Tag: India

Will farmers be driving Ferraris in ten years? That’s what Jim Rogers, the immortal billionaire investor who founded the Quantum fund, thinks. We’ll have to wait and see if that turns out to be true, but his sentiment is based upon a few key factors that continue to put upward pressure on the prices of agricultural goods.

3 Factors That Could Effect Agriculture Stock Prices

1.) Emerging Market Demand

Emerging-market economies like China and India are growing by leaps and bounds, enriching the citizens of those countries and creating more demand for higher-end food products. But due to a combination of rolling demand and massive populations, these countries lack the infrastructure and production capacities to satisfy that ‘hunger’. China, for example, is home to 22% of the world’s population but just 7% of its arable land. So in order to fill the gap, these countries will need to enlarge their imports, which stand to be a boon for long-term gains in the agriculture stocks industry.

2.) Inflation Hedge

With the Dollar collapsing at a fast pace, investors continue to flock to companies that trade in ‘hard assets’, and the agricultural stocks complex definitely qualifies. Although corn, beans and wheat are down sharply from last year, prices have recently begun to rebound and move higher. Hard assets are currency neutral and will continue to be a great investment destination for anyone alarmed about the ruining of paper currencies.

3.) Global Weather Volatility

Farmers live in a shaky world. One season, they spend months praying for rain to nourish their crop; then in the next season, the crop gets wiped out because of too much rain. Just this summer, sugar prices soared to a new 28-year high after a drought killed production in India. Ag producers need just the right balance of rain, sunshine and nutrients to produce the desired yield, something that consistently effects production and, in turn, prices.

Now that we have a essential understanding of the underlying essentials affecting prices and consumption in agriculture, let’s go ahead and take a look at some companies that appear to be well positioned to profit from the trend.

4 Agriculture Stocks

The Anderson’s, Inc. (ANDE – Analyst Report) is an agriculture producer and transporter in the U.S. The company’s share price took a hit last year but has since bounced back nicely as the economy and its estimates have recovered. With the current-year Zacks Consensus Estimate pegged at $2.22, this Zacks #1 Rank stock offers some value with a P/E of 15X. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for agriculture stocks next year is bullish, projecting 27% earnings growth for this agriculture stock.

China Green Agriculture, Inc. (CGA – Snapshot Report) operates as a fertilizer producer out of China. Shares posted big gains this year as China’s economy has remained hot (recently reporting GDP growth of 8.9%). Next year’s agriculture stocks growth projection for the company is a bullish 57%.

Zhongpin Inc. (HOGS) has posted huge agriculture stocks gains in 2009, with its share price more than doubling after bottoming out just above $7 in early March. The Chinese-based agriculture producer and Zacks #1 Rank stock offers big value in a very bullish environment, trading at just 10X projected current-year earnings, with a solid 18% next-year growth projection to boot.

Deere Co. (DE – Analyst Report) builds and manufactures farming machines and equipment. Farmers will be seeking to upgrade their equipment if they’re raking in big bucks, and that will provide shares of DE with a very nice boost. As it stands, the company’s share price is down from its peak in early 2008, but has begun to rebound on a nice earnings beat last quarter and rising agriculture stocks estimates.

Agriculture Stocks Conclusion

When you take a composite view of the agricultural stocks landscape, it’s easy to see that there are a number of macro-level trends that could produce long-term growth prospects. It’s a great way to round out your portfolio and give you a chance to outperform the averages over the long haul.

