Hindustan Times

The Punjab and Haryana governments on Friday presented their respective budgets for 2020-21 with key focus on education and agriculture.

Presenting a Rs 1.54 lakh crore budget, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal made a raft of announcements, including free education for all up to class 12, implementation of 6th pay commission, release of dearness allowance arrears and loan waiver for landless and farm workers, despite rising debt.

The Hindu

The State government is struggling hard to cope with the farmers’ demand for procurement of redgram under the price support scheme at the minimum support price of ₹5,800 per quintal this year with the targeted quantity on behalf of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (Nafed) has already been procured.

The Hindu

The Risota or Risotto, a northern Italian rice variety, is being cultivated in organic method by one Basetti China Gangadhar under the guidance of the progressive farmer Nagula Gangaram popularly known as Chinni Krishnudu, at Gutpa village in Makloor mandal.

“It is not cultivated anywhere in the country and we are raising it here as a challenge. The interesting thing is that we raised the nursery using rice grain and not paddy seed. Chief executive officer of Gajanan Rice Mills, Hithin Bhimani, brought one kg risota rice from an international rice exhibition held in Cologne in Germany. With which we raised the nursery and transplanted in a 60 square yards,” said Mr. Chinni Krishnudu.

The Hans India

Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose said that farmers should adopt modern technology to get better yield. Speaking at Acharya N G Ranga Agriculture University (ANGRAU), Peddapuram, Bose said that nearly 67 per cent of rural population were depend on agriculture sector in the country.

He said that if one wishes to shine in agriculture sector, they could take the help of agriculture scientists.

Indian Express

In the fourth budget of Congress’s government, for the first time, the much-needed diversification got a small push when Punjab Finance minister has proposed Rs 200 crore support to boost crop diversification against the allocation of Rs 60.49 crore in the last budget. But farmers’ and agriculture experts said that these allocations were just budgetary provisions, with actual realisation a distant dream.

Punjab has also set aside Rs 2,000 crore for crop loan waiver, including Rs 520 crore for farm labourers and landless farmers. Experts said that the amount was too little.

Tribune India

Heavy rain along with hailstorm and strong winds lashed the region on Saturday, flattening wheat crop.

There are reports of flattening of wheat, which had just started developing grain, along with waterlogging of ready-to-harvest fields of potato crop. The wheat crop on land along the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road near Adampur fell flat. Similar reports were received from Patara, Johalan, Hazara, Nangal Shama, Puranpur and Talhan villages on this side.

Times Of India

The Punjab government has allocated Rs 12,526 crore for the agriculture and allied sector in the 2020-21 budget. Of this, Rs 2,000 crore will be used for the next phase of crop loan waiver. The amount includes Rs 520 crore for waiver of loans taken by landless and farm workers. Two new agricultural colleges will be set up at Gurdaspur and Balachaur (Nawanshahr) with the initial allocation of Rs 14 crore. Also, Rs 8,275 crore has been earmarked for free power to farmers.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Reams have been written on the issue of doubling farmers’ income, the delegates at the BusinessLine Agri Summit were surprised to listen to a poetic rendition on the subject. Nadir Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Agrovet, a poet by passion, chose to discuss the subject by penning lines that explained the situation of the farmers in a unique way. No wonder the audience was enthralled.

The Hindu BusinessLine

It was at a kisan rally in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, exactly four years ago (February 28, 2016) that the Prime Minister said he wished to see farm incomes double by 2022-23, when the country completes 75 years of Independence. This was followed up by a NITI Aayog study released in March 2017 which went into the roots of this ambition. The study points out that it took 22 years, from 1993-94 to 2015-16, to double the farm income per cultivator from ₹21,110 to ₹44,027. It points out that doubling the real income of farmers between 2015-16 and 2022-23 would require a 10.41 per cent annual growth in farmers’ income.

The Hindu BusinessLine

The BusinessLine Handbook of Indian Agriculture 2020, which was released in New Delhi on Thursday, offers a comprehensive 360-degree analysis of India’s agricultural economy, with forward-looking ideas to resolve the farming crisis. The book marshals some of the keenest minds in the domain of the agricultural economy, and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain — scientists, established policy experts, technocrats, corporate leaders, agricultural scholars, farmers’ collective activists, and grassroots-level practitioners. Many of them have worked — or are working — in government and have signally contributed to policymaking.

Indian Express

The government on Wednesday decided to lift the nearly six-month-old ban on export of onions in a bid to protect the interests of farmers as prices are likely to fall sharply due to bumper rabi crop.

Sources said the decision was taken at a meeting of a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah.

“Since the price of onion has stabilised and there is bumper onion crop, government has decided to lift ban on export of onions. Expected monthly harvest in March is over 40 lakh MT compared to 28.4 lakh MT last year,” Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Times Of India

The legislative assembly on Wednesday passed a bill rolling back voting rights of farmers in agricultural produce marketing committees (APMCs). The previous BJP-Shiv Sena regime had amended the APMC Act to give farmers the right to elect market committees. Officials say this was a BJP move to wrestle control of the APMCs from NCP and Congress.

The Hans India

An awareness programme for farmers to sell their produce through online using e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) was held on the premises of Bowenpally Agriculture market yard on Wednesday.

The programme was organised by agricultural marketing department of Telangana government. Representatives of farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and farmers associations attended the programme. Coordinator of Agriculture Marketing department of Telangana G Lakshmibai, special advisor of e-NAM Vishal Dinesh, e-NAM official Rajesh Sharma, SFAC officials Paramender Singh, R Lakshman and others explained farmers on integration of FPOs on e-NAM.

Times Of India

The paddy fields in the 150-year-old Krishna delta have received a green cover for the first time in a decade with farmers cultivating the second crop. Farmers in the Krishna delta, spread over Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari districts, are busy with Rabi crop thanks to incessant rains in the upstream and subsequent floods this monsoon. Out of the 13.08 lakh acres of cultivable land in Krishna delta, farmers have grown Rabi crop in 5,07,685 acres. “The Kharif crop was good due to availability of water and its judicious maintenance,” said M V S Nagi Reddy, vice-chairman, AP Agriculture Mission.

Times Of India

Agriculture minister Chandrakant Kavalekar recently announced that his ministry would establish an agriculture university in Goa within the next one year, to focus on the study of organic farming. This decision to set up a university under a ministry other than education has not gone down well with officials and academicians in the state. They say this move will spell chaos for the education sector if individual ministries are allowed to start their own institutes.

The Hindu BusinessLine

From ensuring remunerative prices for farmers through eNAM, risk-proofing agriculture through PMFBY, and reducing the cost of cultivation through micro-irrigation and soil health cards, the Centre has taken various measures to increase farmers’ income in the last four years.

The time has come to review these measures and come up with innovative ideas to fast-track efforts to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022-23.

The two-day BusinessLine Agriculture Summit that opens in Delhi on Thursday will bring together experts in the sector to brainstorm on ideas to re-vitalise agriculture and help increase farmers’ income.

Inc 42

KSUM will host Rural India Business Conclave in ICAR-CPCRI, Kasaragod from February 27 to March 3

The conclave will host prominent names such as angel investor, Nagaraja Prakasam, Malabar Angel Network’s PK Gopalakrishnan, Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Startup Mission and others

The last date for applying to the SITI exhibition in the conclave is February 29

The Hindu BusinessLine

The Netherlands is keen to strengthen ties with Tamil Nadu in sectors such as agriculture, water management, health care, education, waste management and start-ups, said Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Netherlands.

Berg met newspersons in Chennai to introduce Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of TVS Capital Funds, as Honorary Consul of Netherlands for Tamil Nadu.

“We are delighted to have Srinivasan on board to enhance our long cherished 400 years of relations between Tamil Nadu and Netherlands,” Berg said.

Hindustan Times

Unseasonal rains with hailstorm over the past two days have caused massive damage to crops at several places in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

According to Bihar government officials, rain and hailstorm in parts of south and north Bihar adjacent to Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday damaged flowering and fruiting oilseed, pulses, vegetables, tobacco crop, and blossoming mango orchards.

In some parts of Kaimur, Rohtas and Aurangabad, hail of up to 20mm was recorded within a few hours on Monday and Tuesday, officials said. Strong winds with speeds of up to 40 km per hour resulted in damage to mango trees in several areas.

“We are finished,” said Amit Singh, a farmer of Badhauna village in ...

Hindustan Times

A revamped flagship crop insurance scheme unveiled last week by the Cabinet is the Modi government’s first real reform in the farm sector, with the Centre virtually exiting the scheme and handing the insurance market and states a deciding role, analysts say.

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which became operational in 2016-17, has been hobbled by long delays in paying off claims, upsetting farmers.

To be sure, the scheme is crucial in a country where crops are vulnerable to drought, unseasonal rains and pest attacks. Nearly 54% of the net-sown area lacks irrigation and 12 million hectares, on average, suffer annual weather shocks.

