Wheat yield in Punjab may improve
NEWS DIGEST
| "This year, the wheat yield is likely to improve because of the favourable weather conditions, which entailed low temperature and sufficient amount of rain particularly in the month of February," Punjab Agricultural University Senior scientist (wheat section) G S Dhillon said here. |
| Experts said although minimum temperature remained a bit high against the average level, several spells of rain in February helped the winter crop in maintaining the moisture content and starch depositing in the plants. Punjab, which is considered the food bowl of the country, has witnessed sharp decline in the wheat yield over the past few years because of rising temperature in the month of February and March every year. |
| NBHC gets ISO certificate |
| National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC), end-to-end Solutions Provider in commodity management & handling and an FT Group Company, has been awarded ISO 22000:2005 Certification, the food industry's highest international quality standards for food safety management systems. |
| NBHC is the first Warehousing & Commodity Management Solutions Provider in India to obtain an ISO 22000:2005 certification. Awarded on strict criterion pertaining to food risk management systems and conformity to critical hygiene requirements ISO 22000:2005, this comes as recognition for NBHC's operational standards Kerala govt wants tariff cut on edible oils withdrawn Kerala government today demanded that the Centre withdraw tariff cut on edible oils imports in the 2007-08 budget, saying it would adversely affect lakhs of coconut farmers in the state. |
| Replying to a calling attention on the matter in the state Assembly, Agriculture Minister Mullakara Ratnakaran also wanted the Centre to impose a 300 per cent import duty on edible oils. He also sought the co-operation of the members in the assembly to put pressure on the Centre to achieve the demands of the state. The Centre's unilateral decision on matters like this was severely effecting the farming community in Kerala, he said. |
| Tokyo rubber futures fall on uncertain economy |
| Rubber futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange, the international benchmark for the commodity, fell by their daily trading limit to a seven-week low as uncertainty over Japan's economic outlook spurred selling. |
| The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.5 percent to 16,764.62 after, advancing by as much as 0.9 percent, as a strengthening yen against the dollar and euro reduced expectations for Japanese companies' earnings for the next business year. |
| "The yen's rise and the decline in the stock market produced some uncertainty over the economic outlook,'' said Mutsuki Okubo, an analyst at Kanetsu Asset management in Tokyo. |
| "This sentiment triggered liquidation as the rubber market has been extremely overbought.'' The most-active August 2007 rubber contract fell 10 yen, or 3.7 percent, to close at 259.2 yen ($2.23) per kilogram, the lowest close since January 12. The yen strengthened on speculation swings in global stock and bond markets will prompt investors to cut bets on higher- yielding assets funded by borrowing in Japan. Rubber generally moves in the opposite direction of the yen. |
| With a weaker tone other commodities, such as platinum, gold and oil, investors also sold rubber futures as the benchmark contract failed to breach the 272.2 yen mark, said Kazuhiko Saito, chief analyst at Interes Capital Management in Tokyo. A futures contract is an obligation to buy or sell a commodity at a set price for delivery by a specific date. |