Monthly Archives: June 2012

A blessing in disguise for mango ryots

Business & Economy, Nature

GOOD YEAR: A tribal farmer, with his bumper crop, waiting for customers at a shandy near Araku Valley in Visakhapatnam district.   Photo: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu

Delayed monsoon gives them bumper harvest

Delayed monsoon served as a blessing in disguise for reaping a bumper mango harvest in north coastal Andhra districts, according to Horticulture Department officials and mango crop experts. Mango plantations are spread over roughly 1.50 lakh acres in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts.

Due to the impact of climatic changes, rains were occurring more due to formation of cyclonic depression and also gale and heavy winds. These are adverse conditions for mango flowering and fruit leading to steep drop in yield. Gale and winds were experienced a couple of time during the mango flowering and fruiting stage, but were limited to a few pockets in the region while Agency area witnessed bumper harvest as rainfall was higher when compared to plain areas.

Among the several varieties of mango banginapalli, collector, suvarnareka, neelam, romania, rasalu, cheruku rasalu and palukalu are produced in north Andhra. The palukalu variety is harvested in March and April and is in much demand in Delhi and Bengal. Vizianagaram is the local market from where it is sent to other States.

The banginapalli, suvarnareka, rasalu, cherukurasam and peddarasam varieties are harvested in May. The collector variety is mostly used in pickles, fruit drinks and in processing industry and will hit the market in mid-June and July. A British collector introduced the Thotapur variety of mango to the local farmers in the State and ever since it became popularly known as ‘Collector Kaya’.

Assistant Director (horticulture) G. Prabhakar told The Hindu that the mango crop had been by and large intact as there were no adverse climatic conditions like heavy winds and cyclones and the delayed monsoon has actually protected the mango crop. “Besides, the natural ripening of mangoes has actually turned the mangoes sweet. Initially at the advent of mango season there were complaints of traders adopting artificial methods like using of calcium carbide for ripening but as the dry spell continued for some time most of the traders waited for natural ripening, which was why most of the recent mangoes were sweet and tasty”, he said.

On an average, the mango production per acre was 4-5 tonnes. A rough estimate puts the total mango production in 1.50 lakh acres in the three districts at 450,000 tonnes.

Mango cultivation in Visakhapatnam is 40,000 acres in plain areas and 10,954 acres in the Agency areas. A feasibility study had been made by the ITDA to expand the mango crop area by another 23,758 acres in the coming years.

In Srikakulam district mango cultivation is in 65,000 acres in the Palakonda, Rajam, Regidi Amudalavalasa and Santakaviti mandals. In Vizianagarm district the mango cultivation is spread in 25,000 acres.

To help the farmers in the event of adverse climatic conditions causing damage to the crop, the State Government has brought the mango crop under the crop insurance scheme. The insurance scheme covers damages to the crop caused by high temperatures, unseasonal rainfall, pests and diseases and cyclonic winds and natural calamities etc. Premium amount for a tree less than15 years old and more than 15 years is Rs.52 and Rs. 46 respectively, with the beneficiary farmer and the Government contributing equally.

Mango accounts for 40 percent of the fruit exports from the country and Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have the largest mango cultivation areas followed by Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Mango is utilised in all stages of its development both in its immature and mature state. Raw fruits are used for making chutney, pickles and juices.

The ripe fruits besides being used for desert are also utilised for preparing several products like squashes, syrups, nectars, jams and jelly. The mango kernel also contains 8-10 percent good quality fat which can be used for soap and also as a substitute for cola in confectionery.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News>  Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Ravi  P. Benjamin / June 11th, 2012

Nampally ‘sarai’ classic case of negligence

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

FALLING ON BAD DAYS: Considered the gateway of old city, the Nampally ‘sarai’ was built by the sixth Nizam, Mahboob Ali Pasha, in 1919. Photo: M. Subash / The Hindu

It is on its last leg. It is just a matter of time when it will bite the dust. Perhaps, a good torrential rain is enough to ring the curtain down on history.

In its 93 years of existence, Nampally Sarai has definitely not seen such apathy. The powers-that-be of course are busy with more important things, concerned citizens have cried themselves hoarse and the common man is too occupied with keeping the wolf away.

Looks like the authorities are waiting to perform the last rites of the heritage structure which has seen better days. There are no pangs of remorse for the inaction. The historic ‘sarai’ is a classic example of bureaucratic negligence. That it figures least on the official agenda is to stress the obvious.

Much sought after once, the ‘sarai’ today presents an agonising sight. Brick by brick it is falling with the cracks widening by the day. Any attempt to repair it might only hasten the inevitable, officials say.

