World Agriculture
Developments, trade, data, and topics in world agriculture
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American farm and consumer groups want to stop Monsanto from buying Syngenta~ ~ US farm, consumer groups aim to block Monsanto bid for Syngenta Several U.S. farm and consumer groups are working on strategies to derail a proposed tie-up of Monsanto Co and agricultural seeds and chemicals rival Syngenta AG, saying a combination of the market leaders would spell fewer and higher-priced products. POSTED: 05 Aug 2015 01:10 REUTERS: Several U.S. farm and consumer groups are working on strategies to derail a proposed tie-up of Monsanto Co and agricultural seeds and chemicals rival Syngenta AG, saying a combination of the market leaders would spell fewer and higher-priced products. Coalitions of opponents are being formed and market analyses being done, moves that underscore the hurdles U.S.-based Monsanto will face in any deal to take over Swiss-based Syngenta. "We will aggressively oppose it," said Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. "This would reduce competition in the marketplace that is already highly concentrated ." Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, has yet to persuade Syngenta, the world's top provider of agricultural chemicals, to even start negotiations. But Monsanto says it is making progress persuading Syngenta shareholders that its US$45 billion acquisition offer should not be ignored. It says the deal would win regulatory approval despite market concerns. Monsanto spokeswoman Sara Miller said farmers would benefit through greater product innovation. "Farmers remain our No. 1 priority," she said. "That will not change ." The NFU is one of several groups in a loose coalition that is on working the objections it will present to the Justice Department if a deal comes together. The Food & Water Watch consumer advocacy group is doing a market analysis on which to base its objections. The American Antitrust Institute nonprofit group also will lobby against any deal. Diana Moss, its president, said Monsanto's stated intention of selling off Syngenta's seeds and traits businesses is a "red herring", and that the combined company would be a dominant player in the key agricultural platforms of seeds, genetic traits and crop chemicals. "Farmers are already paying through the nose," Moss said. "This would take it to a whole new level ." Some individual farmers are also making their opposition clear. "I hope they don't get it done," said Ohio farmer John Davis, past president of the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers. "They could get to the point where they could charge whatever they want ." Large soybean and corn grower groups are not taking an official position yet as they wait to see the details of any deal. But they say they have concerns. The National Corn Growers Association met with Monsanto leaders to discuss the proposed merger in mid-July. The group appreciates Monsanto's "transparency," but will seek an independent analysis of the merger's market impact, Chief Executive Chris Novak said. (Reporting By Carey Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Peter Galloway) -Reuters
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U.S. Farmers Need Illegal Immigrants~ ~ US Farmers Desperately Need Illegal Immigrants: Can't Harvest Crops: Says Americans Won't Do the Work -August 13, 2015 Despite conservatives' claim of the contrary, the number of undocumented Mexican immigrants in America is on the decline, reported the Wall Street Journal. This decrease is beginning to affect farmers as there aren't enough Americans willing to work on these farms, a job usually occupied by undocumented Mexican immigrants. Because there are less undocumented immigrants in America, U.S. farming production has declined by 9.5 percent a year, equating to a $3.1 billion loss. Farm harvesting is among the many jobs that Americans are unwilling to do. Those jobs were usually taken up by undocumented Mexican immigrants. Farms across the country have offered higher wages, better benefits, and bonuses for high production, yet, American workers still don't want those jobs. Farm owners blame the federal government's crackdown on illegal immigration, saying it has caused the Mexican labor force to shrink. Generally, American workers unfamiliar with farm labor quit after just a few days on the job. They also noted that the decrease in Mexican birth rates have affected the amount of young workers coming into America. “Labor has always been an important part of what we do, but there were other resource issues that would take center stage like food safety or water," said Joe Pezzini, CEO of California Artichoke & Vegetable Growers Corp. “But now the highest-priority issue is the availability of labor ." Republicans say that illegal immigration damages the economy, but it appears that the opposite is true. Because of the crackdown on illegal immigration, farmers are suffering and losing money.
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America: Why Immigrants Are About Agriculture~ ~ Why immigration reform matters to agriculture Without immigration reform, the loss farm workers could ripple through the entire ag-based economy with potentially long-term negative effects Published on: Aug 31, 2015 Immigration reform is a contentious, often emotional, topic for many Americans. But for U.S. agriculture, it's mainly a labor issue. In California, for instance, many fruit and vegetable growers who can't get workers are switching to less labor-intensive row crops, says Kristi Boswell, director of congressional relations for American Farm Bureau Federation. As a result of labor shortages, farmers no longer grow more than 80,000 acres of fresh produce. Instead, that production has moved to other countries. The issue also impacts the feed market. Dairies and other livestock operators who can't hire workers are no longer in the market for feedstuffs or are dumping feed, formerly used to maintain their livestock, onto the market. Workers at a Yuma, AZ farm pick fresh vegetables that will be shipped and consumed across the country. Workers at a Yuma, AZ farm pick fresh vegetables that will be shipped and consumed across the country. A 2012 Texas A&M study found that dairy farms using migrant labor supply more than three-fifths of the milk in the country. Without these employees, the study predicts economic output would decline by $22 billion and 133,000 workers would lose their jobs. Each farm worker-whether native-born or immigrant- supports between two and three full-time jobs in food processing, transportation, farm equipment and marketing retail. Two approaches Immigration reform must take two approaches, says Boswell. First, protect current workers, since many farms are already employing experienced workers they want to keep. AFBF is among the groups advocating for an earned adjustment of status to allow those experienced immigrant workers to remain. That change would likely include an incentive for workers to stay in agriculture for a predetermined period. But it's not necessarily a pathway to citizenship. Second, the government must reinvent the agricultural guest worker program. “To work for agriculture, the guest worker program must be a cost-effective, market-based system," says Boswell. Currently, the guest worker program supplies just 4% of the needed agricultural workforce. Without a legal way for workers to enter the country, many cross the border illegally to fill the open jobs. “At the end of the day, farmers want a legal, affordable, reliable workforce," says Ryan Findlay, industry relations lead for Syngenta. “The quicker the better. Agriculture needs this now ." If Congress does not act soon, "We are at the point where we will import labor or food," Boswell says, pointing to an AFBF study that shows only enforcing the borders- without immigration reform-will cost $30 billion to $60 billion in agricultural production and increase food prices by 5 to 6%. She encourages all Ag professionals to call legislators and ask for immigration reform. “Allowing legislators to ignore it because of political pressure is not acceptable," she says. “We need to make immigration laws work the way they were intended. Doing nothing-or just enforcement-is not an option for agriculture any longer ."
