Latest news with #rows
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Drought-hit raspberry farmers in Serbia fear ‘catastrophic' future
20,000 residents in Arilje seek irrigation systems to support raspberry production ARILJE, Serbia: Facing drought and record heat, raspberry farmers in western Serbia are warning of the worst season in decades for one of the world's largest exporters of the fruit. Under the scorching sun, pickers move through parched raspberry fields in search of the few fruits that have not shriveled to a pea. The dry spell started six weeks early in the region of Arilje, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Belgrade, hitting a harvest already weakened by a late frost which struck while the berries were in bloom. 'I used to be the best picker here, getting 100, even 120 kilos a day. Now I can barely manage 20 or 25,' Ivan Mitic told AFP, as he plucked berries from the occasional healthy branch. Even after he has sorted through several rows in the intense summer heat, the richest raspberries are in short supply, and his fluorescent green tray is left half-filled. 'You just can't pick enough. From five or six rows, you can't even fill one crate,' the 27-year-old picker said. Data published by the World Bank show Serbia was the top global exporter of several frozen berries, including raspberries, in 2023. In 2024 it shipped around 80,000 tons of raspberries, mostly frozen, to major markets including France and Germany last year, according to the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. But it has not rained for almost two months, and with no irrigation systems, Ivan's employer, Mileta Pilcevic, said farmers are experiencing the worst season in 50 years. 'We expected a state of natural disaster to be declared. The heat has been extreme. We thought someone would reach out, but no one has,' Pilcevic said. The third-generation raspberry farmer said his fruits had withered to a fraction of even a poor harvest, where he could expect at least 22 tons. 'This year, after all this drought, I'll be lucky to get five.' Across his three hectares, dead fruit and pale green, unripe berries hang from leaves. June was Serbia's driest month on record, according to meteorologists, with no rain in what is usually the Balkan nation's wettest weeks. 'Due to climate change, climate variability has increased,' University of Belgrade meteorologist Ana Vukovic Vimic said. 'The warm, dry season is getting longer, while peak rainfall has moved from June to May, with the trend continuing toward earlier months,' Vukovic Vimic said. Alongside declining rainfall, the region has warmed dramatically in the last 10 to 20 years — now two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer on average, she said. This summer is predicted to be record-breaking, with its average temperature already 2.5C (4.5F) hotter, the professor said. Serbia's 'red gold' is one of the country's most important export products and is among the many crops stricken by the drier, hotter climate, agricultural economist Milan Prostran said. The berry makes up a third of all fruit exported from the country and was worth around $290 million in 2024, according to the chamber of commerce. This year, drought is likely to drag those figures down. 'Reports from the field suggest this will be one of the worst seasons we have seen, both in yield and fruit quality,' the chamber warned. Prostran said investment in irrigation had been 'completely neglected' in a country with abundant rivers. 'I hope it will receive more attention in the coming years,' he said. 'Catastrophic' consequences The state company in charge of irrigation projects said it is aware of the challenges, noting that irrigated land in Serbia has increased significantly over the past five years. But just over two percent of the land suitable for irrigation had systems in place, the company Srbijavode said in a written statement. Further development is 'crucial to mitigating drought and ensuring stable agricultural production', the company said. But raspberry farmers in the hills of Arilje, already weighed down by three bad seasons, do not have the funds to install the systems themselves. 'Maybe there will be drought next year, maybe not, we don't know,' said Ljube Jakovljevic, who runs a farm neighboring Pilcevic's. On dry days, he hauls water in large canisters by tractor to maintain his two hectares of raspberries. Both Mitic and Pilcevic agree that without help to build irrigation systems, the future of the region's raspberry production, and the 20,000 residents who rely on it, is uncertain. 'The consequences will be catastrophic. We will not be able to survive from this, let alone invest in the next season,' Pilcevic said. – AFP
India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Tamil Nadu to end back-bencher culture with U-shape classroom seating
