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).