Indian Express

The NDA government is a puppet in the hands of some corporates, Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday, and promised to repeal the three “black” farm laws when the Congress returns to power at the Centre.

Gandhi, who kick-started the ruling Congress’s three-day Kisan Bachao Yatra from Badhni Kalan in Moga with a tractor rally, said with the new farm laws, the Modi government was trying to destroy the three pillars of agriculture – minimum support price (MSP), assured foodgrain procurement and mandis.

Tribune India

NEK Singh, a small farmer of Khokh village near Nabha, has been staging a dharna at the Shambhu barrier in Rajpura along with hundreds of other farmers. He says the prospect of economic slavery through the proposed abolition of Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), once the private market yards are established under the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, has forced him and many others to protest. “If a mass movement against the move to abolish the existing mandi system has started during this time, when paddy is being harvested, you can understand how serious the issue must be for farmers,” he says.

New Indian Express

The State Government has disbursed crop loan of about Rs 11,800 crore through different financial institutions benefiting 21 lakh farmers during this kharif season.Though the last date to avail kharif crop loan was September 3, the Government had allowed farmers to avail short-term farm credit till end of the month in view of disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Financial Express

Do minimum support prices (MSPs) stand as a bulwark against artificial hammering down of market prices? Procurement value (at MSPs) was hardly 26% of the total market value of the 22 crops for which the benchmark prices were announced in the 2019-20 crop season (July-June), according to an FE estimate

Front Line

The passage of the three controversial pieces of legislation facilitating agricultural marketing threatens to pave the way for consolidation of wealth in rural India.

When “freedom” arrives on a platter, unasked and apparently without a fight, it is time to be suspicious of the motives of the zealous. And, when it comes gift-wrapped by those whose political progenitors were conspicuously missing from the original freedom struggle, it appears even more dodgy. Not just the Modi government and its acolytes but even well-regarded economists who have followed Indian agriculture for years are singing the “freedom” tune on the controversial

Tribune India

Knowing that stubble burning can lead to a rise in severe respiratory problems among people and can exacerbate the Covid-19 situation, young farmers in Jalandhar have started adopting alternate techniques to shun the practice of straw burning.

Sukhjinder Singh of Rajowal village, who had been managing the straw in 15 acres for past three year with mulchers, RMB plough, etc, said he had been witnessing a good yield of wheat crop with lesser amount of fertilisers.

Devdis Course

India is the world’s largest producer of milk and has the highest cattle population. As most Indians are vegetarians, Milk is the only source of protein and the average consumption of milk is growing every year. With the increase in population every year, the demand for milk has been growing exponentially. People worship cows and treat them as their family members. However, the fodder available for the cattle is not sufficient, in fact, there is a huge gap between requirement and availability.

The News Minute – Online

The authors spoke to 10 cultivators in Mandya – two vegetable farmers, two sericulturists, two paddy and four sugarcane farmers – to review the situation.

The Tribune – Online

Amid the rail roko agitation by farmers, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has started shifting huge amounts of foodgrain from the state. Almost 30 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain procured earlier for the FCI has been moved from Punjab to other states.