Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Indian envoy holds talks over renewable energy, agricultural trade with Kansas Guvedit
India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu had a virtual meeting with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, during which they held discussions over renewable energy, agricultural trade, and educational partnerships. The discussion was on expanding India’s ties with the state, Sandhu said in a tweet. Discussed renewable energy, agricultural trade, educational partnerships, and the strength of the diaspora in the region, he said after the virtual meeting.
India has a strong relationship with Kansas. India’s exports to Kansas stand at USD 122.8 million and imports at USD 81.5 million. Two Indian companies, Cambridge Technology Enterprises, and VVF have a presence in Kansas. Garmin, a Kansas-based GPS technology company, has a presence in India, along ...
Cotton price hits record high of Rs 23,940 a bale on rising demand, falling supplyedit
Money Control – Online
Cotton futures gained for the fifth day and scaled a fresh lifetime high of Rs 23,940 a bale intraday on June 3 as participants raised fresh bets as seen from open interest. The agriculture commodity traded in the positive territory after a gap-up start, tracking firm global cues. On the MCX, Cotton futures for June delivery rose Rs 130, or 0.55 percent, to Rs 23,860 a bale at 1501 hours on a business turnover of 7,284 lots. For the July contract, it jumped Rs 160, or 0.67 percent, at Rs 24,130 a bale with a business volume of 425 lots. The value of June and July contracts traded so far is Rs 23.05 crore and ...
In Assam, new rice varieties are a lifeline for farmers struggling to adapt to climate changeedit
Scroll – Online
Before 2018, Ranjita Pegu lost a major portion of her rice crop every year during the kharif season, from June to October. Flash floods would hit her 1.6-hectare low-lying farmland in Assam two to three times during the monsoon. Submerged underwater for long periods, the crop would scarcely be enough to meet her needs. The 28-year-old farmer from Namoni Serepai village in the district of Majuli could not even dream of selling any for extra income. Then, three years ago, Seven Sisters Development Assistance, a civil society organisation operating in India’s northeastern states, introduced Ranjita to new varieties of rice. The Bahadur Sub-1 and Ranjit Sub-1 are flood-tolerant varieties developed by the Assam Agricultural University.
CSR and COVID Initiatives
Sonalika vaccinates 100 percent of its workforce, sets up 3 PSA oxygen plants in hospitals across New Delhi and Mohaliedit
The Print – Online
COVID-19 cases in India have been gradually coming down, especially in the northern states of India, however, the situation still remains harrowing in other parts of the country. The tough times continue to haunt the society as a whole and Sonalika Tractors has reiterated its call of collaborative efforts from everyone capable – be it individuals, industrialists or corporates to join the movement in preparing the nation for medical emergencies. India’s fastest growing tractor brand and the No. 1 Exports brand from the country, Sonalika Tractors came forward in April’21 to announce a massive COVID-19 vaccination drive for 100% of its workforce and in just two months, the company has achieved its mission.
Dairy Farming
APEDA Identifies Banaskantha and Mathura as Clusters for Dairy Product Developmentedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Product Export Development Authority) has established an Export Promotion Forum (EPF) for the promotion of dairy product exports and to address issues in the dairy sector. According to a statement given to the media by APEDA Chairman M Angamuthu, the forum will help to accelerate trade in the dairy sector. It includes officials from various sectors like Ministry of Fisheries, Export Inspection Council, and Animal Husbandry and Dairying. APEDA, in this regard, has picked two clusters – one in Banaskantha in Gujarat and the other in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
Dams and Indian Agriculture
For second consecutive year, Mettur dam to open on traditional date for farmingedit
The New Indian Express – Online
Given the comfortable storage level and expecting that the southwest monsoon would be normal, the Mettur dam is being opened for irrigation on the traditional date, June 12, for the second consecutive year. Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday announced this after holding discussions with Minister for Water Resources Durai Murugan, Minister for Agriculture MRK Paneerselvam and senior officials. An official release here said as on Thursday, the storage level at Mettur dam stood at 97.13 feet (61.43 tmcft). Expecting the southwest monsoon to be normal, water would be released to delta districts on June 12.
