Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Striking a balance between sustainable farming and feeding a billion peopleedit
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.
Spice farmers, exporters should help India become $5-trillion economy: Ministeredit
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.
In Mysuru’s HD Kotte, farmers in distress over falling yieldedit
“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.
Agriculture minister blames Mamata for 10 lakh Bengal farmers not getting PM-KISAN benefitsedit
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.
If Crop Insurance Continues to be Viable, Will Centre’s Plan for Smoothing Out Other Wrinkles Work?edit
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.
Alarming dip in groundwater levels in 11 Bihar districts: Reportedit
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 ...
Agriculture Ministry Knows Increasing MSP Isn’t Directly Linked to Market Distortionedit
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’.
Govt launches mobile app to broaden reach of PM-Kisanedit
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.
CLAAS Mentions
How to Tackle Stubble Burning Find CLASS Innovative Methods from ANIL MENONedit
The problem of stubble burning has become a paramount issue due to its adverse impact on the environment. Knowing its gravity, the Indian Government, with the help of state governments mainly Punjab and Haryana, has been taking various steps to counter the practice of stubble burning. However, these steps are proving to be insufficient if we look at the magnanimity of the issue. Thus, apart from government, private sector also has to play a key role in solving the problem. Having its factory in Morinda, near Chandigarh, CLAAS is right there in the heart of action. Though CLAAS is a global player in the agricultural machinery sector, we think of India’s local needs. It is also the first multinational ...
Stubble Burning
How to Tackle Stubble Burning Find CLASS Innovative Methods from ANIL MENONedit
The problem of stubble burning has become a paramount issue due to its adverse impact on the environment. Knowing its gravity, the Indian Government, with the help of state governments mainly Punjab and Haryana, has been taking various steps to counter the practice of stubble burning. However, these steps are proving to be insufficient if we look at the magnanimity of the issue. Thus, apart from government, private sector also has to play a key role in solving the problem. Having its factory in Morinda, near Chandigarh, CLAAS is right there in the heart of action. Though CLAAS is a global player in the agricultural machinery sector, we think of India’s local needs. It is also the first multinational ...
Uncategorized
Farmers Protest ‘Duplicate’ Fertiliser Sale In Odishaedit
Farmers in Sambalpur district on Monday staged a protest in front of a godown alleging sale of duplicate and adulterated fertilisers.
According to sources, farmers in large number demonstrated in front of the godown located on the premises of Bareipali Regulated Market Committee.
The agitating farmers alleged that the fertilisers they had purchased from the Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed) are adulterated.