Agriculture Industry
PUNJAB TO BOOST SETTING UP OF BIOMASS PLANTS TO STOP STUBBLE BURNING POLLUTIONedit
To rid Punjab of stubble burning pollution, the State Government has entered into agreements with four big companies and has also started work on setting up the biomass power plants.“With the commencement of these projects in Punjab, on one hand, pollution from crop residue will decrease, and on the other, the farmers will reap economic benefit. The project commencement will also generate employment for local people,” said the state Power and Renewable Energy Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar on Monday.
The Age of Surplusedit
If there is one thing that has changed in Indian agriculture in recent times, it is supply response — the ability of farmers to increase production when prices go up. Traditionally, the supply curve in most crops was near vertical: No matter the price, the quantity harvested and sold remained virtually the same. Take pulses. Through the 1980s and till the 2000s, the country’s output averaged just over 13 million tonnes (mt), falling to 11-12 mt in droughts and short of 15 mt even in the best years.
Farmers irked over short supply of seedsedit
Farmers in Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh district are irked over limited supply of subsidised high yield varieties of seeds. Sources said a large number of farmers are yet to get subsidised seeds supplied by Odisha State Seed Supply Corporation (OSSSC). The agitated farmers locked the office of Bonai LAMPS in protest on Wednesday.
Officials told to supply agriculture inputs to farmersedit
These work sheds will help the farmers in making compost from cattle dung which would generate income for them, Chandrababu Naidu explained during a review meeting on Neeru-Pragati on Monday. The compost must be transported to agricultural fields in the State as part of promoting Zero Budget Natural Farming, he added.
Cut their shackles: Why usual methods to rescue farmers will fail, and what can work in their steadedit
Dozens of farming groups determined to stall supply of fruits, vegetables and dairy products to major Indian cities is a clear indicator of growing rural discontent that the Modi government has been struggling to deal with for quite some time, amidst supply glut and depressed farm produce prices.
If haircuts for corporate loans are possible, why not farm-loan waiversedit
Agriculture issues are haunting the Narendra Modi-led government leading to some State governments announcing farm loan waivers. “There is no other way out,” Kumar told BusinessLine adding “If you (banks) are prepared to take a haircut for your corporate loan of ₹10,000 crore, then there is no reason why you cannot give farm loan waiver.”
Technology in Agriculture
Farmers install micro irrigation systemsedit
In a land where traditional agricultural practices are hard to give up, minimal water availability for irrigation has paved the way for several enterprising farmers to install micro irrigation systems which they say have helped them save water and increase productivity across varied crops. The governmental support for the installation of micro irrigation systems has come in handy for the pioneering players in Thanjavur district.