Times of India – Online

In the last few days, many of us have been discussing farmers in our living rooms. They are also the dominant subject of our social media conversations. Chances are that many of us have become semi-experts in the farm laws. But this article is not about farm laws or the protests. From the discussions around the topic, one can clearly see two dominant narratives. One, a stream of reverence and support for the farmers by people who are expressing and garnering support and putting them on a pedestal calling them “annadaata” and building from the “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” archetype.

Rural Marketing – Online

SIETZ Technologies India, today commenced operations at its newly upgraded manufacturing plant at Prithla Industrial Area, near Faridabad in Haryana expanding its capacity to manufacture wider range of its farm implement portfolio under SOILTECH brand. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the plant is aimed to expand SOILTECH range of products from rotary tillers, disc harrows, disc ploughs and MB ploughs to new products such as super seeders, reversible ploughs, laser levellers and mulchers in the coming months. The new plant has advanced manufacturing assembly line all the way from fabrication to the final testing.

Speaking on the inauguration of the manufacturing plant, Kranti Deepak Sharma, CEO – SIETZ Technologies India said, “Farmers have started using advanced machines to increase quality and productivity of various crops ...

Business World – Online

The Kathua Agriculture Department organised a visit of 50 farmers to Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, on Friday so that they could improve their farming practices. “This visit was organised under ATMA scheme which is also known as National Mission of Agriculture and Technology (NMAT). A group of 50 farmers visited SKUAST to learn new techniques of farming and producing quality crops from scientists,” said Om Prakash Bhagat, District Development Commissioner Kathua while flagging off the event. Bhagat also said that the scientists of the University will also answer farmers’ queries related to soil and land. They will also solve problems which farmer face while growing crops. Talking about the objective of ...

Business World – Online

India is the world’s largest consumer of sugar. The country’s sugarcane industry, second only to cotton in size, relies on more than six million smallholder farmers and countless labourers to produce its sugar. However, sugarcane farming is highly water-intensive, and recent years have witnessed significant depletion of ground water resources—threatening food security, economic growth and livelihoods of the farmers. Solidaridad, along with its consortium of partners, brought together multiple stakeholders in a policy consultation event on Friday to deliberate on the moot issues and the way forward for sustainability in sugarcane farming in India. The diverse cross-sectoral participation led to a milieu of strategic discussions on creating an enabling environment for resource-efficient supply chains in the ...

Agriculture Post – Online

Satyavathi Rathod, Minister for Scheduled Tribes, Women and Child Welfare, Telangana, today inaugurated a women-run moringa (drumstick) processing unit in Mucharala village of Khammam district and a dry mix (ready-to-cook foods) unit in Bhadrachalam. Both the units are wholly owned by tribal women, who were trained in food processing and entrepreneurship at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Lakshmi Ganapathy Dry Mix Unit will supply ready-to-cook Jowar meal (Upma mix) and ready-to-cook multigrain meal (Khichidi mix) to government nutrition programmes and anganwadis in the tribal region. Sri Rama Moringa Processing Industry will sell moringa powder in markets.

These food processing units are the third successful collaboration between the Telangana Scheduled Tribes Cooperative Finance Corporation (TRICOR), Tribal Welfare ...

Simply Wall St. – Online

For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it completely lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses.

So if you’re like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Dhanuka Agritech (NSE:DHANUKA). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, but time is often a friend ...

United News in India – Online

The country’s sugarcane industry, second only to cotton in size, relies on more than six million smallholder farmers and countless labourers to produce its sugar. However, sugarcane farming is highly water-intensive, and recent years have witnessed significant depletion of ground water resources—threatening food security, economic growth and livelihoods of the farmers. Solidaridad, along with its consortium of partners, brought together multiple stakeholders in a policy consultation event on Friday to deliberate on the moot issues and the way forward for sustainability in sugarcane farming in India. The diverse cross-sectoral participation led to a milieu of strategic discussions on creating an enabling environment for resource-efficient supply chains in the sugarcane industry.

The Hindu – Online

Agriculture Minister, team interact with officials and scientists at ICAR-IIHR

Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy sought the cooperation of ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research for enhancing the cultivation of horticultural crops in Telangana to improve the income of farmers.

A team of officials led by Mr. Niranjan Reddy on Thursday visited ICAR-IIHR at Hessaraghatta near Bengaluru as part of the State government’s plans to encourage and enhance cultivation of horticultural crops having a demand in the market.

Mongabay – Online

After braving the chilling winter on the border of the national capital for around two months, hundreds of thousands of farmers entered Delhi on India’s Republic Day on January 26 to protest against the three agriculture laws that the government had passed in the Parliament. A protestor died while many were injured during the tractor rally in the subsequent clashes between farmers and police personnel. Around 100 farmers have already died in the past two months during the protest at different locations.

While the government claims that these laws will be good for the farmers and give them a better price for their farm produce, the farmers are not convinced and have been demanding the government to take the ...

Newsroom post – Online

The Agriculture sector & Farmers Of Our Country Will See A Better Tomorrow in 2021

If we penned a list of last year’s pros and cons, it’s safe to say the cons would outweigh the pros. The truth is, wherever you are in the world, 2020 was likely a challenging time for you and everyone you care about.

Analysis Of India’s agriculture sector:

Down To Earth – Online

The three contentious farm laws have forced us to think about the future of agriculture in a largely agrarian country dominated by small and marginal farmers. The prevalent chemical-intensive, monocrop-based, market-purchased-input dependent model has not only failed to benefit majority of the farmers but has also proved to be an ecological, social and financial failure.

Genetically modified crops have led to increased use of agrochemicals, failed to sustain the yield gains and increased control of corporations through intellectual property rights. Promoting unregulated private trade of farm produce is a part of the same paradigm.

India’s centuries-old farm practices are based on the principles of sustainability, innovative, hard-working and entrepreneurial farmers. Agro-ecology-based farming and its large network of scientific institutions ...

Mint – Online

105-year-old Pappammal from Tamil Nadu was awarded the Padma Shri on the eve of Republic day for her contribution to organic farming. Inspired by her success, cricketer VVS Laxman tweeted, “Age is only a number. 105-year-old Pappammal is a legend in organic agriculture. She works at her field in Thekkampatti, TN, and cultivates millets, pulses & vegetables across 2.5 acres & runs a provision store & eatery. She has been honoured with the #PadmaShri award.” The agriculturist, who is known to participate in farmers-related events and protests, is the oldest recipient of the award this year.

Forbes India – Online

From tools to help detect soil conditions and its moisture level, to coolers and artificial ponds, startups and organisations have innovated to help farmers get real-time and accurate data, or have access to resources to preserve and increase their harvest.According to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 percent people in India. These include marginal farmers, whom the startups are looking to empower and eliminate middlemen as far as possible. Use of one such innovation, the Subjee Cooler, an affordable and no-maintenance cooler, has helped Poornima Naik, an Odisha-based farmer. Parmeshwar Kamble, another farmer from ...

One India – Online

Flagging health of the soil and post-harvest management as major areas of concern for the Indian farm sector, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said the government has set up a Rs 1 lakh crore fund under Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme to strengthen the storage infrastructure and reduce post-harvesting losses.

Speaking at a panel discussion on ”Unlocking Innovation to Transform Food Systems” during the World Economic Forum”s week-long online Davos Agenda Summit, the minister also said more than 80 crore people are being provided adequate food through the National Food Security Act, under which the government provides five kg of wheat and rice per person, per month at a highly subsidised price of Rs 2-3 per ...

Businessworld – Online

The world is speeding towards a digital economy, the importance of which has been reinforced by the pandemic. With a move towards digitisation leading to greater efficiency and transparency across all sectors of economy, it was only a matter of time that agriculture sector too would experience its inevitability and follow suit.

