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Economic Highlights
MASSIVE GROWTH OF INDIA’S SUGAR INDUSTRY, 12 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 12 May 2007
MASSIVE GROWTH OF INDIA’S SUGAR
INDUSTRY
NEW DELHI, May 13 (INFA): India’s sugar industry looks “quite
aggressive”, thanks to the recent
large investments exceeding Rs.10,000 crore in the last two-three years,
according to the Indian Sugar Mills Association.
In the past when the industry was operating under rigid controls, it was
invariably criticized for lack of investments.
With gradual relaxation of controls by the Government and
incentivisation of investments by few State Governments, entrepreneurs took a
leap forward and made large-scale investments in recent years. Thus, large
additional capacities have been created in the past 2-3 years, adding up to
almost 30 lakh tonnes of sugar production on an annual basis.
Similarly, the capacity for co-generation of power by sugar
mills and for production of ethanol has also increased appreciably to about
2000 MW (including the projects under implementation) and 1300 million litres.
The comfortable demand-supply situation prevailing last
year, induced the sugar mills to pay much higher prices for sugarcane; in some
cases under compulsion by the respective State Governments and in a few others
even these levels were exceeded by aggressive
millers in trying to increase sugarcane supplies from the areas of other
neighbouring units.
Not only the cane price was increased, its disbursement was
also made promptly as the going was good and the industry had the requisite
wherewithal therefore. Sugarcane farmers
thus took to cane cultivation aggressively.
In a single year, the cane acreage increased by two lakh hectares.
Although a firm estimate of cane acreage the year 2006-07 is
still not available, it is generally felt that in the final reckoning, the area
under sugarcane may be even higher than the current estimate. In the present
circumstances, to bring about a balance between demand and supply situation,
not only this year but even in the foreseeable future, it would be extremely
important to accelerate the pace of sugar exports.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food promptly moved its
proposal for consideration at the highest level of the Government to provide
requisite Governmental support for creation of buffer stock of sugar, apart
from subsidization of transportation, fobbing and shipment cost (partially) on
sugar exports as allowed to developing economies under the WTO rules and
practiced in the past.
The scheme proposed by the Food Ministry has reportedly been
more or less taken by the Government
but no relief measures could be notified having regard to the fact that in a
sugarcane and sugar producing State of U.P.,
Assembly elections were to be held.
Larger use of ethanol, appears to be one of the options to
reduce the imbalance in the sugar situation. Presently, at the behest of the
Government of India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas already
announced nationwide doping programme of ethanol at 5% with petrol, some months
back.
A lengthy tender procedure was followed to determine the
price for supply of ethanol. So far, however, this scheme has covered only ten
States against 19 States where the doping was planned.
The States where doping has not begun are those where either
there is a problem of levy of import duty on ethanol and/or complete lack of
interest by the concerned States. So much so that they have even refrained from
notifying their agreement to doping of ethanol with petrol to be served within
the respective States. ----INFA
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MASSIVE GROWTH OF INDIA’S SUGAR INDUSTRY,11 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 11 May 2007
MASSIVE GROWTH OF INDIA’S SUGAR
INDUSTRY
NEW DELHI, May 12 (INFA): India’s sugar industry looks to be
“quite aggressive” thanks to the
recent large investments exceeding Rs.10,000 crore in the last two-three years,
according to the Indian Sugar Mills Association.
In the past when the industry was operating under rigid
controls, it was invariably criticized for lack of investments.
With gradual relaxation of controls by the Government and
incentivisation of investments by few State Governments, entrepreneurs took a
leap forward and made large-scale investments in recent years. Thus, large
additional capacities have been created in the past 2-3 years, adding up to
almost 30 lakh tonnes of sugar production on an annual basis.
Similarly, the capacity for co-generation of power by sugar
mills and for production of ethanol has also increased appreciably to about
2000 MW (including the projects under implementation) and 1300 million litres.
The comfortable demand-supply situation prevailing last
year, induced the sugar mills to pay much higher prices for sugarcane; in some
cases under compulsion by the respective State Governments and in a few others
even these levels were exceeded by aggressive
millers in trying to increase sugarcane supplies from the areas of other
neighbouring units.
Not only the cane price was increased, its disbursement was
also made promptly as the going was good and the industry had the requisite
wherewithal therefore. Sugarcane farmers
thus took to cane cultivation aggressively.
In a single year, the cane acreage increased by two lakh hectares.
Although a firm estimate of cane acreage the year 2006-07 is
still not available, it is generally felt that in the final reckoning, the area
under sugarcane may be even higher than the current estimate. In the present
circumstances, to bring about a balance between demand and supply situation,
not only this year but even in the foreseeable future, it would be extremely
important to accelerate the pace of sugar exports.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food promptly moved its
proposal for consideration at the highest level of the Government to provide
requisite Governmental support for creation of buffer stock of sugar, apart
from subsidization of transportation, fobbing and shipment cost (partially) on
sugar exports as allowed to developing economies under the WTO rules and
practiced in the past.
