The Ocean Of Milk
There is a well-known legend in the Puranas (a collection of ancient Sanskrit legends) called "The Churning Of The Ocean Of Milk", the summary of which is as follows:
"Once upon a time there was a king who lost his kingdom to his bitterest rivals, through his lack of humility & respect for tradition. Humbled, he prayed for a way to regain his kingdom. Eventually, his prayers were answered. He was told to gather his friends, make a diplomatic alliance with his rivals & offer a joint effort to reap the rewards hidden at the bottom of The Ocean Of Milk. The churning yielded many treasures, which were promptly divided up between the other members of the enterprise. But the ultimate reward that The Ocean Of Milk finally yielded was The Nectar Of Immortality. Because he & his friends proved the more committed of the two parties involved, they were able to gain possession of the Nectar, & he regained his kingdom."
This allegory is interpreted to mean many different things, but the most noticeable point is the immense importance attached to milk as a source of great strength & significance.
The Dairy Industry
The global dairy sector has been in serious financial trouble since quite a few years.
Parmalat is a 54-year-old Italian multinational dairy company. According to the latest statistics (from 2010), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$5 billion & employs about 14,000 people. In 2003, it was discovered that Parmalat executives, including founder & CEO Calisto Tanzi, had defrauded Parmalat investors of approximately US$16 billion. While Parmalat has been striving to make a comeback since 2005, a glance at the company stock price shows clearly that it will be a while before it can reclaim its former glory.
Nestle is a 149-year-old Swiss multinational dairy company. According to the latest statistics (from 2014), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$98 billion & employs 339,000 people. During the height of the 2008 Financial Crisis, Nestle's position was further weakened by the discovery that its products were implicated in the Chinese Melamine Scandal that year, which led to the deaths of 6 infants & the hospitalization of another 860. To this day, it has not recovered from the steep drop its stock price registered that year.
Fonterra is a 14-year-old New Zealand multinational dairy cooperative owned by 10,600 New Zealand farmers. According to the latest statistics (from 2013-14), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$16 billion & employs 17,000 people. In 2013, the news broke that Fonterra products are contaminated with botulism. While the contaminant bacteria was ultimately found not to be a botulism-causing strain & Fonterra's biggest overseas customer China lifted the ban on Fonterra products, its stock price shows that it has yet to recover from the loss of credibility.
The global dairy sector has been in serious financial trouble since quite a few years.
Parmalat is a 54-year-old Italian multinational dairy company. According to the latest statistics (from 2010), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$5 billion & employs about 14,000 people. In 2003, it was discovered that Parmalat executives, including founder & CEO Calisto Tanzi, had defrauded Parmalat investors of approximately US$16 billion. While Parmalat has been striving to make a comeback since 2005, a glance at the company stock price shows clearly that it will be a while before it can reclaim its former glory.
Nestle is a 149-year-old Swiss multinational dairy company. According to the latest statistics (from 2014), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$98 billion & employs 339,000 people. During the height of the 2008 Financial Crisis, Nestle's position was further weakened by the discovery that its products were implicated in the Chinese Melamine Scandal that year, which led to the deaths of 6 infants & the hospitalization of another 860. To this day, it has not recovered from the steep drop its stock price registered that year.
Fonterra is a 14-year-old New Zealand multinational dairy cooperative owned by 10,600 New Zealand farmers. According to the latest statistics (from 2013-14), it made an annual revenue of approximately US$16 billion & employs 17,000 people. In 2013, the news broke that Fonterra products are contaminated with botulism. While the contaminant bacteria was ultimately found not to be a botulism-causing strain & Fonterra's biggest overseas customer China lifted the ban on Fonterra products, its stock price shows that it has yet to recover from the loss of credibility.
The Pakistan Food Crisis
The food consumption scenario in Pakistan is heartbreaking. According to the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), Pakistan has been able to cover the daily energy requirements of its people in the 1984-85 & 1987-88 periods. 2 years out of nearly 68. In addition, 40% of children under 5 are underweight of whom over half are stunted & 9% are affected by wasting. The single most important food for small children is milk. It is ironic that despite the fact that Pakistan is in the top 5 milk producers in the world, the children of Pakistan are practically starving to death.
