Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Punjab CM urges Modi to raise issue of locust attack in border districts with Pakistanedit
Concerned over the spate of attacks on crops by swarms of locusts in neighbouring areas of southern Punjab bordering Rajasthan, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the ministry of external affairs and the Indian high commission in Islamabad to immediately take up the issue with the government of Pakistan, from where the pests are emanating.
Rains may up wheat output by 10% in 2020edit
In what could help raise rural demand amid an economic slowdown, conditions are favourable for a bumper rabi (winter) crop this year, with wheat output likely to touch a record high at 10% more than last year, an estimate released by private weather forecaster Skymet said on Tuesday. Skymet said good postmonsoon and winter rainfall, sustained cold conditions in the north and a higher support price for wheat were major positive factors for higher production this year. The agency predicts wheat production to touch 113 million tonnes (MT) in the rabi season of 2019-20, 10.6% higher than the 102.2 MT produced last year.
Almost 75% Farmers Did Not Get All 3 PM Kisan Instalments, a Year After Implementationedit
Less than three in 10 farmers received the Rs 6,000 that was due to them in the first full year of the implementation of the Centre’s flagship PM Kisan scheme, according to government data obtained by The Wire through the Right to Information Act.
In the first full year of implementation of the PM Kisan scheme – between December 1, 2018 and November 30, 2019 – the Narendra Modi government has only been able to spend 41% of the amount that it ought to have spent, as only slightly more than 25% of farmers have received all three instalments under the scheme.
PM Modi says Gujarat has become hub for production, export of potatoesedit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his home state Gujarat has become a hub for production and export of potatoes in the last two decades. Addressing the third Global Potato Conclave via video conferencing, Modi said India became a leader in production of food grains and food products due to farmers’ hard work and government policies. India’s potato production increased by 20 per in the last decade while in Gujarat, it increased by 170 per cent, Modi said. Policy decisions and modern facilities for irrigation helped in this growth, Modi said.
Potato production rises 51% to 52.5 MT in over a decade: Agriculture ministeredit
India’s potato production increased 51 per cent to 52.5 million tonnes (MT) in over a decade, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday.
Its production had stood at 34.7 MT in 2008, the minister added.
PM-KISAN’s new record: 6 crore farmers get this much money directly into bank accounts in one goedit
In a bit to fulfil the promises made to the Indian farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, the government has paid Rs 12,000 crore to 6 crore farmers across the country. The money was directly transferred to the bank accounts of these farmers earlier in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the third Global Potato Conclave in Gujarat. He also claimed that this a new record by the government for transferring such a huge amount. The government had introduced the PM-Kisan scheme last year to give financial assistance to poor farmers and support them in their agricultural activities.
India facing a bumper wheat crop, shows dataedit
Wheat output in India is likely to hit a record high this year, pushed by a favourable climate and increase in government support prices, which encouraged more sowing.
Data compiled by National Collateral Management Services (NCML, a non-government body) shows a 6.3 per cent rise to 109 million tonnes (mt). The Union ministry of agriculture’s first advance estimate was 100.5 mt, as compared to 102 mt in last year’s fourth advance estimate.
Punjab government brings in system for direct payment to farmersedit
The state government of Punjab has rolled out the system under which the farmers will be made direct payments for the produce that is procured by the state agencies.
Paving way for direct payment to the farmers in their bank accounts through electric transfer, a notification has been issued by the state government. Also, it has made some amendments in the Agriculture Produce Markets Rules 2020.
Till now, the amount due to farmers was transferred by the government within two days of purchase in the accounts of arhtiyas, following which the arhtiyas would release the payment to farmers within three days. But as is the case now, the arhtiyas will continue to get their commission of ...
Budget
The first budget of the Narendra Modi government in its second term had announced ‘zero budget farming’ to help boost farmers’ income, but a year on it has found no takers in Punjab despite the fact that the state government had asked officials from the Agriculture Department to register at least 150 farmers in each district in the plan following a letter from the Centre. Zero Budget Farming means no input cost except the seed of the crop. It was said in the Union Budget that zero budget farming will cut spending on fertilisers and boost farmers’ income.edit
Expectations from the upcoming Union Budget are high but there is one section of society that is raising its voice for the first time: Widows of farmers who took their lives due to farm distress and unpaid farm loans.
Some of them travelled to New Delhi on Monday in the hope of catching the attention of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking a robust rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package in the Budget for widows of farmers and farm labourers.
Zero budget farming finds zero takersedit
The first budget of the Narendra Modi government in its second term had announced ‘zero budget farming’ to help boost farmers’ income, but a year on it has found no takers in Punjab despite the fact that the state government had asked officials from the Agriculture Department to register at least 150 farmers in each district in the plan following a letter from the Centre.
Zero Budget Farming means no input cost except the seed of the crop. It was said in the Union Budget that zero budget farming will cut spending on fertilisers and boost farmers’ income.
Is the budgetary thrust on agriculture lending helping farmers?edit
Credit flow into agriculture has been driven by policy thrust, particularly through lending targets, interest subvention scheme and priority sector lending stipulations. The government’s subsidy payout under the interest subvention scheme has gone up over nine times over the past decade. But, despite these initiatives, accessibility to credit remains weak for small and marginal farmers.
Govt. Policies
India for elimination of trade-distorting subsidies on agriculture in WTOedit
India has pitched for elimination of trade-distorting subsidies on agriculture and ensuring differential treatment to developing countries by the WTO members, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday.
Quoting Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, it said that during his participation in an informal ministerial gathering in Davos last week, he also made a case for working out a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes.