Krishi Jagran – Online

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir organized 3 days online training program on intellectual property rights in agriculture.

According to a statement, the training was conducted by the university’s Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura campus, under World Bank-ICAR supported National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) for the institutional development of SKUAST-K in order to mark the World Intellectual Property Day 2021 from 26-28April.

The training was aimed at making the students and faculty aware about various aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, World Trade Organization (WTO) trade-related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, National Intellectual Property Rights policy, filing of patents, protection of plant varieties, and Farmer’s Right Act. Etc

EET India – Online

Since its inception, the Industrial Revolution has centered on automating production processes. Now that we have entered the era of Industry 4.0, most industrial processes have become data-centric, generally involving five steps of data manipulation: collection, transmission, storage, analysis, and, finally, display. This last step is to keep humans in the loop, but data can also be fed back to some actuating device, bringing the process into the realm of robotics.

Agriculture has not been immune to industrialization over the past two centuries, and in recent years, Agriculture 4.0 has gained momentum. Just as industrial production made the transition toward data management, agriculture is now following that path. Companies that traditionally have served industrial segments now ...

India Education Diary – Online

Director Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department, Vishesh Mahajan today said that the agriculture commodities will be shortly traded through National Agriculture Market (eNAM) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing officers of the department, in virtual conference on National Agriculture Market (eNAM), he said that the department was focused upon making E-NAM a success in J&K and shortly farmers/ growers shall be doing online trading of agricultural commodities in J&K UT.

Reuters – Online

While India battles soaring COVID-19 infections, on the outskirts of New Delhi thousands of farmers still occupy camps where they are keeping up a months-long sit-in protest against government legislation that they say harms them.

Underlining the organised nature of the movement as it tries to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke reforms aimed at making agriculture more efficient, farmers are being ferried to and from villages in order to harvest this year’s wheat crop.

The logistical feat is working, at least from the farmers’ point of view. They are on track to gather a ...

abcnews – Online

Every year, Swarn Singh sows rice in his fields, knowing that the thirsty crop is draining northern India’s Punjab of its groundwater. But Singh says he has no choice, adding, “We’d rather plant crops that need less water.”

The 32-year-old farmer and school teacher lives in Ransih Kalan village in the state’s Moga district, where green fields surrounding its wide roads and large houses belie the reality that the region is among India’s most parched and its once-prosperous agricultural system is now broken.

 India’s water crisis looms over an agrarian crisis that has been brewing for decades. At its heart is a conundrum: the government has been subsidizing the cultivation of rice in northern India, but such ...

Far Eastern Agriculture – Online

The agricultural machinery market in India is expected to grow by US$1.87bn during 2021-2025, according to Technavio

The report offers a detailed analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural machinery market in India in optimistic, probable, and pessimistic forecast scenarios.

The agricultural machinery market in India will witness a negative impact during the forecast period, owing to the widespread growth of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per Technavio’s pandemic-focused market research, market growth is likely to increase in 2021 as compared to 2020.

With the continuing spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, organisations across the globe are gradually flattening their recessionary curve by leveraging technology. Many businesses will go through response, recovery, and renew ...

Forbes India – Online

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 58 percent of the Indian population and it represented almost $300 billion of gross value add in FY20. However, the annual growth in this gross value add is a mere 3 percent. This represents the lack of innovation that this critical sector has experienced over decades, however, it also represents the huge opportunity for innovation and technology.

Farmers face fundamental issues including lack of information on farm inputs, unorganised credit, and absence of market linkages. To put things in perspective, most farmers are compelled to use the traditional channels to purchase raw materials such as seeds, fertilisers, and other farming products. Moreover, almost 30-40 percent of the total harvest ...

BW Disrupt – Online

Netafim Agricultural Financing Agency Pvt. Ltd. (NAFA), an agri-focused NBFC and a subsidiary of Netafim Singapore, has raised USD 40 million via external commercial borrowing (ECB) from the Phoenix Group and Cogito Capital, both Israel based investors. The raised funds will be utilized effectively for business expansion, enhanced offerings, and to expand horizons in the agri-rural domain. The company would successfully improve its margins as it intends to service the high-cost old debt and bring down the overall cost of funds.

The deal also marks fresh equity infusion into NAFA, which recently raised USD 9.4 million of Tier I Capital from Netafim Singapore and offered exit to the initial equity partners Atmaram Properties & Granite Hill Fund ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research- Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala has received the patent for Seed Coating composition and its preparation. The Institute has successfully developed the Seed Coating Technology of PGPR/ beneficial microbes for seeds, and the institute has successfully done the field-testing and commercialization of this Seed Coating Technology.

About the Technology

The technology was developed by the team including Dr. M. Anandaraj, Dr. Y.K. Bini, and Dr. A.K. Johny.

It is an application of Exogenous Materials onto the surface of seeds with the aim of improving the delivery of active compounds including plant growth regulators, micronutrients, and microbial inoculants. It can increase germination and plant growth.

Hindustan Times – Online

As a devastating Covid-19 second wave tears through the country, farmers have defied the odds — even in states with high daily cases — to nearly complete harvesting of most winter-sown crops, as they prepare for the oncoming kharif, or summer sowing, season.

Timely agricultural operations despite surging Covid-19 infections have ensured stable food supplies and farm incomes, although there have been reports of farm markets functioning with lower capacities in states such as Maharashtra, government officials aware of the developments said.

PRNewswire – Online

The agricultural machinery market in India is expected to grow by USD 1.87 billion during 2021-2025, according to Technavio. The report offers a detailed analysis of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural machinery market in India in optimistic, probable, and pessimistic forecast scenarios.

The agricultural machinery market in India will witness a negative impact during the forecast period, owing to the widespread growth of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per Technavio’s pandemic-focused market research, market growth is likely to increase in 2021 as compared to 2020.

Hellenic Shipping News – Online

India’s agriculture industry is in a wait-and-watch mode amid the worsening pandemic situation, as localized lockdowns have stagnated market demand, while any subsequent stricter restrictions in the coming days are expected to slow down trading activity and disrupt supply operations.

Even though agriculture and allied activities are exempted from government restrictions so far, several markets across India remain closed as cases continue to skyrocket.

As a result, India’s domestic demand for palm oil, grains, as well as sugar is absent from the markets, sources told S&P Global Platts. India is the world’s largest buyer of palm oil, and a major consumer of grains and sugar.

The Times of India – Online

The enactment of the 3 farm laws introduced by the central government namely the farmers’ agreement on price assurance and farm services act, 2020 (FAPAFS), The Essential Commodities Act, 2020 (ECA) and the farmers’ produce trade and commerce act, 2020 (FTPC) – has resulted in huge turmoil in the agricultural and the political economy of India. 

The FTPC, by far is the most controversial bill, also called the “APMC Bypass Bill” reduces the oversight of the APMCs to their “Market Yard”, outside of the market yard entities are free to transact in agriculture produce freely, without having an obligation to pay a fee to the APMC and no licenses are required by the buyers. The ...

The Hans India – Online

According to statistics, people bought 1,366 tractors in March this year for commercial purposes and another 1,891 tractors for private use. Also bought 430 Trillers in March this year for agricultural purposes and another 960 Trillers for commercial purposes. On the other hand, auto sales have been spiked this time around. In March last year, only 158 autos were sold. In March this year, 1,842 autos were sold. Sales of motorcycles and cars also increased in March this year as compared to March last year. All in all, over 32,814 vehicles were sold in March last year and a total of 84,509 vehicles were sold in March this year.

The Caravan – Online

On 30 November 2018, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, then the union minister of food processing, was set to inaugurate a food park owned by a Delhi-based company Pristine Logistics & Infraprojects Private Limited in Ekania village, in Bihar’s Khagaria district. After a brief inspection of the food park—then just two sheds and a vestigial wall—she left in a huff, refusing to inaugurate a project that was far from complete. “Nobody will be allowed to cheat farmers and youths,” the Hindustan Times quoted her as saying. “Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor any of his ministers will inaugurate any incomplete project.” Three years earlier, at a foundation laying ceremony in Ekania, Badal told the media that the park would be completed in two ...

The Wire – Online

One of the more important arguments in favour of free agricultural markets, but one that has not been discussed widely in India, is how farmers will be able to participate in commodity derivative exchanges.

When the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government restored the commodity future exchanges in 2003, it was hoped that farmers will take signals from future prices and take cropping decisions based on such signals. However, the Indian government over the years continued to intervene in the futures market whenever there was excessive volatility. On several occasions, trading was suspended or banned. For example, trading in rice, tur and urad remained suspended for more than a decade. In addition, the margins were increased for potato (100% in August 2014), ...

Mongabay – Online

Lack of sufficient rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, between January and March, has caused major losses in the crops sown in winter. With weather variations causing overall precipitation deficiency during winter, water sources in villages and small towns in the state have already started drying up and this could lead to drinking water shortage. Snowfall rate has decreased not only in Himachal Pradesh but across the Himalayan region in past several decades. Temperature over the Himalayas warming due to climate change, has led to a significant melting and decline in glacier mass over the Himalayan region in the recent decades, say experts.

S&P Global – Online

India’s agriculture industry is in a wait-and-watch mode amid the worsening pandemic situation, as localized lockdowns have stagnated market demand, while any subsequent stricter restrictions in the coming days are expected to slow down trading activity and disrupt supply operations. Even though agriculture and allied activities are exempted from government restrictions so far, several markets across India remain closed as cases continue to skyrocket. As a result, India’s domestic demand for palm oil, grains, as well as sugar is absent from the markets, sources told S&P Global Platts. India is the world’s largest buyer of palm oil, and a major consumer of grains and sugar.

