Background
The Kollam district administration's profile records that the district is naturally veined by the Ashtamudi lake, a massive multi-branched water body, and that this lake together with the Kollam canal gives Kollam a place of prominence in the waterway systems of the country. Administratively the district has two revenue divisions, Kollam and Punalur, with three taluks each under them. The profile records that Kollam has been the centre of the cashew industry in Kerala from the time of the Portuguese in the 16th century, and that with hundreds of working cashew factories the district still continues to be the largest processed cashew exporter in India. Neendakara and Thangasseri are named as the two fishing harbours and ports in Kollam, supporting a marine industry. The soil is described as varyingly loamy, laterite and forest at the coastal regions, and the district has a large forest cover on its eastern side with eco tourism projects such as Shenduruni, Thenmala and Palaruvi.
Revenue divisions:
Kollam and Punalur, three taluks each
Cashew:
Largest processed cashew exporter in India
Fishing harbours and ports:
Neendakara and Thangasseri
Chief water body:
Ashtamudi lake
Why it matters for exams: The cashew question, the two revenue divisions and the two fishing harbours of Kollam are all stated in the district's own profile.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Ashtamudi Ashtamudi lake — The multi-branched lake of Kollam that the district profile links to the country's waterway systems.
Revenue division Revenue division — An administrative tier between the district and the taluk in Kerala's revenue set-up.
Background
The Alappuzha district profile records an average rainfall of 2763 mm for the district. It lists eight reporting rain gauge stations, at Arookutty, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Harippad, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara and Chengannur. The average monthly temperature is given as 25 degrees Celsius, with a moist and hot coast and a slightly cool and dry interior. The profile sets out the seasons as a hot season from March to May, the south-west monsoon or Edavappathi from June to September, the north-east monsoon or Thulavarsham from October to November, and dry weather from December to February. Alluvial soils are recorded in the rest of Kuttanad and in the delta region formed by the Pamba, Manimala and Achenkovil rivers near their confluence.
Average rainfall:
2763 mm
Reporting rain gauge stations:
8
Average monthly temperature:
25 degrees Celsius
Delta rivers:
Pamba, Manimala and Achenkovil
Why it matters for exams: Rainfall figures, the names of the two monsoons in Malayalam and the three rivers of the Kuttanad delta are all drawn from this official profile.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Thulavarsham Thulavarsham — The Malayalam name for the north-east monsoon, which the profile dates from October to November.
Edavappathi Edavappathi — The Malayalam name for the south-west monsoon, from June to September in this profile.
10 October 2026
The Animal Husbandry Department of Kerala invited applications on 9 October 2026 for its awards to outstanding farmers for the 2025 season.
Three state-level awards carry ₹1,00,000 each: Best Dairy Farmer, Best Commercial Dairy Farm and Best Mixed Farmer.
Three more state-level awards carry ₹50,000 each: Best Poultry Farmer, Best Young Farmer and Best Woman Farmer or Entrepreneur.
At the district level, the Best Dairy Farmer award carries ₹20,000 and the Best Mixed Farmer award ₹10,000.
Applications in the prescribed format must be submitted to the relevant government veterinary hospital by 22 October 2026.
The detailed criteria and the application form are available on the Animal Husbandry Department's website and at government veterinary hospitals.
Top state-level prize:
₹1,00,000
State-level awards at ₹50,000:
3
District-level dairy award:
₹20,000
Last date:
22 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Award names and prize amounts in Kerala's farm sector schemes are a common Kerala PSC objective question.
Kerala PSC
10 October 2026
At Thennurkonam on the Vizhinjam-Poovar road in Thiruvananthapuram district on 9 October 2026, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan laid the foundation stone for a new fishing harbour, opened the renovation of the existing harbour and distributed livelihood compensation.
The new fishing harbour costs ₹260 crore and is being built by Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt. Ltd. as government-funded work under the concession agreement for the international port.
Its components include a 235 m breakwater, a 340 m fish landing wharf, a 400 m reclamation bund, two modern auction halls and about 12,285 sq m of parking.
