10.07.2018

India - Over 7k ha of state’s forest damaged in fire since 2015

As much as 7,424.2 hectares, or 18,345 acres, of forests in the state su!ered damage due to forest fires in the last three years, Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister R Shankar informed the Legislative Assembly. Incidence of forest fires has been increasing since 2015, according to Shankar. From 589 cases of forest fire in 2015, it went up to 913 in 2016 and then to 925 in 2017, Shankar said in response to a question by BJP’s K S Eshwarappa. “The quantum of rainfall in the last three years has been less, as a result of which the atmosphere is largely dry. The fire department has been asked to keep vigil on reserved forest areas, especially tiger reserves. A fire tender has been deployed at Bandipur and Nagarhole and a quick response vehicle has been attached to the BRT wildlife sanctuary,” Shankar said. He also stated that FIRs will be lodged against miscreants who deliberately light fires in forests. Between 2015 and 2017, the state saw 67,660 cases of crop losses su!ered by farmers living around forests due to wild animals. Farmers had been paid compensation worth Rs 27.84 crore for the crop loss, Shankar said. Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar told Shankar that Forest department was perceived as an ‘anti-people’ department. This remark came when Yeshvanthapura MLA S T Somashekhar (Congress) raised the issue of Forest department o!icials not allowing roads in his constituency to be asphalted. “Just because the road passes through forest land, your o!icials are acting pricey. It’s been three years since permission was sought online,” he said. Several legislators pointed out similar problems in their constituencies. Kumar advised the minister to convene a meeting on this issue. Source - https://www.deccanherald.com/

10.07.2018

Canada - June frost wipes out 70% of Nova Scotia's wild blueberry crop

Two hard frosts in June have wiped out an estimated 70 per cent of Nova Scotia's wild blueberry crop and producers don't know if they'll even bother harvesting what little remains. "The prices that are offered for the fruit will determine whether it is economical to harvest it or not," said Peter Rideout, the executive director of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia. It's been a hard go for wild blueberry producers in the province. They have suffered through two years where the cost of production outstripped crop prices. "Growers were coming into this season at an economic disadvantage," Rideout said. "They already had a heavy debt load." Now Mother Nature has kicked producers while they're down. "The economic loss at the farm level is very serious," Rideout said. Damage will affect next year's crop The frost will have an affect on next year's crops as it also damaged the new sprouts, said David Percival, a researcher at the Wild Blueberry Network Information Centre in Debert, N.S. "There is going to be a trickle-down effect that we have to go through before things improve," said Percival. What blueberry farmers need now, he said, is financial assistance to cover the cost of production, which can be up to $3,600 per hectare. Colchester and Cumberland counties were hit quite hard, as well as some parts of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, said Percival. "There's fields that we're decimated as part of this frost," he said. Back in June, Rideout had hoped the damage wouldn't be so bad, but after producers got out into their fields the story just got worse. "Some fields would be nearly a total loss, there might be a few fruit that survived that would not be economical to harvest." Government won't commit to financial aid Rideout said Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell expressed support back in June. "We have a strong relationship with our industry and will continue to work closely with them as we determine the extent of the impacts they are facing, and how we can help them mitigate those impacts," the Department of Agriculture said in a statement in June. The department is still in the early stages of gathering information, said government spokesperson JoAnn Alberstat in an emailed statement, adding that this is not unusual in the province's climate and that insurance is available. Many farmers were not able to afford insurance this year because of last year's low revenues, Rideout said in June. Source - https://www.cbc.ca

