date : 26.09agritech.tnau.ac.in/daily_events/2013/english/sep/26_sep_13_eng.pdf · phangota 3 and...
Post on 17-Mar-2018
216 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
1
Date : 26.09.2013
Farmers told to store and sell turmeric
COIMBATORE
The Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has
asked farmers to store turmeric for two months and sell it during October-November this
year.This is because the price will be higher in the forthcoming months, according to a release
from the university. The forecast has been made based on the turmeric price that prevailed at
the Erode Regulated Market for the last 25 years. The predicted price of turmeric is expected to
be around Rs. 6,500 per quintal in October-November.
As per trade sources, the area under turmeric cultivation is around 18,550 hectares, which is 40
per cent lesser than last year.
Central Silk Board looking to up raw silk production
TIRUPUR
The Central Silk Board (CSB), with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation, has
identified lands for increasing acreage under mulberry and Vanya (also called wild silks) in 106
districts through satellite mapping, according to CSB member-secretary Ishita Roy. “Our aim is
to enhance the total raw silk production (including mulberry and wild silk varieties) in the country
from 23,000 tonnes in 2012-13 to 33,000 metric tonnes per annum before the end of the current
Five Year Plan period,” she toldThe Hindu here.
The target includes 5,000 tonnes of bivoltine silk, 6,000 tonnes of improved cross breed
mulberry silk, 9,200 tonnes of Vanya.
As for turnover, the Board had set a target of Rs.4,500 crore of annual exports of silk varieties
by 2016-17, from Rs.2,600 crore attained in 2012-13 fiscal.
Ms. Roy, who is also the Secretary-General of the International Sericulture Commission, the
inter- governmental organisation of silk producing countries, said that the Board had
strengthened research and development strategies to facilitate the production of internationally
2
gradable quality of silk varieties and would also give away more incentives to farmers and other
stakeholders for achieving the production targets.
“The improved cross breeds of silk worms produced by the R&D wing, good quality mulberry
saplings and 100 per cent certified Chaki worms will be distributed to the farmers at subsidised
rates,” she added.
The Board had also aimed at setting up a total of 175 Bivoltine silk clusters and 25 Vanya silk
clusters in the country during the current Five Year Plan period.
“As part of cluster activities, the Board will give assistance for chaki rearing, supply quality
seeds and subsidy for setting up rearing houses,” Ms. Roy said.
Ms Roy said steps were underway to increase the share of Vanya silk among the total quantity
of silk exported from the country, from the present 8 per cent to 20 per cent in the next three
years.
Central team assesses crop loss in Sringeri taluk
HASSAN
Spot inspection:The Central team visited agricultural fields in Guddethota and nearbyareas in Sringeri taluk of
Chikmagalur district on Wednesday.
A Central team, headed by K.S. Jacob, Chief Engineer of the Central Water Commission,
visited agricultural fields in Sringeri taluk of Chikmagalur district, where crops were lost due to
heavy rain recently, on Wednesday. The team visited fields in Guddethota and nearby areas in
the taluk. Farmers who have suffered losses narrated their woes to the officials.
The team, which included Vivek Goel, Director of the Central Electricity Authority, and P.S.G.
Rao, Joint Director in the Union Ministry of Finance, interacted with farmers and officers to
collect data.
MP Jayaprakash Hegde, Sringeri MLA D.N. Jeevaraj and Deputy Commissioner B.S.
Shekharappa accompanied the team members during their visit.
3
weather
NEW DELHI
INSAT PICTURE AT 14.00 hrs. Observations recorded at 8.30 a.m. on September 25th.
Max Min R TR
New Delhi (Plm) 37 26 0 582
New Delhi (Sfd) 36 25 0 815
Chandigarh 32 24 2 837
Hissar 35 25 0 602
Bhuntar 33 14 6 416
Shimla 21 14 12 876
Jammu 34 21 0 1251
Srinagar 30 13 0 249
Amritsar 36 22 0 761
Patiala 34 24 0 738
Jaipur 33 25 0 693
Udaipur 28 23 10 716
Allahabad 35 27 0 994
Lucknow 35 24 0 734
Varanasi 35 27 0 756
Dehradun 31 21 10 2837
Agartala 35 26 tr 864
Ahmedabad 30 25 81 902
Bangalore 28 19 0 693
Bhubaneshwar 34 27 tr 914
Bhopal 28 23 0 1152
4
Chennai 36 27 0 635
Guwahati 37 25 14 758
Hyderabad 31 23 0 680
Kolkata 36 28 0 1606
Mumbai 27 25 4 2289
Nagpur 32 23 0 1442
Patna 36 26 0 609
Pune 28 21 0 752
Thiruvananthapuram 33 24 0 1066
Imphal 33 21 0 1038
Shillong 25 17 12 953
The columns show maximum and minimum temperature in Celsius, rainfall during last 24 hours (tr-trace)
and total rainfall in mm since 1st June.
MAINLY DRY WEATHER
The withdrawal line of South-west-monsoon still continues to pass through Kalpa, Hissar,
Jodhpur and Nalia.
Rainfall: Rain/thundershowers have occurred at many places over Himachal Pradesh, at a few
places over east Rajasthan and at isolated places over rest of the region. The chief amounts of
rainfall in cm. are: (2 cm. and above) HARYANA: Sonipat 3 and Palwal 2, HIMACHAL PRADESH:
Palampur and Pandoh 5 each, Dharamsala 4 and Kandaghat 2 each, PUNJAB: R.S.Dam Site 4,
Phangota 3 and Hoshiarpur, Phillaur and Kapurthala 2 each, EAST RAJASTHAN: Kishangarhwas
and Nagar 5 each, Srmadhopor 4, Dhambola and Veja 3 each and Deeg, Gangrar, Devel, Kanva,
Sabla, Shahpura and Pilani 2 each, WEST RAJASTHAN: Chura and Ratangarh 5 each and Barmer,
Bikaner tehsil and Phalodi 2 each, EAST-UTTAR PRADESH: Gazipur 2 and WEST UTTAR
PRADESH: Meerut 3.
FORECAST FOR REGION VALID UNTIL THE MORNING OF 27th SEPTEMBER
2013 :Rain/thundershowers may occur at a few places over Uttar Pradesh. Rain/thundershowers
may occur at a few places over east Rajasthan during next 48 hours and decrease thereafter.
Rain/thundershowers may occur at one or two places over west-Rajasthan during next 48 hours and
increase thereafter. Rain/thundershowers may occur at one or two places over Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand and Haryana. Weather would be mainly dry over rest of the region.
HEAVY RAINFALL WARNING: Heavy rain may occur at one or two places over south-Rajasthan on
27th.
FORECAST FOR DELHI AND NEIGHBOURHOOD VALID UNTIL THE MORNING OF 27th
SEPTEMBER 2013: Partly cloudy sky. Light rain/thundershowers may occur in some areas.
5
Mettur level
TIRUCHI
The water level at the Mettur dam stood at 106.84 feet on Wednesday against its full reservoir
level of 120 feet. The inflow was 10,844 cusecs and the discharge, 22,000 cusecs.
Water level
TIRUNELVELI
Water level in the Papanasam dam on Wednesday stood at 112.65 feet (maximum level is 143
feet). The dam had an inflow of 1,038.57 cusecs and 1,503.50 cusecs of water was discharged
from the dam.
The level of Manimuthar dam stood at 60.33 feet (118 feet). The dam had an inflow of 78
cusecs and 25 cusecs was discharged.
Kanyakumari
The water level in Pechipparai dam stood at 24.75 feet, 62.40 feet in Perunchani, 9.35 feet in
Chittar I, 9.45 feet in Chittar II and 33.40 feet in Mambazhathuraiyaru dam.
Tiruvarur farmers adopt direct sowing on 70,000 hectares
TIRUVARUR
Samba crop directly sown for judicious use of water in the region
Collector S.Natarajan,visiting at direct sowing paddy field at Keeralathur village in Thiruthooraipoondi in Tiruvarur
District on Wednesday.
Farmers in Tiruvarur district have gone for direct sowing on a large scale this samba season. Of
1.30 lakh hectares of samba target this year, direct sowing has been taken up on 70,412
hectares.
6
In direct sowing, water requirement is much less and it was introduced in the district in late
eighties when there was water scarcity. Since then, farmers of Tiruvarur district take to direct
sowing whenever there is water scarcity.
This year, as a water saving measure, samba crop has been directly sown in many areas in the
district. In direct sowing, seeds are sown and allowed to sprout in rain and canal water. There is
no transplantation.
S. Natarajan, Collector, along with a press party, on Wednesday visited Thirukaravasal,
Periyakudi, Keeralthur, and Athichakudi where direct sowing had been taken up.
He also visited the fields at Neduvakottai where the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has
been adopted.
Kuruvai
Mr. Natarajan said Kuruvai crop had been raised only in pumpset irrigated areas on 18,394
hectares in the district this year.
Out of this, the System of Rice Intensification was followed on 12,176 hectares. Harvest had
been completed so far on 2,716 hectares.
He said there was adequate stock of fertilisers in the district and 3,575 tonnes of samba seeds
were being distributed.
He said that steps had been taken for providing water to tail end areas where water had not yet
reached so far.
Agriculture Department officials accompanied the collector.
PUDUKOTTAI: With the samba cultivation gaining momentum in parts of the district, various
agriculture agencies have taken steps to motivate farmers to register maximum yield utilising
the available irrigation and other facilities.
A day-long training on mechanisation in direct sowing of seeds was organised under the
auspices of Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Vamban near here on Tuesday.
Farmers were exposed to the advantages of the direct sowing technique.
Inaugurating the training, M. Asokan, Professor and Head of the Kendra, said farmers could
save a huge volume of seeds through mechanisation.
