Regoverningmarkets.org South Asia (Vol. 22, No. 37 August 25 - August 31, 2007)

35pc duty on export of 'atta' likely Monday, August 27,2007 THE NATION

KARACHI - The federal government is going to impose 35 per cent regulatory duty this week on the exports of flour from the country with the prime objective to arrest unbridled growth in the domestic prices of wheat and flour, a highly placed federal government official told The Nation from Islamabad.

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) would take up the proposal of levying 35 per cent regulatory duty on the exports of flour in its upcoming meeting. The ECC is expected to hold its meeting either on Tuesday or Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Livestock and Ministry of Finance have forwarded a summary to the ECC to discourage exports of flour and to bring down the record high prices of wheat and flour in open markets throughout the country.

Official source said that a huge quantity of flour is being exported to Afghanistan, Central Asian States where the prices are much higher than those prevailing in Pakistan.

Official claimed that Pakistani flour was reaching India, where the retail price has been around 24 rupees per kg as against 18-19 rupees per kg price in this country.

At wholesale the price of flour in the country is less than 17 rupees a kg that gives advantage of exporters to earn 7-8 rupees per kg profit on the export of ‘atta' to Afghanistan, CAS and India. Despite bumper production of 23 million tons of wheat this year against annual requirement of 21 million tons, the hoarders' mafia has piled up huge stocks of wheat and artificially jacked up the prices of the staple food to double their money.

Official source claimed that the private sector has hoarded around two million tons of wheat as they saw a sharp increase in the wheat prices in the international markets and exports of the commodity that had been temporarily suspended in the wake of unwanted growth in prices.

Official sources said that the gap between the official support price of the wheat and open market price of flour has doubled that has shocked the government and the consumers as well.

For example, the official support price of wheat was Rs 425 per 40kg while in the open market the retail price of pure ‘atta' has reached Rs 750 to Rs 800 per 40-kg. However, the substandard flour is also available in the domestic retail markets at less than Rs 18 per kg, but the consumers are showing least interest in buying this poor quality staple food.

Sources said that the federal government would look into more measures in case the hoarders and millers did not bring down flour prices.

"First of all we will release wheat to flour mills to ease pressure on prices. At a later stage we can import and market subsidized ‘atta' through the Utility Stores Corporation to make dent into the prices and to give relief to the consumers," said the senior government official.

He said that on the proposal of the Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan the federal government allowed export of surplus wheat, but the decision had to be reversed when it back-fired in the shape of rapid increase in wheat and flour prices in the country.

As the ban on wheat export had not produced the required results, the federal government has decided to slap 35 per cent regulatory duty on the export of flour next week, he added.

Bumper output of lemon in Moulvibazar Monday, August 27,2007 DAILY STAR

MOULVIBAZAR: A trader with lemon at a wholesale market in Srimongal, Moulvibazar. Photo: STAR

Farmers here have achieved a bumper production of lemon this year.

But, a large quantity of lemon have been rotting due to want of a processing plant and any other preservation facility at Srimongal, the main centre of lemon marketing.

So, farmers have demanded of the authorities concerned to offer facilities for preservation of lemon, a major forex earner from UK, USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. They want government patronisation in this sector.

Most popular varieties of lemon are Kagoji, Jara, Jhuta, China, Elachi, Beej-shunya, and Sharboti. About 80 percent of the total demand of lemon of the country is being met from the region.

According to a statistics of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), lemons are cultivatedn the region on 25,000 hectares of hilly land.

The annual production of lemon is 75 metric ton, market price of which is over Tk 45 crore.

Lemon cultivation started in Srimongal about 35 years ago. Just after the liberation of the country, a few people started lemon cultivation in the hilly lands of Srimongal. As the lands were fertile, they achieved a good production. Later, others also became interested in its cultivation. Now, its cultivation has been extended to Moulvibazar sadar, Rajnagar, Baralekha, Kamalganj, Kulaura, and Juri upazilas in Moulvibazar, Bahubol and Chunarughat upazilas in Habiganj and Beanibazar upazila in Sylhet.

