Business Standard

India has sought Qatari investments in key sectors such as petrochemicals, infrastructure and agriculture, the Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday.

Business Standard

In an impetus to 5G deployment, Samsung Electronics on Tuesday showcased here how its solutions can enable a variety of 5G-powered business models and scenarios for smart agriculture, home broadband services and smart cities in India.

The Pioneer

Farmers prefer to burn stubble and pay penalty rather than weed out the stubbles. And the reason for this is that the cost of stubble burning is cheaper as penalty works out to be around Rs 2,500 per acre. But if they don’t burn it then the stubble processing cost comes around Rs 6,000-7,000 per acre.

Outlook

A day after the Uttar Pradesh government’s mega agri-expo Krishi Kumbh ended here, a farmers’ outfit flayed it Monday terming it as a mere “window-shopping opportunity” for peasants, having no money to adopt the farming machineries or techniques displayed in the show.

Mumbai Mirror

Sources allege it’s a furtive move by the state government to dislodge the elected board of APMCs, which is currently controlled by Congress-NCP; state says it’s to benefit farmers.

Hindustan Times

Delhi’s air quality worsened on Monday when the levels of particulate matter, or tiny pollutants that trigger health hazards, shot up by up to four times above the permissible mark after a gap of four months.

The Week

As Delhi’s air quality continued to register alarming deterioration, the Supreme Court Monday prohibited the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the national capital region even as the BJP-led central government and the AAP dispensation indulged in a blame game over the rising air pollution.

The Tribune

New Holland Agriculture, an agriculture equipment brand, launched its straw management campaign in Kallar Majri village here on Sunday.

Indiatimes

The satellite images released on Saturday showed Punjab covered with red spot indicating stubble burning at over 2000 places. A study by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) shows that if

The Indian Express

Amid concerns over rising air pollution in the national capital region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday hailed farmers from Punjab who do not burn stubble in fields. He also said, while the world, especially the West, is discussing environment protection and trying to find new ways to adopt a balanced life style, India is also facing a similar problem.

The Economic Times

Pandarinath Ausarman, a wiry 45-year-old with slicked-back hair, has just harvested maize in two of his 17 acres at Eklahera village, just outside Aurangabad city in the drought-prone Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

The Economic Times

Pandarinath Ausarman, a wiry 45-year-old with slicked-back hair, has just harvested maize in two of his 17 acres at Eklahera village, just outside Aurangabad city in the drought-prone Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

Read more at:

Financial Express

Procurement of moong (green gram) and urad (black gram) has commenced in some pockets of Maharashtra, as the state is busy rolling out the price-deficiency support scheme PM-AASHA, under which support prices are at least 1.5 times the cost of production. According to the state agriculture department, some 40,575 farmers have registered for selling urad at MSP, 26,990 for moong and 45,504 for soyabean.

CNBC TV 18

The fall in food prices means that 9 crops are currently below the minimum support price. For some crops the prices are about 6-7 percent below MSP but for about 5 others crops, the selling price is more than 20 percent below the MSP and in some areas even 50 percent. While this is good for urban poor and rural landless labour, this has led to rural distress, especially among farmers.

Pragativadi

Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Friday said that the budget outlay of the agriculture sector has been enhanced by 74.5% with an aim to double farmers’ income.

The Economic Times

The government has approved proposals from nine states for the procurement of pulses and oilseeds on the basis of minimum support price (MSP) in the kharif marketing year beginning October, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said.

The Wire

Mahender Rai and Ramchander Yadav, smallholder farmers in India’s eastern province of Bihar, are not aware of the term climate change. But from bitter experience, they know the changes that have affected their harvests in recent years. They blame their fate for the erratic rainfall, extended dry spells during the monsoon and higher temperatures during summer, phenomena that increasingly result in poor spring and autumn harvests.

Fortune India

This question is almost always buried in endless polemic about the agriculture in India with its age-old imagery of eternal poverty coupled with the tragedy of farmer suicides. There is no doubt that parts of Indian agriculture are still mired in tremendous challenges and farmer suicides remain one of the foremost humanitarian crises that face the modern Indian state.

The Times of India

Taking ahead the initiative of ensuring a clean environment by combatting stubble burning, Central GST (CGST) commissionerate,Ludhiana donated another happy seeder to the farmers of Ludhiana district. In this campaign, which is being spearheaded by CGST commissioner Ashutosh Baranwal, the department donated a happy seeder earlier as well to farmers.

The Economic Times

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana contributed to 32 per cent of Delhi’s overall pollution on Saturday, according to a report by the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

Down To Earth

If the world continues to produce food crops in a business-as-usual scenario, then nutritional requirements of each individual are unlikely to be met.The world currently overproduces grains, fats and sugars, and not enough fruits, vegetables and protein to meet the nutritional needs of the current population, finds a recent global study conducted by the University of Guelph.

The Siasat Daily

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged scientists in the country to find a concrete solution to deal with the problem of stubble burning even as he asked farmers to seek out methods to earn money using the agriculture residue.

The Wire

Indian agricultural sector is undergoing feminisation, i.e., the rising share of farm work is now being undertaken by women. Gujarat, however, is seeing what could be termed as “feminisation out of compulsion” or “feminisation of agrarian distress” – women are taking up more work under duress due to men having stepped away from the activity, a study has found.

Business Standard

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Thursday said that the government has reoriented the farm sector by focusing on an income-centric approach that stresses on achieving high productivity, reduced cost, and a remunerative crop price to double the farmers’ income.

Millennium Post

The worrisome reality in India is that agriculture is witnessing a crisis. From village to village, farmers are looking towards selling their land and moving away from farming as a livelihood. Poor availability of funds, unscientific farm inputs, poor support price structures for farm produce, and almost no farm insurance are some important reasons that lead to crippling debts that force farmers to see farming as non-remunerative.

