the natural resources dump:
take a single item from natural resources/ raw resource domain like mica, copper, wheat, cashewnut et al, something not taken by anyone else in your class.
list largest 3-5 producers, consumers, exporters, importers.
specifically for largest 2 exporters, list major three importing partners.
specifically for largest 2 importers, list major three exporting partners.
try listing numbers as to quantity/ $ worth alongwith ranks.
aditya has the exclusive right to post on Oil.
to be posted before mid-term Nov 9th
98 comments:
Respected Sir
I'm choosing 'Diamond' as Natural Resource.
I shall be submitting details on Trade w.r.t Diamond shortly.
Rgds
Harish
R.No-24
I am choosing 'Wheat' as commodity, on which details will be submitted shortly.
Regards,
Pawan Arora
Oct'07-EMP-46
Tarun Girdhar
Roll number 69
I am choosing GOLD as a natural resource....
Top 5 Gold Producers:
China, South Africa, Australia, the U.S., and Russia.
Top 5 Gold Consumers:
India,US,China,Turkey,Italy
Top Gold Exporters:
United States,Australia,Canada,Peru,Hongkong
Top Gold Importers:
India,US,Turkey,Italy
US Exports Gold to :
Switzerland,UK,Canada,India
Australia Exports Gold to :
mainly to India, Thailand, Singapore and the United Kingdom
India Majorly imports the Gold from australia,Canada,US
Us majorly imports Gold from Canada, followed by the Dominican Republic, Peru and Brazil
I would be posting details on Natural Gas Reserves.
Major Natural Gas Resources are in Eurasia and Middle East.
Bhupendra
Roll No: 14
--
Roll No - 9
-----------------
I will cover,
'Uranium'
top producer,
Consumers,
Use/Importance,
----------------
Uranium-producers
----------------------
The worldwide production of uranium in 2003 amounted to 41 429 tonnes, of which 25% was mined in Canada. Other important uranium mining countries are Australia, Russia, Niger, Namibia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Africa, USA and Portugal.
Yellowcake is a concentrated mixture of uranium oxides that is further refined to extract pure uranium.Uranium ore is mined in several ways: by open pit, underground, in-situ leaching, and borehole mining (see uranium mining). Low-grade uranium ore typically contains 0.1 to 0.25% of actual uranium oxides, so extensive measures must be employed to extract the metal from its ore. High-grade ores found in Athabasca Basin deposits in Saskatchewan, Canada can contain up to 70% uranium oxides, and therefore must be diluted with waste rock prior to milling, as the undilute stockpiled ore could become critical and start a nuclear reaction. Uranium ore is crushed and rendered into a fine powder and then leached with either an acid or alkali. The leachate is then subjected to one of several sequences of precipitation, solvent extraction, and ion exchange. The resulting mixture, called yellowcake, contains at least 75% uranium oxides. Yellowcake is then calcined to remove impurities from the milling process prior to refining and conversion.
Commercial-grade uranium can be produced through the reduction of uranium halides with alkali or alkaline earth metals. Uranium metal can also be made through electrolysis of KU5 or UF4, dissolved in a molten calcium chloride (CaCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. Very pure uranium can be produced through the thermal decomposition of uranium halides on a hot filament
I am chossing "Zinc" as Natural Resource.
Regards,
Shiv Raj Gupta
Roll No# 79
Further adding to "Zinc" natural resource:
Zinc has the atomic number 30 and is known by the symbol Zn.
Zinc is the fourth most widely used metal after iron, aluminum, and copper. Also, Zinc is the 23rd most abundant element in the earth's crust.
Sphalerite, zinc sulfide, is and has been the principal ore mineral in the world. Zinc uses range from metal products to rubber and medicines. About 3/4 of zinc used is consumed as metal, mainly as a coating to protect iron and steel from corrosion (galvanized metal), as alloying metal to make bronze and brass, as zinc-based die casting alloy, and as rolled zinc. The remaining 1/4 is consumed as zinc compounds mainly by the rubber, chemical, paint, and agricultural industries.
World Resources: Identified zinc resources of the world are about 1.9 billion metric tons.
Zinc is mined in more than 50 countries and is produced as metal and compounds in about 40 countries.
Zinc is extracted from zinc ores mostly sphalerite, zincite and smithsonite and the world mine production of zinc concentrate sums up to around 10008000 tons annually. The zinc concentrates are then used to produce the zinc metal and around 10319000 metric tons of metal is produced per year. China is the largest producer country of zinc in the world in context of both metal and concentrate production.
The world consumption of zinc annually totals up to around 10774000 tons.
The major exporter countries of zinc metal along with their export figures are
• Canada (712000 metric tons)
• China (472000 metric tons)
• Australia (443000 metric tons)
• Korea (243000 metric tons)
• Netherlands (210000 metric tons)
• Finland (208000 metric tons)
• Mexico (166000 metric tons)
• France (143000 metric tons)
• Norway (133000 metric tons)
• Japan (95000 metric tons)
• Spain (79000 metric tons)
The major countries that import zinc with their import figures are
• USA (878000 metric tons)
• China & Taiwan (304000 metric tons)
• Germany (231000 metric tons)
• Belgium (215000 metric tons)
• Italy (205000 metric tons)
• Netherlands (199000 metric tons)
• Singapore (148000 metric tons)
• France (127000 metric tons)
• Korea (110000 metric tons)
• UK (105000 metric tons)
• China (69000 metric tons)
source:
1. U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2008
2. http://minerals.usgs.gov
Shiv Raj Gupta
Roll No# 79
I am choosing Petroleum as Natural Resource, on which details will be submitted shortly.
Regards,
Shilpa Malhotra
Oct'07-EMP-64
Diamond and It's Value Chain
A. Introduction
"Neighbours Envy Owner's Pride"
Diamonds are regarded for their exquisite beauty and the timeless qualities of love and devotion that they represent, diamonds have fascinated mankind throughout the centuries. The most precious and enduring of all gemstones, diamonds were formed billions of years ago, deep within the earth. Only a small number survive the journey to the earth's surface; fewer still are of a quality that can be made into a precious piece of jewelry
B. Diamond Value Chain is as follows
1. Formation of Diamonds
Diamonds are beautiful, mysterious and rare. They survive an incredible journey to reach us, a journey that may have begun as long as 3.3 billion years ago. They are created when carbon is put under immense pressure and temperature deep within the earth—at distances of 250 miles or even greater.
One of nature's most unique and dazzling gifts, diamonds come from two types of deposits. Primary deposits generally consist of diamond-bearing "pipes" of a volcanic rock called "kimberlite." From deep in the earth these deposits were carried to the surface in molten rock, known as magma. Secondary deposits, also referred to as alluvial, were formed as a result of erosion of material from primary deposits and contain diamonds that have traveled some distance from their original source.
Even though world diamond production has tripled since 1980, diamonds remain a scarce resource. More than 12,000 kimberlite deposits have been found worldwide in the last 25 years, yet fewer than 1% have contained enough diamonds to make them economically viable. Geologists utilize many methods in diamond exploration, including satellite surveys, reconnaissance sampling and drilling in the ground.
2. Mining
Diamonds come from two types of deposits; each type requires special mining techniques. Primary deposits, in which diamonds are contained in kimberlite pipes, require open pit or underground mining operations. Secondary deposits are defined as diamonds that have traveled from their original location due to erosion. These require alluvial mining, which uncovers diamonds in riverbed, coastal and marine/undersea locations.
Regardless of the way diamonds are mined, enormous investment and technical skills are necessary to construct, maintain and operate a mine. In open pit and underground mines, the ore is crushed to uncover the diamonds. Coastal mining involves the excavation of sand to find diamonds. Undersea mining entails drilling into the seabed to recover diamond-bearing gravels. Riverbed mining is often on an informal, smaller scale -- also known as artisanal digging -- and involves the most basic of equipment, such as sieves and pans, to find diamonds
3. Sorting
Once mined, rough diamonds are delivered to sorting experts who categorize and assign a value to them. It is here that industrial quality diamonds – which are small, lower quality stones – are identified. These industrial diamonds are then used in equipment such as drill bits and lathes.
Those diamonds that are of gem quality are classified into thousands of categories based on size, shape, quality and color. The majority of diamonds fall within a range of standard colors from colorless to faint yellow or brown tints. Almost all rough diamonds have some distinguishing marks, known as inclusions, which make each one unique.
4. Cutting and Polishing
After sorting, the diamonds are cut and polished. In ancient times, diamonds were left uncut and mounted into their settings, which gave each piece a dark, deep, mysterious look. In the 1400's diamonds started to be cut and polished, which gave them their telltale sparkle and brilliance.
Currently cutting and polishing take place in Southern Africa, Belgium, China, India, Israel, Russia and the US, among other countries. Cutting a rough diamond takes great skill. A well-cut diamond reflects light within itself, from one facet to another, as well as through the top of the diamond, bringing out its spectral brilliance. The most popular cut is the 57 facet round brilliant.
After a stone has been cut, it is then polished and classified again, this time by its cut, color, clarity and carat weight, also known as the "Four Cs."
Cut: The art of polishing a diamond is to maximize its brilliance and fire (dispersion). A diamond that is cut too deep or too shallow will be less brilliant and ultimately, less valuable. The cut is the only factor of a polished diamond's value that is controlled by human hands.
Color: With diamonds, even the smallest variation in color can make a big difference. Colorless diamonds are the most popular, but nature has also created diamonds in all colors of the rainbow. All other 'Cs' being equal, the rarer the color, the more valuable the diamond is.
Clarity: Most diamonds contain naturally occurring inclusions, which developed while they were forming in the earth. The number, type, size, position and brightness of these inclusions can affect the clarity of a diamond, although most are too small to affect the beauty or brilliance of a stone.
Carat: As with all precious stones, the weight – and therefore the size – of a diamond is expressed in carats. One carat (equivalent to 0.2 grams) can be divided into 100 'points'.
5. Manufacturing
After being cut, polished and categorized, diamonds are then sold via one of the 24 registered diamond exchanges (also known as 'bourses') located around the world or direct to wholesalers or diamond jewelry manufacturers.
Manufacturers craft diamond jewelry commissioned by a retailer or other jewelry designers. They may also create jewelry – designed by in-house teams – and sell it direct to retailers. Transforming loose diamonds into jewelry takes great skill, creatively and technically.
Diamond manufacturers create pieces with all kinds of precious stones and metals. The most popular setting is the solitaire, for rings, earrings or pendants. But there are countless exciting designs that can be found in retailers around the world.
6. Retailing
This is the last process in value chain but most important process as it enables a Beautiful Lady Find a Beautiful Diamond
No gemstone expresses human emotions more powerfully than a diamond. It may be because of their rarity. It may be because they have been around for billions of years. Or it may just be because of their unique beauty and universal appeal.
For hundreds of years, diamonds have been given to celebrate important moments in people’s lives, such as engagements, weddings, anniversaries and the birth of a child. Today, more and more diamonds are being bought as symbols of independence and success.
Whatever the occasion, there are thousands of jewelry retailers around the world providing many styles from which customers can choose the perfect diamond design
Munish Singhal
Roll No : 38
Commodity : Coffee
Coffee is the world's second-most-valuable commodity exporting by developing countries, after oil. The global coffee industry earns an estimated $60 billion annually. Less than 10 percent of those earnings end up in the hands of coffee farmers.
Four major conglomerates -- Nestlé, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, and Sara Lee -- dominate world coffee markets, accounting for 60 percent of U.S. sales and 40 percent of the global coffee trade.
Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries in South America, Central America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Nearly 25 million farmers worldwide depend on growing coffee for their economic livelihood.
The world's top 10 coffee-producing nations, in order of amount produced, are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Ivory Coast and Uganda.
Brazil produces more than a third of the world's supply of coffee, almost three times as much as the No. 2 producer, Vietnam.
The top 10 coffee-importing countries, in order of amount imported, are the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland and the Netherlands.
Though Germany occupies the No. 2 position among consuming nations, the country imports only half the amount of coffee imported by the United States.
Diamond Industry - Facts and Figures
1. Size of Diamond Industry
- 173 million carat diamonds were produced in 2007
- Worth of 173 million carat diamonds were $13.9 Billion(@ $80 oer carat)
A. Properties of Diamond
- Diamond may well be the world's most versatile engineering material as well as its most famous gemstone. The superiority of diamond in so many diverse industrial applications is attributable to a unique combination of properties that cannot be matched by any other material. For example, diamond is the strongest and hardest known material and has the highest thermal conductivity of any material at room temperature. Diamond that does not meet gem-quality standards for color, clarity, size, or shape is used principally as an abrasive, and is termed "industrial diamond." Even though it is more expensive than competing abrasive materials, diamond has proven to be more cost effective in numerous industrial processes because it cuts faster and lasts longer than any rival material. Synthetic industrial is superior to its natural diamond counterpart because it can be produced in unlimited quantities, and, in many cases, its properties can be tailored for specific applications. Consequently, manufactured diamond accounts for more than 90% of the industrial diamond used in the United States.
-Approximately 20% of mined diamonds are used in jewelry and 80% for industrial uses (such as lasers, drill parts and surgical equipment).
B. Top 5 Producers (in decreasing order)
Botswana,Russia,Canada, South Africa,Angola
C. Top Consumers as per Diamond sales(in decreasing order)
USA(35%), Hongkong(26%), Belgium(15%), Japan(6%), Israel(4%)
D. Israel and Belgium(Antwerp) are important Hubs for trading diamonds
E. Polishing Centres
- India is the largest polishing centre and employs 800,000 polishers cutting industrial and lower quality gem stones.
- Israel is the world's second greatest polishing force. Its industry is renowned for cutting high quality stones. Israel's net imports of rough in 2000 were 4.9 million carats for US$2.8 billion. Net exports of polished diamonds were 1.6 million carats for US$3.2 billion.
- Russia is the third largest diamond polisher in the world and its presence is growing. There are about 10,000 Russians employed in the diamond cutting industry.
- Canada's diamond polishing industry is still in the infant stages.
F. Top Companies Marketing Diamonds as per Volume(in decreasing order)
- De Beers
- Rio Tinto
- Alrosa
- BHP Billiton
Respected Sir
I have chosen "coal" as natural resource.
Top Coal Producers
1. China … 2,482 metric tons
2. United States … 990 metric tons
3. India … 427 metric tons
4. Australia … 309 metric tons
5. South Africa … 244 metric tons
Countries other than China have significantly reduced coal production.
Top Coal Exporters
1. Australia … 231 metric tons
2. Indonesia … 129 metric tons
3. Russia … 92 metric tons
4. South Africa … 69 metric tons
5. China … 63 metric tons
Russia had the fastest percentage increase in coal exports while America achieved the greatest percentage decrease.
Top Coal Importers
1. Japan … 178 metric tons
2. South Korea … 80 metric tons
3. Chinese Taipei … 64 metric tons
4. United Kingdom … 51 metric tons
5. Germany … 41 metric tons
Based on available statistics, Japan imported the most coal and grew its imports at the fastest rate. This is because of its extensive steel productions.
Top Coal Consuming Regions
Led by China, Asia-Pacific countries accounted for 65% of world hard coal consumption. North America consumed 18% while European Union nations used 7% , followed by Russia’s 6%.
Rajat Sharma
Roll No.51
Silver.
Mohit Jairath
roll no 37
mob +91 98183 75383
P Ragul
Roll No. - 43
I am chosing 'Jute' as the natural resource
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, family Tiliaceae.
3 largest producers India, China & Bangladesh
Also Bangladesh is the largest exporter of raw jute, and India is the largest producer as well as largest consumer of jute products in the world.
Main importers wetern Europe, UK, Scotland, etc.,
Price:
Raw Jute White (MID) 3417 Taka per 100 kg (1 Bangladeshi Taka = 0.74686 Indian Rupee )
Procurement of raw jute by Jute corporation of India - 444000 Bales in the year 2007-08
I am choosing FISH as the natural resource that I would be sending details on shortly.
Neha Baveja
Roll No.-40
Top Wheat Producers
Below are the leading wheat producers for the 2005-6 season. The top 10 producers accounted for over two-thirds of global wheat harvests.
1. China … 96.2 million tonnes (15.4% of global wheat production)
2. India … 72 million (11.5%)
3. United States … 57.1 million (9.1%)
4. Russia … 45.5 million (7.3%)
5. France … 36.9 million (5.9%)
Top Wheat Exporters
Below are the leading wheat exporters for 2004-5.
1. United States … 31.6 million tonnes (29.9% of wheat exports from top 10 exporting countries)
2. Australia … 18.5 million (17.5%)
3. Canada … 15.1 million (14.3%)
4. France … 14.9 million (14.1%)
5. Argentina … 10 million (9.5%)
6. Russia … 4.7 million (4.5%)
7. Germany … 3.9 million (3.7%)
8. United Kingdom … 2.5 million (2.4%)
9. Kazakhstan … 2.4 million (2.3%)
10. India … 2 million (1.9%)
Top Wheat Importers
Below are the leading wheat Importers in 2004.
