Mongabay

Ups and downs don’t seem to end for the farming community in Karnataka. After the COVID-19 associated lockdown caused severe losses to the farmers, whose produce got spoilt in the fields in March and April, the news about a good monsoon had them pretty hopeful. Now, after a good start of monsoons and a possibility of a bumper crop, the farmers – small and marginal – have been dealt with a blow through the amendment of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act of 1961.

Krishi Jagran

With 70 percent of rural India being dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, agriculture along with its allied sectors forms the backbone of the country. Out of this, two-thirds of the total agricultural land constitutes for the rain-fed area, leading to its reliance on monsoon as India gets the maximum rain during the monsoon that lasts through June-September.

A substantial monsoon not just accounts for a good harvest but it is also essential for a country’s food security. It ensures food availability for the growing population of the country. Moreover, a good rainfall also opens up a new array of opportunities for the investors in agri space, which in turn will give the boost to the entire agricultural sector, leading to ...

Live Mint

Even though covid-19 infections continue to rise in India, with daily cases going beyond 50,000, the government has decided to move into Unlock 3.0 from 1 August. With the economy opening up further, Unlock 3.0 is certainly going to increase the pace of economic activity, compared to the stringent lockdown of March and April. But taking these incremental increases in economic activity as signs of “green shoots” of an economic revival would be an exaggeration.

Discounting for the base effect of lockdown versus unlock, the reality is that the economy is far from showing any signs of recovery from the slowdown that it was in. A comparison of estimates of consumer durable sales and demand for electricity ...

Indian Express

HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh Thursday said the COVID-hit economy is likely to recover on the back of the rural sector and “signs of the wheels of the economy beginning to churn are evident”.

“Today, the bright spot for India is the rural economy. A good monsoon, strong agricultural growth and government support through rural employment guarantee schemes is enabling rural consumption to lead India’s overall recovery,” Parekh said while addressing HDFC’s virtual AGM.

The Hindu

The demand for products relating to wind energy and farm sector should revive post lockdown, while that of tippers, construction and equipment industries depends on the infrastructure spending by the Centre, said S. Ram, chairman, Wheels India Ltd. (WIL)

Addressing the 61st Annual General Meeting of WIL, he said the new initiatives made in the supply of welded and machined parts for the wind energy sector and supply of bogie frames to the Indian Railways saw significant growth in the last financial year. The demand for these products should revive post lockdown.

Indian Express

Despite some districts in Punjab and Haryana recording above normal and excessive rain during the ongoing monsoon period, around 51 per cent of districts of both the states are still parched. Such uneven distribution of rainfall is not good news for the region. The Indian Express explains why well-distributed rainfall means a lot for both the states.

How much of the monsoon season is over in Punjab and Haryana?

Even though monsoon hits the region mostly in fourth week of the June, but the India Metrological Department (IMD) considers four months from June to September as a monsoon period in Punjab. June is a period when the region gets quite good pre-monsoon showers due to the coming of Western ...

Economic Times

Sugarcane growers in southern India are increasingly opting for harvesting machines as they fear the coronavirus crisis will prevent the migrant workforce from returning in time for the October harvest.

The anticipated labour shortage is expected to see farmer entrepreneurs in the sugarcane belt place orders for more than 200 new harvesting machines, each costing over Rs 1 crore.

Economic Times

After a blistering start in June, the southwest monsoon has stuttered, falling far short of normal in the fertile planes of northern and central India as well as parts of Maharashtra, sparking concerns about output of key crops if rainfall does not strengthen in a week.

Bountiful rainfall in June prompted farmers to speed up crop planting, which remains much higher than this time last year, but farmers who sowed oilseeds, pulses, cotton and coarse grain in areas with erratic rainfall are beginning to worry.

The Hindu

Paddy cultivated late during summer and ready for harvest now got submerged in water due to the latest spell of rain in Thiruvidaimaruthur and Thirukattupalli areas.

Farmers in Thiruvidaimaruthur and Thirukattupalli areas have taken up summer cultivation on about 100 acres and 50 acres, respectively. The paddy cultivated by them was ready for harvest. However, the sudden downpour witnessed in these areas resulted in the crop submerging in water as the drainage channels were not desilted properly.

Business Economics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the ‘India Ideas Summit’ organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) emphasised that India is an open economy with no shortage of opportunities and options. He also stated that this is the best time to invest in India. But this optimism contradicts the claims made by leading economists and research organisations.

 We have come across such a contradictory state of affairs when the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal announced that India in the month of June 2020 has turned out to be a ‘trade surplus’ economy thereby breaking the record of the last 18 years, wherein our export earnings have exceeded import payments. This declaration ...

News Dog App

Digital Agriculture, according to Burno Basso, Professor in the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University is-where agriculture Science policy and education intersect. Putting that data to use, requires an effective balancing of competing economic and social interests while minimizing trade-offs. Technologies like genetic modification and crop production automation help produce more food than we need to survive. And while the modern food system is a monument to human ingenuity and innovation, it is not without problems. Agriculture’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and Biodiversity loss show that major agricultural system are on a largely unsustainable trajectory. And as the population increase energy demands and pollution scale accordingly. There are too many barriers, ...

HT Syndication

Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said that 21.77 lakh metric ton (LMT) food grains have been allocated to Bihar for five months from July to November under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)-II.

Mr Paswan directed the Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD), Food Corporation of India for successful implementation of the scheme.

Following the successful implementation of the scheme from April to June this year, it has been extended for another five months, the minister said in a release.

The Hindu

The State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy resolved to increase the quantum of farm loans by 11.90% and overall lending by 9.78% compared to the previous year.

The target for agriculture loans for 2020-21 was fixed at ₹1,28,660 crore, which is more than half of the total loan outlay of ₹2,51,600 crore, according to an official release.

Dainik Bhaskar

Farmers will be able to save the kharif crop from drying out even when the rains are less. For this they will have to sprinkle Thayuriya manure. Agricultural scientists claim that this will keep moisture in the field for about 10 days and the leaves will not turn yellow with the protein intact in the crop. Scientists of Maharana Agricultural and Primary University (MPUAT) have prepared this contingency crop plan after eight years of research. This research was started in the year 2012. It has recently been completed after several trials.

Money Control

By shifting its focus on cultivation and effectively handholding farmers, the country can be among the top-five exporters of agro commodities, according to a report by the World Trade Centre.

The report comes at a time when the government has announced some reforms in the farm sector by allowing farmers to sell produce outside the regulated APMC markets, and relaxing the Essential Commodities Act, among others, which can help boost exports.

Hindustan Times

The agriculture sector is critical for India from a consistent growth and food security perspective as the sector and allied activities account for approximately 55% of India’s workforce and nearly 15% of India’s GDP. Today, India has come a long way from facing severe food shortages after Independence to becoming a net exporter of food. While the agricultural sector has made considerable progress, in India, we still have a long way to go when it comes to global benchmarks. The nation-wide lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak has further exposed the vulnerabilities in our agricultural supply chain and the prevalence of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, or APMC, model that made farmers highly dependent on mandis.

Hindustan Times

In his speech at the CII National Council, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das spoke about five dynamic shifts which are underway in the Indian economy. One of the five themes in the speech was “fortunes shifting in favour of the farm sector”. The speech cites record production of food grains, fruits and vegetables, and all-time high buffer stocks as “the most vivid silver lining in the current environment”. The speech also gives a policy direction for the future.

“Shifting the terms of trade in favour of agriculture is the key to sustaining this dynamic change and generating positive supply responses in agriculture. Experience shows that in periods when terms of trade remained favourable to agriculture, ...

Orissa Diary 

After successful implementation of Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) from April to June 2020, the Government of India extended this scheme for another 5 months from July to November 2020. About 81 crore beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Antyodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) are being provided 5 Kgs of Rice/wheat free of cost under this scheme. The total allocation for PMGKAY II from July to November 2020 is 200.19 LMT (91.33 LMT Wheat and 109.96 LMT rice). There has been very enthusiastic response from the state governments as well as beneficiaries to this scheme. The scheme was rolled out on 08.07.20 and till 27.07.20, a quantity of 33.40 LMT food grains (13.42 ...

Tribune India

Punjab has pipped Tamil Nadu to become the second largest tractor exporter in FY20. Maharashtra retained the top position by exporting tractors worth $186 million.

Punjab has manufacturing units of Sonalika, Mahindra & Mahindra and Preet Tractors having installed capacity of over four lakh tractors per annum. Sonalika alone has a capacity to manufacture three lakh tractors per annum.

Business Standard

After a strong start in June, the southwest monsoon reduced over some parts of the country in July, wiping off the early gains, the data from the India Meteorological Department shows.

Till July 28, India received around 425.5 millimeters of rainfall, which is just normal. Till June end, the country had received 18 per cent more rainfall than the normal, one of the best performances in recent years.

Thereafter, though East and Northeast India continued to receive good rains, which led to flooding in those parts, the showers stopped over much of Central and North India.

The Hindu

There are early signs of a V-shaped recovery in the economy in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, driven mostly by agriculture and rural lending, as well as positive trends in FMCG, pharma and even construction, says the Confederation of Indian Industries.

However, the uncertainty of mini lockdowns and unnecessarily wide containment zones continue to affect business operations, the industry group said on Tuesday.

Financial Express

Going by the official data on mandi arrivals and prices fetched by farmers for key winter crops, rural India should have been under distress since April, but the ground situation is significantly better. This is primarily because of two reasons: as the lockdown impeded transport of goods and caused labour shortage at mandis, the bulk of government procurement of wheat, the key rabi crop in the case of which minimum support price (MSP) operations are real, has happened at ad-hoc purchase centres closer to farm gates: secondly, direct purchases of crops including wheat and pulses from farmers by food processing firms and retailers saw a big rise in recent months. In other words, the actual sales of ...

New Indian Express

With the south west monsoon playing truant, a highly erratic rainfall has cast shadow on kharif crop prospects in the State. As many as 23 districts have received deficit rainfall ranging from 20 per cent to 57 per cent in July, considered to be the most crucial month for agriculture operations like beusaning, up-rooting of seedlings and transplanting of paddy crop.

Rural Marketing

Wazir Advisors, one of India’s leading management consulting firms focused on the apparel, textiles, consumer goods and skill development sectors has launched its Agriculture, Dairy and Food Processing vertical. It expects this new division to contribute 20 percent of the company’s business over the next two years. It further announced that Ritwik Bahuguna, a seasoned professional in this space, will be leading this new practice.

