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World food commodity prices declined modestly in May: FAO

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 World food commodity prices declined modestly in May for the second consecutive month, although wheat and poultry prices pushed higher, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 157.4 points in May 2022, down 0.6 per cent from April. The Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of commonly-traded food commodities, however, remained 22.8 per cent higher than in May 2021.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 2.2 per cent from the previous month, led by wheat prices, which were up 5.6 per cent from April and 56.2 per cent from their corresponding value a year earlier.

International wheat prices, averaging only 11 percent below the record high reached in March 2008, rose in response to an export ban announced by India and concerns over crop conditions in several leading exporting countries as well as reduced production prospects in Ukraine due to the war.

International rice prices also rose across the board, while coarse grain prices declined by 2.1 per cent, with maize prices dropping by even more in step with slightly improved crop conditions in the US, seasonal supplies in Argentina and the imminent start of Brazil’s main maize harvest.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 3.5 percent from April, while still markedly higher than its year-earlier level. Prices dropped for palm, sunflower, soy and rapeseed oils, due in part to the removal of Indonesia’s short-lived export ban on palm oil and sluggish global import demand for soy and rapeseed oils in view of elevated costs in recent months.

“Export restrictions create market uncertainty and can result in price spikes and increased price volatility, the decrease in oilseeds prices shows how important it is when they are removed and let exports flow smoothly,” said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero Cullen.

The FAO Dairy Price Index also dropped by 3.5 per cent month-on-month. Prices of milk powders declined the most, linked to market uncertainties from the continued Covid-19 lockdowns in China, while robust retail sales and high demand from restaurants in the Northern Hemisphere prevented cheese prices from falling significantly despite weakened global import demand.

Butter prices also dropped on account of a weaker import demand amid improved exportable supplies.

The FAO Sugar Price Index declined by 1.1 per cent from April, as a bumper crop in India buoyed global availability prospects.

The weakening of the Brazilian real against the US dollar, along with lower ethanol prices, also pressured world sugar prices downwards.

Meanwhile, the FAO Meat Price Index set a new all-time high, increasing by 0.6 per cent in May even as world bovine meat prices remained stable and those of pig meat fell.

The climb was driven by a steep increase in international poultry meat prices, reflecting continued supply chain disruptions in Ukraine and recent cases of avian influenza amid a surge in demand in Europe and the Middle East.

Business

US tariffs: India’s tech hardware sector likely to gain over China, Vietnam

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New Delhi, April 8: With China facing a 34 per cent US tariff and Vietnam 46 per cent, India’s relatively lower tariff of 27 per cent may shift supply chain dynamics, helping the domestic tech hardware sector grow further, according to a new report.

India’s electronics manufacturing, especially smartphones, are set to gain a competitive edge as the US imposes tariffs on electronics imports from key countries, says a CLSA report.

The shift in the global supply chain could favour India, particularly in the smartphone manufacturing segment, it added.

Smartphones account for $51 billion worth of imports for the US, with China, Vietnam and India being key sources, according to the global broakrage.

Apple and Samsung already have robust manufacturing operations in India.

India’s lower tariff, combined with its large domestic market and increasing backward integration supported by the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, enhances its cost competitiveness.

Dixon Technologies is likely to be a key beneficiary of this shift in the global supply chain dynamics.

While Apple and Samsung’s assembly operations are either in-house or with companies not listed in India, Dixon’s role in the supply chain is expected to grow, said CLSA.

According to other reports, the expected direct impact of US reciprocal tariffs would vary in nature for the sectors in India. The impact is expected to be largely neutral for electronics, textiles, agricultural products, chemicals, and automobiles and parts.

In electronics, higher reciprocal tariffs on China would mean a neutral impact for India’s electronics exports, said the report by CareEdge Ratings.

Meanwhile, the recently-announced Rs 22,919 crore Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), which has the potential to generate nearly 1 lakh direct jobs and several indirect jobs, focuses on the local production of sub-assemblies and bare components like inductors, resistors, PCBs and capacitors, etc.

