Researcher: Bees could help find treatments for alcoholism

Honey bees and humans have at least one thing in common: They both drink alcohol, and researchers want to know whether the insects can be used to test drugs designed to curb alcoholism.

``Some animals have to be injected or tricked into consuming alcohol, but not bees. In studies, honey bees harnessed on a small metal holder consumed solutions with various levels of ethanol. "We can even get them to drink pure ethanol, and I know of no organism that drinks pure ethanol, not even a college student," said Charles Abramson, a comparative psychologist at Oklahoma State University.

Research could determine within a few months whether bees are suitable subjects that would allow drug companies to use fewer vertebrates in the first line of drug testing, Abramson said. Abramson, assistant Gina Fellows from the University of Hertfordshire in England and other students have begun giving bees the drug Antabuse, which makes alcoholics sick when they drink in order to curb consumption. The drug is administered gradually to bees, allowing them to stop.

Tests have been limited to the lab, but the team has begun conducting experiments in a more natural setting, with bees living in a hive atop a university building. The bees are trained to come down to a third-floor window to drink and aremarked for observation before buzzing away.

Bees and people are more alike than meets the eye. Bees have a complex social structure, including language and division of labor, that could make them similar to people in the way they treat their problem drinkers. The likeness might allow researchers to come up with more ways to treat alcoholism, Abramson said. He said naturalist John Lubbock found in experiments in 1888 that ants puzzled by the drunken behavior of a nest mate would nonetheless pick up the sot and carry it home. A drunken stranger ant would be tossed in a ditch.

So far, tests have shown that alcohol impairs bee locomotion and learning ability, just as it does in people. Overconsumption of ethanol kills bees just as overconsumption of alcohol can kill humans. Abramson has collaborated on research into the effects of insecticides on learning in the Africanized honey bee. He published preliminary findings on bees and alcohol consumption last month in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. ( Courtesy - netsurfindia.com )

White paper on sick fertilisers companies next week

The government will submit a white paper on the condition of six to seven sick fertiliser companies by next week, Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers Suresh Prabhu said here yesterday.

"The units are mostly in eastern India including ones at Gorakhpur, Haldia and Durgapur", Prabhu told reporters at a meet organised by the Press Guild of India. The white paper was being prepared by rating agency Care, he said adding that it would include corrective measures like pursuing either a greenfield or a brownfield project.

"The haldia plant has not been able to produce even a ton due to mis-match of technology. We would like to turn it into a brownfield project by offering an existing infrastructure to private entrepreneurs," he said.

"We have asked Khribco to take over Gorakhpur plant, as the company has necessary resources and currently only one plant in Hazira", Prabhu said.

"We have asked Khribco to take over Gorakhpur plant, as the company has necessary resources and currently only one plant in Hazira", Prabhu said.

"The north-western belt is potentially rich area for fertilisers and both companies will be able to synergise their marketing operations," he added.

He said the government plans to set up four natural gas based urea manufacturing plants in the country with a capacity of 7.5 lakh metric tonne each, which includes expansion of Khribco's Hazira plant and Rashtriya Chemical Fertiliser's Thal plant and one each in Gorakhpur and Nellore (AP).

"Our decision to discourage imports of urea has been successful as we have saved Rs 225 crore worth of foreign exchange due to it," Prabhu said.

Referring to the pharmaceutical sector, the minister said a new drug policy which would usher the shift from process patent regime to product regime was on an anvil.

Prabhu stressed the need for greater investment in research and development and said the government would provide an initial corpus fund of Rs 150 crore to boost R&D in the sector. He also expressed concern over the spurge of spurious drugs in the market and said he had already taken up the matter with the Union health ministry. ( Courtesy - PTI )

Steady going for layer poultry sector

THE PRICES of arabica plantation coffee have witnessed a 15-25 per cent increase during the last auction as against the previous year. The prices of arabica plantation `PB’ quoted at Rs 475 to Rs 4,850 per 50 kgs, during the auction held at Bangalore on July 20, compared to Rs 3,630 to Rs 3,775 prevailing during the corresponding period in 1999, they said.

