DOCSLIB.ORG

Agrinews: April 2013

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Agrinews: April 2013 Agrinews: April 2013 A compilation of major news items relating to the overall farm sector and selected commodities covered under the study “Agricultural Outlook and Situation Analysis Reports” Prepared by National Council of Applied Economic Research 11, I.P. Estate New Delhi 110002 i News compiled from Economic Times, Business Standard, Business Line and Financial Express from dated 26.3.13 to 25.4.13. These are partial or full news stories for reference purposes. ii CONTENTS SECTION TITLE PAGE I HIGHLIGHTS 1 II AGRICULTURAL POLICY 3 III RICE 9 IV WHEAT 17 V MAIZE/COARSE GRAINS 33 VI PULSES 36 VII EDIBLE OILS AND OILSEEDS 40 VIII VEGETABLES/ ONION-POTATO-BANANA 47 IX MILK 49 X SUGARCANE/SUGAR 53 XI INPUTS 73 XII OTHER AGRI COMMODITY/NEWS 76 XIII AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY/ FOOD PRICES 87 XIV AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY FUTURES 94 iii a I HIGHLIGHTS Agricultural Policy Organic food may be exempt from farm products’ export ban (BL 26/3/2013) Government to encourage private traders for buying wheat from farmers (ET 3/4/2013) Govt set to review buffer stock norms (ET 11.4.13) Rice Basmati exports up 10% in FY13 (BS 5.4.13) Bihar crosses national average in rice production: Nitish Kumar (ET 24.4.13) Wheat Scientists unlock key genetic code of wheat (BL 26.3.13) India, US to launch joint research collaboration on wheat( ET 9.4.13) Wheat harvest seen at record on high-yield seeds (BS 10.4.13) India likely to export 7.5 MT wheat, says UN body (BS 17.4.13) Wheat exports feasible as global prices firming up: FCI (ET 22.4.13) Pulses World pulses trade meet to look into demand-supply outlook (BL 15.4.13) Edible Oils and Oilseeds Stockists begin building edible oil inventories (BL 2/3/2013) India's vegoil imports down 7.5% (BS 14.4.13) Vegetables/ Onion- Potato It’s a hot potato, thanks to steady demand (BL 29/3/2013) Punjab announces 50% subsidy on diggers for potato plantation(ET 25/4/2013) Milk New Zealand drought fuels boom for Indian dairies (BL 2.4.13) India’s milk pouch model appeals to Europe, Pakistan (ET 22.4.13) Sugarcane/Sugar India's 2013-14 sugar output looks positive: ISO chief ( ET 26.3.12) Sugar mills given free hand to sell open market quota (BL 26/3/2013) Government releases 10.4 million tonne sugar for open market (ET 27/3/2013) Sugar production falls by 2% at 230.5 LT in H1 2012-13 (ET 2/4/2013) Government removes control on sale of sugar in open market (ET 5.4.13) Centre to bear extra PDS sugar subsidy for 2 years: FM (ET 6/4/2013) 1 Sugar producers to benefit from govt-mandated compulsory blending of ethanol with petrol (ET 17/4/2013) Other Agri / Farm News India's agriculture output to be worth 29 lakh crore by 2030: CII-McKinsey report (ET 14.4.13) Branding can propel India among top five farm produce exporters by 2030 (BS 15.4.13) Govt seeks precision in monsoon forecasting by 2017 (ET 17.4.13) Private forecaster Skymet expects normal monsoon this year (ET 18/4/2013) Programme to provide pre-harvest crop estimate (BL 24/4/2013) Agricultural Commodity/ Food Prices Food habit change in rural areas fuelling inflation: RBI (BL 6/4/2013) World food prices rise 1 per cent in March: Food and Agriculture Organisation (ET 12.4.13) Cheaper veggies pull down March inflation to 5.96% (FE 15.4.13) Retail price inflation to remain in double digits in 2013 and 2014: IMF (BS 17.4.13) Agricultural Commodity Futures Prices Commodity markets will be drivers of economic growth’ (BL 3/4/2013) FMC wants exemption for processed farm products from CTT (BL 10/4/2013) 2 II AGRICULTURAL POLICY/ RELATED ISSUES Organic food may be exempt from farm products’ export ban (BL 26/3/2013) The Government may exempt organic products from export ban imposed on farm commodities from time to time to check the spiralling prices in the domestic market. The move, when implemented, is expected to give a boost to exports from the fast- growing sector by making supplies in the overseas market more predictable. The Commerce Department is formulating a proposal for exempting organic products from export ban on the lines of the recent exemption given to processed food and is expected to soon discuss it with other ministries concerned. Organic food is grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and is in great