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REGIONAL NEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 |
AsiaViews, Edition: 13/III/April/2006
ISLAMABAD, April 4: The yields of wheat, cotton and sugarcane in the country have remained short of target in the current fiscal year, says the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA). A major setback came from wheat output. Despite official estimates of a bumper crop, its output fell short of target by 1.5 million tons and stood at 20.5 million tons against a target of 22 million tons.
?The production of wheat could be around 20.5 million tons this year compared to the last year?s achieved production of 21.6 million tons,? said Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan.
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the FCA, the minister said the major factor for lower wheat production was ?some problems? which the crop had faced in Punjab.
He said the cotton production stood at 13 million bales against a target of 15 million bales. He pointed out that although lower than the target, the output was highest ever achieved by the country.
The sugarcane production for the year has been estimated at 44.23 million tons against a target of 48 million tons.
The production of potato has been estimated at 1.6 million tons against the target of 1.7 million tons. The gram output has been estimated at 458,000 tons, showing a reduction of about 47 per cent over the last year?s production.
The minister said the rice crop had been estimated at 5.422 million tons from an area of 2.575 million hectares, showing an improvement of eight per cent over the last year?s production of five million tons.
The meeting estimated the maize crop at 3.276 million tons registering an increase of 17 per cent over the last year?s production. The chilli crop has been estimated at 119,000 tons, showing an increase of 17 per cent over the last year?s output.
FUTURE TARGETS: The minister said the cotton crop target for the next year had been set at 13.816 million bales from an area of 3.247 million hectares.
The target for sugarcane was fixed at 50.5 million tons from an area of 1.005 million hectares. The rice target was set at 5.654 million tons from an area of 2.685 million hectares. Likewise, the maize crop target was fixed at 3.439 million tons from an area of 1.001 million hectares.
Mr Bosan said the FCA had reviewed the input situation for Kharif. The urea fertiliser availability for Kharif crops was estimated at 2.826 million tons.
According to the information provided by the Indus River System Authority, the water availability during Kharif is expected to be 71.86MAF (million acre feet) against the last year?s 70.76MAF.
The credit disbursement during July-February 2005-06 improved touching the level of Rs81 billion, showing an improvement of 21 per cent against disbursement of Rs67 billion in the same period last year.
In reply to a question, the minister said Indian market was the best option to import sugar.
By: Khaleeq Kiani
Dawn April 5, 2006
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 )
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REGIONAL NEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 |
AsiaViews, Edition: 13/III/April/2006
ISLAMABAD, April 4: Pakistan on Tuesday declared that peace talks with India were being pursued through various channels and expressed the hope that the dialogue would lead to forward movement, particularly on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. ?We have interaction between the leadership of the two countries. We have the composite dialogue process, we have the backchannel diplomacy and we are working on all fronts,? Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a weekly briefing on Tuesday.
Underscoring that dispute resolution was the objective of the peace process, Ms Aslam said: ?The spirit behind the peace talks is not just reduction of tension; it?s resolution of disputes, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Naturally, once we have movement towards resolution of disputes there will be reduction in the tension and we do hope there won?t be any arms race.?
Answering a question, she said that conducting missile tests was part of Pakistan?s minimum credible deterrence and work on that would continue.
Asked if Pakistan shared All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader (APHC) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq?s optimism that a framework for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute was likely this year, the spokesperson said: ?We are always optimistic and we do hope that there will be forward movement.?
On the Mirwaiz?s demand that China also be made a party to the resolution of the dispute, she said: ?According to the United Nations resolutions there are only two parties to the Kashmir dispute, that is Pakistan and India.?
She, however, hastened to add: ?Of course, Kashmiris are a party because it is a question of their right to self-determination.?
She said the entire international community was involved in encouraging a settlement of the dispute.
The spokesperson maintained that the APHC leader had not referred to any chunk of territory of Kashmir being with China. She asserted that his argument for associating China with peace process was that China is a big player, being the largest and the most influential country in the region.
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS: In reply to a question on human rights violation in Kashmir, the spokesperson said: ?We were told that India is working on it.?
Referring to the argument that violence inside occupied Kashmir was linked to cross-border infiltration, she pointed out that there was acknowledge ment by India that it had now significantly scaled down.
?Consequently, we expect that human rights violations would also come down because some kind of relief to the Kashmiris is a priority for us,? she said, adding: ?And that?s why we have repeatedly talked about demilitarisation or at least removal of troops from big urban centres and rural areas.?
She said there had been no progress on the opening up of Pakistan?s consulate-general in Mumbai. The process of finding a property had to be started from scratch as the deal finalised earlier fell through because the landlord backed out at the last moment citing security problems.
About the Indian proposal of setting up visa camp offices in Karachi and Mumbai, she said: ?We have an agreement on establishing the two consulates-general in Mumbai and Karachi.?
On the US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher?s arrival in Pakistan on Monday, she said: ?This visit would provide an opportunity to review bilateral relations, particularly in follow-up to President Bush?s visit and various initiatives that were discussed and finalised during that visit.?
Answering a question about the US interest in obtaining the observer status at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the spokesperson said: ?We have not yet received any formal information from the Saarc Chair.?
GWADAR: Dispelling speculation about moves to hand over Gwadar to Oman, she said: ?That issue was settled long time ago. It (Gwadar) is part of the territory of Pakistan and it will stay that way.?
