Saudis invest heavily in Ethiopian farm sector
Posted by Zawya
Arab News
30 May 2010
JEDDAH: Saudi trade and investment in Ethiopia is expanding. "The investment increase is particularly seen in the agricultural sector and is in line with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's initiative to provide food security for the Kingdom. Agricultural lands being leased by Saudis have been increasing by the day in Ethiopia," Ethiopian Consul General Tekleab Kebede told the community at the country's national day celebrations at the consulate over the weekend.
Kebede said many Saudis and local companies had been signing contracts with landowners across Ethiopia to produce grains and other agricultural products. "Rice produced by a prominent Saudi company was presented to the king recently," he said.
Saudis are allowed 100 percent investment in projects in Ethiopia. "They either lease plots of land or enter into deals in cooperation with local partners," the consul general said. Such investments are now worth millions of dollars, he added.
"We have plenty of land, water and abundant labor, while Saudis have capital. We have been giving the message to Saudis that we complement each other in boosting our bilateral business, investment and trade volumes. After all, both countries have close geographical proximity," Kebede said.
Kebede said the bilateral trade volume had exceeded $500 million, with the balance remaining in favor of the Kingdom due to heavy oil imports into his country. "The Kingdom remains our second trading partner, with our trade continuing to increase," he said, adding that Saudi investors were prominent in his country and have been increasingly investing in agriculture, tourism, hotels, mining and manufacturing.
The consul general said a ministerial delegation belonging to agriculture and rural development had a successful visit to the Kingdom earlier in May. "They discussed with their Saudi counterparts in Riyadh and Jeddah new proposals related to livestock and meat exports to the Kingdom," he said. "We have huge livestock potential. We have already been exporting livestock and meat, but our new thrust is in further strengthening our presence in the Kingdom's food sector," Kebede added.
The consul general said May 28, 1991 marked the end of 17 years of war, thus heralding peace and stability that resulted in the country's march toward economic, social and political progress.
"Ethiopia is changing for the better, and the country is open for business and foreign investment," he said and urged Saudis to take advantage of the "congenial" investment atmosphere.
By K.S. RAMKUMAR
© Arab News 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100530034742/Saudis%20Invest%20Heavily%20In%20Ethiopian%20Farm%20Sector
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Water: Sustainable Management of a Scarce Resource
Posted by Zawya.com
Press Release
The Arab Forum for Environment and Development Announces its Annual Conference
Beirut, 28 May 2010: The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced in a press conference attended by Environment Minister Mohammed Rahal its upcoming annual conference "Arab Environment 2010" on 4-5 November at Al Habtoor Grand Conference Centre in Beirut. The conference will discuss AFED's annual report on the state of Arab environment, entitled "Water: Sustainable Management of a Scarce Resource". AFED Secretary General Najib Saab also disclosed that AFED's board of trustees decided during its last session that Beirut will be the permanent seat for the organization's annual conference.
Minister Rahal commended AFED's decision to hold its annual conference in Beirut and affirmed the ministry's support of all endeavors that contribute towards an effective Arab cooperation with regards to the environment. He also added that this conference, which is supported at the highest official levels, will create an opportunity to discuss the water related challenges facing the Arab region and come up with effective solutions, especially that AFED brings together all stakeholders, including experts, research centres, private corporations, non-governmental organizations, media and government bodies. Rahal also duly noted AFED's efforts "that have already achieved impressive results which reflected in public policies and encouraged the private sector to adopt appropriate environmental options, in addition to the organization's role in spreading environmental awareness through its media members".
Saab announced that a group of over 50 experts are working on the preparation of the annual report on water, in collaboration with research centres and universities on an Arab and international level. The report is edited by Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry, former chief of Global Environment Facility (GEF). Participating in the report also is Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center of Remote Sensing of Boston University (CRS-BU) who is preparing a special study on exploring under-ground water sites in the Arabian Desert using satellites, and which includes information and photos published for the first time. Other participating authors include Dr. Shawki Barghouti, Director General, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dr. Hammou Laamrani, IDRC Project Coordinator, Dr. Ayman Abou Hadid, Director, Arid Lands Agricultural Services and Research Institute in Cairo, Dr. Adil Bushnak, Director, International Desalination Association and Dr. Houria Tazi Sadeq, Moroccan water law expert. The report's results, which will be announced during the Beirut conference, will include the latest information on the state of Arab environment and will suggest policies to face water scarcity challenges.
Saab said that in addition to the authors and AFED members, who include corporations and non-governmental organizations as well as research centres and the media, participants in the conference will include officials and experts from the region and abroad, among them 30 environment and water ministers and heads of regional and international organizations and development programmes. Among the speakers at the conference will be Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Rashed Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water of UAE, Mahmoud Abou-Zeid, President, Arab Water Council, Fehied Al Shareef, Governor, Saline Water Conversion Corporation in Saudi Arabia and Asma El Kasmi, Director, Arab Water Academy.
Saab added that AFED's previous reports showed that the Arab region is among the poorest in water, and due to a growing population, pollution, bad management and decreased supplies, soon water availability per capita will reach the lowest levels. "Since most of the available water is being used, and demand exceeds supply many folds, fresh water consumption has to be rationalized and new sources developed, including desalination and rain water collection." Saab hoped that the report and the conference will contribute towards encouraging the adoption of radical reforms in water policies.
The report addresses many issues, among which are: integrated water resource management, climate change adaptation, water demand management, water governance and water reuse. The report also includes information on over 30 projects and initiatives in the field of water in the Arab world, on both public and private levels.
In addition to representatives of local media, participating in the press conference that took place at Le Commodore were representatives from 12 Arab newspapers who were attending an environment media workshop to develop the contents of environmental news pages that these newspapers publish periodically in cooperation with AFED.
-Ends-
AFED Milestones
AFED published in 2008 its first report entitled "Arab Environment: Future Challenges", and its second report in 2009 entitled "Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries". Among the forum's other programmes is the "Arab Green Economy Initiative", in which AFED is cooperating with a large number of Arab companies to help them convert to more sustainable production patterns, while also helping governments develop appropriate policies that support the transition from a "virtual economy" based on financial and real estate speculation, to a "green economy" based on production and investment in actual assets in a suitable manner that respects the balance of resources and creates job opportunities.
Contact:
Amal Mosharrafieh,
Tel.: 01-321800,
Mobile: 03-974429,
E-mail: amal@afedonline.org
© Press Release 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100529073540/Water%3A%20Sustainable%20Management%20of%20a%20Scarce%20Resource
Posted by Zawya.com
Press Release
The Arab Forum for Environment and Development Announces its Annual Conference
Beirut, 28 May 2010: The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced in a press conference attended by Environment Minister Mohammed Rahal its upcoming annual conference "Arab Environment 2010" on 4-5 November at Al Habtoor Grand Conference Centre in Beirut. The conference will discuss AFED's annual report on the state of Arab environment, entitled "Water: Sustainable Management of a Scarce Resource". AFED Secretary General Najib Saab also disclosed that AFED's board of trustees decided during its last session that Beirut will be the permanent seat for the organization's annual conference.
Minister Rahal commended AFED's decision to hold its annual conference in Beirut and affirmed the ministry's support of all endeavors that contribute towards an effective Arab cooperation with regards to the environment. He also added that this conference, which is supported at the highest official levels, will create an opportunity to discuss the water related challenges facing the Arab region and come up with effective solutions, especially that AFED brings together all stakeholders, including experts, research centres, private corporations, non-governmental organizations, media and government bodies. Rahal also duly noted AFED's efforts "that have already achieved impressive results which reflected in public policies and encouraged the private sector to adopt appropriate environmental options, in addition to the organization's role in spreading environmental awareness through its media members".
Saab announced that a group of over 50 experts are working on the preparation of the annual report on water, in collaboration with research centres and universities on an Arab and international level. The report is edited by Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry, former chief of Global Environment Facility (GEF). Participating in the report also is Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Director of the Center of Remote Sensing of Boston University (CRS-BU) who is preparing a special study on exploring under-ground water sites in the Arabian Desert using satellites, and which includes information and photos published for the first time. Other participating authors include Dr. Shawki Barghouti, Director General, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dr. Hammou Laamrani, IDRC Project Coordinator, Dr. Ayman Abou Hadid, Director, Arid Lands Agricultural Services and Research Institute in Cairo, Dr. Adil Bushnak, Director, International Desalination Association and Dr. Houria Tazi Sadeq, Moroccan water law expert. The report's results, which will be announced during the Beirut conference, will include the latest information on the state of Arab environment and will suggest policies to face water scarcity challenges.
Saab said that in addition to the authors and AFED members, who include corporations and non-governmental organizations as well as research centres and the media, participants in the conference will include officials and experts from the region and abroad, among them 30 environment and water ministers and heads of regional and international organizations and development programmes. Among the speakers at the conference will be Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Rashed Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water of UAE, Mahmoud Abou-Zeid, President, Arab Water Council, Fehied Al Shareef, Governor, Saline Water Conversion Corporation in Saudi Arabia and Asma El Kasmi, Director, Arab Water Academy.
Saab added that AFED's previous reports showed that the Arab region is among the poorest in water, and due to a growing population, pollution, bad management and decreased supplies, soon water availability per capita will reach the lowest levels. "Since most of the available water is being used, and demand exceeds supply many folds, fresh water consumption has to be rationalized and new sources developed, including desalination and rain water collection." Saab hoped that the report and the conference will contribute towards encouraging the adoption of radical reforms in water policies.
The report addresses many issues, among which are: integrated water resource management, climate change adaptation, water demand management, water governance and water reuse. The report also includes information on over 30 projects and initiatives in the field of water in the Arab world, on both public and private levels.
In addition to representatives of local media, participating in the press conference that took place at Le Commodore were representatives from 12 Arab newspapers who were attending an environment media workshop to develop the contents of environmental news pages that these newspapers publish periodically in cooperation with AFED.
-Ends-
AFED Milestones
AFED published in 2008 its first report entitled "Arab Environment: Future Challenges", and its second report in 2009 entitled "Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries". Among the forum's other programmes is the "Arab Green Economy Initiative", in which AFED is cooperating with a large number of Arab companies to help them convert to more sustainable production patterns, while also helping governments develop appropriate policies that support the transition from a "virtual economy" based on financial and real estate speculation, to a "green economy" based on production and investment in actual assets in a suitable manner that respects the balance of resources and creates job opportunities.
Contact:
Amal Mosharrafieh,
Tel.: 01-321800,
Mobile: 03-974429,
E-mail: amal@afedonline.org
© Press Release 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100529073540/Water%3A%20Sustainable%20Management%20of%20a%20Scarce%20Resource
Israel plows new ground in exotic crops
A tomato breeder has created a crop worth more than its weight in gold. The seeds for the yellow cherry tomato, a fruit researchers feared might turn off consumers, now sell for $160,000 a pound.
Reporting from Berurim, Israel — — If Willy Wonka had a farm, it would fit right in here in Israel.
Want a lemon-scented tomato or a chocolate-colored persimmon? How about some miniaturized garlic cloves for the home chef who doesn't have time to chop, or a purple potato that tastes buttery when cooked?
There are no chocolate rivers or edible teacup flowers on Israeli farms, but you will find carrots shaped like potatoes, strawberries shaped like carrots, star-shaped zucchini and "watermelon" tomatoes — dark green on the outside with a juicy red flesh.
News Link: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/28/world/la-fg-israel-crops-20100529
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Vietnam, Saudi Arabia boost trade & investment relations
Posted by Saudi Gazette
Saturday, 29 May 2010 - 15 Jumada Al-Akhir 1431 H
BUSINESS
HANOI - Speeding up multi-faceted cooperation with Saudi Arabia, especially in oil and gas, agriculture, investment, trade and labor, is one of Vietnam’s priorities in its foreign policy towards the Middle East.
The statement was made by the President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vu Tien Loc, at the Vietnam-Saudi Arabia Business Forum held in Hanoi on Thursday, Vietnam news agency said.
In the coming time, through the Inter-governmental Cooperation Committee, the two countries will create a favorable legal foundation for their businesses to expand trade and investment activities and increase information exchanges, Loc said.
The Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Vietnam Salal Ahmed Sarhan and President of the Saudi Arabia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mahak Tolal A. Mirza, said the trade and investment cooperation between the two countries remains modest so a Saudi Arabian business delegation’s visit to Vietnam is expected to pave the way for enterprises of the two sides to explore each other’s potential and exchange views on bilateral cooperation in industry, trade and investment.
The Saudi Arabian delegation, including representatives of 11 businesses operating in such fields as construction, home electric appliance, transport service, real estate, industry and energy, has visited Vietnam from May 26-29 to survey and promote investment in the Southeast Asian market.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), two-way trade between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia has continuously increased over the past years, reaching over $455 million in 2009 despite the impact of the global economic crisis.
Through the country, Vietnamese goods have a chance to enter other Middle East markets and vice versa Vietnam serves as a bridge for Saudi Arabia’s products to be exported to the ASEAN market.
Vietnam mainly exports garments, seafood, computers, electronic components, woodwork, iron and steel to Saudi Arabia while importing raw plastics, chemicals, autos and animal feed from this market.In addition to trade and investment ties, the two countries have also strengthened their cooperation in labor. At present, around 20,000 Vietnamese workers are working in Saudi Arabia. – Agencies
News Link: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010052973741
Posted by Saudi Gazette
Saturday, 29 May 2010 - 15 Jumada Al-Akhir 1431 H
BUSINESS
HANOI - Speeding up multi-faceted cooperation with Saudi Arabia, especially in oil and gas, agriculture, investment, trade and labor, is one of Vietnam’s priorities in its foreign policy towards the Middle East.
The statement was made by the President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vu Tien Loc, at the Vietnam-Saudi Arabia Business Forum held in Hanoi on Thursday, Vietnam news agency said.
In the coming time, through the Inter-governmental Cooperation Committee, the two countries will create a favorable legal foundation for their businesses to expand trade and investment activities and increase information exchanges, Loc said.
The Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Vietnam Salal Ahmed Sarhan and President of the Saudi Arabia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mahak Tolal A. Mirza, said the trade and investment cooperation between the two countries remains modest so a Saudi Arabian business delegation’s visit to Vietnam is expected to pave the way for enterprises of the two sides to explore each other’s potential and exchange views on bilateral cooperation in industry, trade and investment.
The Saudi Arabian delegation, including representatives of 11 businesses operating in such fields as construction, home electric appliance, transport service, real estate, industry and energy, has visited Vietnam from May 26-29 to survey and promote investment in the Southeast Asian market.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), two-way trade between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia has continuously increased over the past years, reaching over $455 million in 2009 despite the impact of the global economic crisis.
Through the country, Vietnamese goods have a chance to enter other Middle East markets and vice versa Vietnam serves as a bridge for Saudi Arabia’s products to be exported to the ASEAN market.
Vietnam mainly exports garments, seafood, computers, electronic components, woodwork, iron and steel to Saudi Arabia while importing raw plastics, chemicals, autos and animal feed from this market.In addition to trade and investment ties, the two countries have also strengthened their cooperation in labor. At present, around 20,000 Vietnamese workers are working in Saudi Arabia. – Agencies
News Link: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010052973741
GCC urged to adopt sustainable agriculture to head off food crisis
Posted by Zawya.com
The Saudi Gazette
28 May 2010
JEDDAH - The scramble by Gulf states to secure strategic food supplies by buying up vast tracts of farmland in Africa and Asia won't be enough to stave off a surge of food imports over the next decade, a Saudi bank report said.
"The era of cheap food is over," NCB CapitalNCB CapitalLoading..., the investment arm of Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank, said in the report issued several weeks ago.
The wholesale investment in arable land in Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and other African states won't prevent the level of food imports of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states from rising sharply over the next decade.
The NCBCNCBCLoading... report urged the GCC states to boost domestic food production through sustainable agriculture to head off an eventual crisis caused by a dramatic surge in the global demand for food that will push prices ever upward.
It said that the Saudis at least are providing financial incentives to expand the use of new crop technologies, water management and new types of seeds that require less water.
Kingdom's 2010 budget allocates $12.3 billion to the agriculture and water sectors, a 31 percent increase over 2009. New desalination plants are also planned.
Even so, NCBCNCBCLoading... noted, "food inflation ... represents a potentially considerable social-economic risk which the authorities are poorly equipped to deal with." As populations expand while the amount of farmland and water supply shrinks, resource wars are expected to erupt across the Middle East and Africa in the decades ahead.
"Unchecked land-grabbing carries with it the seeds of conflict, environmental disaster, political and social change, and hunger on an unprecedented scale," Le Monde Diplomatique warned in February.
Apart from soaring food prices, the GCC states will be further troubled by "the rising demand for biofuels and climate change," NCBCNCBCLoading... stressed.
Changes in weather patterns will reduce food production in some of the planet's main food-exporting states, such as the United States, Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia as well as reduce water supply.
It noted that prices for maize and similar crops have soared because of the demand for biofuels and farmers, particularly in the United States, are switching from growing wheat and rice to cultivating feedstocks.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that 75 percent of the additional 40 million tons of maize grown worldwide in 2007 was taken up by plants producing ethanol for fuel.
© The Saudi Gazette 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100528055504/%20GCC%20urged%20to%20adopt%20sustainable%20agriculture%20to%20head%20off%20food%20crisis%20
Posted by Zawya.com
The Saudi Gazette
28 May 2010
JEDDAH - The scramble by Gulf states to secure strategic food supplies by buying up vast tracts of farmland in Africa and Asia won't be enough to stave off a surge of food imports over the next decade, a Saudi bank report said.