The Pioneer

The Orissa Krushak Samaj celebrated its 60th foundation day and organised a seminar on the occasion of the World Food Day here on Thursday under the chairmanship of its chairman Dr Purnachandra Mohanty.

Financial express

The Reserve Bank of India should release a sector-wise break-up of agricultural credit, experts said on Thursday,  stating that this would help result in a more productive use of the funds for the sector. Currently, about 70% of the farm credit, according to RBIdata, are crop loans, while there is no disaggregated data on what the balance amount is used for.

Business Standard

Noted agronomist M.S. Swaminathan on Wednesday said that Indian farmers must be given access to global markets so that exchange of technology could take place.

Nation

Stubble is the remains of crop harvest which farmers burn to save their time and money. But this action adds to air pollution and causes smog during winter. Smog causes respiratory and eye-related problems and other environmental issues.

The Indian Express

This column hates to say we said so. Prices are not falling but the farmer is getting a rough deal. Industrial output and GDP growth is not picking up. It all comes out on the business page but the usual admonition that the economy will pick up is repeated by the senior-most officials from whom we actually expect answers to real problems.

The Indian Express

An umbrella group of more than 40 NGOs on Tuesday submitted a 12-point representation to the state government demanding agricultural schemes to be more women farmer sensitive. The Working Group for Women and Land Ownership (WGWLO) has demanded a special and separate budgetary provision for women farmers, besides seeking agricultural schemes that are designed from women farmers’ perspective to not only ensure gender equity but also enhance higher yield in agriculture.

Financial Express

The agriculture ministry is examining the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee on doubling farmers’ income by 2022, a senior official said Wednesday. The panel headed by National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) CEO Ashok Dalwai has submitted a report with a detailed strategy to increase farmers’ income to Rs 1.92 lakh per annum by 2022 based on the 2015-16 wholesale prices, from the current income of Rs 96,000. “The inter-ministerial committee has submitted the recommendations on doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

Moneycontrol

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said farmers should be provided new technology to make farming more sustainable and viable as boosting agriculture is one of the top priorities of the government.

The Economic Times

The worrisome reality in India is that agriculture is facing a crisis. In village after village, farmers are looking at selling their land and moving away from farming as a livelihood.

Poor availability of funds, unscientific farm inputs, poor support price structures for farm produce and almost no farm insurance are some important reasons that lead to crippling debts that force farmers to see farming as non-remunerative.

The Times of India

The national capital is set for a “deadly cocktail” of pollution in coming weeks, a senior government official said, as air quality in the New Delhi area plummeted on Wednesday, alarming doctors and environmentalists.

Business Standard

V M Singh, Harish Damodaran and Mekhala Krishnamurthy explain why India’s farmers, with their stressed finances, have been protesting and demanding better policies, and how the government could address their issues

The Times of India

Agriculture department sources said agriculture scientists and experts would monitor the CSVP, which will take into consideration weather conditions and forecast, environmental pollution, tolerant (drought and waterlogged soil) variety of crop besides soil and water conservation, rise in temperature and other factors before embarking on cultivation, so that the vagaries of nature have minimal effect.

Down To Earth

Chand Singh, 70, a farmer who owns 4 hectares of farmland in Kalajhar village, says traders rejected 20 tonnes of paddy that he cultivated as it was affected due to humidity. “If traders don’t accept it, I will have to sell it to a private agent at a much lower price than the Minimum Support Price (MSP).”

Business Standard

Even after prohibition, farmers in the state’s Fatehabad district continues to burn stubble in the region.

The state’s Agriculture Department Director Balwant Saharan said that they have identified 180 cases of stubble burning between September 25 and October 21.

Financial Express

The air pollution in Delhi NCR, especially in winter months, is mainly contributed to by heavy concentration of PM 2.5 (ultra-fine) and PM 10 (coarse-dust) particles, and gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and nitrous oxides, among others. By devising a scientific methodology, these parameters are combined into a single quantitative measure called Air Quality Index (AQI) to assess overall air quality.

The Indian Express

WITH JUST one-fourth of the total estimated paddy arrival in mandis till now, a total of 2589 fire incidents have been reported as per remote sensing data of the PPCB. Punjab’s air quality index has been rated as ‘moderate’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and also by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) as of now.

The Indian Express

Fire incidents during the 2018 stubble burning season in Punjab and Haryana have reduced by almost 55% between September 1 and October 23 compared to last year, according to the latest data available with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

The Express Tribune

The provincial government is focusing on the uplift of small farmers in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, emphasised Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial.

The Tribune

Nazeer Ahmed, Vice Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), and other legislators met Governor Satya Pal Malik here on Monday.

The Economic Times

The agriculture ministry is planning a massive increase in the number of seed-testing laboratories in the country as part of its push to boost crop yield. Officials told ET that use of quality seeds can boost farm production by up to a fifth.

The Hans India

Lamakaan Programming Council is organising an event titled ‘Agriculture crisis and farmers issues’ which gives an insight into policies that are less inclusive of small and marginal land holding farmers.

Business Standard

Lending against agricultural collateral declined during the first four months (April-July) of this financial year. Data compiled by CARE Ratings showed warehousing companies issued 12,015 negotiable receipts (NWRs) during those four months, almost equal to the 12,313 issued during the entire 2017-18. Yet, the number reflects Rs 4,909 million worth of underlying agri commodities deposited in various godowns, lower than the Rs 5,102 million deposited during FY18.

