Latest news with #UNFoodandAgricultureOrganisation
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Researchers reveal major losses in Ukraine's agricultural sector caused by full-scale war
As of early 2025, Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered an estimated US$11.2 billion worth of direct losses caused by the full-scale war and temporary occupation of territories. Source: estimates by researchers at Ukraine's Institute of Agrarian Economics Details: The total amount comprises losses from: destruction and damage to agricultural machinery – US$6.5 billion (58%); destruction and disruption of grain storage facilities – US$1.9 billion (17%); theft and loss of production resources and finished products – US$1.9 billion (17%); other damage – US$0.9 billion (8%). The researchers say the largest losses by type of agricultural machinery are: tractors – around 30,000; combine harvesters – 2,500; seeders – 11,000; ploughs – 8,700. Background: In early May, it was reported that the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation will allocate US$150 million to support rural communities in Ukraine affected by the war. The funding is part of a two-year Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan (EERRP). Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Philippines eyes India, Thailand rice to cut Vietnam reliance
A man rests on sacks of rice along a street in Manila on May 9, 2024. Vietnam supplies 90 per cent of the Philippines' rice imports - AFP MANILA: The Philippines, the world's top rice importer, plans to look beyond its dominant supplier, Vietnam, to ensure steady supplies and competitive prices at home. The agriculture department is in talks with private importers on purchases from producers like India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said in an interview on Friday (May 30). There may also be a "deal' with Indonesia and Thailand, he added. "We are trying to diversify sources to keep a level playing field,' Laurel said. Vietnam is "the most reliable' supplier, but the fact that its shipments account for 90 per cent of the Philippines' rice imports could be a "problem' in case of supply shocks, he said. The price of all rice varieties sold by Vietnam rose to a three-month high in April because of an "uptick in buying interest from domestic and offshore traders,' according to data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Affordable prices of the staple grain are central to the agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also helmed the agriculture department before appointing Laurel in November 2023. His government slashed import tariffs from 35 per cent to 15 per cent last year and declared a food security emergency in February to tame runaway prices. That's helped slow overall inflation to its lowest level since 2019, giving the central bank room to further cut interest rates. Laurel expects this year's rice imports will be lower than in 2024 and won't exceed 4.5 million tonnes. His outlook compares with a forecast from the US Department of Agriculture that sees the Southeast Asian nation importing 5.4 million tonnes in 2025. Domestically, the country is on track to produce a record of 20.46 million tonnes in rough rice output this year, the secretary said. Meanwhile, the Philippines is facing a 17 per cent duty on its goods to the US, the lowest rate in South-East Asia - after Singapore - under President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff agenda. Laurel said this presents an opportunity as it could make Filipino shipments to the US, particularly seafood products like tilapia and shrimp, more competitive than those of its neighbors. "If our competitors are slapped with higher tariffs than us, it's fine,' he said. - Bloomberg
Al-Ahram Weekly
21-05-2025
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PHOTO GALLERY: Ethiopia leads the world in working donkeys
Donkeys walk through a busy market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia is thought to have the most donkeys in the world, one in five of the global total according to the United Nations, and they form a vital part of the economy. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says Ethiopia had some 9 million donkeys in 2018. They play a major economic role in the East African country of around 130 million people, ploughing fields and transporting goods. Donkeys offer a cheaper alternative to cars at a time when petrol prices have risen sharply. Donkeys walk through a busy market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia is thought to have the most donkeys in the world, one in five of the global total according to the United Nations, and they form a vital part of the economy. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says Ethiopia had some 9 million donkeys in 2018. They play a major economic role in the East African country of around 130 million people, ploughing fields and transporting goods. Donkeys offer a cheaper alternative to cars at a time when petrol prices have risen sharply. A veterinarian treats a donkey at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP A veterinarian treats a donkey at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Men load bags of fertilizer onto the donkeys at a market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Men load bags of fertilizer onto the donkeys at a market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Donkeys wait to receive care at a clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Donkeys wait to receive care at a clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP A man walks his donkeys after they received treatment from the donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP A man walks his donkeys after they received treatment from the donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Guluma Bayi (L), 38, gets advise from a veterinarian after his donkeys receive care at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP Guluma Bayi (L), 38, gets advise from a veterinarian after his donkeys receive care at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP A veterinarian stands among donkeys at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP A veterinarian stands among donkeys at a donkey clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