Meanwhile, agricultural exports for commodities like sugar are steady, which are supporting ...

The Indian Express – Online

Haryana has always been at the forefront of pioneering models of governance and implementing them. Our chief minister, Manohar Lal, has always stressed the importance of reaching every policy’s full benefit to the targeted beneficiary. Under his leadership, the state government has documented and digitised all farmer families through the Parivar Pehechan Patra, which ensures that the payment towards crop procurement directly reaches the state’s farmers. Doubling farmers income is the stated goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our pioneering system of direct farmer payments is the very core of making his vision work at the ground level.

Krishi Jagran – Online

Prior to the annual Kharif Conference scheduled on April 30, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) have come together to promote bio-fortified cereals and pulses through the revamped National Food Security Mission (NFSM).

The agriculture ministry has planned to convert NFSM to NFNSM (National Food and Nutritional Security Mission). This move has come to address issues of food security and national security.

The Indian Express – Online

With the three new farm laws stuck, where is India’s agri sector headed? Agriculture economist Dr Sudha Narayan and Godrej Agrovet Ltd MD Balram Singh Yadav spoke to The Indian Express on a range of issues in the sector, including crop diversification and self reliance in edible oils. The conversation was moderated by The Indian Express Rural Affairs Editor Harish Damodaran.

Khaleej Times – Online

Agriculture is one of the oldest economic activities. Historians believe that wheat grew as wild grass in the fertile crescent of the Middle East before it was cultivated there in 9500 BC. Similarly other areas started to independently grow rice, banana and maize. Despite centuries of grueling human effort, we haven’t solved the problem of food.

 Our burgeoning population will not stop eating anytime soon. So, agriculture boasts of an endless supply of customers that even the likes of Facebook cannot have. Yet agriculture is far from lucrative. In the EU, farm income is less than half the average wage. An average farmer in India earns about US$1,000 annually despite the fact that India ranks #2 ...

FruitNet – Online

s Fresh Produce India turned its attention to India’s rapidly expanding ag-tech start-up sector Omnivore’s Subhadeep Sanyal spoke to the trends influencing the growth.

Sanyal, a partner of the venture capital firm, outlined how the young sector – which features around 1,000 start-ups, most under five years old – had been on the rise, a trajectory that had continued through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“If I give a reference of our journey as Omnivore in the last ten years, we have never seen this level of investment interest or investment activity,” said Sanyal.

“The uptake in investment in India began in 2018, but the last year has been phenomenal in terms of the speed with which companies have been ...

Indian Education Diary – Online

Continuing the Kharif 2021 campaign, Director Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, Jammu, K. K. Sharma today conducted a tour of Udhampur to gear up the departmental activities in the district in view of the upcoming Kharif season.

Joint Director Agriculture ( Apiculture & Mushroom Development), Ravinder Thaploo, Chief Agriculture Officer Udhampur, Subash Chander Sharma, DAO (Extension), Alok Pondotra, Apiculture Development officer, Sohan Singh, MDO, Sunil Gupta SMS-DL, Sukhbir Singh, ASCO, Vikas Padha were present besides others.

The Director launched the Kharif campaign by distributing maize trail minikits among the farmers at Tikri. Also Keys of tractor and power tiller were handed over to the beneficiary farmers on the occasion.

The Better India – Online

Virender Singh from Chamba village, Uttarakhand, owns an apple orchard in five acres of land. Unfortunately, hail storms and extreme weather conditions in 2020 severely affected the harvest and caused heavy damage to the crops. Thanks to the insurance cover he signed up with a startup, GramCover, which helped him recover around Rs 45,000.

“I paid a premium of Rs 200 for each of the 100 trees to secure the orchard from such risks. The insurance helped me recover from the financial losses. It is better to receive any amount than to face a total loss,” he says.

Like Virender, there are about 50,000 farmers across five states who have secured the risks of losing their ...

Times Of India – Online

The government on Sunday said over 81 per cent of wheat sown area has been harvested so far, while harvest of pulses and oilseeds has been completed amid the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Farmers are harvesting rabi (winter) crops sown in the 2020-21 crop year (July-June). Wheat is the main rabi crop.

 Releasing the latest data, the Agriculture Ministry said: “As a result of the proactive steps taken, harvesting of rabi crops is on schedule and timely procurement is also being ensured for the benefit of the farmers.”

India Education Diary – Online

Department of Agriculture has provided 210 Qtls maize seed, 20 Qtls paddy seed and 10 Qtls fodder seed to the farmers at subsidized cost in district Ramban.

Department also distributed 49 Qtis potato seed for summer crop, 10.37 Qtls vegetable seed and 43.50 Qtls spice seed among the farmers.

Republic World – Online

In the latest edition of Nation Wants to Know with Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami, Indian business magnate Rakesh Jhunjhunwala spoke candidly about the ongoing farmers’ agitation and also about the opposition in the political system of the country. He said the right to protest is a natural democratic right but this is a protest to protect vested interests.

To elaborate on why entry of the private sector is necessary in agriculture, he gave an example of potatoes which are not available even at Rs 40 per kg in Mumbai, while the potatoes aren’t finding any buyers at Rs 3 per kg in West Bengal due to its availability in plenty. He opined that there should be infrastructure ...

Times Of India – Online

India exported agri and allied commodities worth Rs 2.74 lakh crore during April 2020—February 2021 compared to Rs 2.31 lakh crore in the same period the previous year, recording an increase of 18%.

 The commodities which posted significant positive growth in exports were wheat, rice (non-Basmati), soya meal, spices, sugar, raw cotton, fresh vegetable, processed vegetables and alcoholic beverages. Wheat export posted huge growth over last year, increasing from Rs 425 crore to Rs 3,283 crore — an increase of 727%.

Times Of India – Online

Heavy rains, floods and the pandemic failed to slow down the foodgrain output in in 2020-21. The state produced 154 lakh tonnes, an all-time record, as against 141 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. This is 30 per cent more than the state’s average food production of 115 lakh tonnes. accounted for 132 lakh tonnes and pulses the rest. Separately, the state recorded the highest production of oilseeds (13 lakh tonnes). This is mainly because there was a shortage of labour. Oilseeds don’t require a lot of labour, which made them many farmers’ preferred choice.

NewsLiveTv – Online

For the second successive year, as a result of meticulous planning and concerted efforts of the States and the Central government, along with the hard work of the farmers, the area under summer crops has shown an increasing trend in the country. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has taken new initiatives for the scientific cultivation of summer crops such as pulses, coarse cereals, Nutri-cereals and oilseeds.

As on 23rd April 2021, summer sowing in the country is 21.5% higher than it was last year during the corresponding period. The total summer crop area has increased to 73.76 lakh hectares from 60.67 lakh hectares a year ago during the corresponding period.

Krishi Jagran – Online

Here are glimpses of the latest news doing the rounds in the country and abroad:

Covid news

This is the first time any country has recorded over 300,000 cases in just 24 hours. Amid oxygen shortage and faltering health system in the country, India saw 2000 deaths in highest single-day spike. The death toll from the deadly infection stands at 184,672. The country now has nearly 2.3 million active cases.

Agriculture Company news Jain Irrigation touches new heights in Micro Irrigation

Jain Irrigation being the world’s largest seller of Micro Irrigation systems with its global widespread reach  in 116+ countries has touched new heights in Micro Irrigation, Agri Research, Renewable Energy and many other segments globally, bringing innovation in lives of 7.2+ Million Farmers. As Jain’s “More crop per ...

The Hindu – Online

Life is not easy for the ‘ugly ducklings’ of the agricultural world. For all the perfectly shaped fruits and vegetables that we buy from the green grocers, there are thousands left on their stalks to rot unharvested in the field simply because they do not meet the aesthetic criteria of retailers.

Mumbai-based foodtech innovator Science 4 Society (S4S) Technologies has been working to cut down on this waste by promoting solar dehydration as a way to preserve such produce. In the wake of the lockdown, the company, founded in 2014 by young entrepreneur Vaibhav Tidke along with collegemates Ganesh Bhere, Tushar Gaware, Shital Somani, Ashwin Pawade, Nidhi Pant and Swapnil Kokate, has empowered 2,700 women farmers ...

Swarjya – Online

The export of agriculture and allied commodities during April 2020 to February 2021 were Rs 2.74 lakh crore as compared to Rs 2.31 crore in the same period last year, indicating an increase of 18.49 per cent.

The commodities displaying significant positive growth in exports were wheat, other Cereals, rice (other than basmati), soya meal, spices, sugar, raw cotton, fresh vegetable, processed vegetables etc.

Wheat posted a huge growth of 727 per cent over last year, increasing from Rs 425 crore to Rs 3,283 crore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced in a press release on Wednesday (21 April).

The New Indian Express – Online

Dung disposal has always been a headache for cattle farmers. Although it is a highly recommended organic fertiliser, it can be hard to store and dispose it of. “This made many farmers stop investing in cattle farming,” said Pradeep Subash, managing director of Farms Dairy.Pradeep, who owns his own cattle farm, is well aware of the issues faced by the farmers.

So, to help them, and to utilise cow dung, Pradeep started a mobile unit known as ‘Chanaka Vandi’, which dries and gives a powdery product that can be used as manure.