Farmers would require only 8 kg of seeds an acre against 30 kg under conventional practice.
The linear alignment of seeds would help avoid intensive labour in weeds management.
The Konoweeder could be conveniently utilised to clear the weeds.
Mr. Asokan said that farmers should level the field through a uniform ploughing technique
before raising the seeds through mechanised broadcast technique.
7
He advised the farmers to mix potassium chloride solution with the seeds for registering higher
yield. Crop health would stabilise to a considerable extent.
He suggested the spraying of the solution on the fields to check loss of water because of
evaporation.
Later, a demonstration was held in which farmers were exposed to practical application of the
broadcast method through mechanisation.
A question hour session was held in which Mr. Asokan clarified the farmers’ doubts.
K. Deivanathan, a resource-person, explained the technical steps to be followed for registering
germination through optimum number of seeds.
‘Bt cotton seeds not yielding results’
CHITRADURGA
Legal action will be taken against seed suppliers, says official
Scientists inspect a Bt cotton crop in Chitradurga on Wednesday.
A team of scientists from Shimoga Agricultural and Horticultural Institution, headed by Scientist
T.H. Gowda, visited the Panjayyanahatti, Nandihalli, Isamudra, Gollarhatti and Kogunde villages
here on Wednesday to inspect the Bt cotton growing areas.
Farmers have grown Bt cotton over 20,500 hectares of land and fear crop loss.
Scientists and Agriculture Department officials visited about eight fields and also spoke to
farmers. The visiting team observed deformities in the cotton plants, withering of cotton-bearing
flowers, and also inspected some crops which were severely damaged.
“Many companies are involved in providing seeds to farmers in this part of the region and the
farmers purchase seeds from the companies they trust,” the team said.
8
The companies had assured farmers of a harvest within 145 days of cultivation; but there have
been no signs of any results in the Kharif season even after the stipulated time. Instead, crops
have started withering.
“The farmers were told that the seeds provided by MHYCO (BG 2), MRC 7351 (Kanaka) have
completely failed. Unlike regular crops, the pods are not growing and are falling prematurely”,
the team added.
Joint Director of Agriculture R. Krishnamurthy said legal action would be initiated against
companies that had supplied seeds to the farmers in these areas.
State to set up farm price commission
KOLAR
We are committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests: Siddaramaiah
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that the government is taking steps to set up
Price Fixation Commission for Farm Products to safeguard the interests of farmers in distress.
The government has allocated Rs. 1,000 crore for the Revolving Fund in the 2013-14 budget
and it is ready to increase it to provide succour to farmers, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone for an industrial area and
district offices complex at Vemgal near here.
He also inaugurated the government first grade college building and stadium besides laying the
foundation stone for several other projects.
Fewer profits
Admitting that the agriculture sector is becoming less profitable, Mr. Siddaramiah said that his
government was committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers.
Migration
The number of rural population declined to 67 per cent and rural people are migrating to urban
areas as agriculture is facing a crisis, he said.
Minister of State for Agriculture C. Krishna Byre Gowda has discussed with agriculture expert
M.S. Swaminathan the ways and means to strengthen dry land farming, he added.
Jobs for locals
The Chief Minister stressed the need to provide jobs to local people in industries started at
industrial areas and asked the authorities concerned to ensure this happened.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that efforts would be made to resolve the water scarcity in the region.
9
MLA Varthur Prakash presided over the function. Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa, district in-
charge Minister U.T. Khader, Ministers Vinay Kumar Sorake and Mr. Krishna Byre Gowda and
the former Chairperson of Legislative Council V.R. Sudarshan participated.
Legislators K.R. Ramesh Kumar, K.S. Manjunath, K.M. Narayanaswamy, Y. Ramakka, G.
Manjunath, Y.A. Narayanswamy, D.S. Veeraiah and Nazir Ahmad were present.
Senior officials, including M.N. Vidyashankar, P.N. Srinivasachary, Chakravarthy Mohan and
Rajiv Shukla, were present.
‘Government has allocated Rs. 1,000 crore for the Revolving Fund’
‘We are ready to increase this allocation to provide succour to farmers’
Foundation stone laid for industrial area at Vemgal
Dip in population of farmers in State
BHUBANESWAR
Director of Census, Odisha, says this is a cause for worry due to indication of marginalization of
workforce
Odisha witnessed a fall in the number of farmers while the population of agricultural labourers
went up during the decade between 2001 and 2011.
An analysis of census statistics on workers says, “during the decade 2001-2011, the census
results show a fall of 1,43,672 in cultivators and an increase of 17,40,889 in agricultural
labourers.”
“The finding is a cause for worry. The huge increase in agricultural labourers indicates that
marginalization of workforce is on the increasing trend, which is not a healthy sign for the
economy. Moreover, there is a fall in number of cultivators, which suggests change in land-
holding pattern,” said Bishnupada Sethi, Director Census, Odisha, here on Wednesday.
Mr. Sethi said that in census 2011, of the total workers of 1,75,41,589, 4,10,30,989 were
cultivators and another 6,73,9,993 agricultural labourers. “Thus, 61.8 per cent of the workers
were engaged in agricultural activities in 2011, compared to 64.8 per cent in Census 2001.”
The 2011 census says that about one in two males and two of every three females are engaged
in agricultural activities either as cultivator or agricultural labourer. Of remaining workers,
7,83,080 are in household industries and 59,14,527 are other workers. Fall in number of
cultivators can be attributed to decrease in number female cultivators. “In census 2011, the
number of female cultivators decreased to 7,26,639 from 8,99,970 in Census 2001. However,
10
there was slender increase among male cultivators. “Among the male cultivators, the number of
cultivators has increased to 33,75,350 in 2011 from 33,47,691 in 2001,” the report says.
Data dissemination
Census directorate on Wednesday organized a data dissemination workshop in association with
Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, Bhubaneswar.
Addressing data dissemination workshop, Additional Chief Secretary and Revenue and Disaster
Management secretary Taradatt said, “researchers should come up with variety of analysis of
census data as it helps policy makers and administration to change the way development
programmes are being implanted.”
Increase in disparity
“Though development has taken place all over the State, including KBK districts, disparity has
also increased. If analysts give proper perspective or input by analysing data and recommend
means to overcome problem, it will help address the situation,” he maintained.
During the decade 2001-2011, the census results show a fall of 1,43,672 in cultivators and an
increase of 17,40,889 in agricultural labourers
Census directorate organises a data dissemination workshop
Export incentives for onion, cotton, cotton yarn go
NEW DELHI
Cotton, cotton yarn, onion and iron ore exporters will not now get export incentives under the
focus market scheme as there are restrictions on their outbound shipments, according to a
government notification.
11
These exporters will now be ineligible for duty credit scrip under the focus market scheme
(FMS).
The objective of the FMS is to offset the high freight cost and other disabilities to select
international markets with a view to enhancing export competitiveness.
It allows a duty credit of 2.5 per cent of free-on-board value of exports to countries that are
identified as focus markets by the government.
The duty credit may be used for import of inputs or goods including capital goods.
“The following categories are added...in the list...bearing the heading ‘Ineligible Exports
Categories/Sectors for FMS — export of cotton; export of cotton yarn; exports which are subject
to minimum export price or export duty,” the notification said.
At present, there is minimum export price of $900 billion on onion, and an export duty of 30 per
cent on iron ore.
An official in the DGFT said that “these products are on one hand availing of export incentives
under the FMS while on the other hand there are curbs on their exports.’’
“It is not logical that on one hand we are giving incentives to boost the export and on the other
hand also putting restrictions on the shipments,” the official added.
Similarly, the government has imposed quantitative restrictions on the exports of cotton and
cotton yarn.
Exporters can apply for registration certificate (RC) for a maximum quantity of 30,000 bales or
actual quantity exported in the previous cotton season, whichever is less. One bale contains
170 kg of cotton.
India is the world’s second largest cotton producer.
Cotton production was estimated to be around 340 lakh bales for the 2012-13 cotton season
(October to September).
India’s cotton exports are likely to remain flat at around 100 lakh bales (170 kg each) in the
2013-14 season due to lesser demand from China. China is the biggest importer of the Indian
natural fibre. — PTI
12
Setting an example in harnessing the full potential of jackfruit
Ms. Meena Suresh enterpreneur. Photo: Special Arrangement
Jackfruit trees are found in almost all the districts in Kerala. It is estimated that in a year the
State alone produces about 16 million fruits.
“But not all of the fruits are consumed; a large part goes waste. Our emphasis over years has
been on ensuring employment and income generation for farmers more particularly rural women
by making best use of this underutilized fruit along with papaya, pineapple, rose apple and
plantains for making several edible preparations like halwa, toffee, fruitball, pickles, chutney
powder, squash, jam etc,” says Dr. C.P.Robert, Programme Coordinator, Christian agency for
rural development (CARD), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
13
Potential
CARD identified the potential of processing and value addition in jack to be a money spinning
venture and developed a set pattern of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as a guideline for
making traditional preparations from the fruit which otherwise proved a major impediment in
home scale production practices.
The institute trained entrepreneurs on packaging and labelling with reference to GMP, setting up
of facilitation centres, registration and licensing, quality control measures and effective
marketing strategies.
“A 10 kg jackfruit can yield a net income of more than Rs.500. A single jack tree can generate
revenues of Rs, 4,000 – Rs. 5,000 a year. For the last 15 years our institute has been taking
serious effort in popularising this fruit through various refinement and product development
strategies. But lack of proper technical and infrastructural facilities limited progress for some
time,” says Dr. Robert.
Efforts have also been on till date for refining the traditional products which have much demand
in the local market.
