Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Need to cut incentives for paddy cultivation: Siraj Hussain, former agriculture secretaryedit
Financial Express – Online
Siraj Hussain spent 18 years of his career handling agriculture, food and allied sectors in Centre as well as Uttar Pradesh, out of which 10 years as joint secretary, additional secretary and secretary in the Union government. He was also chairman and managing director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during 2010-12. Currently, he is a senior visiting fellow at the Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier). Hussain spoke to FE’s Prabhudatta Mishra on several issues in Indian agriculture — from surplus food management to the impact of Covid-19 cases in the rural areas and from growing alternative crops of paddy to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.
Agriculture did not fall to COVID-19 last year; will there be an encore?edit
Down to Earth – Online
Agriculture, the only sector to clock a positive growth of 3.4 percent at constant prices in 2020-21, during the first wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), could be severely impacted due to the ongoing second wave. The primary reason is that COVID-19 is running riot in the country’s rural hinterland, where most agricultural activity takes place, during the second wave. The second wave has had an impact on the just-concluded Rabi season. It could also impact the upcoming Kharif season, depending on the trajectory of the pandemic, experts said.
What is the impact of pandemic on the Agri sector? | Siraj Hussain & Dr. Sachchidanand Exclusiveedit
Times Now News – Online
COVID Second wave is slowly spreading in rural areas, where the threat is even graver as it is home to nearly 70% of the population. With a lack of proper healthcare infrastructure, human resources and medical resources, the hinterlands are fast becoming the epicentre of the outbreak. What is the impact of the pandemic on the Agri sector? Will a normal monsoon outlook make things better? Are higher product prices boosting realisations? Siraj Hussain, Former Agriculture Secretary and Dr Sachchidanand Shukla, Chief Economist, Mahindra & Mahindra discuss the impact of COVID Second Wave on India’s hinterland on The Market.
Dams and Indian Agriculture
Mettur dam to open for Delta irrigation on June 12edit
DT Next – Online
“We are expecting the Southwest monsoon season to set in soon and the storage in Mettur Dam is good, it will be opened on June 12. We also held discussions regarding the opening of the reservoir with Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan,” said PWD officials.
After assuming charge as Water Resources Minister, Duraimurugan held a detailed meeting with the officials and reviewed the ongoing works at dams and water bodies across the state. He also obtained feedback on the progress of various projects. The Minister also held a meeting and ascertained the views of the collectors of Delta districts and he discussed the same with officials on Monday.
Technology in Agriculture
The bio revolution is kicking off. Here’s how to harness its opportunities early onedit
Qrius – Online
In agriculture, biological tools and gene-editing technologies stemming from CRISPR (“clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats” – a family of DNA sequences) can make crops more weather- or disease-resistant. This helps farmers to grow more food and to persevere through harsh or changing conditions.
Moreover, biotechnology can help farmers produce a more sustainable food supply and significantly reduce agriculture’s global environmental footprint. At Bayer, our investments in biotechnology for its application in the agricultural sector are broad and driven by our firm belief in its potential. They include the use of gene technology to contribute to increased yields and the reduction of the amount of land needed for agriculture thanks to developments in seeds.
Govt. Policies
State spent Rs 85,000 crore on agriculture in last two yearsedit
The Times Of India – Online
The state government has spent close to Rs 85,000 crore on the agriculture sector in the last two years as chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is firm on providing full support to farmers. Setting up of over 10,000 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), a field-level one-stop support centre for farmers, is an initiative of the YSRC government. The state government has so far disbursed Rs 17,030 crore to about 52.38 lakh farmers under YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan Scheme in the last two years. “Ours is the only government in the country to provide investment assistance to tenant farmers, farmers cultivating endowment, forest and assigned lands under the ‘YSR Rythu Bharosa’ scheme,” ...
India, Israel sign agreement on agriculture cooperationedit
The Indian Express – Online
India and Israel have signed “a three-year work program agreement” for development in agriculture cooperation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said on Monday.
“Taking forward the ever-growing partnership in agriculture between Israel and India, the two governments have agreed to enhance their cooperation in agriculture and signed a three-year work program agreement for development in Agriculture cooperation, while affirming the ever-growing bilateral partnership and recognizing the centrality of agriculture and water sectors in the bilateral relationship,” the Ministry said in a statement. Both countries are implementing the “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”.
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Paddy farmers in Telananga worried about Yaas impactedit
Deccan Chronicle – Online
Giribabu, a paddy farmer of Jangaon district, has expressed a major worry of farmers in Telananga: “How to dry our paddy if there is going to be more of rainfall in Telangana?” The weather office has warned that the state is set to face the onslaught of Yaas cyclone through this week.
“Paddy has around 20-25 percent moisture content. We have to dry it and reduce the moisture to 16 percent before the state government procures it from us. The moisture content would increase if there is rain. We have to dry the grains for a longer period, which leads to discoloration,” laments Giribabu.