China likely to import more food grains as output declines
The Dollar Business Bureau China is expected to import more grains as compared to last year after the country’s production this year dropped by around 5.2 million tonnes and the planting area dipped and the yield per unit edged down, as per official data. In 2016, China’s total grain output stood at around 616 million tonnes, dropped by around 5.2 million tonnes (about 0.8%), compared with the previous year, according to the data released by the China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The area under grain planting in the country has contracted by about 3.15 lakh hectares, whereas the yield per unit declined by 30.7 kg per hectare, it said. Going through the unbalanced demand and supply among varieties of grain, several areas have cut ...
Agri production on rise despite fall in cultivable area: Govt
PTI The government today said agricultural production has been increasing even though cultivable area has seen a marginal decline. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told the Lok Sabha that state governments have to take suitable measures to check diversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes while Centre is taking steps to increase the cultivable area. "Despite marginal decline in the cultivable area, the agricultural production in the country has been increasing except in the years affected by drought, floods and other natural calamities," Singh said during Question Hour. The average area under cultivation declined to 181.713 million hectares in 2013-14 compared to 182.209 million hectares during the period from 2007-08 to 2011-12, according to official data. As per Agriculture Census ...
Govt halts potash imports owing to drought concerns
This announcement is seen as the first such news by India- the worlds largest fertilizer consumer, on potash imports in years Sai Nikesh | The Dollar Business Early settlement of new subsidy rates, decision on contract volumes already committed for import, remain key factors of concern. Concerned over decline in domestic demand driven by drought-hit scenario in the country, Government of India has reportedly taken decision to halt the imports of potash for the current year till March-end. And negotiations for imports in coming year starting in April are also not likely to happen until June. Potash has always been 100% import dependent. Severe drought conditions and inability to cope up with existing stocks might have enabled government take this decision to halt ...
