The Hindu Business Line

Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF) has shrugged off its innings with the UB Group and is all set to enter the big league of fertiliser majors. MCF Managing Director Suresh Krishnan told BusinessLine the company plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore over three years to set up a phosphatic fertiliser plant as well as improve its energy efficiency levels. MCF, now a subsidiary of Zuari Fertilisers and Chemicals, an Adventz Group company, plans to set up a new manufacturing facility to produce 700,000 tonnes of phosphatics a year in Mangaluru, Krishnan said.

Daily Hunt

Speaking at the inauguration of the annual Krishi Mela at the University of Agricultural Sciences-Dharwad (UAS-D) Mr. Gowda declared the Krishi Mela open in absence of Chief Minister, Byre Gowda said farmers growing chilli, paddy and cotton had not yet received crop insurance as insurance firms had raised objections regarding the survey of the damaged crop. The State government will seek the intervention of the Centre in case the insurance agencies continue to be reluctant to pay the amount. The State government was committed to apply all efforts to see that chilli, paddy and cotton growers too receive insurance amount at the earliest, he said.

Bio Mall

The approval of GM Mustard has attracted some sharp criticism as well. Prominent voices include Vandana Shiva, the notable environmental scientist, who maintains that the use of GM Mustard will badly hamper the indigenous mustard growth. And that the genetically modified crop will monopolize the field throwing out its competitors. She fears that GM mustard is actually a Bayer mustard (a Life science company based in Germany) which will try to penetrate through Indian patent laws (which prohibits seeds and plants from being patented). This royalty might lead to the shooting of the prices of seeds. And add to the plight of indebted farmers who end up committing suicide. It is important to note here that since ...

News Boss Zee Biz Shafaqna

Secondly, the government should consider allowing GM seeds. “The dilly dallying regarding introduction of GM seeds needs to end. Why should the country be deprived of technological innovations due to opposition from a vociferous minority. This needs to end…,” he said. Thirdly, the SEA President said the government should do away with the Essential Commodities Act as this law is “antifarmer” and does not allow price discovery.

The Financial Express

Government Should Allow genetically modified seeds as well as corporate farming and remove market barriers to boost oilseeds output and cut the country’s import dependence on edible oils, industry body SEA said on Monday. Amid rise in edible oil consumption, the declining oilseeds cultivation needs to be addressed on a serious note for which farming needs to made more remunerative, it said.

Hungry Forever

According to reports by the Asian Age genetically modified (GM) food is going unchecked in India. “There are certain GM food which we are told is coming in as a mixed form in some of the imports that is happening,” an official of the department of health research told the parliamentary panel, chaired by Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury, which recently submitted a report on “Genetically modified crops and its impact on environment.”

The Economic Times

India’s rice output is likely to fall by 1.9 million tonnes (MT) to 94.48 MT in kharif season this year on account of poor rain as well as floods, official sources said. The production of pulses and coarse cereals is estimated to have fallen, dragging the overall foodgrain output in kharif (summers own) season to 134.67 MT from record 138.52 MT in last kharif, according to sources.

The Times of India

Farmers in Karnataka are sowing the rabi crop early this season to make up for losses likely due to the poor kharif crop output. As per state government estimates, kharif crop production in the state will suffer an overall damage of around 10% to 20%. While major kharif crops like ragi, paddy and jowar have borne the brunt of the prolonged dry spell in June-July, the deluge in August-September has hit standing crops in several parts of the state.

The Statesman

Electronic bidding through the e-NAM (e-National Agriculture Market) system is bringing a major change in agriculture mandis (markets) and dealing a blow to the age-old “nexus” between commission agents of such mandis and their traders, feel the farmers of Nizamabad.

The Hindu

Farmers had to buy required machinery on their own Though allocations were made in the budget, the government seems to have stopped the process of farm mechanisation. The allocation has remained on paper and the money is yet to be transferred to the district offices from the State Government

The Indian Express

Last Month, The NITI Aayog released the Three Year Action Agenda (TYAA) for the government, a roadmap for reforming the various sectors of the economy. Here we look at its agenda for the agriculture sector, and how best it can rescue the sector whose growth has plunged to just 1.8 per cent annually in the first three years of the NDA government.

The Hindu

Harish Rao asks farmers to sell produce via procurement centres and not farms Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao said that as many as 100 maize procurement centres will be established in the State for the benefit of farmers, to oversee that they got the right price for their produce. Addressing a gathering after formally inaugurating the maize procurement centre established by Markfed at Siddipet market yard on Sunday, Mr. Harish Rao said that already 20 centre had been established and the remaining.

The Times of India

Even as the government remains firm on not allowing paddy to be grown in Karnataka’s rice bowl Mandya fearing over-utilization of water from the Cauvery basin, a lesser-known variety of rice which doesn’t consume much water seems to be struggling to create a market. Aerobic rice needs only half the water used for conventional rice cultivation. In the trial phase for the past 10 years, it has seen little exposure. So much so, a mela was held in Mandya on Saturday to attract farmers towards the variety.

The Indian Express

The state government is working on an economic model to bring down the dependence of people on agriculture for their sustenance by providing alternative modes of employment. At present, 50 per cent population is dependent on the agriculture sector in the state. It has become inevitable to explore avenues beyond the conventional agriculture practices to bridge the gap between dependence on agriculture sector and shrinking employment capability, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.

The Times of India

With the governments of Punjab and Haryana struggling to end stubble burning in their states, some farmers have taken to social media to suggest ways to manage the menace effectively ahead of paddy harvest. While farmers are reluctant to adopt new technologies, young and tech-savvy farmers are posting videos and pictures of machines and techniques to clear the stubble without starting fires.

Telangana Today

Crop colonies will be developed in the State to make agriculture a profitable sector, said Minister for Agriculture Pocharam Srinivas Reddy here on Saturday. After inaugurating a twoday conference on ‘Rejuvenate Indian Agriculture for Sustainability’ at Indian Institute of Rice Research in Rajendranagar, he declared that the idea of crop colonies was initiated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and he was committed to it.

The Times of India

The project will be monitored and executed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), which carried out a pilot project at a tea estate in Munnar, Kerala, last year. So far, satellite imageries were used to monitor large areas. Drones with sensors (to capture visual and thermal data) can be used for location-specific monitoring, explains Dr S Pazhanivelan, head of the department of Remote Sensing and GIS at TNAU.

The Hindu

A steady decline in consumption of millets was a matter of growing concern, said speakers at the eighth edition of Madurai Symposium here on Friday. Entrepreneurs, farmers and scholars discussed emerging trends in processing and value addition of millets. Speaking to The Hindu, M. Karthikeyan, Programme Leader of Rainfed Farming Development at DHAN Foundation, said millet industry faced three problems low production, difficulties in processing, and lack of popularity among general public.

The Times of India

To mainstream small millets in regular diets, DHAN Foundation implements an action research project titled “Scaling Up Small Millet Post-harvest and Nutritious Food Products Project”, in partnership with McGill University, Canada, and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, with the support of International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF).

Bangalore Mirror

The industry introduced pesticide first, which contaminated the natural soil and then introduced genetically modified seeds to counter the situation, which was a simple business model for profit-making which farmers also got used to and then completely abandoned the traditional practice. I was fortunate to learn about it in my childhood, which has come into my art practice and I wish to carry on with this legacy by meeting several farmers who are also reviving this technique.”

The Hans India

The Chief Minister said that organic farming is a sector with a large scope in the state, as the climate and soil are suitable for agriculture. He told them that they can start setting up the farms in Kuppam, and can take the help of a dedicated team from the government that is already working towards developing organic farming. “Subhash Palekar is also working as a consultant to the government, and has practiced Zero Budget Natural Farming extensively”, he mentioned, and encouraged the team to proceed with the formalities.

First Post

Farmers from the across the country are planning a nation-wide stir against the Modi government’s “anti-farmer” policies. Gurnam Singh Charuni, a member of the core committee of the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh, a 10-month old conglomeration of various farmer groupings, has announced a ‘gherao’ of Delhi on 23 February next year, in protest against the failure of the government to take care of farmers’ livelihoods.

Ajit Samchar

In Malwa region of Punjab which is known as cotton belt cotton crop is reaching cotton markets at fast speed but farmers are upset for getting less less price for their cotton crop. Farmers complain that first they got poor quality cotton seeds, then duplicate pesticides, destruction caused by white fly, untimely rainfall and now less price together had upset them.

