Welcome to the weekly news bulletin by P Sundarayya Memorial Trust. News from September 12-18, 2026 below:

Policy News

US ethanol exports hit record highs, India among key markets
RuralVoice. U.S. ethanol exports have continued to expand, with exports through June 2026 running 12 percent higher in volume and 21 percent higher in value than the record pace of 2025, according to a September 2026 USDA report. The US exports reached 1.21 billion gallons valued at $2.76 billion in the first half of 2026. The report attributes the strong performance to growing global ethanol demand, changing blending mandates and reduced export competition from Brazil. India is among the major markets contributing to the rise in global ethanol demand, although U.S. ethanol shipments to the country are largely for industrial and chemical uses. U.S. ethanol exports reached a second consecutive annual record in 2025, rising to 8.4 billion liters, valued at $4.7 billion, from 7.4 billion liters and $4.3 billion in 2024. India was among the top ethanol-importing markets identified by the USDA, alongside Canada, the European Union, the UK, Colombia and the Philippines. The USDA report said U.S. industrial ethanol exports to India reached a record 718 million liters in 2024, before declining slightly to 711 million liters in 2025. The report links the strong demand in India to rapid growth in fuel ethanol consumption, higher blending rates, rising gasoline consumption and increased domestic ethanol production. India’s fuel ethanol consumption more than tripled between 2021 and 2025, while the average ethanol blending rate increased from around 8 percent to 20 percent. The expansion of domestic production, including diversification of feedstocks, helped India increase supplies to meet its E20 target by November 2025. However, imported ethanol is not permitted for fuel use in India. According to the USDA, as domestic ethanol production increasingly shifted from non-fuel applications to fuel blending, U.S. ethanol exports to India helped replace supplies that were diverted from industrial and chemical applications toward the fuel market.•

Brics nations propose deeper information sharing on farm genetic resources
BusinessStandard. The Brics countries have proposed to deepen their cooperation in agriculture through setting up a Brics agro-inputs, genetic resources and information network (BRICS AGRIN) that would strengthen collaboration in seeds, germplasm, and agricultural inputs within member countries. The proposed BRICS AGRIN network will also promote information exchange, capacity building and technical cooperation among BRICS members, potentially providing a platform for greater coordination on agricultural genetic resources and inputs. According to the agriculture outcome proposals finalised by the countries ahead of their probable inclusion in the main summit declaration, Brics nations are also looking to deepen cooperation in agriculture through a series of initiatives covering agro-ecology, digital farming, agricultural inputs and farmers’ rights in seed systems.•

China bans 3 more Indian rice exporters for alleged GMO presence in shipments
BusinessLine. Indian rice exporters on the alleged presence of genetically modified organisms. But Indian exporters say Beijing is indulging in a sort of trade war, erecting non-tariff barriers. Trade sources said Kakinada-based Sarala Foods and Pattabhi Agro Foods in Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi-based Om India Trading Ltd are the affected exporters, which is actually a ban. This takes the total number of exporters whose license has been revoked to 10. However, Mukesh Jain, President of The Rice Exporters Association, Chhattisgarh, told businessline that the Chinese rejection of Indian rice shipments was suspicious and the suspicion was that Beijing was erecting a non-tariff barrier. •

India faces 100% tariff threat over Russian oil after US House vote
BBC. For four years, India, one of the world’s biggest oil importers, has turned Russia’s war-driven disruption of global oil markets to its advantage. Russian crude, displaced from western markets after the invasion of Ukraine, has flowed instead to Indian refineries, often at attractive discounts. The arrangement has lowered the cost of one of India’s biggest imports and given its refiners an abundant source of crude. Now that bargain is becoming a source of geopolitical risk. The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation giving President Donald Trump broad powers to impose sanctions on Russia and tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. It will now go to Trump to be signed into law. India and China are among those most exposed because both are major buyers of Russian oil. China accounted for half of Russia’s crude exports, followed by India at 37%, Turkey at 5% and the EU at 5% between December 2022 and August 2026, according to the think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). India said in a statement that it was “monitoring further developments on this matter” and that it remained “firmly committed to ensuring energy security” for its people.”This issue has been discussed at high levels in recent months with various US interlocutors. Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relationship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side,” it added.•