The scheme proposed by the Food Ministry has reportedly been
more or less taken by the Government
but no relief measures could be notified having regard to the fact that in a
sugarcane and sugar producing State of U.P.,
Assembly Elections were to be held.
Larger use of ethanol, appears to be one of the options to
reduce the imbalance in the sugar situation. Presently, at the behest of the
Government of India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas already
announced nationwide doping programme of ethanol at 5% with petrol, some months
back.
A lengthy tender procedure was followed to determine the
price for supply of ethanol. So far, however, this scheme has covered only ten
States against 19 States where the doping was planned.
The States where doping has not begun are those where either
there is a problem of levy of import duty on ethanol and/or complete lack of
interest by the concerned States. So much so that they have even refrained from
notifying their agreement to doping of ethanol with petrol to be served within
the respective states.
The petroleum industry and the sugar industry have been
continuously pursuing this matter with the concerned State Governments, but
without much favourable outcome so far. Efforts to cover these States continue.
Based on 5% doping on a countrywide basis, the total
requirement was assessed at 550 million litres. However, looking to the scenario as
aforesaid, the total annual demand may not exceeded say 300 million litres.
Sugar industry, specially those units which have set up distillation and
ethanol plants in anticipation of the full implementation of the scheme of 5% doping
of ethanol with petrol, have suffered. Their only fault being again an aggressive investments to put up the desired distillation
and ethanol production capacity.
While a permanent solution lies in persuading the concerned
errants States to fall in line, there can be yet another simpler approach. The Automotive Research Association of India, Pune have after protracted
research and experimentation came to the conclusion that upto 5 o 10% ethanol blended fuel can be used without any
alteration in the composition of four wheeler vehicles including fuel injection
system. Even the automobile manufacturers in India have come to the same
conclusion earlier. Clearly, 10% blend
of ethanol is a viable option subject, of course to availability of
corresponding quantity of ethanol. ----INFA
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SATELLITES ON SOLAR POWER,8 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 8 May 2007
SATELLITES ON SOLAR
POWER
NEW DELHI, May 9 (INFA): India’s power scenario could indeed witness a revolution in solar power generation if an
ambitious programme involving solar satellites developed and tested by the
National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), the US, becomes a
reality.
These satellites located 22,000 miles up in space, are made
up of sheets of small solar cells which capture the Sun’s rays and send them to
earth in the form of microwave signals.
These signals are then converted into electricity. The
advantage of placing solar collectors in space is that they would receive an
unobstructed view of the Sun, unaffected by the day and night cycles, weather,
or seasons.
The US-based Space Island Group Inc, is all set to begin
delivering this clean and safe mode of electricity to India from 2012 onwards.
Apart from the power benefits that India would receive, the Space Island Group is
also planning to set up a manufacturing hub in India for building the receiving
antennae and solar satellite components.
This is intended to be done with support from the World
Bank, which has expressed keen
interest in the project. The cost of launching the satellite in space would be
entirely borne by Space Island Group Inc.
The company would also try to involve Central ministries and
institutions like the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) as partners in
the project. The partnership requires no financial investment but only an expression of intent of the country to purchase
electricity.
The power purchase agreement would involve buying the energy
for a fixed price of the US 10 cents of per kWh from 2012 to 2025, with no
inflation or other escalation. The company is also planning to tie up with
private firms on the same terms. ---INFA
RADIATION
TECHNOLOGY SOON
HYDERABAD, May 9 (INFA): If used
irrationally, it could cause the effect of a Neutron bomb. If used in
controlled environs; it has the ability to cure cancer. The same technology is
the need for processing fruits and
other agro-products to enhance their shelf-lite.
The radiation process
using cobalt istope will become available in Andhra Pradesh market by mid-May.
The technology which is already in use in six locations in India,
is being tried out in Andhra Pradesh by Gama Agro-Medical processing jointly with the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre. The technique called irradiation can be used for sterlisation and
disintestation. ---INFA
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EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IN INDIA PREDICTED,7 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 7 May 2007
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL
IN INDIA
PREDICTED
NEW DELHI, May 8 (INFA): Recent studies
conducted by scientists from various research institutes in India indicate
the possibility of the country
heading towards excessive rainfall
in the coming decades, possibly
triggered by a warming earth.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,
who recently published a paper in the journal Science, say extreme rain events
have grown both in number and intensity over large parts of Central
India in the span of half a century.