While `A’ grade quoted between Rs 4,700 to Rs 485 compared to Rs 3,935 to Rs 4,000, `B’ grade ruled at Rs 4,100 to Rs 4,200 as against Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,350 prevailing in 1999, the sources said. The sources also said that the prices of arabica plantation `c’ also witnessed a marginal increase from Rs 2,900 to Rs 3,285 prevailing last year to Rs 3,650 to Rs 3,700 this year ( Courtesy - The Economic Times )

Genetic foods must get scientists' nod: Nitish Kumar

Introduction of genetically engineered agri-products in the country will be subject to health and environmental clearances, Union agriculture minister Nitish Kumar has said. He said that approval for field trials on cotton would be taken as a precedent. "Genetic modification is a progressive science but as for entry of food articles, scientists must satisfy themselves that they are safe before we can consider them," Kumar told reporters during an interactive session on Saturday.

He said the government had also directed scientists in its research wings like the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) to conduct intensive research before giving clearance, noting that health and environment issues took precedence. Whatever measures were adopted to improve agricultural production and ensure food security, this should be kept in mind before proceeding, he added. Describing genetic modification as having a good future, Kumar said Indian scientists were in favour of exploring the possibilities of this "progressive science" held. "But we must adopt that which is important from the point of view of science and health," he added.

BT cotton was the first transgenic crop to be cleared for field trials on July 20 by the genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC) under the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and has evoked much criticism from conservationists and NGOs. Mumbai-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (MAHYCO) was given permission for conducting the trials to generate environmental safety data on the genetically engineered cotton seeds, which contain the `Cry1AC' gene which makes it resistant to the common cotton bollworm pest that inflicts heavy damage on the crop.

The US multinational Monsanto has proprietary rights over this gene and several non-government organisations within the country have been protesting against permission for field trials on this cotton.

Sharply criticising government's clearance to MAHYCO leading non-government organisations (NGOs) have questioned the safety protocol followed in earlier small-scale trials and validity of the data.

It had earlier undergone small-scale trials monitored by the review committee on genetic manipulation under the department of biotechnology. These trials were conducted in 40 sites across the country. But trials held in 10 sites in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were terminated in 1998 following vociferous protests by farmers who feared that the terminator gene may also be present in the transgenic cotton. ( Courtesy - The Times of India )

Kerala's coconut farmers in dire straits

After tea, rubber and paddy cultivators, it is now the turn of coconut farmers in Kerala to fight for survival, with their products hit hard by a price crash. The prices of copra (dried coconut) and coconut oil have now nosedived to the lowest level in a decade due to a rise in production, coupled with imports flooding the market, sources say.

Currently, copra prices are Rs 1,975 per quintal as against Rs 3,450 during the corresponding period last year. Copra is now being traded at Rs 1,275, well below its official support price of Rs 3,250. A similar price crash had happened way back in 1990. The central agency, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), which tried to come to the rescue of coconut farmers, has completely stopped its coconut procurement scheme and farmers feel the worst is yet to come.

More than 3.5 million Keralite families are engaged in coconut cultivation in a total area of 1.7 million hectares. A vast majority of them are small-time farmers who are now finding the going tough. With coconut farmers facing an unprecedented cash crunch, farm work has stopped, leaving many daily wage earners in the lurch.

A coconut's average price currently is about Rs 2 as against Rs 4.80 in January last. The total coconut production in Kerala is estimated to be 6.6 billion a year. Former Agriculture Minister V V Raghavan has warned that if immediate steps are not taken to save the Kerala farmers the state will witness mass suicide. Observing that the current price crash will cause Kerala an estimated loss of Rs 20 billion, Raghavan says steps should be taken to procure coconuts and produce oil for export. Coconut should also be accorded all the benefits eligible for oil seeds and the Coconut Development Board's funds should be used for the benefit of the farmers.