The ADFP vertical will provide strategic and operational advisory and implementation assistance to private sector businesses, international donors and non-government organisations and policy advocacy services to governments. Ritwik’s team has a footprint in Asia and Africa which it will look to expand in the next few years. The focus sectors in this practice will include food processing-based ...

Daily Excelsior

Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today e -inaugurated four projects of Jammu and Kashmir Agro Industries Development Corporation and Horticulture Planning & Marketing department, in presence of Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture Department. In Horticulture Planning & Marketing department, three projects were e-inaugurated: e- National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)  for Fruit &Vegetable Market Narwal, Jammu , Fruit & Vegetable Market, Bishnah and Apni Mandi Chadwal, Kathua .The e-NAM provides a hassle free and pan-India trade platform for the farmers and the traders.

Nenow

A streak of sunlight appears to have broken through the dark clouds hovering over Assam’s agricultural landscape.

At Garmur village near Bokakhat in Golaghat district three youths, professionals in different fields, have recently picked up the plough to furrow a path anew on the fields which they had left fallow a decade or so

The trio like thousands of other youths in Assam, disillusioned by the ‘backbreaking and unrewarding’ occupation of agriculture, deviated towards white collar jobs.

Among the three, Bikash Boruah’s disenchantment was even greater.

At a young age he had witnessed his father pass away, the family unable to pay his steep medical bills, despite him having been a farmer who had been awarded by the ...

Economic Times

With the robust rebounce in rural sentiments, the domestic tractor industry is expected to see a positive growth in the ongoing financial year 2020-2021 after remaining in negative territory in the last fiscal, a top senior official of Escorts said.

He further stated that relatively less impact of pandemic on the rural market has led to healthy farm income and the same has been witnessed in the spike in tractor sales.

Devdis Course

A rising number of Indian farmers are turning to solar-powered irrigation, which agricultural experts say can help communities feed their families and generate income while battling climate threats – all without producing more planet-warming emissions. As part of a project by the Transform Rural India foundation (TRI), a non-profit based in New Delhi, farmers in Tukutoli installed a solar system that pumps water from a small rivulet and provides reliable irrigation to about 30 acres (12 hectares).

Financial Express

The Centre has covered 45% of targeted 2.5 crore farmers under the ambit of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) in the last two and half months making them eligible for the concessional agriculture credit. As many as 1.12 crore KCCs have been sanctioned with credit limit of Rs 89,810 crore as on July 24, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted. She also said that only in July, 41.66 lakh KCCs have been approved with nearly Rs 27,000 crore credit limit till last Friday.

Announcing the AatmanirbharBharat package on May 14, Sitharaman had said that the government would cover 2.5 crore PM-Kisan beneficiaries, so far left out from the ambit of the KCC, under the official credit net through a ...

Kashmir Reader

Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu, Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu visited the Main University campus at Chatha on Monday. He was accompanied by the First Lady Dr. Smita Murmu, inaugurated the new infrastructural blocks including building of Ujala PG Girls Hostel, Residential Quarters for Teaching staff and a Bed side Oxygen facility established at the University Health Centre in view of Covid-19 Pandemic. The First Lady went around the newly constructed Girls Hostel and inspected facilities therein, followed by planting of a sapling in the lawn of the PG Girls Hostel.

Financial Express

India has reported the best monsoon rainfall in the last six years which has also led to a better kharif acreage in this season. As of 24th July 2020, India has reported rainfalls at 6% higher than above the long period average (LPA) and has also reported 800 lakh hectors area coverage under kharif crops, which is nearly 75% of the total normal kharif sowing area for the season. This has been 18.5% higher than the previous financial year 2019-20, a CARE Ratings report said on Monday. “Till 24th July 2020, the Kharif acreage has been higher in all major crops when compared with the same period last year,” the report said. As the country continues to face the headwinds ...

Business World

The Nifty of the Indian stock market traded at a high of 11,202 points almost five months after the panic-stricken sell-off in March 2020 and saw a strong rebound in emerging markets. It is noteworthy that in the case arising from the corona, the Dow Jones fell 30% from its historical peak and the Nifty followed suit. It is no exaggeration to say that the Nifty futures improved by almost 4% from the bottom of the estimated 200 points in March at a time when all Asian rivals except China were showing modest negative trends, creating an extraordinary event in the history of the Indian stock market.

The benchmark was supported by mid and small-cap sectors with almost ...

Capital Market

The area of major kharif crops in the country increased by 18.50% to 7.99.95 lakh hectares or ha as on 24 July 2020 over the corresponding period of the previous year, according to the latest data available with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Indian Market

Indian farmers have planted 79.9 million hectares with summer crops so far, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, up 18.3% from last year as robust monsoon rains spurred sowing in the world’s leading producer of farm goods. As of Friday, planting of rice was at 22 million hectares, against 18.7 million hectares at the same time last year. Corn planting was at 7.1 million hectares, up from 6.6 million during the same period last year. Sowing of soybeans, the main summer oilseed crop, stood at 11.4 million hectares, compared with 9.7 million hectares at the same time in 2019. Soybean output is set to jump by at least 15%.

The Dispatch

Indian agriculture is a complex mix. It has myriad problems and the solutions suggested are often not practical. Interestingly, the largest beneficiaries of the food dole to 80 crore poor are the producers of the food grains!

It is a dichotomy. Often, in terms of agriculture, privatisation, private investment and handing it over to private hands become the policy plank. More this is being discussed and “reformed” through ordinances, the government is getting enmeshed in it by direct benefit transfers, Rs 6000 pension for farmers and dismantling their mandis (local wholesale markets) under the agriculture produce committees (APMC), easing Essential Commodities Act and facilitating contract farming.

Kashmir Reader

While criticizing the Government’s decision to transfer more than 9600 kanals of land for creating 37 new industrial estates (IE) across J&K, the Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has said that this would prove to be disastrous for the land deficit Jammu & Kashmir as Agriculture land holding is constantly decreasing and agri based economy is under great threat. In a statement Chairman RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that as per the 10th Agriculture Census of 2015- 2016 , the agricultural land holding in J&K was mere 0.59 hectares. This was a bit more i.e. 0.62 hectares in 2011 . The national average is around 1.08 hectares which is much higher comparatively. In Kashmir valley ...

Indian Express

THOUGH SOWING of Kharif crops is already in its last phase, Punjab has been able to reach only 59 per cent of its crop diversification target. However, agricultural department officials claim they will be able to reach the target once sowing is over.

This year, Punjab has targeted to divert around 3.25 lakh hectares (8.02 lakh acres) from the water-guzzling paddy crop to other alternative Kharif crops including cotton, maize and Basmati. The department had decided to bring 3 lakh hectares (LH) under maize against 1.59 LH last year, 5.15 LH under cotton against around 3.92 LH last year, and 7-LH under Basmati against 6.29 LH last year. Total paddy area targeted was up to 27 LH, ...

Scroll

Taj Hazarika, a farmer from Upper Assam’s Golaghat district, discovered black rice on the internet in 2017. Many people had commented on how the rice was being cultivated in Assam and its health benefits.

Hazarika set off to Assam Agricultural University in the neighbouring district of Jorhat and got 2 kg of seeds. The first year, he produced 5 kg of rice. He shared some and cooked the rest at home. This year, he is preparing to grow the rice on two hectares of his 12-hectare farm.

Hundreds of farmers of Assam are taking up cultivation of black rice, attracted by its beneficial properties and higher profit margins.

Business Insider

While coronavirus battered Indian automobile industry sales, investors were betting on Escorts long term prospects. The shares of the tractor major have jumped almost 70% since March 31— all thanks to the whopping demand for its tractors in rural India despite the economic slowdown.

The Hindu

Indian farmers have planted 79.9 million hectares with summer crops so far, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, up 18.3% from last year as robust monsoon rains spurred sowing in the world’s leading producer of farm goods.

Farmers generally start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and peanuts, among other crops, from June 1, when monsoon rains typically arrive in India. Sowing usually lasts until July or early August.

News Click

As a result of these continued good harvests, the food grain stocks maintained by the government are full to the rafters. As of July 20, stocks of rice, wheat and coarse grains in the central pool were 824 lakh tonnes. In June, the stocks were at the peak at 835 lakh tonnes. As can be seen in the chart below, June is the month when central stocks hit their highest level every year after the rabi harvest – mainly wheat – has come in.

Money Control

Riding on favourable rainfall in the third week of July, the area of major kharif crop sowing in the country increased by 18.50 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year, according to the latest data available with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Sowing data of major kharif crops such as paddy, pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds on July 24 showed that a total of 799.95 lakh hectare have been covered this year, compared to 675.07 lakh hectare in the last Kharif season.

IFP

The prime minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 can be achieved in the North Eastern states by giving location centric scientific solutions to the farmers, vice chancellor, Central Agriculture University, Imphal M Premjit Singh said at a webinar on the impact of the government of India’s Atmanirbhar Package on Agriculture hosted by Press Information Bureau and ROB Imphal on Friday.

Rural Marketing

Indian dairy sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and has set the goal to double its processing capacity from 53.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) to 108 MMT by 2025. The government in its roadmap for 2025 for the dairy sector also aims to increase value added products from 23 percent to 40 percent and India’s exports share in the world from 0.36 percent to 10 percent, Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India said Thursday.

Financial Express

Higher than normal monsoon rainfall across the country, 5% above normal so far, has boosted sowing of kharif crops by 19% on year as on Friday, brightening the prospects of another year of bumper harvest.  Also, there are no reports of any serious pest attacks on the standing crop so far, except the spread of locusts in some states which have lately come under control. However, farmers’ profitability will hinge on prices, of which it is early to provide any guidance, according to analysts. As of now, most rabi crops are being sold profitably by farmers, and this has helped avert a rural distress during the pandemic period, along with the works available under the rural employment ...

Indian Bureaucracy

The department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during COVID19 pandemice.

Udaipur Kiran

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during COVID 19 pandemic.

Republic World

The Haryana government on Friday made the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) voluntary for farmers, allowing them to get insurance under the scheme as per their own convenience.

The PMFBY scheme for Kharif has been implemented in Haryana since 2016-17 to protect crops from natural disasters and other risks. The State Government has now notified the scheme from Kharif to Rabi 2022-23. Farmers who have taken crop loan and do not wish to enrol for this scheme will have to submit a declaration in the bank, the spokesperson said.

Hindustan Times

The Indian economy is all set to contract this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is only bright spot in this year’s economic story; the agriculture sector. A good rabi (winter) crop harvest, adequate rainfall during the ongoing monsoon and encouraging data on sowing on kharif (monsoon) crops, all point towards a good performance by agriculture. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman echoed these sentiments while speaking at the India Ideas Summit organized by the US India Business Council. “We have had a very good rabi crop. All of what were necessary, have been procured at reasonable price so that farmers are not left high and dry looking for purchasers. Now the estimate for kharif crop has also ...

News 18

For more than two decades, Indian farmer Ravindra Kajal cultivated rice the way his forefathers had – every June he flooded his fields with water before hiring an army of farmhands to plant paddy seedlings.

But a scarcity of workers this year because of the coronavirus forced Kajal to change. He irrigated the field just enough to moisten the soil and leased a drilling machine to directly sow seeds on his 9-acre (3.6-hectare) plot.

“Since I was more than comfortable with the tried-and-tested way of growing rice, I opted for the new method with some trepidation,” said Kajal, 46, looking over his field, green with rice saplings, in Raipur Jattan village in Haryana.

“But I’ve already saved ...

Insights on India

As floods cause major damage to life and property every year, it is time the central and the state governments prepare a long-term plan that goes beyond piecemeal measures like building embankments and dredging to control floods.

Also, there is a need for an integrated basin management plan that brings all the river-basin sharing countries as well Indian states on board.

At least 43 years after India’s first and last commission on floods was constituted, there is no national-level flood control authority in the country so far.

Times Of India

While several states in India are experiencing severe flood-like situation, most rivers in Odisha are running dry and a possible drought-like situation is looming large over the state. Nearly 11 coastal districts of the state have, so far, got deficit rainfall, while 18 of them experienced normal rainfall. The southwest monsoon, which arrived in the state on time, has been playing truant after a good start. The state received nearly 50 mm less rainfall as compared to the normal trend this season. However, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to moderate rainfall in several districts in Odisha between July 22 and 25.

First Post

For more than two decades, Indian farmer Ravindra Kajal cultivated rice the way his forefathers had – every June, he flooded his fields with water before hiring an army of farmhands to plant paddy seedlings.

But a scarcity of workers this year because of the coronavirus forced Kajal to change. He irrigated the field just enough to moisten the soil and leased a drilling machine to directly sow seeds on his 9-acre (3.6-hectare) plot.

“Since I was more than comfortable with the tried-and-tested way of growing rice, I opted for the new method with some trepidation,” said Kajal, 46, looking over his field, green with rice saplings, in the Raipur Jattan village in Haryana state.

Business Today

The Haryana government has decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the state voluntary for farmers, an official said here on Thursday. “Getting insurance of crops under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in Haryana will now depend entirely on farmers’ wish,” a spokesperson of the state’s agriculture and farmers’ welfare department said.

The spokesperson added that the state government has now decided to make the scheme completely voluntary for the convenience of the farmers, and a notification has also been issued in this regard. He also said farmers having Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) can also give a self-declaration in their banks if they do not need crop insurance.

Financial Express

Private non-life insurer Bharti AXA General Insurance on Thursday said it has received Rs 800 crore worth crop insurance mandate from Maharashtra and Karnataka governments to insure farmers in both the states under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

The company has secured authorisation for three years from both the state governments to implement the PMFBY in six districts of Maharashtra and three districts of Karnataka, a release said. The PMFBY offers insurance cover to farmers against losses of crops during the entire cycle, from preparation of sowing to harvesting and post-harvest, due to poor yield.

Money Control

My friend Romesh called me up a few days back asking my advice on entry-level automatic transmission car. He has been a lifelong local train traveller but is now concerned about contracting COVID and has decided to avoid public transport.

Romesh is not the only one who is concerned about using public transport for the daily office commute. Another friend brought a Honda Activa to travel to the office, concerned about using public transport. This trend is increasingly gaining traction across India.

The Hindu Business Line

Eastern India has always been considered a laggard in milk production and hence seen as a lucrative market for milk powder and other dairy products. Defying this long-held status, Bihar has singularly shown the true potential for growth in milk production in the eastern part of the country. The State reached a milestone in 2018-19 by achieving 10 million tonnes in milk production, growing from a mere 2.7 million tonnes in 2001-02.

India Today

For more than two decades, farmer Ravindra Kajal cultivated rice the way his forefathers had – every June he flooded his fields with water before hiring an army of farmhands to plant paddy seedlings.

But a scarcity of workers this year because of the coronavirus forced Kajal to change. He irrigated the field just enough to moisten the soil and leased a drilling machine to directly sow seeds on his 9-acre (3.6-hectare) plot.

New Indian Express

WITH only 10 days left for enrolment of farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for Kharif-2020 season, the State Government on Tuesday appealed them to get their names enrolled to protect themselves from financial loss due to crop failure or natural calamities.

Since the crop insurance scheme is voluntary, fields staff of the Agriculture and Cooperation departments will  encourage both loanee and non-loanee farmers to enrol their names under the scheme to avail insurance benefits.

Telangana Today

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday has said agriculture is the top priority for the State government, which is willing to spend any amount of money to make farming profitable for ryots.

“If the government’s efforts are to be fruitful, the Agriculture Department should play a very active role. Officials should study farming practices across the world and implement the best ones in Telangana,” he said and suggested that the officials study the single-pick crops across the world and examine the feasibility of cultivating them in the State based on weather and geographical conditions.

Business Standard

The Union government has asked all its ministries to include a paragraph on Atmanirbhar Bharat while sending proposals to the Union cabinet or cabinet committees. The overall idea is to encourage domestic manufacturing.

However, the government would need to be careful and make sure that such a step doesn’t end up hurting businesses and economic activity. Business Standard opinion pieces for the day talk about trade among other issues

The Covid-19 crisis and the growth slowdown are the moment in which India must once again embrace globalisation, argues our lead editorial

The agriculture policy of Telangana is in stark contrast to the developments at the Centre. The differing approach reflects a more profound ideological conundrum towards agriculture in India, writes Shubho Roy ...

The Hindu Business Line

The Centre recently ushered in agricultural marketing reforms giving farmers the choice to sell outside the regulated market yards (APMC mandis). Eminent agricultural scientist Prof M S Swaminathan, Chairman, National Commission on Farmers, says agri-marketing reform measures are potentially beneficial, but there is still a long way to go in ensuring a fair and reliable price for producers. Excerpts from an e-mail interaction:

What are your views on the agri-marketing reforms introduced by the Centre?

The agri-marketing reforms are potentially beneficial, but we still have to go a long way in ensuring that the primary producer gets a fair and reliable price. We need to introduce a farmer-centric single-nation marketing system.

Indian Express

Amid reports that paddy sown with Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique has been attacked by rodents and farmers are facing big challenges in Punjab, some argue that sowing technique involving transplantation of seedlings in flooded fields insulates the crop from such attacks. Others believe that government must revive an old policy to control rodent attacks.

The Economic Times – Online

While the overall national unemployment inched up to 7.94 per cent from 7.44 per cent recorded in the previous week, the urban unemployment rate dropped marginally to 9.78 per cent from 9.92 per cent during the same time period, CMIE data showed.

The New Indian Express – Online

According to official sources, a minimum of 100 gm of fruits and 300 gm of vegetables are required every day to meet the dietary requirement of vitamins and minerals.

Agritimes – Online

Indian minister for chemicals and fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda has said that there has been significant spurt in demand for fertilizers across the country due to ongoing Kharif season.

To fulfill this  requirement, Gowda said that the government  is working in close coordination with producers and state governments.

The minister said that in addition, the cycle of import has been shortened to augment the supply in line with the demand .

Hindustan Times – Online

The deficient rainfall witnessed in the districts, mostly in the Gwalior-Chambal, Bundelkhand and Mahakoshal regions, varies from minus 7% in Guna to minus 45% in Gwalior, data from meteorological department’s Bhopal unit shows.

Times Now News – Online

The Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh has once again been hit by deficient rain. And the development has forced people to perform various superstitious acts to please rain gods.

In the disturbing development, several women replaced bulls to plough the fields in hot and humid weather to please gods.

Hindustan Times – Online

India’s hinterland is witnessing a consumption revival, which at first glance looks like good news for Asia’s third-largest economy. Sales of motorcycles and tractors are near or above pre-pandemic levels, helping fuel a rally in Hero MotoCorp Ltd, India’s top motorcycle maker. Shares of farm-equipment maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. have doubled since the end of March.

Economic Times

Tractor makers are having one of their best runs in more than half a decade, as activities pick up in the agriculture sector that remains one bright spot in an economy shattered by months of lockdown.

Mahindra & Mahindra, the country’s largest tractor maker, had run its facilities at 100% capacity on a few days in June and early July. Rivals such as Escorts and Sonalika have also recorded high capacity utilisation in the past month, even as manufacturers in other industries are ramping up rather slowly. Capacity utilisation for tractor makers has been around 65-70% in recent years.

Telegu Bullet

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday launched the ‘Gordhan Nyaya Yojana’ in 2,408 rural areas and 377 urban areas during the first phase of the scheme in the state.

Under the scheme, the government will purchase cow dung at Rs 2 per kg and sell the vermicompost at Rs 8 per kg.

In a statement, the Chhattisgarh government said, ” It is the first state in the country to buy cow dung directly from farmers with the launch of ‘Gordhan Nyaya Yojana’.”

Star Of My Story

With farmers eagerly awaiting flow of water in canals for cultivation of Kharif crops, Co-operation Minister S.T. Somashekar, who is also Mysuru District In-charge Minister, said that water will be released in canals from Cauvery and Kabini Reservoirs for irrigation purpose from July 28.

He was speaking at a meeting of Irrigation Consultative Committees (ICC) of both the Reservoirs at Cauvery Auditorium in Brindavan Gardens at KRS in Srirangapatna taluk here on Saturday, which was also attended by Mandya District In-Charge Minister K.C. Narayanagowda.

Latestly

India’s rural unemployment rate has moved upward, it has reportedly increased to 7.1 percent in the week ended July 19 from 6.34 percent recorded in the previous week, according to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Elets Online

While addressing a press conference, Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar said, all the new initiatives taken by the Government of India and the Government of Haryana in the last six years are in the interest of the farmers. While saying so, the CM cited two new ordinances namely the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 brought by the Centre recently. As per theses, the farmer can sell his produce not only in his state but in the mandis of other states also. Thus, under the contract farming, he can enter into an e-agreement with any person or ...

