24.10.2014

USA - Farm bill initiative provides more severe weather relief

A new farm bill initiative announced Oct. 21 by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will provide relief to farmers affected by severe weather, including drought. Starting next spring the Actual Production History Yield Exclusion will allow eligible producers affected by severe weather to receive a higher approved yield on insurance policies through the federal crop insurance program.Spring crops eligible for the exclusion include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, barley, canola, sunflower, peanuts and popcorn.Farmers will be allowed to exclude yields in exceptionally bad years from their production history when calculating yields to establish their crop insurance coverage. The level of coverage is based on the farmer’s average recent yields. Previously, a year of low yields that occurred because of severe weather would reduce the level of insurance coverage available to the farmer.Excluding unusually bad years means a natural disaster will not reduce insurance coverage for farmers for years to come. Under the new farm bill program, yields may be excluded from farm actual production history when the county average yield for that crop year is at least 50% below the 10 previous consecutive crop years’ average yield.“Key programs launched or extended as part of the 2014 farm bill are essential to U.S.D.A.’s commitment to help rural communities grow,” Mr. Vilsack said. “These efforts give farmers, ranchers and their families better security as they work to ensure Americans have safe and affordable food. By getting other 2014 farm bill programs implemented efficiently, we are now able to offer yield exclusion for spring 2015 crops, providing relief to farmers impacted by severe weather.”The Risk Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide additional program details in December.Source - http://www.bakingbusiness.com/

23.10.2014

Australia - Wild weather hits crop quality

The Australian crop is likely to suffer further downgrades in terms of quantity and quality following adverse weather in the past fortnight.Heavy rain and hail over the southern Western Australian Wheatbelt wreaked havoc earlier in the week, with up to 150 millimetres dumped in some areas.There will be some production loss in the form of hail damage in a belt through the south central Wheatbelt, but the major issue is yet to fully play out, in terms of downgrading in standing crop.Meanwhile, Grain Producers Australia (GPA) chairman and Victorian farmer Andrew Weidemann has said yield potential in wheat crops has nearly halved in the past fortnight in his own Wimmera district.“It wasn’t fantastic beforehand, but the run of hot weather over the last couple of weeks has really sent crops to the wall.“I would expect a lot of the wheat to be yielding around 0.6-0.8 tonnes to the hectare in this area, although barley will be slightly better.”In Western Australia, CBH Esperance port zone manager Mick Daw said most wheat crops in the far south may just dodge a bullet in terms of downgrading issues.“It obviously won’t be fully proven until farmers get back out on the paddocks, but at this stage I think the feeling is that most of the wheat has a tiny bit of green left in it, and shouldn’t be too badly off.”Mr Daw said barley was the most likely crop to be downgraded, as it was further advanced.However, he said most of the barley that had been received in the CBH network across the Albany and Esperance port zones before the torrential rain had already been feed quality anyway due to low protein.Charlie Brown, pool manager at Cargill Australia said the market was still getting its head around the WA situation.However, he said Cargill employees were surveying the region and his feeling was that the damage would not be as bad on a big picture level as first thought.“Certainly these hail events can be devastating for individual growers, but we aren’t expecting it will bring production back too much overall.“These days people see a few spectacular photos on Twitter and they starting thinking things are worse than they actually are.“Our thoughts are that we are far more likely to see quality, rather than quantity issues, most likely barley from malt to feed.”Mr Brown said some wheat that was more mature could be downgraded. However, he said he did not envisage the rain would set up a full blown protein market, with a widening spread between hard milling wheats and feed grades.“Things are pretty tight globally in terms of protein stocks, but remember with the dry on the east coast what wheat there is will likely have higher protein levels.”In regards to the east coast and South Australian crop, Mr Brown said Cargill was prepared for some wheat crops, especially later developing crops forced to fill the head during dry and hot conditions, to have high screenings levels.“There’s a bit of a flag around screenings, but we’ll find out more about that when the later crops start coming off.”It is not just cereal crops under the microscope following the WA rain. Mr Daw said canola was the great unknown at present.“We have a lot of the crop swathed and lying down, so there could be big crop losses there, we just don’t know.“It remains to be seen whether direct heading or swathing will prove to be the best in the wet conditions, so that is certainly something we’ll be keeping an eye on.”He said it was unlikely any canola would germinate or be downgraded as a result of the rain.In Victoria, Mr Weidemann said early finishing canola crops may yield better in terms of a percentage on average, than cereal crops this year.Internationally, Mr Brown said the grain market continued to drift sideways.“We’ve remained range-bound for a while now.“There’s a fair bit of European and Russian business still being done, and they are around $10-15 cheaper than Australian prices, so something has to give there, but at present, in spite of the odd moment of heavy Australian grower selling, the Australian price remains high in world terms.”Mr Brown said Australian producers needed to think outside of just comparing themselves against Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) figures when working out basis.“We need to look at these European competitors and their prices into markets where we are competing.”Mr Brown said the falling currency over the past six weeks had been a ‘godsend’.“The move in currency has added $15/t to grower returns and protected us against falls in Chicago values.”Source - http://www.theland.com.au/

