1.   

India to send teams of agriculture experts to African continents

India has decided to send teams of farm experts to African countries to explore ways of helping the "dark continent" to improve its agricultural practices. Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) teams would visit Ethiopia, South Africa , Zambia and other countries of the African continent next month.

2.   

India looks to complete talks on trade pact with EU in July

India is looking to conclude talks on a comprehensive trade agreement with the European Union (EU) in July after an approval by a panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.“In July, commerce minister Anand Sharma will visit Brussels and announce closure of the agreement,” a commerce ministry official said, requesting anonymity.

3.   

Poultry farmers jittery over egg import decision - Bangladesh

The government, according to reports in a section of the media, has decided to import 10 million eggs and day-old chicks (DOC) from India. Such a decision has triggered strong resentment among the local poultry farmers. They said this will cause widespread loss to them and lead to closure of thousands of small farms.

4.   

DEPB scheme withdrawal puts Indian exporters at disadvantage

The finance ministry made known recently that since the government is incurring a loss of INR 8,000 crore on account of the tax rebate DEPB scheme each year, it will not be extended beyond June 30th 2011. While the decision would help the government prop up its revenues, India's business fraternity has taken a dim view of the move, expressing fears that it would make exports uncompetitive and severely impact the economy's growth momentum.