NCDEX raises transaction fee for chana contracts effective Aug 16.

The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd increased the transaction fee on futures contracts of chana to 4 rupees per 100,000 rupees of turnover for an average daily turnover of up to 250 million rupees. The new transaction fee will be effective from Aug 16. Earlier, transaction fee for chana contracts were flat 2 rupees per 100,000 rupees.

India Soybean gains on bullish global, spot sentiments.

Paring weakness from the previous session, soybean contracts on the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange traded higher bolstered by firm buying from crushers, backed by upbeat soymeal exports. Gains in the bellwether soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade also propped up the prices on the Indian exchange. Taking cues from soybean, refined soyoil contracts on the NCDEX and crude palm oil on the MCX traded higher owing to rise in demand in wholesale markets and talks of a duty hike on imports of palm oils. Soybean traded higher on the US exchange following weather vagaries in the US.

Indore soybean prices a tad up on low acreage

Soybean prices rose marginally in the benchmark market of Indore in Madhya Pradesh due to slow progress of sowing in the state. Poor rainfall in the state so far in the southwest monsoon season has hit sowing operations and pulled down the area sown under soybean. Area under soybean has also declined as some farmers in the state have switched to cotton for better returns.

NCDEX Mustard seed futures add to gains; up Rs 5/a qtl.

NCDEX Mustard seed prices edged further higher by Rs 5 in futures trading as speculators indulged in raising their bets on the back of strong sentiment at the spot markets. Widening of positions by players, tracking a firm trend at the spot markets on increased offtake by oil mills mainly kept mustard seed prices higher.

India in no hurry to grow GM food crops.

The government is in no hurry to introduce genetically modified food crops in the country, three months after the sector regulator gave its nod to commercialization of GM mustard, because of widespread opposition from different quarters. The government has decided to examine all objections raised by scientists and farmers before taking a decision on genetically engineered (GE) mustard. Pursuant to recommendation of GE mustard by GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee), several representations and concerns have been raised by a wide range of stakeholders including scientists, policymakers, farmers and NGOs. The issues raised are manifold, like long-term health and environmental impact, herbicide tolerance, loss to honey bees and pollinators, outperformance of native varieties, no enhancement in yields, etc. All these issues are under examination.

India sugar prices stable in key spot markets; outlook bearish.

Prices of sugar were largely unchanged in the key wholesale markets of the country due to lacklustre trade. Thin trade in the market can be attributed to the fear of government action to ensure enough supplies in the domestic market. The government is likely to allow import of 300,000-500,000 tonne sugar at zero duty to augment supply during the upcoming festival season.

Enough sugar for this year, assures ISMA.

There are sufficient sugar stocks in India to take the country through the next sugar marketing year. This came amid reports that the government is contemplating another round of sugar imports to meet the anticipated high demand during the upcoming festival season. Sugar production fell below consumption in the 2016-17 marketing year. This had led to a surge in sugar prices, forcing the government to direct mills to maintain demand-supply balance and curtail the prices. The current prices are not higher than the previous year. The union government, which had increased the import duty on sugar to 50 per cent in July, is reportedly contemplating cutting it to 25 per cent and allowing import of sugar to augment supplies during the festival season.

USDA sees Pakistan 2016-17 soybean import at new high.

Pakistan is expected to import a record 1.6 million tonne soybean in 2016-17 and around 2 million tonne in 2017-18. Higher demand for soybean from Pakistan is seen coming from poultry feed sector in the country. The country soy oil import is expected to be around 200,000 tonne in 2016-17 compared with 184,000 tonne in 2015-16. For Soy oil 2017-18, import is pegged at 250,000 tonne. Pakistan palm oil import is pegged at 3.0 million tonne in 2016-17 against 2.7 million tonne in 2015-16, while palm oil import is seen at 3.1 million tonne in 2017-18. Pakistan is one of the largest edible oil importers in the world.