COMMODITY EXCHANGES
JRG launches online commodity trading at Sulthan Bathery
JRG, one of the leading brokerage houses for share and commodity trading, has commenced its online commodity futures trading from Sulthan Bathery on Tuesday, coinciding with the first anniversary of online commodity futures trading in Kerala. ... More

NMCE launches rapeseed-42 futures
The quotation unit is 20 kg and the tick size is ten paise. The unit of trading and delivery is two tonnes. More

WHEAT
Heatwave threatens wheat crop
THE unusual spurt in temperatures in much of northern and central India — rendering it one of the hottest March months in recent memory — is raising concerns over the size of the country's wheat crop this year. While the ... More

CLIMATE & WEATHER
AP coastal farmers urged to take up vanilla cultivation
VANILLA cultivation can be taken up profitably by farmers in the coastal districts as an inter crop along with coconut, oil palm and mango, Mr S. Ramamohan, the Assistant Director, Horticulture, has said. He was speaking at a press meet here on ... More

ANIMALS & LIVESTOCK
Japanese ban on US beef leaves Australia in a spin
WHEN US beef imports into Japan were banned in December, Australia, Washington's rival in the global bovine meat market, could have rejoiced. But it didn't. The reason: It didn't make much business sense for Australia to rush and try filling ... More

CONTRACT FARMING
Contract farming mooted to counter global threat
BRINGING agriculture and related subjects like water resources, fertilisers and rural development under the umbrella of a single ministry and encouraging contract farming are some of the suggestions made at the national seminar on "Developing ... More

RUBBER
Rubber steady; latex declines
RUBBER prices were steady on Wednesday. While sellers and buyers kept aside in a rather silent and inactive trading session, latex was the only loser which went down by 50 paise to Rs 41.50. . The buying from the general rubber goods sector ... More

SILK
Silk exporters sore over move to tax DEPB credit
The Income-Tax authorities not only demand tax on DEPB but also threaten to reopen past cases where DEPB credit was availed of by exporters, causing hardship to exporters. More

OILSEEDS & EDIBLE OIL
Malaysian vanaspati worries domestic producers
AFTER Nepal and Sri Lanka, it is Malaysia now for the beleaguered Indian vanaspati industry to worry about. Vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable oil) from Malaysia has started to flow into the country, albeit in small lots. In the last few ... More

SPICES & CONDIMENTS

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
Groundnut oil export tops 50,000 tonnes
GROUNDNUT oil exports during the first four months of the current season have crossed 50,000 tonnes mark, according to data complied by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA). In the month of February 2004, 8,000 tonnes were ... More