Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
COVID lockdown: Power supply, labour shortage hit Punjab farmers ahead of paddy sowing seasonedit
DNA – Online
With arrival of paddy sowing season, farmers in Amritsar are dealing with power cuts and shortage of labours. Farmers stated that there’s an irregular power supply and labour shortage in the state. Govt promised 8-hour supply, as against their demand for 15 hours. But that promise remains unfulfilled as power supply is irregular. Famer said that their paddy sowing season has been delayed because of inadequate supply of power.
Maize, makhana replace paddy and jute as cash crops in Bihar’s Seemanchaledit
Hindustan Times – Online
In Bihar’s Seemanchal, maize and fox nut (locally known as Makhana) have replaced paddy and jute as cash crops and resulted in better income for farmers. The state government says the change is encouraging businesses to set up food processing units in the area. Md Taimur Alam (67) of Chhatiya village in Purnia says he switched from growing paddy and jute to cultivating makhana in 2005. “These two crops were not bringing as much return as I had expected,’ he said, explaining the move.
Amitabh Kant on Aspirational Stories of Transformation, from Chandauli to Gadchiroliedit
News18 – Online
Good food never fails to bring people or, in some cases, even nations together. Last winter, in a pleasantly surprising cultural exchange, black rice grown in Chandauli, a small district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, found itself on the dining tables in Oman and Qatar. One of the 112 districts under the Aspirational Districts Programme, Chandauli is known as the ‘rice bowl of Purvanchal’. Given the popularity of paddy cultivation in the region, the district administration decided to diversify the agricultural produce by encouraging farmers to grow fertiliser-free organic black rice. The experiment was remarkably successful, with Chandauli adding to the thriving global market of black rice and exporting to even countries like Australia and New Zealand.
Limited funding key challenge for youth in agricultural sectoredit
Devdiscourse – Online
imited access to funding and land, including bureaucracy, are among the key challenges facing young people in the agricultural sector. These issues were raised on Monday by young farmers during a webinar on the role of youth in agriculture. The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), hosted a webinar that aimed to highlight the role that young people must play in the agricultural sector, and address issues of land reform and opportunities available for young people in terms of access to land, finance and access to markets.
Centre trying to end power relief to agriculture sector: Sanyukt Kisan Morchaedit
The Times Of India – Online
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has alleged that the Union finance ministry in a recent covert move has tried to disincentivize those states which provide power subsidies to agriculture and farmers. The SKM claimed that the government is indulging in anti-farmer move by offering additional borrowing space to state governments, based on certain conditions and performance criteria including on the agriculture front that coerce state governments to bring down subsidies for farmers. It has evolved a scoring system giving more marks to those states which have no power subsidy for agricultural connections, or for those states which have metered consumption including agricultural connections, or for DBT system for subsidies, the morcha said.
Budget
Amaravati: Agriculture to get Rs 1,48,500-croreedit
The Hans India – Online
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the state annual credit plan of 2021-22 with a total outlay of Rs 2,83,380 crore at the 215th State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting held at camp office here on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said despite the pandemic-induced lockdowns and crises racked the world and the nation, stipulated targets were crossed in loan disbursement in the state and added that 105 percent of targets were achieved in priority sectors and 114.16 percent in agriculture sector adding that the role of banks in achieving this growth rate is commendable.
Competition
4 Top Picks From The Auto Sector By Angel Broking For June 2021edit
Good Returns – Online
The broking firm Angel Broking in its research report has listed out top picks for June 2021. The list has been segregated sector wise i.e. banking, auto, chemicals, pharma and others. “Considering record food-grain procurement by government agencies as well as expectation of good Kharif crop in 2021, we expect the tractor industry will continue to outperform the larger automobile space in FY22 with Escorts being a key beneficiary”, said the report. Escorts in the recent past has also entered into a strategic partnership with Kubota Corporation of Japan (one of the global leaders in farm machinery and implements), which provides further visibility of growth for the company, going forward, added the report.
Symbiosis University of Applied Sciences – Imparting skills for the futureedit
The Print – Online
Many graduate programs in India have been criticized for producing graduates who are knowledgeable but are woefully inadequate when it comes to skillsets required by industries. SUAS has collaborated with over 20 leading industries in India and 12 German Universities of Applied Sciences. The University has entered into collaborations with top industries such as MAN Trucks, John Deere, Volvo Eicher, Future Group (BIG Bazaar & Centrals), HDFC Bank, L&T, and Reliance Capital to name a few.
Dairy Farming
Dodla Dairy IPO opens tomorrow: 10 things to know before subscribing public issueedit
Money Control – Online
The initial public offering of Dodla Dairy is going open for subscription on Wednesday. This would be the third company to launch an IPO this week, after Sona Comstar and Shyam Metalics. The equity shares issued by the company will be listed on both BSE and the National Stock Exchange. ICICI Securities and Axis Capital are the book running lead managers to the offer. The offer for sale consists of up to 92 lakh equity shares by investor TPG Dodla Dairy Holdings Pte Ltd. The offer for sale also comprises selling of up to 4,16,604 equity shares by Dodla Sunil Reddy, 10,41,509 equity shares by Dodla Family Trust, and 3,27,331 equity shares by Dodla Deepa ...
Technology in Agriculture
New normal: Being tech driven in a post Covid worldedit
The Economic Times – Online
In a year of lockdowns, each one of us experienced the power of technology at a fundamental level. With the world shifting enmasse to virtual, technology helped us take care of loved ones, get healthcare, access essential services, get work done and keep our businesses running. It took a pandemic to bring home the power of digital technology and the possibilities it opens up for individuals, organizations and the world at large. This ability to adopt technology and integrate it into almost every aspect of our lives is called “Tech Intensity”. Today each one of us is more tech intense than we were a year ago. We saw how digital transformation that would have ...
Water Management Policies Through Virtual Water Analysisedit
BW Education – Online
Anamika Barua, Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Science, IIT Guwahati, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Zaragoza, Spain, used ecological economics to study the socio-political factors governing ‘Virtual Water Flow’, an emerging concept at the science-policy interface, with particular reference to India. Virtual Water (VW) is the water involved in the production and trade of food and non-food commodities and services. It is that ‘invisible’ water that has been consumed throughout the lifecycle of the product or service. The team found that some VW flows between states are unsustainable as water through agricultural products flows from highly water-scarce states in North to other highly water-scarce states in West and South. Such unsustainable ...
Govt. Policies
The Rajasthan government would pay metered agri users Rs 1,000 per monthedit
Krishi Jagran – Online
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress government in Rajasthan announced new subsidies under the Chief Minister’s Kisan Mitra Urja Yojana, which will provide significant relief to agricultural power consumers. The draft of the Mukhyamantri Kisan Mitra Energy Yojana (MKMEY), under which the state government will pay metered agricultural consumers a grant of Rs 1,000 per month and a maximum of Rs. 12,000 per year on energy bills, has been approved by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The state’s budget will be hit with a bill of Rs 450 crore. This scheme’s benefits will begin in May 2021. Electricity bills will be issued by discoms to eligible agricultural consumers on a bi-monthly billing structure under the plan. ...
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Monsoon covers two-third of India earlier than usual, to accelerate crop sowingedit
The Economic Times – Online
India’s annual monsoon rains have covered two-third of the country, nearly a fortnight ahead of the normal schedule, a weather department official said on Monday, adding that conditions are favourable for further advancement into the north-western parts this week. The early arrival of monsoon rains in central and northern India will help farmers accelerate sowing of summer-sown crops such as paddy rice, cotton, soybean and pulses, and may boost crop yields too.