21.03.2014

India - Crop Insurance Should Cover All Farmers

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have savaged the crops of farmers, especially in central and western India. While Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab are the worst affected, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh are also severely affected. Many of these crops chana, lentils and wheat in MP, mustard in Rajasthan or onions and grapes in Maharashtra were due for harvesting. Compounding their plight is the onset of the Lok Sabha poll. The model code of conduct prohibits any special relief package on the ground that it could influence voters. Even if the Election Commission allows it the state and district administrations have no time due to their preoccupation with the elections. Issues like assessing the extent of crop damage and compensation to be paid to individual farmers are unlikely to receive top priority. Effectively, real and substantial support is very improbable over the next few months and the plight of farmers in the states cannot but be alarming.The crisis underlines the need for a proper crop insurance scheme that triggers automatic payments for losses from natural disasters. Such a mechanism should be independent of elections or government attitude. Agriculture is inherently risk-prone and susceptible to the vagaries of nature. The present National Agricultural Insurance Scheme is woefully inadequate in meeting natural challenges. The process is bureaucratic and by the time the farmer gets his claim, it is often too little too late.We need to shift to a system where insurance is mandatory for receiving compensation against crop loss. Strangely, at present it is compulsory only for farmers who have taken loans. It also operates on an “area approach”. A farmer isn’t eligible for indemnity unless the taluka or block area in which the farm falls is declared calamity-affected. Legitimately, claims should be assessed on the basis of individual farmers against the “area approach”. The arrangement should be a matter between the farmer and the insurance company, subject to regulation. The state can chip in to subsidise premiums if needed.Source - http://www.newindianexpress.com/

21.03.2014

USA - New farm bill spells big changes for local cotton farmers

Last month, President Obama signed into a law a nearly $1 trillion farm bill. The new bill spells out big changes for the local agriculture industry, especially cotton farmers.Until now, whether cotton season was good or bad, farmers received direct cash payments for their product. The money was paid, regardless of acreage, yield, or what the market was doing. Mary Jane Buerkle, with Plains Cotton Growers, says the new farm bill will instead have producers compensated through a crop insurance program if they lose their commodity."Cotton is essentially going to crop insurance based programs - so it's been said that your crop insurance agent is going to become a very good friend," Buerkle said.The goal, from the Government's standpoint, is to save money.The new bill is projected to save $23 billion over the next decade. However, Buerkle says the farm bill can be complex to understand even for the most seasoned producer."The National Cotton Council, the Southwest Council of Agribusiness, among several others, are hosting farm bill informational sessions this week in order to help producers understand the complexities of this new farm bill," Buerkle said.There are several changes in the bill that directly affect cotton farmers. That's why several local agencies are teaming up to hold the informational sessions free of charge."The goal of these meetings is to ensure that producers have access to the very best information that they can get about this new farm bill and the changes that they're going to have to make in their operation whenever it comes to dealing with the new bill," Buerkle said.Source - http://www.kcbd.com/

