Telangana Today

Germany has said that it will extend cooperation to the Telangana government in its programmes geared towards development of seeds. Officials of the German Agriculture Ministry, at a meeting in Berlin with Telangana Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy and others, also complimented the State for the steps it has taken in turning Telangana into a seed production hub.

VC Circle

Agricultural technology firm Fasal has raised $1.6 million (Rs 11 crore) in its seed round of funding led by impact investor Omnivore and early-stage venture capital firm Wavemaker Partners. Fasal, operated by Wolkus Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd, said it will use the funds to build AI capabilities for each horticulture value chain and to launch a lower-cost installable version of its field sensor array.

The New Indian Express

The State Government will release the second installment under Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme to beneficiaries in November.

The CSR Journal

Agriculture is core to building a sustainable future – especially to ensure food and nutrition security and for secure livelihoods. Businesses in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) are committed to a sustainable future and are aware of the complex challenges in different local, regional and global contexts to achieving sustainability in agriculture. The UNGC is facilitating the creation of a set of Sustainable Agriculture Business Principles (SABPs) to provide guidance to all businesses in agriculture value chains, including production, processing, trading, manufacturing, distribution and retailing.

 

India Today

In a push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of doubling farmer’s income by 2022, Assam government on Tuesday distributed power tillers, rice mills, lentil mills, Soil Health Cards, solar-powered pump sets, sprinkler machines and seeds to the farmers of the state.

The Times of India

Despite various measures taken by the agriculture department to safeguard maize from invasive fall armyworm, which has been raised in districts including Trichy, Perambalur and Ariyalur, the officials have spotted prevalence of the worm in some areas. Maize is cultivated on about 3.5 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu. The agriculture department has commenced mass ground spraying of pesticides in the affected areas. Fall Armyworm had caused extensive damage to the crop last year as the pest spread rapidly within a short period and caused damage despite various control measures.

Money Control

It’s back to the roots for Amit Sinha, the former Paytm Mall chief operating officer. Sinha, who quit Paytm Mall three months ago, is pushing big for Unnati, an agri-tech startup aimed at helping farmers improve productivity, and plans to raise $6-8 million in a Series A funding round. He wants to offer agricultural loans to farmers at nominal rates, a move aimed at turning Unnati, which loosely translates to progress, into a one-stop solution for all farming needs.

India Today

If we talk about Punjab, a state which has a 20% share of in the annual paddy production of India and 40% in wheat production in India. The problem occurs when the 11 million ton of rice production leaves behind 21 million ton of straw out of which 75% is burnt by the farmers due to lack of any proper crop residue management in the country. The much-awaited solution to this lethal problem has finally been discovered by a team of Mechanical Engineering students of Chandigarh University i.e. a ‘Multi-purpose Crop Residue Manager’. It is an economical approach to get rid of stubble burning and its consequences.

Navhind Times

The farmers in the state need to take up organic farming so that people of Goa can have healthy food, said the assistant zonal agricultural officer, Bardez, Sohan Uskaikar, adding that the farmers should help make Goa an organic state. The assistant zonal agricultural zonal officer sensitised the farmers on the health hazard posed due to the  use of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the cultivation of various crops.

The New Indian Express

Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Arun Sahu on Monday directed the Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) to prepare a road map to meet the increasing seed demands of farmers.During a surprise visit to the OSSC headquarters here, the Minister advised the officials of the corporation to assess the seed requirement of the farmers and make a road map to meet their  demand in the coming years.

Live Mint

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government introduced technological interventions such as the Unified Market Platform (UMP) or e-trading as part of its agricultural reforms to correct deep-seated problems that have dogged the sector. However, it has had limited impact on the agricultural community, which continues to be at the mercy of the very same middlemen who work with the patronage of authorities, determining prices of produce and profits, according to farmers and farm experts. A Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report released last month points out that online payment of sale proceeds to the bank accounts of farmers was discontinued in eight mandis because of protests from traders and commission agents. The report said that this “was ...

The Sunday Gaurdian

Reforms in agriculture marketing, adoption of land leasing laws, crop diversification and low government intervention may help India to accomplish its mission of doubling farmers’ income by2022. On its part, the Centre has rolled out many well-meaning schemes like Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchan Yojana, PM Kisan, and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to ameliorate the lot of farmers. In June this year, the Union Government even constituted a high-powered committee of Chief Ministers of seven states to suggest ways to increase farmers’ income. Just last week, they hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat, pulses, barley, grams, rapeseed/mustard and safflower substantially.

The Financial Express

Indian agriculture is now at a crossroads, miserably failing to ensure strong livelihood for 60% of its dependants. The steadily decreasing growth rate and slowly fading reforms in recent years, coupled with unprecedented climate variability, are posing a new set of challenges to feed the growing population in the coming years. The spiral of flood and droughts in key food-producing states in recent times gives a clear message to build climate-resilient farms, and thereby farmers. As the food-producing states account for a sizeable population and foodgrain production, pragmatic steps and affirmative actions are a dire necessity.

The Wire

The government will be unable to spend a large chunk of the Rs 75,000 crore allocated to be spent under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi in the 2019-20 financial year, according to agriculture ministry joint secretary Vivek Aggarwal. In an interview with The Wire, Aggarwal, who also is the CEO of PM Kisan, said that the actual spending under the programme is likely to be Rs 50,000 crore in 2019-20, implying that approximately Rs 25,000 crore, or 33% of the original allocation, will remain unutilised.

The Times of India

As part of creating a wave of protests against central government’s move to sign Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), state government is organizing a public convention against the agreement here on Monday. RCEP is a trade pact being negotiated by 16 countries. It is feared to affect detrimentally agriculture and farming sectors in Kerala and other states in the country. The convention would be an attempt to create awareness among farmers about the ill effects the RCEP agreement could bring upon agriculture and farming sector across the country in general and in states like Kerala in particular, said agriculture minister V S Sunilkumar.

The Financial Express

The UP government’s Million Farmers’ School (MFS) programme is one such innovative effort to enhance farmers’ incomes through dissemination of agriculture-related information on technology, government schemes, and modern farming methods. MFS, also popularly known as Kisan Pathshala, is an extension programme that the government of UP initiated in 2017 with a view to encourage the use of modern farming techniques, to make farming more profitable, sustainable, and resilient. Unlike traditional extension services, MFS integrates various facets of agricultural knowledge into a packaged format, and delivers it through village-level trainings across all districts in the state.

The Times of India

With no let-up in number of farms set on fire to clear fields in Haryana and Punjab for the rabi crops, stubble burning has emerged as a major cause of concern for governments and environmentalists. Dr Jagir Singh Samra, a fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a senior adviser (renewable energy programme) of Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, has written a book on ‘Crop Residue Burning Management for Strategies for Safe Environment’. He talks about the challenges and solutions.

The Hans India

Due to shortage of farm labourers , the farmers of the district are adopting to farm machinery. According to the sources around 5lakh farmers in the district have taken up paddy commercial and horticulture crops in 1 lakh hectares during the monsoon season. Most of the construction workers have been migrated to other states for livelihood and several others have shifted to other occupations. Joint Director of Agriculture J Murali Krishna said that under these schemes farmers have to form groups to purchase heavy instruments like transplantation machines, harvesters, power weeding machines, Inter cultivators etc. ” With the many farmers showing interest to adopt farm mechanization, the state government is keen on providing the instruments to ...

The Times of India

While the impact of stubble burning is widespread, it also adversely affects soil fertility. “Probably, farmers have not yet focused on the damage to secondary and micro nutrients of soil due to stubble burning. I hope they understand the financial loss they suffer when they come to know about the scientific analysis of crop remains’ burning through mobile phone messages,” Yadav said.

United News of India

To make it easier for farmers to get bank loans and various monetary aids from the government, in order to improve the quality and quantity of crops, enable buying of insecticides and pesticides, and get access to the latest technological advances in agriculture, the West Bengal Government is helping them set up farmers’ producer companies (FPC), also called farmers’ producer organisations (FPO). Such FPCs or FPOs are being set up in the districts of Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Uttar Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas, Birbhum and Hooghly.

Nagaland Post

Government authorities, NGOs, and farmer organizations in developing countries are promoting organic farming by financial support, market information, and trends in organic food market. Global organic food market is undergoing a massive technological innovation over the last couple of years. Manufacturers invest in research and technical development and investigative activities to improve existing products and procedures to develop new products. Research and development will lead to development of new product to improve the quality and functionality by including better formulations.

The Hans India

The government did not sanction the insurance amount from 2014 onwards to the farmers who have been facing losses due to unexpected rains, alleged Manthini MLA Duddilla Sridhar Babu here on Saturday. Addressing the media persons at his camp office, the Congress MLA alleged that the State government did not sanction the central government share and the State government share of insurance amount to the farmers who vagaries of nature for past five years.

Devdiscourse

Indian agriculture has taken a great leap over the last five decades and provides significant support for economic growth and social transformation of the country, Punjab Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon said on Friday. Even studies have indicated that one percent growth in agriculture is two to three times more effective in reducing poverty than one percent growth in non-farm sectors, Dhillon said in his address at the 40th Convocation of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here.

The Times of India

State agriculture minister Kurasala Kanna Babu and joint director of agriculture KSV Prasad visited rain-affected paddy fields in Kadapa mandal in East Godavari district on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, the agriculture minister said that the state government will extend required support of rain-affected farmers. The minister assured that the condition of farmers has been brought to the notice of chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and asked agriculture department officials to evaluate losses and take measures to protect the standing crop.

