April 24, 2006	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1427

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Imbalances pose major threats In its second quarterly report on the economy released late last week, the State Bank of Pakistan warned that sustained growth in the long term would be dependent on improvements in...		Commercial land runs scarce Barring one or two stray cases where industrial projects have been set up or upgraded in the last three years, industrialisation in Karachi and other parts of Sindh remains a “halt process’ because land acquisition is extremely difficult if not impossible....
Oil price mechanism and the SC’s intervention The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) announced for the first time the prices of petroleum products on April 15, 2006 although it was established in February 2002....		Tapping the resources of herbal plants Use of medicinal herbs for livestock and human health disorders is a common practice in the rural areas of Pakistan due to its low cost....
Clay minerals & fertilizer management The role of clay minerals in determining the behaviour of soil-applied fertilizers is well recognized. Often farmers complain that they don’t get response to adequate fertilizer doses especially potassium applied on their fields even under best management conditions....		50pc medicines derived from plants The last decade has witnessed a great revival of interest in the use of herbal medicines both in the developed and developing countries for the treatment of human ailments....
Marketing of groundnut crop Groundnut in Pakistan is cultivated in Punjab, the NWFP, and Sindh. In Sindh it is grown on limited areas under irrigated conditions. This crop can be grown in areas where precipitation is 50-90cm....		Deworming dairy animals In Pakistan, livestock productivity is low and genetic potential of the animals is not being fully exploited due to so many factors but worm infestation is the most important one....
Poverty and unemployment: tough times ahead Pakistan’s economy has gained more strength during the course of last four years. Its macroeconomic indicators have posted marked improvement indicating sustained growth....		Naphtha — an alternative fuel for power generation In the recent years, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in the demand of natural gas. The consumption of natural gas during 2004 was about 1,050 billion cubic feet, close to...
Time to lower income taxes, raise environmental taxes As Americans are filing their income taxes, many of their counterparts in several European countries are benefiting from a steady decline in income taxes as governments lower taxes on income and...		World commodities Global oil prices were volatile for most of March before increasing steadily at the end of the month. As a result, the OPEC Reference Basket averaged $57.86/b for the month...
Oil prices bleed state-owned companies THE sudden spurt in global oil prices continues to bleed state-owned oil marketing companies in India, who are virtually forced to subsidise not just the poor, but even middle-class and affluent Indians....		Grim prospects of meeting MDGs Findings of the various World Bank studies conducted during last two years to assess the progress made by developing countries to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs) continue to place Pakistan at...
WSF needs to get organized WSF is the response of the civil society to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Under the latter’s umbrella, the world’s corporate leaders and government officials meet annually in Davos, Switzerland....		Pitfalls in signing BIT with US A bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with the United States, that has been under discussion for long, was billed to be signed on the eve of President Bush’s visit to Islamabad last...
Economic growth – mirage or reality? On April 16, Chinese President Hu Jintao made a landmark statement in a meeting with Lien Chan, leader of Taiwan’s opposition Ku Min Tong party, which, for very understandable reasons, no major newspaper bothered to report....		Too few entrepreneurs in energy sector In the oil, gas and power sector in Pakistan the need for investment capital is very large and the profits exceedingly good. Pakistanis would like to play a major role in...
Index sustains 12,000-point level Despite a massive bear onslaught at the fag-end of previous week, the KSE 100-share index managed to sustain its newly attained level of 12,000 points as some leading base shares on-balance finished higher....		Rupee shows stable trend Normal trading in currencies resumed in the local currency market on April 17. Trading activities had remained disturbed almost throughout the preceding week due to law and order situation in Karachi....
SBP injects Rs35bn to ease liquidity in banking sector Banks are faced with a liquidity crunch and on April 18, the State Bank of Pakistan injected Rs35 billion. The outflow of liquidity was due to high export financing by the...		Prices of essential commodities fall on improved supply Prices of some essential items eased further on the Karachi wholesale markets as supplies improved on steady arrivals from the upcountry market....