29.09.2014

International Conference “Agricultural Insurance, Reinsurance and Brokerage in CIS, Europe & Asia”. Registration deadline approaches

One week is left before the start of International Conference “Agricultural Insurance, Reinsurance and Brokerage in CIS, Europe & Asia”. The Conference will be held on October 6-8, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants’ registration is still available before September 30, 2014.International experts from over 15 countries have already confirmed their Conference participation. World’s top experts from reinsurance companies, insurance companies, broker firms, banks and insurance consultants will participate in this event. State agencies and private sector delegates will also attend the event to share experience and get knowledge on current international practice.“Technology driven solutions for agricultural insurance” has been marked as one of the key topics of 2014 Conference. It includes not only satellite monitoring and remote sensing, but also a technology-driven tablet and Internet solutions for risk managements at farms, electronic applications for insurers and loss adjusters.Another strong accent will be made on a discussion of the PPP in agricultural insurance. Top experts will discuss and advise on the role of the efficient collaboration between private and public sector in developing of the agricultural risks mitigation programs on a national scale. Technical and implementation process details will be observed, considering their great importance for developing countries in CIS, Caucasus, Central Europe and Asia.Conference agenda and speakers have been agreed. Information concerning Conference program, speakers and participants are available at the official Conference website - www.agroinsconf.com.Official web-site: www.agroinsconf.comPlace for venue: InterContinental Istanbul, TurkeyDates: October 6-8, 2014Conference Organizers: AgroInsurance International LLC. - www.AgroInsurance.comConference Manager: Ian V. ShynkarenkoContact phone: +380 98 539 3335Contact e-mail: info@agroinsconf.comSource - www.agroinsurance.com

26.09.2014

Spain - Hailstorms cause almost 13.5 million Euro losses

The hailstorms that took place on Monday and Sunday in the provinces of Valencia and Castellón have caused losses to growers amounting to 13.5 million Euro. The district of La Ribera was the most affected, with about 12 million Euro, not taking into account the losses in harvesting and storage wages, transportation, etc.The estimate of the hectares affected in La Ribera is on the rise after verifying the magnitude of the storm, which damaged more than 2,400 hectares of crops, mainly khaki and citrus, but also pomegranate and some vegetables. However, the most affected municipality is Vilanova de Castelló, where 60% of its plantations, about 1,300 hectares, mostly khaki and citrus, have been damaged.Likewise, the storm struck a strip of about 650 hectares of crops in the district of Camp de Morvedre, where citrus is cultivated, mainly in the municipality of Benifairó de les Valls.La Unió (the growers' association) considers it urgent for the Government (both regional and central) to take into account the disaster and aid those affected, as the hail losses add to those caused by drought in recent months.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

26.09.2014

New Zealand - Hail made for a few nervous moments but no lasting harm

A touch of hail was enough to send more than a shiver up the spines of a lot of people in Hawke's Bay as temperatures plunged to as little as 5C and rain and wind whipped through the region on Monday. But fruitgrowers lived to fight another day without apparent damage, says Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers chairman, HortNZ board member and Hastings apple orchardist Leon Stallard.Stonefruit orchardists were most at risk in areas such as Bay View, but Mr Stallard said: "The hail that came in was small and slushy, and it was quick, and it was early enough to not cause any real damage."It was almost as if it was the beginning of the golden summer, blossoming stonefruit orchards showing that a decent spring has arrived.The season across the orchard industry had seemed a little early, but Mr Stallard said a week of cold days had delayed flowering. "It's back to a normal season," he said."It's a number of years since we've had one of those, whatever a normal season is. But the bud looks good, and the crops look good," he said. "Apples are just coming into light, braeburn are just starting to move into flower," he said yesterday. "This weather will bring it along. This is what we've been waiting for."The more immediate risk is the frost factor, and communities close to orchards in Hawke's Bay have already been woken by alarm and protection systems kicking-in."That comes with living with a climate in an area that grows fruit and vegetables," he said. "It has to be understood that orchardists have to do that. We don't really want to spend thousands of dollars on diesel and other protection."Horticulture New Zealand says the industry continues to play a vital role in New Zealand's economic growth, and is now valued at close to $7 billion, with exports making up about 8 per cent of total merchandise exports.It says the increasingly diversified nature of the industry has about 40 varieties of fruit - including citrus, pipfruit, summerfruit, berryfruit and subtropicals - as well as more than 40 varieties of ornamentals and vegetables grown for export as food, flowers, bulbs and seeds.Of the national apple production of about nine million cartons, Hawke's Bay accounts for about 62 per cent.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

