1.   

PM panel tells commerce ministry to conclude SAFTA talks early

A high-level panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the commerce department to conclude the next round of negotiations for the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) at the earliest even as it has called for an impact analysis of India's free trade agreements on all sectors. "The commerce department has been mandated to proceed and conclude the next round of negotiations at the earliest," said a government official.

2.   

Willing to settle for deal on 8 out of 10 issues at WTO: India

With a consensus at the World Trade Organization (WTO) remaining elusive, India on Thursday said it has no problems with a deal on eight of the 10 subjects on the table and would not be averse to the idea of further negotiations on the contentious food security and trade facilitation issues in Geneva if an agreement is not reached here. While there are few worries over five issues of concern to the least developed countries, Indian officials suggested that the two other proposals on agriculture relate to export subsidies and export of prescribed quantities of farm goods by developing countries at lower duties and the WTO could agree to the proposals.

3.   

Global cereal output to rise 8.4%, says FAO

This year, global cereal output is likely to touch an all-time high, owing to favourable climatic conditions and an improvement in seed and soil fertility. Data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations show cereal output may stand at 2,500 million tonnes (mt) this year, 8.4 per cent higher than last year and six per cent more than the previous record in 2011. In a report, Crop Prospects and Food Situation, FAO estimated this year, wheat production would rise 7.8 per cent, coarse grains 12 per cent and rice one per cent.

4.   

India's rice exports seen at record 11 million tonnes: USDA

India's rice exports are estimated at a record 11 million tonnes in marketing year 2012-13 that ended in September this year on bumper production and strong overseas demand, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. Rice exports of India, the world's second largest rice producer, stood at 10.38 million tonnes in marketing year 2011-12 (MY12), which runs from October to September. "MY 2012/13 export estimate is raised to a record 11 million tonnes based on preliminary official statistics for October 2012 to August 2013, and shipping data compiled by a private source for September 2013," the report said.