The renovation of the existing Vizhinjam fishing harbour costs ₹90 crore, is to be completed in two years and is funded by the State through VISL.
A new breakwater costing ₹125 crore is being built by the Harbour Engineering Department to reduce wave turbulence inside both harbours.
A modern fish market of about 8,212 sq ft costing ₹2.76 crore will have 30 fish display outlets, shop rooms and freezer rooms.
Livelihood compensation of ₹35 crore was paid into the bank accounts of 1,335 beneficiaries whose boats must travel farther because of the international port's breakwater.
Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor presided over the function.
New fishing harbour:
₹260 crore
Renovation of existing harbour:
₹90 crore
New breakwater:
₹125 crore
Livelihood compensation:
₹35 crore to 1,335 beneficiaries
Modern fish market:
₹2.76 crore, about 8,212 sq ft
Why it matters for exams: Vizhinjam project figures and the fisheries works funded by the State under the port's concession agreement are a standing Kerala PSC and UPSC infrastructure topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Breakwater Breakwater — A wall built out into the sea to break incoming waves and make the water inside a harbour calm.
9 October 2026
Valakom Grama Panchayat has begun building a new Janakeeya Arogya Kendram to bring primary health care closer to homes. The construction is funded with ₹55.5 lakh from the Fifteenth Finance Commission and the centre will work under the Ardram Mission, with disease prevention as a stated focus. It replaces a sub-centre building under the Valakom Family Health Centre that was about forty years old and had been certified unfit. Pregnant women, newborns, children, adolescents and the elderly are the target groups. The services planned include maternal and child care, family planning, reproductive health, control of communicable diseases, treatment of common ailments, first aid, screening for lifestyle diseases, cancer and mental health problems, national health programmes, palliative care for the elderly, emergency care and referral for further treatment. Clinics will run six days a week. Dr. Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA inaugurated the construction and Panchayat President Rajitha Sudhakaran presided.
Construction cost:
₹55.5 lakh
Funding source:
Fifteenth Finance Commission
Mission:
Ardram Mission
Clinic days:
Six days a week
Why it matters for exams: The Ardram Mission and the use of Finance Commission grants by panchayats for health buildings are recurring Kerala governance questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Ardram Mission Ardram Mission — Kerala's mission to upgrade government health facilities and make them people-friendly.
Family Health Centre Family Health Centre — An upgraded primary health centre in Kerala that offers longer hours and more services.
Background
Maharashtra's rainfall and drought are assessed division by division, and the State's drought declaration of 265 of its 358 talukas rests on that division-wise picture.
The six revenue divisions used in the assessment are Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and Nagpur.
Konkan is the coastal strip and recorded the smallest shortfall in the season behind the declaration, a deficit of 6.3 per cent.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the Marathwada division, recorded the worst deficit at 30.8 per cent, with 424.5 mm against a normal of 613.1 mm.
The Pune and Nashik divisions were each short by about 30 per cent, and Amravati and Nagpur, the two Vidarbha divisions, by 27 per cent.
Talukas are the units in which drought is declared, and Maharashtra has 358 of them.
The affected talukas in the declaration lie across 32 districts, from Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg on the coast to Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the east.
Dharashiv and five other Marathwada districts fall within the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division.
Revenue divisions in the assessment:
Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, Nagpur
Talukas in Maharashtra:
358
Smallest and largest divisional deficits:
Konkan 6.3 per cent; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 30.8 per cent
Districts covered by the declaration:
32
Why it matters for exams: The division and taluka framework is the permanent administrative geography behind every Maharashtra drought, flood or revenue question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Revenue division Administrative grouping of districts under a Divisional Commissioner — Maharashtra groups its districts into divisions, each headed by a Divisional Commissioner, for revenue and relief administration.
Marathwada The region around Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — A historically drought-prone region of Maharashtra, administered through the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division.
9 October 2026
The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 265 of the State's 358 talukas through a Government Resolution of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
The declaration covers 74 per cent of the State's area and spans 32 districts, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Buldhana, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
The Resolution rests on an Agriculture Commissioner's report and activates Trigger-1 under the Drought Management Manual, 2016, the first stage of the State's drought-response framework.
