The Times of India

Young farmers are racking up lakhs of views through their videos that share gyan on everything from fertilisers to farm equipment repair. For Indian farmers, these videos are not only a rich source of information and helpful hacks, they also help in building a community of farmers. More than 50% of India’s workforce is employed in agriculture but most of them are illiterate. So we have each other to fall back on, to educate.

The Economic Times  Millennium Post

Land usage is very high in West Bengal and the state contributes to around 5% of global rice production, higher than the US, Latin America and Africa taken together. In a surplus situation like this, it is important to look at commercially gainful disposal methods of rice, so as to maximise the benefits for paddy growers, said P K Majumdar, advisor to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on agriculture & allied sector at Bengal Rice Conclave 2019 organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. West Bengal encourages crop diversification i.e. the cultivation of crops other than paddy such as oilseeds, pulses, maize etc.

Down To Earth

The total area of sowing has been reduced by 63 per cent compared to the national average, according to data published by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. Rainfall was 20 per cent below average for the week ending July 17, 2019. And the total deficit since June 1 has been 16 per cent. This took water levels of the main reservoirs to 24 per cent below their storage capacity. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare keeps updating the provisional sowing figures as it gathers more information from the state governments.

The Times of India

Rainfall in the first and second weeks of July blossomed hope among farmers and they started to prepare for sowing. However, the sudden disappearance of rainfall from the third week created panic in the agrarian community. Sources say Athani, Bailhongal, Belagavi, Ramdurg and Raibag taluks got less-than-normal rainfall from June 1 to July 18 while there was good rain in Chikkodi, Gokak, Hukkeri, Khanapur and Raibag taluks.

The Indian Express

Crops like paddy, cotton, maize, basmati and vegetables were damaged in Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Muktsar and Sangrur. In total paddy/basmati crop over 57,320 acres was damaged alongwith 21,362 acres of cotton crop and 12,000 acres of vegetables, fodder, maize in a single day.

Times Now News

A total of 35.95 lakh women farmers have been covered under the centrally-sponsored Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) in 24 states, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday. Tomar also said in Lok Sabha that a total number of 84 MKSP projects have so far been sanctioned for implementation with a target of coverage of 33.81 lakhs women farmers.

The Times of India

Farmers from the district busy with kuruvai paddy cultivation have expressed confidence that the recent rain in the district will be helpful for their standing crops. Agriculture officials also said that the rain would be good for kuruvai paddy as well as cotton, where farmers are preparing their land for raising the crop. A considerable number of farmers in Lalgudi usually take up kuruvai paddy cultivation with the help of bore wells. According to officials from the agriculture department, kuruvai paddy would be cultivated on 6,000 acres in the district.

The New Indian Express

The joint farming initiative of  Kudumbashree Mission which is aimed at increasing  vegetable production in the state was officially launched in Ernakulam district on Monday. Minister for Agriculture V S Sunil Kumar inaugurated the programme at a function held in Aluva. In his inaugural address, the minister said people should come forward to undertake the rich farming tradition of the state. “Here, we do not have vast lands for taking up cultivation. What we have is only small plots. That is why group farming or joint farming is gaining importance.

The Indian Express

Sales have consistently fallen by over 14 per cent since March 2019, amidst weak farm sentiments and overall weakness in the rural economy. With volumes representing a double-digit fall over the past three months, the industry recorded an over 32 per cent decline in production in June 2019 while sales, including exports, too were down 15 per cent.

The Times of India

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Monday issued guidelines for rollout of the Rs 34,422-crore PM-KUSUM scheme, which would encourage farmers to generate solar power in their farms and use the clean energy to replace their diesel water pumps. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme entails setting up of 25,750-MW solar capacity by 2022 with the total central financial support of Rs 34,422 crore.

The New Indian Express

Government is planning to market farm tourism in the state in a big way by linking various organic farms across the state. Under the project, farms are to be turned into farming training centres to preserve Kerala’s traditional rice varieties. The farms will be transformed into ‘agro-ecological zones’ . “Under these zones, we will form agro-ecological units to create rapid changes in the state’s farm sector,” the minister said.