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Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- Indian Express
Why PAU is reassessing PR-126 variety nine years after introduction: ‘timing holds the key'
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) recently released a survey report on different sowing timings for the PR-126 rice variety from June to August to inform farmers how these varying sowing periods affect the yield, moisture level and the milling out-turn ratio (OTR) of this variety. After 'conducting all required tests and trials', PAU introduced this variety in Punjab in 2016. Considered one of the PAU's best paddy varieties so far in terms of short duration, good yield, resistance to pests and consistently desirable OTR, among other qualities, a large area under rice cultivation in the state is producing this variety. However, ahead of the paddy transplanting season in Punjab in June, PAU undertook a fresh survey on the performance of this variety — why? That too, after nine years, given a large area in Punjab, is already producing PR-126 variety. The Indian Express explains: Paddy is an extremely water-intensive crop, and despite a severe groundwater crisis in Punjab, the area under paddy cultivation has been increasing every passing year. Last year, the state recorded the highest 32.44 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation, producing different varieties, ranging from short to medium to long-duration types. In such a scenario, shifting to shorter-duration paddy varieties is one of the best options to conserve water. That's how the PR-126 variety comes in. After its introduction in 2016, this variety quickly gained popularity among farmers due to its shorter growth period, high yield (over 30 quintals per acre), minimal pesticide requirements and excellent OTR. PR-126 matures in just 93 days after a 25 to 30 days of transplantation, using less water, producing less straw (making residue management easier), and providing a longer gap between rice harvesting and wheat sowing. This is also resistant to major pests and diseases, reducing the input cost significantly. In 2023, PR-126 was cultivated over approximately 8.59 lakh hectares, almost 33 per cent of the total area under non-Basmati paddy cultivation in Punjab. This increased to 43 per cent this year. Additionally, PAU sold around 7,500 quintals of PR-126 seeds this year, in addition to seeds saved by farmers and produced by several paddy seed breeders in the state. Last year, rice millers raised a large hue and cry about the procurement of PR-126 and several high-yield (up to 36 to 38 quintals per acre) hybrid paddy varieties by the government. They refused to store itin their mills, claiming the OTR of this variety did not meet the specifications of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) set at a minimum of 67 per cent, and alower OTR means they will have to pay from their pockets to the FCI. Procurement is carried out by the government or private agencies based on FCI's specifications. The major parameters for purchase at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) include — grain moisture content not exceeding 17 per cent, and mixture of lower-class grains not more than 6 per cent, damaged, discoloured, sprouted, or weevilled grains should not be above 5 per cent and immature, shrunken or shrivelled grains should not more than 3 per cent. PAU strongly argued that it releases any new variety after rigorous testing for three years on all possible parameters, including yield, OTR, and pest resistance. However, millers remained adamant and refused to store PR-126 and several other hybrid paddy varieties, citing low OTR. Later, the government intervened and millers stored it. Thus, PAU initiated this survey to dispel this notion and demonstrate the variety's relevance and profitability for farmers and the environment. Recently, issues related to inconsistent yields, high grain moisture, and milling quality surfaced, especially when PR-126 is transplanted too early or too late, or when aged seedlings are used. According to the survey, out of the 43% area covered by PR-126 during Kharif 2024, a sizeable portion was transplanted very late (from the second fortnight of July to August 10). This area was typically transplanted after summer maize—a practice PAU does not advocate. The very late transplanting resulted in issues with yield, grain moisture content, and milling quality. Key findings from the survey reveal that PR-126 performs best when transplanted between June 25 and July 15, using 25–30-day-old seedlings, as very early and very late transplantation led to yield reduction. Aged seedlings (35-45 days) can reduce yield by 7.8 per cent to 18.9 per cent. After July 15, yield, grain quality and milling recovery begin to decline. As a result, PAU is advising farmers to transplant PR-126 between late June and mid-July, use 25–30-day-old seedlings, avoid very late transplanting (after July 15), and ensure proper drying and handling for better grain quality to maximise productivity. Is case of banned hybrid varieties in Punjab similar to PR-126? Like PR-126, the notified hybrid paddy varieties — also cultivated in Punjab for several years — have been blamed for low OTR last year only. Experts from the seed industry suggest that harvest moisture content, rather than the seed variety, may be a key factor affecting milling outcomes. 'Optimal milling requires grain to be harvested with 22-23 per cent moisture, dried to 16-17 per cent for procurement, and milled at 13-14 per cent,' they explain. Delayed procurement, often due to bad weather conditions from late sowing and logistical bottlenecks, can lead to excessive field drying, causing grain breakage and lowering OTR regardless of the variety.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Expand loan facility to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies: Amit Shah
Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday called for immediate action to expand the loan facility to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), to improve their financial condition. Reviewing the scheme to build the world's largest cooperative food grain storage network, Shah emphasised the extensive involvement of PACS in the food storage scheme. "It is necessary to make PACS an integral part of this scheme so that the financial viability and social effectiveness of PACS can be ensured," he said. Shah directed the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution and Food Corporation of India (FCI) to conduct national-level mapping of warehouses across the country, so that the implementation of the scheme can be done smoothly as per regional requirements, according to an official statement. The minister also instructed FCI, National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and State Warehousing Corporations to connect PACS with as many warehouses as possible. It was decided in the meeting that states should involve more PACS at their level in the scheme, and State-Level Marketing Federations should also be linked with it to develop a complete cooperative supply chain. Shah called upon all organisations to coordinate and implement the scheme in a timely and effective manner so that it proves to be a milestone in achieving the goal of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi'. The minister said there are two major parameters to measure economic progress in India -- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment generation. The food storage scheme is meant to strengthen both these aspects, aiming to increase the income of PACS as well as create rural employment opportunities. Apart from Ministers of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar and Murlidhar Mohol, officials from the Ministry of Cooperation, Food and Public Distribution, Consumer Affairs, FCI, NABARD, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and other institutions were present in the meeting. Currently, there are more than 1 lakh PACS in India according to the National Cooperative Database Portal. The AIF was launched in 2020 to provide medium- to long-term debt financing for the development of agriculture infrastructure across the country. The scheme was initially set for a ten-year period (2020-2030) but has been extended to 2032-33.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside tough Miami jail where sick Scots softplay paedo has been banged up
The prison has been home to a range of notorious criminals BEHIND BARS Inside tough Miami jail where sick Scots softplay paedo has been banged up A SICK Scots soft play paedo has been banged up in a tough US jail which previously held a military dictator and the disgraced manager of the Back Street Boys. Steven Paul McInally, 37, was sentenced to 25 years in the US after he was caught with child abuse images when he arrived in the States for a holiday. Advertisement 5 Steven Paul McInally was jailed for 25 years in the US 5 McInally's soft play centre has been shut down 5 FCI Miami has been rocked by a string of violent incidents The perv from Tollcross, Glasgow, is now being held at the Federal Correctional Institution Miami. The jail has been rocked by a string of violent incidents — in May last year it was put in lockdown after a bloody brawls between rival gangs saw four injured in a housing unit, including two stabbed, in May 2024. And in April 2023 a riot involving more than 100 inmates broke out in the recreation yard and staff recovered a number of weapons. The low security nick was previously home to shameless music mogul Lou Pearlman who fleeced Backstreet Boys and NSYNC out of millions. Advertisement Other notable inmates include former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega who was locked up for drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. And last year, former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, was held there for a contempt of Congress conviction. Photos show the red-roofed jail beneath a cloudless sky with a lake at the centre of buildings. It was previously known as the Metropolitan Correctional Center Miami but renamed in 2000 and is now classed as a 'low security facility' with around 979 inmates. Advertisement The jail has a campus-like architecture with a lake in the middle of its compound and inmates are housed two or three to a cell. They have access to high school diploma classes, recreation programs and an institutional commissary. Inside evil Southport killer's cushy jail life where he STILL gets Maltesers, crisps & other treats despite guard attack Despite the tough edge inmates can choose from hundreds of items, including ice cream, soft drinks, sweets and savoury snacks, meds and grooming products - like baby shampoo. Cons can also purchase luxury items, including watches, radios, MP-3 players, headphones, sunglasses and posh toilet paper. Advertisement Last year, US politicians proposed to change the prison's name to the 'Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution'. A former union prison warden union boss said most inmates are in for about five years but warned of conflicts with cons who are there 20 years to life. Twisted McInally's release date has been set for December 2044, according to his profile on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. He was jailed following a probe by US Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. Advertisement We told how the beast landed at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, Florida, in August 2023. US cops demanded the married dad-of-three open his phone and discovered around 3,900 disgusting images and 70 videos of child abuse and was arrested. Police Scotland cops then swooped on the soft play he owns, Go Wild in Glasgow's Bridgeton. The depraved soft play boss pled guilty to the charges on November 1 last year. Advertisement He was sentenced in February this year. Police Scotland said they were liaising closely with American authorities and making enquiries into any offences which may have been committed in Scotland. 5 Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was previously held at FCI Miami 5 Boy-band creator Lou Perlman was also jailed at the tough prison Advertisement A FBOP prison spokesman said: 'We can confirm Steven Paul McInally is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) at the Federal Correctional Institution Miami, and he has a projected release date of December 12, 2044.'
