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Sanyo Electric announced a contract with Sharp for buying liquid crystal display panels (LCD panels) to use in Sanyo flat-

screen TVs sold in North America. The two firms also suggested a future joint development of kitchen appliances. Sanyo has

bet its future on rechargeable batteries and solar cells, and is intensifying investment in these businesses amid a

disappointing performance by its consumer electronics operation. "We hope to expand our business by having a mutually

complementary relationship with Sharp," said Sanyo spokesperson Yuko Hosaka. "Sharp's strength in LCD is part of that." Sanyo

said it started procuring LCDs from Sharp in April, and would also continue procurement from other suppliers. Sanyo sold

about a million LCD TVs in North America in the business year that ended on 31 March. Sharp, the world's third-largest LCD TV

maker behind Samsung Electronics and Sony, has been trying to secure a stable source of demand for its LCD panels from rival

TV set makers as it aggressively invests in expanding output. It is planning to spend 380 billion yen to build a new LCD

plant in Japan, scheduled to start production by March 2010. Sony, Toshiba and Pioneer have said they plan to buy LCD panels

from Sharp. Sanyo announced on Thursday that it had returned to the black for the first time in four years, helped by robust

sales of rechargeable batteries and digital cameras, and said profit would jump this year on the sale of its cell phone unit.

But its traditional home electronics business, including cooking appliance and refrigerators, remained in the red.

Pakistani Technology Upgrading and Skill Development Company (Tusdec) is planning to establish public facility centers in

Lahore and Karachi at a cost of Rs5.7 billion to facilitate development of the country’s electronics industry and to reduce

dependence on imports. Disclosing this, a Tusdec spokesman said here on Wednesday that the country was spending over

$1billion per annum on importing cellular phones alone because it had not developed its electronic sector despite the fact

that it had become the most lucrative market in the world with an annual turnover of $1.2 trillion. Pakistan's electronics

sector basically focused on consumer electronics, with activities confined to assembly of conventional TV sets, radio,

cassette recorders and other allied consumer electronics products using CKD or SKD component kits, imported mostly from

China. The share of electronics in country's manufacturing sector was merely three per cent. The spokesman said that Tusdec

was establishing the Lahore Electronics Complex at a cost of Rs2.7 billion with focus on cellular phones and telecom sectors

and Karachi Electronics Complex at a cost of Rs3 billion to cater to the requirements of consumer and home appliances

industry including liquid crystal display, television, computer monitors and multimedia products. The centers were designed

to support and help grow the local industry through 'economy of scale', supply of sub-assemblies and kits at competitive

prices to those being otherwise imported from China and nearby countries. The economy of scale supply would contribute

significantly to the lowering of cost of electronics products in the country with respect to other players in the

international market.

A New York supreme judge has ruled that home computer maker Dell engaged in fraud, false advertising, deceptive business

conduct and abusive debt collection practices. New York State Supreme Court Judge Joseph Teresi said Dell lured customers

with advertisements offering "no interest" or "no payment" financing options, but its financing arm would charge higher

rates. Supreme Court Justice Joseph C. Teresi will hold further proceedings to determine how much restitution Dell will have

to pay to its customers, the decision said. Dell said disagreed with Teresi's decision. "We don't agree with this decision

and will be defending our position vigorously. Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide the best customer

experience possible," the company said in a statement. "We are confident that when the proceedings are finally completed the

court will determine that only a relatively small number of customers have been affected," it said.

The U.S. government is expected to file a new World Trade Organization case against the European Union in a dispute over EU

tariffs on computer monitors and other technology products, congressional aides said Tuesday. The aides, who spoke on the

condition that they’re not identified, said they expected U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab to announce the action in a

press conference she has scheduled for Wednesday morning. Schwab's office issued a "media advisory" Tuesday saying Schwab

would make an announcement regarding the European Union and the WTO's Information Technology Agreement. However, a spokesman

for the U.S. Trade Representative's office would not comment on whether Schwab would be announcing litigation Wednesday.

