered transitional—with lower pay
and fewer benefits—while the remaining 70 percent was designated as regular, full-time
employees.
Employees were pushed to work twelve-to-sixteen-hour days,

seven days a week, with no holidays or vacation time.
By the time Kellogg’s contract with BCTGM expired in 2020, a lot had changed. Cereal, unlike
in 2015, was on the rise. And with a booming cereal market, spurred by pandemic-era
lockdowns, came an increased demand on Kellogg’s hourly employees to produce more of its
products—including breakfast classics such as Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and Froot Loops.
In many cases, employees were pushed to work twelve-to-sixteen-hour days, seven days a week,
with no holidays or vacation time.
In the current contract negotiations, BCTGM aims to do away with the two-tier system, which
the union calls a “devious way for employers to slowly, but surely, take power from union
members, their contract, and their union.”
Transitional workers make roughly $12 less per hour than regular full-time employees, with
higher insurance premiums, less vacation time, and no retirement benefits. When negotiations
reached a standstill, nearly 1,400 hourly workers at the four Kellogg’s plants went on strike on
October 5.
Now, three weeks later, the striking Kellogg’s workers have become a part of a wave of labor
unrest that includes similar strikes and other labor actions at John Deere, Kaiser
Permanente, Starbucks, and among theater and film workers and miners in Alabama.
Collectively dubbed “Striketober,” these uprisings compound with a record number of

employees resigning from their (mostly) service industry jobs due to low pay, lack of support,
and grueling hours. The Kellogg’s strike also follows two other strikes—at Nabisco and Frito-
Lay plants—that were coordinated by BCTGM earlier this year.
Despite Kellogg’s attempts at strike-breaking (such as posting an ad for temp workers “willing to
cross the picket line”), workers remain resolute in their demands. “We are out here fighting
against the two-wage system,” says Marvin Rush, an electrician and member of BCTGM Local
252G in Memphis, “and for the next generation of workers to have the same pay and benefits.”
Below are some of the 274 members of Local 252G in Memphis, continuing to hold out for a
more just contract.
Expand
Jimmie Archie (left) and Marvin Rush (right) at the picket line.
Expand
Dorothy Wilkins, a retired BCTGM member.
Expand
Robert Hopkins.
Expand
“I’m here for equal rights for legacy and transitional employees,” says Jennifer Malone. “[They need]
to have the same pay and benefits.”
Expand
Trence Jackson.
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9 Foods and Beverages That May Promote Calm
U.S. News & World Report
October 21, 2021, 12:00 AM
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Some foods and beverages can help promote feelings of calm.
If you ever feel anxious, jittery or uneasy, you’re in good company. Overall, more than 40
million U.S. adults — a little more than 19% — suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the
National Alliance on Mental Illness.
According to NAMI, anxiety disorders include:
— General anxiety disorder.
— Social anxiety disorder.
— Panic disorder.
— Phobias.
The Department of Health and Human Services adds obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-
traumatic stress disorder to that list.
Related conditions, according to NAMI, include:
— Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
— Depression.
— Eating disorders.
— Substance use.
— Trouble sleeping.
The COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 700,000 lives in the U.S. has added to the
anxieties of Americans. In May 2021, the American Psychiatric Association released a poll
showing that 64% of Americans were anxious about loved ones catching the novel coronavirus.
What’s more, 41% of Americans reported feeling more anxious than they did the previous year.
While no food or beverage is a silver bullet for anxiety or depression, what you consume can
affect your level of calm.
Here are 10 foods and beverages that may help safeguard you from anxiety:
1. Raw fruits and vegetables
Consuming raw fruits and vegetables reduced depressive symptoms and led to positive moods
and life satisfaction among young adults, a study published in April 2018 in the journal Frontiers
in Psychology suggests.
In the study, 422 young adults between ages 18 and 25 living in the U.S. and New Zealand
completed an online survey that assessed their typical consumption of raw versus cooked, canned
or processed fruits and vegetables as well as the participants’ negative and positive mental
health. Controlling for an array of factors, “raw fruit and vegetable intake predicted reduced
depressive symptoms and higher positive mood, life satisfaction and flourishing,” researchers
wrote.
Top raw foods associated with better mental health are:
— Apples.
— Bananas.
— Carrots.
— Citrus fruits.
— Cucumbers.
— Dark leafy greens, like spinach.
— Fresh berries.
— Grapefruit.
— Kiwi fruit.
— Lettuce.
“This and other recent studies suggest that the ingestion of raw fruits and vegetables result in
improved mood as compared to processed, canned or cooked vegetables,” says Dr. Nancy
Rahnama, a board-certified internist and bariatric physician in Beverly Hills, California.
2. Pumpkin and squash seeds
About half the U.S. population is deficient in the mineral magnesium, says Maxine Smith, a
registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “This is an essential mineral that our bodies
can’t make,” Smith says. “As processed foods have increased, magnesium intake has decreased.”
Among other things, maintaining healthy magnesium levels helps decrease excitability in the
brain, Smith says. Research suggests low magnesium levels are associated with anxiety and other
mood disorders.
Pumpkin and squash seeds are both good sources of magnesium. Plus, roasting the seeds doesn’t
diminish the effects of the super nutrient. A quarter-cup of seeds provides about half of your
recommended daily allowance of magnesium.
3. Fermented foods
Research suggests that healthy fermented foods may populate your gut microbiome — the
diverse mix of microorganisms living in our guts — with healthy microbes or probiotics that
help reduce the effects of stress, Smith says.
Fermented foods include:
— Raw/unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.
— Kefir.
— Kimchi.
— Yogurt.
“Keep in mind that cooking kills these mighty microbes,” Smith says.
4. Walnuts
Walnuts are an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, which research suggests can serve as a
mood booster, says Abbie Gellman, a registered dietitian based in New York City.
A study published in the journal Nutrients in 2019 suggests walnuts can help fight depression.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers analyzed
walnut consumption and depression scores among 26,656 individuals. “Depression scores were
significantly lower among nut consumers and particularly walnut consumers as compared to non-
nut consumers,” researchers wrote. After controlling for potential independent variables, walnut
consumers had scores significantly lower than people who did not eat nuts. “The difference was
strongest among women, who are more likely than men to report higher depression scores.”
The study, by researchers with UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, was supported by the
California Walnut Commission. In concurrence with UCLA policy, the commission’s support
had no role in or influence on the findings of the researchers or the publication of the research,
according to the author’s conflict of interest statement.
5. Foods high in vitamin C
Research suggests that consuming foods rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants can reduce
symptoms of anxiety, Rahnama says. A meta-analysis published in 2020 in the journal BMC
Psychiatry concludes “there is evidence suggesting that vitamin C deficiency is related to
adverse mood and cognitive effects.”
Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C include:
— Broccoli.
— Brussels sprouts.
— Cantaloupe.
— Cauliflower.
— Clementines.
— Grapefruit.
— Green and red peppers.
— Kiwi fruit.
— Spinach.
— Tomatoes.
— Winter squash.
6. Whole grains
Whole-grain foods provide a raft of nutritional benefits that may promote feelings of calm. They
provide plenty of fiber, which are important for your bowels to function, and are good sources of
B vitamins.
Ways to incorporate more whole grains in your diet include:
— Breads made from whole wheat flour.
— Quinoa.
— Brown rice.
— Oatmeal.
— Millet.
Eating whole grains can also have a calming effect, according to the Mayo Clinic. That’s
because it’s believed that carbs increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which can boost
feelings of serenity.
7. Peppermint tea
If you’re feeling anxious or stressed before bedtime, peppermint tea “can help calm the mind and
ease the body,” says Karman Meyer, a registered dietitian based in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s
also the author of the book “Eat to Sleep: What to Eat and When to Eat It for a Good Night’s
Sleep — Every Night,” which was released in 2019.
Peppermint tea has menthol, which is a natural muscle relaxant, Meyer says. Furthermore,
peppermint tea is an herbal tea, meaning it’s naturally caffeine-free, “so no need to worry about
caffeine keeping you up at night,” Meyer says.
An article published in 2019 in the journal Nature notes that researchers have found that drinking
tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. “And evidence of long-term health benefits is
emerging, too: drinking at least (about half a cup) of green tea a day,” seems to lower the risk of
developing depression and dementia, according to the article.
8. Different types of milk

Some research suggests that vitamin D is may be helpful in boosting mood and improving sleep,
according to a review of literature published in February 2021 in the journal Sleep Medicine
Reviews. Some research suggests that vitamin D can help mitigate symptoms of depression, says
Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Milk can be a good source of vitamin D. In addition to cow’s milk, there are a wide array
of plant-based milks that are fortified with vitamin D.
The array of milks to choose from include:
— Almond milk.
— Cow’s milk
— Cashew milk.
— Coconut milk.
— Lactose-free milk
— Oat milk.
— Pea milk.
Cow’s milk includes whole-fat, reduced-fat and no-fat options.
9. Dark chocolate
If you like dark chocolate, research published in 2019 in the journal Depression & Anxiety
provides good news: The tasty treat “may be associated with reduced odds of clinically
depressive symptoms.” Researchers surveyed 13,626 U.S. adults age 20 and older about their
consumption of chocolate, including dark chocolate, and depressive symptoms. People who
reported consuming dark chocolate had “significantly lower odds of clinically relevant
depressive symptoms,” researchers found. Eating non-dark chocolate didn’t suggest the same
association with lower odds of depressive symptoms, researchers wrote.
Consuming dark chocolate therefore can promote feelings of calm without having to eat too
much sugar, Rahnama says. If you have to watch your sugar intake because you’re diabetic or
are trying to lose weight, check with a registered dietitian.
To recap, here are nine foods and beverages that may promote calm:
— Raw fruits and vegetables.
— Pumpkin and squash seeds.