23.10.2014

Czech Republic - Wild boars cause millions of crowns in damage in agriculture sector

Uprooted earth, ruined fields, leftover bits of corn, beetroot and wheat gobbled up: each year, wild boars in the Czech Republic cause extensive damage. Legally, game keeping associations are responsible for the regulation of population levels; in the case of wild boar, many argue, new steps need to be taken. Last year, 185,000 specimens were hunted, yet damage remains in the millions of crowns.Almost 200,000 boars hunted each year seems almost astronomical, estimated as being up to 60 percent of the overall boar population; yet some in the agriculture as well as game keeping sectors say is probably not enough, given the damage registered. Luděk Kralíček, of the Czech-Moravian Gamekeepers Association, agrees that wild boars are a considerable problem. Part of the reason is that, in many areas, the conditions for boar herds are exceptional: the animals are able to invade large monoculture fields that are not only inviting but difficult to guard. Luděk Kralíček told me more this week:“We hunted 185,000 boars last year, so you can imagine how high the damage would have run if they were left unchecked. During the hunting season, when female boars are not giving birth to young, we shot and killed many, yet it still seems to be not enough. The high population numbers are directly related to agricultural production: the amount of beetroot, corn, and other crops produced. There is enough for the high number to be sustained.”The dramatic rise in the population of wild boar today goes back to historic developments dating back to the war. Also, other than human beings, the animal has little to fear. Luděk Kralíček again: “An adult male weighing 200 kilos has no natural predator, it is at the top of its respective food chain. Young boars can be hunted by wolves in areas by the Carpathians, and in the Czech Republic can fall prey to lynx. But disease affects population numbers far more.“As for the history, the population began to increase after WW II. Until then, the movement of boars and other game was more or less limited to large fenced areas or game grounds. The movement of armies flattened fences though, and boars and other game were able to spread unchecked. Changes in hunting, namely the elimination of inhumane methods such as poison or traps, also helped boars reach the enormous population number we see today.”Agricultural producers in the Czech Republic who suffer damaged fields and crop losses, under the law have up to 20 days to file for compensation, but that often is not enough time, when one considers the size of fields being raided. Luděk Kralíček: “The law says that they must file damage with the game keeping association responsible within 20 days and agree on compensation and if they cannot, to take the matter to court. The problem is that in agriculture, machines today have replaced people in many areas, and a single farmer or employee can be responsible for overseeing 4,000 hectares. So they find out too late. If you have activity in the middle of an enormous field, it may not be discovered for quite a while.”For that reason, game keepers have not only recommended that farmers mix crops being raised but also that fields be limited in size, to make it easier to spot damage earlier. The greatest damage is in corn and beetroot fields.“We pushed for field width to be limited to a maximum 200 metres. That would make the field easier to monitor, as well as make it easier to hunt for boars. They can be difficult to track and can hide easily in large fields.“Some farmers understand the need for fields to be divided with different crops but others aren’t concerned one way or another, having learned to claim damages from game keeping associations. Some don’t care whether they sell their corn or are compensated for their losses. It would be far better if farmers and hunters learned to work together to solve the problem.”As for the thousands of boar that are successfully hunted? Game has a long tradition on the dining room table and is a specialty at many fine Czech restaurants, not least at castles or chateaux. That is one silver-lining in the hunting of the animals, at least for meat-eaters. The process followed is strict but meat which is approved usually ends up, if not in a restaurant than on families’ dining room tables.“In the Czech Republic each game hunted has to be tested for trichinosis and cleared by the State Veterinary Administration. Upon receiving documentation, hunters can either keep the meat for personal consumption, or sell it. More than 50 percent of the game ends up sold in stores. Game, including wild boar, is very popular, not least on special occasions.“If you have ever seen the film The Snowdrop (Slavnosti sneženek) you will know that one of the quintessential questions is whether the meat should be served with cabbage or cranberry sauce. And of course with dumplings and beer.”Source - http://www.radio.cz/