"The era of cheap food is over," NCB CapitalNCB CapitalLoading..., the investment arm of Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank, said in the report issued several weeks ago.
The wholesale investment in arable land in Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and other African states won't prevent the level of food imports of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states from rising sharply over the next decade.
The NCBCNCBCLoading... report urged the GCC states to boost domestic food production through sustainable agriculture to head off an eventual crisis caused by a dramatic surge in the global demand for food that will push prices ever upward.
It said that the Saudis at least are providing financial incentives to expand the use of new crop technologies, water management and new types of seeds that require less water.
Kingdom's 2010 budget allocates $12.3 billion to the agriculture and water sectors, a 31 percent increase over 2009. New desalination plants are also planned.
Even so, NCBCNCBCLoading... noted, "food inflation ... represents a potentially considerable social-economic risk which the authorities are poorly equipped to deal with." As populations expand while the amount of farmland and water supply shrinks, resource wars are expected to erupt across the Middle East and Africa in the decades ahead.
"Unchecked land-grabbing carries with it the seeds of conflict, environmental disaster, political and social change, and hunger on an unprecedented scale," Le Monde Diplomatique warned in February.
Apart from soaring food prices, the GCC states will be further troubled by "the rising demand for biofuels and climate change," NCBCNCBCLoading... stressed.
Changes in weather patterns will reduce food production in some of the planet's main food-exporting states, such as the United States, Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia as well as reduce water supply.
It noted that prices for maize and similar crops have soared because of the demand for biofuels and farmers, particularly in the United States, are switching from growing wheat and rice to cultivating feedstocks.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that 75 percent of the additional 40 million tons of maize grown worldwide in 2007 was taken up by plants producing ethanol for fuel.
© The Saudi Gazette 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100528055504/%20GCC%20urged%20to%20adopt%20sustainable%20agriculture%20to%20head%20off%20food%20crisis%20
The Ministry of Environment and Water rejects entry of sheep shipment infected with Brucellosis
Posted by Zawya.com
WAM (Emirates News Agency)
Dubai, May 26th, 2010 (WAM)--The Ministry of Environment and Water has denied at Al Ghweifat border point the entry of sheep shipment reported to have been infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease.
It ordered the immediate return of shipment to the country of origin to safeguard the livestock and public health in the country.Sultan Alwan, executive director of the Agriculture and Animals Affairs at the ministry, said the ministry is in daily contacts with the world organisations, especially the World Organisation for Animal Health to ensure the pandemic status world and take appropriate measures in this respect.He added that there were 300 sheep in shipment, which was stopped at Al Ghweifat border point. They were infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease, which also affects human being. Hence, the ministry in cooperation with the competent authorities ordered return of the shipment to the source country.Alwan called on the border officials not to allow entry of any suspicious shipment to protect the biological security of the UAE and keep the pandemic diseases at bay.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100526133122052/UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Environment%20and%20Water%20rejects%20entry%20of%20sheep%20shipment%20infected%20with%20Brucellosis%20
Posted by Zawya.com
WAM (Emirates News Agency)
Dubai, May 26th, 2010 (WAM)--The Ministry of Environment and Water has denied at Al Ghweifat border point the entry of sheep shipment reported to have been infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease.
It ordered the immediate return of shipment to the country of origin to safeguard the livestock and public health in the country.Sultan Alwan, executive director of the Agriculture and Animals Affairs at the ministry, said the ministry is in daily contacts with the world organisations, especially the World Organisation for Animal Health to ensure the pandemic status world and take appropriate measures in this respect.He added that there were 300 sheep in shipment, which was stopped at Al Ghweifat border point. They were infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease, which also affects human being. Hence, the ministry in cooperation with the competent authorities ordered return of the shipment to the source country.Alwan called on the border officials not to allow entry of any suspicious shipment to protect the biological security of the UAE and keep the pandemic diseases at bay.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100526133122052/UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Environment%20and%20Water%20rejects%20entry%20of%20sheep%20shipment%20infected%20with%20Brucellosis%20
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Argentina welcomes Saudi agricultural investment
Posted by Arab News
By SAEED ALKHOTANI | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 27, 2010 01:00 Updated: May 27, 2010 01:00
RIYADH: Argentina will welcome investment from Saudi Arabia in its agricultural sector so the Kingdom can guarantee its own food security, the Argentine Embassy has said.
“The agro-industrial sector is a very attractive area for investment cooperation benefiting the two countries in light of the growing global demand for food,” Argentine Charge d’Affaires Ignacio Rossi Sammartino told Arab News.
“Argentina firmly believes that it is beneficial to Riyadh as well as Buenos Aires to achieve greater cooperation and joint investments due to the strong economies of both countries.”
Sammartino was speaking at an embassy event to mark Argentina’s bicentennial anniversary of its independence on Tuesday.
Riyadh Deputy Gov. Prince Sattam was the honorary guest at the celebration, also attended by Riyadh-based foreign diplomats and businessmen.
Sammartino said Argentina could form “a great partnership” with Saudi Arabia in terms of agricultural investment.
“Our country has a very diverse landscape ranging from the mountainous region of the Andes to the fertile plains of the Pampas. Crops grown include cereals, oil grains and seeds, sugar cane, fruits and tea.”
He said Argentina offers investors attractive terms and conditions in a wide range of sectors. Earnings as a percentage of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock were 10.2 percent on average in 2006 to 2008, the highest in the past 15 years.
Earnings as a percentage of revenues for the 340 largest non-financial companies are also at record levels, averaging 15.4 percent per year from 2005 to 2007.
“It is important to highlight that FDI receives the same treatment as domestic investment. Remittance abroad of profits and capital is unrestricted and transnational companies are free to operate in any sector in the country, “ Sammartino added.
He claimed that his country was one of the most productive food producing and exporting countries of the world, with an estimated 27 million hectares of arable and permanent cropland.
Agriculture and animal husbandry have traditionally supplied the nation with 70 to 95 percent of its export earnings.
He said in 1946 Argentina became the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom. In 1975, Argentina opened its embassy in Jeddah and in 1977 Saudi Arabia opened its own embassy in Buenos Aires.
Sammartino said Argentina has and is still welcoming the initiatives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in promoting international interfaith dialogue.
“This is because our country is known for its lack of religious and racial conflicts. Argentina is still a land of great diversity and pluralism with opportunities for everyone, no matter their belief or ethnicity,” he added.
“A proof of this stance was the inauguration of the biggest mosque and Islamic cultural center in Latin America — the King Fahd Cultural Center in Buenos Aires which was opened by King Abdullah in 2000,” he said.
Sammartino said Argentina was keen to increase its current trading levels with Saudi Arabia. He said bilateral trade between the two countries was not satisfactory enough even though it had reached $314 million in 2009, an increase of 36.5 percent on 2005 levels ($230 million).
News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article58088.ece
Posted by Arab News
By SAEED ALKHOTANI | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 27, 2010 01:00 Updated: May 27, 2010 01:00
RIYADH: Argentina will welcome investment from Saudi Arabia in its agricultural sector so the Kingdom can guarantee its own food security, the Argentine Embassy has said.
“The agro-industrial sector is a very attractive area for investment cooperation benefiting the two countries in light of the growing global demand for food,” Argentine Charge d’Affaires Ignacio Rossi Sammartino told Arab News.
“Argentina firmly believes that it is beneficial to Riyadh as well as Buenos Aires to achieve greater cooperation and joint investments due to the strong economies of both countries.”
Sammartino was speaking at an embassy event to mark Argentina’s bicentennial anniversary of its independence on Tuesday.
Riyadh Deputy Gov. Prince Sattam was the honorary guest at the celebration, also attended by Riyadh-based foreign diplomats and businessmen.
Sammartino said Argentina could form “a great partnership” with Saudi Arabia in terms of agricultural investment.
“Our country has a very diverse landscape ranging from the mountainous region of the Andes to the fertile plains of the Pampas. Crops grown include cereals, oil grains and seeds, sugar cane, fruits and tea.”
He said Argentina offers investors attractive terms and conditions in a wide range of sectors. Earnings as a percentage of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock were 10.2 percent on average in 2006 to 2008, the highest in the past 15 years.
Earnings as a percentage of revenues for the 340 largest non-financial companies are also at record levels, averaging 15.4 percent per year from 2005 to 2007.
“It is important to highlight that FDI receives the same treatment as domestic investment. Remittance abroad of profits and capital is unrestricted and transnational companies are free to operate in any sector in the country, “ Sammartino added.
He claimed that his country was one of the most productive food producing and exporting countries of the world, with an estimated 27 million hectares of arable and permanent cropland.
Agriculture and animal husbandry have traditionally supplied the nation with 70 to 95 percent of its export earnings.
He said in 1946 Argentina became the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom. In 1975, Argentina opened its embassy in Jeddah and in 1977 Saudi Arabia opened its own embassy in Buenos Aires.
Sammartino said Argentina has and is still welcoming the initiatives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in promoting international interfaith dialogue.
“This is because our country is known for its lack of religious and racial conflicts. Argentina is still a land of great diversity and pluralism with opportunities for everyone, no matter their belief or ethnicity,” he added.
“A proof of this stance was the inauguration of the biggest mosque and Islamic cultural center in Latin America — the King Fahd Cultural Center in Buenos Aires which was opened by King Abdullah in 2000,” he said.
Sammartino said Argentina was keen to increase its current trading levels with Saudi Arabia. He said bilateral trade between the two countries was not satisfactory enough even though it had reached $314 million in 2009, an increase of 36.5 percent on 2005 levels ($230 million).
News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article58088.ece
The Ministry of Environment and Water rejects entry of sheep shipment infected with Brucellosis
Posted by Zawya
WAM (Emirates News Agency)
Dubai, May 26th, 2010 (WAM)--The Ministry of Environment and Water has denied at Al Ghweifat border point the entry of sheep shipment reported to have been infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease.
It ordered the immediate return of shipment to the country of origin to safeguard the livestock and public health in the country.Sultan Alwan, executive director of the Agriculture and Animals Affairs at the ministry, said the ministry is in daily contacts with the world organisations, especially the World Organisation for Animal Health to ensure the pandemic status world and take appropriate measures in this respect.He added that there were 300 sheep in shipment, which was stopped at Al Ghweifat border point. They were infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease, which also affects human being. Hence, the ministry in cooperation with the competent authorities ordered return of the shipment to the source country.Alwan called on the border officials not to allow entry of any suspicious shipment to protect the biological security of the UAE and keep the pandemic diseases at bay.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/
Posted by Zawya
WAM (Emirates News Agency)
Dubai, May 26th, 2010 (WAM)--The Ministry of Environment and Water has denied at Al Ghweifat border point the entry of sheep shipment reported to have been infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease.
It ordered the immediate return of shipment to the country of origin to safeguard the livestock and public health in the country.Sultan Alwan, executive director of the Agriculture and Animals Affairs at the ministry, said the ministry is in daily contacts with the world organisations, especially the World Organisation for Animal Health to ensure the pandemic status world and take appropriate measures in this respect.He added that there were 300 sheep in shipment, which was stopped at Al Ghweifat border point. They were infected with contagious abortion 'Brucellosis' disease, which also affects human being. Hence, the ministry in cooperation with the competent authorities ordered return of the shipment to the source country.Alwan called on the border officials not to allow entry of any suspicious shipment to protect the biological security of the UAE and keep the pandemic diseases at bay.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/
India second biggest meat supplier to UAE
Posted by Zawya
Saudi Press Agency
26 May 2010
Dubai -- India, Australia and Brazil were the UAE's most important source of meat imports in 2009, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Trade (MoFT) has said.
According to MoFT, India is the second largest supplier of meat products to the UAE with a 16.3 per cent share after Brazil followed by Australia and the US with 13.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent share respectively.
World countries have relied on five nations to secure 52.4 per cent of their fresh beef and at the forefront is Holland with a 13.1 per cent share, a study conducted by MoFT said.
The three countries accounted for 87 per cent of the UAE's frozen meat imports, with Brazil's share at 25 per cent, that of Australia at 7 per cent, and India at 55 per cent, according to a report of the Press Trust of India.
The study underlined the importance of searching for new sources of meat, and getting closer to the global meat export structure, while increasing reliance on Arab and African markets to fill the animal protein gap, as the second best import alternative.
© Saudi Press Agency 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100526104215/India%20second%20biggest%20meat%20supplier%20to%20UAE
Posted by Zawya
Saudi Press Agency
26 May 2010
Dubai -- India, Australia and Brazil were the UAE's most important source of meat imports in 2009, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Trade (MoFT) has said.
According to MoFT, India is the second largest supplier of meat products to the UAE with a 16.3 per cent share after Brazil followed by Australia and the US with 13.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent share respectively.
World countries have relied on five nations to secure 52.4 per cent of their fresh beef and at the forefront is Holland with a 13.1 per cent share, a study conducted by MoFT said.
The three countries accounted for 87 per cent of the UAE's frozen meat imports, with Brazil's share at 25 per cent, that of Australia at 7 per cent, and India at 55 per cent, according to a report of the Press Trust of India.
The study underlined the importance of searching for new sources of meat, and getting closer to the global meat export structure, while increasing reliance on Arab and African markets to fill the animal protein gap, as the second best import alternative.
© Saudi Press Agency 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100526104215/India%20second%20biggest%20meat%20supplier%20to%20UAE
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Ban on Nestle products
Posted by Arab News
The banned Nestle products.
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 23, 2010 00:38 Updated: May 23, 2010 01:14
RIYADH: The Kingdom has imposed a ban on the sale of Nescafe Collections instant coffee (100 gram jar only) as they might contain tiny pieces of glass, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) announced on Saturday.
SFDA warned consumers, restaurants, food outlets and factories not to use the range’s 100 gram jars, which includes Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Colombie, Suraya and Espresso, as they are susceptible to break during shipment and delivery. All “best before” dates and all batch codes are affected. SFDA said it would coordinate with the authorities to enforce the ban on the sale and import of the coffee.
On Thursday, Nestle recalled its 100-gram jars of Nescafe collections as a precautionary measure. It said the jar could easily break during delivery, adding that the packaging format would be changed before being reintroduced. “The quality and safety of our products is a non-negotiable priority for our company. We sincerely apologize to our consumers and customers for any inconvenience due to the recall,” it said in a statement made in Malaysia.
Nestle Ireland said there had been "no complaints and no injuries in Ireland to date." It said consumers who bought any of these brands should dispose of them and contact their helpline with details of the batch code and date. The company said it will provide a full refund and that customers are not required to take their coffee back to the stores where they purchased them.
SFDA was established following a resolution issued by the Council of Ministers in March 2003 (Muharram 1424) as an independent body to ensure the safety of food and drugs for both human and animal consumption, and biological and chemical substances and electronic products.
News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article56641.ece
Posted by Arab News
The banned Nestle products.
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 23, 2010 00:38 Updated: May 23, 2010 01:14
RIYADH: The Kingdom has imposed a ban on the sale of Nescafe Collections instant coffee (100 gram jar only) as they might contain tiny pieces of glass, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) announced on Saturday.
SFDA warned consumers, restaurants, food outlets and factories not to use the range’s 100 gram jars, which includes Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Colombie, Suraya and Espresso, as they are susceptible to break during shipment and delivery. All “best before” dates and all batch codes are affected. SFDA said it would coordinate with the authorities to enforce the ban on the sale and import of the coffee.
On Thursday, Nestle recalled its 100-gram jars of Nescafe collections as a precautionary measure. It said the jar could easily break during delivery, adding that the packaging format would be changed before being reintroduced. “The quality and safety of our products is a non-negotiable priority for our company. We sincerely apologize to our consumers and customers for any inconvenience due to the recall,” it said in a statement made in Malaysia.
Nestle Ireland said there had been "no complaints and no injuries in Ireland to date." It said consumers who bought any of these brands should dispose of them and contact their helpline with details of the batch code and date. The company said it will provide a full refund and that customers are not required to take their coffee back to the stores where they purchased them.
SFDA was established following a resolution issued by the Council of Ministers in March 2003 (Muharram 1424) as an independent body to ensure the safety of food and drugs for both human and animal consumption, and biological and chemical substances and electronic products.
News Link: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article56641.ece
UAE takes rapid steps towards food security
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 23 May 2010
Soon you may find that almost all the food on your table is made by the UAE, if not in the UAE. From funding agriculture research in salt-resistant crops to investing in Bluefin tuna farming in Japan and buying up agricultural land in fertile parts of the world, the UAE has embarked on an investment spree to ensure domestic food security in a country with miniscule arable area.
Emirates Business has learnt that food and agriculture-related investments abroad will only increase with time. Yousef Diab, an economic researcher from the Ministry of Foreign TradeMinistry of Foreign TradeLoading..., told this paper that the country is continuously exploring several options abroad to sustain its food basket.
"The value of the UAE's [agricultural] investments abroad have increased significantly from 2006 to 2008, with a 45 per cent growth. In 2006, agricultural investments were approximately $10.9 billion (Dh40bn). In 2007 they rose to $14.6bn and reached $15.8bn in 2008," he said.
Diab added that while there were no precise figures for such investments in 2009, a synopsis of activity in the sector last year indicates that expansions abroad continued unabated. For instance, in 2009 Pakistan's Ministry of Investment decided to offer a million acres of farmland to foreign investors, and the Emirates Investment Group (EIG) from the UAE was one of the investors.
