tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post1054858176790820128..comments2024-03-27T15:36:44.737-07:00Comments on Haq's Musings: Is Chicken Really More Affordable Than Daal in Pakistan? Riaz Haqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-34833755342213192852022-06-20T08:03:11.441-07:002022-06-20T08:03:11.441-07:00#Pakistan #poultry industry growing 10-12% a year....#Pakistan #poultry industry growing 10-12% a year. 15,000 poultry farms throughout the country with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 500,000 broilers. The industry produces 1.3 million tons of #chicken meat annually. #food #protein #calories https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/06/06/poultry-industry-growing-fast-in-pakistan-ppa/ via @Profitpk<br /><br />Poultry is one of the fastest-growing industries in Pakistan with investments of about Rs1.1 trillion.<br /><br />According to the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) report, the industry is the largest agro-based segment, generating employment and income for about 1.5 million people directly and indirectly.<br /><br />The sector is growing at a fast pace of 10-12% per annum. At present, around Rs190 billion worth of agriculture products are being used by the poultry industry, speeding up the growth in the agriculture sector.<br /><br />There are estimated 15,000 poultry farms throughout the country with their capacity ranging from 5,000 to 500,000 broilers. Pakistan’s poultry industry produces 1,245 million kilograms of chicken meat annually.<br /><br />Ali Hasnain, a supervisor of the poultry sector, said that Pakistan’s poultry industry was no less than the international standards. “The poultry industry meets 50% of the total demand for meat in the country, and the rest is met by other meat products like beef, mutton and fish.”<br /><br />“With the introduction of advanced technologies, more investments are coming around to cater to market needs and earn handsome revenues,” said Ali Hasnain, adding the poultry industry still had a lot of potential to contribute to the economy.<br /><br />As per the PPA report, meat consumption per capita in Pakistan is less than the developed countries. The consumption of meat and eggs per capita is 6.2 kilograms and 56 eggs annually. In the developed world, the per capita meat consumption is 40 kilograms and 300 eggs annually.<br /><br />According to the World Health Organisation, a person needs 27 grams of animal protein per day, while most people in Pakistan only consume 17 grams.<br /><br />To meet the international standards of meat consumption, the supply and production need to be increased and prices need to be brought down so that consumers can get the required meat and egg consumption levels. An increase in production will certainly require more investments in the industry.<br /><br />To boost production and bring down product rates, imports of poultry-related equipment should be exempted from duties and taxes.<br /><br />In addition, as growers increasingly need land to establish sheds, the government should provide state land to investors at nominal rates to generate investments and more production.<br /><br />Haniful Hassan, owner of a poultry farm, said that the current increase in prices of chicken was due to rise in prices of poultry feed. “The price of a feedbag has risen by 900 per bag in the last five months. We want the government to bring down the poultry feed rates to offset the price spiral,” he added.<br /><br />Haniful Hassan called for establishing poultry research institutes, production directorates and a federal poultry board to provide research and training to farmers.<br /><br />The government should also ensure easy availability of loans to people related to the industry.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-64792309049751963412022-01-28T07:31:24.556-08:002022-01-28T07:31:24.556-08:00Commercial production of kidney beans to start soo...Commercial production of kidney beans to start soon in Pakistan<br /><br /><br />https://www.dawn.com/news/1670834<br /><br />ISLAMABAD: The first-ever production of kidney bean varieties at commercial level will commence soon as the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc) will release six new varieties of common bean varieties in the country.<br /><br />According to a Parc report made available to Dawn on Friday, the achievement is part of the promotion of common bean cultivation in Pakistan under the five-year project for the promotion of research for productivity enhancement in pulses launched in 2019. The project has been funded by the Public Sector Development Programme with an amount of Rs1,437 million.<br /><br />The report says shuttle multiplication has been proposed for the promotion of kidney beans in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the spring season and upper regions in the kharif season.<br /><br />Scientists engaged in the pulse project say Pakistan has become self-sufficient in moong bean as its production was recorded at 267,000 tonnes against the national requirement of 180,000 tonnes.<br /><br />The major focus of the project is to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses production by increasing the yield of major pulse crops, including chickpea, lentil, moong, mash and kidney beans, by 30 per cent.<br /><br />Under the umbrella project, till now 3,792 lines have been tested throughout the country in 25 different locations through national uniform yield trials to evaluate and select promising lines for varieties development.<br /><br />As the country was facing acute shortage of quality seed of pulses, basic and pre-basic seed production has been carried out on about 1,107 acres through which 6,553 tonnes of seed has been produced and distributed among the farmers.<br /><br />Parc officials say availability of quality seed of improved cultivars is the prime contributing factor towards achieving self-sufficiency in pulses. To ensure this, varietal trials have been conducted in different agro-climatic zones of the country and the seed of identified best varieties was distributed among the farmers.<br /><br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-5281085458202191102021-10-10T09:54:07.329-07:002021-10-10T09:54:07.329-07:00Pulses: More than just a meat alternative
Beans, p...Pulses: More than just a meat alternative<br />Beans, peas and lentils are often overlooked when it comes to food staples. In a world where the devastating environmental impact of mass meat production is becoming increasingly clear, could pulses provide a solution?<br /><br />https://www.dw.com/en/pulses-more-than-just-a-meat-alternative/a-56513673<br /><br />Pulses, a broad category of edible seeds that includes pantry staples like lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas, are one of the world's most important food crops.<br /><br />This underrated legume has featured heavily in diets around the world for thousands of years. Pulses are the main source of protein for people who don't eat meat — whether by choice or by circumstance — they're good for the environment, nutritious and tasty.<br /><br />In recent years, the United Nations has recognized their global significance and declared February 10 as World Pulses Day. Read on to learn more about this humble superfood.<br /><br />Environmentally friendly meat alternative<br />Changing our diet, and how we produce what we eat, can have a huge and positive impact on the planet.<br /><br />A recent key report on food and biodiversity loss linked global eating habits to around 30% of human-made emissions in terms of energy and fertilizer, making them a "key driver of climate change." It also highlighted the devastating impact of our food production on nature.