The Financial Express

So, it is a loss to our annual income. Farmers leave these animals in cities which lead to environmental hazards. So, we demand removal of these Acts,” he said. Patil said that banning the GM seeds puts restrictions on importing latest seed technologies. Import of seeds or seed technology should be permitted freely. “GM mustard developed by Indian scientists should be approved immediately. Quarantine Laboratories needs to be set up in all the states.

The Financial Express Outlook

India Should Allow import of soyabean and use innovative technologies including GM seeds to boost oilseed output and meet domestic demand, according to a senior official of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The demand for soyabean as food and animal feed is rising in India, said Scott Sindelar, minister counselor, agriculture affairs, USDA

The Financial Express

“GM mustard developed by Indian scientists should be approved immediately. Quarantine Laboratories needs to be set up in all the states. For example, popcorn seeds are restricted and because of this restriction the prices of the seeds and popcorn maize are increasing.

Business World

Agriculture plays an essential role in reshaping India’s economy as over 58 per cent of the rural households depend on agriculture as their sole means of livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry, is one of the largest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the share of agriculture and allied sectors expected to be 17.3 per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2016-17. While the market is fruitful for bigger entitites, there is a lack in congruency, when it comes to mechanization needs of small and marginal farmers. Here KisanKraft plays an important role in revolutionizing the industry.

Bureaucracy Today

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while addressing the review meet on e-NAM expressed satisfaction on the progress made by the states like UP and M-P. He also asked the officials to run awareness campaign among farmers and sensitize both farmers and traders about the benefits of online bidding. The e-NAM initiative aims at achieving a unified single market for agriculture by incentivizing online trading and participation of the farmers. Notably, under the e-NAM initiative some states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have reduced user or market fee for online traders. Rajasthan has instituted Upahar award to encourage for the same.

The Covai Post

Talking to The Covai Post, Mohan said many useful products of the university are unable to reach the public due to lack of awareness among the public. “I hold patent rights for two of the eight patented products of the university – TNAU Stack Probe Trap and TNAU Insect Egg Remover. The two products will be of great use to remove insects from stored grains. It will be very useful at shops and households that stock rice or pulses (upto 150 kg),” he said.

India The Echo of India Outlook India Today Business Standard

Agricultural researches will be of no uses if it is not applied in the farmer s field and scientists should remove the gap between them and the farmers, former Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said today. “A research paper is of no use if it is not applied in the farmers field. The ICAR scientist should remove the gap between them and the farmers and this could be achieved through awareness,” Patel said.

The Economic Times

US-based DuPont Pioneer has sold its cotton seed business in India to Hyderabad-based Tierra Agrotech, which had earlier this month bought US major Monsanto’s branded cotton seed business. Tierra Agrotech has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Xylem Seeds, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pioneer Overseas Corporation of DuPont Pioneer, Tierra’s managing director Suresh Atluri said on Thursday.

The Hindu Business Line

The aggregate research investments by all FSII members is put at Rs 550 crore per annum. This is about 75 per cent of the total research spend of the seed industry in the country. The industry now is in a dilemma on where to invest in research because of the uncertainty over protection of IP. Take the example of GM mustard.

MINT

One only needs to look at the enormous success of BT cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed to be cultivated in the country, to gauge the potential here. In fact, while BT cotton was developed by a foreign company, thus fuelling concerns about vested interests and corporate control among environmental activists, GM mustard has been developed at the publicly funded Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants at the University of Delhi after 20 years of research.

The Economic Times

Crop stubble burning, which last year raised air pollution to alarming levels in Delhi, is likely to be lower this year because of higher sale of machines that mechanically remove remnants of the harvest. However, many farmers are still continuing with the old practice. Officials estimate that crop stubble burning and the consequent air pollution would be 10-15% lower this year because of the government’s drive against the practice.

Web India 123

Cotton too has been affected by floods in Gujarat and later by pest attack in other states as well. In AP and Maharashtra too cotton crop was affected by pink bollworm, while widespread damage was caused by floods in Rajasthan. ”As against 331 lakh bales(bales of 170 kgs. each), we expect cotton crop output would decline to 300 310 lakh bales of 170 kgs each , countrywide” he said.

Millennium Post

Expressing satisfaction over the progress of states in implementation of electronic national agricultural marketing (e-NAM) plan, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh hailed the efforts of stakeholders for the achievement. “States are really doing a commendable job on e-NAM implementation front. The states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh deserve appreciation for their work, while Chhattisgarh and Telangana are already making headway. Several other states are also doing their best to achieve the target, Singh during a meeting held to review the progress of e-NAM on Wednesday. (Farmers)

The Pioneer

Indigenous breeds of cows are being conserved under Rashtriya Gokul Mission. The genetic makeup is improving and increasing the production of milk. The government is set to establish dairy processing and infrastructure development fund. In addition, Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme is generating self employment opportunities. White Revolution has been accelerated.

World News The Times of India

His remarks comes days after the government told the Supreme Court that it was examining all reports by experts including the one submitted by a parliamentary committee and the nodal regulator for GM crops in India Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) before a final decision would be taken. The parliamentary standing committee on science & technology and environment & forests had last month submitted its report, flagging several loopholes in existing methods of field trials of transgenic crops. It had also asked environment ministry to examine the impact of such crops “thoroughly” before taking its final call.

DNA

Biofortification is the genetic modification of staple food crops by infusing essential nutrients and by making it high-yield to ensure a cost-effective way of fighting malnutrition.

Live mint

The Telangana government has started a survey to verify and update land records before the start of a farm subsidy scheme. The scheme proposes to give farmers input subsidy of Rs4,000 per acre to buy fertilizers, among others. B.R. Meena, special chief secretary, revenue department, said the name of the person legally owning agricultural lands should be reflected in government records. He added that over 4,500 officials from the revenue and agriculture departments have been deployed to complete the task of verifying land records.

India

India Today Outlook

The Kashmir Monitor

To inspect demonstration projects of High Density Apple orchards established by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir in collaboration with companies from Netherlands, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland), Alphonsus Stoelinga, today inspected various projects here.

Live mint

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday urged states to chalk out their own strategy to achieve the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. The centre has already come out with a four-volume report suggesting ways to boost farmers’ income, which states will have to study and see how it can be best implemented in each state, he said.

State Times

Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Reasi of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu (SKUAST-J) organised field day on maize crop at village Talwara in Pouni Block of Reasi District in which large number of farmers of the area participated. The programme was organised under the guidance of Associate Director Extension (ADE) and Incharge KVKs of SKUAST-J, Dr.R.K. Arora. The programme was initiated by Dr. Banarsi Lal, Scientist and Head of KVK, Reasi gave brief objectives of Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) especially on maize crop and elaborated the scientific organic technologies by which farmers can increase the maize production.

The Times of India

Despite stress on Kharif (summer-sown) crops due to deficit rainfall in many districts and floods in several others, the Centre on Tuesday set an ambitious target of overall foodgrain production for the 2017-18 crop year (July-June) based on its contingency measures including use of quality seeds and other appropriate inputs for Rabi (winter-sown) crops. The target was fixed by the agriculture ministry which put the foodgrain production figure for 2017-18 at 274.55 million tonnes (MT) just marginally less than the estimated record production (275.68 MT) in 2016-17.

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Condon said Bayer’s approach in digital farming was currently to control plant pests while Monsanto’s focus was on improving yields. The entire industry was still years away from a more universal business model, he added. Bayer has pledged that any future software platform coming from its labs would not per se exclude rivals’ seeds and crop protection products.

DNA

State bank of India is on a massive mission to persuade farmers to opt for a one time settlement scheme for non performing agricultural and other unsecured loans up to rs 20 lakh.

Sanmarg

Amid controversy over farmers getting certificates for a loan waiver of amount as low as Rs 10, the Yogi Adityanath government has asked the officials to release and publicise the lists of farmers whose loan of Rs 1 lakh have been waived. Do circulate list of farmers whose loans of Rs 1 lakh have been waived,” said agriculture production commissioner (APC) Raj Pratap Singh in a government order (GO) dated September 12.