Also in 2009, an investment plan was mooted by the UAE agricultural investment firm, Janan, with Egypt to cultivate about 42,000 hectares of land with wheat, maize and other crops in the North African country. The project will extend until 2015 and is expected to produce 350,000 tonnes of wheat a year, Diab said.
Last year, the UAE was also in talks with the Cambodian government for purchasing land in the South East Asian country for rice cultivation. The UAE even sent a delegation to Phnom Penh to pursue the acquisition of agricultural land, either though outright purchase or through a 99-year lease contract with the Cambodian government, said Diab.
"Most of the UAE's investments abroad are by private investors. The government is also using part of its huge oil and gas revenues for the same purpose," he said.
According to data available with the ministryministryLoading..., there are many UAE agricultural investments taking place in countries far and wide, especially in the ones with proximity to the UAE.
Diab said, there are five projects being studied for launch in Jordan, with a total value of Dh201.35 million or JD39m. The projects include a JD4m kiwifruit orchard, a JD5m sheep farm, a JD2m seawater greenhouse, and a JD20m tractor assembly plant.
According to data up to June 2009, the UAE already contributes in Jordan with the Rashid Al Dhahiri Olive Presses Company, as well as the Al Marmouqa Food Company. There are also investments worth JD50,000 in the UAE Farms Company and another JD50,000 in Al Shalal for Agricultural Investment. Diab added that the UAE also has an ostrich farm in Jordan valued at JD319,000 set up by the Jordan-Dubai International Capital Company.
In Morocco, he said, the Abu Dhabi Development Fund has expanded its old investment agreement in 1982 with the government to partner with the National Investment Company of Morocco, creating the Moroccan-Emirati Company for Development with $12.5m (Dh46m) of investment capital, 33.9 per cent of which was contributed by the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. The Moroccan-Emirati Company for Development invests in various sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, metals and tourism.
Also, in Morocco, the UAE's Al Qudra Holding CompanyAl Qudra Holding CompanyLoading... is investing in various sectors such as farming and fisheries. Diab said that through alliances with many companies, among them the Ikhlas Group, it is launching a project for olive cultivation, in addition to two other projects - Calta Sea Food and Kona, both in the fisheries sector.
Al Qudra Holding is also going ahead with a project called Olivia for planting olive trees in Morocco, Diab added. This project is 100 per cent owned by the company, and is valued at around Dh37.186m.
By Dina Al Shibeeb
© Emirates Business 24/7 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100523043837/UAE%20takes%20rapid%20steps%20towards%20food%20security
Posted by Zawya
Emirates Business 24-7, 23 May 2010
Soon you may find that almost all the food on your table is made by the UAE, if not in the UAE. From funding agriculture research in salt-resistant crops to investing in Bluefin tuna farming in Japan and buying up agricultural land in fertile parts of the world, the UAE has embarked on an investment spree to ensure domestic food security in a country with miniscule arable area.
Emirates Business has learnt that food and agriculture-related investments abroad will only increase with time. Yousef Diab, an economic researcher from the Ministry of Foreign TradeMinistry of Foreign TradeLoading..., told this paper that the country is continuously exploring several options abroad to sustain its food basket.
"The value of the UAE's [agricultural] investments abroad have increased significantly from 2006 to 2008, with a 45 per cent growth. In 2006, agricultural investments were approximately $10.9 billion (Dh40bn). In 2007 they rose to $14.6bn and reached $15.8bn in 2008," he said.
Diab added that while there were no precise figures for such investments in 2009, a synopsis of activity in the sector last year indicates that expansions abroad continued unabated. For instance, in 2009 Pakistan's Ministry of Investment decided to offer a million acres of farmland to foreign investors, and the Emirates Investment Group (EIG) from the UAE was one of the investors.
Also in 2009, an investment plan was mooted by the UAE agricultural investment firm, Janan, with Egypt to cultivate about 42,000 hectares of land with wheat, maize and other crops in the North African country. The project will extend until 2015 and is expected to produce 350,000 tonnes of wheat a year, Diab said.
Last year, the UAE was also in talks with the Cambodian government for purchasing land in the South East Asian country for rice cultivation. The UAE even sent a delegation to Phnom Penh to pursue the acquisition of agricultural land, either though outright purchase or through a 99-year lease contract with the Cambodian government, said Diab.
"Most of the UAE's investments abroad are by private investors. The government is also using part of its huge oil and gas revenues for the same purpose," he said.
According to data available with the ministryministryLoading..., there are many UAE agricultural investments taking place in countries far and wide, especially in the ones with proximity to the UAE.
Diab said, there are five projects being studied for launch in Jordan, with a total value of Dh201.35 million or JD39m. The projects include a JD4m kiwifruit orchard, a JD5m sheep farm, a JD2m seawater greenhouse, and a JD20m tractor assembly plant.
According to data up to June 2009, the UAE already contributes in Jordan with the Rashid Al Dhahiri Olive Presses Company, as well as the Al Marmouqa Food Company. There are also investments worth JD50,000 in the UAE Farms Company and another JD50,000 in Al Shalal for Agricultural Investment. Diab added that the UAE also has an ostrich farm in Jordan valued at JD319,000 set up by the Jordan-Dubai International Capital Company.
In Morocco, he said, the Abu Dhabi Development Fund has expanded its old investment agreement in 1982 with the government to partner with the National Investment Company of Morocco, creating the Moroccan-Emirati Company for Development with $12.5m (Dh46m) of investment capital, 33.9 per cent of which was contributed by the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. The Moroccan-Emirati Company for Development invests in various sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, metals and tourism.
Also, in Morocco, the UAE's Al Qudra Holding CompanyAl Qudra Holding CompanyLoading... is investing in various sectors such as farming and fisheries. Diab said that through alliances with many companies, among them the Ikhlas Group, it is launching a project for olive cultivation, in addition to two other projects - Calta Sea Food and Kona, both in the fisheries sector.
Al Qudra Holding is also going ahead with a project called Olivia for planting olive trees in Morocco, Diab added. This project is 100 per cent owned by the company, and is valued at around Dh37.186m.
By Dina Al Shibeeb
© Emirates Business 24/7 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100523043837/UAE%20takes%20rapid%20steps%20towards%20food%20security
New Nile agreement a wake-up call for Egypt
Posted by Zawya
AFP
By Christophe de Roquefeuil
CAIRO, May 21, 2010 (AFP) - A new agreement by five African states on Nile water sharing has been a wake-up call for Egypt, which has long considered the river its own, analysts say.
Until now, Cairo had distanced itself from any discussion that would change the favourable terms of treaties signed in 1929 and 1959, guaranteeing the lion's share of Nile waters to Egypt.
The new agreement by Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda -- that is more favourable to their interests -- is considered a "death sentence" for Egypt, which is now trying to engage in discussions to ensure it is not left out of a process that is vital to its future.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi stressed on Thursday that his country did not intend to back down from the new agreement over water sharing, and invited Egypt to make concessions.
"Some people in Egypt have old-fashioned ideas based on the assumption that the Nile water belongs to Egypt," Zenawi recently told Al-Jazeera television.
"The circumstances have changed and changed forever," he said, adding that "the way forward is not for Egypt to try to stop the unstoppable. The way forward is to seek a win-win solution through diplomatic efforts."
Egypt's 80 million inhabitants draw about 90 percent of their water needs from the Nile. Cairo maintains that, even by the favourable terms of current agreements, its water needs cannot be met by the Nile alone after 2017.
"The announcement (of the new agreement) is considered by the majority of Egyptians as a death sentence to a nation that has long been described as 'the gift of the Nile,'" the University of Cairo's Nader Noureddine wrote in the Al-Ahram weekly on Thursday.
Initially, after the new agreement by the five African states, Egypt launched an urgent diplomatic offensive, hardening its alliance over the issue with Sudan, another recipient of Nile largesse under existing treaties.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak raised the subject in Rome on Wednesday, while the Egyptian press denounced Italian companies involved in Nile water projects, particularly in Ethiopia.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reassured Mubarak, saying: "We pledged... to undertake diplomatic moves towards certain countries, starting with Ethiopia, with whom there are still outstanding problems, primarily with regard to the use of Nile waters."
Always active on the diplomatic front, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected in Cairo on Saturday, and Egyptian delegations are awaited in Ethiopia and Uganda.
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, and Burundi's Pierre Nkurunziza, two countries of the Nile basin which have stayed out of the face-off with Egypt, are also expected in Cairo over the coming weeks.
A new text is intended to reconsider the two treaties of 1929 and 1959, which grant the rights to 55.5 billion cubic metres (two trillion cubic feet) of Nile waters to Egypt, and 18.5 billion cubic metres to Sudan, on the whole accounting for 87 percent of the Nile's water flow.
The 1929 treaty granted Egypt veto power on projects upstream -- dams, pumping stations, large irrigation works -- which could reduce the river flow.
At home, there is also pressure on the Egyptian leadership, which is accused of neglecting its African partners for too long.
"What is occurring at present is the result of Egypt abandoning its role in Africa," said political economist Amr el-Chobaki.
"During the past 40 years, the government thought that it was enough to maintain a relationship with the North, and that it was unnecessary to remain engaged in the countries of the South," he added.
Nabil Abdel Fatah of the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies echoed the point. "We owe better understanding to our partners, and to remember that we are also Africans, not only Egyptians or Arabs," he said.
cr-mon/afq/al
© Copyright AFP 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100521T073444ZTBL76/New%20Nile%20agreement%20a%20wake%2Dup%20call%20for%20Egypt
Posted by Zawya
AFP
By Christophe de Roquefeuil
CAIRO, May 21, 2010 (AFP) - A new agreement by five African states on Nile water sharing has been a wake-up call for Egypt, which has long considered the river its own, analysts say.
Until now, Cairo had distanced itself from any discussion that would change the favourable terms of treaties signed in 1929 and 1959, guaranteeing the lion's share of Nile waters to Egypt.
The new agreement by Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda -- that is more favourable to their interests -- is considered a "death sentence" for Egypt, which is now trying to engage in discussions to ensure it is not left out of a process that is vital to its future.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi stressed on Thursday that his country did not intend to back down from the new agreement over water sharing, and invited Egypt to make concessions.
"Some people in Egypt have old-fashioned ideas based on the assumption that the Nile water belongs to Egypt," Zenawi recently told Al-Jazeera television.
"The circumstances have changed and changed forever," he said, adding that "the way forward is not for Egypt to try to stop the unstoppable. The way forward is to seek a win-win solution through diplomatic efforts."
Egypt's 80 million inhabitants draw about 90 percent of their water needs from the Nile. Cairo maintains that, even by the favourable terms of current agreements, its water needs cannot be met by the Nile alone after 2017.
"The announcement (of the new agreement) is considered by the majority of Egyptians as a death sentence to a nation that has long been described as 'the gift of the Nile,'" the University of Cairo's Nader Noureddine wrote in the Al-Ahram weekly on Thursday.
Initially, after the new agreement by the five African states, Egypt launched an urgent diplomatic offensive, hardening its alliance over the issue with Sudan, another recipient of Nile largesse under existing treaties.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak raised the subject in Rome on Wednesday, while the Egyptian press denounced Italian companies involved in Nile water projects, particularly in Ethiopia.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reassured Mubarak, saying: "We pledged... to undertake diplomatic moves towards certain countries, starting with Ethiopia, with whom there are still outstanding problems, primarily with regard to the use of Nile waters."
Always active on the diplomatic front, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected in Cairo on Saturday, and Egyptian delegations are awaited in Ethiopia and Uganda.
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, and Burundi's Pierre Nkurunziza, two countries of the Nile basin which have stayed out of the face-off with Egypt, are also expected in Cairo over the coming weeks.
A new text is intended to reconsider the two treaties of 1929 and 1959, which grant the rights to 55.5 billion cubic metres (two trillion cubic feet) of Nile waters to Egypt, and 18.5 billion cubic metres to Sudan, on the whole accounting for 87 percent of the Nile's water flow.
The 1929 treaty granted Egypt veto power on projects upstream -- dams, pumping stations, large irrigation works -- which could reduce the river flow.
At home, there is also pressure on the Egyptian leadership, which is accused of neglecting its African partners for too long.
"What is occurring at present is the result of Egypt abandoning its role in Africa," said political economist Amr el-Chobaki.
"During the past 40 years, the government thought that it was enough to maintain a relationship with the North, and that it was unnecessary to remain engaged in the countries of the South," he added.
Nabil Abdel Fatah of the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies echoed the point. "We owe better understanding to our partners, and to remember that we are also Africans, not only Egyptians or Arabs," he said.
cr-mon/afq/al
© Copyright AFP 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100521T073444ZTBL76/New%20Nile%20agreement%20a%20wake%2Dup%20call%20for%20Egypt
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Solid growth makes tea brew success in region
Posted by Zawya.com
Monday, May 17, 2010
15b cups drunk a day as large expatriate population and relatively high disposable incomes drive demand
Dubai People in the Arab world drink 15 billions cups of tea per annum. With a population of roughly 300 million, this translates to 50 cups per person per annum tea consumption in the Arab world
The total value of the tea market in the GCC is 200 million euros (Dh906) and tea consumption in the UAE is worth 48.5 million euros, according to statistics made available by Unilever.
Iain Potter, vice-president of marketing for Unilever North Africa Middle East), said, “The tea category in the GCC is continuing to experience solid growth. This is remarkable given that approximately 15 billion cups of tea are currently drunk in Arabia per annum.”
The GCC remains an important target market for coffee and tea outlets because of the increasing number of multinational coffee chains setting up operations in the region; the large number of expatriates and the region’s relatively high disposable incomes, which are collectively driving demand for various coffee and tea products and services. In the UAE alone, tea consumption in 2009 achieved a remarkable increase of 47 per cent to 4,227 tonnes, while the annual coffee consumption has reached 3.5kg per person, which is even higher than the UK’s 3kg per person.
“While across the GCC 92 per cent of this is the traditional black tea, the remaining 8 per cent is accounted for by speciality or added value tea’s [green tea, flavoured and speciality tea] which people are increasingly gravitating towards,” he said.
“While black tea will continue to remain the dominant format for the foreseeable future, it is the speciality teas that are expected to drive value growth of the category.”
Organisers of the Middle East Coffee and Tea Convention, meanwhile, announced that the convention will return to Dubai this year with an improved and expanded format following its debut in 2009.
Gulf News Report
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_17052010_180526/Solid%20growth%20makes%20tea%20brew%20success%20in%20region
Posted by Zawya.com
Monday, May 17, 2010
15b cups drunk a day as large expatriate population and relatively high disposable incomes drive demand
Dubai People in the Arab world drink 15 billions cups of tea per annum. With a population of roughly 300 million, this translates to 50 cups per person per annum tea consumption in the Arab world
The total value of the tea market in the GCC is 200 million euros (Dh906) and tea consumption in the UAE is worth 48.5 million euros, according to statistics made available by Unilever.
Iain Potter, vice-president of marketing for Unilever North Africa Middle East), said, “The tea category in the GCC is continuing to experience solid growth. This is remarkable given that approximately 15 billion cups of tea are currently drunk in Arabia per annum.”
The GCC remains an important target market for coffee and tea outlets because of the increasing number of multinational coffee chains setting up operations in the region; the large number of expatriates and the region’s relatively high disposable incomes, which are collectively driving demand for various coffee and tea products and services. In the UAE alone, tea consumption in 2009 achieved a remarkable increase of 47 per cent to 4,227 tonnes, while the annual coffee consumption has reached 3.5kg per person, which is even higher than the UK’s 3kg per person.
“While across the GCC 92 per cent of this is the traditional black tea, the remaining 8 per cent is accounted for by speciality or added value tea’s [green tea, flavoured and speciality tea] which people are increasingly gravitating towards,” he said.
“While black tea will continue to remain the dominant format for the foreseeable future, it is the speciality teas that are expected to drive value growth of the category.”
Organisers of the Middle East Coffee and Tea Convention, meanwhile, announced that the convention will return to Dubai this year with an improved and expanded format following its debut in 2009.
Gulf News Report
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_17052010_180526/Solid%20growth%20makes%20tea%20brew%20success%20in%20region
Agricultural land identified in Abu Dhabi
Posted by Zawya.com
Emirates Business 24-7, 18 May 2010
A five-year soil study in Abu Dhabi has found 400,000 hectares of potential agricultural land on the emirate's mainland, which covers 5.7 million hectares.
Dr Ahmed Al Masoum, Deputy Director-General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), said: "The survey was the first of its kind in the emirate and covered all areas. Maps on current land use, vegetation and salinity were produced as well as detailed suitability maps for irrigated agriculture. The soil was mapped and classified using the latest satellite images and standards of the US Department of Agriculture."
The study took place through a partnership between the Environment Agency - Abu DhabiEnvironment Agency - Abu DhabiLoading..., the ICBA, GRM International Australia and many other supporting organisations within UAE and abroad.
The study included two kinds of soil surveys - one that provided information for understanding the characteristics of different soil types in Abu Dhabi, and another intensive soil survey focusing on land that was promising for agriculture.
The survey initially found a unique soil type a few tens of kilometres inland from Abu Dhabi's coastline, which compelled the emirate to widen the survey's coverage to include the whole emirate, resulting in the identification of the 400,000 hectares as the most suitable agricultural land in all of Al Ain, Madinat Zayed, Ghayathi and Sila areas. Also, the survey helped in creating an integrated 'Abu Dhabi Soil Information System' to include 2,300 soil samples stored for future use, the study said.
"Large subsamples of 2,300 soil samples were also stored in the project database. These samples are a valuable resource for future studies and will allow specialists access to a comprehensive set of soils," the report said.
By Dina Al Shibeeb
© Emirates Business 24/7 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100518043555/Agricultural%20land%20identified%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi
Posted by Zawya.com
Emirates Business 24-7, 18 May 2010
A five-year soil study in Abu Dhabi has found 400,000 hectares of potential agricultural land on the emirate's mainland, which covers 5.7 million hectares.
Dr Ahmed Al Masoum, Deputy Director-General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), said: "The survey was the first of its kind in the emirate and covered all areas. Maps on current land use, vegetation and salinity were produced as well as detailed suitability maps for irrigated agriculture. The soil was mapped and classified using the latest satellite images and standards of the US Department of Agriculture."
The study took place through a partnership between the Environment Agency - Abu DhabiEnvironment Agency - Abu DhabiLoading..., the ICBA, GRM International Australia and many other supporting organisations within UAE and abroad.
The study included two kinds of soil surveys - one that provided information for understanding the characteristics of different soil types in Abu Dhabi, and another intensive soil survey focusing on land that was promising for agriculture.
The survey initially found a unique soil type a few tens of kilometres inland from Abu Dhabi's coastline, which compelled the emirate to widen the survey's coverage to include the whole emirate, resulting in the identification of the 400,000 hectares as the most suitable agricultural land in all of Al Ain, Madinat Zayed, Ghayathi and Sila areas. Also, the survey helped in creating an integrated 'Abu Dhabi Soil Information System' to include 2,300 soil samples stored for future use, the study said.
"Large subsamples of 2,300 soil samples were also stored in the project database. These samples are a valuable resource for future studies and will allow specialists access to a comprehensive set of soils," the report said.
By Dina Al Shibeeb
© Emirates Business 24/7 2010
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100518043555/Agricultural%20land%20identified%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi
UAE bans non-fat Trim milk
Posted by Zawya
Dubai, 17th May 2010 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Environment and WaterMinistry of Environment and Water banned the entry and circulation of fat-free mint and lemon flavour Trim milk.
Obeid Al Matrouchi, Acting Director General of the Ministry, has issued an administrative order banning the entry of the product after examination of the food card data alleges that Tonalin helps to keep healthy body by reducing and storaging fat. The manufacturer is marketing the product in the UAE market without obtaining a license from the competent authorities. The Ministry has addressed the Abu Dhabi Food Control AuthorityAbu Dhabi Food Control Authority and municipalities to recall the available packages from the market until the reasons behind that ban are removed.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100517105037171/UAE%20bans%20non%2Dfat%20Trim%20milk
Posted by Zawya
Dubai, 17th May 2010 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Environment and WaterMinistry of Environment and Water banned the entry and circulation of fat-free mint and lemon flavour Trim milk.
Obeid Al Matrouchi, Acting Director General of the Ministry, has issued an administrative order banning the entry of the product after examination of the food card data alleges that Tonalin helps to keep healthy body by reducing and storaging fat. The manufacturer is marketing the product in the UAE market without obtaining a license from the competent authorities. The Ministry has addressed the Abu Dhabi Food Control AuthorityAbu Dhabi Food Control Authority and municipalities to recall the available packages from the market until the reasons behind that ban are removed.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100517105037171/UAE%20bans%20non%2Dfat%20Trim%20milk
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Egypt refuses to give up one drop of its right to Nile water
Posted by Zawya
AFP
By Samer al-Atrush
CAIRO, May 12, 2010 (AFP) - Egypt is refusing to relinquish a drop of its legal right to the lion's share of Nile river water, despite demands from other African countries for a more equitable sharing agreement.
Following years of barren negotiations, seven upstream African countries -- Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi-- are on Friday expected to push forward with a new water-sharing deal to replace an agreement that gives Egypt and Sudan majority control of the water flow.
Egypt has repeatedly cited its "historical" right on the river which provides the country of 80 million people with 90 percent of its water needs.
The upstream countries want to be able to implement projects, in consultation with Egypt and Sudan, but without Egypt being able to to exercise the veto power it was given by a 1929 colonial-era treaty with Britain.
A 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan -- following Sudan's independence in 1956 -- allocated 55.5 billion cubic metres of the Nile to Egypt, and 18.5 billion to Sudan, a combined total of 87 percent of the Nile flow.
Egypt's water needs are expected to exceed its supply by 2017, according to a government report last year.
"Egypt is exerting efforts with leaders of the upstream countries to persuade them to delay the agreement," said Hani Raslan, a Nile expert with the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
"The only way out of the problem is cooperation," he added.
Raslan said that the Nile Basin Intitiative -- a basin countries umbrella group funded by the World Bank -- had studied 22 projects including energy projects, saving lost water and irrigation.
"Unilateral signing will abort these projects. And Egypt will object to any project that affects its share," Raslan said.
Egypt says it is still hoping to negotiate, failing that it has threatened legal action.
"If certain countries of the Nile Basin sign an agreement without consensus, Egypt will insist that all countries respect international law," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told a local newspaper on Saturday.
"If necessary, we will treat this in the adequate legal way," he said, adding that his country's water rights were a "red line."
The outcome of the next meeting could unravel the 10-year-old Nile Basin Initiative, which the World Bank credits with helping keep the countries talking with each other on quotas.
Raslan says that an agreement on May 14 that excluded Egypt and Sudan would bring an end to the initiative, a message Abul Gheit says has been delivered to the basin countries.
"Egypt has been careful to affirm to the Nile Basin countries and donors that opening the door to signing the agreement means the end of negotiations and an announcement that the Nile Basin Initiative has failed," he said.
Egypt has proposed to help manage its African partners' water resources, and vowed to better make use of its own.
But Egyptian diplomats say the African countries will have a hard time financing large projects if there is no consensus among the Nile countries.
Cairo "will not accept the construction of any project in the Nile basin that could affect its water resources," Abul Gheit said.
Some observers say Egypt is not serious about negotiating.
"Egyptians are behaving with the Africans the way they accuse Israel of behaving with the Palestinians: they say they are ready to negotiate but without committing to the difficult issues," one western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
And Egypt insists that the Africans have other sources of water.
"Egypt only has water coming from the river. The Africans have it from the rains," one Egyptian diplomat said.
se-cr-jaz/bpz
© Copyright AFP 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100512T120339ZRSF34/Egypt%20refuses%20to%20give%20up%20one%20drop%20of%20its%20right%20to%20Nile%20water
Posted by Zawya
AFP
By Samer al-Atrush
CAIRO, May 12, 2010 (AFP) - Egypt is refusing to relinquish a drop of its legal right to the lion's share of Nile river water, despite demands from other African countries for a more equitable sharing agreement.
Following years of barren negotiations, seven upstream African countries -- Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi-- are on Friday expected to push forward with a new water-sharing deal to replace an agreement that gives Egypt and Sudan majority control of the water flow.
Egypt has repeatedly cited its "historical" right on the river which provides the country of 80 million people with 90 percent of its water needs.
The upstream countries want to be able to implement projects, in consultation with Egypt and Sudan, but without Egypt being able to to exercise the veto power it was given by a 1929 colonial-era treaty with Britain.
A 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan -- following Sudan's independence in 1956 -- allocated 55.5 billion cubic metres of the Nile to Egypt, and 18.5 billion to Sudan, a combined total of 87 percent of the Nile flow.
Egypt's water needs are expected to exceed its supply by 2017, according to a government report last year.
"Egypt is exerting efforts with leaders of the upstream countries to persuade them to delay the agreement," said Hani Raslan, a Nile expert with the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
"The only way out of the problem is cooperation," he added.
Raslan said that the Nile Basin Intitiative -- a basin countries umbrella group funded by the World Bank -- had studied 22 projects including energy projects, saving lost water and irrigation.
"Unilateral signing will abort these projects. And Egypt will object to any project that affects its share," Raslan said.
Egypt says it is still hoping to negotiate, failing that it has threatened legal action.
"If certain countries of the Nile Basin sign an agreement without consensus, Egypt will insist that all countries respect international law," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told a local newspaper on Saturday.
"If necessary, we will treat this in the adequate legal way," he said, adding that his country's water rights were a "red line."
The outcome of the next meeting could unravel the 10-year-old Nile Basin Initiative, which the World Bank credits with helping keep the countries talking with each other on quotas.
Raslan says that an agreement on May 14 that excluded Egypt and Sudan would bring an end to the initiative, a message Abul Gheit says has been delivered to the basin countries.
"Egypt has been careful to affirm to the Nile Basin countries and donors that opening the door to signing the agreement means the end of negotiations and an announcement that the Nile Basin Initiative has failed," he said.
Egypt has proposed to help manage its African partners' water resources, and vowed to better make use of its own.
But Egyptian diplomats say the African countries will have a hard time financing large projects if there is no consensus among the Nile countries.
Cairo "will not accept the construction of any project in the Nile basin that could affect its water resources," Abul Gheit said.
Some observers say Egypt is not serious about negotiating.
"Egyptians are behaving with the Africans the way they accuse Israel of behaving with the Palestinians: they say they are ready to negotiate but without committing to the difficult issues," one western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
And Egypt insists that the Africans have other sources of water.
"Egypt only has water coming from the river. The Africans have it from the rains," one Egyptian diplomat said.
se-cr-jaz/bpz
© Copyright AFP 2010.
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20100512T120339ZRSF34/Egypt%20refuses%20to%20give%20up%20one%20drop%20of%20its%20right%20to%20Nile%20water
Arab World Needs To Invest $100B To Meet Food Demand - Report
Posted by Zawya
Zawya Dow Jones News
Saturday, May 08, 2010
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--The Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion over the coming 20 years to meet growing demand for food from the local population, which is expected to grow to 550 million by 2030, Abha-based Al Watan daily reports Saturday, citing an official.
The private sector should provide about half of the required investments but if Arab governments don't create incentives to boost private sector investments in agriculture, the Arab world will face a food gap worth $71 billion in 2030, Tariq Moosa Al Zadjali, director general of the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development, said according to the paper.
In the short term, the Arab world needs $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in crops produced locally, Zadjali said, adding that until last year, Arab countries imported 53% of their needs for grain and 67% of their needs for sugar and oil, the daily reports.
Newspaper Web site: www.alwatan.com.sa/Economy/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=1222&CategoryID=2
-By Beirut Bureau, Zawya Dow Jones; +961-1-985 757; BeirutZDJ@zawya.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
08-05-10 0748GMT
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20100508000015/Arab%20World%20Needs%20To%20Invest%20%24100B%20To%20Meet%20Food%20Demand
Posted by Zawya
Zawya Dow Jones News
Saturday, May 08, 2010
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--The Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion over the coming 20 years to meet growing demand for food from the local population, which is expected to grow to 550 million by 2030, Abha-based Al Watan daily reports Saturday, citing an official.
The private sector should provide about half of the required investments but if Arab governments don't create incentives to boost private sector investments in agriculture, the Arab world will face a food gap worth $71 billion in 2030, Tariq Moosa Al Zadjali, director general of the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development, said according to the paper.
In the short term, the Arab world needs $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in crops produced locally, Zadjali said, adding that until last year, Arab countries imported 53% of their needs for grain and 67% of their needs for sugar and oil, the daily reports.
Newspaper Web site: www.alwatan.com.sa/Economy/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=1222&CategoryID=2
-By Beirut Bureau, Zawya Dow Jones; +961-1-985 757; BeirutZDJ@zawya.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
08-05-10 0748GMT
News Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20100508000015/Arab%20World%20Needs%20To%20Invest%20%24100B%20To%20Meet%20Food%20Demand
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Livestock losses hit IDP livelihoods
09 May 2010
HARADH -- Thousands of families who lost their livestock in the last round of clashes between the Yemeni army and Houthi-led rebels in the northern governorates of Saada and Amran are at risk of becoming food insecure, according to local officials and aid workers.
Hundreds of families in Amran's Harf Sufyan district fled the conflict between August 2009 and February 2010 leaving their animals behind, according to Yahya Abdullah, a local councilor.
"Some of the families who returned home in mid-March saw only skeletons of their animals inside stables," he said. "Others didn't find any remnants of their animals, which indicates they had been stolen. Now, those people face difficulty feeding their children."
Similarly, many displaced families in the Mazraq camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haradh district, in the northwestern Governorate of Hajjah, were forced to leave their animals behind or sell them at a very low price.
"We sold our cow and 16 of our 30 goats on our way to the camp at a very low price of YR140,000 [US$650]. We gave the other 14 goats to a broker to sell," Mohammed Munif al-Saadi, 75, a resident of Mazraq Camp II, told IRIN. They fled their home in Bani Saad village in al-Dhahir district in northern Saada in mid-August 2009 and are now running out of the money they got from selling their livestock.
"We spent the money on buying milk powder for our grandchildren and covering other needs. The broker whom we gave the goats to sell has disappeared. When I went to al-Talh Market to look for him, people told me he was killed in an airstrike on the market in October 2009," al-Saadi said.
Impact of livestock losses
A flash appeal by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in December 2009, said that reduced productivity and livestock losses would have a devastating impact on the availability of food and on current and future livelihoods.
It said that weakened and sick animals required immediate veterinary assistance in order to prevent the further loss of productive assets, which are indispensable to vulnerable groups in both the immediate and long term.
Agriculture, particularly livestock, is the primary source of income for many families in Yemen's conflict-affected areas, where 80-90 percent of the population are rural inhabitants, according to the government's Central Statistical Organization.
Over 70 percent of Yemenis rely on crop and livestock production to earn a living and to meet their basic food needs, according to FAO.
According to a survey conducted by FAO in January 2010 in Amran Governorate, about 3,250 IDP families lost over 50 percent (some 35,300 heads) of their livestock. The survey found that the livestock had died, been sold or had been stolen and that remaining animals were in need of urgent assistance.
"FAO currently has some funding [$350,000] and is effecting a screwworm eradication programme and buying further veterinary inputs and fodder for distribution within the coming few days," Paul Schlunke, Emergency Coordinator with FAO, told IRIN.
Fleeing with animals
According to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 30 percent of displaced families in the Mazraq area arrived with their livestock.
The UN's 2010 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) warned that migrating livestock under poor sanitary conditions increased the risk of transboundary and zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Local NGO Triangle is assisting close to 15,000 animals owned by 1,500 IDP families in the Mazraq area with funds from UNHCR.
Protecting the livestock of IDPs not only secures their livelihoods, but maintains the food security status of households, particularly regarding the nutrition of pregnant and nursing women and young children who are in need of milk for their well-being and development, said Schlunke.
"This will help reduce their dependency on aid and encourage them to return to their farms when peace is assured," he said.
© Yemen Observer 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100509080651/Livestock%20losses%20hit%20IDP%20livelihoods
09 May 2010
HARADH -- Thousands of families who lost their livestock in the last round of clashes between the Yemeni army and Houthi-led rebels in the northern governorates of Saada and Amran are at risk of becoming food insecure, according to local officials and aid workers.
Hundreds of families in Amran's Harf Sufyan district fled the conflict between August 2009 and February 2010 leaving their animals behind, according to Yahya Abdullah, a local councilor.
"Some of the families who returned home in mid-March saw only skeletons of their animals inside stables," he said. "Others didn't find any remnants of their animals, which indicates they had been stolen. Now, those people face difficulty feeding their children."
Similarly, many displaced families in the Mazraq camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haradh district, in the northwestern Governorate of Hajjah, were forced to leave their animals behind or sell them at a very low price.
"We sold our cow and 16 of our 30 goats on our way to the camp at a very low price of YR140,000 [US$650]. We gave the other 14 goats to a broker to sell," Mohammed Munif al-Saadi, 75, a resident of Mazraq Camp II, told IRIN. They fled their home in Bani Saad village in al-Dhahir district in northern Saada in mid-August 2009 and are now running out of the money they got from selling their livestock.
"We spent the money on buying milk powder for our grandchildren and covering other needs. The broker whom we gave the goats to sell has disappeared. When I went to al-Talh Market to look for him, people told me he was killed in an airstrike on the market in October 2009," al-Saadi said.
Impact of livestock losses
A flash appeal by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in December 2009, said that reduced productivity and livestock losses would have a devastating impact on the availability of food and on current and future livelihoods.
It said that weakened and sick animals required immediate veterinary assistance in order to prevent the further loss of productive assets, which are indispensable to vulnerable groups in both the immediate and long term.
Agriculture, particularly livestock, is the primary source of income for many families in Yemen's conflict-affected areas, where 80-90 percent of the population are rural inhabitants, according to the government's Central Statistical Organization.
Over 70 percent of Yemenis rely on crop and livestock production to earn a living and to meet their basic food needs, according to FAO.
According to a survey conducted by FAO in January 2010 in Amran Governorate, about 3,250 IDP families lost over 50 percent (some 35,300 heads) of their livestock. The survey found that the livestock had died, been sold or had been stolen and that remaining animals were in need of urgent assistance.
"FAO currently has some funding [$350,000] and is effecting a screwworm eradication programme and buying further veterinary inputs and fodder for distribution within the coming few days," Paul Schlunke, Emergency Coordinator with FAO, told IRIN.
Fleeing with animals
According to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 30 percent of displaced families in the Mazraq area arrived with their livestock.