09.07.2018

USA - Syrian seeds could save US wheat from climate menace

Inside a Kansas greenhouse, a buzzing horde of flies set about laying waste to 20,000 seedlings. But as researchers watched, there was one species of growth that remained untouched – an ancient Syrian grass known as Aegilops tauschii. Now those Syrian seeds, once stored in a vault outside of Aleppo, could end up saving US wheat from the menaces of climate change. From 2000 to 2015, average temperatures in the US midwest rose from 1 to 2 degrees fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. Periods of time between rainfalls are lengthening, according to a 2016 assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency. In other words, conditions in some areas of the midwest are starting to resemble conditions in the Middle East. Rising temperatures are already leading to drops in midwestern crop yields, and threaten further reductions of as much as 4% per year. In the heart of US cereal and grain country, new pests and diseases are following the hot and dry conditions northward – and frequently overwhelming the ability of agricultural chemicals to battle them off. In response, scientists are seeking sources of natural resistance – and finding them in Syria, in the heart of the Fertile Crescent, the birthplace of domesticated agriculture. One of the world’s most important seed banks used to be located about 25 miles west of Aleppo in the town of Tal Hadya, and was run by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Icarda). That UN-affiliated centre specialises in preserving and researching seeds in hot, dry areas – conditions now being faced by many of the Earth’s food-growing regions. It’s also the place of origin of today’s domesticated wheat, and the seeds that were stored there benefit from genes embedded with survival strategies evolved over thousands of years. Now diseases and pests such as the Hessian fly, long familiar to Middle and Near Eastern farmers, are moving north from the southern US and Mexico and surging across Kansas and surrounding states – Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Nebraska and in some instances up to Illinois and the Dakotas. Even as forces supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, were bombing Aleppo in spring 2016, researchers at Kansas State University (KSU) were receiving increasingly urgent reports from US wheat farmers of devastating attacks by the Hessian fly, leading to an average 10% yield loss per year, according to the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Applied Wheat Genomics at KSU. That’s a significant bite out of the earnings of farms already operating on shaky margins. Ming-Shun Chen, a professor of molecular entomology at KSU, says the flies’ larvae used to be killed off by the cold of winter. But that cold is coming later in the season, and the larvae survive to turn into flies. Their devouring of wheat seems drawn from science fiction: the flies don’t have teeth, so they inject a protein-based substance into the plant that transforms it into a kind of nutritious slurry they can suck up and digest. From November through April, Chen collaborated with the plant scientist Jesse Poland to run a sequence of experiments that unfolded in the university’s greenhouses with brutal Darwinian efficiency: they planted commercial US wheat seedlings from Kansas and surrounding states along with an assortment of wild wheat-related grasses obtained from the seed vault in Syria, as well as random other assorted plantings. The seedlings grew for two to three weeks, and then the flies were unleashed to attack. The results were clear: Syria’s Aegilops tauschii was the sole survivor. Wheat has the most complex genome of any of the world’s major crops, one of the reasons efforts to genetically engineer wheat traits have thus far not succeeded. It also means it has multiple genetic “wild relatives”. Over time the domesticated wheat, dependent on agrichemical boosters, lost resistance to diseases and pests. So breeders are reaching deep into the history of wheat to bring back some of those lost characteristics. “Wild relatives are by definition hardier. They’ve survived on the margins of our pampering,” says Maywa Montenegro, a PhD in environmental science, policy and management at the University of California, Berkeley, who has spent years studying wild relatives of crops. “On a farm, the farmer does everything to favour his crops: he pulls out competitor plants, weeds, gives water. But the wild relatives haven’t been getting assistance for thousands of years. They’re dealing with drought and flooding and salt.” She said indigenous farmers have for millennia encouraged wild species to grow along the edges of their farms in order to encourage interbreeding between the wild and domesticated species to confer those strengths – a practice that has been long-neglected on massive industrial farms. The indomitable Aegilops tauschii grows wild in Syria in the hills surrounding Tal Hadya and Aleppo. Poland cites a litany of diseases to which the grass is resistant, with names like a lineup of underground rock bands: barley yellow dwarf, mosaic virus, wheat rust. It also shows resistance traits to more than half a dozen common insect pests, including the Hessian fly. The tauschii and thousands of other seed varieties once stored at Icarda’s Tal Hadya seed bank have a dramatic recent history, intertwined with the Syrian civil war. The area around Aleppo was a rebel stronghold until 2016. The rebel commander in Tal Hadya, according to one of the veteran scientists who used to work at the Icarda facility, was himself a farmer and understood the importance of the seed bank. The scientists and the rebels struck a deal: the rebels protected the seed bank and, equally important, ensured that the generator kept running to keep the stored seeds cool – in return for the scientists providing the rebels with food grown from the centre’s experimental fields. That lasted until spring 2016, when Assad’s military started bombarding Aleppo and the surrounding towns, including Tal Hadya. The remaining scientists loaded up the seeds in a truck and raced across the Lebanese frontier. Other seeds emanating from Syria are helping farmers contend with climatic changes elsewhere in the midwest. In Illinois and the Dakotas, Syrian seeds seem to perform strongly when faced with the combination of increasing temperatures with brief but intense rainfalls, which leads to the spread of virulent fungus. Efforts are under way at the University of North Dakota, Bismarck, to introduce Syrian seeds into the breeding stock. Poland says the latest round of Hessian fly experiments, completed in early April, affirmed KSU’s plan to incorporate the tough survivors of the fly onslaught into the breeding of commercial American wheat varieties. After undergoing formal certification and government approval, the Aegilops tauschii will be dispersed to US breeders to make their way into the besieged fields of the midwest. The US has been losing diversity at an alarming rate during more than three decades of consolidation in the seed industry, and the steadily expanding size of farms. Diversity in seed varieties has dropped in almost every region of the country, most dramatically in the lower midwest. Globally, the UN has declared that three-quarters of all the world’s crop varieties that were around in the early 1900s had become extinct by 2015. “You may be using wild crop relatives to boost industrial agriculture, while industrial agriculture itself is one of the greatest pressures on their existence,” says Montenegro. “They’re threatened from the usual pressures – pollution, land-cover changes – but also from turning diverse fields into monoculture plantations.” Source - http://www.blackseagrain.net