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Japan wants to use "hometown tax" to revitalize remote villages and townsXinhua News Agency, Tokyo, August 10th. Financial Observation: Japan wants to use "hometown tax" to revitalize remote towns xinhua News Agency reporter Le Shaoyan Xu Yuan with the decline of natural birth rate and the continuous flow of population from rural and local small towns to big cities such as Tokyo, the population of many remote areas in Japan has decreased, the industry has also declined, the overall economy has shrunk, the fiscal revenue has decreased, and the finances of some local autonomous bodies are on the verge of bankruptcy. To this end, the Government of Japan has put forward a "local creation strategy", which seeks to revitalize villages that are losing their vitality by encouraging enterprises to move their corporate headquarters or production departments to small local towns, encouraging the population of large cities to move to small local towns, and implementing a "hometown tax system. Among them, the "hometown tax system" is quite eye-catching. The so-called "hometown tax system" is not a compulsory tax system, but a voluntary donation to local governments. After the donor makes a donation, he or she will be able to receive a donation voucher from the local government. With the donation voucher, the donor can apply to the government tax department of the current place of residence for a reduction or exemption of resident tax, or apply for a refund of personal income tax. The system stipulates that when the tax refund is implemented, the donor must bear the 2000 yen donation himself, and the rest can be fully tax-deductible. For example, if you donate 100000 yen, you can deduct 98000 yen tax. Although the system is nominally a "hometown tax", it is actually a tax-deductible system design for donations, not only to the government of one's own place of origin. In order to take care of the interests of the Government of the donor's place of residence, the system also stipulates that the maximum contribution of the donor shall not exceed 20 per cent of the total tax payable by the donor. In addition, the donor can designate the purpose of the donation and make it earmarked, or it can be arranged and used by the local autonomous body receiving the donation. A few days ago, the reporter interviewed the "hometown tax" activity, which was carried out earlier and achieved good results, and inspected the actual situation of the town's acceptance of the "hometown tax" and how to use it. Shangshiporo Town is located in the central part of Hokkaido, with a jurisdiction area of about 700 square kilometers and a population of less than 5000 people. It is an agricultural town with a large area and sparsely populated, with agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism as its main industries. According to Takeshima Town Mayor Takeshi Gon, due to the relatively single economy and declining birth rate, the town's "town tax" revenue in 2014 was only 0.62 billion yen, while other revenue was 0.58 billion yen. The central government transferred 2.7 billion yen to the local government, while the expenditure was as high as 6.13 billion yen. The financial situation is very serious. Since the implementation of the "hometown tax" system in 2008, the town has actively strengthened "urban and rural" exchanges. In 2014, the town received donations of 0.974 billion yen, equivalent to 150 per cent of the main local tax, "town tax", which has become a very important source of income for the town. The town government uses the "hometown tax" to hire outstanding teachers to strengthen primary and secondary education and the construction of child care homes. The town has also set up a "child care and fewer children countermeasure fund" to build a high-quality kindergarten with a high degree of modernization and a complete range of preschool teachers with a donation of 0.779 billion yen for the children of the town's residents to use free of charge. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, the amount of "hometown tax" donations has increased year by year, reaching 64.9 billion yen in 2012. It is becoming an important part of the financial source of remote and backward areas in Japan. It has played a role in narrowing regional differences and promoting the development of remote and backward villages. Important role. 2015-08-10 Source: Xinhua News Agency
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UAE food prices rise to draw attentionWith the increase in gasoline prices at the beginning of this month, food prices across the UAE have already seen a large increase. In Fujairah and Ras Khaimah seafood markets, fish prices have risen to record highs, with 45-kilogram sheriffs having risen from the usual dlrs 400 to dlrs 1200. According to fishermen, this is mainly because the soaring temperature has caused the fish to dive into the deep sea and make it difficult to catch. At the same time, fish prices are expected to remain at historical highs until next month. In addition, the price of fruits and vegetables has risen by 30% to 40%, and the price of a box of tomatoes has risen from 10 dirhams to 20 dirhams. Market wholesalers believe that this is caused by the decline in market supply and the increase in fuel prices. Another retailer said that the increase in gasoline prices directly pushed up the prices of vegetables and fruits. However, Dr. HashimAl Nuaimi, director of the consumer protection department of the UAE Ministry of Economic Affairs, denied the claims of rising food prices, and emphasized that the prices of food and consumer goods are stable and have not been affected by the increase in gasoline prices. He also said that the Ministry of Economy has announced the implementation of a unified price system during Ramadan, and at the same time called on consumers to make full use of the consumer supervision mechanism previously introduced by the Ministry of Economy to report price hikes in the market to the Ministry of Economy at any time. Nuaimi also revealed that the Ministry of Economy is closely monitoring market changes and will coordinate with the federal government and various municipal authorities to jointly curb price increases that may be caused by rising gasoline prices. Release date: August 20, 2015 | Source: Xinnong Network | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to develop JAS specifications for cooked meatFor the safe circulation of "cooked meat", the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries began to develop the Japanese Agroforestry Specification (JAS) for cooked meat. At present, there is no clear definition of "cooked meat". It generally refers to beef that has been matured for a long time, and "air-dried cooked beef" is one of them. The temperature and humidity are controlled within a certain range of the cold room to blow strong wind to beef and blow away its moisture, so as to generate the flavor that ordinary raw meat does not have. Recently, the popularity in Japan has gradually increased, and the restaurants that provide cooked meat have gradually increased. increase. However, there is no uniform benchmark for cooked meat, and the flavor and hygiene status of different producers are uneven. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate relevant specifications and benchmarks, so that livestock farmers and related processing industries can be mixed with the scarlet? The Ministry of Commerce is still taking the badger's eyes. The main measure is to formulate the Japanese Agricultural and Forestry Specification (JAS) for "Dried and Cooked Beef (DAB)", specify the ripening process and the state of the finished product, and specify the location of raw meat. After the development of JAS specifications, the manufacturing facilities and quality management methods must be certified by a third party, which can control the quality of cooked meat to a certain range. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that after the golden autumn, carnivores will be convened to set up a special committee to sort out a general framework within this year, and JAS benchmarks for cooked meat can be worked out as soon as 2016. Release date: August 20, 2015 | Source: Xinnong Network | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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Japan's grain self-sufficiency rate for 5 consecutive years less than 40% still rely on importsChina News Service, August 7 According to Japanese media reports, the 2014 food self-sufficiency rate (based on calories) announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan on the 7th of this month was 39%, maintaining the same level for 5 consecutive years. The production of wheat and soybeans increased, but the demand for rice, which is almost entirely domestic, decreased, and the self-sufficiency rate of food remained unchanged. It is reported that the Japanese government lowered the food self-sufficiency rate target from 50% to 45% in March this year, but the actual figure is far from the new target. The so-called "grain self-sufficiency rate" refers to the proportion of grain Chinese products consumed domestically. According to reports, Japan's per capita rice consumption in 2014 was 55.2kg, 1.7kg less than the previous year, a record low. As a result, the food self-sufficiency rate was lowered by 0.2 percentage points. Among the oil products such as edible oil that rely on