Page 7 - Ministry Of Agriculture

India estimated to have harvested 355.35 MT horticulture crops in 2022-23

The country is estimated to have harvested 355.35 million tonnes of horticulture crops in the 2022-23 crop year, about 8.07 million tonnes more than the previous year, as per agriculture ministry data released on Thursday. The ministry has come out with the third production estimate after the harvesting of the 2022-23 horticulture crops. Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said despite challenges surrounding climate change, horticulture production has gone up, thanks to efforts of farmers and agri-scientists. As per the third estimate released by the ministry, total production of horticulture crops has increased 2.32 per cent (8.07 million tonne) to 355.25 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year -- July-June -- from 347.18 million tonnes in the previous year. Of the total horticulture production, fruits production rose to 109.53 million tonne in 2022-23 from 107.51 million tonne in the previous year. Vegetable production, too, increased to 213.88 million tonnes in 2022-23 from 209.14

India's corn exports plunge as domestic prices rally on strong demand

India usually exports around 250,000 to 300,000 metric tons of corn every month but in December its exports fell to around 30,000 tons

Exports of oilmeals rise 16% to 1.22 mn tonne in December quarter

The country's oilmeals exports rose 16 per cent to 12.20 lakh tonne in the third quarter of the current fiscal compared to the year-ago period, industry body SEA said on Thursday. Around 10.53 lakh tonne of oilmeals was exported during the October-December quarter of 2022-23. According to the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA), the country exported 6.24 lakh tonne of soybean meal, 4.79 lakh tonne of rapeseed meal, 1.14 lakh tonne of castor seed meal and 2,642 lakh tonne of groundnut meal in third quarter of the current fiscal. In December alone, total oilmeals exports were at 5.32 lakh tonne, up by 23 per cent from 4.33 lakh tonne in the year-ago period, it said. SEA said the country's export of soyameal rose due to price competitiveness amid shortage of Argentine export supplies in recent months. The major consumer of Indian soybean meal is South East Asia, where India has a logistic advantage and also can supply in small lots, it added. The industry body also mention

Supreme Court reserves order on environmental release of GM mustard

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a pleas seeking moratorium on release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol heard submissions from Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicior General Tushar Mehta and advocates Prashant Bhushan and senior advocate Sanjay Parikh. The top court directed the parties to file written submissions by January 22. Observing that the issue of genetically modified crops is very technical and scientific, the top court on Wednesday had said it will decide a plea on environmental release of GM mustard on the basis of what is good for the country,. The apex court had earlier questioned the Centre about why reports of the court-appointed Technical Experts Committee (TEC) on biosafety of genetically modified (GM) crops were not looked into by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). It asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, whether th

Union cabinet approves increase in copra MSP for upcoming 2024 season

The agriculture ministry said that the MSP for the 2024 season has been hiked by Rs 300 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 250 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season

Urea, DAP fertilizers availability comfortable in ongoing rabi season: Govt

The availability of two key fertilisers, urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), has remained comfortable during the ongoing 2023-24 rabi season, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba said about 132.77 lakh tonne of urea has been made available for the October-December period of the ongoing rabi season, which is higher than the requirement of 91.05 lakh tonne for the same period. Total urea requirement for the entire 2023-24 rabi season is pegged at 185.41 lakh tonne, he said. Even the availability of DAP has remained comfortable in the country during the ongoing rabi 2023-24 season, he added. The minister also mentioned that there is no such report of artificial demand/shortage of urea that has come to its notice. Urea and DAP are two widely used fertilisers in the country. Currently, sowing of rabi crops like wheat and pulses is underway. Sowing begins from October and harvesting fro

Centre says certain onion consignments can be exported till Nov 30

The government on Thursday clarified onion consignments that have been handed over to the customs authorities and are registered in their systems before October 29 can be exported till November 30. On October 28, the government imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of USD 800 per tonne on onion exports till December 31 this year with a view to increase availability of the vegetable in the domestic market and to contain prices. "Where onion consignment has been handed over to the customs before October 29, 2023... and is registered in their system/ where onions consignment has entered the customs station for exportation before this notification and is registered in the electronic systems of the concerned custodian of the customs station with verifiable evidence of date and time stamping of these commodities having entered the station prior to October 29. "The period of export shall be up to November 30 this year," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said. It added that th

Crop insurance scheme PMFBY makes comeback, enrollments jump

Number of farmers availing of the scheme reaches all-time high of 25 mn

India exports mangoes worth $47.98 million, up 19% from last year

India expanded its mango exports to 41 countries, exploring new markets in Iran, Mauritius, Czech Republic, and Nigeria

