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If Soy Is Expensive, Why Does Goldman Say Nevermind? (Update2)
By Saijel Kishan
Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Selling soybeans at their highest prices in
three decades and corn while it flirts with the 1996 peak is a money-
losing trade, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank
AG.
Corn at $4.55 a bushel is ``cheap,'' Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank
says. Goldman Sachs in New York expects soybeans to rise 29 percent
in 2008, the best investment in commodities. Investors who followed
the banks' advice and bought raw materials last year profited as the
Standard & Poor's GSCI Index advanced 33 percent, beating the 3.5
percent gain in the S&P 500 Index and the 9.1 percent return from
U.S. Treasuries, according to data compiled by Merrill Lynch & Co.
Rising wealth from Shanghai to Sao Paulo is leading to better diets
and straining corn and soybean supplies just as record energy prices
boost sales of biofuels. Even after rising 17 percent in 2007, corn
costs about $2 a bushel after adjusting for inflation, compared with
a $7.80 high in 1974.
``We are in the early stages of a rally that could last 20 years'' in
agriculture, said Christopher Wyke, product manager at London-based
Schroders Plc, which manages $3.5 billion in commodities and is
buying more corn and soybean contracts while reducing energy
holdings. ``Prices are historically cheap.''
Not since the Soviet Union harvest failures of the 1970s have food
prices risen so quickly. European Central Bank President Jean-Claude
Trichet said Dec. 19 that the region faced a ``more protracted''
period of elevated inflation than expected because of food and oil
prices.
Falling Inventories
World soybean inventories will plunge 23 percent in the 2007-2008
marketing season to 47.3 million tons from a record 61.1 million the
previous year, the U.S. Agriculture Department estimates.
Soybean consumers face a ``large deficit'' in supplies because of
increasing sales to China and production of biofuels, according to
Goldman Sachs, the world's biggest securities firm.
``There are still good investment opportunities in the oilseed,''
Goldman analysts led by Jeffrey Currie said in a Dec. 11 report.
Goldman predicts soybeans will reach $14.50 a bushel. Investors who
buy $10 million of November contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade
would earn $2.9 million should the forecast prove accurate. A hedge
fund that borrowed money to increase the bet using margin could turn
that $10 million into about $59 million.
Corn Versus Wheat
Soybeans for March delivery jumped as much as 31.25 cents, or 2.6
percent, to $12.455 a bushel today on the Chicago Board of Trade and
were at $12.40 as of 8:51 a.m. local time.
The bank forecast December 2008 corn prices will increase 12 percent
to $5.30 a bushel from $4.735 now. Goldman recommended buying corn
and selling wheat in a ``spread'' trade to exploit changes in the
relative value of the crops.
Corn for March delivery climbed as much as 6.5 cents, or 1.4 percent,
to $4.62 a bushel today in Chicago, the highest since June 1996.
Rallies in agricultural markets historically last about two years,
boosting prices by 135 percent, according to Michael Lewis, the
London-based global head of commodities research at Deutsche Bank.
Prices may climb as much as 250 percent during three to four years in
this cycle, he said. The rally in agriculture markets started in the
fourth quarter of 2006.
Farmers are planting more acres to take advantage of the price rise,
which could damp gains. The U.S. national corn yield has more than
doubled to 153 bushels an acre in 2007 from 71.9 in 1974, while the
soybean average has jumped 74 percent to 41.3 bushels from 23.7 in
1974, government statistics show.
`Battle for Land'
Droughts from Ukraine to Australia have cut crop yields, sending
prices for wheat to a record in December and soybeans to a 34-year
high. Corn rose to $4.62 a bushel in Chicago trading today, the
highest since 1996. Farmers are planting more wheat at the expense of
corn, soybeans and cotton.
Wheat farmers worldwide may increase plantings by 4 percent, the
London-based International Grains Council said in November. In the
U.S., the world's largest wheat exporter, growers will sow 64 million
acres (26 million hectares) in the year ending May 31, up 6 percent,
the Agriculture Department said in October.
``We'll continue to see a battle for land between the grains,'' said
Matthew Sena, an analyst at New York-based Castlestone Management
LLC, which oversees $800 million. ``The run-up in wheat prices will
prevent a dramatic supply response for soybeans and corn.''
Biofuels Demand
Castlestone invests about $100 million in commodities, and Sena said
the fund has been adding to its corn and soybean holdings while
cutting investments in wheat.
Demand for biofuels, made from corn, oilseeds and sugar, is growing
as countries seek to cut their dependence on fossil fuels after oil
rose to a record $99.29 a barrel in November. Demand is straining the
availability of farmland as well as water supplies.
``The severity of these factors means that there's a better chance of
this being the longest and biggest agricultural rally ever,'' said
Colin Waugh, portfolio manager at New York-based Galtere
International Fund, which manages $1.3 billion in commodities and
related investments.
The biggest winners from the U.S. energy bill signed by President
George W. Bush on Dec. 20 may be companies including Archer Daniels
Midland Co. of Decatur, Illinois, and Sacramento- based Pacific
Ethanol Inc. The legislation requires biofuels production to increase
to 36 billion gallons in 2022 from 7.5 billion in 2012.
Population Growth
U.S. ethanol prices at $2.2157 a gallon on average are 11 percent
cheaper than New York wholesale gasoline futures at $2.4908 a gallon.
Crop prices ``will show a tendency to go up, and the reason is the
growing world population, changing food patterns and limited
availability of land,'' said Martin Richenhagen, chief executive
officer of Agco Corp., the second-largest U.S. maker of tractors and
combines after Deere & Co. ``This is good news for the farmer.''
