The Congress intensified its criticism of the Centre's E20 fuel rollout, alleging it threatens water resources and food security. Jairam Ramesh argued India's ethanol production depends on water-intensive crops, making the policy environmentally unsustainable despite claims of cleaner energy
India now accounts for 70% of global jaggery production as exports reach 450 metric tonnes with govt. initiatives like PMKSY and One District, One product complementing the growth. Major importers include the US, Indonesia, and UAE, govt. states.
Sugarcane farmers in Sangareddy are incurring heavy losses as local mills offer prices far below those in Karnataka and Maharashtra. With rising cultivation costs and falling savings, farmers are demanding government intervention, a fixed price of Rs.4,500 per tonne and a bonus of Rs.500
Sugarcane cultivation has of late dropped to less than one lakh acres. This decline is having a direct impact on sugar industry, leading to factory closures and economic downturn in sugarcane-dependent sectors
As of September 12, sowing operations have been completed in only 1.23 crore acres, around 95 per cent of the normal cultivation area of 1.29 crore acres for the ongoing Vanakalam season.
It said that while international sugar prices have reached their highest levels in a decade in April-May 2023, the domestic prices have a nominal inflation of about 3 per cent, which is commensurating with the hike in fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane.
The Chief Minister, describing Ugadi as farmers' festival marking the commencement of agriculture activities, said the festival welcomes the end of the Fall and the beginning of Spring season
Releasing the latest production update, ISMA said the country's sugar output is higher by 33.76 lakh tonne so far this year as compared to last year's production for the corresponding period.
Cabinet approved a modified scheme to enhance ethanol distillation capacity in the country for producing first-generation ethanol from feed stocks such as cereals
