Dry fruit vendors pop up despite higher prices

With slight decrease of mercury in the city several roadside dry fruit vendors popped up offering a variety of dry fruits. The demand of dry fruits at retail stage is still low; however, sale at wholesale has started picking up. The regular shopkeepers and venders have expressed hope that demand will go up considerably in coming cold days.

The prices of dry fruits have gone beyond the reach of the common man. The prices of almond, pistachio, walnut, pine nut, dates, cashew nut, dried apricot, coconut, fig and peanut have increased, said a vendor. The reason behind the increase in prices is said to be decline in the value of local currency during the current year coupled with increase in cost of transportation and coast of doing business.

Customers held retailers responsible for pushing up rates artificially and fixing the rate at a higher side. Dry fruits are mainly imported from Afghanistan, Iran, USA and India while substantial variety is also grown locally. Traders also attribute the rise in prices to slow growth in imports and low production in the country and costlier imports.

Already overburdened by the unprecedented increase in prices of essential commodities, fast and frequent increase in power, gas tariff, increase in transport fairs and oil etc have very negative impact on purchasing power of general public. They have already stopped purchasing any extra item just to save something to feed their children. During a visit to some of the markets of the dry fruits scribe noted the prices as: almond register increase from Rs 700 to Rs 1100 per kg in wholesale. Chilgoza (pine nuts) as usual remained the most expensive ranging between Rs 2000-3200 per kg with shell and without shell. There is no change in the price of pine nuts as compared to last year. Pistachio with and without shell at Rs 1400 to 1800 per kg, walnut at Rs 500 per kg, Peanuts without shell at Rs 400 perkg and peanut with shell Rs 200 to Rs 320 per kg in the open market.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013

Fruits and other agro-products: EU, Sindh government agree to hold international expo

Sindh Government and the European Union (EU) have agreed to organise international exhibition of Sindh-oriented fruits and other agro-products in Central Asia to boost up exports of the products. This was decided during a meeting of a European Union delegation with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, which called on him here on Monday.

The EU delegation also expressed keen interest in import of fruits, vegetables and other agro products from Sindh province to EU countries. Speaking on the occasion, head of the delegation and Senior Advisor, representing M/s Human Dynamic (a public sector consulting organisation), Arthur Bayhan expressed interest in investment and providing expertise especially in certification for quality of fruits, establishment of cold storage facilities in the farm field.

He apprised the Chief Minister that there were many companies, interested in investment in energy, health, infrastructure, civil aviation and other sectors. The delegation expressed interest in importing fish and sea-food from Karachi and offered full co-operation to Sindh Government in this regard. The Chief Minister while talking to the delegation said that Sindh province has good potential in agro-production. He said there was shortage of wheat when PPP came into power in 2008, but after that due to timely efforts by the Government and farmers-friendly policies, today the province is self-sufficient in wheat, besides qualitative rice, sugar-cane, chili. The province has the potential to produce quality fruits like world famous mangoes.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2013

Vegetables, fruits, poultry prices surge

The prices of vegetables and fruits have gone high-sky. Potato are available at Rs 100kg, onion at Rs 60 to 70, lady finger at Rs 100kg, Tinda at Rs 100kg, peas at Rs 200 per kg, eggs at Rs 100 to 108 per dozen. The change in weather has multiplied the demand for eggs and chicken in the twin cities and with it the prices of these food items have also surged. Cold weather induces people to use boiled eggs and make chicken soups.

This trend throughout the country increased the demand for poultry products, said a resident Zakir Usmani. He said the majority of people used eggs daily in breakfast, but now they would have to go for an alternative energy source. Whereas, the prices of dry fruits have also registered an upward trend, owing to their increasing demand in the city. A large number of people are thronging different dry fruit markets to purchase dry fruits, especially almond, walnut, peanut, dry apricot, dates, roasted peas, fig and pistachio. "Due to the increasing demand of dry fruits, the shopkeepers and vendors have raised their prices, making it quiet difficult for a common man to buy them," Javed Shad, a resident of Samijaabad said.

According to a survey of various markets, the price of almond has increased from Rs 750 per kg to Rs 800 per kg, while the price of good quality almonds has increased from Rs 900 per kg to Rs 1,000 per kg. A shopkeeper at Gulshan Market claimed that the sale of dry fruits had been cut down by 25 to 30 per cent as compared to the last year because of the increasing prices.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013

Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Grapes

Maturity Signs of Grapes:

1. A fruit mature in 120 to 135 days, after flowering.
2. Depending upon the variety colour changes from green to yellow on golden yellow or black or pink.
3. being non – climacteric fully ripe fruits are harvested.
4. Easy separation of barriers indicates harvesting stage.
5. Development of characteristics flavours and aroma.
6. Anabe shahi: 15 to 16 % T.S.S. Thompson seedless 18 to 20 % T.S.S. Thompson seedless 18 to 20% T.S.S.

Harvesting of Grapes:

Grapes are harvested when they are fully riped. While harvesting the clusters should be removed from the vine by cutting with a sharp knife near its attachment to the cane. Handle the cluster by the stem.

Read More

Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Pomegranate

Maturity Signs of Pomegranate:

1. Fruits are ready for harvesting in about 150 to 170 days.
2. Colour changes from green to yellow or yellowish brown.
3. Fruit becomes soft.
4. Ridges develop on the fruits and fruit becomes flat.
5. Floral part dry out.
6. Pressing fruit with finger give cracking or metallic sound.

