Kolkata: Mushrooms are good for diabetics since they contain little or no sugar, says an expert.

‘Cultivated and wild species of mushrooms are consumed because of their nutritional value. They are rich in essential nutritional constituents and are good for people with diabetes as they have little or no sugar,’ said T.N. Lakhanpal from the department of bioscience at Himachal Pradesh University.

Lakhanpal was among the delegates at the 100th Indian Science Congress, which ended here Sunday.

According to the scientist, mushrooms, being almost fat-free, benefit the obese too.

On the emerging importance of mushroom biology, Lakhanpal said: ‘The potential of mushrooms as neutraceuticals has emerged as an important aspect of mushroom biology in the last 20 years’.

‘Also, all the mushrooms investigated so far have been found to have curative properties against cancer, HIV and other dreaded diseases,’ he said.

Besides medicinal benefits, mushroom cultivation provides economic benefits, he said.

‘Mushroom cultivation is a cottage and commercial industry and is finding favour among the rural people.’

Thiruvananathapuram: The central government has decided to allot one lakh tonne of rice to the state, K.V. Thomas, Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs, said on Saturday.

Talking to reporter here, K.V. Thomas also said that the rice would be distributed at the rate of Rs. 18 a kilogram.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ommen Chandy said that the state government would take measures to curb the rising price of rice.

He also said that the distribution system through the Maveli Stores for APL and BPL card holders would be continued without any delay.

Kalpetta: Milma director board Monday accepted in principle the suggestion for a price hike of five rupees for Milma milk. The decision was taken at the board meeting held in Wayanad based on a report submitted by an expert committee.

A final decision on the magnitude of the hike will be taken by 11, this month. The hike will also be enforced by then.

Milma was mooting for a price hike by at least Rs 8 a litre to give farmers a fair deal. However, the board ended up restricting it to Rs 5.

Prices of all dairy products and cattle fodder produced by Milma would also reportedly see a substantial increase.

Poor monsoon continues to put pressure on prices of staple vegetables, including tomato and potato, and could further push up retail inflation which is hovering above the double-digit mark.
Rates of key veggies are yet to show signs of coming down compared to mid-July due to supply constraint as a result of deficient rainfall across the country.

According to IMD, the country has witnessed 19 per cent rain deficiency during the season so far. It says that monsoon is expected to bring widespread showers in August but is likely to run into trouble in September (the terminal part of monsoon).

Potato which was selling at a high of Rs 20 a kg in retail in Delhi around middle of July is still ruling at the same price in and around the national capital.

Similarly, tomato which was at Rs 40 a kg then has further soared to Rs 50 a kg in Delhi and NCR, traders said.

Onion which was available at a reasonable price of Rs 10-15 a kg around July 15 has risen to Rs 20-25/kg now in Delhi and NCR.

Likewise, prices of important vegetables continue to remain on the higher side in other metros of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai too.

Data provided by National Horticulture Research Development Foundation (NHRDF), an arm of ICAR which monitors vegetable items like onion, potato and garlic, indicate their high costs.

R P Gupta, Director NHRDF, said that deficient monsoon in June has brought down production of potato in kharif season by more than half in Karnataka, a key producer of the crop.

Beijing: China is now the world’s largest food and grocery market, having overtaken the US in terms of sales in 2011, a market research firm said.

British food industry analysts IGD also noted that BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – will make up four of the top five grocery markets by 2015.

China’s supermarket sector was worth $970 billion at the end of 2011, surpassing the US market, valued at $913.5 billion. The rapid expansion is driven by China’s growing economy, rising wealth, and inflationary food prices, the firm said.

China’s grocery market is forecast to expand to nearly $1.46 trillion by the end of 2014, three times its worth in 2006, the China Daily reported Sunday.

The firm noted the Chinese are moving from a diet based on rice and pork to a diet of dairy products, wheat, grains and red and white meat, which helped boost global prices.

‘Despite the slowdown, measures to stimulate Chinese domestic consumption present an opportunity for retailers. For example, higher wages could boost disposable income and increase the number of potential customers,’ said Cecile Riverain, IGD’s international research manager.