Md Ahad Miah, chairman of Srimongal municipality said lemon cultivation gained popularity fast and became a major source of income from the seventies. Now, people of 10 upazilas in Sylhet region are involved in lemon cultivation, said Ahad Miah.

Anukul Chandra Das, a lemon cultivator of Srimongal said the peak season of lemon harvesting started from the last week of May.

He has been cultivating lemon on his 50 acres of land for the last six years. Now, he is selling 10,000 pieces of lemon daily. He sold lemon worth Tk 16 lakh last year. He has a plan to expand his lemon garden.

Shachindra Deb, another lemon cultivator at Muhajirabad village said he started lemon cultivation in 1973. At the initial stage, he owned only 10 bighas of land where he began its cultivation. Ultimately, he cultivated lemon on 40 acres of land.

Mukter Ali at Goalbari village under Juri upazila said although lemons are produced throughout the year, but pest attack on lemon garden was a regular feature. But its production was not decreased, rather increased following implementation of modern technology in lemon cultivation.

The main wholesale market at Srimongal has been flooded with lemon this year. There are more than 20 lemon warehouses in Srimongal. Warehouse owners are trading lemon with 4 percent commission. Wholesalers from different parts of the country are thronging here in large number.

Jute commission put on hold Monday, August 27,2007 NEW AGE

DHAKA: The jute ministry could not make inroads into its plan to constitute a national commission for mapping out an effective jute sector revival strategy due to reservation about involving trade unions in the process.

Instead, officials said, the government is now weighing up options for viably running the recently-closed public sector jute mills, particularly under private management.

‘We are not yet sure about formation of jute commission as we planned earlier. We are now looking for ways and means to resume production in closed jute mills so that they can survive and create more jobs,' a high official of the ministry told New Age.

Asked why the planned jute commission has been shelved despite having positive public opinion, the official pointed out that the government was hesitant about involving the trade union leaders with such a process in view of their ‘questionable role' in the past leading the jute sector to a moribund state.

Citizens' groups have time and again rejected such official claims, oversimplifying the problems and blaming trade unions for everything for the near-destruction of the sector. They demanded formation of a national jute commission comprising experts and stakeholders to work out a strategy to revive the jute sector.

A citizens' body, styled ‘Pubic Commission on Jute and Jute Industries,' is now working on preparing a report in this regard. The members of the group extensively toured the jute industrial belts and collected field level data in the backdrop of labour unrest in Khulna jute mills. They claimed to have diagnosed the real problems of the gradual decline in the jute sector and vowed to expose the culprits.

Jute ministry officials said chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed looked supportive of the move to put the four closed jute mils under private management until they are fully privatised.

The four mills are People's Jute Mills in Khulna, Karnaphuli Jute Mills and Forat-Karnaphuli Carpet Factory in Chittagong and Qaomi Jute Mills in Sirajganj - which were recently closed under a ‘revival programme' revealed by jute adviser Geeteara Safiya Chowdhury. Although the programme overnight threw about 6,000 workers out of job, the adviser then claimed the plan would put the ailing sector back on track and create more jobs.

The jute ministry hopes that it will be able to make significant progress in making the remaining state-owned jute mills efficient through undertaking a set of measures, including job cuts and injecting fresh funds.

The state-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation has 18 mills in operation after closure of the four.

Opium crop destabilises Afghanistan Monday, August 27,2007 KHALEEJ TIMES

KABUL: Afghanistan's poppy harvest is expected to top all records this year as the country spirals deeper into a vicious circle of drugs, corruption and insecurity. Afghan opium cultivationA United Nations report due on Monday will announce that Afghanistan is now producing nearly 95 percent of the world's opium, up from 92 percent in 2006, officials and diplomats say.

This marks the sixth straight year of rises since US-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taleban in 2001 -- despite hundreds of millions of dollars pumped into programmes to halt cultivation, processing and trafficking of the drug.

"It is a very bad situation definitely, and the government has not been able to deal with it in the right way, otherwise it should have at least been stabilised or contained," said Christina Oguz, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan.