09.07.2018

USA - Siouxland farmers contend with flooded fields

Corn and soybean fields of northwestern Iowa were water logged after heavy rains started June 20, drenching some areas with a year’s worth of rain in the last 10 days of the month. More than 13 inches fell on the Dean Meyer farm near Rock Rapids where the Rock River flooded its banks. “This is probably the toughest year I’ve experienced in my career,” said Meyer, who represents northwestern Iowa on the Iowa Corn Growers Association board. Other years have brought worse flooding. Meyer recalled 2014 when the Rock River rose higher. This summer seemed worse, he said, because rains came over an extended period. There were three major downpours over a week or so, and two of them brought 5 inches at a time. Rains came when farmers are usually spraying herbicides to rid their fields of weeds, but fields have been too wet to run equipment and weeds are taking hold. “There are some really ugly looking soybean fields that really need their herbicide application,” said Paul Kassel, agronomist with Iowa State University Extension in northwestern Iowa. By now, weeds had grown too big to be controlled with a post-emergence herbicide. The good news was that the pre-emergence applications have worked very well, he wrote in his weekly report for ISU Extension. While rain caused some crop damage, Meyer said the worst economic hit will come from yield loss caused by weed pressure. As June came to a close, Meyer was trying to decide how to get the second application of nitrogen on his corn fields. Without it, he’d take an even bigger hit in yields. Aerial application was an option. It would be more expensive to hire a plane to fly on the fertilizer versus paying for a ground application. Corn and soybeans in fields without good drainage were struggling most, Kassel observed during the last week of June. The lower leaves of the corn plants were turning yellow and brown, and waterlogged soybeans were yellowing. On a positive note, Kassel said wet conditions will reduce the potential for damage from corn rootworms. He still encourages producers to scout for rootworms as well as corn bores once fields dry out. Wet weather late in the growing season can bring iron deficiencies in soybeans, added Syngenta agronomist Nathan Popiel. A wet, humid microclimate under the canopy can be a place for disease to take hold, he said. Fungicides will help the crop cope with the disease, but none of the fungicides will take it out, he said. Planting in northwest Iowa got done in a patchwork fashion this spring. Cold weather stayed until late in the season, and fields were slow to dry out. Water damage hit crops differently depending on their growth stage. “Some corn that was planted early and well tilled fields look tremendous,” Kassel said. Soybeans were taking it harder, he said. He expects some crops will be a loss If farmers could get in their fields in early July, replanting was an option, but most fields were still too wet. Planting small grains provides another option were the corn or bean crop is a loss. Kassel suggested millet, which can be planted from mid- to late-July. For Meyer, it was too late to replant, but he was keeping his hopes high for the rest of the growing season. “We’ve got the moisture underneath. We’re going to get sunshine. We’re going to get heat,” he said. “I’m optimistic we can still have a good crop.” Source - https://siouxcityjournal.com

09.07.2018

Russia - Harvested nearly 16 mln tonnes of grains

As of July 5, the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts of the Russian Federation harvested grains and pulses throughout the areas of 4.2 mln ha (in 2017 — 640.4 thsd ha). The production reached 15.8 mln tonnes (2.7 mln tonnes), with the average yield of 3.76 t/ha (4.29 t/ha), declared the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. In particular, agrarians harvested winter and spring wheat throughout 3.5 mln ha (in 2017 — 85.3 thsd ha). The average yield totaled 3.88 t/ha (4.79 t/ha), and the production volumes reached 13.6 mln tonnes (408.7 thsd tonnes). Also, Russia harvested 1.9 mln tonnes of winter and spring barley (1.5 mln tonnes) throughout 500 thsd ha (336.3 thsd ha), with the average yield at 3.73 t/ha (4.51 t/ha). In addition, as of the reporting date rapeseed harvested areas reached 45.5 thsd ha (12.4 thsd ha). The production reached 77.4 thsd tonnes of the oilseed (22.2 thsd tonnes), with the yield at 1.7 t/ha (1.79 t/ha). Source - https://www.apk-inform.com