As per Niti Ayog’s report on Artificial Intelligence, to maintain an annual growth rate of 8-10%, agriculture must grow at 4% or higher rate presently. To achieve this kind of success, digitisation is critically important. The use of technology includes sensor-assisted soil assessment, which is backed by digitisation, automated monitoring of free-ranging animals on pastures, and the targeted control of agricultural machinery. Modern farming methods ...

Observer Research Foundation – Online

India’s GDP grew at about 8 percent over the past few years on the back of rapid economic modernisation. Even so, farming remains crucial to the country’s poverty alleviation and food security efforts. About 41 percent of the Indian workforce is employed in agriculture, but the sector contributes a mere 15 percent to the national GDP. Farmers continue to face major challenges, including a lack of information on farm inputs and the absence of market linkages. The farm-to-fork value chain is excessively long and contains multiple stakeholders, resulting in low-value realisation for farmers. On the downstream, lack of infrastructure and the mandi (agri-commodities market) system result in farmers being denied a fair price for their produce and a large volume of ...

DT Next – Online

“I feel that agri tech is one large area where the industry can partner not only with the government, but also citizens in the agrarian part of our economy. My hope is that given the agricultural expanse of our economy, the chamber (IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry) will assist in discussion on issues concerning agri-tech,” the minister said.

YourStory – Online

Last week, Patna and Gurugram-based agritech platform DeHaat raised $30 million in a Series C funding led by Prosus Ventures (previously Naspers). The round also saw participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital India, FMO, Omnivore, and AgFunder. With an aim to aggregate 10 million Indian farmers while helping them increase their profitability, the agritech startup integrates a digital marketplace with a rural network of last-mile service delivery centres and connects various agricultural companies with farmers.

Plantbasednews – Online

The latest episode of The Plant Based News Podcast features vegan agricultural economist Rashmit Arora, who is part of the vital TransFARMation project.

The project is run by the animal protection charity Mercy For Animals and helps farmers transition to growing plant-based crops. Thus, revolutionizing the current system which, he says ‘exploits anything in its path’.

Rashmit discusses growing up in India, where the dairy industry is still dominated by small farmers. Attitudes towards farmers need to change – and it’s all tied up in privilege, he explains.

Just-style – Online

A new two-year project has launched to pilot what is described as a radically resourceefficient cotton farming technology, with the goal of ultimately scaling the solution in key regions where cotton agriculture is challenged by limited resources such as water and few solutions for pest control. Spearheaded by global sustainable fashion innovation platform Fashion for Good, the project launches today (26 January) with operational and financial support from Kering, PVH Corp, and global textile manufacturer Arvind Limited. It will investigate technology developed by Fashion for Good innovator, Materra (formerly hydroCotton).

NDTV – Online

The country’s agriculture sector, including farmers and villagers, are the pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India, and the role of agri-food startups will be very important in developing a self-reliant India, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said yesterday. The minister on January 25 flagged off the Agri-Food Techathon at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and laid the foundation for the Agri-Business Incubation Centre.

Addressing the first Agri-Food Techathon organized by NABARD and IIT Kharagpur, Mr Pokhriyal said: I am happy that Agri-Food Tekathon is associated with Shastri’s ideal of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’. Shastri started the Green Revolution to make India self-reliant. He believed in the powers of farmers to bring a revolution ...

The Better India – Online

Roshan Zalte, a grape farmer from Maharashtra, rushed to his vineyard one morning to inspect his crop after a mobile app suggested his crop was infected with a common fungal disease called Downy Mildew. On inspecting some of the leaves, he found it to be true. “The crop seemed to be okay on the surface, but a closer look revealed the beginning of the infection,” says Roshan, who has a vineyard spread across 15 acres of land.

A few months earlier, the grape farmer had installed a device in his vineyard that claimed to help analyse weather conditions, predict diseases infesting his crop along with guiding him through their entire growth trajectory. The data would ...

The New Indian Express – Online

The farmers’ agitating on the Delhi borders are preparing to take out a tractor rally on the Republic Day in the backdrop of a deadlock in negotiations with the Centre over the three farm laws. While the Supreme Court has constituted an expert committee, it is yet to make progress. The current agitation has sparked a debate on the systemic problems plaguing agriculture. Bottlenecks at each stage have contributed to the stagnation of farm incomes.

This is in stark contrast to that of the Netherlands, the second biggest exporter of vegetables. It has achieved this despite its proximity to the Arctic Circle and a higher population density than India. The Dutch balanced the latest ...

Agriculture Post – Online

Agriculture and allied activities employ more than 50 percent of the workforce and yet remain largely unorganised and fragmented. Even after showing the silver lining during the gruelling economic slowdown induced by an unforeseen pandemic, the Indian agribusiness is not flourishing to its full capacity. Lack of knowledge about the advantages of modern and scientific agricultural practices, and depleting natural resources, are adding to the distress in the sector. The Government of India has taken multiple measures to bring radical and profound changes to the sector, but the reality remains that change is coming at a much slower rate than required, especially when it comes to farmers receiving adequate credit. Agriculture requires substantial capital commitment, as ...

Agriculture Post – Online

We have yet again reached that time of the year when the industry awaits the annual budget with heightened anticipation and expectations. For me personally, a conducive budget is likely to considerably improve the business prospects. And thereby, we expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman to deliver on the hopes and aspirations of the agritech sector.

Although fairly nascent in India, the sector has the potential to improve productivity by manifold, if provided with the right kind of incentives and opportunities. At a time, when the farmers are not entirely convinced about the new farm laws, it is the perfect opportunity to provide them with avenues that would improve productivity significantly.

For this, the ...

Financial Express – Online

Agriculture inarguably is the mainstay of the Indian economy and the role of the agriculture sector in India’s economy cannot be understated. The sector has a massive indirect impact on allied sectors of the rural economy and the manufacturing & services segments of the national economy. Like Agriculture, the Agri Warehousing & Agri Financing sectors are also the key enabler of growth for India’s Agri-economy and the development and growth of these two sectors will ultimately benefit the farmers.

There are two pillars of post-harvest agriculture in India, the first is storage and the other one is the preservation and Agri Financing. India has two crop cycles Rabi and Kharif and the crops harvested in these ...

Inc42 – Online

The year 2021 is the year of ‘change’ as the world prepares itself to battle the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a report released by World Bank in June last year, the global economy plunged into a recession, last experienced during World War 2! Earlier this month, National Statistical Office, Ministry Of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Government Of India released a press note on ‘First Advance Estimates Of National Income 2020-21’.

According to an EY India Report released in August 2020, the agriculture sector contributes to 16% of the country’s GDP and provides employment to 43% of the total workforce. Employing almost half of the country’s population and having a significant share in ...

India Education Diary – Online

Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ flagged off the Agri-Food Techathon at IIT Kharagpur and also laid the foundation for Agri-Business Incubation Centre, which will incubate innovative ideas in agriculture and food technology domain for creating Agri-preneures.

Addressing the first Agri-Food Techathon organized by NABARD and IIT Kharagpur, Union Education Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said that the country’s agricultural sector, including our farmers, our villages, are the pillars of self-reliant India. If they remain strong then the foundation of self-reliant India will be strong and I believe that the role of agri-food startups will be very important in developing a self-reliant India.

The Hindu Business Line – Online

Start-up hopes to revolutionise food testing with an ‘MRI-like scanner’

Among the many problems that beset Indian agriculture is the absence of quality standards in the proverbial farm-to-fork food chain.

SME Futures – Online

India’s reform agenda may help to support medium-term growth and partially offset downside pressures to investment from renewed asset-quality challenges in the financial sector and damaged corporate balance sheets, said Fitch Ratings.

Labour market reform aims to improve worker access to social security (notably in the large unorganised sector), strengthen occupational safety requirements, speed up the resolution of labour disputes and ease migrant workers’ ability to move between states.

Employers will now need state government approval for redundancies only if employers have more than 300 workers, up from 100 previously.