26.09.2014

India - AP Govt to form corporation to facilitate crop loan waiver

The Andhra Pradesh Government is set to finalise a decision on modalities of crop loan waiver by the month-end.The Government is considering establishing a corporation through which bonds would be issued to farmers.“Farmers can use bonds in banks to get fresh loans and crop insurance. They can also submit these bonds at the corporation and encash them,”according to the Resource Management Committee formed by the Government.The Government is considering immediate cash payments, issuance of bond certificates and instalment system. A detailed approach will be announced in a couple of days.According to the Chairman of Resource Management Committee on loan waiver, Y S Chowdary, the Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, and his team discussed the modalities of loan waiver on Thursday.He said the State Government would come out with a final decision on the modalities of loan waiver (to farmers and DWCRA groups) by the end of this month.The State Government had appointed Y S Chowdary as the Chairman for Resource Management Committee for suggesting ways to raise the required money for loan waiver.Chowdary said the Chief Minister has promised to remove the burden of waiver on farmers.Stating that Andhra Pradesh is facing a revenue deficit of Rs. 15,550 crore, Chowdary said the Government would overcome challenges and waive off farm loans as promised.He added that the delay has also been partly because of lack of data from banks.Source - http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/

26.09.2014

USDA Explains New Risk Based Farm Payment Programs

US farmers can start next week on signing up for new safety net programs that US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said replace the criticized direct payments with government payouts based on the risks farmers face.Mr. Vilsack traveled to St. Paul, Minn, to hold a news conference announcing the rollout of the programs Thursday.He held a conference call with reporters to further discuss the programs and answer questions. The programs were established in the Y 2014 farm bill and will allow farmers to protect themselves against commodity price drops and from lower revenue in poor crop years.Payouts this year could be significant since anticipated record Corn and Soybean harvests have sent prices due South. At current prices many farmers are likely to lose money, and they will be able to collect government payments against those losses.The new farm programs cover this year’s harvested crop.Farmers will receive payment in October 2015. The programs are in addition to crop insurance farmers may buy to cover losses from flooding, drought, hail and other natural disasters.Mr. Vilsack said without the programs, the risk of farming could be so great that many farmers would quit.“We want to encourage people to stay in the business of farming,” Mr. Vilsack said. “I think, frankly, this system is much more risk-based and much more of a partnership between the government and producers than the direct payment program was, where basically the government was paying regardless of whether prices were good or not.”Mr. Vilsack said farmers can sign up as soon as 29 September, but he expects they will take several months to research their options, talk with advisers and use online calculators to determine their best choices. He said no firm deadline is set, but farmers will likely be given until early next year to make enrollment decisions.Farm owners must 1st make some decisions about establishing the number of acres and yield history they will submit to the USDA to be used to compute coverage through Y 2018.Next, producers of major row crops: Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Rice must decide between a price loss coverage program that pays when commodity prices drop below specified levels and an agriculture risk coverage program that pays when their revenue falls below certain marks.The farm bill, signed into law in February, provided $6-M for setting up local meetings, designing online tools and creating educational materials to help farmers choose which safety net program would be best.The new programs are complex and will take some work to understand them.Some think the farm programs are going to be adequate, and the move toward a more market-oriented program and it has arrived, so the farmers will understand and embrace whatever suits their particular farms and move forward.Source - http://www.livetradingnews.com/