Movements

How Punjab’s farmer protest threatens political parties in the upcoming assembly elections
NDTV. The fresh wave of farmer protests, sparked by the power cuts while paddy ripens, could recast Punjab’s 2027 election. AAP faces anger over farm supply in the state, and the BJP faces it over central policy. Even after an umbrella of 32 unions lifted a week-long sit-in at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, this electricity-led wave is still alive. It lands on both the Aam Aadmi Party in Chandigarh and the BJP in Delhi. AAP owns the broken supply on the ground. The BJP owns the central pool, farm policy and the trade and legal fights unions have tied to the charter. Rural anger therefore cuts two ways at once. Punjab’s fresh wave of farmer protests threatens to disrupt the political calculus for both the ruling AAP and BJP, creating a strategic opening for the Congress. The fresh agitation, targeting unfulfilled promises, central agricultural policies, and accumulated rural distress, threatens to upend the political equilibrium in a state heading toward the 2027 Assembly election. While the ruling AAP in Punjab and the BJP at the Centre find themselves in the crosshairs of rural anger, the Congress is strategically positioned to harvest anti-incumbency without carrying the full burden of incumbency. While the ruling AAP government has fulfilled two key promises – free household power up to 300 units and expanded canal irrigation, core demands – including comprehensive debt waivers and legally backed MSP – remain unfulfilled. Recent protests at the Chandigarh-Mohali border stem directly from unions asserting these commitments were broken. Farmer leaders say the diversification was promised through procurement of moong, maize, basmati and other crops plus a DSR incentive. Some moong buying happened. A stable, statewide guarantee equal to wheat and paddy did not. Farmers will not leave paddy without that market.•

Natural Disasters and Agriculture

India likely to see sub-normal rainfall and high temperatures in September: IMD
TheWire. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its monthly outlook issued on Monday (August 31), predicted rainfall across the country to be below 91% of long-period average (LPA) of 167.9 mm during September. The press release stated that many parts of the country are likely to receive “below-normal rainfall” in September, although parts of northwest, northeast, east, east-central India and southeast peninsular India could receive “normal to above-normal rainfall.” Meanwhile, “above-normal maximum temperatures” will persist in most parts of the country. Minimum temperatures are also expected to remain above normal in most regions, except parts of northwest, west-central and northeast India, where they are likely to be normal to below normal. IMD’s forecast comes in the wake of the hottest August recorded in India since 1901. The month also recorded a a 16% rainfall deficit, according to the IMD. The department attributed the continuing weather conditions partly to El Niño, with strong El Niño conditions prevailing over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, raising sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. These conditions are expected to strengthen further in the coming months, IMD said.•

Apple arrivals in Himachal mandis down 44% amid climate concerns: Govt
HindustanTimes. El Niño has become firmly established and is expected to intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, increasing the risks of extreme heat, floods and drought across different parts of the world, according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO forecasts indicate an exceptionally high likelihood of nearly 100% that El Niño will persist through February 2027, marking the strongest level of certainty in the organization’s 50-year history of El Niño/La Niña updates. The event is expected to peak toward the end of 2026, with its climate impacts potentially continuing well into 2027. The intensification is being driven by exceptionally warm conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The Niño 3.4 index, which measures sea-surface temperature anomalies in the central-eastern equatorial Pacific, averaged 1.5°C above normal during May-July 2026 and reached 2.0°C above normal in July. Weekly readings subsequently climbed to around 2.2°C-2.6°C above average between late July and mid-August. Ocean temperatures beneath the surface are even more unusual, with some areas recording temperatures more than 8°C above average during July and early August. These conditions, combined with strong atmospheric signals, point to further strengthening of the event. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that the impacts could include significant disruption to communities and economies, with droughts and floods already causing damage in some regions. She said the exceptional El Niño requires exceptional preparedness and response, with national meteorological and hydrological services being mobilized to strengthen early-warning efforts.•

