The arrival of domestic produce and imported stock has cooled down onion prices, though the maximum retail price as recorded on the Department of Consumer Affairs website is unchanged at ₹160/kg on Thursday
The retail price of the bulb has moderated at many centres, but remains elevated at some
The fresh arrival of domestic produce and imported stock cooled down onion prices in different parts of the country, though the maximum retail price as recorded on the Department of Consumer Affairs website stayed unchanged at ₹160/kg on Thursday. The minimum price, however, rose to ₹50/kg from ₹40 on Wednesday, as the retail price in Jhansi climbed by ₹10/kg.
Intervention by State governments helped consumers get some respite from the high prices. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered that the bulb be sold at ₹59/kg in fair price shops.
A notification by Puducherry’s Civil Supplies Department on Wednesday barring wholesale dealers from stocking more than 2.5 tonnes each of the bulb is expected to bring down prices in the Union Territory. The retail price of the bulb there was ₹90/kg on Thursday.
Onion prices continued to slide in Panaji, declining to ₹110/kg on Thursday from ₹140 on Wednesday. In Kerala, too, prices fell by ₹10-15/kg. From ₹160-165/kg earlier this week it has come down to ₹130/140. In comparison, prices in Jhansi and Kanpur increased by ₹10-20/kg.
Zone-wise data
In the North, onions were the most expensive in Meerut, at ₹120/kg, and most affordable in Jhansi, at ₹50/kg.
In the West, it was retailing at ₹120/kg in Ambikapur and Jagdalpur and at ₹50/kg in Jaipur, Udaipur, Sagar and Gwalior, all of which lie in the onion-growing belt.
In the East, onions were retailing at a high of ₹120/kg in Kolkata, Purulia and Raiganj, and at a low of ₹69/kg in Gaya.
In the South, the prices were the highest in Mayabunder (Andaman), at ₹160/kg, and the least in Hyderabad and Jadcherla, where it cost only ₹75/kg.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing its flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a Public Private Partnership organization. The NSDC has facilitated creation of Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) that are industry led bodies to ensure addressing skill requirements of various sectors. The scheme promotes skilling of manpower in various sectors including agriculture through the Agriculture Sector Skill Council.
There are basically 3 kind of training routes under the scheme – Short term Training (STT) for fresh skilling of school / college drop outs and unemployed youth, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to recognize the existing skills and Special Projects to address skilling requirements of the vulnerable groups and permit flexibility in conduct of Short Term Training. RPL under PMKVY has been able to undertake up-skilling of farmers via bridge course training through some of the projects.
The scheme is being implemented across the country spanning 37 sectors including agriculture sector. Under PMKVY2016-2020, as on 11 November 2019, over 5 lakh candidates have been trained in Agriculture sector. More than 300 candidates have been trained in Beekeeper Job role. In past three years, 67 training courses in Beekeeping & 60 training courses in Animal husbandry has been done by NSDC Training Provider. The beneficiaries have been oriented in skills such as ‘Group Farming Practitioner’ which enables farmers to increase productivity and income by establishing market linkages and buy – back arrangements. Beneficiaries are being enrolled pan India including for job roles such as Dairy Farmer, Organic Grower, Floriculturist, Gardener and Pulses Cultivator etc.
Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship R.K. Singh gave this information in the Lok Sabha.
Jana Sena senior leader Nadendla Manohar urged the people to support solidarity with the Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s one-day fast in Kakinada on December 12 seeking a solution to the problems faced by farmers in the state. He said in a statement that Jana Sena leaders, activists and sympathizers should come to Kakinada to support the party president.
“Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has failed to address the problems of the farmers of the two Godavari districts of who are deeply embarrassed by the YCP government and said that the farmers in the area are facing great difficulties,” Manohar said.
While visiting Pawan Kalyan’s paddy purchasing centres, he said that there were many irregularities. “RTC’s retired employee Sambi Reddy has died while standing in a queue to buy onions,” he added. The former Andhra Pradesh speaker alleged that the YCP government failed miserably in addressing the onion crisis.
Researchers from Institute for Social and Economic Change say price will stabilise only by March 2020
The price of onion in the country spikes every two years and this is largely triggered by a series of factors, including drought, late arrival of monsoon, floods, crop failure, and supply disruptions, according to a recent study. The current sharp spike in onion price is expected to continue till at least March next year, the study says.
Onion rates have been ruling high for the past few weeks in the backdrop of crop failure in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and delayed kharif harvest in Maharashtra owing to late sowing.
The problem was aggregated this year by the damage caused by floods in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Karnataka, said the study titled ‘Price volatility and major causes in demand and supply management of onion in India’ (2019) by Manjunath A.V., Khalil Shaha and Maruthi I., faculty members of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru.
The study entrusted by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare noted that the country had witnessed spikes in onion price in 2013, 2015 and 2017, and now in 2019, almost every alternate year.
The area under onion cultivation has gone up from 0.25 million hectares in 1980-81 to 1.2 million hectares in 2017-18, while production has increased from 2.5 million tonnes to 21.4 million tones. Since onion undoubtedly assumed a significant portion in the food basket of Indian households due to its usage, the annual consumption increased to 18 million tonnes, an increase of 3% a year, said the study.
A significant proportion of production comes from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The 10 States accounted for about 90.7% of total onion production and 88.7% of total area under onion.
A total of 34 districts across the country account for almost 52.11% of the all-India production. For example, three districts — namely Nasik, Pune and Ahmednagar — account for more than two-third of production and almost 60% of total area under onion cultivation in Maharashtra. Similarly, in Karnataka, the major onion-growing districts are Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Chitradurga, and Dharwad. The cultivation in U.P. and Bihar is quite diversified across the districts than those of other States.
The post-harvest losses of the crop range from 2% to 20%. “The storage quality of onion from the Rabi season is far better and there is higher shelf life due to dry days and low moisture in the soil. The produce can be stored for 4 to 6 months,” notes the study. The quality of produce in the Kharif is by and large poor due to high moisture content. Further, curing and drying of onion bulbs becomes difficult due to high moisture content, the study says.
Recommending several measures, the study favoured promotion of the crop in non-traditional areas of U.P. by facilitating technology, necessary infrastructure and extension, provision of buffer stocking to counter shortage in the peak months, and judicious use of price stabilisation fund to monitor and stabilise fluctuations in the onion price.
Implementation of market intervention schemes in the event of surplus production and proper implementation of APMC Act, with regular monitoring of market functionaries would solve the issue of shortage price hike.
Onion prices continued to rise in many cities across the country, though the maximum recorded by government agencies on Saturday remained unchanged at Rs 165 a kilo. In Wayanad and Thiruvanthapuram, onion prices climbed Rs 5-10 a kilo from the Friday’s level.
Onions continued to be most affordable in Jhansi, but prices of the bulb shot up in Vijayawada. Here’s a look at the cities where onion prices were the highest and the lowest on Saturday, December 7.
Five cities where onion prices are highest on December 7, 2019
Five cities where onion prices are lowest on December 7, 2019
World Soil Day 2019: Current Theme, History and Key Facts
World Soil Day
World Soil Day also highlight the growing problem due to population expansion. Therefore, it is necessary to take a step to reduce the erosion of soil, to maintain fertility so that food safety can be ensured.
Soil is made up of minerals, organic matter and air in different proportions. It is important for life as it provides the medium for the growth of a plant, habitat for several insects and other organisms. It also acts as a filtration system for surface water and in the maintenance of atmospheric gases. It is the source of four essential ‘living’ factors including food, clothes, shelter, and medicine. Therefore, conservation of soil is necessary. So, to raise awareness about soil loss, World Soil Day is celebrated on 5 December.
World Soil Day 2019: Theme
The theme of World Soil Day 2019 is “Stop Soil Erosion, Save our Future”. The theme focuses on the increasing challenges in soil management and raises the profile of healthy soil by encouraging organisations, governments, communities, and individuals around the world to work towards improving the soil health and its conservation.