Higher food prices may cause faster inflation. U.S. consumer prices
increased 0.8 percent in November, the most in more than two years.
Inflation in the 13-nation euro region accelerated to 3.1 percent in
November, the fastest since 2001, according to Eurostat. Japan's core
consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than nine years in
November.
Tortilla Prices
Developing nations will feel the greatest pain. The cost of corn
tortillas in Mexico, where shortages in 2006 boosted inflation, may
rise 13 percent this year, according to Gruma SAB, the world's
largest maker of corn flour. Food prices in China, the fastest-
growing economy, increased 18.2 percent in November.
The rise in crop prices is creating the ``risk of social unrest,''
said Roland Jansen, whose $129 million Mother Earth Resources fund in
Liechtenstein gained 28 percent in 2006, more than double the returns
of commodity indexes. ``We've already seen it happen, like in Mexico.
China will probably release stocks to pacify the population. There's
a real danger of unrest there.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Saijel Kishan in London at skishan@bloomberg.net
The following article appeared first in Counterpunch, without first paragraph (Web Note), but prefaced "Greenwashing Energy Crops". http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/28355 From: , Organic Consumers Association Published December 30, 2007 12:13 PM
Biofuels, the Biggest Scam GoingStraight to the Source Web Note: Jim Goodman is an organic farmer from Wisconsin and a Policy Board member of the Organic Consumers AssociationWhere is agriculture headed? Can we feed a growing population and meet the demand for biofuels in the Industrialized North? Supporters of biofuel agriculture, (grain and chemical companies, Wall St. investors, politicians and most University researchers) avoid mentioning the cost of inputs, the fossil fuels, the environmental damage, the physical toll on animals and humans, and the growing problem of hunger that will accompany the switch from food to energy crop production. They want us to believe the switch to energy crops will be so easy and so practical.Iowa Senator Charles Grassley tells us that "BioFuels" will give agriculture new importance as a producer of energy as well as food and fiber. It will be a win, win, win, situation, good for America's energy independence, economic prosperity and for the environment.Will bioenergy production save American agriculture, end our dependence on oil, save the environment and keep food on everyones table? Perhaps not. Biofuels are not the "cash cow" farmers were promised. As an energy source they are less efficient and no "greener" than oil. Growing them will cause food prices to rise and as a result, the poor will be at an even greater risk of hunger. Rain forests will be destroyed and become cropland, peasants around the world will continue to loose their land, their food sovereignty, all to feed the worlds appetite for fuel.
Can biofuels replace a significant amount of fossil fuel? Perhaps not. If, in 2006, we had dedicated the entire US corn crop to ethanol production we would have replaced only 12% of the gasoline we used. If we had planted every acre of cropland in the nation to corn we would have replaced only 80% of the gasoline we used. If the U.S. Energy Information Administration is correct in its estimates, and by 2030 the US is capable of producing 700,000 barrels of ethanol per day, we will have succeeded in offsetting roughly 6 percent of our transportation fuel needs.Is ethanol really a renewable fuel? Perhaps not. An article in Science magazine in 2006 showed that, based on the work of researchers at UC Berkeley, only 5 to 26% of the energy in ethanol is "renewable". The fossil fuel needed to grow and process the ethanol actually negated the majority of its energy value.Are biofuels really better for the environment? Perhaps not. Data from the University of Edinburgh shows that biofuels produce high levels of nitrous oxide a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2. In total they can produce 70% more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels.Will we be able to produce significant levels of energy crops without impacting world food supplies and prices? Perhaps not. Biofuel production could push food prices up as much as 20-40% according to The International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington.The production of biofuels depends on billions of dollars in government subsidies in the form of loan guarantees for the construction of biofuel plants, tax exemptions on biofuels and direct payments to farmers. A 2006 study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development showed an annual subsidy cost of $1.05-$1.38 per gallon of ethanol produced, a total of $7billion. How much are we willing to spend and for what?Biofuels are a greenwash scam, a feel good solution for the end of cheap oil. When one considers the industrial agricultural system that is necessary for their production, biofuels are anything but sustainable. Costly inputs of fuel, fertilizer and biotech seed will challenge the profitability of Northern farmers while peasant farmers will continue to be evicted to make room for monocultures of corn, soy, sugarcane and oil palms. Food prices will climb, hunger and poverty will increase and we will be no closer to energy independence or truly renewable fuels.Now that the President and Congress have, through the Farm and Energy Bills, locked us into large scale production of energy crops and the belief we can continue to live our lives as usual with no pain, what do we do? We need energy solutions that will work; tough vehicle fuel standards, new public transportation systems, real renewable fuels like solar and wind and mandated commitments to conservation and recycling, now, not a 2030 "pie in the sky".So, when we drive to the supermarket and complain about the high prices, then proceed to load up our flex-fuel SUV, will we think about the 50% of the worlds population that lives on less than $2 a day? Will we even consider that when we bought into the biofuel scam we also took away their food sovereignty and may have handed them a death sentence?Jim Goodman is a dairy farmer from Wonewoc ,Wisconsin.
__________________________________________________________
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05 January 2008
From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
Clay Ogg, Silver Spring, Maryland, US
While cutting down rainforests to grow palm oil for biofuels may constitute "madness" (1 December 2007, p 50), burning other vegetable oils is no more sane, nor less damaging to Indonesia's rainforests. Indonesia is expected to increase its palm oil production by more than half over the next 10 years. This is driven, in part, by China, which used to buy rapeseed oil from Europe for food and for industrial uses, but is switching to Indonesian palm oil because Europe's cars and trucks now burn the rapeseed oil as a biofuel. Subsidy for biofuel producers in the European Union is increasing its local use, and the story is similar in the US.
