Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
An ode to Indian farmeredit
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.
Reimagining agricultureedit
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.
A 360-degree analysis of India’s agricultural economyedit
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.
Government decides to lift ban on onion exportsedit
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.
Maharashtra: Farmers to lose right of voting in APMCsedit
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.
Budget
Agriculture in FY21 budget: Paying farmers keeps them pooredit
The finance minister, in her FY21 budget speech, announced a 16-point agenda to kickstart growth in agriculture and farmers’ income. While the agenda makes sense, following the money presents a disconcerting prospect. Less than 10% of the Rs 2.2 lakh crore budgeted for agriculture will support capital formation or R&D. Economies can’t grow without investment and innovation. This budget provides money for neither.
Nine projects for farmers, rural Gujarat in state budgetedit
Unveiling a string of nine new projects for farmers and rural areas of the state, the Gujarat government while presenting the budget estimates for the year 2020-’21, made a provision of Rs 1,400 crore for these new schemes, the biggest of which was the “Dinkar Yojana”, that targets to provide electricity to farmers during day time.
From Dinkar Yojana to cow based natural farming, how Gujarat budget aims to double farmers’ incomeedit
With an allocation of nearly Rs 7,500 crore towards agriculture, farmer welfare, and cooperative related activities, the Gujarat budget 2020-21 aims to boost farmers’ income. The proposals in the budget range from providing electricity to farmers during day time to cow-based natural farming. The budget themed “Welfare of Farmers-from Field to the Market” targets to double farmers’ income by 2022. With an aim to provide electricity to farmers during day time, the Gujarat budget 2021 proposed the Dinkar Yojana. The state government currently provides nearly eight hours of electricity to farmers mostly after nightfall. “Our government is providing sufficient power connections, constant and qualitative power supply to farmers. Now we have decided to provide power supply to ...
Dairy Farming
J&K aims for white revolution in milk productionedit
At a time when white revolution is gaining momentum across the country, Jammu & Kashmir is also taking measures to keep pace with the Union Territory producing 70 lakh litres of milk per day. The J&K government with the help of farmers and dairy units was successful in producing 70 lakh litres of milk per day, J&K Principal Secretary, Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments, Asgar Samoon said.
Govt. Policies
Doubling farmers’ income: Are we already there yet? Farm income shoots up this much in ten yearsedit
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi strived to double farmers’ income, a Nasscom report titled “Agritech in India – Emerging Trends in 2019” has revealed that the average farmers’ income in the last ten years has increased by 1.7 times. This is in-line with the government’s aim to substantially increase the farmers’ income. Due to the efforts made as part of schemes and programmes of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare which also aligns with the strategy of doubling farmers’ income, there has been an appreciable improvement in efficiency bringing about a positive impact in the agriculture sector, Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare had said in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha in December ...
We’re on track to doubling farmers’ income: Dalwaiedit
The ambitious plan of the Modi government to double farmers’ income by 2022 is on track. “What I can tell you at this point is that we are on the right track on achieving the target,” said Ashok Dalwai, Chairman of the Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income.
Dalwai said only a paradigm shift will alleviate farmers’ condition, the bulk of whom are small and marginal farmers. “As long as we rely on the traditional methods, we won’t get there,” he said.