The Times of India

The agriculture department jointly with Jaivik Krishik Society (JKS) organized a two-day organic and millets mela on Sunday to create awareness about their benefits. JKS, a federation of organic farmers and farmers’ group founded by the state government to propagate organic farming, is set to market organic products under the brand name ‘Jaivik’. The society has 120 members and 11 groups of farmers engaged in organic cultivation of food products.

Samaj Nitidina

Expecting prevalence of a drought-like situation in 30 blocks, the state government sought reports from collectors on status of various crops being harvested in the districts. “Due to deficit rainfall, drought-like situation cannot be ruled out in 30 blocks of 14 districts. We hope that about 40,000 hectares of crop might be affected due to this.

Samaj

Taking stern initiative to curb misuse of loans made for farming, Odisha government asked the officials to convert the crop loans into commercial loans with interest of 12 percent. Cooperation Minister Surya Narayan Patro on Friday directed that the farmers will have to repay the loan amount at interest rate of 12% instead of 1% for violating the rules if they are found to have not participated in paddy procurement process.

Prajatantra

Odisha government now seems to be in a fix as nearly 10 lakh farmers in Odisha, who had availed crop loans through cooperative societies last year, are now untraceable. Official sources said, as many as 19 lakh farmers had availed agricultural loans in the last Kharif season. Though 9 lakh had sold their paddy to the government, remaining 10 lakh farmers have not participated in the paddy procurement process, said Cooperation Minister Surya Narayan Patro.

Punya Nagari

In the digital campaign, IFFCO started IFFCO market and now 1.80 crore farmers have been added to this platform. Every kind of information is available free to the farmers on the IFFCO market. Here, fertilizer, organic fertilizer, plant growth stimulants, agricultural chemicals, seeds, insurance, loans and green SIM services are available, apart from this, it is also proving to be a useful platform for buyer-seller.

Web India 123

Bihar government will strengthen State Seed Corporation by modernizing its seed processing plant with an objective to provide quality seeds to farmers in the state. A decision to that effect was taken in a review meeting of the state agriculture department, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Mr Kumar said that old equipments at the seed plant would be replaced with modern ones so that the seed quality could be enhanced. He said it would encourage farmers to purchase seeds from the State Seed Corporation

The Times of India

To benefit state farmers, Punjab may soon have some new laws such as the moneylender’s act, the higher agricultural education act, an act on laying of underground pipelines and the livestock feed act. Punjab State Farmers Commission chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar said this at a seminar on ‘Agribusiness potential of Punjab state’ jointly organised by Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Sector 19, Chandigarh and the Indian Society of Agriculture Marketing (ISAM), Hyderabad.

India Today

Rajasthan government has started Agriculture Produce Deposit Loan Scheme (Krishi Upaj Rahan Loan Scheme) for the farmers so that they get right price for their produce, the state Cooperative Minister Ajay Kilak said in a release. He said farmers do not have regular monthly income from agriculture work and earn by selling their yield. Sometimes they have to sell their produce at reduced price to fulfil family needs.

Samaj Sanchar

Taking stern initiative to curb misuse of loans made for farming, Odisha government asked the officials to convert the crop loans into commercial loans with interest of 12 percent. Cooperation Minister Surya Narayan Patro on Friday directed that the farmers will have to repay the loan amount at interest rate of 12% instead of 1% for violating the rules if they are found to have not participated in paddy procurement process.

The Hindu Business Line

Farmers have switched to cotton in the irrigated areas especially in Ganganagar (Rajasthan), Punjab and Haryana, and to kharif pulses like urad in rainfed areas, expecting better returns. Excessive rains in the major guar sowing districts of western Rajasthan (contributing 80 per cent of State’s total guar produce) and Gujarat have raised concerns over crop damage and yield.

The Hans India

The leaders of 160 farmers associations across the nation, including various unions of Andhra Pradesh, unanimously passed a resolution to make the proposed ‘Farmers Parliament’, which will be conducted outside the Parliament House in New Delhi on November 20 for drawing attention of Indian Parliament, a grand success. As part of Kisan Mukti Yatra, which was started by associations to create awareness among the farmers and make them unite, reached the city as a rally after completion of their show in Telangana State. They took part in a meeting at Siddhartha College here on Sunday.

Dainik Yashobhumi

The district administration has asked onion traders to start auction of the kitchen staple from tomorrow at the major agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) here. The authorities have warned that if the traders do not start the auction of onions at the APMCs in Lasalgaon, Pimpalgaon Baswant, Umarane, Yeola and others, their permits would be cancelled, the district sub-registrar, Nilkanth Karhe, said today.

The Hindu Business Line

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that a decision on the commercial release of genetically modified mustard seed is yet to be taken, and that there is no hurry to take a final call on the matter. In the last hearing, in July, the Centre had said that if the decision is not taken by September, the release may effectively be delayed till next year as farmers typically begin sowing mustard October onwards.

The Hindu Business Line

Welcoming the move by the Centre to remove export restrictions on select pulses, the trade body, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) stated that the decision would benefit the entire pulses value-chain starting from farmers. On Friday late evening, the Centre lifted the ban on export of select pulses such as tur (pigeon peas), urad (black gram) and moong dal (green gram), which were earlier prohibited to protect the retail prices from going up.

The Hindu

ITC’s agri business division, which has an annual turnover of about Rs 9,000 crore, is planning to foray into fresh fruits, vegetables and upgraded series of echoupal which it sees as potential areas for non-linear growth. “There are new age consumers on one end and farmers looking for higher income on the other end,” S. Sivakumar, division chief executive, agri business, ITC, told The Hindu.

The Times of India

The state government on Saturday decided to develop ‘organic corridor’ along the Ganga by encouraging vegetable farmers of selected riverine villages against using chemical fertilizers in their fields. The government also plans financial incentives for farmers to use only ‘organic manure’ in their fields and reuse treated sewage water for irrigation.

Prajatantra

Around 225 districts across India are expected to face drought this year over the failing monsoon. The season’s deficit is presently at 6.2 percent of the usual. The 225 districts account for 37 percent of the country’s 630 districts for which the rainfall data is available. However, these districts now have a 20 percent shortage with nine of them bearing acute shortage of 60 percent, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) revealed.

The Hindu Business Line

The Government on Friday opened up the export of pulses such as tur dal (red gram), urad (black gram) and moong (green gram). The Director General of Foreign Trade issued a notification on Friday announcing policy change for pulses, which now have been made free for exports until further orders.

Samaj Premaya

The Odisha government admitted that a drought-like situation prevailed in certain pockets of the state due to deficient rainfall in the monsoon season. Replying to an adjournment motion on the drought situation in the state, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty rejected the reports of district collectors after a deliberation in the Assembly and admitted that certain pockets of the state experienced a drought-like situation following deficient rainfall.

Pragativadi Prajatantra

The opposition parties in Odisha assembly today pressed the government to admit drought-like situation has appeared in the state. Though Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty was not ready to accept the claim of legislators regarding drought situation in Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Jharsuguda, Nuapada, Bargarh and some other western Odisha districts, the opposition made him accept a drought-like situation in several districts.

Nyoooz

Presiding over a camp organised by at Kang Khurd Grain village market, Bal emphasised the need to stop this practice. Dr Balwinder Singh Chhina, chief agriculture officer, said the National Green Tribunal had given the instruction to levy environment cess from the farmers indulging in this practice.

Hindustan Times

The outlook came days after Japanese think tank Nomura Research made a similar prediction analysing a fall in sowing of pulses and oil seeds. It attributed the trend to a decrease in wholesale prices in July. But, the government said that foodgrain production will not be hit.

The Financial Express

The central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that no decision has been taken for the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard. Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that government has not taken a decision on the commercial release of the GM mustard.

The Hindu Business Line

The acreage under coarse cereals was also marginally down to 184.50lakh ha against 188.40-lakh ha last year. Kharif crops that were found to be the favourite of farmers during the season was cotton – its area increased by 19 per cent to 121.51-lakh ha and sugarcane increased by 9.44 per cent to 49.95-lakh ha. A record increase in cotton production could be expected as most farmers opt for Bt cotton other than the traditional varieties.

Your Story

Richa Kumar has conclusively established that increasing crop productivity alone is a misleading yardstick in measuring agricultural growth and prosperity. Rethinking Revolutions is the outcome of painstaking research and analysis, and ignoring the powerful message it conveys will be to the detriment of not only the farming community but to the country’s overall growth and development.