The UN's 2010 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) warned that migrating livestock under poor sanitary conditions increased the risk of transboundary and zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Local NGO Triangle is assisting close to 15,000 animals owned by 1,500 IDP families in the Mazraq area with funds from UNHCR.
Protecting the livestock of IDPs not only secures their livelihoods, but maintains the food security status of households, particularly regarding the nutrition of pregnant and nursing women and young children who are in need of milk for their well-being and development, said Schlunke.
"This will help reduce their dependency on aid and encourage them to return to their farms when peace is assured," he said.
© Yemen Observer 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100509080651/Livestock%20losses%20hit%20IDP%20livelihoods
Nestle plans to expand in region with four factories, one in Dubai
World's largest food company sees 10% growth in Middle East
Published: 00:00 May 9, 2010
Packages of chicken bouillon undergo quality control checks at the Nestle Totole chicken bouillon factory in Shanghai. Nestle's strategy is to work with the Gulf Cooperation Council customs zone, which is why its new UAE factory is in the Techno Park.
Dubai: Nestle is expecting over 10 per cent growth in 2010 in the Middle East, and is building four new factories in the region, one of which is in Dubai, said Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Middle East. His confident view of business prospects in the Middle East for this year was in contrast to what happened in 2009 which was "a tough year with low growth".
Over the past 10 years, Nestle has changed its business model in the region away from its earlier agent-based businesses into 10 joint ventures. This gave the company much greater control of what was going on, with the result that "we are now the leader in managing the businesses," said Manghardt.
The Middle East has about 1.4 per cent of Nestle's global turnover of $101.4 billion, and "the target for 2010 in the Middle East is to grow by over 10 per cent from the $1.4 billion (Dh372.452 billion) sales we did in 2009, of which $150 million was in the UAE", said Manghardt.
Nestle's strategy is to work with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) customs zone, which is why its new UAE factory is in the Techno Park, deliberately chosen as an onshore site which is not in the Jebel Ali Free Zone. This is because Nestle want its products to be counted as GCC manufacture, so when they are taken from the UAE to other GCC states they will not be considered foreign, and therefore not subject to import duties.
The new factory will be 1.78 million square feet, and will employ about 400 people, with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes. It will produce Nido and Kit Kat, and will also take over the production of the existing water factory as well.
Nestle is the world's largest food company, with $101.4 billion in sales in 2009. It employs more than 280,000 employees, and has 499 factories in 83 countries. It has over 10,000 products, and sells over one billion products every day. All of this makes Nestle more than double the size of Pepsi, its nearest rival in the processed food sector.
But despite being the largest processed food company in the world, Nestle has an apparently small 1.7 per cent share of the world food market. But this figure covers all food in the world, which includes an estimate of all meat, fruit and vegetables sold in every supermarket and small stall in markets all over the world.
Nestle's sales are predominantly in the Americas (with 44 per cent) and Europe (with 36 per cent). That leaves a surprisingly small share of its sales in Asia, which includes the huge markets of China and India, as well as the Middle East.
Manghardt said that one reason for the low Asia sales is that many countries in Asia are only now beginning to see widespread prosperity, which is when the wider population starts to buy the processed food that Nestle manufactures.
But low sales also mean that there is room for growth, and Manghardt said that Nestle's global strategy looks forward to strong growth in Asia. He also pointed out that the company is not afraid of investing in new markets and has been a long-term investor in Asia.
He said that Nestle's first factory in China was opened in 1990, when China was still a very unusual market to invest in, long before China had became the popular destination for western multinationals that is it today.
Nestle has four major advantages in its business, said Manghardt, listing: very strong products and brands, substantial spend on R&D, wide geographic presence, and a strong internal culture based on people and values.
Responsibilities
The company is well aware of its responsibilities to the 3.4 million people who draw their livelihoods directly or indirectly from Nestle around the world. More than half of the company's factories are in the developing world, and Nestle consciously works to ensure that employment opportunities offer a better standard of living and self development.
It is confident enough of the strength of its brands to allow all sorts of local variations to global brands, unlike some companies which go to great lengths to ensure that their product is the same all over the world.
Nescafe is an obvious example, said Manghardt, who explained that drinking coffee always has very local heritage: Greek coffee is not the same as Spanish or Japanese. Therefore Nestle makes a different coffee mix for Nescafe in different countries.
The same happens with chocolate, which changes a lot from country to country, depending on taste and consumer habits and expectations.
The company is very aware of its environmental responsibilities, and Manghardt notes with pride that while productivity went up by 63 per cent, energy use was down by 7 per cent, greenhouse gas production down by 16 per cent and water withdrawal was down by 33 per cent, and water consumption was down 45 per cent since 2005.
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/nestle-plans-to-expand-in-region-with-four-factories-one-in-dubai-1.624229
World's largest food company sees 10% growth in Middle East
Published: 00:00 May 9, 2010
Packages of chicken bouillon undergo quality control checks at the Nestle Totole chicken bouillon factory in Shanghai. Nestle's strategy is to work with the Gulf Cooperation Council customs zone, which is why its new UAE factory is in the Techno Park.
Dubai: Nestle is expecting over 10 per cent growth in 2010 in the Middle East, and is building four new factories in the region, one of which is in Dubai, said Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Middle East. His confident view of business prospects in the Middle East for this year was in contrast to what happened in 2009 which was "a tough year with low growth".
Over the past 10 years, Nestle has changed its business model in the region away from its earlier agent-based businesses into 10 joint ventures. This gave the company much greater control of what was going on, with the result that "we are now the leader in managing the businesses," said Manghardt.
The Middle East has about 1.4 per cent of Nestle's global turnover of $101.4 billion, and "the target for 2010 in the Middle East is to grow by over 10 per cent from the $1.4 billion (Dh372.452 billion) sales we did in 2009, of which $150 million was in the UAE", said Manghardt.
Nestle's strategy is to work with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) customs zone, which is why its new UAE factory is in the Techno Park, deliberately chosen as an onshore site which is not in the Jebel Ali Free Zone. This is because Nestle want its products to be counted as GCC manufacture, so when they are taken from the UAE to other GCC states they will not be considered foreign, and therefore not subject to import duties.
The new factory will be 1.78 million square feet, and will employ about 400 people, with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes. It will produce Nido and Kit Kat, and will also take over the production of the existing water factory as well.
Nestle is the world's largest food company, with $101.4 billion in sales in 2009. It employs more than 280,000 employees, and has 499 factories in 83 countries. It has over 10,000 products, and sells over one billion products every day. All of this makes Nestle more than double the size of Pepsi, its nearest rival in the processed food sector.
But despite being the largest processed food company in the world, Nestle has an apparently small 1.7 per cent share of the world food market. But this figure covers all food in the world, which includes an estimate of all meat, fruit and vegetables sold in every supermarket and small stall in markets all over the world.
Nestle's sales are predominantly in the Americas (with 44 per cent) and Europe (with 36 per cent). That leaves a surprisingly small share of its sales in Asia, which includes the huge markets of China and India, as well as the Middle East.
Manghardt said that one reason for the low Asia sales is that many countries in Asia are only now beginning to see widespread prosperity, which is when the wider population starts to buy the processed food that Nestle manufactures.
But low sales also mean that there is room for growth, and Manghardt said that Nestle's global strategy looks forward to strong growth in Asia. He also pointed out that the company is not afraid of investing in new markets and has been a long-term investor in Asia.
He said that Nestle's first factory in China was opened in 1990, when China was still a very unusual market to invest in, long before China had became the popular destination for western multinationals that is it today.
Nestle has four major advantages in its business, said Manghardt, listing: very strong products and brands, substantial spend on R&D, wide geographic presence, and a strong internal culture based on people and values.
Responsibilities
The company is well aware of its responsibilities to the 3.4 million people who draw their livelihoods directly or indirectly from Nestle around the world. More than half of the company's factories are in the developing world, and Nestle consciously works to ensure that employment opportunities offer a better standard of living and self development.
It is confident enough of the strength of its brands to allow all sorts of local variations to global brands, unlike some companies which go to great lengths to ensure that their product is the same all over the world.
Nescafe is an obvious example, said Manghardt, who explained that drinking coffee always has very local heritage: Greek coffee is not the same as Spanish or Japanese. Therefore Nestle makes a different coffee mix for Nescafe in different countries.
The same happens with chocolate, which changes a lot from country to country, depending on taste and consumer habits and expectations.
The company is very aware of its environmental responsibilities, and Manghardt notes with pride that while productivity went up by 63 per cent, energy use was down by 7 per cent, greenhouse gas production down by 16 per cent and water withdrawal was down by 33 per cent, and water consumption was down 45 per cent since 2005.
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/nestle-plans-to-expand-in-region-with-four-factories-one-in-dubai-1.624229
Arab farming needs $100b
Published: 00:00 May 9, 2010
Riyadh : The Director-General of the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), Dr Tariq Bin Mousa Al Zedgali, said that the Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion (Dh367 billion) in agriculture over the next 20 years, in order to meet food demand for the population.
Estimates expect the population to reach 550 million people by 2030.
Speaking to the media in Jeddah yesterday, Al Zedgali stressed that the private sector must provide half of this investment, otherwise the Arab world would face a food gap of $71 billion by 2030.
Local production
He said that in the short term, the Arab world would need $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in the local agriculture.
Arab countries as a whole produces 47 per cent of their need for grain and import the rest, and they import two thirds of their needs of sugar and cooking oil.
Al Zedgali, who arrived in Saudi Arabia for a meeting on food security organised by the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank expressed his optimism that the problem of the food shortage in the Arab world could be overcome with greater investment in agriculture.
"We do not expect to attract more than $100 billion, but if we could attract 75 per cent of this amount, we will be able to bridge the food gap to a fair extent," he said.
"Everyone talks about the risks of investment in agriculture, but was there a greater risk than our inability to import our food two years ago while we had enough money to buy it?" he said.
"I did not see anyone talking about the risks in investing in Arab stock markets, which collapsed one after the other, but when it comes to agriculture, talk begins about risks," he said.
Infrastructure
He called on the Arab countries to develop their infrastructure as part of the efforts to bridge the food gap.
"Arab countries have weak infrastructure, particularly in ports, silos and the ability to produce electricity.
"I do not expect investors to come to build silos, ports and power stations," he said.
"Arab development funds and the Islamic Development Bank invest heavily to develop infrastructure in the Arab world, but the governments of the region must invest $33 billion at least until 2030 in order to make the emergency Arab food security programme successful."
"The level of the use of technology in Arab agriculture is too low and farmers should be motivated to use technology by granting them seasonal loans to help them buy seeds, fertilisers and equipment," he added.
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/arab-farming-needs-100b-1.624360
Published: 00:00 May 9, 2010
Riyadh : The Director-General of the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), Dr Tariq Bin Mousa Al Zedgali, said that the Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion (Dh367 billion) in agriculture over the next 20 years, in order to meet food demand for the population.
Estimates expect the population to reach 550 million people by 2030.
Speaking to the media in Jeddah yesterday, Al Zedgali stressed that the private sector must provide half of this investment, otherwise the Arab world would face a food gap of $71 billion by 2030.
Local production
He said that in the short term, the Arab world would need $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in the local agriculture.
Arab countries as a whole produces 47 per cent of their need for grain and import the rest, and they import two thirds of their needs of sugar and cooking oil.
Al Zedgali, who arrived in Saudi Arabia for a meeting on food security organised by the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank expressed his optimism that the problem of the food shortage in the Arab world could be overcome with greater investment in agriculture.
"We do not expect to attract more than $100 billion, but if we could attract 75 per cent of this amount, we will be able to bridge the food gap to a fair extent," he said.
"Everyone talks about the risks of investment in agriculture, but was there a greater risk than our inability to import our food two years ago while we had enough money to buy it?" he said.
"I did not see anyone talking about the risks in investing in Arab stock markets, which collapsed one after the other, but when it comes to agriculture, talk begins about risks," he said.
Infrastructure
He called on the Arab countries to develop their infrastructure as part of the efforts to bridge the food gap.
"Arab countries have weak infrastructure, particularly in ports, silos and the ability to produce electricity.
"I do not expect investors to come to build silos, ports and power stations," he said.
"Arab development funds and the Islamic Development Bank invest heavily to develop infrastructure in the Arab world, but the governments of the region must invest $33 billion at least until 2030 in order to make the emergency Arab food security programme successful."
"The level of the use of technology in Arab agriculture is too low and farmers should be motivated to use technology by granting them seasonal loans to help them buy seeds, fertilisers and equipment," he added.
http://gulfnews.com/business/general/arab-farming-needs-100b-1.624360
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Al Mansouri’s fish farm in desert spells wonder Latifa Jaber
9 May 2010
GHARBIA — Bakhit bin Suqan Al Mansouri never imagined that all that was needed to turn his small fish farm into a lucrative project that could attract scores of tourists, was something as simple as the use of better methods
of irrigation.
Now, tourists flock to Gharbia to watch the Nilotic fisheries he raised in the heart of Empty Quarter desert — the project made headlines when major websites like Google Earth featured it. Al Mansouri is the first UAE citizen to establish a farm for Nilotic fishes — freshwater fish like Tilapia and Catfish — in Liwa.
Speaking about the evolution of the project, Al Mansouri said the idea struck him in 1995 while following his daily routine of taking care of his farm in Liwa.
“I observed that large quantities of fresh water are used daily in irrigation. My concern was how to make better use of the water. I knew that Egyptian farmers utilise water used in rice irrigation to raise fish. I then decided to use
water in basins of my farm to raise fish,” he explained.
He admitted that the idea was not commercially viable in the beginning but he was seeking to reduce production costs and make optimum use of water in his fish farm to raise fish for commercial purposes. Now, it produces free organic fertilisers which can increase the productivity of the farm.
“I started out with a small shoal of fish and to my surprise, they propagated in an amazing way, giving me a compelling catalyst to consider launching a large investment venture,” he said. “I imported large quantities of fishes from abroad and raised them in irrigation water ponds in addition to conducting hybrid operations and I succeeded to produce a new breed of Nilotic species which could survive in saline-water and have large size,” Al Mansouri said.
His success encouraged him to think of establishing large fisheries in the heart of the desert to produce large-sized fish. He said his fisheries produce 35 to 45 tonnes per annum and he aspires to boost the output to 110 tonnes a year of various species of Nilotic fishes. He added that he didn’t face any obstacles in marketing his produce to consumers or companies.
He said his reputation got a major boost globally when information about his farm was posted on Google Earth, which attracted many tourists to the farm. Some of them told him they had come a long way to watch how fish could be raised in the desert.
Motivated by the large influx of tourists, Al Mansouri has put in place a tour including an exciting experience of allowing tourists to practise fishing by themselves. Speaking from experience, Al Mansouri believes that fisheries are a lucrative venture and can, if managed well, recover their initial costs in three years. Raising Nilotic fish is a very lucrative industry and it also has substantial environmental benefits, he said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/May/theuae_May209.xml§ion=theuae&col=
9 May 2010
GHARBIA — Bakhit bin Suqan Al Mansouri never imagined that all that was needed to turn his small fish farm into a lucrative project that could attract scores of tourists, was something as simple as the use of better methods
of irrigation.
Now, tourists flock to Gharbia to watch the Nilotic fisheries he raised in the heart of Empty Quarter desert — the project made headlines when major websites like Google Earth featured it. Al Mansouri is the first UAE citizen to establish a farm for Nilotic fishes — freshwater fish like Tilapia and Catfish — in Liwa.
Speaking about the evolution of the project, Al Mansouri said the idea struck him in 1995 while following his daily routine of taking care of his farm in Liwa.
“I observed that large quantities of fresh water are used daily in irrigation. My concern was how to make better use of the water. I knew that Egyptian farmers utilise water used in rice irrigation to raise fish. I then decided to use
water in basins of my farm to raise fish,” he explained.
He admitted that the idea was not commercially viable in the beginning but he was seeking to reduce production costs and make optimum use of water in his fish farm to raise fish for commercial purposes. Now, it produces free organic fertilisers which can increase the productivity of the farm.
“I started out with a small shoal of fish and to my surprise, they propagated in an amazing way, giving me a compelling catalyst to consider launching a large investment venture,” he said. “I imported large quantities of fishes from abroad and raised them in irrigation water ponds in addition to conducting hybrid operations and I succeeded to produce a new breed of Nilotic species which could survive in saline-water and have large size,” Al Mansouri said.
His success encouraged him to think of establishing large fisheries in the heart of the desert to produce large-sized fish. He said his fisheries produce 35 to 45 tonnes per annum and he aspires to boost the output to 110 tonnes a year of various species of Nilotic fishes. He added that he didn’t face any obstacles in marketing his produce to consumers or companies.
He said his reputation got a major boost globally when information about his farm was posted on Google Earth, which attracted many tourists to the farm. Some of them told him they had come a long way to watch how fish could be raised in the desert.
Motivated by the large influx of tourists, Al Mansouri has put in place a tour including an exciting experience of allowing tourists to practise fishing by themselves. Speaking from experience, Al Mansouri believes that fisheries are a lucrative venture and can, if managed well, recover their initial costs in three years. Raising Nilotic fish is a very lucrative industry and it also has substantial environmental benefits, he said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/May/theuae_May209.xml§ion=theuae&col=
Arab World Needs To Invest $100B To Meet Food Demand
Saturday, May 08, 2010
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--The Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion over the coming 20 years to meet growing demand for food from the local population, which is expected to grow to 550 million by 2030, Abha-based Al Watan daily reports Saturday, citing an official.
