Rice Rice Rice How......

[JJReyes]

Or has senile another meaning in agriculture?

Senile refers to fruit trees that have diminished production or stopped producing fruits. One cause is mistreatment like over use of chemicals, so it is possible to revive or rejuvenate them. In commercial fruit orchards, "senile" sometimes refers to fruit trees that are past their optimum production years. The trees are still producing, but the farmers calculate it is better to remove them and replant new ones. Below is article on the problem facing the Philippine coconut industry.

'Senile' coconut trees threaten PH exports

Agence France-Presse

Posted at 09/06/2011 7:24 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Millions of local coconut farmers face a growing crisis in their livelihoods, an official said Tuesday, as their trees become too old to produce the fruit that is a mainstay of the country's exports.

More than 44 million coconut trees -- 14% of the national total -- are past their most fertile age, and without a sufficient replanting programme the industry could be in trouble, warned Euclides Forbes, administrator of the official Philippine Coconut Authority.

He said the government does not have enough money to support the industry, on which 25% of the population depends, and private planters are not doing enough.

"If the trees are not replaced, the fall in our coconut production will accelerate. In three to five years, we will not be able to meet export demand," he told AFP.

He did not say why farmers are not planting new coconuts on their own, but in the past they relied on government incentives to boost production.

Coconut products like dried coconut meat and coconut oil are the Philippines' largest agricultural exports, earning $1.508 billion dollars for the country last year, official data show.

Coconut Authority figures show production in 2011 is expected to hit only 2.57 million tons, down more than 13% on 2010 while coconut oil exports will amount to only 1.5 billion tons, down 30% on the year earlier.

Forbes did not say how much the ageing coconut trees had cost the country but said the decline in production and exports this year could be traced directly to the old trees.

He warned the shortfall could force consumers to switch to alternatives like palm oil.

The Philippines has three million coconut farmers, but 25 million Filipinos -- more than one in four people -- are dependent on the industry, he said.

Coconut trees are considered mature when they are seven to 25 years old and typically bear 40-65 fruit per year, Forbes said.

He said many of the ageing trees are more than 60 years old and produce only 10 fruit a year and sometimes none at all, making them "senile".

The government is to spend P220 million ($5.2 million) planting new trees next year, but this represents less than 10% of the old trees, Forbes warned.

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[Ashanti]

ive learned that the way it is cooked makes a big difference, cooked with wood as fuel tastes a lot better than cooked in a electric ricecooker.

True ............ as my mum would attest! Not only that, it also depends on the type of pans you used - either metal or clay ............ and obviously, rice come on different varieties and grades ..........

[JJReyes]

There's lot of slim good looking Filipinas, but try putting them in a two piece swim suit and you will see most of them have big stomachs from eating too much rice.

I have not followed the anecdotal results from eating genetically altered rice. Perhaps the added sugars in the new rice varietals contributes to additional gases and bloating. Looking at all the male foreigners in the Philippines with huge stomachs, I thought it comes from drinking too much beer. Maybe it is because they have become rice eaters!

One of my meetings next week is with a German national married to a Filipina. They moved last November to Iloilo City to establish a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients. He is flying to Manila for our meeting. I invited him for lunch at the Old Swiss Inn in Makati. They have this huge platter with different kinds of pork and beef sausages on a bed of sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. He is eagerly looking forward to our lunch. I suspect they have been feeding him a steady diet of rice in Iloilo City. (If I remember, I will take a picture of the platter for posting on the forum.)

[Americano]

There's lot of slim good looking Filipinas, but try putting them in a two piece swim suit and you will see most of them have big stomachs from eating too much rice.

I have not followed the anecdotal results from eating genetically altered rice. Perhaps the added sugars in the new rice varietals contributes to additional gases and bloating. Looking at all the male foreigners in the Philippines with huge stomachs, I thought it comes from drinking too much beer. Maybe it is because they have become rice eaters!

One of my meetings next week is with a German national married to a Filipina. They moved last November to Iloilo City to establish a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients. He is flying to Manila for our meeting. I invited him for lunch at the Old Swiss Inn in Makati. They have this huge platter with different kinds of pork and beef sausages on a bed of sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. He is eagerly looking forward to our lunch. I suspect they have been feeding him a steady diet of rice in Iloilo City. (If I remember, I will take a picture of the platter for posting on the forum.)

Of course us foreigners have huge stomachs, we are old and have eaten enormous amount of food in our life time and have drank enough beer to float a battle ship. I'm talking about these young girls who don't have much to eat and some never drink beer. Rice is making their bellies big too.

No offense intended. Just trying to state something as I see it.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Americano

[Jack Peterson]

There's lot of slim good looking Filipinas, but try putting them in a two piece swim suit and you will see most of them have big stomachs from eating too much rice.