— Fermented foods.
— Walnuts.
— Foods high in vitamin C.
— Whole grains.
— Peppermint tea.
— Different types of milk.
— Dark chocolate.
More from U.S. News
Best Ways to Practice Self-Care
Apps to Support Your Mental Health
10 Superfoods for Older Adults
9 Foods and Beverages That May Promote Calm originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/21/21: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated
with new information.
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Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, October 22, 2021

October 22, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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Maria Contel, director, BCCC-
CURE.
BROOKLYN COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW CANCER CENTER: Brooklyn

College has formally launched the Brooklyn College Cancer Center — BCCC-CURE,
standing for Community Outreach, Research and Education —and the first education-
based center of its kind in Brooklyn focused on research and community partnerships.
BCCC-CURE’s mission is to enhance the lives of patients affected by cancer with a
special focus on Brooklyn residents who have been traditionally underserved, while
focusing on three main areas: research, education and community service.
As part of BCCC-CURE, 25 faculty members are focused on cancer and cancer-related

research in one of three main areas: the biology and biochemistry of cancer, the
underlying mechanisms of the disease, and drug development and delivery systems.
Director Maria Contel said the center is already developing potential drugs for
different types of cancer or delivery systems for FDA-approved drugs.
✰✰✰
DAILY TOP BROOKLYN NEWS
News for those who live, work and play in Brooklyn and beyond
Get started
THREE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS JOIN BROOKLYN COLLEGE FOR

SYMPOSIUM: Furthering its mission to engage the community with cancer-
related information and support, the newly-launched Brooklyn College Cancer Center
(BCCC-CURE) will participate in the first Brooklyn Breast Cancer Symposium with
Maimonides Medical Center (MMC), SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) on Friday, October 29, from 8:50
a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Brooklyn College faculty members Maria Contel, director of BCCC-
CURE; Jenny Basil, associate director for community outreach; and Brian Gibney,
associate director of education, will join a dozen physicians, researchers and nurse
practitioners from Maimonides Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences
University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
This four-part symposium will tackle a wide range of topics related to breast health.
Two sessions focus on research including basic science research, preclinical studies
and clinical trials. All events are free, online, and open to the public, and will also be
offered via Zoom. Visit the Brooklyn College Cancer Center’s website for more
information.
Me
dical professionals at the Brooklyn College Cancer Center.
✰✰✰
MTA WINS AWARD FOR ITS TOLLS NY APP: The International Bridge,
Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) honored the Triborough Bridge
and Tunnel Authority (MTA Bridges and Tunnels) with the IBTTA President’s
Award for Excellence last week. MTA Bridges and Tunnels received the award for its
Tolls NY smartphone application, which it developed in collaboration with the New York
State Thruway Authority, the Port Authority and Conduent Transportation. The app
gives tolling customers in the region more self-service options to manage payments for
the toll roads, bridges and tunnels they use, while also giving toll operators a new way to
communicate critical messages directly to their customers.
The award is the highest honor bestowed by IBTTA each year and was presented on
October 11 during IBTTA’s 89th Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, CA.
✰✰✰
PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM TOXINS IN BABY FOOD: New York

Attorney General Letitia James, leading a coalition of 23 attorneys general,
today petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect
the health and well-being of babies by accelerating actions to remove toxic heavy
metals found in infant and toddler foods. The petition responds to rising alarm about
the health hazards posed by dangerous heavy metals in these foods, and the failure of
baby food brands and their suppliers to aggressively reduce these hazards.
Though the FDA does set limits on toxic metals in other consumable products — like
bottled water, juice, and candy — the agency has failed to adequately regulate baby
food, and has, so far, only established just one action level for inorganic arsenic in
infant rice cereal —notwithstanding the FDA’s own studies showing that babies are
more vulnerable to the harmful neurotoxic effects of these metals.
✰✰✰
MORE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FOR DISABLED WORKFORCE:

Governor Kathy Hochul has committed $11.1 million in federal workforce
development funding over the next three years to expand the successful
network of Disability Resource Coordinators to all 33 local workforce
development areas and to better serve individuals with disabilities in New York State
Career Centers. While about half of the 33 local workforce development areas previously
had direct access to a Disability Resource Coordinator. NY SCION will fund the
placement of a Disability Resource Coordinator in more areas including several
positions in New York City. Their role will be to improve and support employment
outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities and to establish and expand
partnerships leveraging resources across multiple service systems.
The coordinators will train both state and partner staff in best practices to ensure
consistent levels of service across the workforce system and in every career center.
✰✰✰
CO-NAMING FOR HAITIAN EARLY PIONEER: Members of Brooklyn’s

Haitian and Caribbean American communities will honor an icon of
Haitian history on Sunday, October 24 with a street co-naming for a part of Flatbush
Avenue at the intersection of Clarendon Rd. City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene and
Council Speaker Corey Johnson will join area Haitian, Black, Latino and Asian groups to
christen Jean Baptiste Point de Sable Boulevard.
Jean Baptiste Point de Sable (1750-1818) is regarded as the first permanent non-

Indigenous settler of what would later become Chicago, Illinois, and is recognized as
the “Founder of Chicago.” The site where he settled near the mouth of the Chicago
River around the 1780s has been named a National Historic Landmark.
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/10/22/good-morning-brooklyn-friday-october-22-2021/
Freeze excise tax, revive OPSF–BBM

byBusinessMirror
October 21, 2021
3 minute read
Former senator Bongbong Marcos during his interview with actress and television
personality Toni Gonzaga on her web talk show, ToniTalks. (Screenshot from the
episode produced by Toni Gonzaga Studio)
0
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
called on Congress on Wednesday to suspend the excise tax on oil products to negate
the impact of “runaway” fuel prices, particularly on the transport sector.
The presidential aspirant’s urgent call to suspend excise tax on fuel, prompted by the
surging oil prices in the world market, may significantly slash gasoline prices by
P10.00 per liter and diesel products by P6.00 per liter.
Kerosene will likely go down by P5.00 per liter, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a
common fuel used by households for cooking, will be reduced by P3.00 per kilogram.
“Amending the oil deregulation law with the intent of addressing the issue of runaway
oil prices will take some time. This move to suspend the excise tax makes sense and
will have an immediate positive impact on our people,” Marcos stressed.
Marcos, who met with leaders of various transport groups recently, lamented the
impact rising fuel prices would have on the income of drivers and operators of public-
utility vehicles.
“We need to do something about this issue urgently because one sector that will be
gravely affected has been suffering for the longest time in this pandemic. Transport
workers and operators who depend on their daily operations for their livelihood are
already in dire straits,” Marcos added.
Transport groups who met with Marcos recently were: Pangkalahatang Sanggunian
Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang Masda); Federation of Jeepney
Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP); Philippine
Confederation of Drivers and Operators-Alliance of Concerned Transport
Organization (PCDO-ACTO); Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas
(LTOP); Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines
(ALTODAP); and Tiger in Asia.
Marcos also called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the restoration of the
defunct Oil Price Stabilization Fund (OPSF) to cushion the economy from the
inflationary effects of prolonged high oil prices.
“I implore the DOE to make a careful study on the possibility of bringing back the
OPSF to cushion Filipinos from the impact of rising oil prices,” Marcos said.
Signed into law in 1998, RA 8479 otherwise known as the Downstream Oil Industry
Deregulation Act of 1998 aimed to liberalize and deregulate the oil industry and
ensure a competitive market.
However, after the full deregulation phase, prices of petroleum products continued
their upward trend since the country remained a net importer of the product, and
changes in global prices still dictate local pump prices.
“While we acknowledge that the price of oil is determined by free-market forces, the
government should have mechanisms prepared to intervene when the need arises. The
OPSF will give us that ability and a serious consideration for its return should be
studied,” Marcos explained.
The OPSF was set up in 1984 by the late strongman and former President Ferdinand
E. Marcos to protect consumers from fluctuations in the prices of oil in the global
market. Under the program, oil companies contributed a portion of their sales to the
OPSF to serve as a buffer fund. It was later on abandoned during the term of President
Fidel Ramos.
“The pandemic has changed the energy landscape. Just like any country reeling from
it, we should learn to adapt to this new environment. I, for one, have always been a
proponent of renewable energy and I believe that it will play a crucial role not only in
our recovery but in the country’s future as well,” Marcos added.
The DOE also explained that the surge in oil prices was mainly due to a sudden
increase in global demand as more countries begin to open their economies. The
DOE added that slow production and stockpiling for winter of some countries also
jacked up demand.
Local oil prices have risen for eight straight weeks. Pump prices were raised on
Monday with gasoline increasing by P1.8 per liter, diesel and kerosene prices by P1.5
per liter, and P1.3 per liter respectively.
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Ghana: 300-Acre Rice Farms Destroyed Following

