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.