20.03.2014

Protecting beef cattle from IBR

Assessing disease risk and designing a farm specific herd health programme is essential to protect all beef herds against the effects of IBR.Establishing herd Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) status and farm-specific risk factors should be a priority for any beef farm looking to protect health and performance in all ages of stock.The highly contagious nature of IBR, along with widespread and varying signs of the disease means exposure at any level can have severe implication to both adult and young cattle.Caused by bovine herpesvirus, BHV-1 the true signs of IBR include respiratory problems in the upper respiratory tract. This can show as pneumonia or conjunctivitis in both adult cattle and calves, with the virus often adding to the weight of calf pneumonia problems.BHV-1 can also cause milk drop, embryonic losses and general fertility problems. In general, all these signs are collated together and talked about under the umbrella of IBR.BHV-1 can be spread via the cow’s airways and bull semen. Once infected an animal will become a latent carrier and spread the virus in times of stress, explains vet Andrew Biggs, of the Vale Vet Group.“IBR is very persistent and has the potential to flare up at a later date in carrier cows. Shedding could be brought on by any stressful event such as calving or bad weather. However once brought on, the flame can start burning through the whole herd.” This could cause resurgence in problems in a herd or could introduce the problem to a naive herd.Yorkshire vet Jonathan Statham, of Bishopton Vet Group, says IBR can cause particular problems at autumn housing when calves are weaned.Weaning“The stress of weaning can add to disease spread risk. You have also got the added risk of warm conditions at housing with animals in close proximity. It only takes one infectious animal to spread IBR to that whole group,” he says.Producers can commonly see severe pneumonia outbreaks leading to high treatment costs and mortality. Signs include clear, runny noses leading to thick snot within a week. However the underlying sub-clinical effects can be even more dramatic.“Infection can reduce feed conversion efficiency and effect calf growth rates. You can still have grumbling infection which causes damage to the respiratory tract without clinical signs.”Infected breeding animals can also experience fertility issues such as abortion and embryonic losses. That could reduce the calf crop for that year, or mean a cow takes longer to get in-calf, leading to reduced calf weights and a greater chance she will be culled.Mr Statham says it is important to establish the disease status of a breeding herd and design a bespoke herd health plan with a vet. Whether vaccination is appropriate in youngstock and/or cows should be decided after establishing herd risk factors. The decision may be made to vaccinate calves at weaning depending on individual farm situation.“To check your status, carry out a youngstock check on a sample of animals over eight months old. If bloods test positive it suggests IBR is currently circulating,” he says.“When the test is negative, it makes boundary repair and biosecurity even more important to ensure you do not introduce IBR. If you do introduce one IBR positive animal to a naive herd it can result in a massive disease outbreak.”In a naive herd, remaining closed is preferential. However, on all systems, if you have to buy-in, ensure it is from a herd of known disease status.BullsExposure to the disease could lead to reduced bull fertility, while the fact IBR can be spread via semen also means it is important to include stock bulls in any herd health policy. Knowing the IBR status of the breeding herd is crucial to protect both cows and bulls from infection.Also check bull catalogues for the IBR status of AI bulls so you do not inadvertently introduce the disease through AI.When store cattle are being bought-in from multiple sources or from market, the chance of introducing disease is high. As a result, Mr Statham recommends using a live intranasal IBR vaccine on all bought-in stock as soon as they are settled on farm. He says this type of vaccine stimulates a rapid immune response.“The stress of transport can cause carrier animals to start shedding, so for anyone buying in store or fattening cattle, vaccinating all purchased animals is a good approach to safeguard performance,” he says.Source - http://www.farmersguardian.com/

20.03.2014

USA - Drought conditions improve but some areas worsening

Little by little, Texas drought conditions are improving but moisture will need to be consistent throughout the planting and growing season for row crop farmers to make economical yields and for livestock producers to see significant improvements in pasture and rangeland.The most recent Texas Drought Monitor report from the Texas Water Development Board shows 63 percent of the state still in drought status. That’s down from 67 percent last week and shows a 6 point drop in recent weeks.The report is not all good news, however, with the lower percentage of the state in drought also comes a strengthening of dry conditions in West, Central, and North Texas. And drought projections show more of the same.That follows what other climatologists have predicted for the past several months with recent predictions indicating possibility of relief in the fall.The latest report also shows deterioration from three months ago, when only 45 percent of the state was considered in drought stress. But it is a significant improvement over the 77 percent drought status of a year ago.Reservoir levels continue to hold steady. The TWDB monitored water supply reservoirs show an average of 65 percent full, up a point from last week and two points from three months ago. Capacity is two points lower than a year ago and significantly below the average of 84 percent for this time of year.Source - http://southwestfarmpress.com/

