Rice gap hybrid rice production to increase crop yield
The price of rice has increased to 8.7 percent in August from 4.2 percent in July 2023, or double the amount, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report.
To respond to this situation, Dr. Frisco Malabanan, MRIDP Productivity enhancement focal person, said hybrid rice will assure food supply sufficiency in the country as the population increases over time.
Hybrid rice, espoused by the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP), is expected to increase production per area with a reduced production cost.
Malabanan said the increase in population requires a concomitant increase in rice production, such that even a small farm lot can be maximized by planting hybrid rice. Modern technology can make a difference in rice yield, he said during National Rice Technology Forum (NRTF) press conference on Sept. 19,
Russia’s oil production forecast for modest reduction in 2023
Russian authorities expect domestic oil and gas production to decline this year, influenced by the country’s promises to cut output and oil exports, and continued efforts by producers to tap new markets after the 2022 European embargo on Russian oil imports.
Speaking on Wednesday at an industry forum in the West Siberian city of Tyumen, deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said that the government sees full-year production of oil and condensate at almost 10.6 million barrels per day against 10.74 million bpd in 2022.
For natural gas, output is also anticipated to decline to 642 billion cubic metres this year compared with 672 Bcm a year earlier.
Although Russian gas giant Gazprom has been withholding monthly updates on its performance, the drop in the country’s total gas production is seen as being related to the company’s low gas exports to Europe, running at about 25 percent of the levels seen before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Maharashtra sugar production may be 20pc lower
The Maharashtra sugar industry is tethering at the edge of a substantial crisis. With the ongoing deficient rainfall in the State during the southwest monsoon, there are concerns about the impact on sugarcane production. This could potentially result in a 20-25 percent decrease in sugar production compared to the previous season.
Maharashtra accounts for about one-third of the country’s sugar production and mills in the State produced 10.5 million tonnes in the 2022-23 season.
Farmers warn of impending food security shortages
Pakistan, like many countries across the globe, is staring at severe national food insecurity in the coming years owing to the global decline in wheat production. This has some people worried that ugly scenes, such as a stampede at a flour distribution point last year that resulted in the death of 24 women, could become far more common.
Wheat, a major crop grown in Pakistan to cater to domestic demand and the odd exports, is grown in the winter months (Rabi crop). Its cultivation in Pakistan starts in the middle of October and is harvested in March.
Tea production in Aug shows marginal 0.36pc dip yoy
Sri Lanka’s tea production for the month of August 2023 totalled 18.25 million kilogrammes, showing a marginal decrease of 0.36 percent year-on-year (YoY).
The provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tea Board showed that all elevations have shown an increase, in comparison with the corresponding period of 2022. The Low Grown elevation however saw a decline of 1.35 million kilogrammes, in comparison to the corresponding period in the previous year.
When compared to 23.87 million kilogrammes of August 2021, August 2023 shows a decrease of 5.62 million kilogrammes.
The cumulative analysis shows that for January-August 2023, the production totalled 174.21 million kilogrammes, recording a 1.55 percent YoY increase.
Compared to the corresponding period in 2022, all elevations, except for the Low Growns, have shown positive variances in the year 2023.
PFA discards 3,500 ltr adulterated milk
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has discarded 3,500 litres of adulterated milk during a crackdown on counterfeit dairy production in Lahore.
Dairy safety teams, led by the PFA, conducted a raid at Ghulam Abbas Haveli in Chunian, uncovering a sophisticated operation dedicated to producing fraudulent milk products.
Acting on the tipoff, the food safety team conducted a raid on the unit functional in the house and caught them red-handed producing milk powder.
During the raid, authorities seized a staggering 3500 liters of counterfeit milk, 48 kilograms of spurious ghee, and 37 kilograms of fake powdered milk.
The operation also led to the confiscation of two milk carts, two mixing machines, and drum conveyors used in the illicit production process.
Director General of the Food Authority, Raja Jahangir Anwar, revealed that the counterfeit milk was being prepared using a combination of powder, water, vegetable oil, and undisclosed chemicals.
Kazakhstan becomes leader in uranium production last year
In 2022, Kazakhstan became the absolute leader in uranium mining, accounting for 42 percent of global production, with the share of Kazatomprom National Atomic Company constituting 22 percent, the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund reported on Aug. 29.
Samruk Kazyna Chairman Nurlan Zhakupov instructed to increase investment in exploration as he visited the Khorasan-U and Baiken-U companies of Kazatomprom.
He discussed current reserves with colleagues and urged them to invest in further exploration of deposits.
“We have reserves that need to be developed,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
Kazatomprom is the world’s largest uranium producer, with its subsidiaries, affiliates, and joint ventures developing 26 deposits united into 14 uranium mining enterprises.