Ethnocentrism within the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethnocentrism within the United States - Essay Example One of the thriving industries is the weight lose industry. In other parts of the world, someone overweight is considered to be wealthy and prosperous, yet American media is filled with images and examples that show being over weight as a bad thing (Ankerl, 2000). American media is viewed as demonizing to other cultures that are not American, in American movies the bad guys always seem to be related to current issues. In 1980s the bad guy would be a Russian because of the cold war. Presently the bad guy seems to be a Muslim due to terrorism. Immigrants get shocked at the amount of violence and sex exposed on television when they move to America. The dressing system in America is very different from other culture especially the Islamic culture. Muslim women dress in a fashion that would cover most parts of their bodies with just the eyes left visible at times. This diversity contrasts with the American way that allows women to dress as they like. While Americans feel the other way of dressing is strange, the other group feels the American way is provocative (turntoislam.com, 2010). For a multicultural society in American, ethnocentrism is a great hindrance. It makes those feeling superior to think their way of things is always right and not giving other room to have their say. This makes the minority have a hard time trying to embrace a multicultural identity especially among immigrants. Turntoislam (2010). Ethnocentrism in America and random thoughts. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from

Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Law of Evidence - Essay Example This is the case with Carrie, because she has admitted under cross examination that she had made one prior false complaint of rape against another man. Therefore, in the interest of preserving fairness and equity to the defendant in the case, the Judge may have to issue a warning to the jury to exercise caution. Moreover, the content of his warning should also take into account the fact that she has made a prior false complaint. Therefore, the judge may warn the jury to exercise caution and may suggest to the jury that they look for supporting evidence before arriving at a decision basely solely on Carrie’s evidence. (b) If Carrie had indeed been raped, she would have mentioned it to her friend Eva whom she saw first after the incident, but her response when Eve asked if she was all right was â€Å"sure, why not?† This further substantiates the grounds that Carrie is an unreliable witness The prosecution is likely to argue against the issue of a Manjukola warning. They are likely to state that the entire question of corroboration warnings which purportedly allowed protection for defendants was done away with by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994. The reason for this was the complexity they brought into judicial proceedings and their tendency to confuse judges. Therefore they are likely to argue that Carrie’s interests will be compromised and the jury will be unnecessarily prejudiced through the issue of a Manjukola warning which is not necessary. 2. The two major issues that arise with this scenario are (a) Stefan’s silence in Court especially in connection with his alibi which could establish innocence and (b) the need for protection of the young witness Ingrid who has been threatened. Stefan will be treated as a competent witness for himself but not as a compellable witness. Therefore, he will be

Research Question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Question - Coursework Example Lastly, the study of supply chain management is important at the society level. In this respect, a well-managed supply chain within the society creates employment and improves the standard of living. The functions of purchasing and logistics tend to contribute positively to the supply chain performance in a number of ways. The purchasing and logistics influence the efficiency of the supply chain by increasing the competitiveness of the organizations (Yang, 2012). Notably, the functions of the logistics and purchasing facilitate supply chain to achieve customer satisfaction, timely processing clients’ orders, and efficient delivery the ordered good and services (Schroeder, 2010). In this respect, timely purchase and delivery of goods and services ensures that companies attract and retain new and existing clients. In essence, purchasing and logistics optimize supply chain. In turn, the effective and well-organized supply chain maximizes operational performance, as well as, profit margins. Moreover, functions of purchasing and logistics augment supply chain to realize sustainable competitive

Cause and effect on the Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision Essay