Collapse of Afram River Embankment
21 OCTOBER 2021
Ghanaian Times (Accra)
By Kingsley E.hope
Aframso — Three hundred acres of rice farms at Aframso in the Ejura Municipality of
Ashanti, have been destroyed following the collapse of the embankment on the Aframriver
constructed to irrigate the farmlands.
A large part of the embankment burst, and has been washed away as a result of the recent
heavy rains that hit some parts of the country, which saw the river overflowing its banks.
The Aframso River Irrigation project was built during the administration of former President
John Dramani Mahama to serve rice farmers to increase production.
About 250 rice farmers have been affected following the development as the entire
farmlands were submerged by the water rendering harvesting useless.
They could harvest three times a year but this year, they were unable to harvest, and
according to them, have lost hundreds of Ghana Cedis of investments.
The farmers,led by their spokesman, Malik Karim, also the Unit Committee Chairman of
Aframso, said several appeals have been made to the authorities including the Member of
Parliament who have visited the place, but have relegated the farmers to the background
since the collapse of the embankment somewhere around August.
He said the investment they made from loans had gone down the drain and until the 'dam'
was renovated their livelihood was at stake, and appealed to the government to come to
their aid in the shortest possible time.
"Rice farming is our livelihood, we have not other business doing, we are therefore,
appealing to the government to fix the dam for us,"Mr Karim implored, adding that they were
bent on working hard to produce more rice towards food security in the country.
These came up during a visit of seed scientists of the Crop Research Institute of the Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR-CRI) to a rice demonstration farm at Ntoman, in
Aframso.
CSIR-CRI has established about four acres of four varieties of rice they had
developed(Amankwatia, Agra, CRI Dartey and CRI Enapa) for the farmers to learn to
produce rice using proper agricultural practices that would ensure high yields.
Started in 2020, the project, under the sponsorship of Korea-Africa Food and Agricultural
Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI),aimed at enhancing rice seed system by ensuring high
productivity, food security and livelihood improvement.
But, it was quite interesting that though the demonstration farm was within the enclave, the
rice varieties were able to withstand the overflow of the water.
Totalling about 50, the farmers commended the CSIR-CRI for the project that has given
them more insights into rice production by using the right technology and quality seeds.
During a tour of the farm, the farmers observed that all the four varieties were good but
some have comparative advantages over others such as CRI Enapa which was tolerant to
the dangerous rice yellow mottle virus.
They also appreciated CRI Dartey, Amankwatia, saying they had high yields and was
lodging resistant,that is ability to survive during overflow of water.
According to the farmers Enapa, Amankwatia and Dartey were also very easy to thresh and
quality in cooking.
The Project Coordinator, Isaac Osei Tutu, seed scientists with the CSIR-CRI, who led the
team, said at the end of the project the entire demonstration farm would be given to the
farmers for free to enhance their livelihoods.
He was satisfied the extent to which the farmers have taken up the technology to improve
their production and livelihood enhancement.
The Project Coordinator told them that it was worrying the ascendancy of rice importation
into the country and the only way to decrease that was the access to quality or improved
seeds for high yields.
Mrs.Phyllis Aculey, seed scientist with the CSIR-CRI and project team member, explained
to the farmers the importance of sticking to the proper agricultural practices to boost
production by using the improved varieties.
She said the project would continue to sensitise the farmers about the importance of using
and adopting quality seeds and how to plant them to ensure high yields.
Mrs Aculey urged them to embrace the improved seeds as they are drought and disease
resistant and continue to adopt the right method to increase.
Abdulai Muntari, Stephen Asante, rice farmers appealed to their colleagues to do all
possible to acquire the improved varieties introduced to them to better their lives.
Read the original article on Ghanaian Times.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202110210502.html
Gene editing helping to create resilient,

high-yield rice without foreign DNA: IARI
Priscilla Jebaraj
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 21, 2021 20:41 IST
SHARE ARTICLE
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 A A A
Photo used for representative purpose only. | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH
Guidelines for non-transgenic gene edited plants pending with

GEAC since January 2020
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute may be one of the bodies tasked
with investigating allegations that unauthorised genetically modified (GM)
rice was exported to Europe, but the institute itself has moved its own rice
research beyond this kind of GM technology using genes from another
organism. Instead, the IARI is in the process of developing resilient and high-
yield rice varieties using the gene editing techniques which won the 2020
Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and which have already been approved for export
to many countries.
Also read: The science behind GM crops
The IARI hopes to have such varieties in the hands of the Indian farmers by
2024. However, the proposal for Indian regulators to consider this technique
as equivalent to conventional breeding methods, since it does not involve any
introduction of foreign DNA, has been pending with the Genetic Engineering
Appraisal Committee for almost two years.
Also read: Rice institute touts new high yield variety
The IARI has previously worked on golden rice, a traditional GM variety

which inserted genes from other organisms into the rice plant, but ended trials
over five years ago due to agronomic issues, said Director AK Singh. India
has not approved any GM food crop for commercial cultivation.
Precision and efficiency

The Institute has now moved to newer technologies such as Site Directed
Nuclease (SDN) 1 and 2, which aim to bring precision and efficiency into the
breeding process using gene editing tools to directly alter the genomic code.
Also read: Should we grow GM crops?
“In this case, you are just tweaking a gene that is already there in the plant,
without bringing in any gene from outside. When a protein comes from an
outside organism, then you need to test for safety. But in this case, this
protein is right there in the plant, and is being changed a little bit, just as
nature does through mutation,” he said. “But it is much faster and far more
precise than natural mutation or conventional breeding methods which
involve trial and error and multiple breeding cycles. It is potentially a new
Green Revolution.”
A research coalition under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR), which includes the IARI, is in the process of developing rice
varieties which are drought-tolerant, salinity-tolerant and high-yielding using
these techniques. They could potentially be ready for commercial cultivation
within three years, said Dr. Singh.
Also read: Kejriwal lauds IARI for developing low-cost tech to manage

stubble
However, the draft guidelines for such gene-edited plants have been stuck
with the GEAC for almost two years. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi last year, a group of senior scientists calling themselves the India
Agriculture Advancement Group (IAAG) expressed concern over the
“inordinate delay”.
A senior official said the guidelines had been submitted to the GEAC in
January 2020, after an extended public consultation and expert review process
under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology and approval from its
Review Committee on Genetic Manipulations.
Open field trials

“The SDN 1 and SDN 2 categories of genome edited plants do not contain
any foreign DNA when they are taken to the open field trials,” said the IAAG
letter, which argued against further consultation with State Governments.
Signatories include the former heads of the ICAR, the National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences and the Indian Institute of Science.
“The U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan are among the countries which have
already approved the SDN 1 and 2 technologies as not akin to GM, so such
varieties of rice can be exported without any problem,” said Dr. Singh. The
European Food Safety Authority has also submitted its opinion that these
technologies do not need the same level of safety assessment as traditional
GM plants, though the European Union is yet to accept the recommendation,
he said.
:https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/gene-editing-helping-to-create-resilient-high
Guidelines for non-transgenic gene

editing techniques pending since January
2020
Priscilla Jebaraj
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 21, 2021 20:41 IST
SHARE ARTICLE
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 PRINT
 A A A
Photo for representation. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Gene editing helps create resilient, high-yield rice without foreign