“These changes could support formalisation of India’s labour market and improve its flexibility and efficiency,” said Thomas Rookmaaker, analyst at Fitch Ratings.

Scientific American – Online

In September 2020, India’s Narendra Modi government circumvented parliamentary procedures to push through three bills that eased restrictions on private players in agricultural markets. The move enraged farmers—especially in the northwestern state of Punjab, an epicenter of the Green Revolution since the 1950s. After protesting in vain for two months, tens of thousands of Punjab farmers began a march to New Delhi in late November. The Modi government responded by deploying paramilitary troops armed with water cannons and tear gas shells, and protected by barricades, concertina wires and deep trenches dug into freeways at the borders of the capital city.

The Tribune – Online

After offering pest-free potatoes and exotic vegetables that are foodies’ delight, farmers of Himachal Pradesh are set to add flavour to the Indian culinary life by offering home-grown asafoetida (heeng) — a first for the country — in the coming years.

Agriculture Minister Virender Kanwar told IANS on Sunday that the first plantation of asafoetida, which gives a zing to the recipes due to its unique pungent smell owing to high sulphur content, was done successfully on an experimental basis in Kwaring village in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 11,000 feet on October 15, 2020.

Thereafter, ‘heeng’ cultivation was also taken up in the state’s other high-altitude areas like Keylong, Beeling and Madgran in Lahaul-Spiti ...

The Hans India – Online

Telangana Government decided to adopt new farm techniques from Israel, which have been adopted by the agriculture sector in the world. A group of senior officials from the State Agriculture department would embark on a study tour to Israel soon. At a high-level review with State Agriculture and Marketing department officials at Pragati Bhavan on Sunday, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that acquiring modern farm techniques was the need of the hour to increase the farm output and reduce the input cost. The government has already provided adequate infrastructure, including water for irrigation, to promote farming in a big way in the State. The only big challenge before the government is the promotion of ...

Counter Punch – Online

With over 800 million people, rural India is arguably the most interesting and complex place on the planet but is plagued by farmer suicides, child malnourishment, growing unemployment, increased informalisation, indebtedness and an overall collapse of agriculture.

Given that India is still an agrarian-based society, renowned journalist P Sainath says what is taking place can be described as a crisis of civilisation proportions and can be explained in just five words: hijack of agriculture by corporations. He notes the process by which it is being done in five words too: predatory commercialisation of the countryside. And another five words to describe the outcome: biggest displacement in our history.

The Federal – Online

Indian economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and allied activities. The sector provides employment to millions engaged in farming and agriculture entrepreneurship. A large section of farmers is protesting against three farm laws for the past two months on the Delhi borders, terming these laws as ‘anti-farmers’ and ‘pro-businessmen’. The farmers have now included small agricultural entrepreneurs or businessmen involved in product marketing.

This section includes wholesalers, retailers, commission agents, transporters, exporters and financers. Some of them are also engaged in input marketing, selling fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, seeds and machinery. There are thousands of retailers and wholesalers in Punjab who feel that they will be sidelined once big players enter the market.

Times of India – Online

Most people in the country have always subscribed to the thought that the Farmers’ protest was never a protest in the interests of farmers. Developments of last few weeks, stubborn attitude of protesters and utterances of their leaders has proved them right. From changing demands after each round of talks, outright rejection of meeting the Supreme Court appointed committee and now their spurning of government’s offer of keeping the three laws in abeyance for eighteen months till a proper mutually agreed solution could be found shows that these protests have little to do with interests of farmers.

The Hindu – Online

The agriculture sector’s performance has not been commensurate with the increasing subsidised credit it receives

Farmers on the warpath would mean that agriculture reforms have again occupied centrestage not just in the minds of the politicians but also

Slowfood – Online

Not even the government knows, but it’s estimated to be around 145 million families, with estimates ranging from around 40% to as much as 60% of the population—and even taking the low estimate, that’s more farmers than Europe and all the Americas combined.

But unlike the farming models we find in the West, in India the majority of those farms (85% of them) are what are referred to as “micro farms”. Micro-farms are less than two hectares in size (a hectare is just over the size of a soccer field).

Because of their size, these farms are often worked by one family. This requires an enormous amount of physical labor—and doesn’t generate much profit. Indeed, most of these ...

News Click – Online

In its systematic attempt to vilify the farmers’ movement against the three infamous agriculture laws that open peasant agriculture to corporate takeover, the government keeps using the argument that the opposition to these laws is confined to farmers only from a couple of states, that farmers from other states are happy with the laws.

The falseness of this claim has been amply demonstrated, with the legislature in a state as far away as Kerala opposing these laws in a special session, and kisans in states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, apart from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh marching shoulder to shoulder with those opposing the laws. The claim that the opposition is ...

Hindu Business Line – Online

Start-up hopes to revolutionise food testing with an ‘MRI-like scanner’

Among the many problems that beset Indian agriculture is the absence of quality standards in the proverbial farm-to-fork food chain.

Jangran Josh – Online

In September 2020, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three ‘Agriculture Bills’ that were earlier passed by the Indian Parliament. These Farm Acts are as follows:

1- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020

2- Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020

3- Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

The Leaflet – Online

Devinder Sharma, a distinguished food and trade policy analyst has been a voice to listen to during the farmers’ agitation as he eloquently opens up numerous threads of discussion on the complicated story of Indian agriculture. It is a saga that many of us in urban India do not understand or even care about as it does not directly affect our livelihoods and our lifestyle. Trained as an agricultural scientist, he began as a journalist with the Indian Express. He quit journalism to research issues close to his heart. Some of them were on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, intellectual property rights, food security and poverty, biotechnology and hunger, and the implications of the free trade paradigm for ...

The Indian Express – Online

Indian agriculture grew at about 1 per cent per annum in the 50 years before Independence. It has grown at about 2.6 per cent per annum in the post-Independence era to become the world’s second-largest food producer. This transformation has been possible through increasing the area under cultivation and adoption of modern production technologies. Though agriculture is India’s main occupation, its contribution to GDP hovers around 17 per cent because farm productivity has almost stagnated. Feeding the world’s second-most populated country remains a prime responsibility and the government has to find ways to retain farmers’ interest in agriculture.

Tribune – Online

Development finance institution NABARD has projected a credit requirement of Rs 2.5 lakh crore during 2021-22 fiscal under priority sector lending in the state. This represents an overall increase of about nine per cent over the projections for 2020-21. Of the aggregate credit potential, the share of crop loan is pegged at Rs 98,400 crore (39% of total) and agriculture term loan at Rs 46,800 crore (19%).

This was stated by Dr Rajiv Siwach, CGM, NABARD, during the state credit seminar for the next fiscal here today.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, the chief guest, released the State Focus Paper for 2021-22. The focus paper — Collectivisation of agricultural produce for enhancing farmers’ income — is ...

Businessworld – Online

As per a news release by government owned Press Trust of India (PTI), more than 1,500 telecom towers in Punjab have been damaged by farmers protesting against the three farm laws. This has led to a disruption in services, especially for industries and households dependent on electricity. Farmers vented their anger on the infrastructure owned by Mukesh Ambani’s firm Jio, as well as that owned by Gautam Adani, whom the farmers perceive as the major beneficiaries of the three laws. This state of distrust towards large companies will have a profound impact on contract farming in India.

Contract farming is an agreement between a corporate body, government, and farmers. The terms usually include pre-decided set of crops the farmer ...

Outlook – Online

It is ironic that the farmers on protest at the capital’s borders are the same set of people who saved India’s GDP from sliding into a free fall last year. In fact, even before the pandemic, the farm sector boosted the country’s economic growth during severe phases of a slowdown. Minus the farmers, the economy would likely have disintegrated.

For example, in the first quarter of 2020-21 (April-June 2020), the economy tanked by a negative 24 per cent, but agriculture registered a positive growth. In the next quarter (July-September 2020), as the GDP remained in the negative territory (minus 7.5 per cent), the farm sector grew by a healthy and robust positive 3.4 per cent.