Cause and effect on the Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision - Essay Example The reasoning behind the Supreme Court decision on the Dred Scott Case is complex. The ultimate conclusion was that African Americans (Born abroad or in the USA) by nature of their heritage and race were not Citizens nor could they become Citizens and ultimately, were not protected by the Constitution. As such it was the case that slaves could not sue in court by nature of their citizenship rights, Moreover it was also decided that the American Congress didn’t have the ability to prohibit slavery and as such they could not be confiscated without some sort of due-process. The background of the case is stored. According to Watson.org (1998) Scott was a slave, born in Virginia around the turn of the 19th century and was owned by Dr. John Emerson (An Army doctor who frequently traveled). At some time during Emerson’s travels he brought Scott to several free-states for a period exceeding seven years. After the Death of Emerson, Scott claimed ill treatment by Emerson’s wife (Eliza) who denied his right to purchaser his freedom. Scot brought forward a case stating that he was free by virtue of his living in Free States and by his willingness to purchase his freedom. From the perspective of economic causes and effects of the Supreme Court decision on the Dred Scot case there are a number of factors at play. ... dollars were living in the USA around this time. This factor would weigh heavily on the decision makers. Ultimately as an effect, if the court ruling had gone another direction it would open the door to probably an endless supply of slaves bringing cases There were a number of social causes and effects pertaining to this court ruling. Even though there was a strong abolitionist movement it remained the case that blacks were regarded as beneath all whites. According to PBS (2011) it was the case that under the interpretation of the Constitution by Chief Justice Roger Taney (A slavery supporter) it was believed that blacks had no rights that white men were obliged to respect. Moreover because blacks had no rights and were as such beneath white men than blacks may be enslaved for the benefit of whites and can be treated as a piece of property. Building on this previous point, it was also argued that even though the Declaration of Independence stated that â€Å"All men are created equal † it was argued that the African race was never intended to be included as they had played no part in framing the declaration. As a result of this court decision, it is likely that this drove a greater wedge between abolitionists and slavery supporters insofar as the poorly argued rhetoric of this decision would have enraged most abolitionists. Moreover, the attempt by abolitionists to impose federal rulings on slavery supporters would have likely enraged this group as well. Without question, there were a number of political causes and effects that would have played a significant role in this court case and decision. Although it may seem like an over simplification, states that had abolished slavery were developing economies that could be described as being more

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 Essay

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 - Essay Example The UK retail sector contributes 8% towards the country’s GDP which includes the UK retailers going overseas and expansion of e-commerce beyond the borders of the United Kingdom (Farfan, 2011). However, retailers in the UK face a huge challenge as they struggle to cope with the sudden deterioration in consumer demand and willingness to purchase. This report presents an in-depth analysis of the key factors that influence the development of the retail sector while evaluating which sectors offer the most potential. 2. Overview of the retail sector 2.1 Top retailers - UK The top four retailers in the UK include Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury and together they account for about 80% of the retail food sales in the UK (Farfan, 2011). Even though recession impacted the individual retail chains, there were not many substantial changes in the largest retail UK chains. The largest retail chains held their ranking order because there were no changes observed. Two major changes that occurred in 2011 in the UK retailing industry were that the apparel retailer Arcadia group and department store Debenhams lost their spots in the World’s largest retailing list completely. ... 2.2 Causes of decline in consumer shopping The retail sector witnessed a healthy start to 2011 as figures showed that sales on high street were up 9% year-on-year which provided a new boost to the British mid-market retailers (Sillitoe, 2011). Fashion sales, non-fashion trading and homeware sales had all witnessed growth in sales. However, the economic and survey data suggest a slowdown in activity, which poses a challenge for the UK retail sector. Following the recession the economic growth has been slow which reflects the weak consumer sector and the rising unemployment. The economy is expected to grow by 2.0% in 2012 but the retail sector continues to be grim (Retail Economics, 2011). Consumer spending had fallen for four consecutive quarters before September 2011. Consumer spending in the second quarter of 2011 declined by 1.7% compared with the same period last year. Real disposable incomes have been affected due to high levels of inflation and low earnings growth. Besides, taxe s have been imposed and benefits cut, which further affects the household disposable income. Fears about job security and personal finances have contributed to low consumer spending. The consumer spending is expected to slow down further as consumer debt rises, assisted by rising interest rates and inflation (Prospects, 2012) and stagnant wage growth and rising unemployment (Leach, 2011). House prices and job security also affect how people shop. Consumer confidence has waned because people will shop only if they feel optimistic about the situation. When they lack confidence in their own financial security, naturally the spending will be reduced. There has been a slow growth in the retail sector as the operating costs and the cost of credit have risen. The

