Sowing of kharif crops behind schedule

Sowing of both major oilseeds and kharif rice is behind schedule even though coverage of area under various crops has accelerated with the monsoon covering large parts of the country.

According to the latest official data released on Wednesday, area covered so far under kharif rice so far is 30.2 lakh hectares against 35.3 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. Normal area under kharif rice is 406 lakh hectares.

In the most important kharif oilseed -- groundnut -- the acreage is 6.52 lakh hectares against 6.91 lakh hectares. Sowing of soyabean has barely started at 0.61 lakh hectares against 10.41 lakh hectares. During the meeting of the crop weather watch group, it was pointed out that monsoon had arrived on time last year only to lose momentum by June end while in the current season it was delayed by a week but gathered pace at a later stage leading to delay in sowing of kharif crops.

Sowing progression is likely to progress in the coming days with the spread of monsoon. As a result total kharif sowing for oilseeds at 9.07 lakh hectares so far is less than half of last year's 20.22 lakh hectares. Normal area under kharif oilseeds is 157.6 lakh hectares.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 02^nd July '03
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

The government said that a Rs 92 Crore national project on organic farming would be launched under the Tenth Plan which will include setting up of a body for formulation of national standards to boost organic farm exports, inaugurating a five-day international conference on organic products, agriculture minister Ajit Singh said 50 model organic farms would be set up in the country and assistance provided for setting up of commercial production units of organic inputs like bio-fertilizers, food and vegetables, waste compost and hatcheries of vermiculture.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 29th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

The government today said futures trading in sugar can wait as topmost priority is given to creating a buffer stock, shoring up prices of the commodity and ensuring timely payment of dues to cane farmers. “Government has to prioritize its policies and topmost on the agenda right now is creating a sugar buffer stock and ensure that the prices, which have fallen abysmally, again touched a reasonable level for the benefit of farmers. Sugar futures can wait,” consumer affairs secretary said.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 28th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

The first regional filter coffee blend of North-east India is expected to hit the market in the next six months, Joint director, Coffee Board, told on the sidelines of the first North-East Coffee Conference & Festival. The launching of the first regional blend would, he said, be the culmination of vigorous promotional programs launched in different parts of the region over the last years to promote and develop the concept of roasting and grinding (R&G) of coffee beans, with free coffee being served at the end of each event.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 26th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

The Centre has set up a Standing Committee of State Ministers to evolve an action plan for the implementation of reform steps in the agriculture-marketing sector. It would be headed by the Minister of State for Agriculture, H. N. Yadav. The committee would make recommendations for he development of competitive agriculture markets/marketing infrastructure in private and cooperative sectors and for promotion of direct marketing and contract farming programs; rationalization in levy of marketing fees and modernization of existing agriculture markets through private-public partnership.

The committee will also look into the development of rural godowns/cold storage to provide single point comprehensive warehousing and marketing services to farmers; promotion of pledge financing and marketing credit through the network of rural godowns; promotion of information technology and reorientation of training and extension services to assist the farming community to respond to emerging challenges in agriculture marketing and to create an ambience of good marketing practices.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 20th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

There seems to be no immediate end to the unprecedented crisis faced by the Rs 25,000 crore Indian sugar industry inspite of various measures taken by the Union government and also by the Maharashtra government. “The problem of carrying huge unsold of over 110 lakh tonnes by the industry is going to aggravate further if the worsening scenario in the world market is any guide,” a leading miller told. World sugar output in ‘02-03 is seen up at 143.1m tonnes (September/August), raw value, from 138.2m last year with another surplus pressuring prices further, German analyst said.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 19th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

Tight global supplies of some edible oils are shifting demand in several countries to soyaoil and soyabeans, Oil World said. This is illustrated by sharply increasing soyaoil exports from Argentina and Brazil, the Hamburg-based newsletter said. Argentina exported an estimated 800,000 tonnes in September and October this year against 589,000 tonnes in the same period in ’01. Brazil’s exports rose to an estimated 548,000 tonnes from 293,000 tonnes. Additional supplies required by importing countries in October and September were exclusively provided by Argentina and Brazil, whereas US exports declined, Soyabeans are also benefiting from greater demand. “US soyabean exports and export sales picked up pronouncedly in October, confirming very strong import demand,” it said. “Severe supply losses in rapeseed and canola are shifting demand in many countries to soyabeans.”

