Business Standard

The prime minister’s appeal came amid the Centre’s focus on giving a fillip to organic and natural farming and lowering the use of chemicals in agriculture, something what the Budget and the Economic Survey also talked about. However, fertiliser firms, experts and agriculture economists said a “doable” gradual reduction in the use of chemical fertilisers would be tough unless there was a roadmap. Also, the elimination of chemical fertilisers in farming could impact India’s long-term food security, unless suitable alternatives were readily available.

The Hindu

“India’s agriculture sector is advancing steadily towards its digital transformation and the start-up ecosystem is playing a critical role here, bringing innovation and disruption in much-needed areas,” says NASSCOM president Debjani Ghosh. “Adoption of technology in agriculture has always needed a structured institutional focus and technology firms are trying to break into the agricultural landscape using newer business models.”

The Economic Times

The Central government has decided to implement a major agricultural trade reform in two north Indian states by directly paying farmers the minimum support price for procurement of grains and removing agents from the process. While the agents, called arthiyas, will continue to be paid commission, payments to grain farmers in Punjab and Haryana will no longer be routed through them. The agents, many of them with strong political connections, are deeply entrenched in the grain trade in Punjab and Haryana and have threatened to launch an agitation against the move.

The Indian Express

Agriculture supports roughly half of India’s population and is the key to its food security. We have, indeed, avoided the spectre of food shortages, thanks to our farmers increasing production using modern inputs and technology developed by agriculture scientists. But there has been a collateral cost to this — in the form of over exploitation of our natural resources, especially soil and water — which has brought issues of sustainability to the fore.

Agri Business Global

The government of India is promoting a method of farming which intends chemical-free agricultural activity known as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). The reality of farming without fertilizers and agrichemicals/pesticides could have huge implications for agriculture in India. Crop input veterans have raised a number of questions on the subject to which Pradip Dave, President of the Pesticide Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI), replied giving his opinion.

DNA India

A farmer from of Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand has built a plough with ‘jugaad’ technology. This equipment made with the help of the engine of a discarded scooter is making a splash in the whole area. Located 40 kilometres from Hazaribagh, Unchaghana village of Tathizharia area is now the talk of the town as one man’s resolve to overcome his problems through homemade, self-thought technology invited praises and admiration.