I have not followed the anecdotal results from eating genetically altered rice. Perhaps the added sugars in the new rice varietals contributes to additional gases and bloating. Looking at all the male foreigners in the Philippines with huge stomachs, I thought it comes from drinking too much beer. Maybe it is because they have become rice eaters!

One of my meetings next week is with a German national married to a Filipina. They moved last November to Iloilo City to establish a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients. He is flying to Manila for our meeting. I invited him for lunch at the Old Swiss Inn in Makati. They have this huge platter with different kinds of pork and beef sausages on a bed of sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. He is eagerly looking forward to our lunch. I suspect they have been feeding him a steady diet of rice in Iloilo City. (If I remember, I will take a picture of the platter for posting on the forum.)

Of course us foreigners have huge stomachs, we are old and have eaten enormous amount of food in our life time and have drank enough beer to float a battle ship. I'm talking about these young girls who don't have much to eat and some never drink beer. Rice is making their bellies big too.

No offense intended. Just trying to state something as I see it.

:th_unfair: Have to Agree with this, I thought maybe I could Control any additional Girth inches But! every time I come home, it's Rice and Rice in all forms, I go back to work a lot heavier, well at least a Kilo+ not to worry, too old now, to give it too much Creedence. (My daughter tells me I am not Fat, I am Cuddly) I will stay with this thought and Sod the diet :541:

Jack P. :tiphat:

[Old55]

What is the history of rice milling in Philippines? I know palay can be found but most Filipinos eat milled rice.

[Americano]

I should clarify one thing. I'm not against eating rice, I just believe it should be eaten in moderation. When you are eating with Filipinos, look at the size of the portion of rice compared to the size of the meat and vegetables. The rice will be much larger. And, how many times do they get more rice? Some of the restaurants here even have bottomless rice.

[Curley]

There's lot of slim good looking Filipinas, but try putting them in a two piece swim suit and you will see most of them have big stomachs from eating too much rice.

I have not followed the anecdotal results from eating genetically altered rice. Perhaps the added sugars in the new rice varietals contributes to additional gases and bloating. Looking at all the male foreigners in the Philippines with huge stomachs, I thought it comes from drinking too much beer. Maybe it is because they have become rice eaters!

One of my meetings next week is with a German national married to a Filipina. They moved last November to Iloilo City to establish a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients. He is flying to Manila for our meeting. I invited him for lunch at the Old Swiss Inn in Makati. They have this huge platter with different kinds of pork and beef sausages on a bed of sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. He is eagerly looking forward to our lunch. I suspect they have been feeding him a steady diet of rice in Iloilo City. (If I remember, I will take a picture of the platter for posting on the forum.)

Of course us foreigners have huge stomachs, we are old and have eaten enormous amount of food in our life time and have drank enough beer to float a battle ship. I'm talking about these young girls who don't have much to eat and some never drink beer. Rice is making their bellies big too.

No offense intended. Just trying to state something as I see it.

:th_unfair: Have to Agree with this, I thought maybe I could Control any additional Girth inches But! every time I come home, it's Rice and Rice in all forms, I go back to work a lot heavier, well at least a Kilo+ not to worry, too old now, to give it too much Creedence. (My daughter tells me I am not Fat, I am Cuddly) I will stay with this thought and Sod the diet :541:

Jack P. :tiphat:

You don't HAVE to eat all the rice they put in front of you do you Jack?

[Ashanti]

You don't HAVE to eat all the rice they put in front of you do you Jack?

Waste not, want not .............. :dance:

[Curley]

Philippines will have ( or allready has ) major issues with type 11 diabites from consuming so much white rice...

Type II diabetes was unheard of in the Philippines, which was always a rice eating society. The establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, supported by the US government and foundations like Rockefeller and Ford, lead to the development of genetically altered rice varieties. This helped solve hunger and potential starvation on a global basis. You can now plant two crops, sometimes three in your rice paddies. The downside is increased sugar content which triggers diabetes. It is the same with genetically altered corn.

The Philippines also went from being self-sufficient in rice to becoming an importer. Up to 50% of the rice comes from Thailand and other Asian countries. Agrarian Reform distributed land to small growers, who don't have the capital to buy seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, mechanical harvesters, etc. Philippine rice production went down while the population grew. The government gives the farmers a subsidy for rice production and imported rice, if I am not mistaken, is resold at a subsidized price.

Yes, rice is believed to contribute to diabetes, I hadn't considered the GM affect on sugars, perhaps this is part of the answer but also, although there is still poverty in the Philippines a lot of the normal poor do have more than enough to eat and if that is largely made up of white rice then perhaps this is what is also causing chubbiness in the population?