Poor Harvest elevates Durian PricesSingapore imported close to 22,300 tonnes of durian in 2011. This year’s durian season has been marred by poor harvest due to bad weather in Malaysia and as a result, the import volume for durian this year is estimated to drop between 20% to 30% as compared to last year, and prices to increase. How do businesses dealing with durian sales cope with this drop in supply and increase in prices? And how do durian pastry makers deal with the rising raw material costs?Financial Planning 101: Borrowing and Loaning SharesApart from waiting for capital appreciation or dividend payouts from the shares, shareholders can also choose to loan out their shares through a scheme run by the Singapore Exchange (SGX), earning 4% annual interest. Under the SGX’s Share Borrowing and Lending (SBL) programme, over 600 stocks or about 75% of all listed securities can be loaned out. Is the shareholder still entitled to shareholder benefits once the shares are lent out? And what are the possible risks for loaning out your shares?