20.07.2016

Coconut products launched

Opening up greater market avenue for coconut farmers, three delicious and

healthy products manufactured jointly by the Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (ICAR), Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) here

and the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative

Limited (CAMPCO) were launched in New Delhi on Saturday, marking the

ICAR’s 88th foundation day. The products were launched by Union Agriculture

and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh. ,

Surprise check in shops selling agro inputs

Sale of 4.50 tonnes of fertilizers, 3.63 tonnes of seeds banned

Leaving no stone unturned:Even as the farmers are preparing their fields for

taking up Kar paddy cultivation, the Agriculture officials are busy conducting

surprise checks in shops selling fertilizers and seeds.— Photo: A.

Shaikmohideen

Even as the ‘kar’ paddy season has commenced on a sluggish note as the

southwest monsoon is playing truant, officials attached to the Department of

Agriculture have started conducting surprise checks in the fertilizer, pesticides

and seeds shops to check sale of substandard agro inputs.

So far, stop sale order has been issued for 3.63 tonnes of seeds and 4.50 tonnes

of chemical fertilizers.

Though the erratic southwest monsoon has forced the farmers to rethink about

starting the ‘kar’ paddy season preparations, the Department of Agriculture,

reposing faith in nature, has taken steps for stocking adequate agro inputs

including certified seeds, chemical fertilizers such as urea, di-ammonium

phosphate, potash and complex fertilizer besides bio fertilizers in the district,

ahead of the first paddy season of the calendar year. The agro inputs have been

stocked in the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies and also in the shops

of authorised dealers across the district.

Meanwhile, special teams have been formed to conduct surprise check in the

outlets of fertilizer stockists to check the quality of the chemical nutrients being

sold to farmers.

Though Collector M. Karunakaran announced that the sale of fertilizers at

inflated price or agro inputs without proper permission would lead to

cancellation of licence, farmers complained that some of the major stockists in

the district were daringly flouting this instruction.

Hence, special teams have been instructed to conduct checks in these shops.

“When the teams comprising Assistant Director of Agriculture (Quality

Control) and Agriculture Officers raided 14 fertilizer shops in Tenkasi,

Shencottai and Kadayanallur areas recently, sale of Rs. 1.73 lakh-worth 4.50

tonnes of fertilizers was banned as it had been stocked without permission,”

said L. Perumal, Joint Director of Agriculture (in-charge).

Similar raids are also being conducted to check the quality of seeds, especially

paddy for ‘kar’ paddy cultivation.

“Of the 480 shops selling seeds in the district, surprise checks were conducted

in 410 and 587 seed samples have been taken to be sent for analysis. Since 4

samples were found to be substandard, legal proceedings have been initiated in

one case while departmental action (that includes cancellation of the shop’s

licence) has been taken in the remaining three cases,” Mr. Perumal said.

Consequently, the officials have banned the sale of 3.63 tonnes of seeds, worth

about Rs. 1.11 lakh.

Analysis

Mr. Perumal said the officials have been instructed to collect a minimum of

3,200 seed samples during the current fiscal and 531 of the 587 samples taken

during the surprise checks had been analysed to find only 4 samples as defective

or substandard.

Moreover, 186 fertilizer samples had been taken and 132 of them had been

analysed to find 8 as substandard. In the pesticides section, 1,000 samples

would be taken for analysis during this financial year.

“The Collector has instructed the officials to cancel the licence issued to the

stockists if they dared to sell adulterated or substandard agro inputs,” Mr.

Perumal said.

'Pests destroying almost one-fourth of crops'In India, an estimated 15-25 per

cent of potential crop production is lost due pest, weeds and diseases at a time

when the country needs not only to raise production but also ensure food

security and nutrition for its growing consumption needs.

“There's an urgent need for concerted efforts to forge research and development

led strategy to save the loss of crops due to pests, weeds and diseases,” said

Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, Chairman, Standing Committee of Parliament on

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Mr. Yadav was addressing the sixth National Agrochemicals Conference – 2016

on the theme ‘Next Generation Indian Agriculture – Role of Crop Protection

Solutions’, organised jointly by FICCI and the Department of Agriculture

Cooperation and Farmers Welfare and Department of Chemicals and

Petrochemicals here on Tuesday.

Mr. Yadav expressed concern at the rising menace of spurious pesticides and

suggested that the situation should be tackled collectively by farmer

associations, industry players, government and pesticide regulatory bodies in a

time bound manner.

On the occasion, Mr. Yadav released a Knowledge Paper on the theme of the

conference, prepared by FICCI in association with the Tata Strategic

Management Group.

Paddy sowing yet to pick up

Only 13 per cent of the area has been covered till date

Sowing for different crops cultivated during kharif is in full swing, but in the

case of paddy, jowar, and ragi it is tardy.

Crops have been sown in 13.54 lakh hectares, which is only 33 per cent of the

normal sowing area of 40.96 lakh hectares, till July 13, according to the

Commissionerate of Agriculture.

However, foodgrains, which include coarse grains and pulses, normally sown in

20.83 lakh hectares, have been sown only in 4.26 lakh hectares, which is only

20 per cent of the normal sowing area.