<br /><br />A big part of the problem is meat and other animal products. Though it might be a good source of protein, meat is terrible for the environment. Getting a kilogram of beef to your kitchen emits as much as 60 kilograms (130 pounds) of CO2-equivalent, according to a 2018 study published in Science. And with the world population set to surpass 10 billion in a little over 30 years, increasing demand for food — especially meat and monocrops like wheat, corn and soybeans — will further stress the climate, limited natural resources and biodiversity.<br /><br />Pulses like peas and lentils, however, produce some 0.9 kg of CO2-equivalent for every kilo grown. And they provide a far higher protein yield per square kilometer than a herd of cattle or flock of chickens, meaning existing farmland can be used more efficiently and untouched forests can be spared.<br /><br />The World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted pulses as "a good alternative to meat," pointing out that they "can play a key role in future healthy and sustainable diets." In recent years, calls from environmental groups for people in the Western world to drastically reduce their meat consumption, has inspired a growing trend toward vegetarian and vegan diets.<br /><br />In a September analysis, climate data provider Carbon Brief said "a global switch to veganism would deliver the largest emissions savings out of any dietary shift," preventing some 8 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions annually by 2050. Current food production is responsible for around 13.7 billion tons per year.<br /><br />"It is now becoming clear that a plant-based diet is not just a crock," said Christina Ledermann, head of the German advocacy group Humans for Animal Rights. "The future of nutrition is plant-based, or there is no future."Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-53340978443043933502020-05-18T21:01:20.323-07:002020-05-18T21:01:20.323-07:00Protein contents of a typical duckweed may be as h...Protein contents of a typical duckweed may be as high as up to 45% of the total dry mass of plants. Due to high protein content, the harvested duckweed is a potential food source for human and animal feeds<br /><br />https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221755<br /><br />Sustainable management of leachate produced from the dumpsite is one of the major concerns in developing countries Aquatic plants such as duckweed have the potential to remove pollutants from wastewater which can also be cost-effective and feasible options for leachate treatment. Therefore, the objective of our present study was to examine the growth and nutrient removal efficiency of duckweed (Lemna minor) on leachate. Three tests were performed each by growing lemna minor on synthetic leachate under controlled conditions and on dumpsite leachate under natural conditions. During each test, duckweed was grown in 300 ml plastic containers with a surface area of 25.8 cm2. About 60 mg of fresh mass of duckweed was grown on 250 ml leachate at an internal depth of 9.5 cm. Results revealed that, in comparison to synthetic leachate, duckweed removed Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P) more efficiently from dumpsite leachate under natural climatic conditions. However, the amounts of N and P absorbed into duckweed body mass were about 16% and 35% respectively more at synthetic leachate under controlled conditions. Maximum growth rate of duckweed (7.03 g m-2 day-1) was also observed for synthetic leachate in comparison to the growth rate of 4.87 g m-2 day-1 at dumpsite leachate. Results of this study provide a useful interpretation of duckweed growth and nutrient removal dynamics from leachate under natural and laboratory conditions.<br /><br />Dumpsite leachate used in this study was prepared by processing the mixed solid waste collected from various residential, commercial and industrial dumpsites in Islamabad, Pakistan. About 100 to 120 kg of well decomposed solid waste was collected from each dumpsite. Waste was collected from pre-determined lowest points at depths of 0.5 m to 1.5 m [28]. Collected wastes were mixed in plastic tank having an internal diameter of about 1.5 m and a height of about 1.8 m. A sieve (pore size 1mm) was fixed at an internal height of 10 cm of the plastic tank. Fig 1 shows the schematic setup used for leachate production.<br /><br />A mixed culture of duckweed was collected from wastewater treatment pond located in National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. Lemna minor plants were isolated from the mixed duckweed culture and used for this study after acclimatization for about seven days.<br /><br />Data related to ambient air temperature and day lengths as shown in Table 2 was retrieved from the website of Pakistan Metrological Department, whereas the solar radiation data was obtained from the web site of LEO Corporation, Pakistan.<br /><br />All experiments during this study were conducted within the premises of Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE), National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan where I am pursuing my doctoral degree (33° 38′ 41″ N, 72° 59′ 22″ E). Experimental site is owned by the IESE, NUST where no permits are required to conduct the research work for IESE students. Furthermore, it is to note that no endangered or protected species or locations were involved during this research study.<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-23887814375670842202020-04-04T13:18:53.440-07:002020-04-04T13:18:53.440-07:001.44 million tons annual chicken meat production i...1.44 million tons annual chicken meat production in Pakistan<br /><br />https://pakistanpoultry.org/an-overview-of-poultry-industry/<br /><br /><br />Meat and Egg Production<br /><br />Broiler Live<br /><br />GP (325,000 x 4) 1.3 Million Kg<br />PS (12.5 Million x 4) 50.0 Million Kg<br />Broiler (1.237 Billion x 1.8) 2,226.0 Million Kg<br />Layer<br /><br />PS (800,000 x 1.8) 1.44 Million Kg<br />Commercial Layer (70,000,000 x 1.8) 126.00 Million Kg<br />Total Production 2,400.00 Million Kg<br />Meat (60%) 1,440.00 Million Kg<br />Meat (per Capita) (1,440/200 Million) 7.20 Kg<br />Table eggs (per Capita) (17,500/200 Million) 88 Eggs / CapitaRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-84527277671888980732019-01-21T09:04:12.841-08:002019-01-21T09:04:12.841-08:00Cargill plans $200M expansion in Pakistan, with fo...Cargill plans $200M expansion in Pakistan, with focus on poultry and dairy<br />Cargill will also start grain trading and add other operations in Pakistan. <br /><br />http://www.startribune.com/cargill-plans-200m-expansion-in-pakistan-with-focus-on-poultry-and-dairy/504558562/<br /><br />Cargill Inc. will invest $200 million in Pakistan over the next several years to build out the company’s supply chain there and harness growing demand for chicken throughout the region.<br /><br /><br />Cargill Inc. will invest $200 million in Pakistan over the next several years to build out the company’s supply chain there and harness growing demand for chicken throughout the region.<br /><br />This marks a substantial expansion for the Minnetonka-based agribusiness — the world’s largest — which has run a small operation in Pakistan since the early 1980s. It’s also the company’s latest in a rapid series of investments throughout Asia, and specifically in the south and southeast parts of the continent.<br /><br />Cargill currently has cotton, sugar, metals and animal feed business interests, as well as oil-crushing facilities, in Pakistan, but will scale up its legacy grain-trading business there over the next three to five years. Cargill did not provide additional details on what those operations will entail, but the company said it will increase its employee base beyond the modest 50 people currently working in the country.<br /><br />“Finalizing one of our first investments in the agricultural supply chain in Pakistan is our top priority,” Imran Nasrullah, head of Cargill Pakistan, said in a statement. “We have received a very positive response from the Pakistani government and we value their support as we expand our presence here.”