Chemistry in Daily Life Essay Example for Free

Chemistry in Daily Life Essay 1.You feel hungry because of the satiety center in your brain falls short of particular hormones to function and then sends the signal of hunger. 2.You fall in love, get attracted and have a feeling of belonging because of certain monoamines present in your brain which get stimulated through nerve sensors. 3.If you have wondered, why is the sky blue, it is due to a phenomenon called the Rayleigh scattering, which depends on scattering of light through particles which are much smaller than the wavelength. Hence when light passes through gases, there is scattering and the sky appears blue. 4.Coffee keeps you awake because of the presence of a chemical called adenosine, in your brain. It binds to certain receptors and slows the nerve cell activity when sleep is signaled. 5.Anaerobic fermentation is also a great concept which is present in the chemistry of everyday life. It is present in yogurt, breads, cakes and many other baking products. It is the multiplication of certain useful bacteria which increase the size of the food and make it more filling and soft. 6.Soap is formed by molecules with a head which likes water (hydrophilic) and a long chain which hates it (hydrophobic). 7.Lactose is the main complex sugar found in the milk. Its a pretty big compound formed by two smaller components: glucose and galactose. Such a big compound cannot get through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream, so we need something to break it into smaller pieces. This something is an enzime named lactase. The more milk and milk products we consume, the more lactase we need. 8.The iodised salt is a necessary intake. It prevents a disease called goitre. 9.In the garden we use sprays to kill insects from attacking our plants. 10.Vermiwash is a liquid fertilizer. It isused as a leaf spray.

Malaysian Market For Sago Palm

Malaysian Market For Sago Palm In this chapter, we will discuss the background of Malaysia market for sago. The discussion of the market consists of production, consumption, export and price. To understand about sago, we will first briefly discuss on sago palm, sago starch and sago processing. 1.1 Sago Palm Sago palm or Metroxylon sagu is a crop that produces starch for food and non-food processing industries. Sago palm is widely cultivated in Sarawak with more than 60,000 hectare of area recently. Commercial cultivation area for sago palm was increased from 43 hectare in 1988 to 10,700 hectare in 1996 and the remaining was cultivated by smallholders. In year 2000, there are 21 sago processing plants which produced around 60,000 tonne of sago starch. In west Malaysia, sago palm cultivation is too small with only 2 sago processing plant operated in Johor. 1.2 Sago Starch Most of sago starch that been produced in Sarawak is used in west Malaysia (almost 30,000 tonne). Sago also been exported as high quality food grade starch and low quality industry grade starch. Export for food grade starch was increased from 3,600 tonne in 1985 to 11,000 tonne in 1995 while export for industry grade starch was decreased from 8,400 tonne in 1985 to 5,100 tonne in 1995. The major destinations for sago starch export are Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and Thailand. 1.3 Sago Processing Sago Palm Sago palm took 10 to 15 years to be matured. When sago palm is matured, it will be felt down so that its trunk can be cut. Sago palm has a huge trunk, upright, reaches a height of 10-12 meters, with the contents of the soft and contain high starch content. It is a staple food source for indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak, including ethnic Bisaya, and Melanau. Sago Log Sago trunk is cut into section with each section is 75 cm to 90 cm long. This section is known as sago log. Every sago trunk yield around 10 to 12 sago log. Then, these sago logs will be tied together in the form of rafts and tugged by boats to sago processing plant through river. Sometimes, these sago logs are carried by lorry to sago processing plant. Processing Sago Starch Processing of sago starch is done in the sago processing plant. In the sago extraction process, the sago logs are first debarked, followed by maceration using a rasper. Newer types of raspers have eliminated the need for debarking. The sago chips resulting from the maceration process are then further disintegrated using a hammer mill. The starch slurry is then passed through a series of centrifugal sieves to remove the coarse fibres. Cyclone separators are then used to extract the starch which is then dried using a rotary vacuum drum drier, followed by hot air drying. 