Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Slash GST rates on farm produce: Congressedit
Arguing that the BJP government has been deceiving farmers ever since it came to power in 2014, the Congress on Wednesday asked the government to give relief in the Budget by slashing GST rates on farm produce and products and announcing national farm loan waiver and minimum income schemes to put more money in the hands of farmers and the poor to increase consumption.
The Congress also asked the government to spell out measures to ensure that farmers’ income doubles by 2022 and increase the allocation for MGNREGA.
Yellow rust incidence in wheat in Punjab, Haryana causes anxietyedit
Tamil Nadu: Farmers to get Rs 3.74 crore to install water management systemsedit
The district agriculture department will distribute subsidy worth Rs 3.74 crore to 1,351 farmers under the supplementary water management activity (SWMA) to buy infrastructure to set up water management systems on farms. Under the scheme, the department will cater to farmers who get subsidy for micro-irrigation schemes. The farmers will be given 50% subsidy for buying motors, PVC pipes and constructing ground-level water storage structures.
Shift to post-harvest paradigm vital to farm sector revivaledit
India’s large agriculture economy is one that definitely needs a critical boost. The sector contributes to 17 per cent (approx.) of the total GDP. But the largest provider of livelihood in the country is plagued by systemic issues like adherence to age-old farm practices, over-dependence on monsoon, wavering prices for farmers, a non-competitive marketing and returns structure, and overwhelming transport and storage issues.
The government has multiple methods at its disposal to address the issues but the Budget remains the singular lever of policy and financial change in terms of reach and impact.
Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societie’s polls soonedit
The election for the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) will be held soon in Telangana. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday instructed the officials concerned to issue notification for the conduct of the elections in three or four days. The CM wanted the completion of the entire election process in 15 days. Currently, Person In-Charges are overseeing the functioning of the societies which provide all-round assistance to the farmers in villages.
‘Sanagapappu’ production to rise in Andhra, thanks to the good rainsedit
Andhra Pradesh will witness an increase in the production of Sanagapppu (Bengal gram) production as the cultivation acreage has risen by one percent over the previous year’s land.
According to a study, ‘Rabi Estimate Report 2020’ that was prepared by private weather station Skymet, rains between October and December benefited Andhra Pradesh and helped spread the cultivable acreage.
Agriculture as solutionedit
The Narendra Modi government’s first term (June 2014 to May 2019) was marked by benign consumer food price inflation. At a mere 3.3% year-on-year, it averaged below even the 4.3% for overall retail inflation. Politically, the ruling party benefited, given that there are far more consumers of milk in India than dairy farmers. The same goes for the number of consumers of sugar, pulses, potatoes and onion vis-à-vis those growing sugarcane, chana, moong and vegetables. It pays to keep food prices low, at least in the short run.
But low farm produce inflation — the average annual increase in the wholesale price index (WPI) for food articles was 2.9% during 2014-15 to 2018-19, while 0.8% for non-food agricultural ...
Congress attacks government on farm loans, MSPedit
Congress on Wednesday demanded a nationwide farm loan waiver even as it accused the Modi government of “hatching a conspiracy” to end the minimum support price system, a move it alleged would leave farmers at the mercy of the open market. In continuation of its pre-budget press conference series to “expose” the Modi government on the downward slide of the economy, Congress quoted a Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) report, to allege that the government was considering stopping the purchase of crops from farmers.
Explained: Why Punjab is blaming Pakistan for locust attacksedit
As concerns mount over a possible locust attack in southern part of Punjab, the agrarian state is blaming Pakistan for not checking the breeding of the pests in that country’s desert area bordering Rajasthan in India. The Indian Express explains:
What is the issue?
Punjab is fearing a locust attack in southern parts of the state as locust hoppers have been sighted in a couple of villages in three districts bordering Rajasthan. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press upon Islamabad to control the breeding of locusts in Pakistan.
Budget
Budget may unveil 2 mega agri initiativesedit
The government is likely to announce two mega agriculture initiatives — one related to crop diversification and another on financial assistance to create Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) – in the budget.
ET was the first to report on October 11 about the Rs 7,000-crore FPO programme – a promise made by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the previous budget – where the government is expected to help nurture 10,000 such FPOs.
Budget: PM-KISAN fund allocation may be trimmed by 20%edit
The agriculture ministry has sought 20% less funds for the PM-KISAN scheme — that pays farmers Rs 6,000 a year — for 2020-21 because some states have been slow in identifying beneficiaries, and many existing recipients are yet to be Aadhaar verified.
The ministry has sought Rs 60,000 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana for the next fiscal while the government had allocated Rs 75,000 crore for this year, an official familiar with the development told ET.
Technology in Agriculture
Agricultural biotechnology: Gene Editing versus Gene Modificationedit
Increased agricultural production and sustainable food security is of paramount importance for a growing population, both globally and in India. Rice is one of the major staple food crops, on which over half of the world’s population and 80% of Asians are dependent for meeting their daily energy needs. India is the second largest consumer (around 100 million tonnes) as well as producer (115 million tonnes) of milled rice after China.
Rice, like other crops, is exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses during its life cycle. Several diseases such as bacterial leaf blight and blast, and insect pests like the brown plant hopper, cause significant damage that result in devastating yield reductions. The crop losses from ...
Artificial Intelligence, blockchain to help address agriculture issues: PM Modiedit
As a result of several steps taken to double the income of farmers over the past few years, India has emerged as one of the top three nations in production of certain food grains and food products, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his video conferencing address at Global Potato Conclave 2020 held at Gandhinagar.
The Prime Minister said that a new record was also created in the beginning of 2020 by transferring Rs 12,000 crore to the accounts of six lakh farmers across the country. “The government is giving encouragement to food processing industry. We have allowed 100% FDI in the sector and also encouraged food value chain development through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada ...