Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Why Indian Farm Produce Is The Best There Isedit
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 ...
Andhra Pradesh plans big push to horticultureedit
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 ...
Farmers needn’t fear agri-corporates, capital injection in agriculture is crucial to benefit from scaleedit
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.
How Much of India’s Agricultural Produce Is Wasted Annually?edit
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.
Technology in Agriculture
Agritech start-up, Gramophone bags INR 25 Cr in round led by Siana Capitaledit
Techstory – Online
Gramophone is an agricultural technology start-up that helps farmers to harvest better yields by providing them with all necessary information and education about agriculture. Recently, the start-up has announced via press release to have raised INR 25 crore or USD 3.4 million in its latest Series B funding round.
The funding round was led by India-based investor, Siana Capital Management. Existing investors including U.S-based Better Capital, Delhi-based impact investor- Asha Impact and Infor Edge also participated in the company’s Series B funding round.
According to the company profile on CrunchBase, the total funding received by the company till date is worth USD 7.9 million in over 4 financing rounds.
Stubble Burning
To manage stubble, Jalandhar wheat growers opt for mulchingedit
The Tribune – Online
Scores of Punjab farmers have stopped burning the paddy stubble and adopted a technique called mulching, in which the stubble is used in fields and for sowing wheat.
Experts say the technique doesn’t require costly machines and the input cost per acre is also quite less. Gyan Singh of Jairampur village used to burn paddy before 2017 but for the past three years, he hasn’t indulged in the practice because he found a new way of using the stubble in the field itself.
Tractor industry
Escorts zooms after tractor sales spurt 88% YoY in Decedit
Business Standard – Online
Escorts rose 3.43% to Rs 1302.80 after company said its tractor sales jumped 88% to 7,733 units in December 2020 over December 2019.
Escorts said this was its highest ever December sales. On a sequential basis, however, the tractor sales declined 23.9% in December 2020 from 10,165 units sold in November 2020.
Domestic tractor sales in December 2020 was at 7,230 units, registering a growth of 90% from 3,806 units sold in December 2019. Export tractor sales jumped 63.3% to 503 units in December 2020 from 308 units sold in December 2019.
Sonalika Tractors Reports Highest Ever Sales Of 11,540 Tractors In December 2020edit
Business World – Online
Sonalika Tractors has announced that it clocks 1 lakh tractor sales in just 9 months of April-Dec’20 period. Sonalika has grown by 33.3% during the year, which is around 3X the industry growth of 12%, and has surpassed its entire FY’20 sales in just 9 months of FY’21. Overall, the company has registered its highest-ever December sales of 11,540 tractors and highest ever market share of 16.1%.
Sonalika Tractors has been selling more than one lakh tractors annually over the last three years and registering similar sales volume in 9 months. Despite the pandemic hit year, Sonalika introduced 5 new premium tractors in 2020 including Tiger, Sikander DLX, Mahabali, and Chhatrapati that has been lately joined ...
Mahindra tractor sales climb 23% in Decemberedit
The Hindu – Online
M&M’s Farm Equipment Sector said domestic sales in the month had risen 23% to 21,173 units. Hemant Sikka, president-FES, M&M, said, “Wholesale volumes continued to be strong, fueled by restoration of channel inventory post the festive season, announcement of a hike in tractor prices by major OEMs and anticipation of sustained demand on the back of higher Rabi acreage, government support in Kharif procurement and rural development schemes.
Escorts tractor sales jump 88 per cent to 7,733 units in Decemberedit
Business Standard – Online
Farm equipment manufacturer Escorts Agri Machinery on Friday reported an 88 per cent jump in tractor sales at 7,733 units in December 2020.
The company had sold 4,114 units in December 2019.
Domestic tractor sales during last month stood at 7,230 units as against 3,806 units in December 2019, up 90 per cent, Escorts said in a BSE filing.
Escorts said post lockdown, this is the first month where thecompany could supply as per demand of customers, some of whom waited long to get their preferred tractor brand.
“Going forward all macroeconomic factors remain in favour of continued growth and we do not expect any significant supply-demand gaps. Rising inflation, however, continues to be a worry,” the company said.