The institute has been conducting regular advanced national level training on jack- fruit
production technology with special emphasis to processing and value addition. The training tried
to explore hidden potentials of the fruit right from the propagation techniques to marketing.
Different topics
“The training covered topics like propagation techniques, processing and preservation
technologies, traditional food products, commercial food products, packaging/ labelling,
processed products and quality standards, credit availability and preparation of new projects.
The trainers were also taken on a field visit to see an SHG called GRAMA (Group Rural
Agricultural Marketing Association) in Kottayam that has been producing and marketing over 30
jackfruit products.
According to Ms. Shana Harshan, subject specialist at CARD, “we have listed about 25
technological and 41 traditional products that are marketed by trained entrepreneurs in and
around the district. The products are available at our Agro products display centre (APDC)
which is run for showcasing our entrepreneur’s products.”
Number of women
CARD's intervention in promoting this concept has brought to the limelight a substantial number
of women entrepreneurs specialised in agro-processing and value addition.
14
One among them is Ms. Meena Suresh a homeopathy practitioner from Ayroor Grama
Panchayath.
Ms. Meena was one of the 100 trainees selected under the Kerala Government Food Security
Project implemented by CARD during 2009-10 for exploring the potential of jackfruit and other
fruits to provide livelihood option to rural women.
“She utilises the Agro processing hub facility at the campus and presently manufactures 17
different products under the brand name ‘Yummy.’ All her products carry the phrase “promoted
by CARD-KVK, Pathanamthitta” on its label thus instilling confidence among consumers to buy
it,” says Dr. Robert.
Basic inputs
Raw materials are mostly sourced from her own farm or locally. Processing, preservation,
storing the pulps for value addition during off season are mostly done at the processing hub.
She sells 25 per cent of her products through the APDC and is presently in the process of
establishing her own food processing unit. On an average she earns about Rs.4,750 a month
with net income of Rs. 54,000.
Reason
“One reason for her success is that her production strategy is based on the seasonality chart for
fruit availability in the locality. This enables her to organise and store raw materials all through
the year,” says Ms. Shana.
The entrepreneur tries new innovations in value addition which is otherwise scarce in the
market.
She was conferred a national award during the annual jack fest held at Thiruvananthapuram
recently.
A blog on jackfruit called www.panasamwonders was created three years ago and it has
registered over 68,000 hits and has 109 followers from 12 countries till date.
Ms. Meena Suresh can be reached at Kailath Karayamputhusseril, Ayroor, South.P.O.689611.
Phone: 04735213417, mobile: 9946933748 and Ms. Shana Harshan, phone: 0469 2662094,
Card-Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Pathanamthitta District, Kolabhagam Post Office, Tiruvalla (Via),
Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
15
Breeding and health management in dairy
Breeding and health management are the two key points for dairying to be profitable. There are
two ways to increase the breeding efficiency of buffalo and cows.
First is selection of genetically superior females, free from any reproductive and systemic
diseases, and no physical abnormalities, having yearly calving, good growth of calves and lower
age at first calving.
Timely observance of heat and mating of females at appropriate time and pregnancy diagnosis
can help improve reproductive efficiency and thus genetic progress.
Due importance
Artificial insemination is the most successful method for breed development and should be
given due importance because maintaining a number of breeding bulls is a costly issue and
reduces the rate of genetic improvement.
If farmers maintain breeding bulls then care should be taken to see that the animal conforms to
the breed type and should be a progeny from high yielding breed.
The bull should be free from disease and vaccinated and tested for any infections regularly.
Record keeping is a must for all breeding activities and milk production of the females in the
herd.
Breeding bulls should be allowed to walk regularly and not kept tied so that they may not
become fat and have problems in natural mating or in donating semen.
Vaccination
Special drive for vaccination against various contagious diseases such as Foot and Mouth
Disease (F.M.D.), Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (H.S.), Black quarters disease (B.Q) etc. must be
followed according to the schedule.
The animals should be served at the doorstep by local veterinarian and awareness created
among the dairy livestock keepers. Free inputs should be made available for various diseases
and for parasitic control.
This would certainly avoid the expenses incurred on routine treatment and production losses
due to illness.
(Dr. Rajinder Singh is Senior Extension Specialist (animal sciences), Lala Lajpat Rai University
of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. Extension, Rohtak, email: raja.udaybhar@gmail.com,
mobile: 09416495904 and Dr. K.S. Dangi is Director General, Department of Animal Husbandry
16
and Dairying Haryana Chandigarh, email: dangikrishan@yahoo.co.in, mobile no is
09876644619.)
Vaigai water released for irrigation
MADURAI
Water gushing out of Vaigai dam on Wednesday.
Water from Vaigai dam was released on Wednesday for irrigating a little over 1.50 lakh acres of
farm lands in Madurai, Theni and Sivaganga districts covered under the single and double crop
areas.
According to a press communiqué, 1,800 cusecs of water was released in the presence of
Ministers ‘Sellur’ K. Raju and K.V. Ramalingam, District Collectors Dr.L. Subramanian (Madurai)
and Dr.K.S. Palanisamy (Theni) and MLAs from the region.
The farmers’ have a reason to cheer as they can carry on with nursery works. Following
appeals, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had directed the release of water for
irrigation from Vaigai reservoir.
According to the officials, the release will benefit double crop farm lands covering 45,000 acres
in the three districts and single crop farms in 85,500 acres covering Dindigul, Sivaganga
(Tirupatthur) and Madurai-Vadipatti, Madurai North, Melur, Perayur and Thirumangalam Main
Canal areas.
17
Scientists eye dwarf version of Ponni rice
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre scientists are helping Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to
develop a new mutant of white Ponni Rice that could deliver better yieds than the original one.
On the sidelines of an interactive session on “Radiation and Quality of Human Life’ BARC
director of biomedical group K B Sainis and former head of Nuclear Agriculture and Biotech
division S G Bhagwat told Express that the project to develop a smaller version of white Ponni
rice and ADT 47 is currently underway.
Bhagwat said that the three-year project is being funded by Board of Research in Nuclear
Science.
He said Tamil Nadu Agriculture University is looking for a dwarf variety of white Ponni which
would deliver 10 to 15 per cent more yield than the original Ponni.
He said the testing and trials are going on for the new mutant. “It will take about three years,”
said Bhagwat who is part of the project.
He said once the mutant is identified then trials would be done for three years. Usually these
trials take nearly a decade.But since rice could be grown in two seasons, it is likely to take
another three years and a number of tests before being ready for commercial production, he
said.
He said the reduction in crop height would result in less consumption of water and use of
fertilizers. This could also help the farmers grow more rice in the area with less water.
Veggie prices burn hole again
Prices of most vegetables continue to be very high and some have become more expensive.
According to Horticultural Producers’ Co-operative Marketing and Processing Society Ltd
(HOPCOMS), prices of vegetables increased due to the recent rains and the trend will prevail
for another month.
Onion price increased from `68 per kg to `76 per kg on September 8; palak (spinach), for five
bunches, went up from `32 to `80; tomato prices went up from `17 to `25 and peas from `120 to
`175.
18
Speaking to Express HOPCOMS Director Nagini Chandrasekhar said, “We used to procure
vegetables from Jigani in Anekal and Hoskote. Due to rains, prices of vegetables like onions
and greens have increased.”
Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) secretary K G Shantharam said though there
has been an increase in supply of onions, rates have not gone down much. “The minimum rate
per quintal on Wednesday was `3,200,” he said while adding that supply of onions has
increased on Wednesday. APMC received a stock of 54,500 quintals of onions from 51,000
quintals 10 days back.
Scientist Dr A T Sadashiva said the increase in price is due to damage of crops.
Vegetable vendors who sell on pushcarts say that they are finding it difficult to earn a living as
most of the vegetable prices have increased.
19
Weather
Strong monsoon ends drought in Maharashtra
With the unexpected spell of rain in the last two weeks, a protracted drought, which left several
districts bone dry for many months, appears to have finally come to a close.
“Thanks to good rainfall in the last 15 days, the farmers could get fodder and water. In fact,
many old village tanks in Jat and Aatpadi in Sangli districts that did not store water in two
decades are now overflowing. That’s good news for us,” said relief secretary Milind Mhaiskar.
In fact, the state has already closed cattle shelters in Pune, Satara, Solapur and Sangli districts.
“Hoping for good rains in September, we continued operating the remaining cattle shelters for
yet another month. We had assumed that the drought might continue till next monsoon if rains
eluded certain areas,” said Mhaiskar.
20
However, 122 villages and 494 hamlets continue to get water through tankers. Mhaiskar said
that tankers were needed in these areas needed because they did not have pipelines to carry
water from the source.
Such was the severity of the drought situation in 10,000 villages and towns in June-July this
year that the central, western Maharashtra and parts of Vidarbha and north Maharashtra had an
all-time high number of 5,500 water tankers in service.
All reservoirs in these regions had reached their dead stock level.
Looking back, the state government’s expenditure, on drought relief measures such as water,
fodder supply and compensation to farmers, totals Rs5,000 crore since November 2011,
according to Mhaiskar.
“In June-July, we spent Rs7.5 crore daily on providing fodder and water to 10 lakh cattle in the
shelters,” said Mhaiskar. He said the Centre would reimburse half the total amount spent.
“A separate proposal is also being made for the World Bank and Planning Commission’s
approval for taking long-term measures to tackle the drought situation,” he said.With the
unexpected spell of rain in the last two weeks, a protracted drought, which left several districts
bone dry for many months, appears to have finally come to a close.
However, 122 villages and 494 hamlets continue to get water through tankers. Mhaiskar said
that tankers were needed in these areas needed because they did not have pipelines to carry
water from the source.
Such was the severity of the drought situation in 10,000 villages and towns in June-July this
year that the central, western Maharashtra and parts of Vidarbha and north Maharashtra had an
all-time high number of 5,500 water tankers in service.
