Farmers should turn to ethanol production instead of growing conventional crops: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said farmers should turn to ethanol production instead of growing conventional crops, as this will improve profitability and provide green fuel to the country. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said the country currently spends Rs 8 lakh crore per year on fuel import and the expenditure is likely to go up to Rs 25 lakh crore in the future.
“Farmers in the country today give us foodgrains. But they should also start giving energy. The country currently spends Rs 8 lakh crore a year on fuel import, and the amount can go up to Rs 25 lakh crore in the future. If such a big amount goes to farmers, then they will not commit suicide,” Gadkari said.
Cultivating traditional crops will not be profitable, instead, farmers should turn to the production of ethanol, he said.
Tomato prices to remain elevated for two more months: Crisil Research
Wayward and excess rains have resulted in the ongoing spike in vegetable prices, and the cost of tomatoes will continue to be at elevated levels for two more months, Crisil NSE -0.15 % Research said on Friday. The situation in Karnataka, one of the major tomato growing regions, is so “grim” that the vegetable is being sent from Maharashtra’s Nashik, it said, pointing to on-ground interactions.
Crisil Research said standing crops have been damaged because of excess rains in Karnataka (105 per cent above normal), Andhra Pradesh (40 per cent above normal) and Maharashtra (22 per cent) which are key suppliers during October-December period.
Prices have risen 142 per cent as on November 25 and will remain elevated for two more months till harvest from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan starts reaching the markets from January, it said.
Tomato price rises to Rs 75 per kg in national capital
Retail tomato price on Friday shot up to Rs 75 per kilogram in the national capital while the rates in some parts of South India softened but were still high, according to government data. In Chennai, retail tomato price declined to Rs 63 per kg on Friday from the peak of Rs 100 per kg on November 22. Similarly, in Thiruvananthapuram, the price dropped to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 103 per kg in the said period, the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry showed.
On Friday, in Puducherry, tomato price declined to Rs 45 per kg from Rs 100 per kg on November 22. However, in Hyderabad, the price softened slightly to Rs 72 per kg from Rs 90 per kg that prevailed during two days.
In Bangalore, tomato price in retail markets continued to rule high at Rs 88 per kg. At Port Blair, the price jumped to Rs 143 per kg on Friday from Rs 113 per kg on November 22.