United News of India – Online

Hamirpur (HP), Apr 21(UNI) With the changing environment, the nature of farming in the country and the state of Himachal Pradesh has also changed with its Hamirpur district spending an amount of about 3.5 crore rupees under agricultural mechanisation schemes for purchase of modern equipment, helping thousands of farmers to get better crops. It was possible only due to the help extended by the government agencies for the purchase of the Modern equipment right from sowing to the harvesting and threshing of the crops

The Tribune – Online

The state government has directed the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department to ensure that the farmers get fertilisers at old rates.

An official said directions had been given to the authorities as per the decision taken by the Centre at a meeting with fertiliser manufacturers, who had sought a hike in prices due to increase in the cost of raw materials. The companies were told to sell the existing stock at the old rates.

He said directions had also been given to the authorities to resolve the grievances of the farmers regarding the prices of fertilisers on a priority. He said the deputy director had been told to audit stock of all fertiliser dealers.

DD News – Online

Even, during the difficult time of Pandemic, India took care not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export. The export of Agri and allied commodities during Apr,2020 – Feb,2021 were Rs. 2.74 lakhCrore as compared to Rs. 2.31 Crore in the same period last year indicating an increase of 18.49%.

The commodities which posted significant positive growth in exports were wheat,Other Cereals,Rice (other than Basmati), Soya meal, Spices, Sugar, Raw Cotton, Fresh Vegetable, Processed Vegetables, and Alcoholic Beverages etc.

Wheat and other cereals posted huge growth over last year, i.e., increasing from Rs. 425 Crore to Rs. 3283 Crore and Rs. 1318 Crore to Rs. 4542 Crore, respectively. On specific ...

The Hindu – Online

India exported agricultural commodities worth ₹2.74 lakh crore till February of the 2020-21 fiscal, a 16.9% increase from ₹2.31 lakh crore in the year earlier, notwithstanding the pandemic, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

Similarly, imports of agriculture and allied commodities increased by 3% to ₹1,41,034 crore during the April-February period of 2020-21 from ₹1,37,014 crore in the year earlier period. Despite COVID-19, balance of trade in agriculture has favourably increased to ₹1,32,579.69 crore from ₹93,907.76 crore in the said period, the ministry said in a statement.

“India has consistently maintained trade surplus in the agricultural products over the years. …Even during the difficult time of the pandemic, India took care not to disturb the world ...

News on Air – Radio

India has witnessed an impressive increase of almost 18.5 per cent in export of Agricultural and allied products during April 2020 to February 2021 as compared to the same period, the previous year.

The country had witnessed tremendous growth of 727 per cent in Wheat export and 132 per cent in Non-Basmati Rice export, despite the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic.

Some other commodities that posted significant positive growth in exports include cereals, soya meal, spices, sugar, raw cotton, fresh vegetable, processed vegetables and alcoholic beverages.

India took care not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export even during the pandemic. The export of Agricultural and allied commodities during April 2020 to ...

The New Indian Express – Online

News on the country’s economic performance in these stressful times has generally been bleak. The one silver lining on the horizon is the steady rise in farm output. Food grains production, according to the Union agriculture ministry, is estimated to rise 2% for crop year 2020-21 to a new high of over 303 million tonnes (MT) from the earlier 297.5 MT on the back of higher rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals production. The crop year is taken from July 1 to June 30.

While rice production is projected to cross 120 MT, wheat production will be up to 109 MT from the earlier 107.9 MT. The rain gods too seem to be smiling. ...

The Times of India – Online

In all, 11 students of Thanthai Roever Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (TRIARD), Perambalur took part in a four-day workshop involving field visits on organic farming techniques organised by Thaneer, a Trichy-based environmental organisation.

 Thaneer secretary K Sathish Kumar said this is the first time they have tied up with an educational institution for organised field visits and interaction. The students interacted with experts and innovators in organic farming. R Rincy Jaslin, a final year BSc agriculture student, said that visiting Vanagam — founded by green revolutionist G Nammalvar in Karur district — was a unique experience. She had read in books about permaculture, which is based on regenerative agriculture techniques, rewilding and ...

The Wire – Online

The Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, will set in motion the push for contract farming, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, lifts regulations for storing essential grains, and thereby increasing hoarding. While the laws have been introduced in response to long standing demands for market reform, and promise to alleviate farm distress, will the single-minded focus on liberalisation eventually backfire due to neglected environmental costs?

India’s food production will have to increase substantially in the coming decades to cater to a growing population with demand predicted to increase by 70% by 2050. The fact that this will need to be done while keeping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture ...

France24 – Online

In the 1960s, the Green Revolution had a phenomenal impact on India’s food production, but it also made the land infertile, led to extensive water consumption and exacerbated groundwater loss. It also led to widespread use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, water scarcity and poor soil quality forced many farmers to walk away from agriculture. They were perennially buried under a vicious debt cycle, with most of their earnings funnelled into buying pesticides and fertilisers.

 But a few years ago, the state launched an ambitious programme called Zero Budget Natural Farming that is transforming things on the ground. The idea is simple: to stop the dependency on chemicals and revive the land. It’s already starting to ...

The Economic Times – Online

Less than 4 per cent of Indian farmers have adopted sustainable agricultural practices and systems, according to a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The study, supported by the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), found that scaling up sustainable agriculture would be critical to improve farm incomes and bolster India’s nutrition security in a climate-constrained future. States such as Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim have already taken a lead in sustainable agriculture.

Speaking about sustainable agriculture, NITI-Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said: “Embracing sustainable agriculture could not only lead to better incomes for farmers but also have multiple environmental benefits.

Youth Ki Awaz – Online

India is a country with a mixed economy. However, we cannot deny the fact that there is an autonomy of the highest-earning sector of the economy — agriculture. As we are aware of the fact that India is an agrarian country where farmers play a vital role in all the apparent sectors of the economy, namely primary, secondary and indirectly tertiary, there is a lot of expectation from this portion of the money-making sector. It is also true that despite being the largest contributor in the Indian economy, the agriculture sector is not fully developed.

Not to blame the weather, but due to certain manmade errors or blunders — namely poor industrial waste management, pollution, ...

SME Times – Online

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Parshottambhai Rupala said that PM’s ambitious target of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022, can be achieved through private sector investment and participation in agriculture.

Addressing a summit, Mr Rupala said that farmers will be interested in the cultivation of maize only if it’s profitable. “We must project maize as a surplus crop,” added the minister.

He mentioned that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is committed to the development of the sector and has been working towards bringing various reforms and putting efforts to increase farmers’ income through every possible aspect.

Rupala further highlighted the importance of hedging and the need to include it in ...

Indian Express – Online

Lifesaving vaccines such as Covishield and Covaxin are products of modern biotechnology, as are drugs developed in recent times for treating many ailments. The potential of genetic engineering is immense, with gene editing opening up the possibility of cures to hereditary diseases. Similarly, genetically modified (GM) crops are making big strides in bringing about improvement in crop productivity across farming nations.

By 2019, the area under precision agriculture of GM crops had increased 112 times from 1996, when the first biotech crop was introduced, making it the fastest adopted crop technology in recent years. During 2019, 79 per cent of cotton; 74 per cent of soybean; 31 per cent of maize and 27 per cent of canola acreages ...

EDTimes – Online

We need to help fix agriculture in India – our present framework is shifty for both our farmers and the climate. Today, nearly all public spending in agriculture supports input-intensive practices that have only deepened the crisis. As we are currently revamping agriculture strategies, manageability should be key in contemplating a wellbeing net for farmers.

Tribune – Online

To ensure unhindered procurement process during the ongoing Rabi marketing season 2021-22, the Punjab government has approved the packaging of wheat in good quality used gunny bags provided by ‘arhtiyas’ (commission agents), an official statement said here on Sunday.

The statement said that this would ensure that there is no shortage of gunny bags in any ‘mandi’ of Punjab, even as it pointed out that while the arrival of wheat in mandis has increased to 8 lakh metric tonne per day there is a “nationwide shortage of new gunny bags and new PP (polypropylene) bags for storage of the procured wheat”.

The Indian Express – Online

How many farmers does India really have? The Agriculture Ministry’s last Input Survey for 2016-17 pegged the total operational holdings at 146.19 million. The NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey of the same year estimated the country’s “agricultural households” at 100.7 million. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) has around 111.5 million enrolled beneficiaries, with an average of 102 million-plus getting payments during 2020-21.

India’s official farmer population, in other words, is anywhere between 100 million and 150 million. But how much of this comprises actual farmers? Agricultural households, as per NABARD’s definition, cover any household whose value of produce from farming activities is more than Rs 5,000 during a year. That obviously ...

The Wire – Online

We need to fix agriculture in India – our current system is exploitative for both our farmers and the environment. Today, nearly all public spending in agriculture goes to support input-intensive practices that have only deepened the crisis. As we are in the process of rewriting agricultural policies, sustainability needs to be key in our thinking about a safety net for farmers.

Farmer distress, suicides, and mass protests are driven by high production costs, unremunerative prices, depleting natural resources and increasingly unpredictable weather. Yet, unsustainable practices have become the norm: over half the aquifers in India have depleting water levels while 90% of groundwater is used for irrigation, 30% of land area is degraded and topsoil that takes ...

Times of India – Online

Over the years, increasing tracts of farmland in the state were either going uncultivated or being allowed to be taken over by non-agricultural activities. However, parts of Dharbandora and Canacona talukas are witnessing a reverse trend with over 40ha of fallow land being brought back under cultivation. During the last season, while such agricultural land patches in Dharbandora have been brought under paddy cultivation, a community farming initiative in Polem, Canacona, has seen youth tilling the land to grow the local bean variety ‘alsando’.

 Significantly, in both talukas, it has been a youth-driven initiative.

