Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Agricultural Development in post-COVID-19edit
The saying “all models are wrong, but some models are useful” sounds true in the case of coronavirus. In all probabilities, the downcast of economy will last for a year or so. This is testing time and both Central and State Governments are working to their full capacity in fighting the novel corona virus. Under these circumstances, after health, food security and sustaining livelihoods should be the priority for the people. As per a United Nations report published in 2019, 69% of India’s population live in rural areas, which comprises to more than 700 million people constituting mostly marginalized society like farmers, agricultural labourer, old-aged, single-women-headed families,self-employed and micro-enterprises.To attain food security both food availability and universal ...
PM-KISAN and the Adoption of Modern Agricultural Technologiesedit
Adoption of modern technologies is one of the most promising strategies to increase farm incomes. Among the constraints in technology adoption, the most prominent ones are the lack of information and credit (Varshney et al 2019). Banerjee et al (2017) also show that access to formal credit significantly increased the investment in existing small businesses. In India, more than half of the farming households do not have access to formal credit. In such a situation, the introduction of a cash transfer scheme, namely the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) in December 2018, to ease liquidity constraints of farmers for procuring inputs, is quite salient. While the scheme is pitched as a general cash transfer scheme for the ...
Andhra Pradesh government to buy 15,000 MT of Bengal gram for Prakasam district farmersedit
Farmers of Prakasam district are eagerly waiting for the purchase of their Bengal gram produce at a support price by the government. Due to lack of support price and lockdown, Bengal gram purchases came to a halt and huge stocks got accumulated with farmers. Hence, the state government has decided to purchase 15,000 MTs of Bengal gram from Prakasam farmers through MARKFED (Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd).
Here’s How Experts Believe We Can Make India’s Farmers Worry-Freeedit
In the past two instalments of our series on agriculture in India, we have looked at the possible impact of the Central government’s agriculture sector reform announcement on 15 May, which seeks to free farmers from the shackles of outdated regulation, give them greater access to markets, expertise and formal credit, and the role private sector could play in propelling that change.
In this instalment, we will be looking at two other fundamental concerns—irrigation and crop insurance—and how gaps in these areas can be addressed, in addition to what the future holds for farmers in India.
Experts question provisions of Centre’s three agri market reform ordinancesedit
A day after the Centre promulgated three ordinances to free up inter-state trade in agricultural commodities, provide a regulatory framework for contract farming and amend the Essential Commodities (EC) Act, experts raised several questions on some key provisions of the Acts. However, the Centre’s move has largely been welcomed.
Amendment to Essential Commodities Act
One big point of discord that relates to the amendments to the Essential Commodities Act is the provision to invoke its controlling powers on exempted food items. That is, 100 per cent increase in retail price of horticulture produce or 50 per cent increase in retail price of non-perishable items as compared to the previous 12 months or last five years average, whichever is lower.
No damage to procured wheat, says Chouhanedit
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserted on Friday that no procured wheat was damaged in the untimely rain following cyclone Nisarga.
Centre’s agri marketing reforms attack on federal structure: Captain Amarinder Singhedit
Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday rejected the “so-called” agricultural marketing reforms approved by the Centre two days ago, dubbing them as yet another brazen attempt to erode the federal structure of the country.
The CM warned that these changes could pave the way for disbanding the minimum support price (MSP) regime as well as the foodgrain procurement system, triggering unrest among the state’s farmers. “The present system has been working successfully for almost 60 years. We will not allow this. Agriculture is a state subject. This is encroachment of federal structure. We will challenge it,” he told reporters at a press conference held via video-conferencing.
Rainfed agriculture network launches farmer awareness campaign in Himachaledit
In order to boost the immunity of the people of the state amid coronavirus pandemic, HimRRA – a state group of Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network has decided to run a state-wide farmers awareness campaign incorporation with various NGOs, civil society organisations and individuals of the state to motivate farmers to grow food crops in some portions of their landholding along with others crops.
Various tools such as video, posters and pamphlets are prepared for information and communication purposes under this campaign to answer questions such as what are the source of good nutrition, why to grow food crops, which crops to prefer, how to grow and process the millets and why it is important to grow ...
A new ray of hope: Creating jobs in agritech spaceedit
Gone are the days when working in agriculture meant being restricted to traditional roles of being a farmer, labourer or a trader. Indian agriculture has come a long way since the Green Revolution of the 1960s when modern methods were adopted to upsurge crop yield. Agriculture and its allied sectors still remain to be the largest source of livelihood in India.
India May Suffer Devastating Climate Change Impact In 80 Years: Studyedit
India may face devastating climate change effects, including killer heat waves and severe floods, in the next 80 years, says a study that calls for urgent steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avert associated risks to the country’s population, ecosystems and economy.
Annual mean temperatures across India are likely to increase by 4.2 degrees Celsius under a high emission scenario by the end of the 21st century, the researchers, led by Professor Mansour Almazroui from the King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, said.
Aatmanirbhar Farmer: President Ram Nath Kovind Promulgates Ordinances For Major Agriculture Market Reformsedit
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday (5 June) promulgated the ordinances for major agricultural reforms which aim to give freedom to the farmers to sell their agriculture produce anywhere in the country and pave the way for contract farming.
The Union Cabinet had on Wednesday (3 June) cleared Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020 which were notified on Friday.
Agri Reforms Ordinances Promulgated: No Cess On Farm Items Sold Outside APMC Yards, Private E-Trading Allowed, E-Registry For Contract Farmingedit
Promulgating three ordinances to implement its sweeping agricultural reforms in the country, the Narendra Modi government has come up with provisions allowing farmers and traders to buy or sell agricultural produce in any part of the country or a state without facing any problem.