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
How IMF has forced Pakistan to reform its farm sector
Can one imagine India dismantling minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement operations in wheat and rice? Or the government dissolving the Food Corporation of India (FCI)? Both political and economic considerations – not risking farmer displeasure and ensuring adequate grain reserves for the public distribution system, as well as to curb excessive open market price volatility – practically rule these out. But Pakistan has done that and much more – under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Pakistan government did not declare any MSP for the 2024-25 wheat crop, sown in November-December and being marketed from April. Nor has Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Ltd – PASSCO, the country's equivalent of FCI – procured a single tonne this time. Last year, the MSP for the 2023-24 crop was fixed at Rs 3,900 per maund (40 kg), i.e. Rs 9,750/quintal, and PASSCO procured 1.79 million tonnes (mt) of the cereal grain. Reform at gunpoint Pakistan's decision to dispense with MSP and government procurement of wheat has been externally forced, part of conditionality linked to an Extended Fund Facility loan of $7,113-million from the IMF, to be disbursed from the 2024-25 to 2027-28 fiscal years (FY: July-June). The so-called memorandum of economic and financial policies, submitted by the Pakistan government to the IMF for availing the loan, has clearly stated that in the case of wheat 'we have abstained from announcing support prices and undertaking provincial procurement operations during the 2025 Rabi season and are committed to continue this approach going forward'. That's not all. The memorandum has also committed to 'winding down PASSCO' under an overall plan to 'phase out federal and provincial government price-setting for agricultural commodities by end-FY26'. Pakistan's Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, confirmed in the National Assembly earlier this month that PASSCO is being 'wound up', as the government isn't any longer buying wheat or regulating its prices. It has already appointed a consultancy firm, TAGM & Co, to assess the total value of PASSCO's warehouses, offices and other assets, and formulate a winding-up plan for the 51-year-old corporation 'within three months'. But it's not just MSP, procurement and PASSCO. The memorandum given to the IMF has promised to review all relevant legislation underpinning government interventions in commodity markets 'by end-December 2025'. These include the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977 (similar to India's Essential Commodities Act of 1955) and provincial laws such as the Punjab Foodstuffs (Control) Act, 1958 and the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 2005. If these weren't enough, all the four provinces of Pakistan – Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – have amended their individual Agriculture Income Tax legislation. These have now been fully aligned with the federal-level personal and corporate income tax regimes applicable for ordinary farmers and commercial agriculture respectively. The amendments will enable taxation of farm incomes to 'commence from January 1, 2025'. The contrast with India India hasn't been under any IMF-guided programme since June 1993, when it borrowed the last tranche of a Standby Arrangement loan of 2,207.925 million SDR (special drawing rights), equivalent to $2,394 million. This loan, taken between April 1991 and June 1993 when the country was facing a balance of payments (BOP) crisis like Pakistan is today, got completely repaid by May 31, 2000. With no IMF conditionality linked to financial assistance, there's no question of any reforms in India being imposed from outside, leave alone at gunpoint. Government agencies here have so far procured almost 30 mt of the 2024-25 wheat crop at the MSP of Rs 2,425 per quintal (the Indian rupee is over 3.3 times the Pakistani rupee). They have further purchased 85.5 mt of paddy (equivalent to 57.3 mt of milled rice) at the MSP of Rs 2,300-2,320 per quintal. Apart from MSP procurement and stocking of grain by FCI, India provides subsidies on fertilisers, electricity for irrigation and canal water, crop credit, insurance premium and other farm inputs. Income from agriculture attracts no tax either. Agriculture reforms in India – especially those leading to distorted cropping patterns (more rice, wheat and sugarcane being grown at the expense of pulses, oilseeds, maize, cotton and millets) and promoting inefficient/excessive use of nitrogen and water – are less likely under any BOP crisis-induced, IMF-dictated external pressure of the sort seen in 1991. The Central government's having to repeal the three farm laws liberalising trade in agricultural produce – which it had pushed through Parliament in September 2020 – demonstrates the limitations of reform by central fiat under the given political economy realities. The impetus to farm reform in India is more likely to come from internal fiscal, as opposed to external BOP, pressures. And that would probably be at an individual state level (Punjab, for instance) rather than from the Centre. Production comparisons