From 1 June to 18 September the State recorded 755.9 mm of rain against an average of 932.3 mm, a deficit of 18.8 per cent.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division recorded 424.5 mm against a normal of 613.1 mm, a deficit of 30.8 per cent, while the Konkan division was short by 6.3 per cent.
Dharashiv and Beed received no rainfall from July onwards.
Relief measures include exemption from land revenue, restructuring of crop loans and deferment of recovery, electricity bill concessions for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP, waiver of examination fees for school and college students, relaxed norms for rural employment guarantee works, tanker supply of drinking water and arrangements for foodgrain and fodder.
District collectors were directed to begin crop damage surveys with geotagged photographs and report through the Commissioner of Agriculture, with crop-loss assistance to follow in a later Resolution.
Talukas declared drought-affected:
265 of 358
Share of State area covered:
74 per cent
State rainfall, 1 June to 18 September:
755.9 mm against an average of 932.3 mm
State rainfall deficit:
18.8 per cent
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division deficit:
30.8 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Taluka counts, the Trigger-1 mechanism and division-wise rainfall deficits are the kind of precise State-level disaster management data that examinations use.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Trigger-1 First trigger under the Drought Management Manual, 2016 — The first stage of drought assessment, set off when prescribed rainfall deficit and dry spell conditions are met.
GR Government Resolution — The formal written order through which a State government in Maharashtra conveys an administrative decision.
9 October 2026
The Permanent Missions of India and Mali to the United Nations jointly organised a World Cotton Day event at UN Headquarters in New York on 7 October 2026.
The theme was 'Cotton for Sustainability: Livelihoods, Value Addition and Partnership'.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 7 October as World Cotton Day through resolution 75/318.
Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative of India, delivered the welcome remarks, and Ambassador Issa Konfourou of Mali also spoke.
Members of Parliament Asit Kumar Mal and L. K. Sudhish, and Padmini Singla, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, represented India.
Singla described India as a major cotton producer and consumer and outlined the Mission for Cotton Productivity and the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative on productivity, quality and traceability.
Dr Keshav R. Kranthi, Chief Scientist of the International Cotton Advisory Committee, and Angelica Jacome of the FAO Liaison Office with the UN took part.
World Cotton Day:
7 October
UN General Assembly resolution:
75/318
Theme:
Cotton for Sustainability: Livelihoods, Value Addition and Partnership
Permanent Representative of India:
Harish Parvathaneni
Why it matters for exams: United Nations observance days, the resolution that created them and India's cotton schemes are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kasturi Cotton Bharat Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative — An Indian branding and traceability programme for cotton run with the trade.
ICAC International Cotton Advisory Committee — An intergovernmental body of cotton producing and consuming countries.
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization — The United Nations agency for food and agriculture.
Permanent Mission Permanent Mission to the United Nations — A country's standing diplomatic office at the United Nations.
Background
Array
District number:
12th district of Kerala
Taluks at formation:
Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery, Vythiri
Altitude:
700 m to 2100 m above mean sea level
Area under forest:
About 885.92 sq.km
Why it matters for exams: District formation order, taluks, name origin and crop profile of Kerala's districts are repeat Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Vayal Nadu Land of paddy fields — The phrase from which the name Wayanad is derived.
Background
Kodagu (Coorg) lies on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in south-western Karnataka and has a geographical area of 4,102 square kilometers (1,584 sq mi).
Madikeri is the district headquarters, and the district administration's taluk office lists five talukas: Madikeri, Somwarpet, Virajpet, Kushalnagar and Ponnampet.
It is bordered by Dakshina Kannada district to the northwest, Hassan district to the north and Mysore district to the east, and by Kannur district of Kerala to the southwest and Wayanad district of Kerala to the south.
Its lowest elevation is 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea-level; the highest peak Tadiandamol rises to 1,750 metres (5,740 ft) and Pushpagiri, the second highest, to 1,715 meters (5,627 ft).