News Click

Are Indians eating healthy food? A new report by The Indian Express suggests that Indians, especially from poorer sections, are consuming food devoid of pulses and milk. At a Global Pulse Conclave held in Pune earlier this month, it was found that the consumption of pulses in India has flattened. Every year, top pulse leaders from different countries participate in Global Pulse Conclave annual convention and share “insights on the market outlook for the various pulse corps”. This year, it was found that the drastic decline in the consumption of pulses was linked to their rising prices.

Times Now News

Ride-hailing services have become so popular in the world that they have received hefty investments from mainstream automakers. Backed by technology, ride-hailing services offer a raft of conveniences to the users. And over these years, these services have been tweaked and iterated by several companies to suit different purposes, including hailing tractors. According to a Reuters report, John Deere, an American farm equipment manufacturer, is using ride-hailing technology to boost sales in Africa. For this, it has joined hands with a startup –Hello Tractor — and intends to equip its tractors with technology that will help farmers order tractors using an app. This app will also offer information like fuel levels on the vehicle and live ...

FNB News

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Scheme is comprehensive and ambitious and will play a key role in doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was stated by Narendra Singh Tomar, minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, rural development and Panchayati Raj at a function held here recently to mark the first anniversary of the scheme.

He added that the Central Sector Scheme PM-Kisan was among the several new initiatives undertaken by Modi, focussing on the agriculture and rural development sectors.

Times Of India

The district’s agriculture technology management agency (ATMA) plans to survey four blocks—Pollachi, Karamadai, Annur and Periyanaickenpalayam, to understand the exact requirement of farmers and ensure their land and resources are optimally used. The project to improve their livelihoods and revenue will be a five-year plan. Farmers will be advised on more suitable crops, cultivation practices, varieties and use of machines.

New Indian Express

ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICAR-KVK) experts have raised a samba paddy variety that would help farmers in Thalaignayiru who face issues in irrigation.

Farmers in Thalaignayiru had been unable to keep up with others because of their geographical disadvantage. As low lying areas, fields get flooded almost every year, which forces farmers to start cultivation in January when everybody else begins harvest.

Financial Express

PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana has benefited a total of 8.45 crore farming families in the country with an addition of more than 37 lakh families in the current financial year since the launch of the scheme in February 2019, latest government data show. According to the agri-census estimate, a total of 14 crore families need to be included under the ambit of the scheme, Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday.

The government has spent a total of Rs 50,850 crore under the scheme so far since its inception in February 2019, out of the allocation of Rs 75000 crore, Tomar said. According to the minister, the PM Kisan scheme is aiming at ...

Krishi Jagran

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has roped in the e-governance service provider CSC SPV to enable fast-track registration of those farmers who are eligible to avail Kisan Credit Cards (KCC). With this collaboration, the eligible farmers would be able to get themselves enrolled for KCC via around 3.65 lakh common service centers. This will provide them credit support for farming as well as non-farming activities.

Speaking of the collaboration, CSC e-Governance India Limited’s CEO Dinesh Tyagi told PTI,  “CSC e-Governance India Ltd has been authorized by the agriculture ministry to register eligible farmers for KCC.” According to reports, the current number of farmers who have been provided with KCCs is 6.67 crores. However, the government is aiming at providing the benefit of Kisan Credit Card ...

Inc42

To ease the implementation process of farmer-related government schemes, the Indian government will launch an Aadhaar-authenticated digital database of farmers in June.

Currently, the government has a database of beneficiaries for soil health cards, Kisan Credit Cards, crop insurance scheme, PM-KISAN and other government schemes. Now all the database will be linked and integrated and one Aadhaar-authenticated data, which will be used as a reference point for all government-run schemes, will be created. Bringing all databases under one umbrella is expected to help the government reach only the authentic beneficiaries.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Farm inputs such as chemical fertilisers, hybrid seeds and insecticides have played a key role in increasing the country’s food production over the past few decades. However, the input-intensive cropping systems have raised concerns on their economic, social and environmental impact, triggering demand to make farming more sustainable.

The availability of cheaper urea has led to its excess application by farmers, resulting in a nutrient imbalance, which has impacted soil health and leading, in turn, to degradation in soil quality. Such a trend has begun impacting farm productivity.

The Hindu BusinessLine

As part of the Centre’s efforts to make India a $5-trillion economy, and a global powerhouse, by 2024-25, spice farmers should double their production while exporters should increase trade, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said.

He was here to inaugurate a function to present the Spices Board’s trophies and awards to exporters for their Excellence in the Export of Spices, and to launch new projects to ensure the sustainable development of the domestic spices sector.

Down To Earth

“We work on other farms despite owning land,” said Lakshmi (42), an agricultural labourer and member of the Jenu Kuruva tribe of the Heggadadevanna Kotte (HD) taluk in Mysuru district, Karnataka.

Lakshmi is the daughter of a landowner, who grew crops on land allotted by the state government. Hers was among several tribal families who were displaced from Mysuru’s Sargur town, following construction of Kabini dam in 1974 and were allotted land.

The Print

As many as 10 lakh farmers in West Bengal, who have registered under the PM-KISAN scheme, have been deprived of the benefits due to the Mamata Banerjee government’s “refusal” to implement it in the state, said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at a press conference Monday.

The Wire

It was the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 that first made it mandatory in India for all vehicles to have  valid third-party insurance coverage.

As per a recent amendment to the Act, driving an un-insured vehicle can attract a penalty of Rs 2,000 or imprisonment of up to three months or both. According to a General Insurance Council (GIC) report of 2016, only about 8.26 crore vehicles had a valid third-party insurance policy while the number of registered automobiles was about 19 crore. It is estimated that about 60% of two-wheelers on Indian roads are uninsured.

Down To Earth

Groundwater levels reportedly have dipped in 11 of Bihar’s 38 districts despite a good monsoon in 2019. The state is predominantly dependent on agriculture.

In Katihar the level dipped to 25 feet, according to a telemetry report released by the Bihar’s minor water resources department in February, 2020. Several rivers, including the Ganga, Mahananda, Kosi and Righa, pass through the east Bihar district. The level dropped to 24 feet in Begusarai and 21 feet in Gaya.

In Gaya, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Patna districts, the levels were measured at 21 feet, 19 feet, 18 feet and 17 feet respectively. In Jamui and Buxar districts, the levels were recorded at 14 feet and 13 feet respectively; in Arwal and ...

The Wire

Following major Budget cuts this year for two major schemes that are aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to farmers, the debate on a reasonable minimum support price (MSP) continues.

The prime minister and president have both said in parliament that farmers will be given 1.5 the cost of production as MSP. In its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised this. However, in 2015, the Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that they could not increase the MSP to 1.5 times the cultivation cost because it would lead to ‘market distortions’.

Times Of India

On the first anniversary of launch of the government’s ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday launched a mobile app to broaden the reach of the programme that aims to provide annually Rs 6,000 to each eligible farmer. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) was launched on February 24, 2019 in Uttar Pradesh and all states are implementing the scheme, except for West Bengal.

Outlook India

Ahead of the commencement of Maharashtra Legislature”s budget session, BJP legislators staged a protest on the steps of the Vidhan Bhawan building here on Monday demanding complete loan waiver for farmers.

They demanded that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government write off farmers” debts completely and also provide them a financial assistance of Rs 25,000 per hectare for crop damage.

Times Of India

All the dams in the district are currently releasing water for agriculture and drinking purposes. The water resources department (WRD) said the rotation is likely to conclude by the first week of March. “There is enough water in the dams this year. There are no restrictions on supply, except on those who are yet to clear water dues,” a WRD official said.

Deshabhimani

Centre’s seeks to resolve nationwide  crisis faced by the agriculture sector by distancing farmers from what they are doing, namely farming, said General Secretary to All India Kissan Sabha and COI(M)Politburo member  Hanan Mollah.  Already  large number of people are moving out of this sector owing to mounting losses, he said.  Hanan Mollah  was speaking to  Deshabhimani on the sidelines of  Farmers’ State Meeting held in Kollam.

Scroll

On a cold February morning in this south Kashmir town, saffron farmer Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, 38, was setting out on a 30-km drive to the capital city of Srinagar. Bhat and two other farmers were meeting officials of the Agriculture Department to press for a Geographical Indication, or GI, tag for Kashmiri saffron.

Scroll

Ganeshwadi is the last village of Shirol taluka in Kolhapur district on the border between Maharashtra and Karnataka. Many farmers from Ganeshwadi and other villages in Shirol straddle between the two states with a home in Maharashtra and agricultural land in Karnataka.

When monsoons hit the western Indian state, floods regularly follow in Shirol. The taluka has 55 villages, among which 43 are 90% flood-affected, while seven villages face the maximum impact, becoming islands during this time of the year.

Financial Express

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called upon Indian startups to help farmers equip with the required technology to boost agri-entrepreneurship in the country. Inaugurating an event on agri-technology and innovation at Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University in Hyderabad, Naidu said that “emerging start-ups can bridge the gaps in facilitating outreach of technology to the farmers and create the right ecosystem for agri-entrepreneurship in India.” He also urged scientists and researchers to develop solutions for challenges faced by Indian farmers.

