1.   

India offers incentives to revive merchandise exports

India announced incentives to revive growth in exports on Wednesday as it looks to narrow a trade deficit that has put the country's current account balance and currency under pressure. As part of the package, the government extended a 2-percentage-point interest subsidy on rupee-denominated export loans for labour-intensive and small-scale industries by one year to the end of March 2014 to cushion the impact of weak demand in developed economies.

2.   

France, Hong Kong winemakers likely to have JVs with India

Winemakers in France and Honk Kong are likely to join hands with Indian wineries in the next few months, officials from the Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB) have said. The board, as part of its initiatives to boost the wine industry in the country, recently approached the French Trade Commission, Indo-France Chamber of Commerce of Commerce and Hong Kong Trade Commission, urging them to undertake joint ventures with Indian wineries in the manufacturing, exporting and marketing segments.

3.   

Use technology for high yield, says agriculture expert

Farmers of the state need to make efficient use of modern technology to achieve maximum yield from available land. Efficient water and land management, along with technology, were the key for full-scale production in agriculture, said K P Gore, vice chancellor of Agriculture college, Parbhani, here on Sunday. Speaking at the inauguration of Maha-Agro, he said, "Reducing labour costs to maximize production needed to meet the increasing foodgrain demands of the country."

4.   

India expresses hope Pakistan will grant MFN status by December end

India today expressed hope that Pakistan will honour its assurance of granting it MFN status and further dismantling the trade barriers between the countries. "It (MFN) is given by all member countries of the WTO to each other. Since India and Pakistan both are members, we have given the MFN status. I am sure Pakistan will do that and honour the assurance that has been given," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters here.