Sowing of rain-fed crops such as bajra, jowar, maize, ragi, red gram, green

gram, black gram, sesamum, sunflower, castor, and chilli is in progress in all the

13 districts.

While paddy is in the nursery stage, the crops sown early such as green gram,

black gram, groundnut, sesamum, and cotton are in the vegetative stage.

According to the Commissionerate, the sowing of paddy, jowar, ragi, horse

gram, castor, sunflower, soya bean, chilli, onion, and turmeric is slow with less

than 25 per cent of the normal area being covered.

While green gram, black gram, and sesamum have been sown in 100 per cent of

the normal area, red gram, groundnut, and sugarcane have been sown in 50-75

per cent of the normal area. Bajra, maize, cotton, and mesta have been sown in

25-50 per cent of the area normally covered.

While sowing is nearing completion in Nellore, it is between 50 and 75 per cent

of normal the area in Anantapur and Chittoor district, between 25 and 50 per

cent in Srikakulam and Kurnool districts, and below 25 per cent in

Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna,

Guntur, Prakasam, and Kadapa districts.

Rainfall has been normal or excess this season in all districts, except Nellore.

Excess rainfall has been recorded in Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and

West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts. Normal rainfall has been

recorded in Srikakulam, Prakasam, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur, and Kurnool

districts.

Paddy, which is normally sown in 16.03 lakh hectares, has been sown only in

2.13 lakh hectares, which is 13 per cent of the normal area.

Groundnut, which is normally sown in 9.30 lakh hectares, has been sown in

5.88 lakh hectares, which is 63 per cent of the normal sowing area.

Similarly, cotton, which is normally sown in 6.41 lakh acres, has been sown

only in 2.03 lakh areas, which is 32 per cent of the normal area.

Seminar on water quality

The Centre for Inland Fish Broodstock Development under the Centre for

Sustainable Aquaculture, Tamil Nadu Fisheries University, conducted a seminar

on water quality analysis in fresh water fish culture, water quality analysis camp

and launch of fisheries voice SMS to benefit 1,000 fish farmers here on

Tuesday.

K. Rathnakumar, acting Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Fisheries University,

distributed water analysis reports to farmers. He detailed the services of the

Centre to freshwater fish culture farmers. J. Stephen Sampath Kumar, Director,

Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, Tamil Nadu Fisheries University and Dean

in-charge, College of Fisheries Engineering, spoke on the need for water quality

analysis in freshwater aquaculture. NABARD District Development Manager

K. Subramanian assured his organisation’s support for intensifying freshwater

fish culture. V. Senthilkumar, Head (in-charge), Centre for Inland Fish

Broodstock Development, detailed the importance of water quality analysis in

fresh water fish farming.

‘15-25 per cent of crop production lost to pests’

An estimated 15-25 per cent of potential crop production is lost in India due to

pest, weeds and diseases. This is at a time when the country should increase

production and ensure food security.

Research and development

“There is an urgent need for concerted efforts to forge a strategy-based on

research and development to save crop loss due to pests, weeds and diseases,”

said Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, chairman of the Standing Committee of

Parliament on Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

He was speaking at the Sixth National Agrochemicals Conference-2016 on the

theme ‘Next Generation Indian Agriculture-Role of Crop Protection Solutions,’

organised by the FICCI and the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and

Farmers Welfare and the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals here on

Tuesday.

Mr. Yadav expressed concern over the rising menace of spurious pesticides and

suggested that it be tackled collectively by farmers’ associations, industry, the

government and pesticide regulatory bodies. He released a knowledge paper on

the theme of the conference, prepared by the FICCI along with the Tata

Strategic Management Group.

Hukmdev Narayan Yadav expresses concern over the rising menace of

spurious pesticides

Separate ministry sought to deal with natural calamities

The BJD and the JD(U) members on Tuesday demanded a separate ministry to

deal with natural calamities like flood and drought, even as they sought a more

pro-active approach by the Centre in releasing funds to affected States.

Participating in a discussion in Rajya Sabha on a Calling Attention Motion

regarding the situation arising due to floods, several leaders also questioned the

official data on damages caused in the calamities and sought steps to put in

place a warning system for floods and cloudbursts.

Responding to the members, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju admitted

that 196 people have lost their lives, 2,184 cattle perished and 38,285 houses

and huts damaged besides 0.357 lakh hectares of crop area damaged this year

due to floods.

“Primary responsibility lies with States”

He, however, said the primary responsibility to deal with natural calamities lies

with the State government concerned.

Maintaining that the country received heavy rainfall from June to September

each year during the southwest monsoons, he said “the rainfall during this

period accounts for about 70-90 per cent of the total rainfall over India. As a

consequence of this rainfall, flooding of rivers is a natural phenomenon.”

Dilip Kumar Tirkey (BJD) sought a separate Ministry to deal with the

calamities saying the present system of having the department under the Home

Ministry, was not functioning well.

He got support from JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav who questioned the

effectiveness of the National Disaster Management Authority and also

demanded a separate Ministry to take care of the matter.

Many other leaders questions the effectiveness of the concerned authorities and

agencies.

“You talk about steps taken after the flood, but what are the steps being taken

for prevention of flood,” questioned A U Singh Deo of BJD.

