Orissa's betel farmers still to recover
Those who like to munch a `pan' (betel leaf) after their meals will have to dish out more for the traditional digestive this year. The betel leaf cultivation in Orissa, which is among the biggest suppliers in the country, was all but completely destroyed by the supercyclone that hit the state's coast on October 29 last year. Betel leaf cultivation in Orissa fetches approximately Rs 10 million for the farmers every year.

World coffee prices plummet
Coffee prices ruling $1,800 a tonne in the international market not long ago came crashing last month to hit a low of $920-$930 a tonne. Coffee producing countries are reluctant to sell while the exporters are in constant demand to cover immediate shorts. Coffee exporters were expecting the prices to cross the $2,000 a tonne on the upbeat sentiment but many made major losses as the prices crashed. A bumper crop throughout the globe has sent the prices tumbling, said an exporter. All the coffee producing countries have reported excellent crop which has created a glut in the international market.

Hydrophonics yet to take off
Hydroponics--the art of growing plants and crops in a soil-less medium, is yet to gain momentum in the country. Though the system came into being since 1990, the fact that the hi-tech system calls for a higher investment when compared to the other conventional methods of cultivation seems to have upset the acceptability levels of the system. In India, less than 12 units are operating about 25 acres under the hydroponics method of cultivation, unlike in other leading countries such as USA, Australia, Israel, Japan, Holland, New Zealand and South Africa, where the overall cultivation under the system would be around 6,000 acres.

Rajasthan barley output may fall
Used in the manufacture of beer largely, the barley production in Rajasthan has, of late, become somewhat more paying to the farmers. This year, however, its total production is likely to dip to 3.74 lakh tonnes as against last year's 4.26 lakh tonnes. The area under the rabi crop has also fallen to 1.98 lakh hectares compared to 2.16 lakh hectares last year.

Canada to develop diamond mines
Impressed by the success of the Indian diamond industry, North Western Territories (NWT) of Canada aims at developing its own diamond industry jointly with Indian players while also helping the latter have easy access to the lucrative jewellery market in the US through its duty-free trade agreement with the US under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Manganese alloy-makers cheer
With silico manganese world market still rising with exporters now expecting a free-on-board ( FOB) price of $450 to $460 per tonne, fortunes of manganese alloy producers are rising, particularly in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is also assisting the manganese alloy producers and has arranged NTPC power for export production to all the three units. Thus Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Limited (MEL) will get about 20 MW of power, Khandelval Ferro 17 MW for eight hours during night for export production. Universal Ferro reportedly gets NTPC power for all 24 hours as it will entirely export its production.

Centre plans to free jet fuel prices
The Union government's plan to deregulate prices and imports of jet fuel in the coming fiscal is awash with glitches already. The Union Cabinet's decision to free prices of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in the coming fiscal cannot be implemented till policy-makers at the Centre have worked out incentives for refuelling aircraft at ``unviable'' locations.

`Fertiliser sector must buckle up'
The fertiliser industry needs to gear up to face the marketing challenges it is likely to confront next year when the Government removes the quantitative restrictions on its imports and starts phasing out the retention price scheme system and distribution controls.

Benzene prices up
Benzene prices has risen by around 53 per cent since January this year in the local market, primarily following the continuous rise in crude oil prices. On Thursday March 16, the chemical was quoted at Rs 23,000 per tonne, up from Rs 15,500 per tonne quoted in December 1999. Rising demand for benzene too has contributed to the price rise. "Heavy direct import of benzene have been going on since a few months. As a result, benzene prices are likely to go down in the near future", said a leading importer.