1.   

Agriculture sector to clock 3.4% growth

Farm sector is likely to record 3.4% growth in 2013-14 if monsoon is normal as has been forecast, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan said on Wednesday. “We had projected average growth rate of 3.4 per cent for agriculture sector in the 11th Plan. All indications are that monsoon will be normal, we expect agriculture sector to do well this year...If monsoon is normal, 3.4% growth rate is achievable in the agriculture sector this fiscal,” Rangarajan said.

2.   

MEA to draw roadmap for Missions to push exports

The External Affairs Ministry Thursday said it will draw a roadmap for Indian Missions abroad to push export promotion activities and help the country to arrest export slowdown. "The Ministry of External Affairs intends to try and draw a roadmap for Indian Missions abroad in the identified core areas of export and investment so that all export promotion activities have a certain focus and are result oriented," an official statement said.

3.   

India-EU FTA: Top officials hold second round of talks

Chief negotiators of India and the EU Thursday held the second round of talks on the stalled free trade agreement on which the discussions had started in June 2007. "Both the sides have discussed all the issues regarding intellectual property rights and investments," a source said. Although the technical level talks between the two sides started on Monday, the three-day deliberations between the chief negotiators started yesterday.

4.   

China pledges to fix trade deficit issue with India

China is sending an investment promotion mission and one of the biggest ever business delegations to India next week to accompany Premier Li Keqiang on his State visit, top officials said on Thursday, to demonstrate that the government was taking ‘very seriously’ the widening trade imbalance. China and India are, next week, expected to sign a number of business cooperation agreements, including investment and financing deals, as Mr. Li travels to New Delhi and Mumbai.