Harvesting of Pomegranate:

The fruits are harvested manually after reaching proper maturity stage.

Read More

Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Mandarin and Sweet Orange

Maturity Sings of Mandarin and Sweet Orange:

1. Fruit mature in about 210 to 240 days.
2. Colour changes from green to pale green or pale yellow or orange.
3. Outer rind looks shiny and one can see oil glands on the fruit.
4. Mandarin 0.4% acidity and 12 to 14 % T.S.S. orange 0.3% acidity and 12% T.S.S.
5. Fruits become soft.

Harvesting of Mandarin and Sweet Orange:

1. In India the fruit picker collect the fruits manually by climbing on a ladder when the tree is tall, with a collecting bag on his shoulders. In U.S.A mechanical harvesting is done particularly for processing industry.

Read More

Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Kagzi Lime

Maturity Signs of Kagzi Lime:

1. Flowers mature in 120 to 150 days.

Harvesting of Kagzi Lime: 

1. In India the fruit picker collect the fruits manually by climbing on a ladder when the tree is tall, with a collecting bag on his shoulders. In U.S.A mechanical harvesting is done particularly for processing industry.

Read More 

Maturity Signs and Harvesting of Pineapple

Maturity Sings of Pineapple:

1. Require 105 to 130 days for maturity.
2. Colour of lower portion of fruit turns green yellow.
3. Eyes on the fruit becomes smooth or flat and they buldge on the sides.
4. Eye bracts become loose and turn brown in colour.
5. Mature pineapple should have 12% T.S.S. 0.5 to 0.6% acidity, Specific gravity 0.98 to 1.02.

Harvesting of Pineapple:

Harvesting should be done with a sharp knife severing the fruit stalk with a clean cut and retaining 5-7 cm of the stalk.

Read more

Tinicum's Community Supported Agriculture continues a tradition of fresh, local produce in Upper Bucks County

By Donna Henschel
Tinicum Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has launched its first season as a community supported agriculture venture on the preserved farmland of the Schneiderwind Farm & Nursery in Upper Black Eddy, Pa.

It will offer fresh, naturally-grown fruits and vegetables to its subscribing members -- carrying on the tradition established over the last three years at the same location by Open Acres CSA.

Upper Black Eddy, Pa. - Tinicum CSA announced recently that community supported agriculture (CSA) will continue in 2013 at the Schneiderwind Farm & Nursery in Upper Black Eddy.

Gaining in popularity nationwide, CSA farms offer community members a chance to buy fresh, local, seasonal produce directly from their farmer by purchasing a “share” in the farm. Farm members then visit the farm each week from late May to early November to pick up their share of that week’s harvest.

The members share with their farmers in both the risks (such as an unusually difficult growing season) and the many rewards of sustainable agriculture, which include an abundance of delicious, locally grown, healthful vegetables and fruits, aromatic herbs, and beautiful cut-your-own flowers – all grown without synthetic chemicals or pesticides.

Tinicum CSA is a partnership between Bucks County native John Crooke and Minnesota native Stefan Streit. They met last year while both were apprentices at Sisters Hill Farm, a CSA in Stanfordville, NY. Near the end of the 2012 growing season, Crooke and Streit made contact with Nate Walker, another former apprentice of Sisters Hill Farm.

At the time, Walker and his partner, Heather Brady, were managing Open Acres CSA at the Schneiderwind Farm & Nursery in Upper Black Eddy, but they had decided to relocate to New York City at the end of the 2012 season.

Walker introduced would-be CSA farmers Crooke and Streit to his landlord, Craig Schneiderwind. All five of them saw a beautiful opportunity in this convergence, and over the past several months, they have been working closely together to ensure a successful transition from Open Acres to Tinicum CSA.

“We can tell that Nate and Heather had a great time working with Craig and flourished in the midst of a dynamic community of folks who care about tasty veggies and sustainable food options,” said Stefan Streit, Tinicum CSA co-manager. “I’m excited to step into a CSA that already has all the infrastructure set up around a model that we know, and I can’t wait to meet some of the people who showed Nate and Heather so much support.”

What Tinicum CSA members can look forward to:

Community members may sign up for either a full share or a half share. Full share members visit the farm every week for 24 weeks to pick up their share of the harvest. Half share members pick up the same amount of produce per visit, but they pick up every other week. A typical share includes between 4 and 14 pounds of produce, featuring a seasonal assortment of more than 35 different crops. Crops include arugula, basil, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, flowers, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes, winter squash, watermelons and many more.

Original Article Here

Governments provide $200,000 for B.C. agriculture innovation

An investment of more than $200,000 into technology at five B.C. companies that service the agricultural sector was revealed January 17 by the provincial and federal governments.

The money comes from the Tree Fruit Market and Infrastructure Initiative that Victoria and Ottawa combined to pump $5 million into in 2010.

Cawston Cold Storage snagged $106,000, which was the largest investment, to help it improve storage technology.

Four other investments included:

· Coral Beach Farms getting more than $35,000 to help it develop software to automate the sorting of stemless cherries;

· Jind Fruit Co. getting more than $26,000 for a project to improve cold storage;

· The Okanagan Kootenay Cherry Growers’ Association getting more than $21,000 for two spotted wing drosophila larvae management projects; and

· The B.C. Fruit Growers Association Research and Development Test Orchard getting $19,200 to create quality standards that all cherry packing organizations can use for their domestic and export markets.

