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.

She was addressing an inaugural session at the virtual conference on ”Technical Textile – The Future of Indian Textile Industry” organised by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Irani also said agri-tech will give equal opportunities to those who are from agricultural families to leverage their capabilities. Besides agri tech, there is a huge growth potential in ...

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.