Category Archives: General

PUNJAB CLOSE TO STRIKING DEAL WITH MONSANTO DESPITE RESERVATIONS

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Dawn, March 5th, 2017

Faisal Ali Ghumman

LAHORE: The Punjab government is finalising deal with Monsanto — a leading producer of genetically modified (GM) seed — to acquire advanced cotton seed technology and technical expertise for five years.

The provincial government is moving ahead with its plans despite reservations by farmers, research institutes and seed companies which say the technology would have negative impacts.

The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD), which has been consulting stakeholders after the Punjab chief minister approved the acquisition of GM technology from Monsanto in August, decided in Feb 2017 to strike a conditional deal with Monsanto. It would be ensured that R&D institutes and seed companies get a level playing field.

“We are negotiating with Monsanto to bring down the cost from $70 million to $50m,” Dr Ghazanfar Ali, additional secretary agriculture department, told Dawn on Saturday.

He said that comparison between the use of technology between the Centre for Excellence and Molecular Biology (CEMB), a local seed provider, and Monsanto suggested to go for the latter.

According to a report of the Ministry of Textile Industry published in the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) of the United States, Pakistan had adopted transgenic cotton (Bollgard II, or BG-II) over the area of about 86 per cent.

In a 2012 report, the Agriculture Biotechnology Research Institute (ABRI) confirmed that both the genes — BG-II and RoundUp Ready Flex (RRF) — were already present in GM cotton crops in Punjab and Sindh.

Documents of Monsanto and US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) available with Dawn show that the patents for both GM cotton genes will expire in 2021.

“Even if Pakistan makes a deal with Monsanto to introgress BG-II and RRF genes, it will be available for commercialisation after 2021,” said an informed source in the PAD.

He said Monsanto would provide access to its pipeline cotton technologies like BG-III and others in separate model and financial terms, subject to successful roll-out and satisfactory execution of BG-II and RRF technologies.

Punjab Agriculture Secretary Muhammad Mahmood said that a local research institute claimed that they have doubled Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and the glyphosate-resistance genes ready for commercialisation, whereas double Bt–vegetative insecticidal protein-3 (vip3)–glyphosate-resistance genes were in the pipeline and would be available in 2019.

A visit to research institutes revealed that the NIBGE had nothing to offer immediately whereas the technology available with the CEMB still needed to be improved and was far behind in commercialisation.

“Therefore, Punjab has only one window available, ie Monsanto, to get latest proven seed technology,” he said.

To safeguard interest of the industry, R&D institutes and farmers he floated a 6+1 formula (seed companies plus the Punjab Seed Corporation) to work with Monsanto to get better results.

Mr Mahmood added that the provincial government would provide all kind of resources to help research institutes and invited proposals for their capacity-building.

The additional secretary (planning) informed that a workshop titled “Prospects of GM Cotton in Punjab: Opportunities and Challenges’ was held on Aug 31, 2016, in which three working groups were constituted. The first recommendation of a working group, duly approved by the Punjab chief minister, was introduction of GM cotton technology at the earliest.

Former director of the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, Dr Zahoor Ahmad was of the view that BG-II technology has failed in Australia and India, so Pakistan should go for triple genes.

“We need to be cautious as the US government has a law under which Monsanto may be stopped to implement the agreement,” he added.

Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik said Monsanto’s first entry into the market would be in 2021, but Pakistan’s institutes can introduce triple genes cotton much earlier.

He advised to keeping all options open and developing a mechanism for public private partnership in the field.

He said that in the past new varieties could not be approved due to non-functioning of National Bio-safety Committee. “Now we should develop heat-tolerant and weather-resistant varieties with the local germ plasm and should provide $10m to the local research institutes besides $50-70m dollars to Monsanto for the purpose.”

Seed Association of Pakistan’s Moshin Raza said the provincial government should not spend a large amount of $70m for acquiring this technology and instead support local institutes who could provide three-gene cotton in 2019 free of cost.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1318464/punjab-close-to-striking-deal-with-monsanto-despite-reservations

Human rights defender Tep Vanny was convicted

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Phnom Penh,Cambodia:

On 23 February 2017, human rights defender Tep Vanny was convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison by Phnom Penh Municipal Court for ‘intentional violence with aggravating circumstances’.

Tep Vanny is a land rights activist and human rights defender who works to combat corruption in Cambodia. She played a prominent role in mobilising communities in Boeung Kak Lake to fight against an eviction order agreed between the Government and a private corporation to carry out development plans which would include filling 90% of the lake for domestic and foreign tourists. Tep Vanny is one of the 13 women human rights defenders (the Boeng Kak 13) who were charged and sentenced to 2.5 years imprisonment on 24 May 2012 as a result of their work resisting these development plans.