Urban flooding

He said that there was urban flooding, river side flooding and flooding in the

hills due to various reasons, including rampant construction activity. - PTI

Water released from Kelavarapalli dam

Minister for Animal Husbandry Balakrishna Reddy opened the shutters of

Kelavarapalli dam to release water for irrigation on Tuesday.

Water was released from Kelavarapalli dam to bring a total of 8,000 acres of

garden lands for irrigation on Tuesday.

A total of 88 cusecs of water will be released from left and right canals on turn

system for the 145-day cultivation period.

Water is being released to irrigate 5,918 acres from the left canal and 2,082

acres from the left canal.

Villages

A total of 22 villages - Thattaganapalli, Boodhinatham, Bethamuthaali, Muthali,

Athur, Kadiraepalli, Marachandiram, Kothur, Thorapalli, Moranapalli,

Tiruchipalli, Kamthotty, Thinur, Subagiri, Koneripalli, Samanapalli,

Chinnakollu, Bethakollu, Chennathur, Atakurukki, Nallaganakothapalli, and

Mathaandapalli - are expected to benefit from waters of Kelavarapalli for the

current crop period.

About 26 cusecs of water will be released from the left canal and 62 cusecs

from the right canal. Water is being released on turns of 10 days each, with a 5-

day halt in the release between each turn.

Earlier, Minister for Animal Husbandry Balakrishna Reddy opened the sluices

to the canals.

High temperatures may cut coffee production by 8 p.c.

India’s coffee production is expected to drop by 8.05 per cent during 2016-17

compared to a record production of 3.48 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 owing to high

temperature during summer months.

For the year 2016-17, the Coffee Board placed the post-blossom crop forecast at

3.20 lakh tonnes, comprising one lakh tonnes of Arabica and 2.20 lakh tonnes of

Robusta, an overall decline of 28,000 tonnes (-8.05%) over the previous year.

The drop is mainly in Karnataka (22,175 tonnes) followed by Kerala (6,730

tonnes). The causes could be the delayed blossom and showers coupled with

high temperatures especially in major coffee growing areas of Karnataka and

Kerala.

In most of the coffee areas of Karnataka, estates with irrigation facilities have

irrigated their Robusta plantations for one round of blossom during February-

March and with one round of backing irrigation. However, due to absence of

subsequent natural showers, even the irrigated estates have suffered some

setback due to prevailing high temperatures, according to Coffee Board

officials.

Scattered, uneven blossom

Coffee growing regions of Karnataka received the first spell of summer showers

only in April and these showers were scanty and isolated. These showers did not

cause any blossom in Arabica estates but resulted in scattered, uneven blossom

in un-irrigated Robusta fields, which constitute about 40 per cent of the Robusta

area in Karnataka.

Officials said this resulted in pinking and scorching of buds in Robusta. The

growers were unable to take up supplementary irrigations to top up the scanty

showers due to drying up of water resources.

The post-blossom estimate of Arabica for 2016-17 has shown a decrease of -

3.38% (3,500 tonnes) over the corresponding figure of 2015-16, while the

Robusta estimate has shown a decrease of -10.02 per cent (24,500 tonnes) over

the last year’s figure (2015-16).

79 farmers get soil health cards in Naganpally

In a combined effort including the corporate houses and the State Government,

the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

has been facilitating soil health cards for farmers.

The ICRISAT coordinated the soil testing from the individual farm level

identified by the Geographic Information System (GIS) including

micronutrients.

Soil samples

The farmers were trained in collecting their own soil samples.

Soil nutrient deficiencies were then identified in ICRISAT laboratories and

fertilizer recommendations given separately for 16 different crops (ranging from

paddy to millets) for individual farmers.

As many as 79 farmers of Naganpally village received their soil health card and

individual fertilizer recommendations on Tuesday.

The next step would be to conduct on-farm trials to show the yield gains and net

profits. This was part of the CSR of Ramoji Foundation in two villages. Other

villages have been helped through CSR of SABMiller (10 villages) and Asian

Paints (6 villages), and with the Medak Collector (20 villages).

First State

Karnataka is the first State to have achieved soil micronutrient mapping at farm

level across the whole state. The initiative with farmers was monitored and

recorded to lead to 20 to 66 percent productivity gains over all districts.

“Soil heath card is vital to a holistic approach.

ICRISAT has a strong belief in a holistic approach, as any one intervention will

only deliver its full advantage when all part of the value chain are also

developed. Typically this includes watershed management, access to seeds of

improved crop varieties, integration with livestock, on-farm practices including

water use efficiency, links to markets, processing and agribusiness,” said Dr

Suhas P Wani, Director ICRISAT Development Centre.

Over 1.22 crore saplings planted in Karimnagar till date

The district has planted a total of over 1.22 crore saplings during the Haritha

Haram programme till date from July 8 against the target of four crore saplings,

said Collector Neetu Prasad.

Participating in the programme at Kondagattu JNTU at Veldurthi village along

the shores of Godavari on Tuesday, the Collector said they would continue

planting saplings for another 20 to 25 days and achieve the target.

She said people from all sections were taking part in the programme in the

district.

She asked people to protect the saplings and water them regularly.

