Food Grains

Govt fixes 8.19% 'return on capital' for jute bag supplies for packaging

Indian jute mills will earn an 8.19-per cent "return on capital" for supplying jute bags for foodgrain packaging under the newly approved pricing framework by the Ministry of Textiles, a senior official said. This implies that mills will earn the predetermined percentage of profit on the capital invested, regardless of market fluctuations of input costs, he said. According to the Indian Jute Mills Association, the new pricing formula will result in only a 4-5 per cent increase in the price of gunny sack supplies. In contrast, the Office of the Jute Commissioner estimates the pricing benefit to be between 6 per cent and 8 per cent, considering various other modifications made in the new pricing policy following the Tariff Commission recommendations. The new pricing formula will be applied retrospectively from September 2016. "The total benefit impact from the current price revision in sacking bags to mills is estimated to be anywhere between 6-8 per cent, taking into account all ..

Foodgrain output to scale new peak in 2025 as farm sector eyes 4% growth

India is poised to achieve new heights in foodgrain production in 2025, driven by favourable monsoon, though significant challenges persist in pulses and oilseeds production as the country's agricultural sector shows signs of robust recovery. The Agriculture Ministry's initial projections paint an optimistic picture, with kharif (summer) foodgrain production estimated at a record 164.7 million tonnes for the 2024-25 crop year ending June 2025. Winter crop planting has maintained steady progress, with wheat sown across 29.31 million hectares as of mid-December 2024, while total rabi (winter) crops cover 55.88 million hectares. "We had a good kharif crop because of normal rainfall," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi told PTI. "Overall, the crop prospect for the whole year looks promising," he added, though cautioning against potential heat waves in February-March that could affect the winter wheat harvest. The agricultural sector is projected to bounce back strongly, with grow

House panel criticises govt for missing FCI godown construction target

A Parliamentary panel on Monday pulled up the government for not meeting the godown construction target in the last four years till September 2024 and asked the nodal ministry to constitute a high-level committee to expedite the progress in northeast and hilly states. In the sixth report on demand for grants for 2024-25 placed in Parliament, the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said that against the target of godown construction with 50,100-tonne capacity in 2023-24, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) could achieve only 1,760-tonne capacity, utilising Rs 52.75 crore. For 2024-25, the target was to construct 58,540-tonne capacity, "but the achievement till September 30 has been nil", the report said. FCI could not achieve the physical target of construction of godowns for 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 till September in the wake of the implementation of the National Food Security Act, it added. The committee also expressed concern over the

No basis for claims of large-scale public distribution system leak: Govt

When scaled to the total National Food Security Act beneficiary population of 806 million, the annual household consumption exceeds 85.56 million tones/mt

Research bodies call for slashing CCEs to hasten farm yield estimates

Studies are being done on how number of CCEs could be lowered without compromising on accuracy, credibility

India to push for public stockholding of food grains at WTO MC13

The official said that developed countries have demanded discussion on export restrictions-on items such as wheat-imposed by India

Jute stocks in demand; Ludlow Jute, Cheviot rally up to 17%; here's why

The Government on Friday approved mandatory packaging of 100 per cent food grains and 20 per cent sugar in diversified jute bags for the Jute year 2023-24.

A new poverty conundrum

If India's poverty level has declined significantly, why should free food be available to more than half its population?

Fiscal impact of free food grain extension unlikely for next 2 years

An analysis by Nomura said the extension reflects the difficulty in withdrawing populist policies, especially ahead of elections but the near-term macro implications should be muted

No major fiscal impact from extended free food grain scheme: Report

Before the extension, the free food grain program was estimated to cost the government around 2 trillion rupees ($24.04 billion) this year

No major fiscal impact from extended free food grain scheme: Centre

PM Modi said that his govt would extend the welfare scheme, which provides free grain to more than 800 million people, by five years

Food insecurity returns

End of Ukraine grain deal spells trouble

Cabinet approves world's largest food storage scheme, allocates Rs 1 trn

Under this plan, every block will have a godown with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes, Union minister Anurag Thakur said

Share of Russia's grain exports settled in rubles to reach 30%: Official

Russia is also negotiating with importing countries on the creation of grain hubs in them, and on the creation of joint ventures in Russia for grain processing

Beat the heat with grain storage, fire audits, says PM Narendra Modi

PM chairs review meeting ahead of summer months, tells IMD to prepare daily weather forecasts that are easy to interpret and disseminate

Will free food grain scheme affect Centre's fiscal planning?

The pandemic made the govt to launch Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana to provide free food grains to the poor. It has now been scrapped. What will be its impact?

Free grain under NFSA: States to save on food bill, lose political mileage

Food subsidies are a major portion of subsidies provided by states

Food prices fall slightly in Nov as Russia-Ukraine grain exports stabilize

FAO said that Russia's rejoining of the Black Sea Grain Initiative was a driving force in November, pushing global prices for wheat 2.8% lower

Russia rejoins deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports to global markets

Russia agreed Wednesday to rejoin a wartime agreement that allows Ukrainian grain and other commodities to be shipped to world markets. The UN's refugee chief, meanwhile, put the number of Ukrainians driven from their homes since the Russian invasion eight months ago at around 14 million. It is the fastest, largest displacement witnessed in decades, said Filippo Grandi, who heads the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In announcing that Russia would rejoin the grain pact, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine would not use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. He warned that Russia reserves the right to withdraw again if Kyiv breaks its word. Putin praised Turkey's mediation efforts to get the deal back on track, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's neutrality in the conflict as a whole and his efforts at ensuring the interest of the poorest countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also

Involving private players in grain procurement needs clear modalities

The idea in itself is not new and previously several attempts have been made to involve private players in official procurement, most recently in oilseeds