Bihar govt promoting cultivation of aromatic, medicinal plants: Minister

To encourage farmers to diversify from traditional paddy cultivation to commercially viable farming, the Bihar government has come out with several incentives and subsidies for planting aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. The state agriculture department has come out with several incentives for farmers to promote cultivation of 'lemongrass', 'palmarosa', 'shatavari', 'tulsi', mulberry', 'khas', 'gooseberry', 'bael', 'tamarind', 'jackfruit', and lemon plants. Bihar Agriculture Minister Kumar Sarvjeet told PTI on Saturday that, "The government is coming out with several incentives and subsidies to farmers to help cultivate aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. The growing health awareness has created a lot of opportunities for innovation in the agriculture sector and the government is helping farmers to exploit this opportunity. This is the time Bihar farmers must opt from traditional paddy cultivation to commercially viable farming". This scheme will be implemented main

US, EU criticise India's rice export ban, request immediate resumption

Representatives from Japan, Australia, Brazil, the EU, the UK, and the US raised concerns over the impact of the ban on the global food market

Tech firm revolutionises silk cocoon trade with tech-enabled bidding

ReshaMandi has built a technology-driven bidding process to ensure that farmers receive the best prices for their yields, given the short shelf life of silk cocoons

Explained: Why are Russian export prices roiling the wheat market

In March, sources told Reuters that the Russian government was recommending exporters ensure prices were high enough to cover farmers' production costs

India exporting 75,000 tonnes non-basmati white rice to UAE via NCEL

The government on Monday cleared exports of 75,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to the UAE through National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL). Though there is a ban on rice exports, India is shipping rice to friendly and neighbouring countries on their request to meet their food security demands. "Export of 75,000 MT of Non-Basmati White Rice (under HS code 1006 30 90) to UAE is permitted through NCEL, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Earlier, the government permitted the export of broken rice to Senegal (5 lakh tonnes), Gambia (5 lakh tonnes), Indonesia (2 lakh tonnes), Mali (1 lakh tonnes), and Bhutan (48,804 tonnes). The government has also allowed exports of non-basmati rice to Bhutan (79,000 tonnes), Mauritius (14,000 tonnes) and Singapore (50,000 tonnes) through the NCEL. On September 9 last year, the government banned the export of broken rice to check rising retail prices and boost domestic supply. On July 20, it banned exports of .

Centre directs sugar traders to disclose stocks to check hoarding

The Centre on Thursday directed sugar traders, retailers, wholesalers, big chain retailers and processors to disclose their stocks on a weekly basis on a government portal as a proactive measure to combat hoarding and speculation. The food ministry, in a statement, said the country has sufficient stocks for domestic consumption with absolutely no shortage for festivals. The government has been successfully maintaining the stable retail price of sugar in the country, it noted. However, as a proactive measure to "combat hoarding and curb unscrupulous speculation" in the sugar market, the ministry has issued orders to mandatory disclose stock positions for traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors of sugar on the portal (https://esugar.nic.in) on every Monday, it added. "This mandatory weekly stock disclosure for these entities is another proactive step in the Government of India's efforts to maintain a balanced and fair sugar market," the ministry said. By

Indian sugar production concerns drive local prices to 6-year high

This could add to food inflation and discourage New Delhi from allowing sugar exports, supporting global prices which are near their highest in more than a decade

Govt exempts LPG imports from agriculture cess effective September 1

The government has exempted imports of LPG, liquified propane and liquified butane from 15 per cent agri cess with effect from Friday. The government had in July imposed a 15 per cent agri cess on imports of these goods. The Finance Ministry in a notification said that imports of LPG, liquified propane and liquified butane have been fully exempted from Agriculture Infrastructure Development cess (AIDC) effective September 1.

No farmer needs to worry on onion issue, says minister Narendra Singh Tomar

After the govt imposed a 40% duty on the export of onions, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said that farmers do not have to worry on the onion issue

India expands curbs on rice exports with 20% duty on parboiled grade

Last month, India surprised buyers by imposing a ban on exports of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice exports last year

Lack of rain may bring down sugar production in Maha, Karnataka: Official

Lack of rainfall may bring down sugar production in Maharashtra and Karnataka, an official from the National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Limited said on Thursday. In order to meet domestic demand, there could even be a ban on exports, National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Limited chairman Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar told PTI. "The expected sugar production for the year was 330 lakh tonnes but there could be a dip, while the carry over stock in the country is 65 lakh tonnes. The demand nationwide is 275 lakh tonnes and 50 lakh tonnes will be diverted for ethanol production," he said. "So to meet the domestic demand of 275 lakh tonnes, a ban may be imposed on sugar exports this year. India doesn't export sugar regularly. In the last two years, a global shortage of sugar saw India exporting 60 lakh tonnes," he explained. However, Dandegaonkar asserted that ethanol production target will be met despite dip in sugar production.