The main river is the Kaveri (Cauvery), which originates at Talakaveri on the eastern side of the Western Ghats and, with its tributaries, drains the greater part of Kodagu.
Paddy fields are found on the valley floors, with coffee and pepper agro-forestry in the surrounding hills; the most common plantation crop is coffee, especially the robusta variety.
The district has three wildlife sanctuaries, Brahmagiri, Talakaveri and Pushpagiri, and one national park, Nagarhole National Park, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
Kodagu is home to the native speakers of the Kodava language.
Geographical area:
4,102 square kilometers (1,584 sq mi)
District headquarters:
Madikeri
Talukas:
Madikeri, Somwarpet, Virajpet, Kushalnagar and Ponnampet
Highest peak:
Tadiandamol, 1,750 metres (5,740 ft)
Population (as of 2001):
548,561, of which 13.74% urban
Why it matters for exams: Kodagu combines three staples of a state-focus paper in one district: the source of the Kaveri, a Kerala-border map question, and the coffee and pepper plantation belt.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Talakaveri Talakaveri — The spot on the eastern side of the Western Ghats in Kodagu at which the Kaveri river originates.
Agro-forestry Agro-forestry — A way of farming in which crops such as coffee and pepper are grown under and among trees rather than in cleared open fields.
8 October 2026
The Forest Department and the Revenue Department in Idukki have begun joint action to clear natural elephant routes after the District Collector ordered the immediate removal of unauthorised structures blocking them.
District Collector Dinesh Cherruvattu, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority, issued the order after three people were killed in wild elephant attacks in the district over three months.
In the first phase the Forest Department began evicting encroachments on the route leading to Mathikettan.
In Chinnakanal about 10 hectares of encroached land forming part of a proposed reserved forest were cleared, unauthorised cardamom cultivation was destroyed and iron wire and fencing blocking the corridor was cut away.
The Forest Department identifies three elephant routes in Idukki, leading to old Devikulam, Suryanelli and Mathikettan.
Chief Conservator of Forests, High Range Circle, Vinod Kumar said reopening the closed Chinnakanal-to-Mathikettan route is the first priority.
The Revenue Department is to handle encroachments in the KSEB catchment area in a later phase.
Area cleared:
About 10 hectares
Elephant routes identified:
Three: old Devikulam, Suryanelli, Mathikettan
District Collector:
Dinesh Cherruvattu
Why it matters for exams: Elephant corridors, a District Disaster Management Authority order and a proposed reserve forest bring together environment and administration in one live Kerala case.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DDMA District Disaster Management Authority — A district body under the Disaster Management Act chaired by the District Collector, which can order measures to prevent disasters.
8 October 2026
Fishermen who are not receiving pension can complete Aadhaar authentication until 15 October.
They should go to the concerned Fisheries Office with their pension book and Aadhaar card.
The announcement was issued by the Information and Public Relations Department on 8 October 2026.
The notice lists district contact numbers, including Thiruvananthapuram 9497715520 and 0471-2325483, and Kozhikode 9497715580.
Last date:
15 October
Documents:
Pension book and Aadhaar card
Where:
Concerned Fisheries Office
Why it matters for exams: Welfare-pension administration and deadlines are routine Kerala PSC current-affairs material.
Kerala PSC
8 October 2026
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated new facilities at ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR-IIAB), Ranchi, by video conference.
They include the Admin-cum-School Building, Birsa Munda Multipurpose Hall, Jaipal Singh Munda Sports Complex and NEXTGEN Breeding Facility.
He laid the foundation stone of a new guest house costing ₹119 crore.
About 1,500 farmers from Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Ramgarh attended a pre-Rabi farmers' conference.
Nano urea, nano DAP and seed kits were distributed to farmers.
Chouhan urged scientists to undertake a nationwide 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' (Save the Fields Campaign) in the coming days.
