In The News

The Shrimp Wars

Christina Hoag April 19, 2004
When American wild pink shrimp caught in the ocean are sold for $18.99 a pound while farmed shrimp from Thailand are only sold at $7.99, the market is going to tilt. In recent years, American shrimpers have found it increasingly difficult to maintain their business – ten years ago there were 5,000 shrimp trawlers in the Gulf of Mexico, but today only about 1,900 are left. The Southern Shrimp...

European Sugar Policy Works to Undermine Trade With Asia

April 19, 2004
A recent report by Oxfam, an international non-governmental organization, has concluded that the European Union's skewed sugar regime is heavily subsidized, benefits several big companies, and generally hurts poorer countries. "This is a sugar scandal, and there is nothing sweet about it. The system rewards big companies and rich farmers with EU taxpayers' and consumers'...

With Mexico FTA Set, Japan Turns Toward Asia

Mayumi Negishi March 12, 2004
After completing only its second Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ever, Japan is looking towards Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and South Korea for new prospective partners. The newly-inked Mexico FTA will provide much-needed agricultural imports to a country that imports 60% of its food stuff; however, it took some work to overcome the voices of the powerful Japanese agricultural lobby. With...

It Must Be Something in the Water

Gamal Nkrumah March 3, 2004
The Nile River Basin of Africa marks one of the poorest areas of the world. Population numbers are unsustainable with the current water resources and are only expected to grow. With too many people competing for too little water, the Nile River has become a bastion of controversy. Downstream lies Egypt, the most well-developed of the nations and the one that takes the most water. Upstream,...

City in Dark on Lack of Bird Flu Info

Damar Harsanto February 9, 2004
Despite a tangible threat of bird-flu transmission from neighboring Vietnam and Thailand where 18 deaths have been confirmed so far, the Jakarta administration is not taking sufficient preventive measures. Residents of the nation's capital say the Jakarta Health Agency's information campaign is half-baked – it does not reach all the city's residents and it fails to provide the...

Thai Credibility Shattered by Deceit

February 7, 2004
When David Byrne, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, visited Thailand in mid-January to discuss agriculture and trade issues, his meeting with Thai leaders was considered a mutual success. At the time, Byrne had said EU food safety regulations posed no barrier and that the European market is a lucrative one for Thai exporters. Thai officials gave Byrne the impression that all...

How Dangerous is the Bird Flu?

Laurie Garrett February 6, 2004
In recent weeks the avian flu has emerged as a matter of urgent concern for poultry farmers, health officials, and government leaders in Asian countries. Cases of infected poultry have been reported in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and seven other countries, with widespread culling and bans on chicken exports in many of these. But with fewer than twenty human deaths reported thus far, is this...