Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
KVKs -Harbingers of Second Green Revolutionedit
In 1973 The ICAR constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Mohan Singh Mehta which further gave the recommendations for the establishment of KVKs in the country. The first Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) was established in 1974 at Pudducherry under Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore by the ICAR. Presently, the ICAR has established 673 KVKs across the nation. In Jammu and Kashmir ICAR has established 20 KVKs under two agricultural universities SKUAST-Jammu, SKUAST-Kashmir and one KVK under Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH).
Farm sector demand ups energy consumptionedit
“In the absence of any significant precipitation since June-end, the crops taken up with the help of early monsoon rains are facing moisture stress in some pockets and they are being given periodical wetting to keep their growth healthy,” a senior official in the plant protection cell of the Agriculture Department said. Had there been a couple of good rains in between the dry spell, there would not have been any need for wetting such crops.
‘Food Production Increased To 273 Million Metric Tonnes In FY17’edit
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh said as per the third advance estimates food grain production in the country has increased to 273 MT in 2016-17, oil seeds to 32.5 MT, and sugarcane to 306 MT. Fruits and vegetable production has increased to 287 MTs, according to the second advance estimate.
Govt making speedy efforts to reform agri-mkts: Agri Minedit
Singh said the state governments have been asked to amend their mandi laws according to the model law. Rajasthan has partially implemented it. He also quipped that had the previous government initiated agri-market reforms, the farmers would not have faced the problem at present. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhulal Saini, NCDEX Managing Director and CEO Samir Shah, Monsanto India CEO Shilpa Divekar Nirula, among others were present at the event.
Potato Farmers of Uttar Pradesh Suffer Woes of a Bumper Harvestedit
The potato farmers in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh are an unhappy lot. Their produce sold for over 900 rupees per quintal last year, but 2017 has brought wholesale prices crashing down by half.
State’s granary losing substantial groundedit
Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi says the State would, in the future, adopt two varieties of paddy recently developed by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, which are said to be flood and drought-tolerant. Though the work on introducing climate resilient crop varieties is only beginning, the efforts of the State thus far have placed greater focus on promoting efficient use of water in agriculture through the expansion of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).
Fertilizer sector sees tremendous futureedit
The Indian fertilizer sector has ‘tremendous’ growth potential in the coming years, CARE Ratings has said. Fertilizer production in India is growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 4% from FY13 onwards and the agency has estimated that production touch 460-470 LMT (Lakh Metric Tonnes) by 2020. This compares with production of 413.24 LMT in FY17.