The private sector should provide about half of the required investments but if Arab governments don't create incentives to boost private sector investments in agriculture, the Arab world will face a food gap worth $71 billion in 2030, Tariq Moosa Al Zadjali, director general of the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development, said according to the paper.
In the short term, the Arab world needs $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in crops produced locally, Zadjali said, adding that until last year, Arab countries imported 53% of their needs for grain and 67% of their needs for sugar and oil, the daily reports.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZW20100508000015/Arab%20World%20Needs%20To%20Invest%20%24100B%20To%20Meet%20Food%20Demand
Saturday, May 08, 2010
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--The Arab world needs to invest more than $100 billion over the coming 20 years to meet growing demand for food from the local population, which is expected to grow to 550 million by 2030, Abha-based Al Watan daily reports Saturday, citing an official.
The private sector should provide about half of the required investments but if Arab governments don't create incentives to boost private sector investments in agriculture, the Arab world will face a food gap worth $71 billion in 2030, Tariq Moosa Al Zadjali, director general of the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development, said according to the paper.
In the short term, the Arab world needs $27 billion until 2015 to fill the gap in crops produced locally, Zadjali said, adding that until last year, Arab countries imported 53% of their needs for grain and 67% of their needs for sugar and oil, the daily reports.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZW20100508000015/Arab%20World%20Needs%20To%20Invest%20%24100B%20To%20Meet%20Food%20Demand
Arab Agricultural Engineers Union to hold 8th Congress in Tunis
07 May 2010
TUNIS - The Arab Agricultural Engineers Union is holding, next May 13-15 in Tunis, its eighth technical congress on "Arab Complementarity in Developing Farming Education and its Role in Achieving Food Security."
During a press briefing held on Friday in Tunis, Mr. Ghallem Dabbech, Chairman of the Tunisian Engineers Order Council reminded that this Congress is held with the support of the Arab League.
Representatives from 14 Arab countries (Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Palestine, Kuwait and Tunisia) are taking part in this event.
The Environment and Housing Department stemming from the Arab League, the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), the General Union of Arab Farmers and the Arab Association of Economics and Social Sciences will contribute to the congress works.
Over 50 papers will be presented during this Congress. They will address, in particular such issues as "environment education in Arab universities and institutes," "farming education programmes in the service of strategic goals of sustainable development in the past two decades," "development of agricultural training programme and its impact on agricultural development," "agricultural education programmes and private sector's needs in the Arab world."
The Damascus-based Arab Farming Engineers Union, which was created in 1968, seeks to develop and enhance the level of the promotion, in addition to boosting the exchange of expertise and agricultural research projects among Arab countries.
© Agence Tunis Afrique Presse 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100508064050/Arab%20Agricultural%20Engineers%20Union%20to%20hold%208th
%20Congress%20in%20Tunis
07 May 2010
TUNIS - The Arab Agricultural Engineers Union is holding, next May 13-15 in Tunis, its eighth technical congress on "Arab Complementarity in Developing Farming Education and its Role in Achieving Food Security."
During a press briefing held on Friday in Tunis, Mr. Ghallem Dabbech, Chairman of the Tunisian Engineers Order Council reminded that this Congress is held with the support of the Arab League.
Representatives from 14 Arab countries (Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Palestine, Kuwait and Tunisia) are taking part in this event.
The Environment and Housing Department stemming from the Arab League, the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), the General Union of Arab Farmers and the Arab Association of Economics and Social Sciences will contribute to the congress works.
Over 50 papers will be presented during this Congress. They will address, in particular such issues as "environment education in Arab universities and institutes," "farming education programmes in the service of strategic goals of sustainable development in the past two decades," "development of agricultural training programme and its impact on agricultural development," "agricultural education programmes and private sector's needs in the Arab world."
The Damascus-based Arab Farming Engineers Union, which was created in 1968, seeks to develop and enhance the level of the promotion, in addition to boosting the exchange of expertise and agricultural research projects among Arab countries.
© Agence Tunis Afrique Presse 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100508064050/Arab%20Agricultural%20Engineers%20Union%20to%20hold%208th
%20Congress%20in%20Tunis
Wildlife centre in Abu Dhabi sets up breeding loan scheme
As part of the loan agreement, as soon as the Arabian leapords mate, 50 per cent of their cubs will return to the ADWC, where further breeding will continue.
Published: 00:00 May 8, 2010
The centre, which consists of over 100 different animals, out of which 50 per cent are endangered, is currently working with international centres on exchanging endangered animals, with the aim of increasing their population globally.
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre (ADWC) has established a loan scheme which provides breeding stock to other centres across the UAE, to save critically endangered animals, whose numbers have dwindled to mere hundreds in the wild.
To protect their animals' rare and unique existence the ADWC has started its initiative, by sending their only male Arabian leopard, to a centre located in Sharjah, where the leopard will be introduced to females of his kind.
As part of the loan agreement, as soon as the Arabian leapords mate, 50 per cent of their cubs will return to the ADWC, where further breeding will continue.
According to Ronel Barcellos, Manager of the ADWC, there are only 280 Arabian leopards left in the world.
"Our aim is to protect the habitat of these rare animals, through various conservation programmes. We won't stop breeding till we reach our hundreds. Once the numbers come up, I'd like to encourage other centres across the UAE, to work with us, and help introduce a new bloodline to these rare big cats," she said.
The centre, which consists of over 100 different animals, out of which 50 per cent are endangered, is currently working with international centres on exchanging endangered animals, with the aim of increasing their population numbers globally.
Also rare due to poaching and habitat loss, an estimated 200 to 400 Siberian White Tigers are currently now living in the wild. "Tiger products are thoughts to have powerful medical properties and are sold in the majority of East Asian countries, that's why the Siberian white Tiger is facing extinction," said the ADWC manager.
The only two Siberian White Tigers at the centre are currently breeding, and Cleopatra (the female white tiger) is expected to give birth within two months. Barcellos has names for all the animals at the centre, who seem responsive once their names are called out.
"The Siberian White Tigers are the rarest, biggest and most endangered species, and once Cleopatra and our male Siberian tiger known as Anthony, deliver an extra two to three cubs, I intend on breeding more tigers, and will continue to do that till they grow in number," said Barcellos.
"We don't use enhancers or chemical products to encourage pregnancy among the females. We simply offer them a good relaxed life as much as possible, and leave them on their own. It's human interference that ruins everything for those animals, and that's the last thing we need to do," she said.
The Arabian wolves at the centre have recently produced four pups.
"There are only 400 Arabian wolves left in the world, people hunt them down, and shoot them. They don't have their own natural space in the wild any more. Once we start to breed large numbers, I intend on donating some to other centres, so that we encourage their breed to flourish once again," said Barcellos.
In addition, the African lions have recently added four new cubs to their family. The sole female jaguar will also get introduced to her mate soon, after spending a solitary life for months.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/wildlife-centre-in-abu-dhabi-sets-up-breeding-loan-scheme-1.623864
.
As part of the loan agreement, as soon as the Arabian leapords mate, 50 per cent of their cubs will return to the ADWC, where further breeding will continue.
Published: 00:00 May 8, 2010
The centre, which consists of over 100 different animals, out of which 50 per cent are endangered, is currently working with international centres on exchanging endangered animals, with the aim of increasing their population globally.
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre (ADWC) has established a loan scheme which provides breeding stock to other centres across the UAE, to save critically endangered animals, whose numbers have dwindled to mere hundreds in the wild.
To protect their animals' rare and unique existence the ADWC has started its initiative, by sending their only male Arabian leopard, to a centre located in Sharjah, where the leopard will be introduced to females of his kind.
As part of the loan agreement, as soon as the Arabian leapords mate, 50 per cent of their cubs will return to the ADWC, where further breeding will continue.
According to Ronel Barcellos, Manager of the ADWC, there are only 280 Arabian leopards left in the world.
"Our aim is to protect the habitat of these rare animals, through various conservation programmes. We won't stop breeding till we reach our hundreds. Once the numbers come up, I'd like to encourage other centres across the UAE, to work with us, and help introduce a new bloodline to these rare big cats," she said.
The centre, which consists of over 100 different animals, out of which 50 per cent are endangered, is currently working with international centres on exchanging endangered animals, with the aim of increasing their population numbers globally.
Also rare due to poaching and habitat loss, an estimated 200 to 400 Siberian White Tigers are currently now living in the wild. "Tiger products are thoughts to have powerful medical properties and are sold in the majority of East Asian countries, that's why the Siberian white Tiger is facing extinction," said the ADWC manager.
The only two Siberian White Tigers at the centre are currently breeding, and Cleopatra (the female white tiger) is expected to give birth within two months. Barcellos has names for all the animals at the centre, who seem responsive once their names are called out.
"The Siberian White Tigers are the rarest, biggest and most endangered species, and once Cleopatra and our male Siberian tiger known as Anthony, deliver an extra two to three cubs, I intend on breeding more tigers, and will continue to do that till they grow in number," said Barcellos.
"We don't use enhancers or chemical products to encourage pregnancy among the females. We simply offer them a good relaxed life as much as possible, and leave them on their own. It's human interference that ruins everything for those animals, and that's the last thing we need to do," she said.
The Arabian wolves at the centre have recently produced four pups.
"There are only 400 Arabian wolves left in the world, people hunt them down, and shoot them. They don't have their own natural space in the wild any more. Once we start to breed large numbers, I intend on donating some to other centres, so that we encourage their breed to flourish once again," said Barcellos.
In addition, the African lions have recently added four new cubs to their family. The sole female jaguar will also get introduced to her mate soon, after spending a solitary life for months.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/wildlife-centre-in-abu-dhabi-sets-up-breeding-loan-scheme-1.623864
.
Envoy calls for agricultural investment in Pakistan
Updated: May 8, 2010 22:26
Ambassador Umar Khan Alisherzai addresses the EWF forum in Jeddah on Wednesday. Seated, from left, are Muneebullah Hussaini, Umer Chapra (IDB adviser and winner of King Faisal Award) and Aftab Islam Agha. (AN photo)
JEDDAH: Pakistan’s ambassador to the Kingdom has called on Saudis to invest in his country’s agricultural sector.
Umar Khan Alisherzai made the call at a business seminar in Jeddah on Wednesday organized by the local branch of the Engineers Welfare Forum (EWF).
There was great potential in agro-based industries in Pakistan, he said, adding that Saudi investors could bring about a revolution in the sector if supported by innovative ideas from Pakistan’s engineers.
Focusing on Pakistani agricultural and engineering expertise, the seminar drew speakers not just from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia but also from the US.
There were also presentations on water security and new construction technology, in particular the use of wire technology of ruse in lightweight buildings and bridges.
The ambassador and other speakers underlined the towering importance of food security in the future and claimed that Pakistan, as a major agricultural producer, could be a major source of food for other consumer countries.
It is the world’s second largest producer of chickpeas and the fifth largest dairy producer, one speaker revealed, adding that food exports were worth $21 billion a year.
The forum’s chairman Jaleel Hassan suggested Pakistan could become “the leader of the whole Muslim Ummah” in food production if it developed its agricultural advantage wisely, adding that agriculture had to become more efficient and better managed.
He and others pointed out to the 400-strong audience of Saudis, Pakistanis and Indians that food security was also dependent on water security.
Future wars around the world would not be about land or people, he claimed, but about water, therefore Pakistan had to protect its water if it was to survive as a food producer.
EWF brings together Muslim engineers from Pakistan, India and elsewhere with the aim of combining Islamic values and technical knowledge and ensuring the welfare of its members in and around Jeddah. The organization’s website (www.ewjf.org) was launched at the forum, as was its magazine.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article51184.ece
Updated: May 8, 2010 22:26
Ambassador Umar Khan Alisherzai addresses the EWF forum in Jeddah on Wednesday. Seated, from left, are Muneebullah Hussaini, Umer Chapra (IDB adviser and winner of King Faisal Award) and Aftab Islam Agha. (AN photo)
JEDDAH: Pakistan’s ambassador to the Kingdom has called on Saudis to invest in his country’s agricultural sector.
Umar Khan Alisherzai made the call at a business seminar in Jeddah on Wednesday organized by the local branch of the Engineers Welfare Forum (EWF).
There was great potential in agro-based industries in Pakistan, he said, adding that Saudi investors could bring about a revolution in the sector if supported by innovative ideas from Pakistan’s engineers.
Focusing on Pakistani agricultural and engineering expertise, the seminar drew speakers not just from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia but also from the US.
There were also presentations on water security and new construction technology, in particular the use of wire technology of ruse in lightweight buildings and bridges.
The ambassador and other speakers underlined the towering importance of food security in the future and claimed that Pakistan, as a major agricultural producer, could be a major source of food for other consumer countries.
It is the world’s second largest producer of chickpeas and the fifth largest dairy producer, one speaker revealed, adding that food exports were worth $21 billion a year.
The forum’s chairman Jaleel Hassan suggested Pakistan could become “the leader of the whole Muslim Ummah” in food production if it developed its agricultural advantage wisely, adding that agriculture had to become more efficient and better managed.
He and others pointed out to the 400-strong audience of Saudis, Pakistanis and Indians that food security was also dependent on water security.
Future wars around the world would not be about land or people, he claimed, but about water, therefore Pakistan had to protect its water if it was to survive as a food producer.
EWF brings together Muslim engineers from Pakistan, India and elsewhere with the aim of combining Islamic values and technical knowledge and ensuring the welfare of its members in and around Jeddah. The organization’s website (www.ewjf.org) was launched at the forum, as was its magazine.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article51184.ece
Friday, May 07, 2010
Subaiti fingerlings released into UAE waters
Dubai, 7 May 2010 (WAM) - As part of its strategy for the sustainable development of fisheries and marine resources, the Ministry of Environment & Water has released large quantities of Subaiti (silver porgy) fingerlings into the UAE waters.
Dr Ibrahim Abdullah Al Jamali, Director of the Umm Al Qaiwain-based Marine Resources Research Centre said 28.1% percent of the targeted quantities of Subaiti fingerlings for 2010 have already been released into the waters during the first quarter of the year. He added that the Ministry and the centre had already developed a plan for culturing types of fish that are economically viable such as hammour (grouper), Subaiti and Safi, in order to release their larvae
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100507121040734/Subaiti%20fingerlings%20released%20into%20UAE%20waters
Dubai, 7 May 2010 (WAM) - As part of its strategy for the sustainable development of fisheries and marine resources, the Ministry of Environment & Water has released large quantities of Subaiti (silver porgy) fingerlings into the UAE waters.
Dr Ibrahim Abdullah Al Jamali, Director of the Umm Al Qaiwain-based Marine Resources Research Centre said 28.1% percent of the targeted quantities of Subaiti fingerlings for 2010 have already been released into the waters during the first quarter of the year. He added that the Ministry and the centre had already developed a plan for culturing types of fish that are economically viable such as hammour (grouper), Subaiti and Safi, in order to release their larvae
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidWAM20100507121040734/Subaiti%20fingerlings%20released%20into%20UAE%20waters
More fodder farms to meet growing demand
07 May 2010
DOHA: Qatar will set up several new fodder farms to meet the high demand for green fodder in the local market, the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning H E Sheikh Abdurrahman bin Khalifa Al Thani has said.
This was disclosed in a letter sent by the Minister to the Central Municipal Council (CMC) in response to the latter's call to address the severe shortage of fodder in the country. The letter was read out by CMC chairman Nasser Al Kaabi during their regular weekly session on Tuesday.
Sheikh Abdurrahman said addressing the phenomenon of rising fodder prices was among the top priorities of the government and for that purpose several farms have already been set up in collaboration with Hassad Company.
To offset the shortage of animal feed in the market and preserving the country's ground water, Hassad has set up a farm in Al Arakiya. Al Rakiya farm is now supplying the local market with consistent quantities of locally produced fodder at competitive prices.
Several new farms are going to be set up in Al Sailiya, Al Reffae and Um Salal localities soon. Similar projects will be launched in Al Khor and Al Dhakhira.
Implementation of these projects is believed to help Qatar achieve food security in the long term as the production of green fodder will bridge the gap between demand and supply. This in return will encourage farmers to raise animals.
The Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Business and Trade had announced strict measures to regulate prices of animal feed and curb monopoly.
CMC also discussed a report of its General Services Committee on street lights. The report said that despite CMC's previous recommendations raised to the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), some roads were still suffering from a lack of adequate lighting. This situation is leading to a number of road mishaps, said the committee.
CMC recommended to establish a monitoring centre to follow-up disruption of lights on the roads. It urged AshghalAshghalLoading... to ensure that all roads have proper lighting.
© The Peninsula 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100507055735/Qatar%3A%20More%20fodder%20farms%20to%20meet%20growing%20demand
07 May 2010
DOHA: Qatar will set up several new fodder farms to meet the high demand for green fodder in the local market, the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning H E Sheikh Abdurrahman bin Khalifa Al Thani has said.
This was disclosed in a letter sent by the Minister to the Central Municipal Council (CMC) in response to the latter's call to address the severe shortage of fodder in the country. The letter was read out by CMC chairman Nasser Al Kaabi during their regular weekly session on Tuesday.
Sheikh Abdurrahman said addressing the phenomenon of rising fodder prices was among the top priorities of the government and for that purpose several farms have already been set up in collaboration with Hassad Company.
To offset the shortage of animal feed in the market and preserving the country's ground water, Hassad has set up a farm in Al Arakiya. Al Rakiya farm is now supplying the local market with consistent quantities of locally produced fodder at competitive prices.