The greatest barrier to finding incentive schemes that discourage deforestation in Indonesia and in other tropical countries is the rising demand and prices for the commodities (especially palm oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil) that such subsidies encourage.
Competition between growing fuel and food is manageable if countries like Indonesia and Brazil expand food production to replace food that is no longer available from Europe and the US - which means taking more land into agriculture. But food will become scarce and expensive if world leaders attempt to expand biofuel production and save the forests at the same time.
Food prices and land rents are the main determinants of the cost of protecting forests from agriculture. Before the biofuel boom, programmes to protect rainforests would have offered an extraordinary opportunity for farmers in Europe and the US, because crop-land expansion in the tropics endlessly undermines the prices of agricultural goods.
Perhaps it is not too late to recognise that protecting rainforest and savannah offers a more rational and lasting solution to farmers' commodity price worries than subsidising biofuels does.
From issue 2637 of New Scientist magazine, 05 January 2008, page 16-17
2. CPO prices to remain firm this year
Key excerpt: "Where does palm oil come in the picture? As more rapeseed oil, soyoil and corn are diverted to bio energy, palm oil would be needed to make up for their shortfall in food and other sectors.
DBS Vickers Securities said the move by the European Union to scrap a 20-year ruling that required farmers to leave 10% of their land fallow to encourage wheat planting in 2008 may provide some downside to wheat prices and prompt farmers to switch back to rapeseed. This could lead to negative implications on palm oil prices."
02-01-2008: CPO prices to remain firm this year by Lim Shie-Lynn Email us your feedback at fd@...
KUALA LUMPUR: Crude palm oil (CPO) prices will continue to remain firm and drive the growth of the plantation industry this year amid high crude oil prices and tight supply of cheaper energy sources, analysts say.
Research houses generally are overweight on the plantation sector, with most of them anticipating oilseeds to sustain their price strength for at least the next 12 months, before a possible supply increase.
A notable exception is Aseambankers Equity Research, which has neutral stance on the plantation sector.
It said the sectors upcycle has lasted three years and a slowdown in the global economy precipitated by the US subprime issue could trigger a reversal of the CPO price trend. CPO prices will average at RM2,500 a tonne in 2008, according to its forecast.
CPO futures rose to a historic high of RM3,097 per tonne on Dec 27, spurred by the spike in crude oil prices to US$97 a barrel mark on geopolitical concerns following Pakistans former prime minister Benazir Bhuttos assassination.
DBS Vickers Securities equity research analyst Ben Santoso said prices of vegetable oils and crude oil only have a correlation amidst a supply shortage and were expected to decouple otherwise.
CPO and crude oil will not have a strong correlation for ever, as vegetable oil will be mainly used for food and that will have a bigger influence on the (CPO) prices, he told The Edge Financial Daily.
DBS Vickers is maintaining an upward bias on CPO for 2008, with an average price of RM2,700 to RM3,000.
In terms of price movements for CPO, we will see prices going down in the second half of 2008 as palm oil yields in October and November had rebounded with a vengeance, rising by 6.5% month-on-month (m-o-m) to 1.56 million tonnes and 16.2% m-o-m to 1.81 million respectively, he said.
Analysts who were bullish about the sector said crude oil prices are likely to escalate, adding that higher oil prices would enhance the economic viability of biofuels and boost demand for edible oils. It is also expected to help support higher feedstock prices, prompting more governments to announce favourable biofuel initiatives.
Citing government mandates in Brazil and Italy on 2% biodiesel blend beginning Jan 1, 2008, for example, Aseambankers said demand for edible oils in biodiesel production was set to increase.
It added that increased usage of corn for ethanol production in the US, driven by high oil price, would also indirectly flow through to palm oil prices, as it would encourage farmers to plant more corn than soybean.
According to Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) recent statistics, CPO yields increased unexpectedly in November, boosting the countrys inventory levels. Exports in November however were down by 5.7% m-o-m at 1.23 million tonnes, due to seasonally lower demand from China.
Despite the spike in November, Malaysias palm oil output would be lower than the earlier forecast of 16.2 million tonnes for 2007. It was likely to drop to around 15.7 million tonnes, as an estimated 500,000 tonnes were lost to the floods in Johor, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Peter Chin recently.
Although heavy rains inundated large tracts of oil palm plantations, OSK Investment Research remained upbeat on the outlook for the plantation sector, saying the impact was less severe compared to the previous floods.
Challenges and risks Whilst it is touted as more friendly to the environment, biofuel continues to face obstacles in places like Europe, where the food versus fuel debate has been raging. Many countries in Europe are alarmed at the rate of conversion of farmlands from food crops to biofuel crops.
Where does palm oil come in the picture? As more rapeseed oil, soyoil and corn are diverted to bio energy, palm oil would be needed to make up for their shortfall in food and other sectors.
DBS Vickers Securities said the move by the European Union to scrap a 20-year ruling that required farmers to leave 10% of their land fallow to encourage wheat planting in 2008 may provide some downside to wheat prices and prompt farmers to switch back to rapeseed. This could lead to negative implications on palm oil prices.
Stock picks In spite of the industrys volatility, the plantation sector remains attractive to investors. Plantation giants like Sime Darby Bhd, IOI Corporation Bhd, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd are among the top picks among fund managers and brokers.
