The New Indian Express

In a bid to empower farmers to effectively deal with pest menace, the Agriculture Department is set to introduce light trap systems in crop fields across the district. The traps are simple electronic devices with rechargeable batteries. The light attracts insects and a funnel-like structure attached on the top traps them. The traps will be placed at the centre of a farm field for three to four hours, usually between 6 pm and 9 pm, as insects are active during this period.

Live Mint

To give relief to the rural economy, the government has exempted agriculture produce marketing committees (APMCs) from the purview of the 2% tax deducted at source (TDS) on payments above ₹1 crore, an anti-abuse provision in the Income Tax Act introduced this year. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet on Monday, “To avoid inconvenience to farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector, agents operating under APMCs have been exempted from 2% TDS on cash payments above ₹1 crore.

The Times of India

Punjab Regional Office, NABARD, Chandigarh launched a campaign against paddy straw burning (crop residue management) in 160 villages of district Fatehgarh Sahib in the district level training meet presided over by deputy commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib Prashant Kumar Goyal. Goyal appreciated the efforts being taken by NABARD to curb stubble burning. He said with the efforts of all relevant departments stubble burning has been reduced remarkably during last year. “It is dire need of the hour to make farmers aware about the ill-effects of stubble burning”, said Goyal.

The Financial Express

The Reserve Bank of India has underlined that farm loan waivers do not address long-term issues and are more of political expediency. Eight out of ten loan waiver announcements since 2014 were made within 90 days of their respective states’ election results, RBI has pointed out. Highlighting the timing of loan waiver announcements during election cycles, RBI said that the nationwide loan waiver programs of 1990 and 2008 were announced by the central government in the run-up to the parliamentary elections of 1991 and 2009, respectively.

The Times of India

For his efforts towards management of paddy/wheat straw to save our environment for the last five years, Dr Harminder Singh Sidhu, a progressive farmer and director of Gadri Baba Dulla Singh Giani Nihal Singh Foundation, village Jalaldiwal near Raikot in district Ludhiana, has been honoured by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and Union Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare during a function organised at NASC Complex, New Delhi.

Observer Research Foundation

Blockchain technology is a secure method for the agricultural community to grow economically through establishing digital identity, ensuring property rights, and enhancing communication of farming practices. It is essential to ensure this industry recruits the next generation to improve productivity and meet the demands of an increasing population. When trying to understand why decisions are made on the individual level of analysis, such as which farmers are more likely to implement blockchain technology, utilising a psychological (behavioural) theory makes greatest sense.

The Print

To rein in double-digit inflation in yellow peas and green gram (moong dal), the government is considering increasing the import of these two varieties of pulses. An inter-ministerial committee that met on 6 September discussed raising the import ceiling on these pulses. “It was decided to open up imports of yellow peas further till sowing period as their prices have shot up,” a senior agriculture ministry official, who did not want to be named, told The Print. “We will shortly send a proposal to the commerce ministry to raise the ceiling of import for pulses from the current 6,50,000 tonnes for the financial year 2020.”

The New Indian Express

For establishing more modern agricultural godowns in mandals across the State for storing agricultural produce, Minister for Agriculture, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy said that State government has asked all the district collectors to identify suitable vacant land for constructing godowns. Also, there is a proposal to set up cold storage facilities in the State. The State has entrusted the task to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to prepare guidelines and submit report for taking further action.