Schwab has warned the United States was considering a WTO case against the EU because of tariffs ranging up to 14 percent

that Brussels imposes on LCD monitors larger than 19 inches in size, set-top boxes and multi-function printers. The United

States has tried unsuccessfully to persuade the EU that those products should receive duty-free treatment under the

Information Technology Agreement, which eliminated tariffs on a broad range of technology goods. "We're kind of burned out on

the jaw-boning side of the equation. It's not working," said Schwab said at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in

January. "We are looking at going to resolution on the ITA with the World Trade Organization," Schwab said then.

Cassava Flour FLOUR made from sweet potato and cassava may soon be an option for consumers affected by huge price increases

over the past year. The Trinidad and Tobago Agri-Business Association (TTABA) has been producing cassava flour and has begun

to experiment with the manufacture of flour from sweet potato. TTABA Chief Executive Officer Vassel Stuart said that sweet

potato flour held great promise. He said that cassava flour will reach the grocery shelves by the end of the year and that

farmers contracted to grow it had started harvesting the crop. "The ability of farmers to produce cassava on a large scale

will determine the success of the product," he said, adding that cassava flour was a healthier choice for consumers.

According to Stuart, "adding cassava flour to wheat flour will enhance flavour and enrich food prepared at homes and

restaurants". He said the association has been waiting for produce from contract farmers to increase production of cassava

flour and that research into sweet potato flour was continuing at TTABA laboratories. The state-owned company set up by

government to upgrade and expand the agricultural sector has been registering farmers in Central for contract farming. "We

are on the verge of signing contracts to grow sweet potato on over 500,000 acres of land," he said. He said that private

farmers had shown a readiness to get into contract farming and the price offered for sweet potato at $1.30 a pound had been

increased to $1.90 a pound. He said that sweet potato chips had already become a success and cassava flour would be a healthy

option for consumers. President of the Central Farmers Association and the Cunupia Farmers Cooperative Society, Anil

Deonarine, said that farmers began cultivation of sweet potato and would be signing contracts with TTABA which would purchase

all the harvest at a fixed price. He pointed out that Central farmers had been studying market trends and had been planting

crops in such a way that the market would not be flooded. "Tomatoes sold at $4 in the retail market would only put $2 a pound

in the farmers' pockets, it cannot pay us," he said adding that the cost of production was too high. Deonarine pointed out

that there were as many as 20,000 farmers in the country and very often the market becomes flooded with certain crops.

"Contract farming is the best solution," he said adding that guaranteed price for sweet potato would enable farmers to invest

in the crop and ensure bumper harvests.

PVC Hose The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has asked the State Bank of Viet Nam to provide

loans in foreign currency to seafood exporters according to Tran Thien Hai, chairman of VASEP. Under Decision 09/2008/QD-

NHNN, the State bank does not provide any loans for such exporters. Interest rates on loans in Vietnamese dong are 19 per

cent a year while the rates on foreign currency are 6.5-7 per cent a year. Twin electronics expos to be held in HCM City HCM

CITY — The 12th International Exhibition in Viet Nam for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Vietnam Telecomp

2008) and the International Exhibition in Viet Nam for Electronics Products 2008 (Vietnam Electronics 2008) will be held in

tandem from November 26-29 at the HCM City International Exhibition and Convention Centre (HIECC). The twin expo is expected

to occupy an exhibition area of over 6,000sq.m, with 178 exhibitors from 17 countries and territories participating. Featured

products likely to catch the industry’s attention include third-generation networking (3G), satellite technology, electronic

components and accessories, and home entertainment and appliances. SaraWindow launches new products BAC NINH — The

SaraWindow factory located in the Tien Son Industrial Zone, in the northern province of Bac Ninh, has officially launched a

new line products made of u-PVC, a type of plastic incorporating a steel core, produced to meet the quality-control standards

of European technology. SaraWindow produces doors and windows. SaraWindow operates two other factories in Viet Nam, one in

the Nam Cam and the other in the My Phuoc 5 Industrial Zone, which are situated in the central province of Nghe An and the

southern province of Binh Duong, respectively. These factories represent a combined capital of US$20 million. Each factory

occupies a 30,000sq.m site and has an annual production capacity of 130,000 units. Builder/developer expects sharp rise in