1.4 Malaysia Market for Sago Source: Department of Agriculture, Sarawak. Agricultural Statistics of Sarawak From table 1.4, we can see how the development and the status of sago industries in Malaysia were. The number figure shows inconsistency in the export of sago starch every single year. Thus, it is influenced by the current economic climate. We can see that the figure of the total export of sago starch are not really consistence compared to its price which is going high all the way starting from the year of 1993 until it reaches its highest price in the year 1998. The year after, the figure shows that the price is going down. Even though, the total of production was increased in 2002 and 2003. The lowest price ever was in year 1993 where it was only around RM584 per tonne for industry grade starch and RM596 per tonne for food grade starch. The highest price was RM915 per tonne for industry grade starch and RM 897 food grade starch in the year 1998; a year after the economic erosion occurs. From the view of total export quantity and production, Malaysia produced the highest quantity of sago starch back in the year 1995 where it reaches its highest possible production with exported quantity up to 45,130.96 tonne for food grade starch and 4,816.43 tonne for industry grade starch. The lowest total production was in the year 1997 where only 27,285.50 tonne of food grade starch and 5,121.83 tonne of industry grade starch were exported; the same year when the economic erosion occurs. If referred to the net export value, the biggest amount is during the sago price recorded its highest price which is in year 1998. The amount is RM5, 638,142. Meanwhile, the lowest export value was in year 1993 with the net total of export value is RM2, 314,787. CHAPTER 2: CURRENT POLICIES DESCRIPTION 2.0 Introduction This chapter will discuss the agricultural policies relevant to sago; providing an accurate, clear understanding of the policies affecting the market for sago and its product. There are 4 policies that relevant to sago consist of policies by the Malaysia government (federal) and Sarawak government (state). 2.1 Sarawak Policy on Sago Plantation (Before NAP3) The Sarawak government is trying to pioneer the cultivation of sago on a plantation scale, trying to tap 20th century agricultural technology and large-scale organisational structure to grow this supposedly wonder crop. The aim of sago plantations is the application of modern, scientific agricultural technology and a large-scale institutional organisation, to exploit the cultivation of sago that has thus far been cultivated in a very primitive and semi-wild fashion. This is the first attempt at growing sago on a plantation scale anywhere in the world. Since the clone material and plantation technology for sago palm have not been established by private entrepreneurs, Sarawak government had developed the policies to cultivate sago palm on a plantation scale. With proper drainage, maintenance and fertilizer in plantation, sago palm will mature faster. This will increase the productivity of sago palm which supply starch to the local and international market. 2.2 Third National Agricultural Policy (NAP3) on Sago (1998-2010) In NAP3, sago is fallen under the group of new product and future industries. The policy objective for this group is: To develop innovative products and new industries which will provide source for the development of agriculture in the future The strategies for this policy are: To strengthen the economy base To generate and encourage private sector participation To reduce cost and increased productivity, commercial sago cultivation in large scale by private sector has been encouraged. This has been done alone by private sector and in collaboration with government subsidiaries. Infrastructures and basic facilities have been provided by the government to support the production of sago by private sector. Furthermore, cultivation with high quality seeds and better agronomy practices has been done to increase the productivity of sago smallholders. Sago cultivation has been encouraged on peat soil area in Sarawak due to the suitable of this crop with peat soil. This is the best way to use peat soil area in natured way. Production of value-added sago based products have been implemented to wider the market opportunities. The products include modified sago starch, sorbitol, dextrin and ascorbic acid. Research and development on both upstream and downstream activities for sago has been strengthen. The activities include: Breeding high quality crops material Farm management Processing technology New products development Usage of side products including wasted materials and sago scraps Sago smallholders have been encouraged to wider their farm through institution support. Research and market encouragement for sago starch and other sago products have been stressed due to strengthen the existing market and venture the new market. Sago processing plants have been encouraged to practice quality control management. Investment and strategic raw material gain for upstream industry has been encouraged. This is to sustain the supply of sago in the industry. To control the wasted materials and sago scraps, pollution control management has been implemented. 