23.10.2014

USA - New crop insurance product offers whole farm protection

A new crop insurance product recently unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow farmers to insure all of their crops, and even livestock, in a single policy rather than through individual commodity policies.This new approach will allow crop growers, organic farmers, and growers with a diversity of commodities to purchase crop insurance as part of a whole farm revenue protection policy, according to Brandon Willis of the Risk Management Agency, which administers the crop insurance program for the USDA.Whole farm revenue protection, which was passed as part of the 2014 Farm Bill, is well suited for fruit and vegetable growers and producers with diversified farms who sell commodities to wholesale, local, regional, direct, and farm-identity preserved markets, Willis pointed out.This new policy provides the growers of specialty and organic crops and those with a diversity of crops with the option of insuring those crops in one policy package, Willis indicated. He added that this will provide the insured diversified farms with a higher discount on their premiums.Farmers who are interested in such coverage should check with their private sector crop insurance agent for the details about the whole farm revenue protection policy.Source - http://www.wisfarmer.com/

23.10.2014

USA - Greening disease continues to cause low yields in Florida

Greening disease is affecting the production of the citrus and is the cost of the industry’s decline. “This year we’ve had the smallest crop since the 1988-1989 season,” explains David Brocksmith of Seald Sweet International, “but the Florida orange crop was estimated at 108 million field boxes which is an increase from last year.”For the last three years the citrus industry has been in a steady decline as forecasted ten years ago when citrus greening disease was discovered. Each of Florida’s main citrus exports is still experiencing a decrease in yield. Last year it was projected that 120 million field boxes of oranges would be collected throughout Florida, with the actual harvest totaling 104 million.Grapefruit experienced a slightly less decline from 15.5 million to 15 million. There is a high demand for grapefruit at the beginning of Florida’s citrus season as there is a void of sales between California’s citrus season finishing and Florida’s beginning. Tangerines are also experiencing a decrease from 250,000 to 208,000. “The trees do great when they keep their fruit, but the disease causes them to drop their fruit to the ground which makes them unmarketable.”While overall yields are down, prices for citrus are increasing. The average cost for a 40lb box of oranges was $14 last year compared to $16 this year. The average cost to grow and maintain an acre of oranges has also increased from $800-$1000 dollars to roughly $2300-$2500 per acre. Acreage continues to decrease due to greening disease. “We’re concerned with how it’s going to affect the Florida citrus industry. Right now people are paying more money for fewer oranges and we’re looking for a way to correct this.”The yield of Florida’s citrus depends on finding a way to grow healthy trees and circumvent the loss from the greening disease. “Some growers spray every two weeks, when ten years ago, they would have sprayed four to six times during the season.”Growers are also focusing on less conventional, more natural methods like nutritional programs. “Growers are using whatever they can to mitigate this disease,” explains Brocksmith, “Pesticides, herbicides, but what’s really helping them is all the time they spend tending to the trees.”In order to control the disease and prevent it from attacking new citrus trees, growers are using thermotherapy. This method involves tenting a tree and raising the enclosed temperature to a certain degree which then kills the disease. After the tree has been properly disinfected, it is planted into a grove. “Some growers use solar energy to heat the trees and generators to create exhaust in order to help the plants. The disease is very resistant to both immediate and long-term plans” states Brocksmith, “Growers are investing millions of dollars to research a cure and to keep their trees alive during the interim.”Florida citrus is also harmed by the lack of investors or new growers. “No one wants to gamble on a tree that may not be alive in six or seven years,” explains Brocksmith. “If nothing is done, the industry will continue to contract.”Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

