Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Farm Laws Will Drive Farmers into Debt and Poverty in the Years to Comeedit
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ground between the protesting farmers and the government, within the ambit of these laws; they simply have to be repealed.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 ...
Delhi, bordering states saw losses worth Rs 27,000 cr amid farmers’ protest: CAITedit
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, ...
Rebooting Economy 55: Farmer producer organisations best bet for small, marginal farmersedit
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.
Get Farmers to Kick Rice-Wheat Addictionedit
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.
MoS Agriculture Confident Impasse Over Farm Laws Will End After Next Round Of Talksedit
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 ...
Technology in Agriculture
Telangana: Prototype State for agri digital revolutionedit
Telangana Today – Online
Telangana has identified agriculture as a priority sector and the State is focusing on developing AI-based solutions to benefit the farmers and policymakers. It has been envisioned to make Telangana a prototype State to bring a digital revolution in India’s agriculture sector.
The initiative AI for Agricultural Innovation (AI4AI) has been rolled out in collaboration with Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution, India, World Economic Forum (C4IR-WEF) to achieve digital transformation across the value chain, by working with all stakeholders to realise tangible benefits for the farmers, using AI and other emerging technologies.
Vodafone Idea, Nokia deploy smart agriculture solutionedit
ET Telecom – Online
Vodafone Idea’s (Vi) CSR arm, Vodafone India Foundation, Monday partnered with Finnish telecoms gear maker Nokia to deploy a smart agriculture solution in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra that aims to increase the productivity of farmers.
Currently a pilot project, it is being implemented across 100 cities in the states and will benefit over 50,000 farmers in the region, as per an official statement.
“To demonstrate the impact of technology in transforming agricultural practices in India, Vi CSR chose the agri-heartlands of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and on-boarded Nokia as the IoT solutions provider, and Solidaridad for field implementation,” the telco’s CSR arm said.
Tractor industry
Mahindra and Sonalika farm double-digit growth in India’s booming tractor marketedit
Autocar professional – Online
If there is one sector which has been recording consistent growth despite the Covid-induced lack of sales in other vehicle segments, then it is the tractor market. India, as is known, is the world’s largest tractor market both in terms of production and sales. While the Covid-19 disruption at a time when the country saw reverse migration, a bountiful monsoon, a favourable Kharif season and rise in disposable income in rural India have ensured that tractor manufacturers are benefiting from the speedy sales momentum driven by rural India demand.
Mahindra Tractors, the world’s third largest tractor company, has reported domestic market sales of 21,173 units in December 2020, which marks srong 23% year-on-year growth (December 2019: ...