Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
A wider Perspectiveedit
Bengal has witnessed several path-breaking agricultural movements in the past. The Singur movement and the triumphant win of farmers with their relentless endeavour to get back their lands headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee became a ‘role model’ for the world. Now after nine years of coming to power and putting an end to 34 years’ of the Left Front’s rule in 2011, Banerjee took another crucial move that has come up as a major leap towards technological advancement in the state’s agricultural sector. This will add another feather to Bengal’s crown after winning Krishi Karman Awards six times and that too with five of them coming in consecutive succession from 2011-12.
Tractor makers report higher sales in Julyedit
The automobile sector may be struggling with CÓVID-19-related issues but July saw a rise in tractor sales.
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES) reported a 27% growth in the sales of tractors to 25,402 units.
Sonalika Tractors reported a 71.7% growth in domestic sales to 8,219 units. The company sold a total of 10,223 units including exports. The comparative figures were not available.
91% sowing in Maharashtra raises hope for bumper productionedit
With satisfactory rainfall across Maharashtra, the sowing average for crops in the state has reached 91%. Agriculturists and officials say they are expecting bumper agriculture production this year.
As per a report collated by the agriculture department on July 27, crops have been sown on 1.29 crore hectare (ha) of the 1.42 crore ha that comprises the average area under kharif crops.Last year, sowing was done on 1.15 crore ha on the corresponding day.
The sowing for oilseed crops like groundnut and soybean has crossed its average area of 41.57 lakh ha to spread across 42.89 lakh ha. Pulses have reached 90%, with sowing completed on 19.98 lakh ha against its average area of 22.17 lakh ha. ...
With more hands on fields, Karnataka sees more sowingedit
The Covid-induced lockdown, which saw reverse migration to the hinterland, coupled with good monsoon rains, has had a positive effect which is showing on the fields. There has been an increase in sowing activity across the state in the prevailing kharif season.
As per the data from the State Agriculture Department, cultivable land in the state is 73 lakh hectares of which close to 50 lakh hectares has already been covered under sowing, meeting 68 per cent of the target.
In Jharkhand’s villages, solar-powered irrigation has helped tribal farmers turn a profitedit
The Chotanagpur Plateau in Eastern India, criss-crossed with streams, once was lush green even in winter.
But increasingly erratic rainfall in recent years has made life much harder for the region’s impoverished indigenous subsistence farmers, most of whom rely on monsoon rains between June and September to grow a thirsty rice crop.
“Our land is rich, but our people are poor,” said Gagu Oraon, a farmer from the Oraon indigenous community in Tukutoli, a village in Jharkhand that has struggled with low yields and crop failure.
Auto Sales Analysis: Domestic sales improve; consumer sentiments positiveedit
What happens when the market leader reports a six-digit sales number and a positive growth? In normal circumstances, one might wonder as to what is new about that!
But today, when Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) reported over 1-lakh domestic sales for the month of July 2020, it gave a ray of hope in the minds and hearts of every auto enthusiast, in an industry that is currently plagued with multiple issues.
India’s kharif rice sowing up 19% so far, thanks to good rainsedit
Area sown to rice, the main kharif crop, has increased by 19 per cent to 266.60 lakh hectares so far across the country in the current kharif season on account of good rains, the agriculture ministry said on Friday. Among cash crops, cotton planting has risen by 11.29 per cent to 121.25 lakh hectares so far in the current kharif season of the 2020-21 crop year (July-June) from 108.95 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June, while harvesting from October onwards.
Warning bell: Extreme weather is hitting India’s farmlands harderedit
Natural disasters hit India’s farmlands the worst last year in two decades, the Centre said.
More than 14.4 million hectares (ha), roughly seven per cent of India’s gross cropped area, was affected in the 11 months through February 20, 2020. The area, spread over 14 states, was seven times that of the previous year.
Losses could mount as unseasonal and excessive rainfall in March 2020 further damaged rabi crops in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. At least 0.4 million ha of cropped area was lost in these states, according to news reports.
Before 2019-20, 2007-08 (8.5 million ha), 2006-07 (7.1 million ha) and 2013-14 (6.3 million ha) had been the worst years for cropland losses. ...
Competition
Sonalika sells 8,219 tractors in July, up 71% YoYedit
Demand from the rural sector has bounced back and how. Sonalika Tractors has announced that it has sold a total of 8,219 units in the domestic market in July 2020, which constitutes 71.65 percent year-on-year growth (July 2019: 4,788).
Speaking on the performance, Raman Mittal, executive director, Sonalika Group, said, “We have recorded the highest ever domestic growth of 71.7% in July 2020, beating industry growth with overall sales at 10,223 tractors (including exports). This consistent performance, creating new record high and gaining market share is a testimony of our strong foundation and investment in world’s no.1 vertical integrated plant, largest channel partners, technology savvy supply chain and best team. We have launched new tractors with advanced technology features ...
Dairy Farming
Warning bell: Extreme weather is hitting India’s farmlands harderedit
Natural disasters hit India’s farmlands the worst last year in two decades, the Centre said.
More than 14.4 million hectares (ha), roughly seven per cent of India’s gross cropped area, was affected in the 11 months through February 20, 2020. The area, spread over 14 states, was seven times that of the previous year.
Losses could mount as unseasonal and excessive rainfall in March 2020 further damaged rabi crops in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. At least 0.4 million ha of cropped area was lost in these states, according to news reports.
Before 2019-20, 2007-08 (8.5 million ha), 2006-07 (7.1 million ha) and 2013-14 (6.3 million ha) had been the worst years for cropland losses. ...
Technology in Agriculture
Importance of technology in Indian agricultureedit
Indian civilisation is one of oldest civilisations in the world and similarly Indian agriculture is also of the same age. Ancient Indian farmers were quite rich because agriculture was the most advanced and prestigious occupation of that time. Fifty per cent of the population is still dependent on agriculture and occupations related to agriculture.
Indian traditions, customs and religious culture were adversary affected along with agriculture due to foreign invaders and rulers and our advanced agriculture lagged behind as compared to other countries.