The Collector said they were distributing fruit-bearing saplings to people and

teak saplings to farmers to plant along the bunds. Jagtial legislator T. Jeevan

Reddy, Sub-Collector K. Sashanka and others were also present on the

occasion.

Mass plantation drive

NTPC Ramagundam organised a mass plantation drive at Telangana Super

Thermal Power Project stage-I site as part of Haritha Haram programme in

Ramagundam on Tuesday.

NTPC executive director Prasant Kumar Mohapatra, deputy chief inspector of

factories Praveen Kumar, general manager (technical services) S.R. Bhavaraju,

general managers U.K. Dasgupta, V.M. Rajan, M.N. Prasad, Y. Srinivas,

Mathew Varghese and others participated.

Since its inception, the NTPC Ramagundam has planted over 13.50 lakh

saplings and has developed green cover in the industrial area.

Now, South Kolkata can click & shop from first govt-run grocery market

The six stalls of Sufal Bangla Store — a joint initiative of Sufal Bangla, Mother

Dairy and Haringhata Meat — would only deliver to houses that fall within a

distance of 2 km from the market on Rajani Mukherjee Road.

At the online grocery market at New Alipore in Kolkata on Tuesday.

KOLKATA ON Tuesday got its first online state-run grocery market, where one

would be able to buy fresh vegetables, fruit and meat. However, only people

staying in and around New Alipore would be able to avail the facility.

The six stalls of Sufal Bangla Store — a joint initiative of Sufal Bangla, Mother

Dairy and Haringhata Meat — would only deliver to houses that fall within a

distance of 2 km from the market on Rajani Mukherjee Road. The stalls were

inaugurated by Minister Partha Chatterjee on Tuesday.

Besides buying commodities physically, consumers can also order online at the

stalls. For this, they would have to log on to Sufal Bangla’s website. “Orders

would be accepted twice a day — between 8 am and 9 am and again between 4

pm and 5 pm. Free home delivery would be made within three hours for every

purchase over Rs 500. At the moment, the home delivery facility will be

available only within a distance of 2 km. Soon, it will be extended to 3 km,”

said Agriculture Marketing Minister Tapan Dasgupta.

At present, while they are only six Sufal Bangla stalls at the market on Rajani

Mukherjee Road, officials said within three months, 16 such outlets would be

opened in and around Kolkata, including Salt Lake.

“While prices will be fixed everyday, it would be ensured that fruits and

vegetables cost at least Rs 2 to 4 less than the market rates. As far as quality is

concerned, a quality control process would be implemented so that people get

their money’s worth,” said Jayanta Chowdhury, a member of Bharatiya Kisan

Udyog — one of the eight associations that have streamlined the process of

procuring produce from farmers directly and selling the same at the store.

It is being ensured that farmers, who supply fruits, vegetables and foodgrains at

the market, are paid 70 to 80 per cent of the MRP, he added.

Local councillor Tarak Singh said the fisheries department had expressed

interest in opening an outlet at the store. “There is also a plan to open an eatery

here to attract more people,” he added.

Surging chana prices surpass tur for the first time

Trade blames supply shortage amid rising demand; prices may cool off in

October

In what could be a first in commodity trading, prices of chana (chickpea or

bengal gram) are ruling higher than tur (arhar or red gram) in several markets.

While the depleting stocks have been driving up chana prices in recent weeks,

the expectations of a better crop on a surge in kharif acreages has resulted in a

softening trend in the prices of tur.

While the trade attributes the chana price rise to a shortfall in supplies and rising

demand, pulses growers, who are sceptical, said that speculation could be

fuelling the rally.

Traders in key pulses markets such as Indore and Delhi said that chana is ruling

higher than tur for the first time in the history of commodity trading. “Chana

had never seen this kind of a price,” said Pradip Kumar Jindal, President of the

Pulses and Beans Importers Association in Delhi, attributing the trend to the

lower domestic crop and depletion of imported stocks.

On the NCDEX, the chana contract expiring on July 20 ended 4 per cent higher

at 9,020 a quintal, while the August contract also ended 4 per cent higher at

8,788 on Tuesday. Following the sharp increase in futures prices, market

regulator SEBI had banned the launch of new chana contracts last month.

At Dahod in Gujarat, the modal price for tur stood at 7,500 a quintal on

Tuesday, whereas the price of gram was at 8,650. In Delhi, spot chana prices

were at 9,028 on Tuesday, while in Indore the prices stood at 8,593.

The rally in chana also perked up its dal prices with chana dal (average) being

quoted at 10,500-700, chana dal (medium) at 10,700-900, while chana dal

(bold) was quoted at 11,000-11,200, in Indore.

Trade sources said adverse weather had shrunk the 2015-16 domestic chana

crop to around 5.5 million tonnes from 7.33 million tonnes last year. Also

depletion of imported stocks from Australia, estimated to be around 4-5 lakh

tonnes, also resulted in an uptrend in prices.

Jindal said chana prices will start cooling off once imports of the new crop

arrive from Australia, where the next crop that will be harvested in October is

bigger in size at 1.3 million tonnes as against 1 million tonnes last year. “For the

next two months till arrival of a fresh lot of imported chana from Australia in

September-October this year, chana prices are expected to fluctuate between

8,500 and 9,000 a quintal. However, once imported chana hits local mandis

in October, chana prices may decline by 1,000-1,500,” said Prakash Vora, a

trader in Indore.