The Wire

To understand just how alarming this is, consider that an AQI of 101-200 is categorised as moderate, while an AQI between 201-300 is ‘poor’. Delhi has already breached the ‘poor’ range and entered the ‘very poor’ category (301-400), and is moving steadily towards the ‘severe’ category (401-500) ­­– the last category defined in the AQI. Parts of Delhi have already recorded air quality that is considered severe. For instance, the monitoring station at Mathura road recorded an AQI of 470 on Saturday.

Financial Express

The last one and a half decades saw many policies and procedures coming as knee-jerk reactions to perceived corruption, notional revenue losses and media trials. India is a $2.8 trillion economy with a population of 125 crore and the best demographic profile among large economies. More than 50% of its population is below 25 years of age and 65% below 35 years. Policies should be framed with a holistic approach to the problems facing the country, keeping in mind its long-term policy requirements. Knee-jerk policy making may result in India’s demographic dividend becoming its biggest liability.

The Hindu

The State government’s subsidy bill towards agricultural connections is on the rise during the last four years with the demand for connections increasing significantly. It has to foot a subsidy bill of about ₹6,030 crore during the current fiscal. As the budgetary allocations do not match the demand, it is contemplating issuing bonds in near future.

Financial Express

NITI Aayog has proposed that 75% of the premium paid by farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) will be returned to them if they don’t file claims for crop damages for four-six consecutive agricultural seasons. Government officials reckon that such a move would attract more farmers into the insurance fold; at present, just 29% of the 12 crore farmers/cultivators in the country are covered under the crop insurance scheme.

The Times of India

Stubble burning by Punjab farmers, which aggravates air pollution in Delhi, may be occupying all attention but there is another menace here at home. Even as Delhi’s air quality continues to deteriorate, open waste burning seems to be rampant in some areas. Dwarka residents took out a march on Saturday to highlight the violations at one particular spot.

The Economic Times

A drive along the National Highway 44, which stretches from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, would normally showcase the countryside in all its colourful glory. Last week, however, a drive down some of the highway’s stretches in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi had as its backdrop an apocalyptic horizon of grey, foretelling what’s in store this winter for residents in much of north India — a spell of deadly air pollution that will blow past all safety limits, exposing millions to air that is too foul to breath ..

IndiaSpend

Rekha Madavi, 45, did not know the name of the pesticide her husband, Rushi, 55, had been spraying on their cotton crop. All their pesticide containers had been seized by the police for examination.

The Hans India

Still, the district is facing severe shortage of rainfall and majority farmers were cultivating paddy with borewells and other water sources. Now, a deficient rainfall of 51 per cent occurred indicating bleak future of farming activity this year. The normal rainfall from June 1 during southwest monsoon is 441 mm, but it occurred only 215 mm till now.

Hindustan Times

Air quality in the national capital dipped Saturday morning with PM 10 level at 267 and PM 2.5 level at 226, both in ‘Poor’ category on Air Quality Index (AQI), at Lodhi Road.

The Economic Times

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Booh village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab, under the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University of Ludhiana and supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Atari zone 1, has been working with farmers in the region to impart technical knowledge and promote agricultural technologies. Balwinder Kumar, deputy director of KVK, tells Ishani Duttagupta about the different programmes the kendra uses to help farmers avoid stubble burning. ..

Financial Express

Mid-afternoon, Upender is busy tossing paddy residue into the fire he started over an acre of land. Huge, thick clouds of smoke rise into the air and engulf the neighbouring fields before the wind blows them away. After about 15 minutes, the fire is out, leaving only the ash and a question – Have the efforts of the Punjab government to check stubble burning failed? The administration is making serious interventions to curb stubble burning, but the farmers in the state continue to defy the ban on the practice amid a lack of financial incentives.

The Hindu

India celebrated its first Women Farmer’s Day on October 15, but the word farmer or kisan is still seen as being synonymous with a male farm worker. This perception is built on two assumptions — first, farming is a masculine profession; and, second, when women are involved in farm activities, they largely play supporting roles.

The Hindu

Having set the goal of making Andhra Pradesh the best State in the country by 2029, the government has laid its focus on “structural shift and transformation” in the economy.

The Hindu Business Line

In a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, expertly navigating eastern Rwanda’s bumpy back roads in a white four-wheel drive, Dieudonne Twahirwa looks nothing like the stereotypical African farmer.

The Economic Times 

Kharif harvesting has started across the country, but state governments are yet to kick off the pilot projects of oilseed procurement by private players.

Qrius

Earlier this week, the Indian state of Sikkim made headlines for becoming the first 100% organic state in the world, among 51 nominated policies from 25 countries. Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling received the Green Oscar for “best policies,” an award that acknowledges the local government’s efforts to transform the agroecological and sustainable food systems.

The Tribune

A team from the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests visited the Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, on Wednesday.

DNA

In the days gone by, the sight of approaching winter was always welcome in North India. That situation no longer holds. With winters setting in, the spectre of an overcrowded and polluted national capital covered in a thick haze of toxic smog has come to haunt citizens.

Swarajya

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at the launch of Mukhyamantri Krishi Vahini Scheme on Tuesday, said that the state government has approved one lakh solar agriculture pumps and has an aim to provide uninterrupted electricity to the farmers even during day time, The Economic Times has reported.

Down To Earth

Throughout centuries, people have migrated either in search of better livelihood opportunities or out of extreme need. It is an important factor that drives economic and social development. The 2018 State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says rural migration, which is often seen by farming households as a strategy to overcome food insecurity, can be tackled by investing in agricultural value chains. FAO economist Andrea Cattaneo, who is also the editor of the SOFA publication, speaks to Down To Earth about how migration and agriculture are directly linked.

The Times of India

As Delhi’s air quality touched “very poor” levels on Wednesday, the Delhi government released fresh NASA images of crop burning taking place in north India. The government launched a scathing attack on the NCR states for not taking action against stubble burning despite repeated reminders.