"The same goes for the international community."

Afghanistan is locked in a vicious circle in which drug money corrupts government and helps fund the Taleban insurgency. That weakens state control over parts of the country, which in turn leads to more insecurity and more drug production.

The scale of the problem is huge. Opium and the heroin made from it are estimated to be worth some $3 billion to the Afghan economy, about a third of its gross domestic product.

Security weak

Security is key. The Taleban managed to drastically reduce the 2001 poppy crop as they held most of the country firmly under their control and implemented strict punishments for offenders.

Now, some 70 percent of opium production comes from provinces in the south where the Taleban insurgency is strongest.

People who have seen the UNODC and Afghan Counter-Narcotics Ministry report say one of the few bright spots in it is the rise in opium-free provinces from six last year to around 10 in 2007 -- all in the north where security is best.

Both traffickers and the Taleban have a common interest in instability and lawlessness, Afghan and foreign officials say.

"Traffickers are equipping and providing funds for terrorist organisations that are responsible for many attacks in Kabul, other parts of the country and other parts of the world," said Counter-Narcotics Ministry spokesman Zalmay Afzaly.

Insecurity also leads farmers to plant poppy, as fighting may prevent them from getting perishable crops to market.

"The great thing about opium is that it lasts for 20 to 30 years - it's money in the bank," said a senior Western diplomat. "So if you're not sure you can get your onions or carrots to market as they may go off because it's too insecure to move, then you grow opium and put it under your bed - it's a currency."

While foreign forces regularly inflict crushing battlefield defeats on the Taleban, even optimists do not expect an end to the insurgency anytime soon.

Carrots and poppies

Meanwhile, the notoriously corrupt, poorly equipped and badly paid Afghan police are unlikely to be able to do much to stop drug producers and traffickers, let alone the kingpins that run the trade and have thus far remained free from prosecution.

The Afghan Counter Narcotics Ministry says it has not had enough evidence to bring corrupt officials to book.

The United States had championed aerial spraying to eradicate poppy crops, but that idea has been quietly dropped for another year due to objections from the Afghan government, worried about adverse public reaction, diplomats say.

Instead, Washington unveiled a carrot-and-stick strategy this month giving greater financial incentives to Afghan provincial governors to combat drugs while stepping up coordination between counter-narcotics and counter-insurgency forces.

That should help governors in the north who have successfully fought poppy cultivation, but have missed out on most of the aid which is spent in the south where drug production has spiralled.

Total US aid for Helmand, the biggest opium-producing province, is $200 million this year. If Helmand were a country it would be the fifth biggest recipient of US aid, diplomats say.

But better irrigation and agricultural methods can sometimes backfire. "They use it for growing opium," said Oguz. "This is telling the rest of the country 'grow opium and we'll give you a lot of rewards, we'll give you aid'."

The decision to plant opium is often not related to poverty and the lack of alternative crops. The lush strip of land along the banks of the Helmand River is one of the most fertile farming areas in Afghanistan and was once the country's bread-basket.

Rather, the driving force behind opium production is a nexus of traffickers, insurgents, powerful landowners and corrupt officials, experts say.

The plan agreed by the Afghan government and major donors is to break the links between these elements in what is likely to be a prolonged campaign of public awareness, alternative development, crop eradication, tackling traffickers, law enforcement and judicial reform.

"The problem is enormous and progress is very small," said Oguz. "Unless the international community and the government together are very determined ... we will not see enough change for a very long time."

