1.   

'India-EU must decide on market access issues to conclude FTA'

India and European Union (EU) have to soon take a call on critical issues concerning market access to conclude the proposed free trade agreement by end of this year, a top official said. Although India and the 27-nation bloc are hoping that a deal can be struck before their annual summit in February, several issues related with market access are yet to be resolved.

2.   

US working on investment treaties with India, China

Months after it unveiled a model bilateral investment treaty (BIT), a top Obama Administration official has said the US is working on BIT with a number of countries, including India, China and Mauritius. This is a part of the Obama Administration's effort to promote investment policies and enhance trade, the US Trade Representatives Ron Kirk said at Coalition of Service Industries 2012 Global Services Summit.

3.   

MMTC invites bids to export 50,000 tonnes of wheat

The state-owned trading firm MMTCBSE 1.43 % Ltd has floated a tender to export 50,000 tonnes of wheat for shipments in November, a company statement said on Thursday. The last date for submission of bids is Oct. 9 and the bids will be valid until Oct. 16. The MMTC has offered to sell wheat from Kakinada port on the east coast. State-run trading firms have been floating export tenders to ship out wheat from overflowing government warehouses.

4.   

Strategy to maximise rabi yield to be formulated at national agri meet

A strategy to maximise the production of rabi crops in the coming rabi season will be chalked out at the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2012, a two-day event that commences next week. The papers circulated by the agriculture ministry to the participants in this conference elaborate on this strategy. “Kharif 2012 began with the delayed onset of the monsoon and subdued activity during the sowing period of June-July 2012, which improved gradually during August and is continuing in September.”