Indian Express

Mango growers from Konkan have urged the state government to pay them compensation for the crop loss suffered by them due to unseasonal rain last year. Chandrakant Mokal, president of the Maharashtra State Mango Growers Association, claimed this year the state will see just 20 per cent of its normal production.

Unseasonal rain in October and November saw mango orchards of Konkan — home of the fabled Alphonso mangoes — sustaining heavy losses. This has affected the flowering of the orchards and, instead of March, the first fruit of the season will hit the markets only in May. “Flowering in most orchards started late and farmers will have to spend extra to enable the fruit to set ...

Indian Express

Minister for Water Resources, Jayant Patil, cited ‘substandard’ work carried out under Jalyukta Shivar, the flagship water conservation project launched by previous Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government. Five years hence, the project has been officially scrapped by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

What does this mean for the efforts of water conservation and will the state tackle its water woes?

The Hindu BusinessLine

The pesticide – Dichlorvos, that is used to tackle the menace caused by locusts effectively, will be banned from December 31.

This is despite the reports of the locusts destroying crops, that were growing on nearly 1.68 lakh hectares of agricultural land, over the last one year in the country.

Scroll

On a cold February morning in this south Kashmir town, saffron farmer Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, 38, was setting out on a 30-km drive to the capital city of Srinagar. Bhat and two other farmers were meeting officials of the Agriculture Department to press for a Geographical Indication, or GI, tag for Kashmiri saffron.

Hindustan Times

Indian farmers have been overspraying subsidised chemical fertilisers on crops for decades, imperiling public health. The national soil health programme, which completed five years this month, has potentially weaned off nearly 200 million farmers from the practice, leading to more judicious use, higher productivity and better incomes, two public-sector studies have found.

Tribune India

AMIDST a hurricane of lawsuits that agrochemical multinational Bayer-Monsanto faces in the US and elsewhere over its herbicides Roundup and Dicamba’s alleged link to cancer, a joint investigation by Unearthed, a journalists’ research group founded by Swiss NGO Public Eye and Greenpeace UK, found that India tops the global chart with nearly 59 per cent of the sales being of ‘highly hazardous pesticides’.

Hindustan Times

The Congress government in Chhattisgarh claimed on Friday the state has set a record of highest paddy procurement this year since its formation in 2000.

The government said in a press release that in the Kharif marketing year 2019-20, about 83 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured till Thursday evening on the last day of procurement at support price and paddy procurement.

Indian Express

Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav has said India is in the midst of a “policy-driven crisis in which the farmers are bound to suffer despite a bumper crop.” Alleging that the “agri-trade policy in this country is dictated by the traders’ lobby”, Yadav said it is exected that “the government will suspend the imports for pulses in the face of a bumper harvest”.

Economic Times

The Centre on Saturday said it has disbursed Rs 50,850 crore to farmers so far under its landmark scheme PM-KISAN, enabling them to meet farm input cost and household expenses.

The agriculture ministry shared the progress made under the scheme, ahead of its first anniversary on February 24.

The Tribune

A revamp of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) by making it voluntary and bringing in some changes is being touted as a farmer-friendly move though experts fear that this can also lead to hike in premium.

By revamping the PMFBY, the Centre has not only made it voluntary for farmers, but also allowed single-peril insurance. Until now, farmers were required to pay premium for multi-peril insurance.

Hindustan Times

Punjab stares at a problem of plenty with a bumper wheat procurement season less than two months away.

Piles of wheat and paddy stored in the state’s godowns have become a cause of worry not only for the state and central governments but also for farmers who now know that their produce is not in demand.

The Wire

Even after the three-month-long drama surrounding paddy procurement came to an end on February 20 in Chhattisgarh, farmers were still out on streets in at least five districts. Several members of the procurement staff in Koriya, Kawardha, Bemetara and Kondgaon had been taken prisoners by agitating farmers.

While millions of tonnes of paddy still lay unprocured due to various reasons, the government closed the Mandi gates after claiming that it had already reached its target of 83 lakh tonne and deposited more than Rs 14,500 crore in payments to farmers’ bank accounts.

The Wire

As the countdown for President Donald Trump’s India visit begins, there has been much speculation about the nature and extent of the trade deal that could or could not be agreed upon between the two countries.

Irrespective of all other details, an issue that is certainly on the table is intellectual property (IP). India will need to tread with caution in the light of demands on that front not only in pharma, but also in the area of agriculture.

Times Of India

For the first time, the Centre has come out with customised crop insurance (single peril insurance cover) for states by factoring in one specific natural disaster. Such insurance will first be made available in Punjab, parts of Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh where farmers are not generally hit by droughts or floods but have to suffer due to hailstorms. This model, having low premium due to risk coverage against single extreme weather event, will be available to other states or Union Territories (UTs) as well under the existing Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme (PMFBY).

Economic Times

India needs to curb proliferation of illegal seed technology and implement a strong intellectual property regime to ensure that companies invest in the agriculture sector and bring in latest technologies, a top executive at Bayer CropScience that acquired MonsantoNSE -0.40 % in 2016.

The German agriculture major has made representation to the government on this regard, said Simon Thorsten Wiebusch, chief operating officer of Bayer CropScience LtdNSE 4.10 %, which last year completed the integration of Monsanto’s India business with itself

Economic Times

The agriculture ministry is likely to take a decision on revising the price of Bt cotton seeds, including the trait value (tech fee), by March to help farmers plan for the kharif planting season which starts in June.

The industry has sought a 10 per cent increase in price because of rising input costs. Some manufacturers have sought pricing freedom.

The Wire

On February 19, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved major modifications to the two crop insurance schemes, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS).

While the former provides insurance on the basis of guaranteed crop yield, the latter provides coverage on the basis of weather parameters, irrespective of the yield of crop.

The two schemes were launched in 2016 and there were major modifications in guidelines in 2018. The implementation of the overall project has attracted criticism from farmers, some state governments and the media for delay in settlement of claims and inadequate pay outs in the event of losses.

The Indian Express – Online

It all began in early 2018, when Dr Sachin Gupta, HoD, medical oncology department at Max hospital, Mohali, attended a workshop on organic farming organised by NGO Kheti Virasat Mission in Ludhiana.

The Times of India – Online

The Centre on Wednesday revamped its flagship crop insurance scheme to address existing challenges in its implementation where farmers invariably have to suffer due to delay in disbursal of claims in case of crop failures.

The Hindu – Online

Kerala needs to classify its available land into sectors so that there is enough for agriculture, industry and other requirements, said Minister for Water Resources.

Swarajya – Online

The nation is set to record an all-time high food output totalling 292 million tonnes (mt) in 2019-20 fiscal, which would be higher than the previous fiscal’s 285.21 mt, reports Hindu Businessline.

Indian Express

Is food inflation in India influenced by global price movements? On the face of it, that seems to be the case.

The return of food inflation

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) food price index — which is a measure of the change in international prices of a basket of major food commodities with reference to a base period (2002-04 = 100) — touched 182.5 points in January 2020, the highest since the 185.8 level of December 2014.

Times Of India

Highlighting concerns of the farming community over the draft of the Seed Bill, 2019, which prevents farmers from producing seeds and threaten seed sovereignty of the agriculture community apart from attempts to impose industrial seed from MNCs through a UPOV (International Union for the Protection of Plant Varieties) like structure, Bharatiya Kisan Sangam has raised apprehensions that the the bill may not protect farmers’ right to save and exchange seeds freely among the farming community and also increase input costs.

Times Of India

The city witnessed a first-of-its-kind fair, where organic vegetable growers showcased their produce. The first Organic fair was held at the Press Club of Odisha with an aim to provide organic vegetables to people and promote such heathy vegetables. There were around 25 stalls set up inside the campus with organic produce.

Indian Express

With a bumper wheat output expected, the total foodgrains production in the country is estimated to reach an all-time high of 291.95 million tonnes during 2019-20, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) on Tuesday.

The estimated foodgrains production during 2019-20 will be 0.29 per cent higher than the current year’s target of 291.10 million tonnes and 2.36 per cent higher than the production of 285.21 million tonnes in 2018-19.

Times Of India

Growers of Hemmady’s famed sevanthige are demanding compensation from the government as a short winter this year delayed yield and now that the flowers are ready for plucking, demand has dipped. The horticulture department, however, says it is helpless: compensation can be given only if there is crop damage or loss. The village of Hemmady, in Kundapur taluk, is known for its distinctive yellow chrysanthemum, deep yellow and fragrant and grown traditionally without use of chemicals. But while the Mattu Gulla (green brinjal) from Mattu Katpady has been patented, Hemmady’s sevanthige remains unmarked.

The Hindu BusinessLine

The International Year of Soils was celebrated in 2015, the same year that India’s unique programme of Soil Health Card was launched on February 19 to assess the nutrient status of every farm-holding in the country — a staggering figure of 14 crore. Coincidentally the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were also unveiled in 2015.

