03.12.2014

Bird flu returns to Dutch poultry industry

Another outbreak of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry farm in South Holland. The birds there and in a nearby flock have been culled, and a high-path virus has been found in wild birds in Utrecht province.According to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, a poultry farm with 28,000 housed indoors was confirmed with an H5 strain of the bird flu virus on 30 November.The farm is in the municipality of Zoeterwoude, which is in the province of South Holland (Zuid-Holland) in the west of the country. The birds had no outdoor access. The flock was culled on that day, overseen by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).A surveillance zone was immediately set up within a 10-km radius around the farm. It covers four other poultry farms, which underwent testing.Meanwhile, the investigation has been completed into all the country's duck companies, following the earlier outbreaks in other Dutch farms with this species. No bird flu virus of the H5 type has been found at these companies.On 1 December, the Ministry confirmed that the virus affecting the birds in Zoeterwoude is the highly pathogenic H5N8 variant.Within one kilometre of the affected farm is another poultry farm. To prevent the spread of the virus, all 50,000 birds there will be culled.Of the other three companies in the 10-kilometre surveillance zone, two have no poultry and the other one is under investigation.On the same day, two samples from wild ducks (wigeon) near to the town of Kamerik in the district of Woerden (Utrecht province) have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza virus, according to the Ministry.The sampling is part of the investigation into the possible role of wild birds in the spread of bird flu in the Netherlands.Secretary of Economic Affairs, Sharon Dijksma, has informed the Dutch parliament that an investigation by the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) has revealed that the three earlier outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu cases in Hekendorp, Ter Aar and Kamperveen occurred independently.Source - http://www.blackseagrain.net/

02.12.2014

South America - $20m in crops destroyed in Trinidad and Tobago

Today marks 21 days since agricultural farms in Plum Mitan have been under waist-high flood waters. The water, which flooded 1,200 acres of cultivated lands in the sleepy farming community following heavy rainfall on November 10, has destroyed approximately $20 million worth of crops in various stages of growth. In light of this, the farmers are urging consumers to brace for higher food prices for the upcoming Christmas.The flood has disrupted the lives of 175 farmers. On Thursday, president of the Plum Mitan/Biche Farmers’ Association Hakim Mowlah called for the farming district to be declared a disaster zone by the Government. He attributed the widespread deluge to iron railings being placed at the end of the Main Line River, which has been trapping debris and litter. Mowlah said failure to dredge the three-mile long river was another contributing factor to the floods.“Whenever the rain falls, the water from the river has nowhere to go and would back up in our farms,” Mowlah said. A tour of the area showed thousands of cucumber, plantain, pimento, melon, rice, hot pepper, corn, ochro and pumpkin plants, leaves yellow and wilted, were covered in water reaching the waist and knees. Rotten crops which gave off an offensive smell were also seen floating on the water’s surface.Plum Mitan is the country’s second largest producer of rice, watermelon, plantain and cucumbers, the farmers said. Six pumps belonging to the Ministry of Food Production which were strategically placed in Blocks One to Four have been working around the clock to channel the water out. But Mowlah said it would take another two weeks for the volume of water to subside.Declare Plum Mitan a disaster zone“We are accustomed to the floods, but this is the worst we have seen in years. I think the Government should declare the area a disaster zone because of the magnitude of the situation,” Mowlah said. He said while the Government was focusing its attention on the collapsed Manzanilla Road, the farmers’ plights were being sidelined. He said it takes months for farmers to receive flood relief.Many of the farmers complained that the compensation they received last year from the Government was a far cry from the actual losses incurred. Mowlah said in 2013 he received a mere $131 in compensation for his waterlogged field of pumpkins valued thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, Farmer Bhim Rampaul said farmers collected flood relief for lands that were not even under cultivation.“Some farmers were even paid two and three times for the loss of one crop,” Rampaul said. Still counting the losses at his five-acre plantain field, Primdial Ramtahal said Christmas looked bleak for the entire farming community.‘Disrespect to farmers’Cucumber farmers Bisoondaye George and Sarindar Saroop, who estimated their losses at $400,000, took jabs at Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj for failing to visit the flood prone district. “This is disrespectful to the farmers. The minister should have at least paid us a visit to see the damage done,” Saroop said. Both men believe that cucumber, which is currently being retailed at $12 a pound, could increase to $16 for Christmas.Other crops that are likely to see a hike for the Yuletide Season the farmers predicted are watermelon, tomatoes, ochro, hot peppers, pimento, plantain, sweet peppers and dasheen bush. On Tuesday, Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Collin Partap and Biche/Charuma councillor Glen Ram held a meeting with the farmers promising to address their concerns.On Friday, Maharaj said a technical team from his ministry, comprising engineers and agricultural officers, has been working to bring relief to the farmers.Ministry of Finance looks at crop insuranceMaharaj said one of the solutions to the flooding lies with a crop insurance proposal, which is engaging the attention of the Ministry of Finance. He said premiums paid towards the insurance would have to come from both the farmers and Government for it to work.“It would be partly subsidised by the Government. Right now we pay on average $10 million in flood relief annually. We can contribute the $10 million towards an insurance firm, while the farmers pay a monthly fee. It can be beneficial for the farmers. They might get more than what we pay,” Maharaj said. Maharaj said his ministry has studied insurance models from India and Mexico, where it has worked.Source - http://www.guardian.co.tt/

