1.   

World Bank asks Islamabad to open up trade with India

In the backdrop of escalating tension due to cross-border exchange of fire, the World Bank has asked Islamabad to take action on addressing country-specific risks and open up trade with India to avoid a looming second balance of payments crisis in five years."Pakistan's rebound from the global financial crisis has been slow and fragile, and unless the economy changes course swiftly, it could face its second balance of payments crisis in five years," the WB warned the new government in an economic memorandum titled "Pakistan: Finding the Path to Job-Enhancing Growth".

2.   

Govt plans outreach pgrms with CIS nations to boost trade

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry is conducting outreach programmes in different cities to make Indian business persons aware of commercial opportunities available in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, informed ministry is a press statement on Tuesday. "To fill the information gap, we in the Commerce Ministry are planning outreach programmes in five cities," said Rajiv Capoor, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, in New Delhi on Tuesday at the 2nd CIS Ambassadors' Interactive Round Table Forum organised by EEPC India.

3.   

India, Among World's Largest Rice Hoarders, Might Amass Even More

India is projected to harvest a record-breaking production of crops, including rice, on the back of copious monsoons this year. That is, in a sense, bad news for the farmer. Already, rice prices in the southern state of Karnataka (of which Bangalore is the capital) are tumbling as farmers have started offloading their hoard on the expectation of a bumper crop. A bountiful monsoon makes for an unhappy farmer because of poor prices.

4.   

Govt promoting food processing to lessen losses, up shelf life: Mahant

Government has been promoting food processing with a view to minimise harvest and post-harvest losses of major agricultural produce and increase shelf life of food products. This information was given in Lok Sabha on Tuesday by the minister of state for agriculture and food processing industries, Dr Charan Das Mahant, in a written reply. Promotional measures for increasing exports of agricultural and processed food products include implementation of Focus Product Scheme (FPS), Focus Market Scheme (FMS), Vishesh Krishi and Gram Udyog Yojana (VKGUY) Scheme, and Market Linked Focused Product (MLFPS) Scheme.