The “Strategy paper on Coal Import Substitution” has been prepared as a report of the IMC (Inter-Ministerial Committee). The paper focusses on the present energy mix of the country, domestic coal production, trends and projections, import trends (sector-wise), coal import substitution measures already taken by the Government and most importantly, …
on january 11, France decided to extend its October 2007 ban on a variety of gm maize. It decided to activate a European Union guideline that prohibits the cultivation of gm corn. The variety, Mon 810, developed by food multinational Monsanto, is the only gm crop that France is growing. …
India, the world's biggest wheat producer after China, may not have to import the grain before August because the country has sufficient stockpiles, Commerce Secretary G K Pillai said. The country has imported almost 1.8 million tonnes of wheat since July to build stockpiles. Purchases in the year ending June …
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has called on his cabinet to devise a plan for nationalizing oil imports. The move follows a series of clashes between the government and Exxon Mobil subsidiary Esso Standard Oil, which handles most of the crude oil imports and refining in the country. The dispute is …
Lysine corn, a genetically modified version designed by Monsanto as animal feed, can now be legally imported and sold in New Zealand. The Food Safety Authority says it is satisfied with tests showing that the corn is safe and is like any other conventional corn. Environmental groups and the opposition …
The us president, George W Bush, signed a new energy law on December 19. It intends to reduce reliance on oil imports and sets higher fuel efficiency standards for the first time since 1975. The law, the Energy Independence and Security Act, also requires a huge increase in the production …
Ana M Soto, professor at the Tufts Medical School at Massachusetts in the us, made an important discovery while working with breast cancer cells in 1989. She found that some of the tissues were proliferating without stimulation when stored in plastic tubes. An investigation indicated that the plastic tubes had …
The World Trade Indicators (WTI) database and ranking tool cover country level indicators of trade performance and policies and institutions that affect trade. This publication summarizes patterns in world trade policy and trade outcomes revealed by the WTI database, focusing mainly on regional and income level variations and providing the …
coconut farmers in Kerala have got tentative relief with the Kerala High Court lifting its stay on a ban on palm oil import through Kochi port. On November 20, the court said no consignment of palm oil should be imported till further orders. About 80,000 tonnes of palm oil reach …
Cotton is the most important textile fibre and contributes to 62 percent of the Indian Textile Industry's requirement. Among the different quality groups, the ELS Cotton of 35 mm and above is in great demand world over for the manufacture of high quality ring spun yarns.
The European Commission on October 15 approved a one-year extension of anti-dumping duties on imports of energy-saving light bulbs from China, despite protests from environmentalists, leading bulb manufacturers and several member nations. Many of these European bulb manufacturers, such as Italian lighting company Targetti and the Dutch-based Philips, have their …
In February this year, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced that the country could export wheat in the near future. "If the current weather persists and the country's wheat production exceeds 72.5 million tonnes, I will allow exports,' he said. But the minister seems to have done a volte-face on …
Second deluge: Less than a month after monsoon rains battered the country, a second wave of flooding that began on September 10, is further affecting parts of Bangladesh. According to government officials, the overall death toll from flooding since July had risen to 840, forcing over half a million from …
the guar gum trade in India has suffered a setback after the European Union (eu) banned import of non-certified guar gum from India. The move came after dioxins and pentachlorophenols were found in a consignment delivered by India Glycol, a Delhi-based exporter. India is the leading exporter of guar gum, …
A journalist recently called me to check if I thought that India had the same food-consumer product record as China. He wanted to know if we face the problems that are plaguing Chinese exports of late: tainted pet food, toxic toothpaste, lead-paint in toys, chemicals in textiles. It got me …
diplomatic roadshow: Bangladesh and Myanmar recently signed a deal to construct the first major road between the two countries. The 25-km road is part of an Asian super highway to boost bilateral trade. It is hoped it will eventually connect India, Thailand and China. In another development, India plans to …
afghan debt relief: Afghanistan was recently granted interim debt relief meant for impoverished countries with heavy debt. Under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, Afghanistan will now have its net public and private debt payments cut by 51 per cent so that more funds can be utilised for healthcare, education …
On June 28, 2007, the us announced a broader import control on farm-raised fish imported from China. The us Food and Drug Administration (fda) will now check if shipments are free of residues of drugs used in farm-raised aquatic animals that were banned in the country. "We're taking this strong …
The European Union (eu) was recently criticised for its contradictory policies on climate change and trade by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (wwf). On June 28, it asked the eu to scrap anti-dumping duties on Chinese energy-saving light bulbs. eu's plan not to extend the duties for five more years …
the circle of Green Revolution seems to be complete. Punjab's agricultural growth of 1.86 per cent last year was just a plot in a declining graph since 1970. It is clear that the farming system could not sustain itself feeding on super-intensive inputs, organically as well as financially. Such farming …