The scheme envisages to attract investment of Rs 59,350 crore, result in production of Rs 4,56,500 crore and generate additional direct employment of 91,600 people and many indirect jobs as well during its tenure.

There has been five times increase in production over 10 years (17 per cent CAGR) to reach Rs 9.5 lakh crore in 2024, while 25 lakh jobs have been generated.

There has also been six times increase in exports (43 per cent CAGR) to Rs 2.4 lakh crore in 2024. Electronics items are now among India’s top three export items.

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Crime

School job case: Crucial hearing in SC today on CBI probe against Bengal cabinet

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Kolkata, April 8: The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday whether the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should probe the West Bengal cabinet, which approved the creation of supernumerary posts in state-run schools allegedly to accommodate “tainted” candidates getting teaching and non-teaching jobs against payment of money.

The opposition BJP had said in case the Supreme Court lifts the earlier interim stay on the CBI probe in the matter, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would also come under the purview of the probe since as the head of the cabinet she would not be able to avoid responsibility of the decision for creation of supernumerary posts.

The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday, said that after Om Prakash Chautala of Haryana, Mamata Banerjee will be the second chief minister of an Indian state to be behind bars in an education scam.

In April 2024, a three-judge Bench of the apex court headed by the erstwhile Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, stayed an earlier order by the Calcutta High Court directing the CBI to undertake further investigations into the approval for supernumerary posts.

In that order, the Calcutta High Court also observed that the CBI, if necessary, will undertake the custodial interrogation of people involved in the matter.

While the stay by the apex court in April 2024 came as an interim relief for the state Cabinet, the matter will again come up for hearing at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In fact, the Calcutta High Court, while ordering the CBI probe into the matter earlier, also questioned the sanctity of the decision approving the creation of supernumerary posts.

Ever since information on the matter surfaced, the state government and the ruling party have come under scathing attacks from Opposition parties who claimed that the decision in the matter was not to accommodate genuine candidates but to protect the jobs of tainted ones.

Political observers feel that hearing in the matter (of the creation of supernumerary posts) has come at a double headache for the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress which are already strained by an apex court order last week. The Supreme Court upheld an earlier order of a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelling 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools.

Both the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court had observed that the cancellation of the entire panel of 25,753 appointments was because of the failure of the state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to segregate the “genuine” candidates from “tainted” ones .

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Crime

CBI court sentences former Punjab cops in 2007 sex scandal

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Chandigarh, April 7: A CBI court in Mohali on Monday sentenced Punjab’s former Senior Superintendent of Police Devinder Singh Garcha and former Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, Paramdip Singh Sandhu to five years of rigorous imprisonment each, in connection with the 2007 sex scandal in Moga.

Besides the imprisonment under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the court imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh each.

Garcha and Sandhu were arrested and charged with blackmailing influential persons to extort money.

Former Inspector Amarjit Singh was sentenced to six-and-a-half years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 2.5 lakh, while former Sub-Inspector Raman Kumar was sentenced to eight years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 3 lakh.

Both were found guilty of implicating prominent businessmen in a false gangrape case to extort money from them.

CBI Special Judge Rakesh Gupta pronounced the verdict after convicting Garcha, Sandhu, Raman Kumar, and Amarjit Singh under Sections 13(1) (D) and 13 (2) of the PC Act on March 29.

Besides corruption, Raman Kumar was also convicted of extortion, while Amarjit Singh was convicted of attempting extortion.

The CBI court acquitted Barjinder Singh, alias Makhan, the son of former Punjab minister Tota Singh, and Sukhraj Singh of all the charges.

The CBI took over the probe on the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s direction on December 11, 2007. A day later, the central probe agency registered a fresh FIR in the case.

The sex scandal involved high-profile politicians and senior police officials extorting rich people by trapping them in a flesh trade case.

As per the investigation, the accused public servants abused their positions and entered into a criminal conspiracy to obtain undue pecuniary gain by corrupt and illegal means.

According to the charge sheet, two women, including Manjit Kaur, in connivance with the police officers and Barjinder Singh, extorted money from influential people by threatening to frame them in sexual abuse cases if they refused to pay up.

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