DNA: Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Even as the Centre investigates allegations that unauthorised genetically

modified (GM) rice was exported to Europe, it is yet to decide on a
research proposal from its own scientists which would allow plants to be
genetically modified without the need for conventional transgenic technology.
Unlike the older GM technology which involves the introduction of foreign
DNA, the new proposal involves the use of gene editing tools to directly
tweak the plant’s own genes instead.
Also read | India asks European Commission to back GM-rice claims

with proof
Scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute are in the process of

developing resilient and high-yield rice varieties using such gene editing
techniques, which have already been approved by many countries, and they
hope to have such rice varieties in the hands of the Indian farmers by 2024.
However, the proposal for Indian regulators to consider this technique as
equivalent to conventional breeding methods, since it does not involve
inserting any foreign DNA, has been pending with the Genetic Engineering
Appraisal Committee for almost two years.
Editorial | Plugging the leak: On the GM rice controversy
The IARI has previously worked on golden rice, a traditional GM variety

which inserted genes from other organisms into the rice plant, but ended trials
over five years ago due to agronomic issues, said Director A.K Singh. India
has not approved any GM food crop for commercial cultivation.
Newer technologies
The Institute has now moved to newer technologies such as Site Directed
Nuclease (SDN) 1 and 2. They aim to bring precision and efficiency into the
breeding process using gene editing tools such as CRISPR, whose developers
won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.
“In this case, you are just tweaking a gene that is already there in the plant,
without bringing in any gene from outside. When a protein comes from an
outside organism, then you need to test for safety. But in this case, this
protein is right there in the plant, and is being changed a little bit, just as
nature does through mutation,” said Dr. Singh. “But it is much faster and far
more precise than natural mutation or conventional breeding methods which
involve trial and error and multiple breeding cycles. It is potentially a new
Green Revolution.”
Also read: The science behind GM crops
A research coalition under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR), which includes the IARI, is using these techniques to develop rice
varieties which are drought-tolerant, salinity-tolerant and high-yielding. They
could potentially be ready for commercial cultivation within three years, said
Dr. Singh.
However, the draft guidelines for such gene-editing techniques have been
stuck with GEAC for almost two years. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi last year, a group of senior scientists calling themselves the India
Agriculture Advancement Group (IAAG) expressed concern over the
“inordinate delay”.
Also read: Should we grow GM crops?
A senior official said the guidelines had been submitted to GEAC in January
2020, after an extended public consultation and expert review process under
the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology and approval from its Review
Committee on Genetic Manipulations.
No foreign DNA
“The SDN 1 and SDN 2 categories of genome edited plants do not contain
any foreign DNA when they are taken to the open field trials,” said the IAAG
letter, which argued against further consultation with State Governments.
Signatories include the former heads of the ICAR, the National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences and the Indian Institute of Science.
Also read: Kejriwal lauds IARI for developing low-cost tech to manage

stubble
“The U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan are among the countries which have
already approved the SDN 1 and 2 technologies as not akin to GM, so such
varieties of rice can be exported without any problem,” said Dr. Singh. The
European Food Safety Authority has also submitted its opinion that these
technologies do not need the same level of safety assessment as conventional
GM, though the European Union is yet to accept the recommendation, he
said.
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/guidelines-for-non-transgenic-gene-editing-techniques-
pending-since-janua
Trademark Vietnam Rice protected in 22 foreign countries: MARD

Chia sẻ | FaceBookTwitter Email Copy Link
Interested1
20/10/2021 15:16 GMT+7
The trademark “Vietnam Rice” has by now been protected in 22 foreign countries, the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development (MARD) reported, urging for the issuance of a legal document managing the use of
the trademark.
Trademark Vietnam Rice
Vietnam has been among the world’s top three rice exporters, together with Thailand and India, for
years, the MARD said in a report sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 19.
According to the MARD, Vietnam Rice has become a Generic Trademark in 19 countries, including
Indonesia, Russia and 17 member states of the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI).
It has also been registered as a Certification Trademark in three countries, namely China, Brunei
and Norway. The MARD holds the ownership of the trademark in these countries.
It is important to heighten awareness of Vietnamese rice products among exporters, importers,
distributors and consumers both at home and overseas, the ministry said.
Protection of the trademark also lays a basis for Vietnamese rice to expand its market and increase
added value and competitiveness globally, as well as preventing the faking of Vietnamese origin.
Vietnam must also urgently grant the right to use the trademark to Vietnamese producers and
exporters as the trademark will be probably revoked if it is not used by the owner for 3 – 5 years in
accordance to regulations of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and laws of some
Madrid System member states, it noted.
The ministry proposed the PM to permit it to develop a decree providing a set of procedures for
administering the use of Vietnam Rice./.
Source: VNA
 Chia sẻ | FaceBookTwitter Email Co
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/business/trademark-vietnam-rice-protected-in-22-foreign-countries-mard-
784553.html
Rice set to climb as fertiliser rally

drives up farm costs
PUBLISHED : 20 OCT 2021 AT 15:25
ิ
WRITER: ิBLOOMBERG
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A farmer in Phi Mai district of Nakhon Ratchasima throw fertiliser in a paddy field on Sept 10,
2019. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)
The massive rally in fertilisers is coming for rice, a staple food for half of
the world’s population, with farmers in one of the top exporters bracing
for exorbitant prices of crop nutrients in the coming planting season.
The cost of fertiliser in Thailand is on track to double from 2020, with

prices now at 16,000 baht per tonne compared with an average 10,000
baht last year, according to Pramote Charoensilp, president of the Thai
Agriculturist Association, which represents rice farmers in the world’s
third-biggest shipper.
“It’ll be a problem for rice farmers in coming months. Many of them have
already harvested last season’s rice and are getting ready for planting so
they’ll need fertiliser,” Mr Pramote said in an interview on Tuesday. “A
tonne of fertiliser is now more expensive than a tonne of rice.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Rice is a food staple in many countries in Asia and surging fertiliser

prices because of a global energy crunch are set to raise costs for many
farmers in the region. In some countries, that may lead to governments
having to step in to boost farmer subsidies in order to ensure essential
supplies.
China’s curbs
Like many other rice-producing nations, Thailand buys almost all of its
urea, phosphate and potassium from abroad, including from China. That
makes the country more vulnerable to changes in Chinese export
policies, and the woes are exacerbated by rising logistic costs.
China is stepping up inspection of fertiliser exports amid concern over

the impact of rising prices on domestic food security, according to a
customs notice dated Oct 11. China is a key supplier of urea and
phosphate to the global market, including to India, Pakistan and
Southeast Asian countries.
While floods spared most of Thailand’s rice fields and exporters still have
a shipment target of 6 million tonnes this year, fertiliser costs will
become a “big issue” for farmers already struggling with low prices, Mr
Pramote said. “The government should intervene.”
Prices of white rice 5% broken, a benchmark grade, have tumbled about

30% from a February high.
Fertiliser costs are having an impact elsewhere in Asia. Vietnam’s plant

production department is encouraging rice farmers to cut fertiliser use
by as much as half. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Wilfredo Roldan,
administrator of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, expects local rice
and corn prices to rise as fertiliser accounts for as much as 70% of the
production cost.
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q=cache:slWUBHrVifsJ:https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/
2201131/rice-set-to-climb-as-fertiliser-rally-drives-up-farm-
costs+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Fast-yielding aman a lifesaver for farmers in lean period
Harvests began in mid-September
EAM Asaduzzaman
Wed Oct 6, 2021 12:00 AM
Day labourers harvesting aman paddy is an uncommon sight during this time of year
as the major cash crop usually ripens near the end of each year, often leading to
starvation among marginalised people in the lean months. This photo was taken
recently at Nitai village in the district’s Kishoreganj upazila. PHOTO: EAM
Asaduzzaman
Farmers in Nilphamari district of Rangpur division began harvesting their early-

flowering aman paddy halfway through September, bringing a sense of festivity to the
area.
Standard aman saplings are planted in the last week of August and the crop takes
about three months to ripen, leaving farmers with little to do in the meantime.
And since paddy cultivation is the sole source of income for people in the region,
many face a loss of income at this time.
Besides, marginal farmers face food shortages between September and November as
they quickly run out of stocks of rice kept for consumption.
But fortunes have changed ever since Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)
introduced early-flowering varieties of aman paddy that can be harvested during this
period.
The BRRI invented several new varieties of the kitchen staple while certain private
companies have imported some high-quality breeds.
The paddy harvesting season usually begins from mid-November, a good two months
more than it takes to harvest the quick-growing varieties planted at the same time.
This year, farmers aim to cultivate aman paddy on 1.14 lakh hectares of land in
Nilphamari, according to officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension
(DAE).
Of the total amount of land brought under cultivation, the short-duration variety has
been planted on nearly 25,000 hectares of land in the district. The area is highly
suitable for the crop thanks to the availability of sandy alluvial and elevated soil that
quickly drains rainwater.
In the past two years, about 18,000 hectares of land were used to cultivate the
standard varieties while the quick-growing paddy was planted on 12,200 hectares.
The closeness of the quantities indicates that more farmers are now inclined to plant
fast-flowering paddy.
"The short-duration aman paddy is cost effective as it needs less watering and
attention after transplanting," said Rafiqul Islam, an agricultural extension officer of
Nilphamari's sadar upazila.
After the fast-growing saplings are planted in mid-June, it takes only 90 days to 100
days to provide yields.
High-quality short-duration breeds such as Bina-17 provide an average yield of about