26.09.2014

USA - Alfalfa growers want improved USDA crop insurance program

Alfalfa growers weighed in on federal crop insurance during a listening session held in Woodland, Calif., conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The USDA Risk Management Agency contracted with Agralytica Consulting of Alexandria, Va., to conduct listening sessions around the country in an effort to improve current federal crop insurance for forage producers.The objective is to provide growers of alfalfa, grass hay, and other forage crops with better protection from weather-related disasters and fluctuations in quality and price.The current federal crop-insurance program is called the actual production history forage production crop insurance plan. Similar to other federal crop insurance programs, some of the insurance premium is subsidized by government while the balance is paid by growers in insurance premiums.“We review all types of risks faced by producers and the potential yield-quality or revenue based types of insurance,” said Nick Young, Agralytica’s president and chief executive officer.“We need producer input to clarify the main issues to better focus on this insurance product.”Young heard plenty of feedback at the recent listening session held at the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Woodland which focused on the needs of local alfalfa growers.Alfalfa grower speaksThe three-year drought is a problem for many California alfalfa growers, including Elaine Rominger of 4R Farming Inc. in Arbuckle (Colusa County). Rominger shared insurance challenges based on her own alfalfa-drought experience.“It’s very hard to collect on a loss,” Rominger told the group. “Our farm is spread out and while our properties are contiguous it’s spread out enough that we have different microclimates and varying water availability.”Rominger added, “This year we dried up a lot of acres and I don’t know if we’ll get our loss claim paid or not. An adjuster looked at the fields for an estimate, but we haven’t heard back. That’s a problem.”Fluctuations in alfalfa quality and price also can create insurance problems for growers.Source - http://westernfarmpress.com/

26.09.2014

Hangover from Ukraine conflict hurts harvest hopes

The fallout from hostilities in eastern Ukraine is continuing to take a toll on the country's grain production even as tensions appear to be calming.The influential analysis group said it was preparing to lower by 1.1m tonnes to 57.4m tonnes its forecast for the Ukraine grains harvest.The proposed revision reflected reduced expectations for corn output, seen at 25.9m tonnes, 1.1m tonnes lower than previously forecast, a reduction down largely to crop losses to the conflict in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Russia-backed, separatist fighters."In our opinion, some 25% of corn plantings in Donetsk region and some 30% in Luhansk region have been damaged by the warfare and are unsuitable for harvesting," the Kiev-based group said.Yield declineHowever, the national yield result has been a bit lower than last year too, the results from the first 19% of the harvest, which has produced nearly 4m tonnes.So far the average yield is "down 13% from last year".While harvest yields are likely to increase – typically, Ukraine yield results rise even into late November, nearly at the end of harvest – "the final corn crop will nevertheless be lower than in 2013".Ministry downgradeThe downgrade second this week for Ukraine grains output, after the farm ministry reduced its forecast by 3m tonnes to 60m tonnes.The ministry, while failing to give the reason behind the downgrade, did say that the downgrade factored in crop damage from fighting in the east of Ukraine, besides the loss of Crimea, annexed by Russia earlier this year.The downgrades nonetheless come amid some signs of an easing in eastern Ukraine tensions, with Nato on Wednesday saying it had a observed a "significant" withdrawal of Russian troops from the region.Ukraine forces and separatist fighters have since September 5 operated a, somewhat shaky, ceasefire.Ukraine's weakened harvest hopes represents a, rare, setback to world grains production hopes this year, with the European Union and Russia seeing bumper production, and the US exported to report a record corn crop.Source - http://www.blackseagrain.net/

