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<ul><li>Citing the example of other industries where there are no restrictions on how producers sell their products, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that farmers should have the choice to sell their produce at attractive prices. </li><li>To this end, Sitharaman said that the government will formulate a central law that will provide barrier-free inter-state trade, along with a framework for online trading of agricultural produce. </li><li>However, for this to pass muster, the government will have to garner support from the opposition parties and farmer bodies, who think APMCs are needed to ensure farmers get a good price for their produce. </li></ul>The Modi government is using COVID-19 crisis to push through the <keyword id="6366428" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="APMC">APMC</keyword> reforms it has been talking about for a long time. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement in the third tranche of the Covid-19 stimulus package today, May 15. Making the announcement, Sitharaman said that this move will give the choice to sell their produce at attractive prices, instead of being tied down to their local APMCs (Agriculture Produce Market Committee). “When you create competition for farmers’ produce, the price improves. There are more buyers, more choices. Farmers will get the benefits of that. Whether you have one buyer or ten buyers for a service makes a difference,” said Ashok Gulati, former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75756781" title="These are the top takeaways from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's third installment from Modi's ₹20 lakh crore stimulus" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> APMC reforms might hit a roadblock in non-BJP ruled states Modi has been batting for APMC reforms for a long time now. “It is imperative to swiftly undertake market reforms of our decades old and restricted agriculture produce and marketing committee (APMC) architecture,” PM Modi <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/M6HMO4jTZrn1iwwbypaEbL/Narendra-Modi-calls-for-swift-APMC-reforms-to-benefit-farmer.html">said</a> in a letter to Chief Ministers in 2018. However, these reforms might hit a roadblock in non-BJP ruled states. “The APMCs have existed since 1963 and there is a good reason they have been around for such a long time. Reform is welcome but it cannot endanger an existing structure. Our party will oppose this proposal if and when it comes before the legislature," a NCP leader was quoted as saying by <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/reRgHJ4NW4Sl4EJMXRyzHJ/APMC-reforms-in-Maharashtra-hit-a-roadblock.html">Livemint</a>. Those who favour the existing APMC structure <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/farmers-oppose-proposed-amendment-to-apmc-act/articleshow/75744758.cms">argue</a> that diluting APMC reforms will give power to multinational companies and corporates. They are also concerned about minimum support price guarantee, without price regulation in place. So far, only BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have passed APMC reforms. The Karnataka government issued an ordinance, but it was <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengaluru-governor-returns-apmc-reforms-ordinance/articleshow/75729589.cms">returned</a> by the state governor earlier today. Sitharaman says the changes will empower farmers Making the announcement, Sitharaman said that farmers should have the freedom of choice to sell their agricultural produce at attractive prices. Further, she said that no other industry restricts producers from selling their product to whomever they want, and at their desired prices. To solve this problem, Sitharaman said that the central government is working on a law. This will remove barriers to inter-state trade and allow farmers to sell their produce to the highest bidder, which should result in increasing their incomes. Apart from this, she also said that a framework for online trading of agricultural produce will also be worked upon. It is likely that this framework will be on the lines of e-NAM, which is a national agriculture market with an online trading platform for farmers. What’s wrong with APMCs? APMCs were set up with the intention to increase farmers’ incomes by making it easier to sell their produce without having to deal with commission agents. However, the government criminalised setting up of competing markets in the same area, essentially creating a monopoly in the form of APMCs. This led to traders forming cartels to artificially lower prices of the agriculture produce they buy from farmers. A 2012 <a href="https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/AO.pdf">report</a> by the Competition Commission of India cites the example of a visit to Ahmednagar APMC which revealed collusion among traders. These traders then sell the produce at higher prices to end consumers. While APMCs were formed to benefit farmers, it’s the traders who end up milking both farmers as well as consumers. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/essential-commodities-act-to-deregulate-price-of-potatoes-onions-and-pulses/articleshow/75758676.cms">India proposes to deregulate prices of onions, potatoes, pulses and other essential food — prices won’t be capped and one can store as much as needed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/policy/news/what-is-essential-commodities-act-that-nirmala-sitharaman-wants-to-amend/articleshow/75759156.cms">What is the Essential Commodities Act – the 65-year old act that FM Nirmala Sitharaman said will now be amended</a>