The Week

A couple of farmers in the border district of Tarn Taran in Punjab began trying out this method almost 20 years ago, where the stubble is allowed to be mulched on top of the soil. Different techniques are adopted to sow seeds and harvest crops. Their idea was to go organic and save the money they would have spent on fertilisers and pesticides. With blame for the smog in the National Capital Region is being pointed out at stubble burning in Punjab, the state government’s agriculture department and Punjab Agriculture University’s extension centres are looking to find a solution to stubble burning. The curiosity of farmers in the surrounding villages has also been kindled. There is hope ...

The Pioneer

October 16 is observed as World Food Day in honour of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many organisations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The 2018 World Food Day celebrated recently brought to light issues of food security, agricultural production and nutrition challenges amid worsening environmental conditions and climate change. The FAO is engaged in finding solutions and strategies to overcome hurdles on the path to ensure a secure and nutritious food availability environment for the global population.

Down To Earth

Manoj Kumar, 45, a farmer from Taraori village of Karnal district, is supervising his paddy harvest through Super-SMS (Super straw management system) equipment attached to Combine Harvester. He is happy with the performance of the new machine, which cuts paddy straw into pieces, spreading it on field.

UNI

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said that the government was working towards the goal of Zero Hunger in a phased manner. Inaugurating a Conclave here on Agri Startups and Entrepreneurship on the occasion of World Food Day, he said the efforts of farmers and the techniques developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) had contributed to increase agricultural production and food security.

The Indian Express

The state cabinet on Tuesday gave the approval for one lakh solar agriculture pumps. The total cost for the project, Mukhya Mantri Saurya Krishipump Yogna (MMSKY), is Rs 3,435 crore. The installation of solar agriculture pumps will be undertaken in three phases. In the first phase, 25,000 solar pumps at Rs 858.75 crore will be installed in the current financial year 2018-19. The second phase has 50,000 solar pumps, which will require Rs 1,717.50 crore to be completed in year 2019-20.

Outlook

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is expecting that his visit next week to Israel would open new vistas of growth and cooperation with the Jewish nation in key areas, particularly the agriculture, horticulture and dairy sectors.

Daily O

It’s a familiar and almost ritualistic discourse that annually surfaces ahead of Diwali, when farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other north Indian states race to prepare the ground for the winter wheat crop.

India Today

Sikkim presented a model in front of the world by becoming the first-ever organic state in the world. Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling received the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award from its Deputy Director Maria Helena Semedo for the feat.

Business Standard

The 17-country study by Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont showed, that although women are proud to be in agriculture, there is widespread gender discrimination, both in developing or developed world and the removal could take decades. The study, which included 4,160 respondents, perceived gender discrimination ranging from 78 per cent in India to 52 per cent in the US, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.

The Pioneer

As one travels from Delhi to Haryana during the wee hours on Tuesday on the GT Karnal road, one will witness a thin blanket of smog on road at border and gradually thickens as one move deeper in Haryana towards Chandigarh. This smog, emanating from the agricultural farms in Haryana engulfs Delhi each year and is a cause of trouble for the commuters.

Outlook

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling received the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award from its Deputy Director Maria Helena Semedo, who commended the Himalayan state for setting an example to the world by becoming first totally organic state.

The Economic Times

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Monday said the “faulty” policies of the BJP-led central government had pushed the Indian economy to its “worst ever crisis” and were also behind the recent spate of agrarian movements across the country.

Mint

According to the environment ministry, fire-related incidents are 75% and 40% lower in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, so far but that may not be a reason to cheer. The paddy grown in summer in Punjab was sown late this year by a week, while both Punjab and Haryana witnessed unseasonal rains in end-September, which has delayed harvesting by about 10 days because of a rise in crop moisture levels. Air quality is likely to worsen as more farmers begin harvesting.

ET Energyworld

Despite a prohibition on the burning of farm residue, farmers in Punjab’s Bhatinda city are holding protests and continuing to burn stubble.

Deccan Chronicle

Women farmers were carrying out agriculture effectively, with less investment and more sincerity than the men, collector, G. Veerapandian said. Women farmers are leading groundnut production at various levels, occupying 80 per cent of the extent in the district.

Business Standard

Governments need to exploit the contribution made to national economies by rural migrants, the UN said on Monday in a new report which argues that policies should not stem or accelerate migration but optimize its potential and limit its costs.

The Hindu

Advising women farmers to make better use of the available technology to reduce input costs and to improve the yield, in-charge Collector A. Mallikarjuna on Monday observed that the women were making significant contribution to agriculture and allied sectors.

The Economic Times

India’s consumer goods companies are uncertain about the outlook for demand as below-normal monsoon rainNSE -2.20 % in some states is set to hit incomes in rural areas, which had shown a robust revival in the past three quarters.

India Spend

As the effects of climate change on livelihoods become more pronounced, especially for people involved in agriculture and fishing in South and South-East Asia, support for rebel groups and the Naxalite movement is likely to shoot up, according to a new report.

There is evidence that climate change will worsen socio-economic and political disparity in the region as those in power will get to decide who gets the limited resources and how much, the report co-authored by researchers Pernilla Nordqvist and Florian Krampe while working for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), has said.

The Hindu

Shahjahan Begum Mehboobani grows corn, onions, tomatoes and vegetables on her three-acre plot in Dharwad district of Karnataka. She’s also a responsible member of her local gram panchayat. But without a land patta in her name, it’s difficult to apply for a bank loan.

The Economic Times

The government will take up the issue of recording women farmers and cultivators in land records with the departments of revenue and land resources, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Monday. The minister said women farmers have a very important role to play in the agriculture sector and that 18% of the agricultural households in India were led by women.

