News Analysis India

Tag: dates

  • Gujarat date farmers see red as Bangladesh raises import duty

    Express News Service

    AHMEDABAD: Bangladesh’s decision to raise import duties on Gujarat’s renowned Kutchi ‘Dates’ has dealt a severe blow to date palm farmers in the region. The import tax on Khaarek (Dates) from Rs 10 per kilogram has surged seven times to Rs 80 per kg. This significant increase has led to a halt in exports to Bangladesh, leaving Kutch farmers facing a surplus of unsold stock.

    Kutchi Khaarek is among the distinctive food products that Gujarat’s Kutch region exports to various countries worldwide. However, this year has been particularly challenging for Kutch farmers.

    On one hand, they had to endure the adverse impacts of the BiparJoy storm, and on the other hand, continuous rains have severely hampered Khaarek production. Now, with the steep rise in import duties by Bangladesh, the situation has become even more daunting for the farmers.

    The heightened import duty on Kharek from Rs 10.83 to Rs 80 has led to increased prices, making it unaffordable for people in Bangladesh, thereby causing a cessation of exports. Jamal Shaikh, a Kutchi Khaarek exporter, highlighted the sudden escalation in taxes by the Bangladesh government. In 2021, the tax was 10.83 paise, which rose to Rs 33 in 2022 and eventually reached 64.50 rupees in the new budget of 2023, only to be raised to Rs 80 shortly after.

    This drastic change has had a significant impact on the economics of the trade. For instance, the tax payment on a full truck of Khaarek increased from Rs 3.5 lakh in 2022 to Rs 6.5 lakh in 2023, and further to 8.5 lakh rupees after the subsequent week. Consequently, Bangladeshi importers are reluctant to conduct business under such circumstances.

    AHMEDABAD: Bangladesh’s decision to raise import duties on Gujarat’s renowned Kutchi ‘Dates’ has dealt a severe blow to date palm farmers in the region. The import tax on Khaarek (Dates) from Rs 10 per kilogram has surged seven times to Rs 80 per kg. This significant increase has led to a halt in exports to Bangladesh, leaving Kutch farmers facing a surplus of unsold stock.

    Kutchi Khaarek is among the distinctive food products that Gujarat’s Kutch region exports to various countries worldwide. However, this year has been particularly challenging for Kutch farmers.

    On one hand, they had to endure the adverse impacts of the BiparJoy storm, and on the other hand, continuous rains have severely hampered Khaarek production. Now, with the steep rise in import duties by Bangladesh, the situation has become even more daunting for the farmers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The heightened import duty on Kharek from Rs 10.83 to Rs 80 has led to increased prices, making it unaffordable for people in Bangladesh, thereby causing a cessation of exports. Jamal Shaikh, a Kutchi Khaarek exporter, highlighted the sudden escalation in taxes by the Bangladesh government. In 2021, the tax was 10.83 paise, which rose to Rs 33 in 2022 and eventually reached 64.50 rupees in the new budget of 2023, only to be raised to Rs 80 shortly after.

    This drastic change has had a significant impact on the economics of the trade. For instance, the tax payment on a full truck of Khaarek increased from Rs 3.5 lakh in 2022 to Rs 6.5 lakh in 2023, and further to 8.5 lakh rupees after the subsequent week. Consequently, Bangladeshi importers are reluctant to conduct business under such circumstances.

  • Known for its variety of apples, Jammu and Kashmir to soon grow dates 

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: Dates, which are cultivated widely in Middle East and South Asia, would soon be grown in Jammu and Kashmir, which is known for producing various varieties of delicious apples, and authorities are hopeful that cultivation of dates would be a game changer for farmers in the Union Territory.

    The horticulture department in February last year cultivated 50 plants of dates on trial basis at one of its nurseries in Vijaypur area of Samba in Jammu region. It would take at least 4-5 years for the date plants to grow and produce yield.

    Director Horticulture Jammu Ram Sevak told this newspaper that the department has set up a mother block of 50 date plants in Vijaypur. The date plants were brought from Rajasthan.

    “We studied the climatic conditions needed for growth and cultivation of dates and found that dates can be grown in some areas of Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts of Jammu region. We found these areas have feasible climatic conditions including humidity for growth of the dates,” he said.