Data

Rice, marine and meat exports rise in August; spices, fruits-vegetables and oilmeal decline
RuralVoice. India’s exports of agricultural and allied products showed a mixed trend in August 2026. Exports of rice, marine products, meat-dairy-poultry products and coffee increased, while shipments of spices, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds, oilmeal and tea declined. At the same time, imports of several key agricultural commodities increased sharply. In August, imports of pulses rose 77 percent, fruits and vegetables 33.9 percent and fertilizers 13.6 percent. Rice: Rice exports stood at $918 million in August 2026, compared with $881 million in August 2025, registering a 4.1 percent increase. During April-August 2026, rice exports amounted to $4.812 billion, compared with $4.71 billion in the corresponding period last year, marking a 2.2 percent increase during the first five months of the financial year. Marine Products: Marine product exports rose 27.8 percent to $761 million in August from $596 million a year earlier. During April-August, marine exports increased 14.3 percent to $3.651 billion from $3.194 billion. Meat, Dairy and Poultry Products: Exports of meat, dairy and poultry products increased 37.1 percent to $694 million in August from $506 million in the same month last year. During April-August, exports rose 43.9 percent to $3.132 billion from $2.177 billion. Exports of cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed items increased 7.4 percent to $309 million in August from $288 million. During April-August, exports rose 5.3 percent to $1.443 billion from $1.37 billion last year. Coffee: Coffee exports increased 17.1 percent in August to $163 million from $139 million. During April-August, coffee exports also increased 2.5 percent to $924 million from $902 million. Cashew: Cashew exports registered a marginal increase. Exports rose 3.6 percent to $27 million in August from $26 million. During April-August, exports increased 1.5 percent to $111 million from $109 million. Spices: Spice exports declined 13.3 percent in August to $289 million from $333 million. During April-August, exports also declined, falling to $1.696 billion from $1.832 billion. Fruits and Vegetables: Exports of fruits and vegetables declined both in August and during the April-August period. In August, exports fell 11.4 percent to $276 million from $312 million. During April-August, exports declined 10.3 percent to $1.4 billion from $1.561 billion. Oilseeds: Oilseed exports declined 16.7 percent in August to $86 million from $104 million. During April-August, exports fell 18.9 percent to $454 million from $561 million. Oilmeal: Oilmeal exports witnessed a sharp decline. Exports fell 48 percent in August to just $51 million from $99 million. During April-August, exports declined 21 percent. Exports stood at $375 million compared with $474 million in the corresponding period last year. Tea: Tea exports declined 12.5 percent in August and 15.6 percent during April-August. Tea exports stood at $94 million in August, compared with $107 million in the same month last year. During April-August, exports fell to $355 million from $421 million.•

Poultry feed costs rise 25 percent, put India’s poultry and egg sector under pressure
RuralVoice. India is the second-largest producer of eggs in the world, and the annual production of eggs is 146 billion. Annual layer placement is 400 million layers. But per capita consumption is still very low when compared with egg consumption in developed countries like Europe and the USA. In India, per capita consumption is only 106 eggs per year. The major cost of egg production is feed cost, which accounts for approximately 65-70% of the total cost. The main feed ingredients are maize, soybean meal, De-oiled Rice Bran (DORB), DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles), along with vitamins and amino acids. Today, layer feed costs approximately Rs 30,000-Rs 32,000 per metric ton, compared with around Rs 24,000 in April 2026. So, in just four months, the cost has increased by 20-25%. Feed has become costlier because of the increased prices of feed ingredients. The maize rate has increased from Rs 21,000 per metric ton in April 2026 to Rs 26,500-Rs 27,000 per metric ton in August. Maize rates might further increase due to increased demand from the ethanol industry. Food, feed and fuel should not compete with each other but should grow together.•

India’s domestic fertiliser sales dip 10.33% in August on low rains
BusinessStandard.Total fertiliser sales in August 2026 were almost 10.33 per cent lower than in the same month last year, totalling 6.51 million tonnes, as the monsoon continued to play truant, with the cumulative all-India rainfall deficit recorded at 16.3 per cent for August. Though the uneven run is not fully reflected in overall kharif acreage numbers, which till September 11 were just around 1.45 per cent lower than in the same period last year and 0.72 per cent less than the normal acreage, which is the average area covered over the last five years, several experts and commentators said that more than total acreage, it is the per-hectare yields that will matter most from now.•

Paddy acreage down 4% till Sep 11 of 2026 kharif sowing season: Govt data
BusinessLine. Paddy sowing area has declined 4 per cent to 426.81 lakh hectares (ha) till September 11 in the ongoing 2026 kharif season due to lower acreage in many states, including Karnataka and Telangana, according to the Agriculture Ministry data. The area under coverage for paddy stood at 443.78 lakh ha in the year-ago period. The paddy acreage has declined in Karnataka by 4.54 lakh ha, Telangana (4.46 lakh ha), Andhra Pradesh (1.90 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.84 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh (1.75 lakh ha), Tamil Nadu (1.40 lakh ha), Maharashtra (1.15 lakh ha), and Jharkhand (0.97 lakh ha). Paddy, a major crop of Kharif (summer-sown) season, will be harvested from October. As per the data, the area under coverage for pulses rose to 118.46 lakh ha from 116.79 lakh ha.