Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
The worst drought in a centuryedit
Repeat failure of the monsoons may have heralded the worst-ever drought in in Kerala in over 100 years. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharantold the State Assembly on Wednesday that vast tracts of farmland have been decimated. The crop loss estimated is to be ₹225 crore, over 30,353.06 hectares. Paddy farmers are the worst hit, staring at damage worth ₹106 crore over an area of 26,499.42 hectares.
Drought tightens grip on Southedit
The near-normal monsoon in 2016 may have helped most parts of the country come out of two successive droughts and perhaps propel foodgrain output to a new high, but not in the South. The drought has extended its grip in the South, with the South-West monsoon falling significantly short and the North-East monsoon proving a total failure.
‘Should paddy remain prime crop in water-scarce state?’edit
Two years since Mission Kakatiya was launched, the government intends to keep up the pace of the programme even as it seeks a debate on the need to switch over to less water-intensive crops, irrigation minister T Harish Rao said on Sunday.
Budget allocated for the final loan wavier installmentedit
The State budget for 2017-18 establishes the government’s commitment to ensure that the Agriculture sector is made drought-proof besides ensuring release of the final installment of farm loan wavier amounting to Rs 4,000 crore. The total loan waiver as promised by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in its election manifesto would be fulfilled with this allocation.