09.07.2018

India - US economist to speak on crop insurance in India

India is a country where the inconsistent monsoon coupled with natural disasters like floods and drought badly affect agricultural output and the welfare of the farmer. Recent farmer agitations have reflected the distress faced by the farming community which had accumulated over several  seasons of poor output and therefore poor return on investment. Crop insurance schemes aim at mitigating the risk that agriculture as an economic activity faces. The Prime Minister's Fasal Bima Yojana, introduced in February 2016 after rolling back earlier schemes, was directed at these efforts. Keeping this in mind. Berber Kramer, an economist with the Intemational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) US, will speak on Innovative solutions to agricultural risk management in the context of India's crop insurance schemes at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation on July 11. Kramer is a research fellow in the markets, trade and institutions division of IFPRI, and has led a study by IFPRI on crop insurance in India for the year 2017. She has worked in several developing countries on topics relating to farmers' financial behaviour and has been lauded by the central government and Punjab and Haryana governments for her innovations in crop insurance in India. Source - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

09.07.2018

Denmark - Drought means fewer early carrots

Early, B-grade carrots, have been harvested in the Dutch province of Limburg for three weeks now. The current weather conditions mean there is a lot of extra work. "Growers are fully irrigating to get the carrots to grow as well as possible. But you cannot be everywhere at once. So, compared to past years, yields are lower than we are used to. There are, on average, fewer nett tonnes per hectare. We, therefore, expect to finish harvesting earlier", says Arjan Freriks of carrot specialists, Hagranop. The drought is being felt in other parts of the country too. "Last week ago we began with organic carrots from the Flevopolders. There, the carrots did also not grow as well. We are not expecting a very high yield there. There is demand in the market, and nett prices can be achieved. Then, naturally, lower yielding hectares are harvested", says Arjan. The early carrots are destined for the fresh market, which is not affected by the drought. "The market is well balanced. This is thanks to the demand and the low supply. Prices are good", continues Frericks. "This week, the price for regular carrots was at the EUR0,30 per kg mark. Organic ones were selling at around EUR0,47 per kg. There is no change predicted in the weather forecasts. I, therefore, expect prices to remain stable for now." Hagranop has business interests in Belguim, Germany, Poland, and Spain. They buy and sell throughout Europe. Arjan says, "It is also very dry in those countries. The state of first-grade carrots is the same in Germany as in the Netherlands. There are no high yields anywhere. Up to now, however, there have also not been any total failures. No-one is planting large areas of carrots without making provision for irrigation. Cultivating carrots is expensive. It is too risky when there is no possibility of irrigation. The drought is causing lower yields and a positive mood. That is good." It is not yet possible to make future predictions about storage carrots. "These carrots grow in August, September, and October. One cannot say too much yet about what influence the current drought will have. Let us hope that less will be produced across the board. In the end, that is best for everyone", Arjan concludes. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

