Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Rethinking Revolutions: looking beyond crop productivity to measure agricultural prosperityedit
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.
Government forms panel for farm loan waiveredit
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.
Farm loan waiver: Maharashtra extends deadline for submitting online applicationsedit
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.
Cooperation in agriculture sector will boost trade among BRICS nations, says expertedit
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.
After tiny waivers, UP to show off big reliefedit
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.
After loan waivers of a few paise, UP govt orders DMs to publicise cases where farmers got Rs 1Ledit
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.
French and German farmers urge renewal of EU glyphosate licenseedit
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.
Bayer joins in $100 million investment bet on ag-biotech startupedit
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.