A free clinic for donkeys, vital to Ethiopia's economy
At a clinic in Ethiopia's capital, a donkey is complaining as a vet tries to trim his nails. Ethiopia is thought to have the most donkeys in the world - one in five of the global total according to the United Nations - and they form a vital part of the economy. So the Donkey Sanctuary, run by a British charity that operates around the world, has its work cut out at its free clinic near Merkato, Addis Ababa's vast open-air market. Several dozen donkeys were gathered in pens, some agitated and kicking their feet, while others eagerly pounced on food. Caregivers and veterinarians were taking turns treating injuries, colic and eye problems. Guluma Bayi, 38, walked more than an hour and a half with his two donkeys to reach the clinic. "It has been three weeks since my donkeys became sick," he said. "One has a leg problem and the other has a stomach issue." Like the others making the trip, Guluma relies heavily on his donkeys to make a living. He uses them to transport jerrycans of water to sell to his fellow villagers. "After they became ill, I couldn't buy bread for my children," he said. "I begged a guy to bring me here." After successful treatment, Guluma was able to go home with both donkeys. 'A donkey yourself' The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says Ethiopia had some nine million donkeys as of 2018. They play a major economic role in the East African country of around 130 million people, ploughing fields and transporting goods, offering a cheaper alternative to vehicles at a time when petrol prices have risen sharply. "There is a proverb in Ethiopia: if you don't have a donkey, you are a donkey yourself," said Tesfaye Megra, project coordinator for the Donkey Sanctuary, laughing. The charity operates in several regions across the country and opened its Addis Ababa centre in 2007. "They are invaluable animals... and they are suffering while they are providing different services to the community," said Tesfaye. The daily life of donkeys is no picnic. Urban sprawl in the Ethiopian capital has made green spaces increasingly scarce. The loads they carry can be heavy, and many are beaten and badly treated. Another visitor to the clinic, Chane Baye, said he used his two donkeys to carry sacks filled with grain for clients across the city. They allow him to earn between 200 and 400 birr per day (around €1.30 to €2.65) - not bad in a country where a third of the population lives below the World Bank's poverty line of €1.90 per day. The 61-year-old comes roughly every three months to have his donkeys checked - "whenever they start limping or have a stomach problem," he said. "Before this clinic, we used traditional ways to treat them," he added, referring in particular to nails roughly removed from the animals' legs with a knife. He is pleased his donkeys now get professional treatment for wounds and infections. Digestive problems Derege Tsegay, a vet at the sanctuary, performs a routine but unsavoury operation - inserting his gloved-up arm deep into a struggling donkey's rectum. Derege pulls out the large chunk of faeces that had accumulated in the animal's stomach. "It happens often," he said. A shortage of food in the city means donkeys eat whatever they find, often including plastic which can block their digestive system. It's not always pleasant, but he knows how important the work can be for local people. "I am proud of what I am doing... because I am trying to solve the problem of so many owners that rely on their donkeys," he said with a smile.
Al-Ahram Weekly
10-05-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Developing Egypt's date industry - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly
Throughout this year's Ramadan season, ordinarily the peak for date sales in Egypt, a state of stagnation was apparent in the market, according to Mohamed Ibrahim, a wholesale date trader. The increase in date production this year, which exceeded the needs of the domestic market, has led to a 40 per cent drop in prices compared to the previous year. Many buyers have also shown a preference for imported varieties, as these may be produced and packaged to higher quality standards, causing a decline in demand for many of the lower-quality types grown locally. After the Ramadan season, preparations commence for the next production cycle. According to Ibrahim, September marks the harvest of fresh dates, alongside the production of various sun-dried and frozen varieties, completing their maturation from raw fruit to fully ripened dates before being stored. By the time Ramadan approaches, the dates have been meticulously prepared and sold to exporters and companies that incorporate them into food products. The largest share, however, is allocated to local consumption, passing through major traders who distribute them to wholesalers before they ultimately reach retailers and consumers. 'This year, date prices have fallen compared to the previous year, despite rising fuel costs which have driven up transportation expenses,' Ibrahim said. 'As certain varieties require refrigeration from harvest time until they are sold, storage costs have also increased. But the price decline stems from the continued expansion of date cultivation and large-scale production, resulting in a surplus that exceeds local demand and leading to a slowdown in sales.' 