The Hindu

At a time when the agriculture sector continues to wade through crises and a majority of farmers struggle to find it remunerative, Rythu Bima, the group life insurance scheme being implemented in Telangana from August 14, is proving to be of immense help to small and marginal farmers of the lower strata of society in the event of insured pattadars’ death.

Asian Age

The water crisis in Marathwada resulted in the shutting down of water supply in Latur-Ausa Maharashtra Indu-strial Development Cor-poration for two days. Farmers subsequently held agitations demanding water for agriculture on a priority basis. After directions from guardian minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar, the water supply to industries was restored, but they may suffer serious supply issues in the next few months.

Mint

From farm subsidies to farm loan waivers, the Indian government spends crores on farmer welfare, but these efforts will be inadequate unless they can tackle an increasingly daunting barrier: lack of land. The provisional figures from the latest agriculture census reveals how land—the most critical input for agriculture—is getting more fragmented.

Daily O

The farm crisis, at long last, is attracting both public and political attention. A National Policy for Farmers was formulated in 2007 by the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) chaired by me. That draft policy plays special stress on enhancing the income of farmers. A formula was suggested for determining the minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce.

Mydigital FC

Steady production growth and increased availability of horticulture putting pressure on prices: Horticulture production has continued to outpace growth in foodgrain production for the last five years and in FY18, the total horticulture output was estimated at 308 million tonnes, 8 per cent higher than foodgrain production. However, in terms of storage infrastructure, horticulture faces massive shortage and currently only 10 per cent of the total production of fruits and vegetables can be stored in cold storages.

Business Standard

Despite onset of the festive season, Sony Fireworks, a firecracker company in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi, is facing ‘huge uncertainty’ with regard to sales as there has been a big decline in the demand of firecrackers.

The Economic Times

India’s acute farm crisis has just been worsened by an American pestilence called fall armyworm and farmers, biologists and agronomists are scrambling to contain the attack.

Business Standard

The 2018 award announcement on Friday said: “Sikkim is the first organic state in the world. All of its farmland is certified organic. At the same time, Sikkim’s approach reaches beyond organic production and has proven truly transformational for the state and its citizens.”

The Indian Express

“A matchbox costs just Rs 2, you know,” says Ram Pal Rana, as he collects and piles up dry straw on one side of his 3-acre paddy field at Uchana village in Haryana’s Karnal, around 130 km from Delhi. In the distance, a plume of white smoke spirals up as the crop stubble and straw on adjacent fields are set on fire.

The Indian Express

“A matchbox costs just Rs 2, you know,” says Ram Pal Rana, as he collects and piles up dry straw on one side of his 3-acre paddy field at Uchana village in Haryana’s Karnal, around 130 km from Delhi. In the distance, a plume of white smoke spirals up as the crop stubble and straw on adjacent fields are set on fire.

The Indian Express

Increasing air pollution across India is a serious issue, and despite conscientious debates around it, systematic steps haven’t been taken by authorities on-ground to address it. The air quality of Delhi NCR has worsened to the extent of the region being compared to a gas chamber, and reasons include both human and non-human activities. Emissions from exhaust pipes of vehicles, burning of stubble in paddy fields in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, dust from construction sites, burning of trash containing plastic, rubber and metal, bursting of firecrackers during Diwali, and residential fuel burning in villages nearby constitute human activities. There are certain non-human activities like pre-monsoon dust storms and unfavourable wind currents that add to ...

The Statesman

The Haryana government on Thursday said paddy straw burning cases have reduced considerably during the current paddy harvesting season.“Till 10 October 2018, crop had been harvested on 4.01 lakh hectares and there was arrival of 20 lakh tonnes of paddy in the various mandis of the state.

The Hindu Business Line

The Indian economy might be the bright spot in a gloomy global economic environment after having surpassed China’s growth rate., But there is still little doubt over the supremacy of China in any of the economic sectors.

The Economic Times

The government would seek Election Commission’s permission to effect a steep 40-60% increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of minor forest produce (MFP) in tribal dominated states — a move which would benefit tribals in pollbound BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which have a sizeable tribal population.

The Hindu

Chief Secretary to Telangana Government S.K. Joshi on Thursday said over 800 delegates, including those involved in research on new varieties of seed, its production and quality, from about 83 countries would attend the Internationl Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Congress to be held here from June 26 to July 3 next year. Speaking at the curtain-raiser, Mr. Joshi said it was a great opportunity for farmers, scientists and officials of Telangana to make use of the event being held for the first time in the country as also in Asia for capacity-building in seed research, production and quality aspects.

The Hindu

With a view to double the farmers’ income, the Union government has taken decisions such as paying 1.5 times the cost of cultivation borne by them and providing online National Agriculture Market (NAM) platform, said chairman of the Committee on Doubling the Farmers Income and CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority Ashok Dalwai.

Mint

Indian agriculture is currently in a precarious state with extended glut and farmer unrest across the country. Farm income has gone down despite high foodgrain and horticulture production in the last two years. This is worrisome. The government is scrambling for solutions. It has come up with alternative schemes of procurement and compensation mechanism for crops, which are distortionary and unsustainable in the long run, besides being a fiscal burden.

The Tribune

With the weather turning favourable, paddy harvesting has picked up in the district. And along with harvesting, the cases of stubble burning have also started coming to light.

The Tribune

Rice-wheat cropping system is a major cropping system in the state and these crops occupy about 35 and 30 lakh hectares of area, respectively, in Punjab.A major concern of this cropping system remains the management of rice straw. With the cultivation of rice and wheat crops, about 14 and 20 million tonnes of straw is produced, respectively. Wheat straw is used as fodder for cattle. However, rice straw is still the cause of grief for farmers.

