The Hindu

Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar on Sunday announced the decision of the State government to consider a major revision of the existing crop insurance benefits for farmers as part of the government’s special support schemes with focus on those engaged in paddy and coconut cultivation.

India Today

The Centre today said it is yet to receive a proposal from Tripura to link the state with the electronic-national agriculture market (e-NAM) and asked it to take steps in this regard. “No proposal has been received by the Government of India from the Government of Tripura to link with the E-NAM so far,” Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.

Hindustan Times

Our budget will be a push to agricultural and aligned activities. We have made a significant allocation for the infrastructure schemes and for the youth. We have a substantial allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for capital investment, much higher than that Congress-led governments. The investment will be done for roads, ports, irrigation and agriculture. The economic survey predicted a growth rate of 9.4% in this fiscal, but I am sure, with the huge amount allocated for capital investment, we will soon achieve the double digit rate. I can proudly say that we could achieve the growth rate of the 9.4% from the 5.4% it was during the Congress-led government.

The Hindu Business Line

Wheat farmers in Uttar Pradesh are a worried lot. Procurement of the foodgrain by government agencies in the State is meagre and a likely bumper harvest this year is stoking fears of a further slide in prices. UP contributes almost a third to the country’s total wheat production, with an annual output of around 25-27 million tonnes. But the procurement target set by the Food Ministry for UP is just 3 million tonnes for this year.

The Times of India

NCP president and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar defended the Rs60,000-crore farm loan waiver in 2008, stating it revived agriculture when it had come to a standstill. “The waiver scheme freed the farmers (from loans), increased productivity and increased exports,” Pawar said at the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) in the city.

The Hindu

The Andhra Pradesh Government wants to double the income of farmers in four years and enhance the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from ₹31,961 crore to ₹60,000 crore by 2021-22. To double the income of farmers, the Government has set for itself a target of increasing food productivity from 2,641 kg per hectare to 4,409 kg per hectare using various strategies.