Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Farmers to learn from Israeledit
Farmers from Maharashtra will soon get a chance to learn farming techniques from their Israeli counterparts in Yavatmal. The state government will be setting up an Open Centre of Excellence at Dehani village in Yavatmal district, which has been in the news for farmer suicides. The additional chief secretary of agriculture department, Bijay Kumar, said that the state would invite Israeli farmers to share their farming methods.
Why Karnataka’s New Government Has A Job On Its Hands Despite 8.5% Growthedit
Karnataka is grappling with income inequality, an agrarian crisis and child malnutrition even though its economy grew at 8.5%–second-highest among 10 states and union territories in 2017–to a gross domestic product of Rs 9.5 lakh crore ($141 billion) in 2017-18, according to the latest economic survey.
Solar Power for Agriculture: Sunny days for Maharashtra farmersedit
Aiming to provide regular power to farmers through agricultural feeders, the Maharashtra government has issued a tender inviting bids for 2 MW-10 MW capacity solar projects totalling 1,000 MW under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana . Although termed a good initiative that would boost agricultural output, the decision to fix ceiling tariff at Rs 3.30/unit under the scheme has seen questions being raised about its viability.
NITI Vice Chairman says time is not ripe for taxing agriculture incomeedit
Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that imposition of tax on agriculture income has always been considered by ‘successive Governments’, even as he cautioned that any such move should be taken once the sector is productive and attached to modern scientific methods.
Maharashtra govt plans higher investment in micro-irrigationedit
Maharashtra government is planning to pump more money into micro-irrigation projects to double agricultural income by 2022. The government’s ‘More Crop Per Drop’ programme aims to increase efficiency of water use through various measures, like diversification of crops and a phased shift in agricultural practices. In 2018-19, the state plans to optimise water efficiency by 20 per cent. The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), in its annual report 2018-19, states, “Currently, gross area under mirco-irrigation is around one million hectares with average area expansed by about 100,000 hectares in five years.”
How to improve agricultural productivityedit
Global attention has been devoted to water scarcity and its effect on Indian farmers. However, new analysis from Indian researchers suggests that far more good could come if irrigation were combined with seed improvement.
Mohali farms ablaze, people chokeedit
Even as the burning of wheat stubble hasn’t stopped in the district and the evidence is in the heaviness of the air, the district administration takes comfort in the fact that there have been no complaints.
Budget
Icrier Study: Agri research & education funding heavily skewededit
The government’s expenditure on agricultural research and extension education services is not only very low but also heavily skewed in favour of crops, even as the dairy sector has a rapidly increasing share in the gross value of output from agriculture & allied activities (GVOA), a new study has revealed. It also called for a major increase in the financial resources for horticulture crops and animal husbandry. The study — Agriculture Extension System in India — by Ashok Gulati and other researchers at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier), points out that around 92% of the total extension expenditure was allocated only for crop husbandry and only 0.9% went to animal husbandry and dairy ...
Over 4.3 lakh ryots get Rythu Bandhu cheques in TSedit
The revenue administration reached out to 4,36,182 farmers with Rythu Bandhu cheques and pattadar passbooks on Saturday, Day 3 of the week-long special drive. Villages came alive with teams of revenue officials accompanied by elected representatives and other prominent leaders of the Assembly constituencies concerned, delivering the farm input assistance cheques as well as new passbooks at the doorsteps of farmers.
Technology in Agriculture
PPCB’s low-cost plough to help check farm firesedit
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has come out with a solution for stubble-burning after wheat harvesting. It has developed a low-cost special ploughing implement, which gets a field ready for sowing the next crop within hours.
Tech with eye on farmersedit
The state government’s director of agriculture and food production laid stress on the monetary benefits that technology can gain for farmers.