<br /><br />Cargill’s investment will expand its dairy and meat business in Pakistan and deepen its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Marcel Smits, the company’s former chief financial officer, was given a newly created role — head of Asia Pacific — in October amid a major executive reshuffle.<br /><br />The company said Smits’ role was to “lead Cargill’s accelerated growth plan in the Asia Pacific region, a high-potential market for the company and its customers.” One month later, the company announced several multimillion-dollar investments in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.<br /><br />South and Southeast Asia hold some of the greatest growth potential in chicken, according to a recent Rabobank analysis.<br /><br />Cargill is also growing its chicken business in another growth region: Central and South America. Cargill acquired Campollo in late 2018, less than a year after it acquired Pollos Bucanero, both Colombia-based chicken companies.<br /><br />The office of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan applauded Cargill’s investment. The news comes as Pakistan attempts to attract foreign investment to stabilize and grow its economy.<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-12370404817470718492018-12-19T08:29:01.051-08:002018-12-19T08:29:01.051-08:00#America had a ‘#chicken in every pot.’ #Pakistan ...#America had a ‘#chicken in every pot.’ #Pakistan aims for chickens on every plot. Anti-poverty premise is simple: Provide five hens and one rooster to several million poor families, especially rural women, so they can earn income at home by selling https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/the-us-had-a-chicken-in-every-pot-pakistan-aims-for-a-chicken-on-every-plot/2018/12/17/89d20926-fee5-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1a3aaf119ff2<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />By crossing hardy, hand-raised domestic chickens — known as “desi,” or native, poultry — with breeds from Egypt and Australia and with Rhode Island reds, the center has developed birds with the necessary qualities for backyard life: tough, omnivorous, disease-resistant and agile.<br /><br />“They can live in trees, in boxes or under people’s stairs,” Rehman said. “They can eat kitchen scraps instead of expensive feed, and they can outrun predators like cats and foxes.”<br /><br /><br />In contrast with the skeptics, many poor and working-class Pakistanis said they were excited to hear about the project and eager to sign up. Even more-affluent families said they appreciated Khan’s continued focus on the plight of the poor, which he vowed to prioritize during his campaign.<br /><br />“People may laugh at the prime minister over this, but I laugh at them. It is a wonderful idea,” said Zahida Shad, a middle-class homemaker in Islamabad. She keeps a half-dozen chickens near the family’s garage, mostly to provide extra nutrition for her grandchildren. “Here in the city, people have money to spend, but they can’t find a single pure thing to eat,” she said.<br /><br /><br />Chicks that have just hatched at the center are sold to villagers. (Sarah Caron for The Washington Post)<br /><br />Ahsan Jadoon, 10, feeds chickens on the rooftop of his uncle’s home in Rawalpindi. (Sarah Caron for The Washington Post)<br />Raising chickens is a common practice in this largely rural, agricultural country of 208 million. Even in crowded cities such as Rawalpindi, where narrow lanes are crammed with trucks, donkey carts and motorcycle rickshaws, many families build chicken coops on rooftops or under stairs.<br /><br /><br />And almost any Pakistani will tell you that desi eggs, produced by desi chickens, are better tasting and more fortifying than the factory-farm eggs that are now mass-produced in high-tech poultry facilities. Many have been built by wealthy industrialists who once invested in cement or textile production and have now cornered the egg market.<br /><br />Sardar Ali Abbas, 55, who owns a crockery shop in Rawalpindi and keeps a few chickens on his roof, applied for the new program right away and is impatiently waiting for it to begin. He observed that factory-bred chickens are raised to lay more eggs and that while their eggs are larger and whiter than desi eggs, they lack their flavor and oomph.<br /><br />“We want the same good food for our children that our parents and grandparents had for us,” Abbas said. “The problem is, desi eggs cost more and they are hard to find. The others are everywhere.”<br /><br />Therein lie the greatest obstacles to the success of the chicken-in-every-plot scheme — economies of scale, which keep factory eggs cheap, and, reportedly widespread business practices, such as warehouse hoarding and price manipulation, that benefit large food processors and brokers at the expense of small farmers.<br /><br />In a recent essay in the News International newspaper, Zaigham Khan, a Pakistani development professional, wrote that persistent poverty in rural Pakistan is “more about the fox” than the chicken. With the political and business elite conspiring to maximize profits, he argued, only a radical reordering of the playing field can truly give family farmers a boost.<br /><br />“The problem is that the whole market, at every stage, works against the poor,” he said in an interview. “It is fine for families to be eating better eggs, but even the small producers who raise 500 birds can’t compete with the crony capitalists who sell 30,000.”Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-53525655040837318302018-12-19T08:07:40.455-08:002018-12-19T08:07:40.455-08:00#America had a ‘#chicken in every pot.’ #Pakistan ...#America had a ‘#chicken in every pot.’ #Pakistan aims for chickens on every plot. Anti-poverty premise is simple: Provide five hens and one rooster to several million poor families, especially rural women, so they can earn income at home by selling #eggs https://wapo.st/2ErMrFs?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.1a3aaf119ff2<br /><br />The high-pitched cheeping of a thousand newborn chicks fills the humid room. Technicians pluck them from incubation trays, inject them with a vaccine against Newcastle disease, discard those with deformities and pop the rest into plastic containers, where they will travel in heated trucks to government farms and be raised to adulthood.<br /><br />This process, repeated twice a week at the poultry research center in Punjab province, is the first step in a national anti-poverty program announced Nov. 29 by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The premise is simple: Provide five hens and one rooster to several million poor families, especially rural women, so they can earn income at home by selling eggs. <br /><br />But Pakistan is also facing dire macroeconomic and fiscal crises, with the rupee plummeting against the dollar and its foreign debt burden soaring out of control. Khan, who swore as a candidate that he would never go begging abroad, has already been forced to borrow billions from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere and to negotiate for debt relief from the International Monetary Fund.<br /><br />With such weighty issues to tackle, the backyard poultry project, an idea Khan borrowed from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, has been met with widespread derision. Headlines and pun-filled tweets have mocked the premier as throwing “chicken feed” at serious problems. One editorial cartoon showed a heavy wooden cart, labeled “the economy,” being pulled uphill by a struggling hen.<br /><br />But at the Poultry Research Institute, which has spent years trying to develop the perfect backyard chicken, director Abdul Rehman firmly believes that the project can make a critical difference in the health and livelihood of millions of poor Pakistanis.<br /><br />“In Pakistan, 44 percent of children under age 5 have stunted growth due to nutritional deficiency,” Rehman said. “Our high infant mortality rate is associated with malnutrition in mothers. These eggs can add a healthy ingredient to their diets.”Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-3242342586526480232018-07-22T13:47:14.570-07:002018-07-22T13:47:14.570-07:00Asia Is Eating Less Rice, More Wheat
