Expert: climate change, water scarcity can affect rice production
Chairman Rice Research and Development Board Punjab Shahzad Ali Malik warned that challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and pests can affect rice production in Pakistan and hectic efforts must be made on top priority to address these issues through research and development, improved farming practices, and policy support to ensure the continued importance and sustainability of rice as a cash crop in the country’s economy.
He said rice is one of the most important cash crops in Pakistan, contributing significantly to the country’s economy.
Talking to a delegation of plant breeders led by Prof Dr Muhammad Arshad Javed, Chairman Plant Breeding and Genetics Punjab University he said Pakistan is one of the major exporters of rice in the world, and rice exports play a crucial role in earning foreign exchange for the country.
The export of rice generates substantial revenue, contributing to the overall balance of trade and strengthening the economy, he added. He said its cultivation and the associated value chain provide employment opportunities to a significant portion of the rural population in Pakistan.
Tur, Urad, Masur: tracking pulses as India preps for kharif season
India is keeping a watch on its stocks of pulses as prices rise after tur and urad production in the 2022-23 crop year declined. With the southwest monsoon bracing for the impact of the El Nino climate phenomenon, all eyes are on how the kharif production of pulses proceeds in the next few months. The good news is the availability of chana (gram), the biggest pulse grown in the country and comprising almost half of the total annual pulses production of around 27-29 million tonnes. Chana stocks in the central government pool, after the latest round of procurement, stand at around 3.8 million tonne, or around 1.4 million tonne more than the same period last year.
Reading the tea leaves: low production stirs chai industry’s teapot
The tea industry’s cup of woes brimmeth — scanty rainfall and pest attacks have dragged down production in May, prices are lower than last year, and demand from some export markets is muted.
Production in North Bengal — comprising the Dooars, Terai, and Darjeeling — is majorly affected; parts of Assam are also hit.
Arijit Raha, secretary general, Indian Tea Association (ITA), said that the Tea Board numbers for April show a crop loss of about 9 percent for North Bengal, compared to last year.
“Based on feedback from member gardens, the production for May is showing sharp decline due to rising temperatures,” said Raha.
How will Saudi Arabia’s oil output cut affect prices?
Saudi Arabia goes it alone in cutting oil production by one million barrels a day starting in July.
Oil producers are facing falling oil prices – and bets by Wall Street speculators could push prices further down.
Saudi Arabia says it wants to target those traders. It has announced it will cut oil output by one million barrels a day, starting next month. That will push its production down to levels rarely seen in decades.
Natural gas production in the Permian Basin hit a record high in 2022
Natural gas production in the Permian Basin hit a record in 2022, the Energy Information Administration reported, with the total at 21 billion cubic feet daily.
This represented a 14 percent increase on the total for 2021, the agency said, and an all-time high as well.
Natural gas production in the basin continued to grow this year, too, exceeding the 21 billion cubic feet average for 2022. Almost all of the natural gas produced in the Permian is a by-product of oil production. As oil production rises, so does natural gas production.
However, the EIA said earlier this week it expected production growth across the U.S. to slow down over the coming months, which suggests natural gas output growth will slow down, too.
Russian invasion increases challenges, risks for Ukraine coal mines
Russia’s invasion has thrown up huge challenges for Ukraine’s coal mines, from the danger posed by air strikes to the departure of miners for the front to fight.
But pits are still producing coal in parts of eastern Ukraine that are not occupied by Russia, an act of defiance that the miners see as vital to the war effort.
“We are faced with new challenges, new problems…Last year there were several times when we had to stop production,” Viktor Kuznetsov, chief engineer at a large mine in east Ukraine, told Reuters.
Wheat production contest: names of winners announced
Abdul Hannan s/o Muhammad Ibrahim hailing from Toba Tek Singh secured the first position in wheat production competition 2022-23 arranged by the Punjab Agriculture Department under the national project to enhance per acre production of wheat.
Hannan obtained 76.51 maunds per acre and secured a cash prize of Rs 0.6 million while Mehboob Ahmed s/o Bashir Ahmed from Layyah District and Allah Bakhsh s/o Muhammad Yar of district Khushab were declared second and third by attaining a yield of 70.65 maund and 69.652 maund per acre respectively.
These farmers will be rewarded with cash prizes of Rs 0.5 and 0.4 million respectively. Similarly, in the canola production competition 2022-23, Muhammad Farid Khalid s/o Khalid Hussain of district Jhang was declared the first for getting canola yield 41.42 maunds per acre and he will be given a cash prize of Rs 0.5 million.
India to cap sugar exports until h1 2024
India is not considering allowing sugar exports until at least the first half of the next season, as the government is worried the El Nino weather pattern could reduce rainfall and dent production, government sources said on Monday.
India, the world’s second biggest sugar exporter, usually decides the amount of the sweetener mills can export before the start of the new marketing year on Oct. 1.