Agriculture, with soil and water at the heart of it, sustains life on Earth. It is estimated that the hunter-gatherer way of life evolved to farming about 12,000 years back, in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. DNA studies have shown that these pioneers moved eastwards, having striking resemblance to South Asians. Our ancestors practised natural farming in harmony with Nature. ...

Economic Times

Shifting cultivation, an age-old practice in parts of India, may soon get legal backing, with the government planning to define land use that will enable such cultivators access credit and agriculture-related benefits including subsidies.

India has nearly 1.73 million hectares under shifting cultivation, where plots of land are cultivated temporarily and then abandoned for years so that the land becomes fertile again. An estimated 6.23 lakh families are involved in this activity, 90% of which is in the Northeast based on 2003 data.

Economic Times

Canada is now gearing up to widen its export basket of commodities including canola oil, which it will position as premium healthy oil, wheat and barley after the country lost India as the as biggest consumer of Canada’s yellow peas and The Saskatchewan province of Canada will set up one of its global trade offices in India. The other two are in Japan and Singapore.

The Print

The onion crisis that hit India last year may have eased now, but it has once again put the spotlight on poor planning and inadequate crisis management by the government.

Onion prices had skyrocketed beyond Rs 150 per kg, hitting highs of Rs 160-180 in the winter of 2019, before stabilising again. But the market is still reeling under the impact of the crisis — a testament to the government’s shortcomings in handling it.

Hindustan Times

India is expected to produce a record 106.21 million tonnes of wheat this year, the farm ministry said, as favourable weather conditions helped to improve crop yields, with output far exceeding demand and further boosting stocks at grain bins.

Wheat output in India, the world’s second-biggest producer, is expected to go up by 2.5% in the crop year to June 2020, the farm ministry said in its second crop forecast for 2019/20.

Economic Times

As per Second Advance Estimates for 2019-20, total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at record 291.95 million tonnes which is higher by 6.74 million tonnes than the production of foodgrain of 285.21 million tonnes achieved during 2018-19. However, the production during 2019-20 is higher by 26.20 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2013-14 to 2017-18) average production of foodgrain, a release issued by the government said.

Indian Express

The Punjab Agri Export Corporation recently launched the ‘Punjab Kinnow’ brand at the kinnow festival in Abohar. This brand of kinnow, which is considered the ‘king fruit’ of Punjab, is also said to be “pesticide-free”. However, the kinnow is a year-long crop, often attacked by pests including mites at various stages, requiring several sprays of insecticide. So how can such a fruit be declared “pesticide-free”?

The News Minute

All power distribution companies in Andhra Pradesh have been asked by the state government to arrange a metering system to measure power supply from distribution transformers dedicated to the agriculture sector in the state. The press statement from the State Energy Conservation Mission (SECM) on Sunday talks about setting up the meters only at the transformer level.

A Chandrashekhar Reddy, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the SECM said that the request to set up meters came from the farmer associations. Speaking to TNM, he said that this is a central government initiative and fully funded by the Centre. “There will no billing as the meter will be only at the transformer level. There are a ...

Times Of India

Districts in northern Gujarat, falling into arid and semi-arid climatic region –are facing the risk of soil salinity, highlighted a study carried out at Gandhinagar-based Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information & Communication Technology (DAIICT). The study pointed at about 10% of the total agriculture area under the study having risk of soil salinity as predicted using data of 2017-18.

Economic Times

The fifteenth Finance Commission has set up a high-level expert group to recommend measurable performance incentives for states to encourage agriculture exports and promote crops to enable high import substitution.

The seven-member expert group on agriculture exports, headed by ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri, has three months to submit its report to the commission.

The Hindu

A forum fighting for strengthening democracy – Prajaprabhutva Ulisi Andolana Vedike – has appealed to the Chief Minister to encourage agriculture production, by stopping non-agriculture activities in agricultural lands.

Hindu BusinessLine

Year 2019 has been another important one for the renewable energy (RE) sector in India. In Tamil Nadu, one of India’s earliest adopters of RE, the State government and its agencies took four significant steps towards a more ambitious RE future last year.

February 2019 saw the release of a new solar policy with an ambitious 9000 MW solar PV capacity to be installed in the State by 2023.

Second, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) began discussions on the procedure to be adopted for re-powering of old wind turbines and organised public hearings in December 2019.

Financial Express

If there is one thing that bewilders the reader in the agri-food space of the Union Budget for FY21, it is a massive reduction in food subsidy. The Revised Estimate (RE) of food subsidy for FY20 has been slashed by a whopping Rs 75,552 crore, from the Budgeted Estimate (BE) of Rs 184,220 crore to only Rs 108,668 crores. And, the BE for FY21 has been kept at Rs 115,570 crore. One wonders if any major reforms have been undertaken in the grain management system or the National Food Security Act such that this massive reduction in allocation is feasible.

Tribune India

The Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets (General) (Amendment) Rules, 2020, provide for special market yard, private market yard, producer market yard (kisan mandi) and producer consumer market yard (PCMY). The most important reforms are the permission to establish a private wholesale market and the direct payment to farmers, the latter driven by pressure from the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and the implementation of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) by the Union Government.

Times Now News

In the past few months, India and Pakistan have conducted nearly five meetings, keeping aside all differences, to combat the desert locust whose armies raided the standing crops in the fields and caused severe damage. The neighbours will continue the cooperation as a forecast has indicated the likeliness of an invasion with “greater magnitude” from June onwards this year than the one that happened in 2019 in several districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

After mining came to a grinding halt in Dharbandora, Varad Samant did not lose hope but turned to Mother Earth to get him out of a tight spot. Today his locally-grown cabbage has been accepted by the Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited (GSHCL) which will market his produce at outlets across the state. Samant has been able to successfully harvest vegetables at his farm. “The farm is surrounded by a mining area. The land was cultivable even then, but we couldn’t access the farm due to movement of mining trucks. After the closure of mining in 2012, my family decided to take up cultivation of the land on a large scale, full-time,” Samant told TOI.

Live Mint

India Inc expects tangible outcomes from US President Donald Trump’s maiden visit to the world’s fifth largest economy later this month, including a bilateral “mini” trade deal and higher investment commitments from American companies, industry groups said on Sunday.

The two countries are negotiating a trade package to iron out certain issues and promote two-way commerce.

Times Of India

The focus of Yogi government’s budget on February 18 is expected to be on agriculture and farmers as it seeks to draw the roadmap for 2022 assembly elections and retaining power, something which has not happened in the state in last 35 years. And in doing so, CM Yogi will be taking a cue from PM Narendra Modi’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, the scheme of giving Rs 6,000 a year to all marginal farmers, widely considered to be a game changer that helped BJP storm back to power with increased numbers in 2019.

The Hindu BusinessLine

The Finance Minister has said in Parliament that “Our government is committed to the goal of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022”. Let’s see whether she has walked the talk. The government had set up a committee in 2016, under the chairmanship of Ashok Dalwai, with a goal to raise average incomes of agricultural households from ₹96,703 in 2015-16 to ₹1,92,694 in 2022-23 (measured at 2015-16 prices). According to this committee:“Doubling of real income of farmers till 2022-23 over the base year of 2015-16 requires an annual growth of 10.4 per cent in farmer’s real incomes”. But, farmers’ real income has been increasing at a much lower rate of 3 per cent per annum during the last five years, ...

New Indian Express

Even as the contours of the plan to declare the Cauvery Delta a Protected Special Agriculture Zone (PSAZ), announced by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami last week, are yet to emerge, the expectations of farmers in the region are sky high. Palaniswami’s announcement underlined the importance of the Cauvery delta, which has 28 lakh acres of cultivable land and produces 33 lakh tonnes of paddy a year.

Times Of India

The focus of Yogi government’s budget on February 18 is expected to be on agriculture and farmers as it seeks to draw the roadmap for 2022 assembly elections and retaining power, something which has not happened in the state in last 35 years. And in doing so, CM Yogi will be taking a cue from PM Narendra Modi’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, the scheme of giving Rs 6,000 a year to all marginal farmers, widely considered to be a game changer that helped BJP storm back to power with increased numbers in 2019.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Uttar Pradesh government is working to create special seed zones across the State to make quality seeds available to its farmers, said State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Sunday.

Quality seeds have a vital role in doubling farmers’ income. Yields can go up by up to 20 per cent if they use better quality seeds. The government has taken steps to weed out spurious seeds by introducing barcodes on seed packets, Shashi said at the inaugural function of the Indian Seed Congress 2020 here.

Tribune India

There’s a budding guava orchard in Jind’s Dhakal village. A couple of years back, the entire four-acre tract was used for paddy cultivation by the family that owned it. The switch from agriculture to horticulture was forced by the rebellion of a young daughter of the family. Concerned about the deteriorating health of her asthmatic father and the adverse impact of stubble burning on environment, Sonali Sheokand pleaded with her family to not burn the stubble. And when her father, Shamsher Singh, didn’t pay any heed to her requests, Sonali, a class X student then, took the step that left everyone shell-shocked — she lodged a complaint against her own father for stubble burning with the authorities ...