Swarajya

A six per cent excess rainfall during the south-west monsoon so far this year, a 33 per cent higher water storage level than the last 10 years and a 21 per cent increase in Kharif sowing are expected to further buoy rural India that is helping Indian economy bounce back.

“This raised expectation of a good Kharif crop. If the monsoon continues to be good through to September, it should also leave the soil moisture good for the Rabi crop,” said B K Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of B K Weather System.

Hindustan Times

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has joined his counterpart in Punjab and has drawn Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention to the farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, promulgated on June 5.

He has stated in a letter to the PM that the ordinance is against the agrarian community’s interest and has pleaded for its withdrawal at the earliest.

On Sunday, the CM wrote to the PM, claiming the ordinance would reduce employment opportunities and is at odds with the country’s federal structure and the welfare state model.

The CM said that Chhattisgarh is an agriculture-dependent state and 70% of its population is engaged in farming and allied activities.

Economic Times

Agriculture-based industries like yarn, textiles, dairy, sugar and soyabean processing are seeking government incentives to increase exports, as domestic demand has remained subdued and they are expecting a bumper kharif production.

A good start to the monsoon season — average rainfall till July 17 was 10% above normal — and sowing that was 21% more than a year earlier till July 15 has boosted expectations on the kharif harvest. Meanwhile, demand has been low, causing worries of a glut in the market and its likely impact on prices. That could hurt the farm-based economy that has so far been largely insulated from the effect of the pandemic, say industry insiders.

Daily Pioneer

With farmers’ outfits announcing to protest against agriculture related ordinances brought by the Centre, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Sunday said that the farmers will be benefitted by the two ordinances and they should not be misled by some leaders.

“With the two new ordinances namely the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 brought by the Centre, the farmers can sell produce not only in their state but in the mandis of other states also. Under the contract farming, a farmer can enter into an e- agreement with any person or bank for his farm produce. Besides, he ...

Hindi Fatafat

Kharif Crops in Madhya Pradesh: A target of sowing 146.31 lakh hectare has been set in the Kharif season this year.

Tribune India

Perturbed about his dwindling farm income, Kamalvir Singh, a marginal farmer from the nondescript village of Sirkapra in Patiala district, registered Nojvan Farmer Producer Company Limited in 2017. The idea was to assist small and marginal farmers and raise their income by involving them in an allied activity of apiculture. The initiative, which started with a few farmers, has now 580 members and a turnover that touched Rs 4.5 crore in the last fiscal.

Krishi Jagran

Monsoon rain has already entered into many states which gears up Kharif sowing with a new pace. As per the recent reports from Agriculture Ministry, Indian farmers have planted 69.2 million hectares with summer crops, up 21.2% from this time a year earlier boosted by bountiful monsoon rains.

Krishi Jagran

Monsoon performance has been quite satisfactory till now. The actual rainfall received in the country for the week ending July 16th is reported at 338.3 mm against normal of 308.4 mm.  There has been an increase in 10% during the period from 01.06.2020 to 16.07.2020. As on 16.07.2020 as per report of CWC, the live water storage available in 123 reservoirs in the country is 150 % of live storage of corresponding period of last year and 133% of storage of average of last ten years. This implies no water scarcity in the country. The total Kharif sowing area as on 17.07.2020 has increased to 691.86 Lakh ha area – nearly 120 Lakh hectares more versus previous year corresponding period. The area for the same period last year was 570.86 Lakh ha area, thus increase in area coverage by ...

Telangana Today

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will take some major decisions with regard to the revamping of the crucial Irrigation Department on Monday, when officials will submit a draft proposal on the structure of the department. The revamp exercise envisages creation of 15 to 20 regional departments, each under an Engineer-in-Chief, who will have jurisdiction over projects, reservoirs, tanks, check dams and other water bodies.

The Hindu Business Line

Out of 1.19 crore litre daily milk production in the State, 47 lakh litre is remaining unsold putting milk producer farmers under immense distress. Farmer organisations have demanded that the State government must provide financial assistance to milk producers.

The State has about 46 lakh milk producer farmers and milk dairies which purchased milk at ₹33-34 litre have reduced the procurement price to ₹18-19 per litre after the Covid-19 outbreak.

“About 86 lakh litre milk is sold in pouches. But due to lockdown, this sell has come down to 67 lakh litre per day. The State government is purchasing 5 lakh litre milk to help farmers but still, there is 47 lakh litre excess milk. This has ...

The Kashmir Images

The Indian dairy sector has been registering a consistent annual growth of over 6 percent for the last several years. Some 70 million farmers maintaining a milch herd of 125.35 million produced a whopping 187.7 million tonnes of milk in 2018-19, worth nearly Rs 6,60,000 crore. This is more than the combined value of wheat and paddy, our two prime crops.

During the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India’s recent announcements under Atma-Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative are notable. These include amendments to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to enable better price realisation for farmers; agricultural marketing reforms, by formulating central legislation removing inter-state agricultural trade restrictions; and, enforcing quality standards and price assurance of ...

Tribune India

Backed by good rains and water storage in reservoirs, the sowing area in the ongoing Kharif season increased by 21.20 % amid the Covid crisis as compared to last year

According to the latest sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry, as on July 17, the sown area is 691.86 lakh ha compared to 570.86 lakh ha area during the corresponding period last year. The maximum increase of a whopping 40.75 % has been registered by oilseeds and 32.35% by pulses

Odisha TV

Despite the onset of southwest monsoon, deficit rainfall has delayed the sowing of kharif crop in Balasore, Puri, Khurda and some other coastal districts of the State, much to the worry of farmers.

Several hectares of farmland which usually see knee-deep water during this time of the season are now lying dry due to insufficient rainfall. At many places though sowing of crops has been done with lift irrigation facilities, farmers are wary of uncertainty.

Economic Times

There has been no impact of COVID-19 pandemic on kharif (summer) sowing as the total area planted to rice and other crops has increased by 21.20 per cent to 691.86 lakh hectare so far in the current season, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.

The country has so far received good rainfall and water level in 123 reservoirs across the country is in good position, it said in the latest sowing data.

Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June, while harvesting starts from October. Rice is the main kharif crop, besides bajra, arhar, urad, moong, groundnut and soyabean.

Economic Times

You have reported weak numbers when it comes to profitability after adjusting for exceptional items. The PAT was also impacted because of high provisioning in this quarter. What exactly is the profit growth that you foresee for the upcoming quarters given that one is beginning to now see some green shoots for the economy? First of all, Rs 225 crore of exceptional gains have been put into GS3 provisions so that gain does not come into profit at all. None of this profit is because of that gain that has been straightaway put into one time provision of a Covid asset and we have finished that. So, that is number one but more important is how this ...

Indian Express

Despite efforts at disposing of surplus foodgrains – including by distributing these free under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and a special scheme for migrant labourers returning to their home states – wheat and rice stocks in the Central pool have registered marginal decline.

At 94.42 million tonnes (mt) as on July 1, total stocks were below last month’s all-time-high of 97.27 mt, but still 2.3 times the operational-cum-strategic reserve requirement of 41.12 mt for this date. The 94.42 mt comprised 54.99 mt wheat and 27.17 mt rice. In addition, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies held 18.3 mt of un-milled paddy, whose rice equivalent, at an outturn ratio of 67 per cent, ...

News 18

Indian farmers have planted 69.2 million hectares with summer crops, up 21.2% from this time a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, boosted by bountiful monsoon rains that spurred sowing in most parts of the country.

Farmers typically start planting their summer-sown crops June 1, when monsoon rains usually reach India. Planting usually continues until the end of July or early August.

Planting of rice, the key summer crop, was at 16.8 million hectares as of July 17 versus 14.2 million hectares in the previous year, the ministry said.

Orissa Post

Even as the district has seen a huge influx of migrants and there is a loss of livelihood for a large number of people, the district administration is looking at various options to provide them with a livelihood.

The Hindu

Where does India’s agriculture sector stand now?

The country has made big strides in agriculture. Post-liberalisation, the yield has increased, and is the third-largest producer by value.

However, the sector realises only 50 to 60% of its potential. Price realisation is affected by the APMC Act and middlemen. Except for a few crops (rice, wheat) and a few States (Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh), the selling price for the farmer is 15-50% below the minimum support price (MSP).

Economic Times

Indian farmers have planted 69.2 million hectares with summer crops, up 21.2% from this time a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, boosted by bountiful monsoon rains that spurred sowing in most parts of the country.

Farmers typically start planting their summer-sown crops June 1, when monsoon rains usually reach India. Planting usually continues until the end of July or early August. Planting of rice, the key summer crop, was at 16.8 millionhectares as of July 17 versus 14.2 million hectares in the previous year, the ministry said. The area planted with cotton was at 11.3 million hectares versus 9.6 million hectares the prior year.

The Hindu

An above average southwest monsoon so far has come as a boon for farmers during the kharif sowing season. Until July 14, the country has received 11% more rainfall than normal, resulting in reservoir levels rising to 2.7 times the usual levels. This encouraged sowing activity, taking the total sown area to a six-year high.

The Hindu Business Line

Dairy major, Amul marketer, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd has registered a turnover of ₹38,542 crore for the financial year 2019-20, showng a growth of 17 per cent over previous year.

The sales turnover has jumped by nearly five times in the past decade from ₹8,005 crore in 2009-10 to ₹38,542 crore in 2019-20. The rise is attributed to the dairy major’s rapid expansion in both – processing capacities and product portfolio.

Economic Times

India and the US have discussed the possibility of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) and have expressed desire to conclude the talks for an initial trade package, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. The issue was discussed during an informal tele-conversation between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Thursday.

India and the US are negotiating a limited trade deal with a view to iron out differences on trade issues to boost economic ties.

Down to earth

Punjab — known as the ‘Granary of India’ — produces 20 per cent and nine per cent of India’s wheat and rice respectively. At the international level, this represents three per cent of the global production of these crops. The state is responsible for two per cent of the world’s cotton and wheat production and one per cent of the world’s rice production.

This is possibly because of the Green Revolution, a period when Indian agriculture was converted into an industrial system. Modern methods and technology — including high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, tractors, irrigation facilities, pesticides and fertilisers — were adopted.

The Hindu Business Line

Last month, the Union government announced a revised minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops for FY 2020-21. The MSP for the basket of oilseeds, comprising groundnut, sesamum, sunflower, soybean and niger, got an average boost of 8.98 per cent, followed by millets like jowar, bajra, ragi and maize getting an average boost of 4.36 per cent compared to their respective MSP in FY 2019-20. Pulses such as tur, moong and urad got an average boost of 3.48 per cent and paddy got the boost of 3.02 per cent; MSP of wheat remained the same.