Investing in agricultural technology can be a controversial enterprise.

In June, Business in Vancouver reported that Okanagan farmers were concerned that their businesses and the reputation of B.C.’s fruit industry would be damaged if Ottawa approved genetically modified apples developed in the Okanagan.

Original Article Here

Flowers and Fruit

It's amazing how quickly things grow at this time of year, even in one day. There has been lots of progress since my last post on my vegetable garden, so here's a run down. Above are some sage flowers - I have two herb beds and planted a row of sage last year. I rather like the flowers, and have cut some off and put them in a vase. Some I left, for the bees.
In the herb bed next door are these chives, you can see marjoram and fennel in the background. I'm trying to grow a big clump of chives as you can use them instead of onions if they get big enough.
This is rocket, which was a salad plant until very recently. I really like the cruciform shape of these flowers and have added them to the flower vase. Some I left to make seed for next year - I'm a thrifty gardener and like to grow my own seed where possible. The parsnip seed I grew last year has now germinated well, which is pleasing.
The broad beans are in full flower now, and the peas have just started. Am looking forward to eating the first beans, which are now setting.
My plum tree is now covered in small green oval thingies - the first time it has flowered and set a good crop. On the apple front, the other tree which has struggled to flower but did so this year does not seem to have set any fruit - a real disappointment. I suspected a pollination problem so consulted my fruit book (Growing Fruit by Harry Baker, published by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended for all UK fruit growers). I was right - Blenheim Orange is a poor pollinator and needs two other fruit trees as companions. I have two, but one of them is not compatible. I did have another tree but it got canker a couple of years ago so I had to dig it up - this was a companion pollinator, but I forgot why I had bought it. So this winter I will have to get another apple tree to ensure pollination next year. Apple trees can be tricky. Anyway, there are lots of apples on the other two trees, so all is not lost.


Many raspberries and strawberries are now set, the rhubarb is still going strong and there are faint tinges of red already on the redcurrants, so there is plenty to come.
Today I got back to a job I started a couple of months ago - building a path. I had to abandon it for a while due to a water main leak a few metres away, which turned the ground into a bog. So, the soil having dried and the planting all done, it was back to the bicep-building work. It's about half done now, a patchwork quilt of bricks from my neighbour's house. I make it a point of principle never to pay for any paving materials, but just scavenge where I can. I really don't do it properly, no spirit level for me, just make the ground roughly level and plonk things down - life's too short to be a professional builder as well as everything else. The plants on the left are courgettes, which are growing well now.


Today we picked lots (and lots) of lettuce, plus some spinach. I am keeping a record of pickings and working out retail prices of our crops, so for May the value was £29.00 which is pretty good for a fairly quiet month in vegetable terms. June will be a lot higher.

The wild rose on my plot has opened its first flowers, it has a weeping willow kind of shape and is really pretty when all the flowers are on it.
This is pink hawthorn which is now covering a number of the hawthorn trees nearby.
Finally, for the "ah" factor, here is a new foal I saw for the first time this afternoon. It was hard to get a picture as his mum generally kept him away by putting herself between us and him, but eventually he got brave and came round for a look at us.
Original Article Here

Chimney Soot, Flowers and Vegetables

I learned from the TV programme The Victorian Farm that coal soot was put on roses to prevent blackspot, so I thought I'd give it a try. This morning I carefully brushed some soot from my chimney and sprinkled it on the ground. It does make sense - I remember my grandfather complaining when I was a child that roses were not doing as well now fewer people were using coal - the sulphur apparently dealt with fungal diseases well. I'll let you know the result - hope to have good pictures of flowers in June.



On to the flowers - pink columbine (aquilegia). Round here these self-seed, I have mostly blue but also this pretty pale pink one. I also discovered a new dark pink one which wasn't there last year!


The woodruff is now in full bloom, with columbines growing through it in places. I don't think it's ever been as good as this. I planted it because the soil here is very poor, getting all the afternoon sun in the summer and the plant helps to prevent evaporation from the soil.


On to the vegetables now - the runner beans (below) and courgettes were putting roots out of their coir pots so I decided to get them in. The courgettes are under a cloche as they need a bit more heat to get going, but the runner beans (white emergo) have plenty of time so I've left them without protection. I have built two wigwams out of (domestically grown) willow and added a liberal amount of horse manure to the soil to help them along. We get free horse manure at the allotment (unlike our MPs who seem to spend a lot of our money on it!) - apparently it is pretty much impossible for local farmers/stables to sell it due to new regulations so every so often a new, steaming pile is dumped by the gate. It's good stuff, once rotted down for a year.



I also sowed some coriander today, from seed I saved from last year's crop - here's the bundle I hung up to dry in the house. You can just see the courgettes in the cloche behind it.


The lettuce is huge now and I decided to remove the cloche today, so they get watered naturally tomorrow. This is called Salad Bowl, and is a regular picking variety.


The Worcester Pearmain apple tree is in full flower now:


And finally, here is a close up of the whinberries which are flowering. Also known as bilberries, they are the native British blueberry equivalent. There are a lot of them on the moors round here, and I do go picking them in the summer. The flowers are very unobtrusive, but pretty when you look at them close up.