imports, the expansion of demand in the catering industry has led to an increase in consumption, and the self-sufficiency rate has also been suppressed by 0.2 percentage points. Among them, the planting area of wheat and soybean has been expanded, and the harvest has benefited from the increase in good weather, which has a positive impact on the self-sufficiency rate of grain. Japan's grain self-sufficiency rate, based on production, decreased by 1 percentage point to 64%, a new low. The main reasons were the fall in rice prices, the rise in international trading prices of aquatic products and the rise in imports due to the depreciation of the yen. In addition, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture and Water also released data on "food self-sufficiency" that reflects the maximum food production capacity on the premise of existing agricultural land and farming population. If potato crops are mainly planted in emergency situations, it can ensure that the average person receives food equivalent to 2736 kilocalories per day. Due to the reduction of agricultural land area and other reasons, this figure has decreased by 12 kcal compared with the previous year, but it still exceeds the 2146 kcal as the lower limit standard. It is understood that Japan's lowest food self-sufficiency rate occurred in 1993 when the rice harvest failed, only 37%. The food self-sufficiency rate rose to 46 per cent in 1994 and has been floating around 40 per cent for the next 20 years. 2015-08-07 | Source: China News Network
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[Taiwan, China] Only three phone calls are needed to grow rice-direct attack on Taiwan's rice farmingMany people say that farmers eat every day, but apart from God, farmers are most afraid of offending one kind of people. This person can decide who should harvest first and dry the rice into the valley first and then arrive. Even farmers have control over whether the rice this season is delicious or not. Typhoon days are their most popular moments. Farmers will bring lunch, beer and Baolida to visit. Even if it takes two hours in the middle of the night, it will blow and rain at 3 o'clock, there can be no complaint whatsoever. Which person has such great ability? The answer is "substitute cultivator". Looking for substitute farming, interpersonal relationship is the key the literal meaning of "substitute farming" is "to replace other people's farming". Although many people will go to the countryside to transplant rice seedlings, cut rice, and dry rice, this is not the norm in rural areas. As early as 3 or 40 years ago, Taiwan introduced rice transplanters, Harvesters, grain drying machines, etc., make rice planting more efficient, and those who specialize in operating these machines to make a living are called substitute farmers. Many people often laugh and say that now rice planting can be easily and easily put into the bag by making three phone calls, one for land preparation, one for rice transplanting, and finally another for harvesting. However, the actual situation is of course not so simple. Although there are fixed farmers in each region, the farmers said that when a typhoon rushes, which field to harvest and bake first is not only based on the location, but also very important. Therefore, the following dialogue often occurs: "Please, I have known your uncle for so long, so help Joe." Sometimes, even the dead elders moved out: "My abba did it for you when he was alive. It's been so long. Please help me." typhoon days never sleeps although the final power of life and death is still in the hands of the farmers, sometimes they will be defeated by "Lu" Gong. At the beginning of July this year, Santai forced Taiwan to harvest the first rice harvest in Yilan. Farmers used life-threatening serial buckles to "coerce" the operators to cut until 2 or 3 o'clock in the middle of the night, and the sun rose the next day to continue working. This is also an important time for voters to serve. The powerful village chief will dispatch harvesters overnight and personally take charge of the rice cutting site. The whole countryside is like a city that never sleeps. The baking plant on a typhoon day is another battlefield. Wu Shaowen, a farmer who helped in the grain baking farm, pointed to the bottom floor of the three-story refrigerator and said that farmers knocked at the door early in the morning and each hand had a can of Poly Da. "The bottom floor of this refrigerator is full." The harvested rice is full of water and must be dried within 24 hours. When the harvest was rushed this year, the Yilan Farmers Association and the grain-drying farm were lined up with large trucks carrying rice. Some surrogate farmers said half-jokingly that the farmers just didn't kneel down, please. In addition to four two-story grain drying machines and stacking machines, Li Hanshi's grain drying factory in Yuanshan, Yilan, also has a 30% recliner beside bags of yellow millet. He was too busy to sleep during the typhoon. The recliner was his best friend. "Millet is New Taiwan Dollars. Everyone has to grab it and can't do it at all." Then how can we refuse the farmer's request cruelly? "I still have to say it, otherwise I will be exhausted. A person's ability is limited." harvest and prepare lunch, the tacit understanding of the countryside must be observed. Li Hanshi has been engaged in substitute farming for more than 30 years. He is one of the few "one-stop" substitute farmers. He takes care of seedlings, fields, grain baking and rice milling. He only has no harvester. Like other substitute farmers, he also rents 20 A farmland to grow rice. In Yilan, about 700 yuan usually needs to be beaten twice, once rough and once fine. The quality of the technology affects the farmers' harvest in one season. If the beating is uneven and the field is flooded unevenly, they will have to face the nightmare of weeds. Li Hanji said that he hates stones most when hitting fields. In addition to being easy to hit, serious cases may also hurt machines and tools, "but I can't hit fields without me." after farming, the price of rice seedlings is also 700 yuan. Many nursery farms also work as rice seedlings. Harvesting is 1100 yuan. The price of baked grain can be divided into dry grain and wet grain. Take Li Han period as an example, the price per kilogram of dry grain is 2 yuan. These are the figures on the book, and the private eyebrow corners are the interesting places in the countryside. For example, it is the basic common sense of farmers to prepare lunch and drinks for the farmers during harvest. Whether to eat or not is another matter. If you are not prepared, you will be regarded as "impolite"; in addition, if you do not drain the water during harvest, the harvesters may not say it, and their impression of the farmer may be compromised, because this will shorten the life of the harvester. When baking rice, they are most afraid of uneven ripening degree or too small quantity. Generally, the humidity of rice is about 25 degrees, which takes more than 20 hours to dry, and it is reduced to about 13 degrees. The firepower is too strong, the rice is easy to break, too weak, and the operation time is prolonged. It depends on experience. If the ripening degree of rice is uneven, the quality of baking will also be reduced. If the quantity is not enough at one time, the machine may not be detected, it depends on human judgment. Lack of manpower, small and medium-sized baking field gradually decline an iron oxen cart costs more than 200 million yuan and harvesters are 4 million, which is simply unaffordable for small farmers with fragmentary arable land. It can be said that behind every small farmer, there is a strong substitute farmer. Many large harvesters, in addition to substitute farming in the original area, will follow the rice maturity season and harvest all the way north for five 3. days. Li Hanji belongs to small and medium-sized contract tillers and only assists neighboring areas. He can bake about 30 tons of rice a day, which is one tenth of that of large factories. However, businesses of his size have gradually declined in recent years. He said with emotion that there used to be more than a dozen small and medium-sized grain baking plants in the neighboring areas, but with the development of large-scale machinery, the amount of grain entering the valley at one time increased, the grain baking plants needed to update their equipment, and many small and medium-sized old plants quit. However, what bothers him most is the labor problem. The work in the grain baking farm is heavy, no workers can be found, and the next generation is not willing to take it. His seedling farm is also not as good as large factories can invest in automatic conveying equipment, and it has to rely on manpower to carry it. The problem of lack of work is a vicious circle. He said bluntly that if he cannot do it one day, he may stop it directly. Source: BusinessWeek | Release Date: August 13, 2015 | Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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Japan Constructs Mechanism for Direct Delivery of Agricultural Products to AsiaAccording to reports, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan will cooperate with Aeon and the National Agricultural Cooperative Association of Japan (JA Quannong) to build a new mechanism for exporting Japanese domestic brand agricultural products. Hokkaido honeydew melon