Mahyoub Al-Kamali
The president of the republic has urged the Farmers Union in Yemen to coordinate its activities to increase its harvest and export the surplus abroad. The president delivered a speech at the Third Conference for the Agricultural Union, urging Arab countries to open their markets to Yemeni export products within the framework of enhancing economic and commercial cooperation among the countries of the Arab League. The conference has brought attention to the necessity of building dams and water catchments, putting an end to the random and excessive use of insecticides on fruits and vegetables, and scoping out foreign markets. The official statistics indicate that Yemen has exported around 540 tons of fruits and vegetables to neighboring countries. Consequently, the Ministry of Agriculture has implemented the first phase of the agricultural census. The census will provide agricultural data to be used for later agricultural purposes, as well as enable them to learn the reasons behind the decline of agricultural harvests.
Yemen seeks to make use of the harvest, which needs little water and improves farmers' conditions. Statistics indicate that the Yemen has accomplished self-sufficiency in growing vegetables and fruits. The annual exports' values total 100 million USD.
The national symposium related to the phenomenon of importing from non-origin countries has recommended activating the activities of the Consumer Protection Society, and adopting new measures to assess the importing processes and controlling the confiscated products in accordance with quality laws. The symposium has come out of several rules to put an end to imported products from non-origin countries. The reports indicate that several foodstuffs have entered our markets illegally after the date of expiration.
The Chairman of Arab Union of the Consumer Protection, Dr. Ibraheem Obaidat, attended the symposium. He calls for crystallizing a heavy scientific system to tackle the problems of consumers within the era of globalization and the market economy. Trade resources have said that products and commodities have been annually imported by Yemen from adjacent countries. The value of imports has reached one billion USD. Yemeni markets lack the necessary potentials and policies to organize the importing marketing processes. The government, therefore, has adopted the free market program within the economic reform program. However, it still does not enact laws to protect the market from the random import, including counterfeited and expired goods and products.
In order to join the WTO, Yemen has to finish the trade legislation to put an end to the negativities of the importation of expired products.

The market processes in Yemen still face many problems such as improper storage of products. What adds fuel to the fire is that the retailers themselves sell their products unscrupulously and disingenuously to the common man.

The average of the aged people in Yemen has been estimated to reach 60 years, which means that the average has changed to 15 percent since the eruption of the 26th September Revolution in the north in 1962. After 39 years, since the beginning of the Revolution, the monarchy of the Imam was completely vanquished by the liberals, and the British colony in the south was completely defeated. The demographic statistics have stated that there is a relative improvement in the Yemeni social life during the republic system. Statistics have noted that, unexpectedly, things have changed in all aspects of life, whether social, economic, political or cultural. The numbers of young married girls has decreased to 14 years in villages and 16 years in cities, whereas the young married boys have reached to 16 years in villages and 18 years in cities. Studies indicate that the population size in Yemen has increased 68 percent. However, the percentage of the aged has reached less than 42 percent, whereas the youth have reached more than 50 percent. This certainly will constitute a heavy burden on the Yemeni economy. This will entail providing job opportunities.
The existing problems related to the labor division among youth have been marginalized. The youth find themselves without opportunities, due to aged people occupying available posts, despite the government's orientation towards administrative and financial reforms.
The concern in the affairs of Yemeni society is that the there is increasing conflict among the younger generation and the older generation, due to the high augmentation of the aged of both males and females.
Comparative field surveys of the current situation and the situation 39 years ago indicate that the republican system in Yemen proved to be more effective in assisting women to participate in economic development. The social survey indicates that the powerlessness of the role of the media and non-attendance of girls in villages to schools helped the woman participate in the production processes.
After a span of time, particularly after the 26th September revolution in 1962, came a liberation of man from slavery and oppression, as well as the removal of disparities and privileges, not only among individuals, but also among the classes.
After 39 years of the 26th September revolution, Yemenis wonder about the kind of equality they have and about the prevailing privileges among the individuals and classes. Some say that social justice has not yet been achieved and that the disparities between the rich and poor have increased during the last six years. Consequently, the government has adopted economic reforms using more than one method, such as the high increase of prices and the high increase of both male and female employees. The people of this poor country feel resentful about the deteriorating situation in the country. Despite the government's establishment of huge educational institutions, roads, health centers, and hospitals and the government's orientation towards economic reforms, the majority of the Yemeni people still live under the poverty line.
After the unification of Yemen in 1990, the population of Yemen reached 17 million. But the economic crises have provocatively intensified. Some people mock the deteriorating situations, particularly in the south. As a political aim, justice and equality has not yet been achieved. In summary, the Yemeni revolution has achieved a lot in creating an infrastructure and building a strong army, while disparities among people have greatly increased.