1. China … 7.2 million tonnes (14.6% of wheat imports from top 10 importing countries)
2. Japan … 5.5 million (11.2%)
3. Italy … 6.5 million (13.2%)
4. Algeria … 5 million (10.1%)
5. Brazil … 4.8 million (9.7%)
Top 10 U.S. Wheat Importing Countries
During 2007, the following top 10 importers of American wheat consumed 56.2% of total U.S. wheat exports.
1. Japan … US$797.1 million (9.4% of US exported wheat) – up 39.1% from 2006, up 65.1% from 2003
2. Egypt … $733.2 million (8.7%) – up 211.6%, up 82.3%
3. Nigeria … $657.1 million (7.8%) – up 42.7%, up 144.2%
4. Mexico … $650.2 million (7.7%) – up 50.8%, up 60.6%
5. Iraq … $413.8 million (4.9%) – up 43.5%, up 3,056.4%
6. Philippines … $351.9 million (4.2%) – up 9.9%, up 58.7%
7. Taiwan … $331.5 million (3.9%) – up 106.7%, up 143%
8. South Korea … $329.3 million (3.9%) – up 74.7%, up 59.6%
9. Morocco … $256.5 million (3%) – up 618.7%, up 535%
10. Indonesia … $236.6 million (2.8%) – up 296.7%, up 783.
====================
Sandeep Goel
No-60
OCT2007
====================
If you have issues about finding natural resource here is a link which details country wise resource information
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html
Dhirendra Kumar Giri
Roll No. 18
Natural Resources Choosen for discussion: Iron Ore
IRON ORE
Iron (Fe) is a metallic element and composes about 5% of the Earth’s crust. When pure it is a dark, silvery-gray metal. It is a very reactive element and oxidizes (rusts) very easily. The reds, oranges and yellows seen in some soils and on rocks are probably iron oxides. The inner core of the Earth is believed to be a solid iron-nickel alloy. Iron-nickel meteorites are believed to represent the earliest material formed at the beginning of the universe. Studies show that there is considerable iron in the stars and terrestrial planets: Mars, the "Red Planet," is red due to the iron oxides in its crust.
Name
The name iron is from an Old English word isaern which itself can be traced back to a Celtic word, isarnon. In time, the "s" was dropped from usage.
Sources
It is estimated that worldwide there are 800 billion tons of iron ore resources, containing more than 230 billion tons of iron. It is estimated that the United States has 110 billion tons of iron ore representing 27 billion tons of iron. Among the largest iron ore producing nations are Russia, Brazil, China, Australia, India and the USA.
Uses
In India, almost all of the iron ore that is mined is used for making steel. The same is true throughout the world. Raw iron by itself is not as strong and hard as needed for construction and other purposes. So, the raw iron is alloyed with a variety of elements (such as tungsten, manganese, nickel, vanadium, chromium) to strengthen and harden it, making useful steel for construction, automobiles, and other forms of transportation such as trucks, trains and train tracks.
Powdered iron: used in metallurgy products, magnets, high-frequency cores, auto parts, catalyst. Radioactive iron (iron 59): in medicine, tracer element in biochemical and metallurgical research. Iron blue: in paints, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics (eye shadow), artist colors, laundry blue, paper dyeing, fertilizer ingredient, baked enamel finishes for autos and appliances, industrial finishes. Black iron oxide: as pigment, in polishing compounds, metallurgy, medicine, magnetic inks, in ferrites for electronics industry.
Substitutes and Alternative Sources
Though there is no substitute for iron, iron ores are not the only materials from which iron and steel products are made. Very little scrap iron is recycled, but large quantities of scrap steel are recycled. Steel's overall recycling rate of more than 67% is far higher than that of any other recycled material, capturing more than 1-1/4 times as much tonnage as all other materials combined.
Largest Producers Countries:
China (600m/t), Brazil (360m/t), Australia (320m/t), India (160m/t) and Russia (110m/t).
Largest Exporter Countries:
Brazil 269m/t
Australia 200mt
China 180m/t
India 100m/t
Russia 90m/t
Largest Importer Countries:
China 520m/t (expected in 2008)
Japan 280m/t
EMP_OCT_07
Roll No. 66
Sunil Kumar
I am choosing "Rice" as Natural Resource.
Few Facts :: More than half of the world’s population depends on rice as a staple food. In international trade, countries that are high producers of rice have a strong competitive advantage given the current shortage. In contrast, lower producers have much less control on their imports when the world’s largest rice exporters cut sales to ensure they can feed their own people.
Together, China and India accounted for over half of the world’s rice supply in 2006.
Largest Producers of Rice ::
1. China - 182 Million Tons - 28.8% of global rice harvest
2. India - 136.5 Million Tons -21.6% of global rice harvest
3. Indonesia - 54.4 Million Tons - 8.6% of global rice harvest
4. Bangladesh - 43.7 Million Tons - 6.9% of global rice harvest
5. Vietnam - 35.8 Million Tons - 5.7% of global rice harvest
Largest Exporter of Rice::
1. Thailand - World's no 1 Rice Exporter - Export of 8.7 Mn Tons - Major Importing Partners are Nigeria and Phillipines
2. Vietnam - 4.5 Mn Tons - Major Importing Partners are Phillipines and Nigeria
Largest Importers of Rice ::
1. Nigeria - Imports 1.4 Mn Tons of rice that is 4.8% of global rice imports
2. Saudi Arabia - Imports 1.2 Mn Tons of rice that is 4.2% of global rice imports
3. Phillipines - Imports 1.0 Mn Tons of rice that is 3.6% of global rice imports
The Global Fish Trade
Trade Volumes
--------------
A large share of all fish production enters international marketing channels, with 37% (live weight equivalent) being exported in 2006.
Value of Exports
-----------------
In 2006, total world exports of fish and fish products reached a record value of US$85.9 billion, a 55% increase from 2000.
Value of Imports
-----------------
Fish imports rose 49% from 2000 to 2006, reaching a new record of over US$89.6 billion. Developed countries accounted for about 80% of imports, in value terms.
Top Exporters
---------------
China (exports valued at US$9 billion)
Norway (US$5.5 billion)
Thailand (US$5.2 billion)
USA (US$4.1 billion)
Denmark (US$4 billion)
Canada (US$3.7 billion)
Chile (US$3.6 billion)
Viet Nam (US$3.4 billion)
Spain (US$2.8 billion)
Netherlands (US$2.8 billion)
Top Importers
---------------
Japan (US$14.0 billion worth of imports)
USA (US$13.3 billion)
Spain (US$6.4 billion)
France (US$5.1 billion)
Italy (US$4.7 billion)
China (US$4.1 billion)
Germany (US$3.7 billion).
United Kingdom (US$3.7 billion)
Denmark (US$2.8 billion)
Korea Republic (US$2.7 billion)
Top Commodities
-----------------
Shrimp continues to be the most important commodity traded in value terms, accounting for 16.6% of the total value of internationally traded fish products in 2006. The other main groups of exported species were groundfish (10.5%: e.g. hake, cod, haddock and Alaska pollock), salmon (10.7%) and tuna (7.7%). In 2006, fishmeal represented around 3.5% of the value of exports and fish oil less than 1%.
Developing Countries and Global
--------------------------------- Fish Trade
-----------
The share of developing countries in total fishery exports was 49% by value and 59% by quantity in 2006. The net exports of fish by developing countries (i.e. the total value of their exports less the total value of their imports) has shown a continuing rising trend over recent decades, growing from US$7.2 billion in 1986 to US$16.7 in 1996 to US$24.6 billion in 2006. These figures were significantly higher than those for other agricultural commodities such as rice, coffee and tea.
Employment
------------
In 2006, 43.5 million people directly engaged in primary production of fish, either in capture fishery or in aquaculture.
Top Exporters to Europe
-------------------------
In 2006, in value terms, 59% of the European imports of fish and fishery products originated from other European countries. Major suppliers were Norway (11%), Denmark (7%), Spain (6%), the Netherlands (5%) and China (4%). Other leading non-European suppliers were the USA (3%), Morocco (3%), Argentina (2%) , Viet Nam (2%) and Chile (1%).
Exports from Europe
---------------------
In 2006, 86% of the value of EC-27 exports was directed to other European countries. France was the main market ( 12% of exports), then Italy (11%), Germany (9%), Spain (8%) and the UK (8%). Major non- European markets were Japan (3%), China (2%) and Nigeria (1%).
Global Production
--------------------
Total global fishery production from capture fisheries and aquaculture combined reached 144 million tonnes in 2006, with 36% of that coming from aquaculture. With aquaculture excluded, world global capture fisheries production in 2006 was 92 million tonnes.
Top fishing Countries
-----------------------
The ranking of top ten capture fishery producing countries has been quite stable since 1992, with China, Peru and the United States occupying the top three positions since 2001.
Top Aquaculture Countries
---------------------------
China is by far the leading aquaculture producer, accounting for about two thirds of world aquaculture production. The other major aquaculture producing countries are India, Viet Nam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The EU-27 account for 2.5% of world aquaculture production (1.3 million tonnes in 2006).
Top Cultured Species
----------------------
Various carps are the major species group cultured, accounting for 40% of production in weight, followed by other fresh water fishes and oysters. Whiteleg shrimp and Atlantic salmon are two major cultured species in value followed by silver carp, Grass carp, and Giant tiger prawn. Sea mussel is the species most widely cultured by the EU-27 countries, followed by rainbow trout, blue mussel, and Atlantic salmon.
-----------------------------------
Neha Baveja
Emp_Oct'07_40
Parveen Jain Roll Number 76
I am Choosing Alumunium.
Aluminum metal was first isolated in 1825 by the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Oersted, but an economic method of commercial production was discovered only in 1886 by Charles M. Hall of the US and Paul-Louis Toussaint Héroult of France. Both men were working independently at the time of their discoveries. The world aluminum industry is still based on the Hall-Héroult method of production
Largest Market:
Transportstion, packaging, building and construction, electrical, machinery and equipment, and consumer goods.
Largest Consumers
North America followed by Asia and Europe.
Largest Producer:
US followed by Russia, China and Canada.
Saju Abdul Razak Salahudeen
Roll No : 58
I am choosing Silicon
Demand
Total global silver fabrication grew 1 percent in 2007 to 843.7 Moz. Most notably, industrial applications, a key constituent of the overall demand complex, posted an impressive 7 percent gain to 455.3 Moz, recording the sixth consecutive year of growth in this category. In fact, in the period since the technology related slump in 2001, industrial applications have added an impressive 120.1 Moz to silver demand. A key factor behind the increase last year was the more than 6 percent rise in the electrical and electronics sector, which broke the 200 Moz mark for the first time. India, China and the United States accounted for 70 percent of the world rise in all industrial uses, while Germany, Italy and France also posted gains. Total industrial demand reached 54 percent of total global silver fabrication demand in 2007.
Jewelry fabrication coped well with high and volatile silver prices, slipping by only 2 percent in 2007, the product of weaker offtake in Europe and the Indian Sub-Continent, which offset growth in East Asia, where Chinese jewelry fabrication grew by a noteworthy 13 percent in 2007. Silverware demand fell by a modest 4 percent in 2007 to 58.8 Moz, as losses in India, Europe and Mexico were partially countered by gains for Russia and China.
Photographic demand continued to decrease, falling by 11 percent in 2007 to 128.3 Moz. The bulk of the decline was accounted for by lower consumer demand for color film, this sector being most affected by further inroads from digital photography
World Silver Demand
Supply
Global silver mine production rose by 4 percent in 2007, with particularly solid gains from Chile, China and Mexico. Total silver mine production reached 670.6 Moz last year. Peru was the world’s biggest silver mining country in 2007, followed in the rankings by Mexico, China, Chile and Australia. Last year, silver generated at primary mines drove global totals higher, increasing by 11 percent to account for 30 percent of all silver mined. Cash costs at primary silver mines rose to a weighted average of US$1.52 per ounce, driven by a combination of labor, consumables and energy cost rises.
Top 20 Silver Producing Countries in 2007
(millions of ounces)
1. Peru 112.3
2. Mexico 99.2
3. China 82.4
4. Chile 62.0
5. Australia 60.4
6. Poland 39.5
7. Russia 38.0
8. United States 37.3
9. Canada 28.5
10. Kazakhstan
22.7
11. Bolivia 16.9
12. Sweden 9.4
13. Argentina 8.5
14. Indonesia 8.2
15. Turkey 7.5
16. Morocco 7.1
17. Iran 3.1
18. India 2.9
19. Guatemala 2.8
20. Uzbekistan 2.8
The net supply of silver from above-ground stocks dropped by 8 percent in 2007 to 173.1 Moz. The decline was mainly the product of lower net government sales and rising producer de-hedging, although scrap supply was also trimmed. De-hedging reduced the overall producer hedge position by a sizable 30 percent last year, the global book declining by 25.0 Moz. Despite higher silver prices, scrap volumes fell in 2007 by 3 percent, to 181.6 Moz, the result of falling Indian recycling with the rest of the world virtually flat on a net basis. Net government sales took a steep downturn in 2007, plummeting by 46 percent to 42.3 Moz. The decline was the result of two major sellers in 2006, namely China and India, being essentially absent in 2007. In contrast, Russian government sales, which comprised the bulk of net sales in 2006, rose, partly offsetting the others’ declines.
Name - Dinesh Kumar Garg
Roll No - 20
Natural Resource Selected - Copper
I shall be submitting details regarding copper shortly.
I have chosen Water as my Natural Resource - the most important Natural Resource for Mankind
Ashish Singla
Roll Number 12
I have chosen Uranium. Would be posting fetails shortly.
KH Singh
R. No. 31
EMP Oct 07
Myself Aditya & I am submitting details on Petroleum Oil.
Importance Of Oil in International Business Scenario : Petroleum is major resource for Power Sector now a days.A country's Oil dependancy affect its International Business policies.
Major Oil Producing countries:
Production in Million Barrels/Day
Rank Country Production
1 Saudi Arabia 10.72
2 Russia 9.67
3 United States 8.37
4 Iran 4.15
5 China 3.84
6 Mexico 3.71
7 Canada 3.29
8 United Arab Emirates 2.94
9 Venezuela 2.8
10 Norway 2.79
11 Kuwait 2.67
12 Nigeria 2.44
13 Brazil 2.16
14 Algeria 2.12
15 Iraq 2.01
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Saudi Arabia is at Top in terms of Oil Production.
Oil Consumption in Different Countries :
In Millions of Barrels Per Day
Rank Country Consumption
1 United States 20.59
2 China 7.27
3 Japan 5.22
4 Russia 3.10
5 Germany 2.63
6 India 2.54
7 Canada 2.22
8 Brazil 2.18
9 South Korea 2.16
10 Saudi Arabia 2.07
11 Mexico 2.03
12 France 1.97
13 United Kingdom 1.82
14 Italy 1.71
15 Iran 1.63
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Figures clearly shows advantage in fevour of Saudi Arabia.
It is Top In terms of Oil Production & On the other hand It is at 10th position in terms of Oil consumption.
Saudi Arabia have a clear advantage on this on this Important resource which is crucial in world Economy.
So top oil exporting countries in 2006 with capacities in Million barrel/day are:
Exporters Net oil
exports
1. Saudi Arabia 8.65
2. Russia 6.57
3. Norway 2.54
4. Iran 2.52
5. United Arab Emirates 2.52
6. Venezuela 2.20
7. Kuwait 2.15
8. Nigeria 2.15
9. Algeria 1.85
10. Mexico 1.68
11. Libya 1.52
12. Iraq 1.43
13. Angola 1.36
14. Kazakhstan 1.11
Top Oil Importing Countries in 2006 with capacity in Million Barrel/Day are :
1. United States 12.22
2. Japan 5.10
3. China 3.44
4. Germany 2.48
5. South Korea 2.15
6. France 1.89
7. India 1.69
8. Italy 1.56
9. Spain 1.56
10. Taiwan 0.94
Myself Aditya & I am submitting details on Petroleum Oil.
Importance Of Oil in International Business Scenario : Petroleum is major resource for Power Sector now a days.A country's Oil dependancy affect its International Business policies.
Major Oil Producing countries:
Production in Million Barrels/Day
Rank Country Production
1 Saudi Arabia 10.72
2 Russia 9.67
3 United States 8.37
4 Iran 4.15
5 China 3.84
6 Mexico 3.71
7 Canada 3.29
8 United Arab Emirates 2.94
9 Venezuela 2.8
10 Norway 2.79
11 Kuwait 2.67
12 Nigeria 2.44
13 Brazil 2.16
14 Algeria 2.12
15 Iraq 2.01
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Saudi Arabia is at Top in terms of Oil Production.
Oil Consumption in Different Countries :
In Millions of Barrels Per Day
Rank Country Consumption
1 United States 20.59
2 China 7.27
3 Japan 5.22
4 Russia 3.10
5 Germany 2.63
6 India 2.54
7 Canada 2.22
8 Brazil 2.18
9 South Korea 2.16
10 Saudi Arabia 2.07
11 Mexico 2.03
12 France 1.97
13 United Kingdom 1.82
14 Italy 1.71
15 Iran 1.63
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Figures clearly shows advantage in fevour of Saudi Arabia.
It is Top In terms of Oil Production & On the other hand It is at 10th position in terms of Oil consumption.
