Decline in India’s shrimp exports makes them cheaper by 30% in domestic market
A sharp decline in India’s shrimp exports to China, the second largest buyer of Indian shrimps after the USA, has made shrimps cheaper in domestic markets by 30-40 percent since March.
More than 1000 containers of shrimp have been estimated to be stranded at Chinese ports as the country raised concerns about following covid protocol in the packaging of the shrimp, waiting for clearance.
“China was a very large market for the small sized shrimps weighing 10 grams to 17 grams. Now, as the exports to China are facing problems, the demand for these sizes is soft. The farm gate prices of shrimp have declined by about 14% since March,” said Ramakanth Akula, CEO, The Waterbase Limited.
MGNREGA has already used up over half of its annual funds this fiscal
More than half of the funds allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the current financial year has been utilised in just three-and-a-half months into the fiscal, suggesting the pressure on rural India on generating employment.
“As on July 20, 2021, an amount of Rs 41,187.06 crore has been released in the current financial year 2021-22 (as on July 20, 2021) for the implementation of the programme as against the allocation of Rs 73,000 crore,” minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said in response to a question in the Lok Sabha. This is 56.4% of the annual budgetary allocation.
Over 2 lakh hectare farmland damaged this year due to hydro-meteorological calamities: Narendra Singh Tomar
A little over 2 lakh hectare of the cropped area has been damaged so far this year due to hydro-meteorological calamities, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Tomar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said in the year 2020-21, 66.55 lakh hectare cropped area was damaged.
However, till July 27 this year, 2.024 lakh hectare area has been damaged due to hydro-meteorological calamities/ hazards, he said.
