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Ministers' panel to review ban on onion exports on Tuesday

The Centre's ban on onion export will be reviewed by the Empowered Group of Ministers on Tuesday. The ban came into effect on September 7 on fears that onion prices could rise, stoking food inflation further. The ban has led to agitation by farmers across the country. Maharashtra's farmers, who produce about 33 per cent of the nation's output, have stopped selling onions. Their inventory has increased to about 14 lakh tonnes. In Nashik, the nerve centre of onion trade in .....

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Govt to monitor non-basmati rice exports each fortnight

The government will monitor exports of wheat and non-basmati rice every fortnight in order to keep a tab on the quantity being exported, considering the sensitivity of these food items. Last week, the government had allowed exports of wheat and non-basmati rice under Open General License (OGL). Although, the notification issued by the Commerce Ministry did not mention about any quantitative restrictions, Food Minister K V Thomas had said that exports of these two .....

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Rice shipment returned to India from LA after beetle larvae found in inspection

A 20-foot shipping container of rice has been returned to India after customs authorities in Los Angeles found evidence of a destructive beetle in the shipment. Customs officials said Friday that dead larvae were found on the outer seam of a bag of rice in an inspection earlier this month. Testing came back from the federal laboratories on September 7 that confirmed the dead larvae were Kharpa beetles. The Kharpa beetle is a very destructive pest that eats stored grain, dried plants and .....

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Pakistan hurt badly by floods, looking to India for vegetables

Pakistan is likely to import vegetables from India due to a shortage caused by devastating rains and floods in Sindh, one of the country's main agricultural regions, a leading trader has said. "The country is likely to import vegetables from India in October, like last year, when floods had destroyed vast swathes of farmland," said Haji Shah Jehan, the President of the Welfare Association of Wholesale Vegetable Markets in Karachi. Vegetable and fruit supplies have .....