Published on ...Asia Is Eating Less Rice, More Wheat<br />Published on Wednesday, 15 March 2017 15:00 Written by Saigoneer.<br /><br />https://saigoneer.com/eat-drink/eat-drink-categories/saigon-food-culture/9542-asia-is-eating-less-rice,-more-wheat<br /><br />As Asian nations become wealthier, more and more people are eating wheat.<br /><br />According to The Economist, the popularity of rice in Asia remains well above the global average; in fact the continent is responsible for 90% of the world’s rice consumption. Historically, the grain was – and still is – a staple for many, particularly the latter half of the 20th century, when rice consumption in Asian nations reached as high as 103 kilograms per person annually, the news outlet reports.<br /><br />However in recent years, as incomes have risen and tastes have changed, the grain’s much-coveted position in many Asian societies has weakened a little. Though rice is still ubiquitous across the continent and is not likely to disappear any time soon, its consumption has been on the decline since 2000 in countries like Singapore, China, Indonesia and South Korea.<br /><br />Instead, some Asian consumers are turning to wheat, reports The Economist. In 2016, for instance, Vietnam consumed 39.9 kilograms of wheat per person, a steady increase compared to the country’s consumption in 2000. Though it’s still a far cry from the global average – 78 kilograms per capita – the figure puts Vietnam above the Southeast Asian average of 26 kilograms per person each year, and consumption is expected to continue growing in the future. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects Southeast Asians to consume roughly 23.4 million tons of wheat in 2016-2017.<br /><br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-20881541158852193842018-04-18T20:04:47.206-07:002018-04-18T20:04:47.206-07:00FAO Report for Asia Pacific Region 2017:
Asia and...FAO Report for Asia Pacific Region 2017:<br /><br />Asia and<br />the Pacific<br />REGIONAL<br />OVERVIEW OF<br />FOOD SECURITY<br />AND NUTRITION<br /><br />In 2011-2013, only two (Mongolia and Pakistan) of the 26 countries had average intake of milk of 370 g/day or over.<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />In Pakistan,<br />the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Small and Marginalized<br />Farmers became operational in 2016, encouraging banks<br />to grant credit to small-scale farmers who previously lacked<br />access. Under the scheme, the government guarantees up<br />to 50 percent of loans to small farmers (i.e. those with less<br />than 5 acres of irrigated and 10 acres of non-irrigated land).<br /><br />----------------------<br /><br />In South Asia, production outcomes improved for some<br />countries. Pakistan had a bumper wheat harvest in 2016<br />and other crops also performed well due to favourable<br />weather. In India as well, cereal production recovered<br />markedly after two consecutive bad seasons. In some other<br />cases in South Asia – e.g. Sri Lanka – governments managed<br />to maintain aggregate food supply either through imports<br />or by drawing down stocks where available despite declines<br />in cereal production.<br /><br />-----------<br /><br /><br /><br />http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7930e.pdfRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-37550582611216363542018-04-18T19:35:47.777-07:002018-04-18T19:35:47.777-07:00Report finds sharp decline in Pakistan’s pulse con...Report finds sharp decline in Pakistan’s pulse consumption<br /><br />https://www.dawn.com/news/1400488<br /><br />The consumption of pulses in Pakistan has sharply declined from about 15kg per person a year to about 7kg per person a year, found a new report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.<br /><br />The report titled ‘State of Food and Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific Region’, reviewed pulse consumption in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh over the period from 1961 to 2013. It has been prepared for the FAO regional conference for Asia and the Pacific being held in Fiji on April 9-13.<br /><br />The report found that as countries became richer, populations were shifting from vegetable proteins — such as those found in pulses and beans — to more expensive animal source proteins such as those found in dairy products and meat.<br /><br />In India, during this period, the consumption of pulse declined from about 22kg per person in a year to about 15kg per person per year. The decline was consistent with trends elsewhere in the world. In Sri Lanka, however, pulse consumption seemed to have fluctuated between 5kg and 10kg per person per year since 1960, except for a sharp drop from 1970 to 1985, the report said.<br /><br />Pointing out challenges, it emphasised that the relative neglect of pulses, beans and other crops in agricultural policies in the region should be reversed so that the poor had relatively low-cost sources of protein and other micronutrients.<br /><br />The report pointed out that although overall cereal consumption per capita either declined or remained constant, within the cereal group itself there were important changes. Utilisation of rice and wheat for food increased — in some cases sharply — while total food utilisation of coarse cereals, which had been relatively important in the 1960s, either declined or remained steady, implying a fall in per capita consumption since the population was increasing.<br /><br />Citing example, the report said in East Asia rice and wheat utilisation for food was about 220 million tonnes per year in 2015, versus 20m tonnes per year for coarse cereals.<br /><br />Total utilisation of ‘superior’ cereals was still rising in 2013 mainly because of continuing population growth, even though per capita utilisation had started declining from the mid-1990s onwards, it added.<br /><br />The report put four South Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — below the red line, indicating that their calorie consumption was below the level that would be expected given their per capita household expenditure.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-82385838566136970632018-04-18T19:32:04.595-07:002018-04-18T19:32:04.595-07:00The ever-changing food consumer
https://www.dawn....The ever-changing food consumer<br /><br />https://www.dawn.com/news/1390287<br /><br />THE way we eat is under constant evolution. Food is no longer the tedious, labour-intensive affair of yesteryear in urban households. Ready-to-cook, store-bought items are steadily making their way onto our plates.<br /><br />The rising Pakistani urban middle-class and growing disposable incomes are accountable for this shift in dietary patterns.<br /><br />The Household Integrated Survey for 2015-16, conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, reveals that the average monthly income of urban households rose from Rs38,923 previously to Rs45,283. It also shows that an average urban family spends around Rs15,000 monthly on food, of which readymade food contributes nearly five per cent.<br /><br />The lure of convenience when it comes to food is hard to resist for consumers as cityscapes in the country become increasingly peppered with supermarkets. “More and more middle-, upper-middle and upper-class consumers in urban areas are choosing to visit modern retailers, in particular for a new experience and for the bulk shopping of packaged food products,” according to Euromonitor International, a market research firm.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, middle-class consumers “tend to consume far more meat, fish and dairy products”, according to a Deloitte report on the food value chain. With the surge of the processed food industry, small- and medium-sized companies such as K&N’s, Dawn, Menu, PK Livestock, and Big Bird have now become household names.<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-35082679846602676622018-02-14T16:20:53.074-08:002018-02-14T16:20:53.074-08:00THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > BUSINESS