Indian Express

FOR years, water-guzzling paddy and wheat have dominated the fields of Punjab, pushing groundwater levels down and spreading worry lines across farms. But now, one district is witnessing the first shoots of hope. Guided by experts from the state horticulture department, children in Mansa district are learning to grow their own organic, chemical-free vegetables in kitchen gardens at government schools.

The students are part of the ‘Edible Gardens’ programme started by the government in Budhlada block last August to help them stay connected with their roots. And these days, their mid-day meals include fresh vegetables — from spinach, lettuce, coriander, radish, spring onions and brinjals to sarson da saag (mustard greens) — that are grown by the children themselves.

Indian Express

The government is monitoring agricultural credit given by banks in rural areas, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. She added the government expects to meet the increased target of Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal year.

The government in Budget 2020-21 raised the farm loan disbursal target by 11 per cent to Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal and allocated Rs 1.6 lakh crore to implement various plans in agriculture and allied sectors amid the stated goal of doubling farmers income by 2022.

New Indian Express

Even as the contours of the plan to declare the Cauvery Delta a Protected Special Agriculture Zone (PSAZ), announced by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami last week, are yet to emerge, the expectations of farmers in the region are sky high. Palaniswami’s announcement underlined the importance of the Cauvery delta, which has 28 lakh acres of cultivable land and produces 33 lakh tonnes of paddy a year.

Palaniswami, making the announcement, also acknowledged the concerns of farmers about their livelihood and sustainability of agriculture in the wake of proposed hydrocarbon exploration projects. He assured that no new hydrocarbon exploration projects would be allowed in the delta.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Uttar Pradesh government is working to create special seed zones across the State to make quality seeds available to its farmers, said State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Sunday.

Quality seeds have a vital role in doubling farmers’ income. Yields can go up by up to 20 per cent if they use better quality seeds. The government has taken steps to weed out spurious seeds by introducing barcodes on seed packets, Shashi said at the inaugural function of the Indian Seed Congress 2020 here.

Tribune India

There’s a budding guava orchard in Jind’s Dhakal village. A couple of years back, the entire four-acre tract was used for paddy cultivation by the family that owned it. The switch from agriculture to horticulture was forced by the rebellion of a young daughter of the family. Concerned about the deteriorating health of her asthmatic father and the adverse impact of stubble burning on environment, Sonali Sheokand pleaded with her family to not burn the stubble. And when her father, Shamsher Singh, didn’t pay any heed to her requests, Sonali, a class X student then, took the step that left everyone shell-shocked — she lodged a complaint against her own father for stubble burning with the authorities ...

Forbes India

In a research field off Highway 54 last autumn, corn stalks shimmered in rows 40 feet deep. Girish Chowdhary, an agricultural engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, bent to place a small white robot at the edge of a row marked 103. The robot, named TerraSentia, resembled a souped up version of a lawn mower, with all-terrain wheels and a high-resolution camera on each side.

In much the same way that self-driving cars “see” their surroundings, TerraSentia navigates a field by sending out thousands of laser pulses to scan its environment. A few clicks on a tablet were all that were needed to orient the robot at the start of the row before it took ...

Economic Times

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the government is monitoring farm credit given by banks in rural areas, adding that she expects to meet the increased target of Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal.

The government in Budget 2020-21 has raised the farm loan disbursal target by 11 per cent to Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal and allocated Rs 1.6 lakh crore to implement various plans in agriculture and allied sectors as it chases the goal of doubling farmers income by 2022.

The Print

A corpus fund to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore to compensate farmers for pesticide-related crop failure and higher penalties for using banned pesticides are some of the key provisions of the draft Pesticide Management bill cleared by the Union cabinet Wednesday, ThePrint has learnt.

The Pesticides Management Bill, 2020, meant to replace the existing Insecticides Act of 1968, is being piloted by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and will be introduced in the Budget session when it reconvenes in March.

Tribune India

A year ago, Joginder Singh of the district’s Samra village used to spend 70 to80 days watering his fields. Furrows in his fields were large and the amount of water consumption was high. In a period of 12 months, he has reduced the water input drastically while making money out it. Thanks to the state government’s Pani Bachao Paisa Kamao scheme, farmers have started realising that fields can be irrigated with less water.

Financial Express

Only 11 farmers in the state of Sikkim benefitted under PM-KISAN scheme till February 6, 2020. There are, however, over 11,000 farmers of the state “successfully registered” under this scheme, the Central government told the Parliament in a written reply this week. As per the government’s data, the state with the most number of beneficiaries is Uttar Pradesh. As many as 675 18,735,405 farmers of UP have benefitted till February 6, while the total number of farmers of the state registered under the scheme is 23,003,675.

Financial Express

The past few successive Union budgets have referred to PM Modi’s dream of doubling farmer incomes (DFI) as the principle guiding the government’s agricultural policies. It is both encouraging and heartening to know that this government is still steadfast on the dream, and is finding ways to achieve it. We take stock of the situation.

The PM first announced the goal of DFI at a farmer’s rally in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh in February 2016. He shared that he wanted to achieve this goal by FY23. The year was chosen as it marks the 75th year of India’s independence, and this would be an ideal gift for the farming community on the occasion. Between FY16 and FY23, the ...

Money Control

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the government is monitoring farm credit given by banks in rural areas, adding that she expects to meet the increased target of Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal. The government in Budget 2020-21 has raised the farm loan disbursal target by 11 per cent to Rs 15 lakh crore for the next fiscal and allocated Rs 1.6 lakh crore to implement various plans in agriculture and allied sectors as it chases the goal of doubling farmers income by 2022.

Financial Express

India’s trade policy on pulses needs to be “consistent and transparent”, Davis Marit, the agriculture minister of Saskatchewan, the largest pulses producing province of Canada, said on Thursday Speaking on the sidelines of the fifth Pulses Conclave organised by the Indian Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), Marit said that China, Vietnam, Japan, UAE and Bangladesh have emerged as new markets for his province following the trade restrictions imposed by India.

Times Of India

The Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), an outfit of farmers, on Thursday demanded a special package of Rs 75,000 crore for welfare of farmers and development of agriculture sector of Odisha. It demanded the government to announce the package in the budget to be tabled on February 18. NKS national convener Akshaya Kumar said both the state and the Centre have been neglecting the farmers and agriculture sector. “We are fighting for proper price to agriculture produces and pension to poor farmers. Out of the total package, we want the government to sanction Rs 21,600 crore towards monthly pension of poor farmers,” he said while addressing media here on Thursday.

The Hindu

Farming is one of the most respectable and noble professions in the world, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said on Thursday.

Business Today

India’s rural inflation rate surged faster than urban inflation for the first time in 19 months in January, and economists are optimistic that signals something the country desperately needs – a revival in demand in the rural economy.

Around two-thirds of India’s population depends on the rural sector with agriculture accounting for near 15% of India’s $2.8 trillion economy, and rising inflation suggests pricing power is returning to the hands of the farmers, say economists.

Down To Earth

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said that climate change would push 100 million people into the abyss of poverty by 2030. Close to half of these would be due to climate change’s impacts on agriculture.

Global development and government representatives from across the world made an appeal to urgently spend more on rural development to avoid a catastrophic situation arising out of the climate emergency during IFAD’s 43rd Governing Council meeting in Rome.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, popularly known as PM-KISAN, announced in December 2018 was a tectonic shift in the nature of government support to farmers in India. This scheme was aimed at addressing the liquidity constraints of farmers for meeting their expenses for acquisition of agricultural inputs and services.

Yourstory

011, when Dhananjay Abhang was working with First Energy, a Pune-based startup, little did he know that the pellet-based cookstoves the startup was manufacturing for bulk cooking also produced a hefty amount of food waste. Dhananjay was not only uncomfortable to look at the tonnes of food waste being dumped in the nearby landfill, but was also worried about the serious health issues it harboured.

Orissa Post

Odisha has about cultivable land of 6.5 million hectares of out of the total geographical area of 15.6 million ha – 41.16 per cent. Main crop rice is cultivated in 3.8 million ha which accounts for 75-80 per cent of the total cultivated area, as per Odisha Agriculture Statistics 2013-14.

However, it has been a concern that a large portion of potentially productive cropland remains fallow during the winter (Rabi) season after the Kharif crop is harvested. This happens due to several constraints. Around 2 million hectares remain fallow in the winter season in Odisha.

The Hans India

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to set up Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Ltd (Apgecl) with a mandate to provide power free to agriculture consumers and at subsidised rates to aquaculture.

State Minister for I&PR Perni Venkataramaiah said, the Cabinet decided to form this new corporation to take care of renewable power to supply free power for nine hours in the day time to the agricultural sector through solar power.

The Hindu BusinessLine

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to set up Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Ltd (Apgecl) with a mandate to provide power free to agriculture consumers and at subsidised rates to aquaculture.

State Minister for I&PR Perni Venkataramaiah said, the Cabinet decided to form this new corporation to take care of renewable power to supply free power for nine hours in the day time to the agricultural sector through solar power.

