CLIMATE & WEATHER
IMD predicts normal rainfall in July — Lull to end by Sunday; repeat of 2002 ruled out
AFTER the good round of showers during the pre-monsoon period (March-May) and the opening month of the Southwest monsoon season (June-September), the country is expected to receive normal rainfall in July as well. According to the India ... More

Dry spell leaves farmers worried
ALTHOUGH 31 out of the 36 meteorological subdivisions of the country have received excess to normal rainfall till June 23 as per official rainfall statistics, field reports from some important States in the western and southern parts of the ... More

RUBBER
Demand for rubber up as rains intensify
THE physical rubber prices began to move up on Tuesday as the monsoon intensified all over the State. The covering groups and purchase agents once again started chasing the thin arrivals offering better quotations. Sellers retreated expecting ... More

WATER
SBT loan for rainwater harvesting
STATE Bank of Travancore (SBT) has introduced a scheme to finance farmers for harvesting rainwater. The scheme will be operational in Kerala and the erstwhile Travancore areas in Tamil Nadu with similar rain pattern, according to a statement ... More

OILSEEDS & EDIBLE OIL
Plea to exempt refined rice bran oil from excise duty
WHILE manufacture of refined vegetable oils is subject to excise duty at the rate of Rs 1,000 a tonne, the solvent extraction industry has made out a case for exempting refined rice bran oil from such levy. The pre-budget memorandum of the ... More

Vanaspati import quota period extended
THE Government has given a further three-month reprieve for utilisation of the zero-duty one-lakh-tonne (lt) annual vanaspati import quota from Nepal for 2003-04. Simultaneously, it has made it clear that the State Trade Corporation (STC), ... More

Exclude edible oils from free trade pacts: COOIT
The apex body has urged the Government to fix a minimum value addition norm of 45 per cent to create a level playing field for the indigenous sector. More

SPICES & CONDIMENTS
Pepper rules steady
PEPPER prices ruled steady at the terminal market on some buying activity despite selling pressure. Spot prices for MG 1 and Un-garbled on Tuesday remained at the weekend level of Rs 7,400 and Rs 7,100 respectively. However, compared to the ... More