Guest house foundation stone:
₹119 crore
Farmers attending:
About 1,500
Districts:
Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla, Ramgarh
Campaign called for:
Khet Bachao Abhiyan
Why it matters for exams: ICAR institutes, nano fertilisers and farmer-outreach campaigns are regular agriculture and current-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research — The apex body for agricultural research and education in India.
IIAB Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology — The ICAR institute at Garhkhatanga, Ranchi, for agricultural biotechnology research.
8 October 2026
The Ministry of Cooperation opened its 9th National Review Workshop in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on 8 and 9 October 2026.
The theme is 'Sahkar se Samriddhi — The Road Ahead: Scaling Impact through Cooperative Transformation'.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah suggested Bastar, a district long affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani urged better governance and accountability in cooperative banks.
The Ministry is working with the RBI to help cooperative banks raise funds.
The workshop will draft an action plan for the next three months.
Workshop:
9th National Review Workshop
Venue:
Bastar, Chhattisgarh
Dates:
8 and 9 October 2026
Action plan horizon:
Next three months
Why it matters for exams: The Ministry of Cooperation, PACS reforms and the cooperative sector are frequent polity and economy topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PACS Primary Agricultural Credit Societies — Village-level cooperative societies that give short-term credit to farmers.
NCDC National Cooperative Development Corporation — The statutory corporation that finances cooperative development.
8 October 2026
The new fishing harbour at Vizhinjam is required as part of the environmental clearance for the Vizhinjam International Port.
Its estimated construction cost is ₹260 crore, funded by the state government under the concession agreement signed with Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt. Ltd.
The existing fishing harbour will be renovated for ₹90 crore, to be completed in two years; the state government bears the cost through VISL and the Harbour Engineering Department carries out the work.
A new breakwater costing ₹125 crore will reduce wave turbulence inside both fishing harbours.
Compensation for the extra fuel burnt on longer trips caused by the international port's breakwater construction had lapsed. About 2000 beneficiaries will now get compensation as livelihood assistance in place of kerosene, by DBT, and the government has earmarked ₹35 crore for it.
Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan will lay the foundation stone of the new harbour, inaugurate the renovation and distribute the assistance on 9 October at 3 p.m. at Thennoorkonam on the Vizhinjam–Poovar road, with Fisheries Minister V. E. Abdul Gafoor presiding.
New fishing harbour:
₹260 crore
Renovation of existing harbour:
₹90 crore
New breakwater:
₹125 crore
DBT assistance:
₹35 crore
Why it matters for exams: Links a major port project to coastal livelihoods; environmental-clearance conditions and compensation are recurring Kerala PSC and UPSC themes.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DBT Direct Benefit Transfer — Money paid straight into the beneficiary's bank account.
VISL Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited — The state company (Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited) through which the state government meets the renovation cost.
8 October 2026
The World Food Programme records that 17.4 million people in Afghanistan are projected to be severely food insecure.
It expects 4.9 million mothers and children to be malnourished in 2026.
Twelve provinces are at critical levels of acute child malnutrition, the highest number on record.
WFP puts Afghanistan's population at 46 million, and says women and children make up 80 per cent of those reached by its emergency response.
The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) provides access to over a dozen hard-to-reach locations and serves over 100 UN agencies, NGOs and partners, whose work assists more than 10 million people.
WFP's country strategic plan for Afghanistan runs from 2018 to 2027, and the agency says its funding has declined sharply, severely hampering operations.
Projected severely food insecure:
17.4 million
Mothers and children expected malnourished in 2026:
4.9 million
Provinces at critical acute child malnutrition:
Twelve
Country strategic plan period:
2018 to 2027
Why it matters for exams: Afghanistan's hunger figures and the UNHAS air service are standard UN-agency facts in questions on humanitarian operations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WFP World Food Programme — The UN's food assistance agency, which runs the largest humanitarian operation in Afghanistan.
UNHAS United Nations Humanitarian Air Service — A WFP-managed air service that carries aid workers and cargo to hard-to-reach places.
8 October 2026
The Kozhikode district level vigilance committee linked to the National Food Security Act is being reconstituted.