The Tamil Nadu government has introduced a new seating arrangement in classrooms to eliminate the traditional concept of back benchers and encourage a more inclusive and engaging learning last week, Ramavilasom Vocational Higher Secondary School (RVHSS) in Valakom school in Kerala adapted this model inspired by a the new approach in Tamil Nadu schools, students will be seated in a U-shape or 'pa'-shape (in Tamil), ensuring that every child remains visible and heard. This arrangement is being implemented on a pilot basis and may be expanded depending on the The model aims to foster conversation-based learning, improve teacher-student interaction, and ensure that no student is left out due to seating position.A MOVE TO END CLASSROOM HIERARCHYThe U-shape seating format is expected to help teachers maintain eye contact with all students, monitor classroom behaviour more efficiently, and reduce the sense of hierarchy that often comes with rows and columns of to an official press release from the Tamil Nadu government, 'Every voice should be heard and seen. Learning should become a conversation, not a lecture.'The decision reflects a broader push towards student-centric education models that encourage participation, equal opportunity, and interactive teaching BASED ON CLASSROOM SIZEThe number of students accommodated in each classroom will depend on the physical size of the classroom, ensuring that the new seating does not compromise comfort or emphasised that the focus is on creating an environment where all students can actively take part in discussions and engage with both peers and PROJECT FIRST, THEN POSSIBLE EXPANSIONThe new seating model will first be rolled out as a pilot programme, giving the state an opportunity to assess its effectiveness before it is implemented on a larger the model proves to be successful, it may redefine classroom dynamics across Tamil Nadu's schools, promoting a more inclusive and responsive learning space for all students.- Ends
IOL News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Don't overcommit, warns Sello as Gallants change hands
Marumo Gallants head coach Lafitte Alexandre, chairman Abram Sello and assitant coach Julen Outrebon. Photo: BackpagePix Image: Backpagepix Maumo Gallants chairman Abram Sello is like a cat with nine lives - he continues to survive the whirlwind of businessmen who buy a PSL status only to fail in the end. Sello burst into the local football scene in 2021 after buying the status of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila who had just bought Bidvest Wits. His joy in top-flight football was short-lived due to poor administration, resulting in Gallants being relegated to the second tier division after two seasons. Sello's bogus administration then included being unable to cater for the team's needs on the continent during their CAF Confederation Cup's campaign As such, this resulted in two club officials being detained in Libya due to the money Sello owed to a notorious businessman who had footed his hotel bill. Before the season ended, the club and the players were allegedly on loggerheads over bonus rows after the team qualified for the Confederation Cup semi-final. Sello stayed for one season in the national first division before resurfacing in the top-flight last season after buying the status of Moroka Swallows. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Bahlabane Ba Ntwa have retained their status in the top-flight, but the sale and purchase of status in the statuses during winter transfer window has continued willy-nilly. As such, Gallants will have arch-rivals Siwelele FC in Bloemfontein next season after the son of sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, Calvin Le John, bought SuperSport United. Sello, though, has advised what Le John and other new chairmen must do and avoid in order not to make the same mistake he did when he arrived in the PSL. 'The challenge at the top, as we know, is finance,' Sello said. 'Finance can be run by an individual - auditors - so get the right people to advise you. 'Secondly, commit what you can. Don't be overwhelmed and sit at the corner and satisfy conditions that'll haunt you. Yes must be yes, and no must be no. 'Don't look at what the club has been doing - look at what you can do, who's advising you and the calibre of players you keep at the club.' Sello added it's hard to run a football club without a sponsor in the PSL, and that's why some bosses end up forking up monies from their own pockets to run operations. 'This is a very difficult position to be in,' Sello admitted. 'Our chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, used to say as a chairman you are always working hard. 'You throw your last cent into the club. When your son comes and asks for R5 you say you don't have it, but when a player asks for R6 you give him immediately. 