Karnataka BJP MP seeks cut in sugar recovery rate, hike in MSP
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka BJP leader Iranna B Kadadi on Friday urged the Centre to reduce the recovery rate of sugar from 10.25 per cent to 9.5 per cent and raise the minimum selling price of the sweetener to benefit both cane growers and millers.
Sugar recovery rate is the percentage of sugar extracted from sugarcane.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Kadadi said the recovery rate in Karnataka has been 9.5 per cent and it is necessary to maintain it at that level, even as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is fixed at a higher recovery rate of 10.25 per cent.
He also demanded that FRP be fixed without taking into account harvesting and transportation costs.
"Since 2019, the minimum sale price of sugar has been kept at only Rs 31 per kg and has not been increased. Due to this, mills are hesitant to pay more to farmers. Since sugar is selling at Rs 40 per kg in retail markets, it is necessary to increase the MSP," the BJP MP said.
Kadadi said Karnataka produces about 270 crore litres of ethanol and the state should be allocated more for marketing.
He said 81 sugar factories are operating in Karnataka and the state ranks third in the country's sugar production, accounting for 16 per cent of the total output.
Around 7.5 lakh hectares of land is under sugarcane cultivation in the state, producing around 45 lakh tonne of sugar annually.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
