Gujarat groundnut crop seen 35.45 lt
Excess rains and flooding has clouded groundnut crop prospects in Gujarat, with kharif groundnut output likely to be just 10 per cent higher than last year despite 33 per cent more sowing this year.
The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) has estimated Gujarat groundnut crop at 35.45 lakh tonnes as against the 32.15 lakh tonnes recorded last year.
Sugar mills await decision on MSP from Centre
In August, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved ₹285 per quintal (for a basic sugar recovery rate of 10 per cent) as FRP for cane, that will be payable by sugar mills for 2020-21 sugar season (October-September). The approval of the ₹10-per quintal hike in FRP was made on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. But sugar mills are stressed and saying that it will be difficult for them to pay the new FRP at the current MSP of ₹31 per kg. While cane arrears due to farmers in Maharashtra are just about ₹388 crore; in Uttar Pradesh, it is about ₹12,000 crore.
Board sees rebound in coffee output this year
The state-run Coffee Board sees a rebound in production of the beans for the 2020-21 crop season starting October. “We are expecting a better crop this year as compared to the previous years,” said NN Narendra, Secretary, Coffee Board at an event on International Coffee Day.
India’s coffee output in the recent years has been impacted by both drought conditions during 2016-18 and heavy rains in 2018-20. The crop, which was battered by heavy rains the key producing regions of Karnataka and Kerala during 2019-20, dropped to a 10-year low of 2.98 lakh tonnes, comprising 87,000 tonnes of Arabicas and 2.11 lakh tonnes of Robustas. Karnataka, the largest coffee-producing State, accounts for about 70 per cent of the country’s output.
