Author: Akpan Akata

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in South-East Asia, China’s apple exports are suffering poor sales and a drop in prices. South-East Asia is the largest market for China’s apples. Li Guoping, a manager with Qixia Lewang Vegetable and Fruit Company in East China’s Shandong Province, says export orders from Southeast Asia have dropped 60 percent this year, causing severe losses for local farmers. Li estimates that the average annual output of a farm is 15,000 kilograms of apples and the costs – including labor, pesticide and fertilizer, packaging and storage – would come to 30,000 yuan. ”If the farmers sell…

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With the reluctance of the Buhari administration to yield to the quest of the Nigerian people for restructuring, what is Nigeria’s exit plan from fossil fuel? The COVID-19 pandemic opened the underbelly of the country’s economy and its poor health facilities. While the country is still battling at recovery, the worsening security situation has been compounding matters. Now, Nigeria is at a very big risk. The gushing oil wells will not sustain the economy any longer without restructuring and some radical reforms. A seeming disturbing research finding by Rystad, an independent energy and business intelligence firm, says oil-producing countries like…

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Security forces in Nigeria do not appear to be fair in dealing with the challenge in Eastern Nigeria. The situation there is also taking a political twist at the same time. In Imo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is accusing Governor, Hope Uzodinma of allegedly being responsible for the series of extrajudicial killings in the troubled All Progressives Congress (APC) state. This is coming as a federal legislator representing Abor Mbaise and Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency of Imo State, Bede Eke is ringing the alarm that the security agencies are mercilessly killing his constituents. The killings, according to him,…

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Global food prices are still busy racing to the moon in spite of lean pockets in economically troubled countries like Nigeria. Going by the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food prices around the world rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, even as world cereal production is on course to reach a new record high. FAO Food Price Index averaged 127.1 points in May, 4.8 percent higher than in April and 39.7 percent higher than in May 2020. A surge in the international prices of vegetable oils, sugar and cereals…

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For some 300 days a year, Sundrop Farms 127m tall central solar power tower shines on the tomato farm near Port Augusta (at the northern end of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf). Around it, there are 12.5 hectares of mirrors reflecting the sun on to its collector. This enables Sundrop Farms to grow tomatoes in the desert. Some 13,500 tons of tomatoes are grown annually with just sunlight and seawater, accounting for more than 10 percent of the country’s truss tomatoes. The thermal solar tower has a “thermal” rating of 39MW, but only 1.5MW for electricity. The desalination unit produces pure…

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Have ever imagined that R2-D2 could get a 2021 makeover? BEBOP Design did something like that. They took the concept and gave it a sleek makeover to give us all Information Robot! This is an autonomous robot designed specifically for the Korean startup Zetabank that aims to make human lives safer and healthier with the help of robots. Zetabank has a range of robots and this is their second collaboration with BEBOP. The company’s mission is to imrpove our lives using artificial intelligence. Their Disinfectant Robot, Hospitality Robot, and Untact Robot are all designed keeping in mind how they can maximise utility…

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In the next few months, four fruit commodity focal points will play a key role in the programmes that Vanguard International will bring onto the global markets. Citrus global ”Citrus is a huge focus for us right now”, says President of Vanguard International, Tim Clarke, adding, ”the crops in Egypt are winding down and California is finishing up late Navels and looking ahead to Valencias as the transition to the Southern Hemisphere gets rolling.” In South Africa, the drought issues that plagued the industry last year are all but gone now, and the focus has turned to grapefruit, which is…

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Slowly, it is becoming pretty clear that Samsung wants to be the dominant player in the foldables market.  Market watchers have seen Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, Royole, and even the oddball TCL try their hands at folding devices. But, none of them have invested the amount of time and effort as Samsung has.  Based on a patent filing uncovered by LetsoGoDigital and rendered by Sarang Sheth, here is a look at the Galaxy Z Fold Tab, a Note-style smartphone with 2 hinges and a nifty ‘crawl-space’ to dock and charge your S-Pen.  The Z Fold Tab hopes to form a third device in Samsung’s…

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Have you ever tried photographing the moon with your smartphone camera? For those who have, is it not a terrible job of sorts? Smartphones, as incredible as they are, just are not good for long-distance shots like the moon. That is why TikTok users have apparently taken to using Moon Lamps instead. A Moon Lamp is much easier to photograph since it’s closer to you, and with a little visual trickery, it can look exactly like the real deal! Besides, when you’re not photographing away at it, it serves as a neat ambient room light too! Dim the lights and switch the…

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Many varieties of imported fruits are currently in their off season. But, the sales volume of import oranges has recently been rather large. US oranges and Egyptian oranges are already near the end of their sales seasons. Interestingly, oranges from the southern hemisphere are about to arrive on the market. The variety of domestic fruit on the Chinese market increases as the weather gradually grows warmer. The market demand volume is huge. Manager Zhang Tianyi, spokesperson for the import trade at Sango, recently looked back on the orange season in the northern hemisphere and made predictions for the upcoming orange…