World Soil Day: History
In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences recommended to celebrate World Soil Day annually on 5 December. Also, FAO supported the formal establishment of World Soil Day as a global awareness-raising platform under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand and within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership. The conference of FAO was unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013 and requested its official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly. In December 2013, UN General Assembly at the 68th session declared 5 December as World Soil Day. The first World Soil Day was celebrated on 5 December, 2014.
Do you know why is 5 December chosen as World Soil Day?
Because this date corresponds the birthday of the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand. He was one of the main proponents of this initiative.
What is Soil Conservation and its methods?
Soil conversation is the method to preserve soil. There are several reasons for the loss in soil fertility including over-use, erosion, salinisation and chemical contamination.
Soil erosion is when top soil is removed which is important for nutrients, micro-organisms that are necessary for plant growth and its shine. Let us tell you that soil conservation is one such step that protects the soil from being washed away. There are various ways to conserve the soil.
Techniques and methods to conserve soil are as follows:
1. Contour Ploughing: Instead of planting the crop, contour ploughing is done to get the desired farmland. It is done for farmland on slopes to prevent run off improve crop yields. Or to minimise the soil erosion, ploughing is done along the contours of the land.
Terrace farming: It is a method of carving multiple, flat levelled areas into hills. It is done to prevent run off and hold the soil nutrients in the beds.
Windbreaks: To prevent wind erosion, in this method trees are grown in dense patterns around the farmland.
Crop Rotation: To make soil valuable in nutrients crop rotation technique is followed. Like turnips and radishes are rotated with cash crops to maintain the nutrient value of the soil.
Agrostological Measures: In heavily eroded areas, grasses are planted and this technique is known as Agrostological Measures. It increases the nutrient level in the soils and when the grass is harvested it can be used as a fodder for cattle.
No-till farming: Without changing the topography of the soil crops are grown all year round by tilling or contouring. This method increases the amount of water that penetrates the soil and can increase the organic matter of the soil which leads to larger yields.
Green Manures: Green manures are grown to fertilise the farmland on which it grows. This technique can improve the structure of the soil and suppresses the growth of weeds.
Salinity Management: When water evaporates from the soil, salt is left and can lead to damage to the soil and nutrient loss. Humic acids are used to prevent this. And saltbush is also grown to rejuvenate the soils and replace the loss of the nutrients.
Earthworms: Earthworms have great benefits of farm land as they burrow under the ground and provide more area for water to rest. The excreta of the earthworms in the soil provide nutrients to the crops. They also help to prevent soil erosion and will lead to larger crop yields.
Therefore, World Soil Day is celebrated on 5 December annually to raise awareness about the importance of soil in our lives.
The onino price rise has left citizens teary-eyed as the onion prices in wholesale markets have touched Rs 100 per Kg and the prices are expected to soar till February.
Retail price of onions nearing Rs 100 per kilogram in some states. (Photo: PTI)
The onino price rise has left citizens teary-eyed as the onion prices in wholesale markets have touched Rs 100 per Kg and the prices are expected to soar till February. India Today TV went to different whole sale onion markets throughout the onion producing state to get a firsthand account from onion merchants.
Swapnil Belhkar, one of the merchant at Gultekdi whole sale market said, “On any given day, Pune market gets 70 to 80 trucks of onion from adjoining districts as well as some trucks arrive from across the state like Karnataka. But since last 10 to 15 days, this market has been getting only 20 trucks of onion.”
Experts say that due to the shortage of onion crop, the prices have shot up and touched Rs 100 in the whole
sale markets. But not all onion farmers have benefited from the price rise. Four out of five farmers complained that their onion crop did not fetch appropriate price because of the poor quality. While a farmer from Shirur tehsil , Babanrao Thorat had a broad smile as his onion produce as he sold onion Rs 100 per kg.
The Director of Nafed Nasik region Nana Saheb Patil explained the reason of soaring. He said ‘the monthly onion consumption of India is 15 lakh metric tons. Which means daily requirement of India is 50 thousand metric tons of onion. As of now the daily supply is just 10 to 12 % of the requirement and this is the reason that the prices have touched Rs100 /- mark in the whole sale markets.’
Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday asked state governments to crackdown on traders hoarding onions, create buffer stocks and distribute imported edible bulb at a reasonable rate in order to provide relief to common man from soaring prices. The Centre has already banned onion exports
Source: India Today Link:indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/farmers-didn-t-gain-rise-onion-prices-1624591-2019-12-03
Amid the flutter caused by BJP leader Pankaja Munde after she removed her party’s name from her Twitter bio, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Monday said she was not leaving the party.
“The BJP leaders are in touch with Pankaja Munde. She is introspecting after her defeat but it does not mean she is leaving the BJP,” Mr. Patil told reporters in Mumbai.
He also refuted Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that many leaders were keen on joining the Uddhav Thackeray- led party.
“The accidental government that has come up in Maharashtra is spreading such baseless news. She may be having good family relations with Thackerays but it does not mean she is joining the Sena,” Mr. Patil said.MAHARASHTRA
Many people on their way to Shiv Sena, says Sanjay Raut
After speculation of senior BJP leader and former minister Pankaja Munde being upset with the party, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said, “We will find out about her on December 12. Many people are on their way to Shiv Sena.”
Reacting to BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde’s statement regarding funds being sent back to Centre, senior Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said, “This is surprising and shocking. I hope both the Central and State government will take note of this, inquire into it. The CM has made it clear that farmers need to be given financial aid.”MAHARASHTRA
Returning funds treachery of Maharashtra: Shiva Sena
The Shiv Sena on Monday described BJP MP Ananthkumar Hegde’s claim that Devendra Fadnavis was made CM last month despite lacking majority only to ‘protect’ ₹40,000 crore central funds from being ‘misused’ as treachery of Maharashtra.
Calling the purported act of Fadnavis as treachery, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said Mr. Fadnavis and the BJP were “criminals” of people of Maharashtra.
The state Chief Secretary and CM Uddhav Thackeray will clarify on the issue, Mr. Raut said.
Fadnavis denies Hegde’s claim
Reacting to Mr. Hegde’s claim, Mr. Fadnavis said, “No such major policy decision has been taken by me as CM. All such allegations are false.”
Mr. Hegde claimed Mr. Fadnavis was made chief minister of Maharashtra last month despite lacking majority only to ’protect’ ₹40,000 crore central funds under the CM’s control from being ‘misused’. — PTIKARNATAKA
Fadnavis made CM for second time to ‘protect’ ₹40k crore central funds: BJP MP Ananthkumar Hegde
Former union minister and BJP MP Ananthkumar Hegde has claimed his party colleague Devendra Fadnavis was made chief minister in Maharashtra last month despite lacking majority only to ‘protect’ ₹40,000 crore central funds under the CM’s control from being ‘misused’
Days after Fadnavis resigned barely 80 hours after taking oath for the second time as chief minister, Hegde, known for making controversial statements, sought to give a new twist to the episode describing the government formation by the BJP as a ‘drama’ played out to ensure that the funds meant for development works were ‘protected’.
“You all know that recently in Maharashtra for just 80 hours our person was Chief Minister, but soon Fadnavis resigned. Why did we have to do this drama? Din’t we know- despite knowing we don’t have majority, why did he become CM? This is the question commonly every one ask,” Mr. Hegde said.
Addressing a gathering, reportedly during campaign in bypoll-bound Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, he said, “More than about ₹ 40,000 crore was under CM’s control. If NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena come to power certainly that ₹40,000 crore would not have gone for development work and would have gone for different things (misused).”
“It was entirely planned earlier itself. Once we got to know (about three parties forming government) it was decided that a drama has to be played out. So, adjustments were made and oath was taken (by Fadnavis as CM), after oath within 15 hours Fadnavis systematically ensured that it (money) reaches where it had to and protected it,” the BJP leader said, speaking in Kannada. — PTIMAHARASHTRA
Will never dump Hindutva, says Uddhav Thackeray
Notwithstanding the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine mentioning the word “secular” in the preamble of its Common Minimum Programme (CMP), Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on December 1 said he would never abandon the ideology of Hindutva.
Mr. Thackeray, who heads the Sena, told the Legislative Assembly that the ideology of Hindutva cannot be separated from him.