In Vakekuyan in Shigao, Dharbandora, around 70 farmers have turned 30ha of fallow land green again.

Tribune – Online

Continuing their protest against the ruling BJP-JJP leaders of the state against the Centre’s three farm laws, farmers broke barricades to show black flags and raise slogans against the BJP leaders, including Agriculture Minister JP Dalal, Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa and Sonali Phogat, who arrived for the Ambedkar Jayanti function here today.

The police used mild force to restrain the protesters and keep them at some distance from the venue. The BJP leaders attended the event amid tight security. Seven protesters, including three women, were detained. They were released after the event.

The drama unfolded when a group of farmers arrived at the venue on getting information about the arrival of the BJP leaders. The police raised ...

New Indian Express – Online

A high-level interdepartmental group under a NITI Aayog member has been constituted to conduct national dialogues with stakeholders of agri-food systems for exploring national pathways towards creating sustainable and equitable food systems in India and suitably contribute to transformation in global food systems.

The consultative processes shall culminate in the Food Systems Summit in September 2021 in which the Prime Minister is likely to participate along with other global leaders, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a release.

Krishi Jagran – Online

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said on Friday that the Prime Minister’s ambitious goal of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022 can be met by private sector investments and involvement in agriculture.

“Farmers would only be interested in growing maize if it is lucrative. Maize must be projected as a surplus crop “Rupala made the remarks while speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s 7th India Maize Summit 2021. (FICCI).

Rupala emphasized the importance of hedging and the need for it to be incorporated into agricultural policies. He also promised that the minimum support price (MSP) for maize will be met. Amrendra Pratap Singh, Bihar’s Agriculture Minister, ...

The Tribune – Online

A virtual classroom and Agri-Diksha Web Channel facility were launched today at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University. The university was chosen from among 18 farm universities in the country.

The project was launched by Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar during a virtual ceremony.

Tomar said the facility with advanced technology would be a boon to students and farmers. It would enable students and teachers to remain in touch with each other, he said. Similarly, farmers sitting in far flung areas could be approached virtually, the minister said. The scientists could get inputs and guidance from national and international institutes, Tomar added. He said the facility would also be used by the State Agriculture Department ...

United News of India – Online

Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday said that “Research in agricultural universities is vital to make agriculture sustainable and to double the income of the farmers.” She emphasised the need to converge the traditional knowledge and modern technology in agriculture to make the farming sustainable and to ensure the food security of the generations to come. The Governor, in her capacity as the Chancellor, addressed the 5th Convocation of the Professor JayaShankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), here, in a virtual mode.

The Times of India – Online

The farm labour crunch has hit harvesting season as migrants are making their way back to their native states again fearing another lockdown in the Tricity. Again, factory owners and farmers are grappling with labour crunch.

 The exodus this time is said to be driven by fear of being trapped in place due to another lockdown and panchayat elections in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Many small-time farmers in Mohali are finding it difficult to get farm labour and have involved their families in harvesting. Bhupinder Singh, a farmer at Mullanpur said, “The wheat crop is ripe and needs to be harvested but we are not getting farm labour. Most of them have migrated back ...

The Hindu – Online

With entrepreneurship opportunities in the agriculture sector rising, there are many options for students

According to the Economic Survey 2020-2021, agriculture constitutes 19.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP), up from 17.8% in 2019-20. This is good news not only for the more than 150 million farmers of India but a

NPR – Online

There’s a battle raging over just how free market India’s economy should become.

For months, India has been dealing with the one of the largest protests the world has seen in modern history. Tens of thousands of farmers across the country are demanding that the government revoke a series of reforms that will change India’s agricultural sector.

Agriculture is by far the largest employer in India. 700 million people make a living from it. For decades, the government has shielded farmers from the free market by providing price supports on some crops, running wholesale markets where farmers can sell their goods, and rounding up buyers to guarantee sales. Now, the government plans to take a step back, ...

Horti Daily – Online

“When the pandemic has passed, we do not want to go back to normal,” says Kunal Kasera. “We definitely think we could go to some better place.” Kunal is the founder of Trufarm Co., an agtech company that has recently begun operations in the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, India. They currently own a 10,000 square feet farm growing exotic leafy greens which sells under their brand Freshgram. The facility also acts as an R & D hub for their various B2B clients.

National Herald – Online

Protesting Indian farmers, who have been camping at the borders of Delhi since November 26, 2020, have support from unexpected quarters. Not just Sikhs and alleged Khalistanis living abroad, as the Government would like people to believe, but even Trump supporting White American farmers seem to believe Indian farmers are right.

The National Herald brought together two Indians, based in California and Chandigarh, to speak about the global impact of big corporates and ‘free market’ on Agriculture and on farmers. Edited transcript of their hour and a half long conversation will be published next week in National Herald on Sunday and on nationalheraldindia.com

The Tribune – Online

Progressive farmer Ajit Singh Aujla from Sultanpur Lodhi is all set to sell his muskmelon crop in market, which he produced nearly a month earlier than traditional method with the help of ‘plastic mulch and polytunnel’ techniques. After studying market, Aujla came to know about high price of muskmelon crop during Ramzan (April 14) in Jammu and Kashmir as regular crop hits the market in mid May.

Aujla cultivates wheat, potato and muskmelon on his 12 acres. Talking about the new techniques to raise his crop, he said the Agriculture Department played a major role by selecting his land for demonstrations under the crop diversification scheme.

He said he first raised nursery by using cocopeat, followed ...

The Times of India – Online

Abhimanyu Munjal, JMD-cum-CEO of Hero FinCorp Ltd, was elected as the CII northern region chairman last month. He shares his views with TOI’s Sanjeev Verma on adverse impact of farm loan waiver and reservation of jobs in private sector for residents of a particular state, and says CII can complement the Covid vaccination drive. The main hurdle in implementing direct benefit transfer scheme in Punjab to disburse payment of wheat and paddy MSP to farmers is that they are dependent on arhtiyas for quick and paperless loans anytime. Why can’t the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) tap these new to credit customers so that farmers get the price of their produce without any middlemen?

It ...

Financial Express – Online

Pointing out that many agri commodities lose global competitiveness due to a large number of intermediaries in agriculture marketing leading to high transaction costs — 30-50% of the retail consumer price — a research paper prepared by Icrier for the UN Food Systems Summit has suggested that developing forward and backward linkages can ease price fluctuations and ensure remunerative price to farmers and lower prices for consumers.

“The current set of farm laws sought to achieve precisely this, but some recent ones are stuck for lack of understanding by farmers and for political reasons,” said the research paper, jointly authored by economist Ashok Gulati, former ICAR director general Raj Paroda, ITC CMD Sanjiv Puri, Bayer India head D ...

Farmers Guardian – Online

The new scheme, launched by the Chhattisgarh Government in July 2020, aims to increase income of farmers and cattle ranchers, promote organic compost, reduce chemical fertiliser usage and improve soil health.

Another state, Odisha, which introduced an organic farming policy in 2018, is now on the cusp of launching an organic mission.

Odisha recently decided to promote organic farming in seven districts, with the state government eager to make 30 model organic clusters.

Odisha, which had earlier initiated a special programme to promote millets in tribal areas, has covered about 23,000 hectares currently, with farmers encouraged to adopt organic farming practices to produce millets.

The Standard – Online

Millions of Indian farmers will benefit from the country’s new farm laws, an Australian scholar, who has been encouraging Delhi to stay the course of reform, has said. Salvatore Babones, an adjunct scholar at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, says in an article published in the Foreign Policy magazine that India’s rich farmers are frustrating the reforms that are designed to help the poor. Mr Babones described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to offer farmers limited price support even as he holds the line on loan waivers as pragmatic and forward-looking. Opposition Indian National Congress has countered Mr Modi’s reform proposal with a promise to “waive all farm loans” across the country — an expensive solution ...

The Hans India – Online

Union Agriculture Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft  for a pilot project in 100 villages of six states. This project will carry out various tasks for the betterment of farmers in the selected villages, which will enhance their income. This will also reduce the input costs for farmers and make farming easy.

These states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Microsoft will develop a farmer interface for smart and well-organized agriculture, including post-harvest management and distribution.

PHYS – Online

Women’s increased agricultural labor during harvest season, in addition to domestic house care, often comes at the cost of their health, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI).

Programs aimed at improving nutritional outcomes in rural India should account for the tradeoffs that women experience when their agricultural work increases, according to the study, “Seasonal time trade-offs and nutrition outcomes for women in agriculture: Evidence from rural India,” which published in the journal Food Policy on March 24.

India Education Diary – Online

In its endeavour to reach the farming community living in the farthest corners of the valley, the Department of Agriculture Wednesday kick started the Kharif Campaign from Ganastan Sumbal in Bandipora.

Joint Director Agriculture extension Kashmir Mohammad Qasim Ghani inaugurated the campaign in presence of Chief Agriculture Officer Bandipora Rafiq Ahmad Kakroo Sub Divisional Agriculture Officer Sumbal Mr. Farooq Ahmad Sofi.

The Joint Director Agriculture(Extension) Kashmir Mohammad Qasim Ghani on the occasion initiated a ‘Kharif Campaign 2021-22’ from Ganastan The campaign was started with the sowing of Sweet corn maize Transplanting of red cabbage and Broccoli in presence of farming community of village Gansatan Sumbal.

The Times of India – Online

The agriculture ministry has selected 100 villages in six states — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh — for pilot projects on digital farming, leveraging the use of technology, data and artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting farmers in multiple activities. It has signed an MoU with Microsoft India to develop farmers’ interface for post-harvest management and distribution.

