1.   

Despite regional insecurity, West Africa's trade with India booms

Despite the gradual breakdown of security in West Africa because of poor cooperation between its constituents, trade and commerce are booming between India and the largely French-speaking region, which accounts for 20 percent of the continent's GDP and 30 percent of its population, officials say. "India's imports from West Africa grew at a robust 45 percent, outpacing the growth of its exports to the region, which stood at 20 percent between 2012 and 2013," according to Ajit Kumar, the chief general manager of India's Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank).

2.   

ASEM Ministers in Delhi next week

Foreign ministers from several dozen countries will be arriving here next week to take part in the annual meeting of the 51-member grouping, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), where India hopes that a new format will reinvigorate deliberations. At last month’s meeting of the ASEM senior officials, India suggested that the talks should be restructured to make them more focused. As per the proposal, small groups of countries would be formed on different subjects, so that they can push through initiatives for bridging the gap between Asian and European countries.

3.   

Government expects bumper crop this year on good monsoon

India is expected to harvest bumper crop this year based on estimates of higher food grains production in Kharif (summer sown) and hopes of better Rabi (winter) crop with enough water in reservoirs, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today. He also said that the agriculture credit has grown by 12.1 per cent during April-August period of this fiscal. "On agriculture, we estimate this would be a very good year.

4.   

Four-day World Agriculture Forum Congress from today

The main objective of the four-day World Agriculture Forum Congress (WAC) 2013, scheduled to be held from November 4 is to come up with suggestions on how to improve the fortunes of small and marginal farmers. Since the story of small and marginal farmers, who more than often are at the mercy of nature, is more or less same across the world, experts on different aspects of agriculture and allied sectors would be brainstorming in 29 sessions spread across three days. There will be 13 keynote addresses, 11 round tables and five breakout or concurrent sessions.