Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Farm Laws 2020 Explained: Everything you need to know about the new agriculture reforms in Indiaedit
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
“At a time when we have jobless growth, why do we want jobless agriculture?”-Devinder Sharmaedit
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 ...
Farm laws are only way to push agriculture out of low-income trapedit
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.
Technology in Agriculture
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agritech CropIn of India Raises $20m in Equity from Investors Including ABC World Asia, CDC Group, Pratithi Investment Trustedit
Micro Captial – Online
CropIn, an agricultural technology (agritech) firm based in India, recently raised USD 20 million in its Series C funding round. The lead investor is ABC World Asia, a private equity firm headquartered in Singapore. ABC World Asia CEO David Heng said the investment will boost the ability of “farmers to utilize real-time data for better decision-making and improved farm productivity.”
The other participating investors include two first-time investors in the company, CDC Group, a development finance institution owned by the UK government, and Pratithi Investment Trust, a family office in India. Those increasing their stakes in the firm include Ankur Capital, a venture fund focused on startups in India; Chiratae Ventures, an India-based investor active in technology; and ...
Govt. Policies
Vice President of India inaugurates the National Dialogue on ‘Indian Agriculture Towards 2030’edit
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).
Stubble Burning
‘Happy seeder a boon for farmers’edit
The Tribune – Online
A field day on “Happy seeder sown wheat” was organised by the Farm Advisory Service Centre (FASC), Tarn Taran, at Wara Sher Singh village on Thurdsay. Dr Parminder Kaur said in collaboration with the teams from the PAU, Ludhiana, and allied departments, the field day was held to promote use of happy seeder to avoid stubble-burning.
“Around 150 farmers participated in the field day. The farmers were informed about happy seeder, which creates complete inter-row mulch in pressed form simultaneously along with sowing of wheat with more stability and least vibration in standing stubble,” she said.
Dr Parminder started the technical session by delivering lecture on disease management in wheat. Dr Paramjit Singh, Director, USF, Kapurthala, ...
UP Farmers to Get Money in Exchange of Stubble Residues after 1st Agri Residue Plant for Bio-coal Production Beginsedit
News18 – Online
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has started an initiative to double the income of farmers of the state and protect the environment simultaneously. Under this initiative, the farmers will get money in exchange for the stubble residue, which will help in solving the problem of stubble burning to a great extent. The trial of the bio-coal production plant from the state’s first agricultural residue in Bahraich has been completed and will start soon.
The Chief Minister had directed the State’s Agriculture Department to increase the income of farmers and reduce costs. After which, a bio-production unit from agricultural wastes has been established in Bahraich’s Risia area. For this, agricultural wastes are being ...
Clean push: Why compressed biogas has an edge over CNGedit
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 ...