Asia's rice imports likely to fall
The global rice trade may drop 13.5 per cent to 24.25 million tonne this year from last year's record 28.05 million on better weather in Asia and bumper crops in South America, a US-based research group said. "Virtually all of the decline in world trade has occurred in sailings to Asian markets, which have dropped by nearly 2.4 million tonne during the first nine months of this year," Slayton and Associates, a US -- based research group said.

NDDB to up milk procurement
Anand-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has drawn up an ambitious agenda for the future--Perspective 2010--which aims to quadruple procurement and treble marketing of milk by dairy co-operatives in the country.

Export earning from spices rises
Export of spices during the first half of the current financial year has registered a drop of 6 per cent in quantity, but higher unit value realisation has boosted export earnings over the last year. Between April and September this year, export earnings from spices stood at Rs 932.90 crore on a total quantity of 1,05,190 tonnes. During the same period last year, export earnings stood at Rs 881.47 crore on a quantity of 1,12,238 tonnes.

A new brand of farming
A new brand of farming is emerging from the research and development labs of several universities and small biotechnology companies - so new they're even changing the spelling to "pharming." `Pharming' is the production of human pharmaceuticals in farm animals that is currently in the developmental stage with possible commercialisation by the year 2000.

Vietnam coffee supply thin
Fresh rains in Vietnam's top coffee provinces delayed harvesting of the new crop this week, keeping supplies low and putting a cap on deals, traders have said. They said harvesting would not peak until the rains stopped, possibly in a couple of weeks. Meteorologists were not available to comment on the short-term weather outlook for the central highlands, where most of Vietnam's robusta is grown. "The rains have slowed down bean pick-up.

Gold prices may touch $325 again
Gold has seen it all in the last one month. From the depths of despair near the $250 per ounce mark, to sheer ecstasy as it soared to $340 per ounce in no time. Then, in the last one week, it plummeted to $286 per ounce, as the nightmare returned only to bounce back above the $300 per ounce mark. As they say at the US PGA tour, `Anything is possible'.

Nalco production up
The public sector, National Aluminium Company has been successful in exporting 31,471 tonne of alumina and 5,454 tonne of aluminium in August this year. Nalco with an estimated annual installed capacity of 2,30,000 tonne could produce 84,366 tonne of aluminium in April-August 1999 as against 53,730 tonne of aluminium in the corresponding period in the previous year. The aluminium output target of the company in the current period, however, was 87,100 tonne.

Crude oil output rises in Apr-Sept
The cumulative crude oil production in the country in April-September 1999 has registered one per cent increase, when compared with the same period of the previous year. The crude oil production in the current period is 16.406 million tonne as against 16.238 million tonne in April-September 1998. But the crude oil production in the current year has fallen short by 1.4 per cent over the target which is 16.646 million tonne. The production in Gujarat and Assam units were badly affected.

Ethylene, VAM prices to remain firm
Feedstock prices are expected to remain firm until November, when the new crushing season begins. Given the firm international prices of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) and the increase in feedstock (especially, ethylene) costs, domestic prices of VAM are expected to remain firm in the fourth quarter of 1999. International prices of VAM increased recently due to strong demand, tight availability and firm prices of feedstock, ethylene. On the other hand, methanol prices are likely to be under pressure from November following 50 per cent increase in global capacity as also after the increase in rates by Quatari and Indonesian makers.

Panel to look into Kerala mills' issues
The department of industries, Kerala, has finalised constitution of the committee of experts to look into the problems faced by the private sector mills in Kerala. This committee would be headed by the leading chartered accountant firm, Fraser and Rose and will also have representatives from the South Indian Mills Association (Sima), South India Textile Research Association (Sitra), senior officials from banks and financial institutions besides the officials from the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). The broad agenda before the committee would be to study the ongoing crisis faced by the textile industry in Kerala.