2008 profits HCM CITY — The Lu Gia Mechanical Electric Company planned to earn a net revenue of VND120 billion (US$7.5

million) this year, a year-on-year increase of 56.4 per cent, resulting in an after-tax profit of VND30 billion and allowing

a dividend payment ratio of 17 per cent. The company plans to raise its charter capital to VND80 billion from VND30 billion

by issuing an additional 5 million shares. The Lu Gia Company will sell 4.5 million of those shares to existing shareholders

at a ratio of 1:1.5, 150,000 to its staff and the rest to strategic partners, all at the same price of VND15,000 per share.

The total capital after issuance will be invested into a Lu Gia apartment-building development project. Gemadept puts

$18.7million into new subsidiary HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Investment and Planning granted a licence to develop

the Sai Gon Commodity and Service Joint Stock Co (SCSC) with an initial charter capital of VND300 billion (US$18.7 million).

The company, founded by Gemadept Joint Stock Company with a capital contribution ratio of 23 per cent, will trade in a range

of commodites, including oil and gas, transport, and real estate.

Frozen Green Asparagus Many Nigerians have expressed fear that unless urgent measures, with far-reaching impacts are taken, the present food shortages and the attendant prices would soon assume an uncontrollable situation. However, Dr. Eleoke C. Chukwuigwe, former Head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkporlu, Port Harcourt said Nigerians do not need to panic but rather to strategise on possible ways towards averting the situation. “We are not in food crisis here in Nigeria yet. If you look at what happened in Haiti and Egypt where people or citizens took to the street because of lack of food, that is food crisis. Nigerian present food situation has not graduated to what you can term crisis situation,” but is a wake-up call on Nigerians particularly the authorities to strategise and tap fully abundant agric potentials in the country. Chukwuigwe, an associate professor and former Director, Nigrian Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) said Nigeria has not got to food crisis situation because part of oil money is being invested in importing food from outside the country but warned that if the current scarcity persists, we might get there. “If our oil has not been around, the country could have been at that crisis situation. So thanks to the oil,” he said. Apart from allaying the fear about food crisis at present, Chukwuigwe outlined certain measures which the nation should put in place to avert the eminent crisis in agriculture. He said Nigerians should adopt the economic principle of comparative advantage by reducing demand and consumption of rice by eating more of cassava products which is relatively cheaper and more available than rice. “Must we eat rice? In my days, when we were growing up, we only eat rice on Sundays. All we need do is eat more of the varieties of cassava products,” he advised. The university don said the country has a lot of potentials to produce rice to meet our domestic needs and event to export to boost our exchange rate. “We have suitable and fertile land from Uzoakoli, Afikpo to Ogoja that cultivation of rice can thrive very well but little attention is being paid to this opportunity. We used to have Ogoja rice, Abakaliki rice,Afikpo rice etc,” he said. He noted that apart from the problem of stones in our specie of rice, the local rice is richer and tastier than the foreign rice which we import from other rice producing nations of the world. On how to attend to the problem of stones in our specie of rice, Chukwuigwe disclosed that there are machines that can destone our rice and make them free for stones. “Our rice has some richness and is better in taste compared to foreign rice except we have more stones in it which can be destoned because there are destoning machines,” he said. Commenting on the swift measure adopted by the Federal Government by importing N80 billion rice, the associate professor commended the measure but added that apart from importing which he regarded to be a short term measure, the Federal Government should consider investing huge sum on local production of rice. He remarked that importation depresses local price level and kills incentives for local production since by importing bulk goods, the prices become cheaper than the locally produced ones. This he said has the implication of chasing local producers out of business as they cannot sell below their production cost. He called on the government to encourage local productions of agro-allied products and consider diversification so as to increase the choice opportunities. One way of achieving this according to him is to introduce aspect of mechanisation in our agriculture that reduces drudgery. The don revealed that a recent study on potentials and constraints of oil palm in Rivers State and Bayelsa showed that young men were not willing to go into oil palm production while the few old men willing to venture cannot meet the local needs. He attributed this unwillingness of the able-bodied young men to the unattractiveness of the farming system. “Not many of us are willing to climb the palm trees but with aspect of mechanisation that can make it easy for a farmer to harvest hectares of palm trees while on ground, it reduces drudgery, makes the system attractive and increases production,” he stated.