20.03.2014

Australia - WA farmers unhappy over drought fund delay

West Australian farmers are disappointed after being told the roll-out of a much-needed federal drought package will be delayed for several months.The WA government has warned farmers not to expect immediate access to concessional loans part of the government's $320 million drought package, which is likely to be many months away.A spokeswoman for WA Agriculture Minister Ken Baston said the state was still working out loan guidelines with the federal agriculture department.WA Farmers Association president Dale Park says farmers were concerned about the delay."They're pretty disappointed," he told AAP on Thursday."I thought we had this resolved, and no, we haven't yet."There's been more focus on severe drought conditions in Queensland and northern NSW than in WA, where some farmers have been without a decent crop for six years.However, Mr Park said the plight of farmers in the eastern wheatbelt has worked in their favour."If (WA farmers) had been on their own they would have had absolutely no traction, so the drought in the eastern states has given us a reason to say, 'No, we've got some fellas here just as badly affected'."Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said the delay was due to stringent checks on inter-governmental agreements.The federal agriculture department will finalise "as quickly as possible" those agreements to get those drought funds flowing."I'm very aware of the people, especially around Southern Cross, who've been dealing with the dry spell and want to get access to that money," Mr Joyce told reporters in Canberra."I don't think (Mr Baston) is delaying it for some mean purpose. I believe they're making sure there's diligent guidelines and oversight of Commonwealth funds."Mr Joyce said he would visit WA for talks with Mr Baston on Friday to make sure the West "sees enough of me to get sick of me".Source - http://www.watoday.com.au/

20.03.2014

Australia - Favourable weather points to a lift in macadamia crop

The 2014 Australian macadamia crop has been estimated at 40,000 tonnes in-shell – 11,440 tonnes kernel equivalent - by the peak industry body, the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS), in its first forecast for the year.This is compared to the 35,200 tonnes in-shell (8,400 tonnes kernel) produced by the Australian industry in 2013 and 40,000 tonnes in 2012 (11,400 tonnes kernel).Australian Macadamia Society Chief Executive Officer Jolyon Burnett said favourable weather conditions throughout growing regions this season pointed to better kernel quality and a higher sound kernel recovery for this year’s crop.“Overall the crop is looking solid in all regions with most up 5-10% on 2013. The season has seen more typical growing conditions, albeit considerably dryer than last year. Following a strong flowering, Australian macadamia growers are optimistic, and have begun their long harvest season,” said Mr. Burnett.The macadamia harvest season is a long one compared to many other nuts. The Australian macadamia harvest starts in February/March, and continues for up to six months, with the last nuts collected from orchard floors in August/September.In a new trend, significantly more in-shell will again be shipped from Australia in 2014. Strong Chinese demand for in-shell is expected to impact on the volume of kernel available (estimates indicate that around 5000 tonnes was sold in-shell to China in 2013).The first estimate of the crop based on ‘actual receivals’ by participating handlers will be released in July 2014. A further report will be provided in August 2014 and the final figure for the 2014 crop will be announced by the AMS in late November 2014.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

