1.   

Make agriculture competitive, gear up to combat climate change, says Pawar

Agriculture has to become more competitive, efficient, and profitable and develop mechanism to reduce its vulnerability to climate change. Indian farmers, scientists and policy-makers have to address these issues in totality and develop strategies to increase adaptive capacity.

2.   

Indian guar gum exporters resent China's bias news

Guar gum manufacturers in India are resenting China's discriminatory treatment of imposing differential duties on guar gum split and power imported from this country while importing the same from Pakistan duty-free. China, Indian exporters say, also imposes high customs duty on export of value-added products from India and encourages imports of raw materials (guar gum splits) by keeping duty at half the rate.

3.   

J&K to encourage investment in establishing food, horti processing units

Omar Abdullah, chief minister, Jammu & Kashmir, has said that his government will encourage local as well as outside investment to establish food processing and other horticulture produce processing units in the state. Addressing newsmen, he said, “Our government will provide every possible facility to the investors in this regard.

4.   

EU flags up defects in Indian rice export system

Flaws in administrative arrangements and the lack of legal basis for controls mean there is no guarantee that Indian basmati rice exports comply fully with European Union aflatoxin limits, said a report from Brussels. The Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) announced its findings after a carrying out a nine-day visit to India to assess aflatoxin control measures on exports.