USAID supports training for 140industry professionalsKARACHI (PR): USAID’s Financial Market Development (FMD) Project Friday concluded two-day certification training on ‘Fixed Income investment and Trading’ for staff and senior managers from Allied Bank Limited – Asset Management Company (ABL – AMC) in Karachi. This was the third in a series of training workshops held in February in Lahore and in Karachi, with over 140 senior finance students at the National University of Modern Languages and staff from ABL-AMC in Lahore and Karachi participating in the trainings. Overall, since the launch of this training course in 2016, more than 2500 industry professionals and senior finance students have received this certification with support from USAID FMD, which conducted more than 25 certification training sessions across Pakistan. Syed Khalid Hussain, Country Head Business Development, at ABL- AMC, who opened the two-day training course, thanked the USAID FMD’s team of trainers.He said, “This is an extraordinary learning experience for us. It will help our teams to build a better understanding on fixed income assets in Pakistan.” Zuha Kamal from ABL AMC, also a participant of the course, said, “ABL – AMC specifically requested this training. It will help us build professional standards for our staff and enable them to manage portfolios with a much better understanding.”The certification course has been designed jointly by the USAID FMD and the Institute of Financial Markets of Pakistan (IFMP), which is also involved in implementation of these trainings.The training builds capacities of financial market professionals to understand emerging trends and increase their skills in the areas of marketing, trade, and the investment of fixed income products such as bonds and focuses on practitioners’ ability to assess the risks related to credit products and the techniques for managing such risks. The two-day training also provides exemption from certain courses for the IFMP Fixed Income Certification that is popular among industry professionals.Pak-US Joing Working Group on energy meets in IslamabadISLAMABAD (APP): Secretary Planning Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui Friday said due to government's efforts to overcome energy crisis in the country, a number of small and large energy projects were initiated which resulted in addition of around 11,000MW to the national grid. He was speaking in a meeting of Pakistan-US Joint Working Group on energy which was held here Friday to review overall performance of the Group. Eric Florimon led delegation from United States. Shoaib Siddiqui said industrial revival could become possible after overcoming energy crisis in the country besides increase of economic growth to a record high level in 9 years. During the meeting, it was decided to establish a study group on research and technical matters regarding energy sector to enhance capacity building of the institutions and individuals involved in this sector.Pesticides should be last option for killing pests, farmers toldMULTAN (APP): Agriculture spokesman has advised farmers to apply pesticides only after applying all other techniques including the biological control to tackle pests and diseases. In a release issued here Friday, the spokesman said that pesticides should be applied while keeping in view the crop and the economic threshold level (ETL) of the pests and diseases. Farmers should apply only the registered pesticides and there should be a reasonable time between the application of pesticides and the harvest. Spray should be applied till 9 am in the morning or after 4 pm in the evening and at a time when incidence of pests reach economic threshold level. Spray should be avoided in case of winds blowing at a speed of 15 km/hour, a speed that can make smaller branches of trees wave. Spray machine should be in order and its pressure, leakage and nozzle should be checked before application. Pesticides should be applied only in the quantity recommended by experts.Farmers should apply spray on pests and fungus through hollow cone nozzle while flat fan nozzle be utilized for spray of weedicides.Farmers should avoid repeating sprays of same group pesticides. The sprayers should wear safety dress, gloves, glasses, mask and pair of rubber shoe.Soyabean, palm oil imports go upISLAMABAD (APP): Edible oil imports including soyabean and palm into the country during seven months of current financial year witnessed increase of 82.18 percent and 19.04 percent respectively as compared the imports of the corresponding period of last year. During the period from July-January, 2017-18 soyabean oil imports into the country grew by 82.18 percent as about 118.795 metric tons of above mentioned commodity valuing $105.778 million was imported as compared the imports of 38,254 metric tons valuing 58.063 million of same period of last year. Meanwhile, about 1,662,763 metric tons of palm oil worth $1.208 billion was imported to fulfill the domestic requirements as compared the imports of 1,448,796 metric tons valuing $1.15 million of same period last year. The imports of soyabean during the period under review grew by 19.04 percent as compared to first seven months of last year, according to data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.During the period under review, about 80,171 metric tons of spices worth $93.23 million were imported as compared to imports of 68,965 metric tons valuing $75.939 million of same period last year, showing an increase of 22.15 percent.