20.03.2014

Africa - Culture of saving can mitigate farming risks

Developing a culture of saving is the single most effective way for local farmers to create a buffer against adversity, says Standard Bank Namibia in a statement issued this week. The business banking agriculture division of the bank is advising local farmers to get into the habit of saving now in order to mitigate farming risks. “The risk of farming is not just a business one, it is highly personal. More to the point and in most cases it is just one farmer and his or her family standing against an extraordinary array of local and global risks,” says Standard Bank Namibia’s agricultural advisor Gerhard Mukuahima. “The question always is: ‘If I’m already in debt, how do I get to the point of saving money?’ Our advice is to structure your intention to save around the life cycle of your farm. Each farm goes through three phases. The first kicks in when new owners take over a farm, according to Mukuahima. “In many cases, the next generation will take over production from their parents,” he added. “For entirely new owners, of course, there is the need to invest in new technology or machinery. All of which costs money. So, it is difficult to think about postponing spending, which is the definition of saving.”According to Mukuahima, postponing spending has a curious effect. “By the time you have saved the money for that very expensive harvester, you’ve probably found another way to bring in the harvest – that technology has improved and you can find better value for money.” Phase two of a farm’s life cycle is growth or expansion through the acquisition of additional land, the addition of new crops, or the addition of value to your existing products. This phase invariably involves obtaining finance, which comes at the cost of high interest. “There’s no sense in putting money into a savings account at the same time as you’re trying to pay off your debt,” Mukuahima says. “The interest on your debt will be much higher than you can earn on savings. So, in this case, using surplus cash to pay off your debt as quickly as possible actually constitutes savings.” Local farmers are recommended not use all their financial facilities when funding operations. “Leave something in your overdraft for instance or for whatever emergency might crop up,” Mukuahima advises.Insurance can also be turned into another form of saving – if you can get to the point of not needing it. In the set-up phase of the farming life cycle, not having insurance can be financial suicide. “But, once your savings build up to the point where you could get through one crop failure without insurance, then rather pay what you’d have spent on premiums into your savings account,” he says. The third life cycle phase is consolidation and transition, which is usually when the farmer wants to retire and either pass the farm to the next generation or sell it to new owners. If there are no savings to fall back on, then the farm must be sold to provide funds for what, with advances in medical science, can be many long years of increasing frailty. “It could happen that you are in need of funds and considering to sell your property. However, the market conditions might not be optimal at that stage, which can influence your returns if you are forced to sell your assets due to insufficient reserves being in place,” adds Mukuahima. “If the farm is to be passed on to sons and daughters, then it is unfair to pass an enormous debt burden on with it or expect them to cover estate duty.”Source - http://www.newera.com.na/

20.03.2014

USA - Pecan crop not plentiful in 2013

Georgia’s 2013 pecan crop was not as plentiful as farmers hoped for, and one University of Georgia expert says this year’s crop could be even worse — if history repeats itself.Steady rainfall and pecan scab disease decimated Georgia pecans this past season. Between June and September, the state incurred 30 inches of rain and 60 rainy days, according to UGA pecan specialist Lenny Wells. The end result was low pecan yields throughout Georgia.A similar weather pattern in 2003 led to a pecan crop of about 75 million pounds. A wet summer that year led to the state’s poor pecan production, which dropped dramatically the following year when Georgia produced just 45 million pounds.“Too much rain and disease is not just bad for the year it happens, it’s bad for the next year, too. All of that disease pressure, all of those cloudy conditions and some late-season pressure from some insect pests put a lot of stress on those trees at the wrong time,” Wells said. “That generally doesn’t bode too well for the following year.”Pecan orchards that produced decent yields with pretty good quality or no crop at all have good potential to rebound with a decent crop the next season, he said. Orchards that produced a pretty good crop until August and then endured a downward spiral are likely to field a poor crop next year.“With a perennial crop like pecans, management and environmental conditions often affect not only the current year but the following year as well, and sometimes even beyond that. Physiologically, our pecan trees determined what type of 2014 crop they will produce in August of last year,” Wells said.Stress put on the trees during that time of year, whether from crop load, insects, disease, or environmental conditions, will affect the next year’s crop, he said.Georgia farmers can be encouraged by the state yield numbers that indicate more than 60 millionpounds of pecans will be produced in 2014. This is a little more than firstpredicted. Many growers are holding off on selling their pecans because of low prices. Wells estimates between 10 and 15 million more pounds are in storage.The boost in production can be credited to increased yields in areas above Highway 280 which runs through Crisp and Sumter Counties. South of that line, in areas like Tifton, Thomasville and Southeast Georgia, production struggled, due in large part to pecan scab pressure.The fungus that causes pecan scab attacks young leaves in the spring and shucks throughout the summer. If untreated, lead infections can defoliate the tree and nut shuck infections can reduce the crop and quality.“It was tougher to control scab in those areas because moisture just holds there naturally anyway, and there were so many frequentrains, it was difficult for (farmers) to get out there and spray, even though they knew they needed to. It was too wet or it was raining and they couldn’t get out there to do it,” Wells said. Cloudy conditions also made it difficult for the trees to fill out the crop.Disease and cloudy days also contributed to the pecans’ low quality, which led to a decrease in prices. According to Wells, Stuart variety pecans sold for $2.30 per pound when the season began, but dropped to $1.25 to $1.30 when the season ended. Wells noted that lower quality Stuarts dipped below $1.Farmers normally start spraying for scab in April and continue every two weeks, depending on rain and scab pressure. If drier conditions emerge over the upcoming months, farmers won’t spray as much.“I think everybody will be on their toes with their timing of that first spray,” Wells said.Source - http://www.moultrieobserver.com/

