Pakistan rice exports likely to fall
High domestic rice prices in Pakistan are likely to keep a lid on exports for several more weeks, dealers said in Karachi on Thursday, but added new-crop arrivals were expected to climb, pulling prices down and boosting exports. They said increased new-crop supplies were expected to rise sometime in the middle of November. "At the moment there are very few exporters in the market as local prices are much higher than world prices," said a dealer at a major rice export house. He said world prices were still weak and most of Pakistan's competitors were quoting lower rates. "A number of our traditional buyers are also waiting to see where world prices settle before booking orders," he said. "We expect domestic prices to start coming off by the middle of this month and that will spark some activity on the export front," the dealer said.

Nickel mine to go on stream
Western Australian nickel producer Anaconda Nickel Ltd believes its 100,000 tonnes a year Mount Margaret operation will be on stream by 2002. Five drilling rigs have been in place for the past two years and a feasibility study was under way, Anaconda chief executive officer, Andrew Forrest, said in a telephone conference. ``We need environmental approvals and access agreements from the stakeholders such as the government... We expect them in the first half of 2000," Forrest said. Production was due in the first half of 2002, although it could start at the end of 2001, he said. Anaconda was currently bringing on stream its Murrin Murrin nickel project. Production of 45,000 tonnes a year was expected by June 2000, rising to 100,000 tonnes in the next four years. To date analysts estimate production at under 1,000 tonnes.

IOC hikes Koyali pipeline capacity
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Thursday said that it has enhanced capacity of its Salaya-Viramgam-Koyali crude oil pipeline to 21 million metric tonnes per annum. IOC had increased the capacity of the pipeline due to the expansion of Gujarat refinery from 9.5 million metric tonnes per annum to 12.5 million metric tonnes per annum, a company statement said. The Gujarat refinery is located at Koyali. The indigenous and imported crude oil is transported through Salaya-Mathura pipeline, the release said adding the capacity of the pipeline was also increased to meet the growing demand for oil in the state.

Kenya sees rise in coffee output
Kenya expects its coffee output to rise to around 80,000 tonnes in the 1999-2000 season, up from 66,000 tonnes in 1998-99, the general manager of the country's coffee board said. Isaac Kiragu said the current rainy season had started late but the main coffee regions were now receiving good rainfall and so production would continue its steady recovery of the past two years. ``We are expecting about 80,000 tonnes,'' Kiragu told Reuters. ``We are beginning to take off again in terms of production.'' He said the Coffee Board of Kenya's newly revised figures for the last two years showed a crop of 55,000 tonnes in 1997-98 and 66,000 tonnes in the 1998-99 season.