ABSTRACT
The Malaysian Government introduced the National Agrofood Policy 2011-2020 (NAP4) in 2010, as a guidance document for the implementation of programs and projects for the development of the agricultural sector in Malaysia. The ten years period of this NAP4 will be completed at the end of...
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2015.12.03
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ABSTRACT
Fine bubble is defined as the small bubbles with a diameter ranging in micro and nanoscale. The sizes of micro bubble are smaller than millimeter and have distinctive properties. The applications of micro bubbles technology has been successfully proved in waste water...
2013.11.22
3,425
Dr. Jeongbin Im
Professor
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development
College of Agricultural and Life Science
Seoul National University
Seoul, Korea
E-mail: jeongbin@snu.ac.kr
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and Korea Agro...
Recently, news of the presence of microplastics in sugar and salt sold in India made headlines. Although it has raised concerns about quality and regulation, the impact of agricultural production and consumption on microplastics in food is not widely discussed.
Food systems are a major driver of plastic pollution. Microplastics (diameter less than five millimetres) and nanoplastics (diameter less than one micrometre) are everywhere, accumulating in soil, water, and our food. Historically, micro and nano plastics in the deepest reaches of oceans have been under focus, but now researchers say that MNPs in soil, sediments and freshwater may be an estimated four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment. They have been detected in the tissues and organs of terrestrial and marine life. Researchers warn of potentially life-threatening effects from plastic pollution, with raised risk of stroke and heart attack linked to MNPs in blood vessels. Polypropylene fibres have been found abundantly in human lungs, pointing at inhalation as a route of microplastic exposure; its presence in human faeces has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease; and MNPs were found in all the human placenta tested for a study.
In 2019, agriculture value chains used 12.5 million tons of plastic and food packaging contributed to 37.3 million tons globally, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 2021). It forecasts a 50% increase in demand for agriplastics by 2030. Moreover, only about five percent of plastics used is recycled.
India’s Ministry of Agriculture states that the agricultural plastic industry forecasts the global demand for greenhouse, mulching and silage films to increase by 50 percent from 6.1 million tons in 2018 to 9.5 million tons in 2030.
Read more here.