19.03.2014

USA - Weather continues to bedevil Texas crops

It’s too dry for wheat, too cold for cotton.The Texas wheat crop is in poor condition, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension agronomist because too little moisture has been available since fall planting to nurture the crop. And unseasonably cold temperatures in south Texas continues to delay cotton planting.Once again, it’s a weather crop in the making.Dry weather is the culprit for the poor wheat crop, while lower-than-normal soil temperature has been the primary reason for the delay in the planting of spring crops, said Dr. Travis Miller, AgriLife Extension agronomist and Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences associate department head, College Station.“Much of South Texas corn and sorghum crops are planted, while cool weather and wet soils on the coast delayed planting,” Miller said. “Much of the dryland wheat crop in the High Plains and Rolling Plains remains in very poor shape, with 87 percent of the crop rated from fair to very poor conditions. However, the irrigated crop is in relatively good shape. In my opinion, it (dryland wheat) will be a below-average crop because of dry weather.”It’s unusually cold weather that has slowed the planting of spring crops, he said.Source - http://southwestfarmpress.com/

19.03.2014

USA - Cold, snow could push back beet planting

Given colder than normal temperatures and the amount of ice and snow still present in the region, the likelihood of a normal start to the upcoming sugar beet growing season is declining rapidly.According to Steven Poindexter, Sugarbeet Educator for the Michigan State University Extension in Saginaw, a typical start to the sugar beet planting period is at the beginning of April.“Anytime we get to April 1st and on, it’s fair game,” Poindexter said. “If the soil conditions are right, growers will grow.”Poindexter said ideal soil conditions have to be dry enough to establish a good seed bed, because you can’t work the ground properly when it’s wet. Of course, losing the snow off the top of the ground and having things thaw out also need to take place.“I think the biggest factor is going to be how soon the frost goes out, and then once the frost goes out, then soil moisture conditions can change,” Poindexter said. “As long as there is frost in the ground, your soil is not right to plant.”Under ideal conditions, such as what Michigan sugar beet growers experienced in 2012, planting can begin as early as mid-March. That year, growers produced a record crop, averaging 29.2 tons.“Soil conditions were right and temperatures were 70 degrees,” Poindexter said of the 2012 planting season.In comparison, the 2013 crop produced an average of 26 tons. Poindexter said a good share of that crop was planted in May because of the abnormally wet April.This year, with snow still covering the ground through mid-March, a best-case scenario for planting to begin appears to be in May. For growers, that will mean another down year from the crop of 2012.“As a rough average, every week you delay in planting, you probably reduce tonnage by a ton per week,” Poindexter said. “That extra growth period is important for sugar beets.”Poindexter added that the crop can usually grow no matter what time of the spring or summer they are planted, but yield will obviously be affected.“We are not set up for an early spring by any way, shape or form,” Poindexter said. “Unless the Polar Vortex switches back around and goes back up into Siberia where it should be, I don’t expect we’re going to be doing a whole lot until the end of April or early May. But I hope I’m wrong.”Added Poindexter: “If we have decent weather conditions, and they get started the first part of April, certainly the 28 ton crop, 29 ton crop is not out of the picture. But there’s so much that goes into that. Beets do use a lot of water, so you need adequate rainfall. We can have a beautiful start to our crop and not get enough rain for all of the month of August and all of a sudden, all that tonnage we normally put on or grow, the beets just kind of set there — they’re waiting for the rain. It’s not only what happens at the beginning of the season, it’s what happens during the season.”Despite the potential for the planting period to be pushed back, Poindexter said improved technology used by growers allows for a little more room for error when it comes to planting.“On the bright side of things, growers are equipped nowadays to where they can plant a lot of crop in just a few days,” Poindexter said. “The equipment is better, the equipment is bigger. Growers are set up to where in seven to 10 days, and certainly less than two weeks, given good conditions, they can have that whole crop in the ground. That’s the positive note — they can take these windows of opportunity and slam a lot of crops in the ground.”During a typical year, an early harvest will take place in September, and most sugar beets are harvested after mid-October. During harvest, growers take in around 4 million tons, with the state producing over a billion pounds of sugar each year.Source - http://www.michigansthumb.com/

