Agriculture Current Affair 20 August 2020

Lower Himachal crop, rising demand push up apple prices

Apples have turned pricier this season on a lower crop in Himachal Pradesh and rising consumer demand amidst Covid pandemic.

Retail prices are higher by 20-25 per cent this year as lower imports have aided the rising price trend.

Production in Himachal Pradesh — the second largest producer after Jammu & Kashmir — has been lower this year after the outbreak of fungal disease and hailstorms hurting quality and output.

Agri exports grow by 23% to ₹25,553 cr in Q1 of current fiscal

A substantial increase in exports of non-basmati rice, sugar and onion has helped India push up exports of agricultural commodities during the first three months of the current fiscal by 23 per cent to ₹25,553 crore as against the export earning of ₹20,735 crore in the corresponding period in the last financial year, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry.

While the export of non-basmati rice went up by 70 per cent to ₹5,800 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21, that of onions was up by 48 per cent to ₹1,197 crore. However, growth in basmati export remained flat at ₹8,591 crore while that of tea dipped by nearly 28 per cent to ₹1013 crore.

Maharashtra govt plans townships, agri and industrial hubs along Mumbai-Nagpur expressway

Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the state government is planning 24 townships, agriculture and industrial hubs along the 700-kilometer Mumbai-Nagpur expressway costing ₹45,000 crore. He added that the government will not impose any projects on the people. The road will pass through 10 districts of Maharashtra.

While discussing the State economy and future projects with members of Pune International Centre via video conference, Thackeray said that the Mumbai-Nagpur expressway will give a major boost to the State’s development. The network of business and industries along the expressway will benefit all stakeholders, he said.