demand all over Europe, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and West Asia. Exports of organic products jumped almost three times to touch $360 million in 2011-12 from $130 million in the previous year. “Buyers of our organic products will have more confidence in their suppliers if they know for certain that exports will not stop due to Government intervention. Continuous exports will also encourage farmers to grow more organic food,” the official said. Export of organic food products from the country include basmati rice, pulses, honey, tea, spices, coffee, oil seeds and fruits, according to farm products export body APEDA, Exempting organic produce from export ban would not harm the interest of domestic consumers at the time of shortage of supply in the local markets as it is a minuscule part of total farm exports. Exports of agricultural commodities monitored by APEDA in 2011-12 was a whopping Rs 82,000 crore ($15 billion) compared with organic products exports at Rs 1,800 crore ($360 billion). 3 In January, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs exempted processed food and value-added agricultural produce from export ban. These include wheat of meslin flour, cereal flours, meal pellets and grains, milk products including casein and its products, butter and other fat derivatives from milk and dairy spread, cheese and curd and value added products of onion and peanut butter. “We want the same logic to be extended to organic products. The Commerce Department is preparing a paper on why organic products should be exempted from export ban and it would be discussed with other ministries soon,” the official said. Organic food is gaining ground in many parts of the world. According to US-based environmental research organisation The Worldwatch Institute, which has carried out a study on the growth of global organic agricultural practices, acreage under organic farms has trebled globally since 1999 to 37 million hectares despite a dip in 2009-10. Government to encourage private traders for buying wheat from farmers (ET 3/4/2013) Anticipating huge surge in wheat procurement this year, the government is considering options to encourage private traders to buy the grain directly from farmers, Food Minister K V Thomas said today. "Let the private traders come and procure this time. We are working out a mechanism. We don't want to give signal that we will procure wheat for private parties," Thomas said on the sidelines of CII AGM here. The government is aiming to buy a record 45 million tonnes of wheat in the ongoing 2013-14 marketing year, as against 38 million tonnes last year, he said. "Our wheat requirement is 28-29 million tonnes. I was forced to procure 38 million tonnes wheat last year as private traders did not want to buy at minimum support price (MSP). Although our burden is huge, but we have to procure to ensure MSP to farmers," Thomas explained. Private players had not been buying wheat directly from farmers for last two years due to higher taxes in states like Punjab. Also, they were waiting for the government agency FCI to procure entire wheat and sell later to private traders at lower rates via open market sale scheme (OMSS), he said. Thomas also sought suggestions from the industry chamber CII on ways to encourage private sector in wheat procurement. Allaying fears of storage crisis due to possible huge wheat buy, Thomas said, "It is a huge challenge. We have got enough storage. I am confident that we will manage this year." 4 Wheat procurement will start in fullswing after Baisakhi festival on April 14. So far, FCI has purchased over 5 lakh tonnes of wheat at the support price of Rs 1350 per quintal. As on March 1, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had foodgrains stocks of 62.8 million tonnes, of which wheat was 27.1 million tonnes. The storage capacity is 74 million tonnes. The government's wheat purchase has been on the rise due to record output in the last two consecutive years. The wheat production this year is also expected to surpass last year's record 94.88 million tonnes. ‘Creating non-farm jobs must for farmers’ (BL 3/4/2013) There is a need to create more non-farm opportunities in rural areas and to facilitate farmers’ migration to those jobs so as to ensure income security for them, Agriculture Secretary Ashish Bahuguna said today. “We are food secured country. We will remain food secured for foreseeable future. But what is not secured is farmers’ income. This we need to address,” he said at CII AGM here. “We should get together and see how we can create non-farm opportunities in rural areas and facilitate migration from agriculture sector,” Bahuguna added. Presently, there is inequity in distribution of wealth among farmers as more than 50 per cent of the population is dependent on farming sector, which contributes only 13 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), he said.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Increased Dependence on Irrigated Crop Production Across the CONUS (1945–2015)