19.03.2014

Vietnam - Prolonged drought damages farming production

The heat wave sweeping across the central and central highlands has withered thousands of hectares of sugarcane, coffee, and rice crops.Binh Son District in Quang Ngai Province has lost 252 hectares of rice. Several farmers have fed the withered crops to cattle.Because it has not rained for a month, we are forced to pump water from ponds every two days to water our crops, said farmer Doan Tan Minh.Thach Ban reservoir level has fallen to 17 meters, 1.5 meters lower than last year in Duy Xuyen District, Quang Nam Province.The Tu Cau pumping station in Dien Ngoc Commune, Dien Ban District has experienced salt penetration in the previous 10 days which is ruining the 100-hectare rice field.Quang Ngai has spent VND7.1 billion (US$337,000) to dredge canals, install more pumping stations, and dam up embankments to prevent salt intrusion.Similar measures have also been conducted in Quang Nam Province. Local authorities have spent VND1.7 billion (US$ 81,000) to dam up the embankment on Vinh Dien River to hold saltwater back.The embankment is expected to complete by March 20 to provide water for Vinh Dien Water Plant and thousands of hectares of rice. The plant has stopped operation for the last month creating a water shortage in thousands of households.Several mobile pumping stations have functioned along Thu Bon River to supply water for fields away from canals.In the central highlands, farmer Tran Anh Tuan’s family has desperately carried each pail of water to irrigate their coffee field in Dak Ha District, Kon Tum Province.Farmers are unable to complete cultivation of the winter spring crop due to water shortage in An Khe town, Gia Lai Province.The drought has killed nearly 700 hectares of rice and maize plants in Dak Lak Province. Another 1,500 hectares are in danger of complete loss. Total damage caused by drought has reached VND40 billion (US$1.9 million).Thirty seven provinces are in danger of forest fire with the most vulnerable being Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Son La and Tay Ninh, according to Forest Management Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.Source - http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

19.03.2014

Vietnam - Bad weather could cause coffee headaches

Dire weather in areas of South East Asia has had a negative impact on the production of Vietnamese coffee beans an official said last week.Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter of robusta beans – the variety of bean that is predominantly used in instant coffee.There has been a cold snap that, combined with a period of drought, has seen the crop harvested for the 2013-14 period tumble by around 8% when compared to figures available for the 2012-13 season.It’s not just the robusta beans either that have been affected: arabica beans numbers has also dropped due to continuing low temperatures throughout the northern-Vietnamese growing regions.“The cold has severely hit coffee production in recent months,” Do Ha Nam, the Vice President of the Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association (VICOFA) said. “In the northwest province of Son La, 1,300 hectares of arabica coffee – more than 10% of its total – was [reported as] damaged.”However, traders in the capital city of Ho Chi Minh City remained optimistic: “It’s dry season,” one told the AFP; “so you always have dry weather. It is completely normal.”Yet if the rains stay away for another month or so, and drought-like conditions remain, then there is a chance for a serious decline in the production of coffee beans which would cause serious problems – potentially on a global scale.In 2012, Vietnam exported just under 1.75 million tons of coffee, which was worth, roughly, $3.67 billion (£2.2bn). Current estimates put this year’s crop at around 1.37 million.What happens in Vietnam will impact the rest of the world. Abah Ofon, a commodities analyst, said that if the nation’s “robusta output was constrained [then] that’s going to contribute to a more bullish environment.”Robusta prices hit a nine-month high at the beginning of March and arabica saw a surge in which its value rose by nearly 60%.Source - http://www.worldcoffeepress.com/