02.12.2014

Pakistan to use satellite data to improve forecasts of crop yields

Pakistan has launched a new system to more accurately forecast crop yields using satellite data, the government announced.The government will use satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems to collect crop data. It will be able to calculate crop yields and also forecast losses from natural disasters.The new system will replace the previous manual calculation of crop yield forecasts and will decrease the costs of data collection, the government said.The system was installed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.The project will start with two provinces - Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan will take satellite imagery twice a year and will conduct field surveys during the two cropping seasons, local media reported.Crop yield forecasting is important for the government to plan the country’s export targets and ensure food security, especially for the two major crops, wheat and rice, said Patrick Evans, FAO representative for Pakistan. If the government knows that the yield of wheat or rice is going to be low, it can take measures to prevent any shortages.Source - http://www.futuregov.asia/

02.12.2014

Chile - Rain damages cherry crop

Heavy rainfall on Saturday has caused widespread damage to cherry orchards in Chile’s Metropolitan and Maule regions, resulting in an estimated 15 per cent loss to this season’s crop, according to producer association Fedefruta.Losses to orchards in the Santiago area, which suffered 4-11mm of rain, were the lightest since most of the fruit in the area had already been harvested. Nevertheless, Cristián Allendes Marín of Calera de Tango said between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the remaining fruit was lost.Further south, where the harvest is in full swing, the damage has been more severe. Around 12-30mm of rain fell in some areas in the O’Higgins region, where an estimated 20 per cent of the fruit has been too badly damaged to export, said Fedefruta’s Claudio Vergara Tagle.In Maule, meanwhile, where the rainfall was heaviest, one local producer put the damage estimate at 25-40 per cent of the crop.“We won’t get a true picture of the losses until three days after the rains,” said Antonio Walker Prieto. “What we can say with certainty is that losses are significant and blow the earlier export forecast of 20m cartons out of the water.”Source - http://www.fruitnet.com/

