The Economic Times – Online

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday stressed the need to increase private investment in the farm sector and asked entrepreneurs to set up food processing units. The minister was addressing a summit on ‘Agriculture and Food Processing Opportunities in Madhya Pradesh’ organised by the Ministry of Food Processing, in partnership with ASSOCHAM and Invest India through video conference, according to an official statement.

Down To Earth – Online

For the past three months, Indian farmers and agricultural workers have been in the middle of a difficult struggle against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tens of thousands of them have gathered around the capital city of New Delhi; they say that they will not disband unless the government repeals three laws that negatively impact their ability to remain economically viable.

The government has shown no sign that it will withdraw these laws, which provide immense advantages to the large corporate houses that are close to Prime Minister Modi. The government’s attempt to crack down on the farmers and agricultural workers has altered the mood in the country: those who grow the food ...

The Indian Express – Online

India has been witnessing variable monsoon for the past few years. The last year was marked by surplus rain in June, deficit rain in July, and surplus rain in August and September, as reported by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This inconsistency in the monsoon rainfall pattern is an indication that extreme weather events might become the norm, rather than the exception, in the coming years. The Global Climate Risk Index 2020, released recently, puts India seventh in the list of countries worst hit by extreme events. This doesn’t augur well for the farming community, especially small and marginal farmers, and the agricultural yield in general.

Keeping the increased frequency of extreme weather events in mind, Google announced ...

The Wire – Online

The farmers’ agitation against the three controversial laws entered its hundredth day this week. While farmers’ unions have stuck to their demand for a complete repeal of the laws, the Centre, too, hasn’t budged, despite agreeing to make substantial amendments to the laws.

A few experimental, but progressive farmers, who feel that the agricultural trade may take a beating amidst the stalemate, believe that the farmers’ unions could come up with alternative models for agricultural reforms and the government could to consider it with the aid of agriculture scientists, policy experts and other relevant agencies in a calibrated manner.

One such army veteran-turned farmer Colonel (retired) Subhas Deswal spoke to The Wire on issues related to problems afflicting ...

News18 – Online

The agriculture and allied activities sector in Maharashtra is expected to grow at 11.7 per cent in 2020-21 owing to overall good monsoon this year, the Economic Survey 2021 tabled in the state Legislature on Friday said. Monsoon this year was 113.4 per cent of the normal in the state.

According to the survey, the state’s economy is expected to see an 8 per cent negative growth during 2020-21 and estimated to be Rs 19,62,539 crore with industry and services sectors bearing the maximum brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

However, the agriculture sector was the only sector that was least impacted by the pandemic as the government had ...

Greater Kashmir – Online

Scientific knowledge when put to routine use for the benefit of humankind is called technology. Technology transfer is actually a structural process of learning, and requires a careful, well thought out plan, clearly communicable ideas and a range of formal and informal co-operation between technology developer and technology recipient. Acceptance of any new technology depends upon its ability to bring about economic benefits at all levels of a society while maintaining eco-friendliness, self-sustainability of the system, and social and cultural compatibility.

FNB News – Online

Agri-tech startup Harvesting has launched HFNMandi.com to help Indian farmers directly market and sell their agri-products to wholesale buyers. It is a free online service for farmers to connect and transact with genuine buyers across India and internationally. This journey of providing market linkage to farmers started less than a year ago when founder and CEO, Ruchit Garg, started a Twitter account to help distressed farmers across the country sell their crops during strict Covid lockdown. Within days of the launch, it logged close to 15,000 followers as they started sharing key details like name, type and quantity of the product, and location/phone number for the buyers to call the farmers directly to purchase their harvest. ...