19.03.2014

Haiti struggles as drought drags on

A drought is causing an extreme emergency in north-east Haiti, wiping out sorely needed crops and livestock, an official said on Tuesday.Pierre Gary Mathieu of the government's National Co-ordination of Food Security told The Associated Press that the eight-month-long drought in the region has caused the loss of two harvest seasons. It will take the area six months to recover.“That's a major problem,” Mathieu said.The hardship is especially evident in some schools where there's food for students but no water to cook. Other schools have neither food nor water, Mathieu said.The usually arid area has seen some rain lately but not enough to replenish crops.Government employees and aid workers plan to distribute seeds to farmers and food to others. Officials are due to meet this Thursday with international humanitarian workers to figure out how to co-ordinate a response, Mathieu said.The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, a US-government financed programme that tracks weather patterns, agricultural production and food prices in an effort to offset famine, describes worrisome conditions for Haiti's north-east.Until last November, rainfall was evenly distributed in most of the country's crop-producing areas during production cycles. But a second rainy season that normally begins in August didn't begin until two to three weeks later, and northeastern Haiti received very little of that rainfall.“People need jobs immediately but they also need food,” Mathieu said.The drought has also extended to other parts of the north, especially along the northwestern peninsula, FEWS NET reports. Farmers have had to travel farther to find drinking water.The United Nations' World Food Programme will send food rations this week for up to 120 000 people in the north-west, WFP spokesman Alejandro Lopez-Chicheri said. The kits consist of rice, beans and cooking oil.Source - http://www.iol.co.za/

19.03.2014

India - Insurance Companies may take Rs 100-crore hit from Maharashtra hailstorms

State-run Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC) today said the general insurers may see claims ranging from Rs 85 crore to Rs 100 crore arising from the massive crop damages, spanning over 8 lakh hectares, following hailstorms in Maharashtra earlier this month. "As per our initial estimates, claims may be to the tune of Rs 85-100 crore from this event," AIC general manager Rajeev Chaudhary told PTI. The public sector insurer, which specialises in providing weather and crop insurance, has one of the largest presence in this region of the Western state. As per the company, 10 crops are insured of which three are cereals and rest are horticultural crops. While cereals include wheat, jowar and Bengal gram; horticultural crops include oranges, grapes, guavas, pomegranates and cashews among others. "Covers for horticultural crops like cashew, guava and grapes are covered under the crop insurance scheme till February 15. So, claims from these crops will not be much. We are now assessing the damage for the rest of the crops," Chaudhary said. Interestingly, while farmers from all states have to compulsorily take a crop insurance while taking a crop loan from banks, it is voluntary in Maharashtra. Talking on the premium collected from Maharashtra per annum by the general insurance industry from weather and crop insurance related segments, Chaudhary said the total premium collection is around Rs 73 crore in these segments. It is to be noted that while 20 districts in Maharashtra are covered by AIC, six districts are with HDFC Ergo and two districts are with IFFCO Tokio among others. Source - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