The Times of India

Crop-residue fires in Punjab and Haryana are up 5% as compared to the same period last year, as per Nasa satellite data, but officials and experts say this figure could be misleading as the number of fires per unit area of harvested rice is so far lower this year, at least in Punjab.  Data from state agencies reveal that 10.2 lakh hectares of paddy crop had been harvested in Punjab by October 22, 18% higher than the corresponding acreage in 2018, which was around 8.6 lakh hectares.

Economic & Political Weekly

Public extension played a major role in ushering in the green revolution in Indian agriculture. Though agriculture development in India is basically a state subject and the agricultural sector plays a crucial role from the perspective of ensuring food and livelihood security of its large population, the central government plays a major role in formulating policies that has direct bearing on the growth of the agricultural sector. the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an apex body at the national level that supports research and extension activities to evolve effective transfer of technology (ToT) models.

ANI News

The project “The Odisha Integrated Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture” will be implemented in Odisha’s rural areas which are vulnerable to droughts and largely dependent on rainfed agriculture. “It will benefit about 125,000 smallholder farmer households from 15 districts of Odisha managing 128,000 hectares of agricultural land. The project will strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers against adverse climate by improving access to resilient seed varieties and production technologies, diversifying towards more climate-resilient crops, and improving access to better water management and irrigation services,” read an official release by the Finance ministry.

Krishi Jagran

A press statement said that the partnership with Pixxel will give Skymet access to the former’s high-resolution satellite imagery, which is designed to observe & map changes in agricultural phenomena such as crop & soil health, soil moisture & chlorophyll content. This will help boost small farm output and yield in India while reducing the costs, minimising the environmental impact with precision agriculture practices & better-managing agriculture production.

The Times of India

Representatives of various farmers’ associations led by former minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao criticised the central government’s move to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with 15 countries. He said that 80 per cent of the people are living on agriculture and allied sectors and any attempt to dilute it through these agreements would cause severe threat to their survival. He said that the agreement brings down the import duty from 0 to 3 per cent and these 15 countries would take advantage of the situation. the former minister feared that countries like New Zealand and Australia would take advantage of the situation and dump their milk products in the country

The New Indian Express

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said that he would travel along with his party’s 28 MPs to New Delhi, and speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar, to exclude milk products from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. He was speaking at Krishi Mela 2019, held at University of Agriculture Sciences.

The Hans India

ZP Chairperson V Roja Sharma on Thursday called upon farmers to sell their produce at paddy procurement centre to avail of the support price. She explained the precautions to be followed while bringing paddy to the centers. She asked them to bring paddy in tarpaulin covers to protect it from getting wet in case of rains. She said there are 53 centers under Primary Agriculture Cooperative societies and 96 centers under Kranthi scheme.

The Hans India

A high-level fertilizer meeting was convened by South Central Railway to plan for adequate availability of fertilizer for the coming season. Agenda of the meeting was to plan for the transportation of fertilizer to the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by way of the faster evacuation of imported fertilizer from the ports of Kakinada, Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram.

India CSR

A workshop on ‘CSR for Agriculture Development’ organised by Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), Greater Noida, and National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Hyderabad on 17-18 October 2019. The forum provided a platform for corporates, NGOs, research institutions, functionaries of the government to come together and explore the possibilities for knowing the high impact, sustainable and innovative projects and its possibility of replication and up scaling.

Northeast Today

Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein called for proper utilization and timely implementation of budget schemes by the govt departments. He said this in a review meeting of Agriculture & Horticulture Department in Itanagar on the budget scheme for the year 2018-19 & 2019-20 in his secretariat office on Wednesday. He urged the Finance, Planning & Investment department for regular and timely monitoring of the budget implementation by the department in order to ensure proper implementation of the schemes.

The Indian Express

Representatives from the agriculture, dairy and engineering industries on Wednesday expressed their concern over the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement saying they would face great challenges on its implementation. “RCEP will affect all the industries. The government should improve infrastructure, provide financial assistance to industries and reduce interest rates of loans. The SGCCI will make representations to the government on these,” said Modi. Technology should be upgraded to sustain the industry by manufacturing quality products. The sector will also have to suffer a lot with the RCEP agreement.”

The Times of India

In an effort to battle pollution and do away with the problem of stubble burning, central GST commissionerate (CGST) Ludhiana is providing happy seeders to the farmers of the state. On Tuesday the department organised a program to provide happy seeders and other machinery to the farmers. In a statement issued by P S Gill, joint commissioner of CGST, “Principal commissioner CGST commissionerate Ludhiana, Ashutosh Baranwal , had identified prevention of stubble burning as one of the projects for CGST commissionerate , Ludhiana under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Arunachal Times

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has called for proper utilization and timely implementation of budget schemes by the government departments. He said this while reviewing the implementation of budget schemes for the year 2018-19 & 2019-20 under agriculture & horticulture departments here on Wednesday. He urged the Finance, Planning & Investment department to monitor the progress of budget announcement in order to ensure proper implementation of the schemes.

Live Mint

The Union cabinet on Wednesday decided to hike the minimum support price (MSP) for rabi crops for the 2020-21 marketing season. “The aim is to double the income of farmers by 2022,” said Union minister of environment, forest, and climate change Prakash Javadekar. The central government is committed to providing income security to farmers and had enhanced the coverage of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to all farmers to boost their income, contended the Union minister.

Down to Earth

Many farmers in Bihar are still awaiting payments promised to them under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan), announced by then-Union Minister of Finance, Piyush Goyal during the 2019 Interim Union Budget of India on February 1, 2019. According to the state government, agriculture is key to Bihar’s economy. It employs 77 per cent of the workforce and generates nearly 24.84 per cent of the state’s gross domestic product.

The Times of India

The machinery provided under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was placed at local panchayats, farmer clubs and co-operative societies. Defying this, farmers of Majri block in Kharar alleged that they had never seen any such machines placed for the benefit of farmers at any of the panchayats or co-operative societies. Machines like tractor mounted straw chopper-cum-spreader for paddy straw incorporation and paddy mulcher and chopper apart from other agro machines for management of paddy straw were offered under the CSR to farmers of Mohali.

City Today

“Fertilisers should mix with soil and should not be differentiable,” said Dr KV Keshavaiah of VC Farm Regional Research Centre. He was speaking at an awareness programme regarding fertilisers held for farmers at ICAR JSS Agriculture Science Centre at Suttur on Tuesday. “Fertilisers should be provided at a distance of 4 inches from the root of the plant,” he said. He provided information regarding various fertilisers.

The Times of India

With farm fires rising this year, the state government would be hoping that its move to give Rs 665 crore as financial help to cooperative societies and farmers for purchasing agricultural machines to curb stubble burning, would help put the brakes on the practice this time around. Even as a number of progressive farmers across the state have started sowing wheat by using machines like “happy seeder” and not setting paddy residue on fire, the number of farm fires in Punjab this year continues to be more than those in the corresponding period last year.

CNBC TV18

The Modi government is planning a big announcement for the farmers ahead of Diwali. The government can announce a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of Rabi or winter crops on Wednesday. Sources told that the government can take a decision to announce the MSP hike for the year 2019-20 at the cabinet meet to be held on Wednesday. The hike is likely to be based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). According to sources, the CACP has recommended the MSP of wheat at Rs 1,925 per quintal, mustard at Rs 4,425 per quintal, gram at Rs 4,825 per quintal, lentils at Rs 4,800 per quintal and safflower at Rs ...

NYOOZ

Helping farmers of 12 villages to ensure zero burning of paddy stubble, the district administration has rolled out scheme of providing balers to these villages to enable farmers make bundles of paddy straw and sell these to augment their income. Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait said this while interacting with sarpanches, lambardars and youth clubs of these 12 villages of the district.

The Times of India

With farm fires rising this year, the state government would be hoping that its move to give Rs 665 crore as financial help to cooperative societies and farmers for purchasing agricultural machines to curb stubble burning, would help put the brakes on the practice this time around. Even as a number of progressive farmers across the state have started sowing wheat by using machines like “happy seeder” and not setting paddy residue on fire, the number of farm fires in Punjab this year continues to be more than those in the corresponding period last year.

 

The India Wire

he Modi government is working on a mission mode to double the production of saffron in the Kashmir Valley, which is likely to change the fate of thousands of farmers engaged in the cultivation of this expensive spice, said agriculture scientists adding that one hectare of saffron cultivation can earn a farmer up to Rs 24-Rs 27 lakhs. Agriculture scientist Altaf Eijaj Andrabi told IANS, “saffron is cultivated only in Jammu and Kashmir, but it has a demand all over the world. India exports saffron to England, America and some Middle East countries. It sells at Rs 5 lakh per kilogram in the international market. In India it sells at about Rs 3 lakh per kg.”

The Hans India

The shortage of labours, apparently due to the majority of them taking up works under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), all most all house construction workers settled in other professions by went on migration to other areas for the lively hood is forcing the farmers of the district to adopt farm machinery.

 

Down to Earth

Farmers in Odisha’s Sambalpur district started an indefinite hunger strike on October 22, 2019, in front of the district collector’s office to protest against not having received their crop insurance claims. The claims, under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for crop loss during the 2018 Kharif season, were supposed to be handed to the farmers nine months ago. Farmers from 55 gram panchayats under Kuchinda sub-division of the district are participating in the hunger strike organised by the Sambalpur Zilla Krushak Surakshya Sangathan (SKZSS).

