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Study claims GM crops save U.S. farms billionsSAN DIEGO, (Financial Times) 6/27/2001 - The first comprehensive estimateof the benefits of genetically modified crops claims that they are alreadysaving US farmers billions of dollars a year through a combination oflower inputs and increased yields - and they could save billions ofdollars more if growers were not held back by fears of consumerresistance.The study, carried out by the National Centre for Food and AgriculturalPolicy in Washington with support from the biotechnology industry and theRockefeller Foundation, was presented at the Bio 2001 conference in SanDiego. It looked at 30 crops that have been genetically engineered forpest resistance, including a wide range of fruit and vegetables as well ascereals and cotton.It assessed the economic benefits to farmers and the environmental gainsthrough reduced applications of pesticides and weed-killers but did notinclude the negative factors emphasised by anti-GM campaigners: the impacton wildlife and possible health hazards.Leonard Gianessi, the study director, presented the first eight cropassessments to the conference. The full study would be completed inSeptember, he said, "but I can tell you already that we will see severalbillion dollars worth of additional production and savings to growers as aresult of GM crops".The largest benefit seen for any one crop was in soya beans, where 63 percent of the US crop planted this year - on 49m acres - is geneticallyengineered to resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Growers have to applyRoundup only once to kill all weeds, whereas non-GM soya requires three orfour herbicide applications; the average saving in weed control is Dollars15 per acre, according to the NCFAP study."If US growers no longer planted the GM herbicide-tolerant soybeancultivars, they would likely substitute alternative herbicides which wouldincrease soybean production costs by Dollars 735m a year," Mr Gianessiconcluded. For Bt cotton, which kills the crop's main insect pests, thestudy found that pesticide use in the US had been cut by more than 1m kgper year, production had increased by 100m kg per year and growers weremaking Dollars 99m a year more in net revenues.But some GM crops, incl-uding sugar beet, potatoes and sweetcorn (maize),are not being grown commercially, although they have received regulatoryapproval. That is because farmers do not want to risk losing sales throughconsumers' reluctance to buy. The study concluded that Florida growerscould produce 10m kg more sweetcorn and cut insecticide use by 80 per cent(50,000 kg per year) by switching to a Bt variety marketed by Syngenta."Despite the potential benefits, Florida sweetcorn growers are notplanting the (GM) cultivars due to concerns regarding potential lostsales."

MALAYSIA'S GUTHRIE STANDS BY INDONESIA PALM OIL DEAL

Coconut industry, soap makers look for compromise on petroleum surfactants

Far East Expects To See Reduced FFB Production

CHINA WTO ENTRY SEEN BOOSTING SOYOIL IMPORTS

INDIA VEG OIL IMPORTS SEEN SURGING OVER DECADE

INDONESIA TO FORM TEAM TO SETTLE GUTHRIE DEAL- MEDIA

Iraq hopes to purchase palm oil directly from Malaysia

NON-FOOD VEG OIL USE TO CLIMD BY 70% BY 2010

PAKISTAN ADJUSTS IMPORT LEVIES ON EDIBLE OILS

Hospital uses soy-based fuel to face energy crisisLONG BEACH, Ca. 6/21/2001Fueled by concern over volatile energy costs androlling blackouts in California, officials from St. Mary Medical Center inLong Beach today announced the hospital has switched to biodiesel to runon-site generators and boilers.Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel that can be made from any fat or oil,such as soybean oil. It can be used in any diesel engine with few or nomodifications to the engine necessary. Although biodiesel is used mostlyas a motor fuel for trucks and buses, it can be used in boilers andgenerators as well. About 80 major fleets, including transit authorities,school districts, government fleets and national parks use biodiesel. Itperforms comparably to diesel, with similar cetane and BTU content."We are very excited about the advantages this new fuel provides inresponding to our statewide energy crisis," said Tomi Hadfield, Presidentof St. Mary Medical Center. "This is very promising for our colleaguesfacing these same challenges."St. Mary expects a daily cost savings of $350 per day over an averagenatural gas price of $14.28 per decatherm. Moreover, the hospital can stayup and running during blackouts without emitting high levels of pollution."The biodiesel that our company is supplying to the hospital is mixed withan additive that significantly lowers NOx emissions," said Gene Gebolys,president of World Energy (www.worldenergy.net). "The emissions resultshave been certified by the South Coast Air Quality Management District,showing that it meets strict NOx requirements."Biodiesel also significantly reduces particulate matter, carbon monoxide,unburned hydrocarbons and sulfate emissions compared to petroleum diesel.A joint study by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department ofAgriculture shows biodiesel reduces life cycle carbon dioxide by 78percent. It is the only alternative fuel to have passed the rigorousHealth Effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The results,submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2000, show biodieselis non-toxic, biodegradable and reduces air toxics by 90 percent.

I&P awaits approval to set up palm oil refineryThursday, June 21, 2001(The Star)- ISLAND and Peninsular Bhd (I&P) isseriously pursuing efforts to set up a palm oil refinery in Bintulu,Sarawak, and is currently waiting for approval from the state government.I&P managing director Dr Radzuan Abdul Rahman said the group would belooking at an investment of RM50mil, which he considered "a normalfigure."Radzuan told reporters this after the AGMs of I&P and its listedplantation arm Austral Enterprises Bhd in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.He said depending on how soon approval was obtained, it would take 18 to24 months to complete the refinery.Radzuan hopes the refinery could began operation by 2004 with a productioncapacity of 1,000 tonnes per day.According to Radzuan, the rationale for the proposed refinery is theincreasing volume of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) harvested by the group inSarawak.I&P, through Austral, has 36,542 ha of plantation landbank in Sarawak."As one of the pioneers and a major plantation player in Sarawak, we wouldsoon be harvesting a big crop from existing matured areas," Radzuan said.He said at present, there was only one buyer in Sarawak, which meant thatthe group was just "a price taker.""We are turning the tables to become a refiner instead of a price taker,"he said.Radzuan said that the group had enough FFB volume and other sources ofcrop nearby to justify the refinery.For the financial year ended Jan 31, 2001, Austral recorded FFB productionof 580,469 tonnes and palm oil production of 102,984 tonnes.Radzuan said that I&P would soon be opening a RM23mil oil palm mill inDerawan, Bintulu.On the group's 1st quarter performance for the current financial year,Radzuan said that despite the soft property market and depressing palm oilprices, the company managed to pull through "quite nicely.""We have always been in the black and never seen red in the past whileother property or plantation companies might be hovering between the blackand the red," he said.The group, he said, was still optimistic about achieving RM1bil turnoverby 2005."The growth target is still within reach, supported by consolidation ofour existing business and additional income from new enterprises," hesaid.According to Radzuan, the core property and plantation businesses wouldremain as the group's major contributors while trading is poised to be thekey third business entity.For the financial year ended Jan 31, 2001, I&P's pre-tax profit was halvedto RM65mil on the back of RM362mil turnover. This was achieved on the backof sales of 829 units, mostly at its flagship development project BandarKinrara and FFB production of 580,469 tonnes at an average selling priceof RM961 per tonne.