13.5 maunds to 16 maunds (one maund equals around 37 kilogrammes) per hectare
while the standard varieties produce 18 maunds to 20 maunds.
Although standard paddy yields are comparatively higher than the short-duration
varieties, the rice prices usually fluctuate due to weather conditions and other
unforeseen consequences that affect production, Islam said.
So, in many cases, cultivators of standard paddy often incur losses since the plants
need prolonged maintenance.
Besides, this makes it particularly difficult to ensure that production costs are met,
especially in times such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which brought their
earnings to a halt, he added.
Giriza Prosonna, a farmer based in Ramnagar village of sadar upazila, said he

produced 27 maunds of fast-flowering aman paddy from two bighas of land.
Selling each maund at a high price of about Tk 900, Prosonna earned around Tk
25,000 from the lot.
"This made me very happy as there is a price hike during the ongoing lean season," he
added.
In addition, since the new varieties provide quick yields, farmers can cultivate
potatoes varieties that can be harvested early on the same piece of land after reaping
the paddy, said Shamim Hossain, owner of a large farm in Uttor Durakuti village of
Kishoreganj upazila.
Quick yields coupled with availability of high prices after harvest and the opportunity
to cultivate other crops are the main factors behind the increased popularity of fast-
growing crops, according to various DAE officials and farmers.
During a visit to different paddy-producing villages, this correspondent found that

farmers had an increased supply of straw to sell as fodder at high prices thanks to a
scarcity of animal feed.
"Farmers adopt new cropping patterns to cultivate four main crops, including rice and
potato, in a cycle each year," said Abu Bakar, deputy director of the district DAE.
So, the introduction of fast-growing paddy, potato, maize and other crops is slowly
changing the country's traditional farming methods and subsequently, bringing change
to the socio-economic scenario, he added.
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https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/fast-yielding-aman-lifesaver-farmers
Rice set to climb as fertiliser rally

drives up farm costs
PUBLISHED : 20 OCT 2021 AT 15:25
WRITER: ิิBLOOMBERG
 1





 6
A farmer in Phi Mai district of Nakhon Ratchasima throw fertiliser in a paddy field on
Sept 10, 2019. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)
The massive rally in fertilisers is coming for rice, a staple food for half of
the world’s population, with farmers in one of the top exporters bracing
for exorbitant prices of crop nutrients in the coming planting season.
The cost of fertiliser in Thailand is on track to double from 2020, with

prices now at 16,000 baht per tonne compared with an average 10,000
baht last year, according to Pramote Charoensilp, president of the Thai
Agriculturist Association, which represents rice farmers in the world’s
third-biggest shipper.
“It’ll be a problem for rice farmers in coming months. Many of them have
already harvested last season’s rice and are getting ready for planting so
they’ll need fertiliser,” Mr Pramote said in an interview on Tuesday. “A
tonne of fertiliser is now more expensive than a tonne of rice.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Rice is a food staple in many countries in Asia and surging fertiliser

prices because of a global energy crunch are set to raise costs for many
farmers in the region. In some countries, that may lead to governments
having to step in to boost farmer subsidies in order to ensure essential
supplies.
China’s curbs
Like many other rice-producing nations, Thailand buys almost all of its
urea, phosphate and potassium from abroad, including from China. That
makes the country more vulnerable to changes in Chinese export
policies, and the woes are exacerbated by rising logistic costs.
China is stepping up inspection of fertiliser exports amid concern over

the impact of rising prices on domestic food security, according to a
customs notice dated Oct 11. China is a key supplier of urea and
phosphate to the global market, including to India, Pakistan and
Southeast Asian countries.
While floods spared most of Thailand’s rice fields and exporters still have
a shipment target of 6 million tonnes this year, fertiliser costs will
become a “big issue” for farmers already struggling with low prices, Mr
Pramote said. “The government should intervene.”
Prices of white rice 5% broken, a benchmark grade, have tumbled about

30% from a February high.
Fertiliser costs are having an impact elsewhere in Asia. Vietnam’s plant

production department is encouraging rice farmers to cut fertiliser use
by as much as half. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Wilfredo Roldan,
administrator of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, expects local rice
and corn prices to rise as fertiliser accounts for as much as 70% of the
production cost.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2201131/rice-set-to-climb-as-fertiliser-rally-drives-up-farm-
costs
India-Pakistan tug of war over GI tag for

Basmati rice takes a new turn
By CNBCTV18.com |Oct 20, 2021, 05:47 PM IST (Published)
Mini
Pakistan’s claim that the latest EU court judgement upholds its rights over Basmati rice is
unsubstantiated, says expert.
A recent judgement of a European Union court has misled Pakistan into

believing that its geographical indication (GI) rights over Basmati rice have
been upheld. The judgement gains significance in view of the tussle over GI
rights between India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have been in a tug of war over exclusive trademark rights
on long-grain Basmati rice. India applied to the EU for protected geographical
indication (PGI) status for Basmati rice last year. Pakistan opposed the move
as it would deal an adverse blow to the country’s exports to EU. India and
Pakistan are the only two countries that export Basmati rice to the world.
Pakistan’s claim that the latest judgement upholds its rights over Basmati rice
is unsubstantiated, S. Chandrasekaran, author of the book, Basmati Rice: The
Natural History Geographical Indication, told The Hindu BusinessLine.
The case
In October 2017, the UK-based Indo European Food Ltd appealed to the
European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) against registration of
the trademark by Venice-based distributor Hamid Ahmad Chakari. Chakari is
a distributor in the EU who buys rice from Pakistan, while Indo European Food
Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of India’s Kohinoor Foods Ltd that markets
Basmati rice.
Chakari had obtained the non-registered trademark for rice flour, rice cakes,
rice-based snacks, extruded food products made of rice, rice pulp for culinary
purposes and rice meal for forage.
According to Indo European Food Ltd, the trademark relied upon the goodwill
associated with the name Basmati.
The UK firm also said use of the words, ‘Abresham Super Basmati Selaa
Grade One World’s Best Rice,’ indicated that the product was Basmati rice
and if the rice used was of any other type, it would lead to misrepresentation.
This would damage the goodwill of the Basmati rice brand.
The EUIPO rejected the arguments by Indo European Ltd in April 2019,
saying it failed to provide sufficient evidence that the registration of the
trademark caused loss to the firm.
“There was no argument to explain how use of the mark applied for could
affect the distinctiveness of the name ‘basmati’,” the EUIPO board of appeal
had said.
What is the EU court judgement?
The ruling by the Court of Justice of EU came on an appeal filed by Indo

European Food Ltd against the European Union Intellectual Property Office
(EUIPO) judgement.
The Luxembourg-based Court of Justice upheld the registration of ‘Abresham

Super Basmati Selaa Grade One World’s Best Rice’ in the EU and said Indo
European Ltd “failed to demonstrate” how the trademark would result in
misrepresentation of the name Basmati.
However, it agreed that a small part of the public could believe that the goods
were in some way associated with Basmati rice.
The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan hailed the judgement and said it
“successfully” crushed the Indian application of GI tag for its Basmati rice in
the EU.
India still in the race
Chandrasekaran said Pakistan is wrongly under the impression that the Court
of Justice recognised its Basmati variety.
Since 2017, the Indian Patent Office has given GI tag for Basmati rice,
thereby protecting the exclusivity of the long-grain fragrant rice across the
world.
As the 2017 case revolved around a non-registered product, the Indian
registration supersedes such a claim, the expert said. It is now an
internationally settled law.
With the domestic GI tag, India has the legal means to challenge any
registered or non-registered trademark post-2017, Chandrasekaran said.
https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/india-pakistan-tug-of-war-over-gi-tag-for-basmati-rice-takes-a-new-
turn-11166262.htm
Shipping Activity At Port Qasim

Sumaira FH 3 minutes ago Fri 22nd October 2021 | 12:48 PM
The movement of following ships was reported on Thursday, where four ships
namely, Maersk Nile, Sunny Lynx, Great Century and Sky Fall carrying
Containers, Gas oil and Coal arrived at the port and berthed at Container
Terminal, Bulk Terminal and Huang Fuyun Terminal respectively
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Oct, 2021 ) :The movement of
following ships was reported on Thursday, where four ships namely, Maersk Nile,
Sunny Lynx, Great Century and Sky Fall carrying Containers, Gas oil and Coal
arrived at the port and berthed at Container Terminal, Bulk Terminal and Huang
Fuyun Terminal respectively.
Meanwhile five more ships, Rising Harrier, Lista, Elikon, IVS Bosch Hoek and Al-
Fraiha scheduled to load/offload Rice, Wheat, Coal and Natural gas also arrived at
outer anchorage of Port Qasim during the last 24 hours.
PQA berths were engaged by 08 ships during the last 24 hours, out of them, four
ships, Aristidis, Maersk Nile, African Spoon Bill and Al-Berta are expected to sail on
today in the afternoon.
Cargo volume of 133,523 tonnes, comprising 105,169 tonnes imports cargo and
28,354 tonnes export cargo, including containerized cargo carried in 1,950 Containers
(800 TEUs Imports and 1,150 TEUs export), was handled at the port during last 24
hours .
A total of 18 ships are currently at Outer Anchorage of Port Qasim and waiting for

berths, out of them three ships, Elikon, Mega-1 and Al-Fraiha carrying 53,934 tonnes
of Wheat, 27,339 tonnes Palm oil and 58,771 tonnes LNG are expected to take berths
at Grain Terminal, Liquid Terminal and Elengy Terminal respectively on Friday,
while two more ships, Teera Bhum and IVS Naruo carrying Containers and Cola are
due to arrive at Port Qasim on Saturday.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/shipping-activity-at-port-qasim-1382106.html
Aman acreage expands
Sohel Parvez
Wed Oct 20, 2021 12:00 AM

Encouraged by favourable weather and good market prices, farmers have planted
Aman paddy as far as the eye can see with the crop’s acreage having grown a good
4.3 per cent to 56.2 lakh hectares this season. The photo was taken at Gobindaganj
in the northern district of Gaibandha yesterday. PHOTO: Mostafa Shabuj
Farmers have expanded Aman paddy cultivation this season encouraged by favourable
weather and better prices for the staple in domestic markets.
The acreage of transplanted Aman rose 4.3 per cent to 56.2 lakh hectares this season
from 53.8 lakh hectares the previous year, showed data from the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The planted area is higher than the DAE's target of 55.7 lakh hectares, said the
organisation's Director General Md Asadullah.
"Farmers could cultivate most of the area as we did not see floods this year. And until
now, the crop looks good," he added.
Supported by monsoon rains, Aman is the second biggest rice crop, accounting for
about 38 per cent of the total annual rice output of 3.76 crore tonnes in fiscal 2020-21.
The DAE official went on to say that farmers have started harvesting early maturing
varieties.
Some 21,000 hectares of paddy have already been harvested and 70,000 hectares will
be harvested in the next one week, Asadullah said.
Nirod Boron Saha, president of the Naogaon Dhanno-Chal Aratdar O Babosayee

Samity, an association of rice and paddy wholesalers in the rice hub, said overall
growth of Aman has been good aside from pest attacks in some areas.
"Rice prices will likely remain stable until mid-January next year if weather remains
favourable," he added.
Rice prices have been increasing for the last two years amid stockpiling and slow
delivery by millers and farmers amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Prices of coarse grain, the benchmark grain, touched at Tk 47 per kilogramme in July,
the highest since September 2017, according to data from the Department of
Agricultural Marketing.
Prices of the staple declined marginally later amid imports.
As of October 18 this year, public and private agencies imported nearly six lakh
tonnes of rice since the beginning of fiscal 2021-22 in July.
Total rice imports stood at 13.59 lakh tonnes the previous year, showed data from the
food ministry.
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:https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/aman-acreage-expands
Economy on path of development

under Imran Khan’s leadership:
Farrukh
Fri, 22 Oct 2021, 1:59 PM

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Economy on path of development under Imran Khan's leadership: Farrukh
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (APP):Minister of State for Information and

Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said on Friday that the national economy was on
the path of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a tweet, the minister said that in the first quarter of the current financial
year, foreign remittances increased by 12.5% and stood at US $8 billion
whereas exports increased by 38% with US $7 billion.
He said that the FBR has collected Rs1395 billion in taxes in the first quarter,
up by
38 per cent.
He said that textile exports rose by 28% to US $4.437 billion whereas

exports have risen by 42.7% to US $635 million.
Large scale manufacturing increased by 7.5% in first 2 months of July-

August, Farrukh Habib said.
After 30 years, a prime minister had turned his attention towards agriculture
sector and surplus produce would ensure Pakistan’s food security.
According to preliminary reports, sugarcane production was expected to

increase by 25%, maize by 18%, cotton by 60% and rice by 18%, Farrukh
Habib said.
He hoped next year wheat production would also increase.
https://www.app.com.pk/national/economy-on-path-of-development-under-imran-khans-leadership-
farrukh/
Pakistan, India among countries of concern on climate

change
 Fri, Oct 22 2021 02:29:20 PM
By Hamza Ameer
Islamabad, Oct 22 (IANS): A latest report by the US Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
has revealed that Pakistan and India are part of 11 countries, singled out and marked as highly
vulnerable in capabilities to respond to environmental and societal crisis, triggered due to climate
change.
The nations marked as highly vulnerable, marked as "countries of concerns" also include Afghanistan,
Myanmar, Iraq, Norh Korea, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.
The countries have been identified as highly vulnerable because of lack of basic facilitations and
apparatus in place to tackle such challenges which include heat, drought, water availability and
ineffective government.
The report also identifies that Afghanistan remains as a major concern, specifically due to heat, drought
and water availability challenges the country faces. Moreover, water disputes are also a key
geopolitical flashpoint in India and other parts of South Asia.
The ODNI has predicted and estimated that global warming will increase and intensify the geopolitical
tensions and risk to the US national security.
The report also highlights different approaches and disparities around the globe in tackling climate
change, highlighting that the countries relying on fossil fuel exports, continue to resist a zero-carbon
world in view of the economic, political and geopolitical cost related to it.
The affects of climate change have certainly shown their visible affects in the region as changes in
weather and prolonged extreme weathers are being witnessed.
The South Asian region has got major water shortage challenges, which has also affected lives of
millions of people, who suffer to not only health deteriorations but also to severity in their financial
management due to drying out farmlands.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been among the leaders in South Asia, who has initiated the
million-tree project, planting 10 million saplings across the country, urging all to plant trees and project
themselves from the devastations of climate change.
The move by has been widely appreciated by the global community.
Experts have warned that the climate changes are expected to have wide-ranging impacts which
include reduced agricultural productivity; increased variability of water availability; increased coastal
erosion; sea water incursion; and increased frequency of extreme climatic events
"Climate change will affect it in two ways; heavy rains will destroy major crops like wheat, rice, sugar-
cane, maize and cotton on one hand, and due to the changing pattern of annual weather, our farmers
will be unable to predict properly annual rainfall, cold and heat", said Javed Jabbar, former Senator and
an environmentalist.
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=885737
Pakistan going to be surplus in food security due to agri-focused approach

of PM: Farrukh

October 22, 2021
File Photo
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib says Pakistan is going to
be surplus in food security due to agri-focused approach of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a tweet on Friday, he shared data regarding increase in production of Kharif crops
showing wheat production increased upto 25 percent, cotton 60 and rice and maize 18
percent each.
He expressed the hope that wheat production will witness record increase next year.
The Minister of State said the country's economy is on the path of progress as textile,
foreign remittances, large scale manufacturing and IT exports have all witnessed
substantial increase during the first quarter of current fiscal year.
He shared figures showing foreign remittances increased upto 12.5 percent, exports 38
percent, textiles 28 percent, IT exports 42.7 and Federal Board of Revenue's tax collection
increased upto 38 percent.
https://www.radio.gov.pk/22-10-2021/pakistan-going-to-be-surplus-in-food-security-due-to-agri-
focused-approach-of-pm-farrukh
Pakistan, India among countries of concern on climate change
A latest report by the US Office of Director of National

Intelligence (ODNI) has revealed that Pakistan and India are
part of 11 countries, singled out and marked as highly
vulnerable
Topics
Climate Change | Pakistan
IANS | Islamabad Last Updated at October 22, 2021 14:01 IST
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Photo: Bloomberg
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Global average temp rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius in next
20 years: UN report