23.10.2014

Chile assesses extent of the impact of recent frosts

According to information supplied by the Association of Exporters of Fruits from Chile AG (ASOEX), despite recent rain and frost in certain areas of the country, the Chilean fruit export season goes according to plan.In this regard, the president of Asoex, Ronald Bown, said: "For now we expect a normal fruit export season which, as usual, is subject to future weather conditions, among other aspects related to the production chain and the shipment of domestic fruit."The exporting company pointed out that temperatures during the spring, which have an impact on the expected fruit production, have been normal this year, about the same as last season in the Valley of Copiapó, slightly lower from Vallenar to the Metropolitan Region and very similar to last year in the Region del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins.Meanwhile, from the Maule to the Araucanía temperatures are slightly lower, while in the regions of Los Ríos and Los Lagos they are virtually identical.These data point to normality, without any negative alterations to date in the expected fruit production this season.Nevertheless, Asoex, said that the spring rains taking place from the Metropolitan regions to the South, as well as two frosts of relative importance in the same regions, have caused some damage in specific municipalities and have affected some fruit crops that are in the stages of budding or settling, such as kiwis, cherries, stone fruit, pome fruits and berries.As for damage estimates, the trade association said that the technical teams of the exporting companies have been conducting assessments and that the damage has been limited to certain municipalities of the Andean foothills.The most affected crop would be kiwis, mostly those in orchards that have no frost protection. In the most extreme cases, between 50% to 80% of the buds between 10 and 40 centimetres have been affected. An assessment of the fruition may be carried out in late November.Meanwhile, some plum varieties in the regions of O'Higgins and Maule have a lower fruit load than in previous years as a result of rainfall and low temperatures during flowering (September). In late October, a quantitative assessment may be carried out for a more accurate estimation. Very preliminary figures point to a 20% drop in volume.Cherry trees in areas where frosts lasted for over an hour, with temperatures below -0.5 °C, have small fruit drop and no more than 2% to 3% of the expected harvest should be affected.For pome fruits, the situation is similar to that of cherries and the production situation will be evaluated after the thinning.For its part, the Blueberry Committee has pointed out that the situation in the sector "has not affected all producers, and although some may be severely affected, overall the situation is under control; the drop in the production and export of blueberries will consequently not be significant."Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

23.10.2014

Argentina - Apricot and plum production declined because of a poor flowering

Due to various climatic factors, the fruit sector in the province of San Juan hasn't had good harvests, its yields have not been what was expected, and the sector's boom at the start of the third millennium, for which there were high expectations in the province, hasn't happened.Agronomist Adrian Sanchez, from the Cerro Blanco fruit company, which is located in Zonda, stated that winter had been quite generous with its chill hours, which are essential to promote good flowering, but that the spring had surprised them with a rather long, uneven flowering in which there had been a small overlap between pollinators and pollinated flowers.Regarding the crop forecasts, Sanchez said the Castell Brite apricot variety has been presented the most problems setting, so they had lost around 70% of the production. In plums, the Black Amber variety has had the worst performance so far, as its flowering didn't match its pollinators and the fruit set is very low."That has led me to believe that the different apricot and plum farms in San Juan have had losses between 20% and 50%, depending on their varietal composition," he stated."However, this is just an appreciation of the moment, this is a particularly windy year, and the effects of winds on these fruits can be dramatic. We've already seen some damage, especially as the fruits have fallen, and we will probably continue to see residual effects as the limbs rub," Sanchez said.Regarding markets, Sanchez said that Argentina, like the rest of the southern hemisphere, had a good offer. "We've had stable prices for several years and a slight increase in volumes, both Brazil and the northern markets are expecting it will be a normal season," he said.However, Sanchez stated, Argentina can't trade with those international markets because "the country's lacks of competitiveness in recent years has increased our prices more than what the customers are willing to paid. Our offer has been mainly supplied by South Africa and Chile," he added."In turn, we are facing two problems in the domestic market: the peaches mark the price of apricots and, as far as we can see, there will be a good supply so their prices won't be very good. Additionally, Argentina only consumes 10% of its plum production, and since the export prospects are very low, we expect it will be a very difficult commercial season."Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

23.10.2014

India - No need to declare hailstorm as calamity for crop insurance: MP govt

The deadlock on payment of insurance claims to farmers for the damage to rabi crops by hailstorm and untimely rains seems to be in the offing, with the state government telling the high court that it does not specifically require to declare hailstorm as a natural/localised calamity for insurance claims to mature.The government made this assertion in reply to a high court notice issued in context of public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Gwalior-based lawyer demanding adequate compensation and insurance claims to the farmers for the damaged rabi crops.The state government's reply assumes importance on the background that the Agriculture Insurance Company of India, in its reply to the high court notice had clearly refused to pay the insurance claims on the ground that the state government had failed to notify hailstorm as 'localised calamity' for the rabi crop season of 2013-14.The government reply says that according to the policy announced by the state government in November 2013 on basis of the guidelines issued by the Central government, the compensation or insurance claim is to be paid by undertaking general crop estimation survey on basis of threshold yield and actual yield. The insurance company is bound to make the general estimation survey and make payment to the farmers, the government affidavit says."For payment of the compensation against damage due to hailstorm, there is no need of declaration of natural calamity by the government," the reply says.Pawan Singh Raghuvanshi, counsel for the petitioner, said that owing to such contradicting reply, a deadlock has been reached, but hope is pinned on the high court to resolve the matter.The government reply was filed in the case only after four notices of the HC. During the last hearing on October 7, the HC had given a last chance to the government to file its reply by the next date of hearing (November 10), failing which the principal secretary of the state department of farmers' welfare and agriculture was asked to personally appear before the court on this date.The PIL filed by Sanjana Singh Raghuvanshi in March this year sought crop insurance claims for the farmers for the rabi crop damage under the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS).The PIL has been filed on the ground that the farmers should get the insurance money as premium (@ 1.5% of sum insured) was deducted from Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan accounts of the farmers.Due to multiple spells of hailstorm and unseasonal rainfall in January-February this year, rabi crops worth Rs. 13,000 crore were damaged. The state government got a survey done and paid compensation through a Central package to the affected farmers.Source - http://www.hindustantimes.com/

