Latest Subsidy Stories

By Zermeno, Sergio THE EUROPEAN UNION HAS STEADFASTLY opposed agricultural trade liberalization, as proposed by the United States, with arguments in favor of food security and employment.1 And it makes sense that the old continent, which is home, in proportional terms, to five times as many farmers as the United States, sees no incentive in opening its market to cheap, heavily subsidized U.S. food and having to pay even greater subsidies than it already does to protect its own important...

Text of report by Economic Desk headlined "With removal of subsidies from month of Mehr - Electricity price to quintuple" published by Iranian newspaper Aftab-e Yazd website on 19 August In the winter of 87, the people's representatives began the work of allocating the budget as they occupied their green seats in parliament. On the basis of calculations made, the Energy Ministry was tasked with producing 156 billion kilowatts-hours [kWh] of electricity worth 2,100 billion tumans by the end...

Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website on 12 August Washington: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Tuesday called on Latin America and Caribbean countries to strengthen social programmes to alleviate the impact of higher food prices on their populations. The IDB said that to support such initiatives it will provide a US500m dollars credit line for countries to improve agricultural productivity and expand cash transfer programmes. The Bank said it was...

Vietnam not to raise electricity, water, coal prices this year HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has instructed sectors and enterprises not to increase charges of electricity, running water and coal before the end of this year, local newspaper Youth reported Tuesday. The government also asked them to maintain stable prices of other important goods, regardless of their smaller profits, the newspaper quoted Vietnamese Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh as saying. If they want...

By a 6-0 vote, the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC") announced today its affirmative decision on the petition filed by U.S. producers of laminated woven polypropylene sacks against dumped and subsidized imports of these products from China. Laminated woven sacks are typically used to package pet foods, bird seeds, and similar products sold at retail. The ITC's affirmative vote means that U.S. importers of these products from China will be required to pay high duties to offset unfair...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Maine's highest court has rejected an appeal by a couple who wanted the town of Swans Island to pay for their children's education at a Christian school. Jason and Priscilla Joyce argued that the subsidy to send their children to a religious school in Trenton came from town funds -- not state funds -- and therefore was exempt from state law banning the use of public money for religious education. They also argued that the town's payment was to them, not to the school....

Six U.S. pipe makers and the United Steelworkers (USW) today commended the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) for its affirmative decision that unfairly traded imports of circular welded steel pipe from China injured the U.S. industry and its workers. The ITC's decision will allow an antidumping duty order to be imposed on Chinese exports of circular welded steel pipe with duties ranging from 69.20 to 85.55 percent. The decision will also result in a countervailing duty order...

Philippines offers power subsidy to poor people MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has given 40 million pesos (900,000 U.S. dollars) in cash over the past week to thousands of poor people in Metro Manila to help them pay power bills, said a senior official here on Saturday. At least 85,000 people have already availed of the one-time 500 peso (11 U.S. dollars) power subsidy cash from the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines, said Secretary of the Department of Social...

By Elizabeth John SPIRALLING food prices may be leaving many hungry and even more angry. But in every crisis, there's an opportunity, says agriculture and resource economist Professor Dr Mad Nasir Shamsudin. The dean of UPM's Faculty of Environmental Studies talks to ELIZABETH JOHN about how today's problems could open doors to a more bountiful future. Q: How would you describe the current situation with rising food prices? A crisis? A: I look at it as an opportunity, not a crisis. Q:...

By Richard Waddington GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday delayed a World Trade Organization (WTO) probe into whether it has dismantled cotton subsidies ruled illegal by the Geneva-based trade referee. Brazil accuses Washington of failing to abide by a landmark 2004 verdict in which the WTO decreed part of the multi-billion dollar cotton program violated trade rules and demanded sweeping reform. But WTO rules allow members to block an initial request for a probe, although a...