Financial Express

HDFC Bank’s asset quality struggles with its agri-loan portfolio may well enter its third year in 2019-20, with the country’s largest private-sector lender already making provisions against future loan losses. In a conference call with analysts after HDFC Bank’s March quarter results, CFO Sashidhar Jagdishan said the bank has been providing for agri-related delinquencies for the last few quarters.

The New Indian Express

Expecting no support from the Central government in procurement of various food grains, the State made all the efforts towards purchasing the foodgrains from farmers, while also giving a minimum support price.

The New Indian Express

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to promote integrated farming practices to improve the productivity of livestock and double farmers’ income. Delivering the 8th convocation address of Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) here on Wednesday, he said that animal husbandry is vital for ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable agriculture system.

The Times of India

In a bid to expose school students from the privileged faction of society to the workings of farming, minister of agriculture Vijai Sardesai launched an eight-day agriculture summer camp in his constituency under the ‘We for Fatorda,’ foundation on Wednesday. Among the various activities at the camp, the children will also be taught about mushroom cultivation and identification of useful and destructive insects.

Financial Express

Agriculture prices are projected to fall 2.6% this year but are estimated to rebound in 2020 due to lower crop production and higher costs for energy and fertilisers, the World Bank said in its April Commodity Markets Outlook. Agricultural and food prices are expected to remain stable over the medium term. However, sharp price changes stemming from energy price fluctuations, adverse weather events, or trade tensions cannot be ruled out, the report adds.

The Hans India

Mitigating climate change effects, bringing in multiple strategies to address climate concerns, identifying best practices from neighbouring regions and adopting them as quick as possible will help the farmers derive good results.

Financial Express

Data is the new oil”. This is the new mantra, currently in circulation. The original is credited to Clive Humby, UK mathematician and architect of Tesco’s Clubcard. He said, “it’s valuable, but if unrefined, it cannot really be used. It has to be changed into gas, plastic, chemicals, etc, to create a valuable entity that drives profitable activity; so must data be broken down, analysed for it to have value”. The idea in this article is not to argue whether data is indeed as valuable as oil or to examine how big businesses make money from “big data”, but to make out a case for using data in the agriculture sector to further the prosperity and income ...

Rural Marketing

Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to promote integrated farming practices to improve the productivity of livestock and double farmers’ income.

Delivering the 8th convocation address at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, in Tirupati today, Naidu said that animal husbandry was vital for ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable agriculture system.

The Wire

“If even one rupee owed to one farmer is not paid, then the government will pay that money and recover it from the (insurance) company,” said Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis while addressing an rally ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Mint

A sudden spell of heavy unseasonal rainfall and thunderstorms across Telangana during April 20-22 has resulted in serious damage to crops in different districts.

Business Standard

India needs to develop long-term strategy to reduce vulnerability of farming community, noted A K Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in a latest speech. He highlighted the need to have a long-term strategy that would reduce the vulnerability of the farming community and accelerate agriculture development. Speaking at the ‘National Conference on Agriculture Extension’ organized by FICCI, Singh said that public and private sector should come together to facilitate the adoption of efficient agriculture extension system for a robust agricultural growth.

The New Indian Express

Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy on Tuesday went ballistic against the YSRC for its criticism of the Chandrababu Naidu government. He said the Election Code bars the government from taking policy decisions and not conducting day-to-day administration.