Potato, apple yield down Tuesday, August 28,2007 KUENSEL ONLINE

HIMPHU: Going by the quantity of apple and potato crop arriving at the auction yard of the Food Corporation of Bhutan in Phuentsholing, the yield of these two cash crops has dropped significantly this season. "The drop is almost 70 percent for apple and 30 percent for potato," said an FCB official. According to the corporation records, 3,859 metric tonnes (MT) of potato and 268 MT of apple had reached the yard between June to August last year. This year, only 2,601 MT of potato and 84 MT of apple reached the yard. The upside to this slow supply has meant better prices for the two cash crops at the yard, which holds auctions for Indian traders buying Bhutanese produce. Apple, for example, was selling for an average of Nu.18 a kg and potato, Nu. 10 a kg at the auction yard. A farmer from Paro, Ap Wangdi, said that the decrease in apple production this year was due to damage caused by frost and cold temperatures during the apple flowering season in March. Without the flowers there was not much pollination taking place. "Last year I sold around 100 boxes of apple, but this year I brought only around 40 boxes", he said.

Another farmer from Paro, Ugyen, told Kuensel that many other farmers stayed behind to sell their apple yield in Paro itself, as they felt that it was not worth taking small quantities to the auction yard in Phuentsholing," he said.

According to Plant Pathologist, Thinlay, apple production had dwindled due to the alternate year fruit-bearing cycle and because of less moisture in the soil.

He added that potato from Chapcha, considered to be the best, also suffered from the rainfall pattern this year and was further damaged by the increase in tuber-moths, that destroy potato tubers, affecting the plant's growth.

Last year, the potato harvest was extremely good and prices touched Nu 2,500 per quintal for the first time in the history of the auction yard, said a potato dealer.

Losing the battle on opium Tuesday, August 28,2007 SCOTSMAN

KABUL: Afghanistan's poppy harvest is expected to break all records this year as the country spirals deeper into a vicious circle of drugs, corruption and insecurity. A United Nations report to be published today will reveal Afghanistan is now producing nearly 95 per cent of the world's opium, up from 92 per cent in 2006.

This marks the sixth straight year of rises since the Taleban was toppled in 2001 - despite hundreds of millions of pounds being pumped into programmes to halt cultivation, processing and trafficking of the drug.

"It is a very bad situation definitely, and the government has not been able to deal with it in the right way, otherwise it should have at least been stabilised or contained," said Christina Oguz, head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan. "The same goes for the international community."

Afghanistan's drug money corrupts government and helps fund the Taleban insurgency. That weakens state control over parts of the country, which, in turn, leads to more insecurity and more drug production.

The scale of the problem is huge. Opium and the heroin made from it are estimated to be worth some £1.5 billion to the Afghan economy, about a third of its gross domestic product.

The Taleban managed to drastically reduce the 2001 poppy crop as they held most of the country firmly under their control and implemented strict punishments for offenders. But now, some 70 per cent of opium production comes from provinces in the south, where the Taleban insurgency is strongest.

One of the few bright spots in the UNODC and Afghan counter-narcotics ministry report is the rise in opium-free provinces from six last year to about ten in 2007 - all in the north where security is tightest.

Both traffickers and the Taleban have a common interest in instability and lawlessness. "Traffickers are equipping and providing funds for terrorist organisations that are responsible for many attacks in Kabul, other parts of the country and other parts of the world," Zalmay Afzaly, of the counter-narcotics ministry said.

Insecurity also leads farmers to plant poppies, as fighting may prevent them from getting perishable crops to market. "The great thing about opium is that it lasts for 20 to 30 years - it's money in the bank," a senior western diplomat said. "So if you're not sure you can get your onions or carrots to market as they may go off because it's too insecure to move, then you grow opium and put it under your bed - it's a currency."

Meanwhile, the notoriously corrupt, poorly equipped and badly paid Afghan police are unlikely to be able to do much to stop drug producers and traffickers, let alone the kingpins that run the trade and have so far remained free from prosecution. The Afghan counter-narcotics ministry says it has not had enough evidence to bring corrupt officials to book.

The United States had championed aerial spraying to eradicate poppy crops, but diplomats say that idea has been quietly dropped for another year because of objections from the Afghan government, worried about adverse public reaction.

Instead, Washington unveiled a carrot-and-stick strategy earlier this month, giving greater financial incentives to Afghan provincial governors to combat drugs while stepping up co- ordination between counter-narcotics and counter-insurgency forces.

That should help governors in the north, who have successfully fought poppy cultivation but have missed out on most of the aid, which is spent in the south where drug production has spiralled.