We have rain forecast for the next couple of days, so I got the organic slug pellets out and did my best to protect the runner beans, courgettes and lettuce from the coming onslaught. I just hope the toads and frogs will be equally active!


Posting may be sparse for the next couple of days due to the rain, sorry! I have to say that after my great gardening/walking spree over the last few days I'm looking forward to having a couple of days off - I'm knackered...

Original Article Here

Rajasthan Govt. initiates new, effective steps in agriculture sector

New Delhi, Dec.27 (ANI): The Ashok Gehlot-led Government has initiated effective steps in the agriculture sector soon after taking over the reins of the administration, which have been praised by one and all.

On the one hand a new tradition of honouring farmers started for the first time in the country, while on the other hand concrete efforts were made for continuous increase in agriculture production. Rajasthan got the first prize of Rs. one crore cash for maximum production of pulses in the country and proved that the desert state could also set new record through miraculous increase in production.

Rajasthan is the first state in the country to honour progressive farmers. Cash prize and certificate are awarded to the farmers adopting new techniques of agriculture and thereby increasing their production. At the state level two farmers are given a prize of Rs. 50 thousand each, at district level Rs. 25 thousand each, while at the panchayat samiti level Rs.10,000 each cash prize is given to two farmers. The Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot awarded the prize to 496 progressive farmers for the year 2009 to 2011-12.

The State Government has constituted the Rajasthan Kisan Commission for improving the condition of farmers and finding effective solution to problems related to loan to farmers, price of produce, mandi arrangements, agriculture production export, agro-based industries, agriculture labourers etc. The Commission has started functioning and it submitted its first interim report to the Chief Minister on June 21, 2012.

Under the pulses, crops sowing had been done in 47.22 lakh hectare area in the year 2010-11 against the sowing done in 35 lakh hectare area on an average from 2005-6 to 2009-10. This sowing has been about 33% more than the average. Similarly from the point of production also the average production from the year 2005-6 to 2009-10 was 12.92 lakh metric tonne. Against this, the production in 2010-11 was 32.32 lakh metric tonne, which was about two and half times more than the average production of five years. Likewise the average productivity of pulses in five years (2005-6 to 2009-10) has been 365 kg. per hectare, while in the year 2010-11, this productivity has been 684 kg. per hectare, which is twice more than the average productivity of five years.

The State Government received the Rs.one crore cash prize from the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Shri Sharad Pawar for maximum production in pulses in the year 2010-11.The State Government has also not lagged behind in providing compensation to the farmers grappling with the situation of famine. Over Rs.798 crores assistance was provided for the first time under the agriculture input subsidy @ Rs.2000 per hectare to the famine affected small and marginal farmers in the year 2009-10.

The agriculture insurance scheme has been lunched to reduce the risk in agriculture and to compensate the farmers for the damage caused to the crops due to adverse weather. Under the scheme compensation of Rs.1773.70 crores was provided 28.60 lakh farmers from kharif-2008 to rabi-2009. Similarly compensation of Rs. 969.27 crores was provided to 59.32 lakh farmers under the weather based crop insurance scheme from kharif-2008 to rabi-2011.

With the view to ensure the time bound development of agriculture, the State Government has constituted a task force for formulation of agriculture policy. This policy is being given final shape. The State Government has also made a provision to provide incentive amount to the girls students pursuing B.Sc., M.Sc. and P.hd. courses in agriculture. With the view to inform farmers about the modern techniques of agriculture, publicize agriculture schemes in rural areas and to provide agriculture inputs to the farmers, camps are organized at the gram panchayat level before kharif and rabi season. In these camps more than 46 lakhs farmers have participated in the last three years.

The State Government has made concrete efforts to help the farmers through steps to improve the quality of soil, distribution of high breed seeds, fertilizers and for ensuring the optimal utilization of water in the agriculture sector. New Agriculture Colleges have been setup under the Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner and Agriculture University, Udaipur.Effective steps have also been taken in the agriculture marketing sector. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Krishak Saath Yojana, assistance of Rs. one lakh is provided to the dependent of the farmers and agricultural labourers who died, while performing agricultural work. Under the scheme over 8556 farmers have been benefited upto August, 2012 and assistance of Rs. 3584.89 lakh provided.

Over Rs.551.03 crores have been spent on development works of mandi yards under the Krishi Upaj Mandi Samiti in the state. Of which Rs.338.83 crores have been spent on building construction and Rs.212.20 crores on construction and repair of roads. Pack houses have started operating at Chomu, Muhana and Sohela (Tonk), while the work of construction of cold storage of 4000 metric tone capacity has been completed in Jhalawar. Under the Agricultural Processing and Agriculture Business Promotion Policy-2010, a total of 643 proposals have been received most of which are related to the setting up of agriculture based industries.

Keeping in view the conservation of water in the state, sprinkler plants have been setup in 40274.30 hectare area from December, 2008 to August, 2012 and mini-sprinklers and drip irrigation in 57046.70 hectare area under the micro irrigation scheme. Sixty percent subsidy is provided in sprinklers, 70 percent in mini-sprinklers and 90 percent subsidy in drip irrigation in the state. New fruit gardens has been setup in 36328.94 hectare area in order to expand the area under horticulture. Over 261 green houses have been developed so that farmers could reap crops of high value in adverse climate also and earn a good income. Besides 1909 watershed structures have been constructed in the state in order to collect rain water and to get conserved water for horticulture crops. Over 2968 vermi compost units have also been setup so as to ensure that the farmers get domestic manure in good quantity on his farm.