The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects Pakistan's wheat production in 2024-25 (that crop is now being marketed) at 28.5 mt, down from last year's record 31.44 mt. The decline is due to a reduction in area sown, from 9.6 million to 9.1 million hectares. That, in turn, is attributed to the Pakistan government's decision to discontinue MSP procurement and also dry weather. Since October 2024 and throughout the growing season, rainfall was below average and temperatures well above average. While wheat is a largely irrigated crop, the 2-3 showers normally received during the winter-spring months help in supplementing irrigation water and positively impacting yields. Wheat is Pakistan's staple food, with its per capita consumption of around 124 kg per year being 'one of the highest in the world', according to USDA. The agency projects the country's consumption in 2025-26 at 31.5 mt, which will then necessitate imports. Pakistan was forced to import 3.59 mt in 2023-24 (May-April) and 2.73 mt in the previous marketing year. It's the opposite situation in rice, where Pakistan's annual production of 9.75-9.8 mt is way ahead of domestic consumption of 4.1-4.2 mt. That makes Pakistan an exporter of rice, the world's fourth largest after India, Vietnam and Thailand. Pakistan's rice shipments were at 6.49 mt in 2023-24 and 5.5 mt in 2024-25. The accompanying table shows Pakistan to be a significant producer of wheat, rice, maize and cotton. While its output of these crops is lower than India's, a more appropriate comparison would be with Uttar Pradesh (which has almost the same population) and Punjab (having similar growing conditions). Pakistan scores reasonably on the above counts, although the medium and long-term impact of the IMF-imposed reforms, plus more resources going towards military spending ('guns versus butter'), on its agricultural economy remains to be seen. Harish Damodaran is National Rural Affairs & Agriculture Editor of The Indian Express. A journalist with over 33 years of experience in agri-business and macroeconomic policy reporting and analysis, he has previously worked with the Press Trust of India (1991-94) and The Hindu Business Line (1994-2014). ... Read More
Qatar Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
No imports needed: India wheat harvest defies speculation
Agencies A strong wheat harvest in India is rapidly replenishing stocks, meaning the country will be able to meet domestic demand without imports this year, contrary to market talk that it would need overseas supplies, and a potential drag on global prices. India banned exports of the staple in 2022 and extended the prohibition as extreme heat shriveled crops again in 2023 and 2024, draining reserves, pushing prices to record highs and fuelling speculation it would need imports for the first time since 2017. But things are improving for the world's No.2 wheat producer, with early state inventory purchases signaling that this year's crop is about 4 million tons bigger than last year's, six industry and government officials said. 'After barely scraping through without imports in recent years, the country finally seems to be out of the woods and free from the fear of having to import wheat,' said Amit Takkar, chief of New Delhi-based farm consultancy Conifer Commodities. The Food Corporation of India, the state stockpiler, has bought 29.7 million metric tons of new-season wheat from domestic farmers - the most in four years - after missing procurement targets for three consecutive years. FCI's total wheat purchases could rise to 32 million-32.5 million tons this year, food minister Pralhad Joshi said earlier this month, adding to the 11.8 million tons in stock at the start of the marketing year on April 1. That stockpile of roughly 44 million tons would significantly exceed FCI's annual requirement of 18.4 million tons to run the world's largest food welfare program, which provides free grain to nearly 800 million people. FCI's surging wheat stocks are sufficient to dispel the prospect of imports that has kept the global trading community guessing, the six industry and government officials said. With the world's second-largest wheat consumer not needing imports, global prices Wv1 for the grain are likely to come under pressure, as output remains strong in top exporting countries such as Argentina, Australia and Canada, while import demand from top consumer China has weakened. Global wheat prices have more than halved from the record highs of 2022, sliding earlier this month to their lowest level in nearly five years. Better weather, higher-yielding climate-resilient seeds, and adequate soil moisture from last year's plentiful monsoon rains helped improve this year's wheat output in India. A nearly 15% rise in wheat prices over the past year - driven by consecutive poor harvests - also encouraged farmers to switch to wheat. Farmers in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, known for premium wheat that goes into pizzas and pastas, said crop yields were higher this year thanks to a milder March. 'The weather was better this year compared to last year,' said farmer Sunil Dubey, as he steered his tractor trolley brimming with brown sacks of wheat into the dusty, bustling wholesale market of Indore.