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 18th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

Govt. to release Rs 1,000 per tonne subsidy, keeps export target at 10 lakh tonne

In a bid to provide succour to the ailing co-operative Sugar industry in the state, the Maharashtra government has decided to extend Rs 350 crore relief by way of exports incentives as well as waiver of purchase tax and crushing and export licence fees. After discussing the sugar scenario, the Maharashtra cabinet has decided to release Rs 1,000 per tonne export subsidy to make sugar competitive in the international market. The target for exports has been kept at 10 lakh tonnes.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 16th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

The Centre plans to set up an aquaculture authority and a high power committee for strengthening the fisheries sector to meet the challenges of the WTO regime, agriculture minister Ajit Singh said. Some of the critical areas that required immediate attention were increasing population, deteriorating condition of aquatic eco-system, environmental pollution, loss of bio-diversity and implications of the intellectual property rights in harnessing new science, the minister said. He said there was a need to evolve scientific policies and legal framework for coastal and open sea aquaculture, particularly, with respect to carrying capacity of coastal and marine ecosystems of different areas.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 15th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

In a major debt relief to drought-hit farmers, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced that government will not recover crop loans this year and set up a Rs 500 crore corpus to help plantation growers. Mr. Vajpayee also assured that modernization of the processing industry in the plantation sector would get full support from the Centre and said repayment of loans given to coffee growers were being rescheduled up to a maximum of 11 years.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 14th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

A local firm has got an order to export 30,000 tonne wheat to Indonesia through a Japanese firm and the delivery is scheduled for early next year.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, 13th November 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

If everything works according to plan, golden rice will be available to the Indian consumer in another three or four Years, according to Peter Beyer, who co-invented the Vitamin A-enriched transgenic rice along with the Swiss biotechnologist, Ingo Potrykus. Dr. Beyer said the newer lines in which the genes have been transformed into the native Indica varieties are “more appropriate” for India and its requirements.

Courtesy: The Hindu, October 30, 2002
(Website : www.hinduonnet.com)

Though India accounts for 50% of all neem grown in the world, the tree's medical and cosmetic applications have remained under-utilized. It is in this context that the fourth world and the seventh International neem conference, to be held between November 27 and 30 at Mumbai, will meet to focus on neem's potential for sustainable development, the secretary-general of Neem Foundation, Pramila Thakkar, said. Pest control, genetic improvement, chemistry of seed composition, processing and product development, socio-economic aspects, regulation and patient-related issues, besides the 3,400-year-old history of neem would be discussed at the seminar. The conference also aims to create awareness for growth of the industry in other sectors.

Courtesy: The Hindu, October 26, 2002
(Website : , www.hinduonnet.com)

The Indian middle class has these days developed a taste for butter. The growing fad to use butter in preparing delectable dishes has pushed India’s overall butter consumption. This is corroborated by the Hamburg-based edible oil journal ‘Oil World’ which predicts a 6.6% growth in India's butter consumption in ’02, which would be largely driven by higher intake of fat by the Indian middle class.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, October 21, 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

Low pressure over the Bay of Bengal has once again come to the rescue of farmers in Andhra Pradesh. There have been moderate to heavy rains across the state, particularly in the coastal regions, over the last few days. The timely rains have not only revived standing kharif crops like paddy, sunflower and groundnut, but also brightened prospects for a good rabi crop later this year.

It is estimated that the state has received more than 20 mm of rain since last Thursday. The weather department forecasts more rainfall in the next two to three days, mostly in the coastal region.

The state government has set a target of producing 168.2 lakh tonnes of foodgrains during both kharif and rabi seasons- around 100 lakh tonnes during the kharif season and the remaining during the rabi season. As the severe drought has affected many crops during the current kharif, which will lead to considerable shortfall in this season’s production targets, the state is pinning its hopes on rabi to make good the loss.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, October 14, 2002
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

India's foodgrains exports have crossed 150 lakh tonnes, including 84.2 lakh tonnes of wheat and 67.7 lakh tonnes of rice, fetching foreign exchange worth Rs 6,656 crore. “There has been a spurt in exports of wheat and rice in recent months and since July this year exporters have deposited money with FCI for purchasing 24 lakh tonnes of rice and 15 lakh tonnes of wheat,” Union food minister Sharad Yadav said. India is now the world's second largest exporter of rice and sixth largest exporter of wheat.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 23
(Website : www.economictimes.com)

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Indian Agricultural Subsidies

(Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Compiled by Economic Times Intelligence)

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