    water Article Increased Dependence on Irrigated Crop Production Across the CONUS (1945–2015) Samuel J. Smidt 1,*, Anthony D. Kendall 2 and David W. Hyndman 2 1 Soil and Water Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA 2 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA * Correspondence: ssmidt@ufl.edu; Tel.: +352-294-3151 Received: 28 May 2019; Accepted: 11 July 2019; Published: 14 July 2019 Abstract: Efficient irrigation technologies, which seem to promise reduced production costs and water consumption in heavily irrigated areas, may instead be driving increased irrigation use in areas that were not traditionally irrigated. As a result, the total dependence on supplemental irrigation for crop production and revenue is steadily increasing across the contiguous United States. Quantifying this dependence has been hampered by a lack of comprehensive irrigated and dryland yield and harvested area data outside of major irrigated regions, despite the importance and long history of irrigation applications in agriculture. This study used a linear regression model to disaggregate lumped agricultural statistics and estimate average irrigated and dryland yields at the state level for five major row crops: corn, cotton, hay, soybeans, and wheat. For 1945–2015, we quantified crop production, irrigation enhancement revenue, and irrigated and dryland areas in both intensively irrigated and marginally-dependent states, where both irrigated and dryland farming practices are implemented. In 2015, we found that irrigating just the five commodity crops enhanced revenue by ~$7 billion across all states with irrigation. In states with both irrigated and dryland practices, 23% of total produced area relied on irrigation, resulting in 7% more production than from dryland practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Original Paper Effects of the Wx Gene on Starch Biosynthesis, Physicochemical Wheat Flour Properties, and Dry Noodle Quality
    _ Food Science and Technology Research, 24 (3), 443 453, 2018 Copyright © 2018, Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology http://www.jsfst.or.jp doi: 10.3136/fstr.24.443 Original paper Effects of the Wx Gene on Starch Biosynthesis, Physicochemical Wheat Flour Properties, and Dry Noodle Quality 1* 2 1 Peng QIN , Zhiyou KONG and Yeju LIU 1College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China 2College of Resources and Environment, Baoshan University, Baoshan 678000, China. Received May 24, 2015 ; Accepted October 9, 2015 Wheat starch biosynthesis is influenced by the Wx gene, which may also affect the quality and characteristics of flour and food. In this study, eight near-isogenic Wx wheat lines were bred and used as test materials for analysis of the content and biosynthesis dynamics of starch, and the changes in flour and dry noodle qualities were evaluated. The results showed that the contents and accumulation rates of amylose, amylopectin, and total starch initially increased and then decreased at 20 d after anthesis. Additionally, the three Wx genes examined in this study had varying effects on the amylose content and accumulation rate, in the order of Wx-B1 > Wx-A1 > Wx-D1. Wx genes had only minor effects on amylopectin biosynthesis. Lack of Wx gene expression was expected to affect the physiochemical properties of wheat flour, with the Wx-B1 gene exhibiting the most dramatic effects. Almost all properties except taste, stickiness, and total score of dry noodles decreased following silencing of the Wx-B1 and Wx-D1 genes. Dry noodle qualities deteriorated to different degrees after silencing of one, two, or three Wx genes, and almost no amylose biosynthesis and very poor dry noodle quality were observed in wheat lacking all three Wx genes.
