Above Capricorn Technologies - agricultural and environmental consultants /managers focussing on agriculture, horticulture, turf, sportsturf, livestock, land and land rehabilitation, erosion management, bioremediation, phytoremediation, water/wastewater and waste management [especially organics] in the tropics
It seems there is always doom and gloom environment news - so here is some good news, as reported by CNN. NASA satellite imagery reveals that China and India are leading the
world in adding volumes of green foliage. Also, since 2000, the Earth's overall
green acreage has grown by 5%, an area equivalent to the Amazon's rainforests. So.......maybe some positive news.
Image: www.nhs.uk We hear so much about poor commercial success of Australian export business other than raw materials, but maybe that perception should be receiving a serious rethink. With established biotech companies such as Cochlear and CSL acknowledged as leaders in their fields and very significant businesses and export earners, and a swath of next generation companies starting to also emerge, a most unlikely company has joined the fray, and in India, surely a significant market? Headlice are a pain............ask ANY parent of school age kids. Adults are also not immune either from the serious business of cleaning headlice eggs and washing adults off. There have been some treatment advances that offer less nasty products which have until recently been agrochemicals. Pharmaceutical start-up Hatchtech has signed a deal with India’s Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to commercialise a head lice treatment product, a product focussed on a cunning option that interferes with insect development. Fairfax reports that Dr Reddy’s will pay an $85 million pre-commercialisation payment and the rest of up to $279 million after sales-based targets are accomplished for Xeglyze Lotion. Established in 2001 by Dr Vern Bowles, Hatchtech has received investment from university venture capital body Uniseed, as well as QIC, and the VC firms OneVentures, Blue Sky and GBS Ventures. "This success is another good success for the venture capital market. We'd like to think we are the third successful venture capital exit in 12 months," CEO Hugh Alsop told Fairfax. Hatchtech’s Xeglyze is a lotion with an active ingredient called Abametapir, which stops enzymes critical for the survival of lice and their eggs. Smart heh?? [ partially sourced from Manufacturers Monthly newsletter]
While one door closes another may be opening. Australia is having difficulties selling beef or live cattle to Indonesia, but it seems another market for meat might be lamb sales to India.
Will not help northern cattle producers, but this could be an interesting option for sheepmeat producers.
It is understood that Australia is planning to sell boxed lamb meat.
The fairly dry media release follows -
Trade Minister Craig Emerson and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig announced today that Australia had secured market access for Aussie lamb to India. Australian lamb is being allowed into India free of quotas, based on Australia's compliance with India's food safety requirements.
"I am advised that Indians are fast developing a taste for our world renowned lamb, and that a number of Australian exporters are looking to this growing market," Dr Emerson said. "India's economic growth is creating a rapidly expanding middle class that is looking for quality products of the sort Australia readily provides." "India already has a middle class of around 170 million," he said.
selected lamb meat cuts
As the Government has highlighted in its White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, Asia will soon be home to the majority of the world's middle class. "Working with India to have our lamb enter this massive market is exactly the sort of cooperation we are seeking with the countries of Asia to drive Australia's prosperity," Dr Emerson said.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, said it was great news for Australian farmers. "Australian farmers produce high quality lamb," Minister Ludwig said. "The Gillard Government is committed to helping them take their product to the world and India is an important new growth market. "I look forward to continuing to work with Australian producers and the Trade Minister to get the best results for Australian exporters."
Dr Emerson was in India last month for talks with his counterpart on the trade and investment relationship between the two countries.
India is Australia's fourth largest export market and the two-way trading relationship currently stands at around $18 billion.
So if visiting India and staying in hotel accomodation your next lamb korma curry might be Australian meat.
Most parts of the tropics grow chillies and capsicums. Often to try and claim bragging rights about the hotness of the local chillies. BUT..........word is out, do your best, but the title goes to India.
There is always controversy over the hotness of chillis. But a recent examination has finally found a hot one - hotter than the standard ones thrown up as the hotties. And it is from India, as anyone can attest - there are some hotties there!
Recently tested at over 1 million Scoville units [used to measure hotness of chillies] the chilli comes from Assam, in NE India. Called the bhut jolokia or ghost chilli in the hills of the NE Indian areas. Eating it is like dying says one of the growers of this red hot chilli. Eating one will kill you......just nibble is enough to cause watering eyes and a runny nose. The smallest morsel can add enough "bite" to almost any dish.
Development is happening in the growing areas to try and meet demand from chilli afficionidaos around the world, but the small, thumb sized chilli is hard to transport, and the plants difficult to grow, as they are considered a bit fragile .
In Nagaland in the Assam state it is used in almost every meal.........but you might have to travel there to eat it. Or should that be "just try it"!