'Many wholesalers who invested in Aswan dates last year, bearing the costs of transportation and storage in anticipation of higher returns, have incurred substantial financial losses, as prices have declined sharply due to abundant supply.' According to Mahmoud Khedr, a professor of agriculture at the National Research Centre (NRC) in Cairo, Egypt ranks first globally in date production, yielding approximately 1.9 million tons annually, with nearly 17 million palm trees. Egypt's date production surpasses that of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, and the UAE, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 'There are three main types of dates, including soft varieties characterised by high moisture content, semi-dry varieties with a moderate moisture level, and dry varieties distinguished by their low moisture content. Egypt benefits from a diverse climate that is highly conducive to palm cultivation and the production of all types of dates,' Khedr said. 'In the governorates of Luxor and Aswan, dry date varieties such as Bartamoda and Sakkoty are grown, for example. In Siwa, the Bahariya Oasis, and the New Valley, semi-dry varieties such as Siwy and others are cultivated. Soft varieties such as Bent-Eisha, Samany, and Hayany are grown in governorates like Alexandria, Damietta, and Giza.' 'The distribution is approximately 52 per cent soft dates, 20 per cent semi-dry dates, and three per cent dry dates, and nearly 25 per cent seedling varieties that do not belong to any of the main categories,' he said. 'Although Egypt ranks first in terms of date production, its exports remain minimal. Last year, date exports did not exceed 50,000 tons, for example, attributed to one of the key criticisms of palm cultivation in Egypt, which is the decline in quality. This in turn is linked to several factors, most notably the failure to implement good agricultural practices and the widespread presence of low-quality seedling date varieties.' Khedr stressed the need to apply better agricultural practices in order to open export markets for Egyptian dates. 'It is essential to implement a comprehensive set of practices to improve productivity, preserve existing palm trees, and consequently enhance production, quality, and yield. The first of these practices is proper pruning, as many palm plantations, particularly those in the Bahariya Oasis, do not carry this out. Neglecting it increases the risk of infestation by the red palm weevil and, over time, shortens the expected lifespan of the trees.' Following the pruning process, Khedr recommends preventive measures against weevil infestation, such as spraying insecticides or dusting with agricultural sulphur, especially since the weevils often appear after pruning. Next comes the removal of weeds, a step that many farms overlook, though it is an important one as weeds compete with palm trees and other crops for water and nutrients in the soil. Additionally, they act as hosts and attractants for insects, and some insects secrete substances that hinder root growth, which negatively affects crop productivity. BEST PRACTICES: Obtaining dates of high quality in sufficient amounts requires significant effort and a series of precise steps that must be executed by farmers at specific times, Khedr explained. For example, if a farmer does not climb the male palm tree to collect pollen and then the female tree to pollinate the flowers, the female palm will produce a type of yellow date with low economic value that can only be sold at low prices. Growing dates, regardless of their variety, requires human intervention, as the date palm is a dioecious plant, meaning it is either male or female. Additionally, palms are not attractive to insects, which usually play the role of transferring pollen for plant reproduction. 'One of the common mistakes that hinders the quality and productivity of date palms is when large farms with around 3,000 palms employ only a few workers to complete the pollination process. Reducing the number of workers leads to longer pollen transfer times. Since female flowers can only receive pollen for a maximum of six days, after this period the pollen becomes ineffective. As a result, no fruit is formed, leading to a reduced yield,' Khedr said. 'It is essential properly to select pollen from male palms to achieve excellent fruit after ensuring their colour, length, diameter, and sugar content meet the required standards to produce dates of the same quality. In Egypt, high-quality male date palm varieties have started to spread and play a role in increasing production and improving quality.' 'Besides fruit quality, the seedling varieties also pose one of the biggest challenges to date exports, as they account for 26 per cent of Egypt's date production. Seedling varieties are less desirable for export and are of lower quality compared to main varieties. Investors have begun to avoid planting these seedlings, replacing them with high-quality varieties that are in demand on the market at higher prices. Awareness campaigns organised by the NRC are educating farmers about varieties with high marketing and economic value,' Khedr said. 'It is customary to plant palm trees using palm offsets, with each palm producing between 10 and 15 offsets throughout its life and growing directly under the tree. Planting them offers several advantages. For example, the farmer can identify the type of palm that will grow, something that cannot be known when planting seeds, which may result in an undesired variety. Moreover, a palm grown from a seed will take many years to bear fruit and to determine whether the tree is male or female. It is crucial to know the palm's sex, as a male palm can pollinate up to 25 female palms. Therefore, on a farm with 100 palms, only four male palms will be needed.' 