Times Of India

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami promising eight districts in the Cauvery basin would be declared a protected special agricultural zone has raised hopes of farmers, who are waiting for the CM to make it a legislation in the budget session starting on Friday. Despite legal experts making it clear that the state does not have powers to legislate on Centre’s subjects, fisheries minister D Jayakumar on Wednesday sought to reiterate the government’s commitment to bring a legislation.

Free Press Journal

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government has decided to waive loans of farmers badly affected due to heavy and incessant rains and floods during July and August 2019. Nearly 4 lakh farmers with agricultural land of over 1 lakh hectare will benefit from western and northern Maharashtra.

Economic Times

The country registered record food grain production in 2018-19 clocking 285.17 million tonnes, which is slightly higher than foodgrain output of 285.01 million tonnes in 2017-18. As per the final estimate for 2018-19 released by agriculture ministry, the country achieved record production of rice and wheat at 116.48 million tonnes and 103.60 million tonnes respectively. The production of coarse grains and pulses, however, are slightly down from 2017-18 at 43.06 million tonnes and 22.04 million tonnes

New Indian Express

In a bid to bring reforms in the agriculture sector, State government on Monday signed MoUs with 11 reputed institutes in the country as knowledge partners in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Objective of the MoUs is to impart technology and knowledge transfer to farmers in the State. As per the agreements, the organisations will provide holistic technical assistance for the farmers to create a sustainable environment and increase their income.

The Hindu

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s announcement on Sunday last that the Cauvery delta region would be declared ‘Protected Special Agricultural Zone’ (PSAZ) may not affect various ongoing projects in the districts, including hydrocarbon exploration. Mr Palaniswami had said no “new projects such as the hydrocarbon project” would be allowed in delta districts.

News Click

The rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, the Cauvery delta region will be converted into a Protected Special Agricultural Zone (PSAZ), Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy announced on February 10. Tanjavore, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts and parts of Ariyalur, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Karur and Tiruchirapalli will be included in the PSAZ. The decision comes after a sustained protest was waged by farmers, youth, political and civil society organisations, as the farmers were facing severe issues due to continuous oil spillages, water, air and soil pollution.

Times Of India

Tamil literature abounds with examples on the fertility of Cauvery and its delta region. “Sozha vala naadu sorudaithu” (There is no dearth of food in the fertile country of Cholas) says an old adage. The celebrated epic Silappathikaram speaks of how the Cauvery nurtures the Chola country like a mother. Today, the Cauvery Delta is no longer the major source of food for Tamil Nadu. In the past four decades, the state’s dependence on Cauvery delta for food has fallen from 65% to 40%. This fall has different reasons — hydrocarbon wells, being chief among them. The controversy over Cauvery river water, aggressive sand mining and real estate, made it worse for the rich delta. The green revolution had made ...

Times Of India

Punjab government on Tuesday constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill (retd) for the management of paddy straw in the state. It will present its report along with recommendations within two months.

A notification for the constitution of the committee was issued on Tuesday.

Justice Gill is also heading the commission that is probing false FIRs registered during the 10-year regime of SAD-BJP government.

Business Standard

As White House confirms US President Donald Trump’s two-day maiden visit to India starting February 24, spotlight will be on soothing fractured trade ties with the country’s largest export destination.

A short release made by the White House late on Monday night said Trump will visit Ahmedabad and along with his wife Melania, apart from New Delhi. Ahmedabad made the cut due to the city being Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state and playing “an important role in Mahatma Gandhi’s life and the Indian independence movement”.

Times Of India

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the economy is not in trouble and green shoot are visible with the country moving towards a $5 trillion economy. Listing initiatives taken by the government, she said, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI), rise in factory output and over Rs 1 lakh crore GST collection in the past three months are indications of green shoots in the economy.

Financial Express

The Centre has rejected Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to release the payment under PM-KISAN scheme as a lumpsum amount instead of installments, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Tuesday. Under PM-KISAN, the central government provides a payment of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 to 14.5 crore farmers across the country.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Tomar said the Andhra Pradesh government under its Rythu Bharosa scheme proposed to give Rs 12,500 per year to each farmer family inclusive of a benefit of Rs 6,000 given under PM-KISAN. The state government scheme also aimed to cover the tenant farmers.

Quartz India

Hundreds of women with painted earthen pots on their heads joined the march to a venue in the outskirts of Gambharikhol, a village in Daspalla block of Odisha’s Nayagarh district. Each of the pots was full with the seeds collected from the kharif (rainfed cropping season) harvest of their heritage crops, indigenous landraces that have evolved in the region over thousands of years of agrarian practice and culture.

English Sakshi

The State government has taken a revolutionary step in the development of the Agriculture sector by imparting technology and knowledge transfer to farmers in the state. As per the agreements, the organisations are going to provide holistic technical assistance for the farmers to create a sustainable environment and increase the income levels of the farmers. Institutions like Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Institute of Plant Health Management, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Central Fertiliser Quality and Training Institute, National Seed Research and Training Institute etc have been partnered with the State government

Financial Express

After wheat and rice, the government targets to make the country surplus in pulses, catering to demand from other countries, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said. However, the ambitious target can be achieved when the productivity of pulses is raised, which is still below pre-Green Revolution levels, he added. Stating that India is almost on the path to become self-sufficient in pulses, Tomar said: “As of now, maximum of the domestic requirement is being met in India itself. We will further boost pulses production and will also help in meeting the global demand.”

Tech Shout

In today’s rapidly changing world, the growth and development of each aspect of our lives are heavily dependent on technology. When it comes to the use of technology, agriculture has never been far behind. In fact, this sector has been extremely proactive about the use of technological innovations in recent years. As a result, many of the traditional farming methods have now started making way for modern farming methods that leverage technology.

Economic Times

The government is planning to revamp its flagship crop insurance scheme – Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) – by giving more flexibility and freedom to states and farmers in choosing insurance products for risk hedging as per the proneness of the particular state to the specific weather vagary. Currently, farmers across the country don’t have any choice. There is one single comprehensive insurance product, which covers risks right from pre-sowing to post harvesting.

Yourstory

Country of origin has been known to have great impact on consumer perceptions and exports for a long time now. When one thinks of almonds, coffee, apples or cheese, a specific country comes to mind. This not only defines and negates perceived risk, but also has a chance of commanding a better price.

Economic Times

India, the world’s largest consumer and importer of pulses, is on track to become self-sufficient in production of the protein-rich commodity and will further boost the output to meet global demand, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday. He mentioned that the government has taken many measures including hike in the minimum support price and procurement of pulses to support farmers.

The country had produced 23.40 million tonnes of pulses during 2018-19 crop year (Jully-June), still short of annual domestic demand of 26-27 million tonnes. The gap is met through imports.

Times Of India

A number of tomato farmers in the villages of Sanaur division in Patiala district of Punjab claimed that their crop has been damaged due to poor weather conditions and fog thus leading to attack of ‘blight’ decease on the crop. However, the horticulture department and agriculture department claimed they were unaware of any such reports of crop destruction in the district so far.

Indian Express

India, the world’s largest consumer and importer of pulses, is on track to become self-sufficient in production of the protein-rich commodity and will further boost the output to meet global demand, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday.

He mentioned that the government has taken many measures including hike in the minimum support price and procurement of pulses to support farmers.

Times Of India

Delta farmers have welcomed chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s promise at Salem that the Cauvery delta region would be converted into a protected agricultural zone. While celebrating the announcement by bursting crackers and distributing sweets, they demanded immediate steps for its implementation. They said the government must pass an ordinance and urge the Centre to publish it in its gazette.

The Print

The ongoing locust attack in Rajasthan and Gujarat that has destroyed crops over nearly 1.7 lakh hectares of farmland is an indirect consequence of climate change, said experts Sunday at the Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) annual media conclave in Rajasthan.

Mumbai Mirror

Farmers in Maharashtra can avail benefits of various state government schemes by accessing a single application on the MahaDBT portal, state agriculture minister Dadaji Bhuse said on Sunday.

Bhuse said the facility will be available from the forthcoming Kharif season and farmers will not have to fill separate forms for various state-run schemes.

Yourstory

Farmers are the backbone of our society. As a result, the entire population of the country depends upon farmers; be it the smallest or the largest country. The farmers contribute almost 17% of the Indian economy, which is the maximum of all. India is a country that incorporates 12 crore farmers, and according to the World Bank’s 2015 report. These 12 crore farmers nearly form 25 percent of the workforce out of the total 48 crore workforce of the country.

Tribune India

The Kisan Sabha that is observing its 40th foundation year today announced its Jammu and Kashmir committee while highlighting the issues of farmers.

Addressing a press conference, its president HC Jalmeria said the government should provide integrated facilities to farmers for their production, marketing and procurement while ensuring profitable prices to farmers for all their products.

The Economic Times

India and China have asked developed countries, including European Union nations and the United States, to simplify their tariff structures for agricultural goods and adopt a more transparent, value-based levy.

Most developing countries including India use ad-valorem duties or tariffs expressed as a fixed percentage of the value of the imported product. Developed countries, however, impose specific duties — on each unit of specified quantity of an imported item, like dollars per tonne.