JNTU engineers who studied the structural stability of the building suggested total reconstruction of the eastern wing and minor repairs of the western block under supervision of conservation architects. They feel the building is conservable.

In January 2007, the government announced a Rs.1.1 crore restoration package. It was proposed to take up repair and reconstruction of the collapsed portion for adaptive reuse and to make other site-related interventions. But nothing has been done, and in the meanwhile, the ‘sarai’ has further deteriorated.

Considered the gateway of old city, the Nampally ‘sarai’ was built by the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Pasha, in 1919 in memory of the First World War treaty. Spread on an area of 5,828 square yards, this guest house was the first choice of visitors to the city in view of its central location. But poor maintenance and negligence led to gradual deterioration of the two-storied building.

The balcony of the eastern portion collapsed in 1998 due to prolonged exposure of the iron rafters in the roof to weathering. This made the civic body sit up and take notice but it failed to take concrete steps.

The Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), which now owns the hoary ‘sarai’, is wary to touch it because of the sensitivities involved.

In fact, it has no plans as of now though there are demands to convert the open space into a parking lot and to develop and maintain it as a ‘sarai’.

“If anybody comes forward to restore it we will be too happy to bear 50 per cent of cost,” says N.V.S. Reddy, Managing Director, HMR. Sadly no one has come forward to pick up the gauntlet. There is no response either from the conservation architects or heritage lovers.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / June 11th, 2012

Prathista Industries, US varsity ink pact for tech transfer

Business & Economy, World Opinion
Hyderabad, JUNE 6:

The University of Tuskegee, Alabama, US and Prathista Industries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for transfer of technology in eco-friendly agri-based products.

A high-level scientific team from Tuskegee University, led by its President, Dr Gilbert L. Rochon, and Mr KVSS Sairam, CEO and President of the Hyderabad-based Prathista Industries signed the formal MoU here yesterday.

Prathista Industries has research facilities in Choutuppal on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The company is into producing eco-friendly agri and veterinary products.

DISTINCTIVE STRENGTHS

Later, speaking at the meeting organised by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI), Dr Gilbert said that the university has distinctive strengths in the sciences, architecture, business, engineering and health.

He said agricultural industries account for more than $43 billion or about 22 per cent of the direct output of the Alabama economy.

Approximately 79 per cent of the US consumer food dollar goes to processing and marketing functions, with only 21 per cent going to farmers.

The team from Tuskegee University included Dr Gopal Reddy, Associate Dean for Research & Advanced Studies, Dr Shaik Jeelani, Vice-President for Research & Sponsored Programs. Dr Vijay Rangari, Associate Professor, Nanotechnology, presented various research activities at the university and possible areas of collaboration with Indian counterparts.

Mr Sairam of Prathista Industries, Mr Srinivas Ayyadevara, Vice-President, and Mr M.V. Rajeshwara Rao, Secretary General of FAPCCI also spoke.

soma@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Companies / Hyderabad / June 06th, 2012

Michelin adds two more TyrePlus stores

Business & Economy
Mr. B. Kumar, Country Head-Distribution, Michelin India,
Hyderabad, JUNE 6:

Michelin Tyres on Wednesday announced the opening up of two TyrePlus concept stores in Hyderabad, thereby taking the number of stores up from 16 to 18 across the country.

Through these new touch points, Michelin Tyres, part of a global leading tyre manufacturing French major, Michelin seeks to offer new retail experience for the consumers. This is something which TyrePlus stores offer across the world, Mr. B. Kumar, Country Head-Distribution, Michelin India, said.

The company appointed MV Tyre World and Xenex as its franchisee partners in Hyderabad.

Mr. Kumar said, “In today’s busy world, where people have money but less time, such stores offer a hassle free ownership and service experience. In these TyrePlus stores, customers can buy Michelin tyres and tyres of other manufactures and also other car accessories.

They also get access to quality after sales service, which makes a difference.”

The company currently procures tyres from its global manufacturing bases and supplies them in the Indian market to the original equipment manufacturers like Honda, Mercedes and Volvo Trucks and in the replacement segment.

NEW PLANT

Michelin is in the process of setting up of a manufacturing base in Chennai, Tamil Nadu for truck tyres and expects to commission this during the year. Barely 17 per cent of truck tyre market is radial tyres. This offers immense scope for Michelin to tap into once the plant is ready, he said.

vrishi@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Industry & Economy> Marketing / Hyderabad, June 06th, 2012

Hyderabad jewellery fair from June 22

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Hyderabad, JUNE 6:

The fifth edition of Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair will be organised here during June 22-24, 2012.