25.09.2014

Call for farm insurance backing Australia - Call for farm insurance backing

Affordable multi-peril crop insurance is back on the national agenda with the formation of a grains industry working party that will attempt to entice more insurance providers into the agricultural space.But industry leaders and farmers say government involvement is the key to the long-term success of any viable insurance program.Despite the introduction of Latevo International's Certainty Insurance earlier this year, many farmers still believe multi-peril crop insurance is too expensive to be of any value to their business.The Certainty Insurance product is underwritten by Allianz and provides crop income insurance protection in times of frost, flood, drought or other designated perils.Some industry commentators say greater competition in the industry is essential for these types of products to be affordable in the long-term.An industry meeting in Melbourne, which culminated in the formation of the working party, heard the biggest impediment to a broad-based insurance scheme was the lack of agricultural production data available to re-insurers.The new working party, chaired by NSW Farmers president Fiona Simpson, hopes to overcome previous barriers, and instigate a program that will protect farmers against drought, flood, frost and market risk.Muntadgin farmer Jeff Hooper believes a commitment by the Federal Government to become involved in multi-peril insurance for Australian farmers is essential for products to be viable for the majority of growers."To me it would be a sign that they are interested in the industry and they want to see a strong, viable industry," he said."I'm very supportive of multi-peril crop insurance, and I believe what we have at the moment is a good start, but I want to see it work for all growers in the long-term."Mr Hooper, who was involved in holding grower forums to discuss the issue, says Australia needs to look to other countries that have developed insurance products of this nature."In other countries, the government seems to actively promote risk mitigation insurance as a tool to protect income, so in that respect I would certainly like to see government involved," he said.According to Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann, Australian farmers need more than the Government's adhoc drought and flood relief provided to growers in exceptional circumstances."There must be, and is, a better way to provide a functional, objective and viable mitigation of normal production risk to improve the financial resilience of the agricultural sector," he said.WAFarmers Grains Council senior vice-president Duncan Young, who attended the industry meeting in Melbourne, believes both government involvement and increased competition were critical for any multi-peril scheme to work."For things to happen in the future there has to be competition in this space, and for competition to occur there has to be a willingness for the re-insurers to come out and participate in the agricultural industry in Australia," he said."The reason why other countries have multi-peril insurance is because they have government backing, and that includes Canada."All around the world, all the countries that have it have some form of government backing."WAFarmers president Dale Park called on the Federal Government to invest in market mechanisms such as multi-peril insurance that would be usable for all growers."Exceptional circumstance programs have not worked for WA in the vast majority of cases and the exceptional circumstance funding that the Eastern States used to know is not going to be what they get in the future," he said."What the Government should do is put the money that they are putting into drought relief into market mechanisms that growers can actually use and we would all be better off."In 2011, an attempt by CBH to launch a multi-peril crop insurance scheme in WA backed by Willis Australia, fell flat.According to a CBH spokeswoman, the uptake by farmers was too small to make the product viable.

25.09.2014

Italy - Not a good potato season

The 2014 season on the Fucino plain was characterised by unstable weather which affected the campaign. "Sowing was rather regular and transplants were carried out in the right period, but things changed in June as it rained a lot and temperatures were below average," explains producer Angelo Giommo."This in turn created a lot of downy mildew and alternaria problems, which were very difficult to tackle especially for what concerns potatoes.""It's a horrible season for potatoes - we've had to deal with diseases and now there's the price problem. Currently the produce is sold at €7-9 per 100 kg and there is no sign of a change. This is quite a problem as potatoes are our flagship product, especially since this year they have obtained the PGI mark."According to Angelo, the causes are to be found in the increased European production and the Russian ban. "There is also the fact that the domestic product has very little consideration, as the chain prefers imported potatoes."As regards the other products, he says that "fennel sold well up to late August/early September and cauliflowers are doing rather well, especially considering that they are affected by sudden temperature changes."Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

25.09.2014

Spain - Hailstorm damages citrus and kaki crops

The intense storm that has taken place in the provinces of Valencia and Castellon, with hail in some areas, has caused damages to citrus and kaki plantations in the regions of Ribera or Alberic, which have had to face such weather conditions for the fourth time this season.Sources of the Valencian Growers Association (AVA) have pointed out that hailstorms have caused damages in a strip of 330 hectares in La Ribera, specifically in Alberic, Pobla Larga, Manuel, Villanueva de Castellón and Sant Joanet, while La Unio has estimated the acreage affected at 500 hectares, extending to Beneixida, Gavarda, L'Énova, Senyera and Carcaixent.In Alberic, previous hailstorms had already affected 70% of the citrus and kaki production, in addition to the latest damages, according to AVA.According to La Unio, between 50 and 60% of the kaki harvest could be affected in La Ribera due to the accumulation of storms in recent weeks, and citrus fruits have also been damaged, but the extent of the damage has yet to be confirmed.This organisation has announced it will request aid for the growers affected by hail, in addition to drought.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