Nominations have been invited from two groups: nominees of political parties represented in the State Legislative Assembly, and active workers in food safety and consumer protection, both from Kozhikode district.
Each nomination must state the nominee's name, address, email address and the political party or consumer organisation represented.
Nominations must be submitted to the District Supply Office by 31 October.
Last date:
31 October
Submit to:
District Supply Office
District:
Kozhikode
Why it matters for exams: Vigilance committees are a statutory grievance mechanism under the National Food Security Act and recur in governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NFSA National Food Security Act — The central law that gives a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains and provides for vigilance committees to monitor the public distribution system.
8 October 2026
The World Meteorological Organization published the outlook of the Fifteenth South-West Indian Ocean Climate Outlook Forum on 1 October 2026.
The forum was hosted by the Seychelles Meteorological Agency from 15 to 17 September and covers October to December 2026 and January to March 2027.
Participating Members were Comoros, La Reunion, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania.
The drivers considered were a strengthening El Nino, an Indian Ocean Dipole moving from neutral towards positive, and a Subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole moving from positive towards neutral.
South Africa, southern and central Mozambique, Malawi and south-western Madagascar are more likely to be drier, with higher drought and food-security risk.
Tanzania, northern Malawi, Seychelles and parts of the Mascarene Islands are more likely to be wetter, with flood and landslide risk.
Temperatures are expected to be above normal across the region, while tropical cyclone activity is expected to be below normal basin-wide with tracks shifting south.
Forum:
SWIOCOF15
Host:
Seychelles Meteorological Agency, 15-17 September
Participating Members:
9
Cyclone outlook:
below-normal activity basin-wide
Why it matters for exams: El Nino, the Indian Ocean Dipole and WMO regional climate outlook forums are standard geography and environment topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
El Nino El Nino — The warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation, marked by unusually warm water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific.
IOD Indian Ocean Dipole — The difference in sea surface temperature between the western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean.
WMO World Meteorological Organization — The UN agency for weather, climate and water, based in Geneva.
8 October 2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization released its Food Price Index for September 2026 on 2 October 2026.
The index averaged 136.0 points, up 2.0 points or 1.5 per cent from the revised August level.
It stood 7.4 points, or 5.8 per cent, above its level a year earlier and 24.3 points, or 15.1 per cent, below its March 2022 peak.
The cereal price index rose 5.1 per cent to 122.8 points and the vegetable oil index rose 0.9 per cent to 198.6 points.
The sugar index rose 6.1 per cent to 114.0 points, its third straight monthly rise and its highest level since April 2025.
The meat index fell 1.1 per cent to 127.9 points and the dairy index slipped 0.1 per cent to 119.1 points.
Index value:
136.0 points
Change from August:
up 1.5%
Change from a year earlier:
up 5.8%
Sugar index:
114.0 points, up 6.1%
Released:
2 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: The FAO Food Price Index and its five sub-indices are a recurring economy and index question.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
FFPI FAO Food Price Index — A monthly measure of the change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization — The UN agency for food and agriculture, headquartered in Rome.
Background
The ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology was set up in 1957 and started functioning at Cochin in the same year.
It is the only national centre in the country where research in all disciplines relating to fishing and fish processing is undertaken.
Research centres of the institute function at Veraval in Gujarat, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Its mandate covers basic and strategic research in fishing and processing, the design of energy efficient fishing systems for responsible fishing, and the development of implements and machinery for fishing and fish processing.
Human resource development through training, education and extension is also part of the mandate.
The institute is headed by a Director in whom all administrative and financial powers are vested.
Its research divisions include Fishing Technology, Fish Processing, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Quality Assurance and Management, Microbiology, Fermentation and Biotechnology, Engineering, and Extension, Information and Statistics.
Set up in:
1957
Headquarters:
Cochin
Research centres:
Veraval, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC and UPSC both ask which national research institutes are located in the State and which council they work under.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research — The national council under which CIFT functions.
CIFT Central Institute of Fisheries Technology — Set up at Cochin for research on fishing and fish processing.