CMS Dresdner Asset Management Sdn Bhd chief investment officer Scott Lim Kok Seng said: Valuations for the sector are not cheap anymore. From a structural trend, valuations will follow CPO prices and will remain high.
He added that investors were also keen to invest in second-tier plantation stocks such as United Plantations Bhd, Tradewinds Bhd and Asiatic Development Bhd based on their cheaper valuations.
As long as the sector remains buoyant, you will see rotational interest from the investors from big cap to middle cap when they diversify or adjust their portfolios, he said.
A planters view We are cautiously bullish about plantations in 2008 as palm oil supply is still tight while demand is increasing, Tradewinds Plantations Bhd acting chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt said.
Chan is confident the high CPO prices are sustainable this year. He said Tradewinds Plantations would continue to develop its 30,000ha landbank and will focus more aggressively on the oil palm plantations.
We want to bring in higher yields and we will be looking at improving field management next year, he said.
Chan said high CPO prices would boost the companys earnings, but its production cost was also likely to increase to RM900 a tonne with the anticipated hike in fertiliser prices.
Tradewinds Plantations is the countrys seventh largest plantation land owner with 126,985ha.
Category : World BRASILIA, Brazil, Jan. 2 All diesel fuel sold in Brazil's 35,000 fuel stations will contain 2 percent biodiesel under new government mandates that went into effect Tuesday.Preliminary data from the National Petroleum Agency suggest the Social Fuel Program is benefiting tens of thousands of Brazil's poorest farmers, according to Brazil Magazine. Additional data from the NPA suggest the country will be able to save about $410 million a year on imported diesel. The B2 biodiesel blend will not affect the price of the fuel for the consumer, who will pay the same for a liter at the pump.According to Nelson Hubner, the minister of mines and energy, biofuel won't increase costs for fuel marketing companies either. More than 380 million liters of biodiesel was commercialized to prepare for the switch.Copyright 2008 by UPI
Dear Group Members,
Rajasthan Patrika published this news today morning i.e. December
27, 2007. 25 Children were hospitalized in Jahajpur hospital All are
between 5 to 12 years. For this news in Hindi please see this link.
http://www.rajasthanpatrika.com/News/city_inner.php?NewsID=739912&DID=8
Pankaj Oudhia
Jatropha curcas poisoning
Menezes Ritesh G1, Rao Nageshkumar G2, Karanth Suman S1, Kamath Asha1,
Manipady Shahnavaz2, Pillay VV3
1 Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
2 Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India
3 Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Cochin, India
Incidentally, as already mentioned, all the Jatropha poisoning victims
reported have been in the pediatric age group.[1],[2],[3],[4] In
general, accidental pediatric poisoning must be recognized as a global
public health problem with significant opportunities for prevention.
Effective prevention of accidental pediatric poisoning requires
programmes and policies that address known risk factors. Local data
collection or surveillance is required to identify specific risk
factors associated with accidental pediatric poisoning in a particular
region.
http://www.ijppediatricsindia.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5456;year=2006;volume=73\
;issue=7;spage=634;epage=634;aulast=Menezes
Dear Group Members,
The news published in Hindi in Rajexpress (link given below) say
that District Commissioner visited to hospital to meet affected
children and distributed compensation of Rs. 500 (approx. US $ 12) to
each victim. This link also informs about another incidence in
Gokulgram (Deshmohini) in same district where 6 children were
hospitalized due to Jatropha poisoning but still waiting for
compensation. Interestingly instead of stopping planting poison in surroundings
the authorities suggested the affected children to avoid eating it in
future.
http://www.rajexpress.in/newsindetail.htm?newsId=15394&slotId=127
By getting the idea of compensation amount i.e. US $ 12 distributed to
each victim you can understand the extent of seriousness of
authorities. In this little compensation how their parents go for long
treatment needed in case of Jatropha poisoning.
Pankaj Oudhia
Farm policy spells âdoomâ
PRIYA ABRAHAM
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 23: Farmers of four villages â" Patnagarh, Ghumer,
Ghunghutipali and Jalpali â" in Bolangir have reportedly lost 340 acres
to an Agra-based private firm, Taj Gas Limited, in the name of
Jatropha farming.
Cases of âland acquisitions in the name of cash cop cultivationâ came
to the forefront when a team of environmental researchers reached
Patnagarh in Bolangir following reports of farmersâ unrest in parts of
the district.
The block has witnessed mega promotion of jatropha by private firms in
the past few years.
Vasundhara, an NGO working for forest rights, independently carried
out the survey.
âThe new policy emphasises on contract as well as compact farming in
order to get higher returns. This has ushered in âcorporatisationâ of
agriculture where firms are encouraged to enter the green sector,â
said environmentalist Sweta Mishra. It seems private firms are taking
full advantage of the liberalised policy. In Bolangir alone there are
more than 10 companies, from the northern states of India, including
some âdubiousâ ones, involved in farming â" states the survey.
The survey also states that the entry of private firms have taken its
toll on traditional resource management and agriculture.
The new policy stresses on corporate farming, whose objective is to
maximise productivity of crops. Maximisation of production requires
consolidated land units. In order to ensure consolidated units,
farmers are asked to enter into an agreement with private units to
assure dedicated supply.
âThe practice of compact farming is likely to have a serious impact on
the socio-economic well being of those who fall in the categories of
landless, marginal and small farmers,â explained Tushar Dash, one of
the researchers.
It would deprive smaller farmers and they would contribute little to
the system, as they own small holdings. Secondly, owing to the
emphasis given to cash crops like jatropha, there might be a food
scarcity.
