The Better India

We cultivate tomatoes and cabbage thrice in a year to minimize the losses. Even if one crop goes bad, the other two can easily cover up for the same,” said Arjun Prajapati in Aria village of Lohardaga district. “We use smaller pumps because they are cheap. They can run on single phase electric lines too.”

Business World

What are the facts behind the debate? As per the 2011 Census, there were close to 140 million farm holdings in the country. In theory at least, if taxes were levied on farm income, there could be potentially 14 crore farmers paying income tax. But that is theory. In reality, the average size of a land holding is just about 1.15 hectares.

The Hindu Business Line

As part of its crop diversification efforts, Rajasthan will encourage over 50,000 farmers to take up cultivation of super foodgrain quinoa this year, said State Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Lal Saini.

The Financial Express

A year ago, around this time, cotton ginners in Maharashtra had begun an effort in the state to improve productivity of cotton after they discovered that cotton from Gujarat commanded a higher price. What began as an effort to mentor some 40 farmers in 10 talukas of Jalgaon district, resulted in 50-70% improvement in productivity. Where the yield was usually 8-10 quintals rose to more than 15 quintals.

Andhra Jyothi

Insecticides India (IIL) has launched a revolutionary biological product Kayakalp that will transform the health of soil and rejuvenate it organically to improve plant health and productivity. The launch of KayaKalp marks a major leap for IIL into the organic products sector. Kayakalp, a Hindi term which means ‘Rejuvenation’ or ‘Transformation’ of one’s physical being, works as a natural catalyser to improve soil’s organic capacity, strengthen its nutrient value and act as a health booster tonic for the soil that will help Indian farmers improve output. The product is also duly approved by National Centre of Organic Farming, Ministry of agriculture and farmer welfare, Government of India for its features.

Daily Kashmir Images

Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, today called making concerted efforts to boost organic farming in the State. The Minister was speaking during one-day conference cum workshop on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income in J&K by 2022 organized by Department of Agriculture at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu in Chatha.

Hindustan Times

Former Congress minister Bharat Singh on Tuesday said that there was no point in organizing an agriculture summit like the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) in Kota for farmers when they are not getting good prices of their produce.

The New Indian Express

Claiming that Odisha has made rapid strides in agriculture sector, the State Government on Tuesday said the per capita income of farmers has increased by four times, foodgrains production is expected to touch 118 lakh tonnes during the year while farm loan stood at Rs 15534.23 crore.

DNA

With regards to agriculture, Africa is home to 60 percent of total arable land, but supports only 10 percent of the global output. India on the other hand supports 17 percent of the output with just 2 percent land. This is an area of potential we believe has yet to be discovered, added Jaitley.

The Economic Times

Reiterating his vision to double the Indian farmer’s incomes by 2022, Modi said the initiative will require concerted steps, ranging from improved seeds and optimal inputs to reduced crop losses and better marketing infrastructure. “India is keen to learn from your experiences as we proceed on this initiative,” he added.

Live mint

They include WH Group Ltd’s 2013 purchase of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods Inc., the world’s biggest pork producer, and China National Chemical Corp.’s $43 billion agreement to take over Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta AG. In a key rural policy statement issued by the Communist Party in February, the government said it supports Chinese companies investing in agriculture overseas, from production and processing to storage and logistics.

Business Standard

“The magnitude of the Syngenta deal means Beijing wants to make sure it’s securely managed,” said a person from the oil and gas industry. While the ambitious Syngenta takeover brought China a portfolio of top-tier chemicals and patent-protected seeds to improve agricultural output, it also leaves ChemChina with hefty debt. ChemChina last year arranged $32.9 billion in bridge loans with more than 20 Chinese, European and Asian lenders giving it a level of gearing that investors and analysts think is too high.

Smart Agri Post

“Whatever crops are notified, be it GM or non-GM, if scientists approve it, then our ministry’s mandate is to increase production, productivity, bring down cost of production and ensure right price to farmers” Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, when asked if his ministry will promote GM mustard.

Frontline

University of Arizona scientists, together with Chinese researchers, have discovered a strategy that can delay and even reverse evolution of resistance by pests to genetically modified (GM) Crops. Insect pests that are rapidly adapting to genetically engineered crops threaten agriculture worldwide. (GM Cotton)

First Post

Referring to Bt Brinjal, another genetically-modified organism, Mahajan said, “This is the second time that a GM food crop is being considered for approval. Earlier, the UPA government was confronted with the case of Bt Brinjal. The then environment minister Jairam Ramesh allowed public hearings and permitted scrutiny of claims by making the data public. That led to a moratorium on Bt Brinjal as the scientific community was able to prove that introduction of Bt Brinjal would be injurious to human health, bio-diversity and agriculture.”