Modi is using the COVID-19 crisis to push through APMC reforms he has wanted for long⁠— but states may oppose

What India’s rising COVID-19 infections don’t⁠ reveal — the lack of health infrastructure in remote areas

According to weather departments, the monsoon was below sufficiency this year and the grave consequences of low rainfall have already begun to show up. It is reported that drought like symptoms have started showing up in both rural and urban areas of the peninsular India. Maharashtra's Marathwada and western Maharashtra regions and north interior Karnataka, being the worst sufferers. 
 
While Kharif crop has already been affected, prospects of Rabi crop depend largely on rainfall in September. However, weather experts believe September rainfall will also be meagre. Authorities in Maharasthra having stored water in most dams for drinking purposes, chances are unlike that water will be diverted for irrigation purpose. 
 
Dams in the Pune region hold water up to just about half their capacity , compared with 82% at this time in 2014 and 87% in 2013. The Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to implement a 15% water cut and may restrict supply of drinking water to alternate days. 
 
Latur residents in Maharashtra are in grave distress as their plight of getting water, once in 8 or 15 days may worsen. Ujani dam, the lifeline of Solapur district, has zero live storage as against 72% at this time last year. Similarly, Jayakwadi dam in Aurangabad has just 5% live storage and the administration has made up its mind to use its dead stock, which is usually not exhausted, to meet drinking water requirements. As per the agriculture ministry, about 56% of the net cultivated area of the country is rain-fed, accounting for 44% of food production. 
Sugarcane farmers from drought-affected areas are selling cane as fodder instead of waiting for a few more months to sell it to sugar mills. They are getting Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,000 a tonne, compared to Rs 2,000 paid by most mills this year. Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse has indicated that the state government may not allow sugar mills from drought-affected areas to crush sugarcane in the October September sugar year. A sugar mill of 2,500 tonne per day crushing capacity requires 5 lakh litres of water every day . 
 
Sugar mill owners said since cane availability will be less, very few mills will be able to do crushing next season. 
However, a venture started to artificially curate rainfall didn’t yield much result. the artificial rain fall experiment being carried out in Marathwada region has not given much rainfall, even after about 80 flying hours. "There are not enough rain-bearing clouds coming to this region," said a senior official. 
 
In some districts of neighbouring Karnataka, rains were as much as 40% less than what is considered normal. Of the total 171 talukas in Karnataka, the state government has declared drought in 135, almost four times more than last year. 
 
Karnataka has asked for more than Rs 3,000 crore of central assistance, state officials said. According to officials of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, north interior Karnataka has most of the drought-affected areas.

Drought-like situation in Maharasthra and Karnataka. Blame it on low rainfall

A variety of Indian brew, which was grown in the hills of the Western Ghats in <keyword id="6363217" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Coorg">Coorg</keyword>, quietly made its way to the caffeine connoisseurs at <keyword id="6377922" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Starbucks">Starbucks</keyword>’ Reserve in <keyword id="64863" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Seattle">Seattle</keyword>, a first for any <keyword id="613718" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-coffee">Indian coffee</keyword>. 
 Last year, this single-origin Arabica coffee grown in <keyword id="6354780" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword>’s <keyword id="65856" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kodagu">Kodagu</keyword> district was shipped around 8,000 miles to the <keyword id="3448642" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="starbucks-reserve-roastery">Starbucks Reserve Roastery</keyword> and Tasting Room in Seattle, <keyword id="6355055" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="USA">USA</keyword>, where it was roasted to perfection. 
 The <keyword id="4328137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="starbucks-reserve-programme">Starbucks Reserve Programme</keyword> is an ongoing series of the rarest and most exotic coffees which are unique, small-lot coffees that the company selects from all over the world. 
 Located at around 3,000 feet above sea level, <keyword id="4110132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nullore-estate">Nullore estate</keyword> is the largest Arabica plantation owned by the Tata—Starbucks’ joint venture partnership in India. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-check-out-the-inside-of-yumists-kitchen-from-where-delicious-meals-are-delivered-to-you/articleshow/57409991.cms">ALSO READ: Exclusive: Check out the inside of Yumist’s Kitchen from where delicious meals are delivered to you</a> 
 
The 394-hectare estate produces over 500 tonnes of coffee every year. 
 