Nyoooz

To ensure implementation of farm loan waiver , state government has formed the committees at taluka, district and divisional level comprising officials of cooperative, district bank and revenue department on Tuesday, setting September 15 as deadline for submission of loan waiver forms. As per government guidelines regarding the implementation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanmam Yojana , dated September 8, the farm loan waiver committees will verify the forms submitted by farmers.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis , earlier this week, had announced that farmer loan waiver will be ensured before Diwali.

Live mint

However, farmers at several places in Marathwada and Vidarbha have reported multiple problems and technical snags at these centres which hampered the process. “There are reports that several farmers have had to wait for days at these centres to complete the process. The government staff deployed at these centres are not familiar with the provisions of the loan waiver and they can only provide technical support. But issues like slow internet connectivity, server break-down, power supply, etc have delayed the process, another official from the cooperation department said, requesting anonymity.

Hindustan Times

Sharing best practises in agriculture among the five BRICS countries can address the issue of food security, a leading Indian expert in the sector has said. Increased cooperation in the sector will also increase trade between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the five members of the group, VS Sahney, chairperson of the BRICS agricultural business forum said. Sahney, who attended the recently concluded 9th BRICS summit in the coastal city of Xiamen in southeastern China, said cooperation in agriculture will also positively impact climate change.

The Times of India

Days after waiving off tiny farm loans –– some as little as 9 paise, 84 paise and Rs 2 –– in UP, the Yogi Adityanath government is now understood to have directed all district magistrates in the state to publicise details of those who got amnesty for big pending amounts. As first reported by TOI, thousands of farmers were shocked on September 11 when during the first phase of the loan waiver programme they got certificates that excused them from repaying debts as small as 9 paise. According to government figures, of the 22,000 farmers in Bijnor alone who benefited from the waiver, 880, or more than 4%, had amounts lower than Rs 500 pardoned.

The Times of India

After a recent TOI report revealed how among thousands of farmers who got their loans waived in the first phase of the scheme in Uttar Pradesh, there were those who got waivers of 84 paise, Rs 2 and other minuscule amounts, the UP government has now decided to share data of those farmers too who got the full waiver of Rs 1 lakh.

Reuters The Times of India

Grain growers issued a separate statement saying France’s position was “purely unacceptable” at a time when farmers are suffering from a sharp drop in income due to poor grain prices. French pollster Ipsos, estimated earlier this month that a ban on the weedkiller would cost the French grains sector 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) and 900 million for wine makers. Analysts have estimated that Monsanto could lose out on up to $100 million of sales if glyphosate was banned in Europe.

Yahoo News

Everything is designed for speed,” said Miille, who will serve as interim CEO. Bayer’s latest investment is its fifth in the life science sector since December 2015, for a total of $650 million, company officials said. Bayer is working to close its $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto Co (MON.N) which also is ramping up its biologicals portfolio.

Hindustan Times

“This initiative of Rajasthan will be taken up as a global project. Such books will be published for 128 agro-climatic zones in India, and later in Asian and African countries,” he said. About 6000 agriculture supervisors will refer to the book and prescribe pesticides to farmers in 10 agro-climatic zones in Rajasthan, said Prakash Gupta, state head of the project. “Farmers can come with the affected plants, otherwise agriculture supervisors will go to the fields to identify crop diseases and prescribe pesticides.”

The Hindu Business Line

Prospects of the upcoming kharif crop harvest have taken some beating following deficient rainfall in parts of the country in the last four weeks. Crop yields are likely to be hurt and harvest size is expected to fall below the season’s production target. This, in turn, can increase the upward price pressure on food commodities, on top of a spike in the consumer price index in August.

The Indian Express

Secondly, the agriculture ministry’s own data on area sown during the current kharif season shows a decline over last year for most crops, barring cotton and sugarcane. Lack of rains has especially hit Karnataka, with the state reporting lower acreages under maize, jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl-millet), rice, arhar (pigeon-pea), moong (green gram), groundnut, soyabean and sunflower. MP has recorded higher plantings of urad (black gram), moong, maize, bajra, jowar and sesamum, but it remains to be seen to what extent their yields — and also of soyabean, the state’s main kharif crop — have been affected by the extended dry weather from August.

The Financial Express

The Government Has imposed an antidumping duty of up to $60.3 5 per tonne for five years on a chemical used in fertiliser industry from four countries — Russia, Indonesia, Georgia and Iran. The move would help guard domestic players from below-cost imports of‘ ammonium nitrate’ from these countries.

Stat Times

A farmers training camp was organised on topic Orientation of Climate Smart Agriculture at village Nandwal Panchayat Ghaink and Panchyat Showa Zone Bhalwal under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC). The agriculture officers briefed the farmers about the various components of the said project. The camp was organised on the directions of H.K Razdan, Director Agriculture, Jammu, R.L Bhagat CAO Jammu, A.K Malhotra State Coordinator NAFCC, Arun Makhontra Nodal Officer Jammu NAFCC and T.K Atri-SDAO Marh.

Nyooz

Chief agriculture officer, Dr Dalbir Singh Chinna, said the farmer, Balwinder Singh, had stopped burning crop residue as an experiment in 2011. Farmers just need to change their mindset that there is no solution to crop residue than burning,” added Chinna.

The Hindu

The Group of Ministers constituted to oversee cotton procurement in anticipation of a bumper crop was informed by the officials on Wednesday that 143 procurement centres would be opened this year against 92 last year.

News Boss

On Midwestern fields and in research greenhouses, agricultural giants like Monsanto Co. and BASF SA are teaching machines how to farm. The companies are expanding early-stage investments in artificial intelligence, joining other industries in betting that research and decision-making can be streamlined with computer programs that teach…

Indian Hub

Israel’s expertise in arid climate agriculture, efficient dairy farms, resilient seeds, drip irrigation, as well as novel plants (such as cherry tomatoes and collagen-producing tobacco plants) attracted many agriculture MNCs including Monsanto, Bayer, BASF, Duponto and Syngenta, to collaborate with Israel’s agri-tech sector, sometimes to acquire an Israeli startup or establish an R&D branch in Israel.

The Financial Express

Growth In Food grain production is expected to be much lower this year in the country as less progress has been made in the sowing of summer (kharif) crops than last year, says a Nomura report. According to the Japanese financial services major, the land area sown has fallen across all other crops: rice, pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds and jute.

Hindustan Times

According to primary estimates collated by the agriculture department, although the sown area is equal to that sown last year or the average of the past five years, production and productivity is estimated to drop significantly. Around 148.14 lakh hectares of land was sown this year compared to the five-year average of 149 lakh hectares. But production from various crops is expected to drop to 882 lakh tonnes against the average of 1,042 lakh tonnes.

Money Control

There is a lot buzzing in the agricultural space especially with the monsoon now showing 6 percent below normal till time. There is a bit of a concern that the markets, the agricultural sector, and overall is now getting in, in sense of the overall production and in sense of yields and productivity as well. In an interview to CNBC-TV18’s Manisha Gupta, Kunal Shah of Nirmal Bang Commodities, shared his views on the agricultural sowing numbers as well as the price movements. He also spoke about other commodities and currencies.

IB Times

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had announced farm loan waiver in 2014; Tamil Nadu in 2016; and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka in 2017. Earlier Uttar Pradesh said it will waive off loans of small and marginal farmers to the tune of Rs 36,000 crore, while Maharashtra and Karnataka have announced waiver of farm loans worth Rs 42,100 crore. Punjab has also said it will waive crop loans for small and marginal farmers, and has provided Rs 1,500 crore for the purpose in its budget for fiscal 2018.

Daily Pioneer

He was reviewing contingency action plan to deal with situation arising from short rainfall after the Cabinet meeting. Presentations were made by Agriculture, Water Resources, Public Health Engineering, Animal Husbandry, Cooperatives and Urban Administration Departments regarding preparation for tackling short rainfall. It was informed that the Chief Minister and all members of the Cabinet will actively participate in awareness drive for stopping water from flowing away.