A latest report by the US Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has revealed
that Pakistan and India are part of 11 countries, singled out and marked as highly
vulnerable in capabilities to respond to environmental and societal crisis, triggered due
to climate change.
The nations marked as highly vulnerable, marked as "countries of concerns" also include
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iraq, Norh Korea, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and
Colombia.
The countries have been identified as highly vulnerable because of lack of basic facilitations
and apparatus in place to tackle such challenges which include heat, drought, water
availability and ineffective government.
The report also identifies that Afghanistan remains as a major concern, specifically due to
heat, drought and water availability challenges the country faces. Moreover, water disputes
are also a key geopolitical flashpoint in India and other parts of South Asia.
The ODNI has predicted and estimated that global warming will increase and intensify the
geopolitical tensions and risk to the US national security.
The report also highlights different approaches and disparities around the globe in tackling
climate change, highlighting that the countries relying on fossil fuel exports, continue to
resist a zero-carbon world in view of the economic, political and geopolitical cost related to
it.
The affects of climate change have certainly shown their visible affects in the region as
changes in weather and prolonged extreme weathers are being witnessed.
The South Asian region has got major water shortage challenges, which has also affected
lives of millions of people, who suffer to not only health deteriorations but also to severity in
their financial management due to drying out farmlands.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been among the leaders in South Asia, who has
initiated the million-tree project, planting 10 million saplings across the country, urging all to
plant trees and project themselves from the devastations of climate change.
The move by has been widely appreciated by the global community.
Experts have warned that the climate changes are expected to have wide-ranging impacts
which include reduced agricultural productivity; increased variability of water availability;
increased coastal erosion; sea water incursion; and increased frequency of extreme climatic
events
"Climate change will affect it in two ways; heavy rains will destroy major crops like wheat,
rice, sugar-cane, maize and cotton on one hand, and due to the changing pattern of annual
weather, our farmers will be unable to predict properly annual rainfall, cold and heat", said
Javed Jabbar, former Senator and an environmentalist.
--IANS
hamza/ksk/
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/pakistan-india-among-countries-of-concern-
on-climate-change-121102200697_1.html
No plans for US to unfreeze
$9.5bln of Afghanistan's
financial reserves: IMF
ANI
22 Oct 2021, 10:03 GMT+10
Washington [US], October 22 (ANI): The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
has said that there are no plans for the United States to unfreeze estimated
USD 9.5 billion of Afghanistan's financial reserves, Sputnik reported.
"At the moment, we do not have any further updates to provide on
Afghanistan," the IMF spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday when
asked whether the United States may consider unfreezing Afghanistan's
reserves.
After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the United States froze
nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, while the
International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union
suspended funding for projects there.
On September 13, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sputnik that the
new Afghan government is ready to take all possible legal steps to unfreeze
Afghanistan's foreign assets in the United States.
The Taliban have urged the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan's central
bank reserves, during the first in-person meeting in Qatar after the takeover
of Kabul in August.
Last month, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said at a press conference that
Afghanistan will not have access to this grant because of the uncertainty
over Afghanistan's government. (ANI)
https://www.malaysiasun.com/news/271546360/no-plans-for-us-to-unfreeze-95bln-of-afghanistan-
financial-reserves-imf
Farmers thrashing rice crop in a

traditional way at their field near
Bypass Road
Thu, 21 Oct 2021, 8:13 PM
Twitter

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APP31-211921 LARKANA: October 21 - Farmers thrashing rice crop in a
traditional way at their field near Bypass Road. APP photo by Nadeem Akhtar
APP31-211921 LARKANA:
APP44-211921 LARKANA: October 21 – Farmers thrashing rice crop in a
traditional way at their field near Bypass Road. APP photo by Nadeem Akhtar
https://www.app.com.pk/photos-section/feature/__trashed-15/
Centre Against Plea Seeking

Electricity for Hindu Migrant
Families from Pakistan Living In
Delhi
The Centre on Oct 21 asked for a plea on providing electricity to Pakistani migrants residing 'illegaly' in Delhi to be
dismissed.(File photo: PTI)
The plea was filed by one Hariom, who works for the welfare of 'minority migrants' from Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in India.
 PTINEW DELHI
 LAST UPDATED:OCTOBER 21, 2021, 22:15 IST
 FOLLOW US ON:
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The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that 200 families of Hindu migrants
from Pakistan are residing in illegal camps on a Defence land in North Delhi
and a plea seeking electricity connection for them should be dismissed for
being misconceived. The Centre further said that in August 2018, it accorded
sanction for transfer of the land in question to the Defence Research and
Development Organization and has been consistently following up with the
local authorities for the removal of unauthorized encroachment there.
The Ministry of Defence was responding to the notice issued in September by

a bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel to the Centre, Delhi government,
and others on the plea which concerns 200 families of Hindu migrants from
Pakistan, comprising almost 800 people, who are living in Delhi Jal Board
Maidan in North Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar area.
The plea was filed by one Hariom, who works for the welfare of ‘minority
migrants’ from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in India.
Responding to the plea, the Centre said the present petition seeks inter-alia
seeking electricity connection for 200 Hindu minority migrants families who
are currently the occupants of Delhi Jal Board Maidan, Shah Alam Road,
Adarsh Nagar, North Delhi. The present petition is misconceived in as much
as the camps which have been set-up/established at the Land, are illegal and
have been established as a result of encroachment on Defence Land.
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The affidavit filed by Defence Estates Officer, Delhi Circle, Delhi Cantt.,
Ministry of Defence also said “not only is the answering respondent not the
competent authority to provide electric connections or provide any assistance
of any sort to migrants but also in view of the illegal encroachment the petition
is misconceived and frivolous and deserves to be dismissed in-limine. In the
affidavit filed through lawyer Amit Mahajan, the Centre added that in July
2018, it had also taken up the matter for disconnection of electricity/water
supply of the unauthorized occupants with Delhi Jal Board and North Delhi
Power Limited.
The petitioner had told the high court that the present case concerned
migrants from Pakistan– mostly from Sindhwho are living here without
electricity for the past few years. During the pandemic when all schools have
gone online, there is no electricity in the Jhuggis (slums) and future of their
children is in dark, said the plea, filed through advocates Samiksha Mittal,
Akash Vajpai, and Ayush Saxena.
The petitioner had said that he approached various government authorities
but could not succeed in getting electricity for migrants and some of them
even applied to Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, which was turned down on
the grounds that valid ownership proof of applied address was required. The
plea claimed that most of the migrants were living on long-term visas and they
have an Aadhaar card also with the same address on which they are currently
living, which consequently proved their occupancy.
However, as per the discom, Aadhaar can be used as identity proof but not as
proof of occupancy of the premises, it said. The plea thus sought a direction
for providing electricity connection to the migrants on the basis of their
Aadhaar card, long term visa, and passport under the DERC (Supply Code
and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017 and to also include these
documents like identity proof and Aadhaar card as proof of occupancy.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow

us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
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 PAKISTANI MIGRANTS
https://www.news18.com/news/india/centre-against-plea-seeking-electricity-for-hindu-migrant-
families-from-pakistan-living-in-delhi-4349222.html
Asia Rice: Strong rupee lifts India prices to 3-month peak; Thai rates slip
 High shipping rates challenge Thai exporters - trader

 Vietnam rates unchanged at $430-$435 per tonne
 Indian rupee at two-week high
Reuters Updated 21 Oct 2021
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Rice export prices in India rose to their highest level in nearly
three months this week as the rupee appreciated amid a shortfall in
supply, while higher shipping costs and a weaker baht dragged
Thai rates lower.
Top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $362 to $365
per tonne this week, their highest since late July, up from last week's $360 to
$363 per tonne.
"Prices have moved up a bit because of the rising rupee. Demand is there, but
supply is limited," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh.
The rupee was trading near its highest level in two weeks, trimming returns
from overseas sales for traders in the world's biggest exporter of the staple.
Thailand's 5% broken rice prices narrowed to $385 to $390 per tonne on

Thursday, from $385-$420 per tonne last week, with traders attributing the
dip to fluctuation in the currency exchange amid moderate demand.
Asia rice: Vietnam rates extend gains
The lingering concerns over the high cost of shipping is a major challenge for
Thai rice exporters, a rice trader said.
"Demand has been muted because it is very difficult to ship rice due to high
cost and because of this logistic problem buyers are turning to our competitors
whose prices are more attractive," the same trader said.
Another trader said more supplies of rice are expected at the beginning of
November, which could pressure prices further.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's 5% broken rice stayed unchanged from a week earlier at

$430-$435 per tonne.
"Export activities are picking up pace after most of the coronavirus movement
restrictions are lifted," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.
In Bangladesh, farmers have expanded rain-fed rice cultivation this year,

encouraged by favourable weather and better prices for the staple in the
domestic markets.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40128136
12 Types of Rice You Should Try—and the Best Ways to Use Them
These varieties are anything but run of the mill
By Perry Santanachote
October 22, 2021


 shares of the article
Photo: Marilyn Barbone/Adobe Stock

Chef JJ Johnson owns Fieldtrip, a rice-focused eatery in Harlem, New York, and is
obsessed with heirloom and heritage rice varieties. But he wasn’t always a fan of rice.
“My first memories of rice are of my grandma walking around the kitchen drinking
asopao out of her coffee cup,” Johnson says. “I loved that Puerto Rican soupy rice.” But
when his grandmother passed away, Johnson says his working mother started cooking
parboiled rice from a box because it took only 10 minutes. “Those were probably my
worst memories of rice.”
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MORE ON RICE
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He didn’t really like rice at all until he started traveling internationally and fell back in
love with it. “It was really good stuff in Ghana, Puerto Rico, and India,” he says. “I
realized that rice was at the center of everybody’s culture except for ours for some
reason.”
If all you’ve ever known of rice is the flavorless stuff that’s boiled in a bag or microwave-
cooked in minutes, you might not appreciate just how tasty this grain can be. Johnson
hopes consumers will open up their minds and palates to become more familiar with
rice’s diversity. We’re here to help.
There’s a world of rice varieties—more than 40,000 types—grown on every continent

