Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
COVID-19: Experts expect rural market to bounce back post-Septedit
CNBC TV18 – Online
The coronavirus pandemic has caught on in rural areas. The number of districts it is covering in rural areas is increasing. Ramesh Iyer, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services; Nitin Chugh, Managing Director and CEO, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank; and Anuj Sethi, Senior Director of CRISIL shared their views.
MMFSL’s Ramesh Iyer said, “I would think post-September, you will see a rural bounce back. There will be a spurt of demand coming back.” He believes that one has to live through this for a couple of months. “Once the pandemic comes into some control post-June and given another a month or two, sentiment should return to normal.”
Biostadt India Limited Supports Employees with A Special Covid Care Programedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
Biostadt India Limited, a leading company in the agriculture, aquaculture and biostimulants sector, has rolled out special COVID care compensations for its employees across India. During these trying times, human lives have seen more hardship to last a lifetime. As a company with a mission to serve the farming community and with people at the heart of its business culture, Biostadt has announced these important initiatives for the benefit of the employees and their families.
Biostadt believes it has a duty to stand by its employees especially during times of hardship. This could be physical, mental or even emotional challenges, at which time, the support of family and loved ones is paramount. Enabling close to ...
Export boom aids agribusinesses, not farmersedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Rising agricultural exports from India, which shipped out a record 20 million tonne of foodgrains in 2020-21, have breathed new life into agribusinesses, but farmers say they have hardly gained because they had to sell cheap. Agricultural trading firms have benefited at the expense of farmers, export prices show. In the financial year ended March 2021, the country exported farm produce worth nearly $42 billion, a growth of about 18%, on the back of a rise in global commodity prices, official statistics show.
The current boom is nearly of the same level seen in 2013-14, when exports peaked. India’s farm exports grew five times from just $8.7 billion in 2004-05 to $42.6 billion during 2013-14. ...
Agri war unit to help ryotsedit
The New Indian Express – Online
The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, started an ‘Agri war unit’ to assist farmers by providing information about agriculture inputs and the market for their produce. Farmers from 10 South Karnataka districts that come under the UAS-B jurisdiction can call the war room (18004250571) to speak to experts. They can also send pictures related to their queries on WhatsApp (9482477812) to get assistance, said Dr K Shivaramu, head of the unit at University of Agricultural Sciences -Bangalore.
Teacher-turned-farmer creates ‘paddy art’ to promote farmingedit
Kaumudi – Online
Johnson Olippuram (55) from Kerala was an English teacher in Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand for 13 long years. However, after putting in this many years into teaching, Johnson decided to call it a day and turn to his real calling – farming – in his home state.Journo, teacher and now a minister; Johnson took to farming like a fish to water and his resilience and never-say-die attitude even during the Covid-19 pandemic helped him excel in this field. He has been preserving various rice varieties and has 28 varieties in his kitty. That’s not all. To promote farming, especially organic farming, among the youth, he created a huge symbolic image of a lighted lamp (‘dia’) in ...
Over 50 lakh MT of paddy worth Rs 9,886 cr procured in Telanganaedit
Telengana Today – Online
Civil Supplies Corporation Limited Chairman M. Srinivas Reddy said despite Corona pandemic, lockdown and unseasonal rains, over 50 lakh metric tonnes paddy procurement was completed with a cost of over Rs.9,800 crore in this Yasangi season. As per the instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao procurement was being expedited across the State, he said.
Dairy Farming
Slump in demand leaves dairy sector in Karnataka in the lurchedit
The Times Of India – Online
In a huge blow to dairy farmers in Karnataka, milk unions have decided to slash purchase price by Rs 1.5 per litre from June 1, owing to plummeting consumption amid the pandemic-induced lockdown. Ironically, low demand has been compounded by a glut in production because of decent rains. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), the apex body of milk unions, receives about 87 lakh litres daily as against normal inflow of 73 lakh litres.
Daily sales, on the other hand, have dipped from 60 lakh to 49 lakh litres. Although the government had extended business hours for milk parlours from 6am to 6pm during the lockdown, sales have slumped largely because bulk purchasers ...
Technology in Agriculture
PAU’s ‘ludo’ for paddy, cotton growersedit
The Times Of India – Online
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed a ‘ludo’ game for direct seeded rice (DSR) technology for sowing paddy and acquiring higher yield from cotton cultivation. PAU director of extension education Jaskarn Singh Mahal said the varsity scientists were making all-out efforts to update the knowledge of the farmers.
“Ludo, which comprises snakes and ladders, is a unique concept in relation to agricultural practices,” he said, adding that it includes PAU’s recommendations regarding DSR technology. Mahal advised that if DSR technology was practiced on medium to heavy textured soils in the first fortnight of June by adopting short duration varieties, using 8-10kg seed per acre and giving first irrigation after 21 ...
