RUBBER
Rubber steady on limited arrivals
Trading volumes declined while the arrivals were thin. continued to be narrow. As the covering groups put a halt to their purchases, sheet rubber RSS 4 lost 50 paise to close at Rs 58 against Monday's Rs 58.50. on Monday. The Rubber futures ... More

SUGAR
Sugar prices spurt on lower sale quota
SUGAR prices on Tuesday touched the year's high of Rs 1,661 per quintal for medium grade on lower free sale quota of 10 lakh tonnes announced by the Centre for August, against market expectation of 12 lakh tonnes. As a result, sugar prices in ... More

PM may unveil sugar package on I-Day — Loans to mills to be rescheduled
THE much-talked about `package' for the sugar industry is almost ready, with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, likely to announce it in his maiden Independence Day address. The main components of the package, official sources said, include ... More

WATER
Dasmunshi moots farmers' exchange programme
IF the Water Resource Minister, Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, has his way, farmers from Andhra Pradesh would soon go calling on their counterparts in Karnataka in order to better understand each others' problems. "I feel that States should ... More

Water release from Prakasam barrage begins
FARMERS in the Krishna delta are heaving a sigh of relief, as floodwaters of Munneru (a rivulet) are joining the main river with heavy rains in the catchment area. This has enabled the irrigation authorities here to release water from the ... More

FOODS & FOOD PROCESSING
US team inspecting seafood factories
A US Department of Commerce team has come down to the country to inspect the seafood factories of the three mandatory respondents, who have been asked to submit details on their procurement, processing and production statistics, in relation to ... More

MPEDA to launch logo scheme for value-added seafood products
The scheme is part of the measures the authority plans to take to revive exports that have declined 6.6% last fiscal. More

METALS
Non-ferrous metals meet to focus on tech transfer
AN international conference on non-ferrous metals to be held here this week seeks to discuss issues concerning the non-ferrous industry in the country. The two-day event will try to find techno-economic solutions from global majors, according ... More

COTTON
Malady of Yavatmal — Cotton turns a killer
Why are cotton farmers of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, where the annual farm turnover is often in six digits, driven to committing suicide? More than the incidence of spurious pesticides or defective seeds, as in Andhra Pradesh, it is the State mon opoly procurement scheme that has pushed them deep into debt and, now, the harsh process of loan recovery, says Sharad Joshi. More

SPICES & CONDIMENTS
Vanilla trade pauses for Madagascar arrivals
Production this year in Madagascar is estimated to be around 1,300 tonnes of cured beans as against 500 tonnes last year. Low production in that country last year pushed the prices to exorbitant levels of $560 a kg. More

EVENTS
Coimbatore to host poultry expo
POULTRY Expo 2004, the national exhibition and conference on poultry, will be held in Coimbatore this week. The exhibition is being hosted by Hyderabad-based poultry business publication Poultry Fortune, owned by NRS ... More

NATURAL CALAMITIES
Centre sending team to assess Kerala farmers' woes
The Centre is sending a multi-disciplinary team with experts from Agriculture, Finance and Commerce Ministries. More