06.07.2018

Northern Europe dry, Southern Europe hit by hail

Temperatures well above 20 degrees Celsius are being recorded far into the topmost northern regions of Europe. These sunny days are, however, accompanied by a lack of rain and low humidity. There are concerns about drought in several countries in north-west Europe. Further to the south, farmers have no issues with this. In some cases, it is just the opposite. Severe hailstorms have damaged crops in various countries. The European Union is worried about this year's harvests. This is according to June's JRC MARS Bulletin. This document contains the harvest forecasts for the season. In general, estimates have been adjusted downward. The map below shows the areas of concern. From these, the division in Europe immediately becomes obvious. The north is dealing with a drought while further to the south there has been too much precipitation. UK: Warmth hastens soft fruit season In Kent, UK, a cold spring was quickly followed by a hot summer. This has resulted in an erratic season. Raspberries are doing well at the moment. There are, however, fewer strawberries available. Traditionally, the demand for strawberries increases around the time Wimbledon is being played. Two weeks ago, this sector was struggling with an oversupply. This just goes to show how erratic the season is. Higher-than-usual temperatures are being recorded on the east coast of Scotland. The outliers here are, however, not as extreme as in the south of the United Kingdom. Temperatures range between 17 and 21 degrees. These peaks in the season are putting pressure on the market; not only in sales but also in the chain. For example, it is affecting the number of pickers, of which there is already a shortage. These anomalies are also proving to be challenging for logistics. The high demand is catching up to these peaks. In Scotland, the season starts in May already. There will be enough soft fruit for another week or two. The low supply from England means there is little pressure on the market. Due to the heat, pickers start work at around 4 in the morning. Harvesting stops at about 11 when temperatures begin to rise. Labour costs are, therefore, high. Fewer Irish potatoes Irish consumers have to contend with higher potato prices this year. A cold winter with a lot of snow has been followed by a warm, dry period. The potato farmers organisation, IFA, is concerned about this year's harvest. The potatoes that were planted early were affected by the cold. "And if it reaches 24-25 degrees Celsius, they stop growing", the organisation stated in The Independent. The sector warns that the drought will cause an increase in fruit and vegetable prices. Norway: rains delays soft fruit season The cold weather and heavy rain experienced in early June, limited soft fruit growers in the north of Norway. Blackberries bloomed two weeks later than usual. This is largely due to the rain. This not only delays the plants' growth but also makes it difficult to work on the fields. The Netherlands: growing onions on 'little islands' There is a prolonged dry spell in the Netherlands. May was a record month in terms of heat and June was one of the driest since 1901. July has also begun very hot and dry. Since this week, the summer of 2018 has been in the fifth percentile of the driest ever recorded. The KNMI sees 'cautious indications' that dry summers will become more frequent in the future. "We are near the longest day of the year. This means extra long days with lots of sunshine and high temperatures. The dry spell has far more impact now than, for instance, in the dry day in mid-August", says a Dutch trader. He often goes out into the field with growers. He sees, first hand, how dramatically the dry spell is affecting orchards and horticulture in North and Central Europe. "Plants are in survival mode, not growth mode. Farmers are constantly irrigating their crops. A very powerful north-eastern wind, however, quickly evaporates the water. I expect production prices to rise too. Looking at the 14-day weather forecast, the wind direction is not changing." The dryness in this country is having various consequences. Significant shortages of open field lettuces with sky-prices are being reported on the wholesale markets at the moment. This is also due to the extreme weather conditions during spring, as well as the heat. LTO says the influence of the drought differs between regions and crops. "There is growth stagnation over the whole line. The situation is dire for growers that can, or may, not irrigate", says Esther de Snoo of LTO Nederland. In many areas in the Netherlands, farmers are still dealing well with the lack of rain. However, the longer it continues, the lower the yields will be. This will have an effect on price formations. Retailers and speciality shops expect prices to increase because of the drought. The current weather conditions are good for some growers. Potato and onions farmer, for example, have very little problems with disease. This is thanks to the continued drought. They can also still keep their crops in the ground. The drought affects the growth of potatoes the most. It is difficult to keep them growing because the heat evaporates the water so quickly. "You see the potato leaves hanging limply in some fields. It is difficult to recover from this", says a trader. The alarming reports of the dry spell are not yet being reflected in the prices. This, despite the usual volumes not being met. "The consumer market does feel somewhat firmer. Doré prices, of which fewer were planted, and Eigenheimer and Biltstar prices are showing an upward trend. The price for Frieslanders is, however, climbing less quickly." In the longer term, digging up the potatoes could be a problem. Doing so mechanically does not work when the soil is dry. The early potatoes that are currently being harvested in South Limburg have stopped growing. The volumes are also much lower. This will also be the case with the organic variety from Flevoland, where harvesting will being soon. The drought's effect on the storage potatoes has not yet been determined. This is because these plants only grow between August and October. Cauliflower and lettuce farmers in North Holland and lettuce growers in Limburg have indicated that the effects of the drought have been lessened by means of irrigation. It may be that the apples and pears will be smaller. Berries ripen fast thanks to the heat. They are also being harvested earlier than usual. Belgian farmers experiencing water shortages For now, it seems that drought has had no influence