Category: Uncategorized

Baladna, Qatar based agricultural company has entered into a US$3.5 billion agreement with the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop the ‘world’s largest integrated dairy farming and production project’.

According to a filing on the Qatar Stock Exchange, the project will cover 117,000 hectares and will be segregated into three hubs, each comprising an arable farming operation, a dairy and beef farming operation, and a powdered milk manufacturing facility.

In addition, Baladna highlighted that the herd at the project will reach 270, 000 with a production capacity of 1.7 billion litres of milk yearly.

The company also added that it is aiming to meet 50% of Algeria’s demand for milk powdered milk and create 5,000 direct local jobs.

“It will also leverage modern technology and best management practices to enhance dairy farming efficiency, reduce production costs through economies of scale, and improve control over the entire value chain.”

“Baladna will hold a 51% share of the venture, with the remaining 49% held by the Algerian State through its National Investment Fund.”

On the other hand, the Algerian Agriculture Ministry added that the project will help in reducing Algerian imports of powdered milk and create jobs for its youth.

Milk is an important industry in Algeria, and the country has seen shortages of the product in recent years and as a result, the North African country heavily relies on powdered milk imports.

In 2022, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Algeria imported US$1.62 billion of concentrated milk ranking as the world’s second-largest concentrated milk importer.

Data from USDA revealed that in 2022, Algeria’s milk powder imports increased and were forecast to keep the upward trend in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Government of Algeria’s (GOA) overall strategy to develop and improve domestic production and reduce imports for several sectors including dairy remains a priority.

In 2022, the Minister of Agriculture, Abdelhafid Henni estimated local fluid milk production at 2.5 billion liters per year, while domestic market needs for fresh milk were estimated at 4.5 billion liters per year.

Therefore, in the past two decades, the GOA has adopted various incentives to increase domestic milk production. There were several programs available to expand herd size and productivity including increasing access to artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and importing pregnant heifers and dairy cattle.

In addition, the GOA has been providing more than US$129 million in annual support for the local production of fresh milk. This amount of subsidy mainly includes subsidies for dairy cattle breeders US$0.088/l, milk collectors US$0.037/l and dairy processors US$0.029/l.

The dairy cow breeders receive a subsidy of US$444.44 for each new dairy cow birth while ensuring veterinary coverage and free vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease.

source/content: dailybusinessafrica.com (headline edited)

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QATAR / ALGERIA

Carved by Naomi Sarna, the “L’Heure Bleu” is now the world’s largest cut tanzanite.

A 703-carat blue tanzanite carving by artist Naomi Sarna has set a Guinness World Record as the world’s largest cut tanzanite. 

The official weigh-in of the “L’Heure Bleu” took place on March 9 at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon. 

Gemstone experts, Jessie English of J.S. English Appraisals and Madeline Saunders of Oregon Estate Jewelry, were the official witnesses for the weighing, and Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric verified and announced the results.  

Rice Museum Board President Gail Spann and Museum Director Kim Vagner were in attendance. 

“As the director of the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals board, and longtime supporter of this wonderful ‘gem’ in Hillsboro, I couldn’t have been more delighted that we hosted Naomi Sarna on her adventure with Guinness World Records that was enjoyed by many attendees. We are lucky to have such talent grace our museum’s doorstep,” said Spann.  Related stories will be right here … 

Several years ago, Sarna traveled to the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro—the only place in the world tanzanite is found—to select the rough from which to create the largest-ever carved tanzanite.

She was asked to create a carving for an international competition that would benefit the Maasai people, the tribe whose ancestral lands contain the tanzanite mines where a tribesman first discovered the gemstone over 50 years ago.

While in Tanzania, Sarna was presented with several tanzanite crystals and chose the piece that eventually became the L’Heure Bleu. 

In 2013, it won first place in the carving category of the American Gem Trade Association’s annual Spectrum Awards. 

The gemstone sits on a sterling silver base inspired by the winds of Tanzania’s Great Rift Valley.

Sarna is also involved in humanitarian work in Tanzania, which includes teaching Maasai women to make wire-wrap jewelry using tanzanite.

While in Tanzania, Sarna witnessed the effects of poverty and eye disease on the community. She plans to donate the profits from the eventual sale of the L’Heure Bleu to the Portland-based Casey Eye Institute to provide eyecare to the Maasai. 

In 2017, National Jeweler reported the asking price as $500,000.

“The Guinness World Records brings international recognition and attention to my tanzanite carving L’Heure Bleu. This recognition gives great strength to my promise to help the Maasai with their vision difficulties. This is the cornerstone for our future hopes to provide eye care to the Maasai in Tanzania,” said Sarna.

Dr. Andreas Lauer, chair of the Casey Eye Institute, attended the weighing ceremony. Simultaneously, doctors from the institute were arriving in Tanzania for a cataract conference.

“The Casey Eye Institute is in Naomi’s debt. In the future, patients, their families, and the Maasai community will feel her passion and love as they express it through their smiles and joy from improved vision,” said Lauer.

For information on purchasing the L’Heure Bleu, contact Sarna directly at 917-325-2455, or visit her website. 

source/content: nationaljeweler.com (headline edited)

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In a ceremony last month, Naomi Sarna’s carved 703-carat “L’Heure Bleu” set a Guinness World Record as the world’s largest cut tanzanite. Its sterling silver base is inspired by the winds of Tanzania’s Great Rift Valley.

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AMERICAN / TANZANIAN STONE

The annual event sees millions of pilgrims from around the world gather in Karbala for the Arbaeen commemoration.

Every year, millions of Shia Muslims and some people of other faiths from around the world take part in a special pilgrimage ritual, culminating in what is arguably the world’s largest public gathering.

Usually on foot, for about 20 days, the pilgrims trek hundreds of kilometres from cities around Iraq and Iran to the holy city of Karbala where they commemorate the death in battle of Imam Hussein.

Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and son of Imam Ali, was killed in 680 AD on the plains of Karbala in a battle against the forces of the Caliph Yazid, whose ascendancy to the caliphate was contested.

To mark the 40th day of mourning for Hussein – the traditional mourning period – the pilgrims arrive in Karbala to pay tribute at his shrine, which is surrounded by millions on the final day of Arbaeen.

Along the route, volunteers set up stations to provide the pilgrims with food, water and shelter while people from the villages along the way keep their doors open to anyone who needs a place to stop.

Many pilgrims opt to walk 80km (50 miles) from the nearby city of Najaf, where Imam Ali, Hussein’s father, is buried, to Karbala.

Those who make the trip from distant cities, like Mashhad in Iran – 2,600km (1,600 miles) away – opt to drive.

source/content: aljazeera.com

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IRAQ