OGDC oil production crosses 40,000 barrels per day
Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) has increased its oil production to over 40,000 barrels per day for the first time in more than six and a half years, according to a statement issued by the company.
The milestone follows a period of declining output from mature fields, with the company attributing the increase to technical interventions, improved reservoir management and coordination between operational and support teams.
The company said the achievement reflects efforts to stabilise and enhance production levels through operational improvements and better resource management.
Industry analysts view the increase as a positive development for the energy sector, where output has faced pressure due to ageing fields and limited new discoveries.
Higher domestic production could help reduce reliance on imported crude and ease pressure on the external account.
OGDC said it is continuing efforts to improve efficiency and strengthen operational performance, with a focus on sustaining production gains.
Norway’s combine oil and gas production
Norway’s combined oil and gas production exceeded an official forecast by 2.8 percent in March, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) said on Tuesday.
Norway is Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas and a major producer of oil, but output varies from month to month depending on maintenance needs and other stoppages at close to 100 offshore fields.
Overall oil, condensate, natural gas liquids and gas output stood at 0.691 million standard cubic metres per day, equivalent to 4.35 million barrels of oil equivalent, an increase of 3.8 percent year-on-year.
Natural gas production in March fell to 349.3 million cubic metres (mcm) per day from 352.1 mcm a year earlier, lagging a forecast of 351.2 mcm by 0.5 percent, the regulator said on its website.
Crude oil output rose to 1.94 million barrels per day (bpd) in March from 1.76 million bpd in the same month last year, 8.1 percent above a forecast of 1.80 million bpd, NOD’s preliminary data showed.
The secret to a great cup of tea?
Until recently, knowledge about such tea molecules was limited, and sometimes incorrect, says Kelly Miller, product development and innovation manager at the tea retailer DavidsTea in Mont-Royal, Quebec. Now, thanks to advanced scientific methods, scientists are getting a closer look at the molecules in tea leaves.
“We can get into the details, which is cool,” says Miller.
These investigations are revealing that, much like wine, the molecular profile of each tea variety, or even batch, is influenced by every phase of production, from the soil the bush grows in to the way the leaves are dried, rolled or heated in preparation for consumption. And these molecular patterns correspond to features that tea drinkers care about. Hong, for example, enjoys a brand made with young leaves picked from the first spring harvest of tea grown on South Korea’s Jeju Island.
As Iran crisis drags on, fears of worldwide food catastrophe grow
In the nearly two months since the start of the Iran war, prices of fuel and fertiliser have surged worldwide.
The question now preoccupying economists and policymakers is when – and how hard – the fallout will hit the cost of food.
Analysts are in broad agreement that the true impact of the conflict has yet to be felt, due to the lag between rising agricultural input costs and higher prices on shelves.
They also agree that the severity of the fallout largely hinges on how long disruption to shipping continues in the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-third of global seaborne fertiliser and one-quarter of seaborne oil.
“Food prices will definitely rise in the coming months, making it more difficult for many people around the world to afford adequate and healthy diets,” Matin Qaim, executive director of the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn in Germany, told Al Jazeera.
“Poor people in Africa and Asia will be hurt the most because they have to spend a high share of their income on food anyway,” Qaim said.
“Hunger and undernutrition will very likely rise.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) last week warned that a prolonged crisis in the strait, which Iran has closed in retaliation for the United States and Israel’s war, could lead to a global food “catastrophe”.
India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Egypt are among the countries most at risk, according to the FAO.
In an analysis last month, the World Food Programme said nearly 45 million more people could face acute food shortages if the conflict continues into the middle of the year and oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.
Govt asks flour mills to increase sugar production
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, has urged Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc to significantly scale up sugar production at its subsidiary, Golden Sugar Company, targeting an annual output of 300,000 metric tonnes by 2030.
The minister gave the directive during a visit to the company’s Sunti complex in Niger State, accompanied by Kamar Bakrin of the National Sugar Development Council. The visit is part of ongoing inspections of major sugar projects aimed at speeding up Nigeria’s goal of becoming self-sufficient in sugar production, in line with the policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, The Nation reported.
Enoh said the country’s current sugar output remains far below its annual consumption of 1.8 million metric tonnes, stressing that Golden Sugar Company must play a key role in closing the gap. He noted that while progress has been made under the government’s backward integration programme, production levels are still below expectations.
During the tour, the minister said he was encouraged by the level of activity at the facility, highlighting its contribution to employment and industrial growth. At peak operations, the plant employs around 4,500 workers, reflecting the sector’s potential to generate jobs.