She, however, added: ?Of course we welcome foreign investment in various sectors and we welcome the Omani increased investment in Pakistan as well.?
TIES WITH KABUL: In reply to question about the state of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, she characterised them as ?very good?.
On the recent killing of Pakistanis in Spin Boldak, she said Kabul had informed Islamabad that the commander in Boldak, suspected to be involved in the incident, had been removed and placed under house arrest.
She said the government had also been informed that two inquiry commissions had been set up to look into the case.
EXTRADITION TREATY: On the proposed extradition treaty between Pakistan and Britain, she said: ?It is more or less final, we?ll decide the time of signing it.?
By: Qudssia Akhlaque
Dawn April 5, 2006
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 )
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REGIONAL NEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 |
AsiaViews, Edition: 13/III/April/2006
Thiruvananthapuram, April 5: The spectre of rebels continues to haunt both the mammoth political fronts of Kerala. For the Congress-led United Democatic Front, rebel menace has cropped up mainly because of its last-minute alliance with veteran leader K. Karunakaran?s Democratic Indira Congress.
In all, 17 seats were allotted in the eleventh hour to the DIC and this irked many Congress hopefuls who have been nurturing these constituencies for months. In Thiruvananthapuram West, for instance, Congress MLA T. Saratchandra Prasad filed his nomination papers on Tuesday protesting against the decision to field DIC leader Shobana George.
"I don?t know why she was imported to this area, which is my terrain," said Mr Prasad amid cheers from his followers.
An angry DIC has threatened to field rebels from other places in Thiruvananthapuram in return. In Pathatnamthitta district, Congress leader K.K. Nair is contesting as independent against the official nominee Sivadasan Nair. Mr K.K. Nair has won from here four times and says he wants one more term to "complete development projects".
Attempts by the Congress leadership to persuade Mr K.K. Nair to withdraw his candidature have failed so far.
In nearby Thiruvalla, Kerala Congress (M) member Sam Eapen is contesting as a rebel against Mr Victor Thomas from his own party. Many other frustrated Congressmen have filed nominations in places such as Kottayam, Vamanapuram, Alapuzha and Wayanad. Hectic talks are on to persuade them to withdraw.
"All these rebels will disappear by the last date for withdrawal of nominations," vouched KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala.
The Congress can, however, find comfort in the fact that the usually rock-solid Left Democratic Front is also facing rebel menace this time. It was the decision to restrict the Kerala Congress (J) to six seats which has caused major problems to the LDF.
This has frustrated a section of leaders in the KC(J), who earlier belonged to the Indian Federal Democratic Party of former Union minister P.C. Thomas. The IFDP had merged with the KC(J) last year.
This faction has threatened to field candidates in about 14 seats. Their leader Georgekutty Augusthy has filed nomination papers against CPI(M) independent and former IAS official Alphonse Kannanthanam from Kanjiarappally. KC (J) chairman P.J. Joseph has justified this as a "friendly contest".
After a stern warning from the CPI(M), the state committee of the KC(J) decided on Wednesday not to support the rebels. However, it is learnt that former IFDP men have not agreed with this. Meanwhile, former minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Neelalohitadasan Nadar has decided to contest as an independent from the Kovalam Assembly constituency.
By: K. Venugopal
The Asian Age April 6, 2006
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 )
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REGIONAL NEWS & SPECIAL REPORTS
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 |
AsiaViews, Edition: 13/III/April/2006
The meeting between President Chen Shui-bian and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou on Monday failed to resolve the dispute over the arms procurement bill, which was yesterday rejected for the 50th time since the beginning of the legislative term in February last year.
The bill was blocked from being put on the legislative agenda for deliberation because of objections from the KMT and People First Party (PFP), which between them dominate the legislature's Procedure Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-fang, a co-chair of the committee, said that Ma had not meant what he said when he told the president that the KMT supported a "reasonable" arms procurement budget.
Ma shouldn't allow the KMT to continue blocking the bill in the legislature, Tsai said.
"Would you please advise Ma in the KMT's Central Standing Committee that he should not make empty promises," Tsai told the KMT legislators.
Pan-blue legislators yesterday also rejected a bill to review the president's nominations for the Control Yuan, which has been blocked since Feb. 1 last year.
After a meeting between Ma and PFP Chairman James Soong last December, the two pan-blue leaders said that Control Yuan members should be nominated in the same way as the candidates for the National Communication Commission.
Commission candidates are named by political parties in proportion to their number of seats in the Legislative Yuan.
"Would you please advise [KMT Chairman] Ma [Ying-jeou] in the KMT's Central Standing Committee that he should not make empty promises."
Tsai Chi-fang, a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker
While the pan-blue camp yesterday also shot down other bills that had been initiated by the pan-green camp, the Procedure Committee did pass the bill to amend the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute with the aim of reestablishing the committee.
The amendment was approved for its second and third reading in the legislature next Tuesday.
Although bills are usually only tabled in the legislature when there is consensus among all legislative caucuses, the amendment was sent to the legislature despite failing to gain the support of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao complained that moving the bill to the legislative floor was highly irregular.
KMT caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan said that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng would convene a cross-party negotiation session tomorrow for discussion on the bill.
In other developments, a pan-blue proposal to repeal the government's reform plans for the preferential 18 percent interest-rate scheme for retired teachers and civil servants was also passed for discussion next Tuesday.
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan
The Taipei Times April 5, 2006
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 December 2010 06:12 )
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