23.10.2014

USA - Newly passed Farm Bill doesn`t offer much to Valley farmers

A new provision to the farm bill offers growers direct relief from severe weather such as drought. But the program doesn't have much to offer to Valley farmers.The U.S Department of Food and Agriculture widened a safety net for federally insured crops hit hard by severe weather.Barry Bedwell of the California Fresh Fruit Association says the "actual production history" provision allows farmers to throw out "bad years" when determining yields for crop insurance.Bedwell said, "If you have a natural disaster including impacts of such things as drought and you have production that is less than 50% of your 10-year average you can exclude it."But U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the provision which takes effect next spring involves specific crops.Vilsack explained, "Corn, soybeans, spring wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, barley, canola, sunflowers, peanuts and popcorn. These crops represent roughly 75% of applicable acreage that is currently insured."Bedwell says most Valley growers don't grow federal program crops so they won't be able to take advantage of the provision."Specialty crops represent about half of the agricultural production in the United States and yet many times we've seen these types of programs focused only on the program crops," said Bedwell. "We've for instance have talked about the need for quarantine insurance."Quarantine insurance could be used in cases where crops can't be shipped out of areas under quarantine due to pest infestation or disease.Source - http://abc30.com/

22.10.2014

USA - Rice growers wrap up drought-diminished harvest

California rice farmers are wrapping up their harvest of a crop that's expected to be 23 percent smaller than last year's. Good yields on many of the acres that were planted will help make up at least a small part of the loss of revenue, as will sales of rice straw.As rice growers in California wrap up their harvest of a drought-diminished crop, good yields and more widespread sales of rice straw are helping them to at least partly make up for lost acreage.The rice harvest was 85 percent complete as of Oct. 19, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Leo LaGrande, a grower here, finished work over the weekend and said his yields deteriorated as the season went along.“We had some fields that looked good earlier and we thought it would be better, but it didn’t quite mature to the yields we wanted,” he said. “I would call it an average year for us.”But yields remained strong for Marysville, Calif., grower Charley Mathews, who also finished harvesting last weekend, he said. Good weather during crop development led to rice that grew tall and went flat, making for slow going during harvest, he said.“It helps,” Mathews said of the big yields. “The yields might be up ahead of last year’s state average, but not enough to close the gap in our shortfall (in acreage).”California rice growers are expected to produce 36.8 million hundredweight, down 23 percent from last year, NASS estimated. About 140,000 acres of rice went unplanted this year because of water shortfalls — a 25 percent decrease from last year’s crop, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.LaGrande had to leave about one-quarter of his land unplanted, he said.“We thought we were very fortunate because some of our neighbors had to leave 100 percent out,” he said.However, the yield forecast of 8,000 pounds per acre would be a 1 percent increase from last year and would tie records set in 2004 and 2008, according to NASS’ office in Sacramento.The optimistic outlook for yields follows a spring planting season that was more drawn-out than usual because exchange contractors along the Sacramento River agreed to space out their water delivery schedules to maintain the right river temperatures for winter run salmon.Rice is typically planted between mid-April and mid-May, with harvests coming six months later, but many growers didn’t get started until mid-May and were still planting in June. Those that were still harvesting this week ran into a rainstorm on Oct. 20 that stopped their work.While farmers welcome the rain, their water worries aren’t over. Many are unsure if there will be enough water to decompose rice straw left in fields.Willows, Calif., grower Larry Maben may pump water from wells into his fields after harvest if there isn’t enough rain, which is “an awfully expensive source of water,” he said.“It’s going to be kind of a balancing act,” Maben said.With not as much water available for decomposition, more producers are baling and selling straw “than I’ve ever seen,” said Mathews, who’s on the USA Rice Federation’s executive committee.University of California researchers reached out to growers this summer to promote converting their rice straw into “strawlage,” a feed that the scientists say is on a par with a low-quality alfalfa. UC Cooperative Extension advisors said the straw would be a good alternative for livestock producers confronted with feed shortages because of the drought.The straw can also be used for erosion control in forest fire recovery projects, Mathews said. While decomposition helps the soil, growers can make up for the lack of straw by adding nutrients before planting next spring, he said.LaGrande said he’ll probably bale 60 percent of his rice straw, the majority of which will be fed to cattle.“It’s huge,” he said. “I think the dairy industry is grabbing onto it more every year. And this year with the drought, some cattlemen who really never tried rice straw before are buying into it. At $300 a ton for alfalfa or $40 a ton for rice straw, you’re going to try it.”Source - http://www.capitalpress.com/