Free Press Journal

During these COVID-19 times, the only silver lining for the economy is agriculture. Its contribution to GDP has increased partly because agriculture has done well for itself, as well as the fact that other sectors of the economy have not done very well.

With above-normal rainfall supported by major policy disruptions at mandi level and varied pilot initiatives, agriculture has witnessed a new wave this year. This sector is estimated to dominate the growth of India’s economy at least for FY 2020-2021. In fact, what 1991 was for industry and the Indian economy, 2020 could do the same for agriculture.

Omm Comm News

Odisha has made record procurement of 70.56 lakh MT of paddy in the current Kharif and Rabi seasons.

In order to ensure food security of the people in COVID pandemic situation emphasis has been laid on Kharif and Rabi paddy procurement, the I&PR department of the State Government stated in a tweet.

The tweet further said that Rs 12,805.57 lakh has been paid to the bank account of farmers towards minimum support price (MSP).

New Indian Express

The State government has drawn up plans to construct over 56,000 ponds across Karnataka — the highest in a year — under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which would provide irrigation and help replenish ground water while providing employment to those who seek it. In 2013, the then Siddaramaiah government introduced the Krishi Bhagya scheme under the Department of Agriculture and included the construction of ‘krishi honda’ (farm pond to harvest rainwater) in its ambit.

CNBC TV 18

India’s soybean production is set to jump by at least 15 percent in 2020 from a year earlier as farmers are increasing the oilseed’s acreage due to timely arrival of monsoon rains and as New Delhi raised the minimum buying price.

Increased production of India’s main summer-sown oilseed could help the world’s biggest vegetable oil importer trim costly purchases of palm oil, soyoil and sunflower oil from Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina and Ukraine.

It could also revive Indian exports of animal feed ingredient soymeal to places such as Bangladesh, Japan, Vietnam and Iran.

Jagran

The efforts of the government in changing the condition and direction of the farmers through policy reforms have started gaining strength. Tightening legal gripes on the agricultural trade have begun to break. Only through private trade will farmers be able to reach prosperity. ITC, a company engaged in agri-business, says that to be competitive in the global chain of agriculture, sustainable development in domestic agriculture is necessary.

Zee Biz

Veejay Nakra, CEO, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, talks about demand from domestic and international markets, Atmanirbhar Bharat, concerns related to supply chain and ways to tackle with it and Atmanirbhar Bharat among others during an interview with Swati Khandelwal, Zee Business. Edited Excerpts: 

Q: There is no specific response in demand, despite Unlock 2.0 has started. The situation is still grim in terms of the pick-up in demand. What is your assessment and what strategy will be adopted at Mahindra and Mahindra to deal with this?

A: You said that the situation looks grim than it depends on what you are comparing. If you compare it with the last year’s numbers than it will look grim as ...

Journey Line

India is one of the leading contributors to domestic and global agricultural production demand. India is the largest producer of milk in the world, the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, and the adoption of technology has helped to improve these figures in various ways. But still today Indian agriculture is not free from problems. This Corona period in India has turned the youth of rural India into agriculture. Meanwhile, the educated young generation is looking for ways to improve its efficiency in dealing with the problems in the agricultural sector, besides, it is also putting more emphasis on how the adoption of technology can bind agricultural efficiency in rural India.

Odisha TV

Food, Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department Secretary, Vir Vikram Yadav on Wednesday wrote letter to all district collectors for starting farmers’ registration process to ensure procurement of paddy (kharif crop) for the upcoming Kharif marketing season 2020-21.

Online registration is mandatory for the farmers in their nearest PACS, LAMPCS, WSHG and Pani Panchayats to sell their Kharif and Rabi season’s paddy harvest. Farmers will have to give information on their harvest and bank details in this process, the letter says.

Money Control

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic could have a positive impact on the cash flow from operations (CFO) of state procurement agencies (SPAs) in FY21. This is due to the higher offtake from Food Corporation of India (FCI), in response to the various welfare schemes announced by the government, resulting in liquidation of SPAs’ unsold inventory and debtors, according to a report by India Ratings & Research.

SPAs procure the stock of wheat and paddy from designated mandis and supply them to FCI for building its central pool. In FY16, stock in the central pool grew 7 percent to 36.7 million tonne (MT) before declining 15 percent in FY17.

Hindustan Times

With no signs of end to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Punjab food and civil supplies department has decided to procure paddy in a staggered manner as it did during the rabi season that ended in June.

But the department is wary of using the rice mills as storage points fearing misappropriation of the stock and mixing of recycled rice with freshly shelled grain.

“Paddy poses a bigger challenge because the volume of the kharif crop is at least one-third more than wheat. Also, paddy arrives faster in the mandis (grain markets). An average 120 lakh tonnes of wheat arrives in mandis against 180 lakh tonne paddy,” an additional director-rank official said.

The Wire

In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the wheat procured from Madhya Pradesh last month sent shockwaves through the state of Punjab.

For the first time, Punjab was no longer the largest wheat contributor to the central pool as MP delivered the highest quantity for a single season by any state (Table 1).

Agriculture economist S.S. Gill believes that a major implication of this development would be that Punjab will no longer be able to boast of its long revered status as the food bowl of India. However, Gill was also quick to raise a pertinent issue that the state had been struggling with for the past several years.

Telangana Today 

Opening up agriculture, and non-agriculture self-employment sectors, reducing pressure on vulnerable sections of society and setting up an Economic Response Task Force (CETF) are some of the ways suggested for the speedy recovery of lockdown that affected the State economy.

A study by E Revathi, C Ravi and P Aparna of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) has suggested certain short and long term measures for the revival of the economy, which was enjoying fast economic growth since 2014.

Times Of India

A section of farmers in Thanjavur protested on Tuesday demanding compensation for the loss incurred due to inferior quality of paddy seeds which failed to germinate. They gathered in front of the office of the assistant director of seed certification and urged the government to take action against a private agency who sold the seeds. Farmers affiliated to Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam headed by its union secretary K Muniyandi said that farmers from Kovilur village had purchased Aaduthurai 38 paddy seed during the last samba season. The crop totally failed to germinate and could not harvest even 10% of paddy, he alleged.

Financial Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a mega economic stimulus package on May 12, 2020, amounting to Rs 20 lakh crore, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The focus of the package aimed at making India self-reliant in the post-Covid-19 economic reconstruction. Prime Minister Modi spoke about achieving self-reliance by giving thrust on two themes: ‘vocal for local’ and ‘local to global’.

Money Control

We expect the year 2020-21 to be the most important year for Indian agriculture both nationally and globally. The Agri sector could play a major role in supporting Indian GDP growth. This is what has been corroborated by FICCI in its recent survey. While it predicts India’s GDP growth in FY21 to contract 4.5 percent, it also mentions “Agriculture seems to be the only sector with a silver lining right now.”

Insights On India

The monsoon sets in India in the month of June and that process can sometimes be delayed by as much as a week.

One branch of the monsoon winds starts its journey northwards from Kerala and the other wing, called the Bay of Bengal branch, enters India from the southeast. Both branches eventually converge in the north and usually, this merging and strengthening of the monsoon currents over the mainland take at least until July 15.

Explain with suitable diagrams the entire mechanism.

Define the advantages of it on the economy of the country; given the fact that a large portion of Indian agriculture is still dependent on rainfall for irrigation needs; a good rainfall would ...

Scroll

The Southwest monsoon has arrived in most parts of South Asia and farmers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have started planting the summer crop. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the already distressed agriculture sector in these countries in different ways, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for farmers in this cropping season.

Covid-19 has already afflicted more than a million people in the four countries, with infections rising fast in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, latest data shows. South Asia has taken a beating from the lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of the virus, and with growth shrinking in the industrial and services sectors, hope is now pinned on adequate monsoon rainfall and farmers gathering a good ...

Financial Express

Former Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao on Tuesday said the government needs to build on “some silver linings” in the farm sector, driven by the prospect of a favourable monsoon, to speed up the economic recovery.

“The rural economy is doing slightly better than the urban economy which is still grappling with COVID-19. Rural economy, which accounts for 65 per cent of population and 25 per cent of GDP, is actually proven to be a buffer because of expanded MGNREGA spending…,” he said at a webinar organised by economic think tank NCAER

Live Mint

Like millions of householders in India, Devender Sodhi, too, was glued to her television late evening on 24 March. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to unveil a covid-19 crisis management plan. Barely six minutes into his speech, Modi announced a stringent 21-day lockdown to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.

No one will be allowed to move out of their homes from midnight, the Prime Minister proclaimed. Panicky households rushed to grocery stores to stock up on essentials. Twenty-two minutes into his speech, Modi said essential services would be exempted from the lockdown, but many did not wait that long.

Womensweb

The “Global Risks Report 2020” published by lists Climate Change as the top global threat over the next decade while the Global Climate Risk Index places India as the fifth most vulnerable country due to events catalyzed by climate change. The past few years have seen an increase in awareness of climate change impact on the Indian agricultural ecosystem both among policymakers as well as the general populace.

Navhind Times

The state government has set a target to cover 9,000 dairy farmers in Goa under the Kisan Credit Card Scheme launched by the central government, wherein they would get Rs 1.60 lakh collateral-free credit.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed that the Goa government has launched a drive to cover dairy farmers under Kisan Credit Card Scheme for making them eligible for 1.6 lakh collateral-free credit as a part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, an initiative of the Union government.

New Indian Express

National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has provided credit support of Rs 1,607 crore to West Bengal during the COVID-19 pandemic so far, an official said on Monday.

Besides the bank’s normal refinance schemes, this is a special liquidity support measure as the pandemic and the lockdown have severely affected the rural economy, a NABARD official said.

A smooth credit flow will provide support to the farming sector for sustaining agricultural and allied operations during the post-harvest Rabi crops and ongoing Kharif season, he said.

Grainmart

Agriculture is the primary stake for the revival of the Indian Economy. A vast majority of the Indian population is still dependent on agriculture. According to the preliminary data from the Agricultural Ministry, rice has been sowed in 12 million hectares. India has received 14% more rain than the past year that will help the farmers. Most farmlands in the country depend on the monsoon because of the lack of agricultural facilities.