Yaser Mohammad Ahmad
Yemen Times
Last Wednesday, Sep, 17, the national Symposium of the Dumping Phenomenon and the importing of the non-origin products to the Yemeni markets and the negative consequences on the local and national economy. The Symposium was attended by the Vice President, Abduh Rabuh Mansur, , the Chairman of the Arab Union for Consumer, Mohammed Obaidat, the Expert of the International Organization, Al-Habeeb, the Secretary General of the Consuming Protective Society in Jordan, Abulfatah Alkailani. A round 25 working papers from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia were presented. The working papers were carefully discussed by the participants, dealing with the dumping policy in which many products entered illegally to our country. The Symposium has come out of the following recommendations:
Enacting a draft law to protect the consumer and getting rid of smuggling products considering it as a crime within societies and the national economy.
Quality control and the necessity to discuss the main issues together with the national committees, delegating with WTO in order to strike balance related to rights and duties.
From informative and enlightening standpoint, the participants stressed on urging the Ministry of the Information to prevent the advertisements which is in consistent with standards and quality law and the quality control should be taken into consideration.
The concerned bodies have to perform its role effectively in order to show the people of the dangers of the insecticide.
Boycotting the Israeli products, American products and the companies, which deals with the Israeli products whatever they are?

Upgrading Dock in Hodiedah
Huge investment horizons in the Red Sea have been revealed by the geological and geophysical studies in the field of the gas and oil. Preparation in the project is underway. It was implemented by the Iranian Nasr bin Aiad Company at the cost of one billion USD. The project aims at increasing the storage power to 100 percent for diesel, 50 percent for gasoline and widening the deck for receiving the huge ships in addition to some essential utilities.

Holland Grants Yemen 12 million USD
Yemen has received a grant-in-aid from the Dutch government totaling 12 million USD to finance a number of developmental projects in some of the governorates of the republic in all developmental sectors such as agriculture, water, education, and health. The Dutch grant-in-aid has come within the framework of support of the Dutch government to some of the important live sectors in Yemen such as poverty alleviation according to the administrative, financial, and economic reform program. The two Ministries, the Ministry of Development and Planning and the General Works Project, have reached an agreement in which 8,800,000 USD was allocated by the Ministry to some important projects such as education, agriculture, water, and health.

Net Budget Increases
Statistics has indicated that the actual net surplus of the budget has reached to 97,461,486,000. This indicates that the deficiency is on the upgrade. The independent and appendix budgets have achieved an actual surplus totaled 81,821,58000.
The final report of statistics of the budget last year have indicated that the actual surplus totaled 6,773,160,00 YR.

Five Year Plan discussed
The parliament and the Consultative Council have discussed the second five-year plan (2002 - 2001). A notable concern is paid to increase the social expenditures, which exceeds education from 13,2 percent to 198,9 billion per year. The plan has seeking to increase the foreign investment to finance the investment projects and making use of the expected surplus in the current account. The plan is expecting to put an end to the rapid growing of the foreign debts and settling the current liabilities by way of reducing debts from 4943 million USD in 2000 to reach 3854 million USD in 2005 and its reduction as a percentage added to the overall from 57,9 percent to 44 percent.