Market sources say coconut production this season shot up beyond all expectations, creating a problem of plenty. Import of coconut oil, oil-cake and other coconut products from Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia on an open general licence only worsened the situation. Ironically enough, the boom period came when the state expected a drop in production because of widespread havoc wrought by a mite locally known as Mandari or Aceria (Eriophyes) guerreronis, measuring just one-fourth of a millimetre.

While the mite affected the size of coconuts and their kernel, it did not affect the number of nuts. The coconut oil content too did not diminished, according to Agriculture Minister Krishnan Kaniyamparabil, who maintains that it is the responsibility of the Centre to stop the price crash.

An upswing in production is being witnessed by other coconut cultivating countries the world over. As per the figures available from 13 Indian states, more than 2.2 billion surplus coconuts have reached the market. A phenomenal rise in Andhra Pradesh's production within just one year also dealt a severe blow to Kerala farmers. Several Mumbai firms, who traditionally depended on Kerala, now patronise Andhra Pradesh.

Sources say Kerala used to produce 90 per cent of the country's copra and the coconut oil sales depended on the state until 10 years ago. Senior Congress leader in Kerala Joseph Monyppalli says farmers' representatives will stage a fast in the state capital on July 25. He blames the Central and state governments for their failure to help farmers. "Now edible oil can be imported by paying a nominal duty. Though international contracts exist in this regard each country has the right to protect its agriculture and trade by imposing import duty. But in India, import is being allowed to destroy all sorts of agricultural activities," says Joseph.

Unprocessed palm oil is available in the international market for just Rs 15 a kg. Anyone could import it paying just 15 per cent duty. This contributed to the crash in the price of coconut oil, he says. (Courtesy-India Abroad News Service)

Farm ministry seeks higher import duty on edible oils

The Union Agriculture Ministry has written to the Finance and Commerce Ministries to increase the import duty on edible oils to protect indigenous oil manufacturers and oilseed growing farmers.

The Union Minister of Agriculture, Mr.Nitish Kumar, said import was necessary as the country was not self-sufficient in edible oil production. However, taking into consideration the interests of farmers and small-scale edible oil industries, the Ministry had demanded a hike in import duty, he said addressing presspersons here today. Referring to the Tamil Nadu Government's demand for an assistance of Rs. 37 crores to control the widespread incidence of `eriophyid mite' in coconut trees, the Minister said the Centre was aware of the seriousness of the problem and would soon come out with a package of proposals to help control the mite.

Earlier, inaugurating the 37th international coconut conference, organised by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), the Union Minister said there was a wide gap between potential productivity and actual realisation of coconuts in the country. While the national average per hectare production was 7,821 nuts, in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh there were several coconut plantations where the productivity was about 27,500 nuts. Steps should be taken to share the techniques among farmers for increasing the productivity.

Mr. S.B.P.B.K. Satyanarayana Rao, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, said though only 33 per cent of coconuts was used for oil production, coconut price was governed by the price of the oil.
The State Agriculture Minister, Mr.S.Arumugham, wanted the Union Minister to take steps to establish industrial units using coconut as the raw material to encourage its cultivation and help farmers get better remuneration.

Mr.M.S.Swaminathan, Chairman of the MSSRF, Chennai, stressed the need for accelerated research for sustainable development of coconut. He said economic sustainability of farmers was in peril after the WTO agreement, as there was no level playing ground for the Indian farmers. Unlike in developed countries, there was inadequate government support for Indian farmers.

Mr.Norberto M.Boceta, Executive Director, APCC, said while other oilseeds had grown by leaps and bounds, coconut production had stagnated. Mr. Samisoni Ulitu, Chairman of the APCC, wanted effective campaigning to remove the misconception that the use of coconut oil would lead to heart ailments.

Mr. H.P.Singh, Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Cochin, said in the era of trade liberalisation and globalisation coconut- producing countries were faced with new challenges and opportunities. The meet, he said, would suggest measures to meet the global challenge. Mr. N.Athimoolam, Secretary, Agriculture Department, Tamil Nadu, said the State was second in the country in coconut productivity after West Bengal. It had set up the Coconut Development Authority to improve production and develop value- added products of coconuts, besides exploring export potential. ( Courtesy - The Hindu )

Extensive field trials of Bt cotton cleared

THE `controversial' transgenic Bt cotton variety of the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) has been cleared for large-scale trials in various agro-climatic regions of the country by the inter-ministerial Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).

Mahyco could now undertake open field trials in 85 hectares of land and seed production in 150 hectares. However, the seeds so produced in these fields should not be used for commercial sale, the Committee said.

GEAC decided that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) system, which included agricultural universities, would be fully involved in the monitoring of seed production. On the other hand, the Monitoring-cum-Evaluation Committee (MEC) set up earlier by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) would continue to monitor the large-scale field trials and other studies recommended by GEAC.

While granting approval for field trials, the Committee had set eight conditions for compliance by Mahyco, which has a collaboration with the global agrochemicals giant Monsanto, from whom it imported the transgenic Bt cotton seeds in 1996.

Some of the conditions include: Nutritional studies on buffaloes and cows to determine whether transgenic cotton seed and seed oil has any effect on the health, milk production and quality of milk vis-a-vis, health of the people; Insect resistance studies on other plant pests.

Toxicity studies on animal species such as poultry and fish under Indian conditions. Fresh studies on gene flow/pollen and the assessment of impact of such migration on non-transgenic cotton.

To allay public fears over `terminator gene', Mahyco has to get authentic report from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad or the South Campus of Delhi University that the Bt cotton seeds are free and their introduction would not affect our farming practices. The socio-economic data such as the cost of transgenic cotton seed, projected demand and the area to be covered under transgenic cotton cultivation.

The Mumbai-based Mahyco had applied to GEAC, which is under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) seeking permission to conduct large-scale trials using transgenic cotton for seed production and demonstration. GEAC had met on June 30 and deliberated on the issue to take the decision to grant approval.

Mahyco had conducted greenhouse and small-scale field trials along with toxicity and other relevant studies during 1996-99 using the backcrossed Indian cotton variety. MEC of DBT had monitored these trials and based on the data presented to it by Mahyco, the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), recommended to the GEAC for large-scale trials. ( Courtesy - The Economic Times )

Subsidy for small tea growers hiked

Conceding some key demands of States like Tamil Nadu to bail out the distressed tea industry in the South, concentrated in Nilgiris district, the Centre today announced wide-ranging measures aimed at substantial relief to the small tea growers. The Government has raised the subsidy for small tea growers (holding tea gardens upto 10-12 hectares) from Rs.5 per kg to Rs.8 per kg under the Price Subsidy Scheme implemented through the Tea Board, an official release said.

In a related decision, the Centre has also banned with immediate effect sale of tea by Export-Oriented Units (EOUs) and units in Export Processing Zones (EPZ) in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), to help the domestic tea industry tide over its present difficulties. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a notification in this regard. Amid tea prices tumbling at auction centres in the South, mainly at Coonoor and Coimbatore, the Centre had also initiated other measures to resolve the crisis, the release said. These include launching of a quality upgradation programme by the Tea Board in Nilgiris for improving the quality of tea produced by small growers to enable a better price, and hiking basic customs duty on imported tea from 15 to 35 per cent. Small tea growers in the district have been agitating for the last three months, demanding a package of concessions including a total ban on tea imports to `rescue' the South Indian tea industry from this acute distress.

The Government had already announced some sales tax reliefs for tea dust to help pull up sagging prices. ( Courtesy - The Hindu )

Silk Board processing centre in N-E region

THE Central Silk Board (CSB), under its Catalytic Development Programme, has opened a silk processing centre at the Amingaon Industrial Area here. This common facilitation centre in the handloom sector with a processing capacity of 50 kg of silk yarn per day is the first of its kind in the entire north-eastern region and the third in the country.

