CENN – DECEMBER 23, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. Monsanto introduces triple trait tech
2. Harvest of Hope?
3. Yerevan Airport Operator Expands Into Agribusiness
4. Eduardo Ernekian Invests in Armenia’s Agricultural Sphere
5. Regional Civil Society Meetings towards the 6th Global Civil Society
Forum (19-20 February 2005, Nairobi, Kenya)

1. MONSANTO INTRODUCES TRIPLE TRAIT TECH

Source: CropBiotech Update, December 22, 2004 (Via Agnet)

Monsanto Company will make available the first triple trait offering,
YieldGard Plus with Roundup Ready Corn 2 technology, for 2005 season
planting in the United States. The new product will offer corn growers
in-seed protection against harmful corn insects and the flexibility of
herbicide tolerance in one seed.

The latest technology provides corn growers both above and below the
ground protection against Western and Northern corn rootworm larvae and
the European corn borer, and weed control. Monsanto adds that corn
growers have benefited from the flexibility and convenience of Roundup
Ready and YieldGard and will now get more profits from its latest
product.

More on this new technology from

2. HARVEST OF HOPE?
Agriculture is a colossal environmental problem; genetic science could
be part of the solution

MENDEL IN THE KITCHEN
A Scientist’s View of Genetically Modified Foods
By Nina Fedoroff and Nancy Marie Brown
Joseph Henry Press, 370 pp., $24.95

Reviewed by Richard Manning

A young postdoctoral student in a molecular biology lab once told me the
problem with her line of work is that she can’t explain to her mother
what she does. This is more than a personal problem. If the rest of us
benighted laypeople could get some sort of idea of what is being done in
those labs, we would better understand the depth of the world’s
environmental problems and the character of life itself. Indeed, those
scientists who tinker with DNA have drifted into isolation from the rest
of us, simply because they see something we cannot.

One of the things we need to see is that the controversy about
genetically engineered foods is misguided. The problem is not
genetically engineered crops; it is crops. The world is in terrible
trouble because of the fundamental design of agriculture. Genetic
science is finally developing some tools that may at least help with a
redesign that is sustainable.

Still, when the world in general thinks about gene science, it thinks
about genetic engineering. I wish we could get beyond this, and we will,
but not because of any sudden outbreak of rationality. We will get
beyond it because gene science has moved on to something far bigger and
more profound than genetic engineering.

For the Full Text Please See:

3. YEREVAN AIRPORT OPERATOR EXPANDS INTO AGRIBUSINESS

Source: RFE/RL Armenia Report, December 21, 2004

The ethnic Armenian owner of an Argentine company that runs Armenia’s
main international airport unveiled on Tuesday, December 20, 2004 plans
to invest millions of dollars in the country’s agribusiness sector as he
set up a joint venture with a local firm.

Senior executives from Tierras de Armenia, a Yerevan-based company
belonging to billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian, and Max Group said they are
joining forces to develop 6,000 hectares of arid land in the southern
Armavir region into fruit orchards. They pledged to invest up to $25
million in the venture in the next few years.

`In the next five or six years we will also set up a fairly big fruit
processing plant in the area,’ said Mher Bagratian, a major Max Group
shareholder.

`We believe that this is going to be a long-term business project that
could assist in the country’s further development,’ said Marcelo Vende,
the chief executive of Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport who represents
Eurnekian.

Max Group’s activities are quite diverse, ranging from fuel imports to
agribusiness. One of its two other owners is Harutiun Pambukian, a
wealthy parliamentarian close to President Robert Kocharian.

Senior government officials present at the signing of the deal welcomed
Eurnekian’s decision to expand his business presence in Armenia into
agriculture. `Agriculture is gradually becoming a profitable area for
doing business,’ Agriculture Minister David Lokian told RFE/RL.

Eurnekian is primarily known as the main owner of a consortium operating
33 airports across Argentina and elsewhere in South America. He also
owns 200,000 hectares of land and food processing factories in northern
Argentina.

Eurnekian’s Corporacion America runs Zvartnots in accordance with a
30-year management contract that it signed with the Armenian government
three years ago. The company launched last June the construction of a
new terminal that is supposed to bring the airport into conformity with
international standards. It estimated the total cost of the project at
more than $40 million.

4. EDUARDO ERNEKIAN INVESTS IN ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURAL SPHERE

Source: Noyan Tapan, December 21, 2004

On December 21, 2004 at Zvartnots Airport Director of the Tiera de
Armeni company Anna-Christina Shirinian and shareholder of Max Group
Khachik Manukian signed an agreement on joint activities. According to
the agreement, at least 1,600-1,700 hectares of apricot orchards,
200-300 hectares of peach and plum orchards and 500 hectares of
grapevines are to be planted in the area of 6 thousand hectares (3
thousand ha was sold to Tiera de Armeni) located near the settlement of
Baghramian (Armavir marz) and belonging to Max Group. According to
Khachik Manukian, it is envisaged to start the construction of a fruit
processing plant with a processing capacity of 40 thousand tons of fruit
per year at the end of 2005. The harvest is expected in 5 years;
meanwhile 20-25 million dollars will be invested. Eduardo Ernekian owns
Tiera de Armeni, which was recently registered in Armenia. The American
International Airports Company also belonging to the multimillionaire
from Argentina implements the management of Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport.
Max Group, one of Armenia’s big multiprofile companies, has 15 thousand
200 hectares of land in the country’s various marzes. Its shareholders
are Khachik Manukian, Harutyun Pambukian (both deputies of the NA) and
Mher Bagratian. Kh. Manukian also stated the two sides will make equal
in amount investments, the Argentinian side will implement the
management of the business and the Armenian side will carry out the
agricultural work. The Airport lawyer Armen Ter-Tachatian announced that
profit made by Tiera de Armeni would not have a commercial significance,
it will go to a special fund established by Ernekian and used to develop
the agriculture.

5. REGIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY MEETINGS TOWARDS THE 6TH GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY
FORUM (19-20 FEBRUARY 2005, NAIROBI, KENYA)

In November -December 2004, each regional office of UNEP hosted a civil
society meeting (six in total) in preparation of the 6th Global Civil
Society Forum (GCSF). Gathering around 40 civil society representatives,
each forum had a special focus on international environment governance
(IEG), the UNEP work programme 2006-07 and UNEP capacity building
cooperation with civil society. On December 3, 2004, two civil society
organizations from each region gathered in Nairobi to elaborate a global
civil society statement based on the regional outcomes.

I also attended civil society meeting in Geneva and actively
participated in adoption of regional statement. I had informed
attendants about activities in the sphere of information dissemination,
activities of working groups on GMO, European Plan on Environment and
Health and Ecostrategy.

First of all I had driven attention of attendance to water, sanitation
and human settlement issues and I am happy to say that everybody
supported to include this important (mainly for the South Caucasus
region) issue into the statement which describes the importance of UNEP
participation in realization of EU Water Initiative(See page 5 of the
attached statement of UNEP ROE)

On February 19-20, 2004 more than 100 civil society representatives from
all over the world are expected to attend the 6th GCSF. The event,
organized back to back with the GC-23/GMEF, February 21-25, 2005 is the
main venue for civil society to participate in UNEP decision-making
process.

The regional and the global statements will be distributed to
governments in in view of the twenty-third session of UNEP Governing
Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-23/GMEF) and are also
available online().

By decision of UNEP ROE I will be among those who will present mentioned
statement to the 6th Global Civil Society Forum (February 2005, Nairobi,
Kenya).

Best regards

Rafig Verdiyev, ECORES, UNEP NC, Azerbaijan

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