2.3 Sarawak Policy on Sago (Based on NAP3) Sarawak Policy on Sago has been formulated, planned and developed from NAP3 by Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak (MoMA). The policy is for sago starch-based product industry as a potential industry and sago as a crop industry. For sago starch-based product industry as a potential industry, the policy objective is: To explore new frontier industry which might have substantial return to the local producers and the economy The strategies for this policy are: To encourage private sector participation To intensify research and development on sago starch product development For sago as a crop industry, the policy objective is: To develop and expand sago industry and exploit the opportunities of market of sago and sago starch-based products The strategies for this policy are: To assist smallholder in planting sago using mini estate approach To encourage private sector participation in planting and processing of sago 2.4 Ninth Malaysia Plan; Policy on Sago Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, sago is one of the crops that included in land consolidation and rehabilitation. Land consolidation and rehabilitation will be continued on a larger scale to accelerate the modernisation of smallholdings as well as increase productivity of the crops. CHAPTER 3: OBJECTIVE Objective To determine Sago cultivation area in Sarawak To determine policy implication on Sago industry in Sarawak To determine the changes of policy in Sago industry CHAPTER 4: POLICY ANALYSIS 4.0 Introduction In this chapter, we will analyze the effects of policy that have been discussed in the previous chapter. The policy that we will analyze here is the Sarawak Policy on Sago based on NAP3. 4.1 Effects on Sago Cultivation Area According to Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin (1999), the aim of sago plantations is the application of modern, scientific agricultural technology and a large-scale institutional organisation, to exploit the cultivation of sago that has thus far been cultivated in a very primitive and semi-wild fashion. With commercial planting on large scale have been encouraged through the policies, the sago cultivation area was increased. The estimated area for sago cultivation in 1998 is 45,000 ha and it increased to 60,700 ha in 2000 (Third National Agricultural Policy, 1998) Since year 2000, the estimated area for sago cultivation in Sarawak is over 60,000 ha and slowly increased from year to year. The increment of sago cultivation area in Sarawak from year 2000 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Hectares (ha) 60,709 61,523 62,141 63,053 62,308 % compared to other crops 7.8 7.6 7.3 7.1 6.7 Table 4.1: Estimated Area for Sago Cultivation Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Even though the area for sago cultivation is increased in term of hectares, but in term of percentage compared to other crops, sago cultivation is decreased. The policies might be effective to increase the area of sago cultivation, but the increment is rather too slow compared to other crops especially oil palm. Figure 4.1.1: Sago Cultivation Area in Sarawak Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Figure 4.1.2: Percentage of Sago Cultivation Area Compared to Other Crops in Sarawak Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 4.2 Effects on Sago Starch Export and Starch Import The highest sago starch export was in 1998 with 46,518.43 tonne of sago starch was exported and the value of it was RM41, 855,722 with price per tonne is RM897 for food grade starch and RM915 for industry grade starch (Craun Research Sdn Bhd, 2004). After 1998, the sago starch export decreased making the worst export value was in year 2000 with only 36,382.78 tonne was exported and the value of it was RM29,782,916 with price per tonne is RM830 for food grade starch and RM766 for industry grade starch. This might be derived from the price drop of starch in world market. The effects of the policies were only been seen after year 2000 where the export value of sago starch increased every year starting from year 2001 to 2004. Only in year 2003, the export value was decreased by RM55,000. The export value of sago starch from year 1998 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Export Value (RM000) 42,182 36,450 29,783 30,680 32,165 32,110 37,020 Table 4.2.1: The Export Value of Sago Starch SOURCE: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 While exporting sago starch, Malaysia still has to import other starch due to local consumption. In year 1997, estimated total production of sago starch in Malaysia is 60,000 tonne with almost 30,000 was used for local consumption (Third National Agricultural Policy, 1998). In 1998, the import value of starch was RM552,000 made it was the highest import value for starch. With local demand for starch is good for food and non-food industries, the policies were able to support the supply of starch in local market. It helps to reduce the import value of starch in 1999 to RM55,000. From this year, the import value of starch per year was going up and down where in year 2000 there is no starch was imported. The import value of starch from year 1998 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Import Value (RM000) 552 55 134 0 45 71 57 Table 4.2.2: The Import Value of Starch Source : Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Figure 3.2: Export Value of Sago Starch and Import Value of Starch from 1998 to 2004 4.3 Effect on Sago Research Involvement According to Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin (1999), there was no private group and only two government centres carrying out research on sago in Malaysia. Researches on sago are important to avoid the extinction of sago industry in Malaysia. When the policies were implemented, Land