    [Show full text]
  • Christmas Order Form 2017.Indd
    CHRISTMAS ORDER FORM Order all the baked treats you desire with this handy little form, we’ll do the rest. Return this form to the bakery by Sunday 17th December with a 50% deposit. PS. It’s quicker to collect if you pay for the whole order now rather than on the collection date. COLLECTION DATE (circle): SATURDAY 23RD 12-5PM SUNDAY 24TH 9-12PM FULL NAME: ______________________________________ CONTACT NO. ______________________________________ Qty Christmas specials £ What’s in it? Abbeydale Brewery Christmas Pudding ale, sour cherry, apple ________ Mince pies (4) 6 and prune mince meat topped with a vienesse swirl ________ Vegan mince pies (4) 6 Our house made mince meat with a vegan pastry crust ________ Panettone 500g 10 The lightest Italian sourdough Christmas bread fl avoured with candied peel, sultanas, orange and honey. Topped with nibbed ________ Panettone 900g 16 sugar and toasted almonds, all wrapped up with a bow. Beautifully boxed with all the fl avours of Christmas: mulled ________ Petit fours (box of 12 handmade sweets) 15 cranberry jellies, nougat, cointreau orange, snowball, after eight and gingerbread chocolate truffl es ________ Amaretti morbidi 200g 4 Soft Italian almond biscuits. Naturally gluten free ________ Lebkuchen 200g 3.5 Richly spiced German iced biscuits ________ Peanut butter cookies 200g 3.2 Soft peanut butter cookies with a hint of sea salt ________ Vegan oatmeal and raisin cookies 200g 3.2 Chewy vegan cookie with a hint of cinnamon ________ Multi-seed wholemeal crackers 150g 3 Sesame, pumpkin and linseed crackers with a hint of coriander ________ Rosemary and lemon shards 100g 2.8 Paper thin super crisp breads.
    [Show full text]
  • Amanda Jorgensen
    Examining the Biology and Monitoring Tools of Sitodiplosis mosellana in the Peace River region, Alberta by Amanda Jorgensen A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Ecology Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta © Amanda Jorgensen, 2019 ii Abstract Wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive pest of wheat that has spread into the Peace River region of Alberta, Canada. The biology and monitoring of wheat midge has not previously been examined in this region. Wheat midge overwintering density and parasitism rates were examined by rearing field collected soil, and overwintering mortality was determined by rearing wheat midge in soil in different conditions. Parasitism rates were high (>50%). Rates of adult emergence were higher when soil was held under controlled conditions overwinter. Patterns of adult wheat midge emergence in the field were compared to published bioclimatic models. The differences between adult emergence in the Peace River region were great enough that development of a regionally-optimized model is necessary. In the Peace River region, adults emerged 300 GDD base 7 °C after a rainfall event. Multiple peaks of wheat midge emergence and capture on pheromone-baited traps were observed. Capture of adult wheat midges on different delta traps (orange or green), and pheromone lures (Scotts™ flex, Scotts™ septa, or Great Lakes IPM™ septa) were compared. In 2017, delta traps with a larger surface area captured more midges, and traps baited with the Scotts™ flex lure captured more midges than the Great Lakes IPM™ septa lure. Different un-baited yellow sticky cards (Great Lakes IPM™, Alpha Scents™, or Alpha Scents™ rolled into a cylinder) were compared for wheat midge capture.
