Millennium Post

The shortage of cash after demonetisation of high value currency notes might have crippled normal life, but it seemingly has had very little impact on sowing of Rabi crops. Though the sowing has been delayed a little due to shortage of cash with farmers, the latest report of the Union Agriculture Ministry indicates that sowing acreage of wheat, pulses and oil seeds have increased from the previous Rabi season’s figures.

Millennium Post

Farmer associations on Saturday demanded that the Government should allow use of the banned 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to buy seeds and fertiliser till December 30, saying that peasants are short of cash and have no takers for their crop. The Government has allowed use of the old notes for certain utility payments till November 24 but has so far not agreed to the same for purchase of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

The Hindu

Wheat sowing in Punjab was impacted because of the demonetisation of old currency with growers claiming they were unable to buy seeds and other inputs due to “cash crunch.” The Punjab Agriculture Department has also acknowledged that the wheat sowing trailed by five per cent because of scrapping of old denomination notes.

The New Indian Express

The National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack on Friday observed 5th Agriculture Education Day on its premises. Secretary of Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi Dr Trilochan Mohapatra inaugurated an agricultural science exhibition showcasing the projects on ‘Sustainable Agriculture Technology for Accelerating Farm Production’ developed by school students.

The Indian Express

President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the international agriculture fair ‘CII Agro Tech 2016’ in Chandigarh on Sunday. After the inauguration at the Parade Ground, President Mukherjee will address another function to mark the 15th anniversary of Indian School of Business (ISB) at Mohali.

The Times of India

Digital technology is going to be next game changer in this field of agriculture, said Salil Singhal, co-chair, CII, national council on agriculture, chairman and managing director, PI Industries, India. Singhal was addressing participants at a conference on “Digital Pathways in Agriculture, Integrating Advanced Technologies in Indian Agriculture” organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Hotel Taj here on Saturday.

The Hindu

Former Rajya Sabha member Yalamanchili Sivaji suggested during a pre-budget consultation with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi on Saturday that the government think of a mechanism for rescuing farmers from the stranglehold of debts. He wondered why could not the government, which bails out industrialists through different schemes tackling their non-performing schemes, find a way to rescue debt-laden farmers.

Odisha TV

Odisha government is in the process of finalising eight new policies which would be unveiled during the Make in Odisha conclave scheduled to be held here between November 30 and December 2. The new policies would be on MSMEs, tourism, textile and apparel industries, agriculture, food processing and petroleum industries, an official said. He expressed hope that over 500 industries from across the country and abroad would take part in the conclave.

IANS Live

President Pranab Mukherjee and his visiting Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin inaugurated the 12th edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) biennial agro-technology and business fair, Agro Tech 2016, here on Sunday. Both Presidents went round a section of the fair, which showcases technological innovations which can be beneficial for the agriculture sector, at the Parade Ground here.