Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Air pollution: ‘We are helpless’, say Punjab farmers on stubble burningedit
The farmer, who cultivates four acres of land he has taken on contract, said he cannot afford any delay in getting his fields clear of stubble from the previous crop before sowing the next one. If we do not burn the residue, wheat sowing will be delayed and that will ultimately affect the yield, he said. He said buying specialised equipment like Happy Seeder and other machines described as paddy straw chopper, super straw management system or rotavators is not economically viable for a small farmer like him. Happy Seeder costs about Rs 1.50 lakh and requires a 65 horsepower tractor. Together, they will cost him an unaffordable Rs 8 lakh, he said. Such equipment should be ...
TN govt to use drones armed with pesticide to combat fall army worm menaceedit
To combat the infestation of the invasive pest, fall armyworm, the Tamil Nadu government will soon use drones to spray pesticide on the maize farms. For this purpose, experts from Anna University have developed special drones which will be first tried out in Perambalur district near Tiruchy. “The drones are in almost ready and we will test them in the farms in next 10 to 15 days in Perambalur district,” said K Senthil Kumar, director of Centre for Aerospace Research (CASR).
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to be implemented soon: Dir Agriedit
Director Agriculture Kashmir Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi today convened a meeting to review physical and financial progress under capex budget upto ending October 2019. The meeting reviewed the physical achievements under centrally sponsored schemes, progress regarding the formation of farmers produce organizations (FPO), progress on implementation of Kissan Credit cards, status regarding PM-Kissan, and MAAN-DAN (PM-KMY) Schemes. He said that the efforts are being made to save the crop losses from natural calamities and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, a weather-based crop insurance scheme is being implemented soon. He added that notification for the implementation of the scheme has already been issued by the department.
Role of Agriculture Scientists is vital in farmers’ welfare and country’s progress: Narendra Singh Tomaredit
Laying the foundation stone for the new office building of Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) at the Pusa Campus in New Delhi today, Union Minister for Agriculture Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the revamped ASRB shall play a greater role in ensuring availability of capable and qualified Agriculture Scientists through a transparent and streamlined process. The Minister added that Agriculture is important to the country and Government’s aim is for the betterment of agricultural economy by ensuring increase in agricultural production, farmers’ income and agricultural exports.
Post-monsoon rain damages crops on 1.36 lakh hectareedit
The post-monsoon rain from October 16 to October 30 has damaged crops over 1.36 lakh hectare of land in Pune, Solapur, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur. The five districts comprise the Pune revenue division. Revenue officials feared that the damage figure would further increase, as the region would receive more rain from November 5 till November 8.
Rs. 10,000 Crore Financial Aid Announced for Rain-Hit Farmers of This Stateedit
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved Rs. 10,000 crore as compensation to the farmers who have suffered crop damages due to unseasonal rainfall in the state. Chairing a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee, Maharashtra CM asked the local administration to prepare a “damage” report. Fadnavis directed that farmers from those places where the system is not accessible be permitted to upload photographs from mobile phones as proof of damage. He said crop-wise reimbursement will be decided as early as “damage” report is received and the amount of reimbursement would be transferred to the farmers’ account directly.
Govt. Policies
‘Farmers cannot kill others for their own livelihood’ — Supreme Court issues blanket ban on stubble burning in 3 statesedit
Business Insider All India Radio The Times of India
ndia’s Supreme Court called for a hearing to address the national capital’s deteriorating air quality and the bench is coming down hard on stubble burning. Justice Arun Mishra, one of the judges presiding over the hearing, asserted that farmers in Haryana and Punjab can’t “kill others for their own livelihood”. He also pointed out that stubble burning isn’t harming the people of Delhi but also the residents in their states.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to be implemented soon: Dir Agriedit
Director Agriculture Kashmir Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi today convened a meeting to review physical and financial progress under capex budget upto ending October 2019. The meeting reviewed the physical achievements under centrally sponsored schemes, progress regarding the formation of farmers produce organizations (FPO), progress on implementation of Kissan Credit cards, status regarding PM-Kissan, and MAAN-DAN (PM-KMY) Schemes. He said that the efforts are being made to save the crop losses from natural calamities and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, a weather-based crop insurance scheme is being implemented soon. He added that notification for the implementation of the scheme has already been issued by the department.
Stubble Burning
‘Farmers cannot kill others for their own livelihood’ — Supreme Court issues blanket ban on stubble burning in 3 statesedit
Business Insider All India Radio The Times of India
ndia’s Supreme Court called for a hearing to address the national capital’s deteriorating air quality and the bench is coming down hard on stubble burning. Justice Arun Mishra, one of the judges presiding over the hearing, asserted that farmers in Haryana and Punjab can’t “kill others for their own livelihood”. He also pointed out that stubble burning isn’t harming the people of Delhi but also the residents in their states.