There are various factors involved in agriculture. Listed below are Physical Conditions along with the books to refer about them. Physical conditions that affecting agriculture are 1. Soils and Fertilizers The richness of the soil is a very important physical factor affecting agriculture. Soils differ in respect of chemical composition and physical. Soils may be fine or coarse, porous or non-porous. In general fine soils like loam or silt are very fertile. The chemical composition of the soil determines its productivity. Sustainability of agricultural systems is a major global concern due to population growth and a number of environmental factors. The key to the management of soil fertility and also impart a scrupulous understanding of plant nutrition, soil fertility, nutrients supplied through fertilizers and manures, manufacture of fertilizers and preparation of manures play a vital role. During recent decades of research by a large group of agricultural scientists working in the diagnostic field, many new methods have been devised to aid farmers in fertilizing their crops more effectively. A major objective of this book is to bring together in one volume a comprehensive discussion of both the underlying theory and the practical application of these various techniques. To attain that objective, the services of a group of distinguished Scientists were enlisted to prepare the various chapters. These scientists are outstanding in their respective spheres of work, both as to theory and as to practice. 2. Climate Climate change is a hard reality and changing weather patterns, retreating glaciers, polar ice melt, sea level rise, increased severity and occurrence of natural disasters like flood, super cyclone, drought, changes in hydrological cycles, crisis in freshwater and drinking water resources, uncertainty in cereal output, increasing vector borne diseases, changing migration pattern and flowering time, are just some of the consequences already being experienced by us. Fragile and delicate ecosystems like coral reefs and mangroves are extremely sensitive to the slightest variation in climate. In developing countries like India, climate change may contribute an additional burden on ecological and socio-economic systems associated with rapid urbanization, industrialization and economic development. Apart from the above physical condition Agriculture Engineers must have the knowledge of Basics of Agriculture to perform the services in their respective field. The scientific approach for understanding of the problems concerning soil, plants, agricultural equipments and their management is really important. Another aspect is Rainwater harvesting which is a technique for accumulating and storing of rainwater, channelized to flow to the ponds, lakes and over- and underground storage places, which can be used not only to recharge the groundwater, but also to provide drinking water, for irrigation, livestock as well as other typical uses given to water. The rainwater is collected from various hard surfaces such as roof tops and/or other types of manmade above ground hard surfaces. Rainwater harvesting also aids in keeping the village roads from getting slushy during the rains and maintaining the transport mobility and prevent flooding in some urban areas. http://www.astralint.com/indian-books/state-of-the-art-report-on-sustainable-rainwater-harvesting-and-groundwater-rechare-in-developing-countiresnam-sandt-cen/isbn-9788170357704.aspx

For more books on agriculture visit http://www.astralint.com/indian-books/basics-of-agriculture-for-engineers-pbk/isbn-9789351242604.aspx

Briquette fuel produced from briquetting of biomass is fairly good substitute for coal, lignite, firewood. Fuel from biomass briquetting is the process of converting low bulk density biomass into high density and energy concentrated bio briquettes. Compared to fire wood or loose biomass, bio briquette gives much higher boiler efficiency because of low moisture and higher density.
* Biomass Briquettes coal is cheaper than usual coal.
* Oil, coal or lignite, once used, cannot be replaced.
* High sulfur content of oil and coal, when burnt, pollutes the environment. There is no sulfur in biomass Briquettes coal.
* Biomass briquettes have a higher practical thermal value and much lower ash content (2-10% as compared to 20-40% in coal).
* There is no fly ash when burning briquettes fuel.
* Briquettes fuel has consistent quality, has high burning efficiency, and is ideally sized for complete combustion.
* Combustion is more uniform compared to coal and boiler response to changes in steam requirements is faster due to higher quantity of volatile matter in briquettes.
* Briquettes are usually produced near the consumption centers and supplies do not depend on erratic transport from long distances.
The composition of the Briquettes biomass varies by area due to the availability of raw materials. The raw materials are gathered and compressed into briquetting machines in order to burn longer and make transportation of the goods easier. Compared to fossil fuels, the biomass briquettes produce low net total greenhouse gas emissions because the materials used are already a part of the carbon cycle.
Briquettes in India helps processing of the material in pieces of geometrically regular and uniform in each case form, almost same mass. Biomass Briquette manufacturers create additional raw materials of fine materials whose use is inefficient and inconvenient as well as recycled waste.
This can be prevented by using biomass briquettes for electricity generation instead of other energy sources. A renewable resource can be replaced as needed without hurting the planet or the inhabitants. Biomass in India is now used by many companies as it is environment friendly. Briquetting machine price can also be high. The fixed costs with creating those products are high because of the brand-new undeveloped technologies that concentrate on the extraction, production and storage within the fuel.