    [Show full text]
  • India Economic Update March 2012
    Public Disclosure Authorized March 2012 India Economic Update Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Economic Policy and Poverty Team Public Disclosure Authorized South Asia Region The World Bank India Economic Update1 March 2012 Overview In 2011, India‘s economic growth has slowed to below 7 percent and the stock markets mirrored the weakening economic conditions, but recovered somewhat in early 2012. Industrial sector output growth briefly slipped into negative territory. On the demand side, fixed investment and consumption growth slowed. India‘s exports were growing very strongly through 2011 despite the worsening economic conditions in Europe, which continued to be India‘s most important export market. The balance of payments continued to be in surplus during April-September 2011, but the RBI‘s reserves declined by a small amount since then. The rupee nevertheless depreciated by 20 percent between August and December, before recovering somewhat in early 2012. Inflation slowed markedly in December 2011 and January 2012, after sustained inflationary pressures over the last two years. Food price increases were pushing inflation initially, but core inflation has been the main component of overall inflation since September 2010. While food prices fell in December and January, core inflation still remained elevated. Macroeconomic policies presented a mixed picture: the central government is likely to miss the ambitious target for fiscal consolidation it had set in the FY2011-12 budget by about 1 percent of GDP. Slippages are due to lower-than-expected revenues and increasing outlays on subsidies, which had been given low budgetary allocations in anticipation of strong policy changes, which failed to materialize.
    [Show full text]
  • Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
    Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta A Report to the Delta Protection Commission Prepared by the Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento August 1, 2015 Project Team Steve Boilard, CSU Sacramento, Project Director Robert Benedetti, CSU Sacramento, Co-Director Margit Aramburu, University of the Pacific, Co-Director Gregg Camfield, UC Merced Philip Garone, CSU Stanislaus Jennifer Helzer, CSU Stanislaus Reuben Smith, University of the Pacific William Swagerty, University of the Pacific Marcia Eymann, Center for Sacramento History Tod Ruhstaller, The Haggin Museum David Stuart, San Joaquin County Historical Museum Leigh Johnsen, San Joaquin County Historical Museum Dylan McDonald, Center for Sacramento History Michael Wurtz, University of the Pacific Blake Roberts, Delta Protection Commission Margo Lentz-Meyer, Capitol Campus Public History Program, CSU Sacramento Those wishing to cite this report should use the following format: Delta Protection Commission, Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, prepared by the Center for California Studies, California State University, Sacramento (West Sacramento: Delta Protection Commission, 2015). Those wishing to cite the scholarly essays in the appendix should adopt the following format: Author, "Title of Essay", in Delta Protection Commission, Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, prepared by the Center for California Studies, California State University, Sacramento (West Sacramento: Delta Protection Commission, 2015), appropriate page or pages. Cover Photo: Sign installed by Discover the Delta; art by Marty Stanley; Photo taken by Philip Garone.
    [Show full text]
  • Testing for Bubbles in Agriculture Commodity Markets Francisco José Areala, Kelvin Balcombea and George Rapsomanikisb 12
    Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales. ISSN: 1578-0732. e-ISSN: 2174-7350. Vol. 16,1. (2016). pp. 59-79 Testing for bubbles in agriculture commodity markets Francisco José Areala, Kelvin Balcombea and George Rapsomanikisb 12 ABSTRACT: We apply the recent generalized sup augmented Dickey-Fuller (GSADF) test for explo- sive bubbles (Phillips et al., 2012) to monthly time-series for food, beverages, agricultural raw material, cereals, dairy, meat, oils and sugar indices and a total of 28 agricultural commodities between 1980-2012. We found price bubbles occurred for 6 out of the 10 indices studied and for 6 out of the 28 commodities within food markets. Results from the tests can help implementing policies aimed at mitigating effects of future price bubbles to targeted food commodity markets that may require special attention. KEYWORDS: Generalized SUP augmented Dickey Fuller, food prices, price bubbles. JEL classification: C1. DOI: 10.7201/earn.2016.01.04. Detectando burbujas en los mercados de productos agrícolas RESUMEN: Aquí aplicamos un test estadístico recientemente desarrollado para la identificación de bur- bujas explosivas, generalized sup augmented Dickey-Fuller (GSADF) test (Phillips et al., 2012) a series temporales mensuales de indicadores de precios de alimentos, bebidas, materias primas agrícolas, cere- ales, productos lácteos, productos cárnicos, aceites y azúcar así como para un total de 28 productos agrí- colas durante el período 1980-2012. Se han encontrado burbujas en los precios para 6 de los 10 índices y para 6 de los 28 productos alimenticios estudiados. Los resultados de estos tests pueden ayudar a llevar a cabo políticas que tengan como objetivo mitigar los efectos de futuras burbujas explosivas en mercados de productos agrícolas identificados como aquellos puedan requerir una atención especial.