âJatropha is unsuitable for the local climate, involves greater cost,
requires more water, poses considerable health hazards and may have a
negative impact on the environment and agro-bio-diversity. When
experiments have failed in other countries, why is there a blind
promotion in Orissa?â asked Dash.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071224/jsp/nation/story_8702292.jsp
Names of 19 pupils who were hospitalized in Tubigon Bohol Community
Hospital
« on: July 26, 2007, 07:28:24 PM »
Written By Jhunnex Napallacan
The Philippine Daily Inquirer
Twenty-one elementary students in an island-village of Tubigon, Bohol,
Philippines were hospitalized for food poisoning after eating the
fruit of tuba-tuba or jatropha tree on Wednesday.
The public school students were on their way home when they passed by
two jatropha trees and started picking the nuts and eating its seeds,
not knowing they were poisonous, physician Adoracion Torregosa,
administrator of the Tubigon Community Hospital, said Thursday.
Torregosa said the students, with ages ranging from 7 to 13 years old,
immediately complained of abdominal pain and headache after they ate
the seeds. Some of them started vomiting, he said.
Tuba-tuba, or jatropha, is considered as one of the country's most
promising sources of bio-fuel today because its nuts contained oil
that can be processed into biodiesel.
But while the plant is also being used in traditional medication, it
has poisonous properties.
The students are all residents of Batasan Island, an islet 30 minutes
by motorized boat from mainland Tubigon, in the central Philippine
province of Bohol.
The children had just been released from their morning class at the
Batasan Island Elementary School at past 11 a.m. when the incident
happened.
Torregosa said the pupils were brought to the hospital at 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, around four hours after the poisoning.
Their parents gave them first aid treatment by making them drink
coconut milk and cooking oil, he said.
"The leader of the group, the one who enticed the other children to
eat the seeds, ate four seeds but he was up and about because (his)
resistance was strong. The rest were the ones who were poisoned,"
Torregosa said.
Torregosa said the children ate the jetropha nuts because they tasted
like peanuts and pili nuts.
Torregosa said the tuba-tuba trees were inside a fence but some
fruit-bearing branches hanged over the road and became easy picking
for the passing children.
Torregosa said that 19 of the children were brought to the town's
hospital. Everlie Bopero, 8, was brought to St. Joseph Clinic in the
town, and John Alfie Oldinaria, 12, was brought to Tagbilaran City's
Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.
The 19 pupils who were brought to the Tubigon Community Hospital were
Princess Mae Ladrera, 7; Chandrina Premacio, 10; Jollyvie Bañanola, 7;
Jessa Bañanola, 7; Krishia Cosicol, 7; Christine Mae Sucano,7; Jhul
Raven Fernandez, 13; Jenalyn Cubellas, 8; Jonalyn Alipoyo, 8; Dynaven
Saavedra, 7; Aina Plaza, 9; Reggie Premacio, 9; Rica Mejares, 7;
Angelica Cabillo, 8; Billy Joe Premacio, 12; Erica Mae Mejares, 7;
Jerrick Elle, 9; Stephen Oldenaria, 7; and Steven Tabat, 7.
Torregosa said the pupils brought to TCH were given dextrose and
confined overnight. They were released at 10 a.m. on Thursday, he said.
Torregosa said Bopero was already home while Oldinaria was also about
to be released.
http://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=2937.0
Acute toxicity studies with Jatropha curcas L.
Abdu-Aguye I, Sannusi A, Alafiya-Tayo RA, Bhusnurmath SR.
The seeds of Jatropha curcas L. ingested accidentally by two children
aged 3 and 5 years led to a clinical syndrome of restlessness, severe
vomiting and dehydration. A systematic study of the seeds indicated
that they produced toxic effects in mice. Macroscopic anal haemorrhage
and death occurred when the seeds were administered with the feed.
Post-mortem examination revealed infarction of various parts of the
gastrointestinal tract with congested vessels. Sodium chloride
solution (150 mmol/l: saline) extract of the dried seed administered
intraperitoneally into mice caused death in doses as low as 1 mg/kg.
Post-mortem studies in this case showed widespread haemorrhages
involving the colon, lungs as well as infarction of the liver. Larger
intraperitoneal doses (greater than 30 mg/kg) were lethal rapidly but
not associated with gross gastrointestinal haemorrhage.
PMID: 3488257 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=3488257&cmd=showdetailvie\
w&indexed=google
Thanks for your updates. The jatropha menace is becoming more and more threatening and it is really pathetic to learn about its effect on children.
Tushar
On Dec 23, 2007 9:45 PM, Pankaj Oudhia <
pankajoudhia@...> wrote:
Dear Group Members,
When entire world is celebrating holidays and waiting for new
year, hundreds of children affected by Jatropha poisoning are
continuously reaching to hospitals for treatment. I know that you are
praying for them in daily prayers. Here is small poem I tried to
write. Please complete it if you can.
What you have âD-oneâ
Our children are in hospitals
And parents are in worry
What you have âD-oneâ
For money you are in so hurry
Children are God on earth
We see future in them
In their play ground youâre growing poison
And causing mayhem
Sorry to know the people still
âinvestingâ money to spread poison
Letâs unite for our children
Lets Jatropha promoters teach lesson
Letâs pray for affected children fighting
with Jatropha borne brain injury
Our children are in hospitals
And parents are in worry
What you have âD-oneâ
For mere money you are in so hurry.
Dear Group Members,
When entire world is celebrating holidays and waiting for new
year, hundreds of children affected by Jatropha poisoning are
continuously reaching to hospitals for treatment. I know that you are
praying for them in daily prayers. Here is small poem I tried to
write. Please complete it if you can.
