Agroinformatics

Wheat Declines on Pakistan Wheat Speculation as Country Lifts Export Ban

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Wed, 8 Dec 2010 06:25:00 GMT

By Jae Hur
Wheat dropped for a second day in Chicago on speculation Pakistan may export the grain after a shipment ban was lifted and as a price advance to a four-month high attracted sellers. Corn and soybeans fell for the third day. >>> More

Clearing mango orchards for more profitable crops

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Wed, 8 Dec 2010 06:24:00 GMT

Published on December 8, 2010 by admin · No Comments
By Mohammad Hussain Khan
DECLINING profitability is forcing mango orchard owners in Sindh to shift to other crops that are of short duration and offer better returns. Cases of chopping mango trees are being reported from areas that are traditionally known for mango production. >>> More

A Study of Prioritisation of Information Related Needs of Farmers

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Wed, 8 Dec 2010 06:23:00 GMT

Published on December 6, 2010 by admin · No Comments
A Study of Prioritisation Plugging information gaps through ICTs
Sapna A Narula
Assistant Professor
TERI University,New Delhi, India
narulasapna@gmail.com
ICTs offer great potential for economic growth and social empowerment of farmers by linking agricultural supply chains to national and global markets. >>>> More

Agriculture teachers are in high demand

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Mon, 6 Dec 2010 04:13:00 GMT

Chuck Miller didn’t let his students get by with just tossing out the phrase “hybrid vigor;” he challenged two of them to tell the class what it meant.>>>>More

Govt to face loss of $130/tonne on wheat export

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Fri, 3 Dec 2010 04:58:00 GMT

* Delayed decision by ECC will cause further loss to national exchequer

By Razi Syed
KARACHI: The government will suffer a loss of $130 per metric tonne on wheat export as prices of the commodity in the international market are hovering around $275 to $290 per metric tonne. >>>> More

FAO Food Price Index Hits 28-Month High

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 2 Dec 2010 06:54:00 GMT

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization revised upward its monthly food price index to a 28-month high due to higher global prices of cereals, sugar and vegetable oils. >>>> More

Tanzania plans better irrigation with ICTs

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 07:21:00 GMT

Joash Nyitambeis
Tanzania’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation has developed an ICT strategy, which includes using GIS, radio and cell phones, to deliver irrigation and water services. Joash Nyitambeis head of the ICT unit at the Ministry shares the national ICT plan. >>> More

Remote sensing and cell phone technology deliver water management information

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 07:20:00 GMT

Richard Soppe
Irrisat-SMS combines satellite data, information from local weather stations and feedback from farmers to deliver daily, detailed irrigation scheduling advice via SMS. >>>> More

Agriculture booms while oil traders suffer: Trading houses

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:59:00 GMT

To an outsider, the commodities market has just had a great year: higher prices for most raw materials, relatively low volatility and falling inventories. >>> More

India Likely To Allow More Sugar Exports If Output Over 24.5M Tons

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:58:00 GMT

Published on November 30, 2010 by admin · No Comments
India is likely to allow more sugar exports if its output exceeds the government’s estimate of 24.5 million metric tons in the current marketing year, a senior food ministry official said.>>>> More

NA body asks minister to resolve PARC chairman issue with PM

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:57:00 GMT

Published on November 30, 2010 by admin · No Comments
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: Like its previous three meetings regarding seeking the status of PARC incumbent chairman Dr Zafar Altaf, whose tenure expired on August 11 this year — the NA committee on Food and Agriculture has once again asked the Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture to take up the said issue with the Prime Minister (PM).>>>> More

Agriculture income exempted but inputs taxed: RGST

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:37:00 GMT

IT is to some extent true that RGST is not a new tax rather a reformed form of General Sales Tax, which had already been in place for the last 20 years and the government is only trying to reform and extend its scope, but the positive aspect of these reforms still go wasted, as agri income will not come under tax net despite the claim of the government that all sectors, which were previously exempted from the GST, will now be included in the tax network.>>>> More

Cotton Has Biggest Weekly Drop Since 2009 on China’s `Tough Love’ Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:52:00 GMT

Published on November 27, 2010 by admin · No Comments
Cotton futures tumbled in New York, capping the biggest weekly drop since February 2009, as China broadened efforts to curb speculative trading in farm products and cool inflation. Orange juice also fell. >>>> more