on crops in Belgium. That is to say, yields have not been affected. The past few months have been very dry. This is despite the thunderstorms that hit the south of the country at the end of May. Erosion-sensitive orchards have been severely damaged by flooding and mudslides. People at a Belgian strawberry farm have noticed that the drought is causing water shortages. "It is not yet a serious issue, but we have seen that it is very dry. Our strawberries are cultivated in the substrate. Usually, we use rainwater, supplemented by fertilisers. We also use rainwater to cool down the greenhouse roofs. We always have water available, but I think the drought could become a problem for us", says the grower. Greenhouse tomatoes have not been affected by the lack of rain. They are, however, having problems with the heat. "The heat is affecting these vegetables. The greenhouses have enough water in reserve to get through dry periods like this. The heat, however, plays a part. The tomatoes' quality is, however, good at the moment. We do not have any issues with this. We have noticed that problems arise with quality toward the end of the season. The scene that is now being set with the hot weather will make for issues with quality", says a tomato farmer. Germany: time almost up for potato farmers In large parts of Germany, there is currently talk of a protracted dry spell and relatively high temperatures. For now, this is not causing any major issues. The heat has a positive, rather than negative effect on a large number of products. Yet, an increasing number of producers and traders are voicing their concern about the current climate conditions: in the Lüneburger Heide region in the in the state of Nedersaksen - Germany's main potato supplier - the farmers are realising that their time is almost up. The artificial irrigations systems have been working at full capacity there for weeks now. There is also no talk as yet, tof large-scale problems. However, if the drought continues for ten to 14 days, the consequences will be enormous. Part of the harvest will, undoubtedly, be lost. Unfortunately, not a drop of rain has been predicted for the coming days. Vegetable and herb products in Noordrijn-Westfalen are currently experiencing the full effect of the dry spell. Various growers have reported that the fields have dried out completely, despite irrigation. This has all got to do with the wind, which is permanently blowing. This prevents the water from being evenly distributed on the ground. There is, therefore, a risk of substantial shortages of spinach, spring onions, and various kinds of herbs. Iglo is Germany's main supplier of frozen vegetables. They are working behind the scenes to find all the possible alternatives to the local supply of fresh products for the processing sector. Switzerland supplementing crops with imports In Switzerland, the effects of the dry spell are already somewhat noticeable. This was confirmed by a lettuce producer. Supplemental imports have already been needed to meet the volumes being demanded. Based on the current weather predictions, it is expected that this will become more prevalent in the coming days and weeks. On the other hand, the high temperatures have been beneficial. They have boosted lettuce consumption. The price situation is, therefore, becoming more interesting for traders. France: enough rain In France, growers have hardly been affected by the drought. Brittany has recently had to deal with heavy rainstorms, says a spokesperson from a large growers association. The Bordeaux region has also had enough rain. A farmer says, "It rained so much at the beginning of the year, that we could not get onto the fields. This was accompanied by a shortage of sunshine. The weather conditions only improved again a month ago." Temperatures started climbing quickly about ten days ago. According to the grower, this has a major influence on the French market. "Just about the whole of the French vegetable production sector had bad weather at the beginning of the year. This cause delays throughout the sector. Now, the weather conditions are improving. This means everyone is bringing their product to market at the same time. The consumers are, however, not ready for this. Prices are low." This farmer predicts that the real drought is still to come. "When it gets really hot here, you see temperatures of 40 degrees. The plants really suffer under these conditions. Fortunately, we recently had good rains." Earlier in the week, hail storms hit Charente and Aquitaine, in the south-west of France. They left behind a trail of destruction. Whether crops were damaged, is not yet known. One early estimate tells of an area of 15.000 hectares of beans and corn that was struck. Italy: hail damage to unprotected crops Further to the south still, the Val di Non, Braz (Trentino), was hit by a hailstorm on 3 July. In images circulating on the internet, among other things, an apple orchard, with no hail netting, can be seen in the background. It is evident that there will be hail damage in this orchard. The hailstorm was, however, localised. Further down the valley, growers had no problems with hail, although the temperature did fall substantially. There was also a lot of precipitation in the Val di Fassa  (Trentino) region. The area is not known for its orchards, but there was substantial damage to the infrastructure there. Turkey hit by hail Further to the south-east of Europe, about 200 hectares of agricultural land in Turkey was hit by hail. The hail storm moved through the Meric district, near Edime in the north-west of the country. Watermelons, melons, and corn were being grown on a large part of the affected area. It is not yet clear to what extent these crops were damaged. Romania: heavy rains after drought The weather conditions are finally becoming more favourable for Romanian vegetable farmers, The season began cold and dry. The recent constant rain has, however, presented them with a new challenge. In some areas, it rained for seven days and nights in a row. Scientists warn of the danger of diseases resulting from these humid conditions. This is expected to have the largest impact on tomatoes, raspberries, and blueberries, In some cases, the entire melon harvest has been influenced. The damage on the market is clear to see. Here, torn tomatoes and melons can be found. A greenhouse farmer in the south-east of the country tells that the damage has not been that bad there. There are also issues with quality, but, in general, the harvests were good. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

06.07.2018

France - Storm destroys 15.000 hectares of productive land

On the first and the fourth of July, the southwest of  France was struck by severe weather. The department of Landes, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, suffered rain, wind, and hailstones the size of a fist. Herwig Dejonghe, owner of Antarctic Foods Aquitaine: “Our first estimates indicate the storm damaged 15.000 hectares (over 37.000 acres) worth of products.” “Mostly beans, peas, carrots, field corn and sweet corn are grown in Landes. The peas  had already been harvested, but the beans, carrots and corn endured a dire hit. Most of the growers who got hit are well insured against hail damage, but it remains a rather disappointing setback nevertheless.” The hailstorm raged hardest in the east of Landes. Herwig’s company is situated in the west of the affected area. “This morning we held a short meeting regarding the heavy weather, and it would appear as though we didn’t suffer much damage.” Herwig is quite relieved. “A major part of my company burnt down. I’m quite alright without any further losses.” Herwig: “A storm like this luckily barely ever occurs. They compare the storm to what happened in the winter of 1999, when forests were mostly hit.” Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

06.07.2018

Ukraine - Agrarians of southern oblasts informed about reduction of winter rapeseed yield

According to the monitoring data by APK-Inform experts, many agrarians of southern oblasts of Ukraine informed about some reduction of the average yield of winter rapeseed in 2018, compared with the last year figures. So, Odessa, Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts reported that the oilseed yield decreased by 5-15%, and totaled nearly 1.6-2.2 t/ha. At the same time, agrarians of Mykolaiv oblast usually declared the yield at the last year level. In some cases, respondents of the oblast a growth in rapeseed yield to 1.8-2.4 t/ha. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, as of July 3 agrarians harvested winter rapeseed in Odessa oblast throughout 82.6 thsd ha, Kherson oblast — 48.3 thsd ha, Mykolaiv oblast — 20.2 thsd ha, and Zaporizhia oblast — 14.4 thsd ha. Source - https://www.apk-inform.com

06.07.2018

Zimbabwe - Country receives 30 000 tonnes of wheat from Germany

The country has received 30 000 metric tonnes of wheat which was sourced by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) from Germany. The consignment is the first batch of the 200 000 metric tonnes wheat deal negotiated and concluded with Canada and Germany wheat growers and suppliers in Toronto. Receiving the initial batch in Beira, Mozambique, GMAZ Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara said the 30 000 metric tonnes will boost reserves and hopes are the next batch will be funded soon. Chipo Nheta, a managing executive with one of the country’s biggest milling companies, National Foods Limited, said the wheat has come at a time their grain stocks were fast depleting. According to the milers association, the country is consuming 38 000 tonnes of wheat per month mainly through the production of bread, confectioneries, biscuits and other flour-related products. They also say Zimbabwe needs an annual 400 000 metric tonnage of wheat to meet its demand of about 950 000 loaves of bread per day. Source - http://www.blackseagrain.net

06.07.2018

USA - Midsummer storms impact on farmers

Wednesday's storms are an example of the severe weather we get in the La Crosse area. In a region with a high number of farmers, that severe weather can make for hardships during the growing season. With snow falling into May, weather already shortened this year's growing season. While moderate rain-fall benefits farmers, storms with hail and tornadoes take a serious toll that can result in the loss of thousands of dollars in crops. Different parts of the season bring new challenges for farmers. "Depending on the stage of the crop, if it's far enough along, lets say it's head-high or so, a lot of times that crop won't grow back up," President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union Darin Von Ruden explains, "most of the corn at this time now yet is still young enough, so it will probably straighten itself out if we do see some winds." Matured crops combined with more severe storms make the later summer months more dangerous for agriculture. "Usually in August when the storms seem to get more violent. This time of year we don't really have to worry about it, ya know if you look at what happened out in South Dakota last week there was some corn that was shoulder high that got shredded down to being knee-high, and that's probably going to be a total loss for that crop," Von Ruden finishes. Farmers can buy crop insurance to help compensate for any lost crops, but Von Ruden has not heard of any major losses from Wednesday's storm. Source - http://www.wxow.com

05.07.2018

Ireland - Weather affecting yields

Irish consumers will face rising potato prices as the weather causes havoc with this year’s crop. A combination of the snow and blizzard-like conditions in February and March, the ongoing heatwave and a lack of rain will seriously affect crop yields. Eddie Doyle, of the potato committee of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), told the Irish Independent that potatoes had to be planted late this year. “Early growers have suffered because of the cold weather. And once it gets to 24o-25oC, they stop growing,” he said. While the location of a farm influences when a potato crop will be sown, many farmers tend to do it around early March. However, the country was covered in snow at that time, this year. “Yields will be quite light this year. I’d be fairly sure they’ll go up in price,” said Doyle. Dublin farmer David Rodgers, who has been in business in Ballyboughal for 30 years, said it was the worst conditions he had ever seen. For him a crop would usually yield around 20 tonnes of potatoes, of which around 16 tonnes would be saleable. “We would have had dry summers, Mays and Junes before, but there would have been some rain. I’ll be lucky this year if it’s six or seven tonnes.” Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