Saudi Arabia have a clear advantage on this on this Important resource which is crucial in world Economy.
So top oil exporting countries in 2006 with capacities in Million barrel/day are:
Exporters Net oil
exports
1. Saudi Arabia 8.65
2. Russia 6.57
3. Norway 2.54
4. Iran 2.52
5. United Arab Emirates 2.52
6. Venezuela 2.20
7. Kuwait 2.15
8. Nigeria 2.15
9. Algeria 1.85
10. Mexico 1.68
11. Libya 1.52
12. Iraq 1.43
13. Angola 1.36
14. Kazakhstan 1.11
Top Oil Importing Countries in 2006 with capacity in Million Barrel/Day are :
1. United States 12.22
2. Japan 5.10
3. China 3.44
4. Germany 2.48
5. South Korea 2.15
6. France 1.89
7. India 1.69
8. Italy 1.56
9. Spain 1.56
10. Taiwan 0.94
Top 10 Largest Uranium Miners by country
1. Canada
2. Australia
3. Kazakhstan
4. Russia
5. Namibia
6. Niger
7. Uzbekistan
8. USA
9. Ukraine
10. China
Over half of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan.
An increasing proportion is produced by in situ leaching.
After a decade of falling mine production to 1993, output has generally risen since then and now meets 64% of demand for power generation.
Canada produces the largest share of uranium from mines (23% of world supply from mines), followed by Australia (21%) and Kazakhstan (16%). Australian and Canadian production was depressed in 2006 due to particular problems but Australia recovered in 2007.
From a different source it says Canada and Australia combined produce 51% of the world’s uranium from uranium mines. Notice that China is far down on the list at position #10. The growing demand from China for uranium in order to power their nuclear plants will provide growth opportunities for Australian and Canadian uranium miners. Don’t forget about the US as well. Clocking in at position #8, the United States must take similar actions as did the Chinese to support their growing nuclear demand.
Many countries are not able to supply their own uranium demands anymore. Eleven countries have already exhausted their uranium resources: Germany, the Czech Republic, France, DR Congo, Gabon, Bulgaria, Tajikistan, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Portugal and Argentina have already peaked their uranium production and exhausted their uranium resources and must rely on imports for their nuclear programs or abandon them.
Various agencies have tried to estimate how long these resources will last.
European Commission
The European Commission said in 2001 that at the current level of uranium consumption, known uranium resources would last 42 years. When added to military and secondary sources, the resources could be stretched to 72 years. Yet this rate of usage assumes that nuclear power continues to provide only a fraction of the world’s energy supply. If electric capacity were increased six-fold, then the 72-year supply would last just 12 years
Hi I am Sumit Mahajan(Roll No : 07EMP02-65) and i have choosen "RICE" as commodity.
Production
More than half of the world’s population depends on rice as a staple food. As of April 2008, the price of rice has doubled, putting pressure on lower-producing nations like the Philippines, which imports about 15% of its rice supplies.
In international trade, countries that are high producers of rice have a strong competitive advantage given the current shortage. In contrast, lower producers have much less control on their imports when the world’s largest rice exporters cut sales to ensure they can feed their own people.
Rice Production by Continent
Based on 2006 statistics, the following list shows that Asian countries enjoy a prohibitive lead in farming rice.
1. Asia … 574.2 million tons (91% of global rice harvest)
2. South America … 22.6 million tons (3.6%)
3. Africa … 20 million tons (3%)
4. North America … 11.1 million tons (1.8%)
5. Europe … 3.4 million tons (1%)
In addition, Oceania farms 148,000 tons of rice.
Top Ten Rice Producers by Country
Together, China and India accounted for over half of the world’s rice supply in 2006.
1. China … 182 million tons (28.8% of global rice harvest)
2. India … 136.5 million tons (21.6%)
3. Indonesia … 54.4 million tons (8.6%)
4. Bangladesh … 43.7 million tons (6.9%)
5. Vietnam … 35.8 million tons (5.7%)
6. Thailand … 29.3 million tons (4.6%)
7. Myanamar … 25.2 million tons (4%)
8. Philippines … 15.3 million tons (2.4%)
9. Brazil … 11.5 million tons (1.8%)
10. Japan … 10.7 million tons (1.7%).
Other Leading Rice Farming Nations
11. United States … 8.8 million tons (1.4% of global rice harvest)
12. Pakistan … 8.1 million tons (1.3%)
13. Korea Rep … 6.3 million tons (1%)
14. Cambodia … 6.3 million tons (1%)
15. Egypt … 6.1 million tons (1%)
16. Nepal … 4.2 million tons (0.7%)
17. Nigeria … 3.6 million tons (0.6%)
18. Iran … 3.5 million tons (0.6%)
19. Madagascar … 3.5 million tons (0.6%)
20. Sri Lanka … 3.3 million tons (0.5%)
Fastest Growing Rice Producers
Indonesia and Bangladesh experienced the fastest growth in rice production during 2006, up 8.6% and 6.9% respectively from 2005.
Producers with Declining Rice Crops
American rice production was down over 13% in 2006 from the prior year. In 2008, U.S. rice seedings are down further due to flooding in rice-growing regions.
Similarly, Brazil’s rice harvest in 2006 was almost 13% lower than rice production than in 2005.
Exports
According to the latest rice statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Thailand exports more milled rice by weight than any other country.
In 2004, overall world rice exports were 29 million tons up 4.4% from 2003. Thailand, India, Vietnam, the United States and Pakistan lead the world in rice exports.
Thailand Leading Rice Exporter
Thailand’s rice exports fell slightly to 9.7 million tons in 2007 and are expected to drop further to 8.5 million tons in 2008. While Thailand has not yet announced quotas or other restrictions on its rice exports, that could change given that other large rice exporters like India and Vietnam have announced controls including premium pricing to constrain rice shipments as a way to feed domestic consumers and control rising price inflation in the home country.
The analysis below identifies other top rice exporting regions from around the world.
Rice Exporters by Continent
1. Asia … 22.1 million tons (76.3% of global rice exports)
2. North and Central America … 3.1 million tons (10.6%)
3. Europe … 1.6 million tons (5.4%)
4. South America … 1.2 million tons (4.2%)
5. Africa … 952,380 tons (3.3%).
6.
Top Rice Exporters by Country
The rice exporting countries on the list below are responsible for 97% of world rice exports, led by Thailand.
1. Thailand … 10 million tons (34.5% of global rice exports)
2. India … 4.8 million tons (16.5%)
3. Vietnam … 4.1 million tons (14.1%)
4. United States … 3.1 million tons (10.6%)
5. Pakistan … 1.8 million tons (6.3%)
6. China (including Taiwan) … 901,550 tons (3.1%)
7. Egypt … 836,940 tons (2.9%)
8. Italy … 668,940 tons (2.3%)
9. Uruguay … 609,170 tons (2.1%)
10. Spain … 346,030 tons (1.2%)
11. Argentina … 257,750 tons (0.9%)
12. Guyana … 256,330 tons (0.9%)
13. United Arab Emirates … 164,350 tons (0.6%)
14. Belgium-Luxembourg … 157,190 tons (0.5%)
15. Myanmar … 150,030 tons (0.5%).
Fastest-growing Rice Exporters by Country
Rice shipments from the following countries rose the fastest in 2004 from the prior year.
1. Guyana … 256,330 tons (up 59.2% in 2004)
2. Argentina … 257,750 tons (up 45.1%)
3. Egypt … 836,940 tons (up 42.9%)
4. India … 4.8 million tons (up 40.9%)
5. Thailand … 10 million tons (up 19.0%)
6. Italy … 668,940 tons (up 17.3%)
7. Vietnam … 4.1 million tons (up 7.2%)
8. Belgium-Luxembourg … 154,200 tons (up 1.9%)
9. Pakistan … 1.8 million tons (up 0.2%).
Fastest-declining Rice Exporters by Country
The rice-producing nations below decreased their milled rice exports the most in 2004.
1. China (including Taiwan) … 901.55 (down 65.4% in 2004)
2. Myanmar … 150.03 (down 61.3%)
3. United States … 3,066.77 (down 19%)
4. United Arab Emirates … 164.35 (down 14.6%)
5. Spain … 346.03 (down 9.4%)
6. Uruguay … 625 (down 2.5%).
Imports
While five countries control more than 80% of world rice exports, the top 10 rice-importing nations account for only a third of overall global rice import statistics.
The Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations reports that overall world rice imports in 2004 were 27 million tons, up less than 1% from 2003. No one country was responsible for more than 5% of global rice imports.
The analysis below identifies top rice importing regions from around the world.
Rice Importers by Continent
1. Asia … 11.9 million tons (41% of global rice imports)
2. Africa … 7.6 million tons (26.1%)
3. Europe … 3.5 million tons (12.2%)
4. North and Central America … 2.3 million tons (8.1%)
5. South America … 1.1 million tons (3.9%).
Even though Asia farms more than 91% of the global rice harvest, Far Eastern nations import more rice than any other continent.
Top Rice Importers by Country
The 32 rice importing countries listed below are responsible for 65% of world rice imports.
1. Nigeria … 1.4 million tons (4.8% of global rice imports)
2. Saudi Arabia … 1.2 million tons (4.2%)
3. Philippines … 1 million tons (3.6%)
4. Bangladesh … 991,810 tons (3.4%)
5. Iran … 986,000 tons (3.4%)
6. China … 928,210 tons (3.2%)
7. Cote d'Ivoire … 868,320 tons (3.0%)
8. Brazil … 852,080 tons (2.9%)
9. Senegal … 822,550 tons (2.8%)
10. South Africa … 744,840 tons (2.6%)
11. United Arab Emirates … 717,710 tons (2.5%)
12. North Korea … 702,000 tons (2.4%)
13. Japan … 662,020 tons (2.3%)
14. Russia (Europe) … 618,460 tons (2.1%)
15. United Kingdom … 569,560 tons (2%)
16. Malaysia … 523,660 tons (1.8%)
17. United States … 480,750 tons (1.7%)
18. Benin … 476,490 tons (1.6%)
19. France … 474,270 tons (1.6%)
20. Mexico … 459,210 tons (1.6%)
Fastest-growing Rice Imports by Country
Rice deliveries to the following 10 countries rose the fastest in 2004 from the prior year.
1. Sri Lanka … 240,700 tons (up 597.3% in 2004)
2. China … 928,210 tons (up 129.4%)
3. Benin … 476,490 tons (up 124.8%)
4. Saudi Arabia … 1.2 million tons (up 78%)
5. Oman … 149,830 tons (up 64.5%)
6. Kuwait … 150,620 tons (up 54.2%)
7. South Korea … 209,320 tons (up 46%)
8. Malaysia … 523,660 tons (up 42.1%)
9. United Arab Emirates … 717,710 tons (up 28.6%)
10. Canada … 334,320 tons (up 26.3%).
Fastest-declining Rice Imports by Country
The 10 nations below decreased their milled rice imports the most in 2004.
1. Indonesia … 390,830 tons (down 76% in 2004)
2. Bangladesh … 991,810 tons (down 20.7%)
3. Brazil … 852,080 tons (down 20.1%)
4. Nigeria … 1.4 million tons (down 12.6%)
5. North Korea … 702,000 tons (down 12.5%)
6. Mexico … 459,210 tons (down 8.6%)
7. Senegal … 822,550 tons (down 7.6%)
8. Japan … 662,020 tons (down 6.2%)
9. South Africa …744,840 tons (down 5.8%)
10. Russia (Europe) … 618,460 tons (down 4.1%).
Natural Resource : Platinum
Platinum is an extremely rare metal, occurring as only 0.003 ppb in the Earth's crust, and is 30 times rarer than gold. Platinum is a chemical element with the atomic symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. It is in group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements. A heavy, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal, platinum is resistant to corrosion and occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts, dentistry, and automobile emissions control devices. Platinum bullion has the ISO currency code of XPT. As of October 2nd, 2008, Platinum was worth $994.00 per troy ounce (approximately $33 per gram).
South Africa is the largest producer of platinum. The Bushveld Compex began production in 1925 producing platinum as its main product with palladium and rhodium being the by-products.
Platinum Supply and Demand
'000 oz 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Supply South Africa 3,680 3,900 3,800 4,100 4,450 4,630 5,010 5,115 5,295 5,035
Russia 1,300 540 1,100 1300 980 1050 845 890 920 910
North America 285 270 285 360 390 295 385 365 345 325
Others 135 160 105 100 150 225 250 270 270 280
Total Supply 5,400 4,870 5,290 5,860 5,970 6,200 6,490 6,640 6,830 6,550
Demand by Application Autocatalyst: gross 1,800 1,610 1,890 2,520 2,590 3,270 3,490 3,795 3,905 4,225
recovery -405 -420 -470 -530 -565 -645 -690 -770 -860 -890
Chemical 280 320 295 290 325 320 325 325 395 390
Electrical 300 370 455 385 315 260 300 360 360 425
Glass 220 200 255 290 235 210 290 360 405 430
Investment 315 180 -60 90 80 15 45 15 -40 75
Jewellery 2,430 2,880 2,830 2,590 2,820 2,510 2,160 1,965 1,640 1,585
Petroleum 125 115 110 130 130 120 150 170 180 205
Other 305 335 375 465 540 470 470 475 490 490
Total Demand 5,370 5,590 5,680 6,230 6,470 6,530 6,540 6,695 6,475 7,030
Platinum demand by application: Regions
'000 oz 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Europe:
Autocatalyst gross 545 560 680 1060 1210 1455 1680 1,960 2,060 2,080
recovery -30 -30 -40 -70 -90 -115 -145 -170 -190 -220
Chemical 60 80 100 105 115 105 115 100 100 110
Electrical 45 70 80 65 40 35 40 40 25 30
Glass 25 20 20 10 10 10 5 10 10 15
Investment 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 195
Jewellery 160 185 190 170 160 190 195 195 195 210
Petroleum 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 20 25
Other 85 90 105 155 190 185 190 175 175 180
Totals 910 995 1150 1510 1650 1880 2,095 2,325 2,395 2,625
Japan:
Autocatalyst gross 240 250 290 340 430 500 615 600 605 615
recovery -55 -60 -60 -55 -55 -60 -55 -35 -35 -35
Chemical 20 20 20 25 30 40 40 50 50 55
Electrical 55 75 90 80 55 40 50 65 55 60
Glass 80 65 65 85 60 85 90 95 100 80
Investment 130 110 -95 45 40 -10 15 -15 -65 -60
Jewellery 1,290 1,320 1,060 750 780 660 560 510 360 280
Petroleum 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Other 30 35 35 35 55 40 40 45 40 45
Totals 1,795 1,820 1,410 1,310 1,400 1,300 1,360 1,320 1,115 1,045
North America Autocatalyst: gross 775 535 620 795 570 885 800 820 705 930
recovery -310 -315 -350 -370 -380 -420 -435 -505 -575 -575
Chemical 80 95 100 100 100 95 90 100 100 95
Electrical 105 120 145 120 100 85 90 95 75 75
Glass 20 25 50 35 30 -30 -10 5 10 25
Investment 175 60 35 45 40 25 25 25 20 30
Jewellery 270 330 380 280 310 310 290 275 245 240
Petroleum 40 40 35 40 45 40 35 35 35 35
Other 170 190 210 250 265 215 205 220 225 230
Totals 1325 1,080 1,225 1,295 1,080 1,205 1,090 1,070 840 1,085
China Autocatalyst: gross 0 5 10 15 35 60 75 120 155 215
recovery 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chemical 20 15 20 10 10 10 10 10 65 55
Electrical 20 20 20 15 15 15 20 25 45 55
Glass 30 25 35 65 40 30 60 70 50 140
Investment 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0
Jewellery 620 950 1,100 1,300 1,480 1,200 1,010 875 760 780
Petroleum 15 10 15 15 5 5 5 5 10 10
Other 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 10 10
Totals 710 1035 1205 1425 1590 1325 1185 1120 1095 1265
Rest of the World Autocatalyst: gross 240 260 290 310 345 370 320 295 380 385
recovery -10 -15 -20 -35 -40 -50 -55 -60 -60 -60
Chemical 100 110 55 50 70 70 70 65 80 75
Electrical 75 85 120 105 105 85 100 135 160 205
Glass 65 65 85 95 95 115 145 180 235 170
Investment 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
Jewellery 90 95 100 90 90 150 105 110 80 75
Petroleum 50 45 40 55 60 55 90 110 110 130
Other 15 15 20 20 25 25 30 25 40 25
Totals 630 660 690 690 750 820 810 860 1030 1010
--
Rajeev K Gautam
EMP-OCT'07
Roll No. 52
Middle East 2,548.9
Eurasia 2,020.0
Africa 489.6
Asia 415.4
North America 283.1
Central and South America 261.8
Europe 166.9
Total 6,185.7
Country Natural Gas (2006)
Reserves (trillion cu feet)
1 Russia 1,680
2 Iran 971
3 Qatar 911
4 Saudi Arabia 241
5 United Arab Emirates 214
6 United States 193
Top 20 countries 5,510
Rest of world 602
World total 6,112
Country Natural Gas
Production (1.000 m3)
1 Russia 641,000,000
2 United States 531,100,000
3 Arab League 327,120,000
4 Canada 183,600,000
5 United Kingdom 95,970,000
5 Algeria 88,100,000
United States Imports
the USA imports gas from nine countries and exports it to three others
In 2007, the United States received 99.8 percent of its pipeline- imported natural gas from Canada with the remainder from Mexico. Canada also accounted for 60 percent of pipeline natural gas exports, and Mexico, 40 percent.