Several new farms are going to be set up in Al Sailiya, Al Reffae and Um Salal localities soon. Similar projects will be launched in Al Khor and Al Dhakhira.
Implementation of these projects is believed to help Qatar achieve food security in the long term as the production of green fodder will bridge the gap between demand and supply. This in return will encourage farmers to raise animals.
The Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Business and Trade had announced strict measures to regulate prices of animal feed and curb monopoly.
CMC also discussed a report of its General Services Committee on street lights. The report said that despite CMC's previous recommendations raised to the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), some roads were still suffering from a lack of adequate lighting. This situation is leading to a number of road mishaps, said the committee.
CMC recommended to establish a monitoring centre to follow-up disruption of lights on the roads. It urged AshghalAshghalLoading... to ensure that all roads have proper lighting.
© The Peninsula 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100507055735/Qatar%3A%20More%20fodder%20farms%20to%20meet%20growing%20demand
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Philippine, Saudi firms clinch agricultural deal
06 May 2010
JEDDAH - A Philippine-owned agricultural company AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Far Eastern Agricultural Investment Company (FEAICO) of Saudi Arabia for huge food crop plantations and processing plants in the Philippines, a Philippine daily reported on Wednesday.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Wednesday, ANI chief finance officer Kenneth Tan said that, based on the MoA, FEAICO shall pursue projects involving the establishment of a commercial sized pineapple, banana, rice and corn plantations and processing facilities, the Manila Bulletin reported. It will also jointly work with ANI for all the needed resources such as land, labor, farm technology and systems.
ANI and FEAICO will establish demo plantations initially and grow gradually through contract growing up to a core area of 50,000 hectares total for pineapple, banana, rice and corn.
These plantations will be used for food crops production for local consumption and export to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other foreign markets that FEAICO and ANI will jointly agree and develop.
The joint venture has anwith initial capitalization of $1 million.
© The Saudi Gazette 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100506045915/Philippine%2C%20Saudi%20firms%20clinch%20agricultural%20deal
06 May 2010
JEDDAH - A Philippine-owned agricultural company AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Far Eastern Agricultural Investment Company (FEAICO) of Saudi Arabia for huge food crop plantations and processing plants in the Philippines, a Philippine daily reported on Wednesday.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Wednesday, ANI chief finance officer Kenneth Tan said that, based on the MoA, FEAICO shall pursue projects involving the establishment of a commercial sized pineapple, banana, rice and corn plantations and processing facilities, the Manila Bulletin reported. It will also jointly work with ANI for all the needed resources such as land, labor, farm technology and systems.
ANI and FEAICO will establish demo plantations initially and grow gradually through contract growing up to a core area of 50,000 hectares total for pineapple, banana, rice and corn.
These plantations will be used for food crops production for local consumption and export to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other foreign markets that FEAICO and ANI will jointly agree and develop.
The joint venture has anwith initial capitalization of $1 million.
© The Saudi Gazette 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100506045915/Philippine%2C%20Saudi%20firms%20clinch%20agricultural%20deal
Syria Produces 20,000 Tons of Flowers Valued at SP 2.4 Billion
Damascus - Production of flower and roses flourished in Syria recently, with farmers harvesting around 20,000 tons that provide an income of SP 2.4 billion each year.
Chairman of the Damask Rose Committee Mohammad Shabaani pointed out that the Damask rose (rosa damascena), which is the Syrian national flower, has been connected to Damascus and Syria since ancient times. It is grown across Syria, with around 500,000 rose shrubs all over the country.
The Damask rose has considerable economic value and can be an important resource for Syrian economy, Shabaani pointed out, adding that 30 tons of Damask roses are produced each year.
Chairman of the Committee of Private Nurseries in Damascus and its Countryside Abdul Majid al-Hilaiwa said there are 1500 plant nurseries in Syria growing ornamental plans and flowers, producing 3 million flowers per season that are exported to Arab Gulf countries and Europe.
Estimates show that Syria produces around a billion flowers per year distributed among 20 different species.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100506052250/Syria%20Produces%2020%2C000%20Tons%20of%20Flowers%20Valued
%20at%20SP%202.4%20Billion
Damascus - Production of flower and roses flourished in Syria recently, with farmers harvesting around 20,000 tons that provide an income of SP 2.4 billion each year.
Chairman of the Damask Rose Committee Mohammad Shabaani pointed out that the Damask rose (rosa damascena), which is the Syrian national flower, has been connected to Damascus and Syria since ancient times. It is grown across Syria, with around 500,000 rose shrubs all over the country.
The Damask rose has considerable economic value and can be an important resource for Syrian economy, Shabaani pointed out, adding that 30 tons of Damask roses are produced each year.
Chairman of the Committee of Private Nurseries in Damascus and its Countryside Abdul Majid al-Hilaiwa said there are 1500 plant nurseries in Syria growing ornamental plans and flowers, producing 3 million flowers per season that are exported to Arab Gulf countries and Europe.
Estimates show that Syria produces around a billion flowers per year distributed among 20 different species.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100506052250/Syria%20Produces%2020%2C000%20Tons%20of%20Flowers%20Valued
%20at%20SP%202.4%20Billion
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Abu Dhabi to farm bluefin tuna soon
May 05, 2010
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi government hopes to soon begin bluefin tuna culture, using advanced technological support from a top Japanese university, officials disclosed yesterday.
The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)Loading... inked an agreement with Japan's Kinki University to cooperate in the fields of aqua culture research and development.
A feasibility study on setting up a farm using closed re-circulating aquaculture systems will be prepared in September, with the hopes of launching a pilot project, officials told Gulf News.
While technological aspects and expertise will be the responsibility of the university, EAD will be in charge of the logistical and financial aspects of the project.
"Aquaculture will help us alleviate stress on natural fish stocks and improve food security in the Emirate," Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD said.
"We recognise the importance of aquaculture in the development of fish production and the establishment of an environmentally sustainable stock", he added.
The university has been researching the cultivation of Pacific bluefin tuna since the 1970s, and have perfected their techniques over the years, he said. The agreement was signed by Al Mansouri, and Hiroshige Seko, the Vice President of Kinki University.
"Kinki university is a renowned academic research centre in aquaculture. They are the only institution worldwide to have succeeded in farming bluefins from eggs to market size," Thabit Al Abdul Salam, Director of Biodiversity Sector, Marine Environment at EAD said. "We will certainly benefit from their experience," he added. The university will also provide short to medium-term technical training to EAD's Emirati employees in Japan and UAE.
facts
atlantic species
The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), also known as the northern bluefin tuna, giant bluefin tuna (for larger individuals exceeding 150kg or 300 pounds) and formerly as the tunny, is a species of tuna native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. Atlantic bluefin have been recorded in the Black Sea in the past, but are now believed to be extinct there. The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a close relative of the other two bluefin tuna species — the Pacific bluefin tuna and the southern bluefin tuna.
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_04052010_050519/Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20farm%20bluefin%20tuna%20soon
May 05, 2010
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi government hopes to soon begin bluefin tuna culture, using advanced technological support from a top Japanese university, officials disclosed yesterday.
The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)Loading... inked an agreement with Japan's Kinki University to cooperate in the fields of aqua culture research and development.
A feasibility study on setting up a farm using closed re-circulating aquaculture systems will be prepared in September, with the hopes of launching a pilot project, officials told Gulf News.
While technological aspects and expertise will be the responsibility of the university, EAD will be in charge of the logistical and financial aspects of the project.
"Aquaculture will help us alleviate stress on natural fish stocks and improve food security in the Emirate," Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD said.
"We recognise the importance of aquaculture in the development of fish production and the establishment of an environmentally sustainable stock", he added.
The university has been researching the cultivation of Pacific bluefin tuna since the 1970s, and have perfected their techniques over the years, he said. The agreement was signed by Al Mansouri, and Hiroshige Seko, the Vice President of Kinki University.
"Kinki university is a renowned academic research centre in aquaculture. They are the only institution worldwide to have succeeded in farming bluefins from eggs to market size," Thabit Al Abdul Salam, Director of Biodiversity Sector, Marine Environment at EAD said. "We will certainly benefit from their experience," he added. The university will also provide short to medium-term technical training to EAD's Emirati employees in Japan and UAE.
facts
atlantic species
The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), also known as the northern bluefin tuna, giant bluefin tuna (for larger individuals exceeding 150kg or 300 pounds) and formerly as the tunny, is a species of tuna native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. Atlantic bluefin have been recorded in the Black Sea in the past, but are now believed to be extinct there. The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a close relative of the other two bluefin tuna species — the Pacific bluefin tuna and the southern bluefin tuna.
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN_04052010_050519/Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20farm%20bluefin%20tuna%20soon
United Fisheries of Kuwait signs agreement with Comoros Islands
KUWAIT -- Chairman of United Fisheries of Kuwait Khaled Al-Sayegh on Tuesday announced signing an agreement with the Comoros Islands to establish a joint venture to be named (United Comoros Fisheries).
Al-Sayegh told reporters on the sideline of the company's general assembly held here that the agreement stipulate the United Fisheries of Kuwait to provide ships and building fish manufacturing plant in the Comoros Islands, which would cost USD two million.
Al-Sayegh also revealed that the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries have agreed to grant the company a fish cultivation project in Al-Sulaibiya area. The project's cost is estimated by KD three to four million.
The chairman told the general assembly that the company achieved net profit of KD 101,000 last year, compared to KD 70,000 for the year before. He added that sales reached KD 6.1 million, while general and administrative spending was KD 708,800.
Earlier today, the general assembly of the United Fisheries of Kuwait elected a new three-member board for the next three years, as well as approving the company's financial statements and general budget for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2009.
© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505083507/United%20Fisheries%20of%20Kuwait%20signs%20agreement%20with
%20Comoros%20Islands
KUWAIT -- Chairman of United Fisheries of Kuwait Khaled Al-Sayegh on Tuesday announced signing an agreement with the Comoros Islands to establish a joint venture to be named (United Comoros Fisheries).
Al-Sayegh told reporters on the sideline of the company's general assembly held here that the agreement stipulate the United Fisheries of Kuwait to provide ships and building fish manufacturing plant in the Comoros Islands, which would cost USD two million.
Al-Sayegh also revealed that the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries have agreed to grant the company a fish cultivation project in Al-Sulaibiya area. The project's cost is estimated by KD three to four million.
The chairman told the general assembly that the company achieved net profit of KD 101,000 last year, compared to KD 70,000 for the year before. He added that sales reached KD 6.1 million, while general and administrative spending was KD 708,800.
Earlier today, the general assembly of the United Fisheries of Kuwait elected a new three-member board for the next three years, as well as approving the company's financial statements and general budget for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2009.
© KUNA (Kuwait News Agency) 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505083507/United%20Fisheries%20of%20Kuwait%20signs%20agreement%20with
%20Comoros%20Islands
Gulf Mushroom set for major capacity expansion
05 May 2010
MUSCAT -- Gulf Mushroom Products Co SAOG, which runs one of the largest mushroom farms in the Middle East, has announced a further expansion in capacity.
The company's Board of Directors, at the meeting on Monday, approved a proposal to increase the farm's capacity by about 50 per cent at a cost of RO 3 million.
To fund the expansion, the Board proposed a Rights Issue of RO 1 million, with the remainder financed through borrowings.
The Board decided to recommend the Rights Issue to shareholders for their approval at an EGM to be announced in due course.
Set up in 1997 as a joint stock company, Gulf MushroomGulf MushroomLoading... Products boasts a state-of-the-art plant based on technology, know-how and machinery acquired from Holland.
The facility has an installed capacity of more than 5 tonnes per day for cultivating and harvesting fresh button mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporous).
The company's products are marketed under the name Gulf Fresh.
To ensure a high degree of quality control, Gulf MushroomGulf MushroomLoading... makes its own compost based on wheat straw using the bare minimum of required chemicals.
Critical raw materials like casing soil and spawn are imported from internationally reputed manufacturers.
During the quarter ended March 31, 2010, the company produced 787 metric tonnes of fresh white button mushrooms compared to 660 metric tonnes produced during the same period last year, entailing an increase of 19 per cent.
The company achieved a sales turnover of RO 1.399 million compared to RO 1.175 million for the same period last year, an increase of 19 per cent.
Gross profit rose 24 per cent to RO 0.846 million compared to a gross profit of RO 0.682 million for the same period last year.
By Staff Reporter
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505041322/Gulf%20Mushroom%20set%20for%20major%20capacity%20expansion
05 May 2010
MUSCAT -- Gulf Mushroom Products Co SAOG, which runs one of the largest mushroom farms in the Middle East, has announced a further expansion in capacity.
The company's Board of Directors, at the meeting on Monday, approved a proposal to increase the farm's capacity by about 50 per cent at a cost of RO 3 million.
To fund the expansion, the Board proposed a Rights Issue of RO 1 million, with the remainder financed through borrowings.
The Board decided to recommend the Rights Issue to shareholders for their approval at an EGM to be announced in due course.
Set up in 1997 as a joint stock company, Gulf MushroomGulf MushroomLoading... Products boasts a state-of-the-art plant based on technology, know-how and machinery acquired from Holland.
The facility has an installed capacity of more than 5 tonnes per day for cultivating and harvesting fresh button mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporous).
The company's products are marketed under the name Gulf Fresh.
To ensure a high degree of quality control, Gulf MushroomGulf MushroomLoading... makes its own compost based on wheat straw using the bare minimum of required chemicals.
Critical raw materials like casing soil and spawn are imported from internationally reputed manufacturers.
During the quarter ended March 31, 2010, the company produced 787 metric tonnes of fresh white button mushrooms compared to 660 metric tonnes produced during the same period last year, entailing an increase of 19 per cent.
The company achieved a sales turnover of RO 1.399 million compared to RO 1.175 million for the same period last year, an increase of 19 per cent.
Gross profit rose 24 per cent to RO 0.846 million compared to a gross profit of RO 0.682 million for the same period last year.
By Staff Reporter
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505041322/Gulf%20Mushroom%20set%20for%20major%20capacity%20expansion
Japan plans to back fertilizer-producing countries
05 May 2010
Tokyo - The Japanese government is mulling plans to back fertilizer-producing countries including Jordan to ensure swift flow of chemical fertilizers deliveries to the world's second largest economy, said a statement released on Tuesday by Japanese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
"Japan is planning to provide these countries with necessary technical assistance in mining and environment conservation fields.
Studies in this regard have begun to identify their needs," the statement added.
© Jordan News Agency - Petra 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505040651/Japan%20plans%20to%20back%20fertilizer-producing%20countries
05 May 2010
Tokyo - The Japanese government is mulling plans to back fertilizer-producing countries including Jordan to ensure swift flow of chemical fertilizers deliveries to the world's second largest economy, said a statement released on Tuesday by Japanese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
"Japan is planning to provide these countries with necessary technical assistance in mining and environment conservation fields.
Studies in this regard have begun to identify their needs," the statement added.
© Jordan News Agency - Petra 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505040651/Japan%20plans%20to%20back%20fertilizer-producing%20countries
Wheat, barley harvest begins in Karbala
04 May 2010
KARBALA: The harvest operation of wheat and barley crops started on Tuesday in Karbala on 33,000 donums, according to a local director of the agriculture department.
"The harvest started in the most famous regions with wheat and barley; al-Khayrat and al-Jadwal al-Gharbi districts, east of Karbala, where farmers started to harvest 15,500 donums of barley and 17,524 of wheat," Engineer Razaq al-Taei told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
He expected an increase in production by 20% this year compared with previous years because of the rainfall.
Karbala is 110 km southwest of Baghdad.
© Aswat Aliraq 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505074752/Wheat%2C%20barley%20harvest%20begins%20in%20Karbala
04 May 2010
KARBALA: The harvest operation of wheat and barley crops started on Tuesday in Karbala on 33,000 donums, according to a local director of the agriculture department.
"The harvest started in the most famous regions with wheat and barley; al-Khayrat and al-Jadwal al-Gharbi districts, east of Karbala, where farmers started to harvest 15,500 donums of barley and 17,524 of wheat," Engineer Razaq al-Taei told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
He expected an increase in production by 20% this year compared with previous years because of the rainfall.
Karbala is 110 km southwest of Baghdad.
© Aswat Aliraq 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100505074752/Wheat%2C%20barley%20harvest%20begins%20in%20Karbala
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
13 brands of imported rice laced with arsenic, lead: MP
04 May 2010
TEHRAN - High levels of arsenic and lead have been found in 13 brands of imported rice, announced MP Anushiravan Mohseni Bandpei.
Samples of Aria, Shirkhan, Farhadjan, Kamalolmolki, Kimia, Gol-e Yas, Kimia and Hajimoradi have been found to be contaminated with arsenic or lead, Bandpei, the deputy chairman of the Majlis Health Committee, told the Mehr News Agency on Monday.
The results of the tests will be sent to the Majlis, Health Ministry, Commerce Ministry, and Standard Organization so that the officials can make the final decision, he added.
© Tehran Times 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100504034036/13%20brands%20of%20imported%20rice%20laced%20with%20arsenic%2C%20lead%3A%20MP
04 May 2010
TEHRAN - High levels of arsenic and lead have been found in 13 brands of imported rice, announced MP Anushiravan Mohseni Bandpei.
Samples of Aria, Shirkhan, Farhadjan, Kamalolmolki, Kimia, Gol-e Yas, Kimia and Hajimoradi have been found to be contaminated with arsenic or lead, Bandpei, the deputy chairman of the Majlis Health Committee, told the Mehr News Agency on Monday.