22.10.2014

Bolivia - A fire destroys 500 hectares of forest and fruit plantations in Chapare

Last Thursday, a raging fire destroyed last about 500 hectares of forest and fruit plantations in the province of Chapare in Cochabamba, stated Victor Blanco, the mayor of Chimoré, on Saturday."About 500 acres are still burning. There are weeds, trees, grasses and pineapple, citrus, cocoa and banana plantations," he said.Blanco said the fire had started in the districts 8 and 10 of Chapare and that it was currently spreading and getting closer to some communities."The most critical situation is in the towns of Nueva Estrella, Colorado and Tin Useuta, but there are other unions close," he warned.Blanco added that dozens of technicians and workers from the Civil Defence, the Risk Management Unit of Cochabamba and the Municipality of Chimoré were working to mitigate the fire.The Air Force is using a helicopter to pour water into the fire's area, but "we need more help and that they send us a helicopter equipped with a Bambi Bucket to release more water more quickly in the area," he concluded.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

22.10.2014

Rwanda (Africa) - Farmers to use agro-insurance to secure loans

Farming is a major driver of Rwanda's economic growth, and the sector employs over 80 per cent of the population.Despite this, the industry is treated as risky sector by lenders, a situation that has led to slow development of the sector. However, this could soon be history as farmers, especially those with agro-insurance, will be able to get loans to fund their projects.Tom Mulwa, the managing director of Liaison Group, a regional risk consultancy and insurance brokerage firm, said they will partner with commercial banks and micro-finance institutions to extend loans to crop and livestock farmers.Mulwa said farmers will, starting early next year, be able to get advances from lending institutions using agricultural insurance as security."The banks will take that insurance cover as security for the loans to the farmers," explained Mulwa on the sidelines of the just-concluded East African Business Summit in Kigali."It's a viable product for them as it makes the loan cheaper. Banks will be able to get back the loan because in the event a farmer fails to repay it, the insurance pays."Mulwa added that the insurance premiums would be billed against the repayment of the loan so that a farmer finds it easy to repay.The agricultural sector is a key driver of the Rwandan economy. However over the past years, prolonged drought and heavy rains have hurt crop output, thus affecting farmers' income.Mulwa said the firm was still awaiting regulatory approval, noting that Rwandan banks are not entirely allowed to transact business that is non-core banking. He was, however, optimistic that banks would embrace the initiative.Source - http://allafrica.com/

22.10.2014

USA - Honeybees get stung by California's severe drought

There's very little in California's agriculture industry that's been left untouched by the ongoing drought, and bees are no exception.Besides making honey, bees are crucial to pollinating about one-third of all U.S. crops.But the drought, heading into a fourth year, is threatening honey production and the ability of beekeepers to make a living in a state that was once the top honey producer in the country."My honey production is down about 20 percent from the drought," said Bill Lewis, president of the California Beekeepers Association.Lewis, who manages around 50 billion bees in Southern California, explained that the lack of rain has reduced plants that provide food for the bees and the nectar they turn into honey.Lewis said he's had to feed his bees much less nutritional food such as sugar water that's threatening the health of the bees and slowing the generation of honey."It doesn't have the minerals that real food from plants have," he said. "It's like putting them on Twinkies."Lewis added that feeding the bees this way costs him more but it's a cost he can't pass on to consumers."Imports of honey keep me from raising my prices," he said. "It's a real challenge, financially."Commodity cutbacksIn 2003, California was the top honey producer in the U.S., but it has since fallen behind North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota and Florida. And according to the Department of Agriculture, California's honey crop fell from 27.5 million pounds in 2010 to about 10.9 million pounds in 2013, or less than 5 percent of the country's yearly $317 million crop.But beyond honey production is bees' crucial role in the pollination of numerous crops, like plums, strawberries, melons, lemons, broccoli and almonds."It's hard to overstate the importance of bees to our industry," said Bob Curtis, associate director of agricultural affairs at the Almond Board of California. "The drought has decreased forage for bees within California, and ensuring a variety of forage is a long-term challenge."Pollination also is a revenue source for beekeepers, but a lack of irrigation water has left many fields empty. An estimated 420,000 acres of farmland went unplanted this year—about 5 percent of the total in the state. That means that fewer farmers are renting hives and beekeepers have less income."I've had to raise my prices to farmers who do rent, which hasn't been easy," said the California Beekeepers Association's Lewis."If we don't get any water, there will be more cutbacks on commodities," said Eric Mussen, a professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis. "And that will affect bees, honey production and pollination of crops going forward."Call for helpAs bad as the situation in California is—80 percent of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought—the Almond Board's Curtis said the lack of rainfall has not prevented almond growers from getting sufficient bee pollination so far.But the drought is just one hazard making honeybees suffer. Beehive losses worldwide have increased over the years due to pesticides, parasites and colony collapse disorder, by which adult bees disappear from colonies due to various causes.However, for Lewis, the drought is enough of a crisis to make a plea for help, even if it means using more water."It's devastating," Lewis said. "What people can do here is plant flowers wherever there's dirt. The bees need them."Source - http://www.cnbc.com/