In 2007, the top five import points accounted for about 70 percent of all natural gas brought into the United States via pipeline. They are:
• Port of Morgan, Montana (Northern Border Pipeline)
• Eastport, Idaho (Gas Transmission Northwest)
• Sherwood, North Dakota (Alliance Pipeline Company)
• Noyes, Minnesota (Great Lakes Gas Transmission Company)
• Noyes, Minnesota (Viking Gas Transmission Company)
The above was for NAtural Gas
-------
I'm choosing timber as natural resource.
World Top 10 - Countries With Most Timber Production
Country
1. USA
2. India
3. China
4. Brazil
5. Canada
6. Russia
7. Indonesia
8. Ethiopia
9. Dem. Rep. of Congo
10. Nigeria
Major Timber Importers
1. China
2. Japan
3. US
4. Europe
5. Indonesia
Major Timber Exporters
1. Malaysia
2. Vietnam
3. Italy
4. Germany
5. Canada
6. Sweden
7. France
Rgds
Girish Gera
R NO: 23
As the eighth most common element in the universe by mass, silicon very rarely occurs as the pure free element in nature, but is more widely distributed in dusts, planetoids and planets as various forms of silicon dioxide (silica) or silicates. On Earth, silicon is the second most abundant element (after oxygen) in the crust,[1] making up 25.7% of the crust by mass.
Silicon has many industrial uses. Elemental silicon is the principal component of most semiconductor devices, most importantly integrated circuits or microchips. Silicon is widely used in semiconductors because it remains a semiconductor at higher temperatures than the semiconductor germanium and because its native oxide is easily grown in a furnace and forms a better semiconductor/dielectric interface than any other material.
The world's largest producers are :
1.China
2.US
3.Brazil
4.Canada
5.France
India is ranked 7th.
China accounts for 75% of the world production.
Largest importers of Silicon for US
1.Brazil
2.SouthAfrica
3.Canada
The price of Silicon is around 77 cents per pound.
Brazil exports to :
1.US
2.EU
3.Asia
Above 75% of the Chinese production is exported.Main Chinese importers are :
1.Japan
2.Hong Kong
3.South Korea
4.UK
Earth's approximate water volume (the total water supply of the world) is 1 360 000 000 km³ (326 000 000 mi³).
Of this volume:
1 320 000 000 km³ (316 900 000 mi³ or 97.2%) is in the oceans.
25 000 000 km³ (6 000 000 mi³ or 1.8%) is in glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets.
13 000 000 km³ (3,000,000 mi³ or 0.9%) is groundwater.
250 000 km³ (60,000 mi³ or 0.02%) is fresh water in lakes, inland seas, and rivers.
13 000 km³ (3,100 mi³ or 0.001%) is atmospheric water vapor at any given time.
Some interesting web links
Water Supply By Country
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Water_supply_and_sanitation_by_country
Water Consumption Calculator
http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html
Effects of Bottled Water on Environment
http://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html
India Water Portal
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/
Ashish Singla
Roll # 12
GAURAV DHAWAN
ROLL # 21
I am choosing "TEA" as commodity.
I will be posting details on this commodity in next few hours.
Prachi A Bhatia (Emp2-Oct07-48)
Largest Consumers of Cotton -
China
India
Pakistan
Largets Exporters of Cotton-
United states
India
Central Asia
Largets Importers of Cotton-
China
Turkey
Pakistan
Largest Producers of Cotton -
China
India
Unites States
The ICAC estimates that world cotton production will reach 25 million tonnes in 2005-06
Demand is expected to increase by three percent to 24 million tonnes, and as a consequence
world trade in cotton is expected to rise to a record of eight million tonnes.
GAURAV DHAWAN
ROLL # 21
I have selected "TEA" as commodity
Tea refers to the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of Camellia sinensis, prepared and cured by various methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from such cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water and the colloquial name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself.
Tea is the most widely-consumed beverage after water.It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavour.
The five types of tea most commonly found on the market are black tea, oolong tea, green tea, white tea, and puerh tea.
The term "herbal tea" usually refers to an infusion or tisane of fruit or herbs that contains no Camellia
Tea is traditionally classified based on producing technique:
• White tea: Unwilted and unoxidized
• Yellow tea: Unwilted and unoxidized but allowed to yellow
• Green tea: Wilted and unoxidized
• Oolong: Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized
• Black tea: Wilted, crushed, and fully oxidized
• Post-fermented tea: Green Tea that has been allowed to ferment/compost
India the world leader
India is the largest producer and consumer of tea in the world. India also leads in global R&D in tea industry. India is the largest manufacturer and exporter of tea machinery. Other major tea producers (also developing nations) source equipment and technology from India. The tea plantations were started in the middle of the 19th century under the British management. The farm ownership, however, is fragmented. The listed companies account for about 40% of total tea production. Also, there are a large number of small players. Some 80% of the farms are of the size less than 8 hectares and contribute only 10% of the production. The annual per capita consumption in India is low at 650gm compared to other countries like Pakistan (950gm), Sri Lanka (1.2kg), UK (2.5kg) and Ireland (3.16kg).
Industry growth in India
The annual tea production has been around 800mn kg. The tea production grew at an average annual rate of 2.3%. For the first 10 months of 2000 the production has increased by 6% on yoy basis. Tea plantations in India are concentrated in the North-East (Upper Assam, West Bengal) and the South (Kerala, Tamil Nadu). The North-Eastern region with 82% of area accounts for 76% of total tea production. In the North East, the yield is lower but quality of tea is superior.
Tea production in the country went up by 17 mn kg in first seven months of this calendar year compared to the previous year. It touched 476.6 mn kg during the January-July period this year against 459.7 mn kg in the same period last year.
The rise in tea production is largely due to south India tea, which increased by 16 mn kg said. The south India tea has registered a production of 141 mn kg (125 mn kg) in the same period last year.
Tamil Nadu increased its production to 96 mn kg from 87 mn kg while Kerala produced 41 mn kg (35 mn) and Karnataka recorded a marginal increase of 0.7 mn kg at 3.5 mn kg this year. North India did not report any major change in output. It recorded a marginal increase of 1 mn kg at 335.7 mn kg in the first seven months.
The volume of tea handled has also increased substantially at the Coimbatore tea auction centre. The centre sold 17.08 mn kg in the first seven months of 2008 against 13.87 mn kg during the same period last year. A volume of 23.7 mn kg was handled in Coimbatore in the whole of last year, which was marginally higher from 23.3 mn kg handled in 2006.
This year, the auction prices have seen a huge jump with the prices going up by Rs 10.60 per kg in the first seven months.
While the average price of teas in the same period last year was 65.80 per kg, teas were selling for Rs 76.40 per kg this year. But comparatively, the south India teas were selling less than the north India teas. The average south India tea price was Rs 59.23 per kg, whereas the north India tea were selling for Rs 86.55 per kg.
At the Coimbatore auction centre, the average price for tea went up from Rs 49.19 to Rs 57.68 registering an increase of Rs 8.50 (17%).
Though Indian exports witnessed a decline in 2007 compared to 2006, the first seven months of 2008 have seen a good growth. The trend in exports has reversed this year due to the active participation of Egypt and Pakistan buyers. From January to July 2008, the country exported 106 mn kg (north India 54 mn kg and south India 52 mn kg) of tea, compared to 89 mn kg during the same period in 2007.
Further, he said the domestic consumption of tea was increasing rapidly. There is a 3% to 5% increase in domestic consumption and we expect it to touch 800 mn kg this year and within next two years, it may even touch 850 mn kg.
Global tea production has fallen by 9.8 million kg in the first half of 2008 compared to the same months of 2007. Production fell in all African countries, but increased in Asia.
The highest increase occurred in Sri Lanka where the output rose by 29.7 mkg to reach 199.5 mkg. India posted the second highest increase of 11 mkg to reach 345.7 mkg.
Of this, South India recorded an increase of 10.3 mkg to total 119.7 mkg. North Indian production rose marginally by 0.7 mkg to total 226 mkg.
Tea Producing Countries
Seven tea producing countries - China, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Iran, Bangladesh, and Malawi account for 75% of the world tea production. The share breakup for tea producing countries is as follows:
India 25.63%,
China 25%,
Kenya 10.25%,
Sri Lanka 9.65%,
Turkey 6.42%,
Indonesia 5.31%,
Malawi 1.56%.
Major Market Players in India
The packaged tea market is estimated to be about 360 million kg. Some of the major players in the tea market are:
• Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (market leader with 24% share)
• Tata tea, the second largest player in packaged tea market
Other players include:
• Duncans Industries
• Wagh Bakri Group
Now, Reliance Retail plans to enter into packaged tea market considering the fact that tea is one of the fastest growing segments in Indian market and is growing at an annual rate of 3.3 %.
The packaged tea market is highly consolidated in India, with Unilever and Tata Tea accounting for almost half of retail value sales. Unilever (Brooke Bond and Lipton) is the clear leader, holding over 30% of the market share, while Tata Tea (Tata) trails it with almost 20%. The remainder of the market is far more fragmented and shared between numerous small players
Both Unilever and Tata Tea saw a fall in retail sales as a direct result of the drop in the price of tea between 2000 and 2003. These mainstream players also saw their margin squeezed in the face of increased advertising spends and competition from unpackaged tea.
Exports
The consumption is above 600 Million Kg mark per year. The market consists of both Leaf Teas and Dust Teas both in the CTC and Orthodox Grades, with the Southern markets consuming more Dust Teas.
The export market for Indian Teas is mainly in the Russian and CIS countries with 90 Million Kgs of the total exports in 1998 going to these countries. This is equivalent to 43% of India's Tea exports. The other countries for India's Tea exports include most of the European Countries, U.S.A., Japan, West Asia and the Asia Pacific Region. In fact there is hardly any country where Indian Tea is not found.
Impact Of Financial Crunch On Tea Exports
Tea and coffee exports to Russia are likely to be impacted in 2008 as the global financial crunch may force producers there to cut imports by about 20%, industry officials said.
Russian tea and coffee producers may cut imports by about 20% in the next few months due to the world financial crisis, the head of industry lobby Rusteacoffee said. Russia imports practically all its tea and 100% of its coffee from abroad. The country accounts for 10% of India’s total coffee exports. India mainly exports Robusta coffee to Russia. Robusta is typically blended with Arabica beans for a lower-cost option for brewed coffee, or processed into instant coffee.
India has exported about 17,000 tonnes of coffee to Russia till October 24, according to the Coffee Board.
Tea exports to Russia are also likely to be affected as the country imports 30% of its requirement from India.
India’s total tea exports in January-August 2008 rose 16% to 124.1 million kg. The main tea suppliers to Russia are Sri Lanka, India, China, Indonesia, Kenya and Vietnam.
If the crisis continues, everybody is going to cut back expenditure and obviously tea and coffee (exports) are going to suffer.
Regards
GAURAV DHAWAN
Respected sir
I am choosing cotton as natural resource
Top Ten Cotton Producers
Below are the leading cotton producers for the 2004-5 season. Among the top 10 cotton-producing nations, the top 3 producers accounted for over 70% of their total production.
China … 25.5 million bales (32.7% of cotton production from top 10)
United States … 17.6 million (22.6%)
India … 12.5 million (16%)
Pakistan … 8.5 million (10.7%)
Brazil … 4.4 million (5.7%)
Turkey … 4.2 million (5.4%)
Greece … 1.7 million (2.2%)
Australia … 1.3 million (1.7%)
Syria … 1.3 million (1.7%)
Mali … 1.1 million (1.4%).
The following list shows which cotton-producing nations are best positioned to benefit from the accelerating demand for cotton.
Top Cotton Exporters
Below are the leading cotton exporters for 2004-5. America generates well over half of the exports from the top 10 nations.
United States … 2.9 million tonnes (54.9% of cotton exports from top 10)
Australia … 445.9 thousand tonnes (8.5%)
Uzbekistan … 440 thousand (8.3%)
Brazil … 331 thousand (6.3%)
Greece … 286 thousand (5.4%)
Mali … 206.8 thousand (3.9%)
Egypt … 183.7 thousand (3.5%)
Burkina Faso … 178.7 thousand (3.4%)
Zimbabwe … 173.4 thousand (3.3%)
Tajikistan … 133.1 thousand (2.5%).
Furthermore, the U.S. provides over half of the cotton exports to China. Chinese farmers complain that the American government unfairly subsidizes domestic cotton production by as much as US$3 billion annually. These subsidies lead to lower cotton prices on the world market and therefore less money into the pockets of Chinese cotton growers. In turn, Chinese farmers lack incentive to plant more cotton crops which could help alleviate shortages.
Top Cotton Importers
Below are the leading cotton importers in 2004-5. Among the top 10 importing countries, the top 3 took in almost 60% of their total cotton imports.
China … 1,901.1 thousand tonnes (38.2% of cotton imports from top 10)
Turkey … 585.1 thousand (11.8%)
Indonesia … 448.7 thousand (9%)
Mexico … 398.1 thousand (8%)
Thailand … 358.4 thousand (7.2%)
Pakistan … 330.4 thousand (6.6%)
Russia … 308.1 thousand (6.2%)
South Korea … 268.8 thousand (5.4%)
Italy … 208.7 thousand (4.2%)
India … 171.2 thousand (3.4%).
Notable by its absence from the above list, the U.S. has outsourced the bulk of its textile industry to developing countries with cheaper labour costs. Instead, the U.S. provides raw cotton to textile producing countries like China and then buys the finished cotton-fabric products.
The People’s Daily Online estimates that Chinese cotton growers lost as much as US$2.2 billion in revenues because of China’s cotton imports from 2001 to August 2005.
While China has shown great strides in becoming an international superpower in world trade, cotton is one arena where the United States continues to dominate the exporting and importing game
Kanungo.Satyabrta Nayak
Roll-30
Respected sir
I am choosing copper as natural resource
About 200 years ago the UK was an important world source of copper and there were mines in Cornwall and Wales. These mines have now closed and today the biggest copper mines are in Chile and North America. These produce many thousands of tonnes of copper ore per year.
The main ores of copper are:
• chalcopyrite
• bornite
• malachite.
The ores are extracted by either traditional mining (open pit or underground) or by leaching. The copper is then recovered using physical and chemical techniques.In this electronic resource, we'll look at the ways in which copper is mined and recovered from its ores.
The major producers of copper per country are 1) Chile, 2) United States of America, 3) Canada, 4) Russia, 5) Indonesia, 6) Australia, 7) Peru, 8) China, 9) Zambia, and 10) Poland
Top exporting countries for copper are
Germany, USA, China, Italy, Japan and Norway
Regards
Sunil Sachdeva
Roll No-67
I am choosing Sugar.
Name: Hemant Pandey
Roll No.: 26
EMP-OCT-07 batch
Respected Sir
I'm choosing 'Copper' as Natural Resource
About 200 years ago the UK was an important world source of copper and there were mines in Cornwall and Wales. These mines have now closed and today the biggest copper mines are in Chile and North America. These produce many thousands of tonnes of copper ore per year.
The main ores of copper are:
• chalcopyrite
• bornite
• malachite.
The ores are extracted by either traditional mining (open pit or underground) or by leaching. The copper is then recovered using physical and chemical techniques.In this electronic resource, we'll look at the ways in which copper is mined and recovered from its ores.
The major producers of copper per country are 1) Chile, 2) United States of America, 3) Canada, 4) Russia, 5) Indonesia, 6) Australia, 7) Peru, 8) China, 9) Zambia, and 10) Poland
Top exporting countries for copper are
Germany, USA, China, Italy, Japan and Norway
Regards
Sunil Sachdeva
Roll-67
Respected Sir
since cotton was choosen by some one else I'm choosing 'wool' as Natural Resource
Australia is the world’s largest producer of wool followed by china, newzeland, Argentina, Uruguay
• While Australia produces more wool than any other country, China has the largest sheep population
• In 2005/2006 there were 107 million sheep shorn in Australia producing 461 million kg of greasy wool.
• Production for 2006/2007 is forecasted to be 425 million kg of greasy wool with production still impacted by the drought.
• The Australian flock of 100 million sheep is composed of 88% Merino, 9% crossbred and 3% other breeds as at 1 January 2007.
• Sheep graze over 85 m ha of Australia's total land mass. This means on average each sheep has 0.85 ha or 2 acres. .
• Wool exports were valued at $2.64 billion in 2005/2006
• Top export destination countries are china, italy, india
• Top sheep population are china, australia, NZ, UK
Regards
Kanungo Satyabrata Nayak
Roll -30
Top Exporters
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The sugar export data below refers largely to the 2006/2007 period which has now ended and is therefore complete, though some forecasts for the 2007/2008 period are also included.
