National Yemen
BUSINESS
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 Issue 31
www.nationalyemen.com
9
Qat, Cigarettes, Soda Consumed in Alarming Amounts By Fuad Al-Qadhi A recent report has been issued by Transparency Center for Studies and Research that the number of people who chew Qat in Yemen amounted to a staggering seven million citizens. The report noted that the total money spent on Qat and its accoutrements, such as cigarettes, water, and sodas, arrived at 771 billion and 732 million riyals annually, which equals 3 billion, 878 million and 50 thousand dollars. The amount of plastic bags of Qat is estimated at 7 million bags per day, 300 million bags per month, and 3 billion and 600 million bags per year. Those bags end up either in the barrels of waste, on the streets of cities, rural areas, or agricultural land, which caused serious damages in the environment and soil as well. The report pointed out that if Qat’s purchase average is 300, it indicates that 2 billion and 100 million riyals is being spent per day, 63 billion per month and 756 billion riyals per year. Findings mentioned that about half a million Qat chewers smoke cigarette during their chewing sessions each day. Accordingly, they consume half a million packs of cigarettes, which equals 10 million cigarettes per day, 15 million per month, and 180 million per year. The annual average of consuming cigarettes is estimated at 3 billion and 600
million cigarettes that costs 27 billion in the year. The report added that about 500 thousand people drink 180 million of sodas per year during chewing Qat, estimated nine billion if the average price of the soda was is 50 riyals, which means Yemen produces three million bottles of water.
‘‘ it will be difficult to be compensated since every one of the seven million lost annually 60 days from his age
According to official data, Yemen has imported 146 thousand and 506 tons of mineral water and sodas in 2006 from 25 countries. Those were estimated 10 billion, 235 million and 263
thousand riyals. Saudi Arabia ranked in the top of the countries, which exports 121 thousands and 310 tons of mineral water and sodas and those cost 7 billion, 531 million, and 272 thousand riyals. Thailand comes next in exporting mineral water and sodas which with an estimated one billion 323 million and 808 thousand riyals. The report confirmed that Yemenis spend four hours per day in chewing Qatwhich
equals 28 million hours per day, 840 hours per month, 10 billion and 80 million hours per year are devoted to the activity. And all the previous numbers are equalled to 420 million days and those are equivalent of 1,153,846 years each year, or 1153 centuries. Actually, it indicates the capacity of millions of Yemenis have consumed their age for more than one thousand and 1115 centuries and it will be difficult to be
compensated since every one of the seven million lost annually 60 days from his age. The report clarified some sources estimated that the area of Qat is about 250 thousand hectares, and consumed about 128 million cubic meters of the total water resources available in the country. The groundwater used in planting Qat is estimated at 3.4 billion cubic meters and its annual revenues reached a trillion and 250 million riyals and
arrived at 5 million riyals per hectare. Furthermore, Qat consumption of groundwater reached 800 million cubic meters per year. The report intensified that the cultivation of Qat caused a major threat to the continuation of life in many areas, especially in the capital Sana’a. Moreover, about 4 thousands of randomly wells used in planting Qat decreases the water streams rate of 3-6 meters per year.
Report: Grinding Poverty Persists in Yemen By Fuad Al-Qadhi the prices of rice, wheat, sugar and other staples. On the other hand, the high price of oil derivatives has an impact on the deterioration of the citizens’ living standards. Thus, the citizen’s purchasing power has highly decreased. A study of the third developmental, economic, and social plan aimed at eliminating poverty indicated that most of the poor people in rural and urban areas drink tea without sugar, eat rice without meat, and they only eat meat on Eid day. The study showed that the high prices caused economic problems for all citizens, women, men, and even children, with no exception.
‘‘ According to a recent study by the Ministry of planning on poverty in Yemen, 41.8% of people live below the poverty line. Despite development efforts aimed at reducing the statistic in Yemen, the ratio is still very high compared to other Arab countries. Surveys, especially the latest family budget survey of 2005/2006, indicated the disparity in poverty rates in Yemen, between rural
and urban populations reached 40.1% in rural areas and 20.7% in urban ones. According to the survey, the poverty gap amounted to 8.9% and the deficit of individual in the budget of poor families arrived at 497 riyals, while it needed to reach 1431 riyals per month on average to eliminate the gap between actual expenditure of poor families and the poverty average line. Therefore,
the average is no longer able to bridge the poverty gap for the individual with high prices. The average is expected to be doubled or more in the circumstances and changes experienced by the economy of Yemen. High prices, particularly of food, during the past three years is due to several external and internal factors represented in the international economic crisis, which directly contributed to the rise in
most of the poor people in rural and urban areas drink tea without sugar, eat rice without meat, and they only eat meat on Eid day
Educated members of society, along with those engaged in manual labor and handicrafts in urban and rural areas as well as employees indicated that salaries no longer
fulfil their basic needs, which confirmed a remarkable deterioration in the living standards of Yemeni society. In the meantime, the third phase of the governmental employees’ wages haven’t been completed and it is not expected to be completed before March of next year. The study points out the inefficient role of development of the third developmental plan of 2006 - 2010 in most areas. In addition, women in urban and rural aren’t encouraged enough to take part in the economy. Data show that the gains achieved by third development plan are limited. The failure of the plan has had a grave impact on the development of the economic sector and fisheries sector as well.
Furthermore, the deterioration of the oil and agriculture sectors have contributed in exacerbating poverty in rural areas. On the other hand, the tourism sector has witnessed heinous actions, such as kidnapping of tourists as well as a security unbalance in some cities in Yemen. Despite the decrease in poverty of the population living below the poverty line from 41.8% to 34.7%, the poverty rate has not changed and remained the same compared to the population living under the poverty line during the years of 1998 - 2005, which estimated nearly 7 million poor people. Moreover, there has not been a noticeable change in the poverty rate in rural areas, according to the poverty report in 2007.