Tur range-bound

On the other hand, tur is also ruling range-bound between 8,500 and 9,000 a

quintal as the pressure of imported stock has reigned in an uptrend.

Also, the import of tur from Mozambique, which is expected to hit the domestic

market by October-November, in all likelihood is to keep prices under control.

Bearish sentiment in tur will also be supported by expectations of a better crop

report and surge in sowing area.

Till last Friday, tur acreage stood at 29.19 lakh hectares — up 57 per cent over

last year’s 18.62 lh with Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and

Telangana reporting higher acreages.

“But for a recent break in rains, the acreage this year would have been much

higher,” said Basavaraj Ingin, President of Tur Growers Association in

Gulbarga, the tur bowl of Karnataka. Terming the recent divergent trend in

chana and tur prices as ‘peculiar,’ Ingin said that speculators could be driving

the market.

Tur (Maharashtra) prices hit the 10,000-mark in April-May this year, while tur

dal prices at the retail level have touched 210/kg in several markets.

Though the tur prices have begun to soften, consumers may see a respite with a

lag. Currently, tur dal prices in the mandis are ranging between 13,000-14,000

a quintal in Indore.

Following the steep rise in prices of pulses and pulse seeds in April, the Centre

had impose stock limit in pulse seeds. Because of processing costs at the mill

level, tur dal is normally quoted 25-30 per cent higher in the retail market.

(With inputs from Our Indore Correspondent)

After rally, guar prices set to stabilise

Higher carry-over stocks, limited overseas buying cap the upside

The rally in guar futures may face resistance in coming weeks on expectations

of possible corrections due to higher carryover stocks and limited export

demand.

This recent boost in prices is mainly on reports of lower estimates of sowing

area. In the past month, on the National Commodity and Derivative Exchange

(NCDEX), the prices of its gum and seed have witnessed a jump of more than

33 per cent to 6,630 a quintal and 18 per cent to 3,600, respectively.

Guar prices have been declining in the last two years and this sudden jump in

prices may encourage farmers and stockists to sell their stocks in the physical

market, when demand is still not substantial to drive up prices.

Acreage drop

Preliminary reports coming from the major growing States of Rajasthan,

Haryana and Gujarat see a drop of guar planting during this kharif season due to

a shift to pulses, cotton and other cash crops.

According to Agriculture Department reports, the area under guarseed was

down 40.20 per cent in Rajasthan at 7.89 lakh hectares (lh) as on July 11 from

13.1 lh last year.

In Haryana, area under guarseed crop was lagging behind by 83 per cent at

35,000 hectares, while in Gujarat only 4,400 hectares were sown compared to

58,200 hectares last year.

Lower acreage may result in guarseed production falling by half from about

24.5 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2015-16.

Guar seed is the raw material for guar gum, which is in demand for fracking of

shale gas, particularly in the US.

As per the data released by the Department of Commerce, guar product exports

in the current marketing year (2015-16) have touched a six-year low of 3.66 lt

(6.35 lt).

Moreover, during the first two months of financial year 2016-17, exports were

down 12 per cent at 52, 244 tonnes (59,549 tonnes).

Price outlook

The annual consumption of guar in last two years was pegged between 15 and

18 lt against the total production of over 25 lt.

Thus, the country is expected to have a carryover stock of over 15 lt. Even if the

crop declines by half, the total availability will be around 25-27 lt.

Further pressure

This may put further pressure on prices if exports do not pick up. We expect

NCDEX October contracts for guarseed will have stiff resistance at around

4,000/4,200 per quintal (CMP: 3,830) and guar gum at 8,000/8,300 per

quintal (CMP: 7,200).

Prices may break these resistance points in the case of higher crude oil prices

and higher export demand for guar gum.

The writer is Associate Director - Commodities & Currencies Business, Equity

Research & Advisory – Angel Broking. Views are personal.

Rains ease over Central India, move North

The Australian Bureau says that North India and adjacent regions may see

further significant rainfall totals in the coming week

The India Met Department confirmed on Tuesday that the axis of the monsoon

has migrated entirely to the foothills of the Himalayas, where it would stay

anchored for an as-yet-undisclosed period of time.

The belt of heavy rains, too, has shifted in tandem to North India and North-

East India as well as to the East Coast and parts of the West Coast.

Abrupt change

The monsoon was expected to run into a weak phase after its initial run over the

country but the abrupt change after a bull run in the first week of July came as a

surprise.

Typically, July delivers 32 per cent of the monsoon rainfall during the four-

month season. June chips in with 17 per cent, August, 28 per cent and

September, 23 per cent.

As the monsoon readies to get past the first 20 days of July, the question

uppermost in the minds of weather watchers is what the rainiest month has in

store this year.

Central India and the South Peninsula, except the West Coast, are currently

going through a lean phase, which is likely to extend through the week.

Rains in the East

As is normally the pattern during a weak phase, rains have started pelting parts

of the East Coast, including Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology agrees that the strength of the monsoon

flows over the Indian sub-continent has eased.

Most models indicate that the monsoon-driving Madden-Julian Oscillation

(MJO) wave will remain at moderate levels over the Indian Ocean for the next

week.