With the view to implement agriculture activities effectively and to ensure the benefits of agriculture schemes and latest information of agriculture reach to the farmers, new posts of Agriculture Supervisors and Assistant Agriculture Officers have been created. For the first time after 1973, over 750 posts of Assistant Agriculture Officers have been created for the welfare of farmers and development of agriculture in the state. Positive results of these efforts have started showing up. Today Rajasthan is touching new heights in agriculture production with the hard work of farmers and patronage of State Government and this success is being recognized at the national level. (ANI)

Original Article Here

Afghanistan agriculture

For many years Afghanistan was known for its vigorous agricultural production. The country grew more wheat and fruit than it could consume and exported the surplus.

Terrible changes began in 1979, with Soviet helicopters thundering across the sky and mortar fire shattering the peace.

The Soviet invasion triggered years of terrible upheaval that destroyed not only much of the agricultural infrastructure but also the knowledge that provided its foundation. Afghan agriculture was bludgeoned back to primitive conditions.

This reversal has been so great that in 2012, most Afghan farmers “are barely subsistence farmers,” said Lt. Col. Lynn Heng, commander of a 58-member Nebraska Army National Guard unit — Agribusiness Development Team No. 2 — that spent nine months in Afghanistan during 2011-12.

“When you have 30 years of war and lose a couple of generations of farming knowledge, this is what happens,” Heng told The World-Herald last April, when his team returned from their mission to help Afghan farmers.

Now, more than three decades after that period of turmoil began, Midlanders are among the Americans who have been helping the Afghans slowly regain farming knowledge. A new report from the Pentagon looks at the range of conditions in Afghanistan, and the section on agriculture describes the importance of the farm sector to Afghanistan’s well-being.

“Approximately 80 percent of Afghans’ livelihoods are directly linked to agriculture,” the report says. “Agribusiness development is a key driver to increasing overall economic growth and per capita gross domestic product of the rural population of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan has been fortunate this year that above-average precipitation has helped boost crop yields significantly, the report says. As a result, the country has greatly reduced its cereal imports.

There’s been progress on other ag fronts too. Afghanistan this year has achieved “an increase in livestock births, greater milk production, enhanced food security and improved household nutrition.”

Among the issues that Americans have been helping Afghan farmers with, the report says, are wheat and vegetable production, orchard and vine crops, grain storage trials, productivity improvement, marketing and post-harvest storage.

U.S. support has helped Afghans establish more than 211,000 orchards that have exported 120 tons of fresh fruit.

One of the main obstacles to further progress is limited access to credit. And an inadequate supply of water, the report says, is “the major limiting factor in Afghan agricultural production.” More efficient use of water is a major focus of U.S. advisers.

There’s an odd omission in the Pentagon report: It speaks at length about the activities in Afghanistan of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it fails to mention the ag-related work by National Guard teams such as those from Nebraska and Iowa.

These Midlanders have focused on many of the problems highlighted in the Department of Defense report. Since 2009, Nebraska has sent three National Guard teams to Afghanistan as part of the ag-support effort. Assistance from Iowa’s Army and Air National Guard has included the Guard’s 734th Agribusiness Development Team.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln helped out, too. Its agricultural extension agents helped train the Guard team, and UNL Extension educator Vaughn Hammond went with Heng’s team to Afghanistan, helping with issues including beekeeping, fruit production and composting.

Last spring, Heng, Hammond and their colleagues returned home from their mission. Gov. Dave Heineman told them, “Your mission helped ensure the stability of a country and its people that have seen difficult days.”

The governor’s words ring true. Midlanders can take pride in helping plant these seeds of knowledge. May their fruit continue to yield progress in that troubled land.

Original Article Here

Minister of Agriculture asks to tighten food security control

On December 24, over a month before the Lunar New Year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development met to discuss the measures to control the quality of agricultural products and foodstuffs. 

According to the Department of Plant Protection, it collected 400 samples of fresh fruits and vegetables for testing. Sixteen samples were detected with pesticide residue exceeding the permitted level, accounting for 4 percent. The test of nearly 700 samples of pesticides revealed 11 imported samples of poor quality.

The Department’s chief Nguyen Xuan Hong said the percentage of vegetable contaminated with pesticide residue in Vietnam is relatively high compared with other countries. "From now to the lunar New Year, the Department will collect many more samples from wholesale markets for testing, will increase checks and tighten quarantine," Hong said.

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry, the widespread use of banned substances in animal husbandry, aquaculture production makes consumers confused. 

Currently, this situation has been closely tightened but the time before the lunar New Year is the sensitive time that the use of banned substances in animal husbandry, aquaculture production may increase. In addition, this is also the time that livestock epidemics can break out due to weather changes and the increase of slaughter and transport of livestock and poultry. 

Compiled by Le Ha

Original article Here

7 Health Benefits of Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is the most popular melon in the United States. It was originally cultivated in Persia some 5,000 years ago. Traditionally, the term "cantaloupe" has referred to the variety of melon with orange flesh and a non-netted style of shell, a type more common in Europe. However, "cantaloupe" is now synonymous with the muskmelon, the netted shell version most common to most U.S. consumers.

