1.   

Traders expects Indo-Pak trade to grow by 10 times due to ICP

The Integrated Check Post (ICP) to be opened on Friday at Attari Wagah border would push up the trade between India and Pakistan through the land route by at least 10 times, Punjab-based exporters said on Thursday. "It (ICP) is a historic step and it is going to expand the trade volume between India and Pakistan by 10 times of what it is at present," Indo-Pak Exporters Association President O.P. Arora said. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram will inaugurate ICP on Friday.

2.   

Maharashtra: World Bank to invest Rs 461 crore in agricultural sector

The World Bank and the state government will jointly invest Rs 700 crore over the next five years to develop processing, cleaning, grading and packing facilities for farmers in the state, which can help them fetch better prices for their produce. Of the Rs 700 crore, Rs 461 crore will come from the World Bank. The World Bank has come up with a project to develop marketing infrastructure and connect the same with local and major markets, which will encourage competition and possibility of enhanced income for farmers.

3.   

Food producers in US told to avoid antibiotics in livestock voluntarily

Food producers in the US have been asked to refrain from using antibiotics in livestock for non-medical uses on a voluntary basis. This action has been sought as part of an effort to prevent the rise of drug-resistant "superbugs." The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) said that antibiotics should only be used under the supervision of a veterinarian to prevent or treat illnesses in animals. It asked companies to start phasing out the use of antibiotics for non-medical purposes such as promoting growth, and said that the process could take three years.

4.   

Bihar farmer sets organic wheat production record

A farmer from Bihar's Nalanda district has set a national record in organic wheat production, say officials. A wheat farmer, Surendra Prasad of Sarilchak village in Nalanda, about 100 km from Patna, has produced 135.75 quintals of wheat per hectare using the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) organic method. The national record so far was 100 quintals per hectare held by a farmer from Araria district in the state, say officials. 'I am happy to set a new national record in wheat production, but unhappy that I could not set a world record.