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Mint
30-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
Surge in summer sowing offers more cushion against food inflation
While summer crops contribute a relatively small share to India's total farm output, gains in acreage—especially in fast-growing crops like pulses, oilseeds, and coarse cereals—can help cushion short-term supply shocks and lay the groundwork for a robust kharif season. The average area sown during the summer is around 7.1 million hectares, though this varies each year based on rainfall and climatic conditions. While the kharif and rabi seasons remain the most productive, summer crops serve a supplementary role. Summer output is not reported separately; it is included in the kharif production estimates released by the agriculture ministry. This uptick in sowing comes at a critical time. India's retail inflation eased to a six-year low in March, driven by a sharp moderation in food prices. Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rose by 3.34% annually in March, lower than the 3.61% registered in February and 4.85% reported in the year-ago period. Food inflation—a more volatile and politically sensitive component—slowed to 2.69% in March from 3.75% in February and a peak of 8.52% in March 2024. While this decline is largely due to a bumper rabi harvest now reaching markets, higher summer output could further stabilize prices in the months ahead. 'Record production of wheat and paddy—key crops of the rabi and kharif seasons—has significantly reduced pressure on the government,' said B.B. Singh, agriculture expert and former additional director general (seeds) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). 'With these (likely) bumper harvests, food prices are expected to remain stable in the near term.' India follows three cropping seasons—rabi, kharif, and summer (or Zaid). The summer window, which runs from March to June, sits between the main rabi harvest and the onset of kharif sowing. These crops typically grow on irrigated land and have shorter growing cycles, making acreage trends a useful early signal of agricultural momentum. As of mid-April, sowing across key summer crops has exceeded the five-year average (2018–19 to 2022-23) and shown strong year-on-year growth. Paddy sowing stood at 3.15 million hectares, up from 2.76 million hectares a year ago, and higher than the five-year average of 3.08 million hectares. Sowing of coarse cereals, or shree anna, reached 1.15 million hectares—up 4% from the normal area of 1.10 million hectares, and 16% higher than the same period last year. Pulses—another key component in food inflation trends—recorded a robust 23% year-on-year rise in sown area, expanding to 1.65 million hectares from 1.34 million hectares. Green gram alone accounted for 1.36 million hectares, the data showed. Oilseeds sowing also rose 4.4% to 916,000 hectares from 785,000 hectares last year, registering a 14% increase over the five-year average of 786,000 hectares. Among individual crops, farmers have planted more green gram (moong), black gram (urad), groundnut, sunflower, and sesame. Acreage under bajra and ragi, however, has declined slightly. The trend is expected to carry over into the upcoming kharif season, with sowing likely to pick up pace after mid-May. In Haryana, paddy transplantation is expected to begin after mid-May. In Punjab, the process has been advanced to 1 June—marking a significant shift from last year, when it began on 11 June. This is the earliest the state has started paddy transplantation since 2009, a senior state agriculture official told Mint. Favourable weather projections have further lifted farmer sentiment. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast an above-normal monsoon for 2025, improving prospects for a strong kharif harvest. A good monsoon will accelerate agricultural output growth and benefit the broader economy, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand told Mint earlier this month. 'A good monsoon will help to keep food inflation below 4%.' First Published: 30 Apr 2025, 02:52 PM IST
India.com
22-04-2025
- India.com
Supreme Court Orders Nationwide Drive To Disburse Pending Compensation From MACTs and Labour Courts
In a landmark move aimed at unlocking thousands of crores worth of unclaimed compensation, the Supreme Court of India has directed all High Courts and State Legal Services Authorities to initiate a time-bound nationwide drive to trace rightful claimants under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923. The case was initiated suo motu following an email from Shri B.B. Pathak, a retired District Judge from Gujarat, who flagged that massive sums meant for accident victims and their families remained undistributed in Motor Accident Claims Tribunals (MACTS) and Labour Courts across the country. A Bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan laid down comprehensive procedural safeguards to ensure the timely disbursement of compensation. These include mandatory bank account verification, streamlined documentation, direct bank transfers, and the creation of a centralised dashboard to track pending amounts. The Court also mandated the involvement of para-legal volunteers, district administration, and the police to trace claimants, and asked State Governments to assist the Legal Services Authorities in implementing these directions. A Coordinated Effort Across High Courts Data submitted during the proceedings revealed staggering figures: Gujarat alone has over ₹288 crore pending under MACT and Labour Court awards, followed closely by other major jurisdictions. The Court relied heavily on submissions from various High Courts and the amicus curiae to understand and address the scale of the issue. Noteworthy Contributions Significantly, the compilation of responses from multiple High Courts was coordinated and submitted by Ms. Vishakha, Advocate-on-Record for the High Court of Gujarat. Her submissions helped the Court contextualise the extent of unclaimed compensation and facilitated the framing of uniform directions to ensure that justice reaches those long entitled to it. Her compilation included not only the raw figures from different states but also practical suggestions that contributed to the Court's final roadmap. Looking Ahead All High Courts have been directed to implement the directions at the earliest and submit compliance reports by July 30, 2025. The matter is now listed for further monitoring on August 18, 2025. This judgment is expected to significantly streamline the disbursement of compensation and reaffirm the Court's commitment to ensuring that legal entitlements translate into real-world relief.
