Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Centre has assured MSP system will continue: SAD chiefedit
The Centre has assured that the farm ordinances will have no bearing on the existing crop procurement policy and that the minimum support price (MSP) system will continue, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday.
He had written to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar last month, expressing apprehensions of Punjab’s farmers on the implication of three farm ordinances passed by the Centre.
These ordinances are the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance.
Karnataka agri minister seeks Rs 2,036 cr funds from Centre for various initiativesedit
Karnataka Agriculture Minister B C Patil on Thursday demanded an additional Rs 2,036 crore funds under central schemes for micro irrigation, farm mechanisation and setting up of soil health labs in Karnataka.
These initiatives are necessary to support the farmers amid increase in kharif sown area so far this year, he said.
In a representation to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Patil sought an additional grant of Rs 521.96 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana-Per Drop More Crop (PDMP) component so that more farmers can be provided the benefit of micro irrigation, thereby increasing cropping intensity and crop productivity. The state government has already identified 10 taluks/blocks for implementation of pilot ...
Lockdown had no impact on agri activities in UP: CMedit
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said here on Thursday that there was no impact of lockdown on agricultural activities like harvesting, procurement of food grains and marketing of agricultural produce as the state government had taken special measures to protect the agriculture sector from the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic induced cessation of economic activities.
“The lockdown could have adversely impacted the harvesting of wheat and supply chain of certain essential commodities. But the UP government had permitted agricultural activities which prevented the possible inconvenience that could have been caused to the farmers,” the chief minister said while participating in video conferencing presided over by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
Rural India: A case for cautious optimism and nuanced policy mixedit
Agriculture has been the brighter spot with crop-area sown in the ongoing Kharif season witnessing positive year-on-year growth in all categories, led by rice and oilseeds as south-west monsoon season rainfall this year has broadly stayed healthy (8 per cent above the long period average as on August 26 as per IMD).
Swap paddy for vegetables: Telangana farmer’s formula to get richedit
A 43-year-old farmer who recently switched to cultivating vegetables instead of paddy, in line with the regulated farming being implemented by the State government, has begun bearing fruit. A typical paddy farmer, who used conventional methods, Vangala Ravinder Reddy says he used to struggle a lot to make both ends meet.
“Previously, I used to cultivate paddy in my one-and-a-half acres of land every season. Even if we work round-the-clock, at the end of the season, we would be left with just Rs 30,000 after all expenses, which was not enough to move forward,” he told Express.
Innovation to have big impact on Indian agri sector next decade, says Omnivore reportedit
Venture capital firm Omnivore on Thursday launched its report on “The Future of Indian Agriculture and Food Systems: Vision 2030,” which explores how new technologies, demographic trends and climate change will impact the country’s agri and food systems over the next decade.
The report highlights eight key trends that will drive the future of agriculture in India, with the critical caveat that climate change could negate this positive direction if not reckoned with.
Tractor makers hope to ride on festive demand for sales growthedit
Tractor makers are off the block to ride the farm sector resurgence for one of the best runs in more than half a decade buoyed by tailwind from the upcoming festive season demand. Despite 50 days of disrupted production and sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tractor makers expect volumes to grow 7-10% between August and December.
The country’s largest tractor maker, Mahindra & Mahindra, which managed 100% capacity utilisation a few times in June and early July along with rivals Tafe, Escorts and Sonalika, said it was on path to improved sales from August to December driven by positive sentiments.
Covid accelerated digitisation of agri sector: Omnivoreedit
The covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitisation of India’s farm sector and adoption of digital rural products and payments over the last few months, according to agritech venture capital firm Omnivore. In its report, The Future of Indian Agriculture and Food Systems: Vision 2030, Omnivore highlights key trends that will drive the future of agriculture in India, including precision agriculture and automation creating a “farm of one”, eco-friendly crops, farmer-consumer intimacy, rise in diversity, quality and sustainability of food sources, among other things.
Maharashtra CM asks Centre to cover equal share of crop insurance premiumedit
Chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray in a video conference with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday urged the Central government to restore the old policy of equal share of the state and Central government in the premium of crop insurance, as the new tweaked norms are leading to an additional annual burden of ₹600 on the state exchequer.
The state government has also requested the Centre to lift the upper cap of 25% on the procurement of the pulses and cereals at the minimum support price.