The Wire

In his recent nationally televised speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly thanked the Indian farmer and the taxpayer in the same breath. The farmers though wear both hats as they pay taxes on most of their inputs. With no set off opportunity as agri-produce sales are zero rated, there is no input credit, so perhaps the farmer was appreciated twice, as a provider of food and taxes.

Indo Asian Commodities

Kharif crop sowing has got a headstart as India has been receiving healthy monsoon rainfall this year. Last week, rainfall picked up and the country received above average showers for almost an entire week. Overall through July, India has received above average rainfall so far. The rainfall received in July and August is critical to the farmers as this will determine the crop output of the year. Farmers sow crops such as rice, pulses, coarse cereals, oil seeds, sugarcane and cotton in the kharif crop sowing season.

“With the monsoon season in full swing, crop sowing is off to a very strong start, with the area sown through 3 July now reported at around 43.3 million ...

Forbes India

Agriculture supports nearly half of India’s workforce despite its decreasing contribution to the country’s GDP (85 percent to 16.5 percent during 1950-2020). Upscaling promising digital solutions across the agricultural value chain can address pressing challenges, posed mainly by the pandemic in the present time and over the long-term by way of climate change and growing population. More importantly, such efforts will leave us with a stronger value chains and means to better welfare.

The concern of getting infected with COVID-19 weighs heavily as the farm workforce engages in kharif to feed the country. Mechanising more farms can reduce risk of infection while increasing farm efficiency. Just under 45 percent of Indian farms are mechanised. China and Brazil, India’s ...

Telugu Bullet

The area under Kharif crops reached over 580 lakh hectares as on July 10, as per the sowing coverage data released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Friday. The acreage of pulses has increased unexpectedly compared to last year as the timely onset of monsoon this year favored early sowing in the rainfed areas. The total area under pulses rose to 64.25 lakh hectares, up 162.35 percent from the same period last year.

As per the Ministry’s latest sowing coverage, the acreage of tur is 26.18 lakh hectares, up 199.20 percent from the corresponding data a year ago while the area under urad reached 19.79 lakh hectares and moong 15.16 lakh hectares.

News 18

The government’s wheat procurement has touched an all-time record of 38.98 million tonnes so far in 2020-21 marketing year (April-March), with Madhya Pradesh surpassing Punjab as the country’s biggest wheat procuring state.

The previous record was 38.18 million tonnes achieved in 2012-13. Wheat procurement stood at 34.77 million tonnes during 2019-20 marketing year. Wheat marketing year runs from April-March, but bulk of procurement is normally done in the first three months.

Counter View

The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of an unhealthy diet and the extreme fragility of food systems. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health to all. The pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed ourselves, and agricultural research can play a vital role in making our food systems more sustainable and resilient. Family-owned farms still produce some 80% of the world’s food. There is an inextricable link between farmers with small landholdings and our survival and the health of our planet. They play a highly critical role in protecting the environment. But they are among the most underserved population.

Times Of India

Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that the government has decided to provide loans of Rs1.5 lakh without collateral to around 9,000 dairy farmers in the state under the central government’s Kishan credit card (KCC) scheme. Sawant said that the state government will start a drive to disburse the loan to farmers from July 31.

Live Mint

The monsoon covered all of India 12 days in advance by the end of June, and while some parts received excess rainfall, others recorded a deficiency. Overall, the early monsoon has helped sowing across the country. Farmers have planted 12 million hectares with rice, preliminary data from the agriculture ministry shows. This is an increase of 25% from last year as the robust rain encouraged the expansion of acreage. In a year when all sectors have been ravaged by the coronavirus, agriculture is expected to lead revival, as India has received 14% higher than average rain since the monsoon began on 1 June. Farmers start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybean, sugarcane and peanuts from 1 June. Most ...

Desh Doot

Farmers applying for crop loans do not have to approach banks or government offices. For this, the district administration has made available the facility of online application at home and this facility will not only save the time of the farmers, but also they will not have to leave their farm field work, said additional district collector Dattaprasad Nade adding that Rs 950 crore crop loan has been disbursed in the district till now.

Nade was speaking at the crop loan review meeting held in the collectorate here on Saturday. Probationary officer from Indian Administrative Service Shubham Gupta, district deputy registrar Gautam Balsane, Lead Bank manager Ardhandu Shekhar and representatives of banks were present on the occasion.

NewsD

COVID pandemic has resulted in one of the worst economic crisis. Manufacturing units have been shut down, demand has plummeted, job losses can be seen across the sectors. The Union Finance Ministry has estimated that GDP will shrink 4.5 percent in the current fiscal year. 

However hope has arisen from rural India as agriculture sector seems to have been relatively less affected by the pandemic and consequent lockdown. Rural India never really went into a severe lockdown and thus harvest, procurement and consumer activity has remained more or less the same. Thus while GDP will decline, growth rate of 2.5 percent is projected for agriculture this financial year. In 2019-20 agriculture grew by 4% thanks to record production ...

The Hindu

Labour shortage following an exodus of migrant labourers amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown forced Gurteg Singh to plant paddy using direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique this summer (kharif season), moving away from the traditional ‘transplanting’ practice. One month down the line, he is not just upbeat about about his crop yield, but also relieved about management of crop residue after harvest.

New Indian Express

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday directed the officials to ensure that river waters from projects that are being constructed across the State, reach the maximum extent of the farmlands in the State.

The Chief Minister, who was reviewing the works related to providing waters to the unserved areas at Pragathi Bhavan, asked them to identify such areas on a priority basis. “There is no other priority for the State than providing irrigation facility to the parched farmlands,” he said.

Kashmir Times

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of an unhealthy diet and the extreme fragility of food systems. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health to all. The pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed ourselves, and agricultural research can play a vital role in making our food systems more sustainable and resilient. Family-owned farms still produce some 80% of the world’s food. There is an inextricable link between farmers with small landholdings and our survival and the health of our planet. They play a highly critical role in protecting the environment. But they are among the most underserved population.

The Hindu

The onset of southwest monsoon in time has brought cheers to farmers in Prakasam district who have begun cultivation of kharif crops with lots of hopes.

Thanks to the recent wet spell across the district, farmers have started preparing their land for sowing various rain-fed crops. Karamchedu has recorded a rainfall of 193 mm so far this month followed by N.G.Padu(171 mm), S.N.Padu(157 mm), Tangutur(130 mm), Parchur(126mm), Singarayaonda(123mm), Ongole(113 mm) and Inkollu(103 mm), according to a report compiled by the office of the Chief Planning Officer.

Current Affairs

Kharif Crops are grown in hot and humid rain fed areas. As per the data from the Indian Meteorological Department, June 2020 was the wettest June in Indian in the last 12 years. As per the LPA- Long Period Average, the country has excessive overall rainfall in June 2020 with 118 percent. Above 110 percent is considered as excess in LPA.

India Today

Environmental activists and experts alike have recently raised serious concerns over the flurry of activity in the Union ministry for environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC). From holding virtual meetings to giving projects environmental clearance, to automatically extending mining leases and proposing new guidelines for environmental impact assessment, the ministry’s fast pace of work has made its intent suspect in the eyes of many. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened up coal mining to the private sector on June 18, conservationists saw it as part of the pattern they claim the Union government has been following in the past six years: sacrificing the environment to fast-track industrial development. While part of it is true, some concerns are ...

India Today

Indian farmers have planted 12 million hectares with summer-sown rice, preliminary farm ministry data for this year showed, up 25 per cent from last year as robust monsoon rains encouraged the expansion of acreage.

Buoyed by the plentiful rains, rice farmers are likely to harvest a record crop and step up overseas sales from the world’s biggest exporter of the grain.

News 18

Indian farmers have planted 12 million hectares with summer-sown rice, preliminary farm ministry data for this year showed, up 25% from last year as robust monsoon rains encouraged the expansion of acreage.

Buoyed by the plentiful rains, rice farmers are likely to harvest a record crop and step up overseas sales from the world’s biggest exporter of the grain.

Agri Times

The values and vision of New Holland’s founders are the beating heart of the brand to this day, as it celebrates 125 years at the farmers’ side, providing the support they needed at all times, constantly investing and innovating so they would have the products, technologies and services to farm efficiently, sustainably and profitably.

Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland Agriculture stated, “New Holland has a rich heritage started in a small town of Pennsylvania and has grown to be a global brand with presence across 170 countries. It is a history marked by important innovations that have changed agriculture. It brings together the unique legacy of brands such as Ford, Fiat, Braud and Claeys. Most important of all, ...

DT Next

After inspecting the facilities and functioning of the DPC at Ullikkottai near Mannargudi in Tiruvarur, the food minister said, in order to ensure livelihood to the farmers during the lockdown, the state government had relaxed certain norms. Due to this, the farming activities were going on in full swing at present.

Pointing out that the procurement of 26.24 lakh MT via 521 DPCs established in delta and Non-delta regions, was comparatively huge, Kamaraj said, “The season is not over yet and the procurement volume is likely to set a record.”

DT Next

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has approved the UP-Start-up Policy 2020 to promote fledgling units in various areas including agriculture, health, power, education, tourism and transport. The policy was approved by the state cabinet, late on Wednesday evening. The aim of the policy would be to ensure that UP is ranked within the first three states in the Centre’s start-up rankings, create 100 incubators with, at least, one in each district, create an ecosystem to promote at least 10,000 start-ups, set up state  of the art excellence centres and create the largest incubator in the country in Lucknow.

The Hindu

Continuous rainfall since June has helped farmers opt for brisk sowing during this kharif season. The monsoon has been satisfactory with Kalaburagi district recording 168 mm rainfall as against a normal average of 122 mm from June 1 to July 5.

As much as 59 % of the targeted area for kharif crops, both in rain-fed and irrigated areas, has already been covered in the district.

The Hindu Business Line

A good monsoon, record kharif sowing, improved rabi harvest, and a slew of government measures to increase rural incomes have helped the tractor industry fight the Covid-19 fever and grow sharply, with sales surging 52 per cent in June over May and 20 per cent year-on-year.

Production also hit a 20-month high this June.

The ramp-up in production and the release of pent up demand aided the industry in registering robust double-digit sales growth.

Hindustan Times

Claiming that India will play a leading role in global economic revival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the call for a “self-reliant India” is not about “being closed to the world” but about merging domestic production and consumption with global supply chains.

Modi also said India is one of the most open economies in the world, and invited global companies to invest in the country across sectors including defence.

In a speechby video link to the inaugural session of India Global Week, an event organised by a London-based group, India.Inc, the PM reiterated that green shoots were visible in the economy. He also spoke about the reservoir of Indian talent and India’s capacity to ...