Pakistan second ...THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > BUSINESS<br />Pakistan second largest Australian pulses importer<br />https://tribune.com.pk/story/1633998/2-pakistan-2nd-largest-australian-pulses-importer/<br /><br />A three-day visit to Pakistan of a delegation of Australian pulses producers ended on Tuesday during which it explored opportunities for increased trade and production of pulses with Pakistani importers and businesses.<br /><br />The 13-member delegation from the Pulse Association South East (Pase), Fletcher International, Special One Grain and Full Business Spectrum, was led by the Australian government’s trade and investment commission.<br /><br />Welcoming the visit, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson highlighted that Pakistan was Australia’s second largest destination for pulses exports with trade valuing at A$465 million in 2016-17.<br /><br />“Australia and Pakistan are actively exploring avenues to expand trade and investment, particularly in agribusiness where Australia has world-class expertise.”<br /><br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-9763116005941374272018-01-01T15:22:37.081-08:002018-01-01T15:22:37.081-08:00That makes sense though it is true chicken is only...That makes sense though it is true chicken is only 100-150/-a kg.where as arhar dal grown in india or imported from kenya and pakistan cost you between 100-150/-kg.Enen dal became an election issue in bihar assembely election.As far as I know middle class indian change there food habit according to weather.consume mostly fat and protein in winter and rain.Thus high intake of chicken fish or meat egg in winter dal, dahi (curd) sallads milk soyabean(protein) grams in summer In fact we have same food habit like pakistani.Rajasthan and gujrat two border state are are largly vegeterian consume gram largely.bengal, andhra, kerala, U.P bihar and northern states consumes maximum proteinius and fat food.Punjab, haryana hill stares have balanced diet .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-51618400776859175072017-10-11T20:24:29.529-07:002017-10-11T20:24:29.529-07:00Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2017; 37(3): 329–34...Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2017; 37(3): 329–341.<br />Published online 2017 Jun 30. doi: 10.5851/kosfa.2017.37.3.329<br />PMCID: PMC5516059<br />An Insight of Meat Industry in Pakistan with Special Reference to Halal Meat: A Comprehensive Review<br />Muhammad Sohaib* and Faraz Jamil1<br /><br /><br />https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5516059/<br /><br />In Pakistan, per capita use of meat is around 32 kg as compared to developed world, where per capita meat consumption reached to 93 kg as lead by Australia followed by USA. Accordingly, during the last few years, modern slaughter houses and processing facilities are established in Pakistan. These plants are mainly located across Lahore and Karachi, having capacity to produce processed meat products. Currently, Pakistan meat industry is producing variety of meat products including traditional and western style like kabab, kofta, fillings for samosas, mince products, nuggets, burger patties, sausages, and tender pops etc (Noor, 2015). Moreover, given the increased concern of food safety and a shift to modern meat processing methods, the meat product businesses are experiencing further integration (Kristensen et al., 2014). Furthermore, the size of slaughter houses and meat processing companies has also been raising leading intensification and more variety of meat products. The slaughtering and meat processing technologies for poultry and livestock has seen momentous changes. The conventional techniques of “one knife to kill”, one blade to remove hair/skin and one weighing balance to trade meat” has disappeared significantly in large-scale productions, shifting to mechanized slaughter houses, refined cuts according to consumer demand, chilled-chain distribution and regulated selling of meat and meat products (Troy et al., 2016).<br /><br />--------<br /><br />Pakistan per capita meat consumption in 2000 was 11.7 kg that was increased to 13.8 and 14.7 kg in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, current per capita meat consumption has reached to 32 kg that is further expected to reach 47 kg by 2020 (Table 1). However, urbanization, economic growth, industrialization as well as eating pattern resulting increased per capita meat in the future years that will also generates higher demand for meat and allied products (Chartsbin, 2017). The dietary awareness to population has also played key role in shifting preferences to consume meat and its products. Pakistan having rich traditions and cultural festivities is also adding more demand for meat and meat products during whole year and this demand further rises significantly during festive season. To cope up this growing demand, government as well as meat industry are now concentrating to meet requirements by providing sufficient, healthy and quality produce, both fresh and processed products (GOP, 2016). Furthermore, consumer awareness is pushing meat industry and regulating agencies to keep an eye on quality of meat, safety assurance, animal health and welfare as well as precise traceability (Steinfeld et al., 2006).Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-37164757481950766562017-01-07T17:03:42.620-08:002017-01-07T17:03:42.620-08:00Dailytimes | #Pakistan exports 201,000kg #mushroom...Dailytimes | #Pakistan exports 201,000kg #mushrooms worth $12.930m in 2016 - #Vegetable #exports http://go.shr.lc/2hTlH6L via @Shareaholic<br />Pakistan exported around 201,000 kilograms (kg) of mushroom with a total export price of $12.930 million in 2016. Not only was the increase in the value of mushroom exports phenomenal but mushroom exports also contributed over 25 percent to the overall vegetables exports of over $101 million the same year.<br /><br />In Pakistan, mushrooms are grown in farm houses, including but not limited to state owned national logistic cell. Farm production contributes around 1 percent to overall mushroom exports, while the rest of it comes from natural production in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.<br /><br />The global mushroom production according to Food and Agriculture Organization's statistics was estimated at 4.99 million tons in 2016 with major producers being China with 60 percent production, followed by United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Indonesia and India. Talking to the Daily Times, Akhtar Usmani, Chairman Mann-O-Salva Pakistan Private Limited who are the pioneers for the cultivation of mushroom commercially in Pakistan, are not only meeting the demand of the local market, but also earn foreign exchange by selling fresh and dehydrated mushroom to Europe and America. The export market rate while in the Canadian stores was $14 for a kilogram against our cost of $4.<br /><br />There is a huge export market around the world, some private sector companies export thousands of kilograms, grown in Swat at a lurative price of over $1,000 for a kg.