    He said initially they have prepared a mother block of 50 date plants at their nursery and depending on the result and yield from these plants, the dates can be grown in parts of Udhampur, Kathua, Samba and Reasi districts also. Sevak said date plants are growing well and the experts from Rajasthan visit the nursery to see the growth.

    “The experts visited last month and said the growth is growing smoothly. Till now everything is going on in perfect manner and we are hopeful that the date plants will grow and give a good yield after 3-4 years,” he said.

    The dates have proven health benefits as it is a good source of antioxidants, mainly carotenoids and phenolics. The date seeds contain higher protein (5.1 g/100 g) and fat (9.0 g/100 g) is also high in dietary fiber (73.1 g/100 g), phenolics (3942 mg/100 g) and antioxidants (80400 micromol/100 g).

    According to Director Horticulture Jammu, a farmer can earn Rs 25,000 from a single plant of the date once it grows and starts producing yield.

    “We have planted 50 date plants and the average cost per plant has come around Rs 4000. Good care has to be taken of the date tree,” he said.

    If their experiment, Sevak said, proves successful and dates trees grow, then it would be a game changer for the farmers of some areas of Jammu region as they can earn a minimum of Rs 2 lakhs from a single kanal of land.

    At least eight date plants can be grown in a single kanal of land.

    SRINAGAR: Dates, which are cultivated widely in Middle East and South Asia, would soon be grown in Jammu and Kashmir, which is known for producing various varieties of delicious apples, and authorities are hopeful that cultivation of dates would be a game changer for farmers in the Union Territory.

    The horticulture department in February last year cultivated 50 plants of dates on trial basis at one of its nurseries in Vijaypur area of Samba in Jammu region. It would take at least 4-5 years for the date plants to grow and produce yield.

    Director Horticulture Jammu Ram Sevak told this newspaper that the department has set up a mother block of 50 date plants in Vijaypur. The date plants were brought from Rajasthan.

    “We studied the climatic conditions needed for growth and cultivation of dates and found that dates can be grown in some areas of Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts of Jammu region. We found these areas have feasible climatic conditions including humidity for growth of the dates,” he said.

    He said initially they have prepared a mother block of 50 date plants at their nursery and depending on the result and yield from these plants, the dates can be grown in parts of Udhampur, Kathua, Samba and Reasi districts also. Sevak said date plants are growing well and the experts from Rajasthan visit the nursery to see the growth.

    “The experts visited last month and said the growth is growing smoothly. Till now everything is going on in perfect manner and we are hopeful that the date plants will grow and give a good yield after 3-4 years,” he said.

    The dates have proven health benefits as it is a good source of antioxidants, mainly carotenoids and phenolics. The date seeds contain higher protein (5.1 g/100 g) and fat (9.0 g/100 g) is also high in dietary fiber (73.1 g/100 g), phenolics (3942 mg/100 g) and antioxidants (80400 micromol/100 g).

    According to Director Horticulture Jammu, a farmer can earn Rs 25,000 from a single plant of the date once it grows and starts producing yield.

    “We have planted 50 date plants and the average cost per plant has come around Rs 4000. Good care has to be taken of the date tree,” he said.

    If their experiment, Sevak said, proves successful and dates trees grow, then it would be a game changer for the farmers of some areas of Jammu region as they can earn a minimum of Rs 2 lakhs from a single kanal of land.

    At least eight date plants can be grown in a single kanal of land.

  • Amit Shah will go again in January, will spend a week every month from February

    Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah will visit the election meetings of West Bengal from January before the 2021 assembly elections.

    Sources said that Shah would visit West Bengal for a week every month from February. This was communicated by Shah in an internal meeting with state leaders on his recent visit.

    Senior party leaders in the BJP said that two dates are being fixed by Shah’s office for his next visit. While he is likely to visit his kingdom on January 12, which is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the second date under consideration may be around January 23, the birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose.

    When asked about Shah’s next visit, a top state leader said, “There is a possibility after January 20”. The pressure will increase due to Shah’s visit and his presence on the state government, a senior party leader informed.

    He said that he would spend about a week every month in the state till the assembly elections in February. Their presence gives a boost to the party cadre, which has been under the grip of harassment by the state for some time, ”said a senior BJP MP from West Bengal.

