Is China at the “onset of an organic revolution“, as some observers believe? Undoubtedly, the flood of food certificates creates the impression that one third of agricultural land is already under eco-food production. And clearly, there is a growing interest in “green food” by consumers. But not everything which claims to be “organic“, really is. Uwe Hoering assesses the attempts to polish the image of China's agrarian products.
On the beer tins, there is a label reading “Green Food“, as well as on the sachets with rice, chips and spices, on tins and bottles. In the “green” section of the Carrefour supermarket in Beijing’s Guangqumennei Dajie, posters explain the origin of fruits and vegetables from the field to the shelf. A young sales woman stands alert to answer questions from customers. “China is now a world leader in organic production“, claims the Australian agronomist John Paull... ... this article is for subscribers only. For direct log in >>> click here.If you have no subscription >>> pick your option or >>>
After decades of isolation - imposed by major OECD countries out of concern for the country's human rights violations - Myanmar is emerging as a new darling of the "West" - judging by the accelerating succession of visits by senior officials and gurus. New groups of investors are waiting to enter the country as soon as possible.
Persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession. Now the United Nations have downgraded significantly its forecasts for the world economy in the next year.
Eastern European states are in for a new round of the crisis. The external control of the banking sector and high reliance on external credit has landed the countries of Eastern Europe in a vulnerable position. Now, credit flows from Western banks are drying up again. Hungary has been the first country in the region to ask for IMF support again.
While the G20 efforts to manage global aggregate demand, exchange rate management and stronger regulation of the international financial sector have not worked out quite as planned, in Cannes the Group was further solidifying its role in directing the system of multilateral institutions.
In November 2011, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.The new Minister, Dirk Niebel of the (neo)-liberal FDP has launched a 'radical change of course'. In the recent edition of the Reality of Aid shadow report the change is analyzed.