Rural Marketing

The Indian seed delivery system, comprised of formal and informal systems is currently reeling under deficiency and there is significant scope to strengthen the same as even with investments in the formal sector, about 60-65 percent of seed in use in the country is unlabelled, noted a recent ASSOCHAM-PwC joint study. The study titled, ‘Sowing the policy seeds of a flourishing agriculture sector,’ conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) jointly with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also suggested that high-quality seed varieties used by tribal and hilly communities be brought into the informal seed chain with some amount of genetic purity.

Industry News Release

The data is collected from different sources allied to the Agricultural and Forestry Machinery and the research team meticulously analyze the gathered data with the help of various analytically tools and present their opinion based on analysis and calculations. The Global Agricultural and Forestry Machinery Market 2019 report offers clear-cut information about the key business-giants Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Mahindra, Kioti, CHALLENGER, ClAAS

Yahoo News

The Agriculture Land [ceiling and holding] Act was struck down by the various courts. But then the Nehru government included it in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution and now this cannot be challenged in any court. The fundamental rights are the soul of our Constitution and now these laws have been proved to be contradictory to them. The per capita holding of agricultural land in the world is increasing but only in India it is decreasing. If this trend is not stopped, Indian agriculture would not survive in the global competition. In view of the current developments in agricultural science, it has become necessary to attract the experts who can face ...

The Times of India

There has been a 25% rise in incidents of stubble fires in Punjab as compared to last year, but AQI being recorded at CAAQMS in the state reveals that the air quality across the state, barring Jalandhar, is still in moderate zone. The data puts Jalandhar in poor air quality bracket.

Patna Daily

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a hard-core proponent of ‘Rath Yatras’, a form of state-sponsored publicity machinery, on Sunday flagged off ‘Rabi Rath Yatra’ to spread awareness about the government’s various schemes intended to improve agriculture in the state and consequently, raise profit for the farming community.

Telangana Today

Governor of Telangana State, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday praised the Central and State governments for initiating schemes aimed at enhancing income to farmers. The Governor, while taking part in the inaugural function of a two-day regional workshop on ‘Youth as Torch Bearers of Business Oriented Agriculture in South India’ at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) appreciated efforts of the State government in implementing innovative initiatives for betterment of farmers in Telangana.

The Hans India

R&B Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy asked the authorities to work in coordination with the farmers through grain purchasing centres that were set up to provide best price to their crops, during a review meeting at Zilla Parishad office in Nizamabad on Monday. The Minister had instructed the officials of civil supplies, revenue and agriculture departments to open purchasing centres in agricultural markets, since the farmers had produced seven lakh metric tonnes yield during this kharif due to good rainfall. Last year, 4.90 lakh metric tonnes were purchased.

The Times of India

While Delhi which struggling against poor to a very poor ambient air quality index (AQI) is holding Punjab responsible for the smog that engulfs the national capital region, the data being reflected at the eight continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) is telling a different story. Even as there has been a 25% rise in the incidents of stubble fires as compared to last years, but the AQI being recorded at the CAAQMS in Punjab shows that the air quality across the state is still in the moderate zone, barring Jalandhar which is showing poor air quality.

The Free Press Journal

India’s annual inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers rose to a 62-month high of 7.25% in September from 6.39% the previous month, the Labour Bureau said. Inflation based on the CPI for rural labourers rose to a 61-month high of 7.20% in September from 6.23% in August. The overall index for CPI for agricultural labourers and rural labourers rose 1.1% each on month to 976 and 983, respectively, in September.

The Economic Times

Agriculture has always been a lifeline of the Indian economy, providing livelihood to millions of farmers, and FPOs have the potential to give farmers better bargaining power and create a more transparent agri-market. With this in mind, the inaugural edition of Samunnati and The Economic Times Farmer Producer Organisations Summit & Awards brought India’s agrarian heroes to the fore at a day-long event held in New Delhi on 18th October 2019.

DNA India

Despite Punjab government’s ban, stubble burning continued in Punjab’s Amritsar on October 20 due to lack of alternatives. Over 90 cases of stubble burning have been reported so far. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that stubble burning in neighbouring states is one of the main causes of air pollution in the national capital. Meanwhile, air quality remained poor for several consecutive days in the national capital and the NCR region.

The Better India

Rajasthan-based AgriBolo was founded on 13 April 2016 under the company Agrilife technologies Pvt. Ltd., by brothers Arvind Godara and Ajeet Godara. The startup helps farmers with home delivery of agricultural inputs, and e-trading services via their call centre and AgriBolo app. Agribolo was incubated on 30 June 2019, by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an international organisation which conducts agricultural research for rural development, headquartered in Patancheru in Telengana.

Money Control

To curb alarming pollution levels in north India, especially during winter months, CII on October 20 said it has adopted over 100 villages and 100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab and Haryana to enable zero crop residue burning. The industry body has adopted Ludhiana, Barnala and Patiala districts in Punjab, and Rohtak, Sirsa and Fatehabad in Haryana.

 

The New Indian Express

As samba transplantation works peaks in the delta region, farmers are finding it hard to find agricultural workers. Without workers, many farmers are now using machines and the  System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique. So far, 20,000 hectares have been transplanted with samba paddy in the delta blocks. Following the arrival of the northeast monsoon, samba works intensified in the district. According to the Agriculture department, paddy transplant has been done on 20,000 out of the targetted 36,000 hectares in the delta blocks in the past month.

The Hill Post

Serious efforts towards mass water conservation would go a long way in ensuring availability of water for future generations for carrying out agricultural and day to activities. These were among the several views expressed by experts during the one-day Kisan Mela and scientists’ farmers’ interaction organized by Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Solan at Village Diggal in the Nalagarh block of Solan district. The event was organized under the Jal Shakti Abhiyaan of the Union Government to create awareness on water conservation and judicious use of water.

The Times of India

Keeping in view the ordeals of the riverbank farmers in the capital city area, the state government is seriously contemplating withdrawing the land acquisition notification issued by the TDP government. Sources said that the chief minister’s office had already directed the Guntur district collector to ready the proposals to withdraw the notification. The Guntur district administration will issue a formal withdrawal notification after the proposal getting the chief minister’s nod.

The Times of India    The New Indian Express  

India’s first plant to convert paddy straw into compressed biogas (CBG) is coming up at Gharaunda village in Karnal. The biogas generated at the Indraprastha Gas Limited’s plant will be used as CNG in vehicles and as piped cooking gas and help fight menace of stubble burning in fields. The ground-breaking ceremony to begin construction of the plant was held on Friday in the presence of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) managing director E S Ranganathan. The plant is estimated to be completed by May 2020. It will have the capacity to convert stubble generated from 20,000 acres in a year into gas, which will then be sourced by IGL ...

The Times of India

Increasing the area under millets cultivation in Vizianagaram was the focus at the Kisan Mela, organised at the Millets Research Station at Gajula Rega on Friday. A large number of farmers from different parts of the district participated in the fair, which began on October 19 and was inaugurated by the vice-chancellor of Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Professor V Damodar Naidu.

The Millennium Post

One of the best things about ambitious challenges is that it compels one to think and think ‘out-of-the-box’. So when the 94th Foundation Course (FC) which is scheduled as a week-long program at the Statue of Unity (October 26-31) worked on five thematic subjects- a) agriculture and rural transformation, b) inclusive urbanisation c) jobs, skills and education, d) health and nutrition and e) sustainable resource management. It is  important to mention that the agriculture sector has to compete for land and water. In recent years the demands from infrastructure, housing and urbanisation are posing a real challenge. Without a major technology intervention in the management of land and water, it may not be possible to make ...

The Times of India

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco) has begun the process of identifying farmers, who own farmlands, to be brought under the Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (Kusum) scheme. Under the scheme, farmers, who are connected to the grid, would be invited to invest in solar energy. The state government hopes to generate 3,600MW of solar energy through the project over a three-year period.

The Indian Express

A flagship programme of the central government, the majority of PMFBY premiums are paid jointly by central and state governments, while farmers only pay 2 per cent of the amount. The state is divided into four clusters and bids are invited from both public sector and private insurance companies to implement the scheme.

The Economic Times

To curb alarming pollution levels in north India, especially during winter months, CII on Sunday said it has adopted over 100 villages and 100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab and Haryana to enable zero crop residue burning. The industry body has adopted Ludhiana, Barnala and Patiala districts in Punjab, and Rohtak, Sirsa and Fatehabad in Haryana.

The Economic Times

India’s first plant to convert paddy straw into biogas that can be used as CNG in automobiles will come up at Karnal in Haryana as agencies double effort to prevent burning of crop stubble that is said to be the main reason for pollution in the national capital region. E S Ranganathan, managing director of Indraprastha Gas Ltd, the largest CNG distribution company in India, led the ground breaking ceremony of the plant to convert paddy straw into compressed biogas (CBG) at Karnal on October 18, a company statement said here.

The Print

Noted economist Prabhat Patnaik Saturday called for a new methodology to rejuvenate India’s agro-economy. “Agriculture growth rate should be the new growth rate for India rather than GDP and other data points,” Patnaik, a former professor at Centre for Economic Studies and Planning in the School of Social Sciences at JNU, said Saturday.

