The four year ban over the export of the non-basmati rice has finally been lifted by the Government. Besides, it has put a ban over the sales of onions overseas with the pursuit of meeting the challenges of surging prices. It has been reported that the onion prices have rose to Rs 25 per kg in just one year.

India's monsoon billowed in the last week to deliver its highest weekly rainfall this season, reviving hopes of strong harvests in across the nation.

Decent monsoon rains would also encourage India to lift a ban on exports of non-basmati rice and charging taxes on sugar imports. Monsoon rains is crucial for replenishing the farm output after last year's drought, which was 38 percent above normal in the week to July 28, from a 17-percent deficit in the previous week.

94 percent of the nation's corn has emerged in the field, as planting is completed, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has said.

The corn crop, after a fast early half of the planting season, remains ahead of the five-year average, which lists corn as 91 percent emerged by this week of the year.

While cotton planting is 91 percent completed, the soybean crop is 84 percent planted.

Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. said it lowered its zinc selling price by Y15,000 to Y205,000 a metric ton.  This will bring the average zinc selling price for June to Y217,000. Zinc yesterday we have seen that market has moved -1.4%. Market has opened at 77.9 & made a low of 77.05 versus the day high of 78. The total volume for the day was at 1287 lots and the open interest was at 8955.Now support for the zinc is seen at 76.8 and below could see a test of 76.5. Resistance is now likely to be seen at 77.8, a move above could see prices testing 78.4.

Trading Ideas:

Zinc trading range is 76.5-78.4.

According to new research chicken droppings can produce electricity. This new technology utilizes the methane gas coming out of chicken droppings and converts into electricity using a patented technology. Here the farmers trade the dried slurry and with the help of an Israel-based technology company, the liquid scum is converted to liquid NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) fertilizer, reports S Sujatha from the Economic Times Bureau.

It has released a preliminary study revealing existing gaps in the nation's regional food systems, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has said.

The report focuses on the availability of slaughter facilities for small meat and poultry producers. The study by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service represents a first attempt to identify U. S. areas where small livestock and poultry producers are concentrated but may not have access to a nearby slaughter facility, officials have said.

The Department of Agriculture has said that crop progress for most U. S. crops remains ahead of average, but a torrid early start to the year has slowed.

It has been reported that corn planting is 87 percent done, still ahead of its five-year average of 78 percent done for this week of the year. Corn emergence, at 55 percent, is well head of the historic average of 39 percent.

Soybean planting is 38 percent done, compared to an historic average of 35 percent. A week ago, however, soybean planting was 11 percentage points above the historic average.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture has said that corn, soybean and rice planting continue at a torrid pace, while spring wheat and cotton are hitting their averages.

It has been reported that corn planting is 81 percent done, compared to a five-year average of 62 percent for this week of the year. Soybean planting is 30 percent done, compared to an historic average of 19 percent. The USDA said on Monday that rice planting is 82 percent compete. At this time of year, historically, rice planting is 75 percent completed.

Emerging corn, rice and oats are well ahead of their 5-year historic averages, The U. S. Department of Agriculture has said.

19 percent of the corn acres show emerging sprouts, as compared with a historic average of 9 percent for this time of year, with 68 percent of the corn planting done.

Too much of a good thing last year may see them dumping excess spuds to make way for a new crop in 2010, Idaho potato farmers have said.

KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, reported on Wednesday that experts have said that farmers had such a successful season in 2009 the surplus is the greatest since 2001.

Faced with such a glut, many farmers choose to dump the surplus.

Corn planting was ahead of its five-year historic average in 16 of 18 prominent corn-producing states, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has said.

Planting as of April 18 was 70 percent completed in Texas, 63 percent done in North Carolina and 59 percent done in Tennessee. Overall, corn planting was 19 percent complete, compared with a five-year average of 9 percent for this week of the year.

As per a senior farm official, wheat production of Haryana will fall this year. It has been estimated that there will be a huge production of in the year when the season commenced. But now it has been seen that the output can't reach to that mark and will behind by a huge margin.

According to the official, higher temperature in this region has ruined the earlier expectation and now he is apprehending that the wheat output may fall behind by 200,000 tonnes from the expected figure. Haryana is the third biggest wheat producer in the country.

Spring crop planting had begun in earnest in Texas and was getting under way in other states, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has said.

In Texas, 48 percent of the corn acreage is already planted, well ahead of North Carolina, which has 34 percent of its corn acreage seeded.

The average planting is less than 4 percent, in 12 other states among the top 18 corn-producing states.

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Florida, the nation's largest tomato producer state, has posted a huge decline in its tomato crop because of the freezing winter weather. The cold weather began in January and wiped out the winter crop.

The lesser production also made the prices of tomato very high in many parts of the country.

According to the data released by Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, the Freezing conditions in early January killed about 70 percent of the state's winter crop. The losses in the tomato crop pushed up the prices in various parts of the nation. Also the dampened demand pushed the tomato buyers to turn to alternative sources, including Mexico.

After facing downturn in majority of sectors, Indian farming and allied sectors have also seen decline, as per the Economic Survey of 2009-10.

The survey, further advised the government to take precautionary measures as far as inflation is concerned, in the parliament. The survey raised few points with regards to the minus 0.2 per cent growth rate in 09-10 over 08-09 in agriculture and allied sectors, and food management policies which till date has led to a sustainable high food inflation.

The centre has set up an inter-ministerial group under the fertilizer secretary Krishnan to review the subsidies for fertilizers every year. The new pricing regime, Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS) will come in effect from April 1 this year.

It was decided to keep a check on the prices at present and slowly move to a scenario of complete price decontrol under the framework of NBS.

Some analysts believe that the new pricing mechanism would bring benefits like soil health and subsidy cuts and increased competition among the more efficient companies only at a later stage.

On Friday, the Government went ahead to raise its wheat crop estimate to a record level of 82 million tons, which is the second upgrade in a mere week, mainly on the back of favorable weather. The development has made it more likely that the country will be lifting a ban on exports now.

Ferozepur, Dec 21 : Kinnow farming is proving to be a major attraction for farmers in Punjab.

What was once an parched land in the belt bordering Rajasthan, now wears a bright orange hue- Abohar in Ferozepur, Muktsar and Bhatinda – to the northern district of Hoshiarpur, kinnows are now the best example of diversification to horticulture in the state.

In a state dominated by wheat and paddy crops, kinnows are making millionaires out of farmers, who are increasingly taking to horticulture.

Concerned over rising inflation and on fire from opposition parties over price rise, the Union Government is expected to come up with some relief for common man by reducing wheat price for domestic flour mills.

The Floor Mills are not interested to buy wheat at Rs 1,400-1,450 per quintal from the stocks of the Food Corp of India which embarked 500,000 tonnes of wheat for sale for bulk consumers during the period between October and December. States are also expected to get additional 1 million tonnes of wheat for selling it to retail customers and bakeries etc.