Jakarta - Govt due to introduce trade system

The government plans within weeks to introduce a new trade system for horticultural products, which will include an import arrangement, in a move to increase protective measures within the domestic market, an official says.

Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krishnamurti said on Friday the new system would ensure the quality and security of imported products for local consumers as well as guarantee the sustainability of local agricultural businesses.

A trade system to protect local products is commonly applied to a country’s essential food commodities, which in Indonesia’s case are rice, salt and sugar.

“We are trying to safeguard the local market from risky products and, for that reason, we will conduct a risk assessment regarding such products with this new system,” Bayu said on Friday.

Read full article: The Jakarta Post

Germany's Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection - Horticulture Publications

A few horticulture related publications from Germany's Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV).

Link to publication site: http://www.bmelv.de/EN/Services/Publications/publications_node.html

Horticulture in Germany (Flyer)
Date:15.12.10

Facts and Figures: Production in gardening and fruit cultivation (Economic data, structure), Horticultural Services (Garden construction and landscaping)

• download file "Horticulture in Germany (Flyer)" (PDF, 1 MB, not barrier-free)

Nurseries in Germany
Date:15.11.10

A high-performing industry with great export potential.

• download file "Nurseries in Germany" (PDF, 471 KB, not barrier-free)
• Add "Nurseries in Germany"to shopping cart

Ornamental Plants "Made in Germany"
Date:15.11.10

• download file "Ornamental Plants "Made in Germany"" (PDF, 355 KB, not barrier-free)
• Add "Ornamental Plants "Made in Germany""to shopping cart

Scientists seek sunflowers' secrets

Cracking the plant's DNA code could lead to food, energy improvements.
Read article from Kelowna.com>

'Food processing infrastructure must improve’

Statesman News Service
HALDIA, 24 JUNE:

The Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, today said there was a need to upgrade the food processing industries in the state to preserve excess supply of vegetables and fruit.

He was speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a new manufacturing edible oil refinery unit at Haldia this morning. Emphasising the need to upgrade infrastructure concerning cold storage, Mr Mukherjee said the state produces a huge quantity of tropical fruit but as a result of the dearth of proper storage units, a large amount of these fruit are destroyed each year. He also said that despite having a huge potential, the main constraint faced by food processing industries lies in the process of setting up proper hygienic infrastructure and there was a need to set up hygienic cold storage units to meet this deficiency. He also reiterated that at present, India imports 10 lakh tons of edible oil from various countries to bridge the demand-supply gap in the country.

He said that though India is the second largest producer of fruit after Brazil and of vegetables after China, the farmers over here do not get a proper price for their production.

Read more:

'Act now or face food shortages' warns farm expert

A radical overhaul of food production is needed urgently or the UK will face food shortages, a farming expert from Kent has warned. Dr Howard Lee, who runs the sustainable land management course at Hadlow College near Tonbridge, said that in as little as five years we were heading for “serious food scares”.

“We are going to be face some potential food shortages and we really need to start doing something pretty radical,” he said. “The degree I’m running produces graduates energised to make some phenomenal changes. We need to overall food production systems.” He said the UK needed to improve its self-sufficiency in terms of domestic food production.

Read more:

Santa Clara Univeristy's Agribusiness Program

Link to Santa Clara University's Food and Agribusiness Institute:

http://www.scu.edu/business/fai/

Food and Agribusiness Concentration
The Food & Agribusiness Institute offers a concentration within the MBA program that prepares students for management positions in the food and agricultural industries.