The disease-spreading ability of mosquitoes has been constantly a threat to majority of developing countries as they inflicted great productivity losses to these economies by hamstringing communities with illnesses such as malaria, dengue, etc. These vectors have taken the lives of largest number of people in the recorded human history by spreading diseases more than any other natural calamities or illnesses.

One of the latest 78 grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support innovations in global health in 18 countries towards Okeng’s effort has to be seen as an endorsement for the continuance and efficacy of the plant research. The professor, who is assisted by his colleagues Dr. James Kalema and Dr. Mary Namaganda, has received a grant of $100,000 from the foundation to help the Ugandans to grow these plants in their yards to keep mosquitoes and related diseases at bay.

Okeng apprised that malaria was the biggest killer and contributor of poverty in Africa and Uganda. “When people are sick, they are unable to do productive work. They spend all their money in treating malaria. Our target is to reduce poverty as well as increase incomes,” he explained.

The professor claimed the idea was the first of its kind in Uganda and the world as well. He described that he acquired the knowledge of insect-eating mosquitoes in the 1960s as a student interested in animal and plant biology.

He revisited the idea when there was opposition to the nationwide spraying of households with DDT, an insecticide toxic to animals and humans, to control malaria. “We want people to have choices and shift from using insecticides,” he added.

The plants are said to be very effective in killing any flying insects like house flies, moths, aphids or mosquitoes, and initial studies show bees are not been ensnared. However, the team has informed that the plants will be promoted only after a conclusive study on the effect of these on the bees. This is the first time the plants will be cultivated and utilised in disease control though people knew about these insect-eating plants existed in Africa long ago.

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The Engineering Development Board (EDB) which organized the workshop was attended by various industry heads and government officials. Zaheeruddin Dar, Chairman of DART, a consulting firm which is associated with the formation of NEEDS presented 29 point proposal draft at the workshop including the establishment of EXIM bank, trade promotions and industry specific training institutions.

While addressing the workshop, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Owais Ahmed Ghani said that despite insurgency, great opportunities in the engineering and technological industrial sectors awaited Pakistan. It should be noted, the recently concluded Pak-US Trade and Investment Council had remarked that due to efforts of Pakistan to combat terrorism, it has suffered huge losses and its export competitiveness declined considerably.

Razzaq Dawood, one of the business leaders told that if Pakistan desired to achieve the $70bn export target it had to integrate engineering, chemical and information technology (IT) development at par with textiles. In response, Minister for Industries and Production, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani assured that his government would bring about necessary changes to facilitate the engineering industry to play its due role. Furthermore, engineering sector’s significant growth last year when exports of Pakistan decreased by 11 percent also compels the Gilani administration to give equal priority for other key sectors apart from textiles.

The NEEDS has chalked out plans to energize the industry from its $800mn exports to $10bn in next 15yrs through the implementation of the proposal draft. It has identified Central Africa and Latin America as potential markets and Pakistan has the ability to tap more than $165bn market through right approach. It has also observed the country’s engineering products had good demand in international markets owing to their price competitiveness, and all they needed was extra support from the government to exploit the export opportunities overseas.

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Last month, Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry of India had said the slide in overseas sales had resulted in companies cutting 500,000 jobs in 10 industries. Since past four months, India’s exports are declining at an average of 30 percent.

The new policy has simplified exim documentation procedures to avoid red tape and attract new entrants. The affected industries are provided with tax cuts and lower interest rates. The government has decided to continue the DEPB scheme up to December 2010, and enhanced insurance coverage and exposure for exports through ECGC Schemes till 31st March 2010.

Sharma while presenting the FTP said “we would like to encourage production and export of ‘green products’ through measures such as phased manufacturing program for green vehicles, zero duty EPCG Scheme and incentives for exports”.

According to the Indian commerce ministry, the measures like tax exemption and cheaper credit rates to the needful industries are a stitch in time program but the larger plan would be to expand and diversify to new markets. The decline in demand for Indian merchandise from the North American and Western European markets that account for almost 50 percent of Indian exports has forced India to call for increasing presence in Latin America, Africa, Oceania and CIS countries.

India’s trade deficit was $10bn per month last year but past three months have seen that falling to half of last year’s average. India’s exports grew from about $64bn in 2004-05 to around $169bn last fiscal at an average growth rate of 25 percent, the third fastest after Russia and China during the same period.

The new FTP will serve as the trade roadmap for the next five years to the exim entities of India. The Ministerial Meeting of the WTO G-20 plus countries that will be held in India during the first week of next month will witness Indian negotiations centred on the new FTP. Sharma said that India was committed to conclude the Doha Round talks, however, indicated that India would remain conscious of the interests of the millions of country’s farmers and also that of country’s small and medium enterprises.

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