Brazil 22.2 (20.9 million tons in 2008) Brazil easily sits at the top of the sugar exporting table, exporting five times more sugar than any other country. Brazil produced over 35 million tons of sugar in this period, but domestic consumption accounts for around 14 million tons of Brazilian sugar production. Brazilians are well known for their love not only of producing sugar, but consuming it, (the average Brazilian consumes 55 kilograms of sugar every year) and will also happily purchase sugar regardless of fluctuations in the price. Brazil’s increased sugar production in spite of the tumbling of world sugar prices reflects the healthy margins that Brazilian sugar producers expect to see even when sugar prices fall. Unfortunately, with unfavorable exchange rates between the BRL and the US Dollar, and the increased cost of equipment associated with sugar production, not to mention the increased cost of transporting sugar around the world as fuel prices rise, profit margins are dropping for Brazil’s sugar producers, though not enough for sugar production to take a significant hit.
Thailand 4.5 (5.8 million tons in 2008) Thailand exports the bulk of its sugar, up to 70% of it, in fact. Because Thai people are not traditionally huge sugar consumers, though this is rapidly changing, especially in major cities, the majority of Thai sugar is free to be exported around the world. Thailand sells mostly to neighboring Asian countries, and is continuing to increase production in spite of the falling sugar prices which are currently impacting the world’s sugar exporting nations.
Australia - 3.9 million tons. Australia has been quietly climbing up the ranks as a sugar exporter with barely a murmur of excitement. Now the world’s third largest exporter of sugar in spite of the fact that it is only the world’s seventh largest sugar producer, Australia exports a very large percentage of its sugar crop every year, with exports in some states, such as Queensland, accounting for almost 80% of all sugar grown there.
SADC 2.3 million tons. The SADC is a community of African countries, and the title SADC stands for Southern African Development Community. The major sugar producing countries in this coalition are Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa produces the bulk of the sugar of the SADC, exceeding 50% of total production in previous years. In the 2007 growing season, South Africa produced about 2.25 million tons out of a total production of around 5.2 million tons. As a direct result, South Africa also exports more than any other country in the SADC, exporting about 1.1 million tons in the 2007 season. The second largest exporter in the group was Mauritius, with exports of around half a million tons of sugar, followed by Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Malawi.
Guatemala 1.9 million tons. The third largest producer of sugar in Latin America, Guatemala is the fifth highest sugar exporting nation in the world. Similarly to Thailand and Australia, it consumes relatively little of its own produce, and exports around 75% of its sugar. The achievement of being the world’s fifth largest sugar exporting nation is especially exceptional when one considers that it was only just over a decade ago that 36 years of civil war came to an end.
India 1.34 million tons. (Up to four million tons in 2008) India’s sugar exports were very low in the 2006/2007 season despite a high production level because of the Indian government banning exports in 2006 in a bid to try and stop prices from spiraling out of control. Exports were reintroduced in 2007 on a small scale, and are expected to almost triple in 2008. India is the second largest sugar producing nation in the world, vying closely with Brazil for the top spot. It is estimated that India will produce over 25 million tons of sugar in 2008, and may even have an internal surplus of over 12 million tons to deal with. India’s people are great consumers of sugar, and there are many local raw sugars which have importance both as a mineral rich foodstuff, and as a part of their culture.
Europe - 1.2 million tons. Europe’s sugar exports have been curbed, along with sugar production as a result of fears of sugar surpluses, not to mention exports violating various trade agreements. The European Union produces around 15 million tons of sugar yearly, much of which exceeds local demands.
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Top Impoters
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China will turn into the world's leading sugar importer by 2008 as consumption continues to grow but production becomes stagnant because of the limited area of sugarcane and beet growth
Maize, known as corn in some countries, is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents.
Maize is the most widely grown crop in the Americas. Hybrid maize, due to its high grain yield as a result of heterosis ("hybrid vigour"), is preferred by farmers over conventional varieties. While some maize varieties grow up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall, [1] most commercially grown maize has been bred for a standardized height of 2.5 metres (8 ft). Sweet corn is usually shorter than field-corn varieties.
Top countries producing (in million metric tonne)
United States 280
China 131
Brazil 35
India is 8th with 12 million metric tonnes.
Major exporter : USA , Brazil & Argentina
Major importer : Japan, South Korea
Respected Sir
I'm choosing 'Barley' as Natural Resource.Please ignore my earlier posting on copper
While world barley production has fluctuated, there has been no clear rising or falling trend. In 2007-08, EU-27 was the largest producer of barley, followed by Russia, Canada, Turkey and Ukraine. Earlier, Australia too was among the top producers. But the drought that the country has faced over the last two has affected yields here. Nearly all of the barley producers are major consumers. Thus, EU-27 was the largest consumer in 2007-08, followed by Russia, Canada, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The world trade in barley is quite less as compared to the production figures, as most of the cereal is consumed in the producing countries itself. The major exporters of barley in 2007-08 were the EU-27 followed by Canada, Australia, Ukraine and Russia. Saudi Arabia was the largest importer in 2007-08, importing around 6 million tonnes. The other major importers of barley are Japan, China, Morocco and Tunisia.
India is not one of the major producing or consuming countries of barley. Its production is small when compared to world figures and constitutes around 1 per cent of total production. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the top barley producing states in 2006-07. Majority of the barley produced is consumed within the country as human food. Over half of the barley grown is the two-row variety, which is processed into barley flour and blended with wheat flour to make flat bread. Due to extensive usage of corn as food, very small quantity of barley is used in feed manufacturing in India
With Thanks & Warm Regards
Sunil Sachdev
Roll-67
Table sugar (sucrose) comes from plant sources. Two important sugar crops predominate: sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and sugar beets (Beta vulgaris), in which sugar can account for 12% to 20% of the plant's dry weight. Some minor commercial sugar crops include the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), and the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). In the financial year 2001/2002, worldwide production of sugar amounted to 134.1 million tonnes.
The first production of sugar from sugarcane took place in India. Alexander the Great's companions reported seeing "honey produced without the intervention of bees" and it remained exotic in Europe until the Arabs started cultivating it in Sicily and Spain. Only after the Crusades did it begin to rival honey as a sweetener in Europe. The Spanish began cultivating sugarcane in the West Indies in 1506 (and in Cuba in 1523). The Portuguese first cultivated sugarcane in Brazil in 1532.
Most cane sugar comes from countries with warm climates, such as Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Mexico and Australia, the top sugar-producing countries in the world.[18] Brazil overshadows most countries, with roughly 30 million tonnes of cane sugar produced in 2006, while India produced 21 million, China 11 million, and Thailand and Mexico roughly 5 million each. Viewed by region, Asia predominates in cane sugar production, with large contributions from China, India and Thailand and other countries combining to account for 40% of global production in 2006. South America comes in second place with 32% of global production; Africa and Central America each produce 8% and Australia 5%. The United States, the Caribbean and Europe make up the remainder, with roughly 3% each.[19]
Beet sugar comes from regions with cooler climates: northwest and eastern Europe, northern Japan, plus some areas in the United States (including California). In the northern hemisphere, the beet-growing season ends with the start of harvesting around September. Harvesting and processing continues until March in some cases. The availability of processing plant capacity, and the weather both influence the duration of harvesting and processing - the industry can lay up harvested beet until processed, but frost-damaged beet becomes effectively unprocessable.
The European Union (EU) has become the world's second-largest sugar exporter. The Common Agricultural Policy of the EU sets maximum quotas for members' production to match supply and demand, and a price. Europe exports excess production quota (approximately 5 million tonnes in 2003). Part of this, "quota" sugar, gets subsidised from industry levies, the remainder (approximately half) sells as "C quota" sugar at market prices without subsidy. These subsidies and a high import tariff make it difficult for other countries to export to the EU states, or to compete with the Europeans on world markets.
The United States sets high sugar prices to support its producers, with the effect that many former consumers of sugar have switched to corn syrup (beverage manufacturers) or moved out of the country (candymakers).
The cheap prices of glucose syrups produced from wheat and corn (maize) threaten the traditional sugar market. Used in combination with artificial sweeteners, they can allow drink manufacturers to produce very low-cost goods.
Ankur Singh
R No. 05
Commodity of my choice : CORN.
Details to follow.
Information on Corn
The United States is not only the world's top corn producer, but also the top exporter. On average, about 20 percent of U.S. corn is exported. During fiscal year 2008 (October-September), the United States exported 56 million metric tons (2.2 billion bushels) - accounting for 68 percent of world corn exports. During the same period, other major corn exporters included Argentina (10.7 million metric tons, or 421 million bushels) and China (3.7 million metric tons, or 145 million bushels).
Importers :
Japan is the largest and most consistent importer of corn in the world. The United States satisfies nearly all of Japan's demand. During fiscal year 2008, Japan imported 16.5 million metric tons (649 million bushels) of U.S. corn.
Mexico, Taiwan, Canada, Egypt and Colombia are also major corn importers and important markets for the United States.
Usage :
Although used primarily to feed livestock, corn is a versatile grain with a wealth of uses. It is also processed into a multitude of food and industrial products, including starches, sweeteners, corn oil, beverage and industrial alcohol, and fuel ethanol. Thousands of foods and other everyday items - from toothpaste and cosmetics to adhesives and shoe polish - contain corn components
Corn products are rapidly replacing petroleum in many industrial applications. Polylactide (PLA), a biodegradable polymer made from corn, is being used successfully in the manufacturing of a wide variety of everyday items such as clothing, packaging, carpeting, recreational equipment and food utensils. Because these products are biodegradable and made from a renewable resource, they offer tremendous environmental benefits.
Shilpa Malhotra
R No. 64
Chose petroleum by mistake before...
Commodity of my choice : SALT.
Details to follow.
Copper
Chile, US & Indonesia produces more then 50% of the world copper.
More then 80% of the consumption is in Construction (48%), Electrical (17%) and Gen Engg (16%)
It is traded mailny Landon Metal Exchange (LME), it is sold in the form of cathode and then drwn into wire or rolled into sheets.
One of the copper alloy is brass.
In my organisation I am buying approx 15,000 Kg of copper every month.
Prevaling duty to custom duty on imports in India is 5%.
Dhananjay Singh
Roll No 17
Name: Sumit Mahajan
Roll No: 07EMP02-65
Commodity : Honey
Please note that i have changed the commodity of interest to Honey from rice as RICE was already taken by Mr Sunil Rathi (Roll No.66)
Experts can distinguish bee products from top honey exporting countries by the honey colours.
The colour of flowers from which bees collect nectar determines a honey’s colour. For example, honey exports from Vietnam are typically dark amber because their source nectar is extracted from dark-coloured flowers.
China makes the most honey, much of which is light-coloured.
Largest Honey Producers
Countries listed below accounted for almost 65% of global honey output in 2005.
1. China … 298 thousand metric tonnes (21.5% of global honey production)
2. Turkey … 82.3 thousand metric tonnes (5.9%)
3. Argentina … 80 thousand metric tonnes (5.8%)
4. United States … 79.2 thousand metric tonnes (5.7%)
5. Ukraine … 71.5 thousand metric tonnes (5.1%)
6. Russia … 52.1 thousand metric tonnes (3.8%)
7. India … 52 thousand metric tonnes (3.7%)
8. Mexico … 50.6 thousand metric tonnes (3.6%)
9. Ethiopia … 39 thousand metric tonnes (2.8%)
10. Spain … 37 thousand metric tonnes (2.7%).
Although Chinese authorities are implementing stricter controls, Chinese honey is associated with chloramphenical – an antibiotic sprayed on bee hives. Banned from food processing in many countries, chloramphenical can cause the fatal blood condition aplastic anaemia.
The chloramphenical scare motivated the U.S. to ban Chinese honey in 2001. The European Union (EU) outlawed People’s Republic honey from 2002 to 2003.
Leading Honey Exporters
In 2004, the following nations exported the most honey by weight.
1. China … 81.3 thousand metric tonnes (24.2% of top ten total)
2. Argentina … 65.2 thousand metric tonnes (18.6%)
3. Mexico … 23.4 thousand metric tonnes (6.9%)
4. Germany … 22.4 thousand metric tonnes (6.6%)
5. Brazil … 21 thousand metric tonnes (6.2%)
6. Vietnam … 15.6 thousand metric tonnes (4.6%)
7. Hungary … 15 thousand metric tonnes (4.4%)
8. Canada … 14 thousand metric tonnes (4.2%)
9. Uruguay … 13.4 thousand metric tonnes (4%)
10. India … 10.4 thousand metric tonnes (3.1%).
The EU has accused about 10 honey exporters including Argentina, Vietnam, Hungary and India of re-labelling and re-shipping contaminated honey originally from China. Re-labelled honey with chloramphenical has been found in European ports, shipments to honey blending companies and grocery stores. Light-coloured Chinese honey re-labelled as Vietnamese honey (normally dark-coloured) also raised alarm bells.
Laundering re-labelled Chinese honey circumvents trade bans. Also, Chinese honey garners the lowest prices in global trade: US$1,094 per metric tonne in 2004. Re-labelled as Argentine honey, the unit price per metric tonne almost doubles to $1,927.
China argues that competitive exporters like New Zealand are spreading false rumours in an attempt to push Chinese honey off of global trade markets. New Zealand honey dictates the highest prices on world markets ($6,813 in 2004).
Biggest Sweet Liquid Importers
The following countries spent the most on honey imports in 2004.
1. Germany … US$230.7 million (27.5% of top ten total)
2. United States … $149.6 million (17.8%)
3. United Kingdom … $75.1 million (8.9%)
4. Japan … $65 million (7.7%)
5. France … $54.5 million (6.5%)
6. Italy … $41.6 million (5%)
7. Spain … $31.5 million (3.7%)
8. Saudi Arabia … $26 million (3.1%)
9. Switzerland … $23.1 million (2.8%)
10. Netherlands … $56 million (3.7%).
The EU and countries such as America, Japan and Saudi Arabia depend heavily on honey exports. For example, the National Honey Board reports that Americans consume more than 400 million pounds of honey each year while U.S. annual honey production is only 180 million pounds. Similarly, Britain produces a mere 10% of the honey that Brits consume.
I am opting Aluminum as Natural Resources.
Aluminium is a soft, durable, lightweight, malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull grey, depending on the surface roughness.
The chief source of aluminium is bauxite ore.
1. Producer: Large deposits of bauxite occur in Australia, Brazil, Guinea and Jamaica but the primary mining areas for the ore are in Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Russia and Surinam. Smelting of the ore mainly occurs in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Norway, Russia and the United States.
2. Application: Structural components made from aluminium and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and very important in other areas of transportation and building. Its reactive nature makes it useful as a catalyst or additive in chemical mixtures, including being used in ammonium nitrate explosives to enhance blast power.
3. Major Producer & Exporter: Over the last 50 years, Australia has become a major producer of bauxite ore and a major producer and exporter of alumina. Australia produced 62 million tonnes of bauxite in 2005. The Australian deposits have some refining problems, some being high in silica but have the advantage of being shallow and relatively easy to mine.
Regards
Animesh
EMP Oct 07
Roll No 03
I have to change my option for Aluminum as it was already opted by Praveen.
Now I am opting for MICA:
The word "mica" is thought to be derived from the Latin word micare, "glitteren", in reference to the brilliant appearance of this mineral (especially when in small scales).
The British Geological Survey reports that as of 2005, India had the largest deposits of mica in world. China was the top producer of mica with almost a third of the global share, closely followed by the USA, South Korea and Canada. Large Deposits of Sheet Mica were mined in New England from the 19th Century to the 1960's. Large mines existed in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Until the 19th century, large crystals of mica were quite rare and expensive as a result of the limited supply in Europe. However, its price dramatically dropped when large reserves were found and mined in Africa and South America during the early 1800s. The largest sheet of mica ever mined in the world came from a mine in Denholm, Quebec, Canada.
Mica has a high dielectric strength and excellent chemical stability, making it a favoured material for manufacturing capacitors for radio frequency applications. It has also been used as an insulator in high voltage electrical equipment. It is also birefringent and is commonly used to make quarter and half wave plates.
Because mica is resistant to heat it is used instead of glass in windows for stoves and kerosene heaters. It is also used to separate electrical conductors in cables that are designed to have a fire-resistance rating in order to provide circuit integrity. The idea is to keep the metal conductors from fusing in order to prevent a short-circuit so that the cables remain operational during a fire, which can be important for applications such as emergency lighting.
Regards
Animesh
EMP Oct 07
Roll No 03
Respected sir,
I am choosing Bauxite as my natural resource.
Nisha
Roll#41
Bauxite;
Bauxite is a heterogeneous, naturally occurring material from which alumina (AL2O3) and aluminium metal are produced. The principal minerals in bauxite are gibbsite (AL2O3.3H2O), boehmite (AL2O3.H2O) and diaspore, which has the same composition as boehmite, but is denser and harder.
Producers: Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite, with 33 per cent of global production in 2007. The bauxite resources at Weipa (QLD) and Gove (NT) have nearly 50 per cent available alumina and are amongst the world's highest grade deposits. In Western Australia, deposits in the Darling Range and the undeveloped Mitchell Plateau are relatively low grade with around 30 per cent available alumina.