The Hindu

Farmers in Maharashtra can avail benefits of various State government schemes by accessing a single application on the MahaDBT portal, Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse said on Sunday

Poshan Outlook

Sanjiv Kumar Chadha, Managing Director, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) in a conversation with Outlook Poshan’s Charupadma Pati, talks about how government schemes over the last five years has incentivized farmers to improve pulses production in the country and enabled more people to consume protein-rich diet

Hindustan Times

Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said eight Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu including the rice bowl, Thanjavur, will be categorised as a special protected agricultural zone and assured that permission will not be given for hydrocarbon projects.

Asserting that steps will be taken to enact a separate law to confer the protected status to the delta districts, he said here that only agro based industries will be encouraged on a need basis in the river Cauvery fed regions.

A large number of millennial farmers in villages around Nashik district of Maharashtra are making more money from alternative jobs like electrician, plumbing and fabrication than from farming itself.

Most of these farmers are earning between Rs 7,000-15,000 per month from alternative jobs in construction-affiliated industry, which they said is “good enough money” to support their agriculture-dependent families.

Times Of India

While efforts are on to make Andhra Pradesh a national leader in zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF), ground-level progress shows that online 3 per cent of farmers are practising pesticide-free farming according to data from the state agriculture department

India Today

Agriculture Minister of Puducherry R Kamalakannan on Sunday said the announcement by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami that the districts in the delta region in the state would be designated as ‘protected agricultural zone’ should be followed up with measures to practically implement the announcement.

Hindustan Times

This week, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard was abuzz with activity with as many 2,195 trucks rolling into the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) market.

With abundant supply of vegetables like tomatoes, bitter gourd, beetroot and french beans, the prices have reduced. Onions, too, made a comeback in the market, decreasing the rates from Rs 200 to 270 per 10 kg last week to Rs 180 to Rs 220 per 10 kg this week.

Devdis Course

Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said eight Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu including the rice bowl, Thanjavur, will be categorized as a special protected agricultural zone and assured that permission will not be given for hydrocarbon projects. Asserting that steps will be taken to enact a separate law to confer the protected status to the delta districts, he said here that only agro-based industries will be encouraged on a need basis in the river Cauvery fed regions.

Hindustan Times

Maize has a huge potential to replace production of rice in the region. Farmers are willing to change, but they need a viable option. In this context, maize is a credible option for crop diversification to prevent loss of groundwater, degradation of soil, loss of crop and increase biodiversity.

This was stated by Suresh Kumar, chief principal secretary to chief minister of Punjab, who was chief guest at the two-day national seminar on ‘Maize for Crop Diversification under Changing Climatic Scenario’ at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to mark the sixth Foundation Day of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR), Ludhiana. The seminar began on Sunday.

The Wire

Gujarat and Rajasthan, two states that share a border with Pakistan, are witnessing a massive locust attack, with estimates saying Rabi crops in more than 3.5 lakh hectares of land has been damaged. Crops of wheat, cumin, mustard, gram and psyllium have been devastated in the two states, affecting lakhs of farmers.

While the government is trying to control the locust swarms, farmers in Rajasthan are also being provided relief as per the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms.

The Hindu

To help set up vegetable gardens in 10,024 nutritious meal centres across Tamil Nadu, the Department of Elementary Education has called upon students, school management committees and parents, who are farmers, to work with officials from the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture to implement the initiative under the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Nutritious Meal Programme

Times Of India

The Union government is unlikely to give in to the demand of withdrawing the ban on export of onions. Sources in the Union agriculture ministry told TOI that although the wholesale price of onions was dropping, the retail prices were still high. The ban would not be lifted until and unless the retail prices stabilised.

News On Air

Jammu and Kashmir government will soon announce a horticulture policy to tackle upcoming marketing challenges and increase the production manifold. The Policy will focus to increase production and tackle climate change, given the unique temperature of this place. This was stated by Secretary, J&K Agriculture Production and Horticulture Department, Manzoor Ahmad Lone in Srinagar yesterday. Mr Lone informed that this Horticulture Policy will help increase horticulture revenue in Jammu and Kashmir from current 8,000 crore rupees to 50,000 crore rupees per annum.

Times Of India

Are onions still wreaking havoc on your monthly budget? For once, supply issues are not to blame, with around 50 trucks of onions coming in from Gujarat and Maharashtra at Azadpur Mandi every day, each bringing in around 20 tonnes of the essential commodity. The reason why they continue to cost you a bomb then is the high retail and wholesale price differential in Delhi. While the wholesale price currently ranges between Rs 15/kg and Rs 25/kg, retailers are selling onions for anywhere between Rs 40/kg and Rs 60/kg. Usually, sellers keep a margin of Rs 15/kg to account for transportation, storage and other costs. A 100% margin, which even some traders find hard to explain, is ...

Indian Express

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala Friday said that the government would order a CBI probe into the procurement of paddy if former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda makes such a demand in writing. Chautala, however, added that the probe would cover paddy procurement by the government over 10 years, including the five when Hooda was CM.

“If Hooda sahab gives in writing, we will get probed the procurement of paddy, which took place in past 10 years. The figures would reveal under whose regime the scam actually took place,” Chautala said while addressing a press conference along with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the completion of the 100 days of the BJP-JJP government.

The Hindu BusinessLine

Agricultural distress continues to bedevil the rural communities, impacting their incomes and livelihoods. It also poses a serious threat to the food security situation for a burgeoning population. Some of the major challenges being faced today include poor irrigation, depleting ground water levels, collapsing farm prices as well as fragmented supply chains.

While most of these issues can largely be addressed through a cohesive macro policy, there is an imminent need to fill the gaps in farmer awareness that prevents them from adopting sustainable and best farming practices. This need prompted IIL Foundation, the corporate social responsibility wing of Insecticides (India) Ltd (IIL), to collaborate with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Agricultural ...

The News Minute

Crop insurance claims of Rs 321.23 crore for the 2018-19 crop year have not been paid to farmers in Andhra Pradesh for want of state share of premium subsidy to insurance companies, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said total claims reported from the state were Rs 1,179.23 crore for the 2018-19 crop year (July-June). Of this, Rs 858 crore of claims have been paid to farmers.

Times Of India

A year after launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu has received Rs 2,459 crore benefit from the Union government’s PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, a central scheme offering Rs 6,000 a year to all landholding farmers’ families. The larger beneficiaries being Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Salem districts, according to Union agriculture and farmers welfare minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

The Hindu

Researchers have developed and commercialised a rice variety that is resistant to arsenic. Several studies have shown that arsenic from groundwater and the soil can enter the food chain through paddy.

The Wire

Before parliament’s budget session began, President Ram Nath Kovind, in his address to the joint session of parliament on January 31, said that the Centre is working with dedication to provide farmers with prices that are 1.5 times the input costs. He further stated that a steady increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for kharif and rabi crops is a step in this direction. However, the president’s claim does not match the reality of MSP as recorded in official files.

Business Standard

Rice export prices in India edged up to the highest level in more than four months this week, helped by healthy demand from African countries, while markets in Thailand and Vietnam grapple with the new coronavirus outbreak.

India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $370-$375 per tonne this week, the highest since the last week of September.

Export prices were up from $369-$373 quoted in the previous week, also supported by an appreciation in rupee.

Times Of India

Condemning the union government’s decision to reduce the fund allotted for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme in the Union Budget, Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association will hold a massive protest on February 12 urging the government to enhance it.

Feminism India

This year’s budget is everything but fact specific. Facts had seen a controversial reality in the Modi regime. While the ‘pyaare watan of Kashmir’ made an unusual flowery presence in the budgetary speech, with various symbols of IOK being reproduced and the youth being celebrated, numbers are all but ‘lies’. That’s what professor Jayati Ghosh reiterated at a conference in Maharashtra where she said the government had highhandedly reduced allocation in crucial spheres of socioeconomic development like agriculture, employment guarantee, food, health and education.

Times Of India

Large number of government jobs available at district and mandal level as agriculture field officers has fuelled interest among students to pursue degrees in agriculture and horticulture. In the last four years, Telangana government appointed 2,100 agriculture extension offers in addition to filling up 2,000 posts for Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya.

New Indian Express

With less than two months left for the purchase of paddy under price support system in the current Kharif marketing season, the State Government has procured over 39.5 lakh tonne of the food grain from farmers till February 3. The paddy procurement in the State during the corresponding period last year was 39.45 lakh quintal. The State has set a target to procure 41 lakh tonne of rice equivalent to 61.96 lakh tonne of paddy (50 lakh tonne Kharif and 10 lakh tonne rabi) in 2019-20.

Financial Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s road building scheme for rural India could also hold a key towards uplifting farm economy. Under the third phase of PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana), the government has made it conditional for the release of funds that the state governments first undertake reforms to their respective Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) laws. “The states adopting reforms in line with the Union Agriculture Ministry-drafted Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act of 2017 “shall be accorded priority in PMGSY-III”, The Indian Express cited a supplementary note for a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs meet which was held in July last year.

