Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Foodgrains, milk, veggies to be up to 5% cheaper under GSTedit
Milk, vegetables and fruits, puffed rice, salt, organic manure, animal feed, fire wood, raw silk, wool, jute and hand-operated agriculture equipment too will be zero-rated under the new indirect tax regime. “Due to no GST on these items, most of them are expected to become cheaper in the range of approximately 4-5 percent as compared to their existing prices,” a finance ministry statement said.
Yogi Asks Banks to Put Loan Notices on Holdedit
With a farmers’ agitation simmering in Madhya Pradesh over a loan waiver demand, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed banks not to issue any notices of default to farmers in UP till his government comes good on its loan waiver announcement.
Above normal monsoon brings cheer as El Nino threat fadesedit
Rainfall has been above normal in every major region of the country, particularly in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, adding much-needed moisture to the soil for kharif planting and preparing the ground for a good harvest for the second consecutive year.
Use bioethanol to end farm crisis: Gadkariedit
The Centre will shortly unveil a policy on the production of second-generation ethanol from biomass, which will be a “game changer” for farmers, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said here on Friday.
Taxing agriculture incomeedit
In 2014-15 Kaveri seed company took the exemption from Income Tax on Rs 186.6 crores as shown the agricultural income similarly Monsanto India took the exemption for Rs 94 crores and there are number of other cases also. To bring whole of the agricultural profession under the Agricultural Income Tax net will be a futile exercise and it will be erroneous to assume that tangible results will be available by this taxation.
Vidarbha farmers rushing to buy banned BT seededit
A banned brand of Bt cotton seeds has become the favourite of region’s farmers. Some 20 days ago, the commissioner (quality control and seeds), of state’s agriculture department had banned sale of Rashi 659 variety of seeds. This came after it was found at some farms in Dhule district that the cotton crop grown with the seed was infested with pink bollworm pest.