22.10.2014

Chile freeze damage likely limited

For the second straight year, Chile has been hit with unusually cold fall weather, but damage should be much lighter than last year.Temperatures dipped into the 27- to 29-degree range for three or four hours on Oct. 9, said John Pandol, special projects director for Delano, Calif.-based Pandol Bros. Inc.The unexpected sub-freezing temperatures were recorded in and south of the Molina growing area, about 150 miles south of Santiago, Pandol said.The main crop in the area is blueberries, followed by apples, kiwifruit and cherries.Karen Brux, managing director of the San Carlos, Calif.-based Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, said the first news out of Chile after the freezes was far from accurate.“Although we’re still assessing the situation, initial reports of damage related to the freeze were grossly exaggerated and reflective of one grower’s situation, not the entire industry,” Brux said. “There is certainly some damage, but not to the extent that was reported, and nothing similar to what Chile faced in 2013.”Chilean shippers and industry officials are positive about the outlook for 2014-15, Brux said.“We anticipate solid volume increases across all commodities and are busy putting promotion plans in place with retailers.”While there’s likely some damage, Pandol said, a lot depends on where fruit was grown. And more time is needed for accurate estimates.“Depending on if you’re in a low spot or high spot or happened to have irrigated. At this time in the production cycle it takes more than a week to know what will recover and how it will look.”Pandol also cautioned that the first damage reports are “usually greatly exaggerated.”“None of Pandol’s blueberry growers in the region have advised us to change plans at this point, and until we hear different, Pandol is proceeding with the original volumes and timings,” he said.Freezes in September 2013 in Chile caused substantial losses to some crops. Kiwifruit, stone fruit and pears were among those hardest-hit.Source - http://www.thepacker.com/

22.10.2014

India - Food insecurity looms over flood-hit districts of Punjab

The monsoon floods in September 2014 affected an estimated 2.413 million acres of cropped area in Punjab and there is a risk to the broader food security and wellness of affected communities, a multi-sector initial rapid assessment report states.The report projects damage to 77 per cent of the crops in the flood-hit areas of the five districts and stresses that the crop losses are likely to impact food availability in affected areas in Punjab.The situation may aggravate because of impact on livestock sector, the report notes.The multi-sector rapid assessment (MIRA) was carried out with a donor’s help. The National Disaster Management Authority and United Nations humanitarian coordinator jointly carried out surveys in Chiniot, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang and Multan districts.Given the difference in the development status, the southern districts of Punjab require additional assistance, it adds.Extensive damageThe report says that the damage to agriculture was extensive because at the time main crops stood ready to harvest.Damage to crops and stored grain has the potential to create acute food shortage for people and livestock.The assessment results showed that the floods have made a devastating impact on standing crops. Kharif crops including rice, cotton and sugarcane were damaged, which may result in lower crop yields.The assessment feared that the effects of flood may have some negative impacts on the major rabi crop of wheat.District-wise analysis of the affected areas shows Multan as the most affected district followed by Jhang, where around 93pc and 83pc of crop losses were reported, respectively, report says.Food stocks hitAnother factor which can jeopardise food security of the households in the surveyed communities is the loss of their food stocks. Overall, households in affected areas across the districts lost on average 42pc of their food stocks.Specifically, around 21pc of the households were reported to be in more vulnerable condition, as they lost huge proportion (75pc) of their food stock. Reportedly, food stock losses were most serious in Districts Jhang, Multan and Chiniot where households lost about 50pc of their food stocks.Analysis of the food stock sufficiency shows that almost one-third of the households have food stocks which are sufficient to last for about only a week. Situation in terms of food stock sufficiency was relatively alarming in Multan and Chiniot where almost half of the households have stock for less than a week time period.The access to food is the physical and economic ability of a household to acquire adequate amounts of food. In terms of economic access to food, the survey results indicate that overall around 38pc of the households surveyed have adequate resources to buy food. Comparatively, among the five priority districts surveyed, Multan, Jhang, and Chiniot are more vulnerable to food insecurity in terms of economic access.On average, around 23pc, 28pc, and 37pc households in the flood affected areas of Multan, Jhang, and Chiniot, respectively, have adequate resources to purchase food, whereas other districts, Mandi Bahauddin (59pc) and Hafizabad (52pc) are in slightly better position. Prior to the current floods, these five districts were categorised as food secure districts.Source - http://www.dawn.com/