Here are 7 health benefits of cantaloupe:

Cancer Prevention

Cantaloupe provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support considered essential to reducing the risk of cancer. While cantaloupe is considered a good addition to a cancer-conscious diet, specific studies on the relationship between eating cantaloupe and preventing cancer are still needed.

High in Antioxidants

Cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C, providing about 100% the DV of each per one cup serving. These powerful antioxidants help fight free radical damage to the cells and thereby reduce the risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and a variety of other health problems. They are also thought to slow the aging process of nearly every part of the body and each body system.

Immune System Support

The vitamin content in cantaloupe is believed to provide a good boost to the immune system. It may help ward off the common cold and other viral infections as well as reduce the risk of long-term sickness and disease.

Anti-Inflammatory

Cantaloupe contains a wide range of phytonutrients that have anti-inflammatory properties. Regular consumption of cantaloupe may help prevent chronic inflammation to the body's systems as well oxidative stress to the joints and muscles throughout the body. This is critical to warding off cardiovascular disease and arthritis.

Eye Health

The vitamin C and vitamin A obtained from cantaloupes can play key roles in the long lasting health of the eyes. They help keep the eyes strong and reduce the risk of age-related eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration.

Skin Health

Food high in antioxidants, particularly vitamin A and C, can help slow the aging process of the skin. They help keep the skin moisturized and healthy, reduce wrinkles and even protect from sun damage and skin cancer.

Diabetes

Studies on animals have shown that cantaloupe may help the body regulate blood sugar and improve insulin metabolism. It has shown to improve insulin resistance in animals with diabetes as well as prevent oxidative stress to the kidneys.

25 Quotes About Apples

"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." -- Carl Sagan

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why." -- Bernard M. Baruch

"Why not upset the apple cart? If you don't the apples will rot anyway." -- Frank A. Clark

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love." -- Song of Solomon 2:5

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." -- Robert H. Schuller

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." -- Martin Luther

"Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?" -- Chuck Palahniuk

"The sweeter the apple, the blacker the core. Scratch a lover and find a foe!" -- Dorothy Parker

"When the apple is ripe it will fall." -- Irish proverb

"Ever since Eve started it all by offering Adam the apple, woman's punishment has been to supply a man with food then suffer the consequences when it disagrees with him." -- Helen Rowland

"Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." -- Jane Austen

"In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally." -- William Somerset Maugham

"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall." -- Che Guevara

"I tell you, all politics is apple sauce." -- Will Rogers

"Almost all wild apples are handsome. They cannot be too gnarly and crabbed and rusty to look at. The gnarliest will have some redeeming traits even to the eye." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"From my experience with wild apples, I can understand that there may be reason for a savage’s preferring many kinds of food which the civilized man rejects. The former has the palate of an outdoor man. It takes a savage or wild taste to appreciate a wild fruit." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"It is remarkable how closely the history of the Apple-tree is connected with that of man." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"The flowers of the apple are perhaps the most beautiful of any tree's, so copious and so delicious to both sight and scent." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"What a healthy out-of-door appetite it takes to relish the apple of life, the apple of the world, then!" -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

"Thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes." Robert Greene (1590), Arcadia

"Pessimism is as American as apple pie - frozen apple pie with a slice of processed cheese." -- George Will

"My dear, since Eve picked the apple no woman’s ever been taken entirely unawares.... When a woman’s kissed it’s because, deep down, she wants to be kissed." -- Philip Dunne

"Why do we need so many kinds of apples? Because there are so many folks. A person has a right to gratify his legitimate taste. If he wants twenty or forty kinds of apples for his personal use…he should be accorded the privilege. There is merit in variety itself. It provides more contact with life, and leads away from uniformity and monotony." -- Liberty Hyde Baily

The Future of Agriculture Is Not Conventional

This organic nonsense has to stop. I'd like to politely request that those who don't know agriculture cease writing about it as though they do, stoking an already divisive debate that misses the heart of the problem we face: We're not sure how we should be growing food, and thus we're not sure how to eat.

Anyone who suggests that a crop can be raised without the provision of nutrients and pest management should not opine on agriculture. Roger Cohen, I'm talking to you.

Saturday's opinion piece in the New York Times, "The Organic Fable," shows me just how far off course the discussion of agricultural production has gotten, because it spreads misinformation and focuses squarely on the wrong problem. If we continue to debate organic versus conventional, continue to view food choices as an emblem of class, and continue to use the nine billion future people of the world as a gauntlet that the human race must run, we are in trouble because the question is not first about production. It's about distribution.

We produce enough to feed 1.3 billion more people than we actually do. And that's in American proportions. In 2000, the USDA reported that Americans consumed almost 2,000 pounds of food per person per year. Meanwhile, 1.3 billion tons of global food production goes to waste each year. Production by any method, standard or label is not our most pressing problem.

Getting production where it is needed and wanted is another story. We've got a billion or so people on this planet consuming too much of the wrong kinds of calories and another approximate billion getting too few of the right nutrients. Most food production happens far from population centers, and timing is everything, whether you're moving kale to market or wheat to a mill, so properly matching supply with demand is tricky. Here we are in 2012, endowed with information and technology that together can make just about any transaction instantaneous. Yet we rely on supply chains that emerged in the 19th century to connect us with our food.