“We are expecting significant business to transact in this business –to- business exhibition as south India in general and Andhra Pradesh is a big market for jewellery,’’ Ms Kranti Nagvekar, Group Director, UBM India, organiser of the event told newspersons here on Wednesday.

The four southern states account for 45 per cent about 900 tonnes of gold jewellery sale per annum in the country, she added.

The three-day event would feature over 125 exhibitors from India and abroad showcasing a range of products such as gems, studded jewellery, machinery and lab companies, pearls, diamond jewellery and traditional told jewellery.

About 4,000 visitors were expected to visit the fair which will be held at the HITEX exhibition centre at Madhapur here, Mr Nagvekar said.

source: http://www.ThHinduBusinessLine.com / Industry & Economy> Marketing / by The Hindu Bureau  / Hyderabad, June 06th, 2012

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and Merck Serono Announce Collaboration to Develop and Commercialize Biosimilars

Business & Economy

HYDERABAD, India, Jun 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE)

Combined expertise of Dr. Reddy’s and Merck Serono to deliver on promise of Biosimilars

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.  and Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today a partnership to co-develop a portfolio of biosimilar compounds in oncology, primarily focused on monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The partnership covers co-development, manufacturing and commercialization of the compounds around the globe, with some specific country exceptions.

Dr. Reddy’s has been a pioneer and leader in the biosimilars space through proven product development capabilities and the launch of four biosimilars molecules to date. The partnership with Merck Serono expands on Dr. Reddy’s presence in the biosimilar space in select emerging markets and enables participation globally.

G. V. Prasad, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, said, “We strongly believe that biosimilars is an important area of future growth and these products give us the opportunity to provide affordable and innovative medicines to patients across the globe. With the recent EMA and FDA guidance on biosimilars, it is clear that any significant player in the field will need strong biologics development, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities. Merck Serono’s and Dr. Reddy’s joint expertise in these fields makes for a powerful global partnership.”

“Our expertise in developing, manufacturing, and commercializing biopharmaceuticals gives us a clear advantage in the biosimilars field, and the partnership with Dr. Reddy’s will bring their first-in-market experience in biosimilars, as well as their expertise in generics and Emerging Markets, to the table,” added Stefan Oschmann, Chief Executive Officer of Merck Serono. “Sharing know-how, risks and rewards is the right approach to enter the emergent biosimilars market and will be a win-win for both parties. It further strengthens Merck Serono’s promise to live science and transform lives, by increasing access to quality medicines for patients, physicians and payers.”

The deal structure calls for Merck Serono and Dr. Reddy’s to co-develop the molecules included in the agreement. Dr. Reddy’s will lead early product development and complete Phase I development. Upon completion of Phase I, Merck Serono will take over manufacturing of the compounds and will lead Phase III development. The agreement is based on full R&D cost sharing.

Merck Serono will undertake commercialization globally, outside the US and with the exception of select emerging markets which will be co-exclusive or where Dr. Reddy’s maintains exclusive rights. Dr. Reddy’s will receive royalty payments from Merck Serono upon commercialization. In the US, the parties will co-commercialize the products on a profit-sharing basis. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Disclaimer

This press release includes forward-looking statements, as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in local and global economic conditions, our ability to successfully implement our strategy, the market acceptance of and demand for our products, our growth and expansion, technological change and our exposure to market risks. By their nature, these expectations and projections are only estimates and could be materially different from actual results in the future.

source: http://www.marketwatch.com / press release, Business Wire / Hyderabad, June 06th, 2012

Karimnagar Dairy becomes Producers Company

Business & Economy, Nature, Science & Technology

Will benefit milk producers and increase milk production

The Karimnagar district mutually-aided cooperative milk producers union albeit Karimnagar Dairy, which had been making strides in launching a milk revolution and benefitting milk producers, have been converted into the Producers Company by acceding with the Companies Act 1956 to grow into a bigger and stronger organisation to benefit milk producers.

Disclosing this to newsmen here on Saturday, Karimnagar Dairy chairman Ch. Rajeshwara Rao said that the decision to convert Karimnagar Dairy into Producers Company was taken after discussions with the board of directors on September 16, 2011.

Later, the process was completed in spite of objections raised by Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Limited. He added that the Registrar of Companies of Minister of Companies Affairs had allowed for Karimnagar Dairy to be made into Producers Company after being satisfied with the dairy’s performance and keeping in mind the welfare of farming community.