21.10.2014

Australia - Rain at harvest risks grain quality, hail wipes out crops

For grain growers in Western Australia, the rain and hail that fell over the weekend could not have come at a worse time.Up to 140 millimetres of rain fell in some parts of the grain growing region.From Geraldton to Esperance, farmers have started their harvest programs for 2014.The majority of crops are ripe and won't benefit from rain. Rather, they'll now be vulnerable to quality issues such as sprouting or stained grain.Salmon Gums farmer Sam Guest received 55 millimetres on Sunday."We had plenty of thunder and lightening, but we just had downpours, no wind, so we escaped the damage as such," he said."Just going on last year, we had 70 millimetres during harvest and we were still delivering good quality grain, so hopefully the wheat isn't at that fully ready stage and we can get away with it."While there was no wind or hail damage at Mr Guest's property, it was a very different story for Nembudding farmer John Holdsworth.His property is about 200 kilometres north-east of Perth, between Wyalkatchem and Trayning.He says many farmers in his region have also had hail damage that has wiped out crops."At the southern end of the farm, a hail strip went through and it caused about 300 hectares of wheat and barley to be destroyed," he said."It looks a bit like it's been spread with chaff. The straw is chopped to pieces and there are heads of grain lying on the ground."Lake Grace farmer Mae Connelly says her barley crops were flattened by the rain, just a week before harvest.She says it will take time to work out the extent of the damage, but believes many farmers in the region will feel the impact."Yields were looking good enough that this year was going to be okay, it was going to be profitable, and suddenly in the space of a few hours we've gone to, potentially, a lot of feed grain which is not going to be profitable. Those crops will now run at a loss," she said."Through the Lakes region, we would have only been a week or two away [from harvest]."With a drought, you see it coming, it builds up over months, but a flood coming right on the doorstop of harvest, I absolutely feel for everyone that's been affected by this."In the Great Southern Region, Tarin Rock farmer Ashton Gray says he hasn't seen rain like this all year.He tipped 130mm from the rain gauge, but says his crops should come out relatively unharmed.ConsultAg agronomist and Tarin Rock farmer Ashton Gray had 130 mm of rain over the weekend.Mr Gray says he hasn't seen rain like this all year."The season has been very good and very kind to us," he said.Mr Gray says his region received between 40 and 50 mm in about 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon."There were a lot of creeks that came down and a lot of water crossing fence lines and in some cases pooling in paddocks."But Mr Gray says crops have held up really well despite the heavy rainfall."[Grain crops] are in the latter stages of ripening and I don't expect there to be too much damage in terms of grain quality at this stage."The hail was has flattened paddocks and disappointed farmers, but they say crop insurance will cover some of their losses.Mr Holdsworth says he expects to speak to an insurance assessor on compensation for his lost crop.While the rain has held up harvest plans for many growers, for those like Salmon Gums farmer Sam Guest it also means a busy and expensive summer ahead spraying weeds."I can hear the calthrop and the melons growing as we speak," he said."We won't escape summer spraying this year. We were hoping to, but she's going to be on again."It's too early to tell just how much grain has been damaged and how much has been lost across the Central Wheatbelt.However, some farmers are making the best of a bad situation, saying they will be able to carefully graze damaged paddocks.Amelup grain grower and sheep producer Marcus Sounness says patches of flooding seem to be relatively isolated across the Great Southern Region.He says the 40 mm of rain he received at his property will be very useful in generating pasture growth into November.Source - http://www.abc.net.au/