Nine PhD scholarships within agriculture, innovation and development

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:51:00 GMT

Published on November 15, 2010 by admin · No Comments
Agricultural Transformation by Innovation (AgTraIn) is a three-year world-class Joint Doctoral Programme offered by a consortium of six European partner institutions, which all have significant experience in research-based agricultural development.>>>>

Commodities Retreat On Worries Of China Rate Hike

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:50:00 GMT

Published on November 15, 2010 by admin · No Comments
Commodities tumbled across the board, part of a wider market selloff as worries grow that China will take additional actions to slow its surging economy.
Data from China released Thursday showed inflation rising faster than anticipated, which could force China’s central bank to raise interest rates or take other steps to slow growth. Grains and metals had risen on the report Thursday but they backtracked Friday along with crude oil and equities markets. Cotton and sugar, which fell from multi-year highs earlier this week, saw additional declines.>>>

Bullish onion and red chilli markets

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:30:00 GMT

WHILE Sindh’s new crops of onion and red chilli have started arriving in local markets, their prices are not coming down.
The prices of vegetables including onions shot up after the floods, which damaged tens of thousands of acres under onion crop in the province. Meanwhile, red chilli crop also suffered huge loss in lower Sindh due to recent winter rains and shortage of water at the time of sowing. >>>>>>

World’s first robot milker unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:42:00 GMT

THE world’s first robotic rotary dairy which maximises milk production while minimising labour is to be unveiled in NSW.
The prototype is being hailed as revolutionising Australia’s dairy industry, with the potential to significantly increase productivity and change the lifestyle of farmers.>>>>> More

Shareholder demands to shape modern agriculture

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:42:00 GMT

By Laura MacInnis
(Reuters) – Increasing investor demand for agricultural land and the funneling of big money into farms is raising questions about whether small, family-sized operations can survive. >>>> More

Gold, Agriculture Are `Safest Long Positions

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:40:00 GMT

Precious metals and agricultural commodities may extend gains in the coming months as tight supplies and a declining dollar boost demand, according to Deutsche Bank AG. >>>>>> More

UN Concludes Workshop to Strengthen ICTD Education in the Asia-Pacific

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:39:00 GMT

UN Information Communication Technology Hub for Asia-Pacific looks to strengthen coverage of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) in Higher-Learning Institutions
Incheon, Republic of Korea (UN ESCAP Information Services) – Over seventy governments and higher-learning institution participants from the Asia-Pacific region concluded a curriculum enhancement workshop organized by the United Nations Information Communications Technology (ICT) capacity development hub. >>>>> More

USDA estimates to push up global cotton prices

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:23:00 GMT

By Seshadri Ramkumar
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday, November 9th projected lower global cotton production, consumption and ending stocks for 2010/11. The supply constraint was greeted by the market with a 500 point upward rally in the New York ICE Futures for December shipment. The New York ICE Futures settled at $1.512/pound with an increase of 5 cents since last settlement. >>>>> More

GRAINS-U.S. wheat drops on dollar, weather outlook

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:22:00 GMT

* Wheat falls to near one-week low on dollar, weather
* Soy down 0.4 pct, falls from 26-month peak
* Corn extends losses, down 0.7 pct to a two-week low
* EU wheat weaker, follows U.S. down
(Adds European session, updates prices, dateline pvs SINGAPORE)
By Michael Hogan
HAMBURG, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Chicago wheat futures slid almost one percent on Wednesday to a near one-week low as a firmer tone for the dollar and an outlook for rains in U.S. winter crop areas weighed on the market. >>>>> More

Wall Street bets on commodities trader

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:21:00 GMT

By Gregory Meyer in New York
George Soros and other Wall Street investors are backing a US commodity merchant that is clawing its way into the ranks of the industry’s top trading houses. >>>>>> More

Commodities Soar As Surging Demand Meets Dwindling Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:20:00 GMT

A broad array of commodities hit multiyear highs as producers of metals and agricultural goods are finding it increasingly more difficult to meet robust demand. >>>>> More

Soft Commodity Technicals by Reuters

noreply@blogger.com (Muhammad Irfan) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:19:00 GMT

Published on November 10, 2010 by admin · No Comments

WHEAT
SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Reuters) – The CBOT wheat December contract is expected to retrace further to $6.90 per bushel as the sharp drop on Tuesday is likely to continue. >>>>>> More