and other fruits and rice will be distributed directly from the origin to the families of the wealthy class in Asia, with a minimum time of only five days. Due to the overseas upsurge of "harmony food" (traditional Japanese cuisine) and the popularity of Japanese domestic fruits, Japan's agricultural products and food exports reached 354.6 billion yen from January to June 2015, a record high. The Japanese government will also actively use this mechanism to strive to achieve the export target of 1 trillion yen by 2020. Many of the affluent class in Asia buy Japanese-made food in local high-end supermarkets and other places. If you use the new mechanism to buy food on the Internet, it can be delivered to your home. The distribution of fresh food will be made possible by eliminating the need for trading companies and complex local distribution channels. First of all, direct exports to Hong Kong origin will begin in mid-August. Hong Kong is the largest market for Japanese agricultural exports. Japan's agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister Lin Fang is planning to launch high-level marketing at the Hong Kong Food Fair, which he visited on August 13. In addition, AEON, which operates a local shopping center (SC), will build a website based on a survey of local consumer needs and preferences. JA Quannong will use the network covering all regions of Japan to provide Aomori's apples, Yamanashi grapes, Niigata rice and other branded agricultural products to the website. After accepting the order, JA Quannong will purchase agricultural products from all regional agricultural associations in Japan and distribute them to consumers' homes through Yamado Transportation and ANA's logistics network. Now Japan also has online shopping for overseas agricultural products. However, the new mechanism uses the 24-hour Okinawa logistics base "Okinawa cargo hub" to save time. The fastest harvest the next day or 5-6 days after the order can be delivered to consumers. For example, apples picked in the evening in Aomori, Japan, can be delivered to Hong Kong the next morning. The National Agricultural Cooperative Association of Japan is connected to about 700 local agricultural associations in Japan, and the product line of agricultural products will be richer than the existing Japanese agricultural exports. The number of categories was initially about 20, but in the future, Japanese wine and brands and cattle will be sold, which will increase to 50 categories in 2016. In addition, expanding into markets such as Singapore and Malaysia will be discussed. In terms of price, Hokkaido honeydew melon 3kg plus delivery fee is about 10000 yen (about 498 yuan at the current exchange rate). Although it is a bit expensive, it is considered to be acceptable to the wealthy in Asia. The new agricultural export mechanism was formulated by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which called on private enterprises to work together. It is reported that more enterprises will be called to participate in the future. 2015/8/13 World Wide Web
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Japan: When the Internet meets agricultureThe per capita arable land area of Japanese farmers is limited, and there is no large-scale agriculture like that of the United States. With the increasing aging of Japanese society, the agricultural population is decreasing, and the average age of agricultural employment has reached about 67 years old. Japanese media call it "grandpa and grandma agriculture". Under such circumstances, the use of Internet technology to revitalize agriculture is growing louder and louder. In an interview with reporters a few days ago, Takehiko Kato, director of the Japan International Institute of Social Economics, pointed out that in the future, information technology, including Internet technology, is expected to lead the new trend of Japanese agriculture and realize the "green digital revolution" of agriculture ". However, the use of Internet and other technologies to develop agriculture is difficult for small-scale farmers to promote, and the effect is more ideal with legal person management as the main body. A favorable sign in Japan's agricultural sector is that the number of agricultural production laws has been increasing over the years, reaching 14333 as of 2014. "The advantage of using technologies such as the Internet is that it can digitize the technology and knowledge accumulated by skilled farmers, which is conducive to the inheritance of the next generation of farmers or agricultural enterprises," Kato said. Meteorological big data and crop growth data collected through high-precision sensors can also be sent to farmers or managers in real time, so that they can water and fertilize reasonably. In addition, real-time monitoring of consumer trends through the Internet can seize the best opportunity to produce and sell best-selling crops or agricultural products; using the global satellite positioning system, unmanned tractors can achieve 24-hour farming on large-scale farms, effectively solving the problem of insufficient agricultural population; and using big data analysis, it can also extract a lot of information that has not been clarified so far, such as discovering the correlation between meteorological conditions and the occurrence of diseases and insect pests. Takeshiko Kato pointed out that with the popularity of smart phones and flat terminals, mobile phone client services containing cloud system analysis will be provided to agricultural workers, thus improving farm management efficiency and agricultural farming results. By using the technology of recording the production process of agricultural products, the data of the production process can be used as a part of food information and directly provided to consumers for reference, so as to completely realize the traceability management of agriculture, which not only helps to ensure the stability of food safety and quality, but also makes consumers feel at ease. He stressed that the use of information technology such as the Internet to develop agriculture can stimulate the participation of various industries, including the manufacturing industry, so it has created business opportunities for many industries. The Japanese government has always focused on the development of high-tech agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries calls agriculture using robots and information technology "smart agriculture", and strives to develop high-quality labor-saving agriculture, and has listed 115.3 billion yen (1 U.S. dollar About 123 yen) special budget. The government is now gearing up to develop a "roadmap" for smart agriculture ". He pointed out that the chapter "Promoting Scientific and Technological Innovation and Robot Revolution" in the "Japan Revival Strategy" revised by the Japanese government in May this year specifically introduced "wearable machines" supporting agriculture, and the "Realization of Intelligent Agriculture Research Association" composed of many companies and institutions also proposed projects such as automatic walking systems for agricultural machinery, strawberry harvesting and packing robots, weeding robots, and automatic cleaning robots for livestock houses. Kato Takehiko believes that because Japan's agriculture has just begun to introduce information technology such as Internet technology, it is not yet possible to fully evaluate the economic effects, but in terms of improving production efficiency and high added value of agricultural products, Internet agriculture has great potential. 2015-07-16 10:42 | Author: | Source: Sichuan Rural Daily
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Overseas farms vital to Singapore's food security~ ~ Owning stakes in overseas farms strategically vital for food security Richmond Lee . Published: 4:16 AM, August 10, 2015 From science, we know that climate change adversely modifies weather to become more extreme, and as a consequence, some habitats degrade. The uncertainty lies in how badly food and fresh water production will be affected in the future, in the next 50 years. We cannot assume business-as-usual projections for the amount of water and food needed to support a possible projected population of 6.9 million by 2030 for Singapore. These statistical projections should have to take into account greater volatility in order to plan for possible outliers such as a cut in the supply of food. Arid but resource-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia invest heavily on neighbouring coastal African nations to develop farmlands and processing plants that directly produce food for their country. Singapore is especially vulnerable because we are neither oil-rich nor have ample land for farming. Singapore should take a leaf from countries that produce food for themselves from “locally owned overseas farms ”. This could be done by developing capabilities and know-how on the various tiers of the food production chain: From farming to processing the fresh produce that could be shipped directly from the source to our shores. The Government could also invest in farms and food plants in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand or Australia. It is in our strategic interest to have the Government own stakes in overseas farms and food processing units that serve us, to secure a basic but vital need. When we do not have land to build or invest our own farms, we need to look beyond our shores.