Indian agriculture is the backbone of the country. For efficient farming, Agricultural Implements are very important. Agriculture is not only limited to quality farming but has to satisfy the large market demands because of the immense increase in the population of India. Indian agriculture industry is able to cater to the needs of Indian population owing to the advanced Agricultural Implements. Agricultural Implements have high importance in Indian farming as technology has become an inseparable part of this sector.

Agricultural Implements & Their Uses

The biggest problem in agriculture was the threat of pests. And it was really hard to control pests over vast farmed areas. But with the help of Agricultural Sprayers, pest control has become a short and easy task. And for every specific requirement there is a specific type of Agricultural Sprayer available in the market.

Harvesting was also a time taking process before the introduction of Harvesters. Different types of crops can be very efficiently cut with the use of different hi-tech Harvesters within a short time period.

Weeds always grow around and in the farm land. That is why Weeders of various types are required to keep the growth of weeds at bay. Brush Weed Cutters are widely used Agricultural Implements for the cutting of weeds.

Numerous crops are marketed in shredded form. And shredding of specific crops is best done by implements like Electric Chipper Shredder, Coconut Leaves Shredder, etc.

Tea Harvesting Machine is a special type of Agricultural Implement that is used only for farming tea. With the help of the Tea Harvesting Machine, tea farming has become quite an economic process.

In todays world, agriculture industry cannot do without the help of Advanced Agricultural Implements, if it has to match up with the international standards. Are you looking for a reliable manufacturer of Agricultural Implements? Given below is a one stop solution to your all types of needs of Agriculture Implements.

Based in Tamil Nadu, India, Maax Engineering is a leading Manufacturer, Exporter, Importer and Supplier of Agriculture Instruments .

Wolfberry is the name given to the Chinese and European variety of the Goji berry. It actually goes by many other names and has more than 100 species. The Lyceum Barbarum Wolfberry is the most popular species of this plant. It is the best tasting one and is used for making Goji juice and for medicinal uses in Asia and India.

The Wolfberry is a shrub that can grow up to 10 feet with trailing vines spreading to up to 20 feet. In China it is cultivated in large plantations for commercial use. These commercial farms use conventional chemical methods to grow the Wolfberry and protect it from insect damage. The largest growing area is the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in Northern China. This is where they grow the Lyceum Barbarum Wolfberry. This species was originally taken from Tibet and the Himalayan region.

Other varieties of this plant can be found growing wild in various parts of the world including the UK. It is known as the Wolfberry and also has other names, like The Box Thorn Fruit and The Matrimony Vine Fruit. This plant grows wild in the cooler parts of Europe and Asia.

In Tibet and Inner Mongolia the Wolfberry is known as the Goji Berry. It is one of the protected medicinal plants in this area. Because of its use as a medicine plant the Wolfberry is grown organically there with no additional chemicals. The areas it grows in are labeled as “wild places” and are relatively untouched by urban development. An organization Co-op for the Goji farmers that ensures they get fair prices and help continue growing Wolfberry plants, was created in 1975. The Tanaduk Institute has also helped to protect the medicinal plants grown in this region. Several monasteries in India also grow medicinal plants including the Wolfberry. They are grown organically here and are sold on a limited basis.

The plants are quite easy to grow and can be started from seed. The seeds take around 7 days to germinate. The Wolfberry can also be cultivated from roots. It is resistant to drought and can withstand temperatures of -15 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. The Wolfberry prefers light soil for optimum growth but will grow in any soil. Ideally the plant prefers full sunlight but will also grow in partial shade.

You can cultivate The Wolfberry in containers. If you do this, you need to hand pollinate the Wolfberry flowers, to get the fruit. The fruits are quite vulnerable to insect damage so you should take steps to protect the plants when they are producing fruit. The Wolfberry plants begin to bear fruit from the age of 1 year and will produce heavy crops when they are between 4 and 5 years old. They start to bloom in early summer and develop fruit in late summer. The Wolfberry will continue to bear fruit until the first severe frost. The best way to get the maximum health benefits from this plant is to try to grow it naturally without chemicals, herbicides or insecticides.