The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, March 01, 2007

WHEAT
Wheat futures gain as traders square off
Despite the Union Government's decision to freeze wheat futures, prices on NCDEX gained 2.28 per cent to Rs 977 a quintal on Wednesday. "Traders were squaring up their positions among themselves. Short positions built before the forward contracts ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER
Climate change on India's radar now
Expert panel to identify measures to be taken in future More

BUDGET
Focus on improving economic viability of farming
I shall now take up our main challenge: agriculture. I may recall the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, who said "Everything else can wait, but not agriculture". The draft National Policy for Farmers submitted by the ... More

`Aims to address farm inefficiency'
The Budget is somewhat on the disappointing side. The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, could have covered his Budget canvas with many bold strokes, but chose to be rather conservative in more ways than one, preferring to maintain status quo ... More

Fertiliser prices, subsidy allocation unchanged
Going by the allocations, farmers may pay more More

Farm sector unlikely to witness dramatic change
Buckling under continual attack from all directions over its inability to contain inflation, fuelled mainly by shortage of essential food products, the Government seems to be keen to project a pro-poor image. Agriculture is the main challenge, ... More

`Proposals will give an edge to agro exports'
The budget proposals to reduce import duty and excise concessions on some agriculture inputs and food processing sector would help sharpen competitive edge of Indian agro exports, according to Mr Walter D'Souza, Convenor of the FIEO (Federation ... More

Grant for TNAU to be used for infrastructure
We will now prioritise our needs, says Vice-Chancellor More

`Farm sector focus welcome'
The Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India, Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, said the gross borrowing programme of the Centre at Rs 1,53,000 crore, while targeting a fiscal deficit of 3.3 per cent, was in line with market ... More

`Give subsidy direct to farmers'
The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has called for working out an alternative method of delivering fertiliser subsidy directly to the farmer, against the present system of reimbursing producers. "The fertiliser industry has agreed to work ... More

Focus on farm sector good
The Chief Executive, ITC (Agri Business), Mr S. Sivakumar, has said that the Budget, with a focus on agriculture, was good. Good attention to this sector would have long-term impact on the economy. The Government was continuing its ... More

An attempt to make agriculture resilient
The Budget has stressed the need for farm development and implicitly accepts that inflation forces have been triggered by supply shortages. The Budget offers a wholesome package at the production stage to make agriculture more ... More

Efforts to lower maize cost
The proposal to provide capital grant/concessional finance for integrated development scheme for doubling the certified seeds in oilseeds, pulses and maize is seen with promise by the poultry sector. Mr B. Soundarajan, managing ... More

Sugar, fertiliser sectors `disappointed'
The Budget fails to provide much needed relief to the sugar and fertiliser industry, according to Mr A. Vellayan, Vice- Chairman and Director-Strategy, Murugappa Group. He said it was disappointing that the Finance Minister did ... More

`Support for farmers'

RUBBER
Spot rubber dips on liquidation
The domestic market witnessed buyer resistance and moderate selling. More

DAIRY & DAIRY PRODUCTS
A glucose drip for biscuits
The excise relief announced in the glucose segment for Rs 50 a kg or less has checked an imminent price hike in the biscuits industry. Considering there has been a steady increase in input costs over the past two years, biscuit manufacturers ... More

`Support for dairy industry insignificant'
The support announced to the dairy industry in the Budget is insignificant, according to Mr R.G. Chandramogan, Chairman and Managing Director, Hatsun Agro Product Ltd. Mr Chandramogan, who heads the largest private ... More

OILSEEDS & EDIBLE OIL
Sunoil imports may turn cheaper on duty cut
Reduction in additional duty unlikely to benefit consumer More

Cheaper edible oils
In order to make edible oils more affordable, I propose to exempt crude as well as refined edible oils from the additional CV duty of 4 per cent. I also propose to reduce the duty on sunflower oil, both crude and refined, by 15 percentage points. ... More

SPICES & CONDIMENTS
Pepper futures rule steady
The pepper futures market ruled steady on Wednesday with limited buying activities and marginal fluctuations. The March contract on the NCDEX moved up by Rs 20 a quintal on Wednesday to close at Rs 12,365. The April contract improved by Rs 2, ... More

REGULATORY BODIES & RULINGS
Govt freezes wheat, rice futures
Move seen to curb inflation, procure for buffer stocks More

EVENTS
Mumbai to host FICCI organic farming seminar
A seminar on "Organic Agriculture - Rejuvenated Health and Environment' will be held here on March 2. Organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI - Western Zone), it seeks to address topical ... More