PUSH TO PREVENT AID BECOMING SEED MONEY

THE lush strip of land along the banks of the Helmand River is one of the most fertile farming areas in Afghanistan and was once the country's bread-basket.

This year the United States will spend some £100 million in aid on Helmand. If the region was a country, say diplomats, it would be the fifth biggest recipient of American aid.

But helping farmers bring in better irrigation and agricultural methods can sometimes backfire.

"They use it (aid) for growing opium," said Chistina Oguz, of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan.

It was like telling the country that growing opium would be rewarded by aid, she added.

However, a prolonged campaign of public awareness, including alternative development, crop eradication, tackling traffickers, law enforcement and judicial reform hopes to change that.

"Unless the international community and the government are very determined ... we will not see enough change for a very long time," said Ms Oguz.

Massive opium production hits neighbours Wednesday, August 29,2007 AOP NEWS

KABUL: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that the latest opium poppy crop in Afghanistan will yield an amazing 8,200 tons of opium -- an increase of some 2,000 tons on the previous crop. The country's surging drug output appears not to be destined for the markets of Europe and North America, but instead for Afghanistan's neighbors.

Observers warn that the trend threatens to pull neighboring states into the vicious cycle of drug dependence.

Most of the illegal opiates comes from southern and eastern Afghanistan, particularly Helmand Province, where the Taliban militia insurgency is at its worst.

UNODC director Antonio Maria Costa notes that the Taliban has reversed its religious edict of July 2000, which banned poppy cultivation, and is now profiting from the drug trade.

Presenting the agency's report on the Afghan drug industry, Costa said in Kabul on August 27 that "what used to be considered a sin is now being encouraged."

"When there is violence, guerrillas, insurgency -- all of that creates a climate of lawlessness. The rule of law breaks down and criminal activity -- in the case of Afghanistan, opium cultivation...tends to flourish," Costa said.

Drugs Destined For Central Asia

Afghanistan is now the source of some 95 percent of the opiates reaching the big world markets, meaning mainly North America and Europe.

But UNODC researcher Tomas Pietschmann told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that the rise in production has not been matched by a parallel increase in demand on the major world markets.

Pietschmann points out that the market for opiates in Western Europe is stable, or even declining, and is similarly stagnant in North America. So where is this massive new supply of opium going?

Experts don't rule out that growers, distributors, and dealers are stockpiling some of the surplus for future sale. After all, opium can be stored for 20 or 30 years without losing its potency.

But that wouldn't account for all the drug supplies. Pietschmann says Afghanistan's neighbors may account for increasing consumption, partly because the large-scale transit of drugs across their territories has already brought increased levels of local addiction:

In Uzbekistan, Pietschmann says, about 0.8 percent of the population aged between 15 and 64 use opiates -- about twice the global average, which is 0.4 percent. Kyrgyzstan's level of opiate use is the same, and Kazakhstan's stands at 1 percent.

Opiate usage is also seen to be rising in Iran and China, and lately there are indications that the same is true of India. But hardest-hit of all is Russia, where the UNODC estimates that up to 2 percent of the population uses opiates.

Pietschmann estimates that the real increase in consumption this year lies to the south, toward Pakistan and Iran. The increase is less dramatic "in the countries north of Afghanistan, simply because production has declined in northern Afghanistan," he said.

Farid Tukhbatullin, head of the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights, described the increased opiate production as "bad news" for everyone -- particularly for Turkmenistan, because it has a very long border with Afghanistan.

In remarks to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, Tukhbatullin noted that Turkmenistan is one of the transit states for Afghan drugs, both to the CIS countries and onward to Europe.

India may lose edge in WTO bargain Thursday, August 30,2007 Times of India

NEW DELHI: In a move which could shrink India's negotiating space on service sector liberalisation at the WTO, members of the multilateral trade body have opted to delink talks on opening up sectors like finance, telecom and more visas for IT professionals from those on agriculture and industrial tariffs.

Though talks on services liberalisation have been on the backburner for a while, the final death knell seems to have been sounded at the Potsdam meeting of trade ministers from the US, Europe, Brazil and India in June where the G4 opted to disagree on everything except pushing ahead with farm sector and industrial tariff negotiations which are the two main issues being pushed by the developed countries.

When Doha Round talks were started in the Qatari capital in 2001, simplification of rules on anti-dumping and subsidies and service sector liberalisation were listed out as the two biggest possible areas of gains for India. Service sector opening up is expected to provide greater play for business process outsourcing and also simplify visa regime for Indian professionals in return for liberalised rules for foreign investment in sectors like banking and telecom.

But sources said that with the deadline for completion of negotiations already missed on several occasions, keeping services on the agenda could have delayed the completion of the round even further.

According to the new timetable, WTO members will try to first finalise the modalities for completing farm and industrial sector talks. Once that's done, a ministerial meeting is likely to be convened where ministers from all 150 countries would, in the first session, validate what the officials have achieved. In the second session, they will flag services and rules as the next areas on which a consensus is needed.

But trade experts said such a mechanism restricts the scope for trade-offs, though government officials comforted by saying that India's interests were paramount and no compromise would be made on safeguarding it. "Nothing moves forward till members agree on all topics on the table," said a source.

It could also help in keeping the developing country flock together with some members like Brazil, a key driver, already keen to wrap up negotiations fast. Brazil is one of the players pushing for steep cuts in duties on farm goods though is not so keen on similar approach for industrial products.

But officials said that with Argentina going to polls later this year, South America was divided. Also, there are no signs from the US that it is interested in speeding up talks and there were reports of some key negotiators stepping down in Washington.

Officials from 150 member countries meet in Geneva for a fortnight, starting from Monday, to finalise the modalities for reducing farm tariffs and subsidies.

Pak, B'desh agree to boost trade Friday, August 31,2007 DAILY TIMES

DHAKA: Pakistan has agreed to sell rice to Bangladesh as part of efforts to raise annual bilateral trade to $1.0 billion, officials of the two countries said on Thursday, after a two-day meeting in Dhaka. "We export 1.5 million tonnes of rice annually," said Pakistan's foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan. "We can sell coarse rice to Bangladesh to meet its immediate import requirements and also to boost trade between us," he told reporters. Both the countries underscored the importance of their economic and commercial relations and decided to consider adopting measures such as Early Harvest Programme to reach the target of $1 billion per annum in the two-way trade besides addressing the issue of trade imbalance.

Current annual trade between the two countries totals around $350 million, officials said.

Bangladesh will import 450,000 tonnes of rice and 350,000 tonnes of wheat during the 2007-08 fiscal year (July-June) to meet domestic demands, partly pushed up by recent floods that damaged rice and other crops with $500 million, officials said.

The two sides underlined that steps should be taken to realise the provisions of the recent MoUs between the two sides on cooperation in the fields of Tourism and Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, said a joint statement issued after the talks.

Khan said 10,000 tonnes of wheat Pakistan had promised to gift Bangladesh before the floods would arrive next month. Earlier this month, Bangladesh approved two tenders to import a total 100,000 tonnes of non-basmati parboiled rice by November.

Farmers come out in support of Reliance Friday, August 31,2007 The Telegraph

KOLKATA: A group of farmers Thursday hit the streets demanding Reliance resume farm product purchases that gave them higher prices, handing the company a public relations harvest in the middle of a controversy over its retail foray.

Holding placards that read "Jago chashi jago, nijer katha bhabo (farmers, wake up to protect your interests)," around 200 villagers blocked a road in Nadia, 60km from Calcutta, for an hour.

The unusual protest was triggered by the closure of a procurement centre from which Reliance used to source farm products for supply outside the state. The company put off procurements from Bengal after upcoming Reliance Fresh outlets were vandalised.

Around 100 farmers in Nadia were selling fruits and vegetables to the procurement centre - direct purchase by big investors is not allowed - for the past 10 months at a premium over the market price.

