Climate change pushing Asia towards doom
Much of Asia may see 50 per cent more rainfall due to climate change, although countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan may experience a decline in rainfall by 20 to 50 per cent, says a new report by the
Uzbekistan
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Reducing vulnerability of school children to earthquakes
This publication not only summarizes the good practices and lessons learned from the project countries but also highlights the task ahead to up-scale from model projects to countrywide activities on school safety.
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Wal-Mart boycott of Uzbek cotton
Wal-Mart has told suppliers to stop buying cotton from Uzbekistan to try to end forced child labour in cotton harvesting. The world's largest retailer said it had formed a coalition representing 90 per cent of US purchases of cotton and cotton-based merchandise.
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Old Farming Habits Leave Uzbekistan a Legacy of Salt
Salt crunches underfoot like frosty soil on this bare stretch of land in western Uzbekistan. Cotton, to be used to make a mattress, is stacked in a home. The status of Uzbekistan as the world's second-largest cotton exporter is in danger because of environmental destruction. "Thirty years ago, this was a cotton field,' said a 61-year-old farmer who has lived near this city all his life. "Now it's a salt flat.'
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We must avert the water wars
The surface of our planet is mainly water, yet usable water is in short supply. In some parts of Africa people have to walk several kilometres a day to get water, and they are the lucky ones. There, and in Asia, the prospect of conflicts over water is increasing. A particular example is the scheme to bring more water into Turkmenistan and its capital city, Ashgabat.
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Poverty of policy
The current food crisis has been largely policy-driven, which is probably good news because it means that policies can also reverse the process.
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Russia gambles on gas prices
A landmark deal reached between Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom and three energy-rich Central Asian nations is likely to affect European consumers. On March 11, Gazprom agreed
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Tata, MMTC to float JV for mine hunt
New Delhi, Apr 9 In yet another major public-private partnership, Tata Steel will float a joint venture company with state-owned MMTC Ltd for acquiring mining projects in India and abroad. The JV will focus on African countries like Angola and Namibia and central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to bid for gold and diamond mines, besides acquiring coal and iron ore mines.
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High cost of rice raises fears of unrest
HANOI: Rising prices and a growing fear of scarcity have prompted some of the world's largest rice producers to announce drastic limits on the amount of rice they export. The price of rice, a staple in the diets of nearly half the world's population, has almost doubled on international markets in the last three months. That has pinched the budgets of millions of poor Asians and raised fears of civil unrest.
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New wheat fungus threatens crop
A deadly new and virulent fungus capable of affecting wheat crop has been detected in Iran, a major cereal growing area in West Asia. The fungus was previously found in East Africa and Yemen and has now moved to Iran, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The fungus is capable of destroying entire fields of wheat crop. The report could further push up global wheat prices by at least 10-15 per cent. In the spot retail market, wheat prices have surged by 40 per cent in last one year on global shortage. Countries such as Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, all major wheat producers, are most threatened by the fungus and should be on high alert as the fungus can travel to these areas thus affecting the entire output, FAO said. It is estimated that as much as 80 per cent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to the wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis). The spores of wheat rust are mostly carried by wind over long distances and across continents. "The detection of the fungus in Iran is very worrisome,' said Shivaji Pandey, director of FAO's plant production and protection division. According to the Iran government, the fungus has been detected in some localities in Broujerd and Hamedan in western Iran. Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of the fungus. The fungus first emerged in Uganda in 1999 and is therefore called Ug99. The wind-borne transboundary pest subsequently spread to Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2007, an FAO mission confirmed for the first time that Ug99 has affected wheat fields in Yemen. The Ug99 strain found in Yemen was more virulent than the one found in East Africa. Ethiopia and Kenya had serious wheat rust epidemics in 2007 with considerable yield losses. Global wheat production is estimated at 603 million tonnes in 2007, up 1.2 per cent from 2006. In Asia, the output is estimated to rise by 1.7 per cent to 928 million tonnes in 2007 compared with 912.6 million tonnes last year. Global wheat prices have strengthened since December. Tight export supplies amid strong demand continued to provide support to cereal markets. International grain prices benefited from the weak US dollar, which increases the demand for the US wheat, and a sharp decline in freight rates, which helped accelerating purchasing activities by several countries in recent weeks. Export restrictions by China and the Russian Federation coupled with the closure of the export registry in Argentina also provided support.
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Uzbek farmers face criminal charges for not growing cotton, wheat
Farmers in eastern Uzbekistan are likely to face criminal charges for growing fruits, vegetables and other crops that they can sell instead of cotton and wheat demanded by the state. The