Thursday, November 22, 2012

WORLD FOOD CRISIS: EXPORT BANS

Food production across the world is higher than in the past two years; but export bans worsen the crisis

Fear and greed are two factors that are forcing many nations to keep food grains in their warehouses rather than bringing the same to the world market. This is creating a demand supply gap, which is raising prices to unnatural highs, a situation that could well sound the death knell for the poor in Asia and Africa who spend around 50-80% of their income on food. Media reports now reveal that food riots have already caused unrest in over 30 countries including Bolivia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia et al. The situation is getting worse for the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), which is fighting a clearly losing battle to provide food to more than 850 million estimated hungry people worldwide.

And the clear culprit is the concept of export ban, which is currently being exercised in more than 10 countries around the world; and this has also resulted in the cutting off of aid given to destitute people who mainly depend on UNWFP for their daily meal. The good news is that food production this year is expected to be better than in the last two years. But food prices have risen 83% in the last three years. And the ADB warns that, despite production increase, if the export bans are not taken away immediately, the crisis would necessarily worsen! Till then, get your appendix in order; they say the organ could help the human body in digesting grass. Oh, by the way, grass tastes better with pepper, eh!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tripping on philanthropic travel!

More and more people are tripping on philanthropic travel!

In India it would still take time for a concept like philanthropic travel to emerge. Says Mr. Krishna Pujari of Reality Tours and Travel, “The idea of philanthropic travel is not even known to people in India. Having an abundance of wild life and being known for its culture and heritage, eco-tourism and eco-cultural tourism are fairly popular though.” He also added, “India, in a way, benefits from such kinds of tours that foreigners make to our country. Such a concept exists in places like US and maybe Europe, because those people have an inclination to learn about people of different countries.” But is that the only reason why India is in the list of such destinations? Does India’s poverty-struck population and economic condition also play a role? “I have seen numerous people from different countries come to India, not for the purpose of visiting but to extend help. They either do so by charity or by lending their services by getting involved with hospitals, health-care centres and NGOs dedicated to the well-being of women and children. This is indeed good social service as a lot of funds in the form of donations are collected,” explained Mr. Pujari.

At present, India remains an attractive destination for philanthropic travellers. Will Indians be guests in other countries and get involved in philanthropic travelling? “Not immediately, but it has a strong scope for gaining momentum in India too...” comes the positive reply from Mr. Krishna Pujari...


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

FARC: CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP

After loss of key leaders FARC is skeptical about peace agreement

Reyes was a key negotiator in the recent efforts by Hugo Chavez to release some of the Colombian hostages held by FARC. There is a valid reason to believe that Uribe killed Reyes to thwart the chances of Ingrid Betancourt getting released. Were she to be released, Uribe would likely come under international pressure to grant FARC political status and it could bring a change in the political status quo of Colombia. Bernard Aronson, a top Latin America diplomat and a Hispanic affairs expert, comments, “There is nothing that can be negotiated with a terrorist group that is only interested in ransom. The FARC discarded long ago its leftist political and ideological agenda." Many leftists of Latin America distance themselves from the FARC because of the means it has adopted. The seizure of political power through guerrilla warfare is impossible unless it commands enormous popular support in the country. And FARC has sustained on its guerrilla strategy. If only the FARC heeds to the words of Chavez, peace will at least have some chance .


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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UNITED KINGDOM: TERROR

UK is fast turning into a hub of international terrorism

Security analysts fear that even the best intelligence and policing will not be able to prevent some terror modules from carrying out another horrifying attack.

Most of the terror recruits have origins in South Asia, particularly Pakistan. New recruits with British passports are being regularly sent to training camps in Pakistan. Fed with a strong diet of hatred against the West, these British passport holders present the biggest security hazard to England. Now, the virtual civil war in Somalia is adding new members to the ‘hate Britain tribe’.

Most analysts agree that the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown had a thankless task trying to clean up the foreign policy mess left behind by Blair. Can brown handle this one?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Fight More, Create Growth...

Godrej’s success in FMCG will depend a lot on its push strategy

Guess what Adi Godrej (Chairman of the Rs.75 billion Godrej Group) is eying these days? The Rs.450 billion Indian FMCG industry. This was visible when he revealed his plan on April 26, 2008 to garner Rs.80 billion from the FMCG sector by 2012. So what’s his contention? “Last year, food was driving the FMCG sector, but this year there will be growth in all segments of FMCG, the highest among all the other sectors,” reasons Adi. With an aggressive profit growth target of 25-30% ahead of him, he’s coupling a brand makeover exercise with a plan to roll-out oodles of products from Godrej’s stable. Sources from the company also confirm that Godrej has set its eyes on foreign acquisitions during 2008. The multi- billion dollar question is: will just portfolio expansion & M&As make the day for Godrej?

There is a rough patch on its path, though, as analysts argue that as compared to others, Godrej has missed out on supporting its new launches with 360 degree promotion in the past. However, with a budget of Rs.1 billion per year for ‘big’ promotional activities hereon (like a logo change), Godrej wants to make up for years lost. Also, assuming its acquisitions to be healthy (like Rapidol, which contributes to 20% of its turnover), Godrej could spring surprises to its competitors.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Stop elephant poaching

Stop elephant poaching – the state will be doing it anyway in South Africa

To be subjecting a society like theirs to a cull can be traumatising and is certainly not recommended. Besides,” Sukumar explains, “our ecological systems are dynamic in nature. For us to assume the carrying capacity of the land and conclude that x number of elephants in y area is ideal, is unrealistic estimation.”

The debate goes back to the 50s and 60s when relative abundance of elephants resulted in clearing up of woodlands into grasslands. Gradually the jumbos were pushed into smaller and smaller pockets of habitat, where the increasing density of the animals made it difficult for vegetation to replenish at a proportional rate, setting off the spiel on ‘over-population’. “Now, what if there was a drought like the one in Tsavo National Park, wiping out the numbers that we condescend to spare in the cull,” Sukumar reminds us of Nature’s ways of checks and balances. In 1970, a particularly dry period seared dead much of the flora and fauna in the area, establishing the eternal efficacy of Natural Selection as a tool to restore ecological equilibrium, over any man-made “toolbox of options” as Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk made sound of in his policy statement.

While India has yet to find itself in such a quandary to date, South Africa claims to have learnt its lessons from the last cull, promising to adhere to a “culling plan… with the assistance of (…) a recognised elephant management specialist.” What remains to be understood is that no amount of jargon can disguise the doom inked for the benign beasts, or reason the meddling with the concerns of the already weary Mother Nature.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Senior Congress leaders redfaced

They had not done their homework properly for the Hubli tour
 
The young AICC general secretary seemed never to tire of cracking the whip at senior Congressmen who had accompanied him on the tour, unmindful that the junior party functionaries were listening on. The Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president Krishna Byregowda and Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge had a particularly humiliating time with Rahul Gandhi on the third day of the Dharwad tour. Kharge couldn’t even interact with the NTTF students, and as if this weren’t bad enough, he was kept waiting a full 15 minutes at the gate. He was finally rescued by former minister R. V. Deshpande, who prevailed upon Rahul to tell SPG that they should let the man in. In keeping with the dynastic norm none would of course admit any of it; but their red faces said it all, saying merely, "It happens, it happens.”

Rahul did not appear in the least pleased by his “interactive” session with “select” Youth Congress workers in Hubli who, to give the young Gandhi his due, were repeatedly caught fumbling when asked precisely what organisational work was under way in their areas. However, the young Gandhi enjoyed his interaction with the tribals and youth, a large number of whom had gathered to welcome him.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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