All reservoirs in these regions had reached their dead stock level.
Looking back, the state government’s expenditure, on drought relief measures such as water,
fodder supply and compensation to farmers, totals Rs5,000 crore since November 2011,
according to Mhaiskar.
“In June-July, we spent Rs7.5 crore daily on providing fodder and water to 10 lakh cattle in the
shelters,” said Mhaiskar. He said the Centre would reimburse half the total amount spent.
“A separate proposal is also being made for the World Bank and Planning Commission’s
approval for taking long-term measures to tackle the drought situation,” he said.
21
Paddy procurement to begin from October 1
NEW DELHI
Haryana Government has made all arrangements for the smooth procurement of paddy during the current
Kharif season
The Haryana Government has made all arrangements for the smooth procurement of paddy
during the current Kharif season. The commencement of the procurement of paddy and bajra
would start from October 1.
"The state government has arranged a sum of Rs 5108.80 crore from Reserve Bank of India
making payment to the farmers for purchase of their produce,""said Food and Supplies
minister,Mahender Pratap Singh.
He said that the minimum support price for procurement of common variety of paddy during this
season has been fixed Rs1310 per quintal while for grade 'A' at Rs 1345 per quintal.
About 52 lakh tonnes of paddy was expected to arrive in the mandis during the current season
and out of this about 16 lakh tonnes of paddy would be basmati and superior varieties while the
remaining 36 lakh tonnes would be leviable.
Singh said six procurement agencies would procure the paddy during the kharif season. He said
that Food and supplies department would purchase 33 %, Hafed 30 %t, Food Corporation of
22
India 12 %, Haryana Warehousing Corporation 10 %, Haryana Agro Industries Corporation 10
% and Confed 5 % of the total paddy which would arrived in the mandis.
As many as 187 mandis had been set up in the state for the procurement of paddy while 53
mandis had been set up for the purchase of bajra in the state.
India may achieve 2nd highest foodgrain output this kharif
NEW DELHI
India is likely to achieve the second highest foodgrain production at 129.32 million tonnes this kharif
season on better monsoon
India is likely to achieve the second highest foodgrain production at 129.32 million tonnes
this kharif season(summer crops) on better monsoon, but rice output is seen declining
marginally.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said a record foodgrain production is expected in full 2013-14
crop year on account of good rain and "there will be a rebound in agriculture growth" from 1.9
per cent in the last financial year.
An improvement in the agriculture sector is vital for the government to contain food inflationand
boost economic growth rate, which was a mere 4.4 per cent in the first quarter 2013-14, ahead
of 2014 general elections in May next year.
23
Releasing the first forecast of foodgrain production in the kharif season, Pawar said: "We are
poised to produce 129.32 million tonnes this kharif. This will be the second highest production."
Foodgrain output had touched all-time record of 131.27 million tonnes in the kharif season of
2011-12. It, however, fell to 128.20 million tonnes last year due to drought.
Higher levels of production in pulses and coarse cereals are projected to lift the overall kharif
foodgrain output, while cotton and oilseeds production are set to be at all-time record levels.
Noting that the current year has been good for the farm sector, Pawar said: "With favourable
weather condition, I am confident that kharif production will be substantially higher than what
has been estimated at present.
"And there will be highest foodgrain production in the entire 2013-14 crop year (June-July).
Definitely, there will be a rebound in agriculture growth."
Pawar also advocated use of new farm technologies, including GM crops, to sustain growth in
the farm sector and meet extra foodgrain requirement under the food law.
According to the first estimates, rice production is expected to drop marginally to 92.32 million
tonnes this kharif due to deficient rain in rice-growing eastern states. Last kharif, rice output was
92.76 million tonnes.
Sowing in kharif season begins with the onset of southwest monsoon in June and the harvesting
starts from October.
24
Water level in dams rises to 97%
NASHIK
After the revival of monsoon since the last fortnight, the water level in Gangapur group of dams,
the main source of drinking water for the city, has increased to 97%.
The total capacity of Gangpur group of dams, which is around 9,335 million cubic feet (mcft),
increased to 9,122 mcft on Wednesday as against 7,040 mcft (75%) on the corresponding day
last year. The Gangapur group of dams includes Gangapur, Kashyapi and Gautami Godavari
dams. On July 9, the water level was recorded at 2,086 mcft, which was 15% of the total
capacity.
The water level of Gangapur dam with a capacity of 5,630 mcft was recorded at 5,565 mcft on
Wednesday, which is 99% of the total capacity. Water level in the dam was 4,758 mcft (85% of
the total capacity) on the corresponding day last year.
The water level of Kashyapi dam, which has a total capacity of 1,852 mcft, was recorded at
1,726 mcft on Wednesday (93% of the total capacity). Water level in the dam was 1,146 mcft
(62%) on the corresponding day last year.
The water level in Gautami-Godavari with a capacity of 1,883 mcft was recorded at 1,831 mcft
(97%) on Wednesday. Water level in the dam was 1,136 mcft (60%) on the corresponding day
last year.
The requirement of the city is close to 390 million litres per day (MLD). With an aim to avoid
water scarcity in future, the Nashik Municipal Corporation had imposed 15-20% water cuts in
the city from February, thereby reducing supply by 50 MLD. However, after increase in water
level in Gangapur group of dams due to good spell of monsoon, the civic administration had
rolled back water cuts from August 6 with initial water supply of 372 MLD. The full water supply
of 390 MLD was restored from August 16.
25
N-science to help develop dwarf rice
Chennai
Picture for representational purpose only.
A project to develop a shorter rice variety by influencing the genes of crop using nuclear science
has been undertaken by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) along with Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University (TNAU) with the aim of achieving higher yield, an atomic scientist said
Wednesday.
“At present, we are developing a shorter rice variety out of White Ponni and ADT 47 varieties.
Our project aims to reduce the stem mass so that the crop does not fall when it bears fruit. We
are working on both the crops simultaneously,” Suresh G. Bhagwat, a former BARC official and
currently involved in the project, said.
While BARC was lending technical support in supplying mutants to these rice varieties, TNAU
was testing the effect of these mutants on these crops in its labs in Tamil Nadu.
“With nuclear science, we can develop mutants which can be used to arrive at a desired variety
of preferred properties in the plant. In this project, we are going for dwarf crops which can avoid
26
‘lodging’,” Bhagwat, former head, BARC’s nuclear agriculture and biotechnology division, told
reporters here.
The project is being funded by the board of research in nuclear science under the Department
of Atomic Energy and the duration of research is expected to be three years.
“The produce would be higher from 20 per cent to 30 per cent,” he said on the sidelines of a
BARC function here.
Asked whether water consumption of these crops would go down, he said, “May be. But, our
primary target is to achieve shorter height of the crop and less stem mass.”
BARC had so far helped develop 41 varieties of such crops with genetic modification. These
include green gram (8 varieties), blackgram (5), pigeon pea (4), groundnut (15), mustard (3),
soyabean (2), and one each variety in rice and jute.
To a query on whether using mutants to get desired variety of plant species was equavalent to
that of genetically modified crops like Bt cotton and Bt brinjal, he said: “No. Bt cotton are crops
genetically modified by bringing a gene from outside the species. In the case of mutation, genes
within the species are modified internally.”
BARC was also undertaking a whole range of nuclear agricultural projects across the country to
develop different varieties of crops, including the famous basmati rice, aimed at increasing its
produce, Bhagwat said.
27
Govt probing sudden spurt in foodgrain prices
According to WPI, food inflation rose to 18.18% in August, while general inflation increased to 6.1%
Amid the soaring prices of cereals and vegetables driving food inflation close to 20 per
cent, Food Minister K V Thomas on Wednesday said the government was examining the
reasons behind the sudden and sharp increase in foodgrain prices, despite a bumper harvest.
He added henceforth, small flour millers would be able to purchase foodgrains from Food
Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses in any part of the country, not just Punjab and Haryana,
by paying just the freight charge and the reserve price. About one million tonnes (mt) of wheat
would be sold to small flour millers without any tender.
Earlier, it was reported massive stocking of grain by state agencies had raised the retail prices
of wheat and rice.
According to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), food inflation rose to 18.18 per cent in August,
while general inflation increased to 6.1 per cent. WPI inflation for rice was 20.13 per cent, while
it stood at 7.6 per cent for wheat. This is despite the fact that as on September 1, government
foodgrain stocks were estimated at about 59 mt, 85 per cent more than the required quantity.
“Despite good production and storage in the last few years, the prices of foodgrains have been
rising. We are analysing that; we will find out the reasons behind undue inflation in foodgrains,”
Thomas said, while addressing the 73rd annual general meeting of the Roller Flour Millers’
Federation of India.
“I hope the measures taken by the government would keep market prices under control and
help bulk consumers in maintaining operations, as they can source their wheat requirement
from FCI at reasonable prices,” he added.
28
For bulk traders, the government has allowed the sale of about 10 mt of wheat from FCI
godowns this financial year. Of this, the norms have been eased for 8.5 mt.
Thomas said a committee of secretaries would decide the base price and the applicable freight
for wheat to be sold in the open market from government warehouses. Thereafter, the Cabinet
would be apprised of this.
Last year, India’s foodgrain production stood at 255.36 mt, of which wheat accounted for 92.46
mt. It is expected this year, production would stand at a record level, owing to a better monsoon.
Oil sector to get new working-day norms
In a move to standardise working hours within the oil and gas sector, the government might
soon notify new norms allowing companies to post workers for 28 days on-site, followed by a
28-day off period.
An industry group had made the suggestion of standardising working hours to the government
after consulting trade unions. The suggestion has been accepted.
