By Carey Gillam

Thu Apr 25, 2013

* Study says chemical residues linked to disease

* Roundup developer Monsanto says glyphosate is safe

* Researchers say more study is needed

April 25 (Reuters) - Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.

GENEVA (18 April 2013) – A group of United Nations independent experts on extreme poverty, indigenous peoples, right to food and foreign debt called on the Word Bank to adopt human rights standards this weekend, during the review of its environmental and social policies—also known as ‘safeguard policies’—which apply to project finance.

“All activities supported by the World Bank, not only its investment lending, should be included in the review to ensure consistency with international human rights standards,” the rights experts urged. “Doing so would improve development outcomes and strengthen the protection of the world’s poorest from unintended adverse impacts of activities financed by the Bank.”

Press Release

March 15, 2013

Group challenge candidates to promote safe food and help stop Golden Rice

Today, on the occasion of World Consumers Day, farmers, scientists, consumers and children challenged all candidates, especially those seeking senate and congressional posts, to promote safe food and help stop the planned commercialization of Golden Rice.

In a press conference led by the Resistance and Solidarity against Agrochemical TNCs (RESIST Agrochem TNCs!), the group called on the government of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to immediately call off the planned commercialization of Golden Rice and instead promote safe and sustainable food production.

The ETC Group last week issued a report warning that six multinational “Gene Giants” control the current priorities, and future direction, of agriculture research worldwide. The companies – Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow, Monsanto, and DuPont – control 59.8 percent of commercial seeds and 76 percent of agrochemicals. The same six companies also account for at least 76 percent of all private sector research and development in these two sectors.

The report takes a critical look at new initiatives launched by the Gene Giants, including plans to address post-patent genetically modified (GM) seeds, as well as the recent collaboration between Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, and CIMMYT. Silvia Ribeiro, ETC’s Latin America director, said, “The notion that farmers in the South will benefit from post-patent GE seeds is patently absurd. Under the guise of charity, the Gene Giants are devising new schemes to soften opposition to transgenics and reach new markets. In reality, the Gene Giants don’t have the capacity or the interest to supply the diversity needed in sustainable farming systems or to meet the urgent need for locally adapted varieties, especially in the face of climate change.”

Read ETC Group Report

Indonesia produces plantation white sugar from sugarcane, primarily produced for direct human consumption. Indonesia also produces refined sugar from imported raw sugar, which is generally used for processing by the food and beverage industries.

A total of 375,000 hectares were planted with sugarcane in MY 2012/13, an increase of about 5,000 hectares over the previous year. The additional hectares were primarily on Central Java, Lampung, and South Sulawesi and were driven by favorable weather in MY 2012/13.

Read GAIN Report

Asia-Pacific Research Network

4 March 2013

Threat on Food Security: Trade liberalization will further open the gates of local economies to the tide of cheap agricultural imports that will flood local markets. The so-called “extended intellectual property rights” (EIPR) awarded to corporations, including agricultural giants like Monsanto, can be expected to discourage local agriculture, as proven by various experiences.

The 16 Round of Negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal is taking place in Singapore, from 4-13 March 2013. Three more talks are expected this year before the trade agreement is concluded in time for the APEC Summit in Indonesia in October.

What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated among the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. U.S. negotiators and others describe and envision the TPP as a “comprehensive and high-standard” FTA, presumably because they hope it will liberalize trade in nearly all goods and services and include commitments beyond those currently established in the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has been dubbed as the “gold standard deal of the 21st century” and is seen as a move by the US to bypass the slow-moving negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and create a platform for a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP).

SRI: An Untapped Potential for Food Security

11 - 13 June 2013

Orient Star Resort, Lumut, Perak.

Call for Papers and Participation

SRI 2013 will review the progress on cultivation practices and research findings of SRI Method for rice production in Malaysia, as a follow up to the First National SRI Conference in July 2011. This step would demand further awareness, promotion and dissemination of knowledge on SRI for stakeholders, decision makers, policy makers and farmers in rice production and consumption at all levels.

Download brochure and Registration Form

13 February 2013

The Lao government is aiming to boost rice yields so the crop can be exported, but while harvests are improving, Lao farmers have been unable to reach the targets set in recent years.

Somsavat Lengsavad visits a trade fair held on the sidelines of a national meeting in Khammuan province this week.

In fiscal year 2011-12, the government set the rice production target at 3.6 million tonnes, but the total yield amounted to only 3.4 million tonnes despite the government's efforts to expand farmland and introduce new techniques to enhance yields.

Eric J. Wailes and Eddie C. Chavez

August 2012

ADB Working Paper Series

Rice is the major food staple in ASEAN countries and thus plays a significant role in the food security concerns of the region. The rice price crisis that occurred in 2007 has created a widespread sense of urgency among policy makers and other rice stakeholders to forge coordinated efforts to avoid a repeat of such an experience.

This paper documents the current and projected status of the rice economies in ASEAN countries by assessing their potential supply and demand paths over the next decade. Other Asian nations that have a significant role in the behavior and performance of the global rice economy are also discussed the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as India and Pakistan.

Download ADB Report

Read related article

25 February 2013

Both wheat and corn imports are forecast to grow marginally through 2013/14 due to expansion in the baking and poultry sectors, respectively. Rice imports are expected to remain relatively stable. Rice production (the only grain produced in significant quantities) is forecast to hover around 1.7 million tons. Both the broiler and pork sectors are facing oversupply, which is limiting any additional import demand for corn.

Read GAIN Report