The Indian Express

After grappling for decades with its 2,800-odd polluting brick kilns, Punjab has got most of them to switch to a new technology, thereby cutting emissions by an estimated 70 per cent. After a few initial hiccups, officials of the state pollution control board say they have been able to convince the owners of at least 1,800 kilns to opt for the newer ‘induced draft’ kilns with zigzag brick settings. In the new kilns, the bricks to be baked are arranged in a zigzag pattern, allowing hot air to cover a longer path, unlike in traditional kilns, where the bricks are arranged in straight lines. As the air takes this zigzag path, it improves the heat transfer ...

Sunday Guardian

“The new technologies have opened up doors and we should use these to be able to produce food needed by 8.2 billion people in future,” said Nobel Laureate Norman Earnest Borlaug, adding that “good public sector supported programs in biotechnology, linked with genetics and breeding are called for.” The words of the “father of the green revolution” uttered in New Delhi in March 2009 are proving prophetic. As India is half way in realising its national mission of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022, agriculture biotechnology seems to be emerging as a great enabler in unfolding another green revolution, transforming its distressed fields into a farming paradise.

The Telegraph

A small step Halima Bibi took two years ago has turned into a stride that will take the unassuming mother of two from Malda to the national capital to receive a central government award. Life changed for Halima, who used to divide her time between domestic chores and odd jobs, when she suddenly decided the family should switch from growing paddy to maize in the summer of 2017 and threw herself into the effort. By the end of the financial year, Halima had emerged as one of the largest growers of maize in Bengal. She will receive the Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Samman for Progressive Farmers from the Union agriculture ministry later this year.

The  Financial Express

Crop yield is influenced by the genetic traits of seeds, as also by factors like composition of the soil, organic matter, presence of beneficial microbes, moisture, temperature, nutrients, and crop protection measures.

The Times of India

Punjab government on Friday offered special training camps for farmers and officers of the border state of Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate technical exchange for agriculture. Interacting with a group of farmers of Akhnoor Tehsil, who are touring Punjab as part of Indian Army’s Operation Sadbhavna, senior advisor to CM, Lt Gen (Retd) T S Shergill, asked director agriculture, Punjab, to coordinate with his Jammu Kashmir counterpart and devise a mechanism for holding focussed programmes for farmers at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) Ludhiana at the earliest.

The Economic Times (ET Health)

With Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Cloud solutions, the country is now looking at solving real-life problems in sectors like agriculture, healthcare and education. Experts believe that the country needs to prioritise AI-based predictive analysis to improve outcomes in these core areas that touch millions of lives. When it comes to agriculture, India has now embarked on a journey to bring AI sensors into the fields. “We are working with farmers, state governments, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to create an ecosystem for AI into farming,” Maheshwari told IANS recently.

Commerce Gazette

The agricultural tractors are used for pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or trailers to mechanize farming activities and achieve better yield.  Various machinery such as tillage, planter, or fertilizer sprayers attached to the tractor minimize the time required and perform the task more efficiently. Top Leading Market Players: AGCO Corporation, Caterpillar Inc., CLAAS KGaA mbH, Deere Company, Mahindra Mahindra Ltd.

Health Insurance Report

The global tractor rental market is anticipated to grow in the upcoming years, owing to increase in the investment budget of agriculture sector across the globe. Tractors are earth moving equipment utilized for the numerous tasks in the agriculture and construction industry, among others. The increasing government initiatives as well as growing involvement of private players are expected to boost the growth of tractor rental market. Rising concern regarding the farm productivity across the globe is another factor that positively affect the growth of said market in the forecast period.

The New Indian Express

The AZ 8433 variety of paddy is in various stages of growth now in the villages. While crops in some parts are flowering, some are in reproductive stage. Farmers suspected that the seeds might be spurious as the crops are not growing in uniform manner and different varieties of seeds were found in the packets. “Five to eight per cent impurity was found in the seeds which are not at all resistant to BPH and BLB”, alleged a farmer of Badkutru village, Kartik Pujhari.

Telangana Today

Food and nutrition experts have called for diversification towards nutrient rich crop production such as millets and pulses to take on the challenge of malnutrition in Indian States. On the occasion of World Food Day on October 16, experts said that despite India increasing its grain production to almost 284 million tonnes in 2018-19, there is a high rate of malnutrition. This year’s World Food Day has the theme ‘Healthy diets to achieve zero hunger’.

Newsgram

Haryana is taking a number of steps to curtail crop residue burning, including diversifying rice area to maize crop and daily monitoring of fire burning incidents. Paddy stubble burning incidents in neighbouring states like Haryana have been identified as among the reasons for high pollution levels in the Delhi NCR region during the winter season Haryana has submitted before the National Green Tribunal that it has undertaken a major programme to diversify rice area to growing maize crop by which the target was to achieve water conservation and conservation of ecology. This will, indirectly, also reduce the chances of crop burning residue in rice cultivation area.. Read more at: https://www.newsgram.com/haryana-takes-steps-to-curtail-crop-residue-burning

Daily News

Agriculture production is in a dire state as climate change continues altering temperature and precipitation patterns, a Turkish scientist said. “We do not need a cellular phone but we definitely need new drought-tolerant plant species which can feed more people everywhere. We need more salt-tolerant species to fight rising sea levels. We need more water-tolerant species to survive when the fields are flooded after extreme rainstorms.

The New Indian Express

Following the fall armyworm (FAW) scare, there has been a slight drop in maize cultivation in the district this season with many farmers opting for cotton instead. Though the Agriculture department has taken preventive measures to handle FAW attacks, maize cultivation dropped to 9,000 hectares instead of the expected 13,000 hectares. In preventing FAW attacks, the Agriculture department has come up with new biocontrol agents and chemicals which were demonstrated on Tuesday in Manachanallur block.

Weather.com   The India Wire

Haryana is taking a number of steps to curtail crop residue burning, including diversifying rice area to maize crop and daily monitoring of fire burning incidents. Paddy stubble burning incidents in neighbouring states like Haryana have been identified as among the reasons for high pollution levels in the Delhi NCR region during the winter season.

The Hans India   Telangana Today

Addressing delegates from across the world at the inaugural function of a three-day convention on Big data in Agriculture-2019 at the Icrisat campus, Jayesh Ranjan said the State government believes that Big Data tools will certainly enhance the yield and incomes of farmers.

The Economic Times

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are one such farmers’ aggregate, an organizational mechanism mobilizing farmers’ collective that seeks to improve their own economic and social situation and that of their communities. Although still nascent, they have come a long way in the past several years and are fast becoming a critical component of the agricultural value chain in India. This unique initiative provides a platform for FPOs and key stakeholders to come together and understand how to jointly build a robust FPO ecosystem, boost Indian agriculture and create the next wave of growth.

The Economic Times

The agriculture ministry plans to improve the system of paying cash to farmers under the PM Kisan scheme by studying the Aadhaar-based payment mechanism of petroleum ministry’s Ujjwala scheme, which provides cash assistance up to Rs 1600 for new LPG connection and subsidy is transferred subsequently to more than 800 million Aadhaar seeded bank accounts on every refill.

All India Radio

National Green Tribunal has asked Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to depute a person each to report daily on air pollution due to stubble burning. The green tribunal observed that the worsening air quality is causing fatal diseases to people in Delhi-NCR. Taking note of a news report stating crop burning shoots up carbon dioxide levels in the air by 70 per cent, the NGT asked Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana governments to sensitise farmers on pollution caused by burning of crop residue. The NGT bench, headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also expressed concern that equipment are yet not made available to farmers.

The Hans India

Agriculture is crucial for the development of the State and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has recognised its importance, said AP Legislative Assembly Speaker T Sitaram and Minister for Roads and Buildings D Krishna Das. While launching the YSR Rythu Barosa scheme at Amudalavalasa in the district, they explained that agriculture would contribute for the development of the State. The Chief Minister introduced Rythu Barosa scheme to provide financial aid to farmers.

The Times of India

Governor-cum-chancellor Fagu Chauhan on Tuesday said proper growth of livestock is essential for economic empowerment of India and millions of farmers and cattle owners can be made economically self-dependent by encouraging agriculture and animal husbandry in rural areas. Presiding over the first convocation of Bihar Veterinary Science University held at Secretariat Conference Hall here, Chauhan said even small investments in fisheries, poultry farming and bee keeping can yield much dividend to the farmers and enhance their annual income.

The Hans India

The district administration made elaborate arrangements for launching of Rythu Bharosa scheme in the district on Tuesday. Minister for Agriculture Marketing Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao and Minister for Home Affairs Mekathoti Sucharita will launch the scheme at Tenali Agriculture Market Committee.

Telangana Today

Finance Minister T Harish Rao and Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy inaugurated the Centre for Applied Genomics and Seed Technology, a bio-technology research and development centre at Kaveri Seeds at Pamulaparthy village of Markook Mandal in Siddipet district on Monday.

Rural Marketing

This year is an eventful one, for who could have thought that our protective guards will be ravaged and the Amazon rainforest will be on fire. This is, however, not an isolated incident – burning forests to create land for agriculture is an age-old practice. Slash and burn agriculture is a widely used method of growing food in which wild or forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation burned. The resulting layer of ash is said to provide the newly-cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilise crops.

The Statesman

Describing the progressive farmers, who have refrained from burning paddy stubble, as pioneers of change, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday called upon them to join the state government in launching a massive campaign to persuade the entire farming community to give up this dangerous practice in the interest of environmental protection for the future generations. Addressing a group of these farmers, Amarinder said these agents of change had done yeoman’s service to humanity by helping create a pollution-free environment. He said their experiences and expertise must be replicated by one and all to save the fertility of soil on the one hand and prevent environmental pollution on the other.