On 23 February 2017, Tep Vanny was convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for ‘intentional violence with aggravating circumstances’  under Article 218 of the Cambodian Criminal Code and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment. She was found guilty of assaulting security guards during a protest outside the house of Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2013. Her sentence also includes a fine of five million riels (approximately €1,178), and compensation payments to two members of the Daun Penh para-police; four million riels (approximately €942) to the first plaintiff and five million riels (approximately €1,178) to the second plaintiff. During the trial, no credible evidence was presented to justify the charges brought against Tep Vanny. At 8:30 a.m., around sixty supporters of Tep Vanny gathered outside the court. At 9:30 a.m., seven Makara district para-police violently dispersed about thirty-five women and children who were sitting peacefully outside the court. The women and children were forcibly dragged from the area, resulting in three of the women sustaining injuries, two of whom are from the Boeung Kak Lake community.

Tep Vanny had been in pre-trial detention in Prey Sar prison, Phnom Penh since August 2016. On 22 August 2016, she was charged with ‘intentional violence with aggravating circumstances”, regarding her role in a protest outside the house of Prime Minister Hun Sen where she demanded the release of human rights defender Yorm Bopha in 2013.

Front Line Defenders condemns the conviction of Tep Vanny, and the violent dispersal of the peaceful protestors. Front Line Defenders urges the Cambodian authorities to drop all charges against her as it is believed they are solely motivated by her peaceful and legitimate work in defense of human rights in Cambodia, in particular her struggle against forced eviction in Boeng Kak Lake.

NEW SINDH POLICY ON HOME-BASED WORKERS LAUDED

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Dawn, January 17th, 2017

KARACHI: The Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) welcomed the new policy for home-based workers approved by the Sindh government.

Speaking at the Karachi Press Club, general secretary of the HBWWF Zehra Khan, said the policy would ensure equal wages for women. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved the policy on home-based workers in Nov 2016 while the law and justice department gave permission to pass the official notification on Jan 13. The approval of the policy makes Sindh the first province in the country to legally recognise home-based workers. She said that the policy was made keeping in mind international rules and regulations.

“This policy, which will eventually become a law, recognises the women workers as well as register them under the social security framework,” said Khan.

Accompanied by women workers, Zehra said that the policy remained on the back burner for three years until the CM took notice of it. She said that there is an estimated 1,20,00,000 home-based workers in Pakistan adding that the number may vary.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1308832

NO RIGHT TO WORK IF CHILDREN CANNOT BE GIVEN PURE MILK: JUSTICE SAQIB

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The News December 28, 2016

LAHORE: Chief Justice-designate Justice Saqib Nisar on Tuesday, while referring to the prevalent adulteration of chemicals, urea and cane juice in milk, remarked if they could not give pure milk to children, they do not have any right to work.

The Supreme Court bench remarked that it would take up the issue of distribution of contaminated milk and water to its logical end. The bench, headed by Chief Justice-designate Saqib Nisar, also formed a local commission to inspect different milk and water companies and asked the Punjab Food Authority head to ensure completion of reports on samples taken from these companies.

Going through the reports proving contaminated material in milk produced and distributed by some companies, the court snubbed officials of these companies saying that no one would be allowed to play with the lives of innocent citizens.

Appearing before the court, the petitioner, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, submitted that according to the laboratory report of Pakistan Council of Scientific Industrial Research, there is detergent powder and dangerous chemical particles in not only loose but also packed milk of some companies. He said authorities had failed to take action against the responsible for providing contaminated milk in the market.

PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal, appearing before the court, submitted that they were taking action against the responsible companies. He said they had imposed hefty fines on some companies and issued orders of closure of some milk outlets. He said every person who was responsible was being dealt with in accordance with the law. He said the PFA had sent 300 samples of water and 30 samples of packed and loose milk for laboratory test. At this, Justice Nisar remarked the court was well aware of the capacity of the laboratory test of PFA, which only had a scale and some other irrelevant items. He said the PFA laboratory had no modern machine to conduct the tests.

The court directed the PFA to present sample reports of milk and water on next date of hearing. The court also directed the local commission to submit a comprehensive report after inspecting these companies. The court adjourned the hearing.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/175023-No-right-to-work-if-children-cannot-be-given-pure-milk-Justice-Saqib

RESEARCHERS AIM TO SAVE COTTON FROM CURL VIRUS USING WHEAT

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Dawn, December 14th, 2016

Amin Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: Agricultural scientists are working on a technology that will allow farmers to grow wheat and cotton together in the same field with a view to save the latter from the cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV), said Dr Abdul Majid, Country Manager of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) on Tuesday.

