Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Cold wave, erratic rainfall damage Rabi cropsedit
Heightened cold wave with the dipping mercury and erratic rainfall that lashed several parts of the country damaged the ongoing standing rabi crops and vegetable cultivations. The steel and coal belt of Jharkhand was also whipped by the cold wave and downpour for past few weeks. Weather experts attributed the cause of dipping mercury and rainfall at this time of the year to mainly the northern disturbance.
Explained: Maharashtra’s second farm loan waiver in 2½ years — what is differentedit
Last week, the new Maharashtra government announced a loan waiver for farmers who had up to Rs 2 lakh in pending loans between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2019. Maharashtra thus became possibly the only state to have offered two consecutive farm loan waivers within two-and-a-half years of each other. The previous loan waiver was announced by the Devendra Fadnavis government in June 2017. A look at why this loan waiver was considered necessary, and how it is different from the earlier one:
The New Rice War: China eats into big African markets secured by Indiaedit
As the buyer becomes the seller, India, the largest exporter of rice in the world, has a new competitor in the global market. From the key policymakers in Udyog Bhawan to the top millers exporting rice, everyone is cautiously watching China, which offloading tonnes of rice in African markets usually secured by India.
U’khand getting top agri award surprising: Expertsedit
Uttarakhand government on Thursday was awarded the Krishi Karman award which entails a cash prize of Rs 5 crore by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru for good performance in agriculture sector in category II (hill states). However, experts have expressed surprise at the state being awarded for its performance in agriculture, considering the declining agriculture output and overall performance of hill state in this sector. In the latest Good Governance Index, state agriculture department has been ranked 7th out of 11 states in terms of performance in agriculture and allied sector
Take a haircut on farm loans, CM Uddhav Thackeray tells banksedit
Amidst criticism by BJP and farmers’ organisations on the crop loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday asked the district central cooperative banks and commercial banks to prepare a time-bound plan for its effective implementation and maintain proper cooperation with the departments of Revenue and Cooperation.
Govt. Policies
Big reform! Punjab mulling ending power subsidies to big farmersedit
The Punjab government is considering ending power subsidies to big farmers (owning more than 10 acres of land). This is a step in the right direction, though much delayed—the Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission had first proposed charging farmers with more than four acres of land Rs 100 per BHP of their pumps per month in 2018. It had subsequently proposed, in a draft farm reforms policy, that subsidies to such farmers be cut to 33%—and to 66% for farmers who adopted micro-irrigation. The government had taken it up for consideration twice before now.
Stubble Burning
Indian Oil Corporation to set up ethanol plant to end stubble firesedit
With an aim to tackle the problem of stubble burning, the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) is going to set up India’s first ethanol plant at Panipat, which will convert paddy straw into ethanol, a renewable fuel, said an official. An MoU has been signed between the Haryana government and IOCL for the project, which will, in addition to alleviating the ill effects of stubble burning on the environment, also add to the income of farmers in the region.