The Times of India

Maize has been one of the preferred green fodders for cattle in the state. But, the residue of pesticides used to protect the maize crop from attack of armyworms is proving fatal for cattle. After several cases of cattle deaths in western Maharashtra, incidents are now being reported from parts of Vidarbha too. As dairy farmers are worried, agriculture universities are coming forward with advisories for them. Dairy farmer Arvind Patil said branded pesticides have specific mention of the residue period and farmers should strictly follow it. “Maize is the best crop used to prepare silage which is a source of quality fodder even during dry spells. If we are using pesticides, we must follow ...

The Times of India

Agriculture department officials said that a few individual farmers in some districts, including Palakkad, Thrissur, Wayanad, apart from Ernakulam practise the Subhash Palekar system of zero budget natural farming (ZBNF). Though the state government had set aside Rs 15 lakh in the budget for ZBNF, it has not been utilized yet. “However, we are supporting organic farming under the central government’s ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ under which around 30,000 farmers cultivate 12,380 acres.

The Indian Express

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) may have received endorsement from the NITI Aayog, the finance minister’s budget speech and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. But that hasn’t stopped the country’s premier academy of agricultural scientists from coming out against an “unproven technology” that, they say, brings no incremental gain to either farmers or consumers. Since the mid-1960s, India’s annual foodgrain output has risen from 80-85 million tonnes (mt) to 280 mt-plus, just as it has from about 20 mt to 176 mt for milk and by similar magnitudes in vegetables, fruits, poultry meat, eggs, sugarcane and cotton.

Deccan Chronicle

Shortage of funds for the Rythu Bandhu scheme means that the scheme fails to achieve its main goal of helping farmers prior to the cultivation of crops. The state government introduced the Rythu Bandhu scheme as an investment subsidy. In Nizamabad district, there are 2.35 lakh farmers identified as eligible for benefits through the Rythu Bandhu scheme.Rs 258 crore is required to cover all the farmers in the district. The Agriculture Department has processed the Rythu Bandhu scheme for 1.34 lakh farmers by disbursing Rs 147 crore so far in a phased manner

The Financial Express

According to the agriculture census 2015-16, out of 12.56 crore small and marginal farmers (based on operational holdings), only 14.36% were female. The share of overall female operational land holders in all segments of farming community increased to 13.8% in 2015-16 from 12.8% in 2010-11. This shows that more and more females are participating in the management and operation of agricultural lands.

Business Standard

In the latest report of its Internal Working Group to review agricultural credit, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says it found that in some states, credit disbursal to the farm sector was higher than their agricultural gross domestic (GDP) product. So, indicating the possibility of diversion of credit for non-agricultural purposes. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Punjab came in this category. small and marginal farmers constituted 86.2 per cent of total operated holdings and have 47.3 per cent share in the operated area, only 40.9 per cent of them were covered by scheduled commercial banks. Out another way, the bulk of loans disbursed by commercial banks, which formed the majority of farm credit, was cornered ...

Ummid

While the Minimum Support Price (MSP) set by the government has failed to benefit a large section of farmers, the crash in food prices as a result of excess supply has added to their woes. Agriculture sector experts maintain that MSP benefits are very limited and hence most farmers are unable to recover their costs, let alone a fair price for their produce. A stagnant farm income poses a huge challenge to the Modi government’s promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

The Financial Express

The fertiliser prices, then, will be market-determined, ensuring their efficient usage, and stopping their diversion to non-agri uses as well as to neighbouring countries.