The new rules are currently under legal vetting by the law ministry. The oil industry in India is
governed by mining legislations. Working hours, conditions of service and employment in the
industry are regulated under the Mines Act administered by the ministry of labour and
employment.
A new clause under Section 83 of the Mines Act is likely to be notified that would standardise
the rule allowing companies to have 28 on and off days, said a person close to the
development. “Section 83-A would be notified after the approval of Minister for Labour Sis Ram
Ola,” he said.
Section 83 of the Mines Act allows the government to exempt any area or mine or group of
mines from certain provisions of the Act. This would bring Indian rules on par with international
norms.
29
Different companies follow varying practices with regard to notifying rest days. Within
companies, the norms vary, depending on the location. Government-controlled Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC), for instance, has staff working for 14 days on-site followed by 14 rest
days. ONGC is the largest oil and gas explorer in the country.
Cairn India, the largest private sector crude oil producer, follows a 21-day norm. Its major
operations are in the remote Barmer district of Rajasthan.
A senior ONGC executive said the norm differs on onshore locations according to the posting.
For instance, the usual practice of six days eight hours work schedule is followed in Delhi
offices.
The change would be beneficial to the staff working in remote or offshore locations away from
their families. “It would help to motivate people to work in remote locations,” said a senior
executive of a private oil and gas company.
However, the same norm for onshore and offshore locations might not serve the purpose. “The
14-day practice in ONGC was a well thought of move. It was set after elaborate discussions and
deliberations,” said R P Pandey, national president, Association of Scientific and Technical
Officers, a 23,000 member officers' body of ONGC. Pandey said while the 28-day norm could
work in onshore locations, where in case of emergency a person can reach his family within
hours, it might not be feasible in offshore locations.
Feet in the clouds
The prime minister’s plane, derivatively called Air India One, is certainly luxurious — but, as with
Air India itself, it is impossible to forget that it is state-run. The cabins might feel more spacious
but the carpets look drearily familiar; the Republic of India struggles with many things, above all
with soft furnishings.
Manmohan Singh has now been prime minister for almost 10 years, and it is difficult not to
associate the trappings of the office with his personality. On board AI-1, the media sit behind a
false wall that has a brass plate affixed to it with the engraved words ‘prime minister’. Beyond
30
that wall is emptiness and silence. From the activities on the ground, from the black-clad men
and women all about, it is possible to deduce that the plane, like India, does in fact have a PM
on board. But he is a presence more imagined than sensed.
The PM’s officials are more in evidence, wandering around and talking to journalists with a
frankness not often observed in New Delhi. Perhaps the ribbon of round windows, more easily
visible to those milling about the aisles than in regular aircraft, help develop a sense of
perspective. Certainly, discussions about Afghanistan after the US' planned troop draw-down
take on a certain piquancy when conducted against the backdrop of the country itself, far below.
It is possible to look down on the hostile peaks, the scattered skeins of green and the grey-
brown furrows and ask: Just how does anyone think they could win a war in a place that looks
like that?
Perspective, perhaps, is what Manmohan Singh also craves. Certainly, one fact long known is
that this Indian PM feels most comfortable when outside India. Singh told Parliament as much
last month, when he pointed out that, unlike in the Lok Sabha, at the G-20 people listened when
he spoke. Thus, foreign trips tend to embolden him.The big news of the day was his
announcement that he would in fact meet the new Pakistani PM, Nawaz Sharif, in New York.
This seemed to have been a closely guarded secret to start off with; the schedules that were
printed had mysterious blanks, but no confirmation of a possible meeting was forthcoming.
Naturally, many voices in the electronic media, and some even within Singh's own Congress
party, would decry it as further appeasement of a Pakistan doing little to stop cross-border
terror.
It escaped nobody's notice that the news of the PMs’ planned meeting came the moment the
prime minister got on the plane. It seems the instant his feet are off Indian soil, Manmohan
Singh can take decisions.
Karnataka milk body plans seven new production units
The Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (KMF) plans to set up seven production
units with an estimated combined investment of Rs 430 crore, a key official said today.
31
Three powder plants were planned to be put up near Bidadi on the outskirts of Bangalore, in
Mysore and the third one at Tumkur or Kolar at a total cost of Rs 270 crore, A S Premanath, MD
and CEO of the the apex body in Karnataka representing dairy farmers' cooperatives, told PTI.
"An investment of Rs 90 crore is needed to set up each plant," he said. KMF officials said the
move was to avoid expenditure by way of conversion of milk outside the state and to handle 1
million litre per day of milk in these three new conversion plants.
Premanath said the KMF had sought financial support from the state government to set up
these plants to the extent possible, with the remaining funds proposed to be raised as loan from
the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
He said KMF also had to raise Rs 160 crore for setting up four 'flexi plants' for providing milk to
school-children. Under the 'Ksheera Bhagya' programme to provide safe and clean milk to
school children, 800,000 litre capacity flexi units would be set up in Channarayapatna, Tumkur,
Dakshina Kannada and Belgaum, officials said.
Premanath said a milk tetrapack unit would also be set up here with a capacity to handle
150,000 litres per day.
KMF markets milk and milk products under 'Nandini' brand. Milk prices were increased by Rs 2
from September 11 last, officials noted.
After wheat fiasco, FCI cuts rice target
32
The ministry of food and public distribution has pegged the estimates for summer
season rice procurement at 34.5 million tonnes (mt), marginally higher from a year ago. It has
taken lessons from wheat, for which the procurement target was fixed very high on higher
output but later the procurement fell 40 per cent short.
This is despite the 92.3-mt rice crop forecast by the government in the first advance estimates.
The first advance estimates, by earlier trends, are conservative.
The Rice Research Institute has projected a crop of 107 mt and the US Department of
Agriculture 108 mt in 2013-14. However, the government expects that private demand could be
higher, as in the case of wheat. Hence, the procurement target is near last year's level.
With the arrival of early-sowing varieties in some states, the procurement is set to start from
October.
The increase in the yield in Assam, West Bengal and Jharkhand, under the green revolution
programme for the east, might raise the production but will not affect procurement.
A senior official in the Food Corporation of India confirmed the increase in output but added the
increase in productivity would come from the rice-consuming states, so there will be no major
variation in procurement.
The higher productivity in the east might trigger the active participation of rice millers, he added.
33
There is a strong correlation between minimum support price of the commodities and
procurement. A modest revision of Rs 60 a quintal in 2013-14 (to Rs 1,310) from a year ago
does not leave much room for higher procurement.
The private traders are also likely to be aggressive this year due to a strong dollar and bright
prospects for exports, said an official. But the situation might be clearer in a week to 10 days,
when arrivals pick up pace, he added.
Punjab banks on dryers to boost maize cultivation
Impressed by the success of two maize dryers, the Punjab government is considering to import
dryers from Taiwan to boostmaize cultivation. The move also aims at shifting chunk of area
under paddy as an alternate crop inturn giving the much-needed impetus to its agriculture
diversification programme.
The government had recently imported two dryers from Taiwan which were installed in
Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur districts. Grain with high percentage of moisture commands a very
low price in the market as compared with the dry grain. Sun drying at season is not possible due
to cloudy and rainy weather. To overcome this, the government had introduced maize dryers in
these two districts. Each dryer has four units, with a combined capacity of 64 metric tonnes per
batch. Till date the state has processed around 600 tonnes of maize by deploying these two
machines.
Source said the state government was satisfied by the results, as these machines help the
farmers in reducing the moisture content as desired by the buyers and also help in storage. It
has decided to replicate this model in the remaining 13 districts of the state. The current
34
cropping pattern in the state is dominated by wheat and rice. Area under maize cultivation
projected in 2013-14 was 1.50 lakh hectares and the estimated production was 5.40 lakh metric
tonnes. Last year it was 1.29 lakh hectares and the production was 4.75 lakh metric tonnes.
"This step will enable farmers to fetch remunerative price of the maize crop in the mandis
because dried maize fetches better returns as compared to maize with moisture content," he
said.
Since each dryer costs around ~5 crore, it is difficult for the farmers to afford it and hence they
may use the services of a farming cooperative or rent it to avail services of a dryer.
The state government has also approved the transfer of 100 hectares of land in Ladowal near
Ludhiana to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) for setting up directorate of
maize research in the state. The step will give a major thrust to the much-needed agricultural
diversification programme in Punjab. This endeavour would also help in development of new
hybrid and high-yielding varieties of maize, thereby contributing in improving farmers' incomes.
Heavy rains spoil prospects of kharif crops in Gujarat
Prolonged heavy rains in parts of Gujarat has cast a shadow on the agricultural production in
the state. Even after witnessing a robustkharif sowing this year, continuous rains since
September 21 has hampered the prospects of several crops including pulses and dals like tur
and urad.
According to agriculture experts, flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the regions of south,
central Gujarat and Saurashtra has affected bajra, jowar, maize and guar crops in the state.
"There is heavy damage in farms due to constant rains and water logging. There are fears of
damage to guar, which was already harvested in some parts," said Praful Senjalia of Bhartiya
Kisan Sangh (BKS). Farmer sources informed that crops such as bajra and maize would also be
affected due to heavy rains in Saurashtra and central Gujarat region.
35
Continuous rainfall in the south Gujarat region has raised serious concerns over the crops of
pulses. The districts including Surat, Narmada, Bharuch, Vapi, Valsad, Vadodara, Dahod and
Panchmahals have witnessed heavy downpour since September 21.
All these districts hold around 90 per cent of the area under pulses cultivation in the state. Out
of the 2,35,000 hectares of area under tur cultivation (for kharif 2013-14) nearly 92 per cent falls
in these districts. The area under urad cultivation is 86,300 hectares this year. Heavy rainfall in
these regions led to overflowing of rivers Tapi, Narmada, Vishwamitri and Mahi, leading to
flooding of the fields.
