Cabinet approves National Mission on Edible Oils with outlay of Rs 11,040 crore
The Union cabinet on Wednesday has approved the launch of National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) as a new centrally sponsored scheme with an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore for a five year period.
Of Rs 11,040 crore outlay Rs 8,844 crore will be the share of central government and Rs 2,196 crore will be the share of states.
The focus of the program will be to increase area and productivity of oilseeds and palm oil. There will also be special focus on the north-eastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Sowing area of kharif crops 1.55 pc lower than last year so far: Govt data
Area sown to summer crops like paddy was lagging behind by 1.55 per cent at 1,043.87 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing kharif season of the crop year 2021-22 (July-June), according to data released by the agriculture ministry on Sunday. Sowing operation is still underway and planting of summer (kharif) crops can be continued till the end of August, it said.
Farmers had planted summer (kharif) crops in 1,060.37 lakh hectare in the year-ago period.
Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June. Monsoon rainfall was lower eight per cent between June 1 and August 20, the ministry said.
Monsoon to impact India’s coffee production this year, say producers
Heavy rains in July and August in coffee producing states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu is estimated to cut coffee crop size by 10 per cent, producers said.
Coffee Board’s post-blossom estimate for 2021-22 pegs output at 369,000 tonnes, of which 260,700 tonnes would be the robusta variety. In 2020-21, India produced 334,000 tonnes of coffee. A coffee year starts from October and ends in September of the next year.
“Heavy rains are likely to impact coffee production this year. As of now our estimate is that there may be a 10 per cent drop in coffee crop,” said Jeffry Rebello, chairman, UPASI (United Planter’s Association of Southern India) coffee committee.
