1.   

Groundnut production to rise this summer

The Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC) has estimated the summer groundnut production in Gujarat to be at around 2.71 lakh tonne as against 1.29 lakh tonne last year, which is higher by 110 percent.In addition to this, the production of sesame this season is also likely to surge by 37.5 percent to 55,000 tones.

2.   

Food rights bill holds key to India farm exports plan

India's grain bins are overflowing and the forecast for a normal monsoon promises another bumper crop, but political disagreement over a bill to secure food rights for the poor means the country is expected to steer clear of large-scale exports. Shipments from the world's second-biggest producer of wheat, sugar and rice could come as a relief for governments across Asia who are trying to combat food-led inflation.

3.   

Supreme Court bans Endosulfan for eight weeks

The Supreme Court today banned the production, sale and use of controversial pesticide Endosulfan in the country for the next eight weeks, holding that human life is more important than anything else.

4.   

Lychees 'take flight',prices to follow suit

According to lychee exporters, erratic railway schedules had been having a deleterious impact on the quality of the fruit. When the trains would finally reach Mumbai after inordinate delays, the stocks would have rotten. "The railway system of Bengal has taken a severe beating due to the frequent attacks on its trains by naxals. Delays would cause the stocks to go bad. Ultimately, the exporters decided to convey the fruits via flight.