If the ...

Hindu – Online

The methodology behind the OECD’s numbers, that suggests negative support, has pitfalls and limitations

The ongoing stalemate between the farmers protesting over the recently passed farm laws and the government has sparked an interesting debate..

Businessworld – Online

The unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic has surrounded the world with uncertainty. From restricting the movement of people to goods, it has disrupted almost every business sector and agriculture is no exception. The disruption in the supply chain, growing demand, and low production capacities have impacted the sector like never before. Such common challenges have made new-age entrepreneurs make use of technology in an unparalleled manner and unleash the growth potential of the sector.

India’s 58% of the population is dependent on agriculture that suffered huge losses in the initial two months of the lockdown. This has given a significant rise in the number of agri-tech startups coming up with innovative solutions. According to industry estimates, ...

Down To Earth – Online

How about filling up your vehicle with straw and running it for a full year? If this sounds bizarre, then here’s more. Verbio AG, a German company, claims that you can actually do it with just two tonnes of straw.

The company is now busy setting up a plant in the middle of lush paddy fields at Bhutal Kalan village in Punjab’s Sangrur district. “Our plant will procure paddy stubble from within 15 km radius of the plant and use it as raw material,” said Yuvraj Verma, a project manager.

The plant should start producing compressed biogas (CBG) in June or July. CBG holds a win-win solution to the country’s air pollution problems.

The plant will use ...

Hindu – Online

It will be part of annual agri expo VAIGA 2021

A hackathon centred around sustainable agricultural development will be part of the annual agri expo VAIGA (Value Addition for Income Generation in

The Better India – Online

Even at the age of 93, Chidambaram Nair is firmly planted on his feet. The nonagenarian has been practicing agriculture since his childhood, and credits his health and fitness to it.

“Agriculture is the foundation of everything in this world,” he tells The Better India, adding, “The day we forget this fact, our failures begin.” Nair, a native of Kerala’s Kozhikode, says the scent of the soil is his motivation.

Nair’s love for the profession stems from the small vegetable garden he had at home as a child. His gardening hobby eventually transformed into full-fledged cultivation of a barren land that his parents owned. Then there was no looking back.

“I worked as a primary ...

Bloomberg – Online

Two of India’s richest men have landed in an unlikely controversy over farming laws, becoming targets of protesters who allege the tycoons have benefited from their close links to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

For weeks, tens of thousands of farmers have camped outside the nation’s capital, demanding the withdrawal of recently passed legislation they say, without evidence, was designed to allow billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to enter farming. The tycoons say they have no such interest. More than 1,500 phone towers of Ambani’s wireless carrier were vandalized last month and some farmers called for a boycott of their businesses.

Down To Earth – Online

The propaganda minister of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, believed that when a lie is told a hundred times, it becomes the truth. Similarly, a factoid is an item of unreliable information which is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.

This, in a nutshell, explains the conundrum of the minimum support price (MSP) on which there is an ongoing farmers strike around New Delhi. The MSP sets a floor below which prices for agricultural commodities do not fall.

There are 23 agricultural commodities listed by the central government under the MSP. Most Indians, with an agricultural background or not, think that the MSP concerns only wheat and rice, the two pillars ...

Times of India – Online

The Governor and Chancellor Kalraj Mishra have called for the change in the pattern of agricultural education, in accordance with modern times. He said that for this, it is necessary to develop such a management mechanism under which the youth should be eager to do agriculture-related works, enterprises and farming activities instead of thinking of going to state services.

Reliefweb – Online

The Don Bosco Development Society, through its collaboration partner Don Bosco Waluj, has organized a series of training courses and workshops for farmers in the districts of Aurangabad and Jalna, India. The training was organized as part of the Climate Change and Sustainability project supported by Don Bosco Mondo, Germany.

As part of the project, Salesian missionaries held practical demonstrations and visits to farms where kits were distributed to help farmers start organic crops. Farmers have also been connected to government programs to take advantage of subsidies and agricultural equipment.

“These workshops provide farmers an opportunity to learn more advanced techniques to help make their farms more productive,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development ...

Outlook India – Online

Stating that loan waivers and subsidies provide only temporary relief to farmers, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday stressed on making Indian agriculture profitable by reducing input costs and providing uninterrupted power as well as credit at low interest rates to the farming community.

Addressing the ”National Dialogue – Indian Agriculture Towards 2030” event organised by UN-body FAO and Niti Aayog, he said there is a need to reduce input costs in the agriculture sector and also tap potential in the food processing segment.

The Vice President also emphasised on reducing dependence on chemicals and adopting organic farming in a big way for the health of the nation.

Naidu called for coordinated action by both ...

Businessworld – Online

The unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic has surrounded the world with uncertainty. From restricting the movement of people to goods, it has disrupted almost every business sector and agriculture is no exception. The disruption in the supply chain, growing demand, and low production capacities have impacted the sector like never before. Such common challenges have made new-age entrepreneurs make use of technology in an unparalleled manner and unleash the growth potential of the sector.

India’s 58% of the population is dependent on agriculture that suffered huge losses in the initial two months of the lockdown. This has given a significant rise in the number of agri-tech startups coming up with innovative solutions. According to industry estimates, ...

Indian Education Diary – Online

Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today called for measures to prevent agro brain drain and attract educated youth to take up farming as a profession. He opined that the future of Indian agriculture lies in the hands of technology-driven farming practices, powered by well- informed and modern-minded farmers.

The Vice President made these remarks while virtually inaugurating the National Dialogue on “Indian Agriculture Towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food Systems” organised by NITI Aayog, Ministry of Agriculture and Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Expressing concern over the increasing lack of interest in farming among the educated youth, Shri Naidu opined that changing socio-economic milieu, increasing agri-input ...

Times of India – Online

Governor and Chancellor Kalraj Mishra on Monday called for a change in the pattern of agricultural education, in accordance with the modern times. He said for this, it is necessary to develop such a management mechanism under which the youth should be eager to do agriculture related works, enterprises and farming activities instead of thinking of entering state services. Mishra was speaking at the online convocation of the Agriculture University, Jodhpur.

Governor Mishra asked the agencies/bodies concerned to prepare the content of the subjects in Hindi and in local languages while delivering his address at the convocation. He encouraged students to go for startups in the agri-based businesses. While addressing as chief guest, chief minister ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Agriculture then does not hold the young and the educated back. It does not hold back the young and uneducated as well. The menfolk who see not much of a future in agricultural jobs with splintered land holdings don’t want to till the land. They would rather work as drivers and helpers in the big city nearby. The young woman has left for a city job. Agriculture is therefore left to the older womenfolk in the house for now. The feminisation of agriculture is thus becoming a reality in India, as is the ageing profile of the Indian farmer. The young have fled, or want to flee, in search of greener pastures, greener than their ...

The Print – Online

In the mid-1960s, we didn’t get food grains even when we were ready to pay in international markets. We used to get wheat from the USA under a scheme named PL-40. India used to pay in rupees, but the price of grains and deposition was determined by the USA.

In the 1960s, the short-duration dwarf wheat seed was introduced in India and distributed across the country. But the research was strong at state agricultural universities in Punjab, Haryana and IARI, Delhi. So we improvised it, and our yield and quality increased according to our conditions. We even turned it into amber colour from the original red one. As yield ...

The Times of India – Online

Two of India’s richest men have landed in an unlikely controversy over farming laws, becoming targets of protesters who allege the tycoons have benefited from their close links to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For weeks, tens of thousands of farmers have camped outside the nation’s capital, demanding the withdrawal of recently passed legislation they say, without evidence, was designed to allow billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to enter farming. The tycoons say they have no such interest. More than 1,500 phone towers of Ambani’s wireless carrier were vandalized last month and some farmers called for a boycott of their businesses. The fight between the government and the farmers has revived the ...

