January 16, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 15, 1426

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Riding Asian tide with low savings Talking of economic indicators, the successive governments have been inclined to talk more about growth numbers and trade and fiscal deficits and less about the more easily understandable things such as the poverty and savings....		Reforming faulty wheat policy Recently two articles came out in Dawn – one titled “Flawed wheat policy” that argued that the wheat policy was flawed because there was more reliance now on the private sector....
Scarce financial services THE lack of adequate financial services, poor governance and feudalism are a stumbling block in economic progress of developing countries and stand in the way of making the poor affluent....		Policy makers unwilling to learn Professional delegations are regularly exchanged between countries with the idea of learning from each other’s experiences, improving on their own performance and for transfer of the latest technology for the concerned sector....
Water-logged areas for fish farming IN many parts of the world, fisheries provide food security and generate more foreign exchange earnings than the revenues earned from any other traded food commodity such as rice, cocoa, coffee or tea....		Organic cotton potential THE production of organic cotton amounts to 6,000 tons of fibre annually, or about 0.03 per cent of the global production. Turkey produces the most at 29 per cent with the US at 27 per cent, and India 17 per cent....
Livestock management in Thar desert THE Thar desert is mainly characterized by a marginal and diversified agriculture, reflecting the interaction of soil type and crops diversification, livestock grazing and crops management, migration in lean periods for livestock feeding and off-farm work....		Efficient water use improves agriculture production Probably, the first use of the term ‘water use efficiency’ was to mean the ratio of crop production to evapotranspiration. The term has since become widely used to describe the yield per unit of water evapotranspiration, or applied water....
World commodity report Gold prices surged by a quarter in 2005, when it hit its highest level in nearly 25 years of $540.90 an ounce in December, after spending the first eight months in a $410—$460 range. Gold has been on a steady upward march since April 2001,...		Failure of rural development models THE word “development” implies a change from existing level to an advance level. This is the sense in which the term development is used to describe the process of economic and social transformation....
Diversification of exports Commenting upon the exports performance of $6.626 billion during July-Nov05, higher by 22.90 per cent compared to same period last year, Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan in a recent TV...		Ethanol and flex- fuel vehicles WITH the advent of high crude oil prices in the global market, dependence on ethanol is on the increase and major sugar-producing countries like Brazil, China, India and Thailand have embarked on fuel ethanol programmes as the rationale is very strong....
Liberalization of the car market AFTER a brisk performance in 2005, a stage is set for another year of buoyant business for local car makers in 2006, triggered by lease financing and growth in incomes....		Political cloud over economy Political cloud have started casting shadows over the national economy with mounting business concerns over security situation in Balochistan. In a report on” key risks and challenges 2006,” a corporate brokerage...
Market reform outcome Stock market reforms have had unforeseen outcomes, quite different to, even opposite of, what was intended. At times, instead of fixing a problematic structure or practice, reforms ended up establishing it...		Spurning Indian investment Indian businessmen are not only interested in larger and more stable trade but also in making sustainable investment in Pakistan. Indian entrepreneurs have been coming here as friends of local businessmen and making enquiries about the prospects of such investment....
Farewell to ‘Washington Consensus’ ANOTHER world is possible. More and more countries are shaking off influence, the IMF and the World Bank had on their macro economic policies with improved outcomes....		WTO ministerial — keeping hopes alive THE joint draft declaration adopted at the WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong after six days of hectic negotiations last month offers little benefit or relief to the poor and developing countries, nor signals any tangible progress in any vital area....
Bulls keep a tight grip on capital market THE KSE 100-share index, in the week ahead, briefly crossed the psychological barrier of 10,000 points. Though, this was the second time in a year in the bourses’ trading history that...		Trading in currencies thin THE local currency market observed thin trading this week, as both the inter-bank and open markets were closed for three days from January 10 to January 12 on account of Eid-ul-Azha....
SBP injects Rs20.2bn through OMO ON January 13, the State Bank of Pakistan injected Rs20.2 billion in the market through an Open Market Operation at the rate of 8.05 per cent....		Market remains in festive mood THE pre-Eid holiday mood prevailed on the Karachi wholesale markets during the preceding week as commercial houses and brokers remained conspicuous of the absence of buying interest due to a long weekend....