 “This project will reduce input costs for farmers and make farming easy. It is proposed to undertake similar pilot projects with other public and private players to create a vibrant digital agro-ecosystem in the country,” the ministry said.

Foreign Policy – Online

Rajveer Kaur grew up working in the fields of Gandhar village in Muktsar, Punjab, alongside her parents and siblings. After her school day, she would harvest wheat and feed cattle; during summer break, they sowed cotton and rice for the monsoon season. “If you want to eat, you don’t have a choice,” she said. “It’s a question of survival from one day to the next when you are born into a family of laborers.”

Kaur is a Dalit woman, a dual identity that reflects the most marginalized of India’s oppressive caste hierarchy. She is also among the millions of women protesting laws enacted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deregulate the agricultural sector. In Punjab and elsewhere, ...

Cornell Chronicle – Online

Women’s increased agricultural labor during harvest season, in addition to domestic house care, often comes at the cost of their health, according to new research from the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI).

Programs aimed at improving nutritional outcomes in rural India should account for the tradeoffs that women experience when their agricultural work increases, according to the study, “Seasonal time trade-offs and nutrition outcomes for women in agriculture: Evidence from rural India,” which published in the journal Food Policy on March 24.

The Print – Online

After the meetings of the Monetary Policy Committee last week, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announced an increase in the limit of loans under priority sector lending from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 75 lakh per borrower. This includes loans availed by farmers, farmer producer organisations and primary agriculture cooperative societies. These loans are given for agricultural produce against a pledge or hypothecation for which the warehouses registered with the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority have issued negotiable warehouse receipts or electronic-NWRs.

The limit of loans for physical warehouse receipts (WHR) will continue to be Rs 50 lakh per borrower. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s decision sends a clear message that e-NWRs are a superior instrument compared ...

Indian Education Diary – Online

The District Development Commissioner (DDC), Shopian, Sachin Kumar Vaishya today convened a meeting of concerned officers to review the Agriculture Sector in the district.

At the outset, Chief Agriculture Officer, Ghulam Hassan Magray presented a detailed account of progress cum performance recorded in various sectors. He said that the district has achieved substantial progress in production as well as in productivity of some major food crops.

He also highlighted some issues and bottlenecks in these sectors and sought the personal intervention of DDC in resolving these issues in a time bound manner.

After taking a comprehensive review, the DDC emphasized achieving better performance in this sector. He stressed for exploring new and scientific farming techniques ...

The Hindu Business Line – Online

German crop protection, chemical and pharma major Bayer on Tuesday announced its partnership with the Union Government’s flagship initiative Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of Niti Aayog, the Centre’s think-tank, in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture and healthcare.

A statement from Bayer and AIM said that the initiative would be across the country supporting current and future programmes in both these sectors.

The Times of India – Online

The Maharashtra onion growers’ association has sought minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 3,000 per quintal and warned that farmers will not sell their produce to the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) if their demand is not met. The farmers had earlier demanded MSP of Rs 2,000/quintal, but have raised it now in view of a rise in the cost of production due to a sharp increase in fuel prices and seeds among others, said the association on Monday.

 The demand comes amid a continuous drop in the wholesale prices of onions at the agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) across the state. The average wholesale onion price has reduced to ...

FLANewsOnline – Online

Latest released the research study on Organic Farming Market, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope. Organic Farming Market research report shows the latest market insights, current situation analysis with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services. The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Organic Farming. The study covers emerging player’s data, including: competitive landscape, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are Picks Organic Farm (United Kingdom), Organic Farmers Co. (India),  The Indian Organic Farmers Producer Company Limited (India),  Bayer AG (Germany), Camson Bio Technologies Limited (India), ZUWA Organic Farms Pvt Ltd (India), The Monsanto Company (United States), Blue Yonder GmbH (Germany), Vero-Bio (Netherlands), ...

The Better India – Online

In 2014, a relative of software professional Mavuram Mallikarjun Reddy passed away from cancer, which had been detected a few years earlier. What was shocking, Mallikarjun recalls, was that none of the family members, or previous generations of the relative, had any known cancer history.

A native of Pedda Kurmapalli village in Telangana, Mallikarjun learned through oncologists and reports that food contamination was the culprit behind his relative’s illness. Food laden with chemical fertilisers and pesticides had entered their system to affect the health of the body.

Shaken by the incident, a realisation dawned on Mallikarjun that he had to switch to producing and eating food that was free of these evils, in the interest ...

The Federal News – Online

Using data collected over the last three decades, a team of scientists from IIT Kharagpur and other collaborating institutes has created the first digital soil map for India. The digitally accessible resource provides information about properties like soil’s pH, texture, and the amount of organic carbon in the soil.

Unlike traditional soil maps that rely exclusively on field surveys and laboratory data, digital soil maps combine field and laboratory data with geographical and environmental information, and eventually use mathematical modelling tools to infer soil properties for a location. They allow scientists to predict soil properties even for those regions for which field data is not available. Also, these maps can be easily updated as new ...

IndiaWeb2.com – Online

Samunnati, a specialized agri value chain solutions provider, today announced the acquisition of farmer-centric agri supply chain platform, Kamatan.

With this partnership, Samunnati and Kamatan hope to enhance their combined market linkage outreach to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), small traders, farmer aggregators, and agri SMEs – helping them connect to corporate buyers and drive higher farmer income.

Recognising the impact, a technology-led approach to agriculture can create, Samunnati has joined hands with Kamatan to bring the last-mile benefits of digitalisation to FPOs and agri enterprises. Further, Kamatan’s expertise in agricultural institution building, farming best practices, farmer collectives, distribution, logistics and technology coupled with Samunnati’s holistic solutions approach through Aggregation, Market Linkages and Advisory services (AMLA) is expected ...

Kashmir News Service – Online

As per Agriculture department  officials, lakhs of  kanals of agriculture land has been converted for commercial and other purposes in Kashmir over the years. The provisions of J&K Land Revenue Act 1996 prohibit the conversion of paddy or vegetable land into any other use. Besides violation of laws, the construction of residential and commercial buildings on agricultural land is violation of the master plan. The High Court had pulled up the state government several times and directed the authorities to ensure that no conversion of agricultural land is allowed for commercial, residential and industrial purposes. Agriculture is the prime source of the state income as around 70 percent of the population is directly or indirectly ...

The Conversation – Online

Global food supply chains proved brittle during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading for calls to boost the resilience of global food supply chains through improved efficiency in production, distribution and consumption of nutritious food. How could technologies like blockchain that provide data to producers, distributors and consumers be part of the solution?

Big data applications may present opportunities to address inefficiencies from farm to table and improve global food security.

Blockchain, a linked decentralized database that stores auditable data throughout entire supply chains, may change the game for food producers across the globe.

Tribune India – Online

Punjab Agricultural University VC Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon laid the foundation stone of an agro-processing centre on the campus. Dr Dhillon said PAU intends to establish a modern Agro Processing Center (APC). Every grain produced must be exposed to all possible avenues for its profitable end use. The loss of even single grain during post-harvest is an offence against the efforts of producers, he said. The farming community must come up with agro based products at production catchment to meet the consumer demand for quality products, he stressed. Dr Dhillon said proposed agro-processing centre will act as a benchmark for the rural youth and progressive farmers of the state. Dr Jaskarn Singh, Director, Extension Education, has ...

The Hindu Business Line – Online

Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director, ITC Ltd, on Sunday said that agriculture and wood-based industry would be important lifelines of the Indian economy, given the challenges of livelihood and job losses.

While agriculture is an integral part of our economy, however, the sector is confronted with several challenges.

“We have serious challenges of sustainability in the sector because India is a water-stressed country. There are also challenges of productivity, farm income and sustainability, but we also have an opportunity because India has the largest arable land in the world. But we have a small share in the global trade in the world, so there is tremendous opportunity,” said Puri at a webinar on ...

The Tribune – Online

Last year, Parliament enacted the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020. It is supposed to empower farmers to get engaged with upgraded value chain partners in a fair, transparent, mutually agreeable and remunerative manner to enhance their income by reducing marketing risks. It is assumed that the private sector will directly enter into contracts with the farmers, ensure better prices, encourage diversification to high value crops and raise farmers’ incomes substantially.

The passage of this Act has generated intensive discussions. The supporters claim that contract farming has been successfully going on since long in Punjab, and this Act will give further fillip to it. Others are of the view ...

The Indian Express – Online

WHILE THE Centre and many economists have claimed that the farm laws will not only help enhance the income of farmers, but also reduce the population dependent on the agriculture sector by migrating them from rural to urban areas, experts on food and agriculture say there is not a single example in the world to support this theory.

They further said that the guaranteed income to farmers for their produce is the only way out of the crisis.

Experts said that the Centre and a large number of economists are mainly offering three solutions to enhance the income of farmers — one, to decrease population depending on agriculture or decrease the number of farmers; second, ...

Bloomberg Quint – Online

Growth in credit to the agriculture sector rose to a four-year high in FY21, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India. This, as a strong monsoon helped the farm sector remain relatively immune from the Covid-19 pandemic and the ecosystem around the farm sector continued to develop. As of February 2021, outstanding credit to agriculture and allied activities grew 10.2% year-on-year to Rs 12.74 lakh crore, almost doubling from the 5.8% year-on-year growth recorded in February 2020, data from the RBI’s monetary policy report published on April 1 showed.