The diversity that agricultural products present complicates matters too. Because of weather, seed variety, origin, soil conditions and a host of other factors, not every tomato tastes the same and sweet corn from my home state of Minnesota is like corn from nowhere else. I value that distinction in my food.

On the whole, our economy does not.

We produce and consume food within a structure that was built for undifferentiated, commodity products. The processes that move vast amounts of crops from harvest, to processing, to wholesale, to retail, to you, keep the producer and the consumer conveniently separated -- by about $0.84 for every dollar you spend. The anonymous middle of merchants, distributors, sellers and superstores has driven consumers to rely on certifications like organic to tell them more about the products they're buying than anyone else will. Producers, in turn, seek that certification as a way to distinguish their products in the marketplace.

Because so far they are all we've had to rely on to see something, anything, through the haze of the modern food system, labels have an inflated value. But don't let that fool you into thinking that only spoiled rich folks, as Cohen would have it, feel strongly about the short- and long-term effects their food has on themselves, their families and their environments.

Look at Growing Power, where Will Allen has built an urban farming empire-of-everyman. Look at the Bed-Stuy CSA of Brooklyn, where middle income families subsidize shares so their lower income neighbors can participate in getting food directly from farms. Look at the verdant farmers market culture in northern Iowa. Look at the efforts of farmers in Tchula, Mississippi, to grow food -- not corn, not soy, not cotton -- to feed their county first, and everyone else they can thereafter.

If anything, the debate surrounding how we produce and move food should unite us. Articles like Cohen's are a soap box, and soak up our energy with debate when they should instead focus on shared principles: sufficient food to feed our people, production technology and innovation (from nutrient-rich composting techniques and drip irrigation, to GPS systems in John Deere tractors) that facilitate efficient and sufficient food production, soil and water systems that promise years and years of sustained agricultural production, and access for every single person to the abundance that we now know, but that our great-grandparents did not.

The science should focus on how we get there. I'd like to see, for example, a comparison of per-acre nutrient yields and revenue for six different production systems: conventional and certified organic commodity, conventional and certified organic fruit and vegetable under mass production, conventional but diversified fruit and vegetable production, and fruit and vegetable production under what we might call "beyond organic," "practical," "sustainable" or whatever term most effectively conveys the rational approach of a growing number of farmers to use the best means they have to produce a crop that is healthy, high-yielding and good to eat. Personal experience suggests that the last of these, which takes place right now on small- and mid-sized enterprises, is our greatest hope.

The future may not be organic but it is also not conventional. We should set aside the debate about organics and start identifying at a large scale an alternative path for the production, distribution, purchase and consumption of the food that we all rely on for sustenance.

Original Article Here

What’s the U.S.D.A. Afraid Of? Not Me!

By MARK BITTMAN

“Hi, U.S.D.A.? This is Mark Bittman calling.”

My column this week is about a “lovers’ quarrel” between the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (N.C.B.A.) and the Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.). Following the withdrawal of an article in an internal U.S.D.A. newsletter supportive of Meatless Mondays – an occurrence that appears to have been directly triggered by an angry rant by the N.C.B.A.’s president – I asked both organizations for interviews; both declined. Here are the questions I had for the U.S.D.A.:

“The Department may not officially endorse Meatless Mondays, but does it not acknowledge that the reasons given in [the newsletter] for eating less meat are valid? If they are valid (and they are widely recognized to be), then why won’t the Department support eating less meat, or no meat one day per week? Isn’t that part of your mission?”

“Do you accept that some or all Americans might be at risk from the environmental threats posed by producing so much meat? If so, is it the U.S.D.A.’s job to try to mitigate those threats?”

“American meat consumption has dropped over the last handful of years. Are you concerned about this? Should we be eating more meat? The Cattlemen seem to think so.”

“Might you support a program aimed at getting Americans to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes on Mondays?”

“Is it more important to support meat producers than those who produce other crops? The U.S.D.A. supports a balanced diet, but it doesn’t appear to be giving balanced support. Could you comment on that?”

This was the spokesman’s response:

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your note as I know you follow ag/nutrition issues closely. After reviewing your questions, I believe the best resource I can point you to is the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which USDA and HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] work together to establish every five years as federal nutrition guidance. I think you know that this effort is led by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), and I checked in with Rob Post, who helps lead this agency. Below is information he provided to me. Wanted to send your way.

Attributable to Rob Post, CNPP:

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is based on the most recent scientific evidence review, provides information and recommendations for choosing a healthy eating pattern that focuses on nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and that contributes to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The evidence supporting the Guidelines (at Nutrition Evidence Library.gov) was analyzed and concluded by an external committee of renown experts in nutrition and health. The Committee determined that a healthy eating pattern is not a prescription. Thus, the Guidelines emphasize that cultural and taste preferences should be considered in the effort to choose healthful foods across all food groups that are more nutrient-dense and lower in calories from added sugars and solid fats, and lower in sodium, while staying within calorie needs. Therefore, there is a great deal of flexibility in forming a healthy eating pattern that abides by the nutritional science, and that accommodates personal taste and cultural preferences. USDA promotes flexibility in eating patterns and not dictating choices. For those consumers who prefer meat as a choice from the protein foods group, the SuperTracker enables them to build a healthy eating pattern, including lean and extra lean meat at the appropriate amounts, while staying within calorie limits and limits for added sugars, solid fats, and sodium.
Hope this is helpful, Mark!