Free Press Journal

Chouhan also quoted some mythological stories and advise them to work with positivity, patience and free from ego. He added that the government is sensitive towards the needs of the people. Projects like ‘Medhavi Chhatra Yojana’, ‘Ladli Laxmi’ are a boon for the society, said Chouhan. The agriculture development rate is 29.08 and the amount of irrigated land is 40 lakh hectares, he informed.

Money Control

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil today said at least 10 lakh bank accounts of farmers are fake and will not get any benefit of the loan waiver. The minister further claimed that most of these accounts were earlier opened by banks or credit societies for siphoning off the loan amount. When asked about the use of software for loan waiver assessment and farmers’ application, Patil said, “As per the previous assessment, some 89 lakh farmers were expected to benefit out of the loan waiver scheme.

VC Circle

Farmizen also sets aside common areas in every farm. The produce from these plots, such as herbs, are distributed among the users. The startup’s first farm, a 1.5-acre plot about 10 kilometres from Bangalore, started in June. It caters to as many as 79 subscribers, and has a waitlist of 320 people. “Many subscribers come to the farm to work with farmers, sow seeds or prepare fertilisers, and volunteer labour.

Governance Now

Thus, the contractor supplies all the inputs required for cultivation, while the farmer supplies land and labour. However, the terms and nature of the contract differ according to variations in the nature of crops to be grown, agencies, farmers, and technologies and the context in which they are practiced, said the report.

The Hindu Business Line

With the Indian Farmer Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) going for a major online distribution push, farmers can now place orders for agricultural biologicals over phone or at the click of a mouse. “As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, culminating on November 3, we have launched a major digital initiative.

The Better India

Unfortunately, these ‘high-yielding’ varieties failed to increase crops significantly, as the resource-poor tribal farmers were unable to afford ‘recommended inputs’ – like chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The tribal farmers soon reverted back to native seeds and organic methods of cultivation, thus reducing their dependency on external inputs like seeds, growth promoters, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Telangana Today

The Agriculture Department is expecting around 3 crore quintals of cotton yield this kharif season which was 50 per cent higher than the same period last year. “As per the intensive survey conducted by the Agriculture Department it is evident that 50 per cent of total farmers in the State cultivated cotton this year due to favourable seasonal conditions and pest and disease-free situation besides temptation of higher market price during last year,” said Commissioner for Agriculture C Parthasarathi to Telangana Today.

Millennium Post

FMCG major ITC will continue diversification into new areas with agri business set to play a key role, as part of its ‘India First’ strategy under which it aims to create 10 million sustainable livelihoods by 2030, according to company CEO and Executive Director Sanjiv Puri. Very soon, the company will start selling potatoes and onions as it tries to bring “one more commodity to the market every few months”, even as it is in the process of assembling a team for its foray into healthcare sector.

Green Ecosystem

As executive vice president and chief technology officer for Monsanto Company, Fraley has made a commitment to broader open dialogue to address consumer concerns innovations in agriculture, including biotechnology, and one way Monsanto has done that is to help the efforts of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). “Working together as an industry we need to share more background and more information on food innovation and GMO safety with the millions of people out there who have legitimate questions,” Fraley said.

The Indian Express

“In GST Act, all agricultural commodities are in zero per cent tax list, but the agricultural commodities of turmeric fingers, red chillies, coriander seeds and raisin have not been included in the zero per cent tax list…the mentioned commodities are purely agricultural products…all the specified commodities are directly affecting the farmers.

The Indian Express

Therefore, the state would appeal to the Centre to accord the projects highest priority.” Although in majority of the projects central clearances have been sought, state wants the Centre to accord a special category status to facilitate immediate financial assistance up to Rs 10,800 crore. The proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Water Resources, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance.

The Hindu

For the equipment that Farming takes on hire, the company pays out anywhere between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 a month. And when it hires out the same equipment to needy farmers, the rates vary and are per-hour basis.

Hindustan Times

Commenting on the criticism faced by the online form submission process, Fadnavis said that the intention has been to prevent others who are not qualified for the programme from taking benefit of the loan waiver scheme. “There has been some criticism of the online process. Last time, when the scheme was rolled out without online submissions, we saw many people taking advantage of it even when they were not qualified for the loan waiver. This time, we have decided to provide benefit of loan waiver to deserving candidates,” said the chief minister.

The Assam Tribune

The problems that arise during flood time range from deficit of seedlings for planting sali rice and rice seedlings (surviving the flood damage) getting over-aged due to the farmers’ inability to transplant the seedlings within the stipulated time to damage of the transplanted rice at different stages of growth. “Depending on the time of flood occurrence, the farmers can choose high-yielding improved rice varieties with appropriate duration, including early-maturing varieties. The duration of the varieties should be such that the varieties must come to flowering within October,” Dr PK Pathak, Associate Director of Research, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), told The Assam Tribune.

India Today India Deccan Herald Outlook

Two other very closely related genes (DFR-A and DRF-C) sit side-by-side, next to DFR-B. Therefore, the challenge was to specifically and accurately target the DFR-B gene without altering the other genes. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used as it is currently the most precise method of gene editing.

Green Ecosystem India Infoline

The company informed that the sale of cotton seeds business has no connection with Monsanto India Ltd, which is listed with the stock exchanges, the company gave its clarifications on media report appearing on leading business daily on September 8, 2017 titled “Monsanto exits cotton seeds business in India”. In India, the US-based multinational company operates through three companies, namely listed entity Monsanto India Ltd, Monsanto Holdings Private Ltd (MHPL) and a joint-venture company Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech Ltd (MMBL).

Pragativadi

The state government began distribution of input subsidy for farmers who lost their kharif crops and were eligible for compensation. According to the statistics provided by the Revenue Department, about 9.68 lakh farmers across the state will receive compensation of varying amounts through Direct Benefit Transfer.

Your Story

Aware of the massive losses on account of the logistical mess in Indian agriculture, Varun Khurana and Prashant Jain proceeded to address the problem with Crofarm, a technology-backed farm-to-business (F2B) supply chain startup they founded in May 2016.Pursuant to its goal of providing better price to farmers and supplying businesses with the freshest produce in the most efficient manner, Crofarm procures fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers and delivers them to both online (Big Bazaar, Metro Cash & Carry, Bigbasket, Grofers) and offline retailers (neighborhood fruit and vegetable shops).

The Economic Times

Agriculture traders today staged protest outside the GST Council meeting venue here demanding that raisins, coriander seeds and dried red chillies should not be taxed.

Trinity Mirror

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao who is Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conferred the honorary degree for Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd, Mallika Srinivasan, at the 38th annual convocation of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University held today. TAFE is committed to working in close partnership with Universities, Government bodies to achieve Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farm incomes, observed Tractors and Farm Equipments Ltd chairperson and CEO Mallika Srinivasan. She was addressing at the 38th convocation of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) after receiving the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from Tamil Nadu Governor and TNAU Chancellor C Vidyasagar Rao when she said that the Government ...

Times Delhi

As S2G joins the company’s cap table, Laurita says it’s yet another sign that the technology is maturing and that companies from Monsanto (an earlier investor) to Walmart (through the Walton family’s fund) are recognizing the benefits of biome science.

Business Standard Outlook The Financial Express Outlook India Today

The worst sufferer of climate change shall be crop, animal and fish productivity and one time adaptation response was not enough to mitigate the problem, Mayee, former Chairman of Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, said. Delivering his address at the 38th Convocation of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here, he said continuous efforts like genetic improvements, agronomic manipulations, integrated farming approach, use of balanced natural resources and timely intervention can be helpful.

Business World

Even without climate change, world food prices are expected to increase due to growing populations and rising incomes, as well as a greater demand for biofuels. While overall rice yields have increased, rising temperatures with lower rainfall at the end of the growing season have caused a significant loss in India’s rice production. Without climate change, average rice yields could have been almost 6% higher (75 million tons in absolute terms). Recent studies show that wheat yields peaked in India and Bangladesh around 2001 and have not increased since despite increasing fertilizer applications.

Business World

Reduction of Pesticide usage – Blue River Technology’s See and Spray technology is a pioneer in reducing the use of pesticides in farming. Computer Vision identifies every plant and then based on the plant determines a suitable treatment for it. Herbicide is then sprayed automatically by robotic nozzles on unwanted weeds and not on the plant thus keeping it free from any kind of pesticide.

