Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Power demand up in Punjab, Haryana as paddy sowing picks paceedit
Hindustan Times – Online
Sowing of paddy in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana has pushed the demand for power in the two states. The maximum demand in Punjab on Monday was recorded at 12,406 (megawatt) MW in the afternoon hours while it was 9,750 MW in Haryana. In Punjab, two units of the Rupnagar thermal plant and three units of the Lehra Mohabatt plant are generating power. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials said the third unit of the Lehra Mohabatt plant could not be operated during the night as engineers agitating for their demands refused to do extra hours. The unit was started on Monday morning.
Haryana Minister on How Direct Cash Transfer Can Boost Agri Economy, Kick-start India’s Recoveryedit
News18 – Online
In the gloom and doom surrounding every discussion on the Indian economy, what is being ignored are the sustained efforts by farmers and the proactive policies of the government to ensure that India’s post-COVID rural economy is poised to grow at a fast pace. In recent months, the government has delivered the country’s largest-ever direct cash transfer in Indian agriculture. This reform is the single most important factor that will boost the rural economy. The pumping of thousands of crores directly into the pockets of farmers will significantly impact the consumption cycle—which will, in turn, create the demand to kick-start the economy.
Usage of wastewater and sustainable agriculture can ensure water security in Indiaedit
Down To Earth – Online
Wastewater usage, water-efficient agriculture, knowledge of soil moisture, and convergence in agriculture could be possible methods to deal with the twin scourges of climate change and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to experts at a recent conference on water. The conference provided an opportunity to policymakers, academicians, researchers, and students to gain expertise from technical experts on matters of water resource engineering and management for water source sustainability by including a combination of theory, conceptual, and applied science.
Budget
Separate annual agriculture budget will be tabled: Governor Purohitedit
The New Indian Express – Online
Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday announced that the government would introduce a separate annual Budget for agriculture with the objective of increasing agricultural productivity and protecting farmers. This is one of the electoral promises of the DMK. Delivering his customary address to the first session of the 16th Assembly, the Governor said in the agriculture sector, the emphasis would be on new technologies, new methods of cultivation and modernising agriculture with the active participation of Farmers’ Producers Groups, Farmers’ Welfare Associations and experts.
CLAAS Global Mentions
US economy is bouncing back from covid-19. Now foreign investors are rushing inedit
Mint – Online
LAAS GmbH, a German manufacturer of agricultural equipment like combine harvesters, invested last year to expand its plant in Omaha, Neb., by 20%. Production at the plant surged about 25% last year, as government stimulus payments encouraged farmers to upgrade their machinery, said Leif Magnusson, the company’s head of sales for the Americas region. “The stimulus was at levels that were unheard of for U.S. farmers and producers,” said the executive, who expects a further 15-20% increase in U.S. production this year.
Competition
Analyst Corner: Maintain ‘buy’ on M&M with target price of Rs 1,089edit
Financial Express – Online
We hosted Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) at the Edelweiss India CXO e-Conference 2021, US & UK edition. Highlights: i) Capital investment guidance for FY22–24 at INR17bn – partly is discretionary and is guided by 18% RoE. ii) Momentum in tractors has started to revive, though auto has not yet seen same momentum; expects the same with a lag. iii) UVs – clear focus on right to win. Growth story intact; maintain ‘BUY’ As concerns around tractor volumes get addressed with uptick in agri economy as well as revival in its commercial vehicle and UV demand, we expect the Street to recognise its strong franchise in tractors and commercial vehicles.
Govt. Policies
Digital Village scheme will revolutionize the Indian gaming marketedit
Hindustan Times – Online
India’s economy is expanding at a rapid pace. Initially, India’s rural regions were primarily renowned for agricultural pursuits, but that has changed dramatically. India has endured a decade of continuous digital transformation in information and communication technology. India’s smartphone industry has a lot of potential for development. The most critical strategy on which the Government of India is working as part of the Digital India program is “Digital Village.” Under this concept, certain villages will be transformed into digitally active, cashless villages, allowing rural residents to conduct most of their daily activities entirely online. The primary goal of the Digital Village initiative is to make towns more digitally engaged. Under this plan, the work of ...
Monsoon + Indian Agriculture
Favourable monsoon 3,000 years ago saw dominance of paddy cultivation in arid Vidarbha: Studyedit
The Indian Express – Online
A GROUP of archaeologists have identified extensive cultivation, dominated by rice, some 3,000 year ago in the semi-arid regions of Vidarbha in Maharashtra. Researchers from Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences (BSIP), Archaeological Survey of India and Banaras Hindu University jointly studied over a thousand macro-botanical sample remains from Rithi Ranjana, a site about 37km northwest of Nagpur district along the banks of river Kanhan, a tributary of Wainganga. Many previous archaeological excavations from Vidarbha had linked antiquities and agriculture equipment — hoe, sickle and others — to the Iron Age from this region of Vidarbha.
Stubble Burning
Delhi air pollution: How cooking took over from farm fires as number 1 toxinedit
The Times Of India – Online
An analysis of the PM2.5 contribution of various sectors to Delhi’s air in the winter of 2020 by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has revealed that emission from farm fires was highest in the first phase of the season, but local sources dominated in the subsequent periods. Emissions from household solid fuel usage for cooking and space heating was the primary contributor, followed by road dust and transport. At 31.4%, stubble burning dominated the phase from October 15 to November 15, 2020, according to the study. Local sources were mostly responsible for the pollution in the peak winter season as household heating and cooking significantly increased to 39.6% during the ...
Tractor industry
World’s Largest Agricultural Tractor to be Displayed at Kalispelledit
Krishi Jagran – Online
It is 14 feet tall, with a capacity of 1,000 gallons of fuel, and can cover an acre and a half in under a minute. Its eight 8-foot-tall tires alone weigh as much as a regular farm tractor at 36,000 pounds. The Big Bud 747 is the world’s largest agricultural tractor, and it’s on its way to Kalispell. The Guinness World Record holder for the largest farm tractor, owned by Robert and Randy Williams of Big Sandy, will be on display at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center Building July 2-5 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.