What you have âD-oneâ
Our children are in hospitals
And parents are in worry
What you have âD-oneâ
For money you are in so hurry
Children are God on earth
We see future in them
In their play ground youâre growing poison
And causing mayhem
Sorry to know the people still
âinvestingâ money to spread poison
Letâs unite for our children
Lets Jatropha promoters teach lesson
Letâs pray for affected children fighting
with Jatropha borne brain injury
Our children are in hospitals
And parents are in worry
What you have âD-oneâ
For mere money you are in so hurry.
=============
Related Links
Hindi Poem on Deadly Jatropha
http://dardhindustani.blogspot.com/2007/07/blog-post_25.html
Some recent cases of Jatropha poisoning in children
http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=interactiveTableView&itableId=2482
Pankaj Oudhia
The Deadly Catchâ
By Dr. Elizabeth Bagares-Poyogao
A FEW days ago, a group of students were rushed to the hospital due to
vomiting and abdominal pain brought about by the ingestion of a nut
called "tuba-tuba."
"Jatropha curcas" is the scientific name of "tuba-tuba." Others call
it the "black vomit nut" or "purging nut tree" to name a few. This
plant usually grows in small towns as a fence.
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Hence the name tubang bakod, tuba being a name given to many plants of
this family used for poisoning fish, and bakod, the Tagalog word for
fence. It is a very common plant found almost all over the Philippines
and it is found to be attractive to children.
It has a greenish bark, dark green leaves and yellow to greenish
flowers. The fruit is dark brown with seeds that has a very pleasant
taste like that of a "pili" nut. It has been reported that the seed
contains phytotoxins called "Toxalbumin crucin" which explains the
poisonous nature of the plant.
Ingestion of 1-3 seeds usually produce toxic signs and symptoms
related to gastro-intestinal irritation which occurs one or more hours
after ingestion of the seeds. There is usually abdominal pain, nausea
and vomiting with diarrhea leading to dehydration or in severe cases,
death.
In mild cases, the course of the illness lasts for not more than 24
hours. Ideally, the child is observed for 8 hours from the time of
ingestion of the seeds. The toxin mostly affects the gastro-intestinal
tract, liver and kidneys.
How do we treat this kind of food poisoning? There is no definite cure
for "tuba-tuba" poisoning.
Treatment is mainly supportive and symptomatic. Within 1-2 hours after
ingestion, it is very important to induce vomiting or you may do
gastric lavage.
Fluid replacement is very crucial to combat dehydration due to
diarrhea and vomiting to prevent death. It is also important to
monitor the child's serum electrolytes, the liver and renal function
tests. The goal of treatment is proper hydration or well-established
fluid replacement. Proper, thorough observation of the child's
physical status is crucial.
Prevention is the key for every food poisoning. It is important to be
aware of what your child eats. It is very important that parents and
children are aware of the kind of foods that are poisonous or not.
Otherwise, problem arises.
Looking back, all the children recovered from the acute poisoning
after 24 hours of hydration and observation and were discharged,
improved from the said hospital. Luckily, they survived this ordeal
and vowed never to eat the same seed again.
(Dr. Betty Bagares-Poyogao is based in Oro Doctors General Hospital,
St. Ignatius Medical Clinic, and JR Borja General Hospital. For your
questions, comments, and suggestions email me at betbags@....)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2007/10/13/life/.the.deadly.catch..html
Dear Group Members,
This is news of July, 2007 published in local newspaper. It has
yet not published in main media. I am trying to get more information
on this aspect. If you have any information, please share it.
Many Jatropha promoters are giving warning through emails not to
collect such information as it is forcing common Indians to oppose
this poisonous plant in their surroundings. For example one Jatropha
promoter has written
'I understand the suffering and
pain experienced by people who consumed the seeds, but this should
be a lesson to educate onself on the harmful effects rather than
doing a negative propaganda.'
I wonder if the statement remains same when their family members get
affected accidentally by this poison. For such Jatropha promoters it
seems that life of common Indian is of no value. Shame. Shame.
regards
Pankaj Oudhia
Govt urged not to fund bio-fuel programmes
Itâs a threat to countryâs food security, say activists
Our Bureau
Hyderabad, Dec. 7 A group of farmers, NGOs and intellectuals have
called for immediate stoppage of channelising Government funds into
schemes and programmes that are aimed at promoting bio-fuels.
Briefing newspersons on the outcome of a national meet held on
bio-fuels at Pastapur in Medak district, Mr P.V. Satheesh, Director of
Deccan Development Society (DDS), said that the increasing focus on
bio-fuels could threaten food security of the country as the effort
was aimed at growing crops like jatropha and pongamia.
Challenging the industry-Government argument that these crops were
being grown in wastelands, Mr Satheesh said there was no land that was
a waste for the farmers. Besides, bio-fuel production is not
climate-friendly since the energy needed for the production and
processing such fuels far exceeded the energy output.
âHell oilâ
Jatropha, he said, is considered to be a âhell oilâ by the farmers in
certain States as it contained âallelopathyâ property, harming flora
and fauna in the area.
Asking the Government to recognise jatropha as a curse on flora and
fauna, he reminded that the bio-fuel crop was considered to be a âPest
Bankâ, hosting a multitude of pests. âBeing carcinogenic, it is also a
source of green cancer,â he said.
The whole idea is to benefit the automobile industry and automobile
users, he said.
