Agnet Dec. 16/04 -- II
Focus on
biotechnology research, scientists told
Illegal seed
industry gains market share in Brazil
Fresno
County Board of Supervisors support agricultural biotechnology
Citrus
canker - Australia (Queensland)(10)
Soybean rust
on its way to C-K: Disease has already hit several countries
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Focus
on biotechnology research, scientists told
December 16, 2004
Sun Network, India
DHARWAD - The Minister for Agriculture, K Srinivasa Gowda, was cited as saying
here on Wednesday that research on Bt cotton conducted by the University of
Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, had received recognition by the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research which had recommended it for commercial use.
Inaugurating the Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology at the UAS and the
conference of International Agricultural Biotechnology, Gowda was cited as
suggesting to the agricultural scientists to achieve greater success in
biotechnology research.
He said the Government had been extending crop loan at 6 per cent rate of
interest through cooperative societies and called upon farmers to make use of
it. He emphasised the need for agricultural scientists and the Department of
Agriculture to make concerted efforts to take the fruits of agricultural
research to the farmers.
Illegal
seed industry gains market share in Brazil
December 16, 2004
Reuters http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28606/story.htm
Via AgBioView at www.agbioworld.org
SAO PAULO - The Seed Producers Association (Abrasem) was cited as saying Tuesday
that Brazilian soybean, cotton and corn seed producers are being swamped by a
rapidly growing black market in illegal seeds.
The story notes that virtually all the soybean crop in No. 3 soy producing state
Rio Grande do Sul is grown from illegal GMO seeds.
Ivo Carraro, research director at Abrasem, was quoted as telling Reuters that,
"We have had healthy growth by any standard in grain output, but the seed
industry is being destroyed."
Carraro was further cited as saying that the spread of smuggled, pirated or
illegal conventional and genetically modified seeds has jumped to 12.5 million
hectares of the country's area planted with grains in 2003/04 from 7.5 million
the year before, adding, "Illegal sales are growing more quickly," and
that one reason is the cost of government certified seeds compared with pirated
products, which Carraro estimated were perhaps 30 percent cheaper, but also
yield about 10 percent less than certified seeds.
Fresno
County Board of Supervisors support agricultural biotechnology
December 15, 2004
California Seed Association
Via AgBioView at www.agbioworld.org
The Fresno County Farm Bureau recently led a successful effort to gain approval
by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors of a resolution supporting the use of
biotech crops in the county. The resolution was based on the benefits biotech
crops have brought to the county. The resolution includes the following
proclamations:
The County of Fresno affirms that the right for farmers and ranchers to choose
to utilize the widest range of technologies available to produce a safe,
healthy, abundant and affordable food supply, and that the safe, federally
regulated use of biotechnology is a promising component of progressive
agricultural production.
Fresno County affirms that biotechnology is a bright light in the future of
agriculture and the ability to use biotechnology in agriculture is a key factor
by which farmers and ranchers can stay competitive in the global marketplace.
The County of Fresno affirms that the environmental and health benefits of
biotechnology are important to the long-term sustainability and enhancement of
our communitys way of life.
And lastly, Fresno County will make every effort to preserve the choice of using
biotechnology in its county and encourage the establishment of a state or
national biotechnology policy.
The pro-biotech resolution was pursued in response to the many biotech ban
initiative measures which have been on election ballots recently in a number of
counties (Mendocino (approved by voters), Butte (defeated), Marin (approved),
San Luis Obispo (defeated), Humboldt (defeated) and which are being circulated
currently in other counties (Yolo, Sonoma). Also, Trinity County has adopted an
agricultural biotechnology ban by ordinance.
Citrus
canker - Australia (Queensland)(10)
December 16, 2004
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org Source: Rural News, Australian Broadcasting Corp., 15 Dec
2004 [edited] http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s1242208.htm Citrus
canker crisis deepens in Queensland Queensland's citrus canker crisis has
deepened, with a major exporter announcing plans to pull out of Australia, and
more disease found on an Emerald orchard.
The California-based Paramount Export Company, a major buyer of Queensland
citrus fruit, decided to close its Australian office, based in Brisbane. A
letter from the company to Queensland growers says the strength of the
Australian dollar is the main factor behind the move. But Paramount's Australian
director Paul McGuire says there doesn't seem to be a way out of the citrus
canker crisis, which has restricted or prevented its sales in a number of
countries.
The Department of Primary Industries has confirmed that canker has been found on
more trees on 2PH Farms at Emerald, where the disease was 1st detected last
month [November 2004].
According to Acting General Manager of Plant Health, Grant Hall, the destruction
zone will be expanded to include about 75 000 trees on that property. Support
for the so-called Pressler plan for the removal of all citrus trees in the
Emerald region is gaining support and now has the backing of the Queensland and
Australian citrus grower groups, and the State Opposition. The National
Management Group on canker is expected to respond to the proposal next week [4th
week of December 2004]. John Pressler, the man with the plan to remove all
citrus trees from the Emerald region to get rid of canker, fears Paramount won't
be the only exporter to pull out of Australia, leaving the AUD 120 million [USD
91 million] trade in jeopardy. "I would think it would be foremost in any
exporter to consider their options, whether to remain in the citrus
business." [Byline: Shelley Lloyd]
[Financial considerations aside, the situation at the 2PH Farms at Emerald,
coupled with Paramount's Australian director Paul McGuire's statement, could
force a decision to close operations in Queensland. Clearly, the Queensland
government is on the horns of a dilemma, and the response of the National
Management Group on canker will be a key factor in that decision. Mod.DH]
Soybean
rust on its way to C-K: Disease has already hit several countries
December 16, 2004
The Chatham Daily News
10
Bob Boughner
RIDGETOWN - Dr. Terry Anderson of the Harrow Research Station in Ontario was
cited as telling the annual meeting of the Kent County Soil and Crop Improvement
Association,that soybean rust is expected to show its ugly head next summer in
Ontario, adding, "It's been a serious problem for soybean farmers in
Brazil."
Speaking at said the first case of soybean rust in North America was detected
last summer in soybean fields along the Gulf of Mexico.
"We anticipate that it could show up in southwestern Ontario as early as
next year,'' said Anderson. "It will be one more headache for soybean
farmers.''
Anderson said plant breeders are currently working on new varieties that will be
resistant to the rust, but said it's unlikely they will be available for a few
years.
"The good news, if you want to call it good news, is that it's the last
serious disease problem facing the soybean crop in Ontario,'' he said.
Anderson said researchers and growers will be keeping a sharp eye out in the
coming year for signs of the rust.
"It causes defoliation of the soybean plant, which results in a reduction
in seed size and numbers,'' he said. "That, of course, affects yields.''
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