'So, that's how it is. It is about passion and developing other people's careers. But it's not a child's play - it's very difficult, especially financially. 'You have to prove that you can get the sponsors, and all those particular things. But at the end of the day, you go home with your subsidies to supplement the monthly grant. 'It's not as easy as one may think. It's nice to watch the game on TV, but to run things behind the scenes, you definitely don't sleep.' Now a bit wiser after paying his school fees for misadministration, Sello has revealed how he managed to slightly change things around last season. 'I think the mistake that we do as the leaders of the clubs is to overcommit according to the people you are sourcing,' Sello explained. 'Don't overcommit according to the people you are outsourcing. Don't go over your line of expenditures. Not everybody will laugh. Commit to what you can afford. 'Also, satisfy your people. You are as good as your employees. So, satisfy the people around you. There'll be problems, but be ready to solve them. 'There'll be some disputes, but be ready to go and answer before the disciplinary committee. And amicably sort everything out.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hiding in the fields - farm workers fearing deportation stay in California's shadows
The women crouch down motionless, kneeling between endless rows of fruit bushes, almost hidden from view. "Are you from ICE?" one of the women, a farm worker in a hat and purple bandana, asks us fearfully. After assuring her that we're not with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been raiding nearby farms and arresting workers over the past week, she straightens her back, rising slightly out of the dirt. "Have you seen any ICE vans? Are there patrol cars out there?" she asks, still unsure if we can be trusted and she can emerge. The woman, an undocumented migrant from Mexico, has been picking berries in Oxnard, California since arriving in the US two years ago. It's a town which boasts of being the "strawberry capital of the world". As her work shift ended on Wednesday, she and her co-workers hid in the fields, waiting to be picked up by a friend and unsure whether it was safe to venture out into the parking lot. On the previous day, nine farms in the Oxnard area were visited by ICE agents, say local activists, but without search warrants they were denied entry and instead picked up people on the nearby streets, arresting 35. Jesús polished luxury vehicles at an LA car wash for years. Then ICE showed up Who has been arrested by ICE under Trump? The workplace raids are part of President Donald Trump's goal of arresting 3,000 undocumented immigrants per day. On the campaign trail he had vowed to deport noncitizens accused of violent crimes, a promise that received widespread support, even among some Hispanics. But in Los Angeles there was a public backlash and street protests that sometimes turned violent, prompting him to controversially send in the military to the second largest city in the US. "They treat us like criminals, but we only came here to work and have a better life," says the woman, who left her children behind in Mexico two years ago and hopes to return to them next year. "We don't want to leave the house anymore. We don't want to go to the store. We're afraid they'll catch us." Large-scale raids on workplaces in California's agricultural heartland haven't been seen for the last 15 years, says Lucas Zucker, a community organiser in California's Central Coast region. But that seems to have changed this past week. "They are just sweeping through immigrant communities like Oxnard indiscriminately, looking for anyone they can find to meet their politically-driven quotas," he says. More than 40% of US farmworkers are undocumented immigrants, according to a 2022 report by the US Department of Agriculture. In California, more than 75% are undocumented, according to the University of California, Merced. Raids at farms and businesses that rely on the agricultural industry throughout California, and across the entire country, have ramped up this month. The arrests have raised fears of shortages to America's food supply, if the migrants are arrested or forced into hiding, afraid to come to work. This impact has not been lost on the White House. Despite winning the election decisively after promising mass deportations, Trump on Thursday acknowledged the tough time his crackdown is inflicting on the farming sector. "Our farmers are being hurt badly. You know, they have very good workers. They've worked for them for 20 years. They're not citizens, but they've turned out to be, you know, great." Who has been arrested by ICE under Trump? In April, he said that some migrants may be authorised to continue working in the US, on the condition that they have a formal recommendation from their employer and that they first leave the US. The result of one raid on Tuesday in