Biotech tool for non-GM Crops + Disaster Management + Wheat Support Price + Meat Trade(India-Pak)

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In This NEWS Bulletin ********************************* 1. Scientists say transgenics or genetically modified crops cumbersome, biotech tools can boost harvest on non-GM crops - in THE INDIAN EXPRESS 2. Sibal for reciprocal private participation in tech projects 3. Weather-based insurance mooted for farmers 4. Now, disaster alert right on your mobile phones ! 5. Cabinet panel may fix support prices for winter crops, including wheat 6. Finance Minister's absence spoils plan to fix support price for wheat 7. Demand for Indian buffalo meat grows in Pakistan ------ Hiking rice yield, biotechnology to the rescue Scientists say transgenics or genetically modified crops cumbersome, biotech tools can boost harvest of non-GM crops - (In THE

INDIAN EXPRESS) http://www.indianexpresss.com/story/15439.html ASHOK B SHARMAPosted online: Friday, October 27, 2006 at 0000 hrs New Delhi, October 26: Scientists, faced with the major challenge of boosting productivity of staple crops for ensuring world’s food and nutritional security, are now looking at effectively deploying biotechnological tools to develop crops which would not be transgenics or genetically modified (GM) ones. Transgenics or GM crops, they say, have generated much controversy across the globe. It has to pass through rigorous regulatory process before commercial release and hence it’s time consuming. Rather the better option would be to deploy biotechnological tools like

marker-aided selection, molecular characterisation, exploitation of apomatic genes, allele mining, harnessing heterosis, pyramiding of rice genes to develop a range of high yielding non-GM crops. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has already sounded the alarm bell that the global demand for rice would increase by another 200 million tonne by 2025 and scientists have taken up this challenge seriously. However, scientists at the recently concluded 2nd International Rice Congress in New Delhi were of the view that no major technological breakthrough is in sight that would increase rice yield. A major technological breakthrough means increasing the photosynthesis in rice (C3 crop) to the level of that in maize, sorghum and sugarcane (C4 crop). In a major rice producing country like India, the annual rate of growth in output of this staple crop has tapered off to a level

lower than the annual increase in population growth of 1.8 per cent. “Though the yield potential of rice is 10 tonne per hectare, farmers on the average still harvest five tonne per hectare. To close this gap, we must develop varieties with more durable resistance to disease, insects and tolerance to abiotic stress,” says a noted plant breeder and World Food Prize recipient, Gurudev Kush. But the availability of rice genome structural sequence has given agricultural scientists the confidence to proceed. The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project has identified about 56,298 genes. “After this project, scientists are busy identifying its functions. Once the function of a gene is identified, it will be possible to develop better by introducing genes through traditional breeding in combination with marker-aided selections or through direct engineering of genes into rice varieties,” says Kush. “Scientists are

exploring the possibilities of deploying modern biotech tools for developing high yielding crops with high nutrition content,’’ director-general of the International Rice Research Institute Robert S Zeigler says. “We have effective biotechnological tools at our disposal such as improved rice crops which would not be transgenic crops. Development of transgenic crop is only one of the many options.” --------- Sibal for reciprocal private participation in tech projects http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144647 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online: Friday, October 27, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 26: The ministry for science and

technology is planning to seek Cabinet approval on guidelines for government collaboration with the private sector in several scientific projects. Briefing mediapersons here on Thursday, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal said: “I personally feel that such collaborations by the government should aim at derieving maximum benefit to the comman nan in the country. Science and technology projects need huge investments which may not be possible for either the public or the private sector to invest on their own. Therefore, collaborations are necessary. We are drafting necessary guidelines to this effect.” Sibal informed that a two-day technology summit and technology platform would be held in Delhi from November 6, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Talking about the technology summit, Sibal

