Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
India’s agriculture ministry pegs Kharif foodgrain production at a record 144.52 million tonnes in 2020-21edit
Foodgrain production is pegged at record 144.52 million tonnes in the 2020-21 kharif season notwithstanding COVID-19 crisis, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. Foodgrain production stood at 143.38 million tonnes during the 2019-20 kharif season, as per official data. Currently, harvesting of kharif crops is underway. Rice is the main kharif crop.
“Foodgrain production will be better than last year. As per the initial estimates, foodgrain production is projected to be 144.52 million tonnes in the 2020-21 kharif season,” Tomar said addressing a digital conference organised by industry body CII. Production of cash crops such as sugarcane and cotton is also expected to be good, he addded.
MSP Operation during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21edit
The arrival of Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21 has already commenced and Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes as was done in previous seasons.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approvalwas accorded for procurement of 41.67 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds for Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra (the perennial crop) for the State of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement ...
Heavy rain in central and western Maharashtra damages crops on 7 lakh hectaresedit
Over the past four days, the retreating monsoon has caused damages to harvest-ready crops across over 7 lakh hectares, in more than 10 districts in central and western Maharashtra. The state has decided to approach the Centre for a relief package. Spot estimates of losses are underway.
After satisfactory rainfall this monsoon, farmers were expecting bumper crops until torrential rain hit these regions this week. In areas like Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Osmanabad, Latur, Beed and Aurangabad, rain flattened standing crops like soya bean, cotton, gram, sugarcane, pomegranate across more than 7 lakh hectares. Cash crops, like cotton, soya bean and sugarcane, have suffered extensive damage. Solapur in western Maharashtra and Osmanabad in central Maharashtra are the ...
Reforms in the agricultural sector: Are they really anti-farmer?edit
Agriculture is not only one of the biggest sources of livelihood but also a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India.
Recently, the government with an intention to transform the agricultural sector introduced the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 (Trade and Commerce Act) , Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 (Contract Farming Act) and has made necessary amendments to the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 (ECA).
Kharif foodgrain production likely to be record 144.52 mn tonnes in 2020-21: Agri Minedit
On new farm laws, the minister asserted that farmers are being “misled” about the reforms and reiterated that procurement at minimum support price as well as mandis will continue to function across the country.
Foodgrain production is pegged at record 144.52 million tonnes in the 2020-21 kharif season notwithstanding COVID-19 crisis, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday.
Foodgrain production stood at 143.38 million tonnes during the 2019-20 kharif season, as per official data.
Stubble Burning
Farm fires increase in Punjab, Haryana despite assurancesedit
This year, the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has gone unabated primarily because of the reluctance of the local administration to act against offenders due to ongoing farmer protests in the two states.
The result: Delhi and its neighbouring areas are grappling with deteriorating air quality that could aggravate the Covid-19 pandemic in the region, officials said.
On Thursday, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh claimed that Delhi’s air pollution problem was because of local factors, but data from the Punjab University’s Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana, shows a three-fold spike in stubble burning incidents in Punjab as compared to 2019 (3,996 incidents from September 21 to October 15 as compared 1,266 in same period last year), ...
Punjab govt’s fight against stubble burning: Hotspots identified; nodal officers to be appointed; app launchededit
As part of the Captain Amarinder Singh government’s focused efforts to check stubble burning in the upcoming Kharif season, Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan on Friday directed the Deputy Commissioners to appoint Nodal Officers at village level to monitor and immediately report any such incidents.
A unique mobile app has also been developed this time to get real-time updates on burning incidents across the state, underlining the state government’s commitment to implementing the directions of the Supreme Court in true spirit to stop the menace of stubble burning.
Residue to riches: Stubble no trouble for Punjab’s change agents edit
Every year, environmentally-sound disposal of paddy residue turns into a point of discord. As the issues boils over, there are always people who offer workable, green solutions. HT brings you some of these change-agents, who have built-up profitable businesses, where everybody saw trouble.
A visit to Amloh, an industrial town in Fatehgarh Sahib, will showcase a simple, unique solution. Industrialist Han Raj Garg, 38, an MBA, thought of using paddy straw as fuel in his factory in 2014, and the idea has clicked. Farmers earned more (some even earned in lakhs by making bales of straw for Garg) and Amloh has the lowest number of farm fire incidents in Punjab today.