The Pioneer

Paddy growers of Punjab and Haryana have become “soft targets” as they are often blamed for causing air pollution in the NCR region due to stubble burning, farm experts said Wednesday, as they pitched for incentivising growers for the management of crop residue.

Nagaland Post

Sikkim’s achievement in becoming the world’s first totally organic agriculture state has gotten it a place on the shortlist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Award.The FAO said that the award “will celebrate policies that create enabling environments that advance” a transition to sustainable food and agriculture systems that are crucial to achieving sustainable development and climate resilience.

The Tribune

With the weather turning favourable, paddy harvesting has picked up in the district. And along with harvesting, the cases of stubble burning have also started coming to light.

The Tribune

A total of 10 farmers have been fined for burning paddy stubble in the district. Of them, three have been booked.

The Chief Agriculture Officer, Harinderjit Singh, said on Tuesday a fine of Rs2,500 was imposed on Kashmir Singh and Nirmal Singh of Sakianwala in Khadur Sahib block. He said both farmers paid the fine on the spot.

The Tribune

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Panchayati Raj, on Tuesday emphasised the ill effects of stubble burning and urged the farming community to shun the practice.

The Times of India

The aim of organising the Global Agriculture and Food Summit in Ranchi is to double the farmers’ income by 2022 and to project Jharkhand as a food processing hub in eastern India, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said Tuesday. Jharkhand as a part of its endeavour to develop agriculture sector in the state and with a view to provide a focused platform to the prospective investors in the agriculture and food processing sector is organising the summit in Ranchi on November 29-30. In the run-up to the summit, the state government organised a road show in the national capital on Tuesday. It was led by Das. “Das expressed his gratitude to all the dignitaries and talked ...

Business Standard

Banks should target agriculture, tourism, horticulture and services sector for increasing the credit-deposit ratio and ensuring all-round development, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Tuesday.

Mint

The transfer of Rythu Bandhu money directly into the bank accounts of farmers has created fresh problems for both farmers and the government.

Arunachal Times

The agriculture department launched the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana (CMSKY) and the Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana (CMKSY) at Banquet Hall here on Monday. Aimed at doubling the farmers’ income by 2022, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two schemes were announced by the state’s finance minister during his budget (2018-19) speech, reports DIPR.

The Times of India

Bank of Baroda (BoB) has organized a mela to disburse loans to farmers in rural areas of four regions under its division here. The move came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising to double the farmers’ income by 2022. BoB general manager Pradeep Srivastava said Baroda Kisan Pakhwada is being organized from October 1 to October 16 across the branches in this division.

NDTV

The Delhi government may go to court if the neighbouring states and the central government do not take steps to curb stubble burning, the national capital’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain said on Monday.

Outlook

With the approaching winter comes memories of pollution choked Delhi—a thick pallor of smoke that almost shuts out the sun, with wheezing, sneezing, suffocating residents cowering under the miasma.  And, as in past years, far­­mers of Punjab and Haryana have started burning paddy stubble—the main culprit—to get rid of farm waste.

The Times of India

Demanding adequate machinery to manage paddy stubble along with compensation for farmers, members of peasant outfit BKU (Sidhupur) protested at the district administrative complex here on Saturday. They also demanded action against cops who allegedly misbehaved with farmers at ‘Kisan Mela’ in Rampura Phul on Friday

The Tribune

In a dent to the efforts to prevent paddy stubble burning, this year, ironically, Haryana — especially its northern districts — has recorded even more cases this season. As many as 77 ‘active fire locations’ have been identified across the state. The problem is acute in Punjab, too, which generates over 20 million tonne of paddy straw, a bulk of which is burnt, emitting large amounts of toxic pollutants. Last year, public health emergency was declared in and around Delhi owing to stubble burning.

The Times of India

The banks in the district have provided crop loans to the tune of Rs 1,685 crore to farmers during the kharif season of 2018-19, compared to Rs 980 crore last year, said additional district collector Nilesh Sagar. “The banks have done better than last year though the target is way far,” Sagar said at a review meeting of the district-level consultative committee headed by the district collector, said.

The Times of India

The Centre is mulling bringing organic produce under the minimum support price (MSP) regime to promote pesticide-free farming in the country. At present, there is no support price for organic produce, except in Sikkim which approved it in May for horticultural items.

The Statesman

Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat on Sunday said Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is the only way to maintain fertility of soil.Addressing a farmer’s workshop at Gurukul in Kurukshetra in Haryana, Acharya Devvrat said as per the data of agricultural scientists, the land of major agricultural producing states was deteriorating which could only be restored through ZBNF.

Financial Express

So long as the crop losses were reimbursed by the government to the insurance companies beyond the premium amount, there was no incentive to build an unbiased system for production and loss assessment.

The Hans India

Hopelessness and stark poverty was ruling the roost, a couple of years ago in the village of Jonnalakothapalle, a small habitation in Mudigubba mandal in the district and agriculture land owners turned into agriculture labourers and were on a migration-spree in search of livelihood.

The Pioneer Approximately 70 per cent crops sown in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district failed due to poor monsoon, according to a preliminary survey conducted by the agriculture department.

Threat of drought looms large in western Rajasthan with the region reporting below average rain fall dampening the hopes of farmers.

Hindustan Times

Over the last few days, Nasa satellites have picked up several ‘red dots’ inside Delhi, indicating that incidents of waste burning in the open are continuing unabated in the national capital, despite a ban.

The Economic Times

The Organics and Millets International Trade Fair 2019, organised by the Karnataka’s Department of Agriculture, will be held from 18-20 January. At the curtain raiser in Bengaluru, NH Shivashankara Reddy, state minister for Agriculture said that the second edition of the trade fair will revolve around the theme of K-Source, celebrating the State as the source for next-gen smart foods.

