Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Invasive weed found in Haryana wheat cropedit
Scientists found invasive weed Emex australis Steinh, that can potentially reduce productivity, in wheat fields at 25 villages of Faridabad and adjoining districts in Haryana. The weed, of the family Polygonaceae, is native to Australia and South Africa. It is commonly known as ‘doublegee’, ‘three corner jack’ or ‘spiny emex’. This weed prospers in conditions such as drought and unseasonal rain. Climate change helps increase its numbers, according to researchers.
Happy Seeder machines help reduce air pollution, more profitable for farmers: Researchedit
Crop residue burning in northern India has contributed significantly to air pollution in the national capital region. To stop this practice, researchers have found a non-burning alternative for farmers called Happy Seeders. Happy Seeder is a tractor-mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw, sows wheat into the soil, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch. A research paper ‘Fields on fire: Alternatives to crop residue burning in India’ has found that these machines can reduce air pollution and green house gas emissions per hectare land by more than 78 per cent.
Centre to launch pension scheme for small farmersedit
After the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-KISAN), the Union agriculture ministry is going to launch the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan Yojna, a pension scheme for small and marginal farmers. While PM-KISAN is for all farmers, the pension scheme is only for small and marginal farmers who own less than two hectares of land.
Aromatic plants in UP tiger reserve to check man-animal conflictedit
Forest officials are taking help from the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Agricultural Science Centres to create awareness among farmers and provide seeds and other information regarding cultivation of aromatic plants. An agriculture scientist said that the best thing about aromatic plants is that they give three crops in a year which makes them highly profitable. The harvesting months for these crops are March, June and October.
‘Technological breakthrough needed for effective crop insurance’edit
Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Joint Secretary (Credit), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare today said that the country needs a technological breakthrough to make crop insurance scheme a success in India. Weather based crop insurance scheme can be implemented for some crops in some states. Integration of farmer database by 2020 to weed out cases of multiple insurance on same plots
Flood damages over 2.50 lakh hectares of crop in Biharedit
News on Air (All India Radio)
Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar told AIR that according to preliminary reports, crops worth 353 crore rupees perished because of floods. The Agriculture Minister said free seeds of alternative crops will be distributed among farmers in the flood-affected areas. A compensation of thirty thousand rupees per hectare compensation will be given to farmers in the flood-ravaged areas.
Technology in Agriculture
Mechanised options to crop-burning raise farmers’ profits, cut pollutionedit
Alternatives to crop burning are tractor-mounted implements such as the happy seeder and straw shedders, which can be attached to rice harvesters. “Compared to burning straw and tilling, direct-seeding using a happy seeder brings a profit of Rs 11,000 per hectare on average by reducing production and increasing productivity. Leaving straw on the soil as mulch improves soil health by adding nutrients and carbon, and regulating moisture by lowering evaporation and retaining moisture,” said Jat.
Alternatives to stubble burning not only possible but profitable, shows studyedit
A convenient way to get rid of the whopping 23 million metric ton of grass and hay left behind by rice cultivation is to burn them. However, this practice contributes to air pollution in cities like Delhi, where the air quality is already the worst in the world. In a new study, Dr Shyamsundar and her collaborators from India, Mexico and the USA, have evaluated the impact of alternative practices to stubble burning on the environment, and their profitability. The analysis, published in the journal Science, finds that using Happy Seeder—a machine that can sow wheat in the presence of rice straw—is profitable for farmers and can also help the environment.
Happy Seeder machines help reduce air pollution, more profitable for farmers: Researchedit
Crop residue burning in northern India has contributed significantly to air pollution in the national capital region. To stop this practice, researchers have found a non-burning alternative for farmers called Happy Seeders. Happy Seeder is a tractor-mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw, sows wheat into the soil, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch. A research paper ‘Fields on fire: Alternatives to crop residue burning in India’ has found that these machines can reduce air pollution and green house gas emissions per hectare land by more than 78 per cent.
‘Technological breakthrough needed for effective crop insurance’edit
Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Joint Secretary (Credit), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare today said that the country needs a technological breakthrough to make crop insurance scheme a success in India. Weather based crop insurance scheme can be implemented for some crops in some states. Integration of farmer database by 2020 to weed out cases of multiple insurance on same plots
Stubble Burning
Mechanised options to crop-burning raise farmers’ profits, cut pollutionedit
Alternatives to crop burning are tractor-mounted implements such as the happy seeder and straw shedders, which can be attached to rice harvesters. “Compared to burning straw and tilling, direct-seeding using a happy seeder brings a profit of Rs 11,000 per hectare on average by reducing production and increasing productivity. Leaving straw on the soil as mulch improves soil health by adding nutrients and carbon, and regulating moisture by lowering evaporation and retaining moisture,” said Jat.
Alternatives to stubble burning not only possible but profitable, shows studyedit
A convenient way to get rid of the whopping 23 million metric ton of grass and hay left behind by rice cultivation is to burn them. However, this practice contributes to air pollution in cities like Delhi, where the air quality is already the worst in the world. In a new study, Dr Shyamsundar and her collaborators from India, Mexico and the USA, have evaluated the impact of alternative practices to stubble burning on the environment, and their profitability. The analysis, published in the journal Science, finds that using Happy Seeder—a machine that can sow wheat in the presence of rice straw—is profitable for farmers and can also help the environment.