report in The Daily Star, May 25, 2023
The US will deny visas to people believed to be responsible for or complicit in undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a briefing on Wednesday said, “This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services. The United States notified the Bangladeshi government of this decision on May 3, 2023.
“The holding of free and fair elections is the responsibility of everyone—voters, political parties, the government, the security forces, civil society, and the media. I am announcing this policy to lend our support to all those seeking to advance democracy in Bangladesh,” he said.
Explaining “undermining the democratic election process”, he said actions including vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their right to freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from disseminating their views.
The US announced the new visa policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) (“3C”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/us-deny-visas-bangladeshis-whod-undermine-polls-process-3328836
Chinese company opens $22m factory
report in The Daily Star, May 25, 2023
ISMARTU Technology BD Ltd, a concern of Chinese mobile assembling company Transsion Holdings, has inaugurated a factory inside Meghna Industrial Economic Zone in Narayanganj yesterday.
Representing brands such as TECNO, itel, Infinix, oraimo and Syinix, the ISMARTU invested about $22 million to set up the smart device manufacturing plant inside the zone of the Meghna Group of Industries (MGI).
The ISMARTU officials said it has a manufacturing capacity of one million mobile phones per month, including smartphones and feature phones.
The ISMARTU factory, covering an area of over 22,000 square meters, is expected to generate employment opportunities for over 2,000 local individuals, contributing to the local economy.
Transsion Holdings Chairman George Zhu acknowledged Bangladesh to be a strategic market for the company’s business expansion.
He expressed optimism that the investment would not only accelerate the company’s local development but also contribute to the digitalisation and modernisation of Bangladesh.
Virtually inaugurating the factory as chief guest, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar applauded Transsion for coming up to offer affordable devices in line with the government’s commitment to bridging the digital gap among the people.
According to the ISMARTU’s market assessment, the annual demand for mobile phones was around 2.5 crore.
A total of 15 plants have so far been established in Bangladesh, producing 10.35 crore handsets as of 2022, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), which provides manufacturing permits.
Of the 10.35 crore phones, 67 per cent or 6.94 crore were feature phones while the rest smartphones — 21.81 lakh 3G phones, 3.16 crore 4G phones and 3.5 lakh 5G phones.
The 15 entities invested an estimated Tk 2,000 crore for setting up the plants, creating jobs for around 15,000 to 18,000 people.
According to industry insiders, the annual turnover has reached about Tk 15,000 crore.
In the latter half of 2017, when Bangladesh allowed local manufacturing by offering a huge amount of tax benefits, only 40,000 cell phones were produced by local firm Walton.
But things started to accelerate the following year as local entities engaged in deals with top global brands, including Samsung, Tecno and Symphony, to set up manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority Executive Chairman Shaikh Yusuf Harun was the special guest yesterday.
Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, vice chairman of BTRC, Song Yang, economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh, Mostafa Kamal, chairman of the MGI, and Mahir Sahin, director, Platforms and Ecosystems Partnerships at Google, were also present.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/global-economy/news/chinese-company-opens-22m-factory-3328946
- SRI LANKA SCENE
Gota’s shift to organic farming led to 50% drop in rice yield during by Kelum Bandara in Daily Mirror, 25 May 2023
The sudden shift to organic farming in 2021 by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resulted in a drop of more than 50 percent in paddy yield in the 2021/2022 Maha season, according to a research.
The then government enacted the Import and Export Regulations No. 7 of 2021 which banned the import of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The government later revoked the gazette notification. The Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) conducted a survey from August to September 2022, comparing the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Maha seasons to identify the effects and consequences of the fertilizer policy changes on rice production, household economy and food security.
The study has found that only three percent of paddy farmers were in support of a complete shift to organic farming, while 46 percent believed only chemical inputs are suitable.
“Yield reduction of paddy in the 2021/22 Maha season was more than half when compared to the previous season, a much higher yield loss than expected. Therefore, moving towards complete organic cultivation was not desirable or sustainable. The yield penalties and unmatched price premiums of farm inputs can be multiple threats to food security. There is a need for more environmentally and economically sustainable fertilizer policies but extreme solutions such as a complete ban or restrictive licensing might not be feasible in the short run,” the research paper says.
The move also resulted in five percent reduction in paddy extent cultivated. Besides, 53 percent average yield loss of paddy per acre was reported during the same Maha season.
This study compares the two main paddy cultivating seasons (2020/21 and 2021/22), before and after the import ban, among 625 paddy farmers from 11 districts representing major, Mahaweli, minor and rain-fed irrigation systems. https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Gotas-shift-to-organic-farming-led-to-50-drop-in-rice-yield-during-202122-Maha-season-HARTI/108-259807