Oxnard, a municipality 60 miles (100km) from downtown Los Angeles, can be seen in a video posted to Instagram by a local flower merchant. The short clip shows a man running in a vast field of crops, through a haze of thick morning fog, as agents give chase on foot and in trucks. He is then seen falling to the ground, among the rows of plants, as agents move to arrest him. When the BBC visited Oxnard on Wednesday, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) truck was seen parked outside an organic produce trucking company. A security guard insisted their visit was not related to immigration, saying: "This is not ICE. We would never let ICE in here." Many tractors and trucks sat idle surrounded by acres of farmland, as an unknown number of workers chose to stay home. Promise and peril in Newsom's fight with Trump Jesus polished luxury cars in LA - then ICE showed up The impact is having ripple effects on other businesses. Watching from her family's Mexican restaurant, Raquel Pérez saw masked CBP agents attempt to enter Boskovich Farms, a vegetable and herb packing facility across the street. Now her business, Casa Grande Cafe, has only one customer during the normally busy lunch hour, because farm workers have stayed home. She estimates that at least half of her normal clientele are undocumented. "No one came in today," says her mother, Paula Pérez. "We're all on edge." Raquel says she's more concerned now for the future of the restaurant - serving chilaquiles, flan, and other Mexican delicacies - than she was during Covid, when her customers continued their work as usual, keeping the nation supplied with fresh foods. "They don't realise the domino effect this is going to have," she says about the raids. Other companies around her that rely on agriculture have already been affected. The adjacent business buying and selling wooden pallets is closed, and a local car mechanic too. "If the strawberries or vegetables aren't picked, that means there's gonna be nothing coming into the packing houses. Which means there's not gonna be no trucks to take the stuff." A migrant selling strawberries from his truck on the side of the road says the raids have already had a devastating effect - on both his business and his hopes of becoming a legal resident of the US. "Fewer people are going out for trips, and they buy less from me," says Óscar, who comes from the Mexican state of Tlaxcala and, while undocumented himself, has children who were born in the US. "I'm scared, but I can't stop going out to work. I have to provide for my family," he says. Óscar says he has been working to finalise his immigration status, but with ICE agents now waiting outside courthouses for migrants seeking to process paperwork, he's unsure of what to do next. "There aren't many ways left to be here legally." 'Un-American' or 'necessary'? Voters divided on Trump's LA protest crackdown How Trump's immigration raids sparked protests and unrest Newsom v Trump holds promise and peril for California governor
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hiding in the fields - farm workers fearing deportation stay in California's shadows
The women crouch down motionless, kneeling between endless rows of fruit bushes, almost hidden from view. "Are you from ICE?" one of the women, a farm worker in a hat and purple bandana, asks us fearfully. After assuring her that we're not with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been raiding nearby farms and arresting workers over the past week, she straightens her back, rising slightly out of the dirt. "Have you seen any ICE vans? Are there patrol cars out there?" she asks, still unsure if we can be trusted and she can emerge. The woman, an undocumented migrant from Mexico, has been picking berries in Oxnard, California since arriving in the US two years ago. It's a town which boasts of being the "strawberry capital of the world". As her work shift ended on Wednesday, she and her co-workers hid in the fields, waiting to be picked up by a friend and unsure whether it was safe to venture out into the parking lot. On the previous day, nine farms in the Oxnard area were visited by ICE agents, say local activists, but without search warrants they were denied entry and instead picked up people on the nearby streets, arresting 35. Jesús polished luxury vehicles at an LA car wash for years. Then ICE showed up Who has been arrested by ICE under Trump? The workplace raids are part of President Donald Trump's goal of arresting 3,000 undocumented immigrants per day. On the campaign trail he had vowed to deport noncitizens accused of violent crimes, a promise that received widespread support, even among some Hispanics. But in Los Angeles there was a public backlash and street protests that sometimes turned violent, prompting him to controversially send in the military to the second largest city in the US. "They treat us