Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Farmer’s Notebook: How Group Organic Farming Empowered Tribal Farmers in Tamil Naduedit
“We took a chance and tried something different,” said Rajan, a farmer from a small tribal village called Sadivayal in Tamil Nadu. “The result was selling a new crop for double the price of anything we had grown before. Not only that, but the seeds we planted gave us a double yield.”
Nanotechnology can make biopesticides more effectiveedit
Researchers at the University of Agricultural Sciences at Raichur in Karnataka have developed a new technique to do so. They have converted secretion of a bacterium, Photorhabdus luminescens, into nanoparticles and found that its efficacy improved significantly. The bacterium is used as a biocontrol agent against a wide range of crop pests like mite, aphid, and mealy bug.
Basmati exports ban will affect livelihood of farmers: KRBLedit
Ban will come in effect from January 1, 2018. The industry has already started conducting workshops to educate farmers about EU decision and to impart knowledge of good agriculture practices to minimise these residues. Industry is also requesting the government to be given one year period. The chemical used is the most useful chemical for this plant and is being used for so many years, he further mentioned.
Maharashtra govt to use CM relief fund to finance schemeedit
In a bid to tide over the paucity of funds, the Maharashtra government, which recently announced a Rs 34,022 crore farm loan waiver, has decided to draw money from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to finance the debt write-off.
Agriculture sector made slow progress under SP rule: UPedit
Uttar Pradesh minister Surya Pratap today said the agriculture sector made slow progress under the previous Samajwadi Party government. He said the previous government did not complete the testing of 18 lakh soil samples for possible cultivation. The Yogi Adityanath dispensation inherited the backlog, he said.
GST on fertilizers add to farmers’ woesedit
The Agriculture Department has instructed all retailers to display the revised rates prominently in shops and adhere to the same, failing which severe action will be initiated. A representative of a prominent company said the fertilizers were exempt from any tax in Tamil Nadu till the introduction of GST though some states have been taxing them at 4% or above. The uniform tax rate will help prevent diversion or transport of fertiliser from one state to other.
Insurance Companies Collected Huge Premiums From Farmers but Failed to Pay Claimsedit
According to this analysis, insurance companies under PMFBY and RWBCIS have so far honoured just 17% of the total claims raised during the 2016 Kharif season. There were insurance claims of Rs 4,270.55 crore under the two schemes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as has been quoted in the new report. Out of the total claims, only Rs 714.14 crore was paid to farmers by March 2017.
Loan waivers help less than 10% of farmers in distress, says NITI Aayog memberedit
Even as states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka announced farm loan waivers amounting to thousands of crores, only less than a tenth of those in distress will benefit from such packages, a key agriculture expert at the government’s policy think tank, NITI Aayog, has said. Pitching for “targeted relief rather than blanket loan waivers”, Prof Ramesh Chand, member at the Aayog, told HT, “Some deserving people get excluded while non-deserving ones get the benefit.”
Manipur govt to distribute rice seedlings to farmersedit
The chief minister further announced that 12,000 metric tons of rice available with the state consumer affairs, food and public distribution (CAF&PD) department will be distributed to the people at Rs 22.53 per kilo. Addressing a news conference at his office chamber, Singh said that the state government has taken up various relief measures and immediate steps have been taken to tackle the present flood situation of the state. The flood has so far affected 40,000 hectares of agricultural land, according to a report of the state agriculture department.
New transplanting system for tur cultivationedit
The Agriculture Ministry has decided to extensively promote the new transplanting system for cultivating tur in the State. The new method is believed to have better result and help save time and money. Speaking to media persons at a farm in Atharga village of Indi taluk on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that after successful trials, the department has decided to introduce the system in around 500 hectares of land in the State, mainly in North Karnataka region where tur is extensively cultivated.
Niti Ayog to discuss agriculture distress in next meetedit
Pushing agriculture reform to address agrarian distress across the country is on the agenda of a high-level meeting of top bureaucrats from states and UTs been called by Niti Aayog on Monday. The meet is crucial as the states have shown resistance to implement agriculture reforms critical for preventing spread of farmer unrest in several parts of country.
Only 5.34 crore farmers benefited from welfare schemes: Govt tells Supreme Courtedit
Several states including, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, have waived of farmers’ loans in the wake of agitations by peasants who are saddled with mounting debts over the years. Last month, six people were killed when police opened fire at farmers in Madhya Pradesh, sparking a violent backlash by protesters. The farmers were demanding loan waiver and better prices for their produce.
PADB worried over recovery of long-term loans from farmers following waiver announcementedit
Confusion and uncertainty among farmers over loan waiver has made the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank (PADB) jittery. The bank, which mainly advances long-term loans for farm-related activities, is worried about farmers’ refusal to repay the amount. This has led to the bank experiencing one of its lowest-ever recovery of loans at only 10% till June 30.
Organic certification may help boost profits for mango farmersedit
Major post-harvest losses of the mango value chain from farmer to local market -due to improper handling, transportation, grading, packaging and storage has finally caught the attention of the government, just as the season draws to a close. To stem these losses, the government is now looking to introduce a system of organic certification to increase scientific harvesting and storage of the fruit
Bayer launches insecticide, plans two more productsedit
Agrochemicals firm Bayer CropScience on Thursday launched Sivanto, an insecticide to primarily address Sucking pest in the crops. South Business Unit Head Mohan Rao said the product is a plant extract and thus eco-friendly and safe for honeybees. The insecticide is for use in vegetable crops, especially okra. The company, he added, is also conducting trials for its application on cotton crop.
GM Mustard not harmful, says expertedit
The Hindu Business Line News Boss
Recently, India’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recommended (to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change) commercialisation of GM mustard—the first genetically modified food crop to be approved in India.