More than 85 per cent of the bauxite mined globally is converted to alumina for the production of aluminium metal. An additional 10 per cent goes to non-metal uses in various forms of specialty alumina and the remainder is for non-metallurgical bauxite applications. In most commercial operations, alumina is extracted (refined) from bauxite by a wet chemical caustic leach process known as the Bayer process. Alumina is smelted using the Hall-Heroult process to produce aluminium metal by electrolytic reduction in a molten bath of natural or synthetic cryolite (NaAlF6).
Import Sources (2006):6 Bauxite: Guinea, 29%; Jamaica, 23%; Brazil, 20%; Guyana, 12%; and other, 16%. Alumina: Australia, 47%; Suriname, 29%; Jamaica, 9%; and other, 15%. Total: Guinea, 20%; Jamaica, 19%; Australia, 17%; Brazil, 15%; and other, 29%.
Exporter countries (aug 2008) : Guinea is the world’s biggest exporter of aluminium ore bauxite,
Substitutes: Bauxite is the only raw material used in the production of alumina on a commercial scale in the United States. However, the vast U.S. resources of clay are technically feasible sources of alumina. Other domestic raw materials, such as alunite, anorthosite, coal wastes, and oil shales, offer additional potential alumina sources. Although it would require new plants using different technology, alumina from these nonbauxitic materials could satisfy the demand for primary metal, refractories, aluminum chemicals, and abrasives. Synthetic mullite, produced from kyanite and sillimanite, substitutes for bauxite-based refractories. Although more costly, silicon carbide and alumina-zirconia can substitute for bauxite-based abrasives
Shilpa Malhotra
Roll No 64
Salt – General Information
--------------------------
Salt -- common salt, known to chemists as sodium chloride and to mineralogists as Halite -- is one of the most abundant substances on earth.
Of the millions of tons produced commercially each year, only about three percent is used as table salt. Large quantities are required for refrigeration meat packing, curing and preserving fish, pickles, sauerkraut, and for other foods prepared in brine. A lot of it is needed for livestock. Salt is spread on sidewalks, streets and highways to melt ice in winter. It is used to glaze pottery, sewer pipe and other ceramics. It is required in many metallurgical processes, chemical industries, and the manufacture of such products as leather, glass, soap, bleaching powder and photographic supplies. It has about 14,000 uses.
Salt is obtained from ocean water which contains about one-quarter pound per gallon; from inland seas with no outlet, such as Great Salt Lake in Utah -- which is several times as salty as the ocean -- and the Dead Sea in Palestine; from natural brines in underground rock layers; and from almost inexhaustible beds of Halite, or rock salt. In this mineral form it is usually transparent or white but may be colored yellow, red, brown, blue or even purple by impurities. The crystals are almost invariably cubes, as you may see by examining the tiny grains of table salt.
Salt Production
---------------
World salt Production - 240 million tones in 2006
U.S. - 46 million tonnes
China - 48 million tonnes
Germany - 18.6 million tonnes
India - 16 million tonnes
Canada - 15 million tonnes
Australia - 12.4 million tonnes
Mexico - 8.5 million tonnes
France - 7 million tonnes
Brazil - 7.3 million tonnes
United Kingdom - 5.8 million tonnes
As of 2006, China has become the world's largest producer of salt. Chinese salt production has risen sharply, having increased by more than 50% in the last decade alone - a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
Salt Consumption
----------------
Thirty-four countries have attained universal salt iodization, with at least 90 per cent of households consuming adequately iodized salt, while 60 countries have increased household consumption of adequately iodized salt by at least 20 per cent during the past decade. As of 2005, 120 countries had salt iodization programmes, compared with 90 countries in 2000.
Name : Gautam Kumar
Roll No. 22
Batch : EMP-OCT’2007
Metal alloy : steel
Top producer of steel :
China 489.0 mt
European union 210.3 mt
Japan 120.2 mt
Top Exporter of steel
1.China 51.7 mt
2.Japan 34.6 mt
3.European Union 32.4 mt
Top importer of steel
1. China 11.72 mt
2. Usa
Top consumers of steel
1. China
2. USA
mt : Million tone
Name : Gautam Kumar
Roll No. 22
Batch : EMP-OCT’2007
Natural Resources :
Metal Alloy : Steel
Largest Producer :
China 489.0 mt
European Union 210.3mt
Japan 120.2 mt
Largest Exporter
China 51.7 mt
Japan 34.6 mt
European Union 32.4 mt
Largest Importer
China 11.72 mt
USA
Largest Consumer
China
USA
mt : million tone
Natural Resource - Manganese
Manganese occurs principally as pyrolusite (MnO2), braunite, (Mn2+Mn3+6SiO12), psilomelane (Ba(Mn2+)(Mn4+)8O16(OH)4), and to a lesser extent as rhodochrosite (MnCO3). Land-based resources are large but irregularly distributed. Over 80% of the known world manganese resources are found in South Africa and Ukraine. Other important manganese deposits are in China, Australia, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, and Mexico.
US Import Sources (1998–2001): Manganese ore: Gabon, 70%; South Africa, 10%; Australia, 9%; Mexico, 5%; and other, 6%. Ferromanganese: South Africa, 47%; France, 22%; Mexico, 8%; Australia, 8%; and other, 15%. Manganese contained in all manganese imports: South Africa, 31%; Gabon, 21%; Australia, 13%; Mexico, 8%; and other, 27%.
Manganese is mined in Australia, Burkina Faso, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and Gabon.
Vast quantities of manganese exist in manganese nodules on the ocean floor. Attempts to find economically viable methods of harvesting manganese nodules were abandoned in the 1970s.
Hi,
I am choosing Platinum as a Natural Resources.
Details are as follows : -
Platinum is an extremely rare metal, occurring as only 0.003 ppb in the Earth's crust, and is 30 times rarer than gold. It is sometimes mistaken for silver (Ag) but platinum is whiter in appearance.
Platinum is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum and alloyed with iridium as platiniridium. Most often the native platinum is found in secondary deposits, platinum is combined with the other platinum group metals in alluvial deposits. The alluvial deposits used by pre-Columbian people in the Chocó Department, Colombia are still a source for platinum group metals. Another large alluvial deposit was found in the Ural mountains, Russia, which is still mined.
In the nickel and copper deposits the platinum group metals occur as sulphides (i.e. (Pt,Pd)S)), tellurides (i.e. PtBiTe), antimonides (PdSb), and arsenides (i.e. PtAs2), and as end alloys with raw nickel or raw copper. The platinum arsenide, sperrylite (PtAs2), is a major source of platinum associated with nickel ores in the Sudbury Basin deposit in Ontario, Canada. The rare sulfide mineral cooperite, (Pt,Pd,Ni)S, contains platinum along with palladium and nickel. Cooperite occurs in the Merensky Reef within the Bushveld complex, Gauteng, South Africa.[12]
The largest known primary reserves are in the Bushveld complex in South Africa,[13] the large copper–nickel deposits near Norilsk in Russia, and the Sudbury Basin, Canada with its large ore deposits are the two other large deposits. In the Sudbury Basin the huge quantities of nickel ore processed makes up for the fact that platinum is present as only 0.5 ppm in the ore. Smaller reserves can be found in the United States,[13] for example the and in the Absaroka Range in Montana.[14] This is also shown in the production of 2005. In 2005, South Africa was the top producer of platinum with an almost 80% share followed by Russia and Canada.[15]
Platinum exists in relatively higher abundances on the Moon and in meteorites. Correspondingly, platinum is found in slightly higher abundances at sites of bolide impact on the Earth that are associated with resulting post-impact volcanism and can be mined economically.
Platinum has six naturally occurring isotopes: 190Pt, 192Pt, 194Pt, 195Pt, 196Pt, and 198Pt. The most abundant of these is 195Pt, comprising 33.83% of all platinum. 190Pt is the least abundant at only .01%. Of the naturally occurring isotopes, only 190Pt is unstable, though it decays with a half-life of 650×109 years. 198Pt undergoes alpha decay, but because its half-life is estimated as being greater than 320×1012 years, it is considered stable. Platinum also has 31 synthetic isotopes ranging in atomic mass from 166 to 202, making the total number of known isotopes 37. The least stable of these is 166Pt with a half-life of 300 µs, while the most stable is 193Pt with a half-life of 50 years. Most of platinum's isotopes decay by some combination of beta decay and alpha decay. 188Pt, 191Pt, and 193Pt decay primarily by electron capture. 190Pt and 198Pt have double beta decay paths.[16]
Platinum's rarity as a metal has caused advertisers to associate it with exclusivity and wealth. "Platinum" debit cards have greater privileges than do "gold" ones. "Platinum awards" are the second highest possible, ranking above "gold", "silver" and "bronze", but below Diamond. For example, in the United States a musical album that has sold more than 1,000,000 copies, will be credited as "platinum", whereas an album that sold more than 10,000,000 copies will be certified as “diamond”. Some products, such as blenders and vehicles, with a silvery-white color are identified as "platinum". Platinum is considered a precious metal, although its use is not as common as the use of gold or silver. The frame of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, manufactured for her Coronation as Consort of King George VI, is made of platinum. It was the first British crown to be made of this particular metal.
History
Platinum occurs naturally in the alluvial sands of various rivers, though there is little evidence of its use by ancient peoples. However, the metal was used by pre-Columbian Native Americans near modern-day Esmeraldas, Ecuador to produce artifacts of a white gold-platinum alloy. The first European reference to platinum appears in 1557 in the writings of the Italian humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger as a description of an unknown noble metal found between Darién and Mexico, "which no fire nor any Spanish artifice has yet been able to liquefy."[11]
The alchemical symbol for platinum (shown above) was made by joining the symbols of silver and gold.In 1741, Charles Wood, a British metallurgist, found various samples of Columbian platinum in Jamaica, which he sent to William Brownrigg for further investigation. Antonio de Ulloa, also credited with the discovery of platinum, returned to Spain from the French Geodesic Mission in 1746. His historical account of the expedition included a description of platinum as being neither separable nor calcinable. Ulloa also anticipated the discovery of platinum mines. After publishing the report in 1748, Ulloa did not continue to investigate the new metal. In 1758, he was sent to superintend mercury mining operations in Huancavelica.[11]
In 1750, after studying the platinum sent to him by Wood, Brownrigg presented a detailed account of the metal to the Royal Society, mentioning that he had seen no mention of it in any previous accounts of known minerals. Brownrigg also made note of platinum's extremely high melting point and refractoriness toward borax. Other chemists across Europe soon began studying platinum, including Torbern Bergman, Jöns Jakob Berzelius, William Lewis, and Pierre Macquer. In 1752, Henric Scheffer published a detailed scientific description of the metal, which he referred to as "white gold", including an account of how he succeeded in fusing platinum ore with the aid of arsenic. Scheffer described platinum as being less pliable than gold, but with similar resistance to corrosion.[11]
Carl von Sickingen researched platinum extensively in 1772. He succeeded in making malleable platinum by alloying it with gold, dissolving the alloy in aqua regia, precipitating the platinum with ammonium chloride, igniting the ammonium chloroplatinate, and hammering the resulting finely-divided platinum to make it cohere. Franz Karl Achard made the first platinum crucible in 1784. He worked with the platinum by fusing it with arsenic, then later volatilizing the arsenic.[11]
In 1786, Charles III of Spain provided a library and laboratory to Pierre-François Chabaneau to aid in his research of platinum. Chabaneau succeeded in removing various impurities from the ore, including gold, mercury, lead, copper, and iron. This led him to believe that he was working with a single metal, but in truth the ore still contained the yet-undiscovered platinum group metals. This led to inconsistent results in his experiments. At times the platinum seemed malleable, but when it was alloyed with iridium, it would be much more brittle. Sometimes the metal was entirely incombustible, but when alloyed with osmium, it would volatilize. After several months, Chabaneau succeeded in producing 23 kilograms of pure, malleable platinum by hammering and compressing the sponge form while white-hot. Chabeneau realized that the infusibility of platinum would lend value to objects made of it, and so started a business with Joaquín Cabezas producing platinum ingots and utensils. This started what is known as the "platinum age" in Spain.[11]
From 1875 to 1960 the SI unit of length (the standard metre) was defined as the distance between two lines on a standard bar of an alloy of ninety percent platinum and ten percent iridium, measured at 0 degrees Celsius.
In 2007 Gerhard Ertl won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the detailed molecular mechanisms of the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum (catalytic converter).
Regards,
Amritesh
Timber Trade In India
Timber trade
India is likely to face severe shortage of supply of timber to meet its requirement from both domestic and international front. It is estimated that the demand for timber is likely to grow from 58 million cubic metres in 2005 to 153 million cubic meters in 2020. The supply of wood is projected to increase from 29 million cubic meters in 2000 to 60 million cubic meters in 2020. The productivity of timber in India is only 0.7 cu. m/ha/year whereas the world average is 2.1 cu.m/ha/year. The supply of timber is mainly from forest plantations and wood production is showing a negative growth rate. In the absence of adequate supply from domestic sources, the nation has to depend heavily on imports to meet its demand for timber. This will increase the nation’s forest footprint, particularly in South East Asia. In order to minimize the forest footprint, we need to encourage sustainable consumption of timber by promoting forest certification. With the help of GFTN and WWF network, we have actively participated and provided technical inputs to Export Promotion Council of Handicrafts (EPCH) in conducting several supplier summits this year to promote forest certification in India. A study on “Timber Trade and India’s Forest Footprint” has been undertaken as part of “Forest for Life” programme, and the same will be published shortly. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India invited WWF-India to participate and provide inputs to various committees/fora including (i) technical committee on forest certification and (ii) a core group to study applied rates and import duties of the forestry products and their assessment in the multilateral/bilateral trade negotiations.
Rgds
Girish Gera
Roll No: 23
Name: Anuj Dhingra
Roll# 6
Natural Resource: Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (Latin: stannum) and atomic number 50. This silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized in air and resists corrosion, is found in many alloys and is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide. It can be alloyed with copper to make bronze. Pewter alloys contain from 85% up to 99% tin.
In 2007, the People's Republic of China was the largest producer of tin, where the tin deposites are concentrated in the southeast Yunnan tin belt,[8] with 43% of the world's share, followed by Indonesia and Peru, reports the USGS.[9]
Tin is produced by reducing the ore with coal in a reverberatory furnace. This metal is a relatively scarce element with an abundance in the Earth's crust of about 2 ppm, compared with 94 ppm for zinc, 63 ppm for copper, and 12 ppm for lead. Most of the world's tin is produced from placer deposits. The only mineral of commercial importance as a source of tin is cassiterite (SnO2), although small quantities of tin are recovered from complex sulfides such as stannite, cylindrite, franckeite, canfieldite, and teallite. Secondary, or scrap, tin is also an important source of the metal.
Crystals of cassiterite tin oreTasmania hosts some deposits of historical importance, most notably Mount Bischoff and Renison Bell. New deposits are also reported to be in southern Mongolia.
It is estimated that, at current consumption rates, the Earth will run out of tin in 40 years.[10] However Lester Brown has suggested tin could run out within 20 years based on an extremely conservative extrapolation of 2% growth per year.[11] However this is offset by the increased use of secondary, or scrap tin, as a readily available source of the metal.
Mitesh Chitkara chosing
Sulphur as Natural resource
Producer and production volumes are
Data in 1000' metric tonnes
United States 8,820
Australia 941 950
Canada 9,000
Chile 1,000
China 8,500
Finland 600
France 950
Germany 2,300
India 1,200
Iran 1,500
Italy 750
Japan 3,300
Kazakhstan 2,000
Korea, Republic of 1,700
Kuwait 650
Mexico 1,800
Netherlands 530
Poland 1,200
Russia 7,000
Saudi Arabia 3,000
South Africa 650
Spain 600
United Arab Emirates 2,000
Uzbekistan 520
Venezuela 800
Other countries 5,000
World total (rounded) 66,000
TOP Importers with Value are:
Imports for 2005
Value in US$ '000
China 797,697
Morocco 230,003
Brazil 152,141
Tunisia 138,211
India 136,535
United States of America 94,027
TOP Importers with Value are:
Exports for 2005
Value in US$ '000
Canada 402,170
Germany 97,360
Russian Federation 72,545
Japan 63,247
United States of America 45,213
Thanks
Natural resources Reviews:- (Natural rubber).
Natural rubber is an elastomer—an elastic hydrocarbon polymer—that was originally derived from a a milky colloidal suspension, or latex, found in the sap of some plants. The purefied form of natural rubber is the chemical polyisoprene which can also be produced synthetically. Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products. The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is the Para rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae). This is largely because it responds to wounding by producing more latex.
Commercial potentials.
South America remained the main source of what limited amount of latex rubber was consumed during much of the 19th century. However in 1876, Henry Wickham gathered thousands of seeds from Brazil, and these were germinated in Kew Gardens, UK. The seedlings were then sent to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore and British Malaya. Malaya (now Malaysia) was later to become the biggest producer of rubber. About 100 years ago, the Congo Free State in Africa was also a significant source of natural rubber latex, mostly gathered by forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also started production of rubber.