The Better India – Online

In Madhya Pradesh’s Shahpur Khurd village, Kavita Singh is busy cutting her freshly harvested sikiya variety of rice, which stands tall at 1.5 metres on her three-acre field. Judging from the heavy-looking grains and tillers (stems produced by grass), Kavita predicts this is going to be her best-ever harvest in terms of yield. The high yields are also reflected in her other crops, including maize, mustard and chickpeas.

Her situation, she says, was very different three years ago. At that time, she was growing only rice in a cramped space and shallow water, just like other farmers in the Panna district region. While she was planting more seeds per square metres in the conventional method, the yield ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

FMC on 8 April 2021 announced that it will launch a multi-year scholarship program to major agricultural schools across eight states in India in April 2021. The FMC Science Leaders Scholarship Program is aimed at creating greater opportunities for aspiring scientists to develop their aptitude in agricultural research.

Every year, 20 scholarships will be awarded to 10 students pursuing PhDs and another 10 students pursuing MSc studies in agricultural sciences. FMC will work directly with the universities to identify their brightest students and groom their keen interest and passion for science and research. 50 percent of the scholarships has been earmarked for female candidates to encourage more women in India to pursue a career in agricultural sciences and research. This is ...

Tribune India – Online

HK Chaudhary, Vice-Chancellor, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, said the university was planning to extend mobile advisory services to the Gaddis farmers during migration. He was interacting with goat farmers after distributing 19 superior Gaddi breeding bucks among them.

Chaudhary said these breeding bucks were being provided to the farmers with the objective to bring overall breed improvement. He said the scientists of the department of animal genetics and breeding, Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (COVAS), had raised these bucks after two stages of selection and scientific management. They were free from any disease that could be transmitted to progeny through the bucks, causing heavy economic losses to the farmers, he said. ...

Plunge Daily – Online

The Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited has joined hands with Gramcover to collectively enhance rural insurance penetration. It will achieve this by utilizing the expertise of Gramcover in rural insurtech space; this partnership aims to target 25 million farmers across the aspirational districts.

Under the MoU, Gramcover will work on Market research and identification of widely grown crops and need-based rural insurance products. It will also work on the feasibility report to assess the suitability, requirement and affordability of insurance products in each aspirational district. Gramcover will explore marketing and distribution channels and integration of underwriting process, and claim settlement protocols, i.e., from Market requirements to issuance of policies to claim settlement

Saur Energy – Online

A new study produced by the LOCO-MOTION project and funded by the European Union, estimates that 5% of the total landmass would be needed if solar was to supply 80% of the electricity produced in the EU, India, Japan, and South Korea by 2050. The environmental cost of decarbonising the energy system would include: conversion of arable land, fragmentation of ecosystems, further deforestation for relocation of agricultural activities to biodiversity-rich areas, etc. This is why balancing agriculture with solar power generation hs become an increasingly urgent issue. Or the growing interest in floating solar.  

Economic & Political Weekly – Online

Smallholders suffer from low marketable surplus, poor holding capacity, low bargaining power and huge transaction cost in marketing their produce. Agricultural markets in India have been subject to reform processes with the stated intention of improving market access and participation for the primary producers. The three legislations introduced in 2020 are the latest in that direction. This article critically analyses market reforms in India with respect to smallholders’ bargaining position. It also provides insights on the ways and means to improve market participation and the bargaining position of smallholders.

The Caravan – Online

There has been considerable conversation around what the entry of private buyers in procurement will mean for the agricultural economy. The arguments made for direct purchases by the Food Corporation of India apply for any such buyer. The very fact that the government expects these players to fund operations across the state for meaningful private purchase would suggest it is encouraging the entry of very large private players.

This had led to farmers’ openly expressing apprehensions about the entry of the Adani and Reliance groups into agricultural purchase. Both groups were quick to disassociate themselves from the farm laws. “We do not own any food grains procured from farmers, and are in no way connected to the ...

Sify.com – Online

In less than three years of a project initiated by the Mahindra group to empower women in agriculture, she’s one of women entrepreneurial role models of Punjab by selling milk to a state-run cooperative along with other customers.

Under the ‘Prerna’ programme of the Swaraj Division of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, she has been associated with self-help group of Mai Bhago Prerna Swayam Sahyata Samuh with 12 women farmers, located just 20 km from here, with limited access to credit, healthcare and education earlier.

Like others, she is now managing her family dairy business, making a positive impact on lives by taking responsibility for their well-being, including food provision and care for children and the elderly.

The ...

Telangana Today – Online

Agricopter, part of Marut Dronetech, received RKVY-RAFTAAR (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation) grant of Rs 20 lakh for its agri-tech solution. MANAGE-CIA, Centre for Innovation and Agripreneurship, is the central government’s knowledge partner in implementation of the scheme.

Agricopter visualises a farmer-centric precision agriculture solution, which works at scale with primary emphasis on reducing farming costs, improving crop yield there by raising farm incomes. Further in its work, it collaborates with research institutes to ensure all its products and processes are backed by rigorous scientific research.

Indian Education Diary – Online

Amity University (AU) signed an MoU with Sri BioAesthetics Pvt Ltd (SBA) for joint research in the areas of research in industrial biotechnology/ secondary agriculture and allied sciences.

Amity Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation said ‘Scientists of Amity University are working on various areas including agricultural technology, training of farmers, development of microbes for soil health, etc’. We are conducting agri mission 2030 keeping food safety and nutritional security at the center. Dr. Selvamurthy also said “after research and innovation, we are not limited to only patents we also invite industries for technology transfers and product development. Under the MoU, we will jointly work on research, projects, joint Ph.D. guidance, conferences, lecture session, industry-based research ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

Ever since India gained independence several decades ago, land fragmentation has been a persistent issue with the size of the land decreasing with each successive generation, majorly due to the inheritance laws. The laws deem that the land owned by parents will be inherited by their children and is to be divided into fragments. And, India, as we know, is an agrarian economy with agriculture contributing to over 58% of employment in the country as of 2018. However, fragmented land poses a major challenge.

Eventually, over generations, this kind of fragmented land becomes unviable for agriculture as the yield significantly reduces as compared to the resources and investment required to cultivate produce. Particularly in densely populated areas that have a majority of people ...

Livemint – Online

The farmers’ protest is now more than four months old. While this may be the longest in recent times, it is still geographically limited to the north-western states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is yet to acquire a national character, even though the demands made by protesting farmer unions have found resonance across states. This has happened despite large farmer protests seen in recent years in several agriculturally crucial states, like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.The fragmented nature of peasant mobilization has been a feature of India’s agrarian politics for the last five decades. It is unlike the pre-1947 period or the first two decades of independence, when farmer unions were ...

Goa Chronicle – Online

Indian agriculture is a great problem, isn’t it! I too believed in this phrase until I did deep research on our ancient practice of agriculture. And I am sure I would be able to change your thoughts and bring a better picture of our agrarian situation by the end of this article.

We know that we have 15 Agro-Ecological zones in India which means, we have 15 different types of climate, soil type, rainfall, precipitation, land cover, etc. in just 29 states of India. This means that we can undoubtedly grow 15 different types of dominant crops in our land along with the mixed farming of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds, etc. side by side. And that ultimately ...

Indian Education Diary – Online

The Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal today reviewed the progress on the implementation of different Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) and flagship programmes in a meeting held at Lalmandi here.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director instructed the officers to ensure that all the targets under different schemes must be achieved in the set time frame besides that the targets under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (micro- irrigation) are completed in a given time.

While reviewing the expenditures under different centrally sponsored schemes, Chowdhary reiterated and said that every single penny allocated must be utilised for the welfare of farming community and every step needed should be taken in this direction.

Express Computer – Online

The Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited has joined hands with Gramcover, a rural insurtech startup to collectively enhance rural insurance penetration. By utilising the expertise of Gramcover in rural insurtech space, this partnership aims to target 25 million farmers across the aspirational districts.

AICIL and Gramcover will work together on market research to identify and develop need-based rural insurance products to protect the livelihood of the farmers against all insurable risks, thereby extending comprehensive insurance coverage in rural parts of India.

Under this MoU, Gramcover will work on market research and identification of widely grown crops and need-based rural insurance products. It will also work on the feasibility report to assess the suitability, requirement, and ...

The Hindu – Online

The distinct characteristics of India’s agriculture require that a reformed state must ensure farmer, consumer welfare

 For at least four decades now, economic policy making globally has…

GulfToday – Online

Since Independence, the agriculture sector has remained the main source of national income and occupation in India. In 1947, 72 per cent of the total working population was engaged in agricultural sector, but still a majority of India’s poor (some 770 million people or about 70 per cent) inhabit the rural areas.

Though due to the high growth rates of the industrial and services sectors, the share of agricultural share in India’s economy has progressively declined to less than 15 per cent, yet its importance in the country’s economic and social development can’t be denied.

On road to self-sufficiency: The Green revolution of the 1960s witnessed a drastic increase in total agricultural production, particularly wheat and rice. ...

Krishi Jagran – Online

The theme of this year’s World Health Day is ‘Building a fairer, healthier world’. Among other things that help to attain and maintain health, food remains an important factor. Equitable distribution of food not only nourishes people to become productive members of society but helps to prevent malnutrition. However, it also means that our farming practices are robust enough to meet the demand for food.

According to estimates, about 30-35 percent of the annual crop yield in India is wasted due to pests while in the period 2017-2019, India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods. Such factors can adversely impact the food security of the people which, according to the National Commission on ...

