The Philippines is mounting an ambitious bid to achieve self-sufficiency in rice within three years as a policy of relying on imports to cover production shortfalls unravels amid tightening global supply and soaring world prices. The government is hoping the Philippines, the world's biggest rice importer, will be able to halt imports by 2010 thanks to a spending spree on irrigation and farm support aimed at boosting production. The country's 2m rice farmers produced only 90 per cent of its requirements during the past seven years, necessitating imports averaging 1.2m tonnes a year.

BEIJING: The fear of failing to grow enough corn, wheat or rice to feed its people has spurred China into action this year, but Beijing may be doing too little, too late to overcome the powerful forces of urbanization. Just as global grain markets grapple with ultralow stocks and record-high prices, China is battling to stem the destruction of its arable land due to urban sprawl, the growing scarcity of water and the exodus of labor to its booming cities by directing tens of billions of dollars to rural areas.

DCs asked to monitor rural job schemes Warned against harassment of farmers in procuring boro rice, disbursing fuel subsidy Mustafizur Rahman The government has ordered the deputy commissioners to make sure that farmers are not harassed or deprived of in the upcoming boro rice procurement drive and disbursement of diesel subsidies for irrigation.

Boro land submerged in flash flood United News of Bangladesh . Jamalpur Flash flood in river Jamuna has submerged standing boro paddy fields of several hundred acres in char and low lying areas along the river. Farmers were seen on Saturday cutting the half ripen boro paddy in the affected areas of Islampur, Dewanganj and Sarishabari upazila.

Remedies for hybrid Boro disease Aminul Islam, Mymensingh A group of researchers and agriculture scientists said there is no cause to be afraid about the disease in Boro fields in which leaves of plants are turning yellowish in many areas of the country. They have suggested some remedies also. The "Patapoura" disease (Bacterial Leaf Streak) that has been observed in many areas of Mymensingh and other districts during this ongoing boro season.

Govt takes up 3-year monga mitigation plan Model to employ 67pc farm workers in lean period Obaidul Ghani The government has taken a three-year action plan from this year to increase crop productions in the northern districts, where about 37.50 lakh people are exposed to extreme poverty due to seasonal joblessness, known as monga.

The paddy harvest of this year's Maha season has shown a seven per cent increase compared with that of the previous Maha season. The chief reason for the record yield is attributed to the move by the Government to cultivate a large number of paddy lands hitherto abandoned, under the Government's national food production drive Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu, Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Ministry Additional Secretary S.M.A.L. Gunathilaka said.

Rice stock position for the public distribution system in the State is comfortable.

The System of Rice Intensification is an alternative to the traditional way of flooded rice cultivation and is showing promise in addressing the problems of water scarcity, high energy usage and environmental degradation. The SRI method involves synergy of five important farm management techniques. Vibhu Nayar V. K. Ravichandran