Daniel Lewis Regional Reporter . May 9, 2007 LOW rainfall, low allocations of irrigation water and frost have slashed 2006-07 wine grape production by a third compared with the previous vintage. The bureau's report noted: "With increasing total wine grape production in recent years, stocks have been increasing and prices for wine grapes declining. If seasonal conditions remain drier than average this year and water allocations are reduced further, the bureau predicts production in 2007-08...

Hnahlan village, near the Indo-Myanmar border, noted for its extensive grape cultivation, is now striving to become the largest grape producing village in India. Unlike all other commercial crops in Mizoram, grape cultivation in Hnahlan was not initiated by the state government, but by a certain farmer with a vision. Unlike all other commercial crops in Mizoram, grape cultivation in Hnahlan was not initiated by the state government, but by a certain farmer with a vision. Hnahlan to become...

The workshop, which was under the theme "Sensitising the education of cocoa farmers to help improve the economy", was aimed at helping the farmers to change the old ways of farming, which does not yield enough to the detriment of the economy. Cocoa farmers go to school. Mr Bubuama said cocoa is a socio-economic asset of Ghana and therefore, more resources must be channelled into the cocoa industry to enable the country to increase its exports. He said they should embrace modern...

Although some farmers use their own children to help raise cocoa, many other farmers use children that they hire for very low pay, or who work as slaves in the field. However, Ghana has been delayed in monitoring up to 50 percent of its cocoa farms to certify that cocoa is not produced by unfair child labor practices. And the Ivory Coast, which is torn by war, is also having problems trying to monitor cocoa farms, which are often only one to four acres. And despite recent efforts to stop...

But many children on cocoa farms don't get to school, some exchange their childhood for work, a roof over their head and a meal a day. Eight years since reports of child labour and slavery in Ivory Coast - the world's largest cocoa producer - first emerged, progress in eradicating child labour has been slow. In the time that has passed, war, cultural differences and the importance of cocoa revenues to West African economies have all served to obscure the debate. Now chocolate firms are...