Financial Express

With an increase in rabi sowing this year, the rural consumption is also expected to revive as farmers will have more money at their disposal. While it has been a year of slowdown in the consumer sector, majorly owing to a slump in rural spendings, “private consumption, particularly in rural areas, is expected to recover on the back of improved rabi prospects,” RBI said in its sixth bi-monthly policy for this fiscal year. Further, the recent rise in food prices has also augured well for agriculture as this will support rural incomes, the central bank added. RBI has projected the increase in rabi sowing by 9.5% up to January 31, 2020 as compared to the same period ...

Times of India

After the reports of locust attacks in the neighboring Punjab and Rajasthan, the state of Haryana has also been put on high alert. Special teams have been constituted to tackle the situation and to spread the awareness about the same across the state and further to control the locust attack, the state farmers will also get the pesticides at 50 percent subsidy. Confirming the development, Jai Parkash Dalal, the state agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister, informed that an appeal has been made to the farmers to inspect their fields and immediately report the presence of any locust attack in their fields and inform about the same to the local agricultural development officer, Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar or deputy director, agriculture ...

News 18

Rice export prices in India edged up to the highest level in more than four months this week, helped by healthy demand from African countries, while markets in Thailand and Vietnam grapple with the new coronavirus outbreak.

India’s five per cent broken parboiled variety was quoted at around $370-$375 per tonne this week; highest since the last week of September. Export prices were up from $369-$373 quoted in the previous week, also supported by an appreciation in rupee.

Indian Express

The government has cleared an ambitious gene-mapping project that is being described by those involved as the “first scratching of the surface of the vast genetic diversity of India”. The project is said to be among the most significant of its kind in the world because of its scale and the diversity it would bring to genetic studies.

The Indian Express has learnt that the Rs 238-crore Genome India Project, which will involve 20 leading institutions including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and a few IITs, will be rolled out soon.

Financial Express

The Economic Survey for 2018-2019 tabled by the Kerala government in the Assembly on Thursday showed a higher growth rate with the state’s Gross Domestic Product at 7.5 per cent during the period as against 7.3 per cent in 2017-18. According to the survey, though the growth rate was on a higher side, agriculture and allied sector growth declined. “The agriculture and allied sector growth declined to (-)0.5 per cent during 2018-19 from a growth rate of 1.7 per cent in 2017-18,” it said. The survey also said the contribution of secondary and tertiary sectors improved from 2017-18.

Odisha Tv

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar predicted heavy rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm in several interior as well as coastal parts of the State till February 9.

“Thunderstorm with lightning is very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of coastal Odisha, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur on February 6,” said the latest Bhubaneswar IMD bulletin.

Indian Express

Yogesh Thorat isn’t impressed with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s latest budget announcement of creating new agri-warehousing capacities or augmenting bank credit to farmers against negotiable warehouse receipts (NWR) that would be integrated with the pan-India electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) trading portal.

Times Of India

The district administration has prepared a list of over 1.5 lakh farmers who would get benefits of the crop loan waiver scheme announced by the state government. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has announced Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Farmers Loan Waiver scheme in which farmers whose total loan outstanding is less than Rs 2 lakh will get benefitted.

New Indian Express

The State Government on Tuesday sealed the poultry breeding and research farm at the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here where around 1,000 poultry birds were culled recently after bird flu outbreak was confirmed. The farm has been sealed for a period of 90 days as per the SOP of the Centre. The university has also been asked not to rear any poultry bird in the farm for one year.

Down To Earth

Small and marginal farmers in Bihar are unhappy and worried by the state government’s poor procurement of paddy.

The slow speed of paddy procurement that started in Bihar on November 15, 2019, has forced farmers to sell their crop to traders and agents of rice mills, according to reports from districts.

The government’s own data reflects this. Agencies have procured 350,518 metric tonnes of paddy in the 80 days since procurement began, against the target of 30 lakh metric tonnes.

Deccan Herald

The state government will soon relax the rules governing the conversion of agriculture land to enable ease of doing business to ensure that investors do not face hassles in participating in Karnataka’s smart city development programme. Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar made the announcement at the inauguration of the two-day Smart Cities Investment Summit here on Wednesday.

New Indian Express

The Prime Minister’s scheme of providing Rs 6,000 a year to farmers is out of reach for 71-year-old S Ramasamy, thanks to a mismatch in his Aadhaar details.

Ramasamy from Mettangkadu village in Kurumbalur of Perambalur district has been running from pillar to post to claim the Rs 6,000 under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.

Scroll

Durgapathy Rao stood over a stretch of newly built road in Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and reminisced about his childhood when there were only paddy fields in the area. “This land sustained us for generations,” the 29-year-old farmer said.

His family had given the state government about four acres of land in 2015 under a land pooling scheme to build a new capital for Andhra Pradesh.

Hindustan Times

Just like smoke from stubble burning regions of Punjab and Haryana spikes air pollution in Delhi every year during the winter, fumes from shifting cultivation in some states along the Eastern Ghats could have deteriorated the air quality in Kolkata, had it not been for the Sunderbans, scientists have recently found.

The new study by researchers from Bose Institute in Kolkata has revealed that the world’s largest mangrove delta in south Bengal acts like a green barrier against the smoke coming from further down south and stops it from reaching Kolkata.

NDTV

Over five crore farmers were yet to get the third installment of money under the Centre’s ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare data.

The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 every four months.

Down To Earth 

High temperatures and drought-like conditions caused the pathogenic fungus Pythium ultimum to flourish in soils, in turn leading to death of agricultural crop seedlings, a recent study found.

The research added to growing scientific evidence that climate change is severely affecting agricultural productivity around the world. With rising extreme weather events, heat and water stress and poor adaptation policies, the effects will only get worse in the future.

An international team of scientists used soils from different climatic locations in Europe to assess the resistance ability of different soil types. Samples were collected from cool and damp Scotland, temperate northeast Germany and dry and warm eastern Hungary.

The Print

While everyone has been focusing on the Narendra Modi government’s budgetary allocations to agriculture, its location in the Budget has just as much to tell us about how limited the understanding of the problems and possibilities of Indian agriculture has actually become.

Down to Earth

A four-day fire on the Burhi Dihing, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, at Pandharaghat village, 450 kilometres east of Guwahati, has affected fishing and farming, locals said. The riverine ecosystem in the region enables fishing and farming of food grains.

The area is part of ‘rice bowl’ Sasoni, a region that encompasses the Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts of Upper Assam. Comprising 85 villages, Sasoni is crisscrossed by oil pipelines and small rivulets that join the Burhi Dihing, which then flows into the Brahmaputra.

On the morning of January 28, 2020, the central tank farm (CTF) of public-sector Oil India Ltd (OIL) shut off all inlets from various oil wells, or outlets, in the region. Within a ...

Telengana Today

There is a urgent need to focus on increasing food production and productivity in agriculture sector in the wake of increasing population and availability of limited natural resources such as land and water across the world, said Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy. He wanted agricultural scientists to integrate usage of digital technology in agriculture for improving productivity.

Addressing the Digital Age India Conference held here on Tuesday, Niranjan Reddy said the agriculture sector had reached the present stage after overcoming many challenges, and there was a greater need to bring another green revolution through integration of technology.

The Hans India

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy has called for revolutionary changes in the agriculture sector, existing practices, rural economy and management of natural resources to face the challenges of the food shortage in future.

Addressing at Digital AG India conference here on Tuesday, the Minister said that new innovations in the agriculture and food sectors are the need of the hour.

Reminding the call given by the United Nations for achieving a stable food secured world by 2030 by bringing revolutionary changes in the food security, he said the world population would cross 9.6 billion by 2050. There will be a huge demand for food but the natural resources like water and land are also scarce.

The Indian Express – Online

India has over 7 lakh wetlands and rules for their protection; yet not one of the wetlands has been notified under domestic laws, according to environmentalist Anand Arya, a petitioner in a Supreme Court case on wetlands.

Odisha TV – Online

While most followed chemical-intensive farming practices and increased dependency on mechanical solutions have turned out to be profitable for short-term prospects but the realisation of its adverse impacts, in the long run, seems to have stirred a more likeness towards an organic approach in agriculture.

The Economic Times – Online

While presenting the budget for 2020-21, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced the expansion of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme under which 20 lakh farmers would be provided funds to set up standalone solar pumps

The Hindu

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee called the Union Budget anti-farmer and pro-corporate. It would stage a nationwide protest on February 13 against the pro-corporate proposals in the Budget and the government’s failure to address the debts among farmers and the rising input cost and ensure profitable sale of crops.

Hindustan Times

Today is World Wetlands Day, which marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The 2020 theme Wetlands and Biodiversity is an opportunity to highlight wetland biodiversity, its status, why it matters and to promote actions to reverse its loss.

Reuters

India sought to boost growth in a federal budget on Saturday that raised spending on farms and expressways and offered cuts in personal taxes, but the measures fell short of market expectations and battered stocks.