Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Nothing in the Budget for rural sectoredit
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, ...
Is this an end to farmers’ struggles in the Cauvery delta?edit
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.
UP budget to focus on agriculture, farmersedit
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.
UP to develop special seed zones: State Agriculture Ministeredit
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.
Fruit of her labouredit
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 ...
In Punjab district, signs of green shoots: Organic vegetable gardens in schoolsedit
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.
Nirmala Sitharaman: Govt monitoring farm credit given by banksedit
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.
Is this an end to farmers’ struggles in the Cauvery delta?edit
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.
UP to develop special seed zones: State Agriculture Ministeredit
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.
Fruit of her labouredit
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 ...
Uncategorized
Nothing in the Budget for rural sectoredit
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, ...
In Punjab district, signs of green shoots: Organic vegetable gardens in schoolsedit
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.
Nirmala Sitharaman: Govt monitoring farm credit given by banksedit
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.