The Economic Times

The hike in minimum support prices (MSP) for kharif crop announced in July by the Narendra Modi Government was “well below” the ones effected under the previous UPA Governments in 2008-09 and 2012-13, the Reserve Bank has said.

Deccan Chronicle

The Hyderabad High Court has directed the principal secretary of Agriculture department and collectors of Siddipet and Nagarkurnool districts to extend financial assistance to the petitioner farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme.

The Times of India

The Union government has accepeted the three-year-old demand of the combine harvester manufactures and changed its classification to the agricultural implement. The combine harvester has been shifted from the category of construction equipment into agricultural equipment due to which the purchaser will save on taxes

The Times of India

Farming in Krishna and Godavari deltas, known as the rice bowl of South India, is set to go hitech. The uneducated farmers are being trained to use ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ to meet food shortage by boosting productivity and fighting pests natural with the help of technologies.

The Hindu

“All these years, our agricultural policies have been predominantly consumer-oriented. We need to reorient them to make them producer-oriented,” Ashok Dalwai, head of the Committee on Doubling of Farmers’ Income, said here recently.

The Times of India

The ambitious Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, approved by the Centre in July 2015 for ensuring “more crop per drop” so as to conserve water as well as boost agriculture production, remains merely a dream in the state even after three years.

UNI

The main problem related to agriculture is lack of cultivable land and poor irrigation facilities, the study of Mog & Debbarma, Economist of Tripura. Mog & Debbarma published their study that the economy of tribal people of the State Tripura is built upon agriculture which in tribal areas is mostly characterized by rain-fed cultivation and shifting cultivation. The productivity levels are much below the level attained by their counterpart non-tribal farmers. The Jhumia survey conducted in 2015 revealed that the Jumia Tribal families account for seven percent of total tribal families in the State.

Telangana Today

Following the directions from Election Commission (EC) to transfer Rythu Bandhu financial assistance to farmers online, the State Agriculture Department is gearing up to make necessary arrangements. On Friday evening, EC allowed the State to continue the scheme even after opposition parties lodged complaints to halt the scheme.

The Economic Times

Uttar Pradesh minister Surya Pratap Shahi said Saturday the BJP government in the state aims to double farmers’ income by introducing technology and modern techniques of farming.

The Tribune

Even as the paddy harvesting season is underway and some farmers have already started burning the leftover stubble in Muktsar and the adjoining Fazilka district, three private biomass plants are proving to be a boon in getting rid of the menace.

The Economic Times

CHANDIGARH: Paddy and wheat stubble, the burning of which is blamed for the toxic smog that blankets Delhi every winter, is set to fuel a green initiative.

The Times of India

A vast number of farmers in Punjab and Haryana have decided to continue their annual ritual of setting fire to paddy straw. In the next few days, India’s northern region, especially Delhi, is again likely to become among the most polluted places on earth because a vast number of farmers in Punjab and Haryana have decided to continue their annual ritual of setting fire to paddy straw.

The Indian Express

The Punjab government is considering a proposal to make farmers ineligible for contesting panchayat election if found guilty of stubble burning, a senior minister said Thursday. The government is taking stringent steps to stop burning of stubble and paddy residue, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said here.

Down To Earth

Scientists have identified regions in the wheat genome responsible for concentration of zinc in wheat grain. They have also identified candidate genes involved in zinc concentration in wheat. The findings can potentially help in developing wheat varieties with enhanced levels of the micronutrient, scientists said.

The Hindu

Speaking after attending a review meeting here on Thursday to assess the loss to agriculture sector in the district in the recent flood, Mr. Sarma said that land use based on scientific study was the need of the hour.

Business Standard

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday said farmers from the state would be rewarded with Rs 100 crore if they won Nobel prize in natural farming.

The Economic Times

Angus is a robot. But don’t hold that against him, even if he looks more like a large tanning bed than C-3PO.Angus’ main job is to shuttle maturing produce to another, as-yet unnamed robot, which transfers plants from smaller growing pods to larger ones, using a mechanical arm whose joints are lubricated with “food-safe” grease.

The Indian Express

The farmer and his income is an important theme of discussion these days. A lot is being written on ways to increasing, and doubling, the farmers’ incomes by the year 2022. Viewed arithmetically, the income of a farmer is a function of three things — the cost of cultivation, production and sale proceeds of the produce. The formula stated in layman’s terms in Hindi is “laagat ghate, upaj badhe aur upaj ka sahi daam mile”.

The Arunachal Times

Siang Deputy Commissioner Rajeev Takuk has directed the agriculture and WRD departments to assess the damages caused to the agriculture fields and irrigation canals along the BRTF road near Yeksi village. During a meeting here with DLRSO Pumek Ronya, Agriculture Deputy Director Baleng Mengu, the 1448 BCC OC, the affected parties, and others on Thursday, Takuk asked the BRTF to ensure early release of compensation to the affected individuals. He also directed the DLRSO and the BRTF OC to carry out a joint inspection of the damages and submit a report within seven days.

The New Indian Express

After rain deficit and crop burning, farmers of Kolabira and Laikera blocks of the district are a worried lot now as Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) insects have damaged paddy plants on hundreds of acres of land.

The Statesman

Governor Acharya Devvrat on Wednesday said major agricultural investors of the country were ready to take the entire natural produce of the state at one and a half times more than market rates.“The pace at which the state is moving ahead it would soon emerge as a natural farming state,” he said, while speaking on the occasion of farmers training camp at Agriculture University Palampur in Kangra district.

