Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
K’taka Budget: Agriculture sees dip in funding, no mention of farm loan waiveredit
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday announced that monetary allocations for various governmental schemes had been slashed due to dwindling revenues and one of the sectors that has taken a hit due to slashed funds is the agricultural sector.
Yediyurappa announced that for the financial year 2020-21, Rs 32,259 crore has been allocated for “agriculture and allied activities”. These include fisheries, irrigation, cooperation, horticulture and sericulture. This fiscal, the farming sector has seen a reduction of allocation by Rs 5,825 crore compared to the previous fiscal.
Sugarcane Farmers In Kalahandi Stare At An Uncertain Futureedit
Sugarcane farming was considered as a profitable cultivation once, but now it seems to have become a burden for the farming community in Kalahandi district all thanks to inadequate marketing support.
Sugarcanes were extensively cultivated on the banks of Hati and Tel rivers. However, in the last decade there has been a sharp decrease in sugarcane farming in the district due unavailability of proper market in the region.
Due to price rise of fertilizers, pesticides and workforce, farmers are bearing losses in sugarcane farming, forcing them to leave the cultivation and migrate to other areas in search of better livelihood.
New policy to be evolved for reviving farm sectoredit
In a bid to revive the agriculture sector, the budget presented by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Thursday, has proposed to bring in a new agricultural policy.
The policy, among other things, would prescribe measures to encourage water security, concepts of land bank and mass cultivation, besides micro irrigation, processing of farm produce and marketing. Of course, the bigger intention has been to provide a status of industry to agriculture and horticulture, notes the budget.
Untimely rains flatten wheat, mustard crops in Haryanaedit
Untimely rains accompanied by strong winds and hailstorm have flattened wheat, mustard, barley and other crops across Bhiwani, Rohtak, Sonepat, Dadri, Hisar and Mahendergarh districts.
Crop damage is also being reported from other parts of the state.
Haryana agriculture minister JP Dalal on Thursday visited the affected areas of his constituency Loharu in Bhiwani district. “Strong winds and rains have flattened standing crops of wheat, barley and mustard,” he said.
“In some parts of the state, wheat and mustard crops, which were set to be harvested in next three to four weeks, have been damaged due to hailstorm. We have ordered girdawari (process to assess crop losses due to poor weather) in the affected areas. The district ...
‘Prasar Bharati must educate farmers on organic farming’edit
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh has appealed to Prasar Bharati to educate farmers about chemical-free organic farming and thereby assure the availability of safe food for the people and help the farmers achieve the target of doubling their income. In a resolution adopted at all India general body meeting held at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh for three days from February 28, the association also appealed to the Union government to stop promoting chemical farming in its agriculture-related broadcasts.
Unseasonal rain damages crops in Bhavnagar, Kutchedit
Unseasonal rains occurred at isolated places in Saurashtra and Kutch regions on Thursday resulting in damage to standing wheat crop in some parts of Bhavnagar and Kutch districts. Weather department officials said that the western disturbance-induced cyclonic circulation over south-west Rajasthan had resulted in weather change in several parts of Gujarat.
Modest 3.1% growth in agriculture sector, positive trend only third time since 2012-13edit
BUOYED by a good monsoon, Maharashtra’s Economic Survey has projected a modest but important growth rate of 3.1 percent in the agriculture and allied activities sector for 2019-20.
Not only does this outpace the average sectoral growth of 2.2 percent for the previous seven years, but this is also only the third year of positive growth since 2012-13 for the sector that accounts for 53 percent of livelihood in Maharashtra.
Buffeted by a series of drought years, the state has reported depressed or negative growth in the farm sector since 2012-13, barring a 12.3 percent growth in 2013-14 and 21 percent in 2016-17.
Maharashtra government may set up SIT probe into crop loan scamedit
The state home department is considering the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the crop loan scam allegedly committed by Ratnakar Gutte, the owner of Gangakhed Sugar and Energy Pvt Ltd (GSEPL). The home department has sent a communication, signed by deputy secretary Shirish Mohod, to the state director-general of police as well as the state’s chief standing counsel in the Supreme Court.
Worst locust plague in nearly three decades in Pakistanedit
In Pakistan, farmers are struggling to combat the worst locust plague in nearly three decades as insect swarms decimate entire harvests in the country’s agricultural heartlands and send food prices soaring. The crisis is so severe that the government has declared a nationwide emergency and urgently appealed for help from the international community.
Technology in Agriculture
How Agri Businesses Are Embracing Digital Technologyedit
Technology in agriculture, also known as ag-tech, has rapidly changed the industry. People in the industry—farmers, food producers, etc—must embrace the digital transformation trends in agriculture. By using technology as a sustainable and scalable resource, we can take agriculture to new heights. The Internet of Things (IoT) is simplifying and streamlining the collection, inspection and overall distribution of agricultural resources using sensors on equipment and materials.
Robotics within agriculture can improve productivity and result in higher and faster yields. Drones used for spraying and weeding can reduce agro-chemical use incredibly. The most innovative piece of digital transformation is the ability to use machine learning and advanced analytics to mine data for trends. This can start way before planting ...
Govt. Policies
APEDA Signs MoUs With Various Organisations For Implemetation Of Agri Export Policyedit
Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been focusing on collaborative approach to bring synergy with number of organisations and institutions having inherent professional and specialised expertise in different areas for capacity building of various stakeholders and providing solutions for addressing some of the identified interventions for the development of Agriculture and its export enhancement in consonance with the objectives set under Agri Export Policy (AEP) announced by Government of India. The Agriculture Export Policy was framed with a focus on agriculture export oriented production, export promotion, better price realization to farmer and synchronization within policies and programmes of Government of India. It focuses on “Farmers’ Centric Approach” for improved income through value addition at source itself ...