Hindustan Times

The water level in the four dams in the city has improved to 26.29 per cent till July 9, as monsoon continues to spread in the state, said officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) water department.

The four dams include Khadakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon and Temghar.

As per the statistics department data the districts in western Maharashtra mainly Pune, Solapur and Satara have received 100 per cent of June’s average rainfall. While Kolhapur and Satara districts have received 75 per cent to 100 per cent of average rainfall in June.

The Hans India

TDP senior leader and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy questioned the justification for the state government in celebrating Rythu Dinotsavam when it spent only 37 per cent of the funds allocated for agriculture sector during 2019-20. He said only Rs 7,481 crore out of the total Rs 20,250 crore allocated for the sector were spent.

Business World

The values and vision of New Holland’s founders are the beating heart of the brand to this day, as it celebrates 125 years at the farmers’ side, providing the support they needed at all times, constantly investing and innovating so they would have the products, technologies, and services to farm efficiently, sustainably and profitably. Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland Agriculture stated, “New Holland has a rich heritage started in a small town of Pennsylvania and has grown to be a global brand with presence across 170 countries. It is a history marked by important innovations that have changed agriculture. It brings together the unique legacy of brands such as Ford, Fiat, Braud and Claeys. Most ...

Indian Express

After surplus rain in the pre-monsoon period, Punjab has witnessed deficit rain ever since monsoon hit the state at the fag end of June, though a good monsoon has been predicted this year.

While June 29 was the date for the onset of monsoon in Punjab, it hit a few days earlier this year.

In the past 10 days after the arrival of monsoon, the state has recorded 29.4 mm rainfall against the required 40 mm — 26.5 per cent less than the required rain during this period.

Counter-Currents

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of an unhealthy diet and the extreme fragility of food systems. The economic reconstruction that will follow the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to provide better nutrition and health to all. The pandemic should spur us to redefine how we feed ourselves, and agricultural research can play a vital role in making our food systems more sustainable and resilient.

Family-owned farms still produce some 80% of the world’s food. There is an inextricable link between farmers with small landholdings and our survival and the health of our planet. They play a highly critical role in protecting the environment. But they are among the most underserved population.

Bloomberg Quint

The area sown to kharif crops like rice has shot up 88% to 432.97 lakh hectare so far despite the Covid-19 crisis, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Wednesday. Sowing of kharif (summer) crops begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon from June. Rice is the main kharif crop. “Kharif sowing is underway. This time, 432.97 lakh hectare has been covered, up by 202 lakh hectare when compared with the year-ago period,” Tomar said in a media briefing.

Financial Express

The Centre has written to state governments urging them to invoke the penalty clause on insurance companies that have defaulted on settling the claims made by farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The move follows reports that insurers are yet clear as much as a third of the over Rs 15,000 crore claimed by farmers as crop insurance for the Kharif 2019 season, even as the new summer season began on July 1.

Orissa Post

Over the centuries, people have learnt to live with rivers. Once upon a time, Huang-he was China’s sorrow. The river killed millions of people since 2nd Century BC from catastrophic floods. In 1955, China successfully controlled the Huang-he by building overflow channels and increasingly taller dikes from its ambitious 50-year construction and flood-control programme. This included extensive dike construction, repair and reinforcement, reforestation and the construction of a series of dams to control the river’s flow, produce electricity and supply water for irrigation. The river has not burst its banks since 1945. River Brahmaputra also has terrifying stories of annual flooding that eat away the entire economy of Assam

The Print

How did the Food Corporation of India come about holding such massive stocks of rice and wheat? As of June 2020, the FCI had 832.69 lakh tonnes of rice and wheat in stock. This is considerably more than what the FCI needs to maintain, as both operational as well as strategic stock — 210.40 lakh tonnes as of 1 April every year, which goes up to 411.20 lakh tonnes as of 1 July.

Inventia

According to the Indian Meteorological Department data, India has witnessed the wettest June after 2013. The Rainfall was recorded 15% higher than regular Rainfall in the country. Excepting pockets in the Himalayan states and western Uttar Pradesh, the dissemination of monsoon during the month was marvelously even. According to the Meteorological department has forecast, there will be a regular monsoon this season.

Daily Excelsior

Animal husbandry sector has a vast potential in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir with favorable agro-climatic conditions and other natural endowments including rich alpine pastures. The sector has a pivotal role in agro based economy of the UT in which Livestock sector contributes 4.11% of national GDP and 25.6% of total Agricultural GDP. As per the 20th livestock census, J&K has 8.3 million animals and 7.7 million poultry, small ruminants comprising 3.2 million sheep and 1.77 million goats also contribute significantly to the total livestock population of the Union Territory. Animal husbandry sector plays an important role in income generation, employment, food and social security especially for the people living in rural areas and those ...

Financial Mapping

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to push for ramping up exports and limiting imports under the Make in India or Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme, Amul has said that India can become a major dairy products exporter to neighbouring countries. “More or less in all food categories, India is self reliant…In milk, we are not only self reliant, we are bringing dairy to the world also… all southeast countries, middle east countries, Sri Lanka, Pakistan are milk-deficit,” Amul MD RS Sodhi told ET Now in an interview. While India currently imports milk powder from various nations such as France, Denmark, Australia and Canada, it also exports dairy and related products to Bhutan, Afghanistan, and UAE.

The Hills Times

India is a predominantly agricultural country where about 70% of the people live in villages and about 63% of the people depend on agriculture. The population is growing by 1.6%, while the consumption of food products is growing by 7.8% mainly due to rising economic standards. Agriculture contributes about 17.3% of the total GDP of the country and employs about 56% of the people who are mostly in the unorganized sector. Therefore, agriculture is one of the most important drivers of food and nutrition security, employment, and livelihood.

Morung Express

The Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland organized one-day training and awareness programme on ‘scaling up of lowland paddy’ at its Conference Hall on July 7. Director of Agriculture, M Ben Yanthan addressing the programme said that the scheme was a new programme under RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana) scheme inorder to enhanced food production in the State.

Hindustan Times

Karnal municipal corporation (MC) on Tuesday sealed 12 dairies being operated within its limits and also took their buffaloes and cows into its possession.

The MC officials, accompanied by police, conducted a surprise raid, seized at least 15 animals, and sent them to a community centre.

Karnal MC joint commissioner Gagandeep Singh said the corporation had identified 188 plots at Pingli village for relocating dairy farms and in February this year, a draw of plots was held in the presence of dairy owners.

The Hindu Business Line

Asking banks to disburse 100 per cent crop loans to farmers by this month-end, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse ordered the State machinery to file cases against banks if they fail to meet the target.

During his visit to Vidarbha region, Bhuse said, “Farmers need crop loan to purchase seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides. Over 90 per cent loans must be disbursed before sowing starts. Banks have just disbursed 27 per cent loan even as 73 per cent kharif sowing is completed in the State”.

The Minister added: “If banks fail to respond, the government will take stringent steps. The district collector and deputy registrar must review disbursal every two days”.

Business Standard

Investments in the agritech sector are likely to exceed $ 500 million in the next two years with the recently funded startups scaling up well for further rounds and also because the scalability potential remains high.

The sector is getting traction, especially during the current pandemic, thanks to digital access to farmers, reforms and government support. The farmer as a consumer and a producer is now being empowered by access to information, inputs, farm to fork linkages and financing support.

Ahemdabad Mirror

Heavy rainfall in the entire Saurashtra region over the last 72 hours has extensively damaged standing crops. In certain parts of the region, rains that started on Saturday or Sunday still continue unabated.

The Wire

The nationwide lockdown to contain the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has brought economic activity to a complete standstill. During these times of crisis, when most sectors in the economy are in a slump, the agriculture sector has risen to become a beacon of hope and has the promise of leading the country’s economic recovery.

As the least affected sector from the coronavirus-induced recession, the agriculture sector can not only be leveraged in the process of recovery, but it could also gain from this opportunity by leapfrogging into a new regime of growth, development and enhanced farmer welfare.

It is widely acknowledged that access to credit is critical for accessing timely and good quality inputs ...

The Hindu

Tamil Nadu has bucked the national trend when it comes to rice off-take from the Central pool.

Unlike many other States, which had doubled their drawal under various schemes of the Central government, including COVID-19 relief schemes, during April-June 2020 when compared to the corresponding period last year, Tamil Nadu had seen only a marginal increase in rice off-take. Tamil Nadu had lifted 13.08 lakh tonnes of rice during April-June 2019, and its offtake was only 13.5 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period this year, in spite of the State having availed itself of the special schemes announced by the Centre to mitigate the hardship faced by the people due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Andhra Pradesh, a ...

The Hindu Business Line

Raising agriculture lending targets aggressively in recent years has led to overleveraging. Deterioration in credit culture on the back of farm loan waivers and diversion of funds (as pointed out by the RBI’s report on agriculture credit last September)is also a growing cause for worry.

The March quarter results of PSBs suggest that all of this has led to a sharp rise in delinquencies in agri loans. For instance, Central Bank of India has seen its agri NPA ratio spike to 14.7 per cent in FY20, from 9.7 per cent in FY19. Bank of Maharashtra’s agri NPA stood at nearly 26 per cent of its agri loans in FY20, up from 19.3 per cent in ...

Swarajya Mag

The Narendra Modi government’s agricultural reforms on the “One Country, One Market” has taken off in right earnest with soybean growers in Madhya Pradesh set to offload their produce with processors instead of taking it to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) mandis.

This will mean that either the farmers will directly head to the millgates of the soybean processors or the latter will themselves buy the produce at the farmgate with the state government, too, permitting direct sale when the oilseed crop is harvested in September-October.

Deccan Herald

Frustrated over non-procurement of milk, dairy farmers of Kakolu village near Hesaraghatta threw hundreds of litres of the produce at a garbage dump.

Economic Times

In yet another e-governance push, the Uttar Pradesh government has cleared a proposal to scrap the mandatory provision of physical presence of farmers in the banks for regulating payment of premium for the PM crop insurance scheme. The farmers will now instead be required to take e-route to seek discontinuation of premium payments for different crops.

The move is in line with the UP government’s efforts to avoid crowding of banks in districts due worsening Covid-19 pandemic situation in the state.

Financial Express

On July 7, 2019, the government of Haryana, following the example of many Indian states to digitally connect farmers, launched the “Meri Fasal- Mera Byora” initiative. In order to drive registration, the government promised benefits like crop damage compensation due to natural disaster, ensuring the availability of all government facilities, etc, via the service.