Custody and Development Authority of Sarawak (PELITA) have formed Craun Research Sdn Bhd to carry out research and development on sago. Craun Research Sdn Bhd was once lead by former Sarawak MARDI Director, Mr. Yusup Bin Sobeng. The policies also encouraged local universities to carry out research on sago. With UPM already carry out researches on sago before the policies; UNIMAS have joined them to do more researches on sago. Recently on 4 August 2006, UNIMAS signed an MOU with New Century Fermentation Research Co. Ltd. (NECFER) of Fukoka to enable both institutions to cooperate and collaborate in the establishment of the fermentation parameters and structural set-up in a joint research and development endeavour on sago starch fermentation for large-scale production of ethanol and lactic acid. 4.4 Effects on Private Sector Involvement in Sago Plantation Presently, sago is grown in Sarawak as a smallholders crop (Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin, 1999). When Land Custody and Development Authority of Sarawak (PELITA) started the development of two sago plantations; Dalat Sago Plantation and Mukah Sago Plantation, several private companies in Sarawak got the initiative to involve in sago industry. With the policy encouraged private sector participation in planting and processing of sago, the numbers of private companies involve in sago plantation and processing had increase. Now, private companies which involve in sago industry have their own association for the benefits of members in the industry. Sarawak Sago Manufacturers Association is the well known sago companies association in Sarawak. It is joined by: Nee Seng Ngeng Sons Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Nitsei Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Song Ngeng Sago Industries (EM) Sdn Bhd C. L. Nee Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Grand Safeways (S) Sdn Bhd Igan Sago Industries Sdn Bhd 4.5 Effects on Traditional Sago Starch Production Before the policy was introduced, there were 11 modern sago processing plants in Sarawak which had fixed assets and equipment valued around RM2-RM5 million (Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin, 1999). The policy helps to increase this number to 21 modern sago processing plant in year 2000. The increasing number of modern sago processing plant had slowly replaced the production of traditional sago starch called lemantak with high quality, dry sago flour. 4.6 Effects on Sago Starch Contribution in World Starch Market In the world market, sago starch has to compete with other starch such as maize starch, potato starch, cassava starch and wheat starch. According to ISO Technical Committees (2005), the world starch output was estimated to be 48.5 million tons in year 2000. Below is the total export value (in USD) for starches in world market based on type of starches between years 2000 to 2002 (ISO Technical Committees, 2005). 2000 2001 2002 Wheat Starch 79,299,188 66,494,945 71,158,617 Maize Starch 247,354,215 254,598,496 250,744,561 Potato Starch 186,513,628 192,451,543 189,591,770 Cassava Starch 155,221,419 146,818,270 27,307,528 Other Starch 44,592,792 42,295,983 42,245,903 Table 3.6: Export Value (USD) for Starches in World Market Source: ISO Technical Committees, 2005 Other starch in table 3.6 refers to barley starch, rice starch, sago starch and waxy xaize starch. Though the export value of other starch is decreased from year 2000 to 2002, it was only 5% reduction compared to 82% reduction of cassava starch. However, the percentage or reduction for other starch including sago starch is higher than wheat starch, maize starch and potato starch. The policy to develop and expand sago industry in Malaysia helps to make Malaysia been acknowledged as one of the main exporter for starch in the world market. Malaysia also been acknowledged as the highest sago starch exporter in the world (ISO Technical Committees, 2005). CHAPTER 5: POLICY IMPLICATIONS This chapter will discuss the positive and negative aspects of the policies analyzed in the previous chapter. The discussion demonstrates a close relationship between the analysis in the previous chapter and the implications drawn in this chapter about the positive and negative aspects of the policies analyzed. 5.1 Positive Aspects First positive aspect, the policies implicate the sago cultivation to be increased. With 1.69 million hectares of peat soil in Sarawak, the policies had increased the sago cultivation area. This was due to the encouragement of private sector participation in sago plantation and the assistant of smallholder in planting sago using mini estate approach. Private sectors will not just focusing to oil palm plantation in term of the land usage in Sarawak. Even though sago is less profitable compared to oil palm, the policies which imply government support in sago cultivation helps to involve private sector in sago cultivation. Second positive aspect, the policies implicate the export and import of starch in Malaysia. With current consumption of starch in Malaysia is estimated around 100,000 tonne per year, the policies help to increase the supply of starch for local consumption. More than half of sago starch is been exported because of its high value as food grade starch and industry grade starch. This is more profitable than using it for local consumption. However, the usage of sago starch for local consumption still can support the local demand where the import value of starch in Malaysia is far too small (below RM80,000 from year 2001) compared to the export value of sago starch. Third positive aspect, the policies implicate the sago researches involvement in Malaysia. The policies help to increase the number of government subsidiaries and private group involvement in sago researches and development. The researches mostly focus on increasing its starch yield, reducing the gestation period of sago and reducing the cost of sago production. Fourth positive aspect, the policies implicate the income of sago smallholders. With most of sago palm is cultivated by smallholders, the policies help to increase their income. Most of sago farmers are having income from non-sago agricultural activities or from off-farm employment. This is because sago palm has the gestation period of 10 to 15 years which considered as too long to generate income. The policies are focusing on economic strategies in planting sago at farm level where the farmers can maximize the profit in sago cultivation. Fifth positive aspect, the policies implicate the collaboration between federal government and state government. With agriculture as the third instrument to generate Malaysias economy, the policies play an important role in developing the abundant crop such as sago. The federal government creates policies to develop sago cultivation for the state government. Then the state government will innovatively formulate, plan and develop the policies to be implemented. The policies consist of budget and land for sago cultivation. Finally, the policies ensured sago not to be abundant and will be developed to support the agriculture industry as well as other industries in Malaysia. 5.2 Negative Aspects First negative aspect, the policies implicate the manipulation of private companies in sago industry. Most of private companies that involve in planting and processing sago have their own association to protect their importance in the industry. They might control the price of sago section (sago trunk which is cut to yield its starch) and the fee for transportation to factories. When this happened, the sago smallholders might gain small profit or even worst they gain loss. Second negative aspect, the policies implicate the traditional value of sago processing. With the number of modern sago processing plant is increased, the traditional, small-scale cottage mills which produce a type of inferior wet sago called lementak for the local markets are slowly being wiped out. The Melanau community especially will slowly lose their traditional way in processing sago. Finally, the policies are considered not very effective in developing sago industry. This can be seen in the small increment of sago cultivation area for the past 5 years compare to other crop in Malaysia. CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS Even though, sago is considered by many plant scientists, especially Japanese scientists, as the starch crop of the 21st century (Jong, 1995), the present method of cultivation of sago palm shows that it is currently grown using very primitive agricultural technology. Sago is at present grown essentially as a smallholder crop, producing low yields with minimal maintenance and zero fertilization. Current methods of cultivation in Sarawak is not that much different from what had occurred through the millennium and what is occurring now in the virgin, unexplored jungles of Papua New Guinea. The policy was implemented and sago industry also given impotency in Sarawak region. The cultivation area was showing increment and the yield as well, at the same time Malaysia market and world market for sago also increase. We found every policy try their level best to develop the sago industry from cultivation up to market it. Now they also start focus in research and development (RD), which will improve the sago industry. The sago plant lot of RD, to improve the plant and make it more economically profit. In sago industry there need two important thing need to improve. Make sure the plant produce high starch or high yield and decrease the gestation period that is from 10 to 15 years to 5years. The yield can be improved by good plant materiel and good plant breeding as well. This can only be achieved by a prolonged, sustained research program in plant selection and breeding work. The spectacular improvements in the yield of oil palm and its maturity period in Malaysia were achieved by a similar long-term research program, undertaken by a wide variety of governmental and private groups, beginning in the 1900s (Hartley, 1967). Unfortunately, there are currently no private groups carrying out research on sago in Malaysia. In fact, there are now only two government centers, the Dalat Sago Research Station and CRAUN (Crop Research and Application Unit, Lembaga Pembangunan dan Lindungan Tanah, Sarawak or PELITA), carrying out research on sago cultivation. The amount of research resource devoted to sago is clearly inadequate for the monumental task of converting sago from its present semi-wild status to a modern clone with high yields, short maturity periods and responsiveness to fertilizers. The proper management and good care to sago will improve Sarawak Sago industry and the policy will make the sago as golden crop of Sarawak.