Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Major Stakeholders in Indian Agriculture Market – The Gaps & Possible Frameworkedit
Agricultural marketing in India involves two major stakeholders, on one end, it’s the farmers and on another, the consumers. Consumers may include end consumer, processor, retailer and somehow the exporter. Intermediaries and the other entities in the chain enable movement of goods and carry out other supportive activities.
Farmers in the existing chain mainly suffer issues like a minor lot of individual nature for sale, poor knowledge of market requirements and mainly the inadequate ability of post-harvesting infrastructure along with financing issues.
Spurt in veggie, food prices hits festive cheeredit
A sudden spurt in a few food items and essential vegetables like onion and potato has spoiled the mood at the beginning of the festival season. With the Ganesh Chaturthi and other festivals in the days and weeks to follow, prices of essentials could go up even further. Prices of tomato are still ruling at Rs 70-80 per kg, while many items such bottle gourd, green banana, cucumber and ladyfinger are available for not less than Rs 40 a kg each.
Keeping PM Narendra Modi vow to farmers on doubling income; check out DRAMATIC developmentedit
The government has, historically, tried to compensate farmers for lack of marketing freedom by giving them more subsidies but the latter, in turn, is what is preventing the government from hiking public investments meaningfully. Though government subsidies to agriculture, as a proportion of agriculture output, has fallen from the high of 12% in FY09, it is still a high 6% even today, with the lion’s share comprising fertiliser subsidies.
DBT fertiliser subsidy scheme from September 1edit
This would help the government to release the subsidy to the fertiliser companies for the exact quantity of fertiliser sold to the farmers, thus preventing any kind of malpractice. The Department of Agriculture in the two districts is all set to roll out the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) fertiliser subsidy scheme to farmers on September 1, making sale of subsidised fertilisers only through Point of Sale (PoS) machines to farmers who have Aadhaar cards.
Agriculture a culprit in global warming, says U.S. researchedit
Agriculture has contributed nearly as much to climate change as deforestation by intensifying global warming, according to U.S. research that has quantified the amount of carbon taken from the soil by farming. Some 133 billion tons of carbon have been removed from the top two meters of the earth’s soil over the last two centuries by agriculture at a rate that is increasing, said the study in PNAS, a journal published by the National Academy of Sciences.
Agri products worth Rs 1 lakh cr ruined every year due to lack of infrastructure: Modiedit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre wants to move towards making India a less-cash society and to achieve this he asked young CEOs to partner with the government to build momentum. He was addressing young CEOs under the ‘Champions of Change Transforming India through G2B partnership’ initiative, organised by NITI Aayog here on Tuesday.
Agrarian Growth on India’s 70th Independence – A Previewedit
India’s Gross Domestic Productivity (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.1 per cent in the Financial Year (FY) 2016-17. It is believed to be led by growth in private consumption, while GDP of agriculture is expected to grow beyond the old trend and could grow at 4.1 per cent to reach at Rs 1.11 trillion. As per the second advance estimates, India’s food grain production is expected to be 271.98 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2016-17.
To grow or not to grow GM cropsedit
The GM crop debate is back with the development of GM mustard and its approval by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). This has again intensified the conflict among supporters and detractors of Genetically Modified crop technology. As we know, Bt cotton was the first GM crop to be approved by the country’s regulatory bodies. Therefore, taking Bt cotton as the reference point, supporters and detractors of GM technology have been engaged in building two contrasting narratives. Supporters have been showing data indicating an immense increase in cotton Monsanto.
EU opens probe into Bayer takeover of Monsantoedit
Business Standard Outlook The New Indian Express
After a months-long pursuit in which it raised its offer price several times, Bayer won over Monsanto’s management in September 2016 for the buyout that would create the world’s largest integrated pesticides and seeds company. But the deal has provoked criticism from environmental groups, because of Monsanto’s long history of promoting genetically modified crops.
US seeks more access to Indian agri markets, suggests tariff cutsedit
Money Control Manish Chandra Rediff Green Ecosystem Biz News
The US has asked India to liberalise a larger share of the agricultural market. US suggested that India should adopt better biotechnological mechanisms, such as GM (genetically modified) crops, to fuel its economy. The Indian market is restrained by trade barriers, blanket bans for certain commodities, stringent technical requirements, high tariffs on agri-based imports, according to a senior US government official on Monday, as reported by Business Standard.