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Sri Lanka would seek a new temporary credit facility of USD 1 billion from India to purchase essential items including food and medicine, the official media here reported on Monday. Sri Lanka received 333 million dollars, the first tranche of the USD 3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme last week to overcome its economic crisis and catalyse financial support from other development partners. The Sri Lankan finance ministry officials held talks with its Indian counterparts to obtain the new temporary USD 1 billion facility for the "purchase of essential foodstuff, medicines and other goods for the country," the state-run Daily News newspaper reported. Meanwhile, former Central Bank Governor Dr Indrajith Coomaraswamy, speaking at a discussion organised by the Centre for Banking Studies of the Central Bank, said, the negotiations are also underway to secure an Indian rupee swap from RBI. The amount is still uncertain; it could be up to the equivalent of USD 1 .
Retail inflation for farm and rural workers rose to 6.87 per cent and 6.99 per cent, respectively, in November on annual basis mainly due to lower prices of certain food items. Point to point rate of inflation based on the CPI-AL (consumer price index-agricultural labours) and CPI-RL (rural labourers) stood at 7.22 per cent & 7.34 per cent respectively in October, 2022 and 3.02 per cent and 3.38 per cent, respectively, during the corresponding month (November 2021) of the previous year, a labour bureau statement said. Food inflation stood at 6.19 per cent and 6.05 per cent in November, 2022 compared to 7.05 per cent and 7 per cent respectively in October 2022 and 0.88 per cent and 1.07 per cent respectively during the corresponding month (November 2021) of the previous year, it stated. The All-India Consumer Price Index Number for Agricultural Labourers and Rural Labourers for the month of November 2022 increased by 8 points each to stand at 1167 and 1178 points ...
At least 27 per cent of the 56 samples of cooking oil and other food items collected from four companies in Maharashtra's Thane district have been found adulterated or with false claims, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials said. The FDA's (Foods) Joint Commissioner, S R Kekre, said the samples tested revealed that palmolein oil was mixed in products sold as sunflower and soyabean oils, rice bran oil was mixed in a product sold as mustard oil and vegetable oil was mixed in products claimed to be milk cream and ghee. Based on complaints, the FDA had carried out raids and inspected the four units located in Dahisar Mori, Bhiwandi, Kalher and Koparkhairne areas of the district, it said in a release. Kekre asked customers to be cautious while purchasing these items. The FDA was in the process of verifying as to whom the wholesalers and manufacturers had sold these adulterated products, he said. Kekre also appealed to the citizens to contact the FDA if they find any ...
The average prices of 11 essential food items declined 2-11 per cent in the last one month, the government said on Monday. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that prices of essential items have fallen, giving relief to monthly household budget. He also shared a chart showing the decline in the prices of 11 items. The average price of palm oil fell a maximum of 11 per cent to Rs 118 per litre on October 2 from Rs 132 per litre on September 2, 2022. The price of vanaspati ghee fell 6 per cent to Rs 143 per kg from Rs 152 per kg. Sunflower oil price too fell 6 per cent to Rs 165 per litre from Rs 176 per litre while soyabean oil eased 5 per cent to Rs 148 per litre from Rs 156 per litre. Mustard oil price fell 3 per cent to Rs 167 per litre from Rs 173 per litre. The rate of groundnut oil went down 2 per cent to Rs 185 per litre from Rs 189 per litre. Onion price dropped 8 per cent to Rs 24 per kg from Rs 26 per kg while the rate of potato declined 7 per cent to
Global food major Cargill on Monday said it has opened its first innovation centre in India to develop solutions for the food and beverage market. The first Cargill Innovation Center at Gurugram in Haryana, spread over almost 17,000 square feet, includes a sensory lab and demonstration kitchen, with capabilities to serve dairy, beverage, bakery, and convenience food industries, as well as other specialised culinary applications, a company statement said. The innovation centre will have 27 food specialists/scientists and will provide opportunities for aspiring talent from academia, agribusiness and food sectors as well. It will also allow R&D collaboration for companies of all sizes. Cargill said it would partner with its F&B customers in India to identify consumer demands, translate global industry trends into local application and accelerate customer product innovation pipelines. The centre combines Cargill's expertise across different industry segments, including edible oils