Farmers markets, to enable the agriculturists to sell their products directly to the consumers, eliminating middlemen, will be set up in 100 places in Tamil Nadu. An official press release said in Chennai on Monday that the government would provide all infrastructure to these markets, which would come in municipal and town panchayat areas. The chief minister M Karunanidhi had instructed concerned officials to monitor the developmental schemes to work out the details for setting up the markets and provide all infrastructure to these markets.

Japan oil firms refining capacity

Major Japanese oil firms Japan Energy Corp and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK say they will start studying a tie-up in refining, aiming at drastic cost cutting through steps such as slashing excess capacity and integrating production plans. They expect to reach an agreement on details by March. Saturday's announcement came only two weeks after Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corp (NMOC) and Cosmo Oil Co Ltd announced a comprehensive alliance to integrate a wide range of operations from crude purchasing to refining, but excluding marketing and sales. Simply combining the refining capacities of Japan Energy and Showa Shell would mean the alliance accounting for 23.12 per cent of Japan's total, second to NMOC-Cosmo's 37.22 per cent. With a forthcoming merger of Exxon Corp and Mobil Corp of the United States, Japanese affiliates of the US oil majors are also expected to face some integration, possibly leading to a refining share of 17.13 per cent. Those three core groups would leave Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd, currently ranked second inJapan, a loner, without any significant tie-ups with any of the others apart from distribution. Japan Energy and Showa Shell have not said their alliance will spread to marketing and sales, while NMOC and Cosmo said their alliance excludes marketing and sales.

Menthol prices drop on poor demand

Prices of menthol dropped in the New Delhi chemical market due to excess stock and inadequate demand. Menthol bold crystal, flake and oil were quoted lower by Rs 10-20 at Rs 770, Rs 700 and Rs 545 from the last closes of Rs 785, Rs 720 and Rs 555 respectively. The volume of business was small. Prices(in Rupees) of various chemicals were: Ammonia bicarb (25 kg) 270-275, ammonium chloride (50 kg)450-650, acetic acid (1kg) 23, boric acid-technical (50 kg) 2200-2300, borex granular (50 kg) 1500-1550. Caustic soda flake (50 kg) (DCM) 705, caustic soda flake(KCI) 705, caustic soda flake (Gujarat) 705 and caustic soda flake (Modi) 760, citric acid (50 kg) (China) 3500,citric acid (50kg) (Bombay Dyeing) 4300, citric acid (Bharat starch) 3550, camphor slab (1 kg) 140-175 camphor powder (1kg) 100-120, glycerine (1 kg) 75-82, hexamine (1 kg) 41 hydrogen peroxide (1 kg) 19, mercury (34.5 kg) 11,000 menthol bold crystal (1 kg) 770, menthol flake (1 kg) 700 menthol oil (1 kg) 545. Oxalic acid (PCPL-blue) (50 kg) 1550paraffin wax (50 kg) 1500-2200 press wax (P Tonne) 28,000 residue wax (P Tonne) 10,000 slackes wax (P Tonne) 21,500 soda ash (75 kg) (Tata) 760 soda ash (75 kg) (DCW) 730 soda ash (75 kg) (Gujarat) 730 soda ash (75 kg) (Birla) 820 soda ash (75 kg) (Punjab) 820 stable bleaching powder (Shriram) (25 kg) 330 stable bleaching powder (Modi) (25 kg) 320 stable bleaching powder (KCI) 300 stable bleaching powder (Chambal) 240 sodium sulphate (50 kg) 400-450 sodium bicarbonate (50 kg) 610-620 sodium hydro sulphite (kalali) (1 kg) 68 sodium hydro sulphite (Demosha) (1 kg) 68 sodium hydro sulphite (gulshan) (1 kg) 58 sodium hydro sulphite (safolite) (1 kg) 78 sodium hydro sulphite (China) 58 sodium nitrite (50 kg) 1200-1250 nitrate (50 kg) 1000-1050 sodium silicate (qtl) 550-600 tartaric acid France (1 kg) 472 thymol (1 kg) 285 titanium dioxide (TTK)( 1 KG) 96 titanium dioxide (K-brand) (1 kg) 92 titanium dioxide (China) (1 kg) 83 titanium dioxide (RC822) (1 kg) 140 zinc oxide (kg) 64-65.

Walnut exporters plea

The Jammu and Kashmir Walnut Exporters Association (JKWEA) has requested the state government to grant them seven to ten years time for the payment of excise duty arrears amounting to nearly Rs 25 crore. The association general secretary Satish Meheta in a statement issued in New Delhi has stated that these arrears are due to the delay in the judgement, which took nearly 17 years by the Jammu and Kashmir high court to deliver its judgement that the state's walnut trade should pay the additional excise duty imposed on them by the state government. Meheta said the association is ready to pay the arrears but the government should grant them some considerable time so that the arrears should not become a burden on the trade. He said the industry is passing through an acute recessionary period and has been hurt by the insurgency activities.