Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
High time Indian farmers are freed from shackles imposed by 1960s’ food-shortage mindsetedit
Stubble burning has highlighted the distortions in the food economy in India more starkly than perhaps ever before. Policymakers need to address subsidies for procurement, power and water, as well as legal and administrative restrictions on agriculture. On the one hand, farmers are subject to restrictions of various kinds. These enhance price shocks and the impact of the vagaries of weather. On the other, they are provided thousands of crores in subsidies for power, water, fertilisers, procurement prices, and now income support.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates the first ever National Agrochemicals Congressedit
Inaugurating the first ever National Agrochemical Congress in New Delhi, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare exhorted that there is a need to address the issues of small and marginal farmers through generation of right knowledge access platforms and provision of basic agricultural inputs at affordable costs as these farmers predominantly comprises (around 86%) the farm sector today and their contribution towards national economy is quite significant.
Stubble burning: Mathura administration imposes fine of over Rs 12 lakh on 281 farmersedit
In a bid to crack down on stubble burning, particularly in light of the observations made by the apex court on the ‘burning’ issue, the Mathura administration in UP has imposed fines or Rs 12.42 lakh on 281 farmers. Mathura district magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said that he is closely monitoring the situation. “I have taken action against seven officials in agriculture department, as they were not motivating the farmers for using machines for stubble management,” he said, adding that a team of district administration along with the police are closely observing the activities of farmers, who are not using machines to decompose the crop residue in the district.
UP traders oppose government’s agriculture e-marketedit
Traders associated with the Uttar Pradesh Yuva Vyapar Mandal (UPYVM) have opposed to eNAM, an online trading platform for agricultural commodities launched by the central government. UPYVM has written a letter to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman opposing the e-market and urged to figure out other means to increase farmers’ income. They added that not all farmers are well-equipped for the online system, which will leave traditional farmers in the lurch. A letter to the finance minister stated that India is identified with the traditional markets and not due to online markets. The request has been urged to the minister not to create an online agriculture market as it’ll break traditional relationships, which are based ...
Nagaland among 5 states selected for SCATE projectedit
Along with four other states, Nagaland has been selected for Scaling up Agricultural Technologies for Smallholder Farmers (SCATE) project. The other four States are Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. Announcing this at the agriculture department’s one day coordination meeting-cum-preparation of AWP and B (2019-2020) for SCATE with stakeholders at the agriculture directorate’s conference hall on Thursday, agriculture director M Ben Yanthan said the five States were selected based on higher levels of poverty, low levels of farm power availability and low levels of appropriate technology development and diffusion.
Rs 2552.64 Cr disbursed to 51,05,290 farmers under KALIA scheme: Agriculture Ministeredit
Odisha Agriculture Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo today informed that Rs 2552.64 crore was disbursed to 51,05,290 farmers under KALIA scheme out of which 45,965 are ineligible beneficiaries. the Odisha Agriculture minister informed that in the first instalment, 51,05,290 beneficiaries (36,34,710 small & marginal farmers and 14,70,580 landless) were enrolled in the KALIA scheme, the block-wise and district-wise list is available in KALIA web portal (kalia.co.in).
Interactive meet between rural banks, Agri Deptt heldedit
A day long interactive strategy meet between the representatives of NABARD, Ellaqaui Dehati Bank, Gramin Bank and Department of Agriculture was held at Agriculture Complex Lalmandi, here on Wednesday. Addressing the meeting, Director Agriculture said that the main aim this meeting is to put forward best ideas to enforce positive change in the socio-economic conditions of the farmers and all possible support and help would be provided to the banks as the department has a large data base of field functionaries and employees.
Govt. Policies
UP traders oppose government’s agriculture e-marketedit
Traders associated with the Uttar Pradesh Yuva Vyapar Mandal (UPYVM) have opposed to eNAM, an online trading platform for agricultural commodities launched by the central government. UPYVM has written a letter to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman opposing the e-market and urged to figure out other means to increase farmers’ income. They added that not all farmers are well-equipped for the online system, which will leave traditional farmers in the lurch. A letter to the finance minister stated that India is identified with the traditional markets and not due to online markets. The request has been urged to the minister not to create an online agriculture market as it’ll break traditional relationships, which are based ...
Rs 2552.64 Cr disbursed to 51,05,290 farmers under KALIA scheme: Agriculture Ministeredit
Odisha Agriculture Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo today informed that Rs 2552.64 crore was disbursed to 51,05,290 farmers under KALIA scheme out of which 45,965 are ineligible beneficiaries. the Odisha Agriculture minister informed that in the first instalment, 51,05,290 beneficiaries (36,34,710 small & marginal farmers and 14,70,580 landless) were enrolled in the KALIA scheme, the block-wise and district-wise list is available in KALIA web portal (kalia.co.in).
Stubble Burning
Punjab takes a day off burning strawedit
In a first since September 23, no cases of paddy stubble burning were recorded in Punjab on Thursday. However, the number of such incidents remains high as compared to the corresponding period last year. Total 48,689 cases of farm fires in the state have been recorded since September 23 by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) while the figure was 45,587 in the same period in 2018.
Stubble burning: Mathura administration imposes fine of over Rs 12 lakh on 281 farmersedit
In a bid to crack down on stubble burning, particularly in light of the observations made by the apex court on the ‘burning’ issue, the Mathura administration in UP has imposed fines or Rs 12.42 lakh on 281 farmers. Mathura district magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said that he is closely monitoring the situation. “I have taken action against seven officials in agriculture department, as they were not motivating the farmers for using machines for stubble management,” he said, adding that a team of district administration along with the police are closely observing the activities of farmers, who are not using machines to decompose the crop residue in the district.
Don’t burn crop stubble, convert it into biofuel: CM Yogi Adityanathedit
With air quality over north India deteriorating once again, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed to farmers to not burn crop residue but instead use it to increase soil productivity. The CM announced that the government was exploring the opportunity to convert crop residue into fuel and at some point in future, could even purchase it from farmers. “Crop stubble can be converted to biofuel. We are already in talks with companies like Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum and are setting up a unit each in Sitapur and Gorakhpur for this. Once these are up and running and successful, we will strive to have one or two such units in each district. In coming days ...