said: “I want to make clear to the world that if you want have any technological collaboration with India, you must be prepared to give value to India and not just take away value.” He said that in general, most of foreign colloborations were based on investments and profits and less on solving the problems of the country. He said technological solutions aimed at servicing the needs of the poor like cheap availability of medicines and treatment for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, cost-effective harnessing solar energy. The technology summit has selected areas for deliberations on food and marine technology, space science, new materials and welding technologies, biotechnology and ICT. Sibal said India and the ASEAN region had much in common. They could make joint endeavours to solve the problems relating to poverty, agriculture and health. Besides ASEAN alongwith its partners—India, Japan and Australia - have a 3

billion population, which is a big market. He said: "Barriers break down quickly in science and technology collaborations, while on trade and economic front it takes time to break national barriers. Connectivity among scientific community is quicker. We, therefore need to take the advantage."--------- Weather-based insurance mooted for farmers http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144522 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online : Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 25: With a view to help farmers in managing risks against the vagaries of the variable climate and weather, a senior Planning

Commission member mooted weather-based insurance schemes and other financial instruments. Inaugurating a three-day international workshop on agro-meteorological risk management in the Capital on Wednesday, VL Chopa of the Planning Commission said, “India, with its rich repository of weather/climate data, is an ideal place where weather-based agricultural insurance schemes and other financial dispensations can be seriously considered.” He, however, cautioned that this would require enforcement of stricter standards of meteorological observations and enhancement of agro-meteorological observation network. He said reinsurance and other financial safeguards also need to be considered simultaneously. Chopra also emphasised the need for providing agro-meteorological services directly and instantly to farmers at the the village-level. He urged for rapid technological

advances in data management for use in natural disaster mitigation and climate change strategies for sustainable agriculture. Chopra also remarked that the very sustainability of intensive agriculture based on current technologies being questioned in the debate on global climate change. He called for agroclimatic analysis as the basis for agriculture risk management. The effectiveness of ‘Agromet’ advisories depends on the timely input of all relevant crop and weather data, he said and added that this would, however, warrant a multi disciplinary approach and co-ordination between research and operational wings of meteorological and agricultural institutions. Chopra, however, cautioned that the tendency to over exploit technology was also fraught with danger and cited examples of over irrigation of crops, which lead to soil salinity. Caution must be exercised to ensure technological management does not destroy the

agro-environmental balance while pursuing enhanced productivity, he said. Speaking on the occasion, secretary, ministry of earth science, PS Goel said the agro-advisories should be fine-tuned to suit local conditions and the farmers' needs. He said that 20% to 30% of crop loss was due to unfavourable weather conditions. ------ Now, disaster alert right on your mobile http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144747 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online: Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 27: An alert system, which will caution people in the remotest corners of the country about

natural disaster, has been developed. The new system sends out SMSs in local languages to mobile sets, followed by voice mails to both mobile sets and landline phones. The technology, developed by Geneva Software Technologies Ltd (GSTL), quickly process and disseminate any natural disaster warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The processed information will pass through the infrastructure of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited. The service will be free of cost. The dissemination system is named Geneva natural disaster information service (GNDIS). Launching the service, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal said, “This is a low-cost solution for the benefit of the common man. We have successfully leaf-frogged and bypassed infrastructural constraints.” GSTL has invested Rs 18 crore for the project, of which Rs 8 crore was for

the development of GNDIS. The government’s contribution was Rs 4.3 crore. “We have devised the technology to process and relay IMD’s warnings within 30 seconds. The first SMS would be in the regional language, followed by the same message in Hindi and English. The voice mails will follow the same sequence. We have arranged for simultaneous translations for 14 regional languages,” said GSTL’s marketing director, Amar Singh. GSTL have test-trailed its technology recently among fisher folks in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. Sibal said GNDIS could be used as alert warnings not only for imminent natural disasters, but also for man made disasters like riots, terrorism. He said that this technology has been given to the Union home ministry, which would decide on its process of

implementation.--- Cabinet panel may fix rabi MSP (winter crops support prices) today http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144659 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online: Friday, October 27, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 26: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is likely to finalise the minimum support prices (MSPs) for rabi (winter) crops, when it meets on Friday. The MSP of wheat is likely to be fixed at Rs 750 a quintal (Rs 7500 a tonne). The MSP of wheat has emerged as a contentious issue with the agriculture ministry, Commission for

Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP), and the finance ministry differing on the issue. In the previous year, wheat MSP was fixed at Rs 600 a quintal. But as the market price ruled high and government agencies could not purchase enough for buffer stock, the government subsequently decided to give Rs 50 a quintal bonus on the wheat purchased. Thus, it translated into an effective MSP of Rs 700 a quintal. The CACP has recommended the MSP remain at Rs 700. The finance ministry is said to be in concurrence with this view. The agriculture ministry, however, has pitched for fixing wheat MSP at Rs 750 a quintal. The Punjab government has urged for raising the wheat MSP to Rs 800 a quintal. Punjab goes to polls by March, next year. With polls at hand, there is a possibility of the Centre finding a mid-way between the proposals made by Punjab and the Union agriculture ministry. Despite the government announcing a bonus of Rs 50 a quintal in addition to a MSP of Rs 650 a quintal last year, its procurement for the 2005-06 season (October-September) for buffer stocking dipped to 9.2 million tonne despite a good wheat production of over 70 million tonne. This was due to aggressive buying by private traders, who were allowed to purchase wheat directly from farmers. As a result, the government was forced to import 5.8 million tonne of wheat to augment its stock and allow food companies to import 3 million tonne wheat against zero duty. -- FM’s absence spoils plan to fix MSP of wheat http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144745 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online: Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 27: The Centre on Friday deferred a decision to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat as finance minister P Chidambaram was not present. The agriculture ministry’s proposal to increase the MSP of wheat to Rs 750 plus bonus was scheduled to be taken up by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday. Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved a number of other proposals. It has sanctioned Rs 172.94 crore to procure seven container scanners to be installed at Mumbai, Chennai, Tuticorin and Kandla ports. The procurement of these scanners, including four fixed X-ray and three mobile gamma scanners, would be done through a global tender, Parliamentary affairs minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi announced. The procurement will assist the customs

department in discharging its statutory functions, which is the collection of custom duties and other levies to prevent and detect movement of contraband goods across the country’s international borders. The CCEA also cleared the acquisition of two container vessels by the Shipping Corporation Of India through a global tender at an estimated cost of Rs 606.74 crore. It also gave its approval for the Jhanjra Phase-II longwal underground mine for a coal production capacity of 1.7 million tonne annually. The project would require an additional capital investment of Rs 287.17 crore, and would help in capacity augmentation, Munsi said. The Cabinet approved the transfer of additional defence land of 15 acres near the Gobindgarh fort at Amritsar to the Punjab government for developmental work. The land will be made available to the state government without any cost or

encumbrances. Demand for Indian buffalo meat grows in Pak http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=144399 ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, OCT 24: Export of frozen Indian buffalo meat to Pakistan has seen a dramatic increase on account of Eid. buffalo meat is transported through the Wagah border. According to estimates, daily export of the meat to Pakistan is close to 90 tonne. Interestingly, export of buffalo meat from India has seen an increase ever since the Pakistan authorities imposed a ban on chilled buffalo meat from India, citing health hazards. “We will try to maintain

our level of frozen buffalo meat to Pakistan even after Eid. People in Pakistan prefer Indian meat than the meat from poultry. The meat that is exported is boneless and thus, convenient for consumption. There are other occasions like weddings where meat will be in great demand,” said a meat exporter. According to Indian exporters, local transporters have not been able to beef up transportation of meat to certain parts of Pakistan. If this continues ,then the demand for buffalo meat will increase and it is finding its way to Peshawar and northern Punjab. Taking advantage of the rising demand for buffalo meat, Indian exporters are hoping to raise the price by $ 50 a tonne. At present the export price is around $ 1,250 a tonne. If this happens then the Wagah border price would increase from (Pakistani) Rs 76 per kg to Rs 79 per kg.----- pard1143

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