The Times of India  

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the farmers found stubble burning in their farmlands after harvesting would be deprived of any financial assistance and subsidy from the state government. Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day international conference on crop residue (stubble) management at the Gyan Bhavan here, Nitish also said the state had been providing electricity to farmers at a cheap rate of 75 paise per unit. Besides, a subsidy of Rs 60 per litre on purchase of diesel was also being provided.

The Financial Express   News18 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday appealed to the farmers of the state to avoid burning crop residue as its damages the environment. He asked the departments concerned to create awareness among the farmers about the ill-effects of stubble burning. “Animals do not get their rightful share of fodder due to stubble burning. The practice also kills the friendly bacteria and fungi present in abundance in the soil. Thus stubble burning permanently damages the environment and fertility of the soil,” Adityanath said.

Orissa Post

Khariff farming this year got delayed in most parts of Ganjam district due to erratic rainfall. Braving the monsoon odds, farmers managed to raise paddy in thousands of acres of land in Polsara block, but pest attack on paddy has become a major concern for them. Reports said pest attacks have been spreading in acres of land at Balipahar, Chitrakar, Padiabhanga, Ghosapahara, Gaha, Kunimundia and Patharakodia. Paddy pants are withering due to pest attack, lamented farmers Bansi Dalabehera, Raghunath Bisoi, Jogendra Dalabehera and Kabi Swain.

Down to Earth

Besides water conservation, Oraon also took on the timber mafia to save the sal (shorea robusta) forest surrounding his village. He was even jailed for the protest. Oraon devised a simple process that helped conserve over 250 ha of sal forests. “On the one hand, we started guarding the forests round-the-clock, while on the other, we set up a committee to look after the forest.

Indian Education Dairy

Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Shri Piyush Goyal has called for discipline and professionalism in the cooperative sector. He also recalled while addressing the closing ceremony of “India International Cooperative Trade Fair’ (IICTF) in New Delhi today that the foundation of the cooperative movement was laid by Sardar Patel. The Minister expressed happiness that the foot fall at the IICTF has been more than 35 thousand and the trade enquires were more than 4 thousand, a number of VVIPs like Governors, Chief Ministers other Ministers and foreign dignitaries attended the fair. Stating that there should be an International framework for expansion of the cooperatives Shri Goyal gave ideas on how indigenous and ethnic products produced ...

Telangana Today

Expecting a bumber harvest, the State government began efforts to ensure adequate facilities at market yards, ginning mills and processing centres to procure and purchase the crop in the State. The field officials of Agriculture Department have been handed over a checklist of facilities that must be placed at all centres before procurement and purchase begins. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, who reviewed the arrangements here on Sunday, directed the officials concerned to issue notifications with the permission of the respective district Collectors to ginning mills for procuring maximum quantity of cotton crop.

The New Indian Express

Notwithstanding delayed monsoon with deficit rainfall in June and July, the overall condition of paddy and non-paddy crops over 3.13 lakh hectare (ha) of land in the district seems to have improved. Revival of monsoon in August, which extended beyond September, has brought cheers to farmers in the district. The DDA said non-paddy crops are also in good shape, adding that crops like ‘ragi’ and ‘arhar’ have shown good growth.  He said about 2,000 quintals of surplus ‘arhar’ and similar amount of ‘ragi’ would be procured from farmers through various Government cooperative agencies.

Nyooz

Farmers and agricultural labourers held a joint meeting at Chajjalwadi village near here under the banner of Kirti Kisan Union on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, union’s state president Datar Singh said that while the Central and the state governments were more concerned about big industrial houses, the farmers and farm workers which constitute majority of the population are in debt trap.

Nyooz

The district Agriculture Department has asked the farmers to apply for the machinery required for alternative management of crop residue after the Centre has extended the date for it to October 20. The government is supplying machines on 50 per cent subsidy to individual farmers and on 80 per cent to farmer groups.

North East Now

The much-awaited 3-day National Indigenous Seeds Festival 2019 has been underway at the Central Agricultural University (CAU) campus, Iroishemba on the outskirts of Imphal. CAU is the largest agricultural university in India having 13 colleges and 6 Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the seven northeastern states excluding Assam besides having its headquarters in Imphal.

The Sangai Express

When the whole world is facing onslaught of aggressive climate change, Manipur cannot remain mere onlooker. The state is not sacrosanct. It has its own share of sorrow. The poor state has to suffer directly or indirectly, sooner or later. How many of us are aware of imminent danger of survival in the troubled age? How many of us think globally and act consciously? The uneasy culture of discounting future marks the beginning of the end. The Risk-Multipliers (5) associated with climate change such as Reduced Agricultural Productivity, Heightened Water Insecurity, Increased exposure to extreme Weather Events, Collapse of Eco-system and Increased Health Risks are grim reminder of an endangered future.

The Orissa Dairy

The first ever ‘India International Cooperatives Trade Fair’(IICTF) was inaugurated today by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The 3 day event is being held fromtoday till 13thOctober, 2019. As 94% of total farmers in India are members of at least one cooperative institution,IICTF is aimed at furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government’s vision and goal of doubling farmers’ income by promoting cooperative-to-cooperative trade within India & abroad and promoting exports of key agriculture commodities and products leading to enhanced rural and farm prosperity.

The Avenue Mail

CM Raghubar Das on Friday launched the distribution of Rs 452 crore in the account of nearly 11.51 lakh marginalized farmers of the state who had been left out from receiving the first installment of the Mukhiya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojna (given to over 13 lakh farmers on August 10) at a function held at Tata College Ground at Chaibasa in West Singhbhum. Significantly,  Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) an initiative announced during the 2019 interim Union budget on February 1  benefits will be provided to all small and marginal farmers’ families having total cultivable holdings of up to 2 hectares (5 acres). This will be provided in 3 equal installments of Rs 2000 each ...

The Times of India

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday said the Centre has paid Rs 1,318.61 crore as assistance to small and marginal farmers of the state to augment their income under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) launched in the 2018-19 fiscal. The Centre had announced to pay Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 as assistance under PMKSNY. The money was to be transferred through direct benefit transfer (DBT) method into the personal accounts of farmers selected for the purpose.

The Times of India

Agriculture can be the biggest contributor to the target of 5 trillion dollar economy set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to agriculture scientist and chancellor of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University (Jhansi) Prof Panjab Singh. Addressing the inaugural session of three-day international conference on ‘sustainable agriculture development in changing global scenario’ at BHU on Friday, Prof Singh spoke on challenges faced by agriculture sector in India and stressed on sustainable development.

Devdiscourse

Crop stubble burning is likely to come down further this year, as the Centre is subsidising machinery required for the crop residue management in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the national capital region, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday. “The scheme is running successfully and helped reduce the stubble burning last year. The burning will further come down this year,” Tomar said on the sidelines of an event here. The scheme is being implemented by farm research body ICAR through 60 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Punjab (22), Haryana (14), Delhi (1) and UP (23).

The Times of India

As the harvesting of the paddy has picked up pace in Majha region, the western border districts of Punjab are witnessing a spurt in the number of fire incidents over the last 15 days. Last year, it was the Malwa region comprising Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Moga districts that had witnessed the maximum number of cases.

Telangana Today

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Friday said the State government was spending Rs 60,000 crore annually on the agriculture sector, which included Rs 12,000 crore on Rythu Bandhu, Rs 1300 crore on Rythu Bima, Rs 8,000 crore on crop loan waiver, Rs 1000 crore through Markfed for seeds and fertilizer subsidy and Rs 5,000 crore for power requirements for various lift irrigation schemes.

Krishi Jagran

Global Food and Agriculture major Cargill has decided to invest $160 million over the next three years to increase its operations in India. As per the report, this would be in addition to the $80 million that the Minnesota-based private food and agricultural behemoth has already invested in the last two years. Marcel Smits, Cargill’s Chairman and CEO of the Asia-Pacific region, who has recently visited India said, “India is a regionally important country for us. It has the second-highest investment in the Asia Pacific region, after China. We have invested half a billion dollars in India already, which is about 1 percent of the company’s total investment.”

The Economic Times

A prolonged dry spell resulted in significantly below-average rainfall at the start of the season, prompting farmers to delay the sowing of summer crops and leaving others wilting. By the end of July, rainfall was so heavy that rivers flooded and crops were damaged. The combination of a prolonged dry spell followed by heavy rainfall increased pest infestation and disease, forcing farmers to spend more on pesticides.

Money Control   The Free Press Journal

Farm and allied sector cooperatives have a huge potential to play a key role in making India a USD 5 trillion economy in next five years, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday. However, the cooperatives need a push to compete in the global market, he said at the inauguration of the first ever three-day India International Cooperatives Trade Fair here.

Everything Experimential

Food production and gastronomy in Europe are based on the combination of knowledge, skills, practices and traditions bringing together farming and methods of conserving, processing, cooking, sharing and eating food. India and the European Union (EU) share similar values when it comes to ‘food culture’. It is integral to the rich array of food production, tightly bound up with the unique farming practices resulting in distinct products. In the EU, as in India, consumer protection comes first. A high level of health protection is the paramount objective of all EU laws in food and farming sectors. The EU has, therefore, harmonised its food safety and quality regulations throughout the Union under the concept ‘from farm to fork’.