Zawya
10-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Indian sugar mills close early, lifting local prices
Over three dozen sugar mills in India's leading cane-producing states halted operations last week, nearly two months earlier than usual, due to lower cane supplies caused by adverse weather, industry official told Reuters. These early closures suggest India will produce less sugar than initially estimated. Production concerns are lifting local sugar prices and prompting mills to seek higher prices for overseas sales of their limited export quota. The slower pace of shipments from India, the world's second-biggest sugar producer, will support global prices . Indeed, there was a big jump in mill closures this year. At least 37 mills in the western state of Maharashtra, neighboring Karnataka, and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh have closed operations, said a senior industry official, who declined to be named. During the same period last year, only 11 mills had closed. "Last year's drought hit cane yields hard. In many districts, supplies ran out, forcing mills to shut down early," B.B. Thombare, president of the West Indian Sugar Mills Association told Reuters. Many Maharashtra mills are struggling to get enough sugarcane, operating at half their capacity, and will likely close for the season by the end of this month, he said. India's sugar output during the 2024-25 marketing year, ending in September this year, may fall to 27.27 million metric tons, down 14.7% from a year ago, the Indian Sugar and Bio Energy Manufacturers Association estimated last month. However, dealers with global trade houses predict even lower production, given the pace at which mills are closing. "We estimate that production could fall to around 26 million tons," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house. The early closure of mills, along with permission to export 1 million metric tons of sugar, has lifted local prices by 10% in a month. "The rise in local prices has improved mills financially. They are seeking 45,000 rupees per ton or more to supply sugar for exports," said a New-Delhi based dealer with a global trade house. Exports are slow because mills are reluctant to sign contracts immediately, hoping prices will rise further, he said. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
Reuters
10-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indian sugar mills close early, lifting local prices
MUMBAI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Over three dozen sugar mills in India's leading cane-producing states halted operations last week, nearly two months earlier than usual, due to lower cane supplies caused by adverse weather, industry official told Reuters. These early closures suggest India will produce less sugar than initially estimated. Production concerns are lifting local sugar prices and prompting mills to seek higher prices for overseas sales of their limited export quota. The slower pace of shipments from India, the world's second-biggest sugar producer, will support global prices , . Indeed, there was a big jump in mill closures this year. At least 37 mills in the western state of Maharashtra, neighboring Karnataka, and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh have closed operations, said a senior industry official, who declined to be named. During the same period last year, only 11 mills had closed. "Last year's drought hit cane yields hard. In many districts, supplies ran out, forcing mills to shut down early," B.B. Thombare, president of the West Indian Sugar Mills Association told Reuters. Many Maharashtra mills are struggling to get enough sugarcane, operating at half their capacity, and will likely close for the season by the end of this month, he said. India's sugar output during the 2024-25 marketing year, ending in September this year, may fall to 27.27 million metric tons, down 14.7% from a year ago, the Indian Sugar and Bio Energy Manufacturers Association estimated last month. However, dealers with global trade houses predict even lower production, given the pace at which mills are closing. "We estimate that production could fall to around 26 million tons," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house. The early closure of mills, along with permission to export 1 million metric tons of sugar, has lifted local prices by 10% in a month. "The rise in local prices has improved mills financially. They are seeking 45,000 rupees per ton or more to supply sugar for exports," said a New-Delhi based dealer with a global trade house.