To put things into perspective, the first official ‘Indian coffee’ to be available through the brand: Starbucks was introduced in 2013, to celebrate the Tata-Starbucks first anniversary in the market. 
 
Starbucks had created a special India-sourced coffee, called ‘India Estates Blend’, as a tribute but it was sourced, roasted, packaged, and sold only in India. 
 But that was sourced from multiple coffee lots, unlike <keyword id="3694540" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nullore">Nullore</keyword> Estate coffee which was is a 'Microlot coffee'. A Microlot is a small quantity coffee usually to about 40 bags, from a single estate that has been deliberately set aside from other coffee because it has a high 'cupping score which means better quality. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/starbucks-app-just-launched-in-india-and-heres-why-its-convenient/articleshow/57652881.cms">ALSO READ: Starbucks App just launched in India and here's why it's convenient</a> 
 <keyword id="150271" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chacko">Chacko</keyword> P Thomas, Deputy CEO and Executive Director, <keyword id="176328" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Coffee">Tata Coffee</keyword> Ltd told <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> that for the company the approach to Indian Coffee has changed from one for the masses to specialty coffee such as the one from Nullore estate, ’’We always thought that the buck lies in volumes which led to profitability but then we found gems in our estates. Ms. <keyword id="17256" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Menon">Menon</keyword> made us realize that some of our coffees need to be marketed as a brand as they are a great quality produce.” 
 
What makes ‘Block 19’special? 
 
For starters, this Arabica coffee is grown under a unique two-tier shade system under local and fruit bearing trees. 
 
The shade is carefully controlled, which helps the coffee bean mature slowly, allowing it to absorb its environment which gives it the special smell and taste. 
 
 
 
The Taste 
 
The coffee is intensely fragrant and aromatic, with notes of red apple, caramel, citrus, toasted nuts, and milk chocolate. 
This taste and smell is attributed to the flora and fauna that surrounds this 8-hectares estate. 
 
Trees like Ficus, Jackfruit, and Silver Oak surround the coffee plants giving the earthiness to the coffee. 
Block 19 is home to a colony of ‘fruit bats’ and migratory birds which are the main reason behind the coffee’s fruity persona. 
The estate also plays host to the honey bee. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-my-experience-at-the-tata-coffee-plantation-bungalows-that-are-over-140-years-old/articleshow/57496157.cms">ALSO READ: Here’s my experience at the Tata Coffee Plantation bungalows that are over 140 years old</a> 
 
Sunalini Menon, Asia’s first woman coffee expert has been credited for the experiential of deconstructing the Nullore Microlot. She closely worked on this micro lot that has put Indian coffee on the global map. 
 
She says that this coffee has opened up opportunities for the quality coffee that India produces now, ‘To nurture every particular bean to reach the best quality, the processing takes up the entire year. From the soil, to the climate to even pesticides, can affect the coffee bean and we took extra care to send out 2 tonnes of the Nullore estate coffee of which each bean was tested for quality before being shipped out to the US," she proudly exclaims.

The tale of Tata Nullore Estate
coffee that made it to the Starbucks Reserve in Seattle

You Searched For "what is not allowed in karnataka" and got 4 results

Modi is using the COVID-19 crisis to push through APMC reforms he has wanted for long⁠— but states may oppose

Rounak Jain

What India’s rising COVID-19 infections don’t⁠ reveal — the lack of health infrastructure in remote areas

Preeti Soni

Drought-like situation in Maharasthra and Karnataka. Blame it on low rainfall

BI India Bureau

The tale of Tata Nullore Estate coffee that made it to the Starbucks Reserve in Seattle

Tanya Dubey

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