Tribune India

Rain accompanied by strong winds flattened the wheat crop in several areas of Karnal, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Kurukshetra and Ambala today. Farmers were worried that the rain and hailstorm might cause loss to their crops.

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research issued an advisory to farmers and appealed to them not to allow water to stagnate.

“Most of the wheat crop is at the half ripened stage. If the crop flattens at this stage, it will cause shrinking in immature wheat grain, leading to huge reduction in yield,” said Joginder Singh of Devdhar village.

Times Of India

The agriculture department urged paddy farmers to switch to millet cultivation and earn good profits by adding value to their produce, here on Friday. The instruction came on the sidelines of a one-day seminar on ‘National food security mission (Nutri Cereals) 2019-2020,’ organized to persuad farmers to switch to millet cultivation. “The central and state governments schemes are aimed at increasing the area of millets cultivation. Though our district reached the target area of 52,000 hectares for millet cultivation this year, farmers ti have the the awareness on millet cultivation,” said joint director of agriculture department, Trichy P Ashokan.

News Click

At least 28 people, including women and children, were killed across Uttar Pradesh due to untimely rains accompanied by the hailstorm in the last 24 hours, officials confirmed on Friday. It has also caused massive damage to the standing rabi crops of wheat, potato, and mustard.

The state has been witnessing rain and thunderstorms from Thursday, continuing in several parts.

Pilibhit, Sitapur, Chandauli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Bijnor and Jaunpur were some of the districts that have been severely affected by the inclement weather conditions.

Times Of India

The heavy rain and hailstorm that pounded the state last week affected crops grown across 8.5 lakh hectare, with potato, wheat and oil-based seeds like mustard bearing the maximum damage. Between Thursday and Friday, unseasonal rain destroyed crops grown across 3,03,456 hectare in 14 districts. Of this, more than 33% crop was destroyed in 24,229.5 hectare, affecting 42,398 farmers who will now be eligible for a cumulative compensation of Rs 18.52 crore. The government also reported 28 deaths in 13 districts. The tally was as follows: one each from Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, Ayodhya, Chandauli, Kanpur Dehat, Mirzapur and Balrampur; two in Sonebhadra; three each in Jaunpur and Barabanki; and six each in Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri.

The Better India

A year ago Vipesh Garg, the Budhlada Horticulture department Officer, proposed an idea to curb the massive wastage of Kinnow fruit in Mansa district of Punjab. Little did he know that his solution was going to usher in a big change.

Popularly known as the King of Fruits in Punjab, Kinnow is a hybrid of two citrus cultivars (Citrus nobilis and Willow Leaf). The state accounts for nearly 24 per cent of India’s kinnow production.

Kinnow’s high demand is traced to its healthy properties – rich in minerals, Vitamin C  and packed with carbohydrates. Yet, Kinnow does not bear fruits for the farmer who nurtures it.

Times Of India

The recent rain and hailstorm along with strong winds have flattened Rabi crops including wheat and mustard in some parts of Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, and Ambala. The major loss has been reported from the Kurukshetra district where the hailstorm and rain have wreck havoc mainly in Shahabad, Pehowa, Thanesar and least in Ladwa and Babain areas of the district. Kurukshetra deputy director agriculture (DDA) Pardeep Meel told, “In last 24 hours, in Kurukshetra, Shahabad recorded 17mm rain, Thanesar 12mm, Babain 5mm, and Ladwa 2mm. A total of 1.15 lakh hectare area has been sown under wheat in Kurukshetra, out of which, approximately 6,500 hectares have been affected due to recent weather conditions up to Saturday. Similarly in Kurukshetra, so far, 350 hectare area of mustard has been affected out ...

Economic Times

Rabi crops have faced the brunt of above normal rains this month in India with commodities including wheat, mustard, chickpeas and potato affected by over 60% precipitation in north-western and central India. The inclement weather has caused crop loss in wheat, mustard and chickpea besides affecting the harvesting of potato.

“Rain is suspected to cause crop loss of up to 5% in wheat and the effect is more on the early sown areas where the grain has attained maturity,” Dr Gyanendra P. Singh, director, Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research said. Singh maintained that the loss is widespread in pockets where hailstorm struck the standing crop of wheat.

Yourstory

According to TechSci Research, India’s agriculture market was valued at over $85 million in 2018, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 10 percent. Agritech companies are breathing new life into agriculture by finding new ways for farmers, animal agriculturalists, and food supply managers to go about their business.  While most agritech startups have been founded by men, some women are also foraying into the ecosystem with new tech innovations to help grow the sector.

The Wire

Farmers have not been paid Rs 3,001 crore worth of crop insurance claims seven months past the deadline date, according to information obtained by The Wire through an RTI application.

The data pertains to the 2018-19 season whose last harvest – the rabi season – ended in May 2019, almost 10 months ago. According to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) guidelines  – which require claims to be settled within two months of final harvest – the claims ought to have been settled by the end of July.

In the RTI response, the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare has said that the estimated claims for the 2018-19 season were Rs 21,250 crore and Rs 18,249 crore has been paid ...