The analysis was based on daily rainfall pattern during the
south-west monsoon from 1951 to 2000 in an area of about 1.4 million square km
in central India, extending from Uttar Pradesh in the north to Andhra Pradesh
in the south and from Madhya Pradesh in the west to Bihar in the east.
According to study, instances of heavy rainfall, where
places in Central India received 10 cm or more
of rain in a single day during the monsoon, had increased at a rate of 10 per
cent every decade since the early 1950s. In addition, several areas were
receiving more rain than before. The study warns that the increasing trend in
extreme rainfall events over Central India
could continue for the next decade or two.
The study further revealed that the increase in extreme
rainfall events occurred during a period when the waters of the tropical Indian Ocean became warmer, production more water
vapour. IN addition, temperatures over India increased
by 0.50 C in the last 50 years. The capacity of the atmosphere to
hold moisture increased due to these factors and hence conditions became
conducive for heavy downpours.
In a separate paper published in early 2006, another group
of researchers at the IITM also predicted an increase in severe rainfall
activities across an extensive area
covering the Western Ghats, Maharashtra, southern Gujarat, and parts of Central India by the end of the 21st century.
The scientists, who published their work in the journal Current Science, used a
regional climate model to examine climate change scenarios that India might
face.
A similar study at the India Meteorological Department’s
National Climate Centre in Pune, after examining rainfall data from 100
observatories across the country,
found that extreme rainfall events during the south-west monsoon had increased
significantly between 1901 and 2000 along the west coast, Maharashtra and southern
Gujarat.
Erratic rainfall pattern was observed in many other parts of
the country as well. A study by the Central Soil and Water Conservation
Research and Training Institute, Dehradun for the period 2071-2100, shows that
annual rainfall would increase by 3.4 per cent in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu and by
47 per cent over Umiam in Meghalaya, while winter rains would decrease over
Tehri Garhwal.
In 2005 and 2006, the country also witnessed a unique shift in the monsoon rainfall
pattern-heavy rains in drought prone areas like Rajasthan and scanty rainfall
in flood-prone areas like Assam and other
north-eastern Stats.
Although no analysis has been done to establish a direct
connection with the increasing trend of extreme rain events and global warming,
the scientists agree that the trend appears to be consistent with the global
warming phenomenon as demonstrated from model simulations and physical
considerations.---INFA
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NEW CRIMINAL TRACKING SYSTEM,5 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 5 May 2007
NEW CRIMINAL TRACKING SYSTEM
HYDERABAD, May 6 (INFA): A first-of-its-kind
criminal tracking system recently introduced in Vijayawada Police Commissionerate will soon be replicated across Andhra Pradesh.
The Integrated Mobile Photo Album (IMPA), which is a
computerized data-base containing over 12,000 pictures of criminals and others
(including about 7000 auto drivers) has been installed in the class unit that normally visits every scene of offence.
The data-base helps the victims identify the criminals by
browsing the pictures stored in the computer and simplifies the investigation
process.
With a modest investigation of Rs.1.23 lakhs, the IMPA could
be effectively in crime control, according the Police Department.
EARTH GETS HOTTER
IN 2007
NEW DELHI, May 6 (INFA): If forecast of
climate experts at the Climate Research Unit, University
of East Anglia, the U.K. is to be believed, 2007 would
be the warmest year on record.
The reason for this is the deadly combination of ‘El Nino’
weather pattern with the global warming phenomenon, which could result in
extreme conditions across the globe
and make 2007 warmer than 1998, the hottest year on record. It is likely that
temperature will also exceed that in 2006, which was the sixth warmest year
ever.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO),
the latest readings show that a moderate ‘El Nino’, with sea temperatures 1.50C
above average, was taking place, which in the worst case scenario, could
develop into an extreme weather pattern lasting up to 18 months, as in
1997-1998.
The UN agency noted that the weather pattern was already
having ‘early and intense’ effects, including drought ‘early and intense
effects, including drought in Australia
and dramatically warm seas in the Indian Ocean,
possibly affecting the
monsoons. It warned that the ‘El Nino’
could also bring extreme rainfall to parts of east Africa
which were hit last year by a cycle of droughts and floods.
Another manifestation of global warming is the recent
breaking of a giant ice shelf from an island sought of the North Pole. The Ayles Ice Shelf, the size of 11,000
football fields, broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island,
about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic. The ice shelf
was one of the six major shelves remaining in Canada’s
Arctic which is packed with ancient ice that
is more than 3,000 years old.
Within one hour of breaking free, the shelf had formed as a
new ice island. The dramatic speed with which climate change has affected the
ice shelves has surprised scientists who till recently believed that global
warming changes occur gradually.
So, the writing on the wall is clear. Unless rapid action is taken to reverse the rise in
carbon emissions, global warming
could run out of control and change the planet forever. ---INFA
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