The Pioneer

Kalahandi district has been adjudged as the most improved district in agriculture across the country and placed at the top of the Delta Ranking for the Aspirational Districts of the country in agriculture sector.

Financial Express

The government’s plan to raise MSPs for crops to 1.5 times the A2+FL costs is likely to cost around Rs 1,75,000 crore in a full year if market prices are lower than the MSP by 20%. The exceptionally high cost of this plan, it is likely, was the reason for the delay in the announcement of this season’s MSP as the government was trying to work on ways to finance it; the plan is now likely to be announced later this week.

Business Standard

Sowing of major crops at the end of June stands at 16.5 million hectares, 15 per cent less than the average of the last seven years, data from the department of agriculture shows. The reason behind this shortfall, experts say, is the long 15-day hiatus in the progress of the southwest monsoon over central and north India in June, despite the fact that rainfall in June was 95 per cent—near normal—of the long period average.

The Pioneer

“Under the Tandarust Punjab Mission, to ensure soil health and quality produce, it is important that farmers get quality farming inputs at reasonable rates. Therefore, a special campaign is being run by the Agriculture Department, under which private dealers have to sell agricultural inputs including fertilizers and insecticides to the farmers with proper billing,” said the state Agriculture secretary Kahan Singh Pannu on Sunday.

The Statesman

“The government has taken new imitative by connecting the farmers of their periphery with all the science centers with WhatsApp. This will result in farmers getting quick solution to their issues while receiving information related to seasonal crops,” he said. He said agriculture department has also started toll free helpline number ‘1550’ to redress the grievances of farmers on priority basis.

The Tribune

The Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST) and Panjab University have joined hands with three premier Central agencies to develop an agricultural technology with an aim at enhancing farmers’ income, promote crop diversification and protect environment from the menace of paddy straw burning.