Organic products exports rise over 80 times since 2002-03 to record $1.4 b last fiscal
Apeda Chairman says US, EU are major buyers as Indian products meet compliance norms
Export of organic products from India grew 51 per cent to a record $1.04 billion in dollar terms during the 2020-21 fiscal compared with the previous fiscal. The increase has come after organic products shipments dropped by nine per cent to $689 million in 2019-20 from $757 in 2018-19.
“Exports during 2019-20 were affected by the Covid pandemic. Until then, exports of organic products witnessed a growth exceeding 25 per cent annually since 2016-17,” said M Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).
About 70 Maharashtra sugar mills gear up for oxygen manufacturing
15 mills have placed orders for skid-mounted oxygen manufacturing units
To meet the rising demand for medical oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients, about 70 sugar mills in Maharashtra are gearing up for manufacturing oxygen.
“This is a timely step taken by mills in Maharashtra. About 25 mills are already in the process to set up oxygen plants and we are focusing on about 60-70 sugar mills that have financially performed very well. Majority of these mills are in rural areas and the demand for oxygen here could be met by sugar mills,” said Prakash Naiknavare, MD, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF).
Hit by falling prices and labour shortage, pineapple farmers begin deserting their crop
This is the second consecutive year that the sector is losing the Ramadan demand
With plummeting prices, the smiles on the faces of Kerala’s pineapple farmers have given way to wrinkles of worries even as the second wave of Covid has battered many upcountry consuming markets.
The euphoria of a price rise, seen a month ago, seems to have been short-lived as farmgate prices of all varieties have dropped to ₹19 per kg after ruling above ₹40. According to growers, the closing down of major upcountry markets and restrictions have hit the trade in a big way.
