Australia All Set to Allow Workers from 1st December Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Australia is set to allow eligible visa holders who are fully vaccinated to enter from Dec. 1 without needing to apply for a travel exemption, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday. Eligible visa holders include skilled workers, students, refugees as well […]
Australia’s Pandemic Hit Farms Reach out to Asia Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Australia is looking to recruit Southeast Asian farmworkers as the pandemic and a new free-trade deal with the U.K. exacerbates labour shortages in the nation’s A$66 billion. In fact, the government aims to offer three-year working visas by the end of the […]
Are Farming Subsidies Harming People and the Planet? Almost 90% of the $540bn in global subsidies given to farmers every year are “harmful”, a startling UN report has found. This agricultural support damages people’s health, fuels the climate crisis, destroys nature and drives inequality by excluding smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, according to […]
Asia Rice-Vietnam Hits Three Month Low: A Global Report Export prices for rice from Vietnam hit their lowest level in more than three months due to weak demand, while rates in other Asian hubs held steady this week. Rates for Vietnam’s 5% broken rice variety RI-VNBKN5-P1 slipped to $400-$410 per tonne, the lowest since Sept. 9, from […]
UK-Australia Trade Deal to Create Extra Pounds Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Britain and Australia have signed a free trade deal projected to eventually boost bilateral trade by over 10 billion pounds ($13.3 billion), eliminating tariffs, opening up sectors like agriculture and allowing freer movement for service-sector professionals. The elimination of tariffs on Australian […]
Australia Winter Crop Estimate Surpasses Expectations Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Australian winter wheat crop production in 2021-22 is expected to be above average due to increased planted area, according to an Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) June report. The rise in planting is attributed to favourable weather and […]
Farming without Disturbing the Soil: Is it Possible? Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Perhaps because there are no chimney stacks belching smoke, the contribution of the world’s farms to climate change seems somehow remote. But agriculture accounts for a staggering 26% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Tractors running on diesel release carbon dioxide (CO₂) from […]
Farmers are Warned about Net Zero Emissions Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Political momentum is growing in Australia to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. On Friday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was the latest member of the federal government to throw his weight behind the goal. However, for Australia to achieve net-zero across the economy, […]
Who rules Australia’s Agricultural Domain? Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Who owns the Australian outback is a vexed question. The true answer is First Nations peoples, whose ownership stems back 60,000 years. The legal answer is more complex. It’s a mess of titles – freehold, pastoral leases, crown leases, public land, native title and […]
Agriculture Visa to be a Stimulant to the Farming Community? Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) After workers from South-East Asia will be prioritised under the new visa, which will address labour shortages in the agriculture sector brought on by international border closures. A new agriculture visa is set to bring more migrants to fill […]
Value of Agriculture Hits Annual Record Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Australian farmers are on course to earn a record amount from the export of agricultural products in 2021/22, as the country’s chief commodity forecaster on Tuesday raised its estimate for the current season by more than 10%. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and […]
Emergency AdBlue Flown into Australia Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Australia’s largest AdBlue manufacturer, AUSblue, says it is racing to secure urea supply or even formulated AdBlue from overseas in a bid to keep the haulage industry moving through the summer. Technically known as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), AdBlue is an anti-pollutant that is added […]
Remembering the Mouse Plague: Cannibal Mice Threaten Agriculture Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) The government of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia has extended a support package of $50 million to farmers to deal with a devastating mouse plague that has affected farmers, community members and residents. To control the plague, the government has […]
Agriculture Threatened by Pesticide Pollution?! Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Background to Pesticides Pesticides are either restricted or unclassified. Restricted means it can cause harm to humans or the environment and unclassified refers to all other pesticides. Pesticides are made up of active and inert ingredients. There are certain labelling requirements for the commercial distribution of […]
Australia Eases Border Restrictions due to Foreign Workers Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) According to sources, Australia said it would move ahead with the next stage of its border reopening, deeming it has sufficient defences to manage outbreaks of Covid-19 even as the Omicron variant prompts leaders elsewhere to tighten restrictions. Starting Wednesday, international […]
Horticulture Headed for a Major Change? Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Oftentimes, Australian agriculture is criticised not for its products but its processes. One of the major aspects that always comes under the scanner is the industry’s heavy dependence on overseas workers and backpackers. Young Australians are often complaining about the low wages and […]
Labour Shortages a Major Cause of Concern for Australia Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Comments by Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud have indicated there is a real risk that comes this time next year agriculture could be in the same situation with worker shortages. Mr Littleproud, who was in Kempsey on Wednesday announcing soil […]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday that fully-vaccinated eligible visa holders, including international students, skilled workers, and working holidaymakers will be allowed to enter the country, without an exemption, from December 1. Quarantine requirements will be left up to the states. Students and workers bound for New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian […]
Pesticide Use in Organic Farming: A Complete Study Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Agriculture covers about 40% of arable land globally and is one of the leading causes of environmental degradation. Despite tremendous gains in agricultural production in the past several decades, hunger and malnutrition remain a challenge and demand for agricultural products continues […]
Global Shortage of Fertiliser Leads to Severe Panic Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech) Due to a global shortage of chemical fertiliser, the market for manure, from pigs, horses, cattle and even humans, has never been in such demand. In fact, farms that host animals are completely sold out of animal waste. This is because […]