Agricultural Machines Scores of Jim Bittner’s cherry trees are now just heaps of roots and sticks, piled in his fields here along Route 18. Some of the branches lying on the ground are dotted with small blossoms, the season’s earliest evidence that sweet cherries were on their way. But for Mr. Bittner, having sweet cherries would have meant hiring someone to prune the trees and harvest the fruit, and he was not sure that he could do it this year. So he cut his trees down.Skip to next paragraphMultimediaConcerned About Migrant Labor, a Farmer Turns to Machines Audio Slide ShowConcerned About Migrant Labor, a Farmer Turns to Machines “We always assumed we could find the labor we would need,” said Mr. Bittner, who has managed Singer Farms since 1991. “We’re not making that assumption anymore.” Mr. Bittner said he was planning to grow blueberries, or tart cherries for use in pies, because those crops could be harvested by machine and did not require migrant workers. Others managing the fields and dairies of western New York State are starting to make the same calculation. For the last several years, crackdowns on illegal immigrants and the lack of comprehensive immigration reform have increased anxiety among the region’s farmers, many of whom rely on a migrant labor force from Latin America to work their fields. Some have begun making changes in their operations to reduce their reliance on that labor force. For some, this has meant making temporary adjustments, like putting in less cabbage, or resisting the temptation to put in profitable, labor-intensive crops like asparagus. It can also mean making fundamental changes that cannot be easily reversed. Mr. Bittner cut down 25 acres of sweet cherry trees, some of which were 30 years old. He also dug up 20 acres of peach trees that were 12 to 15 years old. In all, he razed more than 10 percent of his fruit orchards this year, a decision that he said was a direct response to the immigration situation. There will be no harvest from the newly cleared fields until at least 2011. “We don’t take it lightly to make these changes,” Mr. Bittner said. Other farms are making large capital investments in mechanical systems that will allow them to cut their work force significantly. Fewer farmers are willing to buy neighboring properties, a traditional method of expansion for agricultural businesses. At least one food-processing company claims that it is already having trouble buying produce in the quantities it needs. Great Lakes Kraut, based in Shortsville, N.Y., which relies heavily on farmers in western New York for the cabbage it ferments to make sauerkraut, has been able to buy only about 80 percent of what it needs this year, according to the company’s vice president, Ben Frega. That will not lead to a shortage of sauerkraut, but Mr. Frega said it did play a role in a 10 percent price increase. “It’s been more difficult to secure our crops than any year I can remember,” Mr. Frega said. There are no data on the number of farmers changing crops because of the labor problem. Farmers’ organizations and state officials said that only small numbers of farmers were making major changes and that there was no immediate threat of major disruptions in local agricultural markets. But experts monitoring New York’s agricultural industry said that the shift away from labor-intensive crops would accelerate if the uncertainty over migrant labor and immigration policies remained unresolved. (On May 20, an attempt by Senator Diane Feinstein of California to attach a guest worker program to an Iraq spending bill failed.) “I don’t believe that we are seeing those numbers right yet, but I do think that this is a serious conversation that farmers are having,” said Jessica Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Agriculture. “One of the things that will change is the fresh market crops that need to be handpicked. They’re fresh, they’re fragile and they need that special personal harvest.”