The food consumption scenario in Pakistan is heartbreaking. According to the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), Pakistan has been able to cover the daily energy requirements of its people in the 1984-85 & 1987-88 periods. 2 years out of nearly 68. In addition, 40% of children under 5 are underweight of whom over half are stunted & 9% are affected by wasting. The single most important food for small children is milk. It is ironic that despite the fact that Pakistan is in the top 5 milk producers in the world, the children of Pakistan are practically starving to death.
Which begs the question: Why is the Pakistani Finance Ministry going to levy higher taxes on imported powdered milk products?
The official reason is that the domestic dairy industry is getting priced out of the market by the multinationals. But it can't be that bad, considering the financial statistics outlined above. Most of the multinationals are in hot water themselves; it is highly unlikely that they could cause a problem to their Pakistani counterparts even if they wanted to. Besides, letting the children starve some more while a market shift is facilitated seems less like a financial strategy & more like a human rights violation.
The real reason is likely to be as follows.
The official reason is that the domestic dairy industry is getting priced out of the market by the multinationals. But it can't be that bad, considering the financial statistics outlined above. Most of the multinationals are in hot water themselves; it is highly unlikely that they could cause a problem to their Pakistani counterparts even if they wanted to. Besides, letting the children starve some more while a market shift is facilitated seems less like a financial strategy & more like a human rights violation.
The real reason is likely to be as follows.
Milk As A "Cutting Agent"
"Cutting agents" are defined as chemicals that are used to dilute (or "cut") specific narcotic substances because they are cheaper than the narcotic in question.
There are literally dozens of cutting agents used for the different categories of narcotics (the main categories being heroin, psilocybin mushrooms, PCP, LSD, marijuana, hashish, ecstasy & cocaine). But the two most popular cutting agents are Paracetamol - & powder milk. They are extremely useful in diluting cocaine & heroin for the market.
According to the United Nations Office Of Drugs & Crime (UNODC) & global black market information website Havocscope (http://www.havocscope.com/), the street price for cocaine is US$300 per gram in the United States & US$118.70 per gram in Pakistan. According to the same sources, the street price of heroin is US$200 per gram in the United States & US$3 per gram in Pakistan.
With those profit margins, it is obvious that manufacturing costs for the illicit narcotics industry are amazingly low in Pakistan. Therefore, it is understandable if people wanted to cut down the raw materials available to the narcotics producers of the world. But cracking down on powder milk supplies would only make the demand for Paracetamol go up. This strategy would only shift narcotics producers' interest away from the dairy industry & to the pharmaceutical industry. In short, the revenues of the dairy industry & the pharmaceutical industry are inversely proportional.
While it is an accepted fact that the Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) is facing severe staffing & transparency challenges, there must be another way to win the war on drugs without endangering the lives & health of the most innocent section of the population: the children. After all, the very reason that narcotics are classified as controlled substances is to promote universal good health.
"Cutting agents" are defined as chemicals that are used to dilute (or "cut") specific narcotic substances because they are cheaper than the narcotic in question.
There are literally dozens of cutting agents used for the different categories of narcotics (the main categories being heroin, psilocybin mushrooms, PCP, LSD, marijuana, hashish, ecstasy & cocaine). But the two most popular cutting agents are Paracetamol - & powder milk. They are extremely useful in diluting cocaine & heroin for the market.
According to the United Nations Office Of Drugs & Crime (UNODC) & global black market information website Havocscope (http://www.havocscope.com/), the street price for cocaine is US$300 per gram in the United States & US$118.70 per gram in Pakistan. According to the same sources, the street price of heroin is US$200 per gram in the United States & US$3 per gram in Pakistan.
With those profit margins, it is obvious that manufacturing costs for the illicit narcotics industry are amazingly low in Pakistan. Therefore, it is understandable if people wanted to cut down the raw materials available to the narcotics producers of the world. But cracking down on powder milk supplies would only make the demand for Paracetamol go up. This strategy would only shift narcotics producers' interest away from the dairy industry & to the pharmaceutical industry. In short, the revenues of the dairy industry & the pharmaceutical industry are inversely proportional.
While it is an accepted fact that the Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) is facing severe staffing & transparency challenges, there must be another way to win the war on drugs without endangering the lives & health of the most innocent section of the population: the children. After all, the very reason that narcotics are classified as controlled substances is to promote universal good health.
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