The Times of India – Online

In a reflection of the changing socio-economic dynamics, the report on “Women and Men In India 2020” shows that while share of male and female workers in agriculture has shown a steady decline from 1987-88 till 201819, there is an increasing trend for both in trade, hotel and restaurant sectors. The report released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation draws upon available nationally representative data sources to give an insight into the gender dynamics and shifts across sectors ranging from employment, education, health and decision-making. The report also dedicates a chapter to the impediments in the way of empowerment. In the chapter on education, data from NSS 75th round (2017-18) shows that ...

Financial Express – Online

The RoDTEP scheme has, from January 1, replaced the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), which was successfully challenged by the US at the WTO on ground of being inconsistent with global trade norms.

A key export tax refund scheme, Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), subsidy on crop loans, import duty on cotton and ban on onion exports are among a raft of India’s policy interventions that have come under a heightened glare of various World Trade Organization (WTO) members, especially the US.

Seeking “an update on the operational status and guidelines” of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, Washington wants New Delhi to “provide an explanation of this ...

EdexLive – Online

Adithya Mohanavel, an engineering student at B S abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, comes from a family of farmers. Every time he visits his ancestral home near Kancheepuram, he is saddened by the plight of the farmers — most of whom are elderly and have no option but to toil in the fields throughout the day because their children have moved to cities in search of education and better jobs.

Adithya, who is currently pursuing his B TEch CSE, specialising in AI and IoT saw a two-fold problem here. One, the health and well-being of old farmers was being affected greatly. Two, as more and more youngsters moved to cities, there were fewer people ...

India Today – Online

In a bid to boost agricultural productivity, several countries across the world are implementing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and digital solutions for smallholder farmers.

Speaking at the Global Technology Governance Summit organised by the World Economic Forum, Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana principal secretary (Industries and Commerce), said the state was using 4IR technologies to double farmers’ income.

“30% of the state’s annual Budget is spent on agriculture and there are 25 pilot [projects] from intelligent crop sowing to a data marketplace, across the whole value chain,” he said.

India Education Diary – Online

Launching Intensive Farmers’ Outreach Initiative, Director Agriculture Production & Farmers Welfare, Jammu, K.K Sharma conducted field visit in Misriwala zone today to take stock of the field activities being undertaken by the department and on field interaction with the farmers.

Chief Agriculture Officer Jammu, A.S. Reen accompanied the Director during the visit.

Those present on the occasion included DDC member, Balbir Lal, Progressive Farmers, Ashok Mahajan, Pawan Singh, Rajinder Singh besides AEO Misriwala, Nirmal Sharma and other field functionaries.

Krishi Jagran – Online

Global Vikas Trust is a not-for-profit organization into nation-building projects with a mission to Transform India in the fields of Agriculture, healthcare, participatory governance and the environment.

One of our renowned projects is the Global Parli movement known for Increasing farmer Incomes. The project, started by former IAC & AAP member Mayank Gandhi, aims to deliver a replicable model of 360-degree development. This mission simultaneously addresses the key challenges facing social and economic development, including water security, agriculture, education, sanitation, leadership and community capacity building.

Fareastern Agriculture – Online

Not just agriculture, but every business industry is suffering tremendously due to the panic state we are in, and also the fact that our entire country is confined to our homes to flatten the curve and stop the spread of this virus.

The proof of the industry suffering is in the rise of the unemployment percentages. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy measured an escalation from 8.4% in the middle of March to a leap of 23% in the first week of April. In the urban and city areas itself, there was a soaring rise to 30.9% in the unemployment measurements. This emphasises strongly the adverse effects faced by all levels of employment, giving a reason ...

DownToEarth – Online

Recently, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution initiated by India with Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia and Senegal to mark 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’.

This move will help bring global attention on millets, which are nutritionally and ecologically essential and considered beneficial traditional crops.

The recent farm protests bring attention to the two chief food crops — wheat and rice. These were considered the harbingers of food security since the mid-1960s, when the green revolution-led agricultural policy lent too much focus to food crops.

However, this focus soon became skewed towards excluding bio-diversity principles and crop diversification, resulting in a dominating mono-cropping pattern because the approaches were not holistic.

The Courier – Online

The constant growth of the agriculture sector, high farm mechanization rate, and burgeoning on struction activities due to the rapid urbanization will drive the Indian tractor market during the forecast period (2020–2030). Moreover, the rising investments by the major tractor manufacturers in the country willfacilitate the market growth. Nearly 70% of Indians are dependent on the agriculture sector for their livelihood. The production of food crops, fruits, and vegetables requires tractors for sowing and harvesting. Owing to the vast size of the farming sector, tractors will always be significant for India.

The Swaddle – Online

Global agricultural production has dropped by 21% over the last 60 years due to global warming caused by humans, a new study has found. That roughly amounts to seven years’ worth of crops lost.

The findings not only indicate the destructive impact of man-made climate change on agriculture but also paint a grim picture of food insecurity as low global agriculture yields may translate into less food production.

Published in Nature Climate Change, the study measured agricultural productivity by comparing inputs like labor and equipment with final crop yield — and then factored in the impact of climate change on agriculture productivity.

Forbes India – Online

Covid-19 uprooted Clover. For two-and-a-half years, Clover, a greenhouse agritech startup supplying fresh produce to hotels, restaurants and cafes across Bengaluru and Hyderabad, was content with its B2B business. The co-founders—Avinash BR, Gururaj S Rao, Arvind M and Santosh Narasipura—dabbled into hydroponic farming in 2017 as a weekend vacation gig, started Clover in May 2018, and raised seed round from venture capital firms Accel and Mayfield in December. Another round of $5.5 million from Omnivore, Accel and Mayfield happened last February, and reportedly a million dollars from Alteria Capital came after three months. The plan was to expand operations to Mumbai, Pune and Chennai.  With Clover, the four co-founders were taking a stab at solving a deep-rooted ...

Sierra club – Online

On March 6, thousands of farmers in India blocked a major six-lane highway bordering the capital city of New Delhi for five hours. The demonstration marked 100 days of one of the largest protest movements in history. Farmers from nearby agricultural regions have been camping out at border points around New Delhi since November to protest three agriculture reform bills enacted in September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government claimed that the bills will deregulate the market for agricultural goods, raising farmers’ income and bringing in much-needed development to a sector that contributes 18 percent of India’s GDP.

But farmers fear that the new rules will eventually eliminate minimum-price guarantees for their crops and, without the government as an intermediary, ...

SME Times – Online

Since Independence, the agriculture sector has remained the main source of national income and occupation in India. In 1947, 72 per cent of the total working population was engaged in agricultural sector, but still a majority of Indias poor (some 770 million people or about 70 per cent) inhabit the rural areas.

Though due to the high growth rates of the industrial and services sectors, the share of agricultural share in India’s economy has progressively declined to less than 15 per cent, yet its importance in the country’s economic and social development can’t be denied.

Forbes India – Online

There is a huge opportunity for transformational sustainability in a sector that employs nearly 60 percent of the Indian population–agriculture. This opportunity exists despite the ambitious sustainability targets that have been set already and the tremendous work being done in achieving them.

Growth inhibitors in the agricultural sectorEven though India has become a surplus agri-producer, the sector still remains unsustainable, with misdirected subsidies, storage and logistical shortfalls, food wastage, archaic farming practices, inadequate access to finance, inequity in the value chain, land degradation, water depletion, and crop burning—just to name a few challenges. We need to bring together the principles of sustainable growth, innovative technologies, green financing, a progressive regulatory ecosystem, and leverage corporate social responsibility to overcome these ...

United News of India – Online

The Department of Agriculture, Government of Telangana and the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deploy AI solutions for the benefit of Cotton farmers in the state. Wadhwani AI has existing MoUs with the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communication (ITEC), Telangana to facilitate the AI based solutions and with Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) to help with Agri science research, monitoring and deployment in the state.

 

Rising Kashmir – Online

Our economy’s backbone is still the primary sector. The number of families directly or indirectly affiliated with this sector of the economy may outnumber all others. Unfortunately in our valley, it has remained neglected in terms of both marketing of the produce and the necessary technological inputs. Over the years, the introduction of biotechnological advances has revolutionised the agricultural sector especially in the developed countries. Biotechnological innovations have resulted in a massive increase in agricultural input all over the world. It is a fact that agriculture has remained a constant interest of scientists in the developing world, from specialized seeds to farming methods and irrigation.

India Times – Online

While browsing through Linkedin, today, I stumbled upon a post by one Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande who revealed that his organisation, Deshpande Foundation has constructed over 6000 farm ponds in India in the past five years.

He further announced that he’s working on a program to build 100,000 farm ponds in the next phase — a project that will amount to Rs 800 crores — to help farmers increase their income as well as aid in rural development.

YourStory – Online

In 1999, Rajashekhar Reddy Seelam’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Aggrieved, he decided to look into the causes behind cancer, and found that one of the causes is the consumption of adulterated food. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and seeing how chemical usage on farms also impacted rural indebtedness, Raj decided to bring to the fore an organic food brand free of toxic chemicals.

Hindustan Times – Online

A 79-year-old genetic scientist at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Science (SHUATS) has developed two semi-dwarf high yielding wheat varieties—SHIATS-W6 and SHUATS-W10, that are sugar free, high in nutrition, use less water and are resistant to extremes of Indian weather.

The senior scientist, Mahabal Ram, a professor (emeritus) at the institute, has also written to the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath urging him to ensure wider use of these nutritive-rich super wheat varieties that are already notified by Central Variety Release Committee of the Union Ministry of Agriculture-New Delhi and are under limited cultivation in the state.