Demands
The two-day meeting demanded that the government halt targets for
conversion to fuel blending schemes until genuine research on fuel
efficiency was done.
It also opposed conversion of land use that would cause displacement
of people. âFood and fibre crops should neither be used for fuel
purposes nor be displaced from agriculture,â they demanded.
The participants included representatives from Jharkhond Mines Area
Coordination Committee, Jharkhandi Organisation Against Radiation,
Shetkari Sangathana and Bharatiya Krishak Samaj.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/12/08/stories/2007120852032100.htm
Dear Group Members,
It is incidence of November, 2006. For details please read this
report.
Wild Fruit Poisons 43 Children in Guangxi
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Forty-two pupils from a rural primary school and a pre-school boy in
south China are recovering after suffering food poisoning caused by
wild fruit, said a hospital source on Tuesday.
The local government said the children in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region suffered nausea and dizziness after eating the fruit on Monday
afternoon and all were taken to hospital.
All school children are from Shuichong Primary School in Hepu County's
Shankou Township and the younger boy was in a safe condition on Tuesday.
Test results showed they were poisoned by the fruit of the jatropha
curcal, a shrub that is used to produce biological diesel oil and
mainly distributed in south China.
The fruit of the plant is poisonous and can cause dizziness, vomiting,
diarrhea or shock.
An emergency safety campaign was launched by all primary and middle
schools in the county to avoid a recurrence of such incidents, said
Wang Yi, deputy head of the county.
(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2006)
http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:JRus1d0BH80J:www1.china.org.cn/english/heal\
th/189751.htm+jatropha+children+hospitalized&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17&gl=in
========
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
This is news of November 11, 2007 published in The Hindu. Here
is full report.
Five children hospitalised
Four children from Pattarai Perambudur in Tiruvallur district were
admitted to the Government Childrenâs Hospital in Egmore for treatment
after consuming jatropha seeds on Saturday. One child was admitted to
a private hospital.
Tiruvallur taluk police said Pratap Raju (9), Ajith Kumar (10),
Sibiraj (4), Lokeshwari (10) and Shwetha (2) were playing near their
school when they inadvertently ate the seeds.
They were first taken to Tiruvallur Government Hospital and referred
for advanced treatment as their condition was serious.
http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:_NsMc5T7J1sJ:www.thehindu.com/2007/11/11/st\
ories/2007111159920400.htm+jatropha+children+2007&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=in
=======
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
I have already posted this link but as new cases of Jatropha
poisoning are coming this link is becoming more relevant. You will
find how it affects human body and also about scientific information
on its carcinogenic properties. The Indian Traditional Healers
consider this ingestion harmful to brain. I interacted with many
victims and found abnormal mental status even months after feeding. In
general modern doctors give emphasis in flushing of poison and ignore
its effect on brain. For this bad property Jatropha is also known as
Psychic nut. According to the Healers its presence inside body even
for ten minutes can affect the patient's brain. As hundreds of
children are now affected due to this feeding I feel that there is
need to treat them again with much care and with special emphasis on
damage to brain and other vital organs.
http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/plant/jcurc.htm
Please give your comments.
regards
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
It is news of Dec. 16, 2007 from Orchha, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
(India). 9 school girls were hospitalized due to Jatropha poisoning.
For details visit this link
http://36garh.in/news/145/ARTICLE/2827/2007-12-18.html
regards
Pankaj Oudhia
PS Thanks for all the information gathered by Pankaj Oudhia. It is good to hear
about what is occurring in countries other than India, like the Philippines.
Dear Group Members,
Continuous reports on Jatropha poisoning in children from
different corners of world are very shocking and painful. Whatever you
have noted through previous posts are result of Internet search. Most
of the regional papers are not on-line. Hence this information is only
tip of iceberg. Few hours back I got call from Madhya Pradesh that ten
children were hospitalized due to Jatropha poisoning. I am trying to
get more details.
I have written Hindi article on this issue. You can read it from this link
http://kisanokeliye.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_16.html
Lets pray for better health of affected children and also curse the
Jatropha promoters responsible for these cases.
regards
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
This is news of Dec. 12, 2007 from Panchi village, Chandinagar,
Bagpat (UP), India where nearly two dozen children were hospitalized
due to Jatropha poisoning. For details please see this link
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/uttarpradesh/4_1_3983619.html
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
It is case of Feburary, 2007. Details are here. I have informed
you about it earlier also.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/32450/Tuba-tuba-fruit-poisons-14-kids-in-Iloilo
Tuba-tuba fruit poisons 14 kids in Iloilo
02/28/2007 | 06:16 PM
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Fourteen schoolchildren in La Paz, Iloilo were rushed to a hospital
after eating fruits of the herbal plant tuba-tuba, GMA News reported
Wednesday.
Doctors at the Western Visayas Medical Center said the victims, all
grade four pupils of NJ Ingore Elementary School, were now in stable
conditions.
Eight of them were already sent home while the six others were still
undergoing treatment.
The report said the children picked and ate the fruit during their
recess period. After eating tuba-tuba, the victims felt dizzy and vomited.
Also on Wednesday, Sun-Star Zamboanga reported that three children
were rushed to the hospital in Zamboanga City after eating jatropha
fruits.
The children â" aged two, three and six years old â" took bites of the
jatropha while they were playing at San Jose Gusu village over the
weekend.
Jatropha is potentially lethal to humans and animals once ingested.
Doctors at the Zamboanga City Medical Center have declared the kids'
health conditions to be normal. The three were already sent home.
Rodel Agbulos, Zamboanga City health officer, said the children
complained of stomach pains and vomiting after eating jatropha, known
locally as tangan-tangan.
