Chief Minister Palaniswami has been taking special efforts to attract investments. The state policy should be on the development of the manufacturing and services sectors. The TN Assembly has passed the TN Protected Agricultural Zone Bill. This bans setting up of projects inimical to the environment and ecology of three Cauvery
Pepsico’s successful foray in agribusiness
Ramesh Vangal, President, Seagram Asia Pacific, Hong Kong, spearheaded PepsiCo’s entry into India. PepsiCo integrated its diverse food and beverage businesses under a single entity. It did not confine its attention to soft drinks but made innovative and extensive forays into contract farming of potatoes and tomatoes. We give below excerpts
Agribusiness affected by absence of sanctity of contracts
Enforcement of agriculture contracts appear near impossible. Look at the experience of thousands of absentee landlords unable to get even their legitimate modest share of the produce for decades and selling off the property at distress prices. The recent controversy over PepsiCo potato patent raises key questions including protection of IPR
No more palliatives
“Terms of trade are favouring the urban middle class at the cost of the farmers,” said former Finance Secretary Dr S Narayan. Speaking at the Triplicane Cultural Academy, Narayan pointed to food inflation kept low: “production of foodgrains is high; states like Madhya Pradesh have registered agri-growth by 10 per cent
Rice, the prized crop of Asia
Coffee crops hit by recent rains
For two years 2016-17 and 2017-18 there was a fall in production of coffee. While domestic consumption doubled over a decade, according to the Coffee Board, exports have not been promising. The recent extensive damage caused by rains predict a steep fall in production of coffee in the coming season. “There
Tackling the menace of pests and weeds…
The Agriculture Consultancy Management Foundation (ACMF) promoted by IE focused on productivity improvements in agriculture. In our experience we found a major problem that impacted production and hence the viability of farming: losses suffered through weeds and pests. In the crops raised by us at the demo farms in Padappai and