Sharing results of three years of research at the US Embassy, he said the technology has proved to be successful but a couple of years are needed for its application, including development of machinery for the inter-cropping.

The research was carried out under the $4.5 million USDA-funded ‘Cotton Productivity Enhancement Programme’ (CPEP) with the objective to develop an intercropping system that allows cotton to be planted early by sowing it directly into standing wheat. This allows the cotton to be more mature and better able to withstand CLCuV.

Explaining the technology, he said intercropping can begin a month earlier with last irrigation of the wheat crop. This early plantation of cotton into standing wheat crop would bring a change in the geometry of the two crops, raising income of farmers by saving water for irrigation and better cotton crop, he added.

When questioned about the possible loss of wheat as a result of inter-cropping, Dr Majid said 10-11 per cent wheat could be lost but there will be a gain of over 30pc to the farmer.

The new technology will be applied initially in Punjab where wheat sowing season starts after mid-November and harvesting begins after mid-May.

It was also shared that under the CPEP, 5,000 accessions of cotton germplasm imported from the United States have been screened at cotton growing areas of Multan, Faisalabad, Vehari and Sakrand against CLCuV. Out of these, 63 accessions have so far been declared as resistant and highly tolerant to CLCuV.

The CPEP is aimed at minimising the adverse effects of chronic and lethal cotton leaf curl virus disease, its scientific studies and development of genetically resistant varieties using both conventional and non-conventional techniques through highly coordinated approaches at national and international levels.

Cotton Specialist at the US Department of Agriculture, Jodi Scheffler said plant breeders have been successful in their mission, and within the next few years, results will be ready to be implemented at farm level, she said.

“In Pakistan, she said, research management to get disease resistant varieties is good and based on experience of practices and diagnostic tests. We consider Pakistani scientists to be world experts,” she said.

Director-General of National Agricultural Research Centre, Dr Muhammad Azeem said that by utilising virus resistant USDA accessions, breeders at the federal and provincial institutions have developed resistant and highly tolerant lines.

“These tolerant lines will be included in preliminary yield trials next year,”

http://www.dawn.com/news/1302168/researchers-aim-to-save-cotton-from-curl-virus-using-wheat

FOREIGN FIRMS BEING INVITED TO OVERCOME COTTON SEED SHORTAGE

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Business Recorder, 30 November 2016

Tahir Amin

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to invite foreign seed companies to overcome cotton seed shortage and increase yield after getting legal protection through proposed “Plant Breeders’ Right Bill.”

The Senate last week passed the ‘Plant Breeders’ Right Bill’ and with the adoption of the bill by both Houses of the Parliament, it will become Plant Breeders’ Rights Act of 2016 after the President’s assent. The development of new plant varieties and the rights of their breeders have been protected for the first time in Pakistan under the proposed legislation.

The Plant Breeder Right Act has been remained pending for the last 11 years. In the absence of this legislation, dealers/companies had no legal protection. Only first generation of BT cotton is available in the country, while the second and the third generations are yet to be made available. However, officials said that proposed legislation would provide level playing field; thus encouraging seed companies to develop the latest cotton seed in the country.

Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry Hassan Iqbal on Tuesday chaired a meeting on cotton seed issue which was attended by Secretary Punjab Agriculture department and director generals of other provinces to finalise modus operandi for inviting foreign companies including Monsanto to overcome certified cotton seed shortage.

Director General Federal Seed certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD) briefed the meeting on availability and issues related to seed.

The Secretary Punjab briefed the House about various activities undertaken by the department for bringing discipline in Agriculture and Seed industry in the province. Federal Secretary appreciated the activities of Punjab government and expressed all possible support to Punjab government and private sector for strengthening of cotton sector.

Chairman Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) Chaudhry Asif Ali raised some concerns over plans of Punjab government while both parties were advised by the Chair to interact in detail and develop consensus on various issues.

Currently, around 50 percent carried seed was available in the country which was not meeting the requirement and negatively affecting cotton production, a senior official revealed to Business Recorder here on Tuesday. The participants also decided that foreign companies would be allowed only to provide genes while seed would be developed locally.

The official said the proposed legislation would encourage plant breeders and seed organisations of both public and private sectors to invest in research and plant breeding; development of superior varieties of field, vegetable and ornamental crops; and facilitate access to protected foreign varieties and new technologies.

