‘Malai poondu’ or hill garlic grown on the hills of Kanthalloor and Vattavada areas of Idukki district of Kerala are known for its unique flavour, pungency, taste, medicinal properties and longer shelf life .But the long crop duration of this indigenous variety of garlic had made the tribal farmers of the area cultivate hybrid varieties.However, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has initiated a study on the farming practices of garlic followed in the region to promote the variety that is on the verge of extinction.Chemical, pesticide use The study, financially supported by the department of agriculture, is aimed at identifying most suitable variety for cultivation and formulate the best farming practices for enhanced and sustainable production of garlic with
Month: October 2018
Agri business, hotels boost ITC profit
ITC Ltd. closed the second quarter with a 11.9% rise in its net profit to ₹2,954.7 crore on a revenue of ₹11,272.5 crore. Cigarette revenues and profits too were higher during the quarter, said a regulatory filing.Revenues were driven mainly by FMCG – others, agri-business and hotels business, the company said in a statement. ITC shares fell by 2.3% on the BSE and 2.7% on the NSE.FMCG boost ITC said that its FMCG-others segment revenues rose 12.7% with most categories improving their market-standing. Profitability improvements were driven by enhanced scale, product-mix enrichment and cost management initiatives, despite costs on brand building, new projects gestation and increased input costs. It included branded packaged foods and personal care products. The company
Flood-hit plantations look for rescue act
The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has estimated the plantation crop loss in the recent floods, mainly in Kerala, parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to be ₹5,543 crore with the highest loss in rubber at ₹1,662 crore followed by coffee at ₹1,360 crore, pepper at ₹1,200 crore and cardamom at ₹1,250 crore. “We have lost approximately 500 hectares of rubber (in Kerala). Small growers could not tap during the rainy days and there is 70% defoliage in some places,” says Santosh Kumar, executive director, Harrisons Malayalam. For big companies, there are instances of even the infrastructure getting damaged. Adding to the woes of the rubber growers are the huge imports this year, expected to be almost
GI tag for Alphonso mango: Happy that the king now has a crown, say traders
Believe GI tag will help weed out ‘cheaper and poorer-quality’ fruit from the Alphonso mango market Traders and exporters in the State have hailed the Central government’s decision to grant the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the ‘king of mangoes’, Alphonso, better known as ‘Hapus’ in Maharashtra.The decision to authenticate the Alphonso from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other parts of the State will not only boost the existing ₹500-crore trade for the fruit, but will also help it stand out in a market flooded with the “cheaper and poorer-quality” supplies from South India, the traders said.“This is a landmark decision. It will help clear up the existing mess in the Alphonso market, in which fake South Indian products are being
Alphonso Mango gets Geographical Indication tag
The first product to get a GI tag in India was Darjeeling tea in 2004. The Alphonso mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra have been accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday.“Alphonso Mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra, finally gets a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag,” the Commerce Ministry said in a release. A Geographical Indication or a GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. Such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to its origin in that defined geographical locality.Other examples
Floor price for rabi crops hiked
In what should come as a boost to farmers, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved raising the minimum support prices of rabi crops such as wheat, barley, gram, masur, rapeseed and mustard, and safflower for 2018-19.“Giving a boost to farmers’ income, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all rabi crops for 2018-19 to be marketed in 2019-20 season,” the government said in a release.“The farmer friendly initiative will give additional return of ₹62,635 crore to the farmers by way of increasing MSP of notified crops to at least 50% return over cost of production and will aid in doubling farmers’ income.”“With the new umbrella scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata