Cotton processors and traders have criticized the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for higher cotton prices for this season. CCI is a government agency that deals with the purchase of cotton at minimum support price, fixed by the government. The processors are worried about the high price of Rs 2,850 a quintal and low profit due to competition and contractual processing of cotton.

Hanoi - The world's biggest rice importing and exporting nations met in Vietnam on Friday and approved a plan targeting problems triggered during this year's rice price crisis.

Ministers of agriculture from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi to endorse a seven-point action plan developed earlier this year when prices of rice shot up to a record high of 1,000 dollars a ton last April, triggering a world food crisis.

Rome - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Tuesday called for an urgent review worldwide of biofuel policies and subsidies to ensure they protect poor farmers and do not impact negatively on global food security.

"Biofuels present both opportunities and risks. The outcome would depend on the specific context of the country and the policies adopted," FAO Director General Jacques Diouf said in a statement released by the Rome-based agency.

"Current policies tend to favour producers in some developed countries over producers in most developing countries. The challenge is to reduce or manage the risks while sharing the opportunities more widely," Diouf added.

One of the top brands in organic teas and supplements market, Organic India, is now ready to flavor Indian consumer’s cup with new and enriched flavors of Tulsi.

Jain Irrigation Systems, the agri-irrigation leader, has decided to invest Rs 350 crore in the next fiscal, to increase pipe manufacturing and irrigation systems capacity besides exploring new opportunities in the North. 

Recently, World Bank has sanctioned loan worth $60 million after considering the environment-friendly projects the company undertakes. The company plans to raise remaining fund through internal accruals and term loans from banks at reasonable rates. 

Jain Irrigation, one of the largest micro-irrigation systems manufacturers in the world, plans to establish a manufacturing hub for micro-irrigation systems, PVC Pipes and fruit processing in Tamil Nadu to cater to the Southern States and the export market.

The company has pumped over Rs 65 crore at the facility and plans to invest over Rs 100 crore, which would include facilities to expand production of drip irrigation
equipment and fruit processing facilities.