Alarmed by the reported outbreak of bird flu in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, the Sikkim government on Monday decided to ban the supply of poultry products from outside into the Himalayan State with immediate effect. Animal husbandry secretary Vishal Chauhan told reporters here, “It has been decided to ban the supply of poultry products from outside with immediate effect following the report of outbreak of avian flu in Murshidabad district of neighbouring West Bengal”. The state police has been directed to carry out searches of all in-bound vehicles at Rangpo and Melli checkposts to prevent supply of the poultry products, he said.
Bid for edible oil import
State-run trading corporation PEC on Monday floated tender for importing 12,000 tonne of edible oils by last week of February. The bids, which will close on January 28, are for importing RBD palmolein in bulk quantity either from Indonesia or Malaysia, PEC said in a notice. The decisions on the bids will be taken on January 29, it added. The quantity of RBD Palmolein in bulk to be imported through Chennai port is 8,500 tonne and 3,500 tonne through Tuticorin port. The minimum shipment allowed for Chennai port is 2,500 tonne, the company said. PEC imports edible oils in order to meet domestic shortages.
Rajmah, gram prices fall
Rajmah and gram prices fell up to Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale pulses market today on increased supplies against fall in demand. Marketmen said increased arrivals amid sluggish demand mainly pulled down wholesale prices of rajmah chitra and gram. Both Rajmah chitra (Pune) and (China) drifted by Rs 200 each, or 5.12 and 5.06%, to Rs 3,700-4,300 and Rs 3,750-4,250, while gram lost Rs 25 at Rs 2,300-2,320 per quintal.
Tobacco fine no deterrent
India’s tobacco output is likely to be 110 million kg higher than the target this year as farmers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are more than willing to pay penalty to the government to bring in more land under the crop than permitted. “Tobacco output is expected to be 380 million kg, much higher than the quota fixed for the current year. Farmers have grown more despite a penalty structure,” tobacco board’s chairman J Suresh Babu said. The tobacco board, which regulates production and sale of flue cured virginia (FCV) tobacco, has set the output target for 2009-10 season at 270 million kg. Growers...
: are not even worried about the penalty because they are still making profit after paying the fine to the government, Babu said.
Sugar falls on poor demand
Indian spot sugar shed 1% on Monday on weak demand from stockists worried about more government curbs as the price rise issue became politicised, dealers said. In Kolhapur, a key market in top sugar producer Maharashtra, the most traded S-variety sugar fell 1% to Rs 3,752 per 100 kg....