Krishi Jagran

The Center has initiated different schemes to broaden the horizon of India’s agriculture scenario and to involve more and more women farmers in it. The agriculture ministry of India had introduced a new wheat variety Karan Vandana (DBW 187) which is showing the great results in the sown irrigated area of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and the northeastern plain areas of West Bengal. This wheat variety is beneficial over the existing wheat varieties HD 2967, K0307, ​​HD 2733, K1006, and DBW 39 for zones. As per the report, this variety of wheat gives better resistance against diseases and blossoms in 77 days and matures in 120 days of sowing.

Krishi Jagran

The Centre is planning to set up a-Rs 6,660 crore fund to nurture 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations also known as FPOs across India over the next 5 years, a promise made by Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister in the budget. These FPO will help the farmers increase income through better market access as well as collective bargaining power. A senior Agriculture Ministry officer on condition of anonymity told media that “This will totally be a centrally sponsored programme and we have got the go-ahead from the agriculture minister”. The official added “Now, the proposal is being evaluated by the Department of Expenditure before being sent to the cabinet for approval.”

New Kerela

The first study commisioned by the NITI Aayog on Direct Benefit Transfer in Fertiliser (DBT-F) programme has found that farmers prefer the new system because it has improved the availability of fertilisers and reduced instances of overcharging. MSC (MicroSave Consulting) MSC had conducted four rounds of evaluation on behalf of the NITI Aayog and the Department of Fertilisers (DoF).

Indian Express

“They want to replace paddy with maize, but who will buy it? There is no system of procurement for this crop. There is nobody to guide us about such issues,” says Mahavir Kundu, 50, who is unhappy with the crop diversification push of the BJP’s government in Haryana.

Times Of India

Punjab Agricultural University In Ludhiana Has Recommended/Developed Machines To Help Farmers Manage Paddy Straw, Tell Mahesh Narang, Manjeet Singh And S S Thakur From Department Of Farm Machinery & Power Of The University To TOI’s Ikhhlaq Singh Aulja

The Hans India

With over 35,000 cooperative societies under its umbrella, the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) is generating massive amount of data that needs to be analysed, parsed and used for predictive maintenance at its plants and enhance the productivity of nearly five crore farmers. At the forefront of technology adoption in the Indian agriculture space, IFFCO along with Cloud major Oracle is trying to take the benefits of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to farmers – bet it voice-enabled chatbot, user-friendly portals or Oracle Autonomous Database for analysing data.

New Kerela

A team of scientists has successfully used data from microsatellites to quantify and enhance yield gains for small farmers in India – a discovery that can help increase food production in a low-cost and sustainable way. The team from university of Michigan, Mexico-headquartered the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre and Stanford and Cornell universities ran an experiment on 127 small-holder farms in India using a split-plot design over multiple years. They also found that if they used microsatellite data to target the lowest yielding fields, they were able to double yield gains for the same intervention cost and effort.

The Hindu

Most criticisms of modern agricultural practices are criticisms of post-Liebig developments in agricultural science. It was after the pioneering work of Justus von Liebig and Friedrich Wöhler in organic chemistry in the 19th century that chemical fertilizers began to be used in agriculture. In the 20th century, the criticisms levelled against Green Revolution technologies were criticisms of the increasing “chemicalisation” of agriculture. agricultural scientists do identify the improper/imbalanced application of fertilizers, that too with no focus on micronutrients, as a matter of concern. Hence, they recommend location-specific solutions to nurture soil health and sustain increases in soil fertility. They suggest soil test-based balanced fertilisation and integrated nutrient management methods combining organic manures (i.e., farm yard manure, compost, ...

Krishi Jagran

The National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) had achieved record sales at 27 lakh  tonnes during the first half of the current financial year. The company’s fertilizer sales stood at 21.62 lakh  tonnes during April-September period of the last fiscal. “Breaking all previous records, the NFL has achieved 27 lakh  tonnes of fertilizer sales during the Kharif 2019 (April -September) season, which is 25 per cent higher than the year-ago period,” the NFL said in a statement. Sale of urea rose 20 percent while that of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) grew by 80 percent in the said period.

The Times of India

With nationalized banks sanctioning loan advances worth Rs500 crore to MSME, agriculture and retail sectors at the recently held ‘loan fair’ at Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC) at Sarsana, MSME and retail sectors are hopeful of a turnaround. The loan fair was organized for two days from October 4 where more than 45 nationalized banks and other financial companies sanctioned loans for agriculture, MSME and retail sectors.

Devdiscourse

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that much needs to be done to address the issue of stubble burning that impacts Delhi’s air quality in the winter months and noted that the central government has provided Rs 1150 crore assistance for machines that will allow stubble to be converted to manure. The minister said the government has for the first time made “construction and demolition waste management rules” which are based on those followed for metro construction. He said three units to deal with construction and demolition waste were working and another four will be set up. The minister the measures have prevented 6 lakh tonne of debris going to rivers and ...

The Times of India

In a first, the government is organising an international co-operatives trade fair between October 11 and 13 in the national capital as part of its effort to boost farm exports and double farmers’ income by 2022. About 150 co-operatives and 35 countries, including the US, Australia and Bangladesh, would participate in the fair, which is being organised by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) along with agencies such as APEDA and Nafed with the support of agriculture and commerce ministries.

Consultancy India

The latest analysis follows a PwC report released in recent weeks that called for the need to preserve micro-nutrients in Indian soil, not only to ensure stability within the domestic food sector, but also to remain a reliable source of produce for the global market. India is among the world’s chief suppliers of agricultural goods. According to PwC, the pressure to feed more than a billion people within the country, coupled with the pressure to supply for the international market are putting considerable strain on the Indian soil. The fallback from deteriorating soil is not merely an Indian problem, but an international one.

The NEw Indian Express

Reiterating that the Jagan government’s topmost priority is farmers’ welfare, Minister for Agriculture Kurasala Kannababu has said as many as 40 lakh farmers in the State were identified for the YSR Rythu Bharosa. “It is not just Rs 12,500 aid for the farmers, our government has also taken steps to pay a premium for crop loans and facilitate interest-free loans,” he asserted. Kannababu said as promised, the tenant farmers are being provided with the leaseholder card for 11 months as per the amended Tenant Farmers Act, which will enable them to enjoy the benefits that are applicable to the landholder including aid under the YSR Rythu Bharosa.

The Times of India

Five flying squads have been set up by the local administration and village pradhans have been warned to help curb the menace. At the same time, efforts are on to create awareness among farmers through announcements that if they indulge in stubble burning, a heavy penalty will be imposed on them. To curb the practice, government has fixed a penalty Rs 2,500, 5,000 and 15,000 for violating norms set in 2016. However, in Bijnor no penalty has ever been slapped on any farmer till date. This time around, administration has formed five flying squads in the district which will conduct surprise checks in rural areas.

Telangana Today

Making remarkable progress, Telangana State has recorded about 82 per cent growth in farm mechanisation within five years since it was formed in 2014. The number of tractors alone increased from 1.5 lakh to 2.87 lakh, recording 90 per cent growth during the period, besides a steady growth in farm trailers and harvesters. The State government, which adopted a holistic approach to ensure overall development of the agriculture sector, has been focusing on farm mechanisation to increase productivity, reduce cost of production and increase extent of land under cultivation. As per the directions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, the agriculture department officials charted out an action plan and collected mandal-wise data enumerating required agriculture machinery.

The Statesman  United News of India

On the directives of the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the chief secretary Karan Avatar Singh has deputed 22 senior IAS officers, in addition to their present assignments, for efficacious coordination and monitoring the activities related to curbing the stubble burning in open fields in all the districts of Punjab during Kharif, 2019. The secretary, agriculture, Kahan Singh Pannu said additional chief secretary industry and commerce Vini Mahajan would monitor the activities against the burning of crop residue in Ludhiana district whereas additional chief secretary development Viswajeet Khanna had been deputed for Sangrur district.

The New Indian Express

For the first time in agriculture, Bihar which is facing nature’s fury every now and then, is all set to adopt the Climate-Friendly mode of agriculture as a pilot project. The agriculture department, acting on CM Nitish Kumar’s idea, has come out with a comprehensive roadmap for starting ”Climate Friendly” (CF) mode of agriculture in eight districts of Bihar.

Krishi Jagran

ASHA, an umbrella organization of scientists and associations working in the sustainable agriculture space said the proposed amendments to the Seed Bill should protect and uphold farmers’ rights to seeds and ensure that they are not exploited as seed consumers. In a letter to Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the association asked the Government to safeguard the nation’s unfettered control over something so vital for self-reliance in agriculture.

The Financial Express

Launched in January this year, the Maha Agri Tech project seeks to use technology to address various cultivation risks ranging from poor rains to pest attacks, accurately predict crop-wise and area-wise yield and eventually to use this data to inform policy decisions including pricing, warehousing and crop insurance. When farmers in six districts of Maharashtra begin sowing for the coming rabi season, this project will enter its second phase where artificial intelligence and satellite imagery will be used to mitigate risks. Fields of the farmers that are part of the project will be monitored via satellite images at every stage right until the harvest.

Krishi Jagran

The online market or mandi started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government to double farmers’ income has turned successful. According to the data released by the government, so far around 1.64 crore farmers of the country have registered themselves at this online platform known as National Agricultural Market Scheme (e-NAM).