"The fields are flooded with rainwater. Pulses especially tur and urad are such crops, which can
be damaged if water remains in the fields for a longer period. The recent continuous rains in
these regions have raised concerns about the crop. And if it continues for a day or two more,
there may be some damage," said B R Shah, director of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat.
Further, a farmer also noted that sesame crop may also get hampered as it requires clear sunny
weather at this time. Cloudy weather for prolonged period may affect production. Also,
sugarcane crushing is feared to get delayed by about a fortnight due to heavy rainfall. "There
may be a delay of 10-15 days for sugar factories in this region to start crushing. Normally we
begin it from first week of October. But this time it may be late as the overall monsoon has
extended more than anticipated," said Mansinh Patel, president of state sugarcane co-operative
body. State authorities informed that damage could be huge but estimates are yet to be made.
"It appears there could be much damage to cattle and crops. But presently our priority is
evacuation and rehabilitation," said Vinod Rao, collector, Vadodara.
Total kharif sowing stood at 8.79 million hectares till September 16. The sowing of Bajra, jowar,
maize and guarseed is reported at 3,43,600 ha, 35,400 ha, 3,42,700 ha and 4,72,600 ha
respectively in the state.
On the other hand agriculture experts believe the rains have turned advantageous for paddy.
Nearly 98 per cent of paddy cultivation is done in central and south Gujarat region.
36
This year, paddy sowing is recorded at 7,87,500 hectares, higher by around 8 per cent from last
year. Also for cotton and groundnut crops, the recent spell of rainfall is beneficial, experts noted.
Onion prices to soften with arrival of new crop: Sharma
The vegetable is being sold at Rs 60-70 per kg in most retail markets despite a falling trend in wholesale markets
Onion prices will ease with the arrival of new crops in markets, Commerce and Industry
Minister Anand Sharma said today.
Onion prices both in wholesale and retail markets have remained at an unaffordable level since
July due to seasonal shortages. The vegetable is being sold at Rs 60-70 per kg in most retail
markets despite a falling trend in wholesale markets.
"I think with the fresh arrivals,prices will come down," Sharma told reporters here.
The new crops will start arriving in markets next month. In fact, they have already started
arriving in small batches.
The Minister said there has been a marginal loss of crop this season.
"Onion, when you look at the production, it is only in the few states. 60% of country's onion
comes in the rabi crop," he said.
He said the commerce ministry had imposed a minimum export price of $900 on onion to
discourage shipments and enhance availability in the domestic market.
37
"Government is keeping a watchful eye. States have a role to play. There is a lot of hoarding,"
he said.
He said that there is a huge difference of prices.
"We have been appealing that the states must also be proactive. The central government
cannot go into the states and check hoarding," he added.
About 600 tonnes of onions are expected reach Mumbai port next week.
Rice production in West Bengal likely to be higher
Use of high-yielding seeds and a good rainfall are expected to boost rice productivity this year
This year, rice production in West Bengal is likely to be higher than last year, despite the crop
damage on account of floods in parts of the state.
In 2012-13, the state produced 15.3 million tonnes (MT) of rice, an increase of 5.5% over the
previous year
Experts say the use of high-yield seeds and a good monsoon are expected to boost
productivity. “Initial estimates show this year,paddy productivity is much more than usual. While
38
it is early to predict the actual output, rice production this year is likely to be higher than last
year,” said Pranab Chatterjee, professor at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya.
Ramaprasad Biswas, a farmer in Nadia, said, “This year, new seed varieties and better
pesticide and insecticide management contributed to good growth in the crop.”
In July-August, floods in nine of the 19 districts in the state, including the high rice-productivity
districts of Bardhaman, Hugli, Birbhum and Nadia, destroyed a part of standing crop.
The state government had set a target of increasing rice productivity by 500 kg/hectare through
new varieties of seeds introduced as part of the second green revolution in the East, Chatterjee
said. Average rice productivity in West Bengal stands at about 2,500 kg/hectare.
Rice production in West Bengal is spread across three seasons---aus, aman and boro. Of
these, the kharif rise aus and aman) account for about 70% of the state’s production. Last year,
despite a delayed monsoon, the price of paddy crashed due to excess, but low-quality
production. The fall was on account of higher production in the boro season, which discouraged
farmers to sow during the kharif season.
West Bengal accounts for 14-16% of India’s rice production. In 2011-12, the state government
had procured 3.04 MT of rice. Till May this year, it had procured 2.71 MT.
BARC, TN varsity developing dwarf rice varieties
A project to develop a shorter rice variety by influencing the genes of crop using nuclear
science has been undertaken by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) along with Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) with the aim of achieving higher yield, an atomic scientist
said today.
"At present, we are developing a shorter rice variety out of White Ponni and ADT 47 varieties.
Our project aims to reduce the stem mass so that the crop does not fall when it bears fruit. We
39
are working on both the crops simultaneously," Suresh G Bhagwat, a former BARC official and
currently involved in the project, said.
While BARC was lending technical support in supplying mutants to these rice varieties, TNAU
was testing the effect of these mutants on these crops in its labs in Tamil Nadu.
"With nuclear science, we can develop mutants, which can be used to arrive at a desired variety
of preferred properties in the plant. In this project, we are going for dwarf crops which can avoid
'lodging,'" Bhagwat, former Head, BARC's Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division told
reporters here.
The project is being funded by the Board of Research in Nuclear Science under the Department
of Atomic Energy and the duration of research is expected to be for three years.
"The produce would be higher from 20 per cent to 30 per cent," he said on the sidelines of a
BARC function here.
Asked whether water consumption of these crops would go down, he said, "May be. But, our
primary target is to achieve shorter height of the crop and less stem mass."
BARC had so far helped in development of 41 varieties of such crops with genetic modification.
These include greengram (eight), blackgram (five), pigeon pea (four), groundnut (15), mustard
(three), soyabean (two), and one each varieties in rice and jute.
To a query on whether using mutants to get desired variety of plant species was equivalent to
that of genetically modified crops like Bt cotton and Bt brinjal, he said: "No. BT cotton are crops
genetically modified by bringing a gene from outside the species. In the case of mutation, genes
within the species are modified internally."
BARC was also undertaking a whole range of nuclear agricultural projects across the country to
develop different varieties of crops, including the famous basmati rice, aimed at increasing its
produce, Bhagwat said.
40
Govt allows FCI to sell 1 mn tonnes wheat to small millers
Move to enable small millers get access to govt procured wheat which will bring down open market rates
The government has allowed Food Corporation of India (FCI) to sell around 1 million tonnes
of wheat from its warehouses directly to small flour mill owners located in all parts of the country
and not just in Punjab and Haryana.
The move officials said is meant to enable small millers to get access to government procured
wheat which would help in bringing down open market rates of wheat and wheat flour.
Announcing the decision in a function today, food minister K.V. Thomas said, "Government has
allocated 10 million tonnes of wheat and 5 lakh tonnes of rice under different schemes for sale
in the open market.
It was initially decided that out of the 10 million tonnes wheat allocation, 8.5 million tonnes will
be sold from godowns in Punjab and Haryana at the reserve price of Rs 1,500 per quintal.
However, protect the interest of small chakki owners, around 1 million tonnes of wheat have
been earmarked for sale through the FCI godowns in all States and union territories without any
tenders."
He hoped that the measure would help in controlling wheat prices in the open market.
41
Designer seeds
Low-cost vehicle: Designer seeds on display at a meeting of Seedsmen Association in Hyderabad on
Wednesday. These are seeds designed to improve production and are an efficient low-cost delivery
vehicle a plant needs to maximise its genetic potential. These seeds are coated with insecticide,
fungicide, nutrients and biological rhizobia.
States failed to check onion hoarding, says Anand Sharma
42
Hitting out at the States for failing to check spiralling onion prices across the country, Commerce
and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said that high onion prices in the country were due to
hoarding taking place locally and that States should play a more proactive role to check it.
“We have been appealing to the State Agriculture Ministers, Finance Ministers and even the
Prime Minister has said that the States must also be proactive. After all, it’s one country. The
Centre cannot go into the States and check hoarding,” Sharma told reporters on Wednesday.
Onions prices continue to rule high ranging between Rs 60-70 a kg in most retail markets
although prices have started falling marginally in the wholesale markets.
With fresh arrivals making their way into the market, prices would go down soon, Sharma said
reflecting Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s optimism.
The Commerce Minister said that the current shortage was due to hoarding taking place as
onions were available in the country and not much was being exported.
“Onion is available. It’s not that exports are happening. We had imposed a Minimum Export
Price first at $650/tonne which has now been raised to $900. So, the Government is keeping a
watchful eye,” he said.
Sharma said that onions were available in mandis but lots of hoarding was taking place. It is
evident from the huge cap between prices at mandis in the producing regions and mandis in the
consuming regions, he said, adding that the States have to look into it.
Commenting on the state of the Indian economy, the Minister said there were definite signs of
the “wheel turning around’’.
Not just India, but markets around the world, including Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and
Russia, had been hit by crashing markets and currency devaluation, he said. “But there has
been recovery also. And the strongest recovery has been of the Indian tupee, though we were
hit the hardest. And again the markets have rebounded,” Sharma said.
Assam planters want tea to be national drink
The North Eastern Tea Association Assam, has sought the support of South Indian Planting and
Traders’ Associations to pressurise the Centre to declare tea as a national drink. “Although ministers had shown interest, this issue is pending for over a year now. We have
submitted a detailed memorandum to the Union and Assam Governments. We are mobilising
the support of various planters’ and traders’ bodies,” the association Chairman Bidyananda
Barkakoty told Business Line.