“I am still with the ideology of Hindutva which cannot be separated from me,” he said while addressing the special session.Read more
Hope Fadnavis won’t repeat mistakes he made as CM: Sena
The Shiv Sena on Monday expressed hope that Devendra Fadnavis, as leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, would not repeat the mistakes which he committed while being the state’s chief minister.
Attacking Mr. Fadnavis again over the hush-hush ceremony in which he was sworn in as Chief Minister on November 23 but had to quit 80 hours later, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said the BJP has lost a face having mass appeal.
It claimed that people have drifted away from the BJP. “The current support that the BJP has (of its own MLAs and Independents) is unlikely to remain with the party. Whatever is happening to the party is the outcome of its previous deeds,” the Sena said.
Maharashtra BJP legislature party leader Fadnavis was on Sunday named leader of opposition (LoP) in the Assembly.
“Fadnavis should remember he has gone down in history as a person who was illegally sworn in by keeping everybody in the dark and without having majority,” the Sena said.
He was on that (chief minister’s) post for only “80 hours”. If he wants to get rid of that image, he should go by rules to work as leader of the opposition and take tuitions from senior BJP leader and former LoP Eknath Khadse, the Sena said in sarcastic remarks.
“Fadnavis should maintain the dignity of the leader of opposition’s post and not repeat the mistakes which he made earlier as Chief Minister of Maharashtra,” it opined.JHARKHAND
BJP puts up a brave face amid tribal discomfort
A few days before the Jharkhand Assembly election got under way, the Union government withdrew amendments to the Forest Rights Act (FRA), which had evoked sustained protests by tribal and environmental activists. It was an acknowledgement by the ruling party that tribal sentiments were hurt by the amendments that would dilute tribal rights over forests.
Proposed changes to the FRA are not the only problem facing the BJP when it comes to tribal communities in the State, which account for nearly 27% of the votes and 28 reserved seats in the 81-member Assembly. Analysts say 25 constituencies have a dominating tribal presence.
The BJP’s problems got compounded when the Raghubar Das government tried to amend the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act to facilitate easier land acquisition norms.
After protests by Opposition and tribal groups, these amendments, too, were withdrawn.Read more KARNATAKA
Will Siddaramaiah quit if BJP wins all seats, asks Jagadish Shettar
Large and Medium Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said here on Sunday that he wanted to know whether Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah would resign if the BJP won all 15 seats in the bypolls.
He was responding to a challenge by Mr. Siddaramaiah to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to quit if the BJP failed to win at least eight of the 15 Assembly seats going to the bypolls.
Mr. Shettar maintained that there was no question of Mr. Yediyurappa resigning as the party was confident of winning all seats.
The Opposition parties will come out of their delusion of forming a government again in State on December 9, he remarked.
“Moreover, the Opposition is talking of forming a coalition government in the State again to divert the attention of people. They will not succeed and Mr. Yediyurappa will continue as Chief Minister for the next 42 months,” he said.TAMIL NADU
We are exposing DMK’s hypocrisy, not targeting Stalin personally: Vanathi Srinivasan
DMK president M.K. Stalin feels irritated on seeing the colour saffron, and the BJP is only exposing the DMK’s hypocrisy and double standards on various issues, not targeting its leader personally, says BJP State general secretary S. Vanathi Srinivasan. Excerpts:
BJP working president J.P. Nadda held a meeting with the party’s State Committee and Core Committee on Saturday. Were any important decisions taken?
He addressed the State office-bearers for about 20 minutes and motivated them. After that, we had the State Core Committee meeting, where we discussed the political situation in Tamil Nadu and the advantages we have been enjoying and the disadvantages we have been facing. The proposed local body polls were also discussed, and we expressed our opinion on the matter.
And what is that opinion? Going it alone?
No…so far, no decision has been taken. Mr. Nadda may consult with [party president] Amit Shah and other people involved in organisational matters, because it is an important decision as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned. It may take some time. We have expressed the wishes of our cadre to him.
The BJP appears particularly critical of DMK president M.K. Stalin, though his party has been out of power since 2011. Why?
May I ask why Mr. Stalin is targeting Prime Minister Modi? Even for issues remotely connected or not connected at all to the PM, he is targeting Mr. Modi. It is all political. There is no personal vengeance. Whatever may be our party’s stand on issues, it is quite natural and obvious [for us to criticise Mr. Stalin] since he’s the Opposition leader. In Tamil Nadu, he is leading the UPA. Wherever there is an anti-Modi brigade, he is joining hands with them
Telephone numbers of farmers from Sambalpur, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Malkangiri districts were selected in a random manner.
BHUBANESWAR: Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Ranendra Pratap Swain on Saturday called farmers of several western Odisha districts over telephone to enquire about paddy purchased from them at mandis and whether payment was made to them on time.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) is one of the six departments which will come under Mo Sarkar charter from December 1.
Telephone numbers of farmers from Sambalpur, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Malkangiri districts were selected in a random manner. The Minister called the farmers as part of the guidelines for the implementation of Mo Sarkar and 5T initiative.
The Minister made a surprise visit to the office of the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited here and talked to farmers from its call centre. He first called Gunamani Nag, a farmer of Gobindpur village in Dhankaudi block of Sambalpur district.
The Minister had telephonic discussion with 20 farmers including Tikeswar Panigrahi of Karnapali village in Sambalpur, D Adilaxmi of Bargarh, Durgaprasad Singh of Nuapada, Rushimani Sahu of Mahalinga village in Kalahandi district and Bikash Mondal of Malkangiri district.
Sources said the Minister’s discussion with the farmers was satisfactory. The farmers said they have received money after selling paddy at the mandis.
The Minister assured the farmers that steps have been initiated to streamline the paddy procurement system to make it more transparent and requested them to bring to his notice any problems faced by them in this regard.Delay in procurement of paddy due to introduction of centralised token system was a major issue in the recently concluded winter session of the Assembly.
Opposition BJP and Congress members who created noisy scenes over the issue on most of days demanded withdrawal of the centralised token system. Farmers from different parts of the State also launched agitation over the delay in procurement and lack of infrastructure in the mandis.
Health and police departments have already been included in the Mo Sarkar programme from the beginning. Five other departments to come under the purview of Mo Sarkar charter from December 1 are FS&CW, Women and Child Development, Cooperation, Panchayati Raj, and Commerce and Transport.
Vanilla farming seems to have brought a flavour of success to a handful of farmers in Kerala at a time when prices of other plantation crops are moving southward.
Because of lower production, prices of dry vanilla beans is hovering between ₹22,000 and ₹30,000 a kg, depending on quality.
“It cannot be said that prices are declining, but there is a slight correction from last year’s higher levels,” Joseph Sebastain, a vanilla farmer in Thankamony in Idukki district said.
Higher returns from the crop had encouraged more farmers to take up vanilla cultivation where the number has gone up to 3,000 in regions spread across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Sebastain, who recently travelled to some growing countries, told BusinessLine that currently there are no issues connected with vanilla prices in India. However, countries such as Indonesia, Uganda, Madagascar have already started cultivating new crop, which would take two more years to get the yield. There could be a correction in prices by 2021 when the production from these countries hit the global market, he added.
According to him, the production in India has registered a 10 per cent growth, touching around 40 tonnes, thanks to a conducive climate prevailing in producing regions. However, there is no official data to substantiate production figures and the months of October, November and December are considered as the harvest season of vanilla. Majority of the farmers here are now looking at export market in a big way, as the top variety realising prices in the range between $475 and $490. Currently, green vanilla season is going on in India at a price tag in the range between ₹4,000 and ₹4,500 per kg, which is abnormally high. This has fetched an earning of ₹20 lakh per acre. It is the third year in a row such high prices for vanilla are prevailing and it is unlikely to sustain next year, said R Mahendran of ExpoVan and Indian Vanilla Initiative.
Farmers say vanilla is a labour-intensive crop and it requires manual pollination of flowers. This has forced majority to abstain from its cultivation because of the shortage of workers in the plantation sector. Besides, the price volatility is also posing a problem in taking the cultivation of the crop.
World Soil Day