CSB has provided a one-time grant of Rs 11.9 lakh of the total project cost of Rs 14 lakh and the rest has been given by the State Government. The centre under the Pilot Project will be run by the Assam Silk Development Centre and it will supply processed yarn to the weavers in Sualkuchi and other parts of the region.

The production of 50 kg of yarn per day will be enough to meet the requirements of 500 handlooms. The centre is spread out over an area of 1,200 sq.ft. where three to four people will be able to handle the highly mechanised operations.

Mr S. Deuri, a CSB official, said so far silk weavers were using the traditional and haphazard processing methods but this centre would bring about an uniformity in the products. The weavers would have to pay a nominal fee for utilising the facilities of the centre.

He said there were, so far, only two other such centres in the country - one at Hamirpur in Andhra Pradesh and another at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. CSB was also exploring the possibility of setting up two more centres in the north-eastern region keeping in view the vast potentials of silk industry here. One of these centres would be set up in Agartala in collaboration with the Tripura Apex Weavers' Co-operative Society and the other in Assam where a selected NGO would be allowed to participate. ( Courtesy : Business online )

Mahyco gets Ministry nod -- To conduct large-scale field trials of transgenic cotton

THE mood is upbeat in the Indian research-based seed industry with Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company) having got the green signal from the Environment Ministry's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to conduct large-scale field trials of its transgenic cotton.

This is a morale booster for the domestic seed industry, which is waiting in the wings to introduce transgenic seeds in the market. Seed companies, both domestic and multinational, have been keeping their research on transgenics under wraps, after the eruption of the ``Terminator'' controversy and the hostile reaction to genetically modified crops.

With the approval for Mahyco, transgenic seeds (or genetically modified seeds) have won some kind of respectability, and various organisations -- private companies as well as academic institutions -- are expected to firm up and pursue their research plans aggressively.

Seed companies are in various levels of readiness with transgenic seeds. ProAgro is in the advanced stages of field trials for hybrid cultivars of mustard and brassica, suited for local conditions. It is also developing pest-resistant tomatoes, brinjals, cabbage and cauliflowers.

Monsanto is using the Bt gene to develop pest and insect-resistant rice, sugarcane and ornamental plants. Indo American Hybrid Seeds is planning to conduct the limited field trials for its viral resistant tomato strain; the SPIC Science Foundation is developing insect-resistant rice. Green house experiments are set to begin in Rallis India Ltd, Bangalore, which has developed chillies, bell peppers and tomatoes resistant to lepidopteran, coleopteran and homopteran pests.

There is a flurry of biotech activity in the research institutions too. The National Centre for Plant Genome Research, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, is developing protein rich potatoes, for which green house experiments have been concluded. JNU is also working on transferring Amaranthus gene into rice to make it rich in protein.

The Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry, is conducting field trials with tobacco plants resistant to pest attack from H Armigera and S Litura. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Shillong; IARI, Delhi; Bose Institute, Calcutta; the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore; University of Delhi, South Campus, Delhi; the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow; Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla; the Tata Energy Research Institute, Delhi, are all using transgenics to create better and hardier varieties, and cultivars which are hardier.

``The Mahyco clearance is definitely a positive signal for the industry and the research in transgenics is going to gain momentum,'' said Mr Deepak Mullick, President of Association of Seed Industry. ``We hope that Indian farmers can look forward to the first transgenic seeds two years down the line.'' Worldwide over 100 million acres are already undertransgenic crops including in countries such as Argentina and China. All through the controversy the scientific community has been arguing for bio-technology to meet the food demands of a country with a burgeoning population like India. In a recent paper on Transgenics and World Agriculture, Indian scientists along with their global counterparts have recommended the adoption of bio-technology ``suitably''.

``The biosafety question has been blown out of proportion and has to be viewed in the context of the trade war between the US and European Economic Community,'' said Mr Joseph Thomas, Vice President (Biotech), SPIC.

Not that this resolves all the problems for the Indian seed industry. The pending Plant Variety Protection Act and ``draconian'' Plant Biodiversity Act are causing a great deal of disheartenment. ( Courtesy - Business Times )