Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Kakinada: Sathi Bhaskar Reddy A farmer who can inspire the young generation of farmersedit
Sathi Bhaskar Reddy is a well known philanthropist, farmer and ideal leader who can inspire the young generation of farmers. He won many awards and rewards for his philanthropic activities and generous nature. He was born in a family steeped in poverty and illiteracy at Ravulapalem in Kothapeta mandal of East Godavari district. At the tender age of ten, he was compelled to share the burden of family along with his father and hence was deprived of education.
Owing to poverty and little income, he migrated to Dulla village of Kadiyam Mandal age near Rajamahendravaram, where his destiny has been changed from a humble labourer to a dynamic and innovative farmer. By sheer hard work and ...
Food ministry seeks extra Rs 13,000 crore to help states pay farmersedit
The food ministry has sought an additional subsidy of Rs 13,000 crore to help states pay farmers for foodgrains procured by states for public distribution.
States purchase grain under the decentralised procurement scheme (DCP). Under the Food Security Act , the Centre procures grain either via state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) or pays states for direct purchase, store and distribution.
“The Centre had allocated a subsidy of Rs 33,000 crore under DCP scheme to states for funding their procurement exercise in 2019-20. Many states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam and Odisha have asked for additional funds to pay their farmers,” said a senior food ministry official, who did not wish to be identified.
Mahindra Agri Solutions bets big on organic foodedit
Conglomerate Mahindra Group is studying the possibility of introducing its own brand of organic food to tap into the growing urban market of conscious eaters.
Mahindra Agri Solutions, a group company, may leverage the Mahindra brand to overcome the lack of consumer trust in the authenticity of organic food products.
Developing consumer trust in the authenticity of an organic product and the stark price difference between organic and regular food are the two barriers to the market in India today, said Ashok Sharma, managing director of Mahindra Agri Solutions. The entry of a brand like Mahindra can help develop that trust, he said, meanwhile the price differential will be narrowed as the business scales.
Kurukshetra: Over 1,900 farmers file claims for wheat damageedit
After recent spell of rain in the region, as many as 1,939 as many as 1,939 applications have been filed in Kurukshetra district to seek claim for damage to wheat crop under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana since February 29. In Kurukshetra, the government has tied up with Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AICI) for insuring wheat crop. District coordinator of AICI Yashjit said, “Due to recent spell of rain since February 29, farmers of Kurukshetra have filed claims for damage to wheat crop on around 6,600 acres mainly in Pehowa and Thanesar blocks. We have received insurance claim applications from Ladwa and Shahabad blocks as well, but major loss is reported from Pehowa and Thanesar.”
Pesticide sector hit by input issuesedit
The Indian pesticide industry is heavily dependent on Chinese imports for raw materials, and could be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an analysis prepared by the Agriculture Ministry.
Water-stressed in India: How bunds helped farmers in Mahoba put drought behindedit
“For the first time in many years, I have been able to successfully cultivate mustard on my field,” said Lakhanlal Prajapati (35), resident of Kulpahar Gramin village of Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district.
He credited the success to recently constructed bunds on his field.
Prajapati grew mustard on his 2.5-hectare land in 2019. He is expecting a good yield — around 3.5 tonnes —which would be 75 per cent more than previous year, he claimed.
In the drought-stricken and undulating topography of Bundelkhand — where Mahoba falls — lack of irrigation facilities meant that farmers faced a tough time.
Farmer’s suicide after crop loss prompts government into actionedit
The suicide by a farmer in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan after the unseasonal rain and hailstorm destroyed his crops has prompted the Congress government into action. An exercise is under way to assess the damage to crops on thousands of acres in several districts. The government has assured farmers of adequate compensation.
Gulab Chand, 40, disappeared from his home at Phulwara on Sunday night. He was found hanging from a tree near a temple on Monday. Minister of State in charge of Bharatpur Ashok Chandna, who visited the bereaved family, said the benefits of welfare schemes would be extended to his kin on priority, besides the compensation.
India’s Bumper Wheat Crop Should be Giving Jitters to the Food Corporation of Indiaedit
The Rabi crop of wheat will start arriving in India’s mandis in another three weeks. By the time we reach Baisakhi on April 13, the mandis will be flooded with wheat arrivals.
The agriculture ministry’s second advance estimates of production of foodgrains, released on February 18, has projected a record high production of 106.21 million tonnes of wheat. Untimely rains in March may have caused damage to wheat crop in some areas but India is on track to harvest a record wheat crop.
This, unfortunately, will likely be giving jitters to the officers of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and government officials in major procuring states of Punjab, Haryana, UP and MP as they will have to ...
Technology in Agriculture
Embedgallery: Helping Farmers with its Automated Motor Controlleredit
The Vidarbha region in Maharashtra is infamous for the agricultural distress and farmers’ suicides. Ishan Kute and Abhijit Nagarnaik who belonged to the region have seen the struggles of the farmers in their region. So, after graduating from the prestigious College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) in 2013, they decided to do something to solve at least one issue faced by the farmer. It was then they came up with their start-up Embedgallery Electronics Pvt Ltd which provided mobile controlled motor pump for farms. So here is the exclusive story of the journey of two engineers who manufactured a product that aims at solving the issues related to irrigation.
These urban farming startups are going the extra mile to bring organic food to your tableedit
The Green Revolution in the 50s and 60s may have allowed our farmers to better their yields, but it also brought with it the evils of using pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Over the years, they have been incorporated into conventional farming methods, bringing with them a host of problems. They are not only found to be toxic to humans by increasing the risk of getting cancers, but they also cause pollution, degradation of soil and water, and poison domestic animals.