The Telegraph

A new scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, was announced in the interim Union budget presented earlier this year. It was stated that under this scheme farmers holding up to two hectares of land would be entitled to Rs 6,000 every year, to be paid from the budget in three equal instalments. There was a standard exclusion list of institutional owners, professional owners, and owners who paid income tax. This scheme was supposed to benefit 12 crore small and marginal farmers with an aggregate outlay of Rs 75,000 crore. The first instalment was paid retrospectively from December 2018, and many have already received the second instalment. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s election manifesto had promised to expand ...

The Times of India

To encourage organic farming among farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Kisan Pathshalas, known as ‘The Million Farmers’ Schools’, have been launched in the state. The schools aim is to encourage farmers to adopt eco-friendly organic farming and improve the technical know-how of those who have already taken it up. By switching to organic farming, it is hoped, farmers will shift from dependency on pesticides and other chemicals that have robbed the soil of its nutrients and lend a hand in recharging groundwater at the same time. The lectures are being conducted by the agriculture department officials and scientists with examples of farmers who have taken to organic farming and become market leaders by selling organic crops ...

Money Control

Monsoon season becomes very important as it is the life blood of Indian economy. This can be understood with the fact that 70 percent of the summer sown kharif crop is depend on it along with 60 percent of agriculture also dependent on it.

Morung Express

Southwest monsoon this year has become a thing of concern for policymakers as it has not just been delayed by a week, but it is also likely to be sluggish and erratic, which may spell trouble for the farm sector.

The Economic Times

Farm experts and agriculture organisations Tuesday suggested that in the 2019-20 budget, the government should focus on increasing farmers’ income by promoting food processing and farm exports besides addressing certain taxation issue. They said that raising farm output alone cannot ensure better prices to farmers, there was a need to promote food processing and allied farm activities like animal husbandry, fishery and poultry.

Financial Express

A group of officers from the state agriculture department on Tuesday visited houses of farmers in Maharashtra’s Akoli Jahagir village to collect samples of seeds of genetically-modified (GM) HT Bt cotton.

Moneycontrol

Former finance minister Arun Jaitley, who opted out of Modi-2.0 government due to ill-health, is likely to move to a new official residence soon after vacating the palatial bungalow he got as a minister, sources said.

Business Standard

With a view to enrolling nearly 90 million farmers under the expanded PM-KISAN scheme by July, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has called a high-level meeting with state agriculture ministers on Thursday.

So far, senior officials said database of almost 57.6 million eligible farmers is available with the Centre of which a sizeable chunk has received the first installment of Rs 2,000 under PM-KISAN and have become eligible for the second tranche.

The Hans India

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said Rs 2,233 crore have been deposited into the accounts of 21.22 lakh farmers under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) in four phases. Directing the senior officials of the agriculture department here on Tuesday, the Minister asked them to ensure that the farmers are not faced with any problems in receiving the RBS funds.

Telangana Today

The State government disbursed Rs 2,233.16 crore to 21.22 lakh farmers under Rythu Bandhu scheme for the current kharif season in four instalments as on Tuesday. The government issued orders releasing Rs 6,900 crore for the scheme about a week ago.

The Times of India

Even as farmers in Punjab have started early sowing of the paddy in various parts the Punjab Agriculture department had not found any major violation. The Punjab Agriculture director claimed that complaints were received from some specific areas about farmers planning to sow the paddy crop. He said that there are no reports of any paddy sowing in the districts on which any action could be taken against the farmers. The farmers in the state have been challenging the government on their decision to sow paddy early from June 1 instead of June 13, scheduled date. However, the farmers are not getting the required labour for the paddy sowing in their areas and ultimately it ...

Business Standard

Odisha government has initiated steps to bring out an updated and dynamic “Agricultural Policy” keeping in tune with the changing conditions of agriculture and its market.

A high-level intersectoral meeting to discuss the matter was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in the secretariat conference hall on Tuesday wherein Principal Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Sourav Garg outlined the issues for discussion.

Financial Express

With southwest monsoon hitting Kerala seven days behind the usual onset date, 82% of the country’s geographical area has seen deficient/no rainfall till Tuesday.

This, coupled with the cyclone Vayu hampering monsoon’s progress — IMD says it will lose momentum only by June 14 — has heightened the concerns over a likely drop in kharif-sowing area.

Orissa Diary

A high-level inter-sector meeting for the purpose was held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi wherein Principal Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Sourav Garg outlined the issues for discussion.