News

A Guide to Rousseff’s Impeachment

As the decision to impeach President Dilma Rousseff reaches the Senate, Brazil begins the search for a more responsible and fiscally reliable government to take the helm of the world’s second largest emerging market. This is an incredible opportunity for global investors as the ‘flash sale’ of deflated assets prices in recent years is coming to an end while the country initiates a full-scale political and economic transformation.

Arguably one of the most effective methods to ending a month-long political quagmire, a new administration would allow lawmakers and politicians to shift their focus towards closing the budget deficit and reviving growth in the economy.…

Brazil Votes for Rousseff Impeachment

Just over a year after her return to power, President Dilma Rousseff finds herself facing impeachment after the lower house of Congress voted to begin official proceedings late on Sunday evening. With a comfortable two-thirds majority for impeachment (367-137), an approval rating caught in single digits and celebrations erupting on the streets as the results came in, the country is sending a very clear message – ‘Goodbye Dilma’.

Famed for saving a lost generation of Brazilians through a comprehensive series of social development schemes in her previous term, Rousseff and mentor Lula da Silva cut ‘chronic poverty’ by 75% from 2004 to 2012.…

Sustainable Farming and Water

Water is essential for human health, economic growth and safeguarding our environment, yet we have allowed this valuable resource to be withdrawn and utilized faster than it can be replenished. The increasing competition for water, pollution from agricultural runoff, weak water management and aging infrastructure all contribute to a water availability crisis that was names the top global risk in terms of global impact by the World Economic Forum.

Modern agriculture, one of the major causes of water scarcity, is leaving rivers, lakes and underground water sources dry in many irrigated areas around the world by consuming 70% of the planet’s available freshwater.…

Drought, Disease and Displacement

Water is one of our limited natural resources that is now under pressure in this new millennium due to overconsumption, pollution and climate change. More than 70% of the Earth is covered by water, yet only 2.5% of this is freshwater and more than 98% of this is locked in ice and not available for us to use. While the total quantity of water on earth is unchanging the availability of freshwater for human use, agriculture, and industry, not to even mention the biosphere’s needs, is becoming scarce and competition for it is fierce. When water has been used it generally cannot be reused unless it undergoes special, and in most instances expensive, treatment.…

A Silver Lining for Brazil

Brazil is under some pressure. From corruption scandals, social unrest that is calling for the impeachment of a president and volatility in the financial marketplace, there is a challenging road ahead for one of the world’s economic powerhouses. The good news is that the tide is turning for Brazil, both on economic and political grounds, and investors worldwide are taking notice.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s attempt to bring her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, into her cabinet last week as he faces corruption charges has backfired on the government and ratcheted up calls for her impeachment. With the economy in recession (a projected growth for 2016 at -3.5%) and much of the coalition implicated in a corruption scandal, the president has become a symbol of trouble for Brazil.…

The Type of Pesticides We Need

Understanding the main principles for pesticide use as well as the benefits of natural and organic alternatives is essential sound decision-making in modern agriculture. While synthetic pesticides have proven effective since their mainstream use during the green revolution, their harmful secondary effects have become a serious concern over the last decade.

The green revolution in the 60’s brought an industrialized agriculture that allowed the doubling and sometimes even tripling of yields around the world. One of the main factors for this achievement was the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical compounds used to kill and manage undesired insects, weeds and fungi that threatened the maximum growth of crops.…

Harnessing the Power of Agriculture

According to the United Nations, investing in agriculture is one of the most effective strategies for economic growth, poverty reduction and promoting global sustainability. This type of investment will allow people and organizations to contribute to and benefit from social development projects that truly make a difference.

A perfect storm is building in global agriculture. Components necessary to ensure the required productivity hike for a growing population, such as access to suitable farmland, fresh water availability and further improvements in crop yields may not be able to deliver the required uplift. As it is, every night, 2 billion people or nearly one-third of the world’s population go to bed hungry and another 1.2 billion people do not have access to the UN’s prescribed 20-50 liters of fresh water daily.…

Neem – A Powerful Instrument in Personal Care

One of the major opportunities for neem discussed at the Global Neem Trade Fair 2016 is derived from the various applications the tree has in personal health and its impressive potential as a lucrative entry point for the global organic personal care market.

The global personal care and cosmetic market was valued at $196 billion in 2015. While growth remained subdued in this sector at 3.8% over the last decade, the organic segment of the market (valued at $1.8 billion) is expected to reach $16 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 9.8%.

Global Personal Care and Cosmetic Market Share 2015

Neem has a substantive, high-end contribution to make in a variety of personal care and health areas, specifically in protecting and rejuvenating the skin.…

Global Neem Trade Fair 2016

Primal Group is thrilled to have attended Neem Wave’s Exhibition’s Global Neem Trade Fair 2016, a conference bringing together the world’s foremost experts in the heart of India to discuss the United Nations’ Tree of the 21^st Century.

Over three days of technical sessions we strengthened our understanding of the latest innovations in neem research in discussions that focused on the tree’s applications in global health, agriculture and environmental protection. From an overview of the most recent clinical studies into neem’s effectiveness in cancer prevention, to its use in the treatment of severe skin conditions and the incredible impact it will have in organic agriculture, prospects for commercialization in a variety of industries worldwide are at all time high.…