Rice Bio-Parks can help states check stubble burning: MS Swaminathanedit
Eminent agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan suggested that the Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments could set up ‘Rice Bio-Parks’, where farmers could convert stubble into income and employment. “Farmers were being blamed by many including CM of Delhi for burning stubble and thereby causing atmospheric pollution. We should stop blaming farmers since it will take us nowhere. Instead, we should propose methods which are economically & ecologically desirable.” The Bio-Park showed how stubble can be utilised to make products, including paper, cardboard and animal feed.
Air pollution: ‘We are helpless’, say Punjab farmers on stubble burningedit
The farmer, who cultivates four acres of land he has taken on contract, said he cannot afford any delay in getting his fields clear of stubble from the previous crop before sowing the next one. If we do not burn the residue, wheat sowing will be delayed and that will ultimately affect the yield, he said. He said buying specialised equipment like Happy Seeder and other machines described as paddy straw chopper, super straw management system or rotavators is not economically viable for a small farmer like him. Happy Seeder costs about Rs 1.50 lakh and requires a 65 horsepower tractor. Together, they will cost him an unaffordable Rs 8 lakh, he said. Such equipment should be ...
Rains, winds may bring some relief but farm fires to increaseedit
Northern India can expect a temporary respite from the air pollution emergency as a spell of rain and favourable wind is forecast by Friday. But farm fires in Punjab and Haryana are also likely to increase as a good chunk of the summer-sown crop has still not been harvested and will leave behind stubble. “A fresh western disturbance is approaching the north and scattered rainfall and change in wind direction is expected by November 8 in Delhi region,” the government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) said in its latest assessment, adding that this is likely to positively influence the AQI.
UP fares better than Haryana and Punjab in stubble burning: Studyedit
As Delhi is struggling to breathe cleaner air with Sunday’s AQI slipping to worst-ever figure at 494, a study by Union agriculture ministry has said that among the national capital’s neighbours, only Uttar Pradesh has done better with fewer incidents of stubble burning — one of the biggest contributors to air pollution — this year as compared to 2018.
Stubble burning: Law fails to catch up, farmers get free runedit
At a time when Ludhiana is gasping for breath with air quality reaching ‘very poor’ category, there has been a little check on stubble burning across the district as farmers are going ahead with the banned practice in full steam. TOI team visited various parts of Ludhiana district and found that residue of paddy crop is being put afire by farmers in various areas of Jagraon, Khanna, Raikot, Sidhwan Bet and Samrala areas. Such incidents have witnessed an increase as compared to last year, but are less than cases reported two years ago.
Stubble burning in Punjab up 7%, down by 17% in Haryana, Centre informs SCedit
With pollution from stubble burning in neighbouring states “chocking” Delhi year after year, the Supreme Court was Monday informed that it has gone up by 7 per cent in Punjab and decreased by around 17 per cent in Haryana. The apex court was informed by the Centre that stubble burning contributed about 46 per cent to the pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) followed by waste and garbage burning, construction and demolition.
Fining farmers is not the solution: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on Delhi pollution hearingedit
Supreme Court sent out a firm message on air pollution & warns states of strict action. ‘Stubble burning must stop,’ says the Supreme Court. Fining farmers is not the solution: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Wrong to blame just farmers, stubble burning for pollution: Agriculture Ministeredit
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that it is wrong to blame just the farmers and the stubble burning for pollution. He also said that the stubble burning is less this year due to Centre’s schemes launched in neighbouring states of Delhi. Speaking at a function in New Delhi, Narendra Singh Tomar claimed that pollution due to stubble burning has also come down. “It is wrong to blame just farmers and stubble burning for pollution,” Narendra Singh Tomar said.
Meet the startups fighting air pollutionedit
It is that time of the year again when air pollution has started hogging the headlines. Blame it on stubble burning, general quality of the air worsening and Diwali, people living in north India are again going on a shopping spree to buy, not just dresses, jewelry and gifts but also anti pollution masks and air purifiers alike. Given the fact that particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns is the most harmful component of air pollution, a city-based startup has come up with a unique device that can be attached to the exhaust pipes of vehicles to convert PM2.5 particles into coarser dust using magnetic energy.
Leading by example: Haryana farmers show the way in stubble managementedit
Setting a trend for their contemporaries to adopt again, a handful of farmers of Haryana are opting traditional manual methods of harvesting that is enabling them to protect the environment by minimising burning of crop residue, a major cause of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. This is also helping the farmers earn additional income.
Punjab’s stubble burning blinds satellites, thousands of violations reportededit
While the national capital is covered in thick smog primarily due to stubble burning in the neighbouring states, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Punjab reached ‘hazardous’ level on Sunday. Patiala and Mandi Gobindgarh gasped for air with the worst AQI in the state. Meanwhile, several new occurrences of stubble burning incidents have been recorded in the state. Taking cognizance of the degrading air quality, the Patiala municipal corporation called for an emergency meeting and announced a special drive against the burning of waste in open areas. According to a report, the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) in Ludhiana was not able to detect farm fires due to thick blanket of smog which had engulfed the entire state.