except Antarctica (for now). And while we could write tomes about this ancient grain,
this article focuses on a dozen varieties that are most commonly found in America. We’ll
go over their individual qualities, when to use which type, and how to store them.
Types of Rice
There are two major rice classifications: indica (long-grain) and japonica (medium-to-
short grain). Both contain two types of starch—amylose (dry starch) and amylopectin
(sticky starch)—but the proportions of each are what differentiate long-grain and short-
grain rice.
Long-Grain Rice Medium-to-Short-Grain Rice
∙ Has more amylose (dry starch). ∙ Has more amylopectin (sticky starch).
∙ Elongates as it cooks into firm, separate ∙ Grains grow rounder as they cook and cling
grains. together.
∙ Fluffy texture. ∙ Soft, tacky texture.
∙ Typically grown in hot tropical and ∙ Typically grown in cooler climates and in
semitropical conditions. mountainous regions.
Arborio
A short- to medium-grain Italian rice used to make risotto. The grains are translucent
with a white center that stays al dente when cooked while the outside softens, absorbs
flavorful liquids, and releases starch to give risotto its creamy consistency. Risotto
grains have little amylose, the dry starch that makes rice hold its form, which allows it to
achieve this texture.
Best uses: risotto and soupy rice dishes such as asopao and risi e bisi.
Basmati
A long-grain rice that is highly regarded for its fragrance and dramatic elongation when
cooked. True basmati is grown—and considered a minor god—in India and Pakistan.
Many hybrids are grown elsewhere, including the U.S., but they don’t grow long like
basmati.
Best uses: in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, and Mediterranean dishes; in dishes where
you don’t want the grains to stick together, such as biryani, sabzi polo, and arroz con
pollo; any recipe that calls for long-grain rice.
Black Rice
Comes in medium- and short-grain varieties and is also known as black sticky rice or
the less sticky forbidden rice. Grown mostly in Southeast Asia, these kernels are
surrounded by flavorful and nutrient-rich black bran that turns the rice purple when
cooked.
Best use: sweetened with coconut milk and sugar for sweet sticky rice.
Black rice
Photo: Serenethos/Getty Images

Bomba
A short- to medium-grain Spanish rice also called Valencia rice. It’s prized for its tender
bite and ability to absorb a large amount of liquid—and flavor—without losing its shape
or going mushy.
Best use: paella.
Brown Rice
Not actually a rice type, because all rice is brown before it’s milled. Brown rice still has
its outer bran layer, which has nutrition, fiber, and a nutty flavor. You can find brown
versions of all rice varieties. This layer of bran acts as a shield to cooking liquid, which
means you need more water and more cooking time to get it tender.
Best uses: as a heartier, more nutritious substitute for any white rice variety.
Brown rice
Photo: Pakin Songmor/Getty Images

Carolina Gold
Golden-yellow long-grain rice cultivated by African slaves in South Carolina during
colonial times (not to be confused with the Carolina brand rice). In the 1700s this rice
was a valuable export commodity that made plantation owners very wealthy, but it
barely survived the Civil War. Carolina Gold became near extinct but has found a recent
revival thanks to the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of the original West Africans,
who helped preserve this grain. Today it’s produced by Anson Mills. What makes this
rice unique is its japonica makeup and indica appearance. When cooked, it has notes of
roasted nuts and fresh bread.
Best uses: as an accompaniment to low-country dishes and for porridge, pilau, purloo,
jollof rice, and red rice.
Glutinous Rice
Sticky rice (also called sweet rice) with 100 percent amylopectin. This variety can be
white or black and is a specialty of Thailand, Japan, China, and other Asian countries.
Best uses: as an accompaniment to Southeast Asian salads (like laab and papaya
salad) and grilled meats, and sweetened with coconut milk and sugar for sweet sticky
rice.
Jasmine
Florally fragrant medium- to long-grain rice that cooks into a moist, tender grain. This is
the mother rice (and major export) in Thailand and a variety that doesn’t fit neatly into
either the indica or japonica classifications. It’s a longer grain but has more amylopectin
(sticky starch) than amylose (dry starch).
Best uses: as an accompaniment to stir-fries and curries, and for fried rice, gallo pinot,
rice soup, and congee.
Jasmine rice
Photo: Alexandra Krol/Getty Images

Parboiled
Rice that has been pressure-steamed before milling to reduce breakage and force
nutrients from the bran into the endosperm. This light tan rice is trademarked as
converted rice by Uncle Ben’s. Parboiled rice isn’t to be confused with instant rice; it
must be fully cooked and results in a dry and firm rice.
Best uses: dishes that require separate, firm grains with minimal stickiness, or when
you want a nutritious grain that isn’t as fibrous and chewy as brown rice.
Red Rice
Short-grain rice with a deep-red bran layer that cooks into a chewier, earthier brown
rice. The most common is the Camargue red rice of southern France, but you can also
find Thai red rice (also known as riceberry) and Bhutanese red rice more easily
stateside these days. Bhutanese red rice is actually a medium-grain that turns pink
when cooked.
Best uses: in salads, gumbo, and mixed with white rice varieties for flavor and texture.
Red rice
Photo: Victor Cardoner/Getty Images

Sushi Rice
A short-grain rice that’s smooth and glassy, also often referred to as Japanese rice.
When cooked, it’s on the sticky side but still has a toothsome bite to it. It can be enjoyed
plain or seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt for sushi rice.
Best uses: sushi, on its own sprinkled with furikake, and for bibimbap and rice pudding.
Wild Rice
Looks like rice and grows like rice but is technically a grass. This slender, dark, and
chewy cousin to rice is the only grain indigenous to North America and is an important
staple for some Native Americans. Today it’s an expensive delicacy because it’s grown
in small quantities, mostly in Minnesota, California, and central Canada.
Best uses: stuffing, salads, and soup.
Wild rice
Photo: Barbara Reichardt/Getty Images

Buying Rice
Where your rice comes from matters, not only in terms of quality but also for
health. CR’s investigation of arsenic levels in rice found that type and origin play a
major role in the amount of arsenic in rice. Arsenic is a metal found in soil and
groundwater all over the world. When ingested over a long period of time, it can cause
cancer and metabolic problems. And it’s known to cause neurological problems in
children.
“Since rice is grown in flooded fields, it absorbs a lot of arsenic,” says Tunde Akinleye,
the lead tester in CR’s investigation of arsenic levels in rice. “Rice from the U.S. South
tends to be high in arsenic because insecticides were widely used on the plantations,
and that stuff stays in the soil for a long time.”
Akinleye says basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan have much lower levels.
Japanese rice is also generally low in arsenic, and any type of white rice has about half
the levels found in brown rice because arsenic settles mostly in the bran (the brown part
of rice).
Washing rice helps reduce exposure, but also consider reducing your intake. If you
choose better rice, you can safely eat up to 3 cups per week. If you love your Carolina
Gold or Texmati, that’s fine; just limit your servings to 1½ cups per week.
Storing Rice
The best temperature to store rice is 40° F or cooler, but white rice can be stored at
room temperature (around 70° F) if you put oxygen-absorbing packets into the container
and use the rice within two years. If you don’t eat rice often, keep it tightly covered in the
refrigerator or freezer. Brown, red, and black rice should always be refrigerated because
bran is perishable and can turn rancid quickly.
Perry Santanachote
I cover the intersection of people, products, and sustainability, and try to provide humorous but
useful advice for everyday living. I love to dive deep into how things work, and debunking
myths might be my favorite pastime. But what I aim to be above all else is a guiding voice while
you're shopping, telling you what's a value, what's a ripoff, and what's just right for you and your
family.
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Throw Away Unlabeled Red, White, and Yellow Onions Due to Risk of Salmonella, the CDC
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https://www.consumerreports.org/food/types-of-rice-to-try-how-to-use-them-a8159704317/
SMVDU faculty delivers a talk in China on ‘rice grains infection’

TNN | Oct 21, 2021, 20:32 IST
Dr Vivek Singh
JAMMU: Dr Vivek Kumar Singh, Faculty, School of Physics, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU),
Katra, delivered an invited talk on “LIBS analysis of rice grains infected by false smut disease (RFS)” in
4th Asian Symposium on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (ASLIBS), held at Qingdao, China
during 16-20 October 2021.
According to SMVDU Katra Spokesperson, Dr Singh talked about the RFS disease in rice crops of different
regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh and also spoke about the impact of this series disease
on the growth and quality of the rice crops.
Recommended By Colombia
“Further, Dr Singh highlighted the use and application of laser-based technique, laser-induced
breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to investigate the elemental and molecular changes occurring in the rice
grains and their association with the RFS disease.”
Dr Singh’s talk was followed up by an interactive session, in which the attendees clarified their doubts.
Concluding the talk, Prof Ronger Zheng, Chair of the Symposium, thanked Dr Singh for his lecture.
Both Prof Jin Yu, who chaired the session, and Editor of the Journal Applied Physics B Laser and Optics
expressed that the session would motivate researchers working in the field of laser technology (LIBS).

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