Rice 5% expensive on fears of cyclone Sitrang hitting Bengal crop
The price of rice has risen by about 5% in the last five days over fears that cyclone Sitrang could damage the crop in West Bengal, the largest producer of the grain where harvesting is underway.
However, the prices are expected to soften by 10% within the next fortnight, when the new crop starts arriving from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Maharashtra, according to experts.
Although cyclone Sitrang has not made landfall in India, it has battered coastal regions of Bengal and brought heavy rainfall in Assam.
India gives environmental approval for gene-modified mustard
India has granted environmental clearance for indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) mustard seeds, experts said on Thursday, paving the way for commercial use of its first GM food crop.
The world’s biggest importer of edible oils, on which it spends tens of billions of dollars a year, India fills more than 70% of its demand from Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and Ukraine.
“I can call it a landmark development,” said Deepak Pental, a geneticist and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University, who developed the seeds along with his team, in an effort stretching more than a decade.
Potato, tomato production estimated to be down by 4-5 per cent in 2021-22
According to the agriculture ministry data, potato and tomato production is estimated to have declined by 4-5 per cent during the crop year that ended July 2022, while onion output remained higher than the previous year. The ministry, releasing the third advance estimate of production of horticultural crops, said potato production is pegged to be lower by five per cent at 53.39 million tonnes in 2021-22, as against 56.17 million tonnes in the previous year.
The government releases production estimates at different stages of plant growth and harvesting. Total four estimates are released before the final one.
Production of tomato is also estimated to have declined by four per cent to 20.33 million tonnes as against 21.18 million tonnes in the comparable period.
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