Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Farmers to observe June 5 as ‘Sampoorna Kranti Divas’ by burning copies of farm lawsedit
Money Control – Online
Farmers will observe June 5 as ‘Sampoorna Kranti Divas’ by burning copies of the Central farm laws in front of the offices of BJP MPs and MLAs to mark the day when these legislations were initially promulgated as ordinances last year, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said on Saturday. After being promulgated as ordinances, Parliament in September last year passed the proposed legislations and were later made law following presidential assent.
Scores of farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November last year demanding the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 ...
It’s not all bad news in Covid. India’s farm exports soared to 6-year record high. Here’s howedit
The Print – Online
India’s agricultural exports soared to a six-year high of over $19 billion in 2020-21. According to the Agricultural and Processed Foods Exports Development Authority, the national agricultural commodity export grew by nearly 25 per cent over $15.9 billion in 2019-20.
According to the advance foodgrain estimates by the agriculture ministry, the total production of rice in 2021-22 is estimated at a record 121.46 MT against 118 MT last year. This is also higher by 9 MT than the average production of 112.44 MT in the last five years. Until 24 May, 77.2 MT of rice had already been procured by government agencies. Similarly, the production of wheat in the country is estimated at a record ...
Can farm unions, NRPs help save Punjab ecologically?edit
The Times Of India – Online
Farm agitation has completed six months. Season of paddy cultivation has started in north India. Another round of drawing groundwater in huge quantities is set to start. Story of over-exploitation of groundwater in Punjab, largely for paddy, has been told so many times with data that it does not require any repetition. However, it is important to note that the area under paddy cultivation has jumped from 11.83 lakh hectares in 1980-81 to 29.20 lakh hectares in 2019-20. It is ominous that Punjab stares at a dark future. The state may derive its name from water — Punj-aab (the land of five rivers), only around 30% of its irrigation needs are met with ...
Competition
New Holland extends warranty on agricultural machines by 60 days to June 30, 2021edit
UNI – Online
New Holland, a brand of CNH Industrial, has extended by 60 days warranty on all its equipment which expired/expires between May 1 and June 30, 2021. As part of its ‘We care for you!’ initiative, the brand seeks to ease the financial burden of its customers and provide them a hassle-free experience, the company said in a press release on Saturday.
Kumar Bimal, director-sales, India & SAARC, New Holland Agriculture, said, “We understand the anguish of the farmers and the hardship they may be facing during these unprecedented times. The warranty extension is a step towards helping them and easing their financial burden. We had announced a similar warranty extension last year too and it was ...
Technology in Agriculture
ICICI Bank to use satellite data to assess the creditworthiness of farmersedit
Mint – Online
ICICI Bank has announced a unique way to assess creditworthiness of a specific group of customers. The bank will use satellite data imagery to assess the creditworthiness of its customers belonging to the farm sector.
With the introduction of this new method, ICICI Bank will become the first in India and among few globally to use satellite data to measure an array of parameters related to the land, irrigation and crop patterns and use it in combination with demographic and financial parameters to make quicker lending decisions for farmers.
Stubble Burning
A Matter of Particulate Concern: Exposure to Crop Burning Is Making Adolescent Girls’ Heights Shorteredit
The Weather Channel – Online
Plumes of smoke envelop northern and eastern India every year as the November sun sets in. Chilly winter drafts carry the smoke kilometres away, choking the dense cities nearby. Stubble burning has created a massive public health crisis in the last decade, endangering the health of hundreds of millions of people. According to some estimates, farmers in North India burn about 23 million tonnes of paddy stubble annually. The average contribution of smoke from such fires grew from 10% to 15% in the last year.
According to the researchers, girls who experienced high-intensity biomass burning (HIBB) during both prenatal and postnatal periods are shorter in height by 1.07 cm. Specifically, exposure during the prenatal ...