Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Land Reform Can Transform India’s Economyedit
Fair Observer – Online
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, India faces a serious decline in employment due to the COVID-19 crisis. An estimated 122 million people lost their jobs during the first quarter of 2020. Streams of migrant workers returned to their villages — often the only fallback option for the millions working in urban informal sectors. Regardless of their vows to never come back to the cities, the majority of them will likely have to return in order to earn their livelihood. In the present state of affairs, agriculture, the mainstay of rural India, cannot offer them incomes comparable to industries and construction firms in cities.
Despite its falling share in the economy, agriculture is India’s most important sector. Its ...
Allied activities can be profitable, fall-back plan for farmers’edit
The Hindu– Online
Not only are the State government schemes under the Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development incentive-driven, but allied activities are profitable and serve as fall-back plan for farmers, the Department’s Secretary Anita Rajendra said on Tuesday.
“Through cattle, sheep and poultry, and fish and prawns, there will be additional income. Even when weather conditions do not support agriculture, and result in losses, the allied sector promises profit,” she told the congregation of farmers present here.
Ms. Rajendra and Managing Director V. Lakshma Reddy joined District Collector Prashant J Patil at Dindi Project on Tuesday, to formally the launch the scheme to rear prawns on 100% grant. Along with officials from the Fisheries department, the senior officials ...
‘Farmers are intelligent as they respond to incentives … Let the government give money directly to the farmers’edit
Times Of India – Online
India’s agricultural economy is not a monolith. To an already diverse ecosystem, the last decade has seen the addition of agricultural startups which harness advances in information technology to become a part of the chain of intermediaries. Mark Kahn, co-founder and managing partner, Omnivore VC, an India-based venture capital firm that has backed over 20 startups since 2011, feels that the Centre’s new package of farm legislations will have a positive impact on farmers. In a conversation with Ikhhlaq Singh Aujla, he indicates that it is time India moved on from the strategy that underpinned the Green Revolution:
There are massive protests from farmer groups against the new agriculture laws, especially in north India. Do you think ...
Call for Code Names India-Based AI Farm as the APAC Regional Winneredit
Outlook – Online
Business Wire India Agrolly wins global prize for innovative solution to help small farmers as they struggle with effects of climate change New initiative enables global developers to leverage proven Call for Code platform to help combat racial injustice Where most people see challenges, developers see possibilities. That”s certainly been the case in 2020. Call for Code founding partner IBM (NYSE: IBM) and its creator, David Clark Cause, announced the Asia Pacific Regional Winner. AI Farm – an Indian entry – was named the Asia Pacific Regional Winner for an intelligent system that evaluates climate and soil conditions to provide farmers with information to adapt their crop strategies. AI Farm will receive an award of $5,000 USD. ...
Technology in Agriculture
Digital Innovation will Transform Agriculture: Anna Roy, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayogedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
Senior Advisor (DM&A, Industry) NITI Aayog, Anna Roysaid that digital innovation will transform Indian agriculture and the focus should be on spreading awareness about the potential of such technologies in the agriculture sector, not only from the user and consumer side but also to the governance and policy side.
Addressing the webinar on Deep Tech for Smart Agriculture in India, Roy said, “The real challenge for us is not the development of technology, but instead the deployment of technology, and we as a nation has to come together for the development and deployment of such deep-techs for the agriculture sector.”
Precision farming startup Fasal launches IoT, sensor-based tech for farmersedit
Outlook – Online
recision farming startup Fasal on Monday announced the launch of an innovative technology that will help farmers reduce cost of cultivation and improve the crop yields.
The new product called ”Fasal Kranti” is an IoT (Internet of Things) and sensor based system that helps farmers in making optimised data-driven decisions with regard to irrigation, fertigation, disease, and pest management.
The company, in a statement, said the new technology is equipped with over 12 sensors to monitor macro-climatic factors like rainfall, wind speed, wind direction and solar intensity.
Agritech Startups are Using Technology In the Distressed Farming Sectoredit
Silicon India – Online
India is the land of agriculture and about 58 percent of the country’s population rely on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood and is contributing about 15 percent of the country’s GDP. But, as the nation progressed people switched their profession. However, technological advancement has ventured into farming in the form of agritech or agrotech. These agritech startups have the potential to empower millions of Indians as well as help the country’s farming. According to the EY report, the agritech market is expected to reach $24 billion by 2025.
Indian farmers still depend on the monsoon for the yielding thus, the agritech startup has introduced smart farming technologies inducing various technological advancements that could enhance ...
Karnataka makes green strides in agritech investmentsedit
Deccan Herald – Online
Between 2016 and 2020, funding in the sector has witnessed over nine times growth, with Karnataka bagging the highest value of investments at 52%, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu at 18% and 9.2% respectively.
Over the last three-four years, agri startups from Karnataka have grabbed around Rs 2,000 crore investment, according to data by Silicon Valley-based VC firm Accel Ventures.
According to Prashant Prakash of Accel Ventures, the startup ecosystem in Bengaluru, a proactive government and availability of capital are some factors for the growing belief of investors in the potential of agritech in the state.
Stubble Burning
Anti-stubble burning campaign launched in Balurghatedit
Millennium Post – Online
he District Agriculture department has launched a massive campaign among farmers to discourage the practice of stubble burning after harvest. Usually, farmers resort to stubble burning after harvesting Kharif crop to prepare the ground for sowing of Rabi crop. In the process, enormous amounts of toxic particles are released in the air. District Agriculture Officer Asish Kumar Barui has urged farmers in all eight blocks to refrain from burning stubble in the field. “We have started a massive campaign against stubble burning. The problem persists as farmers use mechanical harvesters, which leave behind a substantial part of the crop’s root as the residue,” Barui said.
Activist to move NGT over stubble-burningedit
The Times Of India – Online
Environment activist Subhas Dutta plans to move NGT over the stubble burning issue in New Town and parts of Salt Lake, which is deteriorating the already poor air quality in these areas as winter sets in. Stubble burning has become a major environmental concern for New Town with several cases being reported in the township in the past few weeks. The matter first came to notice a month ago when a few Red Munia birds were killed and their nest gutted as a result of stubble burning on a plot opposite Eco Park.
The number of cases is said to have come down after local residents, along with volunteers engaged by the New Town ...
Politics of stubble burning: Solving the problem requires us to rethink paddy farming and irrational subsidiesedit
The Times Of India – Online
The burning of paddy fields after the harvest, or stubble burning, is a major seasonal contributor to air pollution in north India just prior to winter. In the northern belt metros, already polluted with many activities, this additional pollution load from stubble burning tipped the scales heavily towards hazardous air quality index exceeding 400 and even reaching 1,000 in some places for some days, when the acceptable norm is 120 as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The resulting air pollution is now responsible for the ill health of millions and deaths of lakhs of people, and dominates headlines of newspapers in the entire northern belt. Reducing air pollution would require tackling the ...
Tractor industry
Vision Beyond Farm Mechanisationedit
Outlook – Online
Sonalika Tractors is one of India’s leading tractor manufacturer and the No.1 Exports brand from India. The company is undergoing a rapid transformation to emerge as Mega Agri Ecosystem with its widest tractor portfolio in 20-120 HP and 70+ implements to boost farm mechanisation in the country as well as globally. Sonalika’s strategy is to offer customised farming solutions specific to the needs of the farmers as per their crop & geography, and it is therefore appreciated by over 11 lakh farmers across 130 countries. Our customised tractor portfolio range is well suited for various applications (Land preparation to Harvesting) and crops (Potato special, Orchard special, Paddy, Wheat etc). Recognised by the Government of India as a ...