"We were selling papaya at Rs 6 a kilo when the market price was Rs 4," Anwar Hussein said.

His words lend credence to what Reliance has been claiming: farmers stand to benefit from its business model.

The company has been buying about 4 to 5 tonnes of fruits and vegetables a day intermittently to feed its retail network in the country.

Reliance had bought 8 to 10 tonnes of lichees from Murshidabad and Nadia in summer. Farmers got 50 paise for each lichee, compared with the market price of 37 paise, sources said. For mangoes, the company paid 25 per cent more, they added.

"My income grew substantially. But now I have to go back to the local market and sell cheap," Ranjit Mondal, a farmer, said.

The CPM, which is locked in a feud with the Forward Bloc that has been opposing the Reliance retail entry, denied any hand but it was quick to term the demonstration a "path-breaking" event.

Gujarat cops admit 366 farmers' suicides Friday, August 31,2007Indian Express

AHMEDABAD: In response to an RTI application, the Gujarat Police has put it on record that 366 farmers have committed suicide in 16 districts between 2003 and April 2007.

While the Gujarat Government continues to deny that there have been any cases of farmer suicides, police of 15 districts, in response to an RTI filed by social activist Bharatsinh Jhala, have given a list of farmer suicide cases. Junagadh reported 85 suicide cases followed by 62 in Rajkot. No suicides were reported from Dahod, Narmada, Banaskantha and Bhavnagar in the list.

Police have stated various reasons for the suicides, including mental instability, ill health, debt, family reasons and "unknown reasons". However, in 16 cases, police have clearly mentioned that farmers killed themselves over crop failure or financial reasons.

A copy of the response obtained by The Indian Express shows that officially, in 2005, four farmers across Ahmedabad rural, Anand and Bharuch took the extreme step due to financial reasons, while in 2006, two in Bharuch killed themselves for the same reason. The number of suicides for financial reasons in 2004 is five and in 2007 (till April) is four.

"According to the documents provided by district police departments, maximum number of suicides has been reported from Junagadh with 85 cases," Jhala said, adding, Junagadh is followed by Rajkot rural with 59 cases and Mehsana with 48 cases.

"What is surprising is that the official figure for suicides in Bhavnagar and some other districts is nil, while I personally have visited families of farmers from Bhavnagar, who have killed themselves for financial reasons," Jhala said.

Bangladesh discusses rice import Friday, August 31,2007 NEW AGE

DHAKA: The foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, discussed the possibility of import of rice from Pakistan when Pakistan foreign secretary Reaz Mohammad Khan called on him at his office on Thursday.

Duty-free export of jute goods and shipping arrangements for transport of petroleum products were also discussed, Chowdhury told this news agency after the meeting.

He said the joint economic commission will meet early next year to discuss concrete measures for greater economic cooperation between the two SAARC member countries.

During the meeting with the Pakistan foreign secretary, Chowdhury said as members of the SAARC and OIC, both the countries have common positions on different issues which also came up for discussions.

The foreign adviser expressed his satisfaction over the outcome of the foreign office consultation between the two sides which began at the state guest house Padma on the day.

He said the Pakistan foreign secretary and acting foreign secretary of Bangladesh Touhid Hossain briefed him on the outcome of the talks.

Chowdhury said, ‘I believe that our political relations are on even keel and both sides deeply value this relationship. To address specific agenda items and bilateral issues, we have set separate mechanisms which are now fully in motion.'

Reaz Khan conveyed to the foreign adviser an invitation from his Pakistan counterpart Khurshid Kasuri to visit Islamabad.

Aman farming hampered Friday, August 31,2007 NEW AGE

RANGAPUR: AMAN cultivation is being hampered seriously in the region due to acute shortage of seedlings in the post-flood situation.

According to farmers, target of aman cultivation is unlikely to be achieved in the region this season as huge hectares of seedbeds and planted seedlings were damaged by flood.

Farmers said seedlings for one bigha (one bigha is equal to 0.3306 acre) of land is being sold now between Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 instead of previous rate of Tk 800 to Tk 1,000. For this reason, many farmers cannot buy seedlings with the higher price rate.