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Japan, Vietnam to Strengthen Agricultural Cooperation~~Viet Nam, Japan look to team up on agriculture projects President Truong Tan Sang receives Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Hayashi Yoshimasa to Ha Noi yesterday. - VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang HA NOI (VNS) - President Truong Tan Sang welcomed Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Hayashi Yoshimasa to Ha Noi yesterday. The minister's visit would help enhance the two countries' relations, particularly on agriculture, President Sang said. He added that he hoped the Japanese ministry and the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would reach an agreement to co-operate more in the field. If successful, the countries' agricultural collaboration could become a model for the ASEAN region and even be extended to other fields, he said. The two sides would hold regular discussions based on high political trust to address difficulties that arose during the process. The Japanese minister said he visited Viet Nam this time to attend the second Viet Nam-Japan high-level dialogue on agricultural co-operation with a focus on a long-term joint vision. He said he hoped to turn the vision into a model for ASEAN agricultural co-operation. He took the occasion to inform the president that Japan planned to export its apples to Viet Nam, and was considering importing mangoes from Viet Nam. Japanese businesses were interested in Viet Nam's new regulations on agriculture, livestock husbandry and aquatic farming, he said. Viet Nam also needed to continue to improve its investment and intellectual property protections, and simplify administrative procedures to help Japanese businesses expand their investments in the country. The minister said Japan would consider providing used fishery surveillance ships for Viet Nam, as well as helping Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces improve their tuna fishing techniques and supporting the central region's fisheries logistics service centre. Japan would also think about co-ordinating with Viet Nam on its response to climate change through official development assistance (ODA), he added. - VNS
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French Farmers' Protests Sup Intra-European Conflicts~ World | Tue Jul 28, 2015 1:56pm BST Related: World, Spain French farmers' protests trigger European tensions French farmers block trucks that transport food goods coming from foreign countries at the French German border in Strasbourg, France, during a protest against a squeeze in margins by retailers and food processors July 27, 2015. Reuters/Vincent Kessler The European Commission called on France to ensure goods could flow freely through Europe on Tuesday after French livestock and dairy farmers this week blocked imports from German and Spanish producers in a growing row over prices. Separately, the German dairy federation said it complained to the EU about French government moves to head off the dispute with new financial support to the sector and an "eat French" campaign. Spanish farmers' union UPA also warned it could retaliate with a boycott of French food products. President Francois Hollande's government last week announced plans to raise the price of beef, pork and milk and promised farmers up to 1.1 billion euros (£779 million) in tax rebates, delayed payments and loan guarantees .. French agriculture and economic ministers said banks had agreed on Tuesday to extend or delay struggling farmers' loan payments as part of the government package which includes a guarantee of up to 500 million euros worth of loans for farmers through its public investment bank. Paris also said last week it would also push for a raise in the price at which surplus milk in Europe is purchased when European Union farm ministers meet in September. The moves have yet to quell the anger of French farmers, who this week erected blockades on the border with Germany and did spot checks on non-French goods entering France. "We have asked them (France) to keep us updated as regards to any possible impediment to the free movement of goods," European Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario told a regular news briefing in Brussels. Farmers continued protests on Tuesday, blocking roads in northeastern France, near the German and Luxembourg borders. French Farm Minister Stephane Le Foll told reporters in Paris any attempts to block goods transportation throughout Europe "do not reflect the French government position ". "Freedom of circulation is needed for imports but above all because France exports too," he said. French farmers complain that a fall in prices due to foreign competition and a squeeze in margins by food processors and retailers has put many livestock farmers close to bankruptcy. Europe's milk market was liberalised in April this year with the removal of 30-year-old quotas, creating growth opportunities for some farmers while threatening the livelihood of others. Hollande has given personal backing to the creation of a new label intended to encourage French consumers to buy local products and said he would ensure it was applied in public sector canteens - a move Paris says is compatible with EU rules. However German milk industry federation MIV said it had sent a letter to the European Commission on Monday protesting that the French support contravened those rules. "If decisions are taken under the auspices of a French minister which are effectively a trade boycott of German goods, that calls into question the basic principles of Europe," MIV executive Eckhard Heuser said in the statement. In Spain, farmers warned they would push for a boycott of French food and farm products. "We Spaniards want the same as the French: fair prices for our products," Spanish farm union UPA said in a statement. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide and Tommaso Mazzanti in Paris, Gilbert Reilhac in Strasbourg, Barbara Lewis in Brussels and Tracy Rucinski in Madrid; Writing by Sybille de la Hamaide; Editing by Mark John and David Evans)
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EU expands farm subsidies in face of Russian food import ban~~EU extends farm aid amid Russian food import ban 30 July 2015 From the section Europe Farmers' tractors block road in Belgium, 30 Jul 15 Angry dairy farmers used their tractors to block roads in Belgium on Thursday The EU says it will continue aid for exporters of dairy produce, fruit and vegetables into next year to ease the impact of a Russian ban on those goods. The EU Commission says the "safety net" for Europe's dairy sector will remain in place until March 2016 and for fruit and vegetable growers until July 2016. Russia has extended a year-old ban on most imports of EU food and drink until August 2016. Western sanctions are hurting Russia's economy. The Ukraine crisis sparked the dispute. Many European farmers are in financial difficulties because the Russian market is blocked and Chinese imports of European dairy produce have slackened. There have been daily road blockades by French farmers - and on Thursday similar protests erupted in Belgium. They want higher prices for their produce, saying they are struggling to stay in business. In 2013 Poland and Lithuania were the biggest European exporters of fruit and vegetables to Russia. Nectarines in French supermarket - file pic Growers of nectarines and peaches are among those hit hardest by the Russian ban East-West tensions The West has restricted credit for Russian state banks, defence firms and energy industries, and slapped visa bans and asset freezes on many top Russian officials because of Moscow's actions in Ukraine. The sanctions were triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and were later ratcheted up, as Russia was accused of arming separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia has denied helping the separatists with troops and heavy weapons. "We need to continue to provide a safety net in order to give security to producers who continue to face difficulties in relation to the [Russian] ban," EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said. The EU support for fruit and vegetable growers has cost €155m (£110m; $170m) so far. It takes the form of withdrawing produce from the market - it is then distributed free in schools and hospitals, or used for compost or animal feed. Restricting the supply helps to prevent prices crashing. In the dairy sector, the Commission is buying up butter and skimmed milk powder and paying farmers to store their produce.