    [Show full text]
  • Deconstructing Wheat Price Spikes: Service
    United States Department of Agriculture A report summary from the Economic Research Service April 2014 United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Deconstructing Wheat Price Spikes: Service Economic A Model of Supply and Demand, Research Report Financial Speculation, and Number 165 Deconstructing Wheat Price Spikes: April 2014 Commodity Price Comovement Joseph P. Janzen Colin A. Carter Aaron D. Smith Michael K. Adjemian A Model of Supply and Demand, Financial Speculation, and Commodity Price Comovement Find the full report at www.ers.usda. gov/publications/err- Joseph P. Janzen, Colin A. Carter, Aaron D. Smith, economic-research- report/err165.aspx and Michael K. Adjemian What Is the Issue? Over the last 5 years, wheat futures prices spiked and then crashed along with prices for other agricultural and nonagricultural commodities. Market observers offered theories to explain this common movement, or comovement, in prices: macroeconomic shocks, correlated supply disruptions, and the influence of nontraditional speculative firms known as commodity index traders (CITs). The perceived role of speculators in the recent price spikes led market partici- pants, policymakers, and economists to call for restrictions on the trading activity of CITs. This study examines the degree to which a comprehensive set of economic factors, including the trading behavior of CITs, contributed to recent dynamics in wheat futures prices. More acreage is planted to wheat than any other commodity in the world, and wheat is used to make flour, bread products, cookies, cakes, and pasta. Wheat is also a significant source of animal feed. So, understanding wheat price spikes is an important step toward understanding food price spikes more generally.
    [Show full text]
  • Whither California Agriculture: Up, Down Or Out? Some Thoughts About the Future
    Whither California Agriculture: Up, Down or Out? Some Thoughts about the Future Warren E. Johnston and Alex F. McCalla Giannini Foundation Special Report 04–1 August 2004 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEDICATION We wish to dedicate this report to our late fathers, farmers from places far apart but with a common bond to the land—Henry Johnston of Winters, California and Fred McCalla of Bremner, Alberta, Canada. They instilled in us the basic values of honesty and hard work. From them came our lifelong interest in agriculture and the rural countryside. They were of a generation of farm- ers who witnessed incredible technical change in agriculture and experienced the ups and downs of farming from the 1910s to the 1970s. Both survived the Depression on small family farms while raising young families. In meeting these challenges, they exhibited patience, good humor, and an unwavering dedication to family from which both of us have benefited immensely. We hope this joint venture, undertaken because of our common interests in agriculture, in a small way expresses our gratitude to them. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to thank the many people who helped us in this labor of love, late in life: Department Chairs Colin Carter and Jim Chalfant, the A&ES Deans Office, and DANR for pro- viding modest financial support for this study; Barbara Hegenbart, the ever generous and helpful librarian who never tired of our demands; colleagues who provided critiques of early drafts (in- cluding Alan Olmstead, Richard Sexton, Colin
    [Show full text]
  • Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Adapted to Lowland Lombok Island As an Alternative Food Crop for Dryland
    JOURNAL OF DEGRADED AND MINING LANDS MANAGEMENT ISSN: 2339-076X, Volume 2, Number 1 (October 2014): 243-250 DOI:10.15243/jdmlm.2014.021.243 Research Article Growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) adapted to lowland Lombok Island as an alternative food crop for dryland A. Zubaidi*,V.F.A. Budianto, A. Wiresyamsi, H. Abdurrahman Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram, Jalan Majapahit 62, Mataram – Lombok 83124, Indonesia * corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract: Wheat is not currently grown as a commercial crop in Indonesia, however since the consumption of wheat in Indonesia is steadily increasing and alternative of dry season crops are required for farming system diversification, wheat becomes an important crop to be adapted in dry land areas of Indonesia, one of them is dry land area of Lombok Island. The aims of this experiment is to adapt and screen wheat varieties including national and introduced Australian varieties in lowland Lombok Island. In future, wheat is expected to be an alternative crop for degraded lands. The experimental method used to evaluate growth and yield of 10 wheat varieties to look at the adaptability on the lowland of 200 m asl (Pringgarata) and on higher land of 400 m asl (Aik Bukak). The results showed that at a lower altitude (Pringgarata), wheat growth is slower than in Aik Bukak, which can be caused by the temperature at 200 m asl has exceeded the tolerance limit for grain growth (supra optimal temperature). Wheat can give good yields on 400 m asl, but the yield is decreased at 200 m asl (average 1.68 t/ha vs 0.82 t/ha).
