Domestic dairy units hit by imports
Absence of anti-dumping duty may sound death knell for the dairy industry of Punjab which flourished in the aftermath of operation flood and other states. The import of butter oil, fat and other dairy products from European countries has posed a grave threat to dairy industry. As there is no excise duty on imports, the importers are finding it lucrative to import dairy products and sell these in India at cheaper rates.

Research shows GM seeds ineffective
Five years after the first commercial crop of genetically modified soyabean was made available in spring 1995, startling new research in the heart of the American grain belt seems set to settle the royal row over whether genetic modification is needed to feed the hungry.

Edible oil import duty hike nullified
High stocks of imported edible oils coupled with relatively low offtake have almost nullified the impact of the 10 per cent plus import duty hike announced last Tuesday. Accordingly,edible oil prices are seen sluggish at least till mid-September, despite the temporary jump witnessed last week after the announcement of the import duty hike.

Coffee prices worry Kerala farmers
Farmers in Wayanad, Nelliampathy and Idukki, who account for the major chunk of coffee production in Kerala, are indeed a worried lot. Now their most important crop, coffee, whose prices have ruled steady for the past few years, has gone the way of rubber, tea, coconut oil, copra and other important cash crops with its prices touching a seven-year low.

Oilmeal exporters eye SE Asia again
India oilmeal producers are gearing up to revive the export market for oilmeal which suffered a beating due to the south-East Asian economic crisis. Exports have crashed by a staggering 42 per cent in the last two years.

Indian steel firms kick off online trade
Indian steel industry has begun online trading with mebers from 14 countries vide website www.SteelRX.com. The site provides a comprehensive marketplace for members from 14 countries representing a cross-section of steel producers, processors, construction companies, rolling mills, traders and warehousing companies who are already registered on the site.

Battery law effective from July 25
The Government of India is understood to have informed the Japanese embassy officials in New Delhi of its decision to withdraw its request for Japanese cooperation in its anti-dumping investigation of imports into India of hot-rolled (HR) coils and heavy plates from Japan. The communication of this decision, it is reliably learnt, was said to have been made verbally recently in Delhi.

Global steel firms upbeat
Global steelmakers, including India, continue to make positive statements about market trends for the remaining 2000. Many European firms of carbon or alloy steels, have announced price rise on their third quarter delivery. But beyond the producers, among the independent stockholders and traders, confidence is fast evaporating.

Crude oil prices touch $30 a barrel
The lid shot off the oil price line, despite the promises made by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries in March, crude oil prices hit the $30 a barrel mark, $2 over the self-imposed cap declared by Opec oil ministers then. Oil ministers in the Opec club had vowed to keep crude prices within $22-0$28 a barrel.

Anti-dumping duty on PTA imports
The designated authority under the commerce ministry has recommended anti-dumping duty on imports of Pure Terephthalic Acid (PTA) from South Korea.

Traders flay Government move
Solvent traders in the local chemicals market are pushed in a piquant situation these days following the recent gazetted notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas treating solvents as an essential commodity.

Cotton exports may drop this year
The export target for cotton fabrics and made-ups for the year 2000-01, kept at $2,400 million, might not be achieved again, as our cotton fabrics are facing stiff competition in the overseas markets.

Global cotton output to rise to 20 mt
Global cotton consumption which had contracted to 19.01 million tonnes in 1998-99 is estimated to have recovered this season by 4.05 per cent to nearly 19.78 million tonnes and is projected to rise further by 1.21 per cent in the ensuing season (2000-01) to a new peak of 20.02 million tonnes.

Cotton crop put at 154.6 lakh bales
Even as total cotton arrivals from various cotton growing centres has indicated increased flow till May 31, 2000 arrivals from Gujarat are seen to be lower than in the last year.