Spotlight

New Delhi, 10 January 2007

POWER POLITICS IN ANDHRA

HYDERABAD, January 11 (INFA): Andhra Pradesh Government today finds itself in a tight spot on the power front with farmers on the warpath in protest against inadequate free power supply for agricultural pumpsets. 

Faced with the spectre of losing their rabi crop, farmers are resorting to dharnas, rasta rokos, gheraos and attacks on transformers and electricity sub-stations and Discom personnel.

The Opposition parties---the Telugu Desam, the Telengana Rashtra Samiti, the CPI(M) and the CPI are adding fuel to fire and the ruling Congress is feeling the heat.

The TDP and the CPI laid siege to sub-stations across the State recently, demanding nine-hour uninterrupted supply for farm operations.

The TRS organized a day-long “maha rastra roko” (mother of all road blockades) on the 250 km Rajiv Rahadari from Hyderabad to Mancherial mobilizing 2.5 lakh farmers. Elsewhere, the rampage continued with irate farmers targeting sub-stations and illegally confining discom officials. Several Ministers were gheroed. The Police exercise restraint in tackling farmers protest, lest it unleashes a furious backlash.

Peak demand for the State grid has reached 7,500 mega watts (MW) while the supply has topped 153 million units. Though the State has installed capacity of 11.151 MW, including share in Central sector, power generation has dipped due to tripping of several thermal stations and non-operations of four gas-based power stations owing to non-availability of gas.

On the other hand, agricultural demand has soared to 41 million units a day due to increase of four lakh hectares in area under rabi crop and the existence of 2.2 lakh unauthorized farm connections.  AP Transco officials predict that the power crisis will persist through January to April, 2007. 

Verily, the saddest man is the Congress Chief Minister. But he is putting up a brave face.---INFA

 GLOBAL SUGAR REVIEW

NEW DELHI, January 11 (INFA): World sugar production in 2006=07 is expected at 160.01 million metric tonnes raw value, (mtrv) or 8.35 million mtrv, higher than in 2005-06. 

World sugar consumption in 2006-07 is expected to rise by 2.88 million mtrv to 148.26 million mtrv.  Imports in 2005-06 are estimated at about 48.09 million mtrv, 3.88 million mtrv lower than in the last year. Exports are estimated at 51.36 million mtrv, 2.32 million mtrv lower than in the last season.

The current season is expected to close with a stock of 72.64 million mtrv, or 8.45 million mtrv higher than the closing stock last year.  The stocks amount to 48.995 of the estimated consumption, while last year it was 44.14 per cent.---INFA