43
He was leading a delegation of Assam planters to the Golden Jubilee convention of Coonoor
Tea Trade Association.
“We visited tea estates and factories in the Nilgiris and tasted the teas coming up for this week’s
auction.
“We are highly impressed at the quality improvements made here. We will suggest some
measures followed by Coonoor for implementation at Guwahati auctions,” he said.
“We have represented to the Tea Board that when it is asking bought-leaf factories to have
price-sharing formula with growers, it should ask packeters to share their price with factory
owners,” he said.
Rubber prices drop despite lower arrivals
Rubber prices fell on the spot and futures markets on Wednesday. The domestic futures
dropped sharply on the absence of genuine buyers from major consuming sectors, dampening
local sentiments to a great extent. There was no panic selling in the market, as arrivals
continued to be low, but prices slipped amidst poor volumes.
Sheet rubber dived to Rs 175 (Rs 179) a kg, according to traders. The grade moved down to Rs
178 (Rs 180) at Kottayam and Kochi, as quoted by the Rubber Board.
October futures declined to Rs 172.50 (Rs 177.30), November to Rs 171.85 (Rs 176.43)
December to Rs 173.60 (Rs 178.34) and January to Rs 176.13 (Rs 180.26) while the February
futures remained inactive on the National Multi Commodity Exchange.
RSS 3 (spot) moved down to Rs 165.19 (Rs 166.24) at Bangkok. October futures closed at ¥
260.9 (Rs 165.41) on Tokyo Commodity Exchange.
Spot rubber rates (Rs/kg) were: RSS-4: 175 (179); RSS-5: 172 (174); Ungraded: 165 (168);
ISNR 20: 166 (168) and Latex 60%: 139 (140).
Spot pepper declines on selling pressure
Pepper futures increased on Wednesday but prices on the spot market dropped on selling
pressure. In the futures market, October and November contracts closed higher, while
December was unchanged.
Meanwhile, there was some selling pressure on the spot as processors were offering
aggressively, while sellers in the plains were also releasing their produce as weather conditions
improved, market sources said.
44
Investors who are holding 110 tonnes of pepper released from the warehouses were also trying
their best to sell the material. On the spot, 23 tonnes of farm grade pepper, mainly from the
plains arrived and the offtake was 25 tonnes.
Pulpally and Bathery (Wayanad) pepper was claimed to be sold at Rs 410 a kg, while pepper
from the plains was traded at Rs 401-403 a kg.
Rajkumari (Idukki) high bulk density pepper was reportedly traded at Rs 415-417 a kg.
Upcountry demand was also slack. North Indian demand was continuously being met by
supplies from Karnataka.
On the NMCE, October and November contracts increased by Rs 419 and Rs 155 a quintal
respectively to Rs 43,399 and Rs 43,258 a quintal. December contract remained unchanged.
Total open interest decreased by 5 tonnes to 31 tonnes.
Total turnover dropped by 14 tonnes to 17 tonnes. Spot prices declined by Rs 100 a quintal on
slow demand to Rs 40,100 (ungarbled) and Rs 42,100 (garbled) a quintal.
Indian parity in the international market declined marginally to $7,175 a tonne (c&f) Europe and
$7,425 a tonne (c&f) for the US and remained competitive and there were chances of some
overseas demand coming.
But, there is no material available here. On the other hand, the volatility in the currency rates
was making it difficult to make any commitments, export sources claimed.
Don’t buy wheat diverted from PDS, Thomas tells millers
Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas on Wednesday asked flour millers to help plug leakages
under the public distribution system (PDS) and warned them against purchasing any PDS
consignment diverted for sale in the open market.
“One of problems that the Government is facing is PDS leakage which is 35-40 per cent. Of this,
a large quantity (wheat) is coming to you. I request you not to encourage…We will take serious
action,” he told the 73 {+r} {+d} annual general meeting of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of
India.
plugging loopholes
Efforts were being made to modernise the PDS by plugging loopholes and strengthen storage
capacity across the country through setting up intermediate godowns at the village and district
level for smooth implementation of the food security law, he said. The UPA Government’s
45
ambitious Food Security Scheme aims to provide a legal right over cheaper foodgrains to about
82 crore people in the country.
Thomas also said that the Government was examining reasons for the undue rise in prices of
foodgrains despite high production. “There is always some increase in prices of agri-
commodities with regular hike in the minimum support price of these commodities every year.
But the inflation in foodgrains should not be this sharp when there is sufficient supply,” he said.
Further, in a bid to keep prices of wheat under check, the Government has eased norms for sale
of about 8.5 mt to bulk buyers such as flour millers under the open market sale scheme who can
now source it from the local Food Corporation of India depots.
The roller flour millers, who also see a role for themselves in the rollout of the food security law,
have made a pitch for distribution of wheat flour or atta fortified with iron and vitamins, instead of
subsidised grain under the scheme.
The distribution of fortified atta would make the food security scheme more practical and
humane, apart from ensuring nutrition, said Adi Naryan Gupta, President, RFMFI. Besides,
keeping prices under check, it would also help plug the reported diversion of highly subsidised
grains to the open market and ensure that benefits of the scheme reach the right target.
Food Secretary Sudhir Kumar said that the Centre was in favour of supplying fortified atta
instead wheat under the Food Security Act. “We have left this decision to States. I request you
to get in touch with the States as there are logistics issue,” Kumar said while advising millers to
go in for modernisation by deploying improved technology.
The Rs 20,000-crore flour milling industry also urged the Government to incentivise the exports
of value- added wheat products either in terms of offering freight subsidy or duty draw back.
There are about 1,200 millers in the country, who process about 20 mt of wheat annually.
46
Tobacco worth Rs 1,710 cr exported in April-June
Tobacco exports from the country started on a hopeful note during the current financial year and
in the first quarter 82,540 tonnes of tobacco worth Rs 1,710.26 crore was exported, according to
Tobacco Board sources here.
Till the end of June, 73,363 tonnes of leaf tobacco valued at Rs 1,396.47 crore and tobacco
products of 9,177 tonnes valued at Rs 313.79 crore were exported from the country during the
current financial year. Tobacco is exported to 100 countries from India.
During 2012-13, tobacco exports from the country amounted to Rs 4,979.05 crore, with leaf
tobacco accounting for Rs 3,831.84 crore and tobacco products Rs 1,147.21 crore, with the
quantities being 2,28,023 tonnes and 35,552 tonnes respectively.
During the previous year (2011-12), tobacco exports fetched Rs 4,100.30 crore with leaf
tobacco accounting for Rs 3,090.21 crore and tobacco products Rs 1,010.09 crore, with the
quantities being 2,03,294 tonnes and 37,101 tonnes respectively.
Top export destinations for leaf tobacco during 2012-13 in value terms were Belgium, Russia,
Korea, the UAE, the USA, Indonesia, Egypt, the Netherlands, South Africa and France. Of the
leaf tobacco exports from the country, flue-cured virginia (FCV) tobacco accounts for 76 per
cent of volume and 83 per cent of value.
Tobacco Board Chairman K. Gopal has urged farmers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the
two main producers of FCV tobacco, to limit the production to the size fixed by the board to
realise a better price on the auction floor.
47
Castorseed futures gain on value buying
After four days of continuous fall, castorseed futures gained on Wednesday as investors
indulged in value buying.
Spot prices, however, decreased as recent rains have raised hopes of higher sowing of the crop
that is grown during the rabi season.
On the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, October contracts increased by Rs 35
to Rs 3,474 a quintal with an open interest of 1,25,890 lots.
November contracts gained by Rs 41 at Rs 3,579, with an open interest of 44,910 lots.
On the Rajkot Commodity Exchange, December contracts increased by Rs 44 to Rs 3,714.
RCX spot castor declined by Rs 37.50 to Rs 3,410 a quintal.
Castor oil traded flat at Rs 720 for 10 kg.
About 15,000-16,000 bags of castor arrived in Gujarat. Prices ruled between Rs 685 and Rs
692 for a maund of 20 kg. About 2,800-2,900 bags arrived in Saurashtra and they were traded
at Rs 645-665 a maund.
Castor arrivals have decreased during the last couple of days due to heavy rains across
Gujarat.
Traders said that export demand in castor oil is limited. Moreover, domestic buying is also slow
in the spot market.
So, prices have been dropping over the last four days.
However, some demand has seen at the lower level pulling up the futures market.
48
Rains likely to delay kharif oilseeds arrivals
Edible oils futures pared losses on Wednesday on fears rains could delay arrivals of kharif
oilseeds. However, prices in the spot market were mixed on bets that arrivals of the crop will be
higher.
Groundnut, soyabean and washed cottonseed oils rule unchanged. Sunflower and palmolein
declined by Rs 5 and Rs 3 respectively. Rapeseed oil prices increased by Rs 5.
The domestic futures market opened weak but firmed up later on fears of delay in arrivals of
oilseeds in main producing centres of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. During the
day, local refineries sold about 600-700 tonnes of palmolein at Rs 567-568 and 500-600 tonnes
of refined soyabean oil at Rs 637.
Towards the end of the day, Liberty quoted palmolein at Rs 568, super palmolein at Rs 605 and
super deluxe at Rs 625, soyabean refined oil at Rs 640 and sunflower refined oil at Rs 815.
Ruchi quoted palmolein at Rs 568-571, sunflower refined oil at Rs 640 and sunflower refined oil
at Rs 800. In Rajkot, groundnut oil rule unchanged for the third consecutive day at Rs 1285
for teliatin. Loose (10 kgs) ruled at Rs 825. Crude palm oil October contracts on Bursa Malaysia
Derivatives Exchane settled higher at MYR 2,324. November ended at MYR 2,299 (MYR 2,306)
and December at MYR 2,294 (MYR 2,301).