Business Standard

A day after thousands of farmers from northern states marched towards the capital to press various demands, the Union Cabinet decided to raise the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of rabi crops for the 2018-19 season.

The Wire

A day after thousands of protesting farmers clashed with the police on the borders of Delhi, the Union cabinet on Wednesday raised the minimum support prices for the upcoming rabi season 2018-19. Prices for wheat have gone up by Rs 105 per quintal, masur by Rs 225 per quintal, gram by Rs 220 per quintal, barley by Rs 30 per quintal, rapeseed and mustard by Rs 200 per quintal and safflower by Rs 845 per quintal.

The Indian Express

While recently releasing the book, Supporting Indian Farms, The Smart Way (editors, Ashok Gulati, Marco Ferroni and Yuan Zhou), Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley remarked that India needs a good blend of investments and subsidies in its agriculture policy. It was heartening to hear him say that luckily, there is not a severe constraint on resources to invest in rural areas, be it roads, water (irrigation), sanitation, and even housing. Including agri-research and development (R&D) and quality education in this list of rural investments would have ensured handsome pay offs — reducing poverty and propelling agri-growth at a much faster pace than has been the case so far. This is the clear message of the book.

The Tribune

While the paddy is ready for harvest in the state, the government has taken the child-route to sway farmers so as to surrender the banned practice of stubble burning.

The Tribune

The administration detected two incidents of paddy straw burning by farmers at Juglan and Jagaan villages of the district on Monday.The administration has recommended FIR against Juglan farmer Manphool and imposed a fine of Rs 2,500 on Jagaan farmer Vinod.

The Tribune

On the one hand, the state government has deputed 10 senior administrative secretaries to check stubble-burning by sensitising stakeholders, but on the other hand, it has failed to collect fines from erring farmers in the past two seasons. The government is now contemplating banning repeat offenders from contesting panchayat polls, though the decision is yet to be taken.

The Times of India

The increase in farm land holdings, a consistent trend since the 1970s, has been slowing down in the past 20 years but there is a rise in the number of female land holders, a possible indicator of higher involvement in farm activities, the provisional agriculture census 2015-16, has revealed.

The Hans India

Agriculture department recommended the state government to pay input subsidy of about Rs.698crore to 7,47,730 farmers whose crops were damaged due to severe drought caused by the deficit rainfall in Kurnool, Anantapur, Chittoor, Prakasam, Kadapa and Nellore districts. Red-gram, maize,cotton, groundnut, castor, bajra, paddy and sesamum cropswere damaged in the six districts for more than 33%. The farmers whose crops damaged more than 33% are eligible to get input subsidy from the government.

Mint

On 13 September, Gyan Singh, a 28-year-old young farmer from Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh, began a week- long journey, first from his village to the state capital of Bhopal, and then in a cramped general compartment of an express train to Delhi. He and his co-traveller, another farmer, wore white vests with a message in red: “Give us our payment for the chana (chick peas).”

The Hindu

As the thousands of protesting farmers affiliated to the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait group) were prevented from entering Delhi in support of their demands, Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday said the Centre would consider reducing GST on farm equipment to 5%. The farmers have demanded that farm equipment be exempt.

The Hindu Business Line

Sunny Verghese, co-founder and group CEO, Olam international and Chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, urged planters to wake up to uberisation of the industry with ability to develop brands with social media and develop a sense of environmental intelligence

The Pioneer

Punjab Government on Tuesday deputed 10 senior Administrative Secretaries to effectively check the menace of stubble burning by sensitising and motivating all stakeholders against the harmful practice, besides taking stock of paddy procurement operation on daily basis.

Outlook

With representatives of farmers holding discussions with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the government on Tuesday agreed to take “effective measures” to fulfill seven of the 15 demands.

The Economic Times

India has informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) that its proposed national agriculture export policy would be consistent with global trade rules. In a meeting held last week to review farm policies of various countries, India’s proposed policy drew attention owing to concerns over its potential impact on global markets.

The Indian Express

Official procurement of paddy started in Punjab on a low-key note on Monday, with just 4000-5000 tonnes of crop arriving in the grain markets across the state till afternoon, that too with high moisture level because of recent rains, which had also delayed harvesting.

The Pioneer

The State Agriculture Department has decided to launch a ‘Fasal Surakhya Abhiyaan’ from October 1 in all districts of the State to extend support to farmers in controlling pest attack.

Business Standard

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley must intervene and grant a special bailout package for farmers to bring them under institutional credit cover, Kishore Tiwari, chairman of a task force set up to tackle Maharashtra’s agrarian issues said Sunday.

The Indian Express

The Maharashtra government has sent notices to nearly 60 cotton seed companies seeking a compensation of Rs 1,050 crore for the losses incurred by farmers owing to their sub-standard seeds that were prone to pest attack. The agriculture commissioners’s office, which is conducting hearings of farmers and seed companies on the issue, is nearing the end of the process and the amount of compensation is likely to go up to Rs 1,200 crore, said officials. This could be the highest ever payout sought by the government from the companies. Last year, farmers across Maharashtra reported large areas under cotton as affected by pink bollworm, a major cotton pest. Following the pest attack, the government adopted three ...

Financial Express

While recently releasing the book, Supporting Indian Farms the Smart Way by Ashok Gulati, Marco Ferroni and Yuan Zhou, Arun Jaitley remarked that India needs a good blend of investments and subsidies in its agriculture policy. He said that, luckily, there are no severe constraints on resources to invest in rural areas, be it roads, water (irrigation), sanitation, and even housing. If he could include in this list of rural investments, agri-research and development (R&D) and quality education also, it can pay off handsomely in terms of reducing poverty and propelling agri-growth at a much faster pace than has been the case so far. This is a clear cut message of the book.