Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Kharif ’19-20 challenging due to erratic monsoon; Max impact in Central Indiaedit
The kharif season of 2019-20 had been very challenging as the monsoon had been initially late, erratic and subsequently very heavy and devastating. The monsoon rains had been 110 per cent over its (long-term average) LPA with maximum in Central India, followed by the Southern Peninsula, North-West and North-East, respectively.
The wide spread floods was seen in 13 states between late July and early August 2019, due to incessant rains caused significant dent in the acreage and production of several kharif crops. As per our assessment, sowing rice and pulses cultivation has been most hit in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Rabi Cultivation Up By 50% So Far This Seasonedit
As expected, the rabi/yasangi cultivation is galloping towards all-time high in Telangana as it has already crossed 9.3 lakh hectares with paddy itself being cultivated in an extent of 4.71 lakh hectares in the second week of January.
Thanks to the favourable conditions such as availability of water in all sources of irrigation — major, medium and minor projects, minor irrigation tanks and groundwater table — and hassle-free availability of other inputs like seed and fertilizer, the sowing/transplantation of rabi crops is progressing swiftly.
“We have expected it to be around 20 lakh hectares this season and it is moving in the direction,” a senior officer said adding that highest rabi cultivation in the State was recorded ...
Paddy procurement stopped; Balangir farmers sufferedit
Balangir farmers are facing a big problem due to sudden stoppage of purchase of their paddy as the target given by the Government to the district has been achieved.
Other factors like lack of adequate infrastructure to purchase paddy at Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS), irregularities in issue of token to farmers at the State level and deduction of at least 5kg per bag of paddy in the name of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) ,which is popularly known as ” Katni and Chhatni” too have overshadowed the paddy procurement in the district. Balangir district was given a target of 19 lakh tonnes. This year, the district has a good paddy production. As a result, the target given ...
Rain wreaks havoc on rabi cropsedit
The recent spell of heavy rain and hailstorm have wreaked havoc to rabi and vegetable crops in Jammu region, leaving farmers worried. Last year, during the harvesting season, untimely rain had hit kharif crop.
In Kathua, Samba district, RS Pura, Bishnah, Suchetgarh, Marh, Akhnoor areas of Jammu district, considered as the “grain bowl” of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, the heavy spell of rain has badly affected already sown wheat crop, mustard and pulses. Vegetable crops too have been destroyed in the fields.
FEATURE-Haiti farmers eager to receive compensation after ‘groundbreaking’ land dealedit
On a hot morning in December, Haitian farmer Remy Augustin lifted a pickaxe that was taller than him and began digging holes in a small plot of land. In each hole, he dropped a few kernels of maize, which he covered with loose dirt.
“I don’t have money to pay for a tractor, so we’re aerating the land ourselves,” said Augustin, 55, lamenting the days when the land he tilled was his own. “The land I had was better — it gave me so many bananas, peas, beans.”
India Loses Nearly 10 Per Cent Of Foodgrains Post Harvest Due To Poor Storage. It Will Change With This Projectedit
In its second term, the Narendra Modi government has expedited efforts to set up steel silos to store wheat as part of its initiatives to prevent wastage of foodgrains.
More importantly, the government is now all set to launch a pilot project to store rice in silos by the year-end.
The setting up of silos to store foodgrains such as wheat and rice is important as it helps in avoiding post-harvest losses and wastage during storage.
Budget
A demarcation of Agriculture and Agritech policies are required in Union Budget 2020edit
A separate policy measure should be adopted in the upcoming Union Budget 2020 for Agriculture and Agritech as the objectives of both are different. While Agriculture policy should focus on farmer welfare, structural reforms and doubling farmer income, Agritech policy should focus on increasing productivity, efficiency and output across the agriculture business value chain.
In the last year’s budget, Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, Government of India emphasised on “Gaon-Garib-Kisan” (Village-Poor-Farmer) as the cornerstone of policymaking. With Agritech missing from the key focus area, our planning will always be reactionary.
Uncategorized
Crop loan waiver: Telangana owes banks Rs 7,500 croreedit
To fulfil its election promise of crop loan waiver, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)-led State government will have to pay banks around Rs 7,500 crore in the last quarter of the fiscal year (January to March).
The State also needs to disburse Rs 7,000 crore for the Rythu Bandhu scheme — a welfare programme to support farmers’ investment for two crops a year — in the last fiscal quarter.