The Senital – Online

The team upon their visit to villages of these regions found immense potential of horticulture and livestock rearing apart from mainstream agriculture. The traditional practice of pig rearing by the Dimasa community, a characteristic of this community has been a significant support to the families. ManuharKharikapsa, a local of the Dimahading village of Umrangso, is one such example who has been immensely profited by pig rearing. Also, he has very skillfully begun the plantation of areca nut and seasonal vegetables. The Nepali community in villages such as New Tunbung and Govindapur has over the years reared cattle as traditional component of their households. There is an immense potential of developing a dairy cooperative by the villagers. ...

Express Computer – Online

Maharashtra suffered back to back drought years in 2014 and 2015. Ever since then, the duration of dry spells in Maharashtra has only increased. Weather experts have attributed this to climate change.

In order to build a roadmap to fight the consequences of climate change on agriculture and the associated stakeholders, the Government of Maharashtra in 2016 approached the World Bank with a project plan to use climate resilient technologies for mitigating the after effects of climate change and come up with ways to better manage major agricultural resources like soil, water, etc and increase the farmer’s profitability. This would reduce the reliance on the expected seasonal conditions like rainfall, weather, etc. The project would prove ...

The Tribune – Online

Low temperature has brought cheer to wheat growers. Agriculture experts say the prevailing cold weather during the day, followed by fog at night has proved to be conducive for the growth of wheat.

“The present atmosphere would lead to quick maturity of the crop and the yield is expected to be increased by one-two quintal per acre,” said Fazilka Chief Agriculture Officer Surinder Singh, adding that last year the average yield of wheat was recorded at 20 quintal per acre, which could be increased to 21-22 quintal per acre this time.

Wheat has been sown in 2.10 lakh hectares in Fazilka district this yea

The Wire – Online

Even as the Central government and its acolytes in the media work overtime to sell the benefits of the three new farm laws to the Indian public, the farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders have made it clear that they will not retreat till these laws are repealed. Caught between the crossfire of misinformation and facts, the average urban Indian is somewhat confused about the merits and demerits of the farmers’ protest – which has now crossed the 50-day mark.

If there is one thing that has become increasingly obvious over the least seven weeks, it is that big-city dwellers in India live in a very different universe than their rural counterparts, and have a difficult time ...

News Click – Online

The ongoing protests on the borders of Delhi reflect the growing discontent among farmers in India. The reason for their anguish is that small and medium farmers, who constitute an overwhelming majority of farmers, need a more sustainable and just agricultural system—one in which the government plays an important protective role.

The difficulties of a very large number of farmers are evident from a very telling figure, that nearly 100 small farmers are becoming landless farmers every hour in our country. If it takes 15 minutes to read and reflect on this article, in just that much time 25 farmers would have lost their land. Clearly this is not a sustainable situation for any farming system ...

The Indian Express – Online

Framing an optimal agri-food policy in India is the need of the hour. The policy should look at issues pertinent to not only the short run but also try to address medium to long-term challenges. UN population projections (2019) indicate that India is likely to be the most populous country by 2027. By 2030, the country is likely to have almost 600 million people living in urban areas, who would need safe food from the hinterlands. Indian agriculture has an average holding size of 1.08 hectare (2015-16 data), while engaging 42 per cent of the country’s workforce. Cultivable land and water for agriculture are limited and already under severe pressure. Given these basic parameters, how ...

Daily Excelsior – Online

Subrata Majumder I ndia underwent two phases of agriculture reforms since independence. In 1960’s, it launched Green Revolution to increase productivity of agriculture produces. In the second phase, it introduced three Farm Bills in September 2020 to dismantle the restrictive agriculture marketing. The main aim is to protect the poor and small landholding farmers through corporatization from licensed agents. Eventually, the second phase of reforms triggered farmers’ agitation, alleging that dismantling of APMC and reducing the scope of MSP purchases warrant bad days for poor farmers.

Irony of the protests is that the farmers’ agitation was led primarily by rich farmers in Punjab. Agitations against new Farm Bills, which sparked nationwide initially, are continuing. It is ...

The Wire – Online

India takes pride in producing surplus food-grains, oilseeds, spices, milk, fruits and vegetables.

Many a time, due to a large supply of agricultural produce, market prices crash, leaving the farmers out in the cold. Low bargaining power, lack of storage infrastructure and inadequate cold storage facilities in the designated APMC mandis or nearby make it challenging for the farmers to receive a fair return for their produce.

There appears to be structural imbalances on the supply side, which have to be addressed keeping in view the demand side of the food system. The food habits of people, especially in urban areas, have been changing fast towards more diversified and processed foods due to rising income levels, ...

Qrius – Online

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, women produce approximately 60-70 percent of the food in most developing countries and are responsible for almost 50 percent of all global food production. In India, 48 percent of all self-employed farmers are women. In Sri Lanka and Bhutan respectively, 41.5 percent and 62 percent of women work in agriculture. And in Sub-Saharan Africa, 50 percent of the total agricultural workforce is made up of women farmers.

Despite these figures, the work of women in agriculture is often unaccounted for, rendered marginal, or invisibilised. In addition, women farmers are paid significantly lower than their male counterparts—estimates suggest that, as of 2016–2017, there was close to a 22 percent wage difference. Furthermore, the role of women farmers is often limited to less ...

Businesswire – Online

Infineon Technologies, a world leader in semiconductors, today announced the commencement of its ‘Infineon Solar Pump Motor Drive Challenge 2021′ initiative to encourage affordable and reliable solar powered irrigation systems for farmers – design and manufactured locally. Organized in collaboration with Startup India, AGNIi – housed under Invest India; and in partnership with Avnet India, the program invites the industry, SMEs and Startups to participate and compete for the best design in motor drive solution for solar pumps.

India is an agrarian country with almost 16 percent contributed to its GDP via agriculture, and more than 41 percent of the country’s workforce employed in this sector. A great boon for the environment, enablement of solar pumps across ...

Financial Express – Online

The technological milieu, policy environment and evolving entrepreneurship present an opportunity for a productive shift in Indian agriculture, a shift that incorporates indigenous farmer knowledge, optimises the value chain leveraging technological efficiencies and also ensures equitable access to markets for each and every farmer.

The shape of India’s high growth sectors has been predicated on an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative ideas. This has been a feature of the transition towards the growth of the information technology and telecommunications sectors in the 1990s and 2000s and is underway in the clean energy and fintech sector. Agriculture is the next frontier where the combination of escalating private sector-led entrepreneurship, transformative technology and favourable policies will ensure a ...

The Diplomat – Online

At Tikri village, bordering the western fringes of India’s national capital New Delhi, thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating since November 26. Their target: the government’s new farm laws, which they view as “pro-corporate” and “exploitative” toward Indian farmers.

The protests at Tikri, like at many other sites across the country, have also spotlighted a new type of revolutionary: the woman farmer. Normally confined to villages and homes, the female farming community is out in full force this time, lending its voice to one of the biggest agrarian movements that has roiled India since the country gained independence in 1947.

The Indian Express – Online

After rice, India is set to turn a major exporter of wheat as well – thanks to surging international prices from Chinese stockpiling and ultra-low interest rate money increasingly finding its way into agri-commodity markets.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday upped its forecast of Indian wheat exports for 2020-21 (July-June) to 1.8 million tonnes (mt), as against its earlier estimate of one mt. That would be the highest ever in the last six years (see chart).

The trebling of shipments this year is mainly on the back of rising global prices. Wheat future contracts for March delivery at the Chicago Board of Trade exchange are currently at $244.35 per tonne, 18.3% higher ...

Times of India – Online

The National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD), Bihar, has prepared a Potential Linked Plan (PLP) for 2021-22 to facilitate credit flow to agriculture sector in all 38 districts of the state, said its chief general manager (CGM) Sunil Kumar on Wednesday. He said the potential for credit flow has been assessed for each sector like crop, animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, fisheries, goat rearing, plantation and horticulture, farm mechanization, godowns and self-help group lending among others.