According to the DAE, seedbeds on around 4,319 hectares of land and planted aman paddy on 7,771 hectares were damaged badly by floodwater in five districts of the northern region.

Farmers said preparation for fresh seedbeds could not be possible at this time, as at least 25 days are required for growing seedlings.

DAE officials, however, said there was no crisis of seedlings in the region and seedlings were being reached to the farmers from the districts which were not affected by flood.

Some 5,70,900 hectares of land have been brought under aman cultivation in the region in the current season.

Of the total land, 1,44,800 hectares will be cultivated in Rangpur, 1,14,400 hectares in Kurigram, 83,100 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 1,10,800 hectares in Nilphamari, and 1,17,800 hectares in Gaibandha.

Rs.7 m income for CTC maize farmers Friday, August 31,2007 Daily Mirror

COLOMBO: The Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) has agreed to cultivate Maize as a sub-variety along with its tobacco cultivation bringing about an additional Rs.7 million income for such farmer.

This has been carried out by the CTC in agreement with the government to cultivate maize alongside tobacco.

Last week, the company informed the Government of the farmer's interest and willingness to grow Maize as a sub-cultivation of tobacco.

At a briefing held recently, it was pointed out that the country spends huge amounts of money to import maize, when it can be easily cultivated within Sri Lanka in most parts of the country.

The Government requested all farmers, in particular the tobacco farmers to help grow maize along with their main crop, to help the country to be self sufficient in maize.

According to the Leaf Manager of CTC, Dr. Rukshan Gunatilaka the new proposal of planting approximately 150 ha of maize initially by tobacco farmers was communicated to the Government.

CTC's agreement to grow maize in its cultivating areas by 10, 000 farmers includes the Districts of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Moneragala, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Matale.

Dr. Gunatilaka emphasized that by growing maize along with tobacco the company will not only help the country be self sufficient in maize but will also generate an estimated additional income of Rs. 7 Million for farmers, while optimizing the land usage and creating an opportunity for capacity building for CTC staff and farmers.

He further said "this 150 ha of maize will produce approximately 250 metric tons. Planting of Maize along with tobacco will commence from Maha 2007 (October-December) and continue into the Yala season as well. The CTC will guide the farmers on its sub-cultivation process and provide them with recommended maize seeds and extension service. Ceylon Tobacco's extension staff will be trained by the Department of Agriculture on technology recommendations and will be responsible in cascading the knowledge to its farmers."

CTC is confident that this partnership with the Government and its farmers will be an example for others to follow.

Farm lying useless Friday, August 31,2007 THE HIMALAYAN TIMES

JHAPA: A 52-hector Agriculture Farm constructed in assistance with Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Shivgunj VDC of Jhapa twenty-five years ago has not been operated properly till date.

The land worth around Rs 14 million belonging to Seed Production and Dairy Development Committee of the Farm at Chandradangi of Shivgunj and its 22 buildings have also been useless till date.

The then Kankai Irrigation Projected had handed over the buildings to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives some 36 years ago for the use of the Farm. The equipments, including tunnel, tractor's plough and many other at the office premises have been left unattended for.

The Farm staff also have no work to do. When journalists contacted the office, Dev Chandra Shah, acting chief of the office was not present at his office. Bharat Bhattarai, an office assistant was sleeping in the residential building, Ratan Ray and Dhruba Subba, two junior staff, were also absent from the office. Three peons were on home leave.

"The Farm worth Rs 14 million has been wasted for no reason. The government has also stopped allocating budget to us," office assistant Bhattarai said adding that it has not been used for the purpose it was established for.

Regional Agriculture Directorate has assigned Sanjaya Kumar Yadav, chief of Jhapa District Agriculture Development Office as the chief for the Farm office since mid-June. "There is even problem for us to go to the office, as the office is 35-km far from the district headquarters Chandragadhi," Yadav said.

The office owns huge fields for producing seeds, parks and large ponds for fish farming in the land stretched to 52-hector.