The Financial Express My Times Now Manishchandra WN Zeebiz Economy News Reuters The Statesman A1.Am The Financial Express Live Mint DNA

The sale comes as Monsanto fights a former licensee in India in a bitter dispute that has drawn in both the Indian and U.S. governments, while it is also the subject of a $66 billion takeover by Germany’s Bayer. Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed producer, said its Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) (MMB), a joint venture with India’s Mahyco, will continue to sell genetically modified cotton seeds under license to more than 40 Indian seed companies.

The Hindu Business Line

Parshottam Rupala, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, informed that the government is increasingly focusing on organic farming to boost production of nutritionally rich agri produce. As a part of the government’s push, States adjoining the Himalayan range will be encouraged to go all organic, Rupala said, while addressing the Assocham summit on Food Processing, Agriculture and Dairy industry held in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Dainik Yashobhumi

The National Productivity Council and the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management will evaluate the governments soil health card scheme that seeks to cover 12 crore farmers across the country. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had asked the department to engage third parties for evaluating the progress made under this scheme that was launched in 2015.

Eenadu

Telangana state agriculture department going to write letter to central government on private seed companies which are selling illegally BT – 3 type new breed seeds to farmers. America based Monsanto company is trying to produce this breed in India from last few years. No permission granted so far on this issue.

Indian Science Journal

The researchers expect HTM-N22 to have an easy process of registration for widespread commercialization since development of this mutant did not require genetic engineering of the rice crop. They believe most significant use of the herbicide-tolerant mutant will be in its usage in publicly-funded rice breeding programmes in India and elsewhere without infringing intellectual property. The institutions that participated in TNAU-led project were Indian Agricultural Research Institute, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Indian Institute of Rice Research, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru; National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack; and National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi.

Tech Gig Tech Crunch Green Ecosystem Taggit

Five months after abandoning its proposed purchase of Monsanto’s precision planting subsidiary due to anti-trust concerns, agricultural equipment giant Deere and Company announced that it will spend $305 million to acquire ag-tech startup Blue River Technology. Founded in 2011 and based in Sunnyvale, Blue River develops machine learning technology for precision farming and counts Monsanto’s venture capital arm, Monsanto Growth Ventures, among its investors.

Yahoo News

Besides working on GDP growth, the NITI Aayog was expected to focus on challenges like poverty, unemployment and inequality. Instead its attention was mainly on interests of the big corporates and MNCs. This was clear in the permission given to GM crops and dismantling of price control mechanism for in pharma,” he said.

Down To Earth

As an economist by profession, understanding the complex world of agricultural sciences involves a learning curve. When we talk about employing biotechnologies in agricultural production and sustainable food systems for better nutrition it’s easy to get lost in the jargon. You’ve probably heard some of it—use of molecular markers, microbial food fermentation, reproductive technologies in livestock, DNA-based kits to diagnose diseases in farmed fish and of course genetic modification.

The Indian Express

These purchases were done under the government’s price support scheme (PSS), wherein the FPCs bought the crop from their members at the official minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,050 per quintal and delivered these to the godowns of the Central and State Warehousing Corporations after cleaning and grading. The FPCs registered a total turnover of Rs 167.79 crore on PSS operations, which was inclusive of a one per cent handling fee charged on the MSP paid to farmers.

The Times of India

Notices are being issued under the Punjab State Cooperative Act to assistant and deputy registrars of cooperative societies to appoint arbitrators. The PADB authorities hope to recover a part of overdue loans by the mid October when cotton and paddy crops starts arriving in markets.

The Pioneer

Chhattisgarh has bagged national ‘Agriculture Leadership Award 2017’. The award was handed over to State Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal by Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki in New Delhi recently. It may also be recalled that the Chhattisgarh Government has prepared a five-year master plan to provide a fillip to the cultivation of horticulture based crops in the State. The master plan is for the period 2017-18 to 2021-22, officials informed. Horticulture is a sunrise sector in the State. The Horticulture crops cover an acreage of 7.41 lakh hectares and production is about 85.95 lakh metric tonnes, officials informed.

Zee News

Amravati: Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy announced Wednesday that the state government will deposit Rs 3600 crores in the farmers` accounts under debt relief scheme in next two to three days. Of the nine lakh farmers, who registered complaints regarding government`s Debt Waiver scheme, 5.47 lakh farmers have been paid an additional amount of Rs 528.37 crores, informed Reddy.

News Patrolling

Seed industry need to be ready for a future that has higher adoption of precision agriculture practices – both in seed production and normal cultivation. Monsanto’s acquisition of Climate Corporation is a case in point of where a global seed company has invested in capabilities for agriculture analytics and greater information with a vision to achieve higher productivity while utilizing the planet’s finite resources more precisely.

The Financial Express

Increased global demand for turmeric, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, drove its exports to attain figures of 1,16,500 tonnes in volume and crossed Rs 1,241 crore in value terms in 2016-17. There are expectations of improved demand in coming weeks from the export market. Curcumin content of turmeric is an important factor in the price of the commodity and trade. Indian turmeric has the highest curcumin content and is preferred by the extractors and grinders. K M Shivakumar, from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) said that non-traditional areas like North East have also started to farm turmeric in the last few years due to robust returns and this may upset the fundamentals of the current ...

Zee Biz Business Standard

A ban could hurt sales by Monsanto Co and DuPont which sell dicamba weed killers and soybean seeds with Monsanto`s dicamba-tolerant Xtend trait. BASF also sells a dicamba herbicide. It is not yet known how damage attributed to the herbicides, used on Xtend soybeans and cotton, will affect yields of soybeans unable to withstand dicamba because the crops have not been harvested.

Outlook

The research team included Abhishek Ojha, Deepak Kumar Sinha and Suresh Nair of New Delhi-based International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB); A.P. Padmakumari of Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad and J.S. Bentur of Agri Biotech Foundation, Hyderabad. The research results have been published in journal Scientific Reports.

The Hans India

The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) emphasized on scientific land use planning for achieving food security, self-reliance and enhanced livelihood security. The National Policy for Farmers (2007) has recommended revival of existing Land Use Boards and their linkage to district-level land-use Committees, so that they can provide quality and proactive advice to farmers on land use.

The Hindu Business Line

How do we enhance farm income on a sustained basis? Farm income is the excess of income from the sale of farmer’s produce over his expenditure incurred on producing the same. The equation, therefore, has three components: Maximisation of revenue; minimisation of costs of inputs, electricity, water, mechanisation, interest rates and logistics; and development of alternative sources of income.

Business Standard

After announcing a price deficit scheme, Madhya Pradesh, which saw protest over declining farm prices, decided to setup custom hiring centres for food processing a teach block headquarters. Under the scheme, machines are hired by farmers at rates approved by the state government.

FnB News

The unveiling ceremony in Karnal was attended by over 200 farmers, agricultural university and research and development (R&D) scientists and foreign delegates from Japan, who shared their experiences about the new insecticide and the advances in the agro-chemical sector. Tromph has been developed to kill the insect pests that infect various crops such as rice, cotton, chillies, vegetables and fruits like mangoes. It will help farmers protect their crops from insects like the brown plant hopper, known to severely damage rice, and also from the sucking pest in cotton.

The Hindu

The government will soon bring out a policy to develop agricultural clusters and boost farm exports, said commerce minister Suresh Prabhu. Speaking at the 10th Agriculture Leadership Summit 2017 on Tuesday, Mr. Prabhu said, “If there are clusters for industry, why should we not think about clusters for agriculture. Farmers have the right to access global markets and get better prices (for their produce) and for that we will put in place a good policy framework soon.” He added, “We have to develop global supply chains and we will work on that.”

The Economic Times

This year’s kharif harvest may be lower than 2016 because of floods in several states and lower planting of some crops, but the country has enough stocks to meet food requirements and keep prices under control, traders and analysts said. Output of pulses and oilseeds is expected to fall because of lower planting, while production of rice, the main kharif crop, is likely to be the same as last year as higher yields will offset lower sowing, trade bodies representing buyers of pulses and rice said.

The Financial Express

Farmers claim that the returns from paddy and sugarcane are much higher—area under ragi had already fallen from 7.87 lakh hectares in 2010-11 to 6.77 lakh ha in 2015-16. While pushing ragi seems like a just solution, the fact is that forcing farmers to swallow the crop is not going to work; the state must look at incentivising it and possibly even making it a part of the public distribution system.