So, rather than answer any of my questions, the U.S.D.A. gave me a one-paragraph primer on the latest version of its Dietary Guidelines for Americans (which, for the record, tells us to reduce our intake of saturated fats, and eat more fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables). If you’re eating more of all of that stuff, what might you possibly have to eat less of to make room for it?

I don’t know. They won’t tell me. Or anyone else.

While we’re at it, here’s the original N.C.B.A. release that caused the U.S.D.A. to retract its Meatless Monday support. (What happened to the poor, well-intentioned soul who wrote that?)

USDA Supports Meatless Monday Campaign

NCBA Questions USDA’s Commitment to U.S. Cattlemen

WASHINGTON (July 25, 2012) – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President J.D. Alexander said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent announcement that the agency embraces the “Meatless Monday” concept calls into question USDA’s commitment to U.S. farmers and ranchers. USDA stated “one simple way to reduce our environmental while dining at our cafeteria is to participate in the “Meatless Monday” initiative,” which Alexander said is an animal rights extremist campaign to ultimately end meat consumption.

“This is truly an awakening statement by USDA, which strongly indicates that USDA does not understand the efforts being made in rural America to produce food and fiber for a growing global population in a very sustainable way,” said Alexander. “USDA was created to provide a platform to promote and sustain rural America in order to feed the world. This move by USDA should be condemned by anyone who believes agriculture is fundamental to sustaining life on this planet.”

USDA goes one step further in its quest to reduce meat consumption, according to Alexander, by specifically calling out beef and dairy production as harmful to the environment. Additionally, the USDA cites health concerns related to the consumption of meat. These concerns are not at all based in fact, according to Alexander, but simply spout statistics and rhetoric generated by anti-animal agriculture organizations. The fact is the consumption of beef is not only healthy, but the carbon footprint of the production of beef has dramatically decreased as a result of innovative environmental stewardship implemented by America’s farm and ranch families throughout the country.

“Today’s cattlemen are significantly more environmentally sustainable then they were 30 years ago. A study by Washington State University found that today’s farmers and ranchers raise 13 percent more beef from 13 percent fewer cattle. When compared with beef production in 1977, each pound of beef produced today produces 18 percent less carbon emissions; takes 30 percent less land; and requires 14 percent less water,” said Alexander. “When it comes to health, beef has an amazing story to tell. Beef is a naturally nutrient-rich food, helping you get more nutrition from the calories you take in.”

Alexander said NCBA will not remain silent as USDA turns its back on cattlemen and consumers.

And here’s the substantive part of my exchange with that organization:

M.B.: Is there someone who might like to speak with me about your position on meat consumption?

N.C.B.A.: U.S.D.A. just came out and publicly said they do NOT support Meatless Monday and pulled the statement from its website. We don’t have much to say now.

M.B.: If I wanted to interview someone about this? On the record?

N.C.B.A.: We spoke to The New York Times yesterday about this issue. Since we are at summer conference this week, I’m going to pass on this.

M.B.: I’ll just take that as a “declined to comment.”

N.C.B.A.: That’s not accurate. We already commented to your outlet — The New York Times. Plus our comments are stated in the two statements we issued yesterday. Our stance is also clearly defined on www.explorebeef.org.

End of “conversation.” I suppose you could accurately say that the N.C.B.A. didn’t decline to “comment”; rather, they declined to speak with me or answer specific questions.

Same as the U.S.D.A.

Original Article Here

Agriculture grants mean more veggies, fruits for students

From apples to zucchini, children at select schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties can look forward to more fresh fruits and vegetables on their snack trays this fall, thanks to a State Department of Agriculture grant.

About 155 schools in 18 counties, including Lakewood’s Early Childhood Centers 1, 2 and 3 and Long Branch’s West End School, have been awarded thousands in grant funds through the state Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, the state announced Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated $3.9 million for the state program.

The program provides funds for districts to purchase fresh produce and offer nutrition education.

At Lakewood schools, where more than 80 percent of children receive a free lunch because of their families’ income level, the roughly $175,000 grant will expand the program to the district’s youngest students, says Armida Caldwell, food services director in Lakewood schools.

Caldwell, who is a general manager at Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexo food services, says the district has turned bagged snacks into education, from geography lessons on the fruits’ places of origin to math problems that involve counting the fruits. Healthy snacks offered have ranged from asparagus and broccoli to Asian apple pears and Jicama, Caldwell said.

“Sometimes there isn’t the money to buy the fresh produce at the grocery stores – the most inexpensive food to buy is the processed food, the chips, the cookies,” Caldwell said, adding the district tries to buy locally whenever possible. “This program will expose them to it, they’ll grow a taste for it.

“We’ll even hear from the teachers that the students will know things in the produce aisle now and ask: ‘Can you buy the broccoli, mom?’ ” Caldwell said. “They make better choices outside of school, too.”

Nearly 3,600 district pre-K through sixth-grade students will now be served by the program, Caldwell said, including at Clifton Avenue Grade School and Ella G. Clarke Elementary school.

Almost 76,000 students statewide will benefit from the program this year. Last year, 143 schools in 16 counties were served, according to the state.

“The program has changed the school environment for the better, with children at one school we visited referring to the fresh produce as ‘treats,’ ” said Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher in a prepared statement. “It is a hands-on way of teaching students about good nutrition and creating good food habits that will last them a lifetime.”

Original Article Here