Cotton Output May Fall

Cotton production in northern India is likely to decline by 15 to 20 per cent this year due to adverse climatic conditions during the sowing season, according to the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur. CICR director M S Kairon is reported to have said here that a large quantity of seeds could not be sown and were still lying with farmers resulting in the reduction of total sown area in the north. Plant disease too could. PTI

The two power projects would be on build-operate-own (BOO) basis and a German delegation would be visiting India this month to firm up the proposal, he said. The projects will be selected from several sites identified by the power ministry. Funded by the German Export Credit Financing, the projects will be cleared on a `fast-track basis and all tie-ups, including financial, are to be completed in 16 months. The projects will be ready for commercial operation in 56 months.