Govt wheat procurement up 12% on year at 15 million tonne so far in FY18.

The government has procured 15 million tonne wheat in 2017-18 (Apr-Mar) up 12.1% from a year ago. Punjab has surpassed Haryana to become the highest contributor to the government’s procurement drive. The government has so far purchased 5.5 million tonne wheat from farmers in the state, up 13.5% from the year-ago period. In Haryana, the government has bought 5.4 million tonne wheat, up 3.4% from a year ago. The government has purchased 3.4 million tonne wheat in Madhya Pradesh, up 12.9% on year, while in Uttar Pradesh, it has bought 267,995 tonne so far, sharply higher than 77,807 tonne in the year-ago period. The Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to procure 8 million tonne wheat this year, much above the central government’s 3- million tonne target for the state. The state government has also offered an incentive of 10 rupees per 100 kg for loading and transportation of the crop, Overall, the central government has set a target to procure 33.0 million tonne of wheat for the current marketing season, up from 22.9 million tonne a year ago.

Dairy body to buy 3,000 tonne maize via e-auction.

The National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India buy 3,000 tonne of maize through a reverse electronic auction. The commodity, used as cattle feed, will be bought on behalf of Karnataka Milk Federation. The federation, which has nearly 200 dairy cooperatives as members, has developed an online trading platform to purchase feed stock and sell dairy products.

Punjab pegs year to Jun cotton output up 220% on year.

Cotton crop 1.26 millon bales vs 393,000 bales year ago. Cotton output in Punjab, among the largest producers of the fibre, is estimated to rise a sharp 220% on year to 1.26 millon bales (1bale=170 kg) in 2016-17 (Jul-Jun) because of higher acreage and better yield Cotton output in the state had fallen last year after the crop was severely attacked by white fly.

NCDEX cotton oilcake down on weak demand, spot cues.

Futures contracts of cottonseed oilcake on the NCDEX fell because of weak demand in physical markets. The most active May contract of cottonseed oilcake on the NCDEX was down 0.5% from the previous close. In Akola, the benchmark market in Maharashtra, cottonseed oilcake and in Kadi, Gujarat, both down 20 rupees from previous close. Cheaper alternatives for cattle feed such as mustard feed and guar feed weakened the demand for cottonseed oilcake.

Coriander prices fall in Ramganj on higher arrivals.

Prices of coriander were down in Ramganj as arrivals were higher. In Ramganj, a key wholesale market in Rajasthan, the Badami variety of coriander and the Eagle variety both down 100 rupees from previous close. Arrivals in Ramganj were pegged at 20,000 bags (1bag=40kg) up 7,000 bags from the previous day.

NCDEX coriander up on short covering, low output.

Futures contracts of coriander on the NCDEX were up as investors covered their short positions after prices fell to a five-week low of 6,900 rupees per 100 kg on Tuesday. A 2,420-tn decline in open interest in the May contract indicated short covering. The most active May contract on the NCDEX traded up 0.2% from the previous close.