  • Amit Shah will begin a two-day visit in West Bengal from Saturday

    Though the dates of the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal have not been announced yet, but before that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is busy preparing the electoral atmosphere in the state. In this sequence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin his two-day visit on Saturday. Former state minister and TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari is likely to join the BJP during Shah’s visit.

    According to sources, the Home Minister is expected to visit nearby temples and have lunch with the locals. On Saturday, he would go to a farmer’s house and would have lunch on Sunday at the Baul singer’s house. Keeping an eye on the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, the BJP is vigorously pursuing its campaign in the state. Central ministers, a deputy CM and central leaders are stationed there and assigning six to seven Lok Sabha constituencies to each leader.

  • 14th editon of IPL will be delayed minimum by 2 weeks vis a vis last IPL in India

    BCCI is yet to announce the dates for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 14th edition. However, the latest England tour of India schedule has given a hint of when it IPL 2021 can start from.

    IPL 2019 started on 23rd March and vis a vis – IPL 2021 will be delayed by minimum 2 weeks owing to the two month long England tour of India which will conclude on March 28th.

    The BCCI recently announced the dates for India’s four-Test, five T20I and three ODI series against England. The two-month-long series begins from February 5 in Chennai for the first Test. The longest-format of the game ends on March 8.

    It will be followed by T20I series which is scheduled from March 12 to 20. Following this, India and England play the ODI series which ends on March 28.

    After this long and hectic series, it is likely that the players would want a small break before joining their respective IPL franchises for IPL 2021. Even franchises will also want their star players to fulfill commercial commitmments with sponsors.

    BCCI will most likely decide to host the new edition after April 10. It would give the players some time to gel up with their supposedly new team members, if the proposed mega-auction takes place.

  • Google announces new deadline for Android apps to request background location access

    n February, it was revealed that existing apps that request a user’s background location would need to be approved by Google. A deadline of November 2 of this year was originally set, but that date has been pushed back, giving developers more time to seek approval.

    Google revealed the new dates on its Android Developers blog. The search giant said that if your app uses background location data, you must submit a form for review and receive approval by January 8, 2021. Developers who don’t receive approval risk having their apps pulled from Google Play. Existing apps that were first published before April 16, 2020 have until March 29, 2021.

    • If your app has multiple features that use background location, choose the one that provides the most user benefit. Describe in detail why background (and not foreground) location is needed and how it is used.
    • You must include a short video that shows how users will encounter your prominent disclosure, location-based feature and enable it in-app. If your video doesn’t show this or we can’t access the link, your request won’t be approved. We recommend that you upload it to YouTube or Google Drive.
    • Remember to include a prominent in-app disclosure to explain to users what data is used and how.
    • Ensure your privacy policy is clearly labeled and includes details on location data usage.

    Google’s updated policies are meant to give users more control and transparency over data access. Apps that request background location access can only do so if it’s critical to the app’s core functionality and provides clear user benefit. The company said most apps that requested background location didn’t actually need it, and removing or changing it to foreground improved device battery life.

    When Android 11 was released, Google gave users more control over background location data by granting a “one-time” permission. That meant apps could only access data until the app was closed, and when the app was opened again, it would have to ask for permission again.

    Google has created a number of tools that developers can refer to in order to meet the deadlines. With the year quickly coming to an end, the dates are coming up fast.

  • Amit Shah and JP Nadda to visit Bengal every month till elections

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party’s national president JP Nadda will visit the state every month till the end of assembly elections in the state. Elections for the 294-member assembly of West Bengal are to be held in April-May of the year 2021.

    Mr. Ghosh said that both the top leaders of BJP will visit different states every month before the assembly elections in the state to take stock of the party organization. Mr. Ghosh told reporters, “Amit Shah and JP Nadda will come separately every month till the end of the assembly elections. The dates are yet to be finalized. Their regular visits will increase the enthusiasm of the party workers.

    ‘Party sources said that Amit Shah is likely to visit two consecutive days every month, while JP Nadda’s visit will be for three days. Lashing out at the Congress-CPI-M alliance, Dilip Ghosh said that people have rejected both the parties long ago.