The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister for Food and Water Security Mariam Almheiri met with tech experts in Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), the first official visit of a senior UAE government official to an Israeli academic institution

As per the reports, the minister met tech experts at the university to promote a research and innovation partnership based on food tech and agritech.

Plant adaptation to heat and desert-like conditions, intelligent uses of water, and the latest innovations in agriculture were discussed and experts have also shared their research with minister on many areas including breeding programs, reducing food wastage, water saving and high-tech green house technologies, the statement said.

The message minister posted on her Twitter account says,”I was delighted to visit Volcani Center for Agricultural Research.”

For the uninitiated, Israel and the UAE signed a historic normalization deal at the White House on September 15, 2020.

Over 20,000 farmers affected by the recent heavy rains will receive assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries under its National Recovery Programme over the next few months.

Notably, this program is to be implemented by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green said the $646.9-million programme is likely to give boost to the agricultural sector.

“We will be focusing also on rehabilitating greenhouses, helping our livestock farmers, especially those in relation to small ruminants and our bee farmers to get them back on their feet,” said Minister Green.

Urging his ministers to prepare for the potentially disastrous impact of a forthcoming La Nina weather pattern, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said it can lead to heavy flooding, landslides and affect agricultural output adversely.

Citing data from the country’s weather agency, he said monthly rain volumes could increase by between 20%-40% over normal levels.

“I want all of us to prepare in anticipation of possible hydrometeorological disasters and to really calculate the impact of La Nina on agricultural production,” Jokowi said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminded farmers and ranchers about the tropical Storm Beta that the department is eager to help them with the help of programs that provide assistance in the wake of disasters.

Notably, Beta weakened to a tropical depression as it parked itself over the Texas coast, raising concerns of large-scale flooding in Houston and other areas.

Meanwhile, USDA joined hands with FEMA and other disaster-focused organizations in order to create the Disaster Resource Center.

Indian Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism for farmers will continue and the proposed legislations are aimed at making farming profitable.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were introduced by the minister in Lok Sabha – the lower house of India’s bicameral Parliament.

The minister said that these legislations will bring about revolutionary transformation and transparency in the agriculture sector, adding there will be accelerated agricultural growth as private investment will be attracted in building supply chains and agricultural infrastructure.

In the latest update of inspection methods in five decades, the Donald Trump administration has announced to stop requiring U.S. plants that produce egg products to have full-time government inspectors.

Under the new rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow companies to use different food-safety procedures designed for their factories and equipment.

Now, inspectors would visit plants once per shift, instead of being there whenever egg products are being processed.

The source of these suspicious seed packages is still unclear, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry announced.

The agriculture ministry highlighted the fact that the importing of seeds or other agricultural produce into Israel without prior permission is prohibited by law as it can harm local nature or carry diseases.

UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi held a meeting with several local farm owners and highlighted methods to support the emerging agritech ecosystem.

He also underlined the Ministry’s role in creating markets for local crops through collaborative efforts with major retailers to sell agricultural products across the chain of stores and supermarkets.

Moreover, the minister stated that the UAE gives priority to those agricultural technologies that boost crop production and quality and reduce the environmental footprint of farms across the country.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Anxious Jongwe Masuka as new Agriculture Minister after Perrance Shiri died at the age of 65 last month after testing positive for COVID-19.

Dr Anxious took over as Agriculture Minister at a time the landlocked country in southern Africa is battling with severe food shortages with millions of Zimbabweans are in dire need of food aid due to droughts and lack of government support for farmers.

Masuka has a vast amount of experience in the field of agricultural management, academia, and consultancy. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Agriculture obtained in 1988 at the University of Zimbabwe.

The Mexican government is reportedly planning to phase out the glyphosate usage by 2024 as the country has already banned imports of the active ingredient of one of the most commonly used herbicides, citing risk to the environment.

“We couldn’t get rid of it all at once It can’t be done; it would hit food output. We would have to import, and the products we bring in would also be grown with the same agrochemicals,” the President told reporters

The crops most affected include sugar cane and fruits, as well as vegetables that are exported, as farmers would have to resort to alternative methods for controlling weeds.