18.03.2014

India - Mild rust attack on wheat crop

Though the wheat crop has by and large escaped leaf (yellow) and stripe (brown) rust attack so far, but at one stage in mid-February it had threatened to inflict substantial loss on the crop.Had the muggy conditions, preceding current rain spell in Punjab, arrived some three weeks ago, the attack, as estimated by the experts, could have taken down productivity by 10-15pc. Even now, the damage would range 1-2pc.Over the last few years, the rust attack has become a regular annual feature, inflicting varying losses on the crop — depending on seed variety, weather conditions and ecological zones. So far, the bordering districts of central and upper Punjab have proven more prone to it. In Narowal and Sialkot, the conditions have deteriorated this year and individual losses may be much steeper than impact on national yield.Though losses from the attack so far have remained manageable, planners in Punjab are sanguine for future on three accounts. First, almost all leading crop varieties have become susceptible to both kinds of rust attacks and occasionally suffer losses in varying degrees. This includes the variety that covers almost 40 per cent of the area to the one that is spread on 10 per cent of total area Second, loss of even up to five per cent can be significant on the natural seed.The national consumption ranges between 22 to 23 million tonnes against production that hovers around 24 million tonnes. With a production plus of one to two million tonnes, even minor loss can make difference between wheat exporting and importing. Third, there is an increasing impact making of climate change. It is putting pressure on seeds and crops like never before. With crop spread in all ecological zones, with varying temperatures and rainfall, the susceptibility of seed only gets magnified with slightest change in climate and becomes additional source of worry.For these reasons, the wheat experts have started pleading for an elaborate seed replacement programme, both at national and provincial level. Quoting two recent examples, where such a replacement paid off hugely, they advocate that it may be time for the repeat of the effort. In 2008-09, the Punjab had launched Wheat Productivity Enhancement Programme, under which it distributed seed for thousands of acre. It quickly got multiplied and a particular variety, which now covers almost 40 per cent of the sown area, emerged the winner. It was because of this reason, the province harvested bumper crop next year.Then, after the 2010 floods, Punjab again distributed better seed among affected farmers. The seed, though was not of any particular or better performing variety as such, but largely came from the progressive growers and performed well. Both these factors have lifted the provincial average production over 30 maunds per acre in the last few years.Now these varieties are running out of strength and need to be revisited. During the last one decade or so, Pakistan’s wheat seed policy has been more the merrier. All provincial and federal attention was riveted to introducing new varieties. It is because of this reason, there are almost 44 varieties doing rounds in the market. Some of them do not cover even one per cent area, but they are still there. Out of them, around 15 were introduced in the last five years — at an average speed of three varieties a year.How a particular variety would respond to rust attack, no one knew for sure. What were inherent strengths and weaknesses, nothing was documented. How would they perform in different ecological zones in the province or the country could only be guessed. All experimentation, which should have been done before the formal release of a variety, was carried out in the field, where they are now failing.It is time to review varieties on the basis of their performance data in the field and emerging weather realities.Seed development and replacement is a time taking business, spreading over years if not decades. Once that process hastens, the seed replacement would become correspondingly difficult. At present, there are varieties that cover up to five to eight million acres and replacing them would be a gigantic task. The sooner government realises it, the better it would be.Source - http://www.dawn.com/

18.03.2014

Africa - Heavy late summer rains brought relief to grain farmers

Unusually heavy late summer rains have killed more than 30 people in South Africa but have brought welcome relief to grain farmers after drought conditions in some parts of the maize belt in January and February."The grain farmers welcome the rain. The crops planted late will benefit from the rain. There is relatively very little damage so far," said Jannie de Villiers, the chief executive of Grain SA, which represents grain farmers.Some farmers in eastern Mpumalanga province had reported that secondary roads had been damaged and it might be difficult to get the crops to silos as a result, De Villiers added.South Africa is likely to harvest 12.403 million tonnes of maize in 2014 after reaping 11.69 million tonnes last year, the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) says.Maize is the staple crop in South Africa and a poor harvest can push overall inflation much higher.Maize futures for the most-traded July contract hit record highs around 2,500 rand a tonne in January but have since fallen 16 percent to 2,080 rand a tonne in response to the rains.Source - http://www.trust.org/