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South Korea to implement new standards for imported food next year, the entry threshold for food enterprises may be raisedOn August 4, the reporter learned from the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau that South Korea's Special Law on the Administration of Imported Food Safety will be formally implemented on February 4, 2016. The new regulations will have a relatively large impact on imported food safety supervision policies and new standards for pesticide residues. The changes are expected to have a certain impact on my food exports to South Korea in terms of entry barriers, trade costs and customs clearance procedures. It is reported that South Korea is one of the important markets for food exports in Guangdong and China, and nearly 30% of the food imported by South Korea comes from China. According to reports, the "China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement" was initialed on February 25, 2015, and is expected to be formally signed in the near future and enter into force within this year, and will have an impact on Guangdong's trade with South Korea. South Korea is one of the important markets for food exports from Guangdong and my country. Nearly 30% of the food imported from South Korea comes from China. In 2014, the value of my country's food exported to South Korea reached US $4.864 billion. According to statistics from Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, in the first half of this year, Guangdong ports (excluding Shenzhen and Zhuhai) exported 390 batches of Korean food, 6377.2 tons and 14.009 million US dollars, up 9.9 percent, down 2.8 percent and up 19.2 percent respectively over the same period last year. The export varieties involved more than 20 kinds of food, of which canned vegetables, candy, frozen aquatic products, cakes and biscuits and beverages accounted for 90 percent of the total export value to South Korea. It is reported that South Korea will formally implement the Special Law on the Administration of imported Food Safety on February 4 next year. A person from the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said that according to the study and the exchange and confirmation of South Korean officials in China, South Korea's current regulations on the safety of imported food are scattered in four different decrees, namely, the Food Hygiene Law, the Health Function Food Law, the Animal Product Hygiene Management Law, and the Animal Infectious Disease Prevention Law. These four management standards are not uniform, different types of food need to be declared to different departments during customs clearance, and there is a lack of uniform norms for port inspection. The new "Special Law on the Safety Management of Imported Food" integrates the provisions of the four decrees on imported food. "The scope of administration of the Special Law includes pre-import, port clearance and circulation links. Among them, preventive safety management is implemented in advance in the pre-import stage, and it is stipulated that overseas production units should be registered and on-site visits should be made to overseas production units as needed. The validity period of the enterprise registration is two years. If the overseas production unit refuses the on-site inspection or the on-site inspection finds that the imported food is harmful, South Korea can implement the import suspension measure." Inspection and quarantine experts pointed out that South Korea's new regulation also emphasizes the main responsibility of enterprises and implements a registration system for excellent import units and overseas excellent production units. One of the conditions for registration as an excellent import unit is to inspect the health management status of overseas production units in accordance with the standards set by South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug. The registration is valid for three years. Foreign production enterprises to apply for registration as overseas excellent production units to accept the Ministry of food and drug on-site inspection, registration is also valid for three years. In addition, South Korea will also implement differentiated management, grading imported products according to risk levels, past records of hazardous substances detected, foreign food safety information, etc., and conducting differentiated management in accordance with three types of methods: general, attention, and concentration. The Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau reminded that domestic food manufacturers exporting to South Korea must understand in advance and prepare in advance to adapt to changes in new regulations and standards. Especially when choosing South Korean trading partners, pay attention to whether the other party is likely to obtain the registration qualification of excellent import units, and cooperate with capable South Korean importers as much as possible to obtain maximum customs clearance convenience. At the same time, we must pay attention to daily management, strengthen process control in strict accordance with food hygiene requirements, implement good operating practices, accelerate upgrading and development, and avoid being found to have serious defects in the control system during inspections. Primary agricultural producers should understand the changes in pesticide residue limit standards after the introduction of the "positive list system" in South Korea, and strictly manage inputs. When disputes arise, Guangdong enterprises should actively use the China-Korea Free Trade Area Agreement to properly handle trade disputes, simplify procedures, reduce risks, and protect their legitimate rights and interests. (reporter/ou zhikui correspondent/yue jianxuan) 2015-08-06 Source: Nanfang Daily
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China has become an increasingly important export market for Vietnam's agricultural products.According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, from January to June this year, Vietnam exported about 14.42 billion US dollars in agricultural, forestry and aquatic products, a year-on-year decrease of 2.8 percent. Among them, exports to the United States, Japan and the European Union fell sharply, while exports to China continued to grow. China has become an increasingly important export market for Vietnam's agricultural products. In the first half of the year, rice exports to China accounted for 36% of Vietnam's total rice exports; rubber exports to China accounted for 40%; cassava accounted for 85%; wood products accounted for 15%. China has become one of Vietnam's three largest export markets for wood products. Gao Dafa, Minister of agriculture and rural development of Vietnam, said that China's market is very large, and many countries hope to promote trade with China. As a neighboring country, Vietnam and China are geographically close and have the same customs. Therefore, Vietnam should continue to promote exports to China, including border trade and regular trade. According to the report, in addition to expanding exports to China, Vietnam should also take measures to diversify its export market and reduce its dependence on the single market. In the second half of the year, Vietnam will take the following measures to promote the export of agricultural products: first, to expand the output of best-selling agricultural products; second, to negotiate with the export market to eliminate technical barriers to trade and make full use of the convenience of the free trade zone agreement; third, to further improve the business environment, absorb foreign investment and enhance the processing ability of agricultural products. Source: Agricultural Vision | Release Date: 2015-07-16 16:00:59 | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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South Korea intends to amend "hazardous food" to "unhealthy and undesirable food"(Food safety hazards) refers to the potential damage or endanger food safety and quality factors or elements, including biological, chemical and physical hazards, the human body Ankang and life safety risk. Once the food contains these hazardous elements or is contaminated by these hazardous elements, it will become a potentially harmful food (Potentially hazardotIs foods), especially food that may have a microbial hazard. On July 9, 2015, some members of South Korea put forward a draft partial amendment to the Food Sanitation Law, which amended the "harmful food" in the existing Food Sanitation Law to "unhealthy and undesirable food". After the amendment, the category of "unhealthy and undesirable food" will be expanded and adjusted. The category of "improper and undesirable food" in the amendment is as follows: 1. A part or all of the food is not suitable as food because of decay or deterioration or not cooked; 2. Food is contaminated by harmful microorganisms; 3. In accordance with the rules of the Prime Minister's Order, animals suffering from diseases and food made from the meat, bones, milk, organs or blood of dead animals; 4. Food processed, packaged and kept in a non-hygienic environment that is considered harmful to health or may be contaminated by pollutants; 5. Informed to replace local or all main components with other substances, to cover up the use of damaged or inferior substances, to add a substance to increase its volume or weight and reduce the quality or advantages of production, or to exaggerate its value compared with practice. The changes in the category of "hazardous food" are mainly aimed at today's increasingly serious food safety issues. Legislation from time to time to improve, improve the illegal cost