Apples go higher in

US not keen to trade freely

IN JULY 2008, when the Doha talks to liberalize trade among member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) broke down, the US blamed India. This year, when India tried to revive the talks at a two-day informal meet of ministers from 30 countries in Delhi, the US did not seem keen to clinch the agreement. The two-day mini-Doha meeting was held on September 3-4. At the end of the meeting Indian commerce minister Anand Sharma said all member countries have agreed to

Free trade will bind India

30 agreements to be signed; they violate public interest say activists the seventh round of free trade negotiations between India and EU held at Brussels in mid-July ended in a deadlock after the negotiators disagreed on the modalities of the agreement. Fresh talks will be held in November to thresh out details of the

Say cheese to Brussels

A free-trade pact with EU will weaken India's stance at WTO The European Union and India launched negotiations on a free trade and investment agreement in 2007. Brussels and New Delhi hope to seal an agreement by the end of this year. The Indian government claims it will be an agreeement between two equals. This is far from true. India's gdp is far below that of EU countries and it has a bigtrade deficit. But the Indian government is all set to eliminate

Industry wants alien shrimp

Pacific white shrimp is susceptible to viral diseases an outbreak of white spot disease wiped out 40-60 per cent of Kerala's ready-to-harvest shrimp in the first week of May. Just three months ago, the Union agriculture ministry allowed import and cultivation of a new shrimp variety, which, aquaculture experts say, is susceptible to the viral disease. There is no known cure for the disease.

Andhra farmers to earn more

Group certification for organic farmers in the state ABOUT 6,000 farmers from 138 villages in Andhra Pradesh who practise organic farming can next year expect a premium price for their produce. Certification by the National Centre for Organic Farming in Ghaziabad will help them earn more. The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (serp), under the state's rural development ministry, has initiated the

India scuttles curb on endosulfan

Only country to oppose restriction INDIA again foiled international efforts to restrict trade in endosulfan, a toxic pesticide, by getting it listed in the Rotterdam Convention. The convention, a UN chemicals information treaty, makes it binding for countries to disclose the hazardous nature of chemicals before exporting them to countries with their prior informed consent (pic). India was the only country to oppose the entry of endosulfan in the list at the fifth pic chemical review committee

Defying the code

Countries not complying with UN fisheries code

From the blurbs

The Contested Commons, Conversations between Economists and Anthropologists, edited by Pranab Bardhan and Isha Ray, OUP, Rs 695 The book explores the theme of common environmental resources from the perspective of two disciplines: economics and anthropology. Written by senior scholars in economics, anthropology, sociology, and political science, the essays touch upon economic security, ecological sustainability, identity formation and participatory decision-making, particularly in the developing world.

Biosafety v global trade

US pitched against EU The US government has backed biotech companies, while European countries have reservations about transgenic crops--largely due to the presence of Green parties and strong consumer rights groups. Member states France, Greece, Hungary and Austria have banned cultivation of two GM maize varieties on grounds of safety, leading to a confrontation.