Protein Hydrolysate Cumin seeds, paprika and turmeric infuse this starter with the flavours of the Subcontinent.Preparation Time 15 minutesCooking Time 20 minutesIngredients (serves 6) * 150g (1 cup) plain flour * 2 tsp cumin seeds * 1 tsp ground turmeric * 1/2 tsp paprika * 250ml (1 cup) chilled water * 1 egg yolk * 1.2kg (about 1 head) cauliflower, cut into medium florets * Vegetable oil, to fry * Yoghurt & mint sauce * 260g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt * 1 green shallot, ends trimmed, thinly sliced * 2 tbs shredded fresh mint * 2 tbs fresh lemon juice * 2 tbs water Method 1. To make the yoghurt & mint sauce, combine the yoghurt, shallot, mint, lemon juice and water in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill. 2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl. Add the cumin, turmeric and paprika and stir until well combined. Whisk together the water and egg in a jug. Add the water mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined (do not overmix). 3. Add enough oil to a large saucepan to reach a depth of 4cm. Heat to 190°C over medium-high heat (when the oil is ready, a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 10 seconds). 4. Dip 6-7 cauliflower florets, 1 at a time, into the batter to evenly coat. Shake off any excess. Add the cauliflower to the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 5 more batches, with remaining cauliflower and batter, reheating the oil between batches. 5. Place the cauliflower on a serving platter and serve immediately with the yoghurt & mint sauce.

Farm Jack A jury which tomorrow starts deliberating if Hawke's Bay farmer Jack Nicholas was gunned-down by an angry solo dad from 80km away, faces a defence proposition it was much closer to home - the farmer's own son. The finger was pointed at the High Court in Napier today by Bruce Squire QC, counsel for Murray Kenneth Foreman, 51, who pleads not guilty to a charge of murder. Foreman, an experienced hunter who lived at Haumoana, on the coast between Napier and Cape Kidnappers, denies being the person who shot 71-year-old Mr Nicholas just before 6.30am on August 27, 2004, at Makahu Farm, about an hour's drive inland into the foothills of the Kaweka Ranges. It came in his closing address, after a three-hour closing by crown prosecutor Russell Collins in a trial before Justice Simon France and a jury of eight women and four men. The prosecution focuses on claims by Donna Kingi who says Foreman arrived home in his car on the morning of the shooting and told her over their garden fence he thought he had shot someone, and that he later left to get rid of a gun. She also says that about a fortnight earlier Foreman took son Che for a trip into the hills, but returned early angered that a farmer had stopped them from crossing the land. Having moved to Australia about a month after the shooting, Ms Kingi's claims were first revealed in an e-mail to Sensible Sentencing Trust national spokesman Garth McVicar in November 2005, and Foreman was not arrested until April 2006. Among 40 people filling a small public gallery today were defence target Oliver Nicholas and widowed mother Agnes, whom Mr Squire suggested was "covering-up" for someone, when she was the third of more than 110 witnesses in the six weeks since the first evidence was given on April 14. Mr Squire, who will complete his address in the morning, spent about 1hr 20min focusing on evidence he asserted meant the killer had to have been someone "close" to Mr Nicholas. Largely avoiding the use of a name, he said the jury might consider that Oliver Nicholas, who lives on the farm with his wife and two children, was about the only option. Mr Squire cited the lack of physical evidence at the scene such as footprints and tyre tracks, Mrs Nicholas's evidence of the silence of Jack Nicholas's working dogs on the morning of the shooting, and her husband's lack of any cry in pain or other sounds as evidence that the shooting had to have been done by someone "close" and familiar with the farmer's daily routine. He asked what the jury might make of the presence of .308 ammunition in Oliver Nicholas's home, which had been explained as probably having come from friends whom he had taken hunting. He asked also what the jury might have made of the victim's son's decisions to go unarmed in search of a killer before help arrived, and to go to tend stock just a few hours after realising his father had been murdered. Mr Collins claimed the accused had lied, starting with telling police at the outset he had been home with his son and the boy's mother, when it was obvious the mother had not been there. Mr Collins said the accused lied more and more as the inquiry progressed. Conversely, the expected defence attack on the credibility of Ms Kingi, and claims she had only stepped forward in hope of a reward, would be in the face of numerous evidential factors of which she could not have been aware.