of black-hearted businesses, is a more effective way to reduce food safety problems. Source: Agricultural Vision | Release Date: 2015-07-16 16:01:00 | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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Problems of Agricultural Modernization in Taiwan (Part II)2 Agricultural development regulations can not construct the policy direction of agricultural modernization. Under the framework and guidance of the "Constitution", the "Agricultural Development Regulations" is the most important agricultural "law" in Taiwan. It can be said to be a "basic law of agriculture". The development goals revealed by it are related to the development of agricultural modernization. However, the legislative purpose of the "Agricultural Development Regulations" is limited to production and marketing, price and income, and agricultural land utilization, and fails to show the development direction and goals of the overall pattern. For example: "Article 1: in order to ensure the sustainable development of agriculture, in response to the internationalization and liberalization of agriculture, promote the rational use of agricultural land, adjust the structure of agricultural industry, stabilize agricultural production and marketing, enhance farmers' income and welfare, and improve farmers' living standards, these regulations are formulated; those not provided for in these regulations shall apply to the provisions of other laws." as for the multi-functionality of agriculture and the sustainable development of agriculture with economic, social and ecological aspects, it is so lacking that it is unable to show the goal of agricultural modernization and the policy direction of constructing agricultural modernization. Therefore, the agricultural development regulations should amend the general pattern of the "Basic Law of Agriculture". In addition to seeking the promotion of agricultural productivity and competitiveness and the increase of farmers' income, it is also necessary to improve the living environment and rest value of the countryside, give full play to the function of agriculture in the maintenance of the ecological environment and landscape, and take into account the goal of all-round agricultural modernization and the requirements of sustainable agricultural development. The "Agricultural Development Regulations" stipulate many provisions that are conducive to the development of agricultural modernization, such as improving the agricultural production environment, promoting the changes of agricultural structure, and enhancing agricultural competitiveness. However, some provisions on the use of agricultural land hinder agricultural development, in particular article 16, which relaxes the restrictions on the division of agricultural land, and article 18, which allows the construction of farmhouses on agricultural land. The 2.1 relaxation of restrictions on the division of agricultural land is contrary to the goal of improving the agricultural structure and leads to the loss of agricultural land resources. Although the relaxation of restrictions on the division of agricultural land will contribute to the independence of farmers' land property rights, the goal of "agricultural land use" and the improvement of agricultural structure will not be achieved. The reason for "agricultural land for agriculture" is very clear. If agricultural land for agricultural production is repeatedly divided and subdivided, and landowners are allowed to build farmhouses on agricultural land, many non-farmers who covet agricultural land for the benefit of building farmhouses will buy small-scale agricultural land in the name of farming and build houses. How will such agriculture be managed to promote agricultural modernization? How will agricultural productivity and competitiveness be improved? How will the well-being of farmers be ensured? Does the relaxation of restrictions on the division of agricultural land and the allowing of landowners to build farmhouses on agricultural land mean that the spirit of farming on agricultural land is no longer there? The administration of the Taiwan authorities and many major investments in agriculture, such as the implementation of the rezoning of agricultural land, the comprehensive planning plan for the use of agricultural land, the establishment of specialized agricultural areas and the promotion of the policy of "small landlords and large tenants", are all important objectives to expand the scale of farm operations, improve agricultural production conditions and promote changes in the agricultural structure. If, on the one hand, the policy relaxes or even cancels the restrictions on the division of agricultural land, on the other hand, it tries its best to strengthen the tenancy system and promote the circulation of agricultural land, carry out the redrawing of agricultural land, and promote the merger and concentration of land, so as to improve the agricultural structure, how will the contradiction between the waste of agricultural investment and agricultural administration be explained? It is no wonder that the effectiveness of the rezoning of agricultural land in Taiwan has been questioned. Since the rezoning of agricultural land is mainly aimed at improving the agricultural structure, the result of the rezoning should be able to expand the scale of farm operation and contribute to the development of agricultural mechanization and modernization. Moreover, due to the neat and square blocks, the improvement of agricultural waterways and irrigation facilities, the number of people jointly holding each land is reduced and the property right is clear, it is also more conducive to the promotion of agricultural land tenancy and the policy of "small landlords and large tenants. According to the results of the verification of the agricultural land rezoning project conducted by the "Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan" in 2009, comparing the cadastral map data before and after the rezoning of the agricultural land (Figure 3), the area and scale of the land before the rezoning are larger than those after the rezoning. In other words, as a result of the rezoning, the farmland has been fragmented, the scale of the farm has become smaller, the opportunities for agricultural mechanization have become less, and the possibility of agricultural modernization has become lower. Relaxing the restrictions on the division of agricultural land and allowing those who bear the agricultural land to build farmhouses on their own farmland will lead to the loss of agricultural land. In this way, the original vast farmland has disappeared, and the rural landscape of green fields has disappeared, replaced by houses. The excessive division of agricultural land not only makes it impossible to use large areas of agricultural land for production, but also achieves economies of scale. The fragmented agricultural land not only destroys the rural ecological environment, but also ugly rural landscape and style (Figure 4). The 2.2 of agricultural land to build farmhouses is contrary to the policy of agricultural land use, endangers the environment and landscape, and results in a waste of public investment. The main reason for allowing farmers to build houses on agricultural land is mainly because the non-urban land "rural areas" where farmers live have long been only delineated without planning and development. The original rural areas are old, declining, underdeveloped, and have not been planned as a whole, so there is insufficient land, lack of public facilities, and it is difficult to improve the living environment. Rural land is also shared by many children because of the equal division of inheritance. As a result of generations, land ownership is very complicated, making it very difficult to rebuild and build old houses. With the development of social economy, after the children of rural families grow up, they need to have spacious living space and living places to improve their lives. In the case of insufficient land construction and limited development space in rural areas, it is a last resort measure to allow farmers to build agricultural houses on their cultivated land. However, the construction of farmhouses on agricultural land, the problems of agricultural production environment and rural landscape will follow one after another; in the beautiful rural areas, in the name of Xingjin farmhouses, there are many "farmers" who operate "homestays". The destruction of the ecological environment and rural rest conditions is nothing more. The sporadic construction of farm houses on agricultural land not only leads to the loss of agricultural land resources, but also has an impact on the traditional rural landscape. The waste water and waste discharged from the farmhouses will cause water quality and soil pollution, and endanger the agricultural production environment. Not only can it not be improved, food safety and public health are also affected. Figure 4 Building of farmhouses on agricultural land, resulting in loss of agricultural land and deterioration of agricultural production environment note: From Taiwan's high-speed rail magazine "TLife" No. 47, November 2013. 3 Conclusion modern agriculture requires high-quality agricultural legislation, which is based on the law, establishes the direction of agricultural development, and serves as the basis for policy development and development strategy implementation. Therefore, agricultural legislation should be able to meet the requirements of the modernization of agricultural development, adjust and keep pace with the times. Taiwan's agriculture is a small-scale peasant economy, with small farm scale and limited competitiveness. In response to the needs of internationalization and trade liberalization, the impact and challenges encountered by agriculture are especially better than before. It is really appropriate to construct a set of all-round and modern development goals. And strategies to maintain and promote the sustainable development of agriculture. Today, while discussing the issue of land use and management, we are thinking about how to take care of farmers' lives and improve their well-being, but also to ensure the effective use of limited agricultural land resources, implement the policy of agricultural land use, and achieve the goal of agricultural modernization. To achieve this goal, we need to have comprehensive supporting measures and proper rural development planning, so that the construction code of farmhouses can be incorporated into the overall development of rural areas, so as to ensure the functions of agriculture and rural areas in production, life, ecology and leisure and recreation, and lay a good foundation for the modernization and sustainable development of agriculture. References Slightly source: Agricultural Vision | Author: Liu Jianzhe, Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Asian University | Release Date: May 26, 2015 | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang
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Overview of the British ApicultureKeywords : British bee industry; honey production; honey import and export; beeswax import and export from June 8 to 24, 2013, the author and his party visited the UK. During their stay in the UK, they investigated the market situation of British bee products in detail and got a preliminary understanding of the basic situation of the British bee industry. The development of the British bee industry is introduced as follows. Overall situation of apiculture in the UK in 1. Although there are no official statistics on the number of bee colonies and beeswax production in the UK, according to the author's understanding during the UK, there are 200000 colonies in the UK. Annual consumption of honey is at 25000 t. There are 40000 beekeepers in the UK, 30000 of whom have participated in the BeeBase scheme and registered. Since 2000-2011, the British honey production (Figure 1) has shown an overall upward trend, of which the honey production reached 8216t in 2009, the highest in 11 years. Honey production remained at 6300t in 2010 and 2011. The species of bees raised in the UK are mainly Western bees, of which Italian bees are the main ones. The main diseases of bees are virus diseases, chalk disease is less common, beehive beetles have occurred, no small bee mites. Bee American larval rancid disease is not common, once it occurs, it is usually treated by burning to control its epidemic. The production of bee industry in Britain is mainly to produce honey. The production season of honey is concentrated in April-September, of which may-August can be used for artificial insemination of the queen bee and breeding of the queen bee. Due to the cold British winter, there are usually only 3-4 frames left after the 10-frame bee overwinters. The number of bee colonies used for pollination in the UK is small, with about 20% of the colony used for pollination. British government involvement in beekeeping began in the 1940 s. At that time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries rationed the supply of edible sugar during the Second World War and needed to develop beekeeping to replace the supply of sugar. The first legislation for beekeeping was the Larval Rot Disease Act of 1942. The current bee health regulation is the Bee Disease and Pest Control Order 2006. This decree covers possible outbreaks of pests and diseases such as larval rancid disease in the Americas, larval rancid disease in Europe, small beehive beetles and small bee mites. The decree also clarifies the important role of bees and bumblebees. Import and Export of British Honey in 2. Since 2000, the import of British honey has continued to increase, and the import volume has continued to increase (Table 1). The increase in imports is mainly due to the increase in the unit price of imports, which increased from US $1.05/kg in 2000 to US $3.54/kg in 2011. Since 2006-2011, the UK has become the world's third largest honey importer after Germany and the United States. In 2012, it became the fourth largest importer of honey after the United States, Germany and Japan. Table 2 British honey exports in 2000-2011 the UK accounts for only 2-8% of imports per year compared to 20000-30000 t per year. Since 2003, the export volume of honey has been increasing, and the export volume of honey has continued to increase. The unit price of exports continues to rise. In 2009, the export unit price reached $7.75/kg. Compared with the increase in import prices, the unit price of British honey exports has increased even more, and the price difference with the unit price of imports has continued to increase. 3. British Beeswax Import and Export beeswax is a secondary bee product in the British bee trade. Although the import and export volume is not large, the unit price is higher than honey. Due to the limited consumption market, the quantity of beeswax imported from Britain is relatively stable. Except for the beeswax imports exceeding 700t in 2002 and 2003, the beeswax imports in other years basically remained at 400-600t (Table 3). Before 2005, the import unit price of beeswax was basically stable at about US $4/kg. After 2005, it was basically stable at US $6-7/kg. The UK's beeswax imports remain at the top 5-10 levels in the world. Table 3 Import of beeswax in the UK from 2000 to 2011 source: FAO website although beeswax is imported every year, British beeswax is still exported to the international market, with 100-170t beeswax exported every year (Table 4). The export unit price is basically 6-8 USD/kg. In 2011, the export unit price of beeswax rose to $9.298/kg. Compared with imported beeswax, the unit price of exported beeswax is always higher than that of imported beeswax. In the beeswax export market, the UK is basically in the world 9-13 (from more to less). Table 4 British beeswax exports in 2000-2011 4. UK bee products market british bee products are mainly natural and pure as the selling point, many honey is clearly marked with the words "natural and pure", the packaging is very beautiful. Sales of bee products are mainly concentrated in supermarkets, health care stores and cosmetics stores. During the period in the UK, the author did not find a franchise shop for bee products. The biggest selling bee product in the UK is honey, with fewer product types such as propolis, bee pollen and royal jelly. The main varieties of honey are acacia honey, wild flower honey, forest honey, spring honey and summer honey. The highest selling price and the largest variety of products is Manuka honey from New Zealand. In the UK, New Zealand's Manuka honey is very popular, both in supermarkets and health care stores. It is often seen that Manuka honey produced by different manufacturers is sold at the same time. In Britain's famous Tesco supermarket, 454g of pure honey costs 1.76 pounds (1 pound is about 9.32 yuan, 2013. The Rowse Honey Company, established in 1938, registered 340g of pure honey under the Rowse brand for 2.72 pounds. The price of honey in health care stores is higher than in supermarkets. The price of honey in health care stores is generally 250g at 9.99 pounds. For example, 250g packages such as Thyme brand honey, Beech brand forest honey dew and organic forest honey collected from Zambian forest by Zambian Bee Company all cost 9.99 pounds. 250g of Manuka honey costs £ 16.99. There are also many health care shops in major cities in the UK that sell honey and bee products, and cosmetics and skin care products made from honey are also sold in cosmetics shops. Many bee companies produce cosmetics and skin care products such as hand creams. For example, the honey hand cream produced by Thewilt County Beekeepers is available in lavender, rose, orange and Honeybuckle4 types, and the 35g package costs 7.99 pounds. 100g of pollen costs £ 8.99. 100g of honey costs £ 8.99 and 250ml of orange-scented shower gel containing wild honey and olive oil costs £ 9. 75ml of hand oil from Mains & le sells for £ 7.25. Differences between 5. and China there are two differences between China and Britain in the bee industry: First, the British government attaches great importance to the beekeeping industry. As early as the 1940 s, the government was involved in the management of the beekeeping industry. In 1942, Britain enacted the first beekeeping legislation, the Larva Rancid Disease Act. In 1950, the State appointed the National Agricultural Advisory Service to be responsible for bee health. The British government is fully aware of the importance of bees and has always believed that the purpose of scientific research is to protect bees. Bees are essential pollinators of crops and wild plants and support for the bee industry are two of the main reasons for the UK government to protect bees. Second, the British bee products market, especially the skin care market is a very mature market. Skin care products are beautifully packaged, varied and well-made, and have a certain popularity and purchasing power among consumers. This is in stark contrast to the just start of the Chinese bee products skin care market. From the British bee products skin care market, the future of China's bee products skin care market will have great development potential and broad application prospects. Source: Agricultural Vision | Release Date: July 08, 2015 | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang