Angs oor die ekonomie
Ekonomiese data vir die tweede kwartaal van 2019 wys nog nie die groen spruite wat die resessie moet beteuel nie.
‘n Mens kan net hoop Julie tot September se syfers gaan ietsie meer van ‘n lang verwagte en broodnodige lente wys.
Ná bykans drie jaar se swaarkry, kan sake natuurlik nie handomkeer verander nie.
Vanaf April tot Junie vanjaar het inkrimping (negatiewe groei) maar net met 0,3 persentasiepunte tot 2,6% verlig. Net ses uit 16 sektore het positiewe groei getoon. Mynbou wys nog die herstel waarop baie gehoop het nie.
In Vrydag se leiberig het ‘n ekonoom opnuut die groot slag vir landbou benadruk, waarvan twee derdes van die bevolking afhanklik is. Keer op keer is al gesê die jongste, fel droogte se vernietiging gaan nog vir baie jare gevoel word. Noodplanne is nou uitgerol, maar die premier se kantoor behoort meer gereeld terugvoering oor die omvang van bystand te gee.
Die koopkrag in die landboubedryf, die van besighede en Jan Publiek bly onder druk. Vir landbou toenemend só. Die klein- en groothandel bly daarom in die knyp en toerismegetalle verbeter ook nie.
Met die tertafellegging van die begroting is die belang van die spoedige toekenning van tenders beklemtoon. Hier en daar lyk dinge op die oog af beter, maar doeltreffendheid in die verband bly verdag.
Groot reddingsboeie nou vir byvoorbeeld Air Namibia en die NBC gaan die ekonomie nie help nie – en kan juis die land se internasionale kredietgraderings negatief raak.
Ons hou asem op . . .
So sê ander
22 September 2019
The ethanol wars continue
So read a headline on a Bloomberg article last week, describing how the president joked at a recent White House meeting that he’s spent more time on ethanol than he has on China and Iran.
We hope that’s not true, that it was just a joke. As much as we see ethanol as important to the Iowa economy, we hope the leader of the free world is spending his time on more pressing matters than a fight between Big Oil and Big Corn.
A full 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop goes to renewable fuel. Already, two ethanol plants in northwest Iowa have been idled in the aftermath of a raft of waivers the administration's Environmental Protection Agency has granted to "small" refineries. So presidential attention is warranted.
Big Oil, along with some environmentalists, hate the 14-year-old Renewable Fuel Standard. They’ve tried for years to undermine it, if not outright kill it.
There were tussles with the EPA under Barack Obama, too. But the hue and cry over the EPA has reached a whole new level with the Trump administration.
Since next year is an election year, the president is trying to keep Iowa happy while also trying to satisfy states with oil and refinery interests.
Even if a deal favorable to biofuels is announced, it hardly seems likely that Big Oil will take it lying down, and why would they?
What President Trump says today may not be what his EPA does tomorrow.
• THE QUAD-CITY TIMES
‘n Mens kan net hoop Julie tot September se syfers gaan ietsie meer van ‘n lang verwagte en broodnodige lente wys.
Ná bykans drie jaar se swaarkry, kan sake natuurlik nie handomkeer verander nie.
Vanaf April tot Junie vanjaar het inkrimping (negatiewe groei) maar net met 0,3 persentasiepunte tot 2,6% verlig. Net ses uit 16 sektore het positiewe groei getoon. Mynbou wys nog die herstel waarop baie gehoop het nie.
In Vrydag se leiberig het ‘n ekonoom opnuut die groot slag vir landbou benadruk, waarvan twee derdes van die bevolking afhanklik is. Keer op keer is al gesê die jongste, fel droogte se vernietiging gaan nog vir baie jare gevoel word. Noodplanne is nou uitgerol, maar die premier se kantoor behoort meer gereeld terugvoering oor die omvang van bystand te gee.
Die koopkrag in die landboubedryf, die van besighede en Jan Publiek bly onder druk. Vir landbou toenemend só. Die klein- en groothandel bly daarom in die knyp en toerismegetalle verbeter ook nie.
Met die tertafellegging van die begroting is die belang van die spoedige toekenning van tenders beklemtoon. Hier en daar lyk dinge op die oog af beter, maar doeltreffendheid in die verband bly verdag.
Groot reddingsboeie nou vir byvoorbeeld Air Namibia en die NBC gaan die ekonomie nie help nie – en kan juis die land se internasionale kredietgraderings negatief raak.
Ons hou asem op . . .
So sê ander
22 September 2019
The ethanol wars continue
So read a headline on a Bloomberg article last week, describing how the president joked at a recent White House meeting that he’s spent more time on ethanol than he has on China and Iran.
We hope that’s not true, that it was just a joke. As much as we see ethanol as important to the Iowa economy, we hope the leader of the free world is spending his time on more pressing matters than a fight between Big Oil and Big Corn.
A full 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop goes to renewable fuel. Already, two ethanol plants in northwest Iowa have been idled in the aftermath of a raft of waivers the administration's Environmental Protection Agency has granted to "small" refineries. So presidential attention is warranted.
Big Oil, along with some environmentalists, hate the 14-year-old Renewable Fuel Standard. They’ve tried for years to undermine it, if not outright kill it.
There were tussles with the EPA under Barack Obama, too. But the hue and cry over the EPA has reached a whole new level with the Trump administration.
Since next year is an election year, the president is trying to keep Iowa happy while also trying to satisfy states with oil and refinery interests.
Even if a deal favorable to biofuels is announced, it hardly seems likely that Big Oil will take it lying down, and why would they?
What President Trump says today may not be what his EPA does tomorrow.
• THE QUAD-CITY TIMES
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