02.12.2014

India - Farmers fear dry spell to hit wheat crop

About 90 per cent of wheat sowing has been completed in Himachal Pradesh in the Rabi season, but the continued dry spell is causing anxiety to farmers who apprehend that it will affect the wheat crop.The Agricultural Department has fixed a target to cover 3.59 lakh hectares of land under wheat during the Rabi season and about 90 per cent target has been achieved, Deputy Director (Agriculture) Shyam Lal said.The sowing time for wheat was from October to November so that the farmers could benefit from residual soil moisture due to delayed monsoon.Himachal received 38 per cent deficient rains and the shortfall from October 1 to November 30 was 64 per cent but there was sufficient residual moisture for sowing of wheat and the current dry spell may not affect the crop, say agriculture experts.The Union Government had prepared a Compensatory Rabi Production Plan to compensate for loss in production during the Kharif season with a suitable Rabi production plan in the districts that experienced deficit rainfall and also the districts which received normal rainfall during the monsoons.The plan envisaged deployment of necessary inputs such as better management practices, including seed, fertiliser, implements, credit and other production incentives. The additional interventions to be adopted for higher productivity and production in the Rabi season included sowing of varieties suitable for early sowing under residual moisture conditions in different zones in wheat growing areas.The Centre also asked state governments to focus on sowing on 3.37 million hectare area throughout the country that was left unsown during the Kharif season due to delayed monsoon and also concentrate on improving production of pulses and oil seeds during the Rabi season.The deficit rainfall also led to poor prospects of groundwater recharge and less storage in some reservoirs which affected the normal Kharif output and to compensate the loss in Kharif season, the Centre has suggested two-pronged approach of promoting early Rabi cropping in unsown areas and adopting additional interventions in normal Rabi cropping situations.The ideal temperature for germination of wheat seed was 20-30 degree C and the crop could be affected if dry spell continued and temperatures remained low.Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com/

02.12.2014

USA - Wind damages maize crops

With harvest in full gear, producers are busy on the road and in the fields as they try to finish out what has been a bit of a strange year on the farm.That strangeness continued Sunday as the wind howled and the milo fell. With grain harvest just getting underway, the 30+ mph winds were the last thing grain producers (or any producer for that matter) wanted or needed.The wind completely laid down row after row of milo ready and waiting for harvest. Mike McDonald, Area Manager for Attebury Grain, LLC stated, “I would estimate about a 25% loss of milo from the wind on Sunday. Some fields had more and some had less but overall, it appears that every field had at least a little loss.”With the harvest just getting started, grain growers have already been battling high moisture. McDonald feels as though the harvest will still be a good one. “It’s beginning to trickle in here,” he stated.The milo delivered to Attebury Grain is primarily sent to the gulf and on to feed yards. Some of it does go to ethanol plants. McDonald feels that the milo demand is strong and will get stronger. “There is a pretty fair market price right now for milo.”Last year, locals noticed the huge piles of milo on the ground in front of Attebury. McDonald says we will likely see that again. “Milo is a very forgiving crop and you can harvest it and let it set without much compromise of quality.”In fact, the area just west of the Attebury elevator has recently been in the process of being cleared due to the buildings on that side being in such a state of disrepair. McDonald says we can look for piles of grain to be stacked over there this year as the harvest continues.When asked if he felt the new Farm Bill would impact the amount of milo grown in our area, due to the fact that cotton was excluded completely from the bill, McDonald stated, “I think we could see a bit of a rise in the amount of grain planted here. I also see producers looking at other options such as late planted corn and short season soybeans.”While Attebury locally is not big enough to handle much more than wheat and milo, the Attebury elevator in Lubbock can handle the corn that is grown and could possibly have room for soybeans as these crops’ popularity grows.McDonald says that when a producer grows a product that must be hauled to the Lubbock operation, Attebury will usually send trucks to the field to haul the product for the producer.McDonald states, “I feel bad for the producers right now as they try to figure out the Farm Bill and how it stands to impact them. At Attebury, we will do our best to give the grower viable options to make a profit.”As producers finish this harvest and begin to make plans for next year, it will be interesting to see if cotton remains king or if the younger brother “milo” assumes the throne.Source - http://www.brownfieldonline.com/

02.12.2014

USA - New threat to Salinas Valley crops

The Bagrada bug started stalking northward from Los Angeles County in 2008. Last year the insects entered the Salinas Valley, where they found a buffet of broccoli and cauliflower seedlings.Broccoli brings $426 million dollars into Monterey County, with an additional $163 million stemming from cauliflower, according to the county’s 2013 Crop Report. To protect these cash crops, conventional farmers have turned to increased pesticide applications, while organic growers watch these pea-sized pests suck away their profits.Cole crops are most susceptible to damage from the time they sprout until they are big enough to have grown four leaves. If the bugs feed on the top of the main shoot during this time, it can cause “multiple heads” to grow or “blind heads.” Using broccoli as an example, “multiple heads” result in many, tiny, unsellable broccoli heads; a “blind head” means no head of broccoli ever forms.No one can say exactly how much money is being lost to the Bagrada bugs in Monterey County, but conventional growers are facing a 5 to 30 percent loss, reports Shimat Joseph, entomologist with the UC Cooperative Extension for Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, on his Salinas Valley Agriculture blog.The bugs also will slurp on tomato, pepper and potato plants, although their numbers are usually lower in these fields. Attacks on strawberries, lettuce, spinach or grapes have not been reported, Joseph said. Farmers have found the bugs scrambling over these plants, but they have not documented any plant damage.Farmers had hoped the colder temperatures in Central California would limit the spread of the bugs, but they survived their first winter in Salinas Valley. All life stages of the bug – eggs, larvae and adults – have been found in Salinas Valley in February, which means they are reproducing year-round and not lying dormant over winter, Joseph said.In Central California, their populations increase quickly in late summer with the warmer temperatures, but insects need food to sustain a large population.Conventional farmers are applying insecticides at almost double the normal rate during the four to five weeks when seedlings are most vulnerable. Some growers are forced to spray two applications per week, Joseph said. The growers are staying within the limits for pesticide use, but they are basically spraying money onto their fields with each application.Joseph suggests that growers may have better luck managing the Bagrada bug through techniques such as weed management.Across organic farms, things are not looking good.“For organic growers we don’t have any concert tools at this moment,” Joseph said. “They just take the loss.”Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

01.12.2014

Georgia - World Bank to invest $50M in the rehabilitation of irrigation systems and land registration

The World Bank announced its intention to invest $50 million in land registration and irrigation system rehabilitation projects in Georgia.According to Georgia’s Finance Ministry, the following irrigation systems are affected: the Kvemo-Samgori channel (Kakheti region); the Tbilisi-Kumisi channel (Kvemo Kartli region); and the Zeda-Ru channel (Shida Kartli region).Pilot land registration schemes will take place in Dedoplistskaro, Gori, Gurjaani, Martvili, Mestia, Mtskheta, Shuakhevi, Tetritskaro, Tianeti and Vani - 31,000 village families will benefit from the program, noted the Ministry.The Ministry of Agriculture and the National Agency of Public Registry, a department of the Ministry of Justice, will be responsible for the implementation of the projects.Source - http://www.sarke.com/

01.12.2014

Ukraine - Water shortages drive Crimean growers to bankruptcy

The lack of water in Crimea has led to shortages of various products, higher prices and heavy losses for growers in the Dzhankoysky area.According to them, the problems in the agricultural sector started almost immediately after the annexation of Crimea by Russia. "Water from the North-Crimean channel no longer arrived, which resulted in 70% of our local growers being forced to close their businesses," said a resident of the district.In addition to the water shortages, Crimean growers also started facing difficulties to market their products. "Before the situation changed, 90% of our products were sold in mainland Ukraine, and now the export process is getting harder and harder. Shipping to Russia is almost impossible, so we are now selling our products only in Crimea," complains a local producer.Furthermore, seeds, and fertilisers have become two to three times more expensive, but the main problem remains the lack of water, as 85% of Crimea's fresh water was supplied through the North Crimean Canal, and most of this water was used for agricultural purposes.After the annexation of Crimea, the water supply through this channel to the peninsula was completely stopped.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

01.12.2014

New Zealand - Orchardists count Hastings hail cost

Some Hawke's Bay orchardists face an anxious week assessing the full impact of scattered hail strikes, which hit properties around Hastings on Friday - in some cases the second hit in three weeks.What is already being rated as a difficult season could also be worsened for some by late winds causing further damage to crops, while there was also some trepidation last night about forecasts for more hail today, amid showers, southwesterlies and a 5-6 degree drop today in the maximum temperature down to 15C.WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said gusty westerlies yesterday were caused by a pressure gradient over much of the country. But there would be some respite from strong winds over the next few days.Meanwhile, insurers are understood to be already assessing 600-700ha hit by hail on November 13, although with many not carrying insurance the actual amount of crop struck is thought to be greater.Most of the strikes on Friday were brief, but they were scattered across the Hastings area, said Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers president Lesley Wilson, a Dartmoor orchardist."It will take a while longer to assess," she said, but there would be damage. "It's just going to require more management."Source - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

01.12.2014

Philippines - Isabela extends P100 M to farmers

Governor Faustino G. Dy III on Sunday said the provincial government has extended more than P100 million for insurance benefits to south Isabela farmers.He said the beneficiaries were small farmers from the municipalities of Jones, Echague, San Isidro, Ramon, Cordon, San Agustin and Dinapigue, all in the 4th Congressional District.According to Dy, the insurance covers accidental deaths and hospitalization along with protection of crops from calamities like floods, typhoons and the El Niño phenomenon in which farmers are enrolled with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.In a statement during the Farmers Congress in Echague town last week, Dy said interest-free loans are made available to planters among the beneficiaries.“The Philippine National Bank in partnership with the provincial government will extend P5,000 interest-free, to qualified farmers as well as ambulant vendors,” he said.PCIC provincial head Arnold Te said applicants must form groups accredited by the local government subject to screening by the Cooperative Development Authority.Dy said at least 53 Echage farmers are already covered by PCIC even as the animal dispersal program is expanded under the provincial veterinary office with the launching of its “Paiwi ni Bro” to distribute piglets, goats, calves, ewe, carabaos and chicken with a P3,000-feed subsidy for every participating household.Source - http://manilastandardtoday.com/

01.12.2014

Georgia - 2014 citrus harvest: Less fruit but better quality

Georgia’s annual citrus harvest is underway but experts believe this year’s yield will be down on last year’s crop but will be of a higher quality.The typical citrus season runs from November to January and in this time, it is expected 80,000 tonnes of citrus fruit will be harvested. This season’s crop lower than last year’s 110,000 tonne harvest, which was a 20 year high.Georgia’s Agriculture Ministry Otar Danelia believed the citrus harvest would not be high but the quality of the fruit would be higher in comparison to the 2013 yield. Due to due to weather problems last year, nearly 25 percent of the citrus was damaged."The proper care and maintenance provided to the citrus trees was one of the main contributing factors behind the high quality 2014 citrus harvest. I believe that will support Georgia’s citrus exports,” Danelia said.Meanwhile the Government of Georgia was continuing to subsidise the cost of mandarins as a way to support fruit growers and processing companies.The Ministry of Agriculture announced mandarin processing companies would reap the benefits of a 2 million GEL state subsidy and be offered a subsidy of 0.10 GEL per kilogram of lower quality mandarins.This aimed to encourage companies to purchase more mandarins. The subsidy program will be issued to fruit processing companies who pay 0.20 GEL or more per kilogram of citrus which were deemed lower quality as they were bruised, misshapen or had other imperfections.The Adjara region, which was the main citrus fruit producer in Georgia, expected to harvest 80 percent of the country’s total citrus fruit harvest. Citrus fruit was grown in three other regions in western Georgia – Guria, Imereti and Samegrelo. Pomegranate, lemon and orange are the main citrus fruits that are produced in Georgia.Citrus plantations in Georgia span 3,000 hectares in total, the Ministry of Agriculture said. Apart from in these plantations, citrus fruits were found in abundance in residential areas and private properties.Source - http://agenda.ge/

01.12.2014

Storm takes toll in Western Australia

Recent blustering winds have taken their toll on some growers' crops in Western Australia's Gascoyne region. At Calypso Plantation in Carnarvon, mangoes are littered beneath the trees and are starting to rot on the ground. Owner Eddie Smith grows six varieties but says it's his R2E2s which have taken the hardest hit with the weather.Mr Smith says while winds are common in Carnarvon at this time of year, his trees were particularly affected due to ongoing dry spell stress this season.At this time last year, Carnarvon growers were on an alternate-day watering regime and for most of this year they have been capped at 80 per cent of their usual water allocation. Mr Smith says he fears with summer around the corner, the wind damage may be about to be compounded by heat.Carnarvon has one of Australia's latest mango producing seasons, with most growers in the region picking around or just after Christmas.Mr Smith says, despite the weather conditions, he's hopeful that they will pick in about six weeks time.The WA Government is continuing with its multi-million-dollar Gascoyne Food Bowl plan, which aims to significantly expand horticulture around Carnarvon. As part of plans to open up 400 additional hectares for food production, the state government has been looking for additional water to support that land. A campaign in the northern borefield has seen 45 exploratory holes drilled so far, with seven likely to be considered production-worthy.It's not just mango growers, such as Eddie Smith, whose crops need the water at the moment. Grapes and watermelons are currently being picked and bananas production is year-round.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

