Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Direct seeding gains groundedit
WITH migrant labourers unable to come to Haryana ahead of paddy-sowing, the woes of the state’s farmers are going to worsen in the paddy season. Severe shortage of labour owing to the Covid lockdown is set to adversely affect paddy transplantation in the state, which is among the leading contributors to the Central pool. Haryana produces around 68 lakh metric tonnes of paddy on 32 lakh acres.
Coping with labour pangsedit
THE shortage of labour in Punjab due to the Covid-19 lockdown and the migrants’ exodus has prompted the state’s farmers to find mechanised solutions for paddy cultivation, which is expected to see a sizeable shift to direct seeding of paddy.
Farmers are not only looking at buying direct seeding of rice (DSR) machines, but also modifying wheat drill machines like zero-till machines and happy seeders — under the guidance of the state Agriculture Department — to slow the seed dispensation rate, making them conducive for direct seeding. And this modification is costing just Rs 1,000 per machine.
Errabelli asks farmers to go for regulated cropping patternedit
Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Errabelli Dayakar Rao has advised the farmers to go for the regulated cropping pattern as suggested by the government to make profits out of farming, and said that the State government conducted a comprehensive survey on types of soil, soil quality, crops and crops that get high yield and demand for the crops season wise.
Addressing an awareness meeting on regulated cropping pattern in Jangaon on Sunday, the Minister said that the government had rolled out regulated cropping pattern method and plan after much deliberations. Stating that the cropping plan was conceived as per the suggestions of the agriculture scientists, he said that the farmers must cultivate crops that are ...
Wheat procurement surpasses last year’s figures; Punjab leadsedit
Procurement of wheat by government agencies this year surpassed last year’s figures of 341.31 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) to touch 341.56 LMT as on May 24, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said on Monday.
Overcoming impediments created due to the spread of COVID-19 virus, country-wide lockdown and other issues, the ministry said the figure surpasses last year’s procurement by 25,000 tonnes
Kadakampally Surendran takes to farming as part of ‘Subhiksha Keralam’ project.edit
As part of the government’s ‘Subhiksha Keralam’ project, Minister Kadakampally Surendran has initiated farming at his family home in Sreekaryam. Farming will be undertaken on one acre of barren land. Minister Kadakampally Surendran, along with his wife and grandson, inaugurated farming activities by sowing seeds in the soil. Various vegetable and fruit saplings were also planted. Ulloor Krishi Bhavan will be giving all the technical assistance required for this project
COVID-19 Impact: Transfer outstanding crop loans to govt account, says Maharashtra to banksedit
In a rare decision amidst the unprecedented situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy, the Maharashtra government has directed banks to transfer the outstanding crop loans to the state’s account in a bid to make farmers eligible for fresh credit.
Back in villages, youth from coastal belt show interest in farmingedit
Back in their villages due to lockdown, some youngsters from the coastal belt who deserted farming in search of greener pastures in cities are now showing interest in returning to the roots.
Progressive and award-winning farmer Prabhakara Mayya of Nada village, Belthnagady taluk, Dakshina Kannada, was in Belthangady recently to guide some youths on integrated farming.
Online communities are helping India’s lockdown-hit farmers sell their produceedit
A few weeks ago, 22-year-old Dhananjay KC was worried that thousands of kg of grapes grown at his family’s farmland would go waste. The crop was ready but its sale had become nearly impossible due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.
Like many farmers across India, he reached out to online crop markets and groups to sell their produce directly to consumers. “I found [out] about an online platform, Harvesting Farmer Network [or HFN] that was helping farmers in selling their crops and getting a good price for it. I contacted them, posted details of the crop and soon, we sold nearly half of ...
Dairy Farming
Dairy infra fund to add 5 cr litre more milk, 30 lakh jobs: Sodhiedit
In an interview with IANS, Dr. R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) says that Amul is procuring 15 per cent more milk every day as other private and dairy players are not procuring that much.
Sodhi added that since people have been at home during the lockdown, consumption of milk and dairy products has gone up. The opportunities for Amul in the post lockdown period will go up as demand for hygienic and good brands is rising and consumption of loose milk is going down, Sodhi said.
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Punjab to give discount on product-testing to boost agri-food industryedit
To give a fillip to the agriculture and food sectors, the Punjab Biotechnology Incubator (PBTI) has decided to give a discount on all product testing at its facility for Punjab-based exporters.
The industry players have hailed it an initiative that would benefit exports and boost business.
The Punjab Biotechnology Incubator (PBTI) has approved a flat 15% discount on all product testing besides announcing special packages to support the exporter community, said a statement.