The Indian Express

Launched in January this year, the Maha Agri Tech project seeks to use technology to address various cultivation risks ranging from poor rains to pest attacks, accurately predict crop-wise and area-wise yield and eventually to use this data to inform policy decisions including pricing, warehousing and crop insurance. When farmers in six districts of Maharashtra begin sowing for the coming rabi season, this project will enter its second phase where artificial intelligence and satellite imagery will be used to mitigate risks.

The New Indian Express

The State government has recently issued orders granting Rs 1,500 bonus per quintal to all Bengal gram farmers of Prakasam district irrespective of their e-crop filing data. fter receiving several pleas and following agitations and protest demonstrations held by farmers’ associations, the government took the decision to provide marketing intervention support to the Bengal gram farmers to the tune of Rs 1,500 per quintal and the government also agreed to pay this amount for up to a maximum quantity of 30 quintals per farmer.

The Financial Express

Huge disparity in seasonal showers despite a sharp turnaround in rainfall half way through the June-September monsoon season and consequent floods in certain states may have weighed on the Kharif crops but swelling water reservoirs will likely brighten farm prospects in the upcoming Rabi season.

Krishi Jagran

Ahead of the assembly elections, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed a 5 to 7 percent increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of winter-sown or Rabi crops to help the farmers. Haryana and Punjab together contribute around 70 percent wheat to the central pool that is used to run public distribution as well as other welfare schemes.

Krishi Jagran

The 2019 monsoon figures are the best in the last five years with over 5 per cent excess rainfall. India received a total of 931.6 mm rainfall from 1st June to 30th September as against the normal of 869.4 mm. Heavy rains in August and September caused floods across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.

 

The Times of India

Authorities of the district agriculture department of Visakhapatnam have informed that pulses would be grown as the second crop this year. Kharif crops are being planted across 10,000 hectares land in the district. Albeit a little late, authorities have decided to go for pulses as the second crop. Speaking to TOI, joint director of agriculture department, A Mallikarjuna Rao said, “As rains have replenished the groundwater levels, we have decided to go for pulses this year after the kharif crop is harvested.”

Krishi Jagran

The ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur recently celebrated its 61st Foundation Day.   In the Foundation Day Lecture on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture”, Chief Guest, Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur briefed about the developments in the field of AI and its possible use in decision making process for the development of agriculture. Dr. Chaudhury stressed upon the use of COBOT (Co-working Robot) instead of robot considering the scarce availability of manpower in the country. He emphasized on the pivotal role that can be played by the AI in providing the food security to the large population of the country. 

ANI News

A high-level team from Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MAFW) is going to visit Jammu and Kashmir to look into the infrastructure for the overall development of agriculture and horticulture sector in the state. It was decided at a high-level meeting which was convened under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Ministry of Agriculture Farmers and Welfare, on Saturday at Krishi Bhawan here to discuss the boost in the production of almonds and walnut of four States including J&K. The meeting was chaired by Rajveer Singh, Joint Secretary MIDH, Ministry of Agriculture Farmers and Welfare.

The Quint

It’s that time of the year again when farmers across Punjab and Haryana burn hectares of open fields to dispose off crop waste to prepare for the sowing of wheat for the next season. This results in elevated pollution levels in bordering states, especially Delhi, which sees an increase in its AQI levels due to the rise of harmful particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other greenhouse gases which affect more than 300 million Indians. To battle the same, an Indian start-up is working on an AI-based platform called Zuri that it claims will be able to monitor and predict the adverse effects of stubble burning.

The New Indian Express

Krishna district horticulture department is going to organise a set of workshops for college students, on zero budget farming, rooftop gardening and organic farming soon. “These workshops will be exclusively designed for the students so that they can pursue these as hobbies. Also, the initiative will try to connect the young generation with agriculture,” B Dayakar Babu, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Krishna district said on Friday.

Krishi Jagran

Gujarat Agriculture Minister RC Faldu said the State Agriculture Department has commissioned a crop assessment in the excess-rainfall regions of the State, including Saurashtra and Kutch.  At a time when farmers are staring at Kharif crop losses caused by deluge, the Gujarat government has asked crop insurance companies to assess the losses and clear farmers’ claims. 

Krishi Jagran

Expanding food productions have often come at a heavy cost to the natural environment. Important key resources like water, soil quality and land are moving in a very unfavourable direction. Constant use of chemical-based inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and mechanized farming have led to over exploitation of natural resources, especially groundwater and soil to the extent that most of the farming enterprises have turned out to be environmentally unsustainable. the Green Revolution has brought much needed self-sufficiency in the production of foodgrains. In fact, cereals production has generally been greater than the domestic demand since the mid-1990s, leading to an increase in export of cereals. Over the past half-century, rice yield grew by 145 percent and wheat, by 270 percent.

The Leaflet

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to constitute special cells to review the air pollution levels on a daily basis for the next one month, including on holidays. The panel directed to finalise a monitoring mechanism by October 7 in the wake of paddy straw burning. The NGT panel headed by chairperson Justice AK Goel passed the order in a plea filed by Ganga Lalwani for remedial action to prevent burning of crop residue that leads to air pollution in the NCR region.

The Morung Express

One day collaborative training on ‘Sensitization on Agripreneurship’ sponsored by National Institute of Agricultural Management (NIAM), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, GoI and ATMA Nagaland was held at the Conference Hall, Directorate of Agriculture, Kohima on September 27. Dr I Amenla, Joint Director of Agriculture in her introductory speech stressed on engaging the unemployed youth in Agriculture and also on “understanding the bigger picture” as it involves not only farming but fields which can be diversified into Agribusiness.

ANI News  The Hans India

Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Friday said that organic farming is an age-old tradition of India and has been practised by farmers since olden days. He was speaking to the media after inaugurating the ‘National Organic Agricultural Products Exhibition’ at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Complex stadium here.

Live Mint

A unique app combines Artificial Intelligence and geospatial data to help monitor and regulate farm fires. It has been conceptualised by a Gurugram-based collective, Blue Sky Analytics, which has worked on a set of apps and dashboards that monitor air quality and emissions. Blue Sky Analytics will start doing predictions well before the burning season, allowing policymakers to focus in advance on farms that have been known to burn crop waste historically.

The Times of India

For the past nearly two decades, harvest of paddy in northwest India, especially Punjab and Haryana, shifts the focus to stubble burning, which is being blamed for worsening air quality in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) during winters. The Delhi government has been blaming the surrounding states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab for contributing to the thick smog, which usually engulfs the NCR in November and December, by failing to prevent burning of crop residue. Farmers in the region are aware of the hazards of stubble burning, but express helplessness in shunning the practice totally.

DNA India

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the central government to take up canalisation of the state’s three eastern rivers of the Indus Water System as a national project, to enable the conservation of water and enhancement of the region’s economic growth. Underlining the need to increase water productivity through augmentation and strengthening of water management, control and regulation infrastructure, Captain Amarinder suggested the launch of the canalization project with the Sutlej river, which would require an investment of about Rs 4000 crore over a period of 3 to 5 years.

Pragativadi

The meeting on Development of Agriculture Marketing and Cold chain Infrastructure in Odisha with officials from Asian Development Bank was held under the chairmanship of Agriculture Production Commissioner, Pradipta Kumar Mahapatra at Krushi Bhawan in Bhubaneswar today. The meeting was based upon how to improve value chain infrastructure, existing market linkage system in Odisha by having technical assistance from ADB which will help the farmers in getting right value for produces.

The Print

As reports of stubble burning trickle in from some parts of Punjab and Haryana, the Punjab government has launched a major crackdown on farmers violating the ban. Haryana, on the other hand, is focusing on an intensive awareness campaign across the state but is stopping short of taking punitive action against farmers in the wake of assembly elections next month.

Food and Beverage News

Policy reorientation and making an accelerated action plan for achieving sustainable agriculture for improved livelihood of smallholder farmers as well as addressing the issues of poverty, hunger and malnutrition that continue to prevail in India, despite various agricultural revolutions (Green, Blue, White, etc.) over the past few decades, were the objectives of a new report on Policies and Action Plan for Secure and Sustainable Agriculture. It was presented by a committee, chaired by R S Paroda, and tasked with the aforementioned objectives, to K Vijayraghavan, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India.

Udaipur Kiran

Doubling farmers’ income through increased production, diversification in farming systems that are eco-regionally sustainable, input cost reduction, availability of credit at low interest rate, better income through direct linkages to markets are some of the major recommendations of a report submitted to the government recently. The report on ‘Policies and Action Plan for Secure and Sustainable Agriculture’ prepared by a committee headed by R.S Paroda was recently presented to K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor. Also, there is need to enhance markets intensity in rural areas and ensure market linkages through e-NAM requiring uniform adoption of Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing (APLM) Act and Contract Farming Act by various States.

The Times of India

Despite efforts by the state government to curb stubble burning, 159 cases have been reported from September 23 to October 1. In the corresponding period last year, only 25 were cases reported. To curb stubble burning, PPCB will campaign in the villages with the help of the government universities — Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjabi University in Patiala, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana and Panjab University in Chandigarh. The National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers from the five universities will start the campaign ‘say no to stubble burning.

The Times of India

A six-day residential training workshop on natural farming was held in Bharatpur, Rajasthan that aimed at training farmers on innovative, cost-effective and environment-friendly natural techniques. More than 6000 farmers from various states – including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra participated in the training camp organised by Lupin Foundation.

