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| April 07, 2008 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1429 |
Faltering economy: a reality check
 The State Bank of Pakistan’s quarterly report covering the economic performance for the first six months (July-December 2007) of the current fiscal year confirmed what was already in the public domain....
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Insurance cover for Kharif crops
 At long last, the stage is set to launch crop insurance in a significant manner from this Kharif by two big state institutions. The National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) and the...
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Virtuous intentions
 THE ‘100-day programme’ announced last week was seen by the business community as a social gesture of the Gilani government that did exactly what it was intended to achieve: sustain the public goodwill for the new government....
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Pricing of agricultural produce
Support and procurement prices of wheat are two different modes by which the price issue is tackled. Going by different public statements, the same word is commonly used to identify these two different modes....
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Balochistan’s effort to modernise dairy farming
 BALOCHISTAN is striving to enhance its dairy production and to move from subsistence to market-oriented dairy farming with its main focus on milk sector. It plans to tap its enormous potential...
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Weed control for quality cotton production
 THE rate of productivity of cotton in the country is far below the world average. Last year cotton was cultivated on an area of three million hectares with an average yield...
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Increasing yield of ratoon sugarcane
 SUGARCANE, an important cash crop, is grown on 4.5 per cent of the total cropped area of the country. Ranking fifth in the world in growing sugarcane on area basis, the...
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How to reduce electricity bill
 ONE can take some voluntary but mandatory steps within one’s home and work places to save on energy expenses. Many of us make use of the remote control to switch off the TV, AC, fans, stereo etc....
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World economies
AFRICA...The Sub-Saharan African economy has been growing steadily. This is unprecedented in view of the stagnancy that characterised the region in the last few
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The fastest growing cellphone market
 INDIA is one of the fastest growing cellphone markets in the world, with over 8.5 million new subscribers being added every month. There are over 250 million mobile phone subscribers in...
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Promoting industrial technology
 Science, technology and engineering play a catalytic role in the growth of economic sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, energy, mining, manufacturing and service sectors. Technology is said to be the lifeline of industry....
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Changing the petroleum pricing structure
 While high international oil price impact its domestic price, the local consumers can be somewhat benefited, if the price structure, especially of the ex-depot rates of motor gasoline (petrol) and of light diesel oil, was to be managed with prudence....
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Wheat procurement and the consumers
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has raised the procurement price of wheat from Rs510 to Rs625 per 40 kilogramme--an increase of over 17 per cent....
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The next globalisation battle
 At last, the International Monetary Fund has been engaged by the United States to tame the Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) whose share-buying spree in the advanced capitalist world has earned them...
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The debt crunch and the Doha round
 The rich world has been treating the Doha Development Agenda like its leadership does the two-state solution for Palestine. Talk about it at every talking opportunity even if it meant on daily basis, but do nothing....
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Setting the development agenda
The procurement price of wheat has been raised twice this harvesting season , from last year’s Rs425 to an aggregate Rs625 per 40 kg, to enable the government to build strategic stocks, smoothen supply chain and ensure food security....
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New policy framework for agriculture
 AFTER over six decades of industrialisation, agriculture still continues to be a major driving force to determine the overall GDP growth rate. But neglected, the agriculture growth has come down from an average 4.6...
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Market rises to record high at 15,472 points
 THE Karachi Stock Exchange100-share index last week firmly maintained its rally and analysts said it was steadily moving to its next target of 16,000 levels, which did not appear to be an elusive goal....
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Rupee declines against dollar
 The second quarterly review on the current fiscal year’s economic situation released by the State Bank of Pakistan early this week reveals that the rupee has depreciated by some 3.5...
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T-bills worth Rs15.5 billion sold
 On April 2, the State Bank of Pakistan sold Rs15.5 billion worth of T-bills at 8.9 per cent under a three-day repo contracts to mop up funds from the money market....
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Sharp rise in prices of rice, cereals
 PRICES of most of the essential items on the Karachi wholesale commodity markets last week witnessed a renewed price flare-up and rose to higher levels, but ready off-take was light as consumers were not inclined to chase prices further high....
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