Marketmen said the rise in rice prices was mostly due to exporters demand. On the other side, wheat and other commodities traded in a limited range on some enquiries from stockists and local parties and closed flat. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu. Following were today's quotations per quintal:

Wheat exports are managed by private traders, and officials said the TCP, a trading agency involved in the import and export of various commodities, was barred from the business to encourage private exporters. But it lifted the two-and-a-half-year ban on exports in January when it allowed the overseas sale of 800,000 tonnes by private traders and removed a 15-percent duty on exports. Abdul Malick, chairman of the TCP, said he would press the government to allow the agency to export wheat...

While attention is naturally focused on the domestic wheat outlook, what should be noted is that the rebound in wheat output is not confined to India. This hike in the forecast was only to be expected, considering the substantial expansion in the area under wheat this year and the favourable weather that has prevailed during most of the growing season. What is baffling is why the government is still shy of projecting the full production upside, as the actual harvest size may turn out to be...

When projections of spring-planted wheat are added, the total planted area for wheat is forecast at 60 million acres - 2.7 million acres more than last season, the Economic Research Service said. Farmers, spurred by high wheat prices last fall, planted 3.5 million more acres of winter wheat than the previous season. That means the nation's farmers will likely harvest 358 million more wheat bushels this season, or about 2.17 billion bushels of wheat. WICHITA (AP) - Bolstered by expanded...

While, surplus in wheat is music to the ears, the soaring prices of red chillies bring tears to the eyes. Increase in the wheat prices will definitely attract more people to become diet conscious. It might sound silly but wheat might have been this year s favourite amongst the farmers, he said. So many quick dishes can be prepared out of wheat and can also be preserved for a longer period than rice items. The consumer market has good news for health-conscious people and bad news for spice...