In India commercial cultivation of natural rubber was introduced by the British Planters, although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Kolkata. The first commercial Hevea plantations in India were established at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902.
Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties. Rubber's stress-strain behavior exhibits the Mullins effect, the Payne effect and is often modeled as hyperelastic. Rubber strain crystallizes.
Vulcanization:- Vulcanization of rubber creates more disulfide bonds between chains so it makes each free section of chain shorter. The result is that the chains tighten more quickly for a given length of strain. This increases the elastic force constant and makes rubber harder and less extendable.
Sources :-
Today Asia is the main source of natural rubber, accounting for around 94% of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) together account for around 72% of all natural rubber production.
Uses :-
The use of rubber is widespread, ranging from household to industrial products, entering the production stream at the intermediate stage or as final products. Tires and tubes are the largest consumers of rubber, accounting for around 56% total consumption in 2005. The remaining 44% are taken up by the general rubber goods (GRG) sector, which includes all products except tires and tubes
Other significant uses of rubber are door and window profiles, hoses, belts, matting, flooring and dampeners (anti-vibration mounts) for the automotive industry in what is known as the "under the bonnet" products. Gloves (medical, household and industrial) are also large consumers of rubber and toy balloons, although the type of rubber used is that of the concentrated latex. Significant tonnage of rubber is used as adhesives in many manufacturing industries and products, although the two most noticeable are the paper and the carpet industry. Rubber is also commonly used to make rubber bands and pencil erasers.
Statutory and research bodies for Natural Rubber
• Rubber Board, Kerala
• IRSG (International Rubber Study Group)
• ANRPC (Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries)
• IRRDB (International Rubber Research and Development Board)
R.Gunasekaran,RollNo:07EMP02-49
My choice is SAFFRON,famous in our Kashmir region.
Saffron is spice derived from dried stigma of the flower of Saffron Crocus(Botanical name).The flower has 3 stigmas.The flower is grown in a belt ranging from Mediterranean in the west to Kashmir in the east.Total world annual production is about 300 tonnes.
The top producers are
1.Iran - 280 T (94%)
2.Spain
3.India
4.Greece
5.Moracco
6.Italy
The top importing countries are:
1.Spain
2.United Arab Emirates
3.Saudi Arabia
4.Sweden
5.Italy
one Kg production of saffron requires 1,50,000 flowers grown in an area equivalent to foot ball field.It also requires 40 hrs of labour to pick and process.
I.B perspective,due to high requirement of land and labour,the crop is increasingly cultivated more in Iran and production in Spain is decreasing on year to year basis.This also provides employment for people in third world countries.Though Iran is highest producer,USA is not importing from Iran .Spain is importing the product from Iran and re exporting to other countries. High quality saffron from India is rarely exported.
International Standard for Saffron is ISO 3632-1:1993
Some of the big exporters of Water are www.evian.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evian
Evian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.
Other facts: -
As people become more affluent, higher meat consumption and industrial goods usage will lead to greater demands on existing global water supply. On average, 1,000 liters of water is required to grow one kilogram of wheat. Between five and ten times more water results in one kilogram of meat. As a result, one hamburger requires up to 11,000 liters of water to produce.
Jordan is between 80 and 90 percent dependent on virtual water imports.
China is currently undertaking a $40–60 billion project to divert water from the Yangtze River’s glacial headwaters in Tibet to the northern provinces. The water transfer of 40 billion cubic meters of water per year will be equivalent to the annual water flow of China’s second longest river, the Yellow River.
70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water, only one percent is fresh water that is available in easily accessible lakes and rivers. Most of the world’s fresh water sources lie beneath Antarctic glaciers and approximately one-quarter of the world’s supply is located in Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
Ashish Singla
Roll # 12
Name: Ashish Garg
Roll No.: 10
Batch: Emp, Oct 2007
Commodity: Marble.
Details:
Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3). It is extensively used for sculpture, as a building material, and in many other applications. The word "marble" is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.
Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional or rarely contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, either limestone or dolostone, or metamorphism of older marble. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite, aragonite and/or dolomite crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock.
Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestones. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Green coloration is often due to serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the metamorphism.
Colorless or light-colored marbles are a very pure source of calcium carbonate, which is used in a wide variety of industries. Finely ground marble or calcium carbonate powder is a component in paper, and in consumer products such as toothpaste, plastics, and paints. Ground calcium carbonate can be made from limestone, chalk, and marble; about three-quarters of the ground calcium carbonate worldwide is made from marble. Ground calcium carbonate is used as a coating pigment for paper because of its high brightness and as a paper filler because it strengthens the sheet and imparts high brightness. Ground calcium carbonate is used in consumer products such as a food additive, in toothpaste, and as an inert filler in pills. It is used in plastics because it imparts stiffness, impact strength, dimensional stability, and thermal conductivity. It is used in paints because it is a good filler and extender, has high brightness, and is weather resistant. However, the growth in demand for ground calcium carbonate in the last decade has mostly been for a coating pigment in paper.
Calcium carbonate can also be reduced under high heat to calcium oxide (also known as "lime"), which has many applications including being a primary component of many forms of cement.
According to the United States Geological Survey, U.S. dimension marble production in 2006 was 46,400 tons valued at $18.1 million, compared to 72,300 tons valued at $18.9 million in 2005. Crushed marble production (for aggregate and industrial uses) in 2006 was 11.8 million tons valued at $116 million, of which 6.5 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. For comparison, 2005 crushed marble production was 7.76 million tons valued at $58.7 million, of which 4.8 million tons was finely ground calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. U.S. dimension marble demand is about 1.3 million tons. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 12% annually for the 2000-2006 period, compared to 10.5% annually for the 2000–2005 period. The largest dimension marble application is tile.
Respected Sir,
I'm choosing 'Tungsten' as Natural Resource.
Tungsten also known as wolfram is a chemical element that has the symbol W and atomic number 74.
Pure tungsten is a steel-gray to tin-white metal. Very pure tungsten can be cut with a hacksaw, forged, spun, drawn, and extruded. The impure metal is brittle and can be worked only with difficulty. Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, and at temperatures over 1650oC has the highest tensile strength. The metal oxidizes in air and must be protected at elevated temperatures. It has excellent corrosion resistance and is attacked only slightly by most mineral acids. The thermal expansion is about the same as borosilicate glass, which makes the metal useful for glass-to-metal seals.
Tungsten and its alloys are used extensively for filaments for electric lamps, electron and television tubes, and for metal evaporation work; for electrical contact points for automobile distributors; X-ray targets; windings and heating elements for electrical furnaces; and for numerous spacecraft and high-temperature applications. High-speed tool steels, Hastelloy(R), Stellite(R), and many other alloys contain tungsten. Tungsten carbide is of great importance to the metal-working, mining, and petroleum industries. Calcium and magnesium tungstates are widely used in fluorescent lighting; other salts of tungsten are used in the chemical and tanning industries. Tungsten disulfide is a dry, high-temperature lubricant, stable to 500C. Tungsten bronzes and other tungsten compounds are used in paints. Tungsten powder (99.9%) costs about $50/lb.
Exporter:
China (produces 75% of World production)
Austria
Bolivia
Portuga
Russia
Importers:
USA
UK
Germany
In August 2007 USA imported 3,110 Metric tons, tungsten from China; 823 Metric tons from Bolivia and 423 Metric tons from Portuga
Germany imported 1,070 Metric tons, tungsten from USA
Ashish Sharma
Roll No 11
I am opting for "silk"
Silk has a miniscule percentage of the global textile fibre market—less than 0.2%. This figure, however, is misleading, since the actual trading value of silk and silk products is much more impressive. This is a multibillion dollar trade, with a unit price for raw silk roughly twenty times that of raw cotton. (The precise global value is difficult to assess, since reliable data on finished silk products is lacking in most importing countries.) To give an idea of the value, however, the annual turnover of the China National Silk Import and Export Corporation alone is US$ 2–2.5 billion.
Unlike some other textiles, silk-wearing traditions and demand go back a long way. A good example is India, where the local demand greatly exceeds supply (and hampers export growth). India has thus become the largest importer of raw silk, despite the fact that it is now the second largest producer. Some other silk producers are also experiencing fast-growing local demand, such as China, where consumers are increasingly able to afford the lower price range silk products. This pattern is also expected to repeat itself in Viet Nam.
Name : Vishal Sharma
Roll No. 72
Batch : EMP-Oct’2007
Natural Resources
Dairy Product : Milk
Production
India 91940 thousand tonnes
USA 80264 thousand tonnes
Russia 32179 thousand tonnes
Consumer
Per capita consumption
Finlaand 183.9 lt
Sweden 14.55 lt
Ireland12.98 lt
Exporter
Newzeland
Importer
Japan
Ashish Sharma
Roll No 11
Natural resource "Silk"
Italy and France
Raw silk importers, high-quality processors
Italy has been traditionally the largest importer, processor and exporter of silk products in Europe. In 1997, Italy imported some 3200 tons of raw silk and over 700 tons of silk yarn, primarily from China. Italy also imported about 300 tons of ladies’ blouses, of which over 80% came from China. Silk garment imports, however, have drastically gone down over the last five years. (In 1992, the country imported more than 700 tons of ladies’ blouses.) Italy is well-known for highly developed skills in silk processing (finishing, dyeing and printing silk fabrics). Exports of silk scarves rose by about 15% between from 1996 to 1997, to 586 tons. Exports of silk neckties reached 1230 tons the same year.
France is another country with a considerable silk processing industry. For centuries, Lyon has produced silk fabrics of the highest quality for domestic consumption and for export. More than 70% of silk fabrics in the French market have been traditionally used for clothing. There are signs that silk may have a growing market also for interior decoration use as curtains, wall covers, bed spreads and upholstery. France exports top quality silk fabrics to the US market, with unit prices reaching US$ 30 per m2.
United States
Emphasis on easy-care fabrics
The US market is one of the world’s largest, and imports include garments, interior decoration fabrics and accessories. Silk processing capacity is virtually nonexistent. Imports of silk goods were valued at about US$ 2 billion in 1997; 10% was for home furnishing. Unlike European consumers, US consumers do not have a long tradition of using silk. Silk therefore has never had the same aura as in Europe. The United States has been a pioneer market for imported Chinese knitted silk products, initially mainly thermal underwear, and now also elegant casuals in the form of T-shirts, polo neck sweaters, etc. Easy care is a “must” in the United States, so it is important to develop fabrics with easy-care properties to compete with other fibres.
Germany
Europe’s largest silk market, quality-conscious, receptive
to “green” marketing
Germany is by far the largest European market for textiles and clothing, including silk. The German consumer favours natural fibres. Germany has been importing a variety of silk garments, accessories (particularly silk cushion covers) and interior decoration fabrics. Silk garments are imported mainly from China. India and Thailand have been relatively successful in this market with their handloom silk products for home furnishing. The market is quality-conscious and prepared to pay a premium for good quality.
Japan
Leading Consumer
Traditionally the largest silk consumer, Japan in the 1960s relied entirely on local silk production, mostly for kimonos. Between the 1970s and today, local silk production dropped from over 20,000 tons to less than 2000. The country now depends on imported silk goods, particularly from China. Kimonos still absorb about 50% of the total raw silk consumption in Japan, down from 90% in the 1970s. Silk is little used in interior decoration. The decline of the Japanese silk processing industry is having a serious effect on Brazilian sericulture, which caters largely to Japan.
RAW CASHEW NUTS
INDIA IS THE WORLDS LARGEST PRODUCER AND ALSO THE LARGEST IMPORTER OF RAW CASHEW NUTS AS IT IS THE LARGEST CONSUMER AND EXPORTER OF PROCESSED CASHEW KERNELS. INDONESIA AND VIETNAM ARE THE OTHER TWO IMPORTANT PLAYERS. AFRICAN CASHEW ALLIANCE HAS BEEN FORMED TO MITIGATE INDIA'S MONOPOLY ON CASHEW TRADE. SOME FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT THAT -
AFRICAN CASHEW ALLIANCE
BENIN
Benin produces an estimated 45,000 metric tons of raw cashew nuts per annum. Approximately 4% of these nuts are being processed locally. Beninese raw cashew nuts have long been reputed for their high quality, and are considered the second best in West Africa after Guinea Bissau.
BURKINA FASO
Burkina Faso, with approximately 10,000 metric tons of raw nuts, is a comaparitavely small producer in West Africa. However, the country has one industrial cashew processing facility, allowing Burkina Faso to process up to 20% of its 10,000 metric tons annually. Several initiatives are on-going that will increase processing capacity in the near future.
COTE d’IVOIRE
Cote d'Ivoire is the largest cashew producer in West Africa, having grown its annual production in recent years to an estimated 200,000-250,000 metric tons of cashews. There are two industrial size cashew processing facilities that can process approximately 5% of the crop within the countries borders.
GAMBIA
The Gambia is currently producing up to 3,000 metric tons of cashews per year. This number, while small is nearly 15 times its annual production from just one decade ago. The national production amounts for less than one tenth of the total raw nuts exported from the port of Banjul since The Gambia also exports crop from both Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
GHANA
Ghana has an annual cashew production of 10,000-15,000 metric tons, and exports an additional 30,000 metric tons from neighouring countries. Ghana processes approximately 5% of its domestic production, mainly supplying local consumer markets with the kernels. Accra, the capital, is home to the ACA secretariat.
NIGERIA
Nigeria is the third largest producer of cashews in West Africa. With 24,400 metric ton installed processing capacity, Nigeria is the largest processor in the region, probably a result of the country's tax incentive for exports of processed foods.
TANZANIA
With an annual production that came up to 100,000 metric tons in 2006, Tanzania is one of the top three African producers of raw cashew nuts and the largest producer in East Africa. Tanzania processes between 10-15% of its crop.
Respected Sir and dear friends
I am choosing land as Natural Resource. I would like to focus on various uses of land like agriculture, forestry and urbanization of land etc.
Will post details on it shortly
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity and is rather supple in its pure state and has a pinkish luster which is (beside gold) unusual for metals which are normally silvery white. It finds use as a heat conductor, an electrical conductor, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys
This is a list of countries by copper mine in 2006 mostly based on British Geological Survey accessed in June 2008.
Rank by
sovereign state Country/Region Copper mine production (tonnes)
World 15,100,000
1 Chile 5,360,800
2 United States 1,220,000
3 Peru 1,049,933
4 China 915,000
5 Australia 875,000
6 Indonesia 817,796
7 Russia 675,000
8 Canada 606,958
9 Zambia 502,998
10 Poland 497,200
11 Kazakhstan 459,200
12 Papua New Guinea 194,355
13 Argentina 180,144
14 Iran 150,000
15 Brazil 147,836
16 Mexico 129,042
17 DR Congo 131,400
18 Mongolia 129,675
19 Uzbekistan 103,500
20 Bulgaria 99,000
21 South Africa 89,700
22 Sweden 86,746
23 Portugal 78,660
24 Laos 60,803
25 India 31,000
26 Turkey 30,000
27 Botswana 24,255
28 Burma 19,500
29 Pakistan 18,700
30 Armenia 17,800
31 Philippines 17,700
32 Georgia 14,600
33 Finland 13,000
34 Romania 12,179
35 North Korea 12,000
36 Vietnam 11,400
37 Serbia 11,100
38 Spain 8,700
39 Macedonia 7,054
40 Namibia 6,262
41 Mauritania 5,031
42 Morocco 4,500
43 Tanzania 3,285
44 Zimbabwe 2,581
45 Japan 1,000
46 Cyprus 900
47 Saudi Arabia 604
48 Colombia 600
49 Albania 400
Top 5 Copper Exporting Countries are-
1 Chile
2 United States
3 Peru
4 China
5 Australia
Roll No: 07/EMP 02/62
Dear Sir
I have chosen Sodium as Natural resource.
World soda ash production for 2003 was estimated at 38 million metric tons
The five leading producers were the United States, China, Russia, India, and Germany, accounting for 71 percent of world production in 2003.
China is growing faster than United states & now is at No 1 position.
Ten leading nations for U.S. soda ash exports in 2003 were Mexico (13 percent), Canada and Japan (8 percent each), Brazil (7 percent), China (6 percent), Belgium, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea (5 percent each); and Chile and Argentina (4 percent each).
In 2003, soda ash was the 11th largest chemical in terms of production of all domestic inorganic and organic chemicals, excluding petrochemical feedstocks for example crude oil, natural gas or their derivatives. Although soda ash represented only 2 percent of the total estimated $38 billion U.S. nonfuel mineral industry in 2003. For example, soda ash is used to make flat glass and fiberglass, which are both used by the domestic automotive and construction industries.
Will come back with some more data shortly
Respected Sir and dear friends
I have chosen land as natural resource. Would try to delibrate on urbanisation v/s agriculture & forstry and other uses / misuses / disuses of land.