like criminals, but we only came here to work and have a better life," says the woman, who left her children behind in Mexico two years ago and hopes to return to them next year. "We don't want to leave the house anymore. We don't want to go to the store. We're afraid they'll catch us." Large-scale raids on workplaces in California's agricultural heartland haven't been seen for the last 15 years, says Lucas Zucker, a community organiser in California's Central Coast region. But that seems to have changed this past week. "They are just sweeping through immigrant communities like Oxnard indiscriminately, looking for anyone they can find to meet their politically-driven quotas," he says. More than 40% of US farmworkers are undocumented immigrants, according to a 2022 report by the US Department of Agriculture. In California, more than 75% are undocumented, according to the University of California, Merced. Raids at farms and businesses that rely on the agricultural industry throughout California, and across the entire country, have ramped up this month. The arrests have raised fears of shortages to America's food supply, if the migrants are arrested or forced into hiding, afraid to come to work. This impact has not been lost on the White House. Despite winning the election decisively after promising mass deportations, Trump on Thursday acknowledged the tough time his crackdown is inflicting on the farming sector. "Our farmers are being hurt badly. You know, they have very good workers. They've worked for them for 20 years. They're not citizens, but they've turned out to be, you know, great." Who has been arrested by ICE under Trump? In April, he said that some migrants may be authorised to continue working in the US, on the condition that they have a formal recommendation from their employer and that they first leave the US. The result of one raid on Tuesday in Oxnard, a municipality 60 miles (100km) from downtown Los Angeles, can be seen in a video posted to Instagram by a local flower merchant. The short clip shows a man running in a vast field of crops, through a haze of thick morning fog, as agents give chase on foot and in trucks. He is then seen falling to the ground, among the rows of plants, as agents move to arrest him. When the BBC visited Oxnard on Wednesday, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) truck was seen parked outside an organic produce trucking company. A security guard insisted their visit was not related to immigration, saying: "This is not ICE. We would never let ICE in here." Many tractors and trucks sat idle surrounded by acres of farmland, as an unknown number of workers chose to stay home. Promise and peril in Newsom's fight with Trump Jesus polished luxury cars in LA - then ICE showed up The impact is having ripple effects on other businesses. Watching from her family's Mexican restaurant, Raquel Pérez saw masked CBP agents attempt to enter Boskovich Farms, a vegetable and herb packing facility across the street. Now her business, Casa Grande Cafe, has only one customer during the normally busy lunch hour, because farm workers have stayed home. She estimates that at least half of her normal clientele are undocumented. "No one came in today," says her mother, Paula Pérez. "We're all on edge." Raquel says she's more concerned now for the future of the restaurant - serving chilaquiles, flan, and other Mexican delicacies - than she was during Covid, when her customers continued their work as usual, keeping the nation supplied with fresh foods. "They don't realise the domino effect this is going to have," she says about the raids. Other companies around her that rely on agriculture have already been affected. The adjacent business buying and selling wooden pallets is closed, and a local car mechanic too. "If the strawberries or vegetables aren't picked, that means there's gonna be nothing coming into the packing houses. Which means there's not gonna be no trucks to take the stuff." A migrant selling strawberries from his truck on the side of the road says the raids have already had a devastating effect - on both his business and his hopes of becoming a legal resident of the US. "Fewer people are going out for trips, and they buy less from me," says Óscar, who comes from the Mexican state of Tlaxcala and, while undocumented himself, has children who were born in the US. "I'm scared, but I can't stop going out to work. I have to provide for my family," he says. Óscar says he has been working to finalise his immigration status, but with ICE agents now waiting outside courthouses for migrants seeking to process paperwork, he's unsure of what to do next. "There aren't many ways left to be here legally." 'Un-American' or 'necessary'? Voters divided on Trump's LA protest crackdown How Trump's immigration raids sparked protests and unrest Newsom v Trump holds promise and peril for California governor