Technology in Agriculture
Towards dispute-free lands: Digital survey in 27 villages of Telangana to start from June 11edit
The New Indian Express – Online
The digital survey of agriculture lands with geographical coordinates will be taken up in the State from June 11. A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during a meeting with agencies involved in digital land survey, on Wednesday. The survey will be taken up on a pilot basis in 27 villages – three in Gajwel and the remaining in 24 different districts. Stating that the digital survey of agriculture lands is aimed at turning Telangana into a ‘land disputes-free’ State, the Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to identify 27 villages to launch the survey. As the Dharani portal resolved most of the land disputes in ...
Consultation Paper on Indian Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) Releasededit
Krishi Jagran – Online
On June 1, 2021, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmer Welfare released a Consultation Paper on Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA). Digital technologies are transforming all the sectors of the economy and the society in innumerable ways. Communications, banking, payments, travel, energy, healthcare, taxation, and governance have significantly benefited by deploying digital solutions. Agriculture and allied sectors call for ‘doing more with less’ if the challenges depicted above are to be overcome effectively or more so converted into opportunities to leapfrog. In a recent report the World Bank Group has underpinned the need for the agriculture sector to embrace digital technologies. ‘The digital revolution—and the data it generates—are key to building an agriculture and ...
Agribazaar inks pact with govt to promote digital agriculture in rural Indiaedit
Plunge Daily – Online
Agritech platform Agribazaar on Wednesday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union Agriculture Ministry for promotion of digital agriculture in rural India with a scientific approach. “The MOU with Agribazaar will help in creating a digital platform for farmers. We will realize the dream of a self-reliant and digital India by taking along the farm sector,” the company’s statement quoted Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar as saying.
Govt. Policies
Mumbai: Credit plan of Rs 4,60,881 cr approved for Maharashtra for 2021-22edit
Free Press Journal – Online
The State level bankers’ committee on Thursday finalised a credit plan of Rs 4,60,881 crore for 2021-22 for Maharashtra against Rs 4,74,511 crore for 2020-21. Of this, the committee has earmarked Rs 1,18,720 crore for the agriculture sector lending with a crop loan target of Rs 60,860 crore for 69.06 lakh farmers. This is for the first time the committee has set the target of farmers which should be provided crop loans. The banks are expected to provide Rs 2,49,139 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises while Rs 90,322 crore for other priority groups. There are 1.52 crore farmers with bank accounts and of the 209 lakh hectare under cultivation, nearly 141 lakh ...
Stubble Burning
PPCB plans to post volunteers in hotspot areas to check stubble burningedit
The Times Of India – Online
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), this year, had decided to hire volunteers only in hotspot areas of Punjab where the stubble burning incidents are recorded high every year. Besides, the volunteers will be hired for PPCB project on microbial decomposition of paddy stubble like last year. PPCB chairman S S Marwaha claimed that during 2018-19, around 30,000 volunteers rendered their services in around 245 villages to create awareness among the farmers and check stubble burning cases following which around 13% reduction in the area under farm fire was recorded. Similarly, in 2019-20 the PPCB took services of more than 1.25 lakh volunteers who volunteered their services in around 12,750 villages of Punjab ...
Tractor industry
TAFE Announces Free Tractor Rental Scheme for the Second Year in a Row to Support Small Farmers of Rajasthanedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, the world’s third-largest tractor manufacturer, in a continuing effort to support the farming community and the Government amidst the second wave of the COVID surge, announced its ‘Free Tractor Rental Scheme’ to support the small farmers of Rajasthan during this critical cropping season. This is the second year in a row that TAFE has offered this unique and much popular free tractor rental scheme. Over 1 Lakh Hours of free rental service, cultivating over 70,100 acres for small and marginal farmers was provided in Rajasthan alone, and over 213,500 acres were cultivated for free across India last year.