Will share the details shortly
Paramjit Singh
Roll No 44
The value of Chile's copper exports is about $4.106 billion
Major Exporting Partners are
China 14.8%,
US 12.5%,
Japan 10.5%,
Netherlands 5.8%,
South Korea 5.7%,
Italy 5.1%,
Brazil 5% (2007)
The value of Peru's copper exports is about $ 721.17 million
Major Exporting Partners are
US 18.5%,
China 12.1%,
Switzerland 8.1%,
Canada 7.2%,
Japan 7.1%,
dear sir
I have choosen Lignite as a natural resource
C P Sharma
Roll No 15
Hi Sir,
I am choosing 'Bronzite' as Natural Resource.
Rgds,
Pawan Kumar
R.No - 47
Name: Vishal Kumar Sinha
Roll # 71
Raw Material selected: Turmeric
TURMERIC
Description
Turmeric is a 5000 years old herb, that belongs to, Zingiberaceae,the family of Ginger. Its rootstalk, in powdered form, is used as a spice (also a dye) throughout the world. This tropical herb plant is usually 3 to 5 feet in height having flowers of dull yellow color and is largely cultivated in the parts of Southeast Asia. Turmeric as spice is deep yellow in color having a pungent flavor. To convert it into a powdered form, the rootstalk is boiled, dried, cleaned and polished and then powdered.
Overview
Turmeric is one of the oldest spices and had been used in India since ages. That is why it is said that this spice belongs to India and also called ‘Indian saffron’. It is used in many Hindu rituals even now and Indians tend to be attached to it emotionally. It is also used as a medicine for stomachaches and disorders. This is because of this bonding only that India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of this spice. The world production of turmeric stands at around 800000 tons in which India hold a share of approximately 75-80%. Also India consumes around 80% of its own production. The major turmeric exporting countries constitutes: -
India
Thailand
Other Southeast Asian countries
Central and Latin American countries
Taiwan
The major importing countries of turmeric are: -
Japan
Sri Lanka
Iran
United Arab Emirates
United States
United Kingdom
Ethiopia
History
The exact origin of turmeric is unidentified but it is said that it originated in the parts of western India. It has been used in India for 5000 years now. Initially it was cultivated as a dye as its bright yellow color works as a coloring agent. Then with time people came to know about its developed uses and they started using it for cosmetic purposes and then as a medicine. Turmeric reached China by 700AD, East Africa by 800AD and West Africa by 1200AD and started becoming popular through out the world.
The Arab traders took turmeric to Europe in 13th century. Marco Polo was so impressed by turmeric that he mentioned it as a vegetable that has properties of saffron, but it is not really saffron. Ancient Indian medical literature, Ayurveda also mentions about turmeric being an extremely effective herb for stomach disorders and food poisoning.
Cultivation pattern
Turmeric is a plant that is cultivated and propagated with the help of its rootstalk. The plant is perennial having bright green leaves and yellow conical flowers. It needs hot and humid climate to prosper and it generally grows on light black or red soils that are clayey in nature. That is why the rootstalk is sown in around the spring season. The harvesting of this plant is done when the leaves of this plant start turning yellowish after 7 to 10 months of plantation. The plant is harvested by digging the rootstalks up. It is grown from the sea level to 1200 meters above mean sea level.
The yield of this crop also depends on the amount of rainfall it gets, as it requires an appropriate amount of water to survive. Also, the water shouldn’t be alkaline in nature as it is harmful for growth of the plant
Turmeric producing countries
India
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
China
Myanmar
Indonesia
Jamaica
Haiti
Costa Rica
Peru
Brazil
Malaysia
Vietnam
Thailand
Philippines
Japan
Korea
These countries contribute in the production of around 800000 tons of turmeric annually. India wholly dominates the world production scenario contributing to approximately 75% of the world’s total production producing 600000 tons of turmeric annually. It also holds the top position in the list of world’s leading exporters of turmeric. Asian countries usually consume a large share of their own produce and India stands at top in this case also.
Production of turmeric in India
In India, it is cultivated in states of
Andhara Pradesh
Karnataka
Orissa
Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Maharashtra
The production of turmeric is concentrated in the southern part of the country mainly in the peninsular area. The warm climatic conditions and consistent rainfall in those areas support the growth of turmeric and many other spices also. Andhra Pradesh is the leading turmeric producing state in India followed by Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh also dominates the area under production of turmeric.
Indian turmeric market
Turmeric holds a reputation of being auspicious in India. It has been used in India since a long time and is also used in many Hindu rituals and ceremonies. India’s production of turmeric is the largest in the world. Andhra Pradesh stands to be the leading turmeric producing state in India. It exceeds the domestic demand and that gets India into an exporting condition. The Indian turmeric is considered to be of the best quality in the world. The country contributes to the largest share in the world’s total exports figuring around 40000 tons to the countries like
United Arab Emirates
United States
Japan
United Kingdom
Sri Lanka
UAE accounts for the largest share in total Indian exports followed by United States. Turmeric is available in two seasons in India i.e. from February to May and from August to October. There are various varieties of turmeric that are produced in India namely: -
Alleppey Finger (Kerala)
Erode Turmeric (Tamil Nadu)
Salem Turmeric (Tamil Nadu)
Rajapore Turmeric (Maharashtra)
Sangli Turmeric (Maharashtra)
Nizamabad Bulb (Andhra Pradesh)
From the above-mentioned varieties of turmeric, Alleppey, Rajapore and Erode varieties are exported from India.
Major trading centers of turmeric
In India, turmeric is traded at
Nizamabad
Dugirala in Andhra Pradesh
Sangli in Maharashtra
Salem
Erode
Dharmapuri
Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu
Sir,
I am choosing Mustard oil as commodity to work for this project.
Thank you
Rahul Chauhan
Roll No. 50
Dear Sir,
I wish to change to Biofuels as Natural Resource.
Biofuel is defined as solid, liquid or gas fuel derived from relatively recently dead biological material and is distinguished from fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead biological material.
So far there has been four generation of Biofuels.
First Generation – Vegetable oil, Biodiesel, Bio Alcohols,
Second Generation – Fuel from Non food crops.
Third Generation – Algae fuel.
Fourth Generation - Conversion of vegoil and biodiesel into gasoline.
World leaders in biofuel development and use are Brazil, United States, France, Sweden and Germany.
In 2007 the five large producers were – Brazil, US, France, Sweden, & Germany. We might have Argentina in top five in 2008.
In 2007 the five large consumers were – Germany, US, France, Spain & UK.
Brazil is world's largest exporter in 2007. Total production by 2008 is project to be 26.4 billion litres. The second largest is Argentina with production of 251 million gallons
There major three importing partners are United States (932.75 mn litres), European Union (1,004.17 mn litres) & Japan (364 mn litres).
US imports from Brazil, Argentina & Ecuador.
EU imports from Brazil & Argentina.
Regards,
Pawan Kumar
Roll No - 47.
Name - Vivek Sharma
Roll # 75
Natural Resource - Tobbaco
Roll No 57
chromium
Initially I posted Dimond in the book list.
Chromium (pronounced /ˈkroʊmiəm/) is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odourless, tasteless, and malleable. Chromium was named after the Greek word "Chrōma" (χρωμα) meaning color, because of the many colorful compounds made from it
Uses of chromium:
In metallurgy, to impart corrosion resistance, create a shiny finish, or increase hardness:
as an alloy constituent, such as in stainless steel
in chrome plating
chromic acid is used in some anodizing processes
As dyes and paints:
Chromium(III) oxide is a metal polish known as green rouge.
Chromium salts color glass an emerald green.
Chromium is what makes a ruby red, and therefore is used in producing synthetic rubies.
also makes a brilliant yellow for painting
As a catalyst.
Chromite is used to make molds for the firing of bricks.
Chromium salts are used in the tanning of leather.
Potassium dichromate is a chemical reagent, used in cleaning laboratory glassware and as a titrating agent. It is also used as a mordant (i.e., a fixing agent) for dyes in fabric.
Chromium(IV) oxide (CrO2) is used to manufacture magnetic tape, where its higher coercivity than iron oxide tapes gives better performance.
In well drilling muds as an anti-corrosive.
In medicine, as a dietary supplement or slimming aid, usually as chromium(III) chloride, chromium(III) picolinate, chromium(III) polynicotinate or as an amino acid chelate, such as chromium(III) D-phenylalanine.[5]
Chromium hexacarbonyl (Cr(CO)6) is used as a gasoline additive.
Chromium boride (CrB) is used as a high-temperature electrical conductor.
Chromium(III) sulfate (Cr2(SO4)3) is used as a green pigment in paints, in ceramic, varnishes and inks as well as in chrome plating.
Chromium(VI) is used in the post Ballard preparation of Gravure (rotogravure) printing Forme Cylinders. By electroplating the metal onto the second coat of copper (after the Ballard skin), the longevity of the printing cylinder is increased.
[edit] Biological role
Trivalent chromium (Cr(III) or Cr3+) is required in trace amounts for sugar metabolism in humans (Glucose Tolerance Factor) and its deficiency may cause a disease called chromium deficiency. In contrast, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI) or Cr6+) is very toxic and mutagenic when inhaled, as publicized by the film Erin Brockovich. Cr(VI) has not been established as a carcinogen when in solution, though it may cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD).[6]
The popular dietary supplement chromium picolinate complex generates chromosome damage in hamster cells.[7] In the United States the dietary guidelines for daily chromium uptake were lowered from 50-200 µg for an adult to 35 µg (adult male) and to 25 µg (adult female).[8]
[edit] Isotopes
COMMODITY: Mustard oil/Rapseed Oil
Scientific Name: Sinapis alba, Brassica nigra
Mustard/Rapeseed oil is the third largest edible oil produced in the world after Soy oil and Palm oil. At a production level of 13-14 million tons, it accounts for about 12% of the total World's edible oil production. However the export trade has come down, due to the dominance of other oils like palm and soya, which have become comparatively cheaper. The share has come down to almost 3% from the earlier figures of about 5% (of the total 30 million tons of edible oils traded in the export market annually). The production and consumption of this oil has been growing at the rate of 4.65% and 5.03% respectively (compound growth over the last decade).
Canada is the major exporter of seed and oil. Other major producers like China, India and EU are large consumers themselves. On crushing rapeseed or mustard, oil and meal are obtained. The average oil recovery from the seed is about 33%. The remaining is obtained as cake, which is rich in proteins and is used as an animal feed ingredient.
Mustard oil, which is known for its pungency, is traditionally the most favoured oil in the major production tracts the world over. The Winnipeg Commodity Exchange in Canada has a futures exchange for canola (Canola is hybrid Rapeseed grown in Canada), which serves as a reference for its derivatives, oil and meal.
Thank You
Rahul Chauhan
roll No.-50
India is the third largest milk producer in the world behind the European Union and the United States, accounting for approximately eight percent of world milk production. Because India has a large share of the World's cattle (15 percent) and buffalo (50 percent) populations, it has one of the average milk yields in the world. For example, in 2001, per cow milk production in India was 1014 kilograms as compared to 8,225 kilograms for the United States and 5,657 kilograms for the European Union (FAPRI, 2002). One of the main reasons for such low productivity is the existence of millions of small-scale dairy producers who do not use modern scientific management practices and for whom dairying is only a secondary enterprise (Rajendran and Prabaharan, 1992).
The World's Largest Milk Supplier
The United States has the largest supply of milk in the world, along with an abundance of land and considerable investment in research and development. About 10% of the world's milk powder production - over 700 thousand metric tons - is manufactured at more than 80 plants in the United States, making the United States one of the largest milk powder producers in the world. These factors, together with strict sanitary and quality standards, year-round production, and a growing international focus have helped the U.S. dairy industry position itself as a premium dairy ingredient supplier to the world.
Top Five World Milk Powder Producers are
1 EU.
2 United States.
3 New Zealand.
4 INDIA.
5 Australia.
VISHAL SHARMA
ROLL NO 72
Dear Sir,
I would chose "WIND ENERGY"
Roll No 56
WIND ENERGY
Installed windpower capacity (MW)
Rank Nation 2007
----------------------
1 Germany 22,247
2 US 16,818
3 Spain 15,145
4 India 8,000
5 China 6,050
___________________________________
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2007, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 94.1 gigawatts. Although wind produces only about 1% of world-wide electricity use, it is growing rapidly, increasing more than fivefold globally between 2000 and 2007.In several countries it has achieved relatively high levels of penetration, accounting for approximately 19% of electricity production in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland in 2007.
Wind energy has historically been used directly to propel sailing ships or converted into mechanical energy for pumping water or grinding grain, but the principal application of wind power today is the generation of electricity. Large scale wind farms are typically connected to the local electric power transmission network, with smaller turbines being used to provide electricity to isolated locations. Utility companies increasingly buy back surplus electricity produced by small domestic turbines. Wind energy as a power source is favoured by many environmentalists as an alternative to fossil fuels, as it is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and produces lower greenhouse gas emissions, although the construction of wind farms is not universally welcomed due to their visual impact and other effects on the environment. The intermittency of wind seldom creates problems when using wind power to supply a low proportion of total demand. Where wind is to be used for a moderate fraction of demand, additional costs for compensation of intermittency are considered to be modest
Growth and cost trends:
_______________________
Wind and hydroelectric power generation have negligible fuel costs and relatively low maintenance costs; in economic terms, wind power has a low marginal cost and a high proportion of capital cost. The estimated average cost per unit incorporates the cost of construction of the turbine and transmission facilities, borrowed funds, return to investors (including cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components, averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be in excess of twenty years. Energy cost estimates are highly dependent on these assumptions so published cost figures can differ substantially. A British Wind Energy Association report gives an average generation cost of onshore wind power of around 3.2 pence per kilowatt hour (2005). Cost per unit of energy produced was estimated in 2006 to be comparable to the cost of new generating capacity in the United States for coal and natural gas: wind cost was estimated at $55.80 per MWh, coal at $53.10/MWh and natural gas at $52.50. Other sources in various studies have estimated wind to be more expensive than other sources (see Economics of new nuclear power plants, Clean coal, and Carbon capture and storage).
In 2004, wind energy cost one-fifth of what it did in the 1980s, and some expected that downward trend to continue as larger multi-megawatt turbines were mass-produced.However, installed cost averaged €1,300 per kilowatt in 2007,compared to €1,100 per kilowatt in 2005.Not as many facilities can produce large modern turbines and their towers and foundations, so constraints develop in the supply of turbines resulting in higher costs. Research from a wide variety of sources in various countries shows that support for wind power is consistently between 70 and 80 percent amongst the general public.
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) figures show that 2007 recorded an increase of installed capacity of 20 GW, taking the total installed wind energy capacity to 94 GW, up from 74 GW in 2006. Despite constraints facing supply chains for wind turbines, the annual market for wind continued to increase at an estimated rate of 31% following 32% growth in 2006. In terms of economic value, the wind energy sector has become one of the important players in the energy markets, with the total value of new generating equipment installed in 2007 reaching €25 billion, or US$36 billion.
Existing generation capacity represents sunk costs, and the decision to continue production will depend on marginal costs going forward, not estimated average costs at project inception. For example, the estimated cost of new wind power capacity may be lower than that for "new coal" (estimated average costs for new generation capacity) but higher than for "old coal" (marginal cost of production for existing capacity). Therefore, the choice to increase wind capacity will depend on factors including the profile of existing generation capacity.
Environmental effects
______________________
Main article: Environmental effects of wind power
Wind power consumes no fuel for continuing operation, and has no emissions directly related to electricity production. Operation does not produce carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury, particulates, or any other type of air pollution, as do fossil fuel power sources. Wind power plants consume resources in manufacturing and construction. During manufacture of the wind turbine, steel, concrete, aluminum and other materials will have to be made and transported using energy-intensive processes, generally using fossil energy sources. The initial carbon dioxide emissions "pay back" is claimed by one company to be within about 9 months of operation for their offshore turbines and the British Wind Energy Association claim the average wind farm will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within 3-5 months of operation. However, a report to the British House of Lords in 2004 suggested a payback time of 1.1 years, taking into account factors such as plant construction and decommissioning. A shorter period for offshore facilities was given, as the higher capacity factors would more than offset the added energy costs of installation.
Danger to birds is often the main complaint against the installation of a wind turbine.However, studies show that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is negligible compared to the number that die as a result of other human activities such as traffic, hunting, power lines and high-rise buildings and especially the environmental impacts of using non-clean power sources. For example, in the UK, where there are several hundred turbines, about one bird is killed per turbine per year; 10 million per year are killed by cars alone. The Audubon Society have also come out in support of wind energy generation, claiming that birds are over 10,000 times more likely to be killed by other human-related causes than by a wind turbine.
Migratory bat species appear to be particularly at risk, especially during key movement periods (spring and more importantly in fall). Lasiurines such as the hoary bat, red bat, and the silver-haired bat appear to be most vulnerable at North American sites. Almost nothing is known about current populations of these species and the impact on bat numbers as a result of mortality at windpower locations. Offshore wind sites 10 km or more from shore do not interact with bat populations.
Aesthetics have also been a concern. The Massachusetts Cape Wind project was delayed for years mainly because of aesthetic concerns.
For human neighbors, the noise created by large wind turbines is often a nuisance. Some people claim that the noise, consisting of both audible as inaudible low frequencies, makes them sick -- not just from lack of sleep. The consistency of this complaint and the symptoms described led the physician Nina Pierpont to call it "wind turbine syndrome."
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