Currently, only Bollgard-I is available in Pakistan, however the move would help in introducing Bollgard-II and Roundup Ready Flux (RRF).

The sources further said that Ministry of Climate Change officials assured the participants that all the pending issues before the National Bio-safety Committee (NBC) regarding Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) would be resolved soon.

http://epaper.brecorder.com/2016/11/30/7-page/823818-news.html

 

MONSANTO PAKISTAN INTRODUCES BIO-TECH SEED

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The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2016.

LAHORE: More than 500 corn-farmers from across Punjab attended the field trial and demonstration event organised by Monsanto Pakistan at their field research facility located at Manga Mandi near Lahore.

The event showcased Monsanto’s latest bio-tech corn seed technology together with high performance hybrid seed products, with the objective of educating famers on Monsanto’s latest products and technology.

The occasion also included an exhibition space for various vendors and businesses related to the agriculture sector, including agriculture implements manufacturers, on-farm solar energy solution providers, fertilisers and agri finance institutions.

Briefing the visitors, Shariq Bokhari, Sales Effectiveness Lead – Asia & Africa at Monsanto Pakistan, explained that the new bio-tech seed had the potential to increase the yield of corn crop by an additional 5-10% through mitigation of yield losses incurred on account of weed and insect attacks.

Farmers attending the event received detailed briefings and practical demonstrations of the new seed technology. Many of the farmers showed excitement at the prospect of a new and technologically advanced seed and urged the introduction of the new bio-tech corn at the earliest.

Explaining the features of the to-be-launched bio-tech corn products, Monsanto’s Regulatory Affairs Lead Muhammad Asim said, “the bio-tech seed has special features that enable better yield assurance through protection against weeds and pests, resulting in enhanced livelihood of farming communities.”

Asim confirmed that the new bio-tech corn received approval in February 2016 for commercialisation from the Federal Ministry of Climate Change and currently permission of hybrids with the modern technology is awaited for commercial import from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

He explained that all other regulatory requirements had been fulfilled after having initiated the very first trials in 2009 and subsequent submission of commercialisation application in 2011. It is expected that the new product will be commercially available soon.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1244503/new-techniques-monsanto-pakistan-introduces-bio-tech-seed/

SENATE CLEARS PLANT BREEDERS’ BILL

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Dawn, November 25th, 2016

Amin Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: The development of new plant varieties and the rights of their breeders have been protected for the first time in Pakistan with the adoption of the ‘Plant Breeders’ Right Bill’ by the Senate on Wednesday.

The new law will encourage plant breeders and seed organisations of both public and private sectors to invest in research and plant breeding; development of superior varieties of field, vegetable and ornamental crops; and facilitate access to protected foreign varieties and new technologies.

With the adoption of the bill by both houses of parliament, it will become Plant Breeders’ Rights Act of 2016 after president’s assent, which is largely a formality.

Establishment of a viable seed industry is essential to the food security in Pakistan to ensure the availability of high-quality seeds and planting material to the farmers. It is necessary to make provisions for developing the breeding of new plant varieties, protecting the rights of their breeders and providing exemptions to them.

To comply with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement, the government has already introduced several laws in the field of intellectual property, incl­uding patents, trademarks, copyright and industrial des­igns. Under the agreement, Pakistan is also required to provide intellectual property rights to the breeders of new plant varieties.

The new act will facilitate access to protected foreign varieties and new technologies; creating healthy competition for variety development among public and private sector organisations; facilitate in generating revenues for research institutes and financial incentives for plant breeders; and effectively control menace of counterfeiting in the seed sector for betterment of farmer community and food security in the country.

Under the act, the federal government will establish the ‘Plant Breeders’ Rights Registry’ under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to facilitate protection of new plant varieties and issue certificates.

A plant variety protection advisory committee will also be established with members from the public and private sectors to advise the ministry of the registry on scientific and technical issues.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1298445/senate-clears-plant-breeders-bill

FATAL SHORT CIRCUIT: THREE WORKERS BURNT ALIVE IN GARMENT FACTORY FIRE

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Express Tribune, November 11th, 2016.

Muhammad Shahzad

Lahore: In yet another case of a fire in Lahore, three workers were burnt alive inside a garment factory in Shafiqabad on Thursday.

The fatal accident once again exposes the authorities’ failure to implement building and safety protocols in the provincial capital.

The blaze erupted due to short-circuit early in the morning when the factory workers had just arrived at Ashraf Garments, a manufacturing unit set up in a double-storey building spread over a three-marla plot in Kareem Park.

