Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Know how ‘Kisan Mitra’ will help farmers in Haryanaedit
Haryana government will soon create 17 thousand ‘Kisan Mitra’ in the state. These Kisan Mitra as volunteers will work to make the farmers aware and ensure the benefit of the government project. Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister JP Dalal said that the Haryana government has decided to hire 17 thousand Kisan Mitra for how to manage the finance according to the usefulness and income of the farmers.
They will advise farmers according to volunteers. Similarly, in the recently announced self-reliant India’s Rs 20 lakh crore relief package, Rs 1 lakh crore has been saved for agricultural infrastructure. 3900 crores has been earmarked for Haryana. In developing warehouse, agro based industry and other infrastructure, plans are being made to get maximum ...
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund: Another major step in the right direction to get agri-markets rightedit
On August 9, prime minister Narendra Modi launched the Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) to be used over the next four years. This fund is for building post-harvest storage and processing facilities, largely anchored at the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), but can also be availed by individual entrepreneurs. The point to be noted is that AIF will be used as loans to FPOs and other entrepreneurs through Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) at concessional interest rates. NABARD will steer this in association with the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare. The implication of this for the central government budget is not going to be more than Rs 5,000 crore over four years in terms of interest ...
Striving to rein in grain drainedit
PM Narendra Modi recently launched a Central scheme of Rs 1 lakh crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for agri-entrepreneurs, startups, agri-tech players and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for building post-harvest infrastructure and nurturing farm assets. It is believed that the assets will enable farmers to get greater value for their produce as they will be able to store and sell at higher prices, reducing wastage and increasing processing and value addition. The PM stated that India had a huge opportunity to invest in post-harvest management solutions like warehousing, cold chains, and food processing, and build a global presence in areas such as organic and fortified foods.
‘NABARD is active in implementing Atmanirbhar Bharat schemes … the silver lining has been agriculture’s performance’edit
The silver lining even in these times has been the superior performance of the agriculture sector owing to the good rabi harvest and monsoon. Foodgrain production has touched 295.67 million tonnes with record growth over the past four years [2016-19]. Further, CRISIL projects agricultural growth at 2.5% for 2020-21. It is the right time to boost the food processing sector at MSME and food parks’ level and we are doing our best.
Punjab incurs Rs 2,000 crore post-harvest loss on wheat, paddy each year: PAU studyedit
A study conducted at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, has estimated that Punjab, where 63 lakh hectares (155 lakh acres) are under wheat and paddy, incurs a post-harvest loss of over Rs 2,000 crore annually due to the two crops.
This loss occurs at the ‘farmer level’ between harvesting, transporting to mandis and storing by farmers at home for their own consumption or sale at a later stage.
There are three types of crop loss — pre-harvesting loss, which occur due to pest/disease attack or unfavourable weather conditions, post-harvesting loss, which can be divided into two parts — loss at the ‘farm level’ and at the storage level in the godowns/storage areas of the government.
Current economic contraction is different from previous ones. Governments should borrow and spendedit
India has never experienced negative economic growth since 1979-80, and before that in 1972-73, 1965-66 and 1957-58. All these were drought years with 1957-58 also registering a significant balance of payments (BOP) deterioration and 1979-80 witnessing the second global oil shock following the Iranian Revolution.
The real GDP decline of 5-10 per cent that various agencies are projecting for 2020-21 would be the country’s first ever not triggered/accompanied by an agricultural or a BOP crisis.
Stubble Burning
Punjab, Haryana Submits Action Plan To Check Stubble Burningedit
The Punjab and Haryana governments have submitted to a Supreme Court-mandated panel their action plan to check stubble burning — a major contributor to extreme levels of air pollution that choke the national capital in winters.
The states have proposed setting up more custom hiring centres (CHCs) to give farm machinery on rental basis to farmers who cannot afford to purchase the high-end equipment for crop residue management and supplying more balers — a machine used to compress stubble into compact bales.