Mayes, along with hydrologists and environmental advocates, says more studies are needed of groundwater basins in rural areas - such as La Paz County, an agricultural county of about 16,000 people. The department declined to comment on the revoked drilling permits or the need for more groundwater regulation. "Frankly, I believe they are not doing their jobs," Mayes said about Arizona's Department of Water Resources' oversight of rural areas. But in rural areas, little is required of water users besides registering wells with the state and using the water for activities, including farming that are deemed a "beneficial use." Phoenix, Tucson and other Arizona cities have restrictions on how much groundwater they can pump under a 1980 state law aimed at protecting the state's aquifers. In Arizona, renewed attention to Fondomonte's water use is raising questions about the state's lack of regulation around pumping groundwater in rural parts of the state. China is the primary export market for U.S. farmers themselves export hay and other forage crops to the Middle East - mainly to Saudi Arabia. grows forage crops in Arizona and California, and is a major North American exporter of hay. The United Arab Emirates-owned Al Dahra ACX Global Inc. And it's not the only foreign company that farms in the Southwest. Those operations have attracted less scrutiny. states have restrictions on foreign individuals or entities owning farmland, but limitations vary widely and no state completely prohibits it.įondomonte also farms in California's Palo Verde Valley, an area that gets its water from the Colorado River. Canada is the largest holder - mainly of forestland. That same month, Republican state legislators introduced a bill to prohibit sales of state lands to foreign governments, state enterprises and any company based in China, Russia or Saudi Arabia.įoreign entities and individuals control roughly 3% of U.S. The state's groundwater, Hobbs said, "should be used to support Arizonans, not foreign business interests." Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat, saying in her January state of the state address that she, too, would look into the practice. Officials from both parties have criticized the use of state water by foreign-owned entities, with Gov. That Fondomonte chose Arizona as a place to grow such crops has angered some in the state, which has faced two consecutive years of federal water cuts from the Colorado River, a primary water source for the state. Saudi Arabia, struggling with its own water shortages in the past decade, restricted the growth of some forage crops in the country. The drought has also made groundwater - long used by farmers and rural residents with little restriction - even more important for users across the state. Mainstream Scotland financial results will be consolidated into Morpol ASA from 1 August 2010.Years of drought have ratcheted up pressure on water users across the West, particularly in states like Arizona, which relies heavily on the dwindling Colorado River. With over 4,000 tonnes of the annual sales to be made in the second half 2010, the company is positioned to achieve solid profits in this period. EBIT of NOK 8.80 per kg was realised in the second quarter 2010. Mainstream results in Scotland have been improving over the last years. With this step, we secure about 10 per cent of our raw material needs." We believe we can extract synergies in the value chain and enhance margins while at the same time increasing our presence in other markets such as the US which prefers Scottish origin salmon. "We intend to use this acquisition as a platform for market penetration in the UK and French markets and will further invest in processing to align Morpol with our customers’ needs. Mr Jerzy Malek, CEO of Morpol says: “It is exciting for Morpol to make the first step into salmon farming, particularly entering first in Mainstream Scotland which we believe has a significant potential for growth over today’s production levels. The closing date for the transaction is expected to take place 25 August 2010. In 2009 Mainstream Scotland had a turnover of NOK 196.7million which is expected to increase to over NOK 230 million in 2010. Mainstream Scotland expects to harvest 6,500 tonnes of Atlantic Salmon in 2010. Mainstream Scotland has fresh water production facilities on the Scottish mainland and primary processing plants in Orkney and Shetland. In Shetland, Mainstream’s production represents some 10 percent of the total annual harvest volume of the island. Mainstream Scotland is the main salmon producer in the Orkney Islands. Mainstream Scotland is a subsidary of Cermaq, the large Norwegian listed company which is active in both fish farming and fish feed. Mainstream Scotland was acquired for a value of NOK350 million (€45.5 million/$59.5 million).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |