FM announces ₹65,000-crore fertiliser subsidy for farmers
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a ₹65,000-crore fertiliser subsidy for farmers as part of her stimulus package to boost the economy.
She said ₹65,000 crore is being provided to ensure adequate availability of fertilisers to farmers and to enable timely accessibility of fertilisers in the upcoming crop season.
Lactalis India eyes ₹4,500-cr turnover in 2021-22
Lactalis India, the Indian arm of French dairy major Lactalis, is eyeing a turnover of ₹4,500 crore in 2021-22.
“We will close the financial year with 2020-21 with ₹3,500 crore. But for the Covid pandemic we would have achieved ₹3,700 crore this year,” Rahul Kumar, Managing Director of Lactalis India, told BusinessLine.
Maharashtra’s cotton crop wilts on increasing fungal attacks
Cotton crop in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, which is already facing pink bollworm (PBW) attack and boll rot, has now fallen prey to the fungal attack of Grey mildew.
Crop losses estimates are still being worked out but the field staff of the State Agriculture Department has estimated that about 50 per cent of the crop has been affected by pathogen attacks.
An official said the grey mildew fungal attack can be severe. In a single season, the crop can get repeatedly attacked by the fungus. Losses can be as high as 25 per cent. After the attack sets in, the leaves of the plant start to shed affecting photosynthesis.