The Hindu – Online

Farmers in 2,800 villages across six districts in Telangana who raise cotton crop during the next kharif (vanakalam) season would have the help of information technology to predict the bollworm and other devastating pest infestations and take immediate measures to prevent crop damage to a large extent and improve income along wit the quality of the produce.

All this, deployment of traps and lures along with a mobile application developed by Wadhwani AI, would be provided free of cost to farmers as part of an agreement between the Agriculture Department and Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI). While the Wadhwani AI would provide their solution (mobile app) free of cost to the State, the Indian ...

Counterview – Online

On March 28, 2021, Dr Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture) of the Niti Aayog, said that if the Agriculture Acts are not implemented soon, the target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022 would not be achieved. He said that the government was ready to discuss these laws with the farmers section by section. Farmer leaders should consider this offer. He said that the solution to this problem could be found only by giving and receiving something and if the farmers persisted on their demands then it would be difficult to find a way forward. He also said that the government has made a good alternative for the farmers not to implement these laws for a ...

Dainik Jagran English – Online

A news was doing rounds on all social media platforms and several news portals that a farmer name Amresh Singh from Bihar has grown the world’s costliest vegetable, Hop Shoots. However, now it seems the information is untrue as no such farm was found during the ground level investigation done by Dainik Jagran. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the crop that cost Rs 8500 to 1 lakh per kg was nowhere to be seen when the team reached the farmer’s farm to investigate.

Techstory – Online

India being an agrarian economy, still faces a lot of issues within the agriculture sector. The farmers are at the mercy of weather and most of the time do not have access to the latest tool. Most of time they have to conduct their agricultural practices with in sufficient resources. All this leads to a lower productivity in this sector. This has refrained the Indian agriculture sector from growing to its full potential.

This could now be solved with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to a report from Nasscom – Ernst & Young titled ‘Leveraging AI to maximize India’s agriculture output’, AI is expected to be a very useful tool in order to promote growth ...

Economic Times – Online

The Government of India in its Economic Survey in 2018 noted that the agricultural sector is undergoing feminization, a term used to indicate how increasingly a large number of women are taking up roles as entrepreneurs, cultivators and labourers. Presently, the agriculture sector employs 80% of all economically active women in India, which includes 48% of the self-employed farmers and 33% of the agriculture labour force. In the past decade, many global economies have also acknowledged the decisive role women play in ensuring food security and preserving local agro-biodiversity.

News18 – Online

Despite a surge in Covid cases, several farmer unions have persisted with their protests against the Centre’s three laws for agricultural reforms passed in September last year. A committee appointed by the Supreme Court to study the laws and consult all stakeholders has submitted its report on March 19. Niti Aayog member Prof Ramesh Chand, who spearheads a lot of policy discussions on agriculture, spoke to News18 on the merits of the farm reforms, the implications of the protests— particularly on the Centre’s aim to double farmers income by 2022 for which the government think tank had prepared a road map — and what the future may hold.

The Hindu Business Line – Online

Notwithstanding its small size and population compared to other States and UTs, Puducherry tops the chart in consumption of major fertilizers from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (in kg/hectare) followed by Telangana and Punjab. Interestingly Bihar is in a neck-to-neck competition with Haryana in the use of fertilizers.

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka are also among the top 10 States using fertilizers.

The Tribune – Online

The Agriculture Department has been organising various camps for farmers in the district. The department targets to hold 77 camps till April 30. Experts have organised as many as 20 camps in which 1,250 farmers took part. A camp was organised at Kangniwal village by the department in which farmers were apprised of various techniques that they could adopt. Jalandhar (east) Agriculture Development Officer advised farmers to prepare themselves to prevent any untoward (fire) incident during harvesting of wheat crop. He also told farmers about the availability of seeds on subsidy. TNS

Republic World – Online

While on one hand, farmers are agitating about the new agricultural law, on the other hand, many farmers have now started to understand the benefit of agricultural reforms. The ground reality of the new agricultural law has started to appear. Earlier farmers had to the farmers had to bid for their crop. Despite the power, they could not get the price that they were entitled to. The new agriculture law has completely changed the picture. Now, the traders are going to the fields and bidding for the crop but the rates are decided by the farmers.

Farmers of Dhodsar village- about thirty kilometres from Jaipur are very happy with the new agricultural law. While speaking with Republic, farmers said that earlier they had ...

The Economic Times – Online

The Government of India in its Economic Survey in 2018 noted that the agricultural sector is undergoing feminization, a term used to indicate how increasingly a large number of women are taking up roles as entrepreneurs, cultivators and labourers. Presently, the agriculture sector employs 80% of all economically active women in India, which includes 48% of the self-employed farmers and 33% of the agriculture labour force. In the past decade, many global economies have also acknowledged the decisive role women play in ensuring food security and preserving local agro-biodiversity.

The Tribune – Online

As agitating farmers refuse to let go of their demand for withdrawal of the three farm laws, a Supreme Court-appointed three-member panel has submitted its report to the court in a sealed cover on measures to end the deadlock.

The panel comprising Pramod Kumar Joshi (Director, South Asia international Food Policy), Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Ashok Gulati submitted the report on March 19, sources said.

The fourth member of the panel, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, had recused himself.

The Tribune – Online

A few weeks ago, French farmers hung suicide dolls on trees outside parliament to draw attention to the devastation brought about by continuously sliding market prices. In a country which follows modern agricultural practices, it is disturbing to know that while three farmers on an average commit suicide every two days, growing indebtedness is resulting in the closure of at least 1,500 farms every year.

That such a grave tragedy should afflict the biggest farm producer in the European Union (EU), and ironically, which also happens to be the topmost recipient from the $100 billion agricultural subsidy kitty that Europe provides for every year, shows clearly how markets are tightening the noose, leaving the struggling farmers ...

Businessworld – Online

By 2050 India will need to feed more than 10 billion people, requiring a 70% increase in global food production. India is among the world’s highest producers of food, and has the opportunity to substantially improve crop yields to meet both domestic and international demand through modernization. An estimated 40% of local produce is lost due to a lack of storage infrastructure and the forward distribution chain, signaling a massive opportunity to improve the efficacy of Indian agriculture end-to-end.

There is a phenomenal opportunity and need right now for a technology-aided approach to food production, in making our food supply chain more resilient and in making our farmers more self-reliant.

Mechanization and digitization of farms is transforming ...

Outlook – Online

Mahindra & Mahindra on Wednesday said its Japanese arm, Mitsubishi Mahindra Agricultural Machinery (MAM), and Kubota, have entered a collaboration to offer products, services and solutions to meet customer needs through mutual utilisation of resources in Japan.

Under the collaboration, the two firms will expand the existing scope of mutual original equipment manufacturing (OEM) supply, placing focus on tractors, rice transplanters and combine harvesters, including implements and associated equipment, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) said in a regulatory filing.

The two partners are also discussing supply of agricultural machines that can accommodate Kubota”s farming support system, KSAS, and utilisation of the system at MAM.

Besides, there will be future discussion for collaboration in product development.

M&M Executive Director ...

The Tribune – Online

Finally, the bluff of doubling farmers’ income has been called. Not by any critic of the government, but by Dr Ramesh Chand, Member (Agriculture) of the Niti Aayog. No, it was not a confession. You don’t expect that from functionaries in the Narendra Modi government. Rather, the truth tumbled out in the course of a casual and disingenuous plea for the three farm laws. This is what the PTI copy of Chand’s interview reads: “I will say that if these three farm laws are not adopted immediately, then I don’t see that goal (of doubling farmers’ income by 2022) getting fulfilled.”

Just chew on this one. The grand mission of doubling the income of farmers was ...

Livemint – Online

Decreasing farm incomes and uncertain climatic conditions have driven many people away from their farmlands over the past few decades. But which farming households take up non-farm work more seriously?

A new study by Anviksha Drall and Sabuj K Mandal of IIT Madras shows that agricultural households where family members have easy access to credit, have good social capital from participating in co-operatives, and are more technically educated are more likely to have people working outside farms.

The Hindu – Online

Military farms have been closed after 132 years of service, the Army said and the formal closing ceremony was held on Wednesday to mark the occasion.

“All the officers and workers have been redeployed within the Ministry to continue providing service to the organisation,” the Army said.

There have been several recommendations in the past to shut down the farms. In 2012, the Quarter Master General branch had recommended their closure and again in December 2016 by Lt. Gen. DB Shekatkar (retd) committee which was appointed to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces.

Philstar – Online

As we strive to build a people-centered partnership between India and the Philippines, the agriculture sector is naturally a key focus area. A major lesson from the pandemic is that the agriculture sector, in addition to health and digital economy, will continue to play a crucial role in determining social and economic outcomes.

India is already a strong partner for the Philippines in health and IT. In the agriculture sector too, India can be a partner of choice. India’s rich experience can support the Philippines in its ongoing efforts to transform this sector, which accounts for over 10 percent of GDP and employs over 22 percent of the work force locally.

The Hindu Business Line – Online

The National Collateral Management Limited (NCML) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) to provide skill training in the agriculture sector.

The partnership will enable a continuous learning framework leading to training and development of resources in the agriculture industry. It will also benefit the agriculture warehousing industry.

The Times of India – Online

The Supreme Court-appointed committee to study the three new controversial agricultural laws has submitted its report to the apex court on March 19 in a sealed cover, one of its members said on Wednesday. Thousands of farmers – mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh – have been protesting against the three agri-marketing laws passed by Parliament in September last year. The farmers, including women and the aged, have been staying put at three points at the Delhi borders – Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu – since November 26 last year to demand repeal of the farm laws and according to legal status for the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.