Monsoon flows over India are likely to continue and possibly be reinvigorated

in due course but mostly over South India, according to other global models.

Ocean signals

The Australian Bureau says that North India and adjacent regions may see

further significant rainfall totals in the coming week.

In other developments, the negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has

strengthened.

IOD events (positive and negative) mimic El Nino-La Nina in the Indian Ocean,

of which the negative IOD phase is not particularly helpful for the Indian

monsoon.

And in the Pacific, an expected La Nina has failed to materialise yet.

Here again, the Indian monsoon finds itself handicapped since a full-fledged La

Nina event has mostly, if not always, worked to its advantage.

Although La Nina remains possible, the recent model outlooks have eased their

forecasts for the event in 2016. Current observations do not show any indication

that La Nina is underway.

Turmeric gains colour on demand

Spot turmeric prices at Erode markets increased on Tuesday as some traders

received upcountry orders. “Traders purchased 65 per cent of the total inflow of

3,200 bags . No stockists purchased the spice,” said R KV Ravishankar,

President, Erode Turmeric Merchants Association. At the Erode Turmeric

Merchants Association, the finger turmeric went for 7,699-9,269 a quintal; the

root variety 7,466-8,539. Of the arrival of 1,113 bags, 621 were sold.

Grievance day meeting for farmers to be held on July 29

Farm workers working at a field in Coimbatore. (TOI photo by J Jackson for

representation)

Grievances day meeting for farmers will be held at the district collectorate on

July 29 at 10am. District collector T N Hariharan will conduct the meeting and

farmers from Coimbatore district can participate in the meeting and lodge their

petitions .

Traffic diversion: The city police is going to bring traffic diversion at Hope

College area on Avinashi Road from Wednesday. Vehicles coming to Avinashi

Road from Thanneerpanthal road will have to use Tidal Park Road and reach

Avinashi Road via Coimbatore Medical College traffic signal.

Vehicles coming from Kamarajar Road and Masakkalipalayam Road will have

to take U turn near Ranganathan Petrol Bunk near Fun Republic mall on

Avinashi Road.

Two detained under Goondas Act: District collector TN Hariharan has detained

three prisoners under Goondas Act on Monday. M Kumar, 41, and C

Chinnathambi, 38, both from Kovilpalayam were involved in theft cases in

various places in Coimbatore district. Likewise, R Rangasamy, 40, from

Pichanur was involved attempt to murder and murder cases in KG Chavadi

police station limits.

The trio has been spending their days in Coimbatore central prison. The rural

police referred their names to be detained under Goondas Act to prevent crimes.

The order copies were served to them on Monday.

Two held for possessing ganja: Two people were arrested for possession of

ganja for sales at Kuniyamuthur Government higher secondary school on

Monday and police seized 150 grams of ganja from them.

Kuniyamuthur police sub-inspector L Kandasamy and team were on rounds

near the school and found M Sulaiman, 27, from Athupalam and I Sanbeer, 25,

from Kuniyamuthur with ganja packets.

Telangana farmers start soil health cards

Distribution of soil health cards among farmers in Telangana began on Tuesday

under a combination of government and corporate social responsibility (CSR)

projects.

The initiative is expected to make farming profitable.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

(ICRISAT) coordinated the soil testing down to individual farm level identified

by the Geographic Information System(GIS) coordinates and including

micronutrients.

The farmers were trained on collecting their own soil samples. Soil nutrient

deficiencies were then identified in ICRISAT laboratories and fertilizer

recommendations given separately for 16 different crops, ranging from paddy to

millets, for individual farmers, said a statement by ICRISAT.

Following these recommendations, farmers can save money by not over

fertilizing as well as maximizing yields.

A total of 79 farmers in Naganpally village received their soil health cards and

individual fertilizer recommendations.

The next steps will be to conduct on-farm trials to show the yield gains and net

profits.

This was part of the CSR of Ramoji Foundation in two villages. Other villages

have been helped through CSR of SABMiller (10 villages) and Asian Paints (6

villages), and through the Medak Collector (20 villages).

Karnataka is the first state to have achieved soil micronutrient mapping at farm

level across the whole state. This was published in a Soil Fertility Atlas by the

Karnataka government and ICRISAT five years ago. It is currently the only

Indian state to have achieved this.

"Soil heath cards are one key step in a holistic approach. ICRISAT has a strong

belief in a holistic approach, as any one intervention will only deliver its full

advantage when all part of the value chain are also developed.

"Typically this includes watershed management, access to seeds of improved

crop varieties, integration with livestock, on-farm practices including water use

efficiency, links to markets, processing and agribusiness," said Suhas P. Wani,

Director ICRISAT Development Centre.

WEATHER FARMER

Pune, July 19 () Farmers' weather bulletin for

Pune, July 19 () Farmers' weather bulletin for Maharashtra and Goa state.

Forecast valid until the morning of 24th July 2016:

For 19 July: Rain/thundershowers are very likely at most places over Konkan

and Goa; at many places over Madhya Maharashtra and at a few places over

Marathwada and Vidarbha.

For 20 July: Rain/thundershowers are very likely at most places over Konkan

and Goa; at a few places over Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha and at

isolated places over Marathwada.

