CCP: HF-JU 03/CRS.1

1. The new Commodities and Trade Division website, containing much of the old as well as some new material, all with a new look is now at: http://www.fao.org/es/esc/

Look for the commodities including "Jute" and "Hard Fibres" listed down the left hand side. Also look under "Meetings and Events" and "Publications".

2. E-mail forum: Periodic newsletters are issued from FAO. It is expected that participants will contribute information on market developments, technological developments, activities, forthcoming events, etc. To subscribe to the list, send an email to [email protected], leave the subject line blank, with the message:  subscribe Fibres-Ind-L.

Further information about FAO’s many e-mail lists can be found on the website at: http://www.fao.org/Mailnews/Mailserv.htm

3. Data-base on research activities on natural fibres: The programming for a system for the collection and dissemination of information about research into jute, hard fibres and potentially other entities as well has recently been completed. It is incorporated into the large ECOPORT site.  To get to the data base on fibres, look at the left hand side of the ECOPORT home page (http://www.ecoport.org) click on USE RESOURCES near the top, then on PROJECTS at the bottom. Alternatively, go directly to: http://www.ecoport.org/EP.exe$ProjectSrcSt . Links to it are also to be found in the FAO website pages on Hard Fibres and Jute (see above).

You are able to search for research projects, but there is only a little information there at the moment. To sample this information, do one of the following:

1. Pick a number between 1 and 40 and enter it in the ID square at the top
2. OR type either sisal or jute in the box for ENTITY
3. OR type one of Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Netherlands or Tanzania for COUNTRY
4. OR pick one of the CATEGORIES provided, although as yet many of the projects listed either do not have a category identifier or are inappropriately identified
5. OR type CFC in FUNDING SOURCE

       Then click on "Find Project".

The intention is to build up this system to contain references to all the research available on natural fibres. Apart from the basic details of a project, research papers, reports and other material can be entered in electronic form.

Ultimately, it will be possible for interested researchers to be given direct access to enter their own information into the database.

At this stage, the priority requirement is for people engaged in research into natural fibres to send information on their research activities for incorporation into this system, in order to make it a useful source of information on research activities.