Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Agriculture as a shock-absorberedit
Hindustan Times – Online
The slew of agricultural reforms initiated by the government has led to a vigorous discussion in the media about the pros and cons of these policy changes. Most of these discussions have focused on agriculture as an activity that provides farmers with a regular source of income. The arguments have engaged mainly with the question of whether these reforms would increase these incomes, if agriculture became more commercialised.
In all these discussions however, there is one important aspect that has got largely overlooked — the role of agriculture as an informal social safety net, specifically in times of crisis.
To be clear, there are two types of safety nets that are needed in developing countries. The ...
Can Indian Farmers Afford Satellite Data, IoT Devices Needed For Precision Farming?edit
Inc42 – Online
Agriculture remains the backbone of the Indian economy, but smart and sustainable farming is not exactly our forte. Decades ago, one might have come across a family or two in every village who could accurately predict the weather, irrigation requirements or the crop yield, but that ancient knowledge had slowly died out. However, tech-driven and environmentally sound precision agriculture has taken its place globally, promising maximum productivity, minimum variables risk (read unfavourable weather conditions and fast-falling soil fertility) and minimal environmental impact.
Think About The Proposals And Let’s Talk Again: Tomar To Farmersedit
Outlook – Online
A day after protesting farmers rejected the government’s offer for a written assurance on MSP and amend few provisions in the new farm laws, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday urged union leaders to consider the proposals and said he is ready for further discussions with them.
“The government is ready to consider with an open mind any provision in the new laws where farmers have any issues and we want to clarify all their apprehensions,” Tomar said at a press conference here.
“We kept waiting for suggestions from farmers’ leaders to address their concerns, but they are stuck on the repeal of laws,” he said, while virtually ruling out conceding to the key demand with ...
Technology in Agriculture
How agritech startups are helping farmers make better decisionsedit
Forbes India – Online
Since the pandemic, India’s agriculture sector has witnessed a number of changes, both at the policy and the operational level. With the disruption in the supply chain due to the nationwide lockdown, there was a rising demand for many essential and perishable items, like fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish, etc, leading to a mounting pressure on the supply chain.
The reverse migration prompted the government to announce an increase in its budget for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by ₹40,000 crore, over and above the existing allocation of ₹61,500 crore. Additionally, the announcement of agricultural reforms, along with the ₹1.5 lakh crore package for agricultural infrastructure that was announced in ...
How technology is making Indian agriculture smarter, and inclusiveedit
YoutStory – Online
The Indian agriculture sector contributes nearly 18 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 40 percent of the total rural Net Domestic Product (NDP). Despite its significant contribution to driving socio-economic growth, Indian agriculture still faces a number of challenges. These range from issues such as low productivity to climate change, and lack of access to finance.
Pain points in Indian agriculture Lack of knowledge about latest methods and technology: A majority of Indian farmers are smallholders who rely on traditional resource-intensive farming techniques. They have limited access to modern machinery, logistics and storage facilities, and information such as data on weather patterns, soil health, and protection of crops.
Stubble Burning
Mumbai college presents solution for stubble burningedit
United News of India – Online
A Mumbai based — K J Somaiya College of Engineering along with Godavari Biorefineries Ltd — have come together with a solution to help abate the harmful effects of burning paddy straw. Prof Shivangi Viral Thakker, Faculty Mechanical Department from the institute has proposed to use paddy straw for making useful products like pulp and tableware. The three-year-long project has been approved and funded by the Department of Science and Technology. Stubble burning is one of the major sources of pollution in the country, especially in the northern region. Year on year the intensifying pollution is becoming a serious health threat to humans along with flora and fauna. With the primary objective of managing ...
Tractor industry
Tractor Supply Advances Its Longstanding Commitment to ESGedit
Businesswire – Online
“At Tractor Supply, we are extremely pleased to announce we have exceeded our carbon emission reduction goal five years ahead of schedule,” said Ben Parrish, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Tractor Supply, who leads the Company’s ESG strategy and Stewardship Program. “Further, our TCFD report is a continuation of years of work to enhance the Company’s environmental sustainability efforts and transparency around our environmental impacts. Driven by our commitment to the Company’s Mission and Values, we continue to execute on our purpose-driven ESG efforts by evaluating and implementing policies, programs and projects that benefit all of our key stakeholders.”
It’s a field day for tractor industry as domestic sales surge in April-Nov periodedit
The Hindu Business Line – Online
Higher kharif output, rabi sowing, rural policy push accelerate growthEven as the other segments of the auto sector have been on a bumpy road, the tractor industry has grown 16 per cent in the first eight months of this fiscal.
Tractor industry headed for a bumper finish, set to record best-ever salesedit
Moneycontrol – Online
If November volumes are an indicator, tractor sales in 2020 are likely to touch an all-time high but only if the ongoing farmer protests do not hurt production and sales in December.
A robust increase in demand through November, when sales jumped 51 percent over the same month last year, narrowed the year’s deficit with 2018, the best-ever year for the tractor industry.
Data supplied by the Tractor and Mechanisation Association (TMA) show that tractor sales in the country between January and November stood at 7.41 lakh. The same period in 2018 saw sales of 7.55 lakh tractors. The industry ended 2018 with domestic sales of 7.97 lakh tractors.