For 21 July: Rain/thundershowers are very likely at most places over Konkan

and Goa; at many places over Marathwada and Vidarbha and.at a few places

over Madhya Maharashtra.

For 22 and 23 July: Rain/thundershowers are very likely at most places over

Konkan and Goa; at many places over Madhya Maharashtra Marathwada and

Vidarbha.

Heavy rainfall warning:

For 19 July: Heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over

Konkan and Goa. Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Madhya

Maharashtra.

For 20 July: Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Konkan and Goa.

For 21 July: Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Konkan and Goa,

Marathwada and Vidarbha.

For 22 July: Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Konkan and Goa,

Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

For 23 July: Heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over

Konkan and Goa. Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Madhya

Maharashtra and Marathwada.

Outlook: No large change. Kolhapur

25.8

21.1 Panjim

30.1

23.8 Ratnagiri

29.2

23.5 Sholapur

30.6

22.5 Satara

26.6

21.3 Sangli

26.2

20.7 BAS NP

Onion farmers earn more by selling directly

Reeling under the nine-day-old indefinite strike of traders at the APMC

markets, onion farmers have started to sell their produce directly to the

consumers.

Satana-based farmer Rajesh Ghuge brought 30 quintals of onions to Nashik and

sold it near Untawadi at Rs 12 per kg throughout the day.

There are several such farmers, who have turned to consumers directly, selling

their produce at moderate rates of Rs 12 per kg. In the retail market, onions are

sold in the range of Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg. While the farmers are getting better

prices for their produce, compared to the prices in APMCs, the consumers also

get onions at reasonable rates.

Onion traders are on an indefinite strike from July 9 in protest against the

government's decision to delist agricultural produce from APMC Act and also

levy commission on traders, instead of farmers. This has farmers in a tight spot

as they need the money from their produce for kharif sowing. So, they have

started selling onions directly to consumers in Nashik, Thane, Mumbai and

Palghar.

Rahul Ghuge, an onion farmer from Satana, said, "I have 200 quintals of

summer onions in storage. I needed money for kharif sowing and also for

buying fertilisers. Finally, I took 30 quintals in a vehicle and came to Nashik

city. I packed onions in bags of 10 kg and sold it at Rs 120 per bag. I didn't have

to pay any commission to anyone and the transport cost was Rs 1 per kg. I got a

better price than the prices I get in the APMCs."

Ghuge added, "I earned Rs 33,000 after reducing the transportation cost of Rs

3,000. Considering the current wholesale prices, I would have earned only Rs

18,000 for 30 quintals of onion at the APMC market."

Ravi Kapadnis, another onion farmer, said: "Earlier, I was worried since I had

450 quintals of onions in storage yards. Finally, I decided to sell onions directly

to consumers. In the past four days, I sold 150 quintals of onions at Rs 12 to Rs

13 a kg. I took onions in vehicles through colonies in cities and sold it directly

to consumers. Now I realised, how selling directly to consumers is profitable."

Kapadnis added, "I sold onion at Rs 12 per kg in Nashik and Rs 13 per kg in

Thane. After cutting expenses, I got Rs 11 per kg and I had to pay no

commission. Consumers also got onions cheaper by around Rs 3 per kg."

Himachal Pradesh farmers get training in vegetable cultivation at PAU

The farmers of Pachhad block, district Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh received

training in "Cultivation, Post-Harvest Management and Processing of

Vegetables" at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). The course was

organized under the guidance of R.S. Sidhu, Director of Extension Education,

PAU.

T.S. Riar, Course Coordinator, said that the agriculture scientists threw light on

the scope of vegetable cultivation for crop diversification, cultivation of

vegetables in low tunnels, techniques of nursery growing of vegetables, seed

production of vegetable crops, management of diseases and insect-pests in

vegetable crops, and their post-harvest management. Besides, experts dwelt on

cultivation of vegetables in net and poly houses, he informed. The experts were

from the Departments of Vegetable Science, Food Science and Technology,

Processing and Food Engineering, and Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest

Technology Centre (PHPTC).

Rupinder Kaur, Professor of Extension Education, while proposing vote of

thanks, urged the trainees to equip other farmers with these useful techniques.

Meanwhile, a two-day training course on "Home Preparations during Rainy

Season" kicked off at PAU on Tuesday. Farm women and rural youths are

participating in the course. On the first day, home science experts educated the

trainees about care and maintenance of clothes and household articles during

rainy season, and also gave tips for management of ailments and problems of

children during rainy season. Besides, experts would give demonstrations on

preparation of ready to serve drinks and nutritious puras. In addition, trainees

would be imparted practical training in preparation of soap, detergent and eco-

friendly cleaning agents.

Farmers want more water from Mettur for kuruvai crop

Farmers from Trichy district hope the recent showers during evening hours will

be very helpful for their kuruvai paddy crop which has been raised in about

8,500 acres across the district. However, they have appealed to the state

government to discharge a minimum of 3,000 cusecs water into the Cauvery

from the Mettur reservoir to maintain the ground water table.

Sources from the agriculture department say farmers in Trichy district,

particularly those from Musiri, Thottiam, Lalgudi, Thiruverumbur,

Manachanallur taluks and Anthanallur and Manikandam unions have brought

more area under kuruvai cultivation.