'As a result, planting offsets remains the preferred option, as the farmer knows the palm's sex and the type of its fruit before planting and can begin harvesting fruit within just three years,' he added. Khedr said that there are other best practices sometimes neglected by farmers. 'One of the essential best practices for date palms, often neglected by farmers, is the adjustment and strengthening of the date bunch stalks to prevent them from breaking and causing premature fruit to drop before ripening,' he said. As the fruit grows and its size increases, the weight also increases, making it necessary to tie the stalk to the palm fronds to prevent it from breaking and causing the dates to fall, which reduces the crop yield. There is also the process of removing the fruit, where the farmer removes some of the lower-quality fruit to allow the better dates to receive more nutrients and fertilisers. While the total number of dates decreases, the quality and size of the remaining fruit improves. Larger and higher-quality dates can be sold at higher prices.' 'There are also some common misconceptions among farmers that can harm the palm trees. For example, some believe that irrigating the plants surrounding the palm will be sufficient, but this is a mistake. A palm requires additional amounts of water, approximately three per cent of its annual water needs in winter and up to 14 per cent in summer. Similarly, some farmers think that fertilising the plants around the palm tree benefits it, but a date palm requires a significant amount of nutrients. These include nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and other essential elements, which can easily be depleted as a palm can produce an average of 60 kg of dates a year,' Khedr said. 'Once the fruit has been fertilised and its growth properly ensured, the process of bagging the date bunches must begin. This involves the farmer climbing the palm tree and covering the bunches of dates with bags to protect them from dust and rain and preventing the fruit from becoming mouldy. This practice also helps to ensure high-quality dates.' According to Khedr, these best practices are being applied at the world's largest date palm farm in the Toshka area of Egypt. The farm was established on the orders of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on an area of about 40,000 feddans. It grows all the Egyptian varieties, as well as varieties grown in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, including Al-Segai, Kholas, and Agwa Al-Madina, all of which have also recently been introduced to Egypt. 'The farm is in the Guinness Book of World Records and is expected to include around 2.5 million palms. Currently, 1.8 million palms have been planted, and approximately 700,000 more are being planted. The farm includes varieties that are in demand in Europe, East Asia, and some of the Gulf countries. Efforts are underway to export at least 40 per cent of the farm's production,' Khedr said. Markets: According to Mustafa Assous, head of the Date Palm Processing Department at the Central Date Palm Lab at the Agricultural Research Centre, in addition to exports, creating a larger market for dates and using Egypt's abundant production is eminently possible, especially after the implementation of best agricultural practices. With the government's enhanced focus on the agricultural and food industries, Egypt can successfully localise its date industry. 'More than half of Egypt's date production consists of soft varieties, which spoil quickly and require refrigeration. Incorporating them into the food industry will preserve them from spoilage and add value. There are many date-based products in demand, such as date syrup, date paste (which we currently import), date juice, and other products,' Assous said. 'There are also many semi-dry varieties, such as Upper Egyptian dates, which we export in large quantities and can be incorporated into food products and exported at a higher value. As for dry varieties, these can be processed into date powder or date sugar, which is added to baked goods and other food products.' 'We have more than 15 million date palms in Egypt, and date palm cultivation is growing in Africa and Asia, especially in countries like Thailand, India, China, and Namibia. But Egyptian farmers continue to plant more palms. Focusing on improving date quality through good agricultural practices and replacing undesirable palm varieties is more important than expanding palm cultivation without planning,' he said. 'Even with good agricultural practices in place and higher export rates, some varieties, like dry dates, are still not accepted in markets such as the European ones. Therefore, the benefit lies in incorporating dates into food products.' 'The other issue that must be considered is that many dates can spoil or become infested with weevils due to poor storage. Dates should be frozen and stored at low temperatures, depending on their moisture content. Additionally, date varieties should be sorted before packaging and well-wrapped to protect them from dust and insect infestation, similar to the many date brands that are imported and sold in the Egyptian market, which enjoy high demand despite their high prices.' 'After the establishment of the country's largest date farm in Toshka, this should be followed by refrigerated storage facilities and a factory complex that can incorporate dates into higher-value food products. This will reduce the need to import such processed food products using hard currency and will also generate more foreign currency when exporting processed dates rather than raw agricultural products,' Assous concluded. * A version of this article appears in print in the 8 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