Seed-stage tech investments drove most of the growth in 2020edit
ORF – Online
Despite the global health pandemic and its accompanying effects on the business and economic environment in 2020, impact enterprises received US $2.6 billion in investments across 243 equity deals and saw 13 successful exits. And while overall investments fell by 25 percent vis-à-vis 2019, impact investors continued to pledge their support to solving critical social and environmental challenges through investments in scalable, tech-based, innovative social enterprises.
The pandemic and strict lockdowns caused widespread disruptions across the agriculture-supply chain, including closing of markets, and a halt in several on-ground operations. Despite this, enterprises in the agriculture sector attracted approximately US $440 million across 52 deals in 2020. The sector continued to see active investor interest, and ...
How Are Agri-Tech Startups Transforming The Agricultural Sector In Indiaedit
BW Disrupt – Online
The above is a story of one ‘Kishori’ who discovered solutions enabled by technology. India, with half its population still engaged in agriculture, has lakhs of ‘Kishoris’ who need to answer to thousands of other problems. And many are finding solutions in the services of Agri-Tech startups which are gradually becoming a significant part of the Indian Economy. More than 1000 in number now, the agri-techs have started providing major support to the agricultural setup in the country. The agriculture sector which remains unorganized in large parts is experiencing a revolution of sorts after the Green Revolution of the 1960s.
The word Agri-Tech is very wide but in simple terms, we can say that it ...
Govt. Policies
Amendment in Central Motor Vehicles Rules to promote clean fuel in rural Indiaedit
The Statesman – Online
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified an amendment in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, with an aim to promote clean fuel in rural India. Following the amendment, agriculture tractors, power tillers and construction equipment vehicles that run on diesel and petrol can be retrofitted with CNG, bio-CNG and LNG fuel engines.
“MoRT&H notifies an amendment in the Central MV Rules,1989, to provide for conversion by modification or replacement of engines of in-use agriculture tractors, power tillers, construction equipment vehicles and combined harvesters for operation on CNG, Bio-CNG & LNG fuels,” the ministry said in a tweet.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel transfers 1,500 crore subsidy to accounts of 22 farmersedit
The Times Of India – Online
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday transferred a sum of 1,500 crore into the bank accounts of about 22 lakh farmers as the first instalment of agricultural input subsidy under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna (RGKNY) for the kharif crop season 2020-21 for paddy cultivation.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi who were expected to attend the programme virtually failed to join, and Sonia instead sent a written message praising initiatives being taken by Baghel to bring changes in lives of people. On the martyrdom day of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel transferred 1,500 crore as input subsidy directly into the bank accounts of ...
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Hopes up for agricultural sector as good monsoon lies ahead: NABARD chairmanedit
CNBC TV18 – Online
Even with an upward trend of COVID-19 cases in rural areas, the agricultural sector is likely to perform well, GR Chintala, chairman, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) asserted on Friday as he pointed to a good monsoon ahead. “Agriculture sector is going to do well as the prognosis is that the monsoon is going to be very good and the commodity prices are on the upswing so the farmers will now be able to realise a better value for their produce. So, it is going to be a better season,” Chintala told CNBC-TV18.
He, however, admitted that due to shutdown-like curbs, farmers were not able to sell their produce of rabi crops. ...
Mandla: Agriculture scientist motivates people to make ‘seed bombs’ for increasing greenery in districtedit
Free Press Journal – Online
Ahead of monsoon, an agriculture scientist from Mandla district has come up with an explosive idea to increase greenery and forestation in the district. He calls the idea as Seed Bombing under which seed balls are thrown on barren lands and in less dense forests before rainy season so that seeds sprout and grow as trees. Dr. Vishal Meshram, who works as senior scientist and head of Agriculture Science Centre in Mandla, has been making ‘seed bombs’ for the past few days to increase greenery in the district. He has collected seeds of different trees including neem, drumsticks, jackfruits, Java plums etc. He has decided to throw at least 5,000 seed balls in different ...
Stubble Burning
PPCB seeks more funds from Centre for in-situ management of paddy stubbleedit
Hindustan Times – Online
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has sought funds from the central government for 70,000 more machines for in-situ management of crop residue during the paddy harvesting season in later part of the year. In an action plan sent to the Union ministry of environment last week, the board submitted a three-year roadmap seeking ₹873 crore to distribute 1 lakh machines to the state’s farmers for the purpose.It said from 2018 to 2020, as many as 75,355 machines were given on subsidy for machines which could process 6.45 million tonne stubble against 20 million tonne paddy straw produced every kharif season. Of the 20 million tonnes, half rest is set on fire, it added.
Crop ...
Tractor industry
Sonalika Tractors announce financial benefits for employees of dealersedit
Mint – Online
Sonalika Tractors – one of the country’s largest tractor manufacturers – announced financial benefits for executives at its dealerships who have been infected by Covid-19. Meanwhile, the company has also started vaccination of employees at a dealership level to reduce further disruption.
A sum up to Rs. 25,000 shall be paid by Sonalika to cover the medical expenses incurred by an employee at a dealership due to Covid-19 infection. This is in addition to other schemes that are already in force to cover kids of dealer’s employees for medical assistance and education of up to Rs. 50000 per annum.