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Shortage of raw materials is one of the biggest challenges currently hitting the horticultural sector real hard. This is largely caused by transport problems. What is the deal with the transport situation? Most companies have not had any supply problems as of yet, according to a tour of some suppliers. The purchase prices of raw materials have gone up considerably. Transports are also a lot more difficult than before. Sometimes there are simply no containers available or there is no space on the boat, an imbalance that is (now) the result of developments such as corona and the incident with…

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After months of conflict, displaced civilians are facing dire food insecurity in Ethiopia’s Tigray region,  At the moment, UN humanitarian agencies are also expressing deep concern about serious and ongoing abuses carried out against civilians.  In an alert, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says it is aware of “gross violations”, including gender-based violence in the war-torn north. “The situation of women and adolescent girls in Tigray and border areas of Amhara and Afar remains dire”, said UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem, “We see alarming levels of sexual violence, and thousands of women lack access to health and protection services.” The Office of the…

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The seeming reluctance by the Buhari administration to constitute the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as repeatedly demanded by the governors of the oil-producing states and interest groups is fueling fresh unease in the oil and gas region. The vastly polluted oil region can erupt in a renewed orgy of violence any time as the youths are boiling. The Ijaw youths had earlier promised to unleash mayhem on the oil region if Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio, continues to block the constitution of the NDDC board. Now, the Itsekiri Liberation Group has issued a 14-day ultimatum…

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The United Kingdom government is currently exploring areas of broadening its partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). To this end, the new British Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Liewellyn-Jones, has visited the headquarters of the Istitute in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The British top diplomat was accompanied by his Political Adviser, Wale Adebajo. His visit aimed to explore and understand the activities and technologies of IITA contributing to climate-smart agriculture (CSA), combating climate change, increasing yield, and supporting food security on the continent. During the introductory meeting, Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery, Kenton Dashiell, mentioned the long-standing partnership…

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The World Bank is pressing for land reform in Ukraine, insisting that it is key to the country’s prosperity Proper implementation of land reform is the key to prosperity, in particular by ensuring continued growth in national GDP, World Bank Director for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine Arup Banerji has said. He said this at the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Land” on Monday, May 24, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. According to him, the opening of the market will allow an ordinary Ukrainian farmer to invest in his land, grow different crops and enjoy all possible benefits in Ukraine, Europe and the…

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Morocco and Spain are locked in a bitter bilateral dispute. Intelligence report says this month relations between the two countries reached a crisis point after plummeting to new lows with the two sides lashing out at each other in the strongest of terms. This crisis, according to Menas Associates’ intelligence report, has not come out of the blue. Tensions have been escalating for some time including over the issue of the disputed Western Sahara. Spain was furious when the Moroccan parliament ratified two laws in January 2020 which delineating its maritime boundaries to extend the Kingdom’s legal authority over waters…

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The era of consigning women to the backyard in the scheme of development affairs is gradually coming to an end. Now, economic empowerment of rural women as farmers, entrepreneurs and leaders contributes towards alleviating poverty, increasing food security and achieving gender equality. These findings, based on an evaluation of a six-year multi-agency global initiative implemented in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Niger, and Rwanda, were shared at a high-level event in Rome earlier this week. The programme, ‘Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment’, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural…

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Women now hold the key in growing E-commerce in Africa and the South-East Asia. E-commerce markets in the two regions can grow by over $14.5 billion and $280 billion respectively between 2025 and 2030, International Finance Corporation (IFC) is already saying that this can be achieved by increasing the number of women selling on online platforms and by providing them with better training and financial support. These facts are contained in two reports by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. The reports, Women and E-commerce in Southeast  Asia and Women and E-commerce in Africa found that COVID-19 has accelerated the growth of…

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Spain is currently leading the world in the juicy watermelon exports. The world exported 3,669.12 million kilos of watermelons last year. Spain was the world’s leading exporter with 839.62 million kilos, which represents 22.88% of the total. It was followed by Mexico with 593.89 million kilos (16.19%), Italy with 306.61 million kilos (8.36%), and Morocco with 241.94 million kilos (6.59 %). The United States ranked fifth with 228.94 million kilos (6.24%). It was followed by Greece with 204.46 (5.6%), Guatemala with 115.02 (3.13%), the Netherlands with 113.33 million kilos (3.09%), Brazil with 107.85 million kilos (2.94%), and Vietnam in tenth…

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Consumers in the US are increasingly running away from chemicalised food, thus, creating a boom for organic products. In 2020, organic sales soared to new highs, climbing by a record 12.4 percent to $61.9 billion. It marked the first time that total sales of organic food and non-food products have surpassed the $60 billion mark, and reflected a growth rate more than twice the 2019 pace of 5 percent, according to the 2021 Organic Industry Survey released Tuesday by the Organic Trade Association. Black beans, flour, and chicken broth are not typically out of stock. They were in 2020. In…