Stating that they were forced to go to Producers Company under the Companies Act as the State government was scuttling the Cooperative Milk Producers Union’s development, he said that the Visaka Dairy was the first cooperative dairy in the State to go for conversion into the Producers Company.

He said that after the conversion of the dairy into the Producers Company, the milk producers alone would be the share holders and the profits would be shared among the milk producers only.

The conversion had made the dairy an independent agency without political interference and would give more benefits to the farmers.

The Karimnagar Dairy was established in 1971 and was handed to the farmers in November 1, 1998 as cooperative dairy as part of the Cooperative Act 1964.

Since then, the dairy had made long strides in milk production and welfare of milk producers. The milk sales had crossed 1 lakh litres and procurement had also crossed one lakh litres per day.

On the other hand, the loss making unit was made into a most viable unit with profits. The Karimnagar Dairy turnover reached 130.92 crore as on March 31, 2012, the dairy chairman said.

Dairy managing director V. Hanumantha Reddy was present.

  • Dairy is now an independent agency without any political interference
  • Visaka Dairy was the first cooperative dairy in State to be converted into Producers Company
  • —————————————————————————————-
  • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh /  by Staff  Reporter / Karimnagar, June 03rd, 2012

    •  

    Award for DRDO scientist

    Records, All, Science & Technology

    M. Kannan, scientist ‘E” at Research Centre Imarat, a key missile complex laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been conferred with ‘Swarna Jayanthi Award’ in recognition of his outstanding contribution ‘as a young achiever” in the field of navigation and aerospace.

    He was presented the award by Vijaya Mallya, President of Aeronautical Society of India at a function held at Trivandrum on Friday, said a DRDO press release . –Special Correspondent

    source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> National> Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad, June 02nd, 2012

    M.F. Husain to be remembered on death anniversary

    Arts, Culture & Entertainment

    New Delhi, June 2

    Close friends, fans and fellow artists will remember Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India’s greatest contemporary artists, on his first death anniversary June 9 with a commemorative programme, ‘Remembering Husain’, at the India International Centre (IIC) in the capital.

    The artist died in exile in London. He was 96.

    The tribute will bring to light another lesser known art of Husain – calligraphy – that he had mastered. While painting mythological compositions from the epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata at the home of art connoisseur Badrivishal Pitti in Hyderabad, he penned his thoughts and all that he felt in an elaborate painted calligraphic diary which he named, ‘Harf va Naksh’.

    ‘It was published by Pitti in Hyderabad. Times were different and it was not meant for mass production. Somehow, we rediscovered it. It is an important discovery because it is another aspect of Husain,’ artist Manish Pushkale, who spotted the book in writer Krishna Baldev Vaid’s collection, told IANS.

    Vaid owned the book for 40 years.

    Artist Krishen Khanna, who was a member of the Progressive Artists’ Group in Mumbai that Husain was associated with briefly – will read excerpts from the book in English, Vaid in Urdu and art critic Prayag Shukla in Hindi at the memorial service.

    The service will be hosted by the Raza Foundation, a non-profit arts and culture promotion body, set up by the oldest of the surviving progressive artists, S.H. Raza.

    Historians say Husain learnt the art of calligraphy early in life and practised the ‘Kulfic Khat’, a form of stylised calligraphy with its geometric form. He learnt to write poetry in a madrassa in Baroda, where he stayed with his uncle. Poetry stayed with him all through his life.

    The book contains jottings in English, Urdu and Hindi calligraphy and drawings.

    The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), a progressive cultural organisation in the capital which was working with the artist to preserve his legacy, is planning a ‘mount a street van exhibition of reproductions of Husain’s work, along with the lanterns and umbrellas – Husian’s aesthetic icons’, said Ram Rahman, a senior functionary of the organisation.

    ‘SAHMAT had made several lanterns and umbrellas last year as Husain souvenirs. The mobile exhibition would be like a bioscope complete with Husain’s films, but on a large scale,’ Rahman told IANS.

    The Tao Art Gallery in Mumbai will open a tribute exhibition, ‘Imagining A Legend’, June 9 exhibiting photographs of Husain shot by leading lensmen of his time.

    The exhibition has been curated by Nitayee Shinde and Fazwan Husain.

    ‘It feels pretty much the same as it felt a year ago. There is a sense of regret that he had to live outside the country, died outside and was buried outside India,’ Rahman said remembering his old friend at whose home Rahman was a frequent visitor.

    Husain’s family will also remember the ‘patriarch’ with a private memorial ceremony.

    IANS

    source: http://www.india.nydailynews.com / Home> News> Desi / Saturday, June 02nd, 2012