The Economic Times

Swiss agriculture company Syngenta plans to invest in technology in India and bring in its solutions for sustainable farming, the company’s chief executive J Erik Fyrwald told Rituraj Tiwari. Fyrwald, who was at Eluru, near Vijaywada, to inaugurate a facility for product testing and development, said India is a critical market for Syngenta and the company wants to increase India’s share in its global revenue to 5-10% from 3% now.

The Times of India

Punjab agriculture department has asked deputy commissioners to issue orders to impound combine harvesters used in paddy harvesting without super straw management systems (SMS). Farmers in the state are now confused whether they can use combines for harvesting paddy.  As per industry estimates, there are nearly 14,000 combine harvesters in Punjab but of these nearly 9,000 are self-propelled combines of over 100 horsepower which can withstand the load of the super straw management systems.

The Indian Express

At a time when government agriculture extension systems are crumbling, that gap is increasingly being filled by multinationals and corporates working directly with farmers, even while aggressively marketing their products. A good example would be Syngenta. The $ 13.5 billion Swiss agrochemical-cum-seed major, currently owned by the Chinese state-owned enterprise ChemChina, has designed crop-specific integrated solutions or “protocols” for paddy, maize/corn, cotton, chilli and tomato grown in India.

State Times

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy contributing about 14 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. About 50 per cent of the Indian families are dependent on this sector for their livelihood. Indian agriculture is characterized by marginal and small farmers. The rising cost of inputs along with uncertainties of weather accompanied by the lack of marketing infrastructure have increased the cost of cultivation and decreased the net income of the farmers. As the government has set up the ambitious plan of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022, the policy makers, planners and the scientific community are working round the clock to ensure the target is achieved within the prescribed deadline. For this the government has ...

Live Mint

The dramatic recovery in the monsoon has come as a pleasant surprise. After a delay in the onset, the year recorded surplus rainfall by the end of the season. The recovery brought respite to stakeholders of companies dependent on the rural sector. This was reflected in the 9-10% rise in share prices of notable agricultural input providers such as Coromandel International Ltd and Rallis India Ltd, in the last two months.

Construction Week Online

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned around 3,520 projects worth Rs 7,019.47 crore for the state of Assam till 31 March 2019. The Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) projects have covered a wide range of sectors all over the state comprising of rural connectivity, minor irrigation, flood control, soil conservation, dairy development, animal husbandry infrastructure, fisheries.

Krishi Jagran

Bayer welcomed farmers, academics, leading global industry experts, journalists and other stakeholders for its 2019 Future of Farming Dialogue, to engage in a collaborative discussion on the future of agriculture. “Agriculture needs to feed a growing world without starving the planet”, said Liam Condon, member of Bayer Board of Management & president of the Crop Science Division. “Breakthrough innovations are needed so that farmers can grow enough food for a growing world population while preserving natural resources.”

The New Indian Express

With Cauvery having a copious flow and a promising IMD prediction for monsoon, the Agriculture department through a special project has planned to increase 12,000 hectares of fallow land to cultivatable land. Officials stated that increasing the agricultural lands will also increase the overall food grain cultivation in the district. As all irrigation sources are having ample water, the agriculture department increased the overall food grain cultivation to 125 lakh metric tons as target for 2019 -20.

North East Now

A total 26 candidates were ceremonial distributed appointment letter for the post of Agriculture Extension Assistant (AEA), Department of Agriculture, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) at BTC Secretariat Conference hall in Assam’s Kokrajhar. In his address, EM Ansumwi Khungur Boro said agriculture was the prime source of income in BTC as the people of the region depend on agricultural products. He said his department has been giving emphasis on improvement of markets and agriculture business and boosting technology for modern method of cultivation.

The New Indian Express

The programme advisory committee for implementation of Analytics for Decision-making and Agriculture Policy Transformation (ADAPT) project on Tuesday reviewed the progress of various projects and approved the work plan for the next fiscal. Chairing the meeting of the programme advisory committee of ADAPT, implemented in collaboration with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Sahu emphasised on inclusive growth of farmers. The key areas of focus should be technical assistance, market linkage and farmers awareness.

Krishi Jagran

Due to continuous rainfall and flooded fields, kharif crops in Gujarat as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh are getting damaged. Main kharif crops that include cotton oilseeds and pulses have been damaged because of water-logged fields. If we talk about groundnut crop, with increased sowing at 15.52 lakh hectares this kharif season, as compared to 14.67 lakh hectares last year, growers had anticipated a higher output.

Telengana Today

On the eve of the World Food Day, Bank of Baroda is celebrating October 16 as a Baroda Farmers Day. On this occasion, Kisan Pakhawada (farmers’ fortnight) is being organised from October 1 to 16, during which credit camps will be held by the semi-urban and rural branches, and offices of the bank, according to a press release. An exhibition of agricultural products, seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, machinery and camps for soil testing and cattle health will be held apart from agriculture loan disbursements.

Money Control

The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday directed constitution of special cells in the office of chief secretary of Delhi and neighbouring states to monitor on daily basis this month the problem of air pollution by burning of crop residue. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that the problem of air pollution by burning of crop residue cannot be dealt unless effective measures are adopted and suggested that states should also set up such cells at district level to review the situation.

The Economic Times

Technology has changed the way that businesses behave today. The Indian economy is home to over 56,000 startups with about 450 plus in the agri-tech space alone. There are government regulations and incentives to help these startups grow and sustain, but the dynamics are skewed towards the incubators and accelerators who drive exponential growth.

e Gov

India is predominantly an agrarian economy, with 70 percent of the population dependent on farming and other allied activities. However, there is no single, unique database of about 14 crore farmers in the country, says Vivek Aggarwal, Joint Secretary (Crops & IT) and CEO-PM Kisan, in an exclusive interview with Sreetama Datta Roy and Sanghamitra Mohanty of Elets News Network (ENN). Aggarwal also assesses the challenge areas of the Agriculture sector of India and how technology is playing a key role in the department’s function and future plans.

The Indian Express

The Punjab government recently passed a resolution based on one of the basic tenets of Guru Nanak’s philosophy to desist farmers from burning stubble post paddy harvest and stop over exploiting groundwater. The Punjab government felt that people would heed to the reinforcement of the Guru’s message and stop abusing natural resources.

The Hindu Business Line

Noted Gandhian economist Dr Sudarshan Iyengar surveys the distressed agricultural landscape, pinpoints its weaknesses, and prescribes solutions with their roots in Gandhian agronomics. The farmer was the central point, and the only sustainable social order was a rural society. In the context of gram swaraj, a farmer’s life is necessarily one of cooperation, not competition.

The New Indian Express

The state government is planning to launch a new farming system which will help in maintaining the organic nature of the topsoil and address the impact of climate change. Announcing the decision here while speaking at the annual general meeting of the Association of Planters of Kerala, Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar on Monday said the government’s priority is to conserve the organic content of the soil and increase production.

The Times of India

The advent of advanced technology in agriculture has led to a spurt in entrepreneurship opportunities for agriculture graduates and even tech graduates. While drones is the latest technology that provides entrepreneurship opportunities, other technologies like production of large plastic sheets, mulching material, setting up of green houses, hydroponics and aquaponics have also led to a burst of new agriculture experts and entrepreneurs on the scene. Value-addition to agricultural products and machinery is also a much sought-after field that young agriculture graduates can get into.

Devdiscourse

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday discussed issued related to agriculture credit, crop insurance and warehousing. Das called on the vice president at his official residence.

The Hans India

Bank of Baroda on Monday said it is organising two events for the farmers with an aim to reach out to the community with its services. Baroda Kisan Pakhwada will be held from October 1 to 15, 2019 and Baroda Kisan Diwas is scheduled on October 16, 2019. The bank said as a part of the Baroda Kisan Pakhwada, its branches will hold various programmes such as Farmers’ Fairs, night meets in villages, health check-up camps for farmers as well as cattle, farmers’ conferences, financial literacy camp, etc.

The Weekend Leader

The Punjab government on Sunday warned farmers against stubble burning and said those cultivating panchayat lands would be barred from taking it on lease if found indulging in crop residue burning. The Agriculture Department has urged the Rural Development and Panchayats Department to ensure clean, green and pollution-free environment by preventing stubble burning. State Agriculture Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu said that nearly 1.37 lakh acres of panchayat land were under agriculture and this unhealthy practice of open stubble burning could be averted.

The Times of India

The Punjab government is going to bar farmers practising stubble burning on panchayat land from taking it on lease in the future. The state agriculture department has told the rural development and panchayat department that to ensure clean, green and pollution free environment in the state this winter, such farmers should be barred from taking panchayat land on lease in the future.

The Times of India

he Pesticide Management Bill, which will replace the Insecticides Act, 1968, seeks to regulate the pesticide sector by fixing prices and setting up of a regulatory authority. “The government should address industry’s concerns in the Pesticides Management Bill,” Velagala said while addressing the company’s 39th Annual General Meeting.

Zee Business

The agriculture sector was the core of the Union Budget for the year 2019-20 and the government has planned to invest widely in agriculture infrastructure to provide assured income to small and marginal scale farmers across the country. Meanwhile, Agriculture technology or Agri-tech, has taken the lead for the required revolution in the agricultural sector in India. Technological intervention in the sector is now helping farmers and agriculture-based population to increase their income.

The New Indian Express

Kerala has long been a consumer state, depending on neighbours to meet its food requirements. Though the state has unique and diverse agro-climatic conditions in various regions, which enable it to cultivate many types of crops, its agricultural legacy is not on a par with other states.