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Four words – Lossless Audio, and Apple Arcade. These four words could just as easily the new iPod’s design brief. The Twitter rumor-mill’s working on overdrive after a few sources claimed that Apple could announce a new iPod this fall. A few designers even went so far as to create renders based on hearsay and leaks, and I’m absolutely here for it. A new iPod could be a pretty nifty product for a variety of reasons. Here are my thoughts. Only last week Apple announced that lossless audio was coming to Apple Music. With a new iPod, it’ll be like…

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In Cameroon and Nigeria, separatist movements agitating for sovereign states of their own are said to be building a coalition to fight for their independence. Pro-independence movement in western Cameroon has been gathering steam in the past five years. Sources say it is joining forces with Biafra agitators in Nigeria to mobilise supporters through social media, and clashing with government security forces. Separatist leaders from the ‘rebel’ groups, recently announced a formal alliance, which will ignite violence and instability in the two countries and across the West and Central African regions where violent extremist organisations affiliated with the Islamic State…

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Like your Gmail Id, your current hard drive or SSD is just as secure as that account without a password. Anyone can plug it in and rummage through your personal files without your permission. Worse still, they can steal it and have your data forever. Does that sound like an alarmist? But, one is merely trying to paint a picture of something that is happening and has happened to people a bunch of times. Some final year students in institutions of higher learning have even lost their project work, leaving them without a design portfolio. These are not unsolvable problems,…

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Chairs are one of the most designed pieces in the industry and reinventing that wheel is hard but Sano shows us that there is still more room for adding a worthy seat at that table! This high stool provides a healthy and playful seating experience. Sano’s seat-bed is placed on an elastic ellipsoid which allows for the movement that makes it unique and also provides support while standing up. The ellipsoid is refillable and can be adjusted via air pressure. The added “bounce” gives a cushioned support when you sit or stand up which is makes it a friendly design…

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During the last decade, multinational corporations, foreign investors and governments that are facilitating land grabs in a pursuit for agribusiness allegedly escalated.  Huge acquisitions of farmland have led to violent displacements of rural populations. Although reports of the practice are not as recurrent in the media, the problem is far from over. Between 2006 and 2016, 491 land grabs motivated by agriculture took place, amounting to 30 million hectares of land in 78 countries. The majority of where these land grabs happen are poor countries located in the global South. Although land grabbing received a lot more media attention in the…

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Like they say, turntables have a rep for being vintage design pieces. While vintage record players can be used for playing old and new music alike, turntables are also essential modern audio devices for DJs and producers. Today, some turntables have taken on a more raw, industrial look to meet their contemporary use. Rod Romantsov, a 3D artist and visual designer based in San Francisco, USA recently visualised his own turntable called Supersonic that fits right into today’s industrial style and one that’s sleek as steel. Supersonic is a fully exposed record player with a flat width and rounded side edges that give…

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Where the COVID-19 lockdown lasted for more than 12 months, the rampaging virus virtually turned all of those it held ‘hostage’ into homebodies, irrespective of whether they were originally one or not. Since those the virus held hostage spent or are spending most of their time at home, their minds automatically hone in on maintaining and taking the best care of our home. At least it does for one fellow, once he wrap up his work! And a couple of innovative and unique home appliances can really help us with this. If you’re in a mood to Marie Kondo your…

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Some key diplomats within the United Nations system have heard how Sudan can move from its current fragile transition period towards stable civilian rule. That transition, according to a senior UN official, requires a continued “spirt of unity, partnership and collaboration.” “One of the key messages remains that we expect all parts of Sudan to work together for all of Sudan”, Special Representative, Volker Perthes said after consulting on the country’s future with a wide and diverse group of participants. Having just returned from the Paris Conference designed to encourage the economic revitalisation of the country, he told ambassadors that Member States had…

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A worrisome ethnic ‘cleansing’ and a seeming officially inspired nasty tactics is polluting the operations of Nigeria’s foreign intelligence service. Apparently piqued, some concerned retired directors and senior operatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), on the platform of NIA Veterans Association are currently pressing the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, a retired Army General, to save the intelligence agency from the fatal grips of nepotism. Nepotism, according to them, is a principal consideration in appointments, and postings to juicy beats, pointing out that how the agency is currently run promotes acts of incompetence. They are blaming the sorry state…

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Service industries are still a shadow of their pre-pandemic selves in spite of the fact global trade bounced back to a record high in the first quarter of this year.  A new data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says the value of goods trade surpassed pre-pandemic levels during the first quarter, up 10 per cent year-on-year. Exports from East Asian economies have driven this rebound – particularly China, but other developing regions and countries including Russia have seen trade recover more slowly. This rebound is expected to continue into the second quarter of the year, with the…

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