The results of the tests will be sent to the Majlis, Health Ministry, Commerce Ministry, and Standard Organization so that the officials can make the final decision, he added.
© Tehran Times 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100504034036/13%20brands%20of%20imported%20rice%20laced%20with%20arsenic%2C%20lead%3A%20MP
Experts focus on food security at IDB meet
Called the Expert Group Meeting (EGM), the deliberations, taking place at IDB headquarters in Jeddah, focus on food-related issues and challenges that the IDB member countries face in the post-crisis world.
The agenda of the meeting, opened by IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali, was set by IDB Chief Economist Ifzal Ali, who in his opening remarks, highlighted issues involved in ensuring food security. He said the emergence of major constraints in agriculture on the supply side would need to be progressively relaxed with the provision of adequate public goods and services but more importantly mainstreaming private sector involvement. "In doing better with less in ensuring food security, there is a paramount need for better and smarter governments, not bigger government roles ... Sustaining the development gains of the last half century in the emerging context of rising food prices hinges on ensuring sustainable food security in the 21st century," he said.
Delegates from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Sudan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Egypt and Nigeria as well as representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are taking part in the meeting.
The final outcome and recommendations will be distributed as a background document to IDB governors for further deliberation during the IDB annual meeting on June 23-24 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is expected to enable the IBD Group to develop an action plan to further improve security in its member countries.
There were three sessions on Sunday - "Climate Change and Food Security, "Priorities for Transforming Agriculture," and "National/Regional Food Strategy for IDB Member Countries." On Monday, the topics are "Fostering inter-OIC FDI in the agriculture sector," "Fostering intra-trade in agricultural commodities," and "Public and private partnership: Shifting the balance of activities."
Experts feel that achieving food security requires increasing food availability, food access and food adequacy for all. Since food insecurity is directly related to poverty, it is necessary not only to alleviate poverty but also create wealth for the target population. Thus, the experts are of the view that the agricultural sector must be at the center of the development agenda in order to enhance food security in member countries.
http://arabnews.com/economy/article49492.ece
Called the Expert Group Meeting (EGM), the deliberations, taking place at IDB headquarters in Jeddah, focus on food-related issues and challenges that the IDB member countries face in the post-crisis world.
The agenda of the meeting, opened by IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali, was set by IDB Chief Economist Ifzal Ali, who in his opening remarks, highlighted issues involved in ensuring food security. He said the emergence of major constraints in agriculture on the supply side would need to be progressively relaxed with the provision of adequate public goods and services but more importantly mainstreaming private sector involvement. "In doing better with less in ensuring food security, there is a paramount need for better and smarter governments, not bigger government roles ... Sustaining the development gains of the last half century in the emerging context of rising food prices hinges on ensuring sustainable food security in the 21st century," he said.
Delegates from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Sudan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Egypt and Nigeria as well as representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are taking part in the meeting.
The final outcome and recommendations will be distributed as a background document to IDB governors for further deliberation during the IDB annual meeting on June 23-24 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is expected to enable the IBD Group to develop an action plan to further improve security in its member countries.
There were three sessions on Sunday - "Climate Change and Food Security, "Priorities for Transforming Agriculture," and "National/Regional Food Strategy for IDB Member Countries." On Monday, the topics are "Fostering inter-OIC FDI in the agriculture sector," "Fostering intra-trade in agricultural commodities," and "Public and private partnership: Shifting the balance of activities."
Experts feel that achieving food security requires increasing food availability, food access and food adequacy for all. Since food insecurity is directly related to poverty, it is necessary not only to alleviate poverty but also create wealth for the target population. Thus, the experts are of the view that the agricultural sector must be at the center of the development agenda in order to enhance food security in member countries.
http://arabnews.com/economy/article49492.ece
Monday, May 03, 2010
Self-Sufficiency in Wheat
03 May 2010
Iran expects to have domestic wheat production of over 11 million tons this year, the deputy agriculture minister said on Sunday.
"It is predicted that country's wheat production will exceed 11 million tons in the current year which is above the self-sufficiency level," Mohammad Reza Jahansouz was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.
He gave no comparative figure.
Officials said last month Iran would export 2 million tons of wheat to three Arab countries in May after a three-year halt.
In 2004, Iran celebrated self-sufficiency in wheat production but cold winter weather in 2007-08 followed by drought hit agricultural output and forced it to resume importing the grain.
The government has made arrangements so that the private sector can export wheat at competitive prices.
According to officials, Iran imported 4 million tons of wheat in the past eight months, paying the equivalent of around $1 billion.
The country imported 5.9 million tons of wheat in the 2008-09 year, of which about 15 percent came from the United States.
Iran for the first time exported 40,000 tons of wheat to Oman in 2007-08.
© Iran Daily 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100503051224/Self-Sufficiency%20in%20Wheat%20in%20Iran/
03 May 2010
Iran expects to have domestic wheat production of over 11 million tons this year, the deputy agriculture minister said on Sunday.
"It is predicted that country's wheat production will exceed 11 million tons in the current year which is above the self-sufficiency level," Mohammad Reza Jahansouz was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.
He gave no comparative figure.
Officials said last month Iran would export 2 million tons of wheat to three Arab countries in May after a three-year halt.
In 2004, Iran celebrated self-sufficiency in wheat production but cold winter weather in 2007-08 followed by drought hit agricultural output and forced it to resume importing the grain.
The government has made arrangements so that the private sector can export wheat at competitive prices.
According to officials, Iran imported 4 million tons of wheat in the past eight months, paying the equivalent of around $1 billion.
The country imported 5.9 million tons of wheat in the 2008-09 year, of which about 15 percent came from the United States.
Iran for the first time exported 40,000 tons of wheat to Oman in 2007-08.
© Iran Daily 2010
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100503051224/Self-Sufficiency%20in%20Wheat%20in%20Iran/
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Nothing fishy about it
3 May 2010
DUBAI — A staple diet for millions in the world, seafood is both delicious and nutritious.
Being the only proprietors of certain proteins and Omega 3 fatty acids, their nutritional value has been to a great extent over-emphasised in the last few decades, leading to over exploitation of fish around the world.
Great taste, natural abundance and greater value for money are also some of the factors driving excessive commercialisation of seafood. The growing popularity of fish can be assessed by the fact that over 80 per cent of the world’s main fish stocks are considered as fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion.
A seafaring and fish-eating civilisation from the prehistoric days, the current state of the UAE’s fish stock is not much different from other countries in the world. But the situation in the UAE was never as critical as it is today. The downturn began in the last few decades, when the country’s population began growing exponentially, turning the fisheries into a commercial industry. This reflects in the fact that 66 per cent of the UAE’s wide-ranging demographic likes to enjoy fish at least once in a week.
At 80 per cent the average decline of the UAE’s main fish stock is exactly the same as that of rest of the world, but what is alarming is its partial favouring of a certain species. Overfished seven times beyond the sustainable level, Hamour (Orange Spotted Grouper) tops the overexploited species list with a decline of 87 to 92 per cent since 1978. Following closely behind are Kingfish and Painted Sweetlips.
Although there is a Federal Law No.23 of 1999 that governs the fishing industry in the UAE and there are also restrictions and regulations in place at the local level – quotas, size restrictions, limited use of traps and most importantly cessation in issuing new fishing licences – the situation is getting from bad to worse.
Under the circumstances, the Emirates Wildlife Society seems to have thought that the best way to tackle the problem is by creating awareness among the end-users – the consumers.
The EWS in association with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Dubai Municipality (DM) earlier this week launched a nationwide sustainable fisheries campaign by calling upon the consumers to ‘Choose Wisely.’
‘Choose Wisely,’ part of the EWS’ drive for sustainable living and conservation of biodiversity, aims at driving the consumers away from the eight most exploited fish varieties, including Hamour and Kingfish, and towards the less exploited but equally delicious alternatives.
“The UAE waters have experienced 80 per cent decline in fish stock over the last three decades due to overfishing. Our campaign is targeting consumers and we are trying to highlight the evils of overfishing and communicate the status of fish stocks in the UAE. We are also trying to provide solutions and practical tools that consumers can use in making sustainable choices,” said Nessrine Al Zahlawi, Marine Biologist and coordinator of the fish conservation campaign at EWS.
The EWS has come up with a consumer guide enlisting nineteen popular fish species with their corresponding levels of stock by placing the most exploited, the less exploited and the least exploited under three different lists of Red, Orange and Green respectively. Encouraged by the positive response to a recent survey which showed that 70 per cent of the consumers wouldn’t buy a particular fish species if they know it’s being overfished, the Society aims to use the consumer guide as its main tool in creating awareness.
“We have found through a survey that if you educate people that a certain variety is being overfished, they are less likely to buy it,” added Al Zahlawi explaining the results of a consumer survey.
Apart from the consumer guide, the EWS also has several other handy tools up its sleeves which includes a website full of information, a sustainable fish dish challenge, and a programme to get the food industry on board.
“The website, www.choosewisely.ae, is also one of our main tools. It our the main portal of resources, where people can find all the information about fishing in the UAE, status of several species as well as ideas on how they can help and how they can get involved,” Al Zahlawai continued, elaborating on the utility of the website. One of the ways to get involved is to participate in the five-month ‘Sustainable Fish Dish Challenge’ through the website.
The Society is also targeting retailers and other players of the food industry like supermarkets, fish markets, restaurants and hotels to promote sustainable varieties of fish and communicate the issue to their staff and their costumers.
“We are in touch with supermarkets and restaurants to try and work out plans to promote ‘green fish’. One of our ideas is to place the consumer guides at the fish counters, the retailers can also help by labeling the different varieties of fish,” added Al Zahlawi.
Recreational Fishing
-Take extreme care while casting to prevent injury to pedestrians (Avoid fishing in public areas).
-Always keep license handy for inspection.
-Catching crabs, squids, cattle fish, mussels & Juvenile fishes is prohibited.
-Fishing in Sanctuaries, swimming beaches, shipping areas & private places is prohibited.
-Enjoy fishing. Do not over fish. Clean the area before leaving.
-Always throw back alive, undersize, unwanted, or inedible aquatic animals.
-Remember: Fishing without license or with invalid licence will be subjected to penalty/prosecution.
-Permit is restricted only to one rod/line with 2-3 hooks.
-Dubai Municipality Environment Dept stopped issuing recreational fishing licence during summer season (from July to September) every year.
-Recreational fishing licence is valid for angling only in areas of Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud Bridges, and Al Seif road of Dubai Creek, Jumaira, and Umm Suqeim beaches.
Impact On Aquatic Life
-Studies show that many varieties of fish are caught beyond sustainable levels in the UAE. This has had a serious impact on the aquatic life:
-The age factor: Hamour can live up to 30 years, but today, the oldest fish that can be found is only 11 years old.
-Caught Young: Most fish we find on the market today are juveniles. These fish have not had a chance to mature and produce eggs. In the case of Kingfish, 95 per cent of landed fish are immature. Similarly, for Zuraidi fish, 71 per cent of the catch --comprises of fish smaller than the size at which they reach maturity.
-Imbalance in gender ratio: For some species, more females than males are naturally present in the population (e.g. Hamour). However large ones are heavily targeted by fishing. Since these are usually male, the sex ratio becomes even more imbalanced. This interferes with the species’ ability to reproduce.
-Last year, Gargoor traps caught 736 tonnes of Hamour and 346 tonnes of Shaari in Abu Dhabi alone, making up 43.2% of the total fish catch in the emirate.
-Total value of the fish industry in the Abu Dhabi Emirate alone is estimated at Dh104.8 million.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/May/theuae_May57.xml§ion=theuae&col=
3 May 2010
DUBAI — A staple diet for millions in the world, seafood is both delicious and nutritious.
Being the only proprietors of certain proteins and Omega 3 fatty acids, their nutritional value has been to a great extent over-emphasised in the last few decades, leading to over exploitation of fish around the world.
Great taste, natural abundance and greater value for money are also some of the factors driving excessive commercialisation of seafood. The growing popularity of fish can be assessed by the fact that over 80 per cent of the world’s main fish stocks are considered as fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion.
A seafaring and fish-eating civilisation from the prehistoric days, the current state of the UAE’s fish stock is not much different from other countries in the world. But the situation in the UAE was never as critical as it is today. The downturn began in the last few decades, when the country’s population began growing exponentially, turning the fisheries into a commercial industry. This reflects in the fact that 66 per cent of the UAE’s wide-ranging demographic likes to enjoy fish at least once in a week.
At 80 per cent the average decline of the UAE’s main fish stock is exactly the same as that of rest of the world, but what is alarming is its partial favouring of a certain species. Overfished seven times beyond the sustainable level, Hamour (Orange Spotted Grouper) tops the overexploited species list with a decline of 87 to 92 per cent since 1978. Following closely behind are Kingfish and Painted Sweetlips.
Although there is a Federal Law No.23 of 1999 that governs the fishing industry in the UAE and there are also restrictions and regulations in place at the local level – quotas, size restrictions, limited use of traps and most importantly cessation in issuing new fishing licences – the situation is getting from bad to worse.
Under the circumstances, the Emirates Wildlife Society seems to have thought that the best way to tackle the problem is by creating awareness among the end-users – the consumers.
The EWS in association with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Dubai Municipality (DM) earlier this week launched a nationwide sustainable fisheries campaign by calling upon the consumers to ‘Choose Wisely.’
‘Choose Wisely,’ part of the EWS’ drive for sustainable living and conservation of biodiversity, aims at driving the consumers away from the eight most exploited fish varieties, including Hamour and Kingfish, and towards the less exploited but equally delicious alternatives.
“The UAE waters have experienced 80 per cent decline in fish stock over the last three decades due to overfishing. Our campaign is targeting consumers and we are trying to highlight the evils of overfishing and communicate the status of fish stocks in the UAE. We are also trying to provide solutions and practical tools that consumers can use in making sustainable choices,” said Nessrine Al Zahlawi, Marine Biologist and coordinator of the fish conservation campaign at EWS.
The EWS has come up with a consumer guide enlisting nineteen popular fish species with their corresponding levels of stock by placing the most exploited, the less exploited and the least exploited under three different lists of Red, Orange and Green respectively. Encouraged by the positive response to a recent survey which showed that 70 per cent of the consumers wouldn’t buy a particular fish species if they know it’s being overfished, the Society aims to use the consumer guide as its main tool in creating awareness.
“We have found through a survey that if you educate people that a certain variety is being overfished, they are less likely to buy it,” added Al Zahlawi explaining the results of a consumer survey.
Apart from the consumer guide, the EWS also has several other handy tools up its sleeves which includes a website full of information, a sustainable fish dish challenge, and a programme to get the food industry on board.
“The website, www.choosewisely.ae, is also one of our main tools. It our the main portal of resources, where people can find all the information about fishing in the UAE, status of several species as well as ideas on how they can help and how they can get involved,” Al Zahlawai continued, elaborating on the utility of the website. One of the ways to get involved is to participate in the five-month ‘Sustainable Fish Dish Challenge’ through the website.
The Society is also targeting retailers and other players of the food industry like supermarkets, fish markets, restaurants and hotels to promote sustainable varieties of fish and communicate the issue to their staff and their costumers.
“We are in touch with supermarkets and restaurants to try and work out plans to promote ‘green fish’. One of our ideas is to place the consumer guides at the fish counters, the retailers can also help by labeling the different varieties of fish,” added Al Zahlawi.
Recreational Fishing
-Take extreme care while casting to prevent injury to pedestrians (Avoid fishing in public areas).
-Always keep license handy for inspection.
-Catching crabs, squids, cattle fish, mussels & Juvenile fishes is prohibited.
-Fishing in Sanctuaries, swimming beaches, shipping areas & private places is prohibited.
-Enjoy fishing. Do not over fish. Clean the area before leaving.
-Always throw back alive, undersize, unwanted, or inedible aquatic animals.
-Remember: Fishing without license or with invalid licence will be subjected to penalty/prosecution.
-Permit is restricted only to one rod/line with 2-3 hooks.
-Dubai Municipality Environment Dept stopped issuing recreational fishing licence during summer season (from July to September) every year.
-Recreational fishing licence is valid for angling only in areas of Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud Bridges, and Al Seif road of Dubai Creek, Jumaira, and Umm Suqeim beaches.
Impact On Aquatic Life
-Studies show that many varieties of fish are caught beyond sustainable levels in the UAE. This has had a serious impact on the aquatic life:
-The age factor: Hamour can live up to 30 years, but today, the oldest fish that can be found is only 11 years old.
-Caught Young: Most fish we find on the market today are juveniles. These fish have not had a chance to mature and produce eggs. In the case of Kingfish, 95 per cent of landed fish are immature. Similarly, for Zuraidi fish, 71 per cent of the catch --comprises of fish smaller than the size at which they reach maturity.
-Imbalance in gender ratio: For some species, more females than males are naturally present in the population (e.g. Hamour). However large ones are heavily targeted by fishing. Since these are usually male, the sex ratio becomes even more imbalanced. This interferes with the species’ ability to reproduce.
-Last year, Gargoor traps caught 736 tonnes of Hamour and 346 tonnes of Shaari in Abu Dhabi alone, making up 43.2% of the total fish catch in the emirate.
-Total value of the fish industry in the Abu Dhabi Emirate alone is estimated at Dh104.8 million.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/May/theuae_May57.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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