Auto Car Pro

The monsoon has arrived across India and brings along good news for domestic tractor manufacturers, who look set to harvest a season of strong growth. If the June sales numbers from two leading manufacturers are any indication, then this sector is headed for a good performance this fiscal (FY2021).

With the IMD forecasting the south-west monsoon to be at 102 percent of the long period average (LPA) in calendar 2020, the rains are well-distributed at 96-107 percent of the LPA in all the four regions. The monsoon’s approach has been timely with rains 21 percent above normal in June. The forecast for July and August – crucial months for kharif crop – is also encouraging at 103 ...

Capital Market

The total acreage under kharif crops continues to soar and stood at 43 2.97 lakh hectares (lh) as on 3 July 2020, recording a surge of 88% corresponding week last year, according to latest sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry.

Daily Pioneer

After returning of migrants in April and May ahead of the onset of monsoon due to the nationwide lockdown, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have witnessed a record sowing of kharif crops so far. Interestingly, the area sown in Punjab is estimated to have declined due to lack of farm labourers.

According to Agriculture Ministry’s data, the area under kharif crops increased by 88 per cent over to 433 lakh hectares till Friday as against 230 lakh hectares in the corresponding week last year.

Due to good rainfall and adequate farm labourers, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have witnessed a record sowing of kharif crops so far. The Ministry’s data showed that the area sown in Bihar ...

Financial Express

Amid all the mayhem due to coronavirus pandemic, kharif crop sowing so far has beaten last year’s figures with the total acreage as of 3rd July 2020 being 88% higher than the comparable period last year. The favourable monsoons this year are largely behind the kharif sowing growth, a report said on Saturday. “As of July 3, the total kharif acreage was 88% higher than the same period last year. Sowing was late last year due to extremely weak start to monsoon,” a Kotak Institutional Equities report said. Among major kharif crops, rice sowing was 38% higher at 6.8 million hectares, oilseed acreage was 225% higher at 10.9 million hectares and pulses sowing was higher by 289% ...

Hindustan Times

Chandigarh Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has said that he will fight against the anti-farmer ordinances of the Centre. “I will be writing soon to the Prime Minister for an appointment for an all-party delegation which all Punjab parties, except the BJP, have unanimously agreed to be a part of,” he said while addressing his weekly #AskCaptain Facebook Live session.

“No matter what Sukhbir Badal or BJP say, once these ordinances are passed, the Centre’s next step will be to end the MSP regime and dismantle the Food Corporation of India,” Amarinder said.

While pointing to the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar committee, he said the procurement process will come to an end and mandis won’t ...

Indo Asian Commodities

Flour millers have demanded the current wheat price under the open market sale scheme (OMSS) be cut by 23 per cent on assurance that the millers would purchase 10 million tonnes from the government’s official stock.

A decrease in the reserve price may help the government to reduce the stockpiles of the cereal with the Food Corporation of India, which is double than the buffer norm of 27.6 million tonnes as on July 1, 2020.

The Hindu Business Line

With almost three-fourth of total districts in the country receiving excess to normal rainfall so far, the area under kharif crops increased by 88 per cent over to 433 lakh hectares (lh) till Friday as against 230 lh in the corresponding week last year, according to kharif sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry here.

Oilseeds and pulses, which are predominantly rain-fed crops, recorded highest increase as compared to the same period last year.

With Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra planting soyabean over 42.2 lh and 29 lh as compared to 8.5 lh and 1 lh, respectively, during the corresponding period the total area under soyabean cultivation zoomed 225 per cent to 109 lh. Similarly, Gujarat ...

Business Today

In a major push to organic farming in the country, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed to double the allocation for the sector to Rs 1,300 crore annually. The Centre has provided Rs 660 crore to support the sector in its budget estimate (BE) for FY21. In a presentation to the Fifteenth Finance Commission, the Agriculture Ministry has proposed to bring additional 25 lakh hectares under organic farming in the next 5 years. The current organic farming coverage of 28 lakh hectares is a measly 2% of the total farm land.

Economic Times

The Odisha government has launched a scheme ‘Balaram’ to provide agricultural credit of Rs 1,040 crore to landless farmers who are facing hardships due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Friday.

Around seven lakh landless cultivators will be benefited from the programme in the next two years, they said.

The decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by chief secretary A K Tripathy on Thursday.

Deshgujarat

Gujarat has completed 15.80 per cent of average monsoon rain till the beginning of July.

Devdis Course

Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has appealed to farmers to grow different varieties of crops keeping in view the type of farmland in order to make farming a gainful activity. In a letter to the farmers of the country, Shri Tomar has said that with the onset of monsoon in most parts of the country, sowing of crops has also been completed in many places, and is in process in other areas. Shri Tomar says in his letter that he is communicating with the farmers to exhort them to adopt the best agricultural practices in order to maximize production.

Mathrabhumi

Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan has said that his ministry has closed the door for Chinese products. Paswan said that no Chinese goods will come to his department anymore and a circular to this effect has already been issued.

The Hindu

The high levels of reverse migration recorded during the COVID-19-related lockdown led to a sudden surge in demand for work through MGNREGS in States where the bulk of the migrants returned.

Sowing of kharif crops doubled this year following a massive increase in rural labour and an above average monsoon. These two factors led to levels of rural employment seen before the lockdown was imposed.

Swarjyamag

Rural India continues to show signs of economic revival with sales of tractors, another indicator of green shoots in the economy, showing impressive growth in June.

The demand was expected to remain buoyant at least until September with tractor production increasing 50 per cent in June compared with last year across the country.

Indian Cooperative

In a letter to the farmers of the country, Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar has exhorted them to adopt best agricultural practices in order to maximize production. With the onset of monsoon in most parts of the country, sowing of crops has also been completed in many places, Tomar wrote.

Tomar lauded the farmers of country and said they have completed their agricultural work with responsibility and dedication even during the difficult time of the lockdown which affected industries and businesses.

Business Today

Sale of automobiles was expected to give clear signals of any real green shoots in the domestic economy and if the figures for June are anything to go by, it is a split verdict.

In the first full month after lockdown restrictions were lifted in mid-May and economic activity was allowed across the country, two-wheelers and tractors were the two segments showing the most optimistic trends. The numbers released by the industry on Wednesday are wholesale that represent vehicles produced at the factories and shipped to dealerships. While retail sales give a clearer indication of actual demand and offtake on the ground, this data gives an idea of what is to follow.

New Indian Express

It has been a good start for agricultural activities in the ongoing kharif season as Sambalpur received surplus rainfall by over 45.29 per cent in June.

As per reports, the district has received 321.11 mm rainfall in the month against normal 221 mm. Of the nine blocks in the district, Kuchinda block received the highest rainfall of 543.80 mm, followed by 390.10 mm rainfall in Bamra block. Last year, Sambalpur had recorded only 140.32 mm of rainfall in June.

Live Wire

It’s 7 am, my phone is fully charged and I have a long list of telephone numbers in front of me. We are now in middle of June and the men and women I am trying to get in touch with are in a hurried panic. Without wasting their time, I try to talk to them before they set off to their fields, along with the rest of their families, to begin the back breaking task of paddy transplantation.

India, much like rest of the world, went into complete lockdown in March, anticipating a steep rise in the curve indicating the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded each day. More than two months later, today, the country ...

Rising Kashmir

In order to stop the illegal cultivation of poppy and cannabis crops across the Kashmir, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Tuesday convened a meeting to discuss the measures being taken to curb the menace of cannabis and poppy cultivation. Divisional Commissioner said that all possible steps are being taken to stop cultivation of Poppy and Cannabis crops across the valley as early as possible so that drug menace will be weeded out completely from our society. He directed the concerned authorities to devise a concrete strategy so that cultivation of these harmful crops destroyed in government and private lands.

The Hindu Business Line

Of the 151.34 lakh hectares of land under kharif cultivation, including sugarcane, sowing on 60.56 lakh hectares (40 per cent) has been completed in Maharashtra.

Kharif cultivation, except sugarcane, is done on 141.99 lakh hectares, of which sowing operations have been completed on 59.60 lakh hectares by June 22.

Notwithstanding the germination-related complaints by soybean farmers, the State Agriculture Department, in its report, has stated that germination of all kharif crops is satisfactory. The State has received an average 207.6 mm rainfall in June. By June 22, the state has received 176.80 mm (85.10 per cent) rain.

The Statesman

With China trying to threaten us, Coronavirus infections peaking and the economy faltering, it may not seem the right time to discuss agriculture but with a number of major policy changes in the offing, we urgently need to have a look at the long-term future of farmers and farming. It has been more than six weeks since the Finance Minister announced a stimulus package of Rs 4.30 lakh crore for farmers, out of which Rs 2.80 lakh crore were in the form of credit and Rs1.50 lakh crore were in the form of Government spending.

From the sketchy details, available in the public domain, one gathers that Rs one lakh crore has been set aside for an ...

Down To Earth

The Union government announced three agriculture-related ordinances as part of its novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief package — permitting agricultural trade outside the boundaries of market committees, easing regulation and control under the Essential Commodities Act and facilitating contract farming.

Out of these, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Ordinance, 2020, seems to have the most far-reaching implications, particularly for the agrarian state of Punjab.

The Kashmir Rising

The horticulture sector is poised to grow more rapidly in the upcoming years in J&K, despite disruptions it faced due to subsequent lockdowns. At a time when all the sectors are in shambles, the fruit industry remains a beacon of hope for many unemployed youths and local families in Jammu and Kashmir, Mukhtar Dar writes.

Throughout history, farmers in Kashmir have been known to suffer immensely. Their economy was badly shaped by ill-conceived laws that did nothing to serve the interests of the cultivators. They had to go through periods of stagnation, characterized not only by poverty but also by the lowest level of income imaginable, due to harsh taxation policies of rulers and the Jagardari system before ...

Reuters

Government-backed Food Corporation of India (FCI), which buys grain from farmers at a state-set guaranteed price, has bought a record 38.83 million tonnes of wheat, a government statement showed. Last year, the FCI procured 34.13 million tonnes of wheat.

“It now looks like that we’ll end up buying 40.5 to 41 million tonnes this year,” said an official who oversees the government’s wheat purchase programme, declining to be identified in line with government policy.

In 2012, the FCI bought a then-record 38.18 million tonnes of wheat, exposing stocks to rot.