01.12.2014

India - 22 districts likely to lose half their kharif yield

Estimates from the state agricultural department have said that kharif crop production will come down drastically in many of the 19,059 villages that are staring at a drought-like situation. The state government has declared water scarcity in these villages as their rainfall share was less than 50% this monsoon.As per official estimates, production of crops such as soybean, cotton, bajra, maize, 'tur' or split pigeon peas will come down by 40 to 50% in 22 districts in the state, following deficient rainfall in June this year, senior state department officials have said.The affected districts are Satara, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Jalna, Beed, Amravati, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Nandurbar, Latur, Osmanabad, Akola, Yavatmal, Wardha, Washim, Buldhana, Nagpur, Bhandara and Chandrapur.Worst affected are Amravati district and the eight districts in the Marathwada region, said a senior official."There seems to be large production and area loss when it comes to crops such as bajra, maize, split pigeon peas, mung bean, black gram, cotton and soybean because of the dry spell in June this year," the official added.The agriculture department set out to collect data on villages that are likely to face crop yield losses due to a deficient monsoon season, after the state government declared as many as 19,059 villages in the state as facing a drought-like situation.These villages had been assessed for their rainfall deficiency as well as the crop yield recorded after crop cutting experiment for the 2014-15 kharif season.As per the assessment, 1,166 of these villages are from Nashik district, 1,307 from Aurangabad, 1,575 from Nanded, 1,377 from Beed, 1,981 from Amravati, 1,420 from Buldhana, 525 from Nagpur and 1,049 from Wardha, among others.The state government has declared various measures to be implemented to help farmers in these villages - from 33.5% waiver in their electricity bills to a rebate in examination fees for students of class X and XII, as well as freedom from cess charged on crops.Compensation to the tune of Rs 4,500 per hectare for dry land farms, Rs 9,000 per hectare for irrigated land and Rs 12,000 per hectare for perennial crops has been sought from the Union government.Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

28.11.2014

USA - More than 1/4 of Wisconsin's corn for grain still in fields

Thanksgiving celebrates a bountiful food harvest -- but more than a quarter of Wisconsin's corn for grain is still in the fields, much of it buried under a fresh blanket of snow.According to agriculture officials, 73 percent of the state's corn was in the bin as of Sunday night. That was 9 percent more than the previous week, but still 13 points behind the average for the past five years.A late winter and a wet spring kept Wisconsin farmers behind the eight ball throughout the growing season. New frost allowed for some manure hauling, and a weekend warm-up melted some significant snow cover but winter returned to most of the state's farm fields on Monday.Meanwhile, the soybean harvest is just 5 percent short of being complete. That's a 2 percent improvement from the previous week.Source - http://www.blackseagrain.net/

28.11.2014

Ukraine harvested over 62.7 mln tonnes of grains

According to operative data as of November 27, Ukraine harvested 62.713 mln tonnes of grains and pulses throughout the areas of 14.484 mln ha, or 98% of the planned areas (excluding the Crimea). The average yield totaled 4.33 t/ha, declared the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.On the same date in 2013 Ukraine harvested 60.698 mln tonnes of grains throughout 14.966 mln ha, with the yield of 4.06 t/ha.In particular, as of to date Ukraine harvested maize for grain throughout 4.437 mln ha (95%). The production volumes totaled 26.172 mln tonnes, with the average yield of 5.9 t/ha.It should be noted that Ukrainian agrarians completed the harvesting campaign of sunflower seed and soybeans.Source - http://www.apk-inform.com/