    [Show full text]
  • Pakistan: Crop Progress Report
    FAS – Office of Global Analysis (OGA) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) International Operational Agriculture Monitoring Program USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Pakistan: Crop Progress Report MY 2010/11 December/ Start of Season Summary January 4, 2009 (1) Pakistan is a predominantly arid agrarian country with abundant arable land lying within the Indus River basin. The Indus Basin is a large alluvial plain running from north to south created by the Indus River and its tributaries, covering approximately 40 percent of the country’s geographic area. The agricultural sector in Pakistan accounts for 43 percent of the country’s labor force and over 20 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). There are two agricultural seasons in Pakistan named “kharif “and “rabi.” The kharif season refers to the summer growing period from May to November, with the major crops cultivated being rice, corn and cotton. The rabi or winter growing season runs from December through April, with the major crops being wheat, barley and millet. Farming activities are mostly subsistence in nature with a core emphasis being on food crop production (70% of total cropped area). Wheat is the major staple food grain crop in Pakistan, contributing about 45 percent of the daily caloric consumption of the population. Wheat is also a critical commodity in terms of total contribution to national food security1. The national wheat crop occupies two-thirds of the total agricultural area cultivated in Pakistan, averaging 8.3 million hectares per annum. The most important wheat producing area is in Punjab province, where about 70 percent of the national wheat crop is grown under irrigated conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • SOIL ORGANIC CARBON DYNAMICS in TALLGRASS PRAIRIE LAND MANAGEMENT THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements Fo
    SOIL ORGANIC CARBON DYNAMICS IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE LAND MANAGEMENT THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Master of Science in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Joshua Beniston, B.S. Graduate Program in Envrironment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University 2009 Thesis Committee: Professor Rattan Lal, Advisor Professor Frank Calhoun Professor Martin Shipitalo ii ABSTRACT This study was composed of two research components that examined the effects of tallgrass prairie land use changes on soil organic C (SOC). The first study examined changes in SOC and a suite of soil quality parameters in former agricultural soils now under restored tallgrass prairie. This study analyzed soils in a restored tallgrass prairie landscape with the primary objectives of: 1) To assess the changes in soil organic C (SOC) in restored prairie landscapes and to compare them with the SOC in conventional agricultural systems on the same soil, and 2) To quantify the impact of the restored prairie plantings on soil quality parameters and compare it with soils under conventional agricultural land uses. The primary study site was the Prairie Nature Center at the Marion Campus of The Ohio State University. The Prairie Nature Center (PNC) is a 4.5 ha site that began with the creation/restoration of tallgrass prairie plantings in 1977. Soil samples were taken from 31year (P77), 13 year (P95), and 8 year old (P00) restored prairie plantings, as well as from lawn (LA) and an annually cultivated corn (Zea mays)/soybean (Glycine max) field (AG) on similar soils. Soil samples were taken from 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, and 30-40cm depth, from 4 sites in each treatment during the summer of 2008.
    [Show full text]