DNA

Karnataka — preceded by UP, Punjab and Maharashtra — is the fourth state to have waived off loans taken by farmers.

Hindustan Times

For families that live on the fringe of forests and interact frequently with wildlife 71% lose crops to animals, 17% lose livestock and 3% report injury or death, according to a new study that looked at the fate of 5196 families living around 11 wildlife reserves.

Business Standard

Meanwhile, the government asked seed companies to reduce the prices of all hybrid seeds (except Bt cotton) by 10 per cent with effect from June 19. The move is aimed at providing relief to farmers whose profits are shrinking due to higher production costs while realizations have softened due to bumper harvest.

The Times of India

To ensure that benefits of the state government’s loan waiver programme reach genuine farmers, a social audit of the beneficiaries will be carried out. Giving this information to ToI, additional chief secretary, finance, Anoop Pandey said a list of the beneficiaries will be posted at the tehsil offices all over the state. He said nearly 86 lakh farmers have already been shortlisted and the government would disburse nearly Rs 36,000 crore.

Telangana Today

The impending Goods and Service Tax is going to leave an adverse impact on farming sector, which is already reeling under crisis-like situation due to crop failures and unreasonable prices for produce. This has worried farmers who are struggling to cope with losses they incur every year. They have demand the Union government to consider revising the tax on agriculture sector.

The Pioneer

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is all set to trim the misgivings about the State Government’s farm debt waiver on Thursday. After announcing the much-awaited debt relief to the State farming community past week, the Chief Minister would meet all the farmer organisations of the State to elucidate the same. Farm loan waiver —karja, kurki khatam — is the major pre-poll promise of the Congress party. Punjab Government had recently passed the Bill to do away with the kurki (mortgag.

The Times of India

The state government had also announced a concession for farmers regularly repaying loans. But these farmers have had to repay loans for 2015-16 and 2016-17 till June 30 to be eligible for the concession of a maximum of Rs 25,000 or minimum of Rs 15,000. Farmers groups were unhappy with the eligibility criteria and said the government’s decision was an eye-wash. “These criteria will keep away many people from the waiver,” said Ajit Navale of the Kisan Sabha.

First Post

Hundreds of farmers from nearby villages took part in the protest. They threw 500 bags of potato at the Tahsil office gate. The farmers called off the protest after sub-divisional magistrate Garima Singh assured them that the government would be apprised of their demands. “The demands of the farmers include MSP of at least Rs 1,200 per quintal for potato, subsidy in agriculture inputs and pension to every farmer,” Singh said.

Hindustan Times

State agriculture department commissioner Vikas Sitaramji Bhale said the onset of monsoon has brought cheers among the farmer community. “So far the sowing of kharif crops has been more than 20%, which will increase in coming days with more rains in the state,” he told Hindustan Times. Agriculture department officials said the target for kharif 2017 is 162.16 lakh hectare and sowing has been done on 31.92 lakh hectare, which is more than 19.7%.

The Financial Express

Under OMSS, FCI releases wheat and rice to bulk buyers from time to time for increasing domestic supplies during a lean period, which keeps the prices under check. Although under OMSS bulk buyers participate in weekly auction to buy wheat, FCI still incurs a subsidy as economic cost of procuring and storing wheat is Rs 2408.67 per quintal for the current fiscal.