Members of the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) Action Committee Sangthan will proceed for Delhi today to meet N.K. Singh, revenue secretary and the chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) R.Gopalkrishnan to resolve the deadlock over the proposed service tax.
Mohan Gurnani, convenor of the FAM Action Committee Sangthan, said that a traders' delegation met Haribhau Bagade, Maharashtra minister for Food and Civil Supplies, and apprised him of the situation.
Gurnani said that the wholesale traders of West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi also joined their indefinite 'bandh' from Tuesday. Wholesale traders of Maharashtra kept their shutters down on the second day of the strike. Meanwhile, the pepper exchange at Kochi, which remained open yesterday saw black pepper prices plunge further on poor buying support from domestic traders and lack of export enquiries.
"Lack of buying support from internal traders and exporters continued today also resulting in further slide in the prices," Kochi traders said.
In yesterdays trading, spot prices for garbled pepper slid to Rs 19,600 a quintal from Rs 19,900 a quintal yesterday and ungarbled ones prices declined to Rs 18,900 from Rs 19,200.
In the futures section, prices for December slipped to Rs 19,100 from Rs 19,500 and January rates were down to Rs 19,290 from Rs 19,600. February prices dipped to Rs 19,525 a quintal from Rs 19,775 and March prices closed lower at Rs 19,285 against Rs 19,550 a quintal yesterday.
Metals: Tin, nickel and zinc slab prices surged on the non-ferrous metals market in New Delhi yesterday on industrial demand amid sharp drop in rupee value and ended higher.
Prices of copper aluminium and lead ruled steady on some enquiries. Traders said strong us dollar mainly contributed against rupee mainly attributed rise in metal prices.
Tin ingot prices gained Rs 2 at Rs 340 per kilo on solder manufacturers buying.
Nickel (Russian) also found some support and gained rupee one at Rs 329 per kilo.
Zinc slab quoted higher at Rs 75.50 per kilo against the late close of Rs 74.50 on industrial demand.
The following were today's quotations per kilo in New Delhi: Tin ingot 340, solder (40 per cent) 145, nickel (Russian) 330, zinc slab 75.50, zinc dros 60, bell metal scrap 164, copper wire bar 120, copper rod 123, copper wire 127, copper scrap 109, chadripital 85, brass sheet cutting 90 and brass boring 75.
Lead ingot 36.50, lead imported 41, aluminium (22 gauge) 98-100, aluminium (30 gauge) 110-113, aluminium (36 gauge) 111-119, aluminium rod 86, aluminium cg ingot 83, aluminium wire scrap 78 and aluminium utensils scrap 66.
Lack of buying support from traders and exporters continued to spur further slide in the prices.