"Farmers from Lalgudi who are raising kuruvai crops in about 2,000 acres are

relieved as they have been witnessing moderate rainfall for the past few days.

However, how far it would safeguard the crops till harvesting is a big question

mark," said N Veerasekaran, coordinator, Ayyan Vaikkal Irrigation Farmers

Association.

According to available data, water inflow into the Mettur reservoir from

Karnataka dams has gone up from 10,000 cusecs to more than 13,000 cusecs

and the water level in the Mettur reservoir was 51 feet on Monday. A total of

2,000 cusecs water has been discharged for drinking water purposes.

"Since all the irrigation canals in the district, particularly in Lalgudi, are almost

dry, there is an immediate need to increase water discharge from the Mettur

dam that would flow into the canals to sustain the ground water table that is

essential to keep the paddy crop alive. The state government should increase the

water release to 3,000 cusecs before 'aadi perukku' (aadi monsoon festival),"

Veerasekaran said adding that there was a past history of releasing water before

full-fledged water release from the reservoir.

Keeping in mind the scarcity of water, the state government recently announced

a special package of Rs 54.65 crore to the farming community for the fifth

consecutive year to take up kuruvai, said Ayilai Siva Suriyan, district secretary,

Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam (affiliated to the CPI).

Competition Commission of India kicks off probe into rise in

High prices of pulses have fuelled consu

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has initiated an

inquiry into the alleged anti

pulses. The competition watchdog has formed an internal panel t

market forces controlling the prices of pulses as the commodity has experienced

a significant price rise in the last one year.

"We have initiated a study to find out various factors controlling the price, so

that we could get to know the structure of this market," a senior CCI official

told ET.

Competition Commission of India kicks off probe into rise in

High prices of pulses have fuelled consumer inflation.

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has initiated an

inquiry into the alleged anti-competitive practices behind the surging prices of

pulses. The competition watchdog has formed an internal panel t

market forces controlling the prices of pulses as the commodity has experienced

a significant price rise in the last one year.

"We have initiated a study to find out various factors controlling the price, so

ould get to know the structure of this market," a senior CCI official

Competition Commission of India kicks off probe into rise in pulses prices

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has initiated an

competitive practices behind the surging prices of

pulses. The competition watchdog has formed an internal panel to study the

market forces controlling the prices of pulses as the commodity has experienced

"We have initiated a study to find out various factors controlling the price, so

ould get to know the structure of this market," a senior CCI official

"Steady rise in price of pulses in the past few months had raised doubts that it

can't be only seasonal variation in demand and supply.

Some anticompetitive forces could also drive the prices north." Retail prices of

various varieties of pulses have been hovering around Rs 200 per kg.

The government has set up a panel under chief economic adviser Arvind

Subramaniam to suggest ways to cool the prices and to boost the supply.

High prices of pulses have fuelled consumer inflation. India is expected to

produce around 17 million tonne pulses this year against a consumption of over

25 mt, leaving a gap that is met with imports.

The competition regulator will study the nationwide structure of the market

starting from farm to wholesale dealers and retailers, keeping in mind the

seasonal supply and demand of various pulses.

The panel will give its report within two months.

"The study is a part of our overall effort to understand unfair business practices

in the agriculture sector," the official added.

"The primary objective of the baseline study is to collect information and

credible evidences on competition issues in the concerned sector and present the

same in an analytical manner," he said.

PHARMA AND HEALTHCARE

CCI will also soon carry out a detailed study of the pharma and healthcare

services sectors in the National Capital Region.

An expert firm will be asked to conduct the study on behalf on the fair trade

regulator.

Public and private hospitals, insurance companies, pharma firms and their

associations and doctors would be covered under the study.

"For this study, we are soon going to engage an expert agency," the official said.

A similar study is being initiated by the regulator suo moto to understand the

market structure of ecommerce firms.

Haryana to launch loan scheme for vegetable, fruit growers

Chief Minister Manohar Lal has approved a proposal to this effect, an official

spokesperson said on Tuesday.

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government is set to launch a programme to

provide loans to groups formed by vegetable and fruit growers to help them

increase production as well as improve the storage, processing and marketing of

their produce to generate better returns.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal has approved a proposal to this effect, an official

spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The scheme seeks to help farmers add value to their produce by processing

them so that they get higher prices.

It aims to provide financial assistance to create infrastructure for marketing,

processing and storage of horticulture produce in the cooperative sector and

finance for proper post-harvest operations.

It envisages the formation of clusters consisting of vegetable and fruit growers

through societies, the spokesperson said.

All the registered societies engaged in the cultivation, post-harvest

management, processing and marketing of vegetables and fruits would be

eligible for the loan.

The societies would have to invest the loan amount and would be responsible

for the distribution of ingredients to the members as per their requirement.

The produce would be sorted and sold collectively by the societies and the

profit would be distributed among the members.

For loans up to Rs 5 lakh, the societies don't have to provide any collateral, the

spokesperson said. For amounts beyond that, security equivalent to at least one-

and-half times the loan amount would be required.

These loans would be for three years to seven years, and would be recoverable

on a half-yearly basis.