Sunil told the media that an aggregation of the projections will be presented in the state credit seminar scheduled on January 15.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the economy. The only silver lining is the performance of ...

Businessworld – Online

India and China started their development story simultaneously in the 1950s. Today, both the countries are on different pages, with respect to economy and farm development. While all of us may not agree with the Chinese model of governance, there is a lot to learn from their agriculture sector for the Indian policy maker.

For overview of the farm sector in India with respect to other countries, OECD provides five sets of data on the issue of how the Indian government supports its farmers as compared to other countries

Foreign Policy – Online

There are a couple of reasons that India’s Supreme Court may have chosen to act to suspend the farm laws now.

Fears are growing that the largely peaceful protests could turn violent or lead to illness amid the Indian winter and the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want any injuries or blood on our hands,” Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde said during the hearings this week. Dozens of deaths have been reported during the protests, including at least five farmers who died by suicide and others who succumbed to health issues.

Jakarta Globe – Online

he recent agricultural reforms introduced by the Government of India through its Farm Bills are nothing short of historic and revolutionary. The three new ordinances have the ambitious intent of “doubling farmers’income” through unshackling of the agricultural marketing structure and integrating Indian agriculture as “one nation, one market’.

Agriculture is a priority sector for India, contributing approximately 17 percent of India’s GDP and being the largest source of its citizen’s livelihoods. Reform of the agriculture marketing system has been an ongoing process over the years; a vast evolution preceding the three new farming bills.

Indian agriculture prior to independence Before independence, India’s agricultural policy was largely driven by concerns of food security, so they prioritized keeping ...

The New Indian Express – Online

Asserting that the root cause of farmers’ poverty was the availability of limited markets, Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat, who is on the four-member panel set up by the SC, says the “new agri laws will open new avenues to farmers”.

“Farmers will be able to see their produce in the open market as well as agriculture produce market committees. In Maharashtra, the farmers have been following this practice for the last 10 years. This should be replicated across India. If the produces are purchased at the farmers’ doorsteps, it will help reduce the market management cost that’s generally recovered from the farmers only,” he told this newspaper.

YourStory – Online

Indian farmers are the key custodians of agriculture and play a crucial role in contributing to the economy. A report by the World Trade Centre highlights that India can be among the top five exporters of agro commodities by shifting focus to cultivation and handholding farmers,. Agriculture is the fuel that powers the engines of economic growth in the country, with 50 percent of the Indian population dependent on it. The sector not only plays a crucial role in improving food and national security, but also creates job and income growth for other sectors.

The Federal – Online

The farmers, mostly from Punjab, who have been protesting at the borders of Delhi for more than a month against the new farm laws, which intend to make agriculture more market oriented, seem to be resisting change.

On the other hand, agriculture is also being animated by feverish innovation. Digital start-ups are connecting smallholder farmers with large buyers, automating farm operations, helping monitor fish ponds, taking the drudgery out of dairying, curing deficient soils, minimising post-harvest losses, matching finicky consumers with farms associated with ethical practices or those that avoid chemicals, insuring farmers against weather risks, incentivising trust among trading parties on remote trading platforms and enabling smallholders to obtain institutional finance by building their credit ...

Financial Express – Online

Achievement of the $5-trillion economy goal by India could be pushed by a couple of years from the original deadline of 2024-25, due to the pandemic-induced recession during 2020-21. Only a V-shaped recovery during 2021-22, and a sustainable growth of 9% per annum over the next five years, can turbocharge the economy to touch the $5-trillion mark. The agricultural sector, which contributes 14.6% to the economy, needs to support this objective by focusing on private investment and exports, while targeting an annual agri-GVA growth of 5%. A focus on reforms in agri-marketing and agri-exports, along with the promotion of high-tech, digital and precision agriculture, is an appropriate recipe for transforming the agricultural sector, while doubling farmers’ ...

Businessworld – Online

The agriculture sector is criti­cal for the Indian economy con­tributing to ~15 per cent of the country’s GDP and employing half of the country’s working pop­ulation. Despite the fall in GDP in the April to June quarter owing to Covid-19, the agricul­ture sector managed to clock up a growth of 3.4 per cent over the same period, as produc­tion continued with far less disruption than in many other sectors. Even export of essential agri-commodities for the cumulative period of April-September 2020 has seen a marked increase compared to the same period last year . However, the sector continues to have significant challenges which have adversely affected the farm sector and farmer incomes.

While a set of challenges ...

Indian Express – Online

The latest round of talks between the government and farmers’ representatives has once again concluded without an agreement. The good news is that the two sides have agreed to meet again on January 15. Let’s hope the farmers from the country’s northern states show flexibility in understanding why the government has undertaken to reform the agriculture sector.

Time is non-partisan and it judges us ruthlessly. If we do not embark on reforms in agriculture and allied sectors now, we will have failed the future generations. They will not forgive us when they look back at today’s stubborn but misguided opposition to the new farm laws.

Indian Express – Online

The farmers’ agitation on Delhi’s border is now 45 days old, and the government appears to have made up its mind that it will neither put on hold nor repeal the three laws hurried passed by Parliament in September 2020.

Government ministers have been explaining the beneficial provisions of the laws, and social media is full of stories about how farmers in Punjab have been “exploiting” the system of procurement of crops at minimum support price (MSP). While Punjab and Haryana have become the focus of the farmers’ agitation, the current scenario in agriculture is not very hopeful in other states too. Some important issues are discussed below.

LiveMint – Online

Deal activity in agritech startups was impacted last year due to widespread disruptions from the pandemic and the strict lockdown. These startups garnered $152 million through 30 deals in 2020, declining from $232 million through 32 deals in 2019, shows data from Venture Intelligence. The figure, however, marked a sharp rise from $69 million in 2018 and $43 million in 2017 through 17 deals each, underscoring continued strong investor interest in the sector.

“This (2020 performance) is a significant number and shows there is positive sentiment. We should not forget we had a pandemic in the middle of all this,” said Siddharth Pai, founder and managing partner, Siana Capital Management.

The Indian Express – Online

The 7.2% fall in gross value added (GVA) for 2020-21, as per the National Statistical Office’s first advance estimates released on Thursday, would be the sharpest ever recorded in India.

Earlier slumps

There have been four earlier occasions when the country’s GVA — which is GDP net of all taxes and subsidies on products and, hence, a more accurate measure of economic activity — has suffered contraction.

The extent of negative growth in those years — 1979-80 (minus 5.2%), 1972-73 (minus 0.3%), 1965-66 (minus 3.7%) and 1957-58 (min

YourStory – Online

Indian agriculture needs to adapt innovations to become sustainable and profitable for farmers. There are multiple challenges facing Indian agriculture, including climate change, water stress, deterioration of soil health, price volatility, and farmer’s lack of motivation to continue farming.  There are estimated about 150 million farmers in India with a majority of them (more than 85 percent) owning less than two hectares of farmland. A farmer with average land holding of about one hectare earns a gross income of about Rs 100,000 to meet his personal, family, and occupational needs.

Indian Express – Online

In the two latest rounds of negotiations between the farmers’ organisations and the Centre, the change in the government’s attitude — reflected in the homage paid to the farmers who died during the protest, the conciliatory gesture on the stubble burning issue and the proposed electricity amendment bill — deserves to be welcomed. The government has also acknowledged flaws in the three farming laws and is offering to make amendments. However, a fundamental gulf exists between the government’s view that its suggested amendments will address these flaws, and the farmers’ view that the amendments do not change the faulty structure of these laws and, therefore, the laws themselves need to be repealed.

On minimum support price ...