Agbulos was quoted in the Sun-Star report as saying that jatropha
fruits, once eaten, could cause death if medication is not immediately
administered on the patient. - GMANews.TV
=======
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
While searching net I got this news. The case is of July, 2007.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=78\
896
(UPDATE 2) 21 pupils poisoned by jatropha nuts in Bohol
By Jhunnex Napallacan
Visayas Bureau
Last updated 05:32pm (Mla time) 07/26/2007
CEBU CITY, Philippines -- Twenty-one elementary students in an
island-village of Tubigon, Bohol were hospitalized for food poisoning
after eating the fruit of tuba-tuba or jatropha tree on Wednesday.
The public school students were on their way home when they passed by
two jatropha trees and started picking the nuts and eating its seeds,
not knowing they were poisonous, physician Adoracion Torregosa,
administrator of the Tubigon Community Hospital, said Thursday.
Torregosa said the students, with ages ranging from 7 to 13 years old,
immediately complained of abdominal pain and headache after they ate
the seeds. Some of them started vomiting, he said.
Tuba-tuba, or jatropha, is considered as one of the country's most
promising sources of bio-fuel today because its nuts contained oil
that can be processed into biodiesel.
But while the plant is also being used in traditional medication, it
has poisonous properties.
The students are all residents of Batasan Island, an islet 30 minutes
by motorized boat from mainland Tubigon, in the central Philippine
province of Bohol.
The children had just been released from their morning class at the
Batasan Island Elementary School at past 11 a.m. when the incident
happened.
Torregosa said the pupils were brought to the hospital at 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, around four hours after the poisoning.
Their parents gave them first aid treatment by making them drink
coconut milk and cooking oil, he said.
"The leader of the group, the one who enticed the other children to
eat the seeds, ate four seeds but he was up and about because (his)
resistance was strong. The rest were the ones who were poisoned,"
Torregosa said.
Torregosa said the children ate the jetropha nuts because they tasted
like peanuts and pili nuts.
Torregosa said the tuba-tuba trees were inside a fence but some
fruit-bearing branches hanged over the road and became easy picking
for the passing children.
Torregosa said that 19 of the children were brought to the town's
hospital. Everlie Bopero, 8, was brought to St. Joseph Clinic in the
town, and John Alfie Oldinaria, 12, was brought to Tagbilaran City's
Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital.
The 19 pupils who were brought to the Tubigon Community Hospital were
Princess Mae Ladrera, 7; Chandrina Premacio, 10; Jollyvie Bañanola, 7;
Jessa Bañanola, 7; Krishia Cosicol, 7; Christine Mae Sucano,7; Jhul
Raven Fernandez, 13; Jenalyn Cubellas, 8; Jonalyn Alipoyo, 8; Dynaven
Saavedra, 7; Aina Plaza, 9; Reggie Premacio, 9; Rica Mejares, 7;
Angelica Cabillo, 8; Billy Joe Premacio, 12; Erica Mae Mejares, 7;
Jerrick Elle, 9; Stephen Oldenaria, 7; and Steven Tabat, 7.
Torregosa said the pupils brought to TCH were given dextrose and
confined overnight. They were released at 10 a.m. on Thursday, he said.
Torregosa said Bopero was already home while Oldinaria was also about
to be released.
=============
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
The Tribune, Chandigarh reported on Novem 05, 2007 that 15
children and a woman were hospitalized due to Jatropha poisoning.
Please visit this link for details.
16 fall sick after eating jatropha seeds
Jagadhari, November 5
At least 15 children and a woman fell sick after consuming jatropha
seeds in Chacharauli town near here today.
According to reports, the children, who had gone to play by Yamuna
river, picked the fruits of jathropa tree growing in abundance by the
riverside and ate the kernels.
The sick children were found by a woman, Rasho, who came looking for
her children when they failed to return home.
When Rasho (40) ate the seeds collected by the children, she also
became nauseated and rushed to her neighbours at Harijan Basti to
bring other parents.
The parents rushed the children to various private nursing homes in
Jagadhri town.
While the woman and seven children were discharged after a few hours
of treatment, eight children were still hospitalised and kept under
observation. â" UNI
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071106/haryana.htm#4
--------
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
These sad news are coming from different corner of India.
Newspaper Jagran reported in November 20, 2007 that in Mujaffarnagar
region five adults consumed poisonous seeds of Jatropha considering it
as groundnut seeds. For details please visit at
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/uttarpradesh/4_1_3919526.html
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
Newspaper Jagran reported from UP on November 22, 2007 that 3
adults consumed Jatropha seeds and their condition is very critical.
There is no follow up available. For details visit at
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/uttarpradesh/4_1_3925813.html
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
Indian state Chhattisgarh based newspaper Highway Channel
published that two children from Tilda-Nevra were hospitalized due to
Jatropha poisoning. For details visit this link
http://deshbandhu.co.in/newhigh/Breakingnews.asp?Details=543
Jatropha is in fruiting this time and as result we are regularly
getting such unfortunate news.
Pankaj Oudhia
Dear Group Members,
Newspaper Jagran published on Dec 01, 2007 that in Burhanpur
(UP, India) 14 children were hospitalized due to Jatropha poisoning.
For details please visit this link
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/madhyapradesh/4_7_3951978.html
Now it is clear that why D1 like companies have not grown it in their
own countries. Unfortunately Indian planners are promoting themselves
through Jatropha *shamelessly* at the cost of damage to Indian
Children. What a shame.
Pankaj Oudhia
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