Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Integrated solution to farm crisis soughtedit
With the samba paddy crop in vast areas of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts comprising the Cauvery delta facing a certain failure, farmers have called upon the Central and the State governments to draft an integrated approach to mitigate the increasing suffering of the cultivators and agricultural workers.
This Unique Farming Technique Doubled the Rice Produce of an Entire Village in Odishaedit
Gacherigaon village is located in Mundigarh gram panchayat in Tumudibandh block of Kandhamal district, Odisha. The village has 156 people in 26 households and all the residents belong to the Panga Kondh community. Historically, members of the Kondh community depends on agriculture and forest their livelihood. They practice millets-based, biodiverse farming and are involved in pulses and paddy cultivation in low lands.
Bleak prospects for delta farmersedit
With the monsoon playing truant and almost nil water flow down the Cauvery, farmers even in areas adjoining the banks of the river and channels are faced with the daunting prospect of irrigating their standing crops.
Odisha farmers go back to barter of labour practice post demonetisationedit
With the harvesting of paddy crop drawing near, the age-old practice of ‘Badalia’, a system of exchanging labour services prevalent in coastal districts, is showing signs of revival in some pockets of Odisha. A small and marginal farmer like Jugal Kishore Lenka is all set to work in a fellow farmer’s plot during harvesting to cut down his need for cash in the post-demonetisation scenario.
Cash fear hits paddy plan – Farmers sell produce at lower rates in currency crisisedit
An apprehension about availability of cash in rural banks and a delay in harvesting the monsoon produce in the absence of enough currency notes have hampered the Bengal government’s plans to procure paddy from farmers. “The government has allotted Rs 5,000 crore to start the procurement process so that farmers are not forced to sell their paddy at lower rates. The registration of farmers started across 280 blocks on December 10. But the response has been lukewarm,” said an official in the food and supplies department.
Kerala reports shortage of subsidised rice ahead of Christmasedit
In the thick of the Christmas season, Kerala has emerged short of subsidised rice in the godowns of its government’s grocery arm Supplyco. This is after state Food Minister P Thilothaman had set aside R1,171 crore for rice distribution, alleging that, in the open market, the wholesale suppliers from Andhra Pradesh were creating artificial rice shortage.
Wheat production may drop as farmers in UP delay sowingedit
Farmers in Uttar Pradesh, a poll-bound state, is struggling to meet their wheat output targets owing to a severe cash crunch, reports Business Line . Sowing of wheat, a key Rabi crop, is being delayed as result. Rural banks, a prime source of cash for farmers to buy seeds and fertilisers, are not replenishing their coffers adequately.
Farm incomes dented as note ban drives down prices of perishablesedit
The cash crunch in rural and agricultural markets after the centre’s surprise move to demonetise high-value currency notes has taken a toll on prices of perishable farm produce, denting farm incomes.
‘Demonetisation has hit farm workers’edit
K.K. Shylaja, Health and Social Welfare Minister of Kerala, said on Monday that demonetisation of currency in the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination has hit the farm workers hard. She was here to inaugurate the three-day State conference of the All-India Agricultural Workers Union.
‘Farm growth will exceed 5% despite currency crunch’edit
The cash-dependent Indian farm sector has been hit by the demonetisation of high-value notes and the resultant currency shortage. The prevailing cash crunch has hit the growers of perishables more compared to those who grow bulk crops such as paddy and cotton, says Ramesh Chand, member of NITI Aayog. Despite the impact of demonetisation, growth in agriculture for the current year will be still above 5 per cent, Chand told BusinessLine in an interview.
NABARD urges steps to promote farming in Goaedit
NABARD along with the public and private sector banks in the state have prepared a state focus paper and has tried to implement the union government’s call to boost agricultural activity in the country. The share of total agricultural credit projections in the total priority sector projections works out to 14% during 2017-18 as against 13.6% during the previous year. It is estimated that loans for crop production, maintenance and marketing could increase by nearly 22% to 450.04 crores in 2017-18.