05.07.2018

Kazakhstan - The agro-industrial complex received more than 100 mln USD of investments

In January-March of 2018, the agrarian sector of Kazakhstan attracted 136 mln USD of investments, an increase of 25% compared with the same period last year, declared the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Umirzak Shukeyev on July 3. According to him, the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan has wide opportunities. To date, agrarians are working to increase the country's export potential, in particular the supply of meat products. So, the authorities removed the barriers on the supply of animal products in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Generally, in the reporting period the exports of agricultural products increased by 47%, and the exports of by-products — up 26%. In addition, in 2017 the agricultural supplies to China increased from 134.5 mln USD to 180.6 mln USD (up 34.3%). Thus, Kazakhstan usually supplies wheat, wheat bran, soybeans, alfalfa, rapeseed meal, flour, vegetable oils, frozen beef, etc. on the Chinese market. Source - https://www.apk-inform.com

05.07.2018

Cambodia - Crop insurance in the spotlight

To spread awareness of the importance of insuring crops and build trust for the product among Cambodian farmers, the German national development agency, known as GIZ, and insurance companies held yesterday the Kingdom’s first workshop on training crop insurance advisers. Speaking yesterday at the workshop ‘Training Trainers on Crop Insurance Literacy,’ Günter W. Riethmacher, GIZ country director, said crop insurance gives farmers the confidence they need to start investing in their fields and treat their farming operations as a business. “As farmers learn that insurance companies can cover certain risks that they might face, they can make investments in their farms that they previously might have avoided because of the risks. “This means that farmers can make the most productive use of their scarce resources and make their farm as profitable as possible,” Mr Riethmacher said. Crop insurance is a promise between farmer and insurer, Mr Riethmacher explained. It allows a person to pay a small amount of money in advance in exchange for a promise that when a bigger loss occurs, the insurance company will return the insured person to his initial financial position, he said. The workshop, which was attended by about 20 people, sought to train insurers, NGOs and government officials on crop insurance and equip them with the skills they need to efficiently convey to farmers how insurance works and what are its benefits. Ty Sokhun, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, said crop insurance can contribute to poverty reduction, and can minimise the economic damage caused by droughts, floods and climate change. “We called on all development partners to help boost the crop insurance sector to make the agricultural industry more sustainable and help alleviate poverty. “We need more insurance options that can help enhance financial security for farmers,” he said. Mr Sokhun explained that insurance in the farming industry is still a novel service and that, at this stage, insurance providers must focus their efforts on raising awareness of its benefits. Ny Lyhoung, general manager at Forte Micro Insurance, told Khmer Times they started offering crop insurance in 2014 in the provinces of Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Battambang, Pursat and Banteay Meanchey, and that now about 100 farmers have taken out policies with them. “Our insurance products here mostly target rice in the rainy season. We have policies that insure farmers against droughts and floods.” Mr Lyhoung said they are planning on expanding beyond rice in the near future. He said, on average, farmers tend to insure 2.5 hectares of paddy field. Source - https://www.khmertimeskh.com

05.07.2018

Peru - Agricultural insurance policies for farmers

In Peru, assistance is being provided to develop and expand agricultural insurance. Farmers can obtain cover for crop failures caused by extreme weather events. In Peru, three-quarters of the population works in the agricultural sector, and around sixty per cent of rural dwellers are poor. They are especially vulnerable to crop failure caused by, for instance, storms, drought or flooding. These extremes of weather are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity owing to climate change, which is further exacerbating the situation in the South American country. An initiative from the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture is providing a remedy: since 2014, it has been setting up a risk transfer system with agricultural insurance products, with the support of GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and the reinsurer Munich Re. This enables farmers with insurance to recover more quickly from crop failures. German involvement in the project is financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), using International Climate Initiative (IKI) funding. The initial success of the project is already apparent: more than 280,000 small-scale farmers are now insured, almost double the number at the start of the project. In addition, public-sector staff and private-sector insurance companies are being trained to respond quickly in disaster situations, so that the money reaches the farmers without delay. Banks are promoting the expansion of agricultural insurance products; planting loans are only approved if a corresponding insurance policy is taken out. This means that the farmers are in a position to continue paying their loan instalments even if they lose the income from the crop. The state subsidises the premium and ensures legal certainty. Even though the farmers now have better protection, growing high-risk crops is to be discouraged. That is why, for example, some farmers in Peru are increasingly planting bananas instead of rice, in order to cope better with severe drought, because bananas need significantly less water to grow. Source - https://www.giz.de