The Times of India – Online

A round table meeting attended by the farmers and representatives of their welfare associations, leaders from the Congress among other political parties on Sunday unanimously resolved to demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre come out with a “comprehensive agriculture produce procurement policy announcing crop-wise MSP with financial allocations to it” in the ensuing Union Budget to be presented on February 1. While demanding an unconditional repeal of the new farm laws which are detrimental to the interests of the farmers, the meeting also resolved to demand that the central and state governments immediately convene a special session of the Parliament and the state Assembly to discuss the problems being ...

The Times of India – Online

How will agriculture change in the post-Covid world?

Covid-19 has highlighted opportunities for improved agri-food systems – digital extension systems, increased farm mechanisation, decentralised markets and improved farmgate procurement in addition to improved farmer-consumer connect and more efficient value chains. Without protection against the virus, agriculture will continue with less face to face contact. I hope the changes in agriculture will focus on areas exposed by the pandemic as these will also contribute to the long-term goals of sustainable development.

India Education Diary – Online

The Tohoku University Graduate School of Agriculture recently hosted a symposium, to provide evaluations and updates on its reconstruction projects in rural areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The lectures highlighted the work of the Tohoku Agricultural Science Center for Reconstruction (TASCR), which was set up in 2014 to develop interdisciplinary research on large-scale natural disasters and environmental deterioration. It has also run agriculture reconstruction education programmes and certified some 460 “Meisters,” many of whom currently work or volunteer on regional projects.

The Tribune – Online

Have you ever wondered why India’s big businesses are suddenly so keen on farming? The answer is very simple. They have already exhausted all other options of making mega profits. After all, we know that farm income in India has not kept pace with inflation for at least the past two decades now. So, in real terms, farmers earn less now than they did in the previous millennium. Yet, big corporates find the agriculture sector attractive enough to have lobbied for these new farm laws.

Darbari economists with their fairytale theories will tell you that corporates entering the farm is a win-win for all. Two banal concepts that they like to use here are ‘economies of ...

The CSR Journal – Online

India has set its target to double the farmers’ income by 2022 from its base year 2015. In order to achieve the target, the sector would need to display the growth of ten per cent each year from 2015. However, not for a single year have we been able to reach the target. In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic has set back the growth rate, even more, making it difficult to achieve the targets.

In order to bring about the desired growth, the government of India introduced three farm laws with an intent to bring reforms in the agriculture sector. The aim behind each of the law was the same – to increase the ...

Feminism India –  Online

As I contemplate and pen this article in a warm and sheltered room in one of the metropolitan cities of India, there is a throng of women-men alike protesting over the most contentious farm Bills. The recent happenings have forced all of us to go back and freshen our memory in hindsight of whether we are really an agrarian state. At least, the government policy says so and the kind of false romanticisation that is shown towards the peasants (by different political groups) also supports the claim of us being a socialist and an agrarian state.

The economic survey released by government of India in the year 2017-18, talks descriptively about how women are ...

The Wire – Online

In the light of recent farmer protests, there have been apprehensions that corporates will develop a monopoly over agricultural markets, purchase large quantities of cereals at cheaper prices and sell processed products made from them at very high prices.

These apprehensions do not seem very plausible in the near future. Why? One important reason for this is the preference of Indians to consume fresh and home-cooked food rather than processed food made from rice and flour (wheat). Therefore, there is only a limited market for value-added products made from cereals, and big corporates may not have much interest in that.

What backs this argument is that while there is a well-established system of procurement of wheat ...

The Himalyan – Online

Stakeholders have objected to the government’s decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the agricultural sector of the country.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies issued a notice in the Nepal gazette late Monday regarding allowing FDI in the agricultural sector of the country.

According to the notice, FDI has been allowed for livestock farming, fisheries, bee farming, vegetables and fruits farming, oil, pulses, dairy industry, among other agricultural sectors. The notice has said big industries will be allowed to open under the condition that they export 75 per cent of their production.

However, the stakeholders have expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s move.

Deccan Herald – Online

Women farmers during their ongoing protest against new farm laws, at Singhu border in New Delhi. Credit: PTI Photo India’s agriculture sector is notoriously male-dominated, but thousands of women have become a pillar of the farmer protests blocking roads into New Delhi that have become a huge challenge to the government. Women of all occupations and ages — from those who tend cattle or toil in the fields, to city professionals and grandmothers in wheelchairs are braving the freezing winter temperatures in a bid to make the government withdraw market reforms.

Businessworld – Online

As farmers, entrepreneurs and labourers, women are pivotal to the success of agriculture. In a lot of rural settings, they act as collectors of water, fodder and manure which is an imperative add on to declining soil quality. In addition, they also perform major agricultural tasks such preparing the soil, sowing, and threshing. However, a lot of their labour goes unpaid, due to which they are not counted in the organised workforce, landowners, or primary care givers.

As per India Human Development Survey (IHDS), 83% of agricultural land in the country is inherited by male members. This despite The Hindu Succession Act (2005), which granted coparcenary rights to daughters and equal inheritance rights. The draft release of ...

LiveMint – Online

The farmer protests near Delhi have brought renewed attention to the agricultural practices of northern India, groundwater use in particular. A new study finds that states where groundwater reserves are at critical levels, such as Punjab, form the major source of cereals for around 76% of India’s population. This puts the country’s food supply in a vulnerable position.

The New Times – Online

Both India and Africa face common issues like degradation to cropland and environment, deteriorating farm economics and a pressure to feed a growing (and young) population, this presents an opportunity to collaborate and share experiences.  It is particularly imperative to focus on farmers who own small-units of land, since such smallholder farmers comprise over 70% of cropland in both Africa and Asia.

In this context, a low-cost sustainable agriculture method from India that can help Africa’s farmers is Community-Managed Natural Farming or CMNF (formerly Zero Budget Natural Farming).

India CSR – Online

VEDANTA Agriculture Resource Centre (ARC), operated by Bharat Aluminum Company (BALCO), is benefitting over a thousand farmers with access to modern farming methods, better technologies and quality resources.

The Centre, run in collaboration with NABARD at village Bela in Korba, aims to make farming more remunerative through increased production and productivity. In the current scenario, agriculture, the backbone of India’s economy is in a state of distress due to the pandemic of COVID-19, BALCO is helping farmers in the region sustain their livelihood, train in modern farming methods, get raw material support and market linkage and leverage government schemes for better returns through ARC.

LiveMint – Online

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Monday said that it has no plans of entering contract or corporate farming and it has not purchased any agricultural land in India for the purpose of contract farming, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Reliance said it “has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them.”

The Federal – Online

Over the past few decades, the manufacturing and services sectors have increasingly contributed to the economic growth, while the agriculture sector’s contribution has decreased from more than 50 per cent of the GDP in the 1950s to 15 per cent in 2019.

The agricultural growth has been fairly volatile over the past decade, ranging from 5.8% in 2005-06 to 0.4% in 2009-10 and 0.2% in 2014-15. Such a variance in the agricultural growth has an impact on farm incomes as well as farmers’ ability to take credit for investing in their landholdings

Krishi Jagran – Online

We are generally a venture company and we invest in the various Agri sector related company and right now we have 26 agritech company to whom we are investing. This investment in agritech company is helping farmers to grow. We don’t deal with farmers directly but yes, we help agritech company and by this network it helps farmers to grow and help them to become Atma nirbhar.

The Tribune – Online

A farmer’s average monthly income in Haryana is among the highest in the country, both according to the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households (2013) and NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (2016-17). Still, at Rs 18,496 per month, this income is less than the salary a newly appointed Group D employee — peon, maali, safai karamchari — gets in the state.

Farmers’ income was never so much in focus as it has been during PM Narendra Modi’s rule — first because of his promise to double it by 2022 and now, because of the unrest over the three laws enacted by the NDA government.

Financial Times – Online

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India’s largest company said it was the victim of a campaign of vandalism against its businesses after more than 1,500 telecom towers were damaged amid protests by farmers against New Delhi’s agricultural reforms. Mukesh Ambani and his telecom-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries have become the focus of anger from the thousands of protesters engaged in a months-long ...