25.09.2014

USA - Farmers in wait-and-see mode for cotton

Farmers and agricultural producers are in a wait-and-see mode after the generous rains received this month in Dawson, Borden and Lynn counties, as well as the rest of the South Plains.“The insurance adjusters have already been looking at the cotton, since about Sept. 15,” Chris Rhodes, manager of United Gin, told the this week. “But I think the farmers won’t take that first offer and will ask the adjusters to wait until the bolls open up.”Rhodes is hopeful that the rains still will aid the 2014 cotton crop.“I still think it will help. But, we’re just playing the waiting game for now,” he said.Gary Roschetzky, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for Dawson County, admits there will be some damage to the cotton plants due to heavy rainfall amounts.“You’re gonna see some regrowth. There may still be some boll fill, but how good is the quality of the cotton going to be this year?” he told on Wednesday morning.Some cotton already was turning black-purple due to 40 degree temperatures during the nighttime hours recently.Source - http://www.pressreporter.com/

25.09.2014

UK - Winter floods hit Autumn apple harvest in Somerset

Autumn is here, English apples are in season and this year they're said to be particularly big, sweet and juicy because of the summer growing conditions. The national crop is up fifteen percent, the biggest for years, as the resurgence in planting apple trees continues.But not everything in the orchard is rosy. Some growers in Somerset say their branches are almost bare, particularly in low lying areas hit by heavy rain and floods last winter.At Charlton Orchards in Creech St Michael near Taunton they have fifteen acres of cooking and eating apples but for many of the varieties they grow here the crops are far from heavy. It's yet another knock-on effect of all that rain we had last winter.There's very few apples at all. These should be dripping, hanging down on the ground now at this time of year. The problem is down in the roots. The rain saturated the ground for so long, the deep roots have been killed off.When they need to draw water up and nutrients from below, there are no roots left so although there are small roots in the surface which stop the tree falling over, the down deep roots have all gone.It wasn't just the winter. When spring came and the rain continued, there was a lack of bees and other insects during the key pollination time.The most mature apple trees in the Charlton Orchard would normally be relied upon to give a really good crop of apples but because of all that rain last winter, there's barely a crate of apples between them.It's certainly not a disaster though. Plums, greengages, damsons and cherries have done very well this year and some apple varities weathered the storm better than others.The good news is the apples have had plenty of sun over the summer which helps develop the sugar so what fruit there is is sweet and tasty and really good quality.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

25.09.2014

Pakistan - Debate begins about extent of flood damage

As floods, by and large, clear Punjab to enter Sindh, the debate starts on the extent of damage it wreaked on the crops and livestock in the province. As usual, the officials are conservative in their estimates. Farmers, understandably, are liberal. The truth may be somewhere between both the guesstimates.In Punjab, where its fury peaked, the final damages are now a matter of debate. The National Disaster Management Authority had projected damage to over 1.5m acres of crop. Out of them, 1m acres came from the rice zone and the central Punjab districts. Logically, the rest 500,000 acres should now belong to cotton belt, where breaches were also made and water allowed to spread far and beyond.The government would announce some sort of compensation package, as it did in 2010, and farmers would go for wheat. In other areas, where hot and severe humid conditions would persist because of flooding in adjoining areas and Met forecasts, farmers might not have much incentive and money to further invest in the crop. Thus, the provincial target of 10m bales seems to be far from the mark at this point of time.The Punjab agricultural bureaucracy, however, is equally worried about citrus and mango crops as well. It recently issued advisory for both of them, along with rice and cotton. The citrus crop is at the fruiting stage in the province, where such conditions can cause canker, root rot, dieback and scab. It advisory pleads for trees’ treatment on war footing. Floods hit the zone after torrential rains. The fruit earns substantial foreign exchange.Similarly, Chenab waters have hit mango orchards in Multan, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Bhawalpur districts and increased the risk of dieback, gomosis, anthranose, root rot and sudden death of trees. Prolonged stay of water in these orchards can be a threat to the crop.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