At least 20 workers were on duty at the unit, which is situated in a congested residential area. The factory had no proper emergency exit or any attention paid to building bylaws or safety procedures.

The owner had set up his office on the ground floor while the cotton manufacturing units were set up on the second and third floors, police said.

At around 8.30am, Rescue 1122 received the call about the fire. Ten teams of rescuers and fire-fighters arrived at the spot to evacuate the people stranded inside the building. The fire was controlled after at least three hours.

All the workers had managed to flee when the fire broke out except for the three labourers, whose way out was blocked by some fallen cotton bales, according to preliminary investigations. Two of the three victims had already expired while the third man died on the way to hospital. The deceased were identified as Ashraf, 45, Javed, 22, and Shahid 20.

A rescue official said dense smoke, congested area, dangling wires and presence of flammable material inside the factory were the main hurdles in the rescue operation.

This is not the first fire in which labourers have died due to poor working conditions in factories. Recurrent incidents in the provincial capital owing to corporate greed and negligence of government departments have claimed numerous lives.

Two months ago in September, three labourers had died when a boiler exploded in a manufacturing unit of a bakery in Kahna. In June, a worker was burnt to death in a steel factory in Bhaghbanpura.

In November last year, five workers were burnt alive when an oil tanker exploded in Haidri Steel Mill in Batapur.

Four workers had died when a roof of a factory collapsed in Kahna in September last year. At least 45 workers had died when a three-storey factory collapsed in Sunder Industrial Estate last year.

The place where the latest incident took place is not fit for work at all, said Niaz Khan, the general secretary of Powerlooms and Garments Workers Union. The government has no system of checks as people have setup factories in residential areas.

“The industrial units are growing like wild bushes and there is no system of inspection by the labour department,” he said. “There are no emergency exits or clear ways to respond to emergencies.”

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Jam Sajjad Hussain said no regard for building bylaws or safety codes was the main reason behind the unfortunate accidents. He said the building owners must adhere to the bylaws as it would help save their property as well as the lives on the labourers.

City District Government Lahore spokesperson Imran Maqbool said they were moving factories that were manufacturing chemicals outside the city and a crackdown against such factories was underway. Afterwards, the CDGL would take action against such industrial units, he added.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1227184/fatal-short-circuit-three-workers-burnt-alive-garment-factory-fire/

SAVE OUR HOMES! PROTESTERS DECRY LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD DUE TO DAM CONSTRUCTION

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The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2016.

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company’s (SECMC) plan to construct a dam on agricultural land drove residents of Ghorani village in Islamkot Tehsil to tears on Monday.

Protesters such as Sita Bai pleaded to the government not to take away their livelihoods during a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club. She said that she and her fellow villagers had been on the road, fighting for their rights for 17 consecutive days.

Leela Ram and Ravi Shankar, who have been leading the protest in Islamkot and Karachi, told The Express Tribune, “We don’t have any political agenda, rather it’s a question of our children and that our coming generations are going to be affected by this toxic water dam.”

Ram explained that the toxic water from the Thar coalfields will be amassed in the dam being built by the government on private and cultivable landholdings rather than on deserted ones in the same area.

The resident alleged that the proposed 2,700-acre dam will harm their pattern of living and damage the local ecosystem of the area.

According to other protesters, who were shouting slogans, the toxic water dam being constructed in Thar Block-II by SECMC is a grave injustice to the people of the area.

Fifteen villages with a population of 15,000 people will be affected by the construction of the dam, as the area of some of the villages will be submerged once the dam is constructed while others will have to deal with seepage, claimed the villagers. Agricultural land and around 20,000 livestock will also suffer.

They asserted that unlike most villages in Tharparkar desert, theirs is rich, with about 200,000 trees, 20 potable water wells, natural ponds and five historical graveyards – all of which will be affected by the dam.

Junaid Kumar said that their elected representatives do not care about their plight or their future. “This is the first time we celebrated Diwali while protesting on the road,” he lamented.

Another protester, Lakho Bheel, said they do not want to halt construction of the damn but they are demanding the authorities change the location of the dam to an area where there is no cultivatable land or population.

“We are patriotic and must not be considered to be against the development of our area by coal exploration,” maintained Shankar. He added that his people were certainly not against the prosperity of the area.

He demanded the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the chief minister of Sindh and the chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party to take notice of the dam. Otherwise, he warned, they will continue to protest indefinitely.

The SECMC, a joint venture of the Sindh government and Engro Powergen Limited, plans to produce 3,960 megawatts (MW) of electricity through four 330MW and four 660MW plants.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1223702/save-homes-protesters-decry-loss-livelihood-due-dam-construction/