The New Indian Express

However, transplantation of paddy seedlings has surpassed the target. Paddy transplantation has been undertaken over 63,779 ha against the target of 63,721 ha. The Agriculture department had set a target to cultivate paddy over 1,06,800 ha during the current kharif season. Under the non-paddy crops, pulses have been cultivated over 25,897 ha till August 31 against the target of 35,800 ha.

Millennium Post Business Standard

Indian agriculture must become profitable to boost farmers’ income and attract youth to the farm sector as loan waivers cannot be sustained, according to eminent scientist M S Swaminathan. He also pitched for including pulses under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to deal with the issue of deficiency of protein and micro-nutrients.

The News Minute

In a letter to Minister of Forests, Environment and Climate Change Dr Harshavardhan last month, the CM wrote about his concerns over GM mustard and its implications on the economy, nature and agriculture. Disapproving the Centre’s stand, Andhra has now joined states like Delhi, Bihar, Kerala and Tamil Nadu that have opposed the commercialisation of GM mustard, Live Mint reported.

The Hindu Business Line

In this context, the recent advancements in genetic engineering has provided new opportunities to enhance yield potential and tolerance to drought and other stresses by manipulating some of the regulatory genes involved in complex physiological and biochemical processes, such as osmotic adjustment under water deficit environment, the researchers stated.

The Economic Times

A recent scheme by the Madhya Pradesh government to help its soyabean farmers is likely to have an adverse impact on farmers of other soya-cultivating states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The Madhya Pradesh government has promised its farmers to bear the difference between average market price and minimum support price (MSP) under its Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (Price Deficit Financing Scheme). This is likely to drive soyabean prices below the MSP of `3,050/quintal.

The Pioneer

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that a thoughtful practical work plan should be prepared to double the income of farmers. Besides, short term emergency schemes should be prepared for areas being affected by scanty rainfall and no rainfall at all. Make proper arrangements for water storage assessing the water requirement for irrigation and drinking. All the measures should be taken at war footing to preserve the flowing water. Similarly, in the same context, the other departments linked with the agriculture like power, horticulture, irrigation and PHE etc must ensure necessary action before time. Chouhan issued these directives while chairing the Agriculture Cabinet Meeting held at Mantralaya on Monday.

Live mint

The state had only distributed 37,662.48 quintals of paddy seeds till kharif 2017 compared with 134,314.67 quintals last year, agriculture department data shows. “We actually want farmers to sow. We want them to take up a crop, but not paddy and sugarcane,” Krishna Byre Gowda, Karnataka’s agriculture minister said in an interview last week. “Normal contingency plans we can manage. But this time, the peculiar situation is that the entire command area is being shifted to these. So it’s not an easy task (but) so far we have managed.”

Research Matters

In times like this, our best bet lies in organic farming -a system of farming that does not use genetically modified (GM) seeds, synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. “Organic farming aims to attain long-term sustainability since it is based on ecologically sound practices to provide nutrients for crop growth. Thus, in the long term, it ensures productivity gains by improving soil health”, adds Dr. Sihi, who along with researchers from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, the National Centre of Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi and the University of Florida, USA, has evaluated the impact of organic vs. conventional cultivations of basmati rice on soil health.

Livemint

In a letter to Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan, Naidu appealed not to approve commercial cultivation of GM Mustard in the country. He also expressed “serious reservations to conduct field trials of GM crops in Andhra Pradesh” due to concerns like “contamination and unauthorized spread of GM seed”. It is significant as Naidu is a key constituent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. With this letter, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister joins states like Delhi, Bihar, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have who have already written to the environment ministry against permitting commercialisation of GM mustard.

The Financial Express

A technology-savvy farmer Gajendra Singh Shekhawat comes from Jodhpur, the home district of former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and is a prominent member of the Rajput community. Born in Rajasthan’s Sikar on October 3, 1967, he was the national general secretary of the farmers’ wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP Kisan Morcha. His inclusion in the Cabinet comes ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections due next year.

The Hindu

The special drive to be taken up for cleansing the land records in the State, ‘Rythu Vari Bhu Survey’, from September 15 to December 15 would have the main objective of ensuring the proper reach of investment support to farmers, proposed to be implemented from kharif next. Official sources involved in the exercise from the beginning stated that the special drive had been necessitated since the data collection about lands being cultivated by the Agriculture Department had no sanctity and it had to have the stamp of Revenue Department.

The Economic Times

Nearly 5,000 farmers in Samastipur, Begusarai and Muzzaffarpur districts of Bihar are reaping benefits of a smart decision taken last season. Instead of selling their produce cheap, immediately on harvesting, they warehoused yields and waited for grain prices to appreciate in the off-season.

The Times of India

As the dry spell has brought down levels in dams of the region to a low, there may be no water for the Rabi crop in large tracts of farmland. After Kharif cultivation, which depends on the monsoon, some farmers also go for a second crop under Rabi, during winters. This depends on irrigation facilities, which includes dams and well on farms. The Rabi crop helps farmers get extra income or cover up for losses in Kharif.

The New Indian Express

The Narendra Modi government today inducted a technology-savvy farmer Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as a new junior agriculture minister and moved Krishna Raj to this important ministry, apparently aiming at strengthening the farm sector. Shekhawat and Raj will replace SS Ahluwalia and Sudharshan Bhagat, who has been moved as Ministers of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation and Tribal Affairs respectively in the major cabinet rejig. Krishna Raj was earlier the minister of state for Women and Child Development, while Shekhawat, an RSS activist in Rajasthan, was a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

The Hindu

But it is only a humble beginning as the four mandals of Anantagiri, Araku, Dumbriguda, and Hukumpeta account for around 5,000 farmers cultivating vegetables. Of them, 524 are members of the Tribal Vegetable Growers’ Society and sell vegetables at the 12 rythu bazaars in the city. Only in Hukumpeta and Anantagiri, the ‘Jeevamrutam’ clusters have started functioning. There are 13 varieties of organic inputs. Besides, individual farmers are encouraged to make ‘Jeevamrutam’ by providing assistance.

Telangana Today

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) is planning to select 30 agricultural universities based on their capabilities, innovations, and infrastructure and spend Rs 1,100 crore to create world class infrastructure in agriculture education, said ICAR Deputy Director General (DDG), Dr. NS Rathore here on Sunday.

The Times of India

Seven months after the MP of Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, took up the issue of farmers pointing to the discrepancies and flaws in crop insurance and their impact on the farmers with the then agriculture minister for state Sanjeev Balyan and the joint secretary, he himself was given the charge of the agriculture and farmers’ welfare ministry as a minister of state.

The Indian Express

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to submit specific cases of small fanners being given incentives to desist from burning crop residue in a bid to prevent air pollution.

India Infoline

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, convened the Smart Agriculture Conclave in New Delhi from August 29 to August 31, 2017, in partnership with the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Research Councils UK (RCUK) India, said a government release. The objective of this conclave was to set the stage for Farmer Zone a collective open-source data platform for smart agriculture which will use biological research and data to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers.

E-PAO

MLA of Kumbi AC, S Bira, Agriculture Department Additional Chief Secretary, Dr Suhel Aktar, Director of Agriculture, Ph Rajendra Singh and social worker N Ibobi Singh, attended the event as the presidium members . Speaking at the event, S Bira urged the farmers to take benefits of the various schemes and programmes provided by the State Government as well as the Agriculture Department . He also stated that it is unfortunate that most of the rice and paddy were not sown due to the recent flood and incessant rains and appealed to the farmers to interact and learn from the experts on how to improve agricultural yields and produces etc.

The Hindu

At present, the live storage of water in the reservoir is 34 tmcft as against the total live storage capacity of 63 tmcft. Of the 34 tmcft, 7 tmcft should be reserved to cater to the drinking water needs of the human habitats on the banks of the Tungabhadra and in the command area of the Bhadra reservoir. B.M. Sundaresh, Chairman, Bhadra CADA, told The Hindu that as the south-west monsoon is reaching its concluding stage and winter will commence in the region shortly, even if the water is released along the canals now, the farmers cannot take up the cultivation of paddy, the main crop here. Instead, CADA has planned to release water along the right ...