25.09.2014

India - Crops worth Rs 3,675 crore damaged in Kashmir floods

Crops worth Rs.3,675 crore have been damaged by floods in the Kashmir valley, officials said here Wednesday.Of the three lakh hectares crop area in Kashmir division, around 1.35 lakh hectares have been fully damaged and the remaining 1.65 lakh hectares have have been severely affected due to incessant rains, drop in temperature and disease, said a report prepared by the agriculture department."The loss in terms of production has been assessed at 8,54,213 tonnes in respect of cereals, 5,08,492 tonnes of vegetables, 14,02,472 tonnes of fodder, 1,773 tonnes of pulses and 11 tonnes of saffron."The overall loss has been assessed at Rs.3,675 crore", department officials said here.The department has calculated the relief amount due to farmers at Rs.217.42 crore.The report said the floods have also badly affected agriculture land. Large chunks of land have been washed away, while in many areas large quantity of silt has got deposited in agriculture fields, rendering 3,811 hectares uncultivable across the valley."To reclaim the damaged land, extensive soil conservation measures would be required for which a Rs.453.51 crore plan has been formulated."Similarly, the damages estimated to the departmental buildings, labs, farms and other infrastructure has been pegged at Rs.24.66 crore," it said."The department has also formulated an assistance plan of Rs.64.17 crore to assist farmers by providing them seeds free of cost for the coming Rabi season, wherein Rabi crops are grown on approximately 1.3 lakh hectares. The free of cost seed assistance will cover an area of about 60,000 hectares and free fertilizer for all 1.3 lakh hectares in Kashmir division," officials said.Source - http://www.mid-day.com/

25.09.2014

Grim reaping for east Ukraine sunflower farmers

Fields of sunflowers burnt brown under blue skies are ready for harvest -- but artillery and rocket attacks are stopping farmers in east Ukraine's frontline villages from gathering their crops.Ukraine is the world's biggest exporter of sunflower oil, with more than half the global market, but fighting between separatist and government forces has left fields strewn with mangled metal shell casings and torn up clumps of mud.On the dirt road between Vilkhivka and Zuevka, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the flashpoint city of Donetsk, an unexploded rocket sticks javelin-like in the earth and unharvested sunflower fields sway in the breeze.Rebels in the area accuse the Ukrainian army of indiscriminate fire, with villagers staying close to home, ready to hide from the shelling in their basements."We're not stopping the local people from harvesting their crops but they're too scared to come out," says local rebel commander Vasiliy Petrovich as he drives past the sunflower fields, without a farmer in sight.The sunflower is Ukraine's chief oilseed crop, generating export income of $3.28 billion in 2013 according to government figures.Analysts say overall yields in Ukraine will remain high despite the conflict, with the sunflower seed crop totalling more than 10.2 million tonnes this year compared to 11 million in 2013/14.The Donetsk and Lugansk regions of eastern Ukraine account for just 15 percent of the country's total sunflower seed production.But those regions are facing a 20-30 percent crop loss, according to analysts, although the majority of harvesting is going ahead.However, it will be the smaller farmers who are too scared to harvest or have nowhere to sell their crops who suffer most."I think that small farms will go bankrupt this year and next year they will not plant crops," says Yulia Garkavenko, head of oilseeds and vegoils at the consulting agency.Source - http://www.mysinchew.com/

24.09.2014

USA - Warm weather delays persimmon harvest

While a mild winter and a warm spring have contributed to early harvests for many of California's crops, persistent warm conditions have delayed the start of this year's persimmon harvest. As supplies are slow to come on, the market could remain strong for the first weeks of the season.“We really haven't started on persimmons yet because it's been too warm,” said George Kragie of Western Fresh Marketing. “Normally, we'd be picking at this time of the year. Everything else, like stonefruit, has been early because of warm weather, so the odd thing is that persimmons are picking later because of that warm weather.” Persimmons need cool weather in order to acquire the colour necessary for the fruit to be picked, and with lingering warm conditions, most of the fruit hasn't reached the proper maturity for harvesting. With a delayed harvest, supplies will be light and prices strong.“We need it to be cool for fruit to get its colour, and the persimmons have not gotten the colour they need,” explained Kragie. “I think the market will react well because there won't be much competition.”Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/