<br /><br />With absolutely 100 percent export for the same we got our product quality approval from a German firm, and got export permission from the US. It occurred to us on holidays while having pizza for lunch with an extra topping of mushroom. We established this company in 1985 on 16 acres of land allotted by the Government of Sindh in Korangi Industrial Area. National Development Finance Corporation not only agreed for a loan but it was the first time the bank participated as equity partners in an agribusiness.<br /><br />Mateen Siddiqui, Chairman of Fruits, Vegetables Processors and Exporters Association said mushroom export helped boost overall vegetables exports.<br /><br />Mushrooms are playing a significant role in the national economics by earning substantial foreign exchange from exports.<br /><br />In Punjab and Sindh it is found after the monsoon rains, while in the valleys of Balochistan it is found to grow in large numbers in March and April. Local people refer to it as "khamiri". They not only do they eat it, but sell it in the small villages and vegetable markets. A part of the crop is dried and sent to large towns. Edible mushroom once called 'Food of God' is still treated as a garnish or delicacy the world over due to its delicious taste and nourishment value. It is rich in proteins and has most of the essential amino acids with about 90 percent digestive co-efficient. In addition to being low in calories and an ideal food for diabetics, heart and cancer patients. The umbrella-shaped vegetation grows under the trunk of a tree, among sparse vegetation, and sprinkled in grasslands after the rains. However, the umbrella-shaped fungus with a little stalk tickles the taste-buds of millions around the world.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-52614770870512480942017-01-02T09:17:38.056-08:002017-01-02T09:17:38.056-08:00#Pakistan #inflation eases to 3.70% in December 20...#Pakistan #inflation eases to 3.70% in December 2016 with steep drop in prices of #chicken, #onions & #tomatoes.<br /><br />http://timesofoman.com/article/99696/World/Pakistan/Pakistan-inflation-eases-to-370-in-December<br /><br />Pakistan's annual inflation rate eased to 3.70 per cent in December from 3.81 per cent in November, the Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.<br /><br />On a month-on-month basis, prices decreased by 0.68 per cent in December compared with November, the bureau said. <br /><br />Average inflation for the July-December period stood at 3.88 per cent, compared with the same period last year.<br /><br />The steepest rise in year-on-year prices was seen in the prices of gram flour and pulse gram. The steepest drop in year-on-year prices was in the price of onions, tomatoes and chicken. Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-21845009011515783252016-11-17T21:47:05.192-08:002016-11-17T21:47:05.192-08:00Excerpts of World Bank Report "Making Growth ...Excerpts of World Bank Report "Making Growth Matter" released November, 2016:<br /><br />http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/935241478612633044/pdf/109961-WP-PUBLIC-disclosed-11-9-16-5-pm-Pakistan-Development-Update-Fall-2016-with-compressed-pics.pdf<br /><br />The government recently set a new national poverty line that identifies 29.5 percent<br />of Pakistanis as poor (using the latest available data from FY14). By back casting<br />this line, the poverty rate in FY02 would have been about 64.3 percent. This means<br />that poverty has more than halved between FY02 and FY14, even according to this<br />new and higher metric. The new poverty line was introduced in April 2016 precisely<br />because of Pakistan's success in reducing poverty over the last decade and a half.<br />Using the old national poverty line, set in 2001, the percentage of people living in<br />poverty fell from 34.7 percent in FY02 to 9.3 percent in FY14—a fall of more than<br />75 percent. Other sources of data corroborate this decline—ownership of assets and<br />dietary diversity also increased over this period. For example, in the bottom income<br />quintile, motorcycle ownership increased from 2 to 18 percent between FY02 and<br />FY14. See Section C1.<br /><br />When poverty declines, it usually coincides with other gains in household welfare.<br />Throughout the period under review, Pakistan saw substantial gains in welfare,<br />including the ownership of assets, the quality of housing and an increase in school<br />enrollment, particularly for girls. First, the ownership of relatively more expensive<br />assets increased even among the poorest. In the bottom quintile, the ownership of<br />motorcycles increased from 2 to 18 percent, televisions from 20 to 36 percent and<br />refrigerators from 5 to 14 percent (see Figure 29). In contrast, there was a decline<br />in the ownership of cheaper assets like bicycles and radios. Housing quality in the<br />bottom quintile also showed an improvement. The number of homes constructed<br />with bricks or blocks increased while mud (katcha) homes decreased. Homes with a<br />flushing toilet almost doubled in the bottom quintile, from about 24 percent in<br />FY02 to 49 percent in FY14 (see Figure 30).<br /><br />Changes in consumption patterns over time were also consistent with the poverty<br />decline. It is well-known that increases in income are strongly associated with<br />households spending less of their budget on food, and more on non-food items<br />(Engel’s law). In Pakistan, the 25 percentage point decline in poverty between FY02<br />and FY14 was associated with a 10 percentage point reduction in the share of<br />expenditure devoted to food (see Figure 31).<br /><br />In Pakistan, the reduction in poverty led to an increase in dietary diversity for all<br />income groups. For the poorest, the share of expenditure devoted to milk and milk<br />products, chicken, eggs and fish rose, as did the share devoted to vegetables and<br />fruits. In contrast, the share of cereals and pulses, which provide the cheapest <br /><br />calories, declined steadily between FY02 and FY14. Because foods like chicken,<br />eggs, vegetables, fruits, and milk and milk products are more expensive than cereals<br />and pulses, and have lower caloric content, this shift in consumption also increased<br />the amount that people spent per calorie over time (see Table 12). For the poorest<br />quintile, expenditure per calorie increased by over 18 percent between FY02 and<br />FY14.<br /><br />Overall, this analysis confirms that the decline in poverty exhibited by the 2001<br />poverty line is quite credible, and that Pakistan has done remarkably well overall in<br />reducing monetary poverty based on the metric it set some 15 years ago. <br />------<br /><br />... there is now a considerable body of<br />research suggesting that the link between food availability and nutritional status is<br />weak, and is mediated by the ambient disease environment and the quality of water<br />and sanitation.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-77361670589048418282016-08-17T21:45:22.184-07:002016-08-17T21:45:22.184-07:00India's Wholesale Price Index, July shoots up ...India's Wholesale Price Index, July shoots up 3.55%; Pulses by (35.76%), Potatoes (58.78%), Vegetables (28.05%)#AchheDinYechurynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-77724752843120515922016-07-04T10:14:07.633-07:002016-07-04T10:14:07.633-07:00#Dutch company acquires 51% stake in #Pakistan'...#Dutch company acquires 51% stake in #Pakistan's #Engro for over $448m to target world's 3rd largest milk market<br /><br />http://tribune.com.pk/story/1136018/dutch-company-acquires-majority-stake-pakistans-engro-foods-448-million/<br /><br /><br />KARACHI: Engro Corporation has signed an agreement with a Netherlands-based dairy company for the sale of up to 51% shareholding in Engro Foods at an estimated price of $448 million, a securities filing said on Monday.