The Wire

These ecologically protective methods have clear policy implications. Most of the government’s policies so far have been exactly in the opposite direction. Most policy interventions have led to great environmental damage, which is now likely to increase with preparations being made for a bigger role for genetically modified (GM) crops.

The Economic Times

With rainfall forecast set to get more erratic with changing climatic patterns, farmers will be compelled to change hardwired habits even faster. “In this time of climate change, we want to give farmers more equitable access to water,” says Ramachandrudu. “We have given them a timetable to ease the uncertainties they traditionally faced.” While change may be afoot in agriculture, it may be needed elsewhere, too.

The Indian Express

The state government is promoting the group farming model in 1,000 most backward villages across Maharashtra, which have been shortlisted for integrated development in the next three years. The model is aimed at bringing in sustainable agriculture practices, and doubling farm production and income of farmers. The government has also given the nod for extending the model to 40,913 other villages in 2019.

The Wire

The court also directed that no deserving and eligible persons should be left out of the food security net after the commissioner, Zoheb Hossain, submitted how many families had been deprived of rations either on account of not possessing Aadhaar numbers, the quota having got filled up or because of biometric authentication issues.

The Hitavada

Organic farming with new green inputs is gaining trend in the market. The farmers are inclined towards methods retaining the natural soil health conditions by using the new inputs. Due to lack of awareness about proper applications of biomaterials as crop supplements affecting production. The farmers are informed and are also having experience of chemical based inputs impact on crop growth.

Nitidina

An organic farming workshop organized at Baliapatana block. Videos of farmers using various methods to accelerate organic farming practices, such as producing inexpensive fertilizers and pesticides from natural substances, will be shown, followed by sessions on cooking with organic vegetables and fruits.

SME Times

This mobile app initiative is expected to increase the accessibility and reach of the Traceability software system among the farmers and other stakeholders. This new Mobile app will also assist State Horticulture/ Agriculture Department to capture real time details of farmers, farm location, products and details of inspections like date of inspection, name of inspecting directly from field. After registration and approval of farm, farmer gets approval information.

The New Indian Express

Picture overworked farmers hauling organic produce in small, rickety trucks to the market. At the end of the day, they may not get a good price for their produce. But all this is changing quietly in this region with a CSA like initiative which started four years ago. This community supported agriculture (CSA) collective, a grassroots organisation based in local, organic farming in Mangaluru, acts as a bridge between farmers and consumers. Working together, they not only increase their market reach, but also increase the variety and consistency of the products they supply to markets.

The Times of India

At least 30 per cent of the fund allocated in the budget for agri schemes is being earmarked for women as part of efforts to bring them into mainstream agriculture, Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. The ministry is trying to ensure that women become part of the mainstream agriculture and contribute to farm productivity and production as well as in doubling the income of their families, the agriculture minister said. He said women should reap benefit of every penny spent in the farm sector.

Hindustan Times

“Currently, we are under the process of receiving applications from farmers. These applications will be verified through two-fold process, once with the list of loan defaulters from the banks and second from the list of Aadhaar linked ration card holders. After verification will come to know whether there are any irregularities or not,” said V K Gautam, principal secretary of Information Technology department told HT.

The Times Of India

At a time when the government remains indecisive on the fate of indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) mustard, farmers from several states have explored an alternative and claimed that the yield of oilseeds can be increased substantially even using traditional seeds through a new technique of cultivation.

Deccan Chronicle The Asian Age

Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand on Friday said that there are more effective ways to deal with problems of farmers than loan waivers which benefit only a tiny fraction of agriculturists. States including UP and Maharashtra have announced farm loan waivers adding up to Rs 1.3 lakh crore or 0.8 per cent of GDP this fiscal.

Money Control

Innovation in research and agriculture can create new jobs and double the income of farmers, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sudarshan Bhagat said today. More than 58 percent of the rural families are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, he said at the inaugural session of a one-day Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop here. Bhagat said agriculture, like irrigation facilities, storage and cold storage, has immense potential with increase in basic infrastructure.

Telangana Today

The university has mobilised its entire research machinery and capabilities to map all the 31 districts of the State, collecting every micro detail on soil, climate and water for five major crops that will form the backbone of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s call for the revolutionary crop colonies concept.

The Hans India

Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, along with MLA Dasari Manohar Reddy, had constituted ‘Farmer Coordination Committee’ at Ramalayam in Ithrajpalle village in Sultanabad mandal in the district on Friday. Speaking at the programme, the Minister said that the State government had designed a project to benefit the farmers. Under this project, each farmer will be provided Rs 4,000 per acre as an investment for one crop for taking up agricultural activities.

The Economic Times

The Madhya Pradesh government, where the farmer agitation turned violent after police firing earlier this year, has approved pilot implementation of a new scheme in kharif 2017. The Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (Price Deficit Financing Scheme) seeks to strike a balance between consumer and farmer interests by paying farmers the difference between the market price (capped at modal market price) and the minimum support price.

Hindustan Times

Climate change, disease control and water management can be done through technology and these are major challenges in agriculture, said Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Sudarshan Bhagat.

The Hindu Business Line

The Agriculture Ministry has written to the Finance Ministry seeking income-tax exemption for farmer produce organisations (FPOs), particularly for those that are registered as farmer producer companies (FPO) under the Companies Act.

India Today

With the agricultural conclave, DBT aims to advance the process of technological intervention to help small and marginal land-holding farmers, who constitute a major component of Indian agriculture.

Huffington Post

This decentralised wastewater treatment system is now scaled out to 28 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. With total treatment capacity of 863 m³ per day it can irrigate one hectare land at each village or provide water to nearly 3,000 rural households for domestic consumption.

The Better India

Well, no! You can trace the history of urban agriculture to 3,500 BC when Mesopotamian farmers set aside plots in their growing cities to carry out farming. During World War II, urban farmers had what came to be called ‘victory gardens’ that produced crops to feed underprivileged neighborhoods too. One of the prime reasons for the implementation of this concept is the lack of clean produce. It is expected to pick up pace in India.

Business Standard

Farm debt waivers eventually push up the interest rate in the entire economy and crowd out private sector entities from accessing finite resources of market funds, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel said on Thursday. “There is a gamut of issues that have intensified the anguish of our farmers. In this context, farm loan waivers have brought forward the urgency of designing lasting solutions to the structural malaise that affects Indian agriculture,” Patel said in a seminar on agricultural debt waivers.

The Hitavada

District said that information on roadmap to double the agriculture income of the farmers will be given by organising farmers’ conventions in the month of September at block head quarters. He said that apart from farmers, agriculture scientists present at the convention will advise farmers on beneficial crops after testing the area’s soil and climate. Suggestions received from the farmers in proposed conventions and suggestions for doubling agriculture income based on geographic condition and environment of specific area will also be included in the roadmap.

Web India 123

Bengal is a largely agricultural economy with 96 per cent of the 7.23 lakh farm families being marginal and small farmers (with the average size of their landholdings being only 0.77 ha.). As an economy that is as heavily dependent on and replenished by agriculture, the current State Government has not only identified its palpable potential but has striven to resurrect it, according to a party release here today

The Sentinel

A programme on Sankalp Se Siddhi was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jorhat at the Dr MC Das Memorial Auditorium of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat campus, said Rupam Borgohain, an official from KVK, Jorhat on Wednesday. Attending as a guest speaker, Dr Kamal Mallv Buzarbaruah, the Vice-Chancellor of AAU, spoke about doubling the income from agricultural production in five years. He suggested that a team from Assam should be formed for doubling the farmers’ income and the team would be responsible for overall development and to find different sectors which would be differentiated by experts from various departments which could help to reach the target in doubling the farmers’ income.

The Times of India

As many as 300 farmers from across Tamil Nadu underwent training on fumigation techniques and pest control measures as part of a workshop here. The two-day workshop, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), gave practical demonstration on fumigation techniques by pesticide manufacturing companies. About 50 representatives from pesticide companies participated in the event. Farmers later interacted with scientists and pesticide manufacturing experts to clear doubts about storage of various produce.

Down To Earth Org

Apparently, this suggestion has been made to minimise risk and increase productivity. But what is the justification to advocate GM seeds in a country with one of the richest inventory of agro biodiversity, neglected over centuries, more so after the Green Revolution? Thousands of years of farmers’ traditional knowledge has brought about this variety. Are we really serious about conserving biodiversity?