Times of India – Online

Light rain and cold weather has come as a relief for farmers, who have been spared the work of irrigating their fields amid the ongoing agitation. It has been raining lightly in the region for the past two days, resulting in natural irrigation of wheat, mustard and vegetable fields.

Over the last two days, Ambala has recorded maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius and minimum of 13 degrees Celsius. Scattered thunderstorm and rain has been predicted for the next two days, agriculture department officials said.

Most of the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders have been attending the agitation and coming home from time to time to look after their crops in northern Haryana.

LiveMint – Online

From preventing mildew before its arrival to conserving water, Fasal’s devices are helping farmers adopt new waysAccording to Fasal, the deployment of its IoT devices on 10,000 acres of farmland so far has saved 3 billion litres of water

Prasant Maroo is a vegetable farmer in Saloni village of Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh, growing chilli, brinjal and various gourds. He first came across Bengaluru startup Fasal’s internet of things (IoT) device on a nearby farm.

There were sensors and transmitters attached to a pole stuck in the field, tracking soil, moisture, plant and microclimate conditions around the clock. AI-based analytics of this data over the cloud was providing alerts to the farmer on his smartphone. This had ...

Indian Express – Online

On the economic front, the biggest news this week will be the release of the First Advance Estimates (FAE) of national income (read GDP) for the ongoing financial year (2020-21) on January 7th.

As the name suggests, these are just the advance estimates — because the year hasn’t ended as yet — and that too the “first” such advance estimates. The second advance estimates (SAE) will be made available on February 26th. After the financial year is over on 31st March, the “first provisional” estimates of GDP growth in 2020-21 will be released on 31st May.

The Citizen – Online

The farmer struggle begun in Punjab is unique in many respects. It has succeeded in uniting farmers from most parts of the country and gained the support and participation of many different sections of society, and from political leaders in developed and developing economies.

To my knowledge there is no other equal example of such a peaceful and democratic farmers’ struggle in the history of the world.

It has now become a people’s struggle.

The immediate cause may have been the three Agriculture Ordinances promulgated by the Union government in June, and the three Agriculture Bills enacted by Parliament in September to replace them – but the struggle is not confined to a repeal of these ...

The Leaflet – Online

The farmers gathered around the Delhi border have unerringly put their fingers on the real issue confronting them, namely their very survival as peasants. Till now there was an arrangement in the country which, though crumbling under the impact of neoliberalism, still kept the peasantry alive. The three laws brought in by the Modi government are meant to remove this life-line altogether. These three laws thus carry the neoliberal agenda in this sphere to its limit. This is also why there can be no meeting ground between the protesting farmers and the government, within the ambit of these laws; they simply have to be repealed.

These laws for the first time since independence would allow encroachment ...

Hindustan Times – Online

Delhi and its neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have suffered a loss of about Rs 27,000 crore due to the ongoing farmers’ protests over the three farm law, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said. Farmers have been agitating against the new agricultural laws for more than a month on the Delhi border, due to which roads connecting the national capital to many states are closed.CAIT’s national president BC Bhartia and national general secretary Praveen Khandelwal, according to HT’s sister publication Hindustan, said the supply of goods coming from Punjab and Haryana to Delhi has been affected badly. The supply of goods to Delhi from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, ...

Business Today – Online

In the din over farmers’ protest over new farm laws, a major initiative to raise farmers’ income, especially the small and marginal ones, has been forgotten: Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

The central government launched a new scheme “Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)” on February 19, 2020 to set up 10,000 new FPOs with a budgetary support of Rs 6,865 crore from FY20 to FY28.

Economic Times – Online

India needs to change its age-old pro-cereal ‘agrideology’. Weaning the agricultural sector — down the production chain to the farmer — off rice and wheat, much of which goes unsold, is really about getting a professional class to kick a habit. As evident in the ongoing and overlong quarrel between farmers agitating against the new farm laws and GoI, providing enriching incentives can be perceived as alarming disincentives.

Republic World – Online

Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Kailash Choudhary on Saturday expressed his confidence in the deliberations between the protesting farmers and the Centre while opining that the next round of talks would bring a solution and conclude the ongoing protests against the three farm laws.

“I am confident that in the next round of talks with farmers, a solution will be reached and the ongoing protest will come to an end. The Government of India had already agreed their demands of decriminalising stubble burning, the continuance of power subsidies and provisions of civil courts,” Choudhary said while speaking with ANI.

Speaking on the protesting farm unions’ continued demands of the complete withdrawal of the ...

Youth Ki Awaz – Online

As every Indian living abroad knows, the produce grown in the west does not have the same intrinsic flavour. In North America, the bulk of the produce is sold through big name grocery stores that are, in reality, huge multi-national enterprises. The produce is brought in from all over the American continent in large, refrigerated trucks. By the time it gets to the stores, it is several days old and loses most of its nutrients.

Farming in North America is dominated by large scale operations that emphasize quantity and maximum yield over quality. A lot of the produce is processed close to the site and what emerges from these plants is artificial, low-cost processed food ...

The Hans India – Online

The state government is planning to give a big boost to the horticulture crops in 2021 as the state is one of the leading producers of banana, mango, papaya, musk melon, water melon, sweet lemon, guava and a wide variety of vegetables like tomato, ladyfinger, onions, green chillies, brinjal. The share of Andhra Pradesh is 11.8 per cent in the country in production of vegetables and fruits in 2019-20.

Rayalaseema districts are contributing a major share in cultivation of horticulture crops, said MVS Nagireddy, vice-chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Mission. He said Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has officially announced 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 ...

Financial Express – Online

The recent agitation by farmers on the three farm laws voices the apprehension that crony capitalists will take over farms and APMCs and other markets. The eminent Gandhian scholar-activist from Karnataka, MD Nanjundaswamy, too, had similar apprehensions in 1995. However, virtually nothing happened since 1995, as far as entry of corporates or crony capitalists into agriculture is concerned. However, it remains a fact that agriculture is starved of capital today, and thus there is a need to attract capital to it.

The Wire – Online

The agitation by India’s farmers on Delhi’s borders has completed one month and the sixth round of talks two days ago may have provided a window of reconciliation.

However, the more contentious issue of repeal of the three farm laws and legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) stills remains on the table.

While a number of commentaries have been written on various aspects of food management by the government, there are two important dimensions that have been touched upon in polarised speeches, but not really debated.

The Hans India – Online

Born to a big farmer from a small village in Telangana, I could experience the advantages of a big farmer and challenges small farmers faced in my village Muthyampet. Whether it is agriculture or any other production-linked occupation, the big player has a natural advantage over the small. However, this parity need not remain the same. This disadvantage can be reversed by applying fundamental business sense.

Amul is a classic example of how marginal dairy farmers could unite to build an unmatched national brand in milk and allied products from Kaira in Gujarat. Dairy farmers who could only produce one or two litres a day were unable to sell their produce independently and the British ...

Tech observer – Online

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Virtual Agri-hackathon 2020 being organised by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare in association with IARI, Pusa, New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion Tomar said agriculture is the backbone of the country and plans are afoot to strengthen this backbone with youth engagement, employment generation, technology & digitization.

The two-months long hackathon is focused on to bring together different stakeholders from industry, government and startups to explore the use cases and create solutions that can help the agriculture sector in the country.

India Education diary – Online

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Virtual Agri-hackathon 2020 organised by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare in association with IARI, Pusa, New Delhi today. Speaking on the occasion Union Agriculture Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that besides the hard-work of the farmers the research of scientists has led to self-sufficiency in foodgrains. Agri India Hackathon is the largest virtual gathering to create dialogues and accelerate innovations.

The 2-month long event is the first of its kind & the largest virtual event in the history of Indian agriculture. It will bring together the most important stakeholders from industry & government alongside India’s young bright ...