<br /><br />Engro Corporation currently controls approximately 87% shareholding in Engro Foods while the general public owns the remaining outstanding shares. The deal will take place at Rs120 per share, which reflects a discount of about 26% to Engro Foods’ current share price of Rs163.<br /><br />The majority stake in Engro Foods will be bought by a legal entity in which Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina will hold approximately 80% shares. International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Dutch development bank FMO will hold the remaining shares in the legal entity.<br /><br />The share price of Engro Corporation rose 1.4% to Rs337.6 on Monday while the stock of Engro Foods shed 5% to close at Rs155.17 per share.<br /><br />Engro Fertilizers CEO says Rs390 cut expected<br /><br />Engro Corporation said in a statement it will stay on as a “significant partner and shareholder” under the new company structure. The stake of Engro Corporation in Engro Foods will likely be around 36% post-transaction.<br /><br />The Dutch company is required under the local takeover laws to make an attempt to purchase at least half of the shareholding currently owned by the general public.<br /><br />The provision is supposed to ensure that ordinary shareholders also benefit in case the sponsors of a listed company sell their stake in a major deal. This means general investors will also have a chance to avail the public offer extended by FrieslandCampina to sell at least half of their 13% current holding in Engro Foods.<br /><br />-------<br /><br />In a statement on Monday, FrieslandCampina said it expects to benefit from the conversion of the Pakistani market from loose to packaged dairy consumption. At present, less than 10% of tradable milk consumed in Pakistan is processed and offered in packages, it said. The conversion is expected to accelerate in the near future as a result of the growing middle-income class, a desire for higher quality milk as well as the increasing urbanisation, it added.<br /><br />Topline Securities said Engro Corporation will generate cash of around Rs47 billion, part of which will most likely be invested in energy-related projects with a higher rate of return.<br /><br />Engro Foods contributed more than a quarter in the corporation’s revenues last year. Therefore, its sale will result in a decline of around Rs4 per share in the holding company’s earnings, as per the workings of Topline Securities.<br /><br />“However, this decline will be compensated if the sale proceeds are either put in the bank or used to pay off debt. As of the latest quarterly accounts, Engro had Rs72 billion of debt on its books,” it said.<br /><br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-35445501387860209312016-07-04T10:11:54.889-07:002016-07-04T10:11:54.889-07:00#Dutch company acquires 51% stake in #Pakistan'...#Dutch company acquires 51% stake in #Pakistan's #Engro for over $448m to target world's 3rd largest milk market<br /><br />http://tribune.com.pk/story/1136018/dutch-company-acquires-majority-stake-pakistans-engro-foods-448-million/<br /><br /><br />KARACHI: Engro Corporation has signed an agreement with a Netherlands-based dairy company for the sale of up to 51% shareholding in Engro Foods at an estimated price of $448 million, a securities filing said on Monday.<br /><br />Engro Corporation currently controls approximately 87% shareholding in Engro Foods while the general public owns the remaining outstanding shares. The deal will take place at Rs120 per share, which reflects a discount of about 26% to Engro Foods’ current share price of Rs163.<br /><br />The majority stake in Engro Foods will be bought by a legal entity in which Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina will hold approximately 80% shares. International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Dutch development bank FMO will hold the remaining shares in the legal entity.<br /><br />The share price of Engro Corporation rose 1.4% to Rs337.6 on Monday while the stock of Engro Foods shed 5% to close at Rs155.17 per share.<br /><br />Engro Fertilizers CEO says Rs390 cut expected<br /><br />Engro Corporation said in a statement it will stay on as a “significant partner and shareholder” under the new company structure. The stake of Engro Corporation in Engro Foods will likely be around 36% post-transaction.<br /><br />The Dutch company is required under the local takeover laws to make an attempt to purchase at least half of the shareholding currently owned by the general public.<br /><br />The provision is supposed to ensure that ordinary shareholders also benefit in case the sponsors of a listed company sell their stake in a major deal. This means general investors will also have a chance to avail the public offer extended by FrieslandCampina to sell at least half of their 13% current holding in Engro Foods.<br /><br />-------<br /><br />In a statement on Monday, FrieslandCampina said it expects to benefit from the conversion of the Pakistani market from loose to packaged dairy consumption. At present, less than 10% of tradable milk consumed in Pakistan is processed and offered in packages, it said. The conversion is expected to accelerate in the near future as a result of the growing middle-income class, a desire for higher quality milk as well as the increasing urbanisation, it added.<br /><br />Topline Securities said Engro Corporation will generate cash of around Rs47 billion, part of which will most likely be invested in energy-related projects with a higher rate of return.<br /><br />Engro Foods contributed more than a quarter in the corporation’s revenues last year. Therefore, its sale will result in a decline of around Rs4 per share in the holding company’s earnings, as per the workings of Topline Securities.<br /><br />“However, this decline will be compensated if the sale proceeds are either put in the bank or used to pay off debt. As of the latest quarterly accounts, Engro had Rs72 billion of debt on its books,” it said.<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-16495375190441935912016-07-03T22:35:27.967-07:002016-07-03T22:35:27.967-07:00I don't think India's current food problem...I don't think India's current food problems are related to distribution as some suggest; the real issue is insufficient production and supply due to multi-year drought. Indian farmers are heavily dependent on good monsoon rains. That's why an Indian farmer kills himself or herself every 30 minutes. Only 35% of India's farm land is irrigated versus over 70% of farm land in Pakistan.<br /><br /> http://www.riazhaq.com/2013/11/indias-agrarian-crisis-farmer-commits.html Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-24850565999994686122016-07-01T19:55:17.816-07:002016-07-01T19:55:17.816-07:00Mangoes are grown and consumed worldwide. Costa Ri...Mangoes are grown and consumed worldwide. Costa Rica hopes to take advantage of an early end of the Peruvian season. Mexico's production is about to arrive. In general, the figures for many countries in Latin America are lower than last season. On the other side of the ocean, Australia sees more international demand for the country's mangoes. Also, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh are optimistic. For these countries, the Middle East, among other destinations, is a key market. Kenya is also making progress and exporting to more countries. Israel is trying to gain a firm foothold in Europe, where prices are currently high because of a sluggish supply and good demand in the run-up to Easter. Good prices are also paid for the fruit in the United States.<br /><br />This week, we look at the situation in Latin America, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Israel, the United States, Europe, France, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands.<br /><br />--------------<br /><br /><br />Pakistan is expanding export markets<br />The production volumes should match the initial estimates, with an abundant harvest expected. Exports are expected to reach 215,000 tonnes thanks to improvements in the packaging and training of the growers. Furthermore, some new markets have been added to the list of export destinations: Portugal, Finland, China and Russia. Japan, too, has recently opened its borders to Pakistani mangoes. The export season should last until September.<br /><br />--------------<br /><br />http://www.freshplaza.com/article/155602/OVERVIEW-GLOBAL-MANGO-MARKETRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-58876608502222728182016-07-01T16:51:47.505-07:002016-07-01T16:51:47.505-07:00How food inflation has removed #dal, #potato &...How food inflation has removed #dal, #potato & #tomato from the plate of aam aadmi in #Modi's #India via @indiacom<br /><br />Last year it was onion that made the middle-class cry. This year soaring price of tomatoes, potatoes and pulses have made the life of aam aadmi difficult.<br /><br />http://www.india.com/business/triple-price-hike-how-food-inflation-has-removed-dal-potato-tomato-from-the-plate-of-aam-aadmi-1267009/<br /><br /><br />Last year it was onion that made the middle-class cry. This year soaring price of tomatoes, potatoes and pulses have made the life of aam aadmi difficult. Despite government’s efforts to control the prices of essential commodities, a huge increase in the cost of tomatoes, potatoes, arhar dal and urad dal has largely hit the common man of the country.<br />According to the Wholesale Price Index or WPI data released on Tuesday, vegetable inflation rose sharply from 2.21 per cent in April to 12.94 per cent the next month. The inflation level at highest in 19 months. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held a high level meeting to fix the strategy to keep prices in check which was attended by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian. (ALSO READ: Pulses costlier due to poor rainfall, reduced imports: Ram Vilas Paswan)<br /><br /><br /><br />Rising Inflation: The rising prices of vegetables are major concern. Due to crop damage, Tomato prices have doubled to an average Rs. 80 a kilogram across the country. In Hyderabad, tomatoes are being sold at Rs 100 per kilogram. Potato prices are up to almost Rs 20 per kilogram. Drought situation is several parts of the India, production of pulses were badly hit last year. Country’s pulses production is estimated to be 17.06 million tonnes in 2015-16 crop year, while the demand of pulses in India is pegged at 23.5 tonnes.<br /><br />According to data published by the department of consumer affairs and the National Horticulture Board, prices of tomatoes have increased by 100-200 per cent in most cities between April and June this year. Crop damage in West Bengal and a dip in production have risen the prices of potatoes in the country.<br /><br />Price rise of pulses: Pulses inflation has remained in double digits since January 2015. Arhar dal is currently costing as much as Rs 170 per kilogram. Urad dal is selling for as high as Rs 196 per kilogram. “In the last two years, arhar dal prices have doubled and the cost of urad has increased by around 120 per cent. Even the price of chana dal, which is produced in large quantities and is usually unaffected by inflation, has risen 85% in this period, in Delhi,” a Times of India report said.<br />Following are today’s pulses rates (in Rs per quintal): Urad Rs 10,800-12,300, Urad Chilka (local) Rs 11,100-11,200, Urad best Rs 11,200-11,700, Dhoya Rs 11,600-11,900, Moong Rs 6,200-6,800, Dal Moong Chilka local Rs 6,750-7,150, Moong Dhoya local Rs 7,150-7,650 and best quality Rs 7,650-7,850. Masoor small Rs 6,050-6,350, bold Rs 6,100-6,400, Dal Masoor local Rs 6,600-7,100, best quality Rs 6,700-7,200, Malka local Rs 7,000-7,300, best Rs 7,100-7,400, Moth Rs 5,500-5,900, Arhar Rs 9,200, Dal Arhar Dara Rs 12,100-13,800.<br />Gram Rs 7,000-7,500, Gram dal (local) Rs 7,150-7,450, best quality Rs 7,600-7,700, Besan (35 kg), Shakti Bhog Rs 3,100,Rajdhani Rs 3,100, Rajma Chitra Rs 5,600-6,950, Kabuli Gram small Rs 8,000-9,500, Dabra Rs 2,700-2,800, Imported Rs 4,700-5,100, Lobia Rs 5,400-5,600, Peas white Rs 3,400-3,425 and green Rs 3,600-3,700.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-86530194427349265502016-07-01T15:49:43.447-07:002016-07-01T15:49:43.447-07:00Parched Land. Farmer #Suicides. Dead Animals. Forc...Parched Land. Farmer #Suicides. Dead Animals. Forced Migration: #Drought Is Crippling Rural #India http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/india-drought-bundelkhand_us_5769a229e4b0c0252e778b9a … via @TheWorldPost<br /><br />TIKAMGARH DISTRICT, India — For years, Lakshman Pal, 28, planted wheat and tended to his small field here. Each season, he hoped for rain. He looked up at the sky and waited for the showers that normally came. But for the past two years, they’ve hardly come at all. His crops eventually withered and died, crumbling to dust.<br /><br />In early May, Pal returned from a spell of work in the distant state of Haryana, where he earned 250 rupees, or about $3.70, a day toiling long hours as a laborer. Fifteen other members of his family also migrated to various cities, searching for work and leaving behind women, children, the elderly and a handful of younger men to tend to the land. Pal borrowed money from the bank and a local moneylender to pay for medical treatment for his mother, who has cancer, and he was now deep in debt.<br /><br />Back in Khakron, his village, Pal found himself not only in debt, but also with no water for his fields, no crops to harvest, no food for his family, no money for his mother’s treatment. He awoke one morning in mid-May, before dawn, and killed himself in his field.<br /><br />Life is precarious in Bundelkhand, a vast rural landscape in north-central India that I drove through on a weeklong trip for The WorldPost in late May. The region, which consists of over 27,000 square miles across the states Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is one of India’s poorest areas, populated mostly by poverty-stricken farmers living in rudimentary villages. And now, it’s suffocating under an intense drought that’s affected a staggering 330 million people nationwide. <br /><br />As the crisis deepens, the country that celebrated the 1960s agricultural revolution and a resulting boom in production of food grains is now seeing its farmers dying in debt and despair. In many cases, farmers accrue debt from loans for seeds, fertilizers and equipment. And the debt can carry down to their children and grandchildren. <br /><br />Stories like Pal’s are repeated with frightening regularity all over the country. More than 2,200 farmers reportedly died by suicide in just one state — Madhya Pradesh — between April and October of last year, and more than 12,000 reportedly killed themselves across the country in 2014.<br /><br />Severe dry spells have become much more common in Bundelkhand in recent years, a consequence of both climate change and the lack of a robust irrigation system, turning this historically dry area into a parched and barren land. Groundwater reservoirs have been dangerously depleted, and agriculture has stagnated. Temperatures are consistently over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes top 115. Since the early 2000s, droughts have become worse and the annual monsoon, which is critical for agriculture, has become erratic. The drought was especially bad from 2003 to 2010. In 2011, the region experienced much higher rainfall — in some districts, more than 500 percent above normal — and flooding was widespread. Disappointing monsoons in 2012 and 2013 gave way to drought again in 2014. It hasn’t abated, and the network of lakes, rivers and wells, which had always supported the people, have gone almost completely dry. Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.com