businessline podcasts

Facebook stock has continued to remain under pressure since its record $230 billion market cap erosion in a single day 2 weeks back. Kumar Shankar Roy and Hari Viswanath discuss why this presents a good opportunity for long term investors.

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The government of India is warm to the idea of electricity and carbon dioxide from co-generation plants in sugar factories being gainfully used in co-electrolysis to produce sustainable aviation fuel.

Senior Deputy Editor M Ramesh explains

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Akhil Nallamuthu, senior research analyst, and Kumar Shankar Roy, senior assistant editor, delve deep into the fascinating but risky world of non-fungible tokens i.e. NFTs.

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Plenty of work is on in Indian laboratories on ways to switch over to green sources of heat and bring down costs. 

Here are two such technologies.

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India produces nearly 1.7 million tonnes of grapes every year and Maharashtra contributes nearly 70 per cent of the output. Grape is a highly profitable crop. Of the 1.7 m tonnes only a tiny fraction goes into winemaking and wine grapes offer even better returns. It is estimated that grape farmers make anywhere between Rs 40-80 for every litre of wine consumed. In comparison, Barley and wheat farmers earn just Rs 12 for a litre of beer and sugarcane farmers just Rs 4 for a litre of molasses-based hard liquor. 

To increase the income of grape farmers, the Maharashtra government last week allowed supermarkets with an area of more than 1,000 sq feet to sell wine. Wine-makers are obviously cheering and the move seems to have thrilled the farmers too. But the opposition in Maharashtra, the BJP says this would abet alcoholism. Is there indeed a big social cost that the government is overlooking to help farmers? And does it indeed help farmers or merely the big winemakers? 

TR Vivek is in conversation with Jagdish Holkar, the president of The All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) the Apex body of wineries in India, on these issues.

Investing in infrastructure funds looks attractive after the Union Budget's massive allocation to the infrastructure sector. But investors must take note of a few points before taking the plunge. Tune into this conversation between Maulik Madhu and Sai Prabhakar to understand if you should invest in these funds.

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Keerthi Sanagasetti, Research Analyst delves into the wish list of some of the key sectors of India Inc that are in need of stimulus from the upcoming Union Budget.

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With the tax filing deadline of December 31 past us, most of us must have now scored out the return filing exercise from the to-do list. But in this podcast Keerthi Sanagasetti and Sai Prabhakar from the BL Research Bureau, tell you why your job is not done yet.

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The dairy industry is often held up as a great Indian agri success story. India has nearly 540 million livestock animals, the most in the world. It produces 190 million tonnes of milk, the highest in the world. But the good news kind of comes to an end here. India's milk productivity is 50% less than the global average. Indian cattle produce only an average of 1000 Kg of milk per lactation cycle compared to 7000 Kg in Europe and a staggering 10,000 kilos in tiny, arid Israel. In the dairy industry, what you feed the animal is what determines the quality and quantity of milk. And India has an acute cattle feed crisis.

 The land available for fodder production has remained stagnant at 5% of the arable land for decades while cattle population and milk demand keep burgeoning. There is a 12% gap between the demand for green fodder and its availability. Lack of fodder means India's dairy farmers are operating at only 50% of their potential.   

A new and young Bengaluru-based startup called Hydrogreens founded by 38-year-old Vasanth Madhav Kamath is trying to address this crisis with a unique model that he calls ‘fodder-as-a-service’ for farmers who cannot afford to grow it themselves. The firm grows the green fodder in a low-cost, microclimate controlled vertical farming system that can ensure year-round availability of fresh, pesticide-free, high-protein supply. Even in 40-50 degree Celsius temperatures with just half a bucket of water.   

TR Vivek is in conversation with Kamath on how his innovative business can help Indian dairy farmers tide over the crisis.

As the World Economic Forum outlines its “Davos agenda” this week, international charity organisation Oxfam spotlights the inequalities that exist across the world. In its “Ïnequality kills” report, it calls for a tax on the super rich to fund public health programmes, for instance, among other social sectors. Oxfam India chief Amitabh Behar hopes, the pandemic “gives us a moment to take a pause and reboot ourselves, differently.“

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