The Bombay Commodity Exchange spot rates (Rs/10 kg) were: Groundnut oil 840 (840), Soya
refined oil 635 (635), Sunflower exp. ref. 725 (740), Sunflower refined 795 (800), rapeseed
refined oil 710 (705), rapeseed expeller refined 680 (675) cottonseed refined oil 660 (660) and
palmolein 567 (570).
49
Vikram Global Commodities (P) Ltd quoted Rs 617 for 10 kg of Malaysia Super palmolein to be
delivered in October.
Poultry feed rules easy as inputs turn cheaper
Following continuous fall in the cost of production over the last few days, poultry feed product
prices have dipped by Rs 15-60 for a 50-kg bag.
Lower input costs have pulled poultry feed prices down, said Satpal Singh, Proprietor of
Sarvottam Poultry Feed Supply Centre Pvt Ltd.
Though prices of soyameal and a couple of other ingredients have recovered a little, it has not
made much impact on the cost of production, he said.
Feed prices are likely to rule around the current levels over the next days, said Satpal Singh.
In the physical market, soyameal improved by Rs 700 to Rs 32,700 a tonne.
Bajra increased further by Rs 40 to Rs 1,280-1,320 a quintal, while di-calcium phosphate sold at
Rs 34.70 a kg.
MBM sold at Rs 32.60 a kg and maize moved up by Rs 10 to Rs 1,475-1,510 a quintal.
DRB sold at Rs 11,000 a quintal. Rice bran oil quoted unchanged at Rs 59 a kg. Mustard de-
oiled cake sold at Rs 14,300 a tonne.
Prices of broiler concentrate feed dropped by Rs 60 to Rs 1,960 for a 50-kg bag, while broiler
starter mash eased by Rs 30 to Rs 1,500.
Pre-lay mash decreased by Rs 15 to Rs 1,025. “Layer concentrate 25 per cent” and “Layer
concentrate 35 per cent” eased by Rs 25 each to Rs 1,465 and at Rs 1,150, respectively.
50
Meanwhile, a downtrend was witnessed in the poultry products market, on Wednesday. Broiler
dropped by Rs 9 to Rs 64-65, egg went down by 2 paisa to Rs 3.05, while chick dropped by Rs
2 to Rs 20-22.
Pulses rally may not last for long
A majority of pulses, which have been witnessing sluggish trend on weak demand, has gained
over the last two days on renewed buying support.
Tur (Maharashtra) rose to Rs 4,350 a quintal (up Rs 50), while tur (Madhya Pradesh) ruled at
Rs 3,900-4,100.
Compared with prices last week, tur is still Rs 100-150 lower.
Tur prices remained range-bound fluctuating between Rs 4,300-4,500, depending upon its
demand and supply until last week.
Given the better crop prospects and rise in sowing area in tur this year, a long rally is ruled out,
said a trader.
Tur dal, on the other hand, ruled stable amid subdued demand with tur dal (full) being quoted at
Rs 6,100-6,200, tur dal (sawa no.) at Rs 5,600-5,900, while tur marka ruled at Rs 6,500-6,900.
Strong demand and slack arrival also perked up moong by Rs 100 with moong (best quality) in
local mandis being quoted at Rs 5,100-5,300, while moong (medium) ruled at Rs 4,200-4,300.
Despite clear weather condition in the past two days, arrivals of new moong in local mandis are
lower, leading to rise in its prices.
Moong dal ruled stable with medium being quoted at Rs 5,900-6,100, bold at Rs 6,200-6,300,
while moong mongar ruled at Rs 6,800-7,000.
51
Higher demand and weak arrival have also lifted urad in Indore mandis Rs 300-350 over the last
one week.
Urad (bold) was quoted at Rs 3,850-3,900, while urad (medium) ruled at Rs 3,200-3,500.
According to traders here, in the wake of fresh spell of rains which lashed the state recently,
arrival of urad (new) in Indore mandis has declined.
However, given better crop prospect, a rally in urad also appears unlikely in the coming days.
Sugar recovers on lower Brazilian cane output
Sugar futures fell to a contract low in early trading on Wednesday but later recovered on reports
that Brazil’s sugarcane production will be lower than expected this month.
Spot prices across the country ruled flat.
The Vashi wholesale market was closed on occasion of Anna Saheb Patil’s 80th Birth
Anniversary.
A spokesman of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association said that wholesale traders kept off
from the market as there was no movement in prices.
On the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, November contracts dropped to a
contract low of Rs 2,920 before ending higher at Rs 2,942 a quintal.
December contracts closed at Rs 2,949. An observer said that the current season year ending
this month will close with surplus stocks of around 90-95 lakh tonnes.
52
Analysts said that Thailand and India could compete in the Asian market for share in the raw
sugar market.
India usually sells white sugar, but next season, it is expected to export raw sugar too.
On Tuesday evening, 16-17 mills offered tenders and sold 38,000 – 40,000 bags at Rs 2,840-
2,930 (Rs 2,840-Rs 2,930) for S-grade and Rs 2,950-Rs 3,020 (Rs 2,950- 3,020) for M-grade.
Nominal sugar prices in Mumbai were (Rs/quintal(: S-grade Rs 3,000– Rs 3,125 (Rs 3,002– Rs
3,125) and M-grade Rs 3,140 - 3,280 (Rs 3,141- 3,282).
Naka delivery rates were: S-grade Rs 2,930 -3,000 (Rs 2,930-3,000) and M-grade Rs 3,040 -
3,170 (Rs 3,040 -3,170).
Prices in Uttar Pradesh were: Lakhimpur Rs 3,400; Muzzafarnagar Rs 3,260.
60% of turmeric offering goes unsold at Erode
With orders from North India yet to flow in for Erode turmeric, 60 per cent of the produce offered
on Wednesday went unsold.
“No upcountry demand has bee received and consequently, the sale was poor.
“Usually, during this season prices will be moderate and also sales. But this year, prices and
sales are poor.
“Only 3,100 bags came up for sale but only 40 per cent was sold,” said R.K.V. Ravishankar,
President, Erode Turmeric Merchants Association.
He said that during the period a year ago, the finger variety fetched Rs 5,500 a quintal and the
hybrid variety Rs 6300. This year, prices are unchanged.
Over the last few days, prices have dropped to Rs 5,400 a quintal. Further, arrivals last year
were over 4,000 bags and 70 per cent sale was recorded.
53
Traders now hope that they will get upcountry orders by next week and sale could be moderate
until Diwali.
Purchases on Wednesday were by stockists to meet local demand.
At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association sales yard, the finger variety ruled at Rs 3,999-
5,321 a quintal and the root variety at Rs 3,219-4,721.
Salem Hybrid Crop: The finger variety fetched Rs 4,509-6,069 a quintal and the root variety Rs
4,209-5,099. Of the 584 bags that arrived, 218 were sold. At the Regulated Market Committee,
the finger variety went for Rs 4,768-5,719 and the root variety for Rs 4,479-5,079. Of the 580 on
sale, 549 were traded. At the Erode Cooperative Marketing society, the finger variety traded at
Rs 4,469 -5,499 and the root variety at Rs 4,169-5,027. All the 835 bags put for sale were
picked up. At the Gobichettipalayam Agricultural Cooperative Marketing society, the finger
variety sold at Rs 4,869-5,400, and the root variety at Rs 4,169-5,942.
All 202 bags that arrived were traded.
Timely monsoon boosts AP seed production
Andhra Pradesh may register a record seed output this fiscal.
Timely monsoon, adequate water levels in major irrigation projects and increase in area of
cultivation are helping seed producers turn out a rich harvest in Andhra Pradesh, a major
producing State.
The State accounts for 25 per cent of the seed exports of the country.
AP Seedsmen Association, comprising about 400 seed producing firms, estimates that seed
production may increase 10 per cent from last year, which itself was a good production year.
54
“Trends so far point to this. There is an increase in especially rice and maize production,” M.
Harish Reddy, President of Seedsmen Association, told Business Line on the sidelines of its 18
{+t} {+h} annual general meeting here today.
Seed output fell from 45.19 lakh quintals in 2010-11 to 40.50 lakh quintals in the next year, but
increased to 56.32 lakh in 2012-13.
“During kharif 2013, we have already distributed 36.15 lakh quintals, including 14 lakh quintals
of paddy and 97,000 of maize,” he said.
Area under cultivation
Last fiscal, the area under cultivation in kharif was about 74 lakh hectares in the State, with the
full year seeing 110 lakh hectares under production.
In the current kharif, an additional two lakh hectares was brought under cultivation by farmers,
encouraged by timely monsoon.
On Bt cotton, Reddy said it had yielded good results for both seed producers and farmers in the
State. The association, however, has taken exceptions to the Government “arbitrarily” fixing
prices for Bt cotton seed this year at the rate of Rs 930 for BG2 and Rs 730 for BG1 varieties,
without considering the trait value paid to the technology provider by the sub-licences.
“We were looking for a price range of at least Rs 1,050 for BG2 and Rs 850 for BG 1 varieties.
Next year, prices should be more on account of higher input costs,” he said, adding that the
BG2 variety had substantially brought down costs and increased yields as compared with even
the BG1 variety.
India needed genetically modified crops to boost farm output, given a sound regulatory
framework, he added.
Training in rubber cultivation
The Rubber Board will hold a five-day training in rubber cultivation at Rubber Training Institute
here from October 21 to 25. The course content includes modern planting materials, planting
techniques, manuring, rain